On the NBA Beat Aaron Fischman, Loren Lee Chen

In a tightly packed Western Conference, where only a handful of games separate the first- and thirteenth-place teams, Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report is encouraged by the Portland Trail Blazers’ start. Specifically, the Blazers have gotten All-Star-caliber, not to mention career-best, contributions from Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons. Such stellar play from Portland’s secondary stars has enabled it to weather a difficult early schedule played about half of the time without franchise cornerstone Damian Lillard. Here are some Highkin highlights on how Portland was able to stay afloat, lottery pick Shaedon Sharpe’s early flashes, what’s ahead for the Blazers and much more:   

6:15-7:07: “I don’t think they’re a title contender, and I don’t think they think they’re a title contender either; that’s the other part about it. Joe Cronin, the general manager, went into the season saying that he doesn’t think this roster is complete and he doesn’t think it’s good enough right now to contend and that it’s still kind of a work in progress. … Going into the season…I said they would probably make the playoffs as a 7 or 8 seed out of the play-in. At this point, I’m pretty comfortable saying that I think they’re gonna be Top-6 just because they’re currently in the middle of the toughest part of their schedule. They’ve had a ton of road games.”

19:45-20:03: “Already, [Sharpe]’s way ahead of where certainly I thought and where I think a lot of people even in the organization thought he was gonna at this point, so that’s something everybody’s really encouraged by. And honestly, for Blazers fans that I talk to, they haven’t really had a rookie that was exciting like this since Dame.”

25:45-27:15: “Well, [Grant]’s just found the exact right balance. … This spot that he finds himself in in Portland is kinda the perfect middle ground between those two [Denver and Detroit] situations, where he’s not the first option most nights ‘cuz everybody knows it’s still Dame’s show, but he can be that guy. That game against the Knicks, Dame was out in that game and he was able to do that. He’s had a couple of other 30-plus-point games this season. He had that game-winner against Phoenix. He’s been able to do that stuff, and he can do that from time to time when you need him to. So this is like the perfect spot for him.”

28:10-28:30: “In those Dame-CJ years, they never had a third guy half as good as either of those guys. … This is easily the most talented team that Dame has had since those LaMarcus-Batum-Wes Matthews-Robin Lopez teams.”

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On the heels of a 2022 Western Conference finals berth, the 9-10 Dallas Mavericks are mired in mediocrity despite receiving historically brilliant contributions from superstar point guard Luka Doncic. Emmy Award-winning director Jason Gallagher, now head of production at The Old Man and the Three, triumphantly returns to shed light on what exactly isn’t computing.   

4:38-5:14: "I believe that the shooting will improve, but I believe that the Kemba [Walker] move is a result of not having a second playmaker. Spencer is just not that. He is about as good as an X-Factor could possibly be, and that's what you want. That's where he thrived last year. But as a reliable sort of playmaking second option, I think that we're coming to find that he's just not the decision-maker that Jalen Brunson was. He didn't have the steadying sort of temperament that Jalen Brunson had."

12:23-14:02: "You kind of come to this conclusion of 'Why does this feel more frustrating than before? Why does this feel like a weird stretch?' Tim Cato tweeted that this is as about as down as he's seen Mavs twitter in a while, and I think the reason is obviously making the Western Conference finals increases your expectations, but I also think that there's a level of, you have a generational superstar and, as importantly, you have a core that you've invested a lot of time and a lot of resources to developing that still feels like a work in progress. … And I think that that is why fans probably feel frustrated. … I do think that a move has to come. I think anyone but Dorian Finney-Smith, honestly, I'm willing to say goodbye."

24:46-25:41: "The reason why you love this sport is that it's a puzzle, and if the pieces don't fit, they don't fit. Right now, they don't fit. … I mean you're seeing him insisting on staying in all of fourth quarters and things like that. You have to keep him away, like he will want to be out there for as long as he possibly can. I just think that, you know, if the shots start falling from those role players, the load gets way lighter on him, and then he starts playing better. That is the puzzle that you want to solve."

48:22-49:24: "What I find to be most fascinating, though, is building around a generational superstar in the modern era, and if the Mavericks have the wherewithal to really understand what that is. … How do you make Dallas an attractive destination? How do you build properly through the draft and then manage a team that wants to play with such a ball-dominant player? There's so many moving parts there. I really think that you kind of go Lebron-Heat/Cavs, and you kind of give them the keys a little bit. I know that sounds crazy, but it is a generational superstar we're talking about. You sell the farm and you get one to two big names and then the rest come dying to play."

