The Miami Heat have plenty storylines entering this season, including Jimmy Butler, Damian Lillard, Caleb Martin and Kyle Lowry
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00:00 All right, hello, everybody.
00:05 Thank you all for tuning in.
00:06 My name is Jay Narmont.
00:07 I'm here with my boy, Anthony Pasciola.
00:10 Is that how you pronounce your last name?
00:13 Pasciola, close.
00:14 All right.
00:15 All right.
00:16 I was close enough.
00:17 Anyway, we are the undrafted rookie free agents, sports writers at the Miami Heat, a fan nation
00:24 on their Sports Illustrated.
00:26 And today we're talking about the Miami Heat and everything going on around the NBA.
00:30 So Anthony, let's just dive right in.
00:33 So starting off with the Heat this week, a lot of rumors have been spreading about the
00:40 Damian Lillard trade per usual.
00:42 And one name that's been brought up more than normal over this past week is Caleb Martin.
00:48 And the fact that the Heat have been more hesitant to include him in the deal than we
00:53 first thought.
00:54 Do you think the Heat should look to trade him, look to hold on to him?
00:57 What's your take on that?
01:00 It's like it's so hard because, you know, if the trade does eventually happen and, you
01:05 know, Lillard isn't the piece that, you know, we expected him to be, we're going to look
01:10 back in hindsight and be like, oh, we just traded, you know, the guy who basically got
01:16 us to the finals.
01:17 I mean, he was the most consistent player in the Eastern Conference finals.
01:24 And a lot of people argued that he should have won the MVP over Jimmy Butler.
01:29 I mean, obviously, Butler was a better player throughout the entire playoffs.
01:34 But when you talk about consistency and you talk about that series alone, I do think Caleb
01:40 Martin was the piece that propelled us over the edge.
01:45 Ted, I mean, you know, he was our starting power for most of the year that, you know,
01:51 didn't work out.
01:52 But the fact that he was willing to play not only as a starter, but outside of his role
01:58 for the majority of the season and then have the playoff series that he had, you know,
02:03 it does increase his value, which is why I think Portland would want him in the trade.
02:09 So I mean, although I would really like to get Damian Lillard, I understand the hesitancy
02:15 to trade Caleb Martin.
02:17 Yeah, and in every trade, you know, you give and you take.
02:20 So sacrifices are going to have to be made on Miami's end, especially if Portland's not
02:27 interested in Hero, which, you know, is understandable because they have Scoot over there.
02:32 They have Shaden Sharp.
02:33 They have Ant Bernie Simons.
02:34 Why?
02:35 Why?
02:36 Why do we need Hero?
02:37 I feel like it's really just a give and take situation and we'll just have to see what
02:41 they do.
02:42 Right now, I completely agree.
02:46 And you know, keep it on that same topic with the Heat and Blazers.
02:50 A lot of reports have come out within the past few days of after, I would say, a couple
02:56 weeks of pretty much silence in the situation.
03:00 It sounds like the Heat are going to pick up trade talks again before the start of training
03:04 camp.
03:05 How important do you think it is for the Heat to maybe acquire Lillard before training camp
03:10 gets started?
03:11 How do you think that will play into the next season?
03:14 I mean, I think it's crucial, like getting him accustomed to the team, building those
03:21 both on court and off court relationships, you know, getting into the system.
03:26 How is he going to play alongside whoever the other starting guard would be?
03:32 Which I think if we do have to trade Hero, you know, to a third team, it would probably
03:38 be Jay Rich in the starting lineup alongside him.
03:41 So just how will he mold with him?
03:43 How will he mold with Jimmy Butler?
03:45 Because I mean, they're both high level scorers, which is great.
03:48 But like now, does Jimmy become the number two option on the team?
03:53 Or you know, does Damian Lillard, you know, sit back and let Butler continue to do his
03:59 thing?
04:00 I don't think that's going to happen.
04:01 I think if we do acquire Lillard, he is going to be the number one scorer.
04:06 And Jimmy will take a, you know, a backseat, not a backseat, but he won't have to have
04:10 like the, you know, 40, 50 point performances that he had in the playoffs.
04:17 So yeah, I think to answer your question, I think it's very important for him, like
04:21 us to get him before training camp.
04:24 And as you were saying about, you know, who's going to be the number one scorer on a team
04:28 with, you know, two top tier scorers around the league, I feel like we saw a really good
04:34 perspective of what Butler does alongside another star when he was in Philly alongside
04:39 Embiid.
04:40 I think that worked out really well.
