Where the Raptors stand ahead of the NBA trade deadline

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign. [00:00:04] Speaker B: Welcome to the Canadian Basketball show, your go to spot for the latest news stories and analysis on Canadian basketball. I'm your host, Lee Ben Osman. We're a few weeks away from the NBA trade deadline and the Toronto Raptors are in so many too many trade rumors tied to a highlight of profile names from Anthony Davis, John Morant. But how real is is all of it? Joining me to discuss the Raptors where they stand ahead of the February 5th trade deadline is senior NBA insider Michael Scott of Hoops Hype. My guy, how you been? It's been a while. Last time I seen you, what was it? Was it Vegas? [00:00:37] Speaker C: Vegas Summer league? [00:00:38] Speaker B: Yeah, summer league, man. I need you out to Brooklyn, man. Chicken parm on you next time I see you. [00:00:44] Speaker C: That sounds good to me. Nah, all. All's good, brother. Just sifting through what's real and what's not a couple weeks ahead of the deadline. [00:00:52] Speaker B: Yeah, obviously you're a busy guy, so let's get straight to it. You came out with a story at Hoops Hype just about talking about the Raptors in specific too. They've been tied to a lot of high profile names. What names have you heard in specific and how real is it ahead of the deadline? [00:01:08] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean look, the Raptors have been a little bit all over in the place. On one hand they've looked at trying to get below the luxury tax. So Chayag Baji's name has come up and trying to use him to get a backup center. They had some talks with the Phoenix Suns earlier with for Nick Richards, which I had reported on, but those talks kind of fell through for now. But that was an interesting guy because if they would have traded Ochai for Nick Richards, they would have been able to go below the luxury tax. But I think the names that your listeners are more interested in are probably Demonta Sabonis, Anthony Davis and John Morant. Toronto's always been a team that's been linked to stars in the past and, and I think it's interesting now given where they are as currently an Eastern Conference playoff team, that they're still looking to be a little bit in the game of big fish hunting. [00:02:00] Speaker B: From your understanding you talked about it, they've been linked to a lot of guys. How much of that is real? How much of that is also just like we're putting our name in the ring, you know, and just being in the mix. How much of that are they actually like serious considering? Because I don't think like Brandon Ingram last year, we're looking at his situation. He. They were in the mix, but I don't think anybody expected him to pull that off. So how real is this? [00:02:23] Speaker C: Well, there's always a price for everybody. I think they're in the mix on all these guys, but it's evaluating the different prices. I mean, clearly they're looking to upgrade their talent level. When you're looking at two bigs in the Monte Sabonis and Anthony Davis, I think they're looking at it and a lot of other teams around the league as an opportunity of maybe there's a buy low here opportunity. Same thing with John Morant on the Memphis Grizzlies, especially coming off the Trey Young trade. I think a lot of teams are saying to themselves, hey, can we get this guy and turn him into something productive, more than what he's been the past two years. Anthony Davis has dealt with injuries and the Monte Sabonis has as well this year. So for teams like Toronto, it's an opportunity where, you know, you have an opportunity to get an all star caliber player with all three of these players potentially, but I think at much of a less cost than you would have had to in years past. [00:03:15] Speaker B: What does the price for Anthony Davis kind of look like in this trademark you're obviously dealing with the injury won't be back until maybe late March. And you reported they've maintained interest in in him. What does that look like and what would maybe a trade package maybe look like for the Raptors potentially have to get up a few starters, Greg? [00:03:38] Speaker C: Well, I mean, look, if you're looking at Anthony Davis for, I would say for AD it's about guys that are ideally expiring contracts, which is not what Toronto has, but draft picks they do have. And so it becomes kind of a balancing act of getting off of some of their money with some guys that have been starters for them. Look, Emmanuel Quickley is a guy that's making a substantial amount of money at point guard. Jacob Hotel Pearl hasn't even started his contract extension yet. And then you've got RJ Barrett, who I even reported last season at the trade deadline. They were in talks, including him in talks for Brandon Ingram. Now, New Orleans didn't need that in their discretion. They felt, you know, having Herb Jones that a player of RJ wouldn't fit there as well. But it goes to show you kind of where their thinking is with some of these guys. And you know, just in general, as far as even like the Monte Sabonis, his price tag, I'm not as it's not as clear but given the way that Sacramento is trending, it would be their young players or picks if they can. But again, this is a guy that's got a lot of money coming to him and I think now with the new cba, you're not seeing as big an appetite for these high priced stars as maybe you once did. [00:04:59] Speaker B: What does the market look like for a guy like Quickly who obviously I think most people look at his contract and, and they might, they might, they might, they might take a step back, you know, what's, that's one market. What would you say his value is? And our teams eager to take on that contract? [00:05:21] Speaker C: Look, brother, I, you know, you said it nicer, you said it nicely. But I think the reality is a lot of teams look at Emmanuel Quickley and they say right now that he's overpaid. And you know, Emmanuel Quickley, he's a good player. And when Toronto signed him to that contract, the thinking was he was going to grow into that player. That hasn't materialized yet. And last season he dealt with a ton of injuries. So I wouldn't say, I wouldn't say it's a positive value. I don't think like if Toronto was putting him out there. Teams are offering a first round pick for quickly, so at best it's neutral or you have to include something to get off of some of that money or below. So that's where I would rate his value at best. Neutral, more likely. You're probably going to have to put a pick to kind of get off the salary at this point just because he's got a lot more years coming and you know, he's. Well, he's over $30 million for sure. I think he's around 32, 33. [00:06:18] Speaker B: Yeah. The Raptors have all their picks, I believe too in the next, what, seven years or so. The guy that I'm kind of, I don't know, the way I describe it is like RJ Barrett is kind of a mixed bag. I feel like the front office views him one way. I think the way he's been playing this year, fitting in with the roster that many wouldn't have expected. How do teams view him in terms of. When he came from New York to Toronto, there was a lot of chatter about calling him a toxic asset, but I feel like he's kind of over, like he's his value, what his contract is worth. I think it's fair at least to what it is now. But is there still that sentiment on RJ that teams are still scared just to take on him and obviously he's entering potential extension this summer too. [00:07:09] Speaker C: RJ Barrett's played better since he's come to Toronto. There's no question about that. Statistically you could see it across the board. You mentioned about the fit with Brandon Ingram and Scotty Barnes. It has surprised people that he's been able to fit in kind of seamlessly with them because some people wondered if the AB ability to stretch the floor was going to be a concern and if a younger player that could shoot like Grady Dick was going to be a guy that could get more minutes. But it never materialized. And it was to RJ's credit that he's played well in terms of the league. I would say more lukewarm at this point just because I think you can move RJ salary and him as a player. But again, I don't see a team saying I'm going to give you a first round pick. For RJ Barrett. It's more neutral at best. [00:07:58] Speaker B: Any thoughts on how the Raptors view him? From what you've heard just obviously talked about extension eligible this summer. Gonna be expecting money, more money, probably this in the next few years. How do the Raptors view him? Hometown kid, Canadian guy. Our listeners to love him, play for Canada. What World Cup, Olympics. How do you think the Raptors view him? [00:08:20] Speaker C: It's no secret that the Toronto Raptors love their Canadians. RJ has developed under them better than when he was with the Knicks. I think what I would categorize it as, I would say not only for rj, not only for Quickly but Jakob Pearl as well is they are gauging the market to see what others think. And if they're. If if what the league values their guys as similarly to them. If so, then if there's an upgrade to be had, they would do it. If not, they're in a good position right now. They are a playoff team in the east and they can hold on to these guys. You know, next year like you said, he's eligible regarding RJ Barrett for an extension, but next year it becomes if they don't do a deal, he's an expiring contract. And as you know, regardless of how the players doing, anytime you have an expiring contract, it's valuable. So if you wait a few more months, it's not going to hurt. If anything it's going to improve his value at the minimum. So that's kind of the stance on RJ for now. [00:09:19] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:09:20] Speaker B: Jakob's obviously a big name kind of in trade Sox and you mentioned he's Beloved by Toronto, obviously they traded him for Kawhi, ended up winning a championship, brought him back in need of a center. But dealing with so much back injuries, I thought he was worth the contract that he received this summer, but it's not materialized as it is. Right. With dealing with that back injury, how do the Raptors feel about him? You talked about him being beloved. Obviously he has long history with this organization, but they're also looking for someone that can, like, they're tired of watching. Column Murray boys play center. Scotty Barnes place center, you know, like Sandro play center. You know, there's not an actual center play in consistent minutes. How do, how do, how does the league, how does the Raptors view Jacob right now? [00:10:04] Speaker C: Look, Toronto's always valued Jakob Hurdle as a guy that does anything the coaches asked, ultimate team guy, does the dirty work, doesn't need the ball in his hands. They love that about him. In terms of good screen setter outside of Toronto across the league, I would say there is concern about his ongoing back issues. And I'm sorry, but it's just the reality of the situation. Anytime that you have an injury like that, teams are a little nervous to dip their toe in the water. So I think for Jakob, it's going to be important for him to come back and play and ideally kind of showcase himself a little bit before the trade deadline if he's going to be a guy that's getting moved. Otherwise I do think teams are going to be a little leery at this point. [00:10:53] Speaker B: Yeah, he's been out for, for quite a while now. Hopefully be back pretty soon. John Moran, that's the name that I don't, I don't see the fit with Toronto, sadly, but obviously another star in the market. I'm looking at what Trey Young just went for and, and I think teams are probably looking at the situation in Memphis, how it's fizzled out and you've detailed it like