Which of these NBA teams will get the #1 Pick in the NBA Draft? Will the Detroit Pistons, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards, or Charlotte Hornets surprise people this year?
Tenitra Batiste is joined by Mike Richman (Locked On Blazers), Jeff Garcia (Locked On Spurs), Brandon Scott (Locked On Wizards), Doug Branson (Locked On Hornets), and then Ku Khahil (Locked On Pistons). What will Scoot Henderson look like in Year 1? Can Victor Wembanyama live up to the hype? Can Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma surprise anyone? Can LaMelo Ball navigate the drama in Charlotte? Will Cade Cunningham bounce back?
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#Hornets #LaMelo #LaMeloBall
Welcome into the ultimate NBA season Preview presented by prize pick I'm your Host tanra batist in the six episode Series we'll go around the NBA getting Insight and Analysis from all 30 of our Locked on NBA shows with local coverage In a way you can't get anywhere else now At episode 6 we're looking at teams that Will be buying for the number one pick In the 20 24 draft joining me are locked On Sports host Jeff Garcia locked on Blazers host Mike Richmond locked on Hornet's host Doug Branson and locked on Wizards host Brandon Scott guys thank You for joining me this afternoon this Evening this morning good afternoon good Morning good evening but first off who In this room feels like their team will Not I repeat not be vying for a top spot In the draft lottery this upcoming Season Well the Hornets organization certainly Hopes that they're not buying for uh That number one overall selection they Hope that their young talent that They've drafted over the past couple of Seasons uh will suddenly improve such to The level that they are are not in that Conversation any longer you know I don't Think they've made the moves this off Season to really put them in contention Uh for a playin spot much less a play Off spot a lot would have to happen a Lot would have to go ride a lot of
Players would have to stay healthy for That to happen but I certainly don't Think their goal is to Vive for that Number one pick again same thing with The Spurs I I think Ben there done that You know they got the big prize they got Wy let's move forward now and get this Team this franchise back to the top of The mountain so although I don't think They're going to be purposely you know Manipulating games and sitting people Out as we saw last year I think they're Really going to try to put their best Foot forward uh with the wimi era set to Begin in just a few short weeks and Really put him in a position where he Sees this team being winners not losers Uh ahead of the draft lottery he made it Very clear to French media that he Doesn't understand tanking he doesn't Believe in it so I think what WBY wants W's going to get and if wheny wants this Team to be winners they're going to push Forward and try not to be a tanking team And try to get into a plan and then Obviously playoffs and you know back to The good old Spurs Glory day so no I I Think the Spurs are going to try to Avoid being tankers this a coming Season you know the deal these are bad Teams right yeah but they originated the Tanking idea that's of course how they Went on that run thanks to get so it's Interesting that this era if they're
Able to kind of Ascend if you will it'll Be going in the opposite direction minus Just one year of tanking but yeah I I Agree I think that right no it's not Going to happen overnight you know this Is totally different than what Tim Duncan and David Robinson era you know And a 19yearold teenager coming in this Is not a fouryear Season Pro a season College Pro like Tim Duncan um so uh I I Although I don't think they're going to Be tanking per se but I'm not expecting Them to be you know oh slotted in at Number one through six in the playoffs You know I think there could be maybe at The lower of the top 10 maybe flirting Around that that area uh but no I I Don't think the goal is to tank I think The goal is to get this going forward Yeah it's kind of like that with the Wizards too because we're we we're Technically in a rebuild but um if you Kind of look at our roster it's we kind Of Define it as before the deadline After the deadline we have a lot of Veteran expiring deals that we kind of Have to move on from because it kind of Stand in the way of a lot of young guys Like BL kabali and Johnny Davis getting Minutes so you know it's kind of weird With us because we're kind of in a gray Area we have a roster where they're not Bad enough to really get a top five pick But they're not good enough to really
You know what I mean so noise absolutely So yeah I mean a lot of our wins Unfortunately are going to come in the The first half of the year because we Expect that most of these aspiring deals A lot of these veteran contracts are Going to be moved at the deadline I Think the Wizards could be bad enough to Get a top five pick believe in yourself They're They're there's definitely there's Definitely a possibility that they're One of the five worst teams in the NBA Even if they do nothing um I think the Blazers pretty proudly are going to be One of the worst teams in the league uh I think that is just how it how this one Shakes out Um you know they they as we're recording This they still have drew holiday on the Roster TBD on that but yeah he's not Part of the plan he's a really good Basketball player um so he can't be part Of the plan for a team trying to be bad Uh but like they've got some okay vets Like I think DeAndre Aon might be better In Portland than he was in Phoenix and Jeremy Grant is an adult but um they you Know it's a lot of minutes for 19-year-old scoot Henderson and 20-year-old Shaden sharp and uh you know One of their oldest players on the whole Roster is 24-year-old Anthony Simons They're outrageously young right now
