2026 NBA Playoff Preview: Dark Horse and Sleeper Teams! Who is REAL MVP? Morant done in Memphis

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:35

Good afternoon, everyone. Fast approaching the four o'clock hour on a Thursday edition of OnQue as we're coming at you live inside the friendly confines of the SR 1029 F and the Game Studios, the remote studios. Rich Canuen is here. Don't forget, we're powered by our good friends over at Three Brooks Bourbon. Get ready with tea. Played against Sports Tulocations in South Jersey. Get in on the conversation. Hope you had a wonderful Sports Wednesday. You're enjoying your Thursday, the 16th of April, 2026. We get right into it. You can hashtag on Q. Very easy to do. We're on X, we're on YouTube, multiple channels, rumble, kicks, millions, all over the place. Get social with me, as I mentioned, at RichQ on Q and IG next. TikTok Rich Q and Mike. Jonathan Marshall in a couple moments. Our NFL, I'm pardon me, our NBA guru and host of Marshall Time podcast. I had NFL on my brain because it drafts right around the corner. But NFL playoffs, NFL, NBA playoffs, there it is again, are among us. Last night, the Philadelphia 76ers got the win. And I told you, it would have been a brutal, horrible loss for the Philadelphia 76ers to lose against that Orlando team that is basically just about to implode. So with the 109, 97 win by the Sixers, and they did a good job in the second half making adjustments. He just did it. Wagner struggled a little bit at times. Orlando last night, brutal from Beyond the Arc. And if you listened to me yesterday, I said if the Sixers can knock down their perimeter shots and they were close to 45%, and they also added about 35% from Beyond the Arc. They had a good opportunity to win this game. And you got so you got really nice production, right? VJ had 19, PG had 16, and Maxie had 31. So now the Sixers are gifted to Boston Celtics. They are gifted to Boston Celtics. They're going to get served up on a platter to the Boston Celtics. That's going to be a brutal series. And who knows if or when Joel Bede's going to be available or not? But game one is set for Sunday. So that's the matchup. The 76ers and the Celtics. You've got the Raptors and the Cavs, Timberwolves and the Nuggets, Hawks and the Knicks. So that'll also be Saturday. Rockets and the Lakers. And then as far as what we still have left, Hornets and Magic play for that AFC lock-in, Warriors and the Suns tonight or tomorrow as well. And the Warriors, you know, hey, listen, you know, the Warriors, they kind of they they they they they they showed you that uh as long as, and this is the beauty of the NBA, right? Is is as long as you have a player like Steph Curry, you're gonna find a way to win a game. He had 35 last night, he had big threes down the stretch, and they were able to take care of the Clippers, who once again showed you that the Clippers are Clippers. I mean, after a while, it just gets so annoying with the Clippers because it seems as though every single solitary season we talk about how this team has talent, but we never see it come through. So Thunder await the winner of the Suns and the Warriors, as I mentioned, and the Pistons will await the winner of the Magic and the Hornets. So we got to tap into a little NBA, and also I want to mention to Jonathan if John Morant's time in Memphis is done. Uh, if we have some time, we'll mix in a little NFL talk on this Thursday edition of OnQ. As I mentioned, uh, we got about 45 to play with. Also, too, don't forget, uh, this weekend on the YouTube channel 94 by 50, you can check out Jersey Short Breaks. Back to back Saturday and Sunday, you can catch me courtside. And also, we are dropping a new Destin FM scoreboard show later on this evening. So if you download the free Destin FM app, uh you'll uh check out what's going on Emerald Coast side of Florida with some high schools and some colleges. I I've been seeing on my feed non-stop, all these um high school athletes are getting or have been in the process of signing letters of intent. They're all over the place. I mean, my my feed is like ridiculously clogged up with all these athletes signing, right? And you got spring football right around the corner. And what's interesting too is now the transfer rules, especially in some various states, i.e. New Jersey, New York, and also Florida. That's something to take a look at because some of these kids they realize that they don't want to play for these coaches. They can transfer right now, not lose any eligibility. You can't play in the spring with your new high school, but you'll be available in the fall. So, with that being said, Madman chimes in. Top of the afternoon to you, top of the morning to you, top of the afternoon as well. And perhaps if you are having a little cup of Joe, we'd like to freshen you up. Joe D already in Summers Point on X, chiming in Q. I thought it was a good win by the Sixers. You see it on B, gave them a little bit of lift. Yeah, I saw the emotional support, right? But they're gonna get absolutely waxed. They're gonna get absolutely waxed by the Boston Celtics. And I believe that this is it for Nick Nurse. Like, I just whether you want to sit there and say it's a bad draw, that's fine. But I my my belief right now is that when they get bounced against the Philadelphia 76ers, Nick Nurse is gonna be out of a job. He's gonna be out of a job because he's had some horrible in-game management, rotation choices, bad coaching decisions. Um, his in-game adjustments stink. They're as bad as Doc Rivers over the years, they're almost as bad as Brett Brown, who was a horrible friggin' head coach. Now, I get that you have to navigate through injuries. I understand that, but I'm telling you right now, when they get bounced, I see them making wholesale changes. I really do. I see them making wholesale changes, and I feel as though I've said this in nauseum because in the NBA, it's a little different. In the NBA, it's always a little different because we know the players run the league. I mean, look, John Morant, John Morant era is ending in Memphis. And what the hell do they win? Like, what did they win? And here's a player where you sit there and say, well, it's a players' league, but in this instance, I think Memphis can't wait to get rid of John Morant, to be quite honest with you. I mean, you had all the issues on IG with the gun, this and that, and you know, he's going around telling players if he's gonna play, if he's not gonna play, he doesn't want to play, a trade's expected. I mean, you talk about wasted talent, it's John Morant because he's talented. And when they drafted him, everyone was thinking, hey, you're gonna take this team, Western Conference Finals, maybe the NBA finals, and ultimately it's been a disappointment. But that's a different franchise, and they're run differently. So sometimes these franchises have absolutely um, they they have no other decision but to get rid of the player, to trade the player. Now, this is a team in Memphis that was 25, I think 26 and 57. They dealt with a boatload of injuries. Obviously, Morant was injured all over the place. We know that with the UCL spray and everything. I mean, it just it wasn't a good season. But he is a 26-year-old, and John Morant has been around for a while now.