very well in your story. What's the price tag for a guy like J. Morat and does the Raptor's interest kind of like from your viewpoint and then looking at the roster say they get rid of a guy like quickly in that deal? I don't think Memphis would want long term contract as well, unless you're probably attaching Pixar or whatnot. But, but does, does the Raptors, does the fit seem like it's possible? And are the Raptors really that interested in John Morant? [00:11:44] Speaker C: I mean, look, they're, they're clearly looking to make an upgrade at point guard. In some aspects you look at dating back to the summer, they had interest in Lamelo Ball, they have interest in John Morant. Now clearly they feel there are some guards out there that can be an upgrade over Emmanuel Quickley. Now, remember, regarding your question about the possibility with Memphis, I would say in the Desmond Main trade they took Antavious Caldwell Pope's contract and they were given a first round pick for that. So I do think if incentivized they would. But you know, if you're trading John Morant and you're Memphis, you're going into a rebuild. And whether they keep Jaren Jackson or not is another story. I think a lot of people around the league would say that he's a player that in, in terms of Jaren, that teams around the league are going to be looking at and saying to themselves, hey, maybe we can take a swing here as well. But big picture, I would say that anything is possible. But ideally you're looking more at shorter term contracts and draft picks. Now I do think Toronto has more picks available than some other teams that would be willing to go that far. So we'll see if it happens. But I would certainly say that they have the tools necessary to be in the mix if they choose to be at a high level for ja. [00:13:03] Speaker B: Is there a specific return Memphis is looking for from when we're talking about ja, like we're talking about, obviously they're moving to this youth movement, this young, young players potentially trade picks. They also got a bunch of picks for Desmond Bain. In terms of what Trae Young went for, is that kind of like the market they see for Ja Morant or is it also just a little bit of like a team that might, that, that might be seeing him as like a, a star and like they just watched what he just did in, in, in, in, in in the UK putting up like a double double in the first half. Do teams are teams looking at him like as a Trey young teams are. [00:13:37] Speaker C: Trying to pitch stuff to make him out to be the next Trey Young trade where you're doing matching salaries and whatnot and not giving up a pick. But I know Memphis is looking to get more than that and they're going to hold out at least over the next couple of weeks and take it down as far as they can. Like I had touched on with Milwaukee, for example, they're going to want that 2031 or 2032 pick and Ryan Rollins. So we'll see if Milwaukee is willing to do that. Toronto, as we touched on, if you're going to get to Ja, I mean you could do quickly and, and try to make the money work that way. But again you'd have to be incentivizing with picks at that point, not only for job but then at least one to get off quickly I would say. So they're going back and forth on all that stuff with teams now and obviously JA helped himself with a bit of a showcase game overseas. Couldn't happen that a better time for him if he wants to get moved. And for the Grizzlies as they're trying to reset the market a little bit, obviously they want to try to get more than what Atlanta got for Trey Young. [00:14:46] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:14:47] Speaker B: Going back to Anthony Davis. Say that doesn't happen for Toronto. How interested are they or, or for. [00:14:53] Speaker A: For. [00:14:54] Speaker B: For backup big in that situation where say Jakob doesn't get moved. Are they really. Are they in the market to attach maybe a pick for a backup big like you mentioned they were expressing interest in Nick Richards, that kind of. Those kind of stuff. Are they in the market for backup? [00:15:08] Speaker C: You've got Ogbaji's contract to use to get a top tier salary backup player. Whether you put a second round pick or two is. Is up to them in their discretion and who the player would be as a backup center. But you can get that done I believe personally. So time will tell. [00:15:26] Speaker A: Who are you talking about? [00:15:27] Speaker B: Ochai in particular. Is he the most likely to get moved at this point? [00:15:31] Speaker C: I think so. Just from in terms of if they swing and miss on star hunting, at minimum they're going to want to try to get below the luxury tax and I would say that his contract is the best way to do so while also achieving their other objective of getting a backup center. Killing two birds and one stone. [00:15:50] Speaker B: And I'm guessing you'd have to attach picks or a pick to that just to get off his contract. Correct. Let's move on to some Canadians we talked about. Rj, the next guy that you mentioned, Andrew Wiggins guy that's having a great season just and had a, a clutch shot to against okc. What's Wiggins's market right now And I'm guessing Miami's kind of looking at offers for him. And what does, what does Wiggins look like right now? [00:16:18] Speaker C: I mean look Andrew Wiggins has been linked to the Los Angeles lakers. They need a 3nd guy. Anybody that's in that kind of market, Wiggins has a chance to draw some interest from. But big picture, if you're Miami, you're also weighing a pursuit for Giannis Antenokounmpo in the summer, if he remains with the Bucks, as, you know, expected at this point, barring a, a trade demand in terms of the next couple of weeks. So, you know, whether it's Tyler Hero's contract or Wiggins, you got to make the money work. And, and one of those two guys would be. So they could hold on to him. I mean, he's played well, he's been fine. He's helped them win now he's been durable and he's been everything they want him to be. So, you know, I think in terms of that, that's kind of where Miami sees him at this point. [00:17:05] Speaker B: You mentioned Giannis. Milwaukee, obviously, I think they're in a, in a move to, to buy right now in terms of surrounding players around Giannis. What does that look like? Are you think they'll. It's not at all. They'll even entertain talks about trading to Yanis, Trading Giannis? [00:17:23] Speaker C: No, they're not looking to trade Giannis. They're trying to buy and build around him, and ideally, come October, they want to offer Giannis a $275 million extension. That's their, that's their goal. Ideally, yeah. [00:17:36] Speaker B: I'm trying to tell Raptors fans, man, relax. I know they've been for. From when Masai was here, hoping for that to be a thing, but likely not. Any other names you are linked to the Raptors that, that you've heard or have been hearing that that might peak interest? [00:17:51] Speaker C: Those are. We. We've hit on the main ones, for sure. I mean, those are the, the needle movers. [00:17:56] Speaker B: Yeah. Should we expect a busy trade deadline from. From your eyes, like, what does it look like compared to last year, where I think there's a lot of moves. [00:18:02] Speaker A: Right. [00:18:02] Speaker C: I just feel like this year it's. In talking with executives, it's relatively quiet, definitely, compared to years past. If the trade market indeed is quiet, it's setting up a bigger summer and ultimately another summer of Giannis chatter, because until he signs that extension, the noise is still going to be out there, but we're going to know once and for all where ultimately he stands, because the reality of the situation is he could sign the extension and end all of this trade talk and gossip. If he doesn't, then it leaves the door open for Milwaukee to move him, because you're not going to want to lose him for nothing. And if you're offering him 275 and he's not running the sign to that, there's at least a possibility that he leaves so you have to take that into account. [00:18:54] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:18:54] Speaker B: The next six or so months will be very interesting in the NBA. Mike Scotto, my guy. The way I watched you work at the NBA draft, people don't know you're the best in the business, man, if they don't know already, man, I appreciate you coming on the podcast. Go follow him on Twitter. Mike A. Scotto, Chicken parm. I know I said it's on you, but I got you. [00:19:12] Speaker A: I got you. [00:19:13] Speaker C: Next time you come to my turf, anybody that ever comes to my turf, I take care of my people. [00:19:18] Speaker B: Where are we going, though? Is it in Brooklyn? Is it Manhattan? Manhattan, where are we going? [00:19:22] Speaker C: No, you're going to Brooklyn. You get. You get the authentic Italian and the mom and pop places. Okay by me. Cobble Hill, you go to Carroll Gardens. Those are the areas. [00:19:33] Speaker A: Okay. [00:19:33] Speaker B: I'd be getting scammed. I'll be honest with you. Every time I'm in New York for the. For the draft, I'm getting scammed. So next time I'm hitting you up, we're going out. We're gonna have some time. You're gonna be on NBA All Star Weekend next month. [00:19:44] Speaker C: We'll see. I mean, but if not, I might be like some of these players and go on a vacation after the trade deadline as well. Gotta recharge and rest up, too. I just don't count it as lower management. [00:19:54] Speaker B: Yeah, you need it. You need it, man. Mike Scotto. Thank you again. Go follow him on Twitter ikescato. We'll take a quick break and we'll be back with Will Lou, host of the hello and welcome show. We'll talk about the state of the Raptors. We'll be back. Appreciate you, Mike. Welcome back to the Canadian Basketball Show. We're talking about the state of the Toronto Raptors, head of the NBA trade deadline, and I'm joined by my guy, Will Lou, the host and creator. Hello and welcome. The number one basketball podcast in Canada. Dopest hat game in the business. I'm rocking it right now. Shout out to my guy, Alex Wong, Future Traders Canada contestant. I'm trying to see that happen. My guy Will. How you doing? [00:20:44] Speaker A: What's going on, man? Just for you and your. Your esteemed program. You know, I had to come dressed like Nathaniel Mitchell. You know, I think I bought this shirt off his back, so. Yeah, man, did you actually. No, no, I bought this. You were in the building too? Of course, but it was Canada versus Bahamas. We're watching Isaiah Mobley. Not Evan Mobley, but Isaiah Mobley was on that team and cooking. Yeah, cooking. I don't know, man. Both. Both. The whole Mobley family lacks handles. Okay, but it's my evaluation. But I saw this shirt and it was 10 bucks, and I was like, yo, how could I not represent Canada for 10 bucks? [00:21:18] Speaker B: So, yeah, people wonder when he's talking about audio listeners. He's rocking the assistant coach's gear, you know, that. That you rock during games. That's what he's wearing. How much was that? [00:21:32] Speaker A: It was $10. I'm not even kidding. Really? Yeah. [00:21:35] Speaker B: And then call me and be like, lee, man, where you at? [00:21:37] Speaker A: Come get this. You downstairs. I assume you already have one of these, man, they should retire one of these in your honor. [00:21:42] Speaker B: Man, I wish. I wish I could get my hand. [00:21:44] Speaker A: On one of those. [00:21:45] Speaker B: I might hit up Nathaniel Mitchell. I might hit up the staff over there, try to get my. My hand on one of those. But obviously I brought you on not to talk about Canadian basketball. That's probably for. For a future podcast. But the Raptors, this is your expertise. This is your field. You do this on a day to day basis. The Raptors are what, 25 and 19th, fourth