They're going to be bad like I know that There's some confidence from my fellow Hosts here on the call but uh I believe In the in the fighting pin's ability to Win 19 games and be the worst team in The proudly the worst team in the NBA Yeah yeah and I think it's one of those Things where if nothing else they can Now move on they can now take that young Core and say okay this is what we have And here's what the long-term plan is Going to be because the Dame Lillard era Is over so we can move forward and Mike You kind of mentioned it but I want to Kind of go back to it as well now that You have that younger core in place and A 24 year old is the Wy veteran if you Will kind of what do you see that plan Being I'd say for the draft next year Because that might land you in the Lottery but also just kind of in the Next maybe one to three years as they Try to reset to be a contender in the West well I mean they got to figure fig Out what they are that that's the Biggest thing it's like when you when You shift eras you can say okay we are The scoot Henderson Le team well what Does that look like right you need to Find that out over the next 65 games uh They really believe highly in shad and Sharp and and and my man has at least One incredible dunk a week he's Incredibly fun to watch but you got to
Figure out whether he's a positive NBA Player so they a lot of what this season Is about for the Blazers is data Collection right do what what does this Group look like together who fits who Doesn't fit can ay Simons play with the Other two guys or is it just oops all Guards again and they got to they got to Sort of get taller uh you know they are Probably two years away from being like Truly competitive again I think is is a Is even maybe a Rosy Outlook but they um You know they they've set themselves up Where they won't have the pressure to go For it and when you start a new era Which I think like the Wizards are maybe And Brandon can speak to this the Wizards are are kind of tiptoeing into That era you can be a little more Patient and the Blazers have given Themselves like room to be patient yeah I think so too I mean when it comes to The Wizards I if you look at the history Of the Wizards we usually do three-year Rebuilds if you look at John Wall when He was drafted it took roughly three Seasons for us to really start to get Become a playoff team so the wizard is Just in a weird position because on the One hand you know um they're going to be Decent like you said they're definitely Going to be a top five draft team but um Kyle kman he's going to get shots up Jordan p is is definitely the kind of
Vital piece in this whole roster for us Because if you look at him um he Solidified himself in such a short Amount of time and he's not even in his Prime yet I mean he is electrifying I Mean we see him as probably the Long-term answer at point guard Eventually when we move on from tus Jones but yeah the wizards they have Talent I mean just how do you measure Success I think for the Wizards how you Measure success is not so much wins and Losses is developing a young talent and Really seeing what you got in the future You know Den AV has in a contract year So what do you really have in him Cory Kissper you know he's a shooter in a Cutter but can he add that defensive Element to his game Johnny Davis can he Do anything uh and Below K kabali you Know he's a future 3 andd guy but he's Definitely had to work on his mechanics Of his shot but for us success is Measured by development and that's this New front office that's where kind of Where their head is at you know Developing young talent and when it's Time to get that key trade or free agent Acquisition you make the to contend but There's a lot of patience being taught In DC right now so and that's kind of What I want to go back to with Jeff in Terms of you've kind of watched wimy Throughout these months youve talked to
Him you've heard like and kind of Understand his mindset but what do you Think wimy and then the Spurs Organization overall would consider Maybe a successful rookie season for him And for that Squad I think the first Thing for him is just getting acclimated Uh to the system and the NBA uh stage I Think that is their plan and they made It very very clear they're going to Follow his plan they're not going to Rush him they're not going to put him on The fast track you know if it takes him A full season to get used to the NBA and The way it is then so be it and that's The thing I think is not getting really Focused about this Spurs team you look At Vegas odds you look at where the Spurs stand you know oh they're not g be A factor in the inseason tournament oh Play in what are you talking about you Know this team's going to be one of the Worst in the league see I I totally Disagree and the city disagrees as well The reason I bring that up because They're discounting the fact that this Young Spurs team Les wimy last year got Pretty much head stomped every single Day they are hungry to prove that they Are not that team I've said on lockdown Spurs many time that 22 win Spurs season That's not indicative what this team is Because we know they were getting Racking up those L's on purpose we know
That if that was not their goal I I Think they could have been you know Flirting with a playing spot I think They're probably in mid-30s you know so If you factor that in uh the fact that They were on a plan to up their draft Lottery odds and it worked out then They're at full power a full healthy Deon Vel who missed a huge chunk of his Season last year now you throw in wimy Now you throw in a uh a Jeremy soan who Didn't get relegated to the G league as The Spurs system often does with rookies These young players got NBA minutes and They took their lumps and I think They're going to take that experience Move forward and I think something That's OD bringing up as well pop is Back he signed a new five-year deal he's Back there's still more stability on That uh on that coaching Sidelines and The wimy factor even if he takes a Little while to get going offensively Just defensively just defensively his Pres is going to not only create Havoc For opposing teams but also create Opportunities for his current teammates Kellin Johnson the spacing for him to Attack Deon Vel same thing you know Hitting down threes you know Doug mcder Who's still on the roster I mean wide Open looks if if wimy gets double or Triple teams throughout the season so I Really think this team uh you know