SPEAKER_00 8:55

Like seven NBA seasons, but for all the talent that he had and has, it's just gonna pan out in Memphis, or it's not going to pan out in Memphis. I mentioned NBA playoffs are in full swing. Um I just think the Sickers are just they're gonna get out of place to watch. I don't know. I don't even know what to say. I just I think it's gonna be just a sacrificial lamb, which uh with that nice little segue. We welcome in our good friend Jonathan Marshall, uh host of Marshall Time podcast, and of course, uh did a great job with me on Q as well as on SR uh 1029 FM The Game.

SPEAKER_01 9:37

What's going on, my friend? How are you?

SPEAKER_02 9:39

Good, Q can the people see me? Can can you see me? Because on my it's not yeah, we got you. We got you. That's all that matters. That's all that matters.

SPEAKER_01 9:46

We got you. We got you in the beard loud and clear. I don't know what hat you're rocking today. That's not a Sixers brim, is it?

SPEAKER_02 9:51

Syracuse.

SPEAKER_01 9:52

Oh, all right. The Qs. Um, what'd you think of the uh championship game?

SPEAKER_02 9:58

Man, um not shocked. I've you know, going into it, we we talked about Michigan and Arizona being the two best teams in the nation, right? And so I just think UConn was outclassed, right? Uh Hurley did a great job with this squad making another Final Four run and making another championship game, but with the size that Michigan has, the talent, the skill level, just too much to overcome. And so you talk about a Michigan squad from the beginning to now, I mean, they proved to be the top team, right? And that Michigan-Arizona game, honestly, we talked about it. That was that was the national title game. I think either Arizona or Michigan, whoever won that game, was gonna ended up hoeing the truck the trophy.

SPEAKER_01 10:40

I had an interesting conversation with um J.R. Smith and Chris Smith's dad, who's a basketball guy.

SPEAKER_04 10:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:48

And it was a hell of a player back then. I asked him over the weekend before the game, you know, he said, Hey, I I saw this come, and Michigan was just that good. And I said, would they have beaten the Fab five? And he goes, Oh, they would have ran them off the building because they're playing against a bunch of freshmen. Do you think that's true? I mean, yeah, think about it.

SPEAKER_02 11:11

That's it's a different conversation, right? It's not just talking about talent on talent. You talk about Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Chris Weber. Obviously, those guys are top-level, they were top-level prospects, right? Um, but in college basketball, tournament time, especially, what do we see? The teams that usually win it. That's why Coach Cow and those Kentucky teams, they had all the one and done guys duke today. They have the one and done guys, but have they won the national championship? With you had Con Knipple, you had Cooper Flat, you had Zion William Williamson, RJ Barrett, you had Boozer, right? And what happens? And so that experience, pro level, we see it in the playoffs, right? That experience, it matters. That stage is different, and we're gonna see it in these playoffs too, how that experience will come through.

SPEAKER_01 11:55

Yeah, and speaking of which, I mean, look, we'll we'll start. Uh the Sixers got the win last night, you know, balance scoring. I just thought if they lost that game, it was gonna be a debacle. Orlando just is in disarray. Their coach is on the hot seat. Um, and it doesn't matter if they get through the Hornets, they're gonna get waxed by the Pistons. You're gonna see um they're just gonna blow up that franchise and they're probably gonna start from scratch as well. But for the Sixers, we don't know what's gonna go on in this series against Boston Celtics in regards to the health of Joel Embiid, if he's gonna be available or not. Like, obviously, they want him on the floor, but if he's not on the floor, I just don't see them being very competitive in the series. Let's just go on the guise of they lose this series against the Boston Celtics, and depending upon how many games they lose it, if they're not competitive or not, I I believe that when they lose this series, uh Nick Nurse is going to be out of a job. I just my my gut tells me that they need to make wholesale changes, and I also believe that Donald Morey should be out of a job, whether we want to sit there and say he's the de facto GM or not, or the president of basketball operate, whatever the frigging role is. I just see that there's so much pressure on these two, and you've been dealt a bad hand because of these injuries, you can't always control it. We know that, but ultimately the in-game, lack of adjustments, you know, sometimes the questionable uh rotation changes. It just reminds me of what Doc did, reminds me of what Brent Brown did. So let's just go on the premise that the Sixers lose a series. Um and you know, maybe it's a little competitive here and there, but they get blown out the last two games or get embarrassed. Do you envision or can you see a scenario where they do fire Nick Nurse?

SPEAKER_02 13:48

It's tough, right? Because as the case with most Sixer seasons now, you you have another built-in excuse, right? You have the Paul George suspension, the Joel Embiid situation, right? And also you're playing the Celtics, who, although they're the second seed, I think they are the team to beat to come out of the Eastern Conference, right? But the reasons that I just expressed when it comes to Paul George and Joel Embiid, how many times are we gonna go through this cycle? There's always something happening. There's there's always, we're just waiting. You can almost time it, Q. You can always, you can almost predict it when that ball is gonna drop, right? That breaking news notification. Something's going to happen every single time. And so just from that reality, we got to switch something up. Something's going on with this franchise from top to bottom to where they're making bad decisions when it comes to roster construction, trading Jared McCain. Why are you having Kyle Lyon and Eric Gordon? Two guys pushing 40 on your roster. There's no excuse for that, right? Not having the right pieces around a Maxi PG and Joel MB to really compete. We see what the Celtics have done this year with those guys developing and stepping up, right? They don't compete. They don't compare with it with what the Celtics have done, right? Even if you play the Detroit Pistons squad, Detroit, they defend, they play hard. The Sixer squad, I can't really say with confidence that I can expect them to do that in a seven-game series consistently.

