Warriors repeat? How bad could the Charlotte Hornets be this season?

This is The Adam Gold Show. Brian Geissiger put out his sneakers above the mantle last night. He left out some cookies for Adam Silver to show up at his house because it was NBA Opening Day Eve and that's a holiday that I know he celebrates. If you have not hung out with Brian Geissiger over the past couple months, maybe you were fortunate enough to have him attend your wedding. Maybe you went to a concert together.

Maybe you just got some beers in Raleigh. If you haven't seen Brian recently, you missed your chance because now you're not going to see him for about six months because he will be watching every NBA game and every potential NBA prospect college game. Here to talk about some casual NBA fan topics with us, my good friend Brian Geissiger. What's going on, dude? I'm good, man. How about you?

Yeah, it's an unfortunate haze. I don't think we grabbed, you know, lunch before the start of the basketball season. I don't know. I'll see you in May or something like that.

May or June, depending on how hot the playoffs are. I meant to mention Brian Geissiger. You can catch him on the Buzzfeed Podcast. You can also check out his work this season as an ACC slash NBA prospect analyst over at Pac Pride and the Devil's Den.

So check out his work there. How excited are you about the opening of NBA season, specifically as a Charlotte Hornet fan, Brian Geissiger? Well, specific to being a Hornets fan, low, but outside of that, very excited, like it's good to have it back. This was the first, you know, full off season in a while. If you think about just how distorted the schedule was the last couple of years ago, due to the the pandemic and trying to get in as many games in a certain amount of time and start on certain days. So I feel rested and ready to go. But as far as the Hornets go, no, they're sort of tail spinning right now.

So it's not good. I don't even know how much. I may come back to the Hornets, but because it's just opening day, I'm going to concentrate on some general NBA stuff with you, Brian Geissiger. Let's get as big ESPN-ish national headline NBA question as I can give you, because let's talk about superstars. Lebron's in L.A., Kyrie, KD are in Brooklyn, almost said New Jersey, and they were high expectations last year.

Both did not fulfill them. Who do you expect to come closer to meeting their expectations this season? Yeah, I think it just depends on what those expectations are. First off, like we probably need to back away from the title aspirations. I mean, maybe for Brooklyn, like, you know, when they have Kevin Durant, and he's available to play, they've generally been really, really good. But you've got some injuries that popped up with Joe Harris and Seth Curry are two important shooters to them. I'm still not sure how they like integrate Ben Simmons into the mix. And it remains to be seen, if you can build a functional half court playoff offense with Ben Simmons as one of the guys. I suppose if he's playing as the de facto small ball center on some of those offensive lineups, then you can make it work in the postseason. But then defensively, what's what's that going to look like? What the, you know, if Kevin Durant is also your best rim protector, and then how much workload are you playing?

What are you putting up on him? Well, Kyrie Irving decide to stop showing up halfway through the season. Like you just don't know what this team and the Lakers.

I mean, who knows for right now. I think they're like a top eight or nine team in the Western Conference. And that's assuming you get good health and good production out of both LeBron James and Anthony Davis, which has been kind of a big ask since the 2020 bubble. But the talent around them is decent in some areas. It's a lot of like, good, solid, do your job type players like Thomas Bryan and Damian Jones and Patrick Beverley, who's a guy that'll probably help both the defense and just sort of like the overall effort and output from this team compared to a season ago. But dude, the West is loaded, like go down the list of teams in that conference.

And you can easily, easily name seven or eight teams. That on paper are better than the Lakers. We'll see what they do if they're able to swing a trade at some point in time. And maybe a superstar becomes available. Maybe Damian Lillard becomes available. Maybe Bradley Beal comes available. Maybe they settle for someone like Gordon Hayward. Maybe they try to swing this this hypothetical deal with the Pacers, which would be Westbrook for, you know, Miles Turner and Buddy Heald, with some draft pick compensation also going to Indiana. But at some point, the roster is probably not incomplete, or pardon me, the roster is likely not complete.