in the Eastern Conference right now. Standings in year two of the year. [00:22:09] Speaker C: Build. [00:22:09] Speaker A: Come on, man. That's propaganda. You know that's propaganda. [00:22:13] Speaker B: The amount of times I've heard Darko Akovic say this, it's stuck in my head. And it's. Honestly, it's great. It's great. It's a great way to talk about your team because there's not much expectations. When I think about year two of the rebuild, I'm thinking of, like, the Washington Wizards, you know, I'm thinking about them and like, they're. They're the trenches of a rebuild. You know, the Raptors don't look like they're in year two of the rebuild, but that's what they say they are. Not the way they're moving, especially the way they've been in trade talks, rumors. [00:22:43] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. [00:22:44] Speaker B: Star hunting for players. I had Michael Scotto on and he talked about potentially them being a hunt for Anthony Davis, Damontas Sabonis, which I know you have thoughts on John Morant, but before we get to all that kind of stuff, how do you feel about where the Raptors are? Are they further along than you expected? [00:23:03] Speaker A: I think so. I mean, I think there was no guarantees about where the Raptors are going to be coming into this year. Right. Like, the Raptors were coming off of 25 wins and then 30 wins, and some of that was tanking. But a Lot of that was just the team wasn't good. And so you add Brandon Ingram to the mix, you got to see how he looks physically. Is he gonna be able to play, which so far that's been one of the best things of the season. He's only missed like two games. You're gonna see how he fits in and integrate to the team. And then can a young group like actually take the next step forward defensively? I feel like for most young groups like when they make that jump from being like a young tanking team, no expectations to like actually playing serious basketball, like the first step is can those young guys guard and like Raptors actually say what you want about their offense, which you know, their 30th and three point percentage, but putting us out of the shooting. Like the young guys actually guard, you know, Jamal, Colin, Mary, Boyles, Jacoby, Walter when he's healthy, these guys are all pretty good defenders and I think that has helped accelerate their start to this season. So I mean especially considering the fact that RJ's been out half the year. Jakob Porto no longer exists. Like you know, they've done well to be 25 wins even though it feels like the, the record is better than the quality of the team. You know, I mean on a night to night basis because they're way more inconsistent but no one can really complain about the results. [00:24:18] Speaker B: Yeah. And then considering how trash the Eastern Conference is, to be honest with you, it's like they, they wouldn't probably be be in the race right in the west. It'd probably still be in that, in that semi tanking, like we'll play it by ear type of thing. But now, but just looking at the East, I'm like there might be in a prime position to make an upgrade. [00:24:38] Speaker A: Okay. [00:24:38] Speaker B: And I don't look at them as a contending team. I don't think you do either. [00:24:43] Speaker A: No. [00:24:44] Speaker B: But one or two pieces and this team could make a second round appearance. I feel like in the playoffs, right. [00:24:52] Speaker A: You give me Jovic and Wendy's, we're in man. [00:24:55] Speaker B: Right. But at this point I'm looking at the season. I'm like anything like you watched. Like I thought Indiana was like a talented team but like the east is so wide open. [00:25:03] Speaker A: Right. [00:25:04] Speaker B: With Jason Tina bow for injury. The, the Knicks are struggling now. Like the east seems like, like if Detroit Pistons are the team to beat. I'm not like I'm not that worried, you know, like I'm not like that's not the team that, that I would, I would think would Come out the east, you know, but in your eyes, three weeks away from trade deadlines, do the rappers need to make a big splash? In your eyes? [00:25:29] Speaker A: I think need to is. Is like. Feels like it's like a hole burning in their pocket. I don't feel like there's any like pressing urge of anything. Like them starting out successfully so far and being above.500 and you know, consistently being in the top half of the east on the season, like, I think that actually takes a bit of pressure off of them. They have pretty clear needs, right? They, they again, like their 30th and three point percentage. They have probably the worst collection of scoring guards in the NBA, you know, when you really think about it. And by the way, like the half the roster is guards, so like most of these guys are kind of bucket list, you know, rj, I'm leaving out of this because whenever RJ plays, Raptors can actually score, but most of the other guys like really can't really score. They definitely need to upgrade on iq, for example, he's just really struggled in that role and that's the initial guy they brought in to fill that. So I think for. For the Raptors, like need to is. Is. Is hard to say, but I think they clearly need something to take them to the next level. I don't think there's enough internal talent that it's like, okay, give this team like two, three years and they grow together, then they're gonna get to that spot. I think they need more injections of talent similar to how they brought in Brandon Ingram last year. And that's when. When you reflect back on that trade, it's like the good thing about getting Brandon was that it only costed one first round pick that wasn't even theirs. That means the Raptors still have all their own picks moving forward to then add and build another piece, you know, to this roster. So I guess the question is really like, are any of these names available like that interesting to you? [00:26:51] Speaker B: You know, like, you talk about Emmanuel quickly. How would you describe that experience with him at point guard? Is he. Is he what you expected and what are your thoughts? A lot of people thinking about like Scotto came on and talked about people don't like his contract around the league. What are your thoughts on Quickley's contract? Do you think it was a smart investment? Looking back on it now, I'll be honest, I'd be on Twitter and I might have to mute his name half the time because fans are crazy. [00:27:22] Speaker A: No, you know, IQ's bad. One when you see that security guard trending, and you and I both know who that security guard is, man, you know, that's. [00:27:31] Speaker B: That's one of my brothers, too. So he gets. He gets a lot of messages. [00:27:36] Speaker A: That's. That's a. That's an East African brother of yours for sure. [00:27:39] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:27:40] Speaker A: No, but, you know, so if we take it back to 20, 23, the Raptors, they didn't really seem that intent on bringing Fred Van Vliet back. I mean, that locker room was messy. His fit on the team wasn't great. So they were like, okay, ultimately he walks and he goes to Houston. At that point, they had no plan B. Plan B was like, let's just grab Dennis Shooter, you know, who's always available at the mid level. That obviously doesn't go well in. In the. In the. In like the three months they had him. So then they move him. And then, of course, they trade OG in the trades for OG and Pascal. They had a clear goal. They needed to get some guards for the future. Right. Because the shooting guard position was already weak. But then they needed to address the point guard position as well. They kind of did both by getting RJ and IQ in the same trade with the Knicks. And at that time, you were like, well, IQ is one of the, like, promising young guards in the lead that, like, started a little bit when Brunson was out. He had decent numbers, and then he contributed to a playoff team. Like, if there was one, like, young guard around that time that people wanted to invest in, like, IQ was certainly among that list. And so the Raptors kind of jumped in and added him. Now, granted, that year he was on an rfa, so like, they. They basically locked themselves into extending him because you're going to resign somebody you trade for in that scenario. But even at the beginning, you looked at iq, you're like, okay, like, maybe there's the hope that, like, he makes this jump, right? A popular theory at the time was like, maybe he can follow his former teammate from Kentucky, like Tyrese Maxey. I think over time, we've realized these are two completely different classes of players. All due respect. So he didn't really take that jump, but it's like, okay, well, even on paper you're like, okay, so Scotty's gonna play a lot of point. IQ is like a good combo guard. He shoots the ball. Well, that makes sense on paper, but they really haven't developed that type of chemistry. Like, there's not a lot of two man synergy between him and Scotty. And I Think that's made it much more difficult for kind of both players to sort of operate at their game. Scotty's still so good that he's able to still play his game. But for iq, like, he's. He's always looked like his game doesn't fully fit into what the Raptor's idea is for him. So they're trying to make him more of a pure point guard and set up his, you know, to set up plays for the rest of his teammates. Even recently, Darko's talked about. He's like, guys, don't Forget, you know, IQ's a young point guard. I'm like, brother, this is your like five year, six. You know what I mean? [00:29:52] Speaker B: How old is he now? He's like 26. [00:29:53] Speaker A: He's like 25 or 26. He came in the league early, but still, it's like, we can't be going to that excuse, man. That's actually like, I, you know, I don't know that I didn't buy that excuse. But my point is he just doesn't feel like he's the kind of guy because honestly, for the Raptors, like, part of the reason they don't shoot the threes well is like, nobody really breaks the defense. If you think about the defense starting out in a shell, who's gonna actually touch the paint for some rotations, and then you're able to swing, swing and get the ball open to shooter or someone else to drive the gap and attack. Like, outside of rj, who really gets to the bucket on this team, you know what I mean? Like, it's. Brandon is one on one, mostly stopping at the elbow. Scotty's got to like, brute force his way to the basket, and he's probably their best, like, offensive creator in that sense. IQ just doesn't have that physicality that you want from a point guard, where it's either the quickness or the speed or the athleticism, whatever you want to say, to get into the paint, force guys to rotate. And then all of a sudden you're like setting up guys in a really efficient way, which is okay if other guys can do it. But I think the other part is IQ also then needs to be a great 3 point shooter to make up for the lack of penetration. But he's also not shooting threes well. So that's why there's frustrations every night about iq, man, I, I agree with you. Like, I think it actually would be proactive to like mute his name just to not have it pull at your timeline every Night. [00:31:06] Speaker B: Yeah, the inconsistency is kind of crazy. They, they, when they traded for him, he was the prize in that trade. [00:31:12] Speaker A: 100. [00:31:12] Speaker B: They didn't treat RJ as that guy. They looked at him and Scotty being this duo. I'll be honest, I don't think they have chemistry at all between those two. Sometimes they argue on the court, which is very visible at times if you're watching the games closely. So, yeah, quickly. It's interesting because we talk about like a guy like John Moran who's available now. Memphis just came off a crazy game in