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It's a convenient way to run your household, customized to your family's needs, and the easy way to raise financially smart kids. Get started with Greenlight today and get your first month free at greenlight.com slash odyssey. We're pleased to welcome Kurt Heelan, longtime insider for the NBA, and really Team USA, basketball, whenever they are participating in these international competitions. In Las Vegas for training camp, covering it for nbcsports.com. And Kurt, let's just jump right in. What is the biggest buzz in Vegas right now? I think two things. People are really curious to see what Team USA with all this talent looks like. Like how is it going to mesh?
How long is that going to take? Because it's certainly a stacked roster with veterans and Curry and Lebron and Kevin Durant, Scott Gold, and on and on down the line. But we know from every sport we've ever watched, you've got to have talent to win, but you've got to have talent that meshes and fits together. So how is this going to look?
And I get a good test on Wednesday night against Canada, who's a team that beat them in the World Cup a year ago. And the other thing that was eye-popping today was for a lot of us, these last couple of days were the first time we all had to see Cooper Flag in person. He's legit. Like Cooper Flag is going to be the Duke prospect. Expect to go number one next year is, I think he's 17 still. And he was out there, probably the stretch we saw today, probably the best of the select team players on the floor. And that's with Trey Murphy and all these guys who are about to get paid.
All these up-and-coming players. And he was just not only part of it, but like impressively part of it. And he is on his way to Duke, so hasn't even played a college game yet. How did he do against some of the Team USA members? It's really impressive. He is, I believe, 6'8 or 6'9.
I'm not sure what the official is. But he's got a high release. He's athletic. He gets up. He defended well.
But I think there was one stretch and the clip is out there online. He knocks down a three. He's got a smooth stroke. Gets back. Makes a defensive play at the other end. Comes back the other way and basically jumps past on offense. Missed shot. Jumps past through Holliday and gets the tip in. He was going for the dunk and got fouled so it was more of a tip-in. But like a three-point play going the other way and it was really impressive.
He's got the athleticism and the skill and he's doing all this, like I said, at 17. So it's going to be a good year to be a Blue Devils fan. Team USA just got Jason Tatum in town. This is post Celtics NBA title. What did he have to say about getting back on the court?
He said it seemed really fast and I imagine still. He's like, you know, we just won 20 days ago. You know, it's been basically three weeks and we, you know, they partied in Miami for a little bit and they had the parade and they've done all this. He and Drew Holliday are just, they haven't spent a lot of time trying to get their feet back under them. And, you know, haven't done a lot of off-season work.
So there's a little of them playing themselves into shape going on and that's understandable. But he was out there today in a unit with a first unit that, well, we don't know what the first unit is going to look like. But my guess was Stephen Curry, LeBron, Tatum kind of in what would have been the KD role and Joel Embiid was in that group as well, which I imagine that's what four-fifths of the starting lineup is going to look like. And Curry was out there. We'll see on Wednesday night, but he was right in the middle of it and kind of stepped into the Kevin Durant role. It was interesting to hear LeBron talk about, I'll score if they need me to score, I'll do whatever else they need me to do, not really knowing exactly how the team will fit together as they go through this camp. What would you think LeBron's primary role would be in Paris? You know what, I think he's more of a glue guy here than he might be and he's got the skill set for that than otherwise.
He is somebody who can, you know, obviously an elite passer and the league, the NBA's all-time leading scorer. But I do think with this team having so much talent, all the guys have talked about, hey, I got to sacrifice, I got to play hard in the minutes I've got, I've got to accept whatever role is being asked of me. Joel Embiid is going to have to play down on the block, closer to the basket, more than he does and maybe more than he's comfortable and certainly more than he does in the NBA because that's kind of the way the FIBA game works. And I think in LeBron's case, they'll find the role, but I think he's going to do a lot of facilitating and a lot of defending and getting balls out, you know, getting things going in transition.
And he'll get his buckets, but I don't think he's going to be the primary scorer. I think he's going to leave that to other people and he's going to find ways to kind of get everyone else's role. We also heard Anthony Edwards say that he was the number one option. What's the reaction to that, Kurt? He said it was this huge grin.
It was just vintage Anthony Edwards where he is all confidence and bordering on arrogance, but kind of with his wings, right? Like, I know, you know, he later said, somebody asked one of the questions we had, that was asked with a lot of players, like, with this roster, who gets the last shot, right? Like, high game, late. Who gets the ball? And he's like, well, better go to Kevin Durant. That's who I paid to see.
You know, that's why I'm here. I want to see my idol take that shot. I think, though, what they need from him, and he was another guy who got some interesting minutes with different groups over the last few days, he brings a level of athleticism that, you know, got all these veterans out there, but they're older and they're not athletic in the same way, right, anymore. You know, even LeBron, Anthony Edwards is young and bouncy and flying around out there, and they're going to need that from him, and they're going to need the energy that he and Halliburton bring to really have some of that youth and have some of that, something that some of the veterans don't really bring anymore. Kurt Heelan is with us from steamy Las Vegas, where they're routinely hitting 120 on the gun. It covers the NBA, and now Team USA for nbcsports.com.
