LeBron James & Luka Doncic Lead Lakers! + Pistons J.B. Bickerstaff Joins!

LeBron James & Luka Doncic Lead Lakers! + Pistons J.B. Bickerstaff Joins!

It run it back. It run it back. It run it back. Good morning. Hello. Welcome. We’re back in the studio. And honestly, I don’t know why. Uh this is Rback. Lou, Will, Chandler P, Boogie. My name’s Michelle. The the We need to figure out the color coordination on this. We need to figure out the color coordination. We can’t just all wear black every day. I had a fantastic strip shirt on. I had to show you did look like a little sailor. That was Gilligan. He said, “Nope.” Well, we’ll figure it out. He sent me back to the locker room. Yeah, he couldn’t wear it on TV. Um, we got a lot of basketball to talk about. We also Who’s coming on the show later? Chandler, coach of the year, Jamie Picker. There we go. But first, of course, the Lakers. Um, a nice little win over Philly 112 108. LeBron had 297 and six. Y’all were worried. Luca with 315 and 11. Reeves had his 113 of 16. But uh as far as regular season games go, it was like everybody was there. So you had your basic full lineups, which is a little bit shocking in the year 2025. And then LeBron James took over and blew up all the social media. Um had 12 points in the fourth quarter, including a game ste uh ceiling steel. That’s really hard to say. Chandler, I’ll start with you. Yeah. What’ you see this time with LeBron? Yeah, this was nice to see. And I was the guy last week that said that was the first time I’d seen him look his age, and that’s because he did. Now, this was a completely different version of him. And on a night where Austin Reeds, who’s been so good and so consistent all season long, he struggled and and and LeBron James was able to kind of make up the slack there and to see the vintage rewind the clock back. Like, you shouldn’t be able to do these type of things at his age and just big plays. This was an insane shot. And I think most nights he’s still going to be that facilitator. He’s still going to be that point forward, get everyone involved. But it’s good to know, you know, as a franchise, as as you know, a teammate, if there was any doubt, there’s no doubt because this guy can still do it all. He it’s gonna be something different for him every single night. And when his numbers calls like called like this, when Austin Reeves struggles, when Luca is out or struggles, you can still count on LeBron James to be LeBron James. Yeah. You know what? When I when I saw this game, it made me it made me think because if you stick around long enough in your career and you get into the the year 15s and the 20s, it’s like your clock resets and you have something to prove again. It’s like it it re-energizes your battery because now people are saying, “Oh, you look human. You you don’t have it no more.” And so now it’s a game inside of a game to start proving something to yourself again. So after LeBron ended him his streak, I I wanted to see how he responded. And he responded exactly in the way that I thought he was. He wanted to have a big game and he wanted to prove something to his doubters himself as well and just say, “Yo, I still got a lot of game. I still got a lot to left a lot left to give to the game.” So, it was good to see him go off in the fourth quarter like that. He did every celebration he had in his reference. But that Yeah, that shows you his excitement. That shows you that listen, my my fire is still burning and I still want to be the guy. I still want to be LeBron James. I don’t want to limp out of this game. I still want to be respected and highly coveted, you know, from these fans and and everybody that that pays attention to basketball. So, it was great to see him go off like that. Look, crown crown crown crown. He hit the two small. Then he hit the Yep. He hit the two small. He he had them all out last night. I couldn’t agree more. Um this this game last night made me a lot more comfortable with this situation. It’s been a lot of chatter as far as trying to figure out what the fit would be with LeBron with this group. Um, but for me, I look at it in a different way. I I look at it as this isn’t a season where LeBron has to go out and show out every single night. This is a season where he can kind of not necessarily coach, but, you know, play the, you know, the back end or whatever the case may be when it comes to games each night. So, uh, obviously this was a game where he had to step up in the presence of Ree who kind of struggled that night. But, um, I I love this version of, uh, Brian. Um, I think this keeps him fresh when we go into the playoffs. I think this keeps him healthy throughout the season. So, uh I’m not mad at this at this scenario, but um it has been a lot of chatter figuring out, you know, what’s it going to look like moving forward, but I think this was a great example. I mean, he did tell everybody, I’m not quite there yet. I haven’t had any time. We have we’ve had no reason really besides that one game which I think was his fifth game of the season to kind of see a little step slow and a little you know and and again even even to see this the other or last night it shows you that he’s still more than capable any given night he can have a different role and I think most nights like I said I think he’s going to be that facilitator but the fact that they have that third playmaker that’s always going to be a threat like when you scout the Lakers you’re still scouting LeBron James to do things like this so it’s not like anything’s changed when planning planning to uh you know play against them. But to see that him go off like this and still have that much fun with all the celebrations and with all the with all the excitement at this age and stature of his career in December in a in a regular season game like it’s awesome to see and a real game and it’s also like L said earlier it’s also great to see that fire like I do think all the chatter has kind of you know sparked that fire within him again. It is something now that he may want to prove to the world like I am still LeBron James I am going to go out on top. So, uh, leaders all of it. Yeah, absolutely. So, just to see this late in his career and he’s still playing with that amount of fire, that amount of, you know, uh, charisma and all the other things that come with it, I think it’s great for the game and it’s great to see. Yeah, that dunk is awesome. Could you do that? Like, that’s it’s not when I was 25. That’s kind of fun to watch. I watch that dunk over and over again. Um, Luca was back as well recording his 49th 30point triple double. He’s now number two behind only Oscar Robertson, by the way, who has 106. So, he’s got a little ways to go. And I’m wondering, can he Lou, can he catch him? No. Get to 106. You don’t think so? No. Listen, he’s he’s he’s halfway there now. And how long has it taken him to get here? You know what I mean? Like 30 point triple doubles isn’t isn’t something that happens every day and it doesn’t happen very often. You got a very small group of guys that are even qualified to have this conversation. is is only about, you know, three or four of these guys and and