Shouldn't really be you know pushed away Quite yet let's see what they look like See if this our cooking we really get a Sense of where this team is going I Would say close to the all-star break Coming up which team has the best chance To land the top spot in the NBA draft Lottery but first how does free Thanksgiving sound this year ibata it is Here to give you cash back and help make Sure your Thanksgiving table is complete Because who wants turkey without the Gravy turkey's great but we all know the Best part of Thanksgiving dinner is the Sides with ibata you can make sure you Get the whole family's favorite side Dishes in the turkey all while getting Yourself cash back big holidays mean big Family get togethers but you don't have To spend all that money on the Thanksgiving spread without something in Return with iata you can get your turkey And all of your favorite sides for free Starting November 1st for the fourth Year in a row ibata is giving 100% cash Back on your Thanksgiving feast ibata Gives you cash back on hundreds of Grocery items from produce to personal Care to Pantry Goods so you can make Sure you're beating inflation no matter What you're purchasing download the Abata app now and use code locked to get 100% cash back on your Thanksgiving Dinner starting November first just go
To the app store or Google Play Store And download the free ibata app and use Code lock that's iBot TTA in the Google Play or App Store and use code Locked Mike and I had an opportunity to Talk when the Blazers uh when they Drafted scoot Henderson but we talked a Little bit about scoot getting at the Top of the the draft from 2023 we' Talked about wmy who we have not spoken About Doug is Brandon Miller so your Second overall pick in the NBA draft was Also remember of course everybody knew When was going to go one one but there Was a kind of flirtation about Brandon Miller going one or will it be Brandon Or scoot how that was going to go so I'm Interested to know now that you've been Able to cover him for a couple of months And kind of seen him in action kind of Preparing what do you think about him And what he can bring to the table for The Hornets I think there's a lot of Promise in Brandon Miller I think he he He has a high floor and I think the Potential for a high ceiling a lot of It's going to depend over the next Couple of years what he can do with his Body um can he make some Jason Tatum Esque Transformations both in his Ability to handle the basketball and Also uh you know putting weight on on What is now a a thin frame uh so you Know those those questions will be
Answered not in this rookie season uh Where I think he's going to be Contending with uh some significant Wing Depth uh for Charlotte he'll certainly Play a major role uh in this rotation um But it's it's not going to be I think You know 35 minute starter every night At least not early on maybe maybe Towards the end of the season if if the Hornets uh stay in this tanking Conversation um you know I I think a lot Of the conversation that we've had so Far I think Mike and Brandon hit this Nail on the head the reason that all of These teams are at the Tank table right Now and we'll throw the Pistons in here As well is that they're all searching For both a team identity and figuring Out the individual identities of the Players that are currently on the roster And figuring out that team identity has To come first the Hornets don't don't Really have a team identity the team Identity is lamelo ball is a very good Basketball player and watching him is Very fun but that's not an identity that Wins you you have to establish what you Are as a team and um you know I think Steve Clifford the head coach is doing His best under um difficult Circumstances he came into last Offseason late because the Hornets Failed to seal the deal on Kenny Atkinson
And then the team suffered so many Injuries last season they're in an Accidental tank situation I mean they Shouldn't have been here you know had The team stayed healthy they had an Opportunity last season to do a little Bit better than they did um so you know Steve Clifford has a big challenge to Figure out how some of these uh some of The old new pieces are going to be Integrated into this roster as well as Brandon Miller but they're trying to Figure out that identity and then Figuring out the individual identities Which players will make sense to keep And and which play Do you need to get rid of in order to Continue to establish that identity I Think that's going to be a big question All season long for the Charlotte Hornets yeah are they gonna are they Gonna stay a little more veteran like Are they gonna play Gordon Hayward and They're gonna play Miles Bridges and Brandon Miller just going to have to Like chill until January like you know They're in a weird spot because they Have some uh as the term I use adults They got some adults in the room and but They're like maybe not good enough to Play 30-year-olds what do you think how Do you think that's going to shake Out yeah I think that again the team's Goal is still playoffs because the the
