Right now I'm talking about the one and only Luca.

Don Check.

He's right here with yours truly.

Look, how are you, sir?

How's everything?

Great.

Thank you for having me.

It is my pleasure.

First of all, I before I even get into this season of what has transpired thus far.

How do you feel about all the attention that you've received with folks literally labeling you and N v p candidate before this season even began?

Clearly, the basketball world feels you've arrived.

How do you feel about you as a player at this point in time in your career?

I mean, it's it's feel special, you know that A lot of players, I mean, a lot of players.

Ah, lot of people talk about me, but obviously I have a lot of a lot of things to improve.

Uh, I still have a lot of space to improve, and I think this season, uh, I'm not playing very good, but, you know, that's what I'm saying.

I gotta prove a lot of things and just keep getting better and better.

Did you just say you're not playing very good that I hear you correctly?

Did you just say you're not playing very good?

Yeah.

You're averaging 27 9 and nine.

You do understand that, right?

Yeah, but my team is almost the last in the West standing.

So that's why we gotta win, uh, many more games.

You know, you brought up this speaking of your team, because when y'all when you all went on a six game slide in the midst of that I'm quoting you here.

During that time, you was asked about how you guys were looking and you said, Quote, we don't care.

Honestly, if we win games or not, I wanted to know is you've had an opportunity to reflect upon those words.

Did you mean what you said?

And more importantly, how did your teammates receive what you had said at that particular moment in time?

I think I said, like, we look like we don't care way or not.

But obviously, uh, now we already better.

You know, we keep getting better and better.

Uh, the thing it was we stuck together when it was hard.

You know, we were having a really hard time, you know, 66 losses in a row.

It's really hard.

But that's the time we gotta stick together and be positive.

And that's what we did.

And we're just gonna go up from here.

What did you guys?

What have you guys done differently since those statements were made?

If you have to pinpoint what's been happening outside of actually winning games, of course.

What specifically were you guys doing now that you weren't doing during the time you on that six game slide?

I think the most common thing is like effort energy on the court.

You know, uh, how people when they watch TV, they see Oh, they want to really win when they watch us, you know, they they see that we wanna win.

They see that we have the effort and they see we have the energy.

You know, one of the things that you know just looking at you last year, I mean, obviously, you had a sensational year.

Last year's well, but watching you go up against the Clippers and the bubble in the postseason in my estimation.

That was your coming out party.

You hit a game winning shot.

But more importantly, you really showed out averaging about 31 in that Siri's going up against the likes of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and those boys.

What did you think that Siri's did for you in terms of elevating your level of play?

Uh, I think it was a great experience, you know, Not just for me, for the whole team.

You know, obviously, we didn't win.

Uh, that that was disappointing, but we believe that we could win.

You know, not a lot of people believed in us against the Clippers, obviously, but we lost KP.

And, you know, I think we have a chance there.

Uh, but most importantly, we fight every we fought every game.

That z my point of view.

And that's where I really, really like that we did.

I'm gonna put you on the spot right here, Luke Adachi.

If Kristaps Porzingis had not gotten hurt during that Siri's, do you believe that the Dallas Mavericks would have won that Siri's against the Clippers in the postseason?

I always believe we can win no matter what.

If we miss five players or zero plays.

I always believe we can win, You know, I think that's that's what everybody gotta do.

You know, you always gotta believe and you always gotta fight to win.

You know, when you talk to a lot of coaches air throughout this league, and they're talking about their particular team with their particular players.

Ah, lot of them don't play such an emphasis on three point shooting.

They talk about playing the right way, you know, playing together, distributing the basketball, just playing good basketball, getting good shots.

But I think that three point shooting is incredibly important.

I'm looking at you guys right now.

If there's one impediment to your game Kristaps Porzingis game at this particular moment in time, even though I know he normally can hit threes, you're shooting about 31% from three point range.

He's shooting about 33% from three point range.

How concerned are you both about that needing to improve in order to take the Dallas Mavericks to where you want y'all ago?

Yeah, it's really important, I think, especially me.

My three point shots was just this year is just, uh, arguments, a terrible terrible, but, you know, you got to keep working on it.

You got to trust your shot, Uh, his work at it.

You just gotta work on it.

And if you trust it, I know it's gonna come.

You are Kristaps Porzingis.

