Ballin' On A Budget Podcast

0:00:00
(Speaker 2)
Welcome to Ballin' on the Budget, where we talk about sports under price. We got Jordan, Nick, Alonzo, and me, Marcellus. Let's start the show.

0:00:15
(Speaker 1)
What's good, y'all? Welcome back to another episode of Ballin' on the Budget Podcast. I'm your host, Alonzo Washington, back at it with Marcellus Davis. This is actually our second take on this episode. We had a little bit of audio issues, but we had to bring out another banger for y'all.

0:00:31
(Speaker 1)
And today's topic, we'll be talking about the playoff standings and what's our thoughts and who we think is going to rise and who we think is going to fall within the next couple of weeks entering into the playoffs. Marcellus, what's your thoughts on the current standings

0:00:45
(Speaker 1)
and who do you think is really going to show out once the playoff season starts?

0:00:50
(Speaker 2)
You know we start off every episode, man. We're going to start off with the Lakers, man. Definitely, we talked about how Nick was seeing the potential, but me and Zoe, we wasn't really seeing the potential. Obviously, we've been talking about the Lakers needing a big man.

0:01:07
(Speaker 2)
Ever since we started the podcast, we've been talking about the Lakers needing a big man. And while Luka was a good player, we didn't see how it would fit the team, you know what I'm saying, at the time. But ever since Luca's been on the team, man, we went from the 10th seat to the 2nd seat, dropped down to the 3rd seat, you know what I'm saying, but we still looking good.

0:01:28
(Speaker 2)
But I think our toughest competition is obviously the Thunder, you know what I'm saying, and the Nuggets. So what we thinking about them, though?

0:01:37
(Speaker 1)
For the Thunder, I think that they're a very well-rounded team. I said in the last take, I'll say it again. They have everything that they need in order to make a deep playoff run. They have the size, they have the versatility, they have the ability to switch on every position. They have a primary scorer in Shea Gilgis-Alexander who can give you 30 every night and then they have their second options in Jalen Williams and chat hunger when he healthy They got everything that they really need in order to make a deep push

0:02:09
(Speaker 1)
the only thing that I question when it comes to this team is How they will perform if she goes Alexander isn't having a shade. You'll just Alexander type of game. Yeah effects Every star has their off nights we're all human and I just want to see how they react or how they can perform when a team might have Shays number for the night you know yeah for sure because um really what makes Shays so dangerous because even when he is having an off night save he has the off suit now he can still get to the cup

0:02:43
(Speaker 1)
and get to the foul line so when they when they're able to take that away I would like to see how like the team responds in that type of situation because we know when she when she is on which is like 99% of time they're tough team to beat you know exactly and when I said this before as well but a team that I compare them to when she isn't playing at their best is really the Houston Rockets the Houston Rockets don't have that guy just yet hopefully Jalen green could develop into it next year or maybe they draft a guy who's

0:03:15
(Speaker 1)
capable of doing it. But usually the Houston Rockets are not winning games based off of their offensive capability but it's because of their defense. They have so many freak athletes and guys who are able to play hard on the defensive end that they kind of neglect the offense and they ride on the coat tail of whoever's hot that night.

0:03:34
(Speaker 1)
And with Fred VanVleet being injured, they kind of have been falling down with their offensive output and that's led to them losing a lot of games just by being outscored and I feel like that would be their downfall in the playoffs. I still think that they're one of the top three young corps in the NBA, but they do need that scoring piece and a little bit more experience for them to make that next step like the Nuggets, the Lakers, the OKC Thunder, the Celtics, Cavaliers.

0:04:03
(Speaker 7)
Yeah, for sure.

0:04:04
(Speaker 2)
Yeah, because, bro, you've been talking about how like how, you know, the Rockets is young, Cory, and how good they've been, you know, I'm saying, building up from season to season, man. And like, what is your take? Because, you know, the Rockets are ranked number five. How far do you think they can go in the in the playoffs?

0:04:19
(Speaker 2)
Was it such a death of a team? Um, with their current matchup being the Golden State Warriors,

0:04:29
(Speaker 1)
hopefully with that experience team, they're hot right now. It's hard to tell you who's really going to come out of that series the victor. Or is it going to, oh wait, no, they won't even play the Golden State Warriors. They'll be playing against Memphis.