One thing you have to look at is lamelo Ball has yet to play a playoff game and They just gave him a Max contract he Needs playoff experience I think one of My biggest criticisms of how the team is Handled this first little era of lamelo Ball basketball CU look they knew early On that they had struck gold with lamelo Ball now they didn't know okay is this Is this player going to turn out to be An all NBA player or an every once in a While All-Star player and and I think They're pretty sure now after they've Given him the max contract that he has The ability to reach that all-nba mvp Kind of now a lot has to happen but they They feel like the potential is there But they knew they had something early On and I think they wasted a lot of time Hoping that some of the young talent That they had drafted pre- lamelo ball Would you know Excel enough that they Could lift them into the playoffs and it Didn't happen they got blown out in two Straight playin games and so now you Have this player in L Melo ball who Doesn't have that playoff experience and You haven't brought in A lot of veteran players that could you Know by proxy get give your roster some Of that and look they've had everybody I Think everyone here knows and I think Everyone listening knows that the Charlotte Hornets have had a lot of off
Thec court issues that have been you Know distractions for this team and one Wonders had they worked earlier to bring In some veteran experience both on and Off the court would they be sitting at The Tank table right now I would say No yeah and I would agree with you Because having covered the Hawks and Being a part of that organization Definitely when the Hornets would come Into town that was the conversation They're they're showing glimpses of what They can be and it was always like w wow I wonder if healthy and under the right Tutelage coach wise and like you said Bringing in just one or two veterans to Kind of stabilize similar to the way the Hawks did in getting Vince Carter to Come here for a couple of years to kind Of stabilize things for Trey young That's the kind of thing that probably Needs to happen as well um you know for The Hornets to kind of find their Identity but also to to ascend and of Course Lou Williams much the same was Extremely helpful to the second unit so We talk a lot about the guys who Obviously were drafted at the top of This pass draft to get these teams where They want to be but then you've got Those guys who are like second unit and With the right veteran could really Contribute now one of the things I Wanted to ask you guys as well is this
Is interesting because we're talking Tankers But we're not talking tankers because When I listen to you guys talk about the Young Core some of your young cores maybe Other than Mike's Blazers young core but Some of these young cores seem like they Have the opportunity to actually not be A tanker whether that's the playin Tournament or um and I think Jeff you You mentioned it kind of sneaking in at That number 10 spot or whether they just Surprisingly sneak in you know anywhere From seven to 10 so when you look at the Young cores for your teams which one of Those young cores do you think think has That most upside potential or has he Potential to kind of Shock the World This season I wouldn't say shock the World because but I think the Spurs do Have the potential simply because the Wi's in town now I think that that's it He just boost everybody on that Court Offensively and defensively you were Talking about identity earlier the Spurs Players individually have been vocal About what they would like the identity To be obviously pop is going to have the Ultimate say but Devon Vel recently Spoke uh in San Antonio about This team wanting to be a running gun Type style and because wimy can do that And nearly you know not traditional you
Know point guard okay Trey Jones you're The point guard you get us up here I Mean it's bizarre for me to say this but A 7 foot5 in shoes wimy could be the Point guard running that fast break so I Think that that's what they would like To see the identity personally I think With still pop is there I think their Identity is still going to be on defense Uh you just look at La not this past Draft but the last year's draft who do They select Jeremy silan known for Defense out of Baylor just surprised Everybody he had a little bit of Offensive game so I I think you're Probably going to see a mix of that in San Antonio a lot of running and gunning Uh a lot of Defense uh also too but as Far to your question about upside and You whatnot yeah for me you know it's Spurs I could have been host of lockon Blazers I probably would have said hey It's probably the Spurs simp because of Wimy but uh but I think I think the Spurs have that edge right now as far as Potential to come out of the tanker you Know Corral if you will H with with all Due respect to my host from the lock on Spurs podcast the Charlotte Hornets uh You know if you look at how they're Constructed two seasons ago they won 43 Games in the Eastern Conference and They're generally the same team with a Few added um pieces so I think Charlotte
Definitely has the opportunity uh to to Reclaim some of that off offensive Firepower that they showcased two Seasons ago and they've got a coach Installed now in Steve Clifford that Knows how to get young players to play Better team defense if you combine those Now they're not going to win 50 games I Don't think they're going to win 43 but Certainly I think they have uh the best Opportunity among this group uh to Reclaim what they did just two seasons Ago because everything that the Spurs And wimy have to prove they're going to Have to prove it for the very first time Charlotte has already shown that this Core Group can a achiev something um it Wasn't very much but they've achieved Something the race to 38 wins baby let's Go let's go 38 38 coming up which team has the quickest Path out of the tankers but first snap Into action this NFL season with FanDuel America's number one Sportsbook right Now new customers get $200 in bonus bets Guaranteed when you place a $5 bet That's too $200 in bonus bets win or Lose if you've been thinking about Joining FanDuel there's no better time To get in on the action the app is so Easy to use there's a wide range of Betting options including spreads player Props over unders and more so visit Fanduel.com lockon and kick off the NFL
