Once I saw Halliburton in media day with hard-bottom shoes, I was like, this isn't going to work out for the Pacers this year.

Oh, I thought you were going to say that him the chicks uh congratulating 50 cent on his vegas residency 54 30 a.m yeah

yeah i saw that video too you see that video i

was like look at a little more start like what are you doing yeah and and also why are you on Why are you putting that out for public consumption? Why are you telling everybody? If you haven't seen the video. This dude's like, it's four in the morning. I just got done at the club.

Like, what? It's the face of the franchise. If you haven't seen the video, he's shirtless. He's shirtless. And there's just three random women just sort of like lurking in the background while he records a thank you message and a congratulations to 50 Cent at four in the morning. It makes no sense.

I think it's his girlfriend and two of her friends, but either way, it's hard when you're obviously lit saying you just got done at the club and it's four something in the morning. In fact, you know, the way I saw that was someone sent it to me with a tweet where somebody had tagged it and said, this dude better get every bit of the Morant

suspension. It's a very odd social media strategy thing to do. I don't understand. Just send him a text. If you're going to congratulate 50 Cent, send him a text. You don't need to make this public. And what are those girls doing there? What is happening?

Also, a super bizarre, I mean, just not on your bingo card, that Tyrese Halliburton congratulating 50 Cent in 2024. And what does he need congratulations for 50 Cent's fine. Yeah, I don't think he's doing works for wear. And Halliburton's like,

fifth, you always look out for me. Like, really? 50 Cent is always looking out for Tyrese Halliburton? How deep is this relationship? If Ja Rule got a $15 million Vegas residency,

by all means, congratulations. Congratulations. If Indy said he's got power, he's doing fine.

All right. So, anyway. I'm not going to say it didn't factor in, but it didn't swing my decision that much.

Okay. And then Miami. Is this just a they don't really care what their seed is? Because, I mean, we need to talk about the teams that we kind of – we did have the same six. We did have the same six that are locked in. And then it's Miami and Indiana that we both have seven

and eight. Correct? Seven and eight. I have Indiana and then Miami. And then I have the Hawks. And then I had the Pistons at

the number 10 spot. I had to get a little crazy. I know. Let me say this first. You swayed me when we did the show the first time where I asked you what team you're higher on than the consensus. You said the Hawks. Then I went and I went and looked at their roster and I don't like it. I don't like the roster. Help me. Why should I be higher on the Hawks than I am? You're always going to have an offense. It's a small non-defending backcourt. I mean, I guess I can believe it. You have to really believe in Jalen Johnson like the Hawks brass

did today yes what else am I supposed to really like Trey Trey's instant offense he's an offense if you have Trey Young you have an offense it's that simple you see the Jonte Murray came out it's like in Atlanta they didn't they had me in the corner out here you know they didn't they didn't have me playing the game that I want to play he had a little something to say about his time in Atlanta today. I found it interesting. But I think if you have Trey Young, there's a certain baseline of offense that you're just going to achieve.

You New York guys are just scarred. He's just a creator and a playmaker. You're scarred. You guys are scarred. You know, I know that. I took my family up to New York two summers ago, and we were on the subway, and this was a year and a half removed from the Knicks and the Hawks in the playoffs, and the subway, on the subway, they started chanting, F. Trey Young, F. Trey Young, on the subway. My daughter asked me, what are they saying? I said,

I said, series was over a year ago. They do it after Yankee games. The Yankees just won the American League. No, that's where we went. And they're

chanting F.J. Young. No, we went to go watch the Yankees play against Trout and Otani. They were playing the Angels. So that's why we went over to Yankee Stadium. And after the Yankee game, we were on the subway back to the city. And they were chanting F.J. Young. So I think you guys are just so scarred by the Trey Young thing that you

give him maybe a little. I think them being the ninth seed and losing the playing tournament, which is sort of like their annual tradition, I don't think that's not so high on them. That's fair. I think they're better than the Hornets, you know? Okay. No, no, you're right. rough. You know, the Wizards and the Hornets. Okay. Hornets

and Pistons was my debate. Because I have talked them both up. And I have to find one of them. Right? I mean,

it's ugly. It's ugly. I you were next to the bench and the players really responded to charles lee that's what i heard i mean not that much that

not so much that i gotta pick up to make the playoffs come on um i just thought their win total was low but then i was like because look there's gonna be we know that the Eastern Conference, there's some bonafide rat teams, as we say. So in the bottom and those teams, and they're going to be losing on purpose. For sure. Washington and Brooklyn. And then we're and then you've kind of got this group of three that I don't know what to do. Like, which of those is going to just say, to hell with it, and we're just going to pick, and then we'll move on to next year? And which of them is going to say, I actually do want to be in the play-in tournament? And I think I lean more towards you. And that is Toronto, and that is Detroit, and that is Charlotte. Is that fair? Those three. Those three. And you would say probably Toronto's probably got the better players. I don't know. Charlotte, I think, has – look, they've got an all-star, a guy that made the all-star team on their team. And as I said, if Flamelo plays a lot of games and Bridges plays a lot of games and Miller plays a lot of games and they get Mark Williams, like they've got the core of like, they got some good players on that team. And I just don't think they're going to be horrendous. That being said, on the Detroit front, what do you need another high pick for, right? Like, I mean, you've got new guys kind of going to be running the show in Charlotte, and you've been kind of this in-between place in Toronto, you know, deciding on how you're going to get to the next level. Whereas Detroit, I mean, they've been so sorry. And they've had these horrible records and keep on getting top five picks. I think they are probably the most motivated to actually do some winning, like try to do some winning. Try, right? And try to be able to try to get as close to 500 as we can. Try to get to 30-something wins. Because honestly, this is going to be a 30-something win team that gets the 10th spot. I mean, it's going to be abysmal. Yeah,

I think last year it was about 36, I think, got you in the 10th spot. It'll be somewhere around there. Mid-30s. Which is gross. I think bigger staff is going to make a difference there. I think their coaching situation last year was laughable. I I like the players. Monte Williams is just like, yeah. You get a healthy kid. Thompson. They got some good young players.