It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. The lack of practice and the lack of working together can be a detriment against teams from around the world. So, what other teams, as we head to Paris, are expected to give the Americans the best competition? Well, they start off Wednesday night with the team that won the bronze medal at the World Cup a year ago in Canada.
Canada's fact, they got Shay Gildas-Alexander as the head of the snake, but it's got Dylan Brooks and R.J. Barrett and Kelly Olenek and, you know, Lou Dortch. They're going to be a really good defensive team up and down the roster, and they've got some shooting and scoring, and again, they play really well within the FIBA system. So, they're a team to watch. Serbia is another powerhouse team to watch in Team USA's first game in Paris against Nikola Jokic, and Serbia is going to be obviously a threat. And the other team to watch, France, the host, they start a front line in Victor Wambayama and Rudy Gobert. And, you know, that's where Joel Allen-Beed really matters. Like I said, he is the flinchpin for Team USA because they need his side. And it's as good as Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo are.
Her's been playing them together on the second unit, which is interesting. It ultimately is going to come down to they need Joel Allen-Beed to beat Joel Allen-Beed to win this thing because they allow a lot more physicality in international ball. And if he's not that guy in the paint, USA got pushed around at the World Cup.
They're trying not to have that happen this time around. A lot of the chatter in Vegas, too. I can imagine this is also about summer league and some of the rookies that people are paying attention to. So how much chatter do you hear about Bronny James? A little. There's definitely some curiosity to see what Bronny James and the Lakers look like.
You know, they started in Sacramento. There's a real interest to see how much he develops over the course of summer league. I mean, this is such a development program for him where he's genuinely a couple years away from being an NBA rotation player if things go right. So how much does he develop? How much better is he four games into summer league from that first game? How much does he grow is, I think, what's important with him and what everybody's watching.
And then everybody else is out here to see Reed Shepherd. And this is such a draft of guys where there's just question marks about all of them. You know, there wasn't a clear set, number one.
There isn't a Cooper flag in this draft. It was a bit divisive, so let's see what he looks like in this kind of setting. I think there's some excitement about seeing how all these guys kind of look in a new setting. But not quite the same hyper-focused buzz as it was with Wemenyama last summer. Oh, no, no.
What's going to be interesting, Amy, is somebody's going to break out of this class. There's going to end up being a couple of all-stars drafted this year. There kind of always are. But this was just the year that there wasn't, not a Wemenyama, but frankly not a Carl Anthony Towns or anybody like that or a Zion Williamson or something. At the top of the draft, you're like, you've got to pick that guy.
This guy is clearly the best. You know, he could be the foundation of your future. That guy just wasn't in this draft. And, you know, you're going to end up with possibly the number one pick for them to be a nice role player who maybe never makes an all-star game or maybe makes one.
Maybe Risa Shay can be more than that. But there's not this expectation with this draft that there was a cornerstone guy. So it's going to be interesting to see who emerges. We go back to 2013 and Anthony Bennett, number one, went with Depoe, too. And you had Alex Len in the top five.
Whoa. Also had Giannis Antetokounmpo. Somebody's going to come out of this thing. Well, big men are all the rage. They're a lot of fun to watch. Where are you on the possible impact of Zach Eady and Donovan Clingan? I like the Donovan Clingan pickup. And Buzz is, he looks really good. He is athletic.
He can do a lot of different things. Eady went back into college for one more year, improved his mobility, his footwork, took a step forward with his game, and then landed, I think, in Memphis in just the right spot. Remember what they had in the middle two years ago when they were winning before the suspensions and injuries and everything was sidelined last year. They had Steven Adams in the middle doing all the dirty work and rebounding and just being physical inside and being a little intimidating for guys driving the lane. If Zach Eady can be, and not that he's going to be that this first year, all of that, but if he can start to step into that role and do some of the dirty work inside and protect the rim and stuff, that's a Memphis team that gets everybody back, including John Morant and a team that won 50 games in a row, two years in a row until, again, injuries and suspensions last year. If Zach Eady can anchor the middle for them, they become a threat in the West. Well, you can't teach the size, right, and that wingspan and the bulk, and he does move surprisingly well. So as much as he may be more of raw potential, I'm excited to see what he does. Kurt Heelan is with us from Las Vegas, covering not just Team USA, but the buzz around Summer League. When you think about Joel Embiid and his other team right now featuring Paul George and, of course, Tyrese Maxey, how do you like what the Sixers have done?
I think they've probably had the best offseason of anyone. They have really jumped into this. Look, it's a big swing and, yeah, there's injury risks. But Joel Embiid's window, he's not young, and he's not young, but he's not old yet, but he's kind of in his prime with his injury history going back.
This isn't a huge window. They needed to do it and do it now. Tyrese Maxey has come up, and on top of that, now we've got Paul George, I think, and some solid role players that they've got to round out that roster. But this is a team I think that can push Boston. Boston is still a beautifully constructed team.
