FIRST TAKE | Stephen A. Smith: Victor Wembanyama will make the Spurs the most intriguing Texas team

FIRST TAKE | Stephen A. Smith: Victor Wembanyama will make the Spurs the most intriguing Texas team

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well that’s what people say that’s what people Well that’s not what I said that’s what people say
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can’t be drunk at a draft workout i mean you can not advisable always a good time here on the take uh the Texas teams in the NBA they had a good week it started Sunday afternoon blockbuster trade setting future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets also locking in Fred Van Glee for another two years uh cross town neighbor the Spurs they had a good week as well drafting Dylan Harper second overall to accompany Wanyama while the Dallas Mavs stole the show drafting Duke star Cooper Flag number one overall signing Kyrie Irving to a three-year million dollar deal the night prior our guy Tim McMahon high praise on the Texas squads yesterday on First Take take a listen the Spurs might be third on the list here in terms of the standings next season but to me they are the most intriguing that’s simply because we’ve not seen a talent really like Victor Wimyama unfortunately we really didn’t get a feel for what the fit is with him and De’arra Fox uh we you know we get to see that partnership really try to develop some chemistry and unfold this year you add Dylan Harper and I’m I’m very curious to see can the Spurs make a pretty significant leap past the playin into the playoff mix in the Western Conference and can Wimi make a leap into being an MVP type of player
all right Peter you weren’t here with us earlier and we discussed this do you feel like Webby Spurs are the most intriguing team in Texas right now
so I I think in terms of basketball I love what Tim had to say they they are they’re an incredibly they’re an incredibly intriguing team and they will be really really good however we’re all adults we can have a real life conversation right last time I checked we still live in America right uh
Cooper Flag is a white guy maybe the best white American prospect since Larry Bird right let’s not act as if we don’t live in America and we’re not seeing what’s happening with Caitlyn Clark in the WNBA cooper Flag is going to be an instant impact player in the NBA i think Danny will agree he is ready to go that kid could play right now if he’s nearly as good as people expect I think when it comes to intrigue actual intrigue that people are talking about dayto-day no one’s going to be more intriguing get more eyeballs than what Cooper Flag’s doing in Dallas
danny what do you think of that Caitlyn Clark comp right there by Peter that’s a that’s a big compar like like Kayen Clark is unbelievable she is something different i think Cooper Flag is a very good player he will make an impact i don’t know about right away all rookies need a little bit of time i think he’s in a perfect place to learn and grow i do like the Spurs it’s intriguing but I’m with Peter here i like Dallas as and for a different reason dallas is intriguing to me because what are you going to do with all those bigs you have Gaffford you have Laya you have AD you have PJ Washington now you have Cooper Flag you need a point guard you need some wings you need some some guard depth so I’m looking at what are they gonna do who are they gonna move what’s going to happen in free agency so I’m looking at them in that aspect of intriguing because they have two a lot of makeup and you now Cooper Flag could be another guy that could be in in that front court so they’re going to be very deep in the front court and very bottom like I said I guess they’re very topheavy in that sense so I don’t know what they’re going to do in the wing standpoint so I’m intrigued on what they’re going to do this off seasonason to make their their wing depth better but yes Cooper Flag is a talent but the Caitlyn Clark I don’t know man that that’s a that’s a tough one
mcmahon what did you think of that comparison listen if I took a sociology class I probably got a D in it so I I’m not I’m not qualified i And I don’t want to I don’t want to put the Great White Hope tag on this guy let Let’s let him come in let’s let him hoop i do think
Listen I do think he’s going to be the rookie of the year uh I I do think that he is at 18 years old ready to make an immediate impact in the NBA um because he can do so many things he can be a a very impactful defender a Swiss Army knife type of defender right away you know he can run he can shoot he’s going to get a chance to be a a point forward type there’s a ton of intrigue there again I think the Rockets will be the best of the three teams this season if we’re looking very short term uh but to me if you’re talking about intrigue for like a 10year span it has to be the Spurs we’ve never seen a talent like Victor Wimyama i think he’s still growing i think he’s like 76 now with perimeter skills with the I mean he might be he might be the best defensive force that we have ever seen ever seen and he’s got the potential to be a a go-to guy offensively and they’re putting pieces around him the Spurs are one of the most intriguing teams in the NBA forget about the state of Texas peter how high are you on the Rockets because yesterday on the show I I don’t remember exactly who said it but um