Um, I just don't know how they drastically improve it. So I would say Brooklyn probably is the best to answer your question. But I don't think either of these teams are necessarily like threats to win the title this year. They are threats to be in your national NBA lineup still every time, every time. Panning out a little bit, but what is the, what's the future look like for LeBron right now? I mean, it's one of those where like he's still an amazing player, right?

There's no question that he's an elite player, but that's going to start diminishing more and more. You know, we think, I mean, I don't, I don't see him playing until 45, do you? But, and then he's also, I mean, I mean, but I don't know, like if he, if he goes about it the right way and he's, you know, he's not expecting to start or play 35 minutes a game, maybe he could be in a role, but I, but I don't know that you could see LeBron doing that. And I don't know if it also means, well, you have to pay him a certain amount and that makes it that much harder to, to build new teams, like in, in the, in the way NBA contracts work and the way, whatever his desires are, how do you see it playing out? Do you see him playing more than three years?

Do you think the one to play with his kid is a real thing? Like what, what's the end of LeBron look like? As much as I hate to say it that way. Yeah, it's tough to fathom because like, I mean, we're coming into year 20, right. Which is hard to believe, but last season when healthy LeBron averaged 30 points per game, eight rebounds per game, six assists per game. And he shot over 52% from the field.

I think with LeBron, what you see now is you're going to get, I mean, obviously like he can still be a rim pressure guy and a guy that breaks down a defense and, you know, is able to, he could still be a monster in transition, but he's not the same, obviously he's not the same athlete as he was, you know, even towards the end of his time during the second stint in Cleveland. So he's got to be like a little more judicious with, with when he, you know, uses every single part of his athleticism, he's more of a half court player now and he's more of a jump shooter. Like he averaged eight three point attempts per game last season.

That's a career high. Now he shot 36% on them because he's incredible, but it's going to be, it's going to, the compensation is going to come where he'll take, he takes more jump shots. It's less free throws. It's less dominance at the rim, but he's still a supercomputer with the basketball.

He's still the best passer in the world. And he is in, he's a terrific outside shooter now. So he can still has the ability to be incredible on the offensive side of the court defensively.

It's not the same thing though. I do think if you got him into a playoff setting and a sort of like winter go home scenario, then LeBron would, would be able to dial up the defense. I do think you can get this output from him for a couple more years, knowing that it's going to like diminish a little bit here and there on the margins.

I don't know if there will ever be some sort of like colossal fall off. I think he really would have to play well into his forties for that to happen, because I do think he's found some sort of, at least offensively, a stable weight produced by being huge, by being a good outside shooter, and by being, again, one of the best passers in the history of basketball. So I think he can keep this up. And yeah, I do think he wants to play in the NBA when, you know, at least when, when maybe Bronny, his eldest son would perhaps be in the league as well.

They're already doing commercials together, which is cool. Somebody a couple weeks ago for their birthday was requesting like hot sports takes, give me your spiciest sports takes, like ridiculous sports takes. And mine was like, I, how old is Jordan now? Jordan hit 60? Is he 60 yet?

I don't know. He's got to be really close. He would have been, he would have been what, a freshman in 82?

Yeah. So he's 18 years old in 82. So he's got to be, yeah, 58, 59, 60, something like that. My take was that he could average 10 in the league. Like he, he can't, he can't start, he can't start, but like in a regular, and in the playoffs, like his minutes are going to get faded. We can't, we can't really even have him on the court. But, so I obviously like, I want to see LeBron try and do 45 and, you know, or, or beyond.

I think it'd be one of them. I mean, if Brady can do it in the NFL at quarterback, why can't LeBron do it, you know, in the NBA? Because Brady doesn't have to go line up on defense. Brady doesn't have to like cover somebody one on one. He does one thing. It's true.