LeBron, Westbrook, uh, Jokic, and and Oscar Robertson, you know, all of the active guys, he’s he’s beaten them and the guy that he’s chasing, you know, has over over another half for him to get to, you know. So, that’s a that’s a that’s a that’s a high high number to try to get to. I I’m curious to know how long it took Oscar Robertson to get there, but if you ask me, do I think he catch him with 30 point triple doubles at 49? That’s a That’s a ton. 106 is a ton. I don’t I don’t know if he makes it. No. But who am I to have? I don’t have one. So Oh, well, whatever. I’m going to say he doesn’t. I’m going to say I think he’s so good offensively. I think he’s always going to be the number one option. His usage rate is always going to be through the roof. He’s going to have the ball in his hands. I think he’s going to have a lot of opportunity the next five to eight years, barring, you know, him being healthy. I think he does it. I’m going with you, Chandler. I think so as well with the way you know modern day basketball is played at all times. It’s four shooters on the floor with the playmaker. Um I think that’s also why you know it’s not such a rare thing rare thing in today’s game to get a triple double because of the way the offenses are set up. So uh even the 30 plus saying the 30 no SJ said he had like 30 one night and they were talking to his boys and he said he had a bad game and I was like because he was five points under his average when he had 30 points. Like it’s just different. I mean, listen, if I got No, it’s still cool, but I’m just saying it’s it’s it’s just a different son. That’s my thing, though. Scores mentality. If I got 30, I’m trying to go get 40. I ain’t passing the ball 10 assists worth of times. He ball in his hands all game long. Well, this is a starting point guard. He’s going He going to have the ball in his hands all game long. But for y’all to ask me, is he going to do this 57 more times with a 30 by the end of his career? That’s a lot of That’s No, we talking triple, not triple doubles. 30 point triple drip doules. Absolutely. I think he breaks it. Yeah, absolutely. Dang. I love I hope we know each other long enough to see it. Oh, we done. This show will be in year 12. He’ll get it. Oh, I love that. Winning awards. We’re winning awards. I love it. Also, all of that manifest. We I know that’s what they say. So, Philly, we mentioned had full lineup minus Kelly Ubé, but that that’s kind of a big deal in this day and age. Um, and you got to see a little bit out of everybody that you want to see. That being said, I’m wondering now that you’ve seen them, Lou, alto together the way we got to. Are they just is Philly a middle of the pack team? Are what is the ceiling right now? And and I don’t and I don’t really think that’s a bad thing. I I think they still have room for an improvement and they still got room to get better. So, I don’t think it’s a bad thing thing to label them as a as a middle of the pack team, right? But when it comes to the Sixers, we we still when it comes to Maxi, Paul George, and Embiid, we still haven’t seen a run of games where you can say, “Okay, this trio is real, and they going to put some real pressure on the Eastern Conference, and they’re going to make a title run.” Until they put one of those together, they look like a better basketball team than they were last year by leaps and bounds. They look tremendous, and I like how they built, and they’re competing, right? But if you look at the record and if you look at everything that they’ve done with all the talent they have, that’s a that’s a 50-50 team. That’s a 500 basketball team, right? So if you’re asking me, have I seen anything from the Sixers that jumps out at me to say they’re a one, they’re a two, they’re a perennial team in the Eastern Conference that teams are going to have to deal with. We haven’t seen that consistency. So for that reason, I still feel like they’re a middle of the pack team. But with them being in the middle of the pack, that leaves a lot of room for them to get better and better, and I think they will. Yeah. and think about like they are a middle- of the pack team right now, but like L said, I think there’s room to grow here. When you look at Joel Embiid, I don’t think I don’t think he’s going to be that dominant MVP player that he once was, but I think he’s going to continue to get healthy and be better than he was last night, especially just the way he moves and he’s averaging 25 minutes a game, 186 and three. That’s not the Joel Embiid that we’re accustomed to. Same with Paul George and same with Jared McCain. He still hasn’t got his legs back. Now, they struck gold with VJ Edgecom. Tyrese Maxi is a is a bad bad dude. So they have their they have this back court now and Jared McCain again I think he’s going to get back to where he was last year where he was running away with rookie of the year before his injuries and and it it all depends on how good can healthy can Paul George and Joel me be. But I do think there’s room to grow here and for them to get better. And you know what in and another little thing they’re they’re in seventh place right now. They can’t be mad at us for saying they they want to be in the middle of the pack. for them to get to a four and a five. That’ll be an accomplishment right now for this team. But they have one big caveat that’s always been an issue for the 76ers. Staying healthy. If they can continue to keep everybody on the floor, I think they improve this by by two or three spots in the East for sure. If they can keep everybody in uniform. Boogie, talk to me about Joel Embiid. Obviously, that name will always carry a certain amount of a gravy toss, but you know, we’re all getting older. Um, we know his injury situation and what we look at when we talk about Joel Embiid. like how do we view him now as fans of this game? I know he’s a former MVP, but who is he now? Uh I think he’s still Joel Embiid. Um he’s just unhealthy and that’s unfortunate. Um I do I I’ve been, you know, on record saying that I do feel he needs to drop more weight. I think that’s something that’s going to continue to, you know, keep him in this place of unhealthiness. Um the game isn’t, you know, built to be, you know, this big brolic player anymore. So, uh, I I think him dropping weight will help his health, uh, situations tremendously. So, um, I still think he has a lot of game left. Obviously, I think he’s at the point in his career where he he may have to reinvent himself. He may not be that 30 point per game scorer no more, but what’s stopping him from being a 20110 guy, you know what I mean? So, I I think he still has a lot of life left in this game. Um, it’s just about figuring out who he wants to be moving forward. Uh, he can still contribute to winning. he can still help this Sixers team move forward, make the playoffs, and you know, retire, whatever the case may be when that time comes for him. But I still see a lot of life left in his career. It’s just depending on how he wants to go about it. Yeah. Yeah. And if 18 points is your career low, right? Like that’s his career. People getting paid off 18. So I think 18 is my career high. So listen, I think I ever 