the uk, but you mentioned the lack of shooting on this team. John Morant can't shoot the basketball. Like, he's not a spacer. But then you look at this roster that can't already shoot. Are you already kind of thinking to yourself like, they can't shoot anyways. Might as well add a guy that could actually break down the defense, get to the rim. What are your thoughts on, on John Morant's fit on this Raptor's team and are you thinking that his value might be similar to what Trey Young went for? [00:32:08] Speaker A: Oh, I think his value is similar to what Trey Young went for. Part of the Trey Young experience too is that like they, the Atlanta Hawks didn't want to extend him and so he was hitting for agency. So essentially the Wizards like, fine, we'll take them. It's not going to affect our tank. Basically they're actually doing the same thing as what the Raptors did with Brandon Ingram. Right. It's like Raptors are maybe translators in that, in that way where you're a rebuilding team, you still want to like lose for the lottery balls, but you know, you could trade it for a player and then not play him. But yeah, I, I think with Jaw, it's not just like his performance has gone downhill, but it's also like obviously all the off court stuff that has sort of followed him. He's also been really injured as well. I think I saw a crazy stat out there that he hasn't played six straight games, which is like in like two or three years, which is kind of absurd to be honest. That's like two weeks straight of play. Like, what do you mean you can't stay healthy for two weeks? But he, the, the one issue I take instance with is in terms of just like, okay, he's not a shooter, therefore he doesn't help the Raptors with shooting. I just don't think that that's how basketball is played. Like, it's not as simple as That I think that like if you have the ability to get into the paint, you are going to help your shooters, you know, I mean like John Wall for example was never like an elite shooter, but this guy helped how many great three point shooters for Washington, Otto Porter, Trevor Reza, you know, even Bradley Beal. Because like that ability to touch the paint, force rotations and if you're a good passer and kick out, like those are certainly things that can help your team overall in shooting. So yes, he individually is not a great shooter. But like we're not about to sign Steph Curry or trade for Steph Curry or anything. I, I don't mind upgrading just the talent so that you actually have somebody who can drive, collapse and kick out, you know. And so I personally would look into like at least what the cost might look like for Toronto. Can you dump one of these, you know, longer salaries on Memphis in extern in exchange for the trade. But I, my sense is that the Raptors aren't actually that interested in, in Jaw. Like I, I don't know. I've never really gotten the, the sense talking to them that like they're really interested in Jaw. And if anything, if I had to suspect like just based on who the rappers have brought in over the years, it's. They try to bring in like high quality guys, character guys, you know, not to say anything about iq. Like, you know, like I'm not trying to say Jaw is like a bad person. I, I don't really believe that. But obviously there's some other things that he's done that kind of like ruin his image, you know, fairly or unfairly. Yeah. [00:34:31] Speaker B: And then you think about the Taylor Jenkins connection with Darko, you probably think that wouldn't work out too. Yeah. But let's be real, the, the culture like he wouldn't fit in terms of what the offense is what Darko's like. Darko's not running pick and rolls, especially with Yakaba. He's not running pick and rolls 247 for, for John Ryan. He's not going to do that. He's not going to change his entire offense for, for J. But you talked about it. The rap is kind of you seeing they're not that interested Memphis too in my eyes. It's like why would they want returning salary? I would think they would probably try to tank. [00:35:04] Speaker A: Right. [00:35:05] Speaker B: But first time that Bobby Webster is in the seat running the show, this trade deadline, Masai is obviously gone. How do you imagine like Bobby Webster as a negotiator compared to Masai because you hear stories. I'm guessing you've heard the same stories I've heard over the years that especially in the last few years, Masai was a pretty, like, tough negotiator. I don't know if it was maybe the Kawhi stuff that, you know, that. I don't know if that would get to my head. I just got Kawhi for this. Like, not willing to budge at times. But how do you think Bobby is. Is he different? What aspects? Like, how do you see Bobby Webster as a trade negotiator? [00:35:45] Speaker A: Yeah, I. Obviously neither you and I are in these negotiations, actually. I don't know at this point. You're so plugged in, bro. You might be in these negotiations, you might be in the back of the zoom call, like shams or something. But, um, no, I mean, the stories you heard about Messiah not only negotiating with other teams, but even negotiating with agents of his own players and trying to get extensions that way, like, that was hard. It was hard. You know, I feel like with Bobby, he's always struck me as a much more like, pragmatic. Like, if the deal makes sense, go ahead and do it. You know, it doesn't feel like. And this is maybe just for having conversations with like, you know, agents and stuff like that. Like, everyone's take on Bobby is kind of like, he's like a pretty sensible guy, you know, like, it's a pretty straight shooter. He's not going to try to like, play these kind of games with you and sort of like think that they're super interested in a player and then pull back and then be super interested in the player. Like, you know, he's pretty straight forward about the whole thing. I think it's interesting then with. Especially with that context, the fact that there's so many players that have been linked to the Raptors, especially at this year's trade deadline. Like, there's not a player that hits like, the trade market. And everyone's like, wow, the Raptors aren't interested. It's like, Lamelo, Trey Young, John Moran, Demonte Sabonis, Anthony Davis. It's like every single player that becomes available, you hear the Raptor's name in it. And that for me doesn't feel as like, pragmatic as maybe Bobby was described. You know, there's no way you feel like all those guys fit because, like, those are all five very different players. [00:37:17] Speaker B: I was gonna ask you, what are your thoughts on that? Like, because you, you like players. Listen now, like, they know they're on social media when your name gets it gets put in these rumors, like, you know, I think the rappers are handling pretty well, but you'd think that it would cause some dysfunction a bit, right? I don't know if we've seen it. I don't know if it's impacted guys, but what are your thoughts on like them being attached to so many, like star hunting. It just seems like they're, oh yeah. Every name I've heard, they're in the mix. What are your thoughts on that? Is it real? [00:37:46] Speaker A: I think that's, that's, I think that's real. I think that like it's, it almost paint the picture that they're a little bit desperate. Again, this is not something that I've heard directly from them, but like, you know, it, it, if you look at the bigger picture and you see why are they interested in all these guys? You're, you're, you know, because it's not like they're only interested in one profile. You know, I mean if they were like, hey, we only want shooters and they're interested in every shooting guard that shoots 40% plus from three, you're like, okay, clearly they want to add shooters to this roster. Like we're talking about, you know, any point guard, any center that's available. They seem interested. I think what's true from that is that they probably they've identified correctly that the two positions of need are an upgrade at point guard and upgrade at center. However, the difficulty in making any trade with the Raptors is that there's like two types of trades they can make. Okay, like starter for starter trade they can do or they can make like a bench player type of trade, but they don't have that mid tier salary. So like, even if you thought, okay, maybe the Raptors add Daniel Gafford instead of Anthony Davis, it's pretty much impossible for the Raptors to piece together enough salaries, small salaries, to get to Daniel Gafford's number. You know, it's the same thing with like Colin Sexton or, or Yusuf Nurkic. So in a weird way the rap is either linked to like really small fish or like really big fish because that's the type of contracts they have to sort of match in, in money as well. Yeah, I, I, IQ and, and Yakov have been the two weakness point and then they're also on like some of the longest deals on, on the team. You know, like Jakob just got an extension. He hasn't been healthy. And then IQ got an extension that the entire league was kind of mad at. In the sense that they were like, well hold on now this sets the market really high for this type of player. And that affects sort of my own negotiations with my own players because it's a closed market, it's not an open market where you know, economics can typically dictate like supply meets demand. Like it's. Once you have a player of this val caliber signed to this amount of years for this amount of time, everyone's going to use that as like the standard for what my player should be getting paid as an agent. And teams are like, well we're not going to do that. But you know, that's, that's why there's that friction. And honestly with those two bad contracts, like it's hard for drafters to make a trade unless they want to give out picks, you know. [00:39:52] Speaker B: Yeah, it's tough because I'll be honest with you, the Yakapuro contract, I was, I wasn't supportive at the end of last season. I thought, you know what he, I thought in terms of just like what he's, the value that he brings. I thought, I thought it was, I thought it was decent, it wasn't the worst, wasn't the best. [00:40:11] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:40:11] Speaker B: But then now you throw in this back injury which the timetable is like he's been dealing it with it for how long now? It's been what? [00:40:20] Speaker A: So I actually went back and just looked at it because I'm like, I don't remember him having a back injury this bad. So. But this season, literally the first preseason game, remember they were in Vancouver playing the Denver Nuggets. He missed that first preseason game with a back injury, which was the first time this season they've talked about it. Then he missed like the first four games of preseason. Nobody really sweated at the time because we're like whatever man, it's preseason, like whatever, don't play. But that is clearly translated over to the course of the regular season. You know, one of the crazy stats is obviously the warriors this year are basically keeping coming Kaminga on ice. Cuz they're like, we, we don't want, we don't want to play him. His future is not here. Yaka Proto's played two more games for the Raptors and Kamingas play for the warriors this season and the warriors don't even play Kaminga. You know, that's tough. And then I looked at it for, even from last year. There was an instance last year, January 26, he had back stiffness and he ultimately played through that. But then he also missed a Bunch of time afterwards. Granted, at that time, I think they said it was like a hand thing, but. Or a hip thing. But regardless, like, this is clearly not a new issue. And I can understand if, like, your back's not feeling great, you rest for like two weeks and then you're back. Because they're. They keep saying it's not