0:04:42
(Speaker 2)
Yeah.

0:04:43
(Speaker 1)
I feel like that's a little bit of a better matchup on the defensive end. I feel like they're a team that could really give John Morant a run for his money, especially with the change in the offensive scheme. They're not really having John move off of his momentum and speed, letting him accelerate,

0:04:59
(Speaker 1)
get downhill based off of down screens and stuff of that nature, and more or less relying on JJJ for his scoring output.

0:05:08
(Speaker 2)
For sure.

0:05:09
(Speaker 1)
I think that they could shut that team down on the offensive end, and I feel like as long as they got guys to step up they can Really? Outscore them. That's one of the only teams. I think they can outscore if they really Hammering on the defensive end and are able to shut down their two stars Yeah, let's talk a little bit about a team that look good for a second because you know Obviously we got a little bit from the trade, but let's talk about the other side of the trade of the math

0:05:33
(Speaker 1)
So when me and you though when we heard about that mass trade we was like oh yeah the mass one that trade when that trade for sure and then like everything was going downhill man so just tell us about like what we're wrong for the mass truthfully is just injuries like if they're cursed or something um I He said only 10% of the roster minutes that were played last year are playing today. Yeah, that's crazy.

0:06:09
(Speaker 1)
Luca is out of Lucas of course traded hers up to Kyrie for his season ending injury. A D got a thigh injury in his first game as a math, which is just terrible luck. Derek Lively's out. PJ Washington's out. Daniel Gafford is out.

0:06:30
(Speaker 2)
It's crazy, man.

0:06:32
(Speaker 1)
They don't really have any pieces that can help them make a push to even maintain a play-in spot with the Suns trying to creep their way in.

0:06:41
(Speaker 2)
Hey, they got Klay Thompson, though. Yeah, because it's getting crazy. But let's talk about the team that made the West the conference finals last year obviously the Minnesota Tim Bulls, you know Obviously, you know that they traded cars need talents to the Knicks, but they do got Julius Randall Which makes them a tough team to be as well

0:07:01
(Speaker 1)
yes, I feel like they do have the they still have the size they have a little bit less with of course the loss of cat but But they're still a great defensive team. They still have all of the same pieces, pretty much, they had last year, except for Kat. Then they added on a guy like Dante,

0:07:19
(Speaker 1)
who hasn't really gotten a groove in yet due to injury. I feel like this team, I don't feel like this team is as competitive

0:07:27
(Speaker 3)
as it was last year,

0:07:28
(Speaker 1)
but it is still a team that you gotta watch out for. It's a sneaky team to be playing at a seventh seed. And you still have to game plan and be prepared for a guy like Anthony Edwards especially with his increase in volume in the three ball yeah for sure um obviously I know you a Kevin Durant fan of lines level so like

0:07:53
(Speaker 2)
tell me like what's going on with the Suns right now huh love to see you love

0:07:56
(Speaker 1)
to see all you know you you you hate to see the type of matchup that they're having. They're losing a lot of games right now, I won't lie. But when it comes to their situation, I believe that they'll make that push towards the 10th seed. Will they do anything productive after that? I truthfully don't think so.

0:08:15
(Speaker 1)
I don't think that they'll actually make the playoffs. I just think that all three teams outside of Dallas ranked above are better. Honestly, I'm just gonna watch those series to appreciate Kevin Durant. Yeah, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker

0:08:32
(Speaker 1)
have put together amazing seasons this year and unfortunately it's another waste of their primes due to poor team construction. I don't see why they picked up Bradley Bell. Bradley Bell, for sure, yeah. His contract is the worst contract in the NBA, hands down.

0:08:51
(Speaker 1)
He's getting extremely overpaid. And on top of that, he has a no trade clause. Yusuf Nurkic hasn't been a great big whatsoever. And that's why they traded for Nicholas, what's his name? Oh They made a move for Nick Richards, that's Richard

0:09:11
(Speaker 2)
But yeah that move for Nick Richards

0:09:13
(Speaker 7)
Was not a needle tip a needle changer in my opinion

0:09:16
(Speaker 1)
He he has been playing he played without his first few games on the roster But outside of that I haven't really heard or seen much of him. Tyus Jones was a great addition, I'd say. But outside of that, they have no real depth or extraordinary talent. When you trade for a guy like Bradley Bill,

0:09:50
(Speaker 1)
though, it's like you wouldn't expect to move a guy with his type of contract to the bench, or even consider it at any point in the season. And I feel like that's the only time he's been effective.