Good point. A team that I'm super excited about that I know you are, I want to know what your ceiling is for the New Orleans Pelicans. Brandon Ingram, kid from Kinson and Duke, obviously super cool. He's sort of quietly under the radar becoming a superstar that I don't think it's talked about that much. Zion, obviously, the big question is his health as well.

But, you know, if, if he's healthy, it's still a monster. And then CJ McCollum is a super cool, great player, fun dude to root for and awesome. What's your ceiling on them? Are they a top three team in the West or am I being too optimistic? I wouldn't go top three because you still got, you've got Golden State. It's easy to forget about the Clippers, right? But the Clippers are still there and Kawhi and Paul George are back. And I mean, who knows what the Suns, but even if the Suns win, you know, 14 fewer games this season than they did a year ago, they're still literally still a 50 win team. You know, Memphis won 56 games. I know Jaron Jackson Jr. is going to be out. So I wouldn't go top three for them. And I think Minnesota is going to win a ton of regular season games. And also Denver with Jokic is fully healthy now with Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray back.

Plus they added Contavious Caldwell Pope and Bruce Brown. So I don't see them as a top. Thank you for dashing all my hopes. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. But that said, can this be a top six team in the Western Conference? I don't think that's out of the question. You know, like they get to the sixth, the sixth line and they avoid the play in.

I do, I do think that's possible. If Zion recovers, gets back to the form he did his second year in the NBA when he was a top 12 player in the league and is, you know, basically six foot seven Shaq, if Brandon Ingram, who we saw make real strides, I'm not just talking about, oh, he shot better on threes or he averaged more points per game. I'm talking about what he was doing in the playoffs was like stone cold killer assassin, you know, NBA high leverage, you know, offensive creator type stuff.

Like it was incredible to see. And he's just in certain spots of the floor, like he's unguardable because of his size and his shooting touch. And they just have so many guys, they can go so deep.

You got, they've got someone like like Trey Murphy, a second year guy out of Virginia, who's from right in our backyard, you know, Carrie Durham, North Carolina. Like that's a guy who was playing big minutes for them during the second half of last season, including the playoffs. That dude can't even crack their starting lineup. And he would be like the second best player on the Hornets right now. Seriously, they've got they've got a guy like Herb Jones who has a rookie was was like all defense slow was one of the top five, six defensive players in the NBA. Jonas Valanciunas can mash guys in the post at center and on the offensive glass. Larry Nance gives him a small ball center who can pass and and make plays and CJ McCallum is a is a guy that will play point guard for them.

So we'll see how what he can do sort of like setting other guys up, but he's a walking bucket. So I think as long as they get enough shooting on the court. I think this team has the chance to be incredible they probably overperformed back half of last season, but it sort of ended up balancing out now you add Zion back in. No, I think this team is going to be awesome.

I think they're definitely a top eight team in the Western Conference and I think they had the chance to get up to the fifth or sixth seed as well. Brian Geissiger check out his work Busbee podcast also see his breakdowns at Pac Pride and the Devil's Den throughout the ACC hoop season. Also, you'll be hearing him here talk to gold on Hornets and other NBA topics appreciate the time dude. Enjoy the NBA season. We will see you next May.

You guys be good Brian Geissiger my good friend as well. Things are bad for the Panthers. And as Brian mentioned, I didn't dwell on the Hornets too much because I feel like Brian will probably be here talking Hornets breaking it down as the season goes on and I really didn't just want to continue to pile on how bad the all season was for the Hornets. But with the Panthers being really really bad and things spiraling downward as Brian said for the Hornets.

It's a reminder. Charlotte is still considered like young as a sports town, right? It's not doesn't have the history of like a Cleveland or a Detroit or whatever. But it's history is growing and it's mostly bad. I'll explain how bad it is and how bad a pro sports town Charlotte has been next. Suzanne the monkey's name and we'll get back to it.

I'm pretty sure Suzanne is the monkey's name. Yeah. But now I'm not I'm not now I'm not a hundred percent sure that I'm not confused on that Dennis Cox producing not rule occasionally taking over the board and filling in Hays perm are here. We're still taking them. If you want to give us your best worst dip story. 9 1 9 8 6 0 5 3 2 6 I've had multiple people text me on this that these stories are so good.