Season FanDuel is the official partner Of the NFL and listen you can visit Fanduel.com and include money their Money lines or props so many Opportunities there and look the NFL Season is a great example of a topsy Turby season where you probably need Some good insight to help you to make The right bet so again visit fanduel.com Lockon and kick off the NFL season with The official partner of the NFL I think we need to talk about Long-term success though if you look at The Wizards I think for the long-term Vision they're set they're setting Themselves up for success in the future Because you know look at the front Office Tommy Shepard is gone you know Now you have a front office where you Have three guys who could easily be GMS Of their own team um if you look at the Coaching staff West Jr is under the Microscope but they added coaches to the Staff that know how to develop so you Know it kind of puts him in a position Where it's saying hey you got all the Tools available now you got to progress But they're laying the foundation for a Long-term success in DC cuz look we Haven't won a championship since ' 70s So and you know if you look at the Previous administration you know Tommy Shepard and Ted leonis they were happy Just making the play making the playoffs
And being mediocre we now we finally Have Vision we finally have a Target Which is contention that's something That we just had a press conference from From our uh G our front office and the Biggest thing they kind of emphasized Was you know building a sustainable Contender not just you know trying to be A one hit wonder make them you know plan And be happy no trying to build a Championship Contender so yeah I agree In the short term look we're not going To be good for the next three to four Years but I think that is necessary and It's not tanking you know per se but we Definitely are emphasizing you know Progression of young Talent which is Something we haven't always did in DC You know you the last player that we Actually signed to a second contract was Auto porter so I mean you know we got to Start resigning these young guys Developing these young guys you know Finding guys that really implement the System that we're trying to run so and They're doing all that you know new Front office new coaching staff you know They're laying the foundation for Long-term success yeah shortterm yeah it Ain't looking pretty but and that's what I like about about the the the spur Situation right now because as much as All eyes are on that big Frenchman in The middle if you look off the court
They're setting themselves up for short And long term uh I I think they're going To be running the NBA draft for years to Come with the amount of uh you know Picks they got in their War chest um yes Flippable players I still think Everybody outside of wimy and maybe soan Is still on the table if the right deal Comes along they traded away in allar De Jonte Murray traded away D Derek white To get where they are right now and Let's talk about their financial Situation they got a lot of money they Got a Deep Pockets so if they really Want to fast forward this get out of the Tank uh Corral that they're do that Immediately if the right deal comes Along yeah and I think if you show that Patience to your point Jeff they have The ability to kind of play around with It they don't have to make any you know Rash judgments if you will and um I I Think I like that about really and and I Was thinking about what you were saying As well as what doug was saying just in Relation to the Hawks and just kind of The back and the forth and kind of Deciding which way you want to go and You know who's kind of that um that Marquee player so you guys have kind of Mentioned some of those Marquee players For your teams not just those who came Who came through uh the last draft but Maybe some of those players that are
Kind of two or three years in this is Kind of difficult but I'm gonna ask the Question anyway as we wrap up because as You guys kind of look into your crystal Ball and you see what you guys think This your teams can be whether it's this Year two or three years from now Etc Who's going to get them there like who's That player that you say is going to be If that player remains with the team for The next three to years you guys will Say yeah that guy he's the one he's the Catalyst he's the best player for my Team I'm going to roll with Jordan po Because um several reasons for that if You look at his age he hasn't even hit His prime yet um he's you know he's kind Of a pop icon you know the NBA um as Opposed to other sports such as Major League Baseball the NFL the NBA is more Of a culture sport because it's shoes And so many different things and you Know look at Jordan P you know he's Known to you know play better when his Girls on the sidelines stuff like that And you know just mean about it and um But the thing about the thing about DC And why that helps is because DC has Never been a free agent destination That's something we struggle with for a Long time but he's got that personality And he's got that play style that people Are going to want to come to DC to play With him so I'm GNA say Jordan P because
Yeah young as far as our young pieces um You you could easily win it with B Kabali but the funny thing about the Wizard is that there's hesitancy to get Rid of some of his young talent but There isn't because if you look at Johnny Davis Denny and Cor They were all drafted from the previous Administration so there's not a lot of Loyalty there you know a lot of the Chips are going in the middle for black Kabai cuz he was the first pick on the The new front office so they you have to See some returns on these young guys Pretty fast because like I said there's Not a lot of loyalty but overall I'm Rolling with Jordan P he gonna be a pool Party in DC Definitely I mean I don't know if Jordan P's most recent co-workers would agree That a lot of people want to play With well maybe it changed from one Coast to the next to the other will kind Of help he did move very far away he Moved very far away lot of lot of punch You can get from Golden State a lot of Punch at that pool party well I mean I Mean you you make a good point but if You look at Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson they both come came out and Said um look he was very productive you Know he he was he was very key that Didn't winning the champ he was great During the title run yeah for sure for