0:10:01
(Speaker 2)
Yeah, for sure. But I just wanted to take some time, because I've seen this clip of Kevin Durant in tears, talking about the game of basketball. I just wanted to like, Kevin Durant's like one of those players where basketball is just

0:10:18
(Speaker 2)
the most important thing. You know what I'm saying? It turns on and off the court. You know what I'm saying? He just takes basketball so seriously. And like for organizations to not take like that that drive of basketball series and like you know make the right trades for the

0:10:33
(Speaker 2)
right for the right players. I think they just like wasting you know Cameron Durant's last couple years of his career not making the right moves. Exactly and

0:10:43
(Speaker 1)
stuff like that could really make you question if you even want to remain in that type of organization, their neglect for just building a sufficient enough roster. It doesn't take much for a team led by Kevin Durant, the greatest scorer of all time, and Devin Booker, a top three shooting guard in the league,

0:11:04
(Speaker 1)
to at least make a push for a top six seed. Yeah, for sure.

0:11:09
(Speaker 2)
We've seen it with Golden State.

0:11:10
(Speaker 1)
They didn't even have to give curry much and they've made a push from like 11th to the 60 right now

0:11:18
(Speaker 2)
Yeah, yeah, so like, you know, they just got it, you know, they can make the plan like us man They keep moving forward, you know, I'm saying now what they're gonna do if they make the plan That's to be seen but you know, they still have a chance to you know, get inside that playing playing tournament.

0:11:38
(Speaker 1)
With playing, if they play the Timberwolves, they're not beating the Timberwolves. If they play Golden State, if Golden State drops, they're not beating Golden State. The Clippers, I feel like they just got back Hawaii. Hawaii's going to get in the group eventually.

0:11:52
(Speaker 1)
And I feel like by the time he's even close to a player that we remember, it'll be too late for the Suns to be able to beat them. For sure. And SAC, I don't even think SAC is a greatly constructed team and I still feel like SAC has enough pieces to beat the Phoenix Suns. Yeah for sure like it's gonna like I feel like you know every year the Western Conference is always competitive there's no like you know

0:12:18
(Speaker 1)
clear winner but you know I'm saying let's go over to the Eastern Conference man obviously we're gonna start off with the Cavs they only lost 10 games this year. What do we need to see from them to actually get to the Eastern Conference Finals and try to win a chip? I have no questions regarding how Donovan Mitchell is gonna play. Donovan Mitchell has always been a playoff riser.

0:12:39
(Speaker 1)
He's always been capable of rising to the occasion when it comes to big moments, like playoff time. My only concern is his supporting Cavs. I'm nervous that they might have a hawk situation where they have all of these all-stars on their roster but only one of them is actually capable of performing at a high level when it's time.

0:13:01
(Speaker 1)
Josh, Jared Allen said it himself, the lights was just too bright and we need to see if this team is capable of performing during playoff time. I feel like the Orlando Magic if they remain the AFC Would be a great test to see if they're really capable of Making that push with Paulo returning this team really shouldn't even be a AC. They should probably be in the fifth or fourth slot for sure

0:13:29
(Speaker 2)
Yeah, because um, you know, we've been talking about this like all over, you know, our podcast episodes that you know, Orlando has always been that team under the radar that's making you know the right trade drafting the right players and it's showing this season you know obviously they lost a couple games when losing Paulo but you know they still in playoff contention I feel like they can do great things coming up in in the future seasons for sure.

0:13:56
(Speaker 1)
Yeah and this is something I've never brought up before I think but one thing that I've noticed when it comes to Orlando and their drafting is that they really have bought in with drafting size and drafting off of defensive capabilities Like Cole Anthony when he was drafted really was his defensive upside Jonathan Isaac of course when he was drafted people were considering him to one day be one of the best defenders in the league of multiple-time defensive player of the year

0:14:30
(Speaker 1)
Mo Bamba when he was drafted was of course a rent-protecting center

0:14:35
(Speaker 2)
Sikil knew always bringing them up man They're like this team was I feel like this team is very

0:14:42
(Speaker 1)
Experimental compared to a lot of other teams in the league who try to fit a certain mold. And teams like the Orlando Magic are teams that I really appreciate for building something that isn't a carbon copy of other rosters and still being competitive.