04:43 And you know, if he stuck around in Philadelphia, I could have 100% seen them at least reaching
04:49 the finals.
04:50 But you know, Kawhi Leonard kind of ruined that in the second round.
04:55 Yeah.
04:56 And then more to that point, you know, Bam, he doesn't have to have the pressure of being
05:01 the number two scorer because, you know, he just hasn't really been consistent enough.
05:06 He could focus, you know, strictly on defense and rebounding.
05:11 Yeah, that's really important, especially considering, you know, all that pressure he
05:16 has not only on the defensive side at only six foot nine, but all that rebounding.
05:23 Right.
05:25 And one thing I actually want to bring up and we can cut to the clip in a second is
05:30 I had the pleasure of interviewing Heat forward Kevin Love earlier this week.
05:35 And, you know, the first thing I kind of asked him about was when he first came to the Heat
05:41 around midway through last season, who were the guys that he was looking to first make
05:46 relationships with?
05:48 And I think he did a really good job of explaining, you know, he wanted to make sure he first
05:53 got in with those veteran guys like Jimmy and you guys has them.
05:58 But he also made sure to reach out to a guy like Bam or Tyler, who are on the younger
06:03 side but still play a large leadership role from the team.
06:09 Right.
06:10 Yeah, I actually I watched a bit of that and I that part stick like stuck out with me because,
06:15 you know, Kevin is a veteran guy.
06:18 So him, you know, getting to know guys like Jimmy Butler, you don't has has Kyle Lowry,
06:24 who he's battled in the east over the, you know, the past couple of years in those Raptors
06:30 Cavs playoff games.
06:34 So yeah, I mean, and I think that's part of why I emphasize getting Dame early so that
06:40 he can have that same like, you know, getting to know the veteran guys as well.
06:47 Absolutely.
06:48 And I would say all things considered, this was a relatively quiet week for the Heat.
06:54 But in terms of the rest of the league, it was pretty eventful.
06:57 You know, I think the top of the list around the rest of the league has to be Team USA,
07:03 you know, falling short in the FIBA World Cup ended up in fourth place, which was pretty
07:08 disappointing for USA standards in big tournaments.
07:14 But what everybody's talking about is this revamped team that could be coming to Paris
07:20 next year.
07:21 I believe it was Shams who reported that LeBron has already kind of made a verbal commitment,
07:27 along with a lot of other guys.
07:30 Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry.
07:32 I mean, you have to imagine that team brings home the gold pretty easily, right?
07:36 Yeah, I mean, like we barely lost to Germany, right?
07:40 I mean, we were sending guys, I mean, like, if we're talking about Team USA standard,
07:48 those are like third string guys, you know, like, you know, budding superstars.
07:54 So if we bring out LeBron, like you said, Steph Curry, KD, Jimmy Butler, Jason Tatum,
08:02 I mean, there's just not going to be enough to counter all that.
08:06 But yeah, it was very underwhelming, especially having Dylan Brooks put 39 on us was was kind
08:13 of the icing on the cake.
08:15 Yeah, definitely.
08:16 I mean, you know, you look at that roster, and you just can't imagine any other country
08:21 competing with us.
08:22 It just really won't happen.
08:25 But even outside the NBA, you know, the NFL season just started up.
08:30 And we're both pretty, pretty avid NFL fans, I would say, you know, what what are a few
08:35 takeaways you had from week one?
08:38 So you know, staying in Miami, Tua looked really good.
08:42 Tua and Tyreek Hill looked really, really good.
08:46 Yeah, and now that Aaron Rodgers is officially out for the year, I think that the Dolphins
08:53 have a shot at being, you know, playing second in the division, or even first because Buffalo
09:00 doesn't really look that good.
09:02 I mean, Josh Allen looked terrible.
09:07 And he's a, he's a quarterback that I always defend.
09:10 But like, I mean, the turnovers, I just can't I can't justify.
09:15 Yeah, it feels like every year Josh Allen comes out and he has at least two or three
09:19 of these games where he just constantly turns the ball over.
09:23 So you know, I expect Buffalo to pick things back up soon.
09:26 But I don't know, Tua did look very good, as you said.
09:31 He did.
09:33 But you know, one team that didn't look so hot, or two teams, I should say, was Kansas
09:39 City and the Eagles, both Super Bowl teams.
09:42 You know, I can understand Kansas City because, you know, without Kelsey, without Chris Jones,
09:48 we should see both of them back this week.
09:50 I believe Kelsey is still questionable, but is expected to play.