Sure and I mean yeah you can look at Draymond and Draymond has issues with a Lot of people but um if you look at you Know Clay his comments even igod doala Look igod doala I forget how long he's Been in the league I mean I remember him From the 76ers days but he had high Marks that said you know he's usually The first guy in the gym and if you look At you know leadership you know last Year if you look at leadership of the Wizards it was K kza the biggest leader You would expect Bradley Bill but it Wasn't K kman was that guy but Jordan PS Kind of emerged as a dark horse Leadership guy because you know the day That b bow Kabal got drafted he was a First phone call to him you know over The over the offseason you know Jordan Paol got everybody together brought him Out to LA to work and even now there's You know there pictures through the Organization it shows everybody working Now you know building chemistry so you Know I'm seeing all the right things From Jordan pool you know is is it's Kind of you know it's one thing to judge A player from way on the other side of The coast but when he's in your Organization you really get that Coverage and see oh this is what he's Really about and he's young he's hungry He wants to win but he's coming here With a clear mind because uh we did the
Show on um you know the Draymond Comments and we said he was take a high Rad you know he could have easily Clapped back said something to him but He did he took the high road and that Shows a lot about his Moxy where he's Hit at so this team is Young definitely A rebuilding team but there's Clarity in This organization that we haven't always Had so that's one High Mark for Us you guys want easy mine's easy mine's Mine's lamelo ball I mean it it all Start it begins and ends with lamelo Ball uh can he stay healthy that's the Big question he um injured his left Ankle three times last season and he Fractured his right ankle so so he got Both and uh only played in 36 games but In the games that he did play especially Those games in February where he was Averaging 26 and 26 points and 11 Assists per game I mean he he flashed uh For just a brief moment what could be For the Charlotte Hornets and and it all Starts and and ends with him because he Uh when he's on the floor when he's in When he's um you know in his bag he is One of the best facilitators one of the Best Playmakers in the league can he Improve his defense can he become a Little bit more disciplined can he cut Some of the frustration fouls the things That uh you know fouled him out of Several games last season can he cut
Some of that out without losing what Makes lamelo lamelo which is intuitive Which is creative which is explosive Dynamic all those fun words that you Associate with lamelo ball can he keep That but at the same time add discipline That's going to be sort of the hinge Point between him becoming an all NBA Player and if that happens then the sky Is a limit for the Charlotte Hornets for the Spurs it's obvious it's Wimy it's keeping them happy keeping him Healthy and keeping this team moving Forward it's very simple he's going to Have to battle not only just the hype That is surrounding him and even even I I'm at the point of already saying like Okay I need to see him walk the walk now You know because I heard a lot of talk Talk so uh so it's keeping him happy Keeping him healthy we know historically About these type of players in this Build and uh showing him that this team Is going to make the right move to get Him into the proc land again different Situation you know Tim ducking came into A readymade team rem's coming into a Team that technically is still in a Rebuild mode so showing him that they Can get out of this rebuild I mean maybe It's not a rebuild with capital letters It's more lowercase letters now but just To get out of that tunnel get into the Playin get back to the titles because
Think about it his basketball Idol was Tony Parker and what did he see growing Up watching Tony Parker postseason Awards Spurs on TV almost daily and Monthly River parades up and down San Antonio Hall of Fame so he's gonna he Wants that I mean for crying out loud he Wore a number nine jersey at a Basketball camp in France when he was a Teenager so well not say teenag he's the Teenager but yeah kid just you know just Growing up so I think getting wmy and uh You know right uh let him develop on his Own and uh maybe you know just for me Just not locking him up and letting him As far as social media is concerned and Being out there active at Spurs are Doing good job about that uh you know Just being a little bit more accessible I think because he's has a brand now This is a different era for the Spurs Franchise a player that has is going to Be looking for his brand Timmy didn't Want that at all he pushed that Aside Tony maybe was the closest before Wmy dare I say the most marketable spur Was David Robinson mean David Robinson used to be On movies everybody he was in a rap Video with MC Hammer he was going to Arino Hall shows so this is this is now Wm's time so I want to see the Spurs Allow him to be that again just keeping Him happy Spurs should be all right free
