Mavericks or Spurs? 👀 Kendrick Perkins SPIES an issue with the Power Rankings 🫢 | NBA Today

Mavericks or Spurs? 👀 Kendrick Perkins SPIES an issue with the Power Rankings 🫢 | NBA Today

Happy tradeversary to Kevin Garnett. It was 18 years ago today that KG was acquired by the Boston Celtics, joining Ray Allen and Paul Pierce to be the core of that 2008 NBA championship. A big acquisition can make all the difference and we’ve seen some big moves this year, right? So, let’s just remind our friends of some of a few of them. The Nuggets, they traded away Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 firstrounder to the Nets for Cam Johnson who had career bests in points per game and field goal percentage last season. And then the Lakers, they got their center DeAndre Aton. He’s on a two-year deal. Eightton held opponents to 54% shooting at the rim last season. It ranked 11th out of the 221 qualified players there. And then elsewhere in LA after trading Norm Powell, the Clippers, they signed Bradley Beal here to a two-year deal. That’s despite a significant drop in usage after leaving the Wizards. Beal still shot 41% from three in his two seasons with the Suns. Also leaving the Suns, of course, you know his name, Kevin Durant. He was traded to the Rockets for Jaylen Green, Dylan Brooks, and some picks here. KD, he turns 37 in September, but he scored 25 points a game while shooting 50% from the field and 40% from three in three straight seasons. the first player to do that in quite some time. So, Perk, I should have introduced you as a core of that championship team in 2008 as well, but all of those moves have gone down this summer. I’m introducing that as you now, but which one do you think brings your squad the closest to winning a championship? Oh, by far it’s the Houston Rockets. They’re the only team in my opinion that’s now looking eye to eye with the champs in in far as the Oklahoma City Thunder. They had the pieces. They finished number two in the Western Conference last year. And what did they lack? They lacked the closer. Jaylen Green couldn’t be that. Kevin Durant is that arguably in my eyes the greatest scorer to ever touch the damn basketball. And they’re loaded, stacked with wings, being able to keep their young guys, Toron, Aean Thompson, Jabari Smith that could play inside out, loves to stretch the floor. They got a Kogi and they just got great depth and they got a hell of a coach. I’m looking at the Rockets right now as the second best team in the NBA and they’re inches behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and I think it’s night and day for us what they done this off season for as everybody else. Well, I’m happy that Perk went out there and made sure to consider the Oklahoma City Thunder because Thunder have done a great job of bringing their guys back. I know they’re excited. They have an exciting group, but I’m looking to see the confidence that comes over them having a chip now. uh when you start talking about champions and returning to the floor after that, there’s a little bit of a swagger and a little bit of a extra oomph that comes with it and to see one of these guys that you know we we saw flashes of it but we didn’t get to see the full thing because he’s such a young guy like these are the moments where we start to say hey we’re about to see the same team about to rain for a little bit. If we’re going to see one of those guys come out and do something it’s going to be this year. So I’m excited for them. Man, y’all need to stop playing. Here we go. The Denver Nuggets. Come on, man. Cam Johnson. Yeah. Valenunis. Yeah. Who could start for a lot of teams without a doubt? Got Bruce back and they took the champs, your champs to seven games. They’re a problem. They’re number two. Yeah. They’re also in the Western Conference. All of these teams that you mentioned are out west. So, I’m gonna take a team in the Eastern Conference and say the New York Knicks because they didn’t lose a star player to an Achilles injury, right? Everybody else in the East has injuries to deal with. And I like the addition of Mike Brown. I like Jordan Clarkson joining that team. I like Yaveelli joining that team. I know those aren’t big flashy moves, but in the Eastern Conference, all you got to be is steady and healthy this year, right? I’m Kendrick Perkins, better known as Big Perk. And nothing gets past me. Freeze. Just when you thought it did get past me, there I am. I spy a problem. I spy it all. Tear the hell off. [Music] Hello world. I know y’all used to seeing this 300 plusb bars chestnut. So damn it, I need a half day. My barber flying in today. That’s one problem. But I got another problem. It seemed like two two psych entities are on two different like pages right now. Here’s the first thing. ESPN Power Rankers came out. They ranked the Dallas Mavericks 13th, which I believe is too low. That’s another conversation. And the Spurs 16th. Now, here’s the problem that I have. You go down to the the desert in Las Vegas, and all of a sudden, they have the San Antonio Spurs winning more games than the Dallas Mavericks. They have the Spurs at 43 and a half and the Mavs at 40 and a half. I have a problem with that. I don’t believe it’s true. Number one, I believe that the Mavs will rank too low on the ESPN power rankings. Number two, the Mavs will win 50 plus games. When you talk about having a great mixture of vets and youth, they have that. I believe they’re the third best team in the Western Conference. We just saw Clay, he found happiness on and off the floor. They arguably have the best front line in basketball and Daniel Gaffford Lively uh and Anthony Davis. And you throw in a sprinkle of PJ Washington and Cooper flag. Marshall was pretty damn good for them last year. He’s back and the pick up of D’Angelo Russell to hold it down till Kyrie Irving returns with the leadership and head coaching of Jason Kidd. They’re going to be a force defensively. And I think we forget at times how special and how dominant Anthony Davis could look when he’s healthy and available on the floor. So, the only concern I have is that Kyrie Irving said on that stream recently, Ramona, that he isn’t sure that he will be ready at all this season. We’ve heard different things on when we could see him. So, who are you higher on, the Mavericks or the Spurs here? Because Perk is bringing up a whole lot of different teams in different points. Perk, I’m actually with you. I’m higher on the Mavericks as well. I think I think Cooper Flag is ready to play. I think Anthony Davis is on a mission. And I know that I know that Kyrie Irving may not come back and he is really important to that team, but they got D’Angelo Russell. They have people to fill in. They got a they got a whole squad out there. And if they’re back and healthy, I think they’re they’re further along than the Spurs who still need to figure everybody out. They still got young guys on that team. And you people give them a hard time because of the way the season finished. But remember, they played their way into the playoff playin tournament when they probably should have tanked, right? And that shows me that they want to win right now. They’re not trying to just grow and develop a team. Yeah, I know that D’Angelo Russell got on people’s bad side. I know what he did. I I know. But when you talk about Kyrie Irving being out and you bring in a guy like D’Angelo Russell, um you’re talking about somebody that I thought it was streaky when I first saw it. I thought it was very streaky, but when I started looking at his development and what he brings to the table, it’s actually pretty consistent work as far as an offensive threat and bringing that to a team. When you have Cooper Flag, again, I know you’re in love with him. I know I don’t even I don’t be high on guys like that, but when I watched him in summer league, I watched him from a plus minus standpoint. And when I watch what he brings to a team, a ball club, it’s like I’m watching a guy that’s 5 years in, like he doesn’t come to the game and add something where it’s like this young guy that’s just ultra talented. It’s like you can see the development and say, “Hey man, he’s picking his spot. Hey man, he knows this is time.” You don’t think there’ll be growing pains there, though? There’s definitely going to be growing pains, but I just like it when your name is Cooper. Your name is Cooper flag. The pressure is not on him. Yeah. I don’t care what you do. Your name’s Cooper Flag. You’re you’re Captain America to me. Captain America is a new nickname and I think that we are going Dallas 50 yard line for sure. He’s the 50 yard line if I ever saw it. [Music] [Applause] Jimmy with the heat. I’m on fire on the

On NBA Today, the panel discusses which offseason move pushed their team closer to NBA title contention. Then, Kendrick Perkins shares his issue with the latest Power Rankings.

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