GET UP| Rockets have solidified themselves as the top threat to the Thunder after signing KD – Canty

GET UP| Rockets have solidified themselves as the top threat to the Thunder after signing KD – Canty

what it can still do. Like that’s the that’s the key is is what it can still do. The Rockets can still make giant trades. Like if if if Giannis decides I’m out, you know, I want to be tra like look at the assets that the the Rockets still have. It’s unbelievable. Like the what they didn’t have to put into that deal for Kevin Durant was incredible. And they they still have so much firepower left to to upgrade that roster even further. It’s remarkable, Smalls, that we have a bunch of teams now in the NBA. Three of them specifically come to mind in Oklahoma City, Houston, and you mentioned San Antonio. Three teams that are poised for right now and for later. That never h you never have contenders in sports that you look at and you say, “This team is going to be really good four years from now.” Like, you just never have. Think about that for a second.
Can you confidently say the Kansas City Chiefs four years from now are going to be as good as they are right now?
No. But you know what team I would feel confident in saying that is the Green Bay Packers because of how young that offensive core is. They’re that good now.
But they’re in they’re a playoff team.
But they’re not necessarily a contender for a title, are they?
They definitely could be. If Jordan Love can be consistent, they will be competing for Super Bowls.
Okay, but that’s a big if. So do it this way then, Smalls. Do you think the Oklahoma injured last year?
Do you think the Oklahoma City Thunder could win a title again this year?
Yes, absolutely. No question about Do you think the Houston Rockets who have gone out there and had a phenomenal offseason with Kevin Durant, lowering the contract numbers for Fred Fred Vanble, extending Jabari Smith, bringing in Dorian Finny Smith and bringing in Clint Capella and some of these moves that they made and keeping all the draft picks and all these young players, right?
Oh, and Eayoka, by the way,
and Eayoka, do you think they could win a title this year? No doubt.
Do you think they could be good for the next three or four years? For sure.
Do you think they could get Giannis?
Yes. As Ramona just outlined, they still have those assets,
right? Do you think the Spurs are going to be good this year? Yes.
Do you think they could get Giannis if they wanted to?
Yes. Okay. Do you think they could win a title this year?
They might be a year away.
Okay. That those qu those series of questions and answers that we just asked about those teams to do the now, could they get a guy and could they win later is an odd combination that three teams in one conference have right now. Do you think there’s any team in the East you’d put in that category?
Could they win now? Could they get a mega star later? And are they set up for the long term?
Are the Cavs in that position? They can win now. They could get a mega star now, right? If they were willing to trade Evan Moi, I would think that they if Giannis were to get moved that they could they could potentially get him. The thing that I don’t know about is can they win that much later, right?
Right. Because if you’re going to get Giannis, you’re still not loaded with young players. Houston and San Antonio could get Giannis and still have a young core. That’s the wild part about this. Houston could go out there and try to trade guys and still be left like between ShenGun Shenun their center or power forward, however you want to look at it. Um Jabari Smith, Reed Shepard, uh Tari East, Aean Thompson, like that they are loaded with this. You’re laughing at me. Why?
Well, I was just thinking how yesterday must have been like Christmas for you with all these transactions in the NBA. It was probably one of the best days you’ve had.
I love it. I love it. I love it.
I could just see the joy in your face as you’re talking about this and it made me laugh a little. I I have an issue with your Packers take already five minutes. What? What? That is a
What are you talking about? You have an issue with my Packers take.
You can compare the Packers in this category to the win now, win later, set up for the long term and can get a star if they wanted to get a start. They have nobody in the secondary. Jordan Love is not accomplished relative to winning the way he should be. I don’t
And the Rockets are I mean, remove Kevin Durant from that equation.
No, I’m not going to remove Kevin Durant. He’s on the Rockets. What do you mean? Like, oh, you think you think the Thunder are that good? remove Shay. No, I’m not going to. I’m just saying he’s a fresh acquisition. And by the way,
you guys didn’t get Momes.