The Frenchman Doug what do you think About uh I'm curious Doug what do you Think about letting players freely use Social media what's Your uh Kai do you ask K do you ask that Question I'm just throwing it out there I know that Yeah yeah no it's it's it's always a uh A difficult thing uh when when these Guys because look you're drafting guys Younger and younger and we've had we Actually we had an interesting Conversation on lockdown Hornets about The risk of drafting raw prospects on The floor like Kai Jones because you Know you're investig especially in the First round because you're investing in Guys that you know you're where you Don't know what they're going to be on The floor for for another 2 or 3 years And now you have to that's all that time Window for them to change as an Individual and these are younger and Younger players coming in the league and Young people change especially when you Give them a lot of money you know that Tends to change people sometimes and so EV valuating these draft prospects is Just getting harder and harder not on The floor we we kind of have that Figured out we can tell you if Somebody's college stats are indicative Or uh maybe um you know masking Something else but it's harder and
Harder to figure out are these guys Going to come in be invested in becoming Great and stay invested and becoming Great that's been difficult and Certainly has bitten the Hornets a few Times and why again why they're at this Tanker table right now yeah yeah and for You Mike who's the guy with if you look At the Blazers as we wrap up if you look At the core for the Blazers three to Five years from now who are you saying Assuming that any they survive this Somebody from this uh this whole I'll Say the dam the end of the Dame era Survives who would that guy be the best Well it's got to be scoot Henderson sort Of luckily for the the transition out of The Dame era is the Blazer spent two Years being terrible at the end of his Uh career so they've they've kind of Already stocked up on highle draft picks Um it's maybe the reason that he wrote A A you know a rap song angry at the Organization on his way out of town Shout out to my man um but but but uh Yeah you can check it out wherever you Get streaming music it's it's called Farewell um but yeah it's got to be Scoot Henderson like it's got to be they They drafted him to be the era parent Drafting him was part of pushing Dame Finally out the door he was going to Leave anyways but finally out the door You know scoot has all NBA potential
Like that that's that's his level um It's just when does he get there right Like a guy like Lelo ball is I think an Interesting analog for scoot because in Year two at 21 years old lamelo was an All-Star and he was obviously going to Be very good but then it hasn't been he Hasn't had the same amount of success Cuz he had been on the floor scoot needs To follow that path by year two be in That conversation and if he's in that Conversation it accelerates what the Blazers are going to do um if he's not Then they'll have to make some other Decisions but scoots scoot's the guy um And you hope Shaden sharp is along is There with him so C the Pistons have Made some pretty notable moves this Offseason trading for Monty Mars and Joe Harris you also have another year of Katie Cunningham on the book so what do You feel like this ceiling is for this Pistons roster I think this ceing for This team is hovering around mid-30 wins For this upcoming season you're going to Get another like you said of K Cunningham hopefully fully healthy Through throughout the entire season get To see his development um and they Obviously hired Monty Williams who is One of the better coaches over the last Few years so definitely improved some in The offseason they added some veterans Like you mentioned in Joe Harris and
Monty uh Monty Morris um so the team Plans to be better I don't think this is A playoff team yet but they certainly Plan to be much better than they were Last year um if they can hover around The 30 win Mark I think that would be Considered a successful season for him Yeah and and I would agree as well Because when you look back at 2015 2016 That's the last season where they had a Winning record 44 and 38 but you got to Believe that with Kate Cunningham and With jayen Ivy and some of the veterans That they added on the rostar Thompson That it's going to be a good look for Them to at least make some noise you Know and kind of coup they remind me of Like an Orlando Magic right like we Don't quite know what we're going to see But they definitely have the pieces and I I think more importantly to your point They've got Monty Williams he's someone Who has won at the highest level maybe Just short of obviously a title but Definitely has won at the highest level Has had some of the best players future Hall of Famers and can probably bring a Lot in terms of his philosophy and Expectations and having a winning Mindset to this team but when you think Of it now that you've seen him through Training camp and and starting to just Get closer to the regular season what do You think is that one thing maybe that
Monty Williams brings that tells you hey Yeah I think this is going to be the Difference Maker for this team well I'm Happy that you mentioned Orlando Magic Because that's a team that I've said all Offseason that the Pistons should be Trying to aim they should try to aim to Be last year's Orlando Magic where They're not in the playin but you very Clearly see that the future is bright Everyone's talking about them Everything's looking good future– wise So you don't have to make the plan but If they're looking at you like everyone Did last year's Orlando Magic I think They're on the right pace um but with Monty Williams I think the one thing I'm Watching with Monty Williams is two Things one are they actually going to Play players that maybe they that give You the better chance to win right now Or are they still going to give more Time to just developmental players um so Far everything we've heard sounds like That hey you're gonna have to be the Better player to be able to see the Floor so no more handing out minutes Just to guys that you know because They're young and you want to see them Play try to get development it sounds Like that it's just going to be about Whoever's the best player is going to be Touching the floor which also you know Causes a lot of battling and causes