SPEAKER_01 15:18

Well, it's hard to also, it's also not to push back, but and I'm not making any excuses, it's hard to gauge teams when guys are always injured. But that's that's the bad definitely and they they they got a lay in it, right?

SPEAKER_02 15:30

I mean, that's at a certain point when you say enough is enough and rip the band-aid off and say let's let's go, let's let's just break this up. Yeah. Because it's going to be the same cycle. Guys who are always injured as they get older, I don't know if it gets better.

SPEAKER_01 15:47

Yeah, so do you that's just the reality of the situation? Do you believe? Um, let me address this real quick. Two things. I gotta, and I hate skipping comments. So Luca Brotzi. Luca Brazzi chimes in the mug and Eagles Green. Switch the sides. It's not, it's not Eagles green. It's not. Okay. I usually have my Q cup, I have my fresh roasted coffee. This is my fishing cup. So I don't need that nonsense from Luca Brazzi. We don't like the color green. Get the hell out of here. Second comment, because he only pops up like a friggin' whack-a-mole in August, September to just troll about the Eagles. Second comment, uh, will Embiid be able to return for the Boston Series? So let's address that. Who the hell knows?

SPEAKER_02 16:26

I don't know. I I I've never been through that, I've never had to deal with that. So I couldn't tell you. I really don't know. And what if he does return? How is his body? How is he going to be able to handle it physically? Exactly. And even with Embiid, are they a better team than the Boston Delta?

SPEAKER_01 16:39

It is so annoying, though. You're right. It's gonna be well, they didn't have Embiid.

SPEAKER_02 16:43

It's they're still not a better team.

SPEAKER_01 16:45

Yeah, but you know what it is? It's just let's call it for what it is. It's a snake bitten franchise. Like there's there's no other way. And that's my point. Yeah, to describe what's going on.

SPEAKER_02 16:54

At a certain point, we gotta make the change. I don't care what the excuse is. PG was suspended, and B was hurt, Max Nurse, whatever the case may be, this franchise has issues. And going forward with the same situation, the same players is not gonna change it. That's the reality of it.

SPEAKER_01 17:12

Yeah, I mean, you're talking, you know, three weeks to recover. I I mean, it's just I I I don't know. I I just I'm I'm kind of I feel as though I want them to be beyond irrelevant because I don't even like talking about them anymore. But I have to do it because it's within the market, you know what I'm saying? And I just want them to just become so friggin' irrelevant like they were eight, nine years ago. Then you can get all the, you know, uh whatever that clown was, Hinky died for our sins and all this other kind of crap, and just blow it up already. Like without belaboring the point, you and I both went on the record and said they should have traded Embiid years ago, even off the MVP. The problem is, so let me ask you right now, they lose a series, you believe that nurse is out. Now, let me just say this. Let me ask you this question. What do you do with Embiid? Like, come October, isn't Bede on the roster, even though we know how difficult it is to move players in the NBA, especially a player of his magnitude with that contract?

SPEAKER_02 18:19

This organization has shown me nothing other than to believe Inbi will be back next year. Because what else are they going to do? Who is Embiid, right? With this talent, went healthy. That's that's the argument. He's one of the best players in the league. And that's the little carrot of hope that you dangle in front of the fans every year to sell those tickets, Q. To sell it all. It's a business that's everybody, right?

SPEAKER_01 18:43

Tell me a $26 ticket, but let me charge you $30 to park.

SPEAKER_02 18:48

So I mean, I mean, the reality is with the moves this team has made over the last couple years, getting a Paul George, those moves say to me, Oh, we're trying to capitalize off Joel Embiid for the next couple years. We're trying to maximize whatever he has left. You don't get a Paul George unless you have that mindset. Because if you get if you get rid of Embiid and you still have PG, then what? What does that do for you? The fact that you have a Paul George, you're pretty much those two are tied together for me. Yeah. Now, if if you get rid of both of them, that's another another conversation. But you're not going to trade Embiid and still have Paul George. To me, I don't I don't see how that's a disaster to me.

SPEAKER_01 19:23

No, I agree. Well, we'll see how that series uh we know how it's gonna go. What I don't know how it's gonna go. I mean, I I think you get a gentleman's sweep.

SPEAKER_02 19:34

Yeah. Yeah. Gentlemen. I mean in Boston. The one the one advantage that the Sixers had in that series is questionable, and that's Joel and B. Take them out of the equation. Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum is better than any player on the Sixers roster. They a better defensive team. Right. They have guys that can shoot all over the floor, a better, well-built team, more guys that are skilled, that can handle it, that can shoot it, that can pass it. Oh, and Joe Mazzula is a championship-winning coach. He is a better coach than Nick.

SPEAKER_01 20:03

Very, very good. Yeah, 100%.

SPEAKER_02 20:05

Um and they have guys who have won who have who have been there.

