And how do they proceed?

Going forward?

Well, the Nets, they're trying to win a championship this year.

They feel like they've got a championship level team and they just lost a core player.

And, you know, he allows them to do a lot of different things with their lineups.

One of the strengths this Nets team is the way they can play different ways because they have on.

Do you know he could?

He could be lead guard.

And the other reality is, Look, the Eastern Conference is tightly packed.

Um, you know, you couldn't have a really good record in the East this year and end up with the five seed.

And there's a possibility that Kyrie Irving is gonna miss a bunch of games this year.

He's already sitting out back to backs and he gets dinged up.

And now the guy that they had to be there lead guard of Kyrie Irving a Z insurance eyes not gonna be there.

And so they are a deep team.

They could probably whether this storm better than other teams can but also on a personal level.

For Spencer, this was a contract here.

He does have a player option next year for $12 million so he's protected.

But he was looking to hit it big in the free agent market.

And now that's gonna be emitted impacted by this, uh, this injury.

I don't know if this correlates in any way to be honest, Windy, but I still wonder if James Harden is being floated with the Nets and the lack of depth now within Witty out.

Maybe make something.

Let's go with a three pronged star attack but also takes away another piece for them to offer up.

Does this factor in it all?

And is James Harden really still on the radar with the Nets team?

Well, James Harden would love to be in Brooklyn.

He's made that abundantly clear, but I just don't know if the Nets have the package of players that really excites the Rockets and one of the things that the Rockets have kind of made clear.

And I guys, I gotta tell you, I don't blame him for this.

The Rockets have made clear that they want a premium package for for James Harden, and you look at kind of what the Lakers got for Anthony Davis.

You know, a year and a half ago.

I guess now where it was, Ah, bunch of a promising young players and a bunch of draft picks, and the Nets just don't have that.

They don't have the Brandon Ingram.

They don't have the Lonzo ball, and their future draft picks aren't is exciting because you think that they're gonna be a good team.

And right now there's no other stars available.

It's not like there's three superstars out there on the market, and the Nets could go shopping elsewhere.

So I just think that the bit you know, that the Rockets are willing to let the bidding war go on.

James Harden new, by the way, despite all of his issues, is off to a terrific start despite not being in great shape, and I just don't think the Nets have it.

I think it would take them to make a separate deal.

Thio juice their package, and so, while I understand it's still on the board and I can't rule it out, I just don't see that as a trade match.

We're talking to Brian Wynne horse, ESPN.

Senior MBA rider.

So, Brian, yesterday we saw Job Moran go down with an injury.

I saw reports indicated that he left on a wheelchair.

What's the latest with jaw?

Yes, So they're gonna have a memory today.

The real question is, what is the degree level of this ankle sprain?

If it is a second degree sprain, it's gonna be weeks.

If it's a third degree spring, which is, you know, almost the worst thing you could have other than a broken ankle.

It could be, you know, ah, couple of months, and that's what they're going to turn with his m r.

I The scary thing about this injury he was challenging a shot.

He had, you know, he's got an electric leaping ability.

He had jumped so high on this play, and so he came crashing down.

So the hope is that it's just gonna be something that is, you know, keeps him out.

You know, you know, maybe a couple of weeks.

But the velocity of which he went down is rough, and, you know, that's the Grizzlies team that is already missing.

Jarron Jackson, who is their second best player for an undetermined amount of time as he recovers from the surgery.

And with where the Western Conference is in the in the and the and how tightly packed it is, you lose your best player like John Moran.

You lose him for for 34 weeks without Jerry Jackson in a 72 game season.

It might be unrecoverable for this Grizzlies team, and that would be unfortunate.

But also the reality.

Wendy, It's scary to think.

Is there the reigning champs, The L A Lakers LeBron an a D lead?

Uh, is it possible to say they are not only better, but significantly better this season?

Well, they're different and different in good ways and bad ways.

You know, they they changed their team quite a bit, and especially at the center position.

You know, last year they had really high athlete, um, rim protecting basket, uh, you know, Glass Cleaning Centers and JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard.

And I know that those guys weren't core parts of their star roster.

But those guys really defined how they played, especially defensively.

And now they have Montrezl Harrell, who is not a strong defender.

In fact, last night in the game against Portland.

The Blazers whole attack down the stretch of that game was to attack Montrezl Harrell, and it helped them win that game.

And then Marc Gasol, who's one of the shrewdest and smartest defenders out there, former defensive player of the year, but doesn't move like that.

So I still think they're gonna be a very good defensive team.

But they're different.

And then on the perimeter with introducing Dennis shrewder and introducing the way they run their offense, that they're trying to run their offense more through Marc Gasol.

That means less play, making a little bit for LeBron James, which again could be a good thing to take some pressure off him, but is different.

So you look at the Lakers, you see depth.

You definitely see ah, great chance for them to repeat.

But it would not surprise me if over the first couple of months of the season we see some choppy play from them because they do have to alter just the way they go about their attack.

Okay, let's go back to James Harden really quick.

Wendy, for a second.

So we saw the other day, Daryl Morey sent out a tweet about James Harden.

Obviously, Daryl Morey is now the general manager for the 70 Sixers.

So this was a little bit confusing.

So I ask you, does this mean that the 70 Sixers air now talking to James Harden and that's what was top of his mind or Daryl Morey Just need someone to help him with the social media.

Mhm.

I mean, Daryl Morey is a smart guy.

That was not a smart move.

That was, uh, instantaneously like, What are you doing?

And the Rockets were pissed off about it and rightly so and, uh, on the league slapped him for it.

Because even though it may seem innocuous, um, there's a lot of tension there.

I mean, just the concept of having a negotiation over a star player, especially when it lasts over a long period of time.

That's difficulty.

Then you introduce the fact that Daryl Morey has just left that team.

It's pretty much ah, one in a million situation.

I can't remember in two almost 20 years of covering the MBA where there's been this type of negotiation from a guy that just changed general managers, uh, you know, just changed front offices.

It's unheard of, So everybody is a little bit jumpy about it.

It doesn't mean that the talks or any different, um, there have been offers swapped between the teams and and they're not satisfactory right now.

And, uh, I would say sitting here in late December that if I had toe make a wager on which team had the most likely chance of landing James Harden, I would say it would be the Sixers.

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