Young players to maybe you know up their Game a little bit to know that there's Expectation among them to be able to get On the floor that's the first thing and Then the second thing would be Offensively one thing with Dwayne Casey That I was not too big of a fan of the Last few years was the creativity within The offense and I hope based off what I've I've talked to with uh within the Suns Community some of the games I watch In the Phoenix Suns I hope that Monte Brings some of that creativity that he Had offensively with Devon Booker and CP3 over to the Pistons when it comes to K cam Jay Ivan even Jaylen durren and Assar Thompson their first preseason Game happened and you already saw them Using Jaylen Duran at the Hub passing From the high post you saw assar Thompson running the break in transition You saw them doing a bunch of stuff Especially a lot of high pick and rooll With Cade so that's probably the main Thing schematically that I'm looking Forward to for Monty yeah I like what where you're Going with that one because yeah when we It's interesting because having that Conversation about the magic and having Seen them you as they played the Hawks Down here in Atlanta I thought to myself Like yeah there are times when you look At a roster on paper and you say wow
They're up and coming but having covered The of course covering the Hawks and Having seen the Magic in action and then Last year um seeing Kade when Kade was You know healthy seeing him in action is Is it's a he's a pretty special player So I think you're absolutely right there Are enough pieces in there for the Pistons to at least say hey we haven't Arrived but we're arriving and then Let's be real cool the Eastern Conference is kind of the cray cray Right at least that's what I like to say Because you've always got the one two Punch essentially of the Bucks and Celtics and maybe sometimes you know the Heat will creep in and every now and Again the Bulls will kind of threaten to Get in the onew but I honestly feel like After you get past the one and the two It's just anybody's game as far as like Who gets the three through six seed and Who ends up in the play in and it was as We saw down to the last minute literally Like the last day of the Season where we Figured out who was actually going to be In the playin in the Eastern Conference So you just never kind of know what Happened uh in this conference and of Course we know a lot of it is dictated By other things that are outside of the Team's uh control like injuries but Ultimately speaking I think if you have A guy like Monty Williams at the head of
The organization then you're doing very Good and I want to go back to something You said as well we were talking about Maybe getting into the 30s with the Number of wins that we you expect to see From the Pistons this season now the Line that FanDuel actually gave was About 25 and a half so just out of Curiosity what are your thoughts on how That how the Pistons would be able to Maybe get into the 30s I I think that if The the Pistons should be aiming I think For 32 wins this season that would be a 15- win improvement over the last season Now last year there's a lot of Discussion about whether the Pistons Actually were the worst team in the NBA This past season or if it was only Because Kade got hurt I think Kade maybe Adds a few wins but I still think the Pistons would have been probably a Bottom three team nonetheless last Season um I say that to say that a 15- Win jump sounds like a lot when you look At normal 17 win teams but I think the Pistons probably were hovering around Like a real life 21 to 22 win team so 10 Wins still would be a big jump but not As drastic as a jump as like 15 or 16 Games would be so I think 32 wins should Be right around where they are however The Pistons I don't think have went over Their win total or win projection like The last five years so I'm going to stay
Away from taking the over but the team Themselves they should be eyeing to go And they definitely should feel like 32 Wins at least should be in reach I Definitely will be watching to see if One two three four all five of these Teams will creep out of the tanker Bubble so that'll do it for episode six Of the ultimate NBA season preview with Our tankers to find out where all of the NBA teams land this season don't forget To check out locked on NBA and get all Six episodes of the ultimate season Preview
Living in Charlotte North Carolina
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Charlotte has a lot of fun things to do for locals and out of towners. There are festivals for every interest, great music and food, and of course plenty of sports to watch! The city is home to teams at all levels of American football, basketball, and baseball.
In addition to major finance companies like Bank of America and Wells Fargo, Charlotte also has strong job markets in healthcare and energy. The city’s housing market is growing faster than the national average and is very affordable compared to other large cities in the United States.
Charlotte’s temperate climate makes it a very enjoyable place to live year-round. While it does get hot and humid in the summer, it’s never unbearable. In the winter, a day skiing in the mountains of Blowing Rock and Banner Elk is just a short drive away. Lake Norman is also a popular lake to visit and enjoy some water sports or just relax by the beach.
Charlotte is a very walkable city with many areas being within walking distance to each other. However, most residents of the city commute by car. The city does have a train and bus system called the LYNX, but the service is limited in some areas. The city also has a wide range of private transportation options for those without vehicles. Living in Charlotte North Carolina is a great option for those looking to move to a big city with a small-town feel!