like a big injury. It's not like they need surgery or anything, which will probably rule him out for the season if he did. But it's like, if that's the case. Well, we've seen him play like, what, two games in the last month? Like, he's had lots of time to rest. He travels with the team, he tries to work out, his back hurts. Then he has to get re. You know, the timeline gets pushed back. So I. I think the only thing I would say in terms of was that contract bad was just like, he was a really good center for the Raptors last year. Remember, Masai was like, numbers, right? Career numbers. [00:41:57] Speaker B: Career numbers last year. [00:41:58] Speaker A: No. [00:41:58] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:41:59] Speaker A: And then Messiah was always like, you know, I don't care what any of you guys say. Like, Yako Porto's a top 10 center and that's why we traded our first round pick for him and even extending him. I can understand it in the sense that, like, his last year is like unguaranteed. And so, you know, you're kind of locking him in a cheaper price for this year and next year, but then you're giving a smite bump on like the two years after that. At the same time, though, if you. If the front office knew that his back was going to be a problem, there's no way they would have sent him to that extension. You know, I think we can be honest about that part. So they might have been caught off guard. [00:42:30] Speaker B: Yeah. That's what makes me think that he probably had this back, like, spasm or whatever he was dealing with at training camp. And then my thing, they probably told him to play through it, played through it, and then it got worse. [00:42:44] Speaker A: Okay. [00:42:45] Speaker B: And now I think it's cooked. I'll be honest with you. That's kind of like my perception because, like, at this point, it looks cooked, it feels cooked. The guy hasn't played in how long, and I would imagine they have to play him and in this road trip or in the next couple weeks just to show teams if they are looking to trade him that he can still play. Like, it's not. It's not that bad. But every single time we've seen him play, you could tell he's not the same Jakob Pearl that we saw last season. [00:43:11] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:43:13] Speaker B: So would you part ways with Jakob? What's. Would you attach a first round pick of a team's telling you, hey, this is what it has to take. I would have attached 2026. To be honest. I think it's a pretty deep class. [00:43:25] Speaker A: Pretty good class. [00:43:26] Speaker B: 2027, 2028. I might, I might throw. Throw in a. Throw in a first round pick because those, those classes kind of look pretty weak as of now. But what would you do if you're the rap business situation and you party wins. [00:43:40] Speaker A: The thing is if you trade Jakob, you need a center in return because this team needs a center man. Like I think against teams that play small ball, you're kind of okay with Scottie, CMB and Brandon because like those guys are small ball but they're like pretty strong and they're long and you know, whatever. When the Raptors play teams without real size, they can win. That's. That's been true all season. When they play teams with real size. And I'm not even talking like huge players, but like freaking even. DeAndre Aiden was catching like 10 lobs against the Raptors cuz they, and they would like just throw easy lobs. Like these aren't like oh, Luca broke down the whole defense and then like give them an easy lob. Like these are like freaking lobs on the three point line. Then they have no answers for any of that. So yeah, they need a center in return for Jakob. The thing is like Anthony Davis, I'm not gonna. [00:44:23] Speaker B: What's your thoughts? [00:44:24] Speaker A: Okay. [00:44:24] Speaker B: If I can get Davis. [00:44:26] Speaker A: Yeah. If I can get AD and it only cost me one future first round pick that's not this year's pick. And I can dump Jack's contract in the process. I'd 100 do that because of the fact that like, you know, would you. [00:44:38] Speaker B: Throw in RJ in that you'd have. [00:44:40] Speaker A: To put a second contract in that which you're astutely pointing to. And I think it's either going to be RJ or iq if you can somehow convince the Mavs to do both. IQ and Yak to get AD and it only cost you a first. Again, I'm 100% doing that. [00:44:55] Speaker B: But then I just think about Dallas's situation. [00:44:57] Speaker A: They're not going to do that. [00:44:57] Speaker B: Traded Luca. Yeah, they got rid of Luca. And this is your return for Luka Doncic. Like you know, like it doesn't. For the fan base that's already pissed off, this is even worse. [00:45:07] Speaker A: But here's the thing. You're. You're not going to get full value anyway. You didn't get full value on Luca, and you're not going to get full value on ad. Yeah. The thing is, though, like, I still think that there are better trade offers out there than IQ and Jakob for. For ad, and there's no reason for the maps to have to take something like that. And. And part of that isn't even how much I love Anthony Davis. And it's fit with the Raptors, even though a healthy AD obviously would be a great player for any team. But it's almost at the point where you look at it, it's like, well, this kind of allows you to reset on the money because as long as you don't promise AD an extension, he could expire for you in two years and you have more flexibility in your overall team build as compared to right now. That what the Raptors are dealing with. But realistically, they probably would ask for RJ in a hypothetical scenario. And man, I think this is where it gets interesting because you've been around the team a lot, right. [00:45:59] Speaker C: Do you. [00:45:59] Speaker A: Do you feel like the Raptors recognize RJ's value? [00:46:02] Speaker B: I don't. Which is. It's crazy because it's almost. [00:46:04] Speaker A: He's like, he might be the most dismantled on the whole team, 100%. And. [00:46:08] Speaker B: And it's sad too. He's homegrown, he's Toronto. They claim to love their Canadians and I think they do at some level. Sure, it's convenient for marketing, 100%. And I think they're shocked. Same as the fan base that RJ has fit pretty seamlessly and that with this core of Scotty, Brandon Agram, I think there was a lot of concern about that. But to me, he's. He's the key to, like, a lot of the success the Raptors have had this season. But, like, Scott came on his podcast and mentioned he's. RJ's name was front and center for Brandon Ingram last year, but Pelicans didn't want that again. His name is in rumors again this year, so they're dangling RJ Barrett. And I don't know. I don't know how I feel about that, to be honest with you, because I think there's a perception that maybe us as media, even the fans feel about RJ and what he's contributed to. Maybe early on, people weren't on board with the RJ Barrett. We weren't sure about the fit, but I think he's completely shifted in terms of how the media perception feels about him. To me, he's not this toxic, toxic asset. But I don't know about the front office and how they feel about him. What, what's your gauge? Just from, like, is it. Is it similar to where, like, does it seem like they value RJ Barrett? [00:47:20] Speaker A: That's why I asked you, because I, I always get the sense that the team is, like, really trying to push Scotty, really trying to push iq. This is previous years. This year, they haven't pushed IQ as much. They've been kind of quiet about that. But, like, you know, RJ has always kind of been the forgotten guy. Even though, like, if you just look at which players perform better for the Raptors, I, you know, between IQ and RJ, who came in the same trade, RJ's been way better than IQ in that role. He's been more efficient. He's been a guy who I think has been, well, I don't know what, more available, actually, because RJ's missed some time now too. But, like, you missed a lot more time last year too. But regardless, like, you know, I think part of it too is that, like, he actually has a shorter contract, which makes them easier to trade. So I can understand, but they just clearly want to upgrade it. I'm. Look, I'm not saying that it has to be RJ Barrett or nothing. Like, if you, if you trade RJ Barrett and you bring back a better player than RJ Barrett, I think every Raptor fan can agree with that. You're like, all right, cool. Like, you know, that's cool. But, like, some of these trades, when they're trying to put RJ into them, you know, I, I can understand, like, they were like, okay, well, maybe we could talk to Celtics into like, RJ and a pick for like, Derrick White. I'm like, I understand Derrick White is a better player than rj. You know what I mean? But there's something that RJ brings to this team that clearly no one else does, which is the ability to get to the paint and finish and play off of other scorers. And it's reflected in not just the eye test, but, like, the actual numbers. The Raptors are actually a very efficient offense. When RJ's available on. On the court and when he's not on the court, this team does this. This team can't even figure out a zone, man. You know, and then they're like, well, RJ's not a good three point shooter. Which I'm not trying to say, like, RJ's like a high volume, efficient. He's not Klay Thompson. But no, I mean, how are you going to tell me that there's like shooting specials on the team that RJ shoots a better percentage from 3 on? [00:49:03] Speaker B: Yep, yep. And that brings me to my next question. The young guys. [00:49:08] Speaker A: Grady Dick. [00:49:09] Speaker B: This is what third season in the league you'd expect. Obviously, like, development isn't like, isn't linear. Like, it could go up and down. But I think I was saying it last year, sadly, that I just don't see the fit because even what he tries defensively, he's not a good defender. So, like, the effort I commend at times, but then at other times I'm like, he just looks completely lost. And the fact that he can't do his one thing that was supposed to be a superpower coming into the league, it's kind of concerning. What do you make of just the slump that he's been in the entire year? Is it something that, like, do you think something happened to his shot? I remember. Who was it? Who did the rappers have early on? I think they cut him. Oh, Sam Decker mentioned. Yeah, Sam Decker was like, they ruined his shot or something like that. Like, are you concerned about that? Because, like, in college he was a guy, you know, like, oh, Donald's all American. He was. I like the pick originally. But then I also just realized I'm like, I just think back to. To the Raptors 2019 championship season. Like, if they want to build a championship roster, there can't be liabilities defensively, you can't be a guy that gets targeted every single play defensively. So drafting a guy like that, that can't play defense, to me is just, just did I like thinking about two years later, it's like, you got to part ways this guy as fast as you can. But now, like, his value is probably at the lowest it's ever been. Like, what do you make of like Grady. Grady Dick slump this season? [00:50:40] Speaker A: Okay, I'm gonna give you three. Three things that factor in a Grady Dick slump. Number one, first and foremost, he's just not putting the ball in the hoop. And for a guy who's a knockdown shooter, he doesn't really. He's not a knockdown shooter. Not yet at least. You know, even when you watch warmers and stuff like that, it's not like he's like. Because you see like Kevin Durant or like, you know, James Harden or even just like really good shooters. Like, I remember watching Patty Mills warm up or like Seth Curry, like, These guys are making like they