18. Yeah. If 18 is your career low, you got a lot of places. But I agree with what Boogie is saying. I agree with what what what Boogie is saying. He just doesn’t look like himself. He doesn’t look like Yeah. He doesn’t look like the Joel B we’re accustomed to seeing. Now, can he play better? Can he be more efficient? Absolutely. But 18 points a game being his career low. You’re still getting some good production out of your starting center at that position and at those at those averages, but we’ve seen him be so dominant. That’s why we’re still critical of where he is. But it’s obvious to see that he’s still not himself and he’s still not as healthy as that knee is allowing him to be. Is it better to be great once but then you always are going downhill or to just always have been average? Well, I think that Oh, well that’s fair question, but I just think it’s inevitable that like the Chris Pauls, the the Russ, the Joel, it’s hard to sustain that level of greatness. Even LeBron James right now, like think about like it’s it’s it’s just different. So, I think when you’re that good and you’ve had that much success and now in your current state, I think you you still just you play him. You take you take whatever he can get from you. You still have to scout. Like we just talked about LeBron. That’s true. You still have to scout him. You still have to double team him if he’s one-on-one on the block. Like you still have to respect Joel Embiid 1,000%. So, I hate when I say, “Oh, are they better without him?” Or like, “Should they just sit him down?” It’s like, stop. No, they are not better without him. And what they’re better with Andre Drummond like no disrespect to him. Like they’re they’re not like Jo this is Joel. Can I defend the question though? Can I defend the question? When you are just watching games night after night after night and there’s a big star that’s not out. I mean, you can look at the the Grizzlies for a second and they just seem to be better without then it’s you’re going to say, are they hey, are they better without superstar? Because people don’t understand the small nuances of what goes into that. You got a guy that’s filling in that’s going to have extended minutes. So, you’re seeing a motivated version of him. You’re seeing a motivated version of his teammates because they want to also prove that we can withstand without him in it. So sometimes you kind of see a false security of a team that’s usually not there because when I got Joel in in the lineup, I can relax a little bit. Big fella with us tonight. But when he’s out of the lineup, we got to be tight. We got to be sharp. We can’t afford it because we got 18 career low points on the bench right now when that can turn into 40 at any given moment. So you see the best versions of guys when your star players go out. So sometimes it can be fool’s goal and sometimes it can be legitimate as well. Yeah. And just by simply being on the floor, other guys are getting guarded differently. So that’s just the impact he has. Just being out there helps. Devil’s advocate over here sitting on the edge. Um Orlando out New York. It’s fun. This is fun. Uh Knicks with a win on this one. 106 100. Jaylen Brunson with 30 and nine. Josh Hart had 17 and 12. Paulo Beno finished with 16. Fron Vagner left in the first with a lower leg injury. I presume there will be an MRI later on today to figure out what’s going on. But the Knicks at home are a story. They are 13-1. They’ve won seven of their last eight. They’re two and a half back of the one seed out in the East and we don’t talk a ton about them. Um, and I don’t know if it’s because hey, you know what, we know what they are. We’ll get there towards the end of the season, Lou. Like, are they just sort of flying under the radar right now? Yeah, they are. And I and I think that that started with how the season began for the Knicks. Like they were having to fill out fill out uh part of the season where, you know, they were trying to figure out style of play. What is our identity with this new coach with with how we’re going to go about business in New York? And I think they’re starting to figure it out, especially on their home floor. You know, if if if you’ve ever been in the been around the NBA and you look, seeing these guys have that type of success in New York, you know that that’s a team that’s very intentional about what they’re trying to accomplish. But I think they are flying under the radar and I think that’s a great thing for New York. Everybody’s talking about uh Detroit and all of these other teams. Meanwhile, New York is protecting home court and they’re just stacking up really, really good wins. And that’s going to be a that’s going to be a great bonus for them uh come playoff time. If they can start these playoff series in their building with everything that’s going on, I think that’s going to be a be a major major asset for the New York Knicks. So, them flying under the radar, I think that’s a good thing right. Yeah, I think coming off the season they had and having that continuity and the chemistry and basically the same team like a Cleveland coming back, we had high expectations for this team and then the whole training camp thing, the whole comments by Cat right before the season with the coaching change, how he doesn’t know his role, just kind of didn’t sit well with us and then they didn’t they didn’t come out to the hottest start ever. And teams like Detroit took that step. Teams like Toronto are more of a story, so everyone’s talking about those team more. But when you really sit back and look at the Eastern Conference, the Knicks are one of the better teams. They’re one of the more consistent teams. They’re much deeper now. You know, from a Tibs team to now they’re going 9 10 11 deep sometimes. They got a Jordan Clarkson now who’s only averaging 10 10 11 points a game, but he’s that ball handling guy off the bench that can go and get buckets and take the ball out of Jaylen Brunson’s hands every now and then. So, they are changed. They play faster and they have a lot deeper rotation. So, that is the biggest difference I see. And they are a good team. I just think they can become a great team obviously with a Giannis or with an addition like that. They are a good team right now and they are definitely flying under the radar. I think we’re talking about these these other surprise teams more than the Knicks. We keep saying they’ll be a great team if they went and got Yiannis, right? But then who are you giving up that changes the whole dynamic? A lot of that greatness is going to be giving up. So how will that you’re giving up Cat and OG or Bridges and then picks and maybe D like you’re giving up a lot. But let’s talk about the Knicks that’s in uniform right now in uniform. The team that they do have, it’s a great thing for them to fly under the radar. And like you said, they have the depth. They have everything that works in their advantage in their favor for them to be the team without Giannis at this point. Yeah. I mean, to to go through an entire NBA season basically low-key and consistent, that’s that’s a great combination to have. So, uh, I like where this Knicks team