0:15:04
(Speaker 2)
Yeah, for sure. Let's move around a little bit. Let's talk about another one of the players you like a lot, Jalen Bronson and the Knicks. Obviously, they just got Carl Anthony Towns, and they looking dangerous as ever

0:15:15
(Speaker 2)
How we think how we thinking like how we think is gonna turn out for the Knicks?

0:15:19
(Speaker 1)
When I didn't look at this, but they had a they have a really competitive road to the finals, right? they got to start off in Detroit if the Rock and the standings don't change if today we went into the playoffs. They got to face off against a young Detroit who's trying to prove something. Then they have to go straight into a loaded Boston Celtics.

0:15:49
(Speaker 2)
Yeah, because.

0:15:50
(Speaker 1)
Face a team in the Eastern Conference that could be the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are on pace to about 65 wins.

0:15:58
(Speaker 2)
Because I think the problem with the Knicks is like, you know, they over exert their players. You know what I'm saying? And that's why, like, even if the road wasn't like, you know what I'm saying, wasn't like a heavy hitter, you know what I'm saying?

0:16:11
(Speaker 2)
Like, they'll get tired around the Eastern Conference because they keep overexerting their players in early situations.

0:16:17
(Speaker 1)
Exactly, like, four out of the top five most played trios are all Knicks. He just uses the same combination of three players all game. Jaylen Brunson last season played 48 minutes basically every game and the same thing with Josh Hart. Those guys did not come out the game at all. If anything their only breaks was during timeouts to get water, the halftime break, and occasionally they'll sit out for about four or so minutes before they're right back in.

0:16:52
(Speaker 2)
Yeah, that's crazy because I feel like, you know what I'm saying, obviously, you know, limited minutes, so like, you know, they get to like, you know, obviously stay in the first quarter, you know, take a little breather most of the second quarter. Just like that, I feel like they'll be a team, a hard team to beat for sure. Obviously, when they got a, they got a dish and a cat, one of the greatest you know three-point shooting big men of all time you know I'm saying

0:17:18
(Speaker 2)
it just definitely opens up the floor for them offensively bro

0:17:22
(Speaker 1)
right and this opens up for me to make that crazy take that I made earlier again I feel like for the the New York Knicks to really unlock Kat's full potential they need to play Mitchell Robinson more. Oh yeah for sure i feel like for cats specifically

0:17:44
(Speaker 1)
offensively he's fine at the five he can play great time at the five but where you're talking cash potential is moving into the floor is defensively

0:17:56
(Speaker 1)
when he was there were really go for it is the first of plus minus was through the roof like and it's always been like that even in college cat was really running the four and that's when his defensive upside was at its highest and although Mitchell Robinson doesn't really get much minutes and he hasn't really developed his offensive game or refined his skills much due to the circumstances of being on the Knicks and not getting much time

0:18:22
(Speaker 1)
I feel like with using him in certain rotations at certain times of games, whether you put him in for six minutes at the end of first quarters and like the start of the second, it'd be a nice little experiment just to see how they would perform on the court together.

0:18:39
(Speaker 2)
Yeah, for sure. Obviously, you know, we've been talking about this team like, you know, you know, a couple years, you know, the Detroit Pistons, you know, they just been, you know, kind of staying under that radar, you know what I'm saying? You know, drafting the right players,

0:18:53
(Speaker 2)
you know, making the right trades. And finally they're here, man. They're the sixth seed, man. Like when I first looked at it a couple weeks ago, I couldn't believe it. They're playing so well.

0:19:03
(Speaker 2)
So like, what are your thoughts on the Pistons, you know, finally getting in the playoffs in a minute?