No, we definitely did not. But I think that my Packers take holds water because we played the sound from Damen Woody a year ago saying Jordan Love could be the MVP. Jordan Love could potentially one day be the best player in the NFL. We didn’t see that this year because he was injured in the first game of the year versus the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil. and that injury and subsequent injuries played a huge role in him being less consistent in year two. However, the Packers still won two more games. They have Jordan Love, I believe, is 26, 27 years old, and he’s the elder statesman of that offensive crop. They have so many young weapons. If they can click, plus they have a good coach in Matt Laflur, they could grow together.
Yeah. I don’t even think they’re the best example of that in their own division of the good now, good later, like well positioned. I think the Vik No, I think the Vikings.
What? What?
JJ McCarthy is not proven,
right?
We have no idea what McCarthy is good on a rookie scale deal with that defense and those wide receivers. They are the team that’s set up for now and later more so than the Packers are. You’re paying a quarterback in the 50s.
How can you even say that when you’ve never seen him take a snap? Well,
he’s it’s the most important position and we have no clue how he’s going to translate.
I understand that. The whole point is we saw a day of free agency yesterday. One of the coolest things about this is that the Houston Rockets specifically join the Oklahoma City Thunder as a now and later team. That’s really hard to beat, right? We saw a huge move yesterday with the Pittsburgh Steelers. They’re just a now team and they may not even be that good now. They may not be that good later, right? But I think what the Rockets have done, what the Thunder have done, and I think you’re on to it. I think we’re going to have this exact same conversation about the Spurs in a year. What they have done is make themselves into a now and later team. The Nuggets, who I thought won the, you know, may have won the day yesterday. I thought it was a great trade by them. A now team, right? They’re not like a five, six years from now set up for the future kind of team.
Well, when you have the best player in the world, you’re always a now team,
right? But I think that’s the beauty of what we’ve seen with Oklahoma City is they have the best player in terms of winning the MVP, finals MVP, and winning a championship and Shay Gildas Alexander. And yet you still kind of look at them even though they’re champs is more of a later team because of how much this this team is going to develop together. And that’s the same thing about the Rockets, right? You’re saying, “Hey, they could win it all this year,
but they kind of are a later team, right? They’re not fully developed. They haven’t even handed out these big contracts in full to some of these guys. They did obviously with Jabari Smith, and they get Kevin Durant, who somehow you want to eliminate from the conversation when talking about the Rockets, leave Kevin Durant to the side.” No. No. I’m not going to do that. Why would I voluntarily do that? Um, I just want to point out the Nuggets and and Nets. What’s interesting about that is both teams yesterday did exactly what they’re supposed to do. When you’re a bad team with cap space, you take on bad contracts to get paid off to do so. Nets get a 2032 second round first round pick unprotected. When you’re a good team like like Denver, you don’t talk about the idea of trading Joic. You talk about the idea of helping Joic. And yesterday they made a very shrewd move. If you have Nicole Joic, you should not care about your 2032 first round pick. No, it’s irrelevant. Now, you may say, “Hey, that’s irresponsible.” I don’t care.
I don’t care either.
I want to win as much as possible with him as my best player, and I upgraded the team, and giving up a 2032 first means nothing to me.
No.
So, I love what they did yesterday, and getting Cam Johnson from the Nets.
Were you surprised they moved on for Michael Porter Jr.?
No. You You’re a theory about this cuz of your intimate knowledge of that that organization.
The Missou connection. I was a little surprised.
Yeah. If you’re going to run a business and not trade somebody because of where they went to college, that’s a problem.
People do that.
I understand.
But it was a smart move to move on from him.
So, there you go. All right. Uh, some of the moves yesterday. There’s a lot more to discuss in terms of what the Bucks did. The Lakers we’re going to get to as well. I love what Atlanta’s been doing. The Atlanta Hawks second best offseason besides the Houston Rockets. They go out there yesterday. They get Nquille Alexander Walker from the T-Wolves as well as Luke Canard from the Grizzlies. That’s in addition to Chris Porzingis. That’s in addition to the Pelicans making one of the worst deals we’ve ever seen and giving them the unprotected pick. That’s the better pick between the Pelicans and the Bucks next year. But Smalls, I think there’s signs pointing in a direction. I think if ESPN bet put odds up there as to next team for LeBron James, I’m not sure the Lakers should necessarily be the favorites.
Oo, juicy.
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GET UP| Rockets have solidified themselves as the top threat to the Thunder after signing KD – Canty