is at. We spoke on it a couple weeks back as far as, you know, what team we felt would come out of the East and it came down to just consistency and that’s what the Knicks have been. Um, obviously they haven’t been the the loud story of this season, but consistency is key when it when it comes to, you know, finding success in this league. So, uh, consistently win on the road more. That’s a weird stat that they’re so lopsided. So, I I love what this Knicks team is. I’m pretty sure everybody involved with that team loves where they are as well. Um, just keep improving. Um, and as far as, you know, all the rumors surrounding Giannis and this Knicks team, I think they complete this year out. I I I think they, you know, try to fill out to see if they can reach that potential goal this season. And if not, we we may have conversations of, you know, making a move. Statistically, they’re the fourth best offense, 11th best defense. They’re pretty consistent on both sides of the ball. They’re a great rebounding team. So, they do a lot of things really well with this team. Absolutely. And they’re deeper and they don’t have to play Jaylen Brunson 40 minutes a night. You know what I mean? I think throughout the regular season, a long 82 game season, this roster is going to be better come playoff time than last year’s was. Boogie, let’s play the uh the tape, shall we? Desmond Bane and OG. This was the craziest thing I think I’ve ever seen. Take me through it, guys. What am I looking at here? Damn. Have you ever done assault battery? That’s assault, brother. Look. What’s up with you, bro? So, listen. Everyone, OG OG said, what’s up with you, bro? Everyone knows you do this if you’re falling out of bounds. You’re off bound. This man took a step towards him, looked down his soul, and pegged. You did this. You did this one. You were falling out of bounds. Where is this falling out of bounds at? Look, look. This You look like a very balanced man to me. Why would you do that? I uh Yeah, there’s just no I can’t rewatch this and think he’s off balance there. I really can’t. Kudos to OG for not literally. No, it’s not. Kudos to OG. You know, what do you want OG? Punch him in the face. I’m not saying I’m not saying punch him in the face and maybe slap the out. That’s crazy. That’s crazy. But now as that’s one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen. I’m not going for that. That’s crazy. Is there anger? Is there personal? But Baith is obviously Were there things leading up before this play with those two? If it was something leading up to it, they would have went on and got it had it in if if you hit me with the ball like that. But maybe OG doesn’t know there’s an issue, but Bane’s like, “Oh, I not to mention, you know, like when you fall out of bounds and you throw it and you kind of tell him sorry, right?” He didn’t even apologize like he almost doubled down. This was malicious. The refs didn’t even know what to do. And you’re in New York, which I’m sure was really hilar There’s another piece of video from this game that I personally relate to in a fun way is this moment where Josh Hart’s got his kid and then gets called in and hands the baby over to Mitchell Robinson. I think there’s a moment of panic during the game. Okay, so the obvious question is why is your son on the bench in a game that that’s not settled and you can possibly still go back and things I’ve never seen in an NBA game the same game and I thought I was going to ask you guys like did you ever have your babies lay or like a preseason game? Never during the game weekend. I mean Brian changed that so you know. Wow. Wow. That how your kids What quarter was this of the game? Oh, with his son on the bench. So, was this like everybody got their son? No. Yeah. No. Yeah, but if this was like seven, second quarter, this Yeah, but obviously this game is is is not it’s not decided if he’s still running back in. They won by six, Lou. Yeah. What’s going on? I don’t know. This is new NBA, man. So, we have a bigger issue with the baby being on the bench in the first place cuz we I think I have a bigger issue with the baby than him throwing the ball at OG. Huge issue with the baby. We keep saying that sounds worse. You seen that, bro? This this whole this whole game was a first time everything. What the hell is going on? Yeah, it’s a lot. This was a weird game. Gave us a first yesterday. Love that for us. Uh, we will take a quick break. More. Run it back. Hell, what was that? I thought it was. Can you imagine what Jibs would say if he saw a baby on the bench? Yo, that big old button’s out here. Time to maybe panic or maybe not. And we will start with Cleveland. We kind of talked about how we have big expectations. Uh they lost five of their last seven. They also lost to a Warriors team on Saturday. They didn’t have Steph, didn’t have Draymond, didn’t have Butler. Uh are we hitting the but panic button on a 14-11 Cav team? I’m not I’m not I’m worried. Yes. Am I panicking? No. At the end of the day, this is still a top 10 offensive and defensive team, and they haven’t even scratched the surface of how good they can be. I think our expectations for them after last season starting off 15 and0, Kenny Atinson being coach of the year, them being pretty healthy this year besides a couple guys missing some time. I thought they were going to be elite. I thought they’re going to come out like the Thunder. I thought they’re going to come out like the Detroit Pistons. So, am I panicking? No. Because this was the team that basically like the Knicks. They have the same continuity. They have the same chemistry. They didn’t have they had a huge advantage over these other teams that made big, you know, dramatic changes and and additions to their team. The Cavs didn’t and they still haven’t taken that step. Again, they talk about we’re were happy to be tested early this year. They weren’t really tested last year. So, in a wide open Eastern Conference, I am not panicking. Slightly worried, but I think they’ll figure it out. You got to be careful what you ask for. They said they won’t test. Well, sit down, take this test. They’re getting tested. Sit down and take this test. Now, last year, they had a lot of success early on and they were able to sneak up on teams. Now, everybody knows that the Cleveland Cavaliers are a really good basketball team. So, you’re starting to see teams respond to them like they’re a team that started 15 and0. We’re going to come into your building or you’re coming in our building and we expect to play a good basketball team. So, they’re getting everybody’s best shot and they’re getting all the tests and challenges that they that they can want. So, I don’t look at this as a panic. I think this is a good thing for them, but I’m curious to see how they respond. And right now, middle of the pack right now, 14 and 11, eighth in the East. I think they can still get in the top four and put themselves in a position to be home court if they buckle down. But again, these guys said they wanted to be tested. They’re getting it at every angle right now. Pause. But they gonna have Oh my god. Damn. You just pause yourself. Hey yo, but they gonna have to But