0:19:08
(Speaker 1)
You know, last year they just broke a record for most losses in a row, and now they're the sixth seed. That's a crazy jump. I feel like a lot of it has to do with the improvement of their young star Hey Cunningham and a lot of it also has to do with their addition of their three-point shooting events

0:19:26
(Speaker 1)
They got the addition of Malik Beasley who's been a 40% shooter for them into my Sobias Harris, yeah, but

0:19:35
(Speaker 2)
I

0:19:37
(Speaker 1)
Had been great for them, you know great three-point shooter they bought in heavily on the defensive end with guys like a sar Thompson Ron Holland has a great motor. It's like he's never tired. He's always looking at a hundred percent for sure he's just one of those guys who just have that second year to him on the defense and With all of these additions and these young guys developing it's lenses a flower blossoming out of cement in my opinion Yeah for sure

0:20:12
(Speaker 2)
obviously, you know This is a team that really hasn't really like moved, you know, I'm saying they've been to the playoffs But they always get you know first and second round after Atlanta Hawks, which are number seven. But like me, personally, I don't see like any expectations on this team. I'm looking at the roster right now

0:20:32
(Speaker 2)
and I don't see like a player that's like a big X factor. But like, what are your thoughts on the Hawks being number seven?

0:20:40
(Speaker 1)
Oh, their X factor is for sure Basar Thompson. I'm curious to see how he performs in a playoff setting. I just wanna see the defensive capabilities, the playmaking that he might show in a half-court setting. Guys like him, it's like, I'm curious to see what he's going to do when he's matched up on another team's best player.

0:21:04
(Speaker 2)
Yeah, yeah, that would definitely be entertaining, man, because I feel like Asar is better defensively out of the two twins. Obviously, he doesn't have the playmaking the men has but like defensively he's amazing

0:21:16
(Speaker 1)
Exactly, you know because they're basically the exact same players just slight difference, you know Do the development that they went through and over time elite? Is Jayden I be expected to come back anytime soon or is he out for the rest of the season? Well, I think he was big for them before he was out.

0:21:38
(Speaker 2)
But I think he should be coming back not too long ago. Let me see.

0:21:44
(Speaker 1)
Because if he's able to come back before playoff time, I feel like it'll just be. I think they say he was rescheduled to be re-evaluated next month.

0:21:51
(Speaker 2)
So they'll definitely know for sure.

0:21:54
(Speaker 6)
OK.

0:21:54
(Speaker 1)
But yeah, if he's able to return before playoff time, that would be huge. They've been managing decent without him, but they were really hot when he was playing for them. He was playing up about 18 a game. So with that addition of extra scoring,

0:22:11
(Speaker 1)
his ability to, of course, attack the paint, his improvements at the three-point line in the mid-range game, I feel like he could really give some, he could add some trouble to this team. He could add something. Yeah, for sure. I'm obviously

0:22:26
(Speaker 1)
Obviously the Bucks are back. You know I'm saying Giannis is trying to you know, stay healthy You know I'm saying like if this team is healthy How far you think the bus is gonna go cuz on paper bro, these are like stacked teams right here, bro. I love great competition First off I love the matchup that they have already set against, Indiana. They just played them yesterday

0:22:51
(Speaker 1)
and lost to Tyrese Allenburg, game winner, or a game tier that led to them losing. I feel like a team with Giannis and Game on paper just sounds amazing, you know? And Giannis, they started off terrible. They were a bottom three seed at the start of the season

0:23:08
(Speaker 1)
and something started to click. They're starting to really put together some wins some some big wins. They're Literally a half a game away from losing their fourth seed so every game matters for them right now and I Just feel like any team with Giannis shouldn't be counted out. Yeah for sure Giannis is a top two player in the world

0:23:39
(Speaker 1)
he is in my opinion the second best player in the world he is one of the best defenders in the world he has a guard who is a top five shooter all time on his team

0:23:54
(Speaker 1)
has one of the largest ranges of shooting in the world and just off of those two dynamics of shooting and then paint presence I feel like they can give a top three seed a run for their money. Yeah for sure Cuz I feel like this no takes are very well paired to face them off though I feel like the Celtics are very capable of shutting down Giannis and at the same time

0:24:19
(Speaker 1)
They don't often run a zone Yeah, they are so switchable. They're so versatile and they're so great on the defensive end They usually don't have to run any type of zone. They can really just run a man defense and Stop most teams best players, you know drew holiday and Derek live. Derek white or just hold their own. Yeah well it makes the Celtics so good like everybody on that court is good defensively so like there's no liability you know when it

0:24:49
(Speaker 2)
comes to the defensive end and they can just you know interchange and switch on the perimeter. Yeah because we saw Jaylen Brown give Luka some trouble a couple days ago. He took that match up personally and he made sure that Luka

0:25:01
(Speaker 1)
couldn't score unless it was very uncomfortable buckets or get to his game.