folks have them you know contending with OKC in in the Western Conference Finals you know it’s it the Rockets are very interesting to me um obviously they made a major major move but they decided to give up a little bit in terms of youth and defense two things that uh Kevin Durant does not currently possess so I I do think they could be a very intriguing team i’m not willing to immediately put them at the top but I also want to address one thing Tim said you by the way Tim you are correct by the way WBY is if we’re being real normal human beings the most intriguing figure in the NBA he is actually someone we’ve never seen in our lives i was speaking more to unfortunately just what I know society happens to be like so you have the fact that people will be intrigued with Cooper Flag because of what he looks like and on top of that the fact that we cannot deny that while no he will not be Caitlyn Clark he will not be to the NBA what Caitlyn Clark is to the WNBA no that will not happen in year one but as much as it pains me to say this because I hate Duke to the bowels of my soul but I have never seen I don’t remember the last time I saw a kid more NBA ready i remember the excitement around Zion but of course I looked at him at his height and size i went where does he fit in the NBA that is not a concern you have with Cooper flag at 610 you know exactly where he fits in in the NBA so Tim we are actually on the same page i think WBY is going to be the man i just think when we get to it there’s going to be daily chatter about Cooper Flag
danny I’m with Peter on this as well uh obviously WB is the most intriguing player in the league i know we’re talking about Houston here they are interesting also they need some more depth on the wing they need some more defense they need more shooting kd brings a lot to them they’re in last to me as intriguing of these three teams we know what they’re going to bring we know what they can do the other two teams we’re not sure what they’re going to what they’re going to bring what they can do healthy we want to see what the Spurs look like we haven’t seen Darren Fox and Webby as a duo together we haven’t seen what Cooper Flag is going to look like with you know AD and then when Kyrie comes back if when he come if he does come back healthy if he’s going to be the same guy or not clay as well and what other guarders they pick up so the other teams are more intriguing because we just don’t know what they’re going to bring houston we kind of know what they’re going to bring and what they need they’re a really good team but they still need to make some moves they need some depth they need some 3 and D guys they need some defense because as it stands they cannot be OKC but they’re a really good team and but they’re the the last place on this most intriguing list
tim which of these these three teams do you think will make the biggest leap cuz there’s one thing we’ve seen is how much parody there is in the NBA right now well I I think the Spurs are in the position to make the biggest leap because they’re coming from the furthest down and obviously listen we’re all hoping that Wimi is fully recover from the blood clot issue that he’s going to be able to stay healthy if Wimby stays healthy he’s going to make make a leap into potentially into the MVP conversation certainly he’ll be an allNBA type of force and and so the question is can the Spurs make the leap from the lottery into the playoff mix you know the Mavericks also were a lottery team obviously 1.8% chance odds you laying Cooper flag how how about that um but again I I I think the Spurs will make the biggest leap the question though to me is can the Rockets make the leap from really good regular season team one and done in the playoffs to a real threat uh to the Oklahoma City Thunder i I think they’re the biggest threat in the Western Conference
i think they got to get further than one and done in the playoffs or like the haters are going to be coming out in full force am I right Danny
you’re 100% right and I like what Tim was saying there that said they have the f San Antonio has the furthest lead they can make the biggest turn i don’t know about being MVP conversation just yet defensive player of the year i’ll give him that but also with the additions of the people they got with Dear Fox Dylan Harper and all these young group he’s going to get less opportunity at the offensive end so I don’t know if he’ll put up the same type of numbers you got to remember he got Joic you got Giannis you got Luca we got a lot of guys in the league that are still healthy enough in the MVP V converation sga let’s not forget about him who is the current MVP yes he can be MVP in a couple years but it’s going to take some time defensive player of the year I’ll give him that but MVP it’s a different it’s a different level of of an animal for him
all right we’ll leave it there when we come back on First Take OKC may be young but they’re ready how big of a gap is there between the Thunder and the rest of the West shocking answers [Music] [Music] watching Foreign speech foreign speech foreign speech oh my goch foreign speech foreign speech foreign speech [Music] keep going in foreign speech foreign speech don’t stop [Music] we will get to Go down please [Music] [Music] look healthy as I am [Music]

FIRST TAKE | Stephen A. Smith: Victor Wembanyama will make the Spurs the most intriguing Texas team