they gonna have to figure it out fast. Wow. They don’t play against really fast. Yeah. Is that real? How do they not play again till Friday? Cuz they play in. Am I crazy? Saturday they played, they don’t play till Friday. It’s like a vacation playin tournament. I know. But damn. Same with Detroit, I think. Right. Yeah. I guess I haven’t even gone that far, but that’s what for the cup. Yeah. But but also Darius Carly. He’s played nine games. This guy has been in and out of line. So, I think when he he needs to find a way to stay on the floor because then they have the dynamic back court. You’re not forcing Lonzo Ball to play more minutes. They lost Tai Jerome in free agency. So, I think there there are certain holes there, but when this team is healthy, they are really good. And and I think they will figure it out. And I think there’s some surprise teams in the East that are winning more games you thought, like a Toronto Raptors, like Chicago earlier. This is almost surprisingly, you know, the other way, you know what I mean? So, I think I think they’ll it’ll all even out. And I’m with Lou. I think they’ll finish in the top four. Get home. four is big. Yeah, I’m I’m agreeing with them. I don’t think this is a time for them to panic. Um, one, the East is wide open. Uh, it’s a lot of teams kind of fluctuating this season, up and down. So, um, I think the Cavaliers are just a part of the trend right now in the East. I do think they’ll get back on the right path. Obviously, health has been an issue with their starting PG, but um, I don’t think it’s time to panic. I think they’ll turn things around. I think they’ll find some consistency down the road. And uh like they said, I can see them finishing top four, top five, and they it’s still nuts they don’t play because there are teams that play tonight. It’s like an allar week. It’s like a second allar weekend. A whole week they have off in between. I’m sure they not complaining. I mean, it’s kind of awesome. The Darius Garland of it all. I feel like when you mur there are always murmurss with every team of certain players that come trade deadline sort of start to whisper about and he’s been in that position before already. Is that a change that needs to happen? Like there is if anything again I don’t think so. So, I think it’s a team that was extremely good last year and they just didn’t show it in the playoffs. And I think this is kind of their chance to run back that same team and that same continuity of that team and and make a statement this year. And it’s all cool to win games in the regular season, but the big question is, can they do it in the playoffs? And they haven’t done that the last couple years. So, Darius Garland’s a a key piece of this. When he’s off the floor, you then see, you know, Diamond Mitchell playing out of position more, which I don’t think is great for him. I think he’s a great off off the ball shooting guard, kind of moving on screens, getting out transition. And Darius Garland, when he’s healthy, he’s really really good, too. So, we always talk about it’s a it’s a what have you done for me lately league and when he’s hurt, he kind of just gets, you know, you don’t talk about him as much and and I think this team takes a big hit. So, do I think they trade him? I really don’t. I think I think he’s the guy for the future there. And I hate this trade culture that we’ve we’ve put ourselves into. I spoke about it last week like guys have to be able to to go through the ups and downs without we calling for their trade or or something. And on and on the Cleveland Cavaliers side, it’s like how many of these trades do y’all want when at some point we’re going to have to value consistency now? And and it’s obvious that the that Darius Garland that DG can can hoop. He just can’t be healthy right now. He can’t can’t stay healthy. And they even to the fact that they took a fine um not not having him available for a game. So that’s telling me behind the scenes, he’s still in dealing with some knick-knack things and they’re playing the long game. So to to me, if you’re willing to spend that money to keep them off the floor, that doesn’t say that you’re you’re willing to trade him at this point. And I and I like that. You got to you got to allow guys to go through what they’re going through and show them, hey, we’re committed to you just as much as you’re committed to us, and we’re going to go through the ups and downs of a very long season. We’re talking about December, talking about a team that’s played 25 games. It’s a lot of basketball to be made uh to be played and made. So, if you’re you’re worried about him being available and all of these things, give it time to play out. They know more than anybody what he’s going through behind the scenes. But I just hate this this trade culture that we’ve got ourselves into. Um all the way across sports, not just basketball. That’s another conversation. But I don’t I don’t think they look to make another trade. Yeah, I I couldn’t agree more. It’s no need to trade him. Um obviously, he hasn’t been healthy, so the sample size is very very small. Um, I I even believe he you he dealt with some injuries in the playoffs last season. So, uh, I think like they said, this is a long-term move. You want to get him 100% healthy, especially as the playoffs um, approach later in the year. And I think that’s more so where what the goal is, making sure he’s healthy for that time of the year. Um, like we said, it’s no time to panic. It’s no time to, you know, look to trade or anything. It’s just about getting healthy and finding consistency, finding that team chemistry again. And uh I think this Cleveland team will move forward just fine. Reminder, don’t kill the messenger, but I do like to live in the future and never enjoy my present time because let me just pretend that the Cavs go to the playoffs, they get to the four seat, they don’t, but it just sort of fizzles out and dies. Uh are now are we looking at a blowup situation? Blow. I don’t think a blow up situation. Listen, when you have the rise of of Evan Mobley and you have Donovan Mitchell and you have you have the infrastructure and the rush that they have, I don’t I don’t think they need to blow up anything now. I think they may make a certain move. Then all of a sudden, are you listening to to options on Darius Garland? Then are you thinking about, you know, seeing what you can get for for Jared Allen? Are you making some adjustments there? But no, I don’t think I don’t think a blowup is here. I think it’s going to be extremely frustrating that you continue to see this team be who they are in the regular season and then not do it when it matters the most. And that’s when it matters the most. And they haven’t done it. So I think if you do it again, I think with the with the expectations that they have for themselves and the outside world has for them, I think you start listening to some things. But blow up. No, I think that’s two different pages. I think the expectations are coming from internal, right? Like who’s out here? Who’s who’s rallying for the Cleveland Cavaliers to be a championship contender right now, you know? So, before this I’m saying