SPEAKER_01 20:08

Yep. So I'm not I'm not too too enamored with the rest of these, the you know, the two play-ins. We kind of know how everything's gonna get set, but I I I am curious in the Eastern Conference, you know, that Knicks Hawk series, Rafters, Cavaliers. Um, you know, we got to see who Detroit's gonna play. We already know Boston's gonna play the Philadelphia 76ers, but can you give me a dangerous sleeper team that you think can make a deep run in the playoffs? Uh and look, forget about the usual side, like we can't have OKC as an answer because they're the defending NBA teams.

SPEAKER_02 20:45

I'm looking, I'm you want one from it doesn't matter the conference?

SPEAKER_00 20:48

No, just give me a team or two.

SPEAKER_02 20:52

Man. So is a top three team a sleeper? No, right? Is top four a sleeper? Like what what is the cutoff for sleeper? Because to me, top four isn't a sleeper. Like the Cavaliers aren't a sleeper team.

SPEAKER_01 21:04

You want you want me? All right, would you like me to give me, would you like me to give you mine? It's a team I mentioned a month ago because I thought if they played really good defense and they came on their last the last two weeks of the season out of the Western Conference.

SPEAKER_02 21:22

I will I will say I don't think the Knicks should overlook the Hawks. Number one. Agree. The Knicks should win the series. I don't think they should overlook the Hawks, though. Number two, this is tricky. I don't think they're ready yet, but I love the Blazers' makeup. I don't think they're ready yet. That's a team I'm looking at next year, possibly, okay, entering that top six landscape in the Western Conference. I think Minnesota, I like what they did at the trade deadline. And I'm shocked that I'm picking Minnesota because of my you know opinions on Rudy Gobert, but with the guard play that they added with Iowa, the Sumu and Bones Highland, I think Minnesota has a chance to, you know, make some noise. But we'll see. You got amp, you got Anthony Edwards, of course, but I'm looking at Minnesota in the West End Conference and Atlanta in the Eastern Conference.

SPEAKER_01 22:14

Interesting. So Cleveland makes the move for Harden. We see that in the Eastern Conference. I I I think Houston. I think Houston could be a sleeper.

SPEAKER_02 22:26

So I would say Houston has a sleeper, but with a team with Kevin Durant, I'm not sleeping too much on him. Yeah, but here's I mean, look, easy, easy first round against you. You should handle the Lakers easily. Can they beat the Thunder? Can they beat the Thunder? That's who you're playing in the next round.

SPEAKER_01 22:46

Well, yeah, but again, anyone's beatable.

SPEAKER_02 22:52

True.

SPEAKER_01 22:53

Right? I mean, look, San Antonio makes a little more San Antonio ran away with the division. They did. You win a division by 10, 11 games, you kind of run away with the division, right? But I think Houston, they they play they play good team defense, they play better team defense, as you mentioned. Um, and you just mentioned their X factor as well. They can shoot from beyond the arc, they got guards that can get to the line. So you know, it's almost like when you talk about the Warriors of yesteryear, even if Thompson and Green and you know those guys were struggling, at least you still had Curry, right? Who drops at 35 last year? Yes, for sure. Yeah, that's Houston's dangerous.

SPEAKER_02 23:37

Yeah, Houston's dangerous. They're dangerous. Um, now I mean the West, I mean, outside of the Lakers, that top six, I mean, OKC, San Antonio, Denver, Minnesota, Houston. I mean, that's I mean, that that potential nuggets Spurs or Timberwolves Spurs second round matchup is going to be that's gonna be interesting. You know, I think if if whoever whoever whoever wins between Denver and Minnesota against the Spurs, I'm just gonna assume the Spurs beat the Blazers. I think Denver and Minnesota, they they can give the Spurs a tough challenge. I think they could. Uh do you but I still think I still think OKC and San Antonio, they're on they're on a crash course. I think they're on a crash course.

SPEAKER_01 24:12

It seems that way. It seems that way. And you still like Boston coming out of the Eastern Conference, as do I.

SPEAKER_02 24:18

Yeah, I mean, just the just the way that those role players, Baylor Shireman, you know, they've been there before. They've been there before. The the young guys that they've been coached up, they're playing so well. Their confidence level is at an all-time high. I mean, Tatum is playing better than what I would have imagined coming back from that Achilles. Jalen Brown is playing at an MVP level. I mean, from top to bottom, they they check all the boxes, you know, and that experience, as you just mentioned with Detroit, you know, you get cade back, they're going to be dangerous, but that experience level, it matters because each step of the way in the playoffs, that intensity, that media attention, that light, it gets it gets bigger and it gets brighter. How do you handle that? And it remains to be seen.

SPEAKER_01 25:02

Yeah, and that's you know, again, one of the reasons that, you know, last year or even a couple years ago, everyone jumps on Cleveland, Cleveland, Cleveland, and now this year everyone's jumping on Detroit, Detroit, Detroit. Maybe you arrived a little early uh to the party, right? Um, I also think the Eastern Conference is a little more watered down, Western Conference, you know, more top heavy. Uh, do you think a ball should have been or should have been ejected and should be suspended?

SPEAKER_02 25:29

Yeah. Um that play right there was obvious. Beyond 30. He he he grabbed him. And the fact that Bam got hurt to me should have signaled, okay, we have to know what I mean.

SPEAKER_01 25:43

Left the game, left the game. Now, I don't know if it changed the complexion of the game, but right.

SPEAKER_02 25:48

I mean, Bam is an impact player from Miami. So who knows what would have happened. But this this this comes the uh conspiracy theory situation, right? You have another game that Charlotte has to play on on TV, right? I guess it's a prime game, right? Um you gotta have LaMelo playing. You gotta draw those views, right? You're not suspending LaMelo against Orlando Friday night on Prime. You're not you're not doing that. That's just the reality of it.