don't miss like 85 to 90% of their shots. Just warming up because we're talking about open shots. You know, Grady's like closer to average. He's like more like a 65, like, you know, two and every three shots go in type of guy that needs to be like nine in every ten shots go in. First off, when you're talking specialists. So number one, his shooting just isn't at that level. And it's been three years of sort of him being like at league average level, three point shooting. I think the other. The second thing that people really haven't pointed out as much is last year, Grady Dick had his great start to the year and he had, you know, set his career high multiple times 20 balls, sometimes even hit 30. Raptors are winning those games. But like, yeah, the. One of the things is when they brought in Brandon Ingram and Brandon Ingram started to play, that took away most of those same plays they took away from Grady. So, for example, baseline out of bounds, you're looking at some screens and they got a shooter open and you set up guys. Raptors actually pretty good at baseline out of bounds plays. Last year, especially at the start of the year, they ran every sideline and based on outbounds plays for Grady Dick, this year they're doing that for Brandon more than anything else, or they're looking for a guy slipping to the basket. And then I think the third thing for Grady is just like, you know, it's got to be weird because year three is like when a player is looking to get paid, right? Like they're trying to show what they are in the league. That's the first time you can get extended off a rookie skill contract is in your third year. So everybody wants to have a big third year so they can get the bag. But like, you look at Grady, it's like, it's, it's. The Raptors have had lots of opportunity to start Grady Dick, right? Like, RJ's missed like half the season at this point. Grady Dick is the one guy that they haven't started at that shooting art position. They started Jacoby Walter for a lot of games. They've started Jameson Battle for a couple games. They even started Ocha Baja, who's guaranteed to give you zero points on a nightly basis. Like, it's true. Let's. Come on, man. So I'm not saying that Grady has performed that great, but isn't it a little strange that he hasn't even gotten one chance? He's played 44 games he's been healthy, he's been the Raptor's iron man, and he's only ever come off the bench. I think, like every other player has gotten a chance to start at this point, they'll start a point guard over him, even though they need a two guard. So I think for Grady, like, it must be frustrating on his part too. I think there is a good player in there somewhere. But especially when the Raptors really decided last year to like, focus in on the defensive end, that was always going to be a sign that, like, yo, it's going to be even harder for Grady. And I see Grady playing hard, but until I see him make the threes and ultimately make a bigger impact on the team, like, it's. It's undeniably a step back for him in his third year. And I don't feel like there is an extension coming from at the end, which doesn't matter to us as fans. But I think to the player, it must be frustrating because it's like this should have been the year he takes the step. [00:53:41] Speaker B: How about Jacoby Walter, a guy that the raptors drafted at 19 in the 2024 NBA Draft? Keyshawn George is still available. I remind people that. [00:53:51] Speaker C: But. [00:53:52] Speaker B: And he's been killing it, man. He's about to make his. What about to make an NBA All Star weekend. We. You've talked in depth about young Paul George over there. You call him young Paul George. [00:54:02] Speaker A: Yo, Paul, you know what? Paul's got to vacate the George name. Okay, we're good. We're good, Paul. It's Keante's turn. That's all right, I guess there's two Georgia's in the league that are pretty sick now, too. [00:54:12] Speaker B: Doing a thing. [00:54:13] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:54:13] Speaker B: Oh, and the Raptors had a chance at both of them. [00:54:15] Speaker A: Yo, we could have had the two George backcourt, bro. It would have been so. [00:54:18] Speaker B: Had the George back. Oh, that. Which. But Jacoby, I don't feel like, like, obviously I would have preferred Keyshawn George, Canadian, having a great year, but I don't think Jacoby's having a bad year. And I think defensively he kind of fits this style of play. What's been your impressions of Jacoby's second year? And a bit up and down, but I feel like more. More positive than the negative. [00:54:42] Speaker A: I think stylistically he fits more in terms of what the Raptors want to do. I don't think that he's like that much better than Grady or that much worse than Grady. I think they're kind of like, similar level prospects and players. But what was always interesting was the front office was like, ecstatic that they got Jacoby Walter. Like, it feels disproportionate now. You would have thought they drafted like, Brandon Roy or something at the 19th pick. Like. [00:55:09] Speaker B: Yep. [00:55:09] Speaker A: Yeah. They were like, yo, out of everyone in this draft class, like, we felt like, you know, he could have been. I mean, top five might have been gas, but even top ten, you know what I mean? Like, they were feeling like, really good about him. And like, I. I could see that though, right? Oh, I heard it. Yeah. No, you and I were both there. [00:55:26] Speaker B: We heard it. But it's also like, I expect front offices when you. When you chat with them and like to gas up the guy they just drafted, you know, so, like, it's expected. But they were really high on Jacoby. And you think in a class like that, in the 2024, I don't blame them because, like, somebody like Kean GORD George goes 22, like, what, 24th or 25th, he's probably like a top, what, five pick maybe if. If you redraft it. [00:55:50] Speaker A: Right. [00:55:51] Speaker B: So it's like that whole draft, I like, it's kind of wild. But they were very, like, both. [00:55:55] Speaker A: They were super high. [00:55:56] Speaker B: Talk to a lot of people. They were very high on Jacobe Walter. [00:55:59] Speaker A: Yeah. And I think even from watching, like, what he did at Baylor, and you saw him before that, you know, playing the Nike Hoop Summit too, it's just like he's kind of like a KCP guy. Like, he's. Yeah, you know, kcp and like, that works. Like, that's like a good fifth starter. It's. He's been the fifth starter on two championship teams. You know, KCP has for the Nuggets and for the Lakers, like, you know, three and D guard doesn't really, like, create much of his own offense, but pretty reliable shooter, defends well, you know, and like, those type of players work. There's tons of those players in the league. So I think with. With Grady, it's like a little harder just to see his path of how he can be like a really entrenched starter, which it. Kobe, his skill set is like, pretty clearly defined as 3 and D. Like, he should be like a fifth starter eventually, and it could be for the Raptors. But the thing is, if you make him the. Your like, fifth starter or your shooting guard that you start, then your point guard got to do a lot of offense creation. [00:56:54] Speaker B: Yep. [00:56:55] Speaker A: Because you're not getting it from the two. [00:56:57] Speaker B: Yeah. Because Jacoby like, the handle's not there. It's never been there. [00:57:00] Speaker A: He doesn't create his own shot. [00:57:01] Speaker B: So like, he does get. Can create his own shot. I think the Raptors do that coming in. But I still think he has value. You know, talking about a guy I think probably is untradeable. Untouchable for the Raptors is a rookie, Colin Murray Bowles. He was the most divisive prospect probably in this draft. Teams either loved him, teams either hated him. I'm sorry, I want to apologize on here. I've been on your podcast, remember I was telling a draft, Kamal Maliwatch, I apologize sincerely. I can't believe I even said that. But cmb, wow. I, I probably, I probably overlooked that South Carolina team because of how bad they were. And he was, I was like, he's putting up numbers on a trash team. Like, it's, it's. But the defensive impact is just the hands. You can't teach that kind of stuff. What's been your impressions of. Of CMB and man, the defensive duel between him and Scotty for years to come, it's looking promising, right? [00:57:59] Speaker A: Well, yeah, I mean, speaking of the, you know, front office is gassing a pick, so, you know, without doubt, front office gassing the pick after getting the cnb. And they're like, well, two things I heard was like, number one, this is in their evaluations, like, second best defender in the draft. You know, Cooper is number one. I mean, that's hard to argue, but like, they're like, he's right there in terms of like best defender in the draft, which at the time, having not seen him play for the Raptors yet, I'm like, okay, maybe it'll turn out that way, maybe it won't. Low key. I'm looking at it right now. I'm like, yeah, he could be the second best defender in this entire. [00:58:27] Speaker B: Might be the first. [00:58:29] Speaker A: Might be. [00:58:29] Speaker B: Might be the first. Yeah. [00:58:30] Speaker A: You know, you never know, right? It's always hard to compare, like high usage guys because you could put more energy towards defense versus a guy who has to score 20. But there's that. And then the other part you heard was like, he's so smart and he's physically already big enough and strong enough that he could have like a rookie Scotty Barnes level impact. Now, granted, rookie Scotty Barnes literally won rookie of the year, so I don't think he's like, literally rookie Scotty Barnes and he hasn't been as good as that. But you can kind of sense like, oh, okay, like this. There's Usually a learning curve for, for rookies. [00:58:59] Speaker C: Right. [00:58:59] Speaker A: They got to figure out the speed of the game. They got to figure out the physicality because usually get pushed around. Nobody pushes Colin Murray Boyles around, bro. He pushes other guys around. You. Have you seen the way he rebounds? Like, this guy's like moving everybody around him like two feet before he gets the rebounds. It's, it's not something that you, if you only watch the box score, you'll notice with Colin, like, I think their Queen, for example, is like also another very good rookie, which we advocated for as well. So I don't want to say we're only in here for Kamal Maliwak. Okay. Because we were loving Derrick Queen as well. [00:59:27] Speaker B: Yep, Yep. [00:59:29] Speaker A: But like, you could see Derrick Queen's impact because his numbers are like popping on the stat sheet every single night. When you watch CMB though, and you watch the way he affects the games, you're like, oh, yeah. Honestly, like, he can't really hit the three at a consistent rate right now. And he's not finishing very effectively around the basket. Even though he's got good percentages. If you watch the game, he's turning down a lot of looks, but defensively he's in the right place all the time. They can trust him to play center. He can kind of guard kind of one through five already. He's got the strength. He's like tough as hell. He's been playing through injuries. Like, his thumb is wrapped up. Like, that's part of the reason he's not shooting much is because his thumb is just completely mangled. He's. He's physical. He's. He's closed games for the Raptors. He's like last night he, as of recording, like, he blocked Luka Donches three times in the first half. Like, this kid is like, he's nice. And yeah. In terms of untouchables, like, I know his numbers are only like what, like seven or eight points a game right now, but like, he's, he's an untouchable