They lost to the thunder at home last night, although again, I'm going to say it.

Throwback.

Unique happy.

Kevin Durant scored 36 points in his return to the lineup after a three game absence due to the league's covert protocols.

Kyrie Irving, still out, missed the last three games due to undisclosed personal reasons, and Steve Nash had no update for the media on him today.

So, Coach, what is your level of concern for the Nets?

After a five and six start?

I'm kind of thorn on it, right?

Like I do have a lot of concern.

I've always had the same concerns of health was always the big one, you know.

Then with three games, he's only played uh, K d in Cairo on and now he's out and Katie and Kyrie seven games apiece and so that was always my big concern.

Anyway, about them.

I remember when we brought the Big Three together and we started off nine and eight and it was all kind of stuff in the air, right public attention.

It was a mess, Way remembers.

It was breathless.

Oh my goodness, you would have thought the world's gonna tell you, but we won 22 out of 23 after, and this team has that kind of talent.

You know, I'm just hoping for the best for Kyrie and that he gets back on the court fast.

Because again, all of us wants to see this team playing together and them exciting the league and showing what they could Dio.

Yeah, Coach, you're so right.

I mean, health is going to define how this team goes, especially because Kyrie and Durant have availability has been, you know, in question.

But to me, I still think their biggest thing.

They've got to wrestle with his defense, and I know that their defense of numbers don't look so bad.

But, you know, fundamentally, they are a suspect defensive team, the Oklahoma City Thunder who are not a juggernaut even though they have a better record than the Nets right now had 66 points in the paint.

In this game that is not allowable, you just can't do it.

And you know, again, 129 points.

They give up.

I know they've got a great offense, but especially when they don't have full power When Kyrie is out, You can't go out there and get into a scoring match, and they have yet to prove on a night in and night out basis that they could defend at the level to be a championship team.

And to me, that's gonna be the story the whole season.

And look, Anybody who's been watching the MBA for 10 minutes knows there is a huge difference between what gives you good or acceptable numbers in the regular season versus what happens during the playoffs and when you get eaten up and spit out by your opponents.

We saw a regular season versus playoffs issue with the Milwaukee Bucks this past season.

We see it every year, and that is exactly what Brian is talking about.

All right, Karl Anthony Towns returned to the Wolves lineup Saturday.

I want to give that some attention.

He missed six straight games with a wrist injury, obviously an incredibly difficult season for him.

Overall, he scored 25 points in his return.

Now he did sit out.

Sunday's back to back is a precaution, according to the team Brian, What impact do you think Cats return has on the wolves season going forward because they're not going anywhere without him.

But even with him, what do you see?

Yeah, I mean, they're already teetering with where their record is.

And Carl Town said that when he first saw the doctor with his wrist injury, which is a ah strange, a dislocated bone in his wrist.

I can't say I've seen it or even heard about it very often.

He they told him he was looking at 68 weeks.

If he was out six weeks, I think the tables would have been done.

And I mean, they are already like I said in a gray zone, you know, at this point, eso he's pushing it coming back at two weeks now.

He put up good numbers in his first game.

He said he doesn't have great feeling in that hand that he doesn't have.

You know that hand is not really that functional, but if he could put up those numbers, he's giving them a chance and then coming back Now, um, you know, it's a move.

We'll see whether or not it pays off for them.

But, you know, he was supposed to be at a month longer.

Yeah, and I just think one they can heal, galvanize them.

I mean, after everything that they've gone through, I think the team will rally around him.

I think with him, their friends, playoff team, maybe like they really gotta play well.

But without him there, there's no chance.

And it's like I said, it's tough in the West.

So even with him, I think it's very difficult for them to get into the dance.

But he is just a huge factor for them.

I think his whole you know purpose right now is to honor his mom, honor his family, play with great joy, find something every day to appreciate in her honor.

And and, you know, hopefully his team will rally around him and we could see some exciting basketball come out of Minnesota.

Yeah, it's still so incredibly hard.

He has talked about the fact that, you know, look, I can't just lose myself in basketball.

Some people can do that after loss, he said.

That's not it, he said.

Every time I step on the court, all I think about is my mom's not here and I just I have such admiration for him going forward with everything that he and so many Americans have been through this past year dealing with deaths due to coronavirus.

Um, and I think I think it is going to be tough for that team.

It's such a shame, because the high expectations I know that they had, especially getting cat and yellow together in the first place.

They sort of mapped out what they wanted the next 2 to 3 years to look like, and this is certainly not happening right now.

All right, let's talk a little bit about the Mavericks.

Kristaps Porzingis expected to make his debut today, but that was before Mavericks Pelicans was postponed.

He has been recovering from meniscus surgery.

Now Fisma maps currently in the middle of the pack in the West with a five and four record.

Does the return of a healthy unicorn put them in the upper echelon of the conference?

Absolutely.

There's no question about this.

This first off, how good is Luca?

Let's just put that out there.

Five or four in the West know Chris stabs in Dallas has a good basketball team surrounding them.

I don't want to just say it.

It's like it's just him, but Kristaps Porzingis show when he's on the team and when he's out there playing for them.

You saw on the Clippers Siri's.

How big was that toe have him out there?

He was ejected.

Totally different deal when he went out with the injury.

Totally different deal.

If he was in that Siri's, they might have had a chance to really win that Siri's and I'm not stretching on that.

So him being that stretch that seven footer, that defensive guy at the rim with Luca donkeys, definitely in the top pack a top of the pack in the West.

Yeah, are they?

Are they Ah, high level team with with poor Zynga's?

Yes, are they a championship contender?

I still think they're a piece away, and I think they know that.

Which is why they've cleared out cap space and why they had dreams of Yannis, though on DWhite they may look in the trade market, whether it's during the season or in the summer.

It doesn't have to be another All Star player, but I still think they need another high level peace.

Now.

We still don't really know what the ceiling for Luca is on.

Brick Carlisle has been a little bit disappointed with their their level of focus early in the season.

They can improve that, and they're better with poor Zynga's.

I think they're dangerous, but I don't think there where they need to be in on.

Look, those two guys were young and signed a long term contracts.

They have runway.

Let's see what they dio.

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