the training I thought they were like, but I thought they were going to be really good. I thought they’re going to dominate the East. I’m saying I’m saying dominate uh generally generally the masses. There’s no pressure on the Cleveland Cavaliers to be a a championship contending team. Like we said, the the year they had last year. Yeah. It was a surprise to us. It was a feel-good story. Now you come back with some type of expectation to be a good basketball team, but title contending, we still feel like that was going to come out of come out of the West. Now, internally in Cleveland, in the city around the organization, the fan base, them seeing success and smelling in and wanting to get back to the LeBron James era of how good that that city was and how good that team was. Yeah, you can have those expectations within your ecosystem, but outside of that, I don’t see them having that pressure on them. Yeah. weren’t fortuitous timing is what so we’re not panicking though. No, we’re not. No one’s panicking. The button So far the button had been um we’re going to take a quick break on the other side. Coach of your Detroit Pistons fire though, coach. I ain’t going to lie. Detroit versus everybody. I love this. So, that was one of the weakest intro highlight videos. We could have got some old school highlights or something. Yeah, I want to see bring that ball. Put some respect on my guys. You hate that clip. We’ll change it. What do you need? Yeah. I feel like every time I come on here, you play the same clip and Chandler says the same thing. Whistle on the clipboard. Get some University of Minnesota footage. You can see me out there. Yeah. Okay. Well, we will do that next time you come on. And by the way, congratulations. uh Eastern Conference coach of the month two months in a row. God, everyone’s gonna hate it. Welldeserved, too, coach. Tell me about the vibe. You guys, it’s Look, they were this you guys were the story last year and you’ve just sort of carried that into this and it’s of all sports. I love this story so much. What’s it like being a Detroit Piston right now? Uh I mean, it’s awesome to be honest with you. Um you know, the vibes are unbelievable. Uh in our locker room, you know, in the city, in our building, uh you know, people are so excited, you know, that we’re back. uh to playing the level of basketball that this city deserves. And you know, it’s a ton of credit to our guys. Um the way they go out and compete every single night, you know, the way they scrap, the way they fight, um you know, how they compete. Uh and then give Tjan a ton of credit for putting this group together, excuse me. And uh you know, it’s we’re in a good spot, but you know, we’re not done. You know, we’re process driven and we’re still working to improve some areas. Uh and we got a ways to go in that. How much did the playoff run last season, what did that do for a group of young guys as far as confidence is concerned? Well, it made him understand what it takes uh and how important, you know, every possession is um you know, and how in those types of win go home situations, you know, uh playing in Madison Square Garden, um you know, was a great uh opportunity and experience for our group to feel what it’s like to literally be, you know, Detroit versus everybody. And uh you know that’s how you win in this league is you understand your experiences and then you allow those experiences catapult you and grow uh into the next season. And I think our guys learned a ton um you know about situational basketball uh and how important you know it is to prioritize all those things. Coach, this this week in particular is different because the NBA Cup and obviously we never played in something like that but you basically have the whole week off. Like do do you give guys more off days? Are you doing more contact practice? Like, how do you manage to to deal with this week when you’re not when you didn’t qualify for the cup? Uh, I mean, so we were off yesterday. Uh, we gave our guys off today. We’ll do some individual work tomorrow and then Wednesday, Thursday, uh, we’ll have full contact practices. So, basically, you’re trying to get guys, you know, who are a little banged up, uh, some days to rest. Uh then you work on the individual skills and how those skills fit within your system and then we’ll practice uh and clean up some of the things. You know, we’re coming off a stretch where we had six games in nine nights. Uh so we weren’t able to practice a ton. So being able to have two days where we can fully get after it and clean up the details uh I think will help us and then again get guys healthy who are banged up a little bit. JB, earlier in the year I mentioned that, you know, I would love to be a part of a Piston style team. Uh, I love the way you guys play. What was it that helped establish kind of this grit and grind style of basketball for this team? Uh, I mean, it’s it’s the makeup of the guys that we have here, one, uh, but two, also when you come into a new team, you know, you want to study the history of the team, right? and understand, you know, what the fan base, you know, has embraced and what the fan base loved about their team. And when you come to Detroit, it’s obvious, right? Going back to the B to the Bad Boys, uh, you know, to the next group, uh, the, you know, Best Five Alive with, you know, Rasheed Wallace and that group and Ben Wallace and, you know, all those guys. Um, you know, you you you study that and you understand what the fans are looking for. Uh, and to the best of your ability, you try to recreate that. Uh, and I think that’s what we’ve done here. And, you know, again, but you can’t do it if the personalities of your team doesn’t fit it. Uh, and our personalities fit it. You know what I mean? Like we got guys, you know, who do like to get nasty, who do like to mix it up. Uh, who do like to make people uncomfortable and see how they respond. And it’s a real thing. You know, our guys aren’t out here bluffing. Um, you know, it is what it is. So, being able to do that, uh, and then have the skill set that the guys have, you know, it plays right into it. Yeah. and and obviously the head of the snake for you guys is is Cade and he’s turned him into a legitimate superstar with everything that he’s doing. Tell me some things behind the scenes, his leadership style that’s been able to push you guys forward behind the scenes. Yeah, the one thing that I say about Cade uh and I find it to be really really unique uh and his position is he’s the type of dude who can get full without taking food off your plate. Um you know, and that’s how he treats his teammates. like he wants to make sure that all of his teammates are taken care of, that they’re all served. Um, and he, you know, and it’s dayto-day with him every single day. He’s the same. He’s looking to take care of his teammates and be a part of the group. Nothing he does separates him from the group. And you know, for a guy to be able to ascend a superstardom like he has and and not change a bit uh and not take any way anything away from anyone around him, but ultimately help the people around him, uh you know, that’s who he is and it says more