Jaden Ivey was my breakout guy for this year. So I guess I've got to go with it, even though I did talk up the Hornets last time. I mean, it might be an absolute war for 10 between the Hornets and the Pistons. All right. And the Raptors. The Raptors will be right there, too. Okay, so here we go. We both had the same teams in that top six. Which one, if we, and I know you put Orlando higher because you think, hey, we need to do something a little off the beaten path here because know it doesn't always go chalk. It also is not going to go chalk in the sense that somebody's not going to be there that we think is going to be there. And so which of the top six are you least confident in?

Sixers. You know what I mean? It's just the Sixers. It's so many questions about Embiid's because without Embiid and George, how far can Maxie really take you? And would you be surprised if Embiid had surgery right around Thanksgiving? Would you really? Or George? Something happened with him? That's a team that is so good on paper, but there's a huge, huge injury risk there. So I would say if one of these teams was going to fall out of the top six, it would probably be the sixth.

It's the trust level. Because even last year, they had to play their way into the thing last year because of what happened to them as that season went on. And so when you're already talking about maybe sitting out back to backs and I got it. I actually, I can, I can get down with that because they're, their best player means so much to them. At least he certainly did winning percentage wise last year. And it's hard to trust it. It's hard. It's hard to trust it. I do think that. I do think – you feel like you got this thing right. And then, like, last year – I know, but, like, last year I was like, Orlando's my team. Orlando's going to make the playoffs. That's my team that I really think is going to take a leap. And I'm not sure there will be somebody that takes a huge leap this year. I do think there is a strength in these six and then really those eight. And there's kind of that separation. And so I'm very fascinated. I mean, that's the best part of the season coming up, right? Is you're going to be wrong about something? You're going to be wrong. Yes. And then who is the one? If there is an Orlando, if there is a few years ago, Sacramento that, you know, crashes the party.

It seems so hard to say either of those teams that we had. I can see the Cavs as the two seed. Would you be shocked if the Cavs were the two seed?

No. With the new coach. They got talent, man. They've got good players on their team. Like a lot of good players. A high, high level. Like they didn't even have. And now it sucks they've lost Struis already. I know. That sucks. That sucks. But, I mean, they have a pretty damn good starting five, and they've got a good six-man that comes off the bench. All right. You and me are on the same page on that. In fact, before we move on to the West, who do you have coming out

of the East? Celtics. Yeah. Celtics. I want to say the Knicks. I want to, but I just can't. I can't. You know, I think that relying on KP and Al Horford could be a serious problem for them. You know, with KP being injured and Al Horford being 75 years old, there's a serious concern. But that team is just so good. They're so good. I

went Knicks. So you don't even have to be the homer. You did. Yeah. I mean, it's Bridges and Ananobi on the wing. Yes. And then they brought in Towns. Like, I think they are uniquely equipped to deal with the challenge at hand. Okay. And I'm a big tips guy. I just think if they can go into the playoffs healthy, I mean, they got enough Rottweilers on that team. They were banged up and almost made it last year. They lost a game seven, and they didn't have Mitchell Robinson, and

they didn't have Julius Randle. And Brunson got hurt that game, too. They had nobody at the end of that game. Nothing. But here's my concern. Are you concerned that Mikael Bridges changed his shot and can't shoot?

Yes. It's very concerning. You went 0 for 10. But. 0 for 10. But, again, I will be very concerned once the games start and that remains. I don't know. Again, Mikael Bridges,ges though does not have to. He can be Phoenix Mikkel Bridges on this team. You've got two guys that can go for 30 any given night. Two guys. Neither of which are named Mikkel Bridges because Towns can do that. I can't believe I have moved into this mode where I feel like Towns has become underrated in this mix. Like, I cannot stand him as a basketball player. But why? I accept how fantastic he is offensively. Oh, it's the antics. It's the foul. It's all that. I just can't, I can't take it. You know, it's the, it's the antics, but the guy is a great offensive basketball player. Absolutely. Absolutely. Who creates crazy spacing and horrible matchups for your team. Yes. You know, there's so many of these teams that want their center in the paint. You can't do it. And maybe I'm just always going to be colored by this, but two years ago when I covered Grizzlies versus Minnesota in that great series that was, I mean, it wasn't a great played series, but it went a long way. And there were some good games in between. But I mean, I watched him make Steven Adams unplayable. Couldn't play him. that's the kind of thing a guy like that can do because you have to guard him 30 feet away from the basket. You just have to. And most of these teams do not want their big guy out there. And you've got a real choice you've got to make then. And then when you go small, he can go down and just take you straight to the basket and bully ball you. Like, I think the guy is a really good player. I think sometimes his individual stats and his playoff failings at moments have certainly destroyed some perception of him. But on a game-in, game-out basis, I think he creates a lot of good things for your basketball team offensively. And so I like that matchup with the two big-time defensive long wings.