Brian Geisinger, LPL, talks NBA since their opener kicks off October 18th.

The NBA starts a week from last night. My question to Brian Geisinger, League Pass Lair, Hornets podcaster of note.

We'll actually start there. How concerned are you that LaMelo Ball is injured and might miss the first X amount of games this year? Yeah, well, you never want to see the team's unquestionable, unquestionably best player go down. That's not good.

And I was watching that game in real time again. It looked bad when it happened. Obviously, we've gotten an MRI and a little bit of time since then. He won't play tonight. He's going to miss one to two weeks.

So luckily, nothing too, too serious. But from a watchability standpoint, from an enjoyment factor, LaMelo is crucial to that. Like he is what makes this team remotely entertaining, like remotely worth investing your time in.

And again, like if they're going to try to win games, certainly LaMelo is critical to the most feeble attempts to try to win games. At the same point in time, you know, there should be no rush no matter what to get this guy back. Like he just turned 21 six weeks ago. So I know he. But a face move, but there you are. Sorry. Yeah, sorry. I was getting a call. Oh, I hate that. Apologies. Yeah, not good. But, um, but it's very important for someone like that to take their time to get back at the same point in time.

And I know this is sort of like the messy secret that maybe everyone knows, but no one wants to say out loud. It's like, look, the Hornets aren't going to be very good this season, right? Even with LaMelo ball in the lineup. Um, as you're maybe thinking about at what point of the season is this team going to decide to, I don't know, pull the proverbial plug. Like LaMelo is going to play a lot this season, you know what I mean? But just one of those things, if they are, in fact, going to try to like lean in to get a top three pick in the draft, you know, that maybe adds even sort of like more patience with getting someone like this back in the lineup.

If you're going to get a top three pick in this draft, why not get the top pick in this draft? And, uh, Victor Wenbanyama is, I don't even know what to call him. I've seen, I've not seen him play a game, but I have seen highlights. And he is a seven foot three inch guard, is he not?

No, that's not, well, correction. I would say he's like a seven foot four guard, uh, for being, we're going to be specific here, but no, I mean, this guy is a, is a generational prospect that gets put in the same basket of the last 20 years of guys like LeBron and Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson. Um, he is a, you know, a foundational defensive player in terms of the rim protection, what he can do, like blocking and altering shots at the rim, but also, you know, seeing what he can do guarding pick and roll and being able to contest and alter jump shots out beyond the three point line. The guy has the ability to kind of be in two places at the same time, if not more.

Yeah. Well with a, with reportedly close to an eight foot wingspan too, which is just, yeah. Like the, to imagine that is kind of, kind of insane, but the movement is so good and he's gotten stronger. Like when Ben Yama has been on radars for years now, I first saw him last summer when he was playing for team France at the U 19 feeble world cup, but he was incredibly, he was hands down the best player at that.

Um, and if not for a like historic performance from Kenny Lofton and some other guys in the team USA lineup, like France would have won gold medal at that event, beating the USA with women. Yama is the star guy, but he's, that was 15 months ago. Like he's, he's bigger, he's stronger and he's better. The shooting profile.

Incredible. The way he shot it out. He's that kind of, in terms of like, you know, tall shooters. I mean, I don't know if he's going to end up in like the, the Dirk or the Carl Anthony towns or like the Kevin Durant category, but he's going to be a good shooter on volume.

Right. And if he can be in the, the poor Zingas, the, the yoke, it's type of tall shooter category. He's going to be incredible. And then you're, then you can see what he can do with the basketball. Like he can, he's starting to like spread his wings in terms of what he can do, creating his own shot, creating offense for others.

I will say though, as he's like gold, you're right. Like he's the number one prospect. He's the number one pick. Scoot Henderson is awesome as the proverbial number two prospect and maybe a little bit lesser known, but Eamon Thompson.

I would have slotted as number three for 2023 and is another sort of like foundational talent, perhaps that I think this is like a three player in terms of like potential franchise altering guys at the top end of the, the draft this year. Yeah. Look, I, I just, I'm, I'm intrigued by the, the size, the length, the skill of this kid.

So it should be, it should be a blast. It's hard to believe he's real. Like if you watch, if you watch a full game, it's just, it's, it's insane that he's at the court. Everyone on the court is tall in some people are like abnormally tall. And when Benyama seems to be, you know, 20% taller and longer than everyone else out there. And yet he's moving around with grace and with, with ease and just what he's able to do, shooting the ball, getting his feet squared, his body squared to the rim, the touch, like all of it is just, it's, it's really one of a kind and special stuff. Some people look less tall because they're just fluid.

And I think he looks less tall simply because he is a fluid, comfortable looking athlete. I got to ask you about what's going on in Golden State. The video is now everywhere. We've seen Draymond Green slug Jordan Poole. He has apologized unequivocally. He's not putting any caveats, any excuses on the, he says this was on him. He lost his cool. He lost his cool.

He was frustrated for whatever reasons, taking full responsibility. But Steve Kerr called it the biggest crisis they have had in, at Golden State. I believe Steve Kerr with that, because these are two hugely important pieces. Although, is it possible that Draymond Green is feeling that he is less important than Jordan Poole, which is why he did what he did?