about his character uh than it does his basketball skill. Yeah, absolutely. JB Kade has put himself in the MVP conversation this season with his play. Uh, can you spend a moment to make a case as to why he should be the league MVP this season? Yeah, I mean I mean he’s to me, you know, especially when it’s winning time, he’s been the best player in the league in crunch time. Uh, his understanding of how to manipulate the game and make plays down the stretch, um, you know, has led to, you know, why we are 19 and five at this time. Uh, we don’t have a bunch of games where we’ve blown people out. You know, a lot of our games have been highly contested going down the stretch. uh and he’s been able to make plays for us on both ends of the floor. You know, he’s not a one-dimensional guy who can just score it. You know, he’s a guy who can defend. You see him getting blocked shots. You see him getting steals. You know, he gets rebounds. Um and, you know, he’s made his teammates better as well. Uh and is a big reason for the position that we’re in right now. And I think, you know, I think we ought to reward character. Uh I think we ought to reward guys who are great teammates. you know, what the league is trying to develop in these superstars, you know, shouldn’t just be about the game of basketball itself. You know, it should be about the type of people and how they carry themselves and how they push the league forward. Uh, and Kate has done all those things as a coach when, and I’m going to get to Jaylen Dur, what he does on the court as well, but sort of transitioning over to him. um the the summer trips. I I know there’s like the big write up in the athletic hat about Cade having guys out in Colorado and then he and Jaylen go to Rome together. Like as their coach, do you know that they’re doing that ahead of time? And how great is it to know that I don’t have to make them do anything like this is this is happening? Yeah, that I mean that’s the best part about it for me. You know, these are things that you know we try to manufacture as coaches in the summer. Uh typically we try to do something every month where we get the entire team together. Uh but when you have a guy, you know, or guys who are doing that on your own, you know, it takes a ton of pressure off of you and you don’t have to push those things. Like we try to set up team dinners on the road and all those types of things as coaches, you know, to kind of bring guys together. But, you know, with this group, we don’t have to do it because, you know, the leadership there, whether it’s Kate, Tobias, JD, like, you know, they’re bringing each other together and they’re doing it on their own. So, it doesn’t feel manufactured. You know, it’s more genuine. It’s more real because guys are doing it because they want to and not because we asked them to. Yeah. JB Bees just mentioned Jaylen Durant and obviously apparently he just turned 22 years old. I need to see some sort of documentation because I’ve never seen a cat physically look like that at that age. Is he the most physically gifted kid you’ve ever seen at that age? And what is his ceiling? Because he seems to take that next step. Yeah, it’s so funny, man, because I there’s that clip. I don’t know if you guys saw it running around the internet of him when he was 14 years old. Yo, ridiculous. It’s unbelievable. And we were just laughing. You know what I mean? Like you walk into the gym and your little Timmy and you see that’s your matchup that night. Like you got some real decisions to make. That’s ridiculous to do. But it was unreal. And and and you know what? And I go back and was watching film of him, you know, when he first got in the league and he’s even bigger and stronger now, which is crazy to think about. um you know and still only 22 years old but you know there’s a lot of skill uh in his game and I think before you know a lot of people assume that he was a pick a roller guy you know he was a decent rim protector and all those things but you know now he’s an elite rim protector uh he can put the ball on the floor and beat his man he’s a highlevel passer uh and he loves to play physical you know he plays with a physical offensive game where he’s just going to beat you up and see how much of it you want to withstand hand. Uh but you know, I I think you know, he’s playing at an all-star level right now. Uh and I think you can see him, you know, as an all-star as we continue to move forward and he’s only going to get better. That’s the best part about it. There’s still, you know, more in his game. Like he can make mid-range shots. Uh we’re pushing him and working on the three, but you know, we’re not going to rush that, but he can make his midies. Uh he can attack you one-on-one. And now he’s making his free throws at a high clip, too. So, uh he’s a well-rounded player. um you know who’s going to be one of our guys that’s going to carry us for a long time. Yeah, I think not only is he an all-star, I think he we’re looking at possibly the starting center on the Olympic team. I think he’s that good. He very coach he’s very much into doing the Olympic team uh announcement. Jaylen Johnson are my sneaky picks to put on the team this year. All right. So, he’s a So, you view him as a foundation piece then for you guys even at 22. No doubt about it. And and again, like I said, most guys reach their prime in the league at like 25 or 26. So just imagine, you know, what’s coming in his future. Yeah. And this future obviously is restricted free agent this coming summer. Uh trade season’s right around the corner. Coach Resident feel, well, we lost Shams. I got to do something. Uh trade season, obviously you guys are 19 and five, number one in the East. Do you feel good where you are now, but or if a superstar player comes available, is that something you let Trajan handle and kind of take it day by day? Because seems to be working what you’re what you got. Yeah, I mean we made a decision this summer. um that we weren’t going to push, you know, the panic button because we had a little bit of success last year. Uh we felt like our guys earned the right to come back as a group uh and see what they could build on. You know, the core of this group is back uh continuing to get better, continuing to grow. You know, they earned that opportunity. And I give Trajan a ton of credit for that. you know, for having the resolve to not just listen to outside noise, not just listen to perception uh and panic and do something because, you know, everybody says you should, right? Like he gave our group an opportunity to come back uh and see what they could accomplish uh and and grow it real, right? Like you don’t need to skip steps and go out and trade for, you know, some sort of superstar right away because you never know how that’s going to end up for you, right? So Tjan will always make, you know, the smart decision and the right decision for the team. I don’t doubt that by any means. Uh but, you know, right now we’re in a really good spot with a really good group of guys. Um and we like where we are. Yeah. Coach, cuz you you talked about establishing identity and understanding the history of where you are and the culture