SPEAKER_01 26:15

I look, the Clippers lose last night. When when can we kind of move past uh Kawhi Leonard's that guy? Like, Kawhi Leonard hasn't been that guy since 2018. Let's just call it for what it is. Let's just call it for what it is. When the ball bounced around in the coffin corner and he broke the frigging hearts of the 76ers, like why are we still taking flyers on Kawhi Leonard?

SPEAKER_02 26:40

Because Kawhi at his best was something to be seen, right?

SPEAKER_01 26:43

He's 34 now. He was horrible last night.

SPEAKER_02 26:46

But here's the thing, Q. And we talked about it last year. The the the the love affair with uh the Clippers, right? James Hart and Kawhi Leonard playing together, like the Lakers with LeBron. Like, it's the same agenda, the same love affair with these teams, but we know at the end of the day, there are limitations, right? And so the Clippers losing to the Warriors, it doesn't shock me because look at this roster for the Clippers. Who on that roster outside of Kawhi Leonard can you say really come playoff time? Okay, we we gotta really, you know, on the flip side, the Warriors, you have a Steph, a Draymond, Al Horford, Porzingis, all four of those guys did their thing last night, and what do they have in common? Championships.

SPEAKER_01 27:34

That's the difference. But but how can you spend the way they do, make the moves the way they do? Speaking of the Clippers, and then year in and year out just you know, constantly get get get balanced. I mean, are are the Clippers worst franchise right now? Clippers or the Sixers?

SPEAKER_02 28:01

Historically, it's the Clippers. I'm never gonna say the Clippers are a better franchise than the Sixers. That's just not gonna happen. In what way are they a better better franchise? In what way? Well, I'll say this. False hope? False hope the Clippers have the.

SPEAKER_01 28:18

I think both hope the Sixers are a joke. I think the Clippers are a joke.

SPEAKER_02 28:22

Here's the thing by trading James Harden to me, you automatically sell tell you're telling your fan base, hey, this isn't working. And so with a lineup with Darius Garland, Chris Dunn, Derek Jones, Brooke Lopez, Kawhi Leonard, Benedict Mather, and Jordan Miller, solid players. This isn't a team expecting to make a playoff run. To me, it isn't. Right. So that's the reality of it. You trade James Harden, you're telling me, oh, we messed up. Also, you messed up because now, guess what? That lottery pick, guess who it goes to, Q? Right. The Thunder.

SPEAKER_01 28:51

That's right. So now what? Rich get richer. Um let me see. Uh, can the Sixers build around Edgecombe and Maxie, or should they be traded as well?

SPEAKER_02 29:00

No, you keep those two young guys. Those are two young guys who can take you to this next era of basketball, two explosive dynamic guards. The next key for the Sixers is getting a dynamic wing player to team up with those guys, a guy that can defend, but also go get you a bucket, solid bigs, and some shooting. Look, it's it's simple. Follow the OKC formula. Right. Develop these guys. You know, you had a guy in Jared McCain, he's in OKC now. You don't need these names.

SPEAKER_01 29:34

That dog won't hunt anymore. Madman uh says uh Channing Tatum, Tatum O'Neal, Jack Tatum, Jason Tatum, I don't care. Sixers and five, not happening. Uh Leonard got the bag.

SPEAKER_02 29:45

I love I love the energy, but yeah, it's not happening.

SPEAKER_01 29:49

All right, uh lastly, before I let you get out of here, uh John Moran, uh John Moran done in Memphis. I mean, that's pretty much should we just pretty much close? I I mean how how do you look back on a six-seven year uh run there in Memphis? I mean, it yeah, is it just unfulfilling, underachieving, bust, disaster, or had its moments?

SPEAKER_02 30:12

It had its moments because he breathed life into that Grizzlies franchise, right? I mean, after the grit and grind there with Mike Conley, Gasol, Zach Randolph, Tony Allen, um, they needed fresh energy. And John Morant, he was the start of that next era, right? And so they they had their moments, and that the FedEx forum was rocking um early on in that era. And I got a chance to cover Jah's rookie season in his first couple years, and so I saw the impact he had on that city, on that franchise. It was crucial for a franchise, for for a city that um isn't like a hotbed for marquee free agents, right? And so ultimately it was disappointing because, and we're seeing it with the magic now. How many times have we seen these young upstart teams show promise, and we figure, okay, the next two, three years, they have a runaway to actually compete for conference championships, you know, for a conference championship, NBA finals, what have you. But whether it's off-the-court issues, injuries, it doesn't pan out. And so the Grizzlies are now in this situation where they have a chance to reset. The worst thing they can do is continue on with the status quo because then you're going to be stagnant. Because you have the Thunder, they're not going anywhere. The Spurs are not going anywhere, the Blazers are getting better. Other teams will continue to improve, but the Grizzlies, where are you at if you keep a John Morant? I don't see the upside in trying to figure it out. You know what I mean? It's I just think.

SPEAKER_01 31:43

But how much of it does also the responsibility, the bulk of the blame also fall on the player? Because you know, you go back to all the suspensions, the conduct detrimental, right? Yeah, you know, to to checking out, you know, going on IG, the waving gun, the having a confrontation. I mean, he's just an immature kid. Now, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_02 32:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:04

But but okay, who I would be hesitant if I'm a team. He's he's got talent, right? But I he's also owed, I think, 90 something million guaranteed over the next two seasons. That's a big time commitment on any NBA team in today's NBA landscape with that value, you gotta take it for face value. Um and to me, if you look at his game, well, two things injury history, right? Yeah, hasn't played in more than 65 games since his rookie season, and then his game and where it's at right now at this stage of his career, right? Because now you're talking about I gotta build around a guy that's a primary ball handler and shock creator. I he needs offenses to flow through him.