I suppose there's the possibility. I mean, it seems like Steve Kerr and Bob Myers, the GM have sort of like shot that notion down that this was like a financial thing as Draymond Green was in line for an extension this summer. I mean, he didn't get it. And Jordan Poole is in line for an extension as well.

He's yet to get it. But that seems like only a matter of time as Golden State would probably like to sign him to a big deal before he would hit restricted free agency next summer. And so maybe it feels like impossible for that to not play a role like Draymond has helped this team win four titles.

And it does seem like he's in the midst of some decline. But when healthy last season, he was probably the best defensive player in the NBA. And he's still crucial to like unlocking the Steph Curry experience. I mean, I think you and I could probably, if Steph Curry's on our team, he's probably going to be do okay, because he's that talented. But Draymond with his passing, his screening, the court mapping, his feel, like his aggression, like all of that is critical. Not just to quarterbacking Golden State's defense, but to unlocking like Apex Steph Curry and Clay Thompson to an extent as well. So I could understand why he would look around and say, where's my extension?

Where is it? I do think though, we maybe do need to put some merit into what Golden, I mean, maybe it's been like what Myers and Kerr are saying and what some other ESPN reporters that cover the team are saying. They're coming out and saying like, no, it's not about the money. But I think there's an interesting thought that it could be about like the culture shift. And I think like when Steve Kerr says it's the biggest crisis they faced since he's got there.

Yes, like there was a physical act and because of the video getting out, we can all see it. But the things that have made Golden State great over the last decade, like the top of the list is like Steph Curry, like no duh. And then somewhere not too far down there is like the culture, is the vibe, is the system and how Golden State was playing incredible basketball, redefining the game in some respects.

And in doing so by having strong culture from the top down within that organization. And you could look at this team and see guys like Jordan Poole, Moses Moody, James Wiseman, Jonathan Camingo. You've got this young nucleus, right? But then you've got the old guard, Draymond, Kavon Looney, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and the vibes are good. Like they just seemingly were good. They just want a title. But you could also see how there would be like a power, you know, maybe not a power struggle, but sort of like who's going to be the guiding post for how this team plays, what it looks like, how it performs. What's the next direction of this team going to look like?

Is Draymond getting phased out? Like all of these questions are like maybe speculative, but there's probably some merit to them as well. And so I could see that. I could see the financial component. I could see the culture component being a factor.

I could also just see Jordan Poole as awesome as he is. Like, it's probably annoying when he is like talking crap to you. Not to excuse like, he's a talker, man. He doesn't shut up. That said, you can't punch people like you can't do.

I don't care what your workplace setting is like. You can't do that. I'm not excusing it. And I'm surprised Draymond wasn't given some type of suspension, like, you know, even if it was like a five game suspension or whatever. But I'm sure it's annoying to have Jordan Poole, you know, in your face saying stuff.

You know, like it can't be much fun. Here's my read on this and then I want to ask you one more question before we let Brian Geisinger go. League pass layer. I understand why people wanted to see more of a suspension, more punishment for Draymond Green. My feeling is that the punishment ultimately will be this is the last year in Golden State, and I don't think there is any greater punishment that you can give Draymond Green by essentially saying this year is it to him. I'm not saying they're going to say that, but I don't see them offering him a contract extension that he will accept. Yeah.

Yeah, I think that's totally I think that's totally true. Like he's got a player option for next season. I'm sure he'd like to again, he would have liked to have had an extension in place this summer to just sort of like usurp that. But yeah, my guess is that he's not going to want to just like pick that up and play for another year in Golden State like he's going to want to sign something for longer term and for that amount of money per year but over a couple of years, you know, four years or whatever. So, yeah, and that's that's going to put them in kind of a tough spot like if this becomes the proverbial last dance like it's impossible to imagine Draymond without, you know, without being a part of the Golden State like the fabric of what makes this team special, like in both directions. It's also impossible to imagine him having the same level impact any other system in many ways. They won the NBA to NBA title with in spite of him a year ago.

He he admittedly struggled a lot in the postseason. Let me ask you one more thing Brian before we have to say goodbye. I don't know if you saw the video Brooklyn. It's where I guess at Rucker Park doing some sort of a community event and Ben Simmons her key jerky left-handed jump shot drew air nothing. It was offline. It was short. Everybody just moved on. Help me not assign any meaning to that.

No, it's impossible. Everything was too perfect about that video including Kyrie Irving being the only guy not wearing a jersey like he's walking like he's holding his Jersey in his hands in the foreground while Ben Simmons shoots an air ball behind him. Shout out to TJ Warren who you can also see in that video who's just you know along for the ride of whatever that's going to end up being in Brooklyn this year, but no, I mean no notes right like that's just it's a perfect like distillation of like where we're at with Simmons and also like what why like we should if you're like why maybe team should people should be considering betting the under for Brooklyn's win total this year.

I have no idea what to what to make of it all Simmons doesn't have to shoot for him to at least help but true. Yeah, I gosh that was just beautiful. No, no notes like it was perfect. It was so good. It was tremendous.

Brian guys are happy guys underscore bird. I thank you very much, man. I'll talk to you very soon. Yeah, you guys be good. All right.