of your basketball team. And one guy on your team that ain’t bluffing at all, Isaiah Stewart. You he ain’t bluffing at all. But you’ve been very vocal about him being the the the best big defensively um as you see it. What makes him so valuable for your group? Uh I mean one, he sets the tone every single night. Uh you know, you talk about a guy who’s the torchbearer for your identity. Uh and Stu is the torchbearer for our identity. You know, every time he steps on the floor, um you know, you better be prepared. Uh and it’s going to get rough. It’s going to get tumble, but you know, that’s who we are. you know, that’s who the Detroit Pistons are. Uh, but defensively, you know, he can guard one through five. You know, we put him on smalls, we switch him on smalls. Uh, he’s elite ISO defender. Uh, and then he’s the best rim protecting big in the league. You know, his timing is, uh, impeccable. Uh, his ability and courage to challenge shots. Most, you know, most guys get dunked on once and they stop trying to block dunks. Uh, but guys time and time again keep trying to dunk on Steu and he keeps blocking it. you know, he doesn’t let guys get easy opportunities in there. Um, you know, he communicates well. He’s a elite pick and roll defender. Um, you know, I just think it’s time for the league and, you know, everybody to recognize that this dude, you know what I mean, is the best defensive big uh in the league and there’s just nothing that he can’t do on that end of the floor. Absolutely. Coach, walk me through this this clip I’m about to show you right here of Isaiah and Bobby Poris last week. What is he What is he saying to you right here? Cuz if I’m a my if I’m a if I’m a lip reader, he’s saying I’mma punch him in his I think that’s what I saw. Am I wrong? Seems Yeah, you’re wrong. He was talking about cooking and you need to like mash the meat when you’re getting ready to make those smash burgers. Okay, that’s what he was saying. He was going to go home, make some smash burgers, and he just needed to, you know, pound that animated so that it got flat. You know, you know what I’m talking about. I took a little bit myself. I understand. Okay, that is a fight I’d like to see. Yeah, against Bobby. Sign me up. Understood. Understood. No, that was an exciting moment for everyone. Bobby Poris and Isaiah Stewart. Yeah, we love that. Coach, thank you so much, dude, for having us. Good luck. I am pulling for you. By the way, do we have time to I need to ask you about the Did you see the thing happened in the Knicks magic game? There were two things. Desmond Bane throwing the ball at him. Have you ever seen that? And have you ever seen a baby on the bench during a game? What the hell was that? That was crazy, bro. Listen, I think it’s Well, I think bringing your family to work is awesome. Uh, the handoff from Josh Hart Robinson and the look on Mitchell Robinson’s face was priceless. Uh, but yeah, I mean, bring your kids to work, man. It was a six-point game. Had a toddler on the That’s what That’s what surprised me. It was a six-point game. This is outrageous. Bring outrageous. It’s a harsh Send some of those hoodies, coach. Yeah, we love the hoodies. Please send uh as always. Keep crushing. Uh good luck. Happy holidays. Thank you, bro. Thank you very much. And you guys, I appreciate y’all. It got a nice little quick Are you buying that? And it involves uh old buddy old pal Stan Bang Gundy saying that some of the players from the NBA’s top 75 team remember that it happened that they would not actually be able to play in today’s league. Uh and that the best 20 basketball players in history have actually probably played in the last 20 years. Chandler, what do you think about all that? You buying it? I’d like to see the full list. I’d like to see the names, but I I tend to agree with him. I think the game evolves. I think the talent is at an all-time high. And I think that the the players now is just it’s a silly argument because it’s it’s much more advanced. It’s much more athletic. The game is faster. The game is is is just completely different. So, I do agree. I think everything in life evolves and gets better, especially NBA players. So, I I completely agree with them. Agree. Which more I mean, I don’t know that this Thanks. Thank you, Lou. Uh, I guess we’re done. See you guys tomorrow. Well said. I’m sure I’m sure you needed that. No, but it’s not even so much the 75 because it’s a tough number. I think the idea that the best in history 20 have played in the last 20 years. I think that’s the Yeah, like I’m like like guys now like Giannis and Luca and Kyrie Irving, they’re probably better than like the guys that are on there before. Like you know, Anthony Davis, like Kevin, like those guys are really, really good. Yeah, Jiannis is on the list. He’s 75. I’m sure. And I’m sure most of those guys are. I’m just saying there’s probably I just think it should be that way. There’s probably 15 to 20 guys right now that aren’t on the list that could be on the list. So, do we knock guys off the top 75 or do we just make the list bigger every few years? You’re going to have to You’re going to have to weird. 75 is a weird number anyway. That’s what I’m saying. 75th anniversary. I’m looking for me. I I I think this goes, you know, both ways. I I I do think his truth in what he’s saying about, you know, some of these guys, but I also feel like players from today couldn’t necessarily play in the old Chandler’s trying to take Nate Archie Ball off the list. Chandler, you know what? Edit that out. I think I said he should be top 20, not 25 back. Yeah. Yeah.

On December 8, 2025 episode of ‘Run It Back’ on FanDuel TV, co-hosts Michelle Beadle, Boogie Cousins, Chandler Parsons, and Lou Williams react to LeBron James & Luka Doncic leading the Los Angeles Lakers vs Philadelphia 76ers. They are also joined by the head coach of the Detroit Pistons to talk about leading the Eastern Conference as the 1 seed.

FULL EPISODE HERE: https://youtube.com/live/YYZYdVLgGwQ

CHAPTERS
0:00 INTRO
0:42 LAKERS VS 76ERS REACTIONS
8:28 HEALTHY PHILADELPHIA 76ERS CONTENDERS?
14:48 MAGIC VS KNICKS REACTIONS
22:11 PANIC BUTTON – Cleveland Cavaliers?
30:44 PISTONS HEAD COACH JB BICKERSTAFF
45:57 BEST 20 PLAYERS PLAYED IN LAST 20 YEARS

Be Sure to Subscribe here for MORE Run It Back on FanDuel TV!
https://www.youtube.com/@RunItBackFDTV?sub_confirmation=1
Run It Back on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RunItBackFDTV
Run It Back on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/RunItBackFDTV
Run It Back on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runitbackfdtv/
Run It Back on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@runitbackfdtv

Download the Run It Back Podcast
Listen on Spotify ✳️ https://spoti.fi/3gOujuV
Listen on Apple 🍎 https://apple.co/3gJszDm

#NBA #Pistons #Lakers

FanDuel on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/FanDuel
FanDuel on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/fanduel
FanDuel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fanduel/
FanDuel on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fanduel
FanDuel on YouTube: https://bitly.com/sub2FanDuel