for the Raptors at the moment. You. I don't know what it would take to actually get the Raptors to say, okay, we'll give up on the rest of CMB's career right now. [01:00:27] Speaker B: Yeah. And I think the shooting, like, that's long term development. See if it comes, he's still an impact. [01:00:33] Speaker A: He started well. He started okay, actually, at the three. [01:00:36] Speaker B: Yeah. And I don't think the shot's broken. Like, I remember watching him at the combine and seeing him shoot. I posted a Video, though. I remember we chatted about it. People were, like, making fun of it. I was like, I think he's hidden. I was watching Dairy Queen instead. Dairy Queen was like, wasn't hitting any shots. Like, it was bad. You know, I didn't want to post that. But Colin Murray Wells was hitting shots. And what I like about him, too, it's like, I think about. I think we've had this conversation, like, privately. It's like you watch the guys like Davion Mitchell who get this reputation of, like, a tough. Like, they foul a lot in their first few years, and then later on, they get away with a lot of stuff defensively because that's who they are as defenders. Alex Caruso, literally, like, WWE style. Like, brother tackles guys, you know, like, he gets away with half the stuff that he does. I think CMB in the long run is gonna be able to get with. Get away with a lot of stuff just because of how physical he is defensively and how he came into the league. And the refs are going to adjust to him. So I'm really excited for. For a guy like Colin Murray Boas. Anybody else untouchable? Scotty? Of course anybody else. Is Brandon Ingram also untouchable? I'm guessing, too. [01:01:34] Speaker A: I mean, he's not untouchable. Like, I think if someone came up with, like, a huge offer, I think they would definitely hear them out. But I also think that, like, if you trade Brandon Ingram, like, what are you even doing? Like, you. You went from a rebuild and you brought Brandon Ingram in, he worked out for you, and then you might want to trade him. Like, that's. You know, there's a reason you haven't heard his name anywhere in rumors since coming to the Raptors. So I. I just don't feel like, realistically, they didn't upgrade at point guard and at center. Right? And so if they can do one of those things and upgrade from IQ or upgrade from Jakob, they should look to do it, so long as they're not giving up too much draft capital. Realistically, though, without their young prospects outside of CMB popping to that degree, I mean, maybe Jamal Shed. But again, like, I don't really imagine teams are, like, knocking down the door for Jamal either. You're probably gonna have to give up a pick, you know, at least. And. And that's where, like, some of these guys, you know, Raptors have enough assets to go get Anthony Davis tomorrow. They have the assets to give up to get, you know, Lamelo or Trey probably as well, you know, Sabonus These guys are all within reach because they have all their own picks and they can give up like 2, 3 picks if they wanted to. But the thing is, you only got one shot of these guys. And if you got to be sure that once you bring in this piece, then the three that you have together with Scotty Bi plus the new star you come in is gonna work. Because if it doesn't work, if you're Bobby, you're probably getting let go. You know what I mean? You got kind of one shot at this. So you got to make sure you, you, you spend all those picks on the right star. Or you could just be patient and sort of go on the middle road right now. Which I think, if I had to guess the rap is probably, you know, despite all the rumors, they probably stay in the middle road. [01:03:06] Speaker B: I think so too. Because you can't talk about year two, year two of the rebuild and then completely go and acquire a town like Anthony Davis. Miss like half. He's gonna miss what, until end of March probably. And then a guy that's getting paid 60 what mil? Like, to me that just like, it doesn't seem like, like there's so much that could go wrong. It doesn't seem like the Raptors doesn't seem like Bobby moves like that, where it's like there's a possibility this could go very wrong. You know, taking a risk with Brandon Ingram I think was like the biggest risk they'd probably take in terms of that guy's like being, being potentially like an injury riddled guy. Like that's kind of what his label was. But I don't think they take another risk that crazy. Who knows? I'm wrong, but Sabonis, what's your issue with Sabonis? I've heard you talked about Sabonis. What's your. I can't even ask you the pros, what's the cons? Tell me about the Monte Sabonis. Why don't you want to see it happen for the Raptors? [01:03:56] Speaker A: Obviously Demonte Sabonis is a better center than what the Raptors have right now. Right. He's just better than Jakob. And you know, when you look at the numbers, he's putting up close to a triple double, which he's done for several years for Sacramento. My thing is, if you're going to put in all these assets to get this third star, you better be completing a championship type piece. Like he's got to be a contender level player. And when I look at Sabonus, I don't feel that way, because the one thing I don't want to roll into the playoffs with is with the center I got to protect. On defense, you know, it's in a similar way. It's kind of like the Knicks going for Cat. Like, I understand it. He's better than Randall. He's better than Dante DiVincenzo. So you get Cat, but once you get to the plows, you're like, bro, this guy's getting in foul trouble. He's getting put on and pick and roll. He can't protect the rim. And if you ask the Knicks fan, you're probably pretty annoyed at, you know, Cat. It's gonna be the same thing of the Raptor straight for Sabonis. Part of the thing with Sabonis is he's not that mobile defensively. He's not, like, immobile, but, like, he's not like a guy you can switch and sort of do a bunch of stuff with. But it's. That's fine if you can then also drop back and protect the rim. But he's also not good at that. Part of the reason is his arms are short. You know, this might be the Desmond Bane of centers, though. If you look at. No, because you think about Simone's, you're like, okay, he's like seven foot, you know, rebound all the time. He does rebound well, which is good. Mostly on offense, but still pretty good. But you're like, okay. When you look it up, you're like, actually, he's 6 10. And actually his arms are 6 10. Bro. We live in an NBA right now where Wemby's reaches 7 11. [01:05:24] Speaker B: Yep. [01:05:25] Speaker A: So. And I'm not saying I need one B specific at center, but, like, you know, I mean, like, bro, 610 at wingspan. You know, there's a reason why the hoop doesn't get protected like that. So, yes, he would be an upgrade. I mean, he would. He's definitely better than Yako. But I'm not trying to put in if I only have one chance to go all in on player, I'm not going for Zimonas. And I don't like that he triple handoffs on every play. You know, I feel like that's the number one way to acquire triple double these days is to run 50 dribble handoffs. Because, like, especially for centers nowadays, assists feel way cheaper than before. It used to be, like, a rarity when a center gets five assists. Now with how much dribble, handoff action, they give an assist for that, brother, that's basically a screen. [01:06:02] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. [01:06:03] Speaker A: So there's an inflation that goes into those. I don't know. I just. I'm a hater, bro. I'm a Demonstra Sabonis hater. Like, do you like Sabonas? Is that what you want? Do you want Sabonas on this team? [01:06:11] Speaker B: I think he's an upgrade, but I also, like, like, when I think about, like we Talked about it, 2019 championship, he's a liability. I want guys that can play defense. I want my entire starting lineup that I'm not worried that they're gonna get attacked in the playoff series, you know, that's kind of not what I'm looking for in, in any starting lineup, you know. So if the Raptors can build out the roster like that, obviously, like, I don't know, maybe you get some bonus and he's like, you trade him for something else in the long term or something like that, and. [01:06:37] Speaker A: But what's the point of that then? Just. Just trade up. Just trade directly for the guy you want then. [01:06:43] Speaker B: Yeah, or, or it's tough, man. The market's tough, especially what you think about it. But is there a name, like we talked about a lot of guys, is there a name that you really like that you're like, if they could get this guy, if the price is right? Because right now, like, I think this might be the deadest trade deadline. Scotta was saying that, like, he doesn't think it's going to be that popping. But what are your thoughts? Is there a Dave that you're. You're jumping out? [01:07:06] Speaker A: I mean, okay, you look at, for example, like, Milwaukee, if they ultimately trade Giannis. Why. Why wouldn't they trade Miles Turner? What's the point of keeping Miles turned if they trade Giannis? You know what I mean? Like, I think even though there's a lot of names out there and the Raptors get linked to every one of them, I actually think none of these guys are the right fit. Like, I ad. I said I would do AD but it's mostly like a salary dump at that point. You know, it's not even so much for my belief in ad it's almost like half and half between getting off long term salary and then also getting to take a swing at AD which, you know, is a talented championship level piece. I believe that these other guys, I, I just, I don't know about, like, if you can get Lamelo for free, basically right now, I would 100 do that. I know he's like kind of an unserious player to some degree, but super talented and entertaining. At the end of the day, basketball's by entertainment, you know what I mean? I, I, you know, there's a reason why all these kids wearing lamelos. They don't care about the box score. They just want to see cool. [01:08:00] Speaker B: He draws the most crowd in terms of fans like the new generation. They love him. So. And he's talent ball. He dresses. [01:08:08] Speaker A: Yeah, he sounds super talented, so I would roll that. But I mean realistically this year I actually, if I were the front office, I would just like chill, get a little bit on the luxury tax and just try to see like what this team looks like in the playoffs. If I had to guess, based on the current team and their inexperience and the way they're built, they're probably a first round out. Actually they're definitely a first round out. Come on, man. [01:08:33] Speaker B: But yeah, it's okay. Their first round out. I hope they're playing team so they can get a top pick and you know, maybe do a Dallas Loki. [01:08:41] Speaker A: You, you still want the Raptors to tag for Darren Peterson? Everything like that. [01:08:44] Speaker B: So yes. There you see what they're scoring 20 plus in like 20 minutes. Minutes restriction. [01:08:50] Speaker A: Man, this guy looks like shade together. [01:08:52] Speaker B: Hamstring like, man, he's. Oh, he's gonna be, he's gonna be a stud, man. Yeah, yeah. This was the year, this was the year to tank, man. If they wanted to. But it's all good. Obviously competing and they didn't want they're going to end up with a top 20 pick. There's still talent obviously in this draft class you mentioned, obviously. Ad, I know you talked about at length about the clutch connection that, that, that's there. So I know. Fred, Fred, go, go. Listen to Fred Van Vliet's interview on their podcast with Will, Will and Alex. That was a really good interview, Rich. Paul loves Toronto. So, so maybe, maybe, maybe he's pushing for Anthony Davis, who knows? But to wrap up, I want to ask you, I