09:54 I think if we see those two back against Jacksonville this upcoming week, they'll certainly, you
09:59 know, win that game, have a bounce back week, everybody will kind of quiet down about them.
10:05 But mainly the Eagles, man, like that offense did not look like it's explosive self from
10:10 last year.
10:11 And I think a large part of that has to do with losing their offensive and defensive
10:15 coordinator.
10:16 Yeah, I mean, that and like, they lost.
10:23 They lost CJ Gardner Johnson, they lost.
10:27 And Dominic can sue they lost Javon Hargrave, who was like one of the best defensive tackles
10:31 in the league, and he went to the 49ers.
10:34 Like, that's like the one team that in the NFC that you cannot like you can't give them
10:40 up to.
10:41 Yeah, I really, you know, on the offensive side, I think, like, you look at a guy like
10:47 Devonta Smith, who I think had like four receptions for 12 yards, or, you know, really disappointing
10:54 games from that receiving core that was pretty heavily considered to be in the top three.
11:01 Obviously, you know, you look to Miami, they're pretty clear the number one with Tyreek and
11:06 waddle over there, right, right behind them.
11:09 I think AJ Brown and Devonta Smith definitely make a case for number two in there.
11:13 Yeah, I mean, it was like, it was very underwhelming.
11:19 They very thankful that you know, their defense and their special teams play well, because
11:24 otherwise, that I think the Patriots would have won that game.
11:29 And unfortunately for me as a Patriots fan, they did.
11:31 But, you know, that that one stung a bit.
11:35 And I think, you know, the final two takeaways I had from week one, were one team that I
11:41 was pretty, pretty low on and they proved me right was the Minnesota Vikings.
11:46 I mean, they won 13 one score games last season, you just can't repeat that kind of success.
11:53 And just to go out there and lose to I believe Tampa Bay and Baker Mayfield, you know, that's
11:57 not a strong start.
11:59 No, yeah, I mean, I completely expected them to take a step back just because, like you
12:06 said, they won so many one like one score games and you just you can't replicate that.
12:12 Plus losing Dalvin Cook, they lost another big time defensive play.
12:16 I can't remember which one but um, yeah, so I definitely expect them to take a step back.
12:23 Yeah, they lost Patrick Peterson in that second.
12:26 Oh, yeah.
12:27 That's who I was thinking about.
12:30 That secondary looks scary.
12:32 Yeah.
12:33 But speaking of Patrick Peterson, he got burnt all game by by Brock Purdy.
12:38 We're not gonna talk about that.
12:40 Yeah.
12:41 And then I mean, the final one I would just want to bring up is the Dallas Cowboys winning
12:47 14 to nothing.
12:48 I mean, that was a pathetic performance by the Giants, especially for their standards.
12:54 Coming into this year looking to be a wildcard team.
12:57 Can't really expect them to be a divisional winner with the Eagles and the Cowboys there.
13:01 But you know, for a team that was expected to push for the playoffs to come out and lose
13:05 40 nothing week one isn't a joke.
13:09 Yeah, I mean, like I've always thought that Daniel Jones should have never got that contract
13:15 for 40 million dollars a year for a guy who just I mean, I just think he's a bad quarterback.
13:22 I really do.
13:23 And he proved it.
13:25 But it was that loss just wasn't all on him, though.
13:28 For as much as I get on him, I mean, the special teams was outclassed.
13:33 The defense was smothering the Giants offense like they just couldn't do anything all game.
13:39 Absolutely.
13:41 And you know, one one last thing about the heat dimension that's a little little less
13:45 on the court related is earlier today, a leak posted.
13:50 I'm not totally sure how reliable it is, but there were these picture of these jerseys
13:55 that were a potential concept going into next season.
13:58 I don't know if you got a chance to take a look at them, but they were a black jersey
14:02 that said heat culture on it.
14:04 You know, I feel like that perfectly describes the heat organization.
14:09 So, you know, what does the heat culture mean to you?
14:13 The heat culture just means like being unselfish, focused, like.
14:20 Being focused and willing to contribute to the you know, the team effort, which is why
14:26 I play I feel like players like, you know, Kyrie Irving or James Harden, as great as
14:32 they are, you know, their constant drama and sometimes their selfishness just wouldn't
14:37 you know, fit well with heat culture and playing your role there has shown so crucial to so
14:43 many guys.
14:45 You look at a guy like Kendrick Nunn just a few years ago, played a perfect role in
14:49 Miami, played it perfectly into that culture, got the contract somewhere else, and it just
14:55 kind of fell apart from there.
14:57 Right.