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After an 8-1 start to the season that had some prognosticators pegging them as dark horse title contenders, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been hit with the On the NBA Beat curse and have lost their last four games. To help us get into the ins-and-outs of this enigmatic team, we've brought on Cavaliers expert and long-time friend of the show, Justin Rowan, host of The Chase Down Podcast. Justin takes us through what the off-season trade for Donovan Mitchell unlocks for Cleveland, the growth trajectory of young stars Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, and how he projects the Cavs to compare to the other members of the Eastern Conference elite this season and beyond.

4:45-5:39: “I think the floor of what you're hoping for is to avoid the play-in tournament. But I think they have more than enough talent to get home court in the first round, and that should be the goal. If you're talking about translating that to the postseason, I'm always going to give the benefit of the doubt to the teams that have been there. Experience matters so much … so I'm going to give the edge to teams like Milwaukee and Boston when it comes to the playoffs, but in the regular season I do think they are up in that tier."

7:11-7:56: “The biggest difference from Donovan Mitchell and what the Cavs probably would have been pre-Mitchell trade is Mitchell kind of combines a lot of what you were looking for from multiple players. Collin Sexton is a good scorer. He’s a very good scorer, and I think his passing maybe was a little underrated, but it’s not at the same level as Mitchell. A lot of the actions that they were probably planning on running for Ochai Agbaji… you can run for Mitchell, but you also have the added benefit of his playmaking, the volume 3-point shooting, the improvement on defense, which I think was one of the things they were banking on prior to that trade. The fact that he brings all of those elements into one player is a massive boost for the Cavs.”

23:02-23:14: “[Mobley]’s impact transcends the box score, where it’s just such great feel for the game. Defensively, the instincts are like Draymond Green with a 7-foot player.”

33:07-35:23: “I think J.B. Bickerstaff, this year is the year we’re learning probably the most about him. Because when he was an interim in Houston, they led the league in 3-point rate… Then you go to Memphis, and all of a sudden the narrative around Bickerstaff is ‘He’s allergic to shooting 3s’ and ‘He refuses to play young players.’ … He goes to Cleveland…he plays a ton of young guys, and now that there’s more talent, you’re starting to see more 3-point attempts. … Everything fell apart [last season], but the fact that he was able to adapt the game plan on the fly throughout the regular season and find success with multiple styles, to me, that’s indicative of a head coach who’s willing to adjust, who is willing to try to figure out what’s going to work.”

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Last season's Memphis Grizzlies announced their arrival by earning the 2nd seed in the Western Conference and with the fifth-youngest roster in the NBA and proven success building through the draft and player development, there's no reason to believe their upward trajectory should not continue into this season. To discuss how this up-and-coming team can continue to bolster their franchise's history, we've brought on special guest, Molly Morrison, formerly of MadeInMemphis1, the most followed Grizzlies' fan account in Memphis. She takes us through the growth that led to Ja Morant winning the Most Improved Player Award and Zach Kleiman winning Executive of the Year and where the team can go from here.