SPEAKER_02 32:53

And that's that's the question I have. The reality is most guys in NBA aren't built to be that guy, to be the guy that we build around, right? That's a select few that we build around and actually works. Like, you know, um, and given his size, especially, we talk about this Q. Is it a reality? Is it is it a theory or is it fact? It's really hard to build around a smaller guard.

SPEAKER_00 33:19

Smaller guard.

SPEAKER_02 33:20

It's that's just the reality of it, right? Steph is like Steph is an outlier, right? But outside of that, we don't have too many, too many examples. And so I think Ja, the best situation is a team that isn't relying upon him to be the face to be the guy, right? Well, I'll give you a secondary piece.

SPEAKER_01 33:37

I'll give you a perfect example of a team that's made the mistake of building around a guard, if you want to say a scoring guard, it's the Knicks. Trying to build the offense around Jalen Brunson, even though they have bigs and they have talents and they have players that can stretch the floor.

SPEAKER_04 33:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:52

But now, with with that being said, though, okay, if if I'm a team like the Knicks and I know if I'm gonna go after Giannis and I gotta give up a lot, uh, if I can't get him, do they pivot? Like, I'm saying some of these teams are gonna be in the in the Giannis sweepstakes, or maybe even the Kawhi Leonard, whatever. I don't get these guys. Now I need a viable option, alternative, and I can can you you can see teams maybe doing the pivot? Like it Morant's not gonna be the most sought after when we're talking about that that piece in the offseason, is he?

SPEAKER_02 34:32

I'm look- I'm looking at the list of teams now, and I'm thinking, okay, we can already cross off Boston, we can cross off Cleveland, we can cross off Detroit, Detroit. Like there's a lot of teams we can cross off, right? And you also don't want to be redundant because if Ja goes to Sacramento, Susane, like, what are we doing, right? So could Miami be an option? Bam Etabay is your guy, but then you have a John Morant. Could that be an option? Could Orlando be an option be an option?

SPEAKER_01 35:05

Let me interrupt you for one second. I'm not bringing in John Morant and sticking him in Miami and Southeast. I'm just not.

SPEAKER_02 35:12

Here's the thing though. Here's the thing. Pat Riley, Eric Spostra, could it work? Could they, could they, could they make that work? If there's any France, if there's any, if there's any combination of like management guy and head coach guy, I think you're asking all the teams.

SPEAKER_01 35:28

I think you're setting yourself up for trouble right there, man.

SPEAKER_02 35:30

Well, here's the thing. If you find trouble in Memphis, you're gonna find trouble anywhere.

SPEAKER_01 35:34

So I understand that, but it's it's a little more intoxicating in South Beach going off, you know, Collins Avenue and whatnot via a young kid. I mean, and we've seen right now, he's just too immature.

SPEAKER_02 35:46

The options are dwindling then. Like, could is Memphis gonna keep him in the Western conference? Do they care?

unknown 35:53

Right?

SPEAKER_02 35:53

Like, so I mean they do at this point. It's tricky, and so I'm looking at differ different options. I mean, or would Orlando be a viable option? I mean it seems to be a lot of people.

SPEAKER_01 36:07

Yeah, Sacramento is the team that's been linked to him.

SPEAKER_02 36:09

That's the team that and to me, I don't like that for either side. I don't like that roster. Sacramento has a lot of issues, they gotta figure out they're in rebuild mode. You don't get a John Morant while you're in rebuild mode. That's that doesn't work.

SPEAKER_04 36:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:26

So I mean, Miami Orlando, to me, I'm thinking just fit. You don't need him to be the guy. Orlando, you have Wagner and Boncaro. I think those guys aren't dynamic enough to carry the load that much, and maybe you get a guy like Ja, dynamic playmaker, to help them out. Maybe. I'm just the wheels are spinning, but the options are few. I'll tell you that.

SPEAKER_01 36:48

Alrighty. Uh when uh you dropping another pod, what's going on? I know you're all over the place, man. Grinding.

SPEAKER_02 36:54

I'm all over the place. I I started writing again though. I have my own Substack. Okay, how's that going? It's going well. One of my first pieces was on your 76ers Q how they're the biggest hope sellers. If you want to check it out, Substack uh.com slash open gym. So getting into my writing bag as well. Um, still doing some potting, but I'm gonna take some time with that. But the writing is is back on as well. So I'm excited. Yeah, that's good.

SPEAKER_01 37:19

All right, that's good. And then uh lastly, who do you have? Uh got about 30 seconds. MVP, who is it?

SPEAKER_02 37:26

So I I I just saw the news. So Kate Cunningham is now eligible, right? No. He's not? Oh, did I read it wrong?

SPEAKER_01 37:34

No, he's you're talking about who is eligible?

SPEAKER_02 37:37

Yeah, Kate Kate is now eligible. Oh no, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_01 37:40

Luca and Kate, yes. They right, yes, they they are eligible. I'm sorry, they are eligible. Yes, I apologize. They are eligible. Yes, Luca and uh Lakers Guard, uh uh uh uh Donchek and also uh Kate Cunningham are eligible. They won that appeal, correct? Yes.

SPEAKER_02 37:57

I I would pick Kate Cunningham. Detroit with that franchise has been. I mean not winning it number one in the east. He's not he probably won't, but me, I I I would pick, I would pick Kate. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:09

Who okay? That's fine, but who is gonna win it?

SPEAKER_02 38:14

Probably Shy. Shy, Sha Gil, just SGA. Also, don't sleep on Vic. I think Vic should have a say. Jalen Brown should have a say.

SPEAKER_01 38:24

Brown should definitely have a say, but then again, you know, Tatum's playing in the form, so that takes a little bit. Remember now, you're pulling almost, you're it's it's tough because I gotta I'm I'm starting to pull some votes here, right?

