Boxed Out Podcast

A kiwi take on the NBA. Spotify link below.

[Boxed Out Podcast @boxedoutpod]

@nrlphysio I think people are missing that often refs escalate cards based on foul play.

If someone is KO from a shoulder they are more likely to give out a red, than if he’s not injured or if they are fine afterwards

We don’t see devastating leg injuries like this as often so it’s stark

[Boxed Out Podcast @boxedoutpod]

@samlutd If someone gets knocked out on a shoulder charge that definitely plays a role in it being upgraded. Think the same thing applies here

[Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @NYCMayor]

Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal.

[Marina Purkiss @MarinaPurkiss]

Finding this quite hard to stomach from a country that is bombing the shit out of other countries…

[Jeff @JeffFcb14]

Messi: 3 finales de mundial
Lamine: 1 final de mundial
Ronaldo: I’m back contra Uzbekistán

[Jovan Buha @jovanbuha]

My extended thoughts on the Lakers’ moves today (for those who didn’t catch my stream):

— I think the primary goal should’ve been to land a long-term piece next to Luka and Austin. There was no scenario in which the Lakers built a team as good as OKC's or SAS's in one offseason (especially after losing LeBron). They landed that foundational player in Walker Kessler, my top offseason target (at any position) and clear top C. Perfect fit. Franchise cornerstone who can be top 5 in FG%, rebounds, and blocks next season. Monster on both ends. Love the signing. Think the AAV is fair and in line with market value, especially re: poaching him in restricted free agency. From that perspective, the offseason is an unequivocal success. I give the Kessler trade an A (would’ve liked to have kept one pick and/or one swap out of it -- trade price was high). Add in Deandre Ayton and Mamu, and I think the Lakers have one of the strongest center cores in the league.

-- I also think the FO deserves credit for emptying the clip and going all-in for Kessler. The price was high, but I've criticized them for years for refusing to trade picks and meet some of the asking prices for young starters. It's only right to commend them when they actually do it. They went three transactional cycles with Luka without adding a high-level young starter. They finally did that.

— As for the other three moves, I like all three players individually, particularly on the offensive end. I see the vision there. Collectively, they check a ton of boxes: youth, speed, shooting, dynamism, ball-handling/playmaking, rebounding (Mamu). This can be a top-five, if not even top-three, offense.

-- At the same time, I view all three players as largely bench-level guys on a true contender. I view Grimes as a fringe starter/6MOY type, and Mamu and Sexton as high-level bench players. As of right now, two of those three project to start. It's similar to last season, when multiple guys were slotted into higher roles than they should've been (Smart, Rui, and Ayton).

-- I think LA overpaid each player by roughly $1M-$2M in AAV, based on the market and similar signings. Not the worst thing in the world, but I also don’t understand why those contracts also came with player options. Should’ve only been POs with lower AAV deals (or fewer years). Or the agreed-to AAV with no POs. Feels like they paid max market value on each player + gave the PO on top. Perhaps that had to do with waiting on Kessler S&T, but I think they needed to negotiate the AAV or PO down.

— I’m probably lower than consensus on Grimes. But I’ve come more around to the signing. I just think that, for now, they’re asking him to be: 1) the No. 3 option on a title contender, and 2) the defensive stopper on a title contender. I’m not sure either one of those is an appropriate ask of him. I think a proper slotting would be him as the fourth-best offensive player and the No. 2, or even 3, defender in a starting group. Offensively, he's an amazing fit, and the Lakers haven't had a role player with that skill set in years. Defensively, he'll need to channel his best stretches of defense far more consistently. Even then, I don't think he can be the best POA or wing defender on a title team (which he currently is among LA's top 7 players).

— Love Mamu’s game and skill set. Just don’t think he’s a starter on a contender -- especially defensively. The Lakers are now set up to have him or Luka defend wings that play at the 4. Not ideal. If the Lakers add a 4 and move him into a third big role, I love the fit and see the vision. He can shoot, pass, drive, and rebound. He’s going to unlock a ton for them offensively in two-big looks or as the single big. I think it’s close between him and Rui, but I understand why they picked him. He has a more well-rounded game. He's the one that I have the most issue with contract-wise. That deal should have been 3 years at $39M, or 4 years at $40M, with no PO (same AAV on the shorter deal or a lower AAV on the 4-year deal).

— Sexton is the signing I have the most reservations about. I think the Lakers would’ve been better served spending less $ — or even the same $ — retaining Marcus Smart or signing Kelly Oubre Jr. Both are much better defenders than Sexton, and could switch between POA and wing stopper roles at a higher level. Sexton is the better offensive player — better scorer/passer/shooter — but the Lakers’ obvious weakness with a Luka/AR/Kessler core is perimeter defense. I get the appeal of a scoring bench guard; I just think that archetype is easier to find than a (playable) wing/POA stopper. You can find the former on min deals every summer. You can't get the latter — most of the min. defenders aren't playoff-level guys. You can’t solve every hole in one transaction cycle, but the Lakers once again prioritized a small, offensive-minded guard over adding wing/perimeter defense. Sexton’s reputation as a defender is far beyond his actual defense. Even in the best-case scenario, he’s a 6-2 guard with switching limitations. The Lakers need good defenders in the 6-6 to 6-9 range. I would feel much better about this roster with Smart or Oubre in Sexton's place.