4:06-4:55: “Ja Morant obviously is just the pivotal reason as to why you’re sitting here saying, ‘They’re not even an up-and-coming team. They’re kind of already there.’ So much of that does have to do with Ja's ability to attack the basket, along of course with his other skill sets… and just all the areas he's willing and working to improve in. … Just some of the things he does, I truly believe that I am excited to watch every single Grizzlies game in the regular season, which is not something I could always say because there will be some sort of highlight that just doesn't look like something a natural person would do.”
11:24-11:57: “They’ve been shooting better on a higher volume, which is extremely hard to do… and the whole team has done that. That really goes back to what I mentioned earlier with coach Taylor Jenkins realizing, ‘OK, guys. Our defense is going to struggle. … We need to stop shooting as many midrange shots. We need to either attack the basket or shoot from deep.’ And I think you’ve really seen that pay off with the Grizzlies.”
28:05-31:06: “Honestly, I think the best thing [GM Zach] Kleiman has done is not overthink it. … I feel like just his consistency to keep on drafting these guys that end up being able to produce at the NBA level so quickly is just really impressive. … The draft wasn't an exciting time for a very long time. … To shift the narrative into, we don't have to have a top 10 pick to get a really exciting guy. It's normal to be able to find a steal late first round or second round. It's a new world for Grizzlies fans, and I give him a ton of credit.”
36:11-36:53: “Taylor Jenkins has been a huge part of this team's success. I really think you mentioning him and Ja coming in at the same time, it's such an interesting way to look at it because these two guys have immense, immense respect for each other. … Above all else… I think a really underrated thing with coaches is having that relationship between the star piece… and the coach because you've seen that go wrong time and time when that respect isn't there.”
Molly's column about how she grew her MadeinMemphis1 anonymous account into the most-followed fan account in Memphis, and why she stepped away.
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After their 2021-22 season ended with a first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies, the Minnesota Timberwolves retooled by trading for three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert in what many called the most surprising and impactful move of the offseason. They also re-emphasized their commitment to franchise cornerstone Karl-Anthony Towns by offering him a super-max contract extension worth $224 million. To help us assess how Minnesota will fare in the crowded Western Conference, we've enlisted the help of Derek James, former Timberwolves beat reporter for various outlets and writer of the By Derek James Substack. He'll take us through those two aforementioned big moves by the front office, the continued growth of Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels, and much more.
6:26-8:11: “It definitely struck me as a lot when the Gobert trade first went down and seeing all those picks (be sent to Utah) and then hearing Tim Connelly talk about how he feels like they probably maxed out their ceiling last year. … How are you getting even better and taking the next step there? I think that is really where this trade has pushed the Timberwolves. You could see them reasonably having home-court (advantage), at least in the first round. … A big, determining factor in where they finish is probably going to be how...other teams operate (with injury management). There’s a range of possibilities. … Other factors in this, too, could just be Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, some of these younger guys, also improving like we think they should.”
10:43-11:55: “I think with the Tom Thibodeau regime and the veterans that he would bring in…they were probably on the back ends of their primes, to put it generously. … Kyle Anderson can still contribute. Taurean Prince can contribute. I think even with Austin Rivers… you don’t really need much more from your fifth, sixth guard than that, just a veteran who came in and just knows where to be and what to do, but is still young enough to be a useful player. … This is the first time this team has actually developed players.”         
12:30-13:45: “That’s the thing with Anthony Edwards: I have no idea what his ceiling could be. … Out of the box, he was fearless in getting to the rim. He knew he was built like a tight end going to the basket. That was never a problem, but I think it was really just getting that shot consistent. And if that gets more and more consistent, I don’t really know what his limits are.” 
23:05-23:25: "Russell is going to have a great lob target [in Rudy Gobert], maybe somewhat like Jarrett Allen in Brooklyn, only a little better. So I think he'll make D'Angelo Russell look better, and I think there'll just be this effect on teams in the pick and roll, where they have all these different looks they can throw at defenses now."
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After a grueling, injury-marred 2021-22 season, in which the Los Angeles Clippers clawed their way into the play-in games but failed to advance any further, the Clips have returned for NBA preseason with a clean bill of health and championship expectations. We’ve brought back our friend Law Murray, Clippers beat reporter for The Athletic, to help us delve into the team some are calling the deepest in the NBA. He discusses the highly anticipated comeback of superstar Kawhi Leonard, what to expect from John Wall, the task ahead for coach Tyronn Lue and much more in this in-depth conversation.
5:34-6:11: “We always talk about 'if healthy.' We always talk about that being such a big swing factor for all teams, but the Clippers, everyone's more sensitive because they're just waiting for something bad to happen. Well, this is a pretty injury-proof team. … This team is going to roll out talent every night; there's just too many guys.”
8:40-9:17: A head coach has to be able to be an effective communicator, with the media, with his star players, with his young players, with his veterans, with the role players who have those roles where they could play 30 minutes or 10 minutes in the same week. And That's where Ty [Lue] excels better than any other place. Ty can get his message across and Ty can keep guys together and Ty can get guys to play hard for him. That's where he's at in his tenure with the Clippers. It's a great spot to be in, but that's an earned spot to be in.”
18:05-18:33: “I think Kawhi has an even greater appreciation of where he's at. I think Kawhi has an even greater appreciation of the guys that he's doing it with. He's been much more open and much more engaging. … Kawhi knows that he's a great player with a finite amount of time to be great going forward.”
21:48-23:35: “John [Wall] said it himself…he ain’t gonna be Batman anymore, OK? And I don’t even think he’s gonna be a Robin…When John played for the Rockets, that was his age-30 season. It was the first time that he came off of not one but two procedures on his Achilles, on his heel. … John also had to deal with his heart too: losing his mom, losing his grandmom, losing his career, losing his original NBA city, all that. … Physically he’s going to be different. Emotionally, he’s a different person. Mentally, he said he needed help, and he’s gotten it, and we expect him to be supported over the course of the year. And with that in mind, the Clippers ain’t gonna roll him out there being like, ‘Hey, be the No. 1 pick John Wall, be All-NBA John Wall.’”
38:37-40:32: “Norm[an Powell] is going to be a great teammate. Norm has won a championship; he knows what it takes. Norm has improved parts of his game every year. … I can’t believe the Clippers acquired this dude. … He’s like the cheat code for them.”

John Wall's Players Tribune piece: https://signature.theplayerstribune.com/john-wall-nba-basketball-los-angeles-clippers/p/1


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