They are all in their primes. They are running it back. They're going to be confident. They're the team to beat. But I think Philadelphia can push them if they can get Joel Embiid and Paul George to the finish line healthy, right? Like if they can get them to the postseason healthy.
They're really good. The Knicks are really good. I think the East is a lot deeper this year. And I always like teams that just go for it, Amy, with the Rams and, you know, blank the picks.
But there's a certain level there, right? Like if you've got Joel Embiid, you should go all in now. And they did.
They definitely did. What about Klay Thompson leaving the Warriors and joining Kyrie and Luca in Dallas? I think it's a good fit for him. I think that Dallas gets a little bit better. They're going to have to defend. Klay is not that guy anymore. And they lost Eric Jones, Jr. and that's going to put a lot on Najee Marshall and some guys step up defensively. But they got better offensively.
Watched them in the finals last year, they needed spacing around Kyrie and they needed knockdown shooters. Klay is, you know, everybody likes to say he's not the same guy because he's not the same guy as he was pre-injury. But he's still absolutely one of the better catch-and-shoot guys in the league. He can knock it down. He is going to shoot and shoot in big moments and not be phased by the moment.
He has already won rings. So I think he steps in and makes them better. I think Dallas got a little bit better.
Their problem is the West is ridiculous. And Oklahoma City got a lot better. Well, it's one thing to hear what Steph Curry and Steve Kerr have to say about losing Klay.
It's another thing to read body language and kind of be there. How sincere and genuine do you believe they were about really wanting Klay to return considering some of what we've heard coming out of the Warriors organization? I think those guys wanted him back. But I think Steve in particular genuinely understands. He's been through this, right? He's been through this with a member of the last Dance Ball. He knows what it looks like when things are starting to break up.
And he went in and said I think he genuinely understood that they kind of needed to move on or get Klay at a kind of salary number that's not fair to him. They've got to get out of the second apron. They're in a much better spot in some ways.
Anthony Melton is a little younger and cheating, I think, honestly. I don't think they got worse this summer. As weird as it is to say, they didn't lose losing Klay and the role players they brought in. I think they're going to be as good at least during the regular season as they were before. And I think Curry just wants a chance.
So it'll be interesting. Hopefully he gets his gold this summer. I think he wants the chance to compete one more time. And that wasn't there yet. A lot of young guys that got their feet wet last year in the NBA. So that relationship between Klay and the Warriors lasted more than a decade. Not quite as long a tenure for Paul George in L.A.
But what happened there? You know, George talked about it on his podcast and they don't really have a reason to disbelieve some of the stuff he said, which is they started low, you know, two years, 60 million, which is well below market for Paul George at this point. And really, we're just trying to get him on a cheaper deal. He eventually says he would have come back on the same deal they gave Klay Leonard of three years, 50 million, 150 million, sorry, three years, 150 million. He would have come back on that if they would have given him a no trade clause. Because he's like, if I'm going to take a discount, I'm not getting the max.
I want to know I'm staying home. I want the ability to control that. He says the Clippers would not give him that, which frankly, if true, and probably is, that pretty much just tips their hand. Like, I really genuinely think they want to keep this team together for a year or two while they move into the new building and then know that they're kind of at the end of this and they've got to retool and rebuild.
So I think that that was their thinking. And Paul George, he didn't want that. He wants to be somewhere steady. And he had an option, not just an option, but an option to go contend in the East with an MVP player. Frankly, I think the most dominant player in the league went healthy. So you can't call Paul George's bluff that he wants to stay home when he's got an option like that. Right.
Well, and as long as he stays healthy, kind of like what we talked about with the Sixers. All right, Kurt, before I let you go, best way to beat the heat in Vegas? Don't go outside.
Oh, no. I mean, there's plenty of ice drinks one could have around here and beautiful pools. But when you get to 120, it doesn't matter anymore, man. Just get inside until – I mean, I think the low tonight is going to get down to 86.
So it would be really nice out. It sounds like sage advice from Kurt Heelan. You can find him on Twitter or Twix or X or whatever you call it, at Basketball Talk, the lead NBA writer. You can search for what you need done and find tons of highly rated pros right in your neighborhood. Check prices, reviews, and book a pro right on the spot. Plus, you'll know what to tackle next because Thumbtack is the app that shows you what to do, who to hire, and when. Pull out your phone and in just a few taps, say goodbye to all those unfinished home projects and say hello to caring for your home the easier way. Download Thumbtack and start a project today.
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That's greenlight.com slash odyssey. And now covering Team USA for nbcsports.com and is beating the heat in Vegas as best he can. Thank you so much for a couple of minutes, Kurt. Great to catch up with you.
Thanks for having me on, Amy. Listen as Selenia tells us why she chose to vaccinate her daughter. I definitely felt like the pros far outweighed the cons, the diseases that I am protecting my child against. They're still here, and at the end of the day, it's my job as a mother to keep my child safe.
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