How much do you believe in you too?

As the corner stone of this franchise together we look at y'all and we've got big expectations for y'all.

How do you all feel about the expectations?

Do you feel they're justified?

Do you feel that you too can carry the Dallas Mavericks to the Promised land someday?

Yeah, I think I believe that.

I think the the whole dollars organizations believe that and that z important thing, you know, they believe in us.

We're still really young, and we have a lot to learn.

You learn every day in this league, you know, you just, uh, playing against great guys.

I mean, great players.

You learn every day, and that's that's gonna just keep improving for us.

What?

What do you feel about folks looking at you and saying you're complaining a bit too much?

Your body language is bad.

Your whining a little bit.

What do you say?

to that.

I think some of it is true.

Uh, because you know, uh, especially this year, But I think last couple of games, I'll be getting better and better.

I got to stop this.

I know it's not.

It's not right.

Uh, but I think more than whining is just, you know, uh, one thing to win, you know, we're in bad spot, like I said for six losses in a row.

And that just makes you do things you don't wanna dio.

I know I did.

I did a lot of things wrong, and I gotta learn from this.

I'm still young, and I can learn from this.

You do know that when you complain to the referees, I mean, you have something in common with Mark Cuban when it comes to that, right?

You know, y'all a kindred spirits with that, right?

You know that, right?

Yeah.

You don't mind at all.

I'm just checking.

I'm just checking.

Don't mind at all because Mark Cuban's not gonna complain about you complain about the referees.

You don't understand that.

You understand that, right?

Okay.

Before I let you get on out of here, LeBron James, who obviously has tremendous respect for you and everybody respects LeBron James.

He recently spoke out about the N B a All Star weekend scheduled to take place next month.

He does not like that at all.

He spoke out against it.

How do you feel about the fact that there's going to be an N b a All Star weekend next month?

Yeah, they, uh they asked me after the game one game to the games ago, and I said, Like, you know, if there's gonna be an also game, I'm gonna be honored toe to represent the maps if I'm selected.

But if not, you know, I'm gonna enjoy my time off.

You know, every, uh, take a break.

You know, he's been the season.

We almost play every other day.

So if it's there, I'm gonna go.

And if it's not, I'm gonna join my time off.

However you felt about this season considering covert 19, the coronavirus pandemic and how you know how it's inconvenience the players.

A lot of players have spoken out against it, I believe.

Rightfully so.

It's been a real struggle for a lot of you guys.

Tremendous props to you all for handling it the way that you all have handled it.

But how do you feel how tough this season has been for you guys?

Could you put that in perspective?

Uh, I mean, it's kind of, but, you know, way as n b A.

Players.

We we live a great life, you know, and it's just way gotta stay home a lot.

Stay in the hotel.

But it's nothing to complain.

You know, I'm home with my family, uh, enjoying time.

And but, you know, I just wanna play basketball, come back here and play basketball.

That was it.

Last question for you are clearly with the season that you had last year, particularly in the postseason.

There's a lot of expectations for the Dallas Mavericks, despite the fact that you guys struggled earlier and now you seem to be getting things together.

There are expectations with a healthy Luca Danica healthy.

Uh, you know, Kristaps Porzingis, and there's M V P expectations where you're concerned.

How do you feel about those expectations?

Do are you feeling like there's additional pressure on you to perform at a high level because of it?

Uh, there's a pressure, you know?

I had pressure since I was a key, you know, playing in Madrid and that stuff.

Honestly, I don't believe I should be naming a big conversation this year.

You know, I just want to get in the player because, like, we're where we are 14.

13 seed?

Yes.

Uh, So that's why I hope we just gotta, uh, play the right way now, you know, getting the playoffs.

And that's our key this year, you know, get in the playoffs and show what we can do in the postseason.

Where do you feel you should be?

As a team?

If you are to warrant N v P expectations, do you feel you should have the best record or top to record in your conference in order to be in the MVP conversation?

What is your criteria for being an N v p.

Candidate off?

I don't really know, but I think like top two teams in the West Uh, that would be my opinion.

Mm.

Luca, don check.

Appreciate you, man.

Thank you for being on the show.

Good luck the rest of the season.

I'm sure you don't need it, but good luck.

Anyway, thank you very much.

Thank you for having me.

Alright, my man.

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