On the jump, the Rockets acquired Kevin Porter Jr for a heavily protected future.

Second round pick.

Sources told ESPN the pick is Top 55 protected, which means it's likely to never convey.

It's kind of for Show Porter, the 30th overall pick, first round in the 2019 draft.

So do you think he could turn things around in Houston?

Very heartfelt comments from J.

B.

Bickerstaff last night saying, Look, we tried everything we could with this kid.

I'm still invested in them.

I want him to do well.

If J.

B.

Bickerstaff staff says that, then that's the truth.

Like those guys, they care about those kids.

They want them to be good pros.

They want to do everything they can form.

But the team, obviously, you have to make some tough decisions for them.

He fell into the best place he could have possibly went in the MBA because of the great John Lucas.

John Lucas is the guy who heals.

Players like this witnessed it.

I've taken players to Houston to work with him.

He turns guys around because he don't mess around.

First off, it's gonna you're gonna get the straight talk, But he's gonna love on you, too.

And he's gonna really, really take the time to show this kid what it means to be an MBA player.

A professional, ah, citizen in the community of Houston.

And I think this is gonna work out.

I'm praying for the kid, I hope.

I completely agree.

I mean, everything he said.

It is right.

And you hope because he's a young talent, that he really finds it mentally.

Because this is where this is kind of the part in the road, you know, mentally, physically, athletically.

He's the NBA player.

Yeah, mentally, that's where a lot of these younger guys lose it.

And you hope that he can find this path in Houston and it's a great opportunity.

So and the good part two.

I think for him that he probably doesn't understand that J.

B.

Bickerstaff and Stephen Silas like this.

And so the communication lines off.

Hey, how do I help this kid?

Here's what you could do for this kid.

Here's where I maybe could have done something different.

Or here's where I should have done this.

J B is gonna give all of that to Stephen because he wants this kid to succeed.

When the news broke about the incident with him in the locker room, that appears to have been the final straw with Cleveland yelling at people throwing food, that sort of thing you made.

The point is, I thought it was so important about just sort of where he comes from and just that that sticks with you in a way that people might not be able to relate to know you can't unless you go through it and live through it to really understand what that does to you mentally and and the baggage that you carry, Uh, you know, and something I just learned the fact reading Sanjay Gupta's book.

I just plugged them three.

Human brain doesn't fully develop till you're 25 how you deal with emotions and things like that and strenuous situations.

If you haven't been guided through that and really understand how to deal with it, sometimes you failed in that moment, I feel, but he's got to pick it up fast because this is an unforgiving league that is ready to replace you at the snap of a finger.

You know.

So I hope he gets it because I said he's a young, talented kid and I would love to see what his potential convict absolutely well.

We'll be watching and wishing him well.

Let's talk about Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr.

Not Kevin Porter Jr.

Michael Porter Jr.

No relation.

Nearing a return listed as questionable tonight against the Suns on ESPN, Porter has been cleared from the MBA's health and safety protocols.

Returned to the team, A league source told Adrian were Yanovski So, Matt, what do you expect to see from M P J if he does get to play?

I love this kid.

I think he's a star in the making.

I think Denver realize that they're starting to highlight him.

And he's that third option that at any given night could be the leading scorer.

So he does it on Ah, lot of different ways.

Obviously need to pick up his defense a little bit, but most young players do.

But as far on the offensive end, there's very few holes in his game.

There's a reason that they let Beasley walk Grant wall Craig walk because this kid right here has to fill in the scoring void that's leaving.

But he also That's like you said It's time that he has to now fill in a defensive void because of his versatility.

His length letter says, Hey, could be a great wing defender if he wanted to, no doubt about it, but he just has to want to do it as much as he wants to put that ball in the basket.

And if he does trouble, the Denver team is totally different because you've got three guys that's constantly putting pressure on your defense.

Absolutely alright.

Well, our league past game of the night, guys.

Nets at Cavaliers There were a lot of choices tonight, but after Wednesday's game, we had to go back to this one.

Kevin Durant, out of this game tonight as the team continues to manage his recovery from that Achilles injury.

Having said that, Collin Sexton dropped a career high on the Nets and win just two nights ago, so coaches lightning striking twice for the Cavs and Collin Sexton.

I'm gonna just say this, I'm not gonna go on with no k d.

I'm gonna say yes, go up because young teams, when they have confidence they really go after you.

So the Nets are really don't have to bring it to knock this young team off, because I'm gonna tell you this is a big game for them and moving forward.

If they can somehow pull off a sweep on the Nets, that young team is gonna be feeling good about themselves moving forward.

Do you think that Kyrie Bond James might also be motivated?

E I agree.

Young team blood in the water.

They're coming after.

But I think this is different.

Important from a different standpoint.

Katie is out.

Katie is already gel with Kyrie.

Katie has already gel with James.

Now it's time for James and Kyrie to kind of figure out what they're gonna do on the court together.

Could you watch this last game?

A lot of time when the other one had the ball, the other one was just standing.

So they need to figure out that chemistry and figure out how to play with each other because Katie is seeing this.

Katie can play anywhere, Any situation.

But it's these two guys that need to figure out their chemistry together to make this team the most important team.

It could be.

And these games are tough for superstar veterans.

You don't have a crowd in Cleveland, you and you're not.

And you're not, like, super fired up to play against this young fast.

They're gonna run around and do all this stuff.

So the nets are gonna have to manufacture some fire to get up for this team where vice versa.

The young team is putting in the water.

Yeah, they like sharks.

I do think is a really good point, though.

That with Katie out, of course you don't want Katie out.

If your Nets fan.

You didn't want Kyrie out when he was out, But it does give those guys a chance to sort of find their weapons find faced together in a way that I thought was actually helpful for Katie and Harden when they had that room.

And look, the Nets, I I was very surprised that the Nets played Kevin Durant for as long as they did the other night.

He is, as we noted, coming off an Achilles injury.

I know he looks phenomenal.

I know that It looks like they have lost a step.

You gained a step, but you gotta be careful, right?

I'm actually happy to see them doing and you know, one other point to it.

I think that's important.

I think it's more important for Harden and Kyrie to get clicking because they both handle the ball a lot, right?

They dribble a lot.

K d is an assassin.

That's 12 dribbles.

He's at the rim or he's up into its shot.

And so it's He's a little easier to get along with.

You can run him in the pick and rolls.

You could do a lot of stuff.

Those two guys are so similar that they have to figure out their chemistry.

It was a lot like Brandi Way for us.

They were so similar.

They both needed the ball.

They both composed, and it was like, How do we get both of them enough touches and get the other guy activated when one is doing that?

E.

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