think it's quite clear most likely to get traded, Ochai Abaji. [01:09:31] Speaker A: Oh yeah. [01:09:32] Speaker B: Is that, are we saying goodbye to my Kansas guy? [01:09:36] Speaker A: Well, I always felt like Ochai was like a Maasai guy. Not to say the front office doesn't all like collaborate. Okay, but nobody knows the family. Let's be real. That's what I'm saying. [01:09:47] Speaker B: That's ties, family ties. [01:09:49] Speaker A: Bobby Webster wasn't in a group chat with Ochai's dad. You know, no silence. And when you look at that position, the Raptors have way too many shooting guards, man. Like just like, it's absurd how many shooting guards they have. They got rj, then they got oai, Grady, Jameson, Battle, Jacobe, Walter, Elijah, Martin, AJ Lawson, iq. Really? A two guard as well. That's eight guards that should be playing the two. That's ridiculous, man. [01:10:13] Speaker B: Whole lot of shooting guards that can't shoot, which is kind of crazy. [01:10:16] Speaker A: Yeah, exactly. That, that part sucks too. But I think for oai, like, I just. Look, if the Raptors didn't even have any idea in terms of like maybe we'd look to extend this guy, then you shouldn't be trying to. You, you shouldn't be like holding on to this situation. And his contract is tradable, it's expiring. There's a good chance for you to be able to sort of move him and then get on the luxury tax. And that's why I feel like because of the redundancy on this position and also the contracts of, you know, on the current team, like they'll probably move and it's not gonna be a lot in return though, you know? [01:10:48] Speaker B: Yeah, I was gonna say, would you be annoyed if they have to attach a pick just to duck the, the luxury tax to get rid of him? [01:10:53] Speaker A: What, a second round pick? Yeah, you could buy a second round pick back. I don't mind that. Okay, like what's the second round pick worth? Like 2 million if you get under luxury tax. You got paid like I think 11 or 13 million this year. Would you rather have 13? Would you, would you pay $2 million to get 13 million? Of course. [01:11:12] Speaker B: Yep. Money. Money. Last thing I was gonna ask you if these, these strikes or these attempted hits to get a big name center part ways with Yako, doesn't. Doesn't materialize. How desperate are they in need for like a backup center or a guy that can just play the center position? So like Scotty, you mentioned on your podcast, Scotty and I'm calling Mary. Boys are not fighting for the life. [01:11:37] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:11:37] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:11:38] Speaker B: Well, how important is that? [01:11:41] Speaker A: I mean, how many years in a row did we see the Raptors go for these like bottom of the barrel, like just, you know, sign out of the G league type centers, right? [01:11:49] Speaker B: Like Aaron Baines. [01:11:51] Speaker A: Well, Aaron Baines was actually like, it was actual real excitement for him, which is kind of nuts in hindsight, but Eric Baines, Alex Lynn. That year they got Ken Burch as well. [01:12:00] Speaker B: Freddie Gillespie. Ken Burch. Shout out to Ken Burch. Canadian legend. [01:12:03] Speaker A: Shout out to Ken Burch. I love the way you, you worked out with that Canadian trainer of yours. He's Asian. You guys got healthy again. You in Spain, Henry. [01:12:10] Speaker B: Yeah. Shout out to my guy. Henry. [01:12:11] Speaker A: Shout out to Henry. You know, did a great job. I'm not trying to disparage, but, like, you know, long term, wasn't a center. We tried Chris Boucher, Precious Achua Christian, Coloco. Now we. Last year, we tried Orlando Robinson, we tried Colin Castleton. There's a guy named Malik Williams that played for the Raptors at one point. They. They sign him off the streets, bro. You don't remember this? [01:12:30] Speaker B: Malik who? [01:12:31] Speaker A: Malik Williams. Look it up. They sign him off the street that night. They played him 45 minutes against. starting center, playing against Rudy Gobert. And the Raptors got washed by 40 points by Minnesota. [01:12:42] Speaker B: I don't think I watched that game. [01:12:44] Speaker A: We have. [01:12:45] Speaker B: Thank God I did not. [01:12:46] Speaker A: Bruno Fernando, right? We've seen him. [01:12:48] Speaker B: The fact that you know all these names is sad, brother. [01:12:52] Speaker A: This is every walking center that's available at free agency level, right? So, yes, if they can ideally turn Ochai into a backup center, that will go a long way for the team. Because you need a backup center. Because you're kind of stuck with Jakob. Eventually, Jakob might get healthy again. And when he's healthy, you're not going to complain about him as much. He's pretty dependable. But you. Especially knowing that he has this chronic back issue that he's clearly dealt with for the entire year. You need to get a backup so that when he's not. When he's out of the lineup, you're not just stuck playing forwards at center and being, like, compromising every single night. Because it gets old, man. It gets old and it honestly gets a lot of your players injured. So, yes, go out there. Even if you did like Ochai for Gogo Batase or something like that, like, it's not sexy, but I. I would understand. You know what I mean? You want that. You don't seem that excited, man. [01:13:39] Speaker B: I'm not that excited, to be honest. I just. I. I think whatever backup center they get, it won't work out. Sandro. They'll shut up. Probably the best free agent side, but. [01:13:46] Speaker A: He'S not a center in quite a while. [01:13:48] Speaker B: He's not a center, though, right? But he's a big. He's. He's fighting for his life, too. Playing power forward and playing center, bro. [01:13:53] Speaker A: This guy fell from, like, the third floor, like, on two drives to the rim last night, bro. This. I don't even know how. His back is intact, man. [01:14:02] Speaker B: Yeah. I don't know half how the Raptors Deal with it. It sucks too because you want to see, you'd hope to see. Like, I think this team is even better with Yakub healthy, you know, like they're even that much completely healthy. I think they're competing for a top seed in the Eastern Conference. Maybe, I don't know. Like, I think they're in that mix but obviously things don't. Don't work out the way it is. And I think you'd still be happy with the. The way they're performing as a season 25 and 19 to start the year. My guy will. I can't thank you enough for, for jumping on the podcast. I mentioned this to Scott. A chicken Parma me when I see you. We still gotta bro. When you come into Bellissimos, man. [01:14:39] Speaker A: Yo, you want me to leave my house when it's minus 15 to come all the way down to the Esplanade to have Bellissimos come on? [01:14:46] Speaker B: On me. It's on me. It's not like this brother offered me. [01:14:49] Speaker A: A 15 coupon right now the chicken parm is. [01:14:54] Speaker B: They're taxing now. It's like 30 something dollars. I gotta talk to them. No way, bro. What we're doing, tell me they're charging you 30. It's almost 40. Chicken parm nowadays are like that. But we could go to Joey's. How about that? We can find a Joey's New Year. [01:15:07] Speaker A: You might want to go to Joey's. [01:15:08] Speaker B: Okay, we go Joey's. We can go to the spot on College Street. I'm forgetting the name. Terror. Tonio. [01:15:14] Speaker A: Whatever. [01:15:14] Speaker B: I forget what his name's called. That's a good spot. We can go to Sugo. Go to Sugo. You want to go to Su like that? [01:15:21] Speaker A: Actually I do live close to sue, so we can go to. [01:15:23] Speaker B: Okay, I'll come to you then. I'll come to you. [01:15:25] Speaker A: Yo, come to the west. [01:15:28] Speaker B: I don't know about that. I'll be in the east end. I'll be in the east end. Is it eastern? Yeah. I'll be in Scarborough this week watching what for Erie vs Royal Crown. People listening. That's gonna be a top high school game. Okay, so the top teams playing, playing against each other. It's gonna be a fun game. But my guy will appreciate you coming on. Hopefully I'll see you. I'll be. Hopefully. I know you're at All Star Weekend this year. Hopefully I come out. Hopefully we turn up, you know, we go out to some. Some fun events out there and enjoy LA weather. Compared to this Toronto snow I. I. [01:15:59] Speaker A: Can'T wait to get out of this weather, man. But, you know, I always, always appreciate what you do. I think you're an incredible voice for the entire basketball community, you know, best young journalists in the game still. You're still young, by the way. I know you're trying to grow out the whole mustache look, but, you know, you're still deceptively young, bro. You know, we had a. We had a conversation with one of our. A friend of ours who was also a reporter at the game. I won't out who they are. Yeah. And yeah, Chelsea late was like, yo, I think, you know, we were trying to guess your age and I think she guessed like 38 for you. [01:16:30] Speaker B: It was crazy. [01:16:31] Speaker A: It was something crazy, bro. [01:16:32] Speaker B: I look. I look old, though. I look old, though. [01:16:35] Speaker A: You're like, you're like 25. You're like 26. [01:16:38] Speaker B: Almost 26. [01:16:39] Speaker A: 2026. [01:16:39] Speaker B: I'm about to 2027. Coming in April. Big, big year. Big year. 20s. I don't want to age, though. But it's good though. You get older. Like, I'll be honest, I get the most people. I don't know if I think it's a compliment or a diss. People say I'm the oldest looking 20, 60 year old they've ever seen in. [01:16:53] Speaker A: Their life, but you know, it's the hairline, bro. [01:16:56] Speaker B: I take it. Chill with that. Chill with that. [01:16:58] Speaker A: Take the hat off, bro. [01:17:01] Speaker B: I. But I might, I might go to Turkey this summer. I talk about a few U17 World cup happening over there. [01:17:06] Speaker A: I want you to come back with the Paul George, bro. Like, I got to be down here, like, right. [01:17:09] Speaker B: Like, if you, if you see me, you'll never see me with a hat ever again. But yo, go copy your hello and welcome hats. Are you guys selling it? What's going on? [01:17:17] Speaker A: Yeah, it's on the site. It's on the site. Nationgear. Ca you go get it on there? [01:17:21] Speaker B: Yeah, this is. This is my favorite hat to wear. [01:17:24] Speaker A: Go. [01:17:24] Speaker B: Go tap in. You guys know will obviously appreciate you guys best Raptors podcast out there, man. So go tap in. We'll go listen to it. I'm. I can't wait for potential all star weekend. So excited for that. Appreciate you. And yeah, we'll see what the Raptors do. It's free trade deadline. If they make a move. If they don't, which I. I expect them not to, they, yes, crazy. But if they do, we'll be pleasantly surprised. [01:17:47] Speaker C: Right? [01:17:47] Speaker A: Look, I'm interested in turning up and seeing how the team can improve I think for Bobby again like, you know, this is your first time, it's a big one. The house is yours. All right, you know, I mean big boss messiah is gone. You can do whatever you want, you know, I mean if you want to go all in for one of these guys, you know, it might not be the right choice but sometimes, you know, we will still ride with you, you know, I mean we'll still see how it goes. If it works out, you'll be a hero. That's how being a GM is. [01:18:10] Speaker B: Yeah. Excited to see what Bobby got cooking but yeah, will appreciate you again. You guys know where to follow him. Will, Lou, hello and welcome. Thank you for coming on the podcast and yeah this has been the Canadian Basketball show your go to spot for the latest news stories and analysis on Canadian basketball with my guy Will and we out.