0:25:14
(Speaker 2)
Yeah, it was crazy. Obviously, you know, oh yeah, we meant to talk about that. The Lakers losing their last two games. I think we lost to the Nets, too. Am I not wrong?

0:25:24
(Speaker 5)
Yeah, we did.

0:25:25
(Speaker 1)
I'm not tripping too hard. Those were games where we weren't at our full strength. I feel like Jackson Hayes has been a big piece for us recently. He's really stepped up to his role, having to be a defender and our main center, so once he returns,

0:25:44
(Speaker 1)
that's gonna be something. Of course, LeBron James will be out for two weeks. We lost AR for a little bit, so once we're fully healthy, I feel like we'll be very competitive, and I don't think that there's many teams that can beat us, but right now, as we stand, a lot of teams

0:26:04
(Speaker 1)
are going to just look at us on their calendar, circle it, make sure that there's a big X marked into us saying that we lost by the end of the day. And we'll just have to be prepared for all those games.

0:26:16
(Speaker 2)
Yeah, for sure. We talked about, we had a little conversation about league expansion. And my take on this is there's a lot of players that, you know, come out to the second rotation that are stars or superstars. But, you know, they get limited to the, you know,

0:26:33
(Speaker 2)
obviously, you know, the veterans of our game, you know what I'm saying, that have to be in the starting lineup. You know, obviously, like players like Bones Highland, like, there shouldn't be a player like that coming off the bench scoring 34 points.

0:26:47
(Speaker 2)
It's like unheard of, you know what I'm saying? So that's what Zoe was talking about with the league expansion, just expanding the league so players can be their own superstars instead of just coming off the bench.

0:26:58
(Speaker 4)
Yeah, exactly.

0:26:58
(Speaker 1)
Like there's a lot of teams that are just holding talent, you know? Especially with a lot of organizations closer to the bottom that don't really take good care of their draft picks or trade well, it leads to teams like the Rockets and the Thunder holding on to a lot of talented guys. Like I feel like a guy like Andrew Wiggins, Isaiah Joe, Reeve Shep, Reed?

0:27:26
(Speaker 1)
Ryan Reed at the G League.

0:27:27
(Speaker 2)
Yeah, Reed Shepard, yep.

0:27:29
(Speaker 1)
A top three pick is in the G League

0:27:31
(Speaker 3)
because he can't earn a spot

0:27:32
(Speaker 1)
because the guards on the Rockets are just too talented. I feel like with a league expansion it will just open up the opportunity not only for the NBA to profit and promote and to find new stars and have stars locate themselves in new areas but it will also just create a

0:27:54
(Speaker 2)
better brand of basketball. Yeah for sure it's like it's like a lot of things you know that need to change for the NBA because I feel like you know what I talked about earlier like the viewership of the NBA is low because it feels like um no one's like interested you know to watch some of the games you know I'm saying like unless it's like a crazy veteran matchup like Curry or Bryan like you know anticipated you know hype but it feels like people

0:28:24
(Speaker 2)
don't want to tune in to like the games anymore and like I feel like you know a league expansion you know watching you know very talented players you know play play their hearts out would help you know bring the viewership up. Yeah because

0:28:37
(Speaker 1)
I for sure feel like opening up the league for a league expansion you know adding these guys these young talented players who we grew up watching that we haven't got to see get an opportunity to really show off their games would be great for the NBA. Of course, these teams are probably going to be bad for the first couple of years. Like the Charlotte Hornets, when they were the most recently added team in the league so at this moment and they still haven't put together a winning season yet.

0:29:08
(Speaker 1)
So yeah, for sure. It's really just about finding the right time, which will probably be never with how the organization owners act. Yeah man, so that's all we got.

0:29:23
(Speaker 2)
Zell, you wanna take us out? Thank you guys for watching the episode. If you wanna learn more, go to my Instagram, MarcellusDavis underscore, or find the show on Instagram, at Ballin' on a Budget.

0:29:32
(Speaker 2)
at Ballin' on a Budget. Balling on a budget.