SPEAKER_02 38:34

So it's a story, but to me, it's it's about the story, right? And the Spurs and the Pistons and the Celtics, they all have unique stories to where they've gotten to this point now. Jalen Brown, without telling him, can you be the guy to lead that team? And he he did it for most of the year. Detroit, bottom franchise, right?

SPEAKER_01 38:49

How about Rita? How about his numbers though? He was averaging 36 in March.

SPEAKER_02 38:54

Great numbers. Great numbers, great numbers, but is it a better turnaround, better story than what Detroit has done with the Spurs?

SPEAKER_01 39:03

Okay, so remember now, it's most valuable player, right? So we're saying to the league and the team, if you're factoring in those other variables, if you're adding in, right, the worth to the team, the turnaround, telling the story, then hands down, it goes to Cade Cunningham to a franchise that out of nowhere, if you didn't follow them over the last several years, you didn't know this kid was a stud, and they win 60 games and they're the top seed in the Eastern Conference. I agree with you 100%, but that's not with the award, right? The perception, the optics. That's they don't base it on that.

SPEAKER_02 39:38

And they've gotten it wrong over the years before, too. Yeah, sure.

SPEAKER_00 39:41

Hell, they gave it to Carmen Alone when they should have gave it to Jordan.

SPEAKER_02 39:44

That's what I'm saying. So what you just what you just mentioned about Kate, most value. You take Kate off Detroit, are they number are they a playoff team? No, no, top six. Maybe playing. Are they top six right now?

SPEAKER_01 39:56

I bet you they're they they are it are hard pressed to win 35-40 games.

SPEAKER_02 40:02

There you have it.

SPEAKER_01 40:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 40:06

I mean because the Lakers still have LeBron and they still have they still have the they have LeBron and Austin Reeves, right?

SPEAKER_01 40:11

He just needs to can is he gonna go away? Can he just retire already? He he just can't play anymore. He can't. He's he's it's embarrassing. You've seen him doing the ice cream dribble, it's bad.

SPEAKER_02 40:23

Let me tell you this. Yeah, that first rounder against Houston, yeah, he's gonna get everything he wants in that series because there's no Luca. Is that official? Is that official yet?

SPEAKER_01 40:35

So as it's as it stands right now, I don't think he's out. I don't think he's out for the entire well, I you know what? The last I checked, because it's the hammy, right?

SPEAKER_02 40:52

Yeah, that's that's that's tricky. That's tricky.

SPEAKER_01 40:55

He's so right now, technically, three days ago, they said he's gonna miss one more week. But here's the problem. The problem is it's a hamstring, and you can re-aggravate it at any moment. There can be condensation on the floor, it could be humid, you cut, you slip the wrong way, and then you tear it. And that's the problem. So he's not playing Saturday, okay? He's not playing in game one. Uh, I'm just looking at the schedule right now, how it maps out. Uh, they get two days off, they catch a break. That's a good thing. Game two is Tuesday.

SPEAKER_02 41:34

So maybe game two.

SPEAKER_01 41:36

And then you have travel day, and then now you're talking game three would be Friday in Houston. And that's the 20th.

SPEAKER_02 41:44

About this. If they can somehow get a game one win, that buys them more time. If they win game one, I think they sit them out game because we we took home court. Yeah. Right? Or hold on. I think it's Houston, Houston's the fifth seat, right? Yes. Let me look at this guy. So the Lakers have home court anyway. Okay. Correct. So if you win game one, okay, we don't need to. It's not like oh must win in game two. We can we can afford to sit them out this game as well.

SPEAKER_01 42:11

Would have been totally different back back in the day if they did the 2-3-2 and they you know they cut down on his travel days.

SPEAKER_02 42:17

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Either way, LeBron has a chance to uh, you know, do something special. We'll see. No, please stop.

SPEAKER_01 42:25

All right, brother. I always appreciate you, man. Um we will do it again next week. Appreciate a couple moments. My guides on the marshall. Check him out. Drop in the uh the mailbag, all the good nuggets. Um promote that one more time.

SPEAKER_02 42:37

The um Yeah, I'm on Substack. Substack, the name of my Substack is Open Gym. A lot of journalists are doing the independent thing, and Substack is doing some great things. And so, yeah, Substack.com slash OpenGym.

SPEAKER_01 42:49

All right, at least as long as you are acquiring your inside information the right way, and you're not doing anything. You know, I don't want to see you on page six with photos.

SPEAKER_02 42:57

I'm not touching that topic. All right, see you next time. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 43:02