14:58 I you know, I'm not as concerned with Gabe Vincent this offseason, even though he is
15:03 in a sense directly following in Nunn's footsteps going to the Lakers.
15:07 But you know, I think Vincent provides a little more like scrappiness and a little more on
15:12 the defensive end.
15:14 Yes, I agree with that.
15:17 And you know, one other thing that was just absurd to me that I saw earlier was Ky Jones
15:25 on the Hornets.
15:26 You know, he's he's been over social media the last few weeks.
15:30 But today he made some specific ridiculous comments.
15:37 So the first thing he said is the new version of himself can match MVP and defensive player
15:44 of the year levels.
15:46 So you know, you look at guys like Jaron Jackson Jr.
15:50 Marcus smart list two winners and you just have to like you just have to think he's joking.
15:56 Yeah, I mean, obviously, I think he's just like he's going through something.
16:03 But yeah, I don't know.
16:06 Like guys, I can appreciate, you know, being confident and talking up a big game.
16:11 But that that's just insanely large expectations.
16:14 Yeah, absolutely.
16:16 But you know, this is the part where I really think you'll get a kick out of this.
16:20 So he also feels he can take on LeBron and Shaquille O'Neal in a one on one and considers
16:27 himself superior to his own teammates, Lamello Ball and Brandon Miller.
16:32 I did see that.
16:34 And that's again, I just I I'll just never understand.
16:41 Number one, comparing like trying to say that you'd beat somebody in a different era, like
16:46 Shaquille O'Neal or like just aspiring to that level, like if he would have said like
16:53 a smaller name, I'd be like, OK, but LeBron James, like I just I don't get that.
16:59 And bad mouthing your own teammates.
17:01 I'll never understand that either.
17:02 Yeah, that that's the opposite of heat culture, man.
17:06 I've never seen him in the heat before.
17:09 But I think the last thing I kind of want to wrap up today is a comment from a former
17:13 heat player, Marquise Morris.
17:16 So up to the finals last season, there was considered to be some bad blood between the
17:20 Nuggets and he because of the incident that happened between Marquise and Jokic, I believe
17:27 a year prior where, you know, he shoved him in the back and Morris just decided that he
17:32 was going to bring this back up.
17:34 And he said, what you all call it snuck.
17:36 Yeah, it was a sucker shot.
17:38 He's going to get his, though.
17:41 You know, I don't really see a need to bring up this situation again.
17:46 You know, it was in the past.
17:47 I mean, Jokic doesn't care if we're being honest.
17:52 But to go out of your way to threaten a guy is just a little absurd to me.
17:57 Yeah, it is a little absurd, considering it had happened a year and a half ago, like it
18:03 happened such a long time ago, which I can I can kind of understand.
18:09 You know, it ended his season.
18:11 So, you know, he has the right to be a little bit salty about it.
18:14 But if I'm revisiting the clip, technically, like.
18:24 I don't know, like I don't know all the specifics of it, but it looked like Morris, you know,
18:29 initiated it and then he kind of turned his back.
18:31 I'm not justifying Jokic in it, but it's just like you got to be prepared for anything.
18:36 I feel like.
18:37 Absolutely.
18:38 And, you know, wrapping up today's episode, you got to wish a happy birthday to the Heat
18:44 superstar Jimmy Butler.
18:45 Yes, sir.
18:46 Thirty four today, I believe.
18:48 Thirty five.
18:49 Thirty four.
18:50 Yep.
18:51 For absolutely.
18:52 Yep.
18:53 I mean, he's like he has revived Miami basketball, like literally since the moment he's come
18:59 here, we have had more success than, you know, ever since LeBron left.
19:05 That was a really rough patch in Miami's history.
19:09 You know, went through those four years with LeBron, Bosh and Wade had four straight finals
19:13 appearances, went through like a little five year, you know, struggle.
19:18 And then Butler comes in and just immediately put you back into that title contenders.
19:23 Right.
19:24 And I think that alone, you know, propels him to the Hall of Fame conversations.
19:28 Yeah, I wouldn't expect him unless he wins that championship to be first ballot.
19:34 But I do think at this point in his career, you know, the two finals appearances, everything
19:40 else he's done, I think it gets him there.
19:44 Absolutely.
19:45 Absolutely.
19:46 I agree with you.
19:48 Well, that wraps up today's episode, number two of the Un-Drafted Rookie Free Agents podcast.
19:55 Thank you all for watching.
19:57 I'm Anthony Pasiola here with Gene Armand and we'll see you next week.
20:01 Yes, sir.
20:02 See you all next week.
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