— The Lakers didn’t address the wing defense for the sixth consecutive offseason (post 2020-21 season). It’s been a real blind spot for them post-KCP/Caruso. Grimes and Sexton are not good enough to be the primary POAs/wing stoppers on a title team. If you consider the Lakers a top 10 team (which I still do), I think they have the worst collection of 1-4 defensive talent among those teams by a decent margin (NYK, SAS, OKC, TOR, PHI, DEN, MIN, HOU & DET). That’s before mentioning CLE, ORL, PHX, POR, etc. DEN is maybe the exception -- depending on their offseason -- but I’d still take Gordon or Watson over any Laker perimeter defender by a good margin.

-- I believe Kessler can be in the non-Wemby/Gobert conversation for best rim-protector in the league. He'll put out some of these fires, and is a massive upgrade over Ayton/Hayes. LA was the second-worst rim-protecting team in the NBA last season. That won't be the case this season. At the same time, he's not Wemby. He's not an elite defensive system in and of himself. He needs support. And the Lakers have built a rotation that is basically, "Let Kessler save us."

-- There are three wild cards in all of this: Adou Thiero, Cameron Carr, and Jake LaRavia. Adou and Carr have the athleticism and defensive upside LA desperately needs. Perhaps one of them pops and quells some of these concerns. I think that's a big ask for a second- and/or first-year player, respectively, but that's the challenge ahead. LaRavia's shot and offensive confidence declined over the second half of last season, and if he can return to shooting like SAC/MEM (high 30s), he can be a bench stopgap.

-- For those mentioning Vando, JJ has never used Vando as anything more than a 9th man when the team has been healthy over the past two seasons. They have clearly not clicked. JJ values shooting above almost all else. Perhaps LA is injured enough for Vando to factor in more, but I believe Jake will be ahead of him (again), and Adou and Carr may even be given opportunities ahead of him as well. This is all before factoring in the possibility that LA might trade him at some point.

-- Overall, I commend LA for going all-in for Kessler. They added their center of the future and a third foundational piece. I think they also added three high-level bench players, albeit on contracts that are far more player-friendly than team-friendly. I think they've probably taken a step back from last season. It's been a successful offseason, but I think they need to start prioritizing perimeter defense more seriously and look beyond players whose primary strength is having a bag.

-- As for comparing this group to last season, I don't think the new starting group or bench is as cohesive as last season's group. I think LA has 7 guys who could play in a series vs. NYK/OKC/SAS. Last season, I believe they also had 7, but they had more top-end talent with LeBron. Maybe Kessler is transformative enough defensively to offset that. I could be wrong. I think this group has a higher floor than last season's but a lower ceiling.

[Wizely 🫥🌙 @Wizelycook]

AD deadass only tweets like once every 3 years bro and this is what he replies to

LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[NBACentral @TheDunkCentral]

Nvm.

[Matt Carey @RealMattCarey]

i'll never stop enjoying the Boston media apparatus trying to declare the 28th pick in last year's draft who scored 4 points a game as untouchable in a trade for Giannis

[Legion Hoops @LegionHoops]

This city may never sleep again.

[claire de lune @ClaireMPLS]

dunno if it’s possible to overstate how potentially transformative it is to have a player like wemby become the face of the nba. a bunch of boys/young men growing up seeing this kind of unabashed raw emotion and care factor is big time

[nick wright @getnickwright]

There are bad losses.

There are awful losses.

There are catastrophic losses.

Then there’s what just happened to the Cavs.

They went from stealing home court to truly drawing absolutely dead in this series.

The Knicks could be -1000 for the series & it wouldn’t be enough.

[Hater Report @HaterReport]

Foul on the “Good no-call”
Lakers on the Thunder

[Legion Hoops @LegionHoops]

This photo of Mitchell Robinson’s poster on Joel Embiid is INSANE 😳

(via @SportsCenter)

[Underdog @Underdog]

“That’s some bullsh*t for you to talk to me like that? P*ssy” 😳

Austin Reaves vs John Goble

[🌩️ @twowayshai]

Embiid missing organs and ligaments and still been considerably better than “offensive GOAT” Jokic this playoffs LMFAOOO

[Hater Report @HaterReport]

Jayson Tatum
Jaylen Brown
Derrick White
Payton Pritchard

[nick wright @getnickwright]

Quick timeline of the takes surrounding Lakers-Rockets, with a prediction on tomorrow’s.

April 17th: “The Lakers have NO chance. They’ll be lucky not to be swept.”

April 20th: “If LeBron pulls this off I’ll call him the GOAT.”

April 22nd: “The Rockets are frauds!”

April 25th: “The Rockets are the dumbest team I’ve ever seen! Anyone would beat them!”

April 30th: “The Lakers are cooked & LeBron is exhausted. Rockets in 7.”

May 1st: “LeBron is going to blow a 3-0 lead & his GOAT case is over!”

May 2nd: “Yeah, the Lakers won, but it’s actually not that impressive, the Rockets were pretenders.”

[Bobby Wagner @bwags]

Jokic losing a 3 vs. 6 seed first round series against an opponent who’s down their best player and another top five player is something they would’ve put LeBron in a gulag for in the 2010s. Just crazy

[Barry @BarryOnHere]

The NBA didn't want the Hawks to promote a strip club because it would introduce sex to children but the Hawks players have taken it upon themselves to get fucked in front of millions.