All right, appreciate that. All right, there you have it. My guy, Jonathan Marshall. Good stuff. Quick timeout will come out. We'll uh close it out. 2-3-2 format was the best. 2-3-2 format was the best, and they cut down a lot of the travel days. Now it's like you play, you wait, you play, you wait. By the way, Yankees are getting absolutely hammered. Hammered right now by the friggin' Angels. Ugh. 11 to 4? Come on, man. Judge hit a uh solo shot at 236 on the season. There you go. That's pretty pretty much uh apart from the course right now for Aaron Judge. Seven home runs for eighteen games. You know, I was watching the Phillies the other day and Schwarber hit another home run. You know, I don't know what his numbers are going to be. When his career is over. But it's going to be fascinating if he plays, let's just say he plays another three or four years. And if he hits 40-something home runs this year, I mean, hell, if he can figure out a way to hit another 50 or 54 or have 60, then he gets to 400. But let's just say it's 40 plus over the next three, four, five years. Now, you're well over 500 home runs. Be an interesting case for the Hall of Fame. Because he is a feaster famine. You're talking about a career 231 hitter where half of his hits in his career would be home runs. That's crazy. Absolutely crazy. All right, quick timeout. We'll come back, we'll close it out. See what you go balls are saying out there on social media on X, Average Q on Q, IG as well. Mel Chimes and Q, you know I'm not a Clippers fan, I'm a Lakers fan, and I would sit there and tell you that the Clippers are without a doubt the most dysfunctional organization in all of sports. In all of sports. I think the Jets might have something to say. It's just not good when you have that talent. You're eliminated in the second round in 2020, eliminated in a conference round, right? In 2022, eliminated in the play in 2023, eliminated in the first round, 2024, eliminated in the first round, 2025, eliminated in the play in 2026. I mean, it's just, come on. The Clippers, like, they're like death and taxes. You know they're always going to stink. They're like one of the most poorly run franchises in the history of North American sports. The Jets are right up there, by the way. The Jets are right up there. Uh, Mr. 232. Best of all sports. Uh, I would confer with you on that. I may venture out of the bunker and go to Bayfest next weekend. Cue. Oh, okay. Where's Bayfest? Where's that? Talking about Bayfest in Summer's Point? Where you can spend $35 on a stale pretzel. Is that what you're gonna do? You're gonna park in Ocean City? You're gonna drop about 150 right there. Isn't Bayfest in April uh August? No. Summers Point Bay Fest is in April. It's next weekend, I believe. Yeah, I'll be traveling. That's a sure thing if you want to do that. It's Bay Avenue office Summers Point. Then if you want to sneak over the bridge, little circle liquors, and uh go into Ocean City and drop your 500 in parking. Had a conversation with someone the other day about this. Like when we were growing up and kids, you know, we went down to Wildwood. You really wanted to Ocean City, even when you got a little older, because Ocean City is a dry town. And then people go to Margate and Vettner or whatever, what have you, you know, or you go to the other Jersey shore, right? Down Long Branch, LBI, CIL. But Ocean City, the traffic is just utterly ridiculous going down nine through Summers Point. It's absolutely brutal. It's just brutal. You don't want to deal with that. Can I get a hat or something to promote the show? Word of mouth. How about that? No, get out of here with that nonsense. And I know you're not even texting it in, commenting it in without even laughing. I had an angel, by the way, there was an angel sighting, and I asked him about merch. What you guys need to do is go on social media and you can just troll Angel because we're still waiting to see when the merch is coming out. I have no idea. Now, I do have an order in with my guy from Played Against Sports. So once we get that again, then we will um I will throw that out there. By the way, if you are interested, New Jersey's all-time high school passing touchdown leader, switching schools. Jalen Parker, kids unbelievable. 107 career touchdown passes. He's leaving Winslow Township. Guess where he's going? He's going to play for uh Camden. That's huge. Interesting because you saw the shuffling of somebody's head coaches in Jersey. He's a big-time playmaker. A big-time playmaker. So you're seeing right now, um, you know, it kind of tells you all you need to know about how much New Jersey and uh the Northeast. I mean, think about you, you you basically you gotta St. Augustine uh hired Bill Belton, who's an unbelievable head coach. It's like trending. It and it still shows you Ohio, New Jersey, and I'm seeing it right now in Florida in the panhandle. It's utterly the Friday night, that atmosphere is just on another level. It's on another level. I mean, unreal. Unreal down there. Niceville, Crestview, you know, Rocky Bayou, South Walton, Fort Walton, right around the panhandle, Destin. I mean, they're they're savages down there when it comes to high school football. They are rabbit. They are absolutely now. Ohio is big with high school football, and Jersey's big too. But oh my god, what I'm seeing down there, Texas, too, obviously. But yeah, that's kind of big news in the Garden State, that quarterback switching going to Camden. Uh I've been waiting for a month. Uh waiting for merch since the last Eagles Super Bowl win cue. Well, guess what? You're gonna have to keep waiting. All right, gotta start wrapping it up on a Thursday. Uh, you got DMA. Uh you got the uh NBA. Uh what do we got here tonight, as far as what's on the docket, as we like to say. Uh, tomorrow. You got the two-playing game. Saturday, you got the full sleep. But I told you 94 by 50, check me out. Saturday, Sunday, 5-3. Jersey Shore breaks. They got the double dip. Also, back at it, Warriors Thailand. And then next weekend, we got the fights. We got a little Thailand hoops, and then we got Jersey Shore. And then obviously, we'll be back in the saddle on the air. Check the notifications for Minana for a couple moments. I thought there was only 45 to play with. Let's go. Let's wrap it up already. Man, man, we are wrapping it up, as you just said, as we have to thank our wonderful sponsors as always. Get ready with tea. I love when the inmates run the asylum. Unbelievable. You would never see that from our good friend over at Silicon Valley, Danish. Um, I need you to man up. I need you to man up Q. You skip mine and man's comments all the time. What are you talking? I just read all the comments. I didn't even get to X. I read them. You wanted the hat, you've been waiting for the merch. I don't need to listen. The only reason you need to man up is because we haven't heard from you in January after you got bounced. Get the hell out of here with that nonsense. Go, go, go, go, shoo, shoo, shoe. Worry about AJ Brown getting traded. Talk about that 24-7. All right, good stuff from Played Against Sports. Get ready with tea, fresh roasted coffee. Our good friends, pliable. Jonathan Marshall uh coming on board for a couple minutes as well. Back out of Mignana. Check the notifications on uh the YouTube channel at RichQ on Q. You guys have a wonderful sports Thursday. We are gonna get into NFL draft tomorrow and a little more baseball. Uh have a good sports Thursday. As always, be safe, be sound, appreciate you guys tuning into this edition of OnQ. We will talk to you, Minana.