We might replace some of them later in the rewind. But if you want to add to it now 1 9 8 6 0 5 3 2 6 is an honor of Chase Claypool who pronounced that he was having his first dip in a postgame locker room celebration and I'm just curious how it went after that. But if it were me I would not be talking and I would not be around people but it is time where it's legal to place our bets. Place your bets. Place your bets.

I bet you slice into the woods a hundred bucks. I know you miss a couple things before we actually place the bets one this right here says that Adam Gold is plus seven thousand five hundred fake for entertainment purposes on the units. And I'm calling him out. I think this is a lie now. I don't know if that factors in Well, I don't know. He had some bets yesterday.

I'm not sure that fact. He's yet chargers minus Still it's okay. Minus 7200 is where he should be. I guess this guy Is having an incredible run right now and I challenge you his answer will be Well, if I start playing him for real then they won't hit true, but I'm just I think somewhere in between You know all the producers Moving around come for each other. I think he's sneaking in updates. Okay, like when you're like, oh, it wasn't me yesterday So, I don't know.

I Never looks good to me. I think he's trying to get one by you I keep tracking my own this doesn't seem like out of the item gold I know would not his ego would not be inflated by being good at picking games, right? He'd be one of the first people to tell you that it like it's probably mostly luck, right? And anybody who tells you they've got an in especially if they're charging you for the picks is Lying because if they had an in that good, they wouldn't be selling picks to you for 20 bucks They'd be laying those picks for 20 million dollars, right if they're that that dialed in So it doesn't seem like the thing that Adam would do. I just have a difficult time Wrapping my brain around how good he's been At fake betting with that in mind I'll give you my first bet the NBA starts tonight I don't think the Hornets play yet, but I heard the Hornets gonna be bad. Do they play tonight?

I think so Oh, wow, I probably should have been on top of that. That's how little I wanted to talk about the Hornets. I don't blame you Now they play tomorrow, okay, they open tomorrow against the Spurs That's right just Sixers Celtics Lakers like it's like it. Yeah, it's like a big TV like the Thursday Night Football BG said the Hornets are gonna be bad I don't know how bad that is, but I'm taking the under on their win total 33 and a half games Oh, wow, give me the under miles bridge is one of the best players last year I don't even know he's gonna be on the team Lamela ball Hurt right now, and I don't doubt he is but doesn't he seem like and I'm not even blaming him for this He ain't gonna be rushing to come back from injury this season with the Charlotte Hornets, right? He's got longer-term plans than the 82 games in this Charlotte Hornets season.

So it would not surprise me I'm not I'm not saying he's doing anything wrong I'm saying he's not gonna play with any question of whether or not it'll hurt his future and that's fine by me What you got Dennis? I'll go EPL Crystal Palace Wolves. Give me Crystal Palace to win at plus 130 the Chinese buffet to win all right NBA team that is playing tonight Lakers warriors as we said obviously a big TV matchup Obviously everyone's warriors are defending champs. They're better Even if they've got a little Team in fighting right now, but give me the Lakers baby plus 230 too big with money line the bronze gap pride Opening night. I think he's gonna come out here and try and make a statement Lakers plus 230. Give me the money line What's the over under a number of verbal sparring matches between Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverly in this game? I put it at one and it's Patrick Beverly on the Warriors. No, he's on the Lakers You think it'd be fighting a team? Yeah, which which team that was more like Teammate hit somebody else Yeah, I don't know if that Patrick Beverly Russell Westbrook long term. I don't know We'll see Westbrook does seem like a guy if he he is willing to come off the bench. It could work Mm-hmm.

I don't know. We'll see Aaron judge home run today plus 205 Mr. October Aaron judge. Yes, we'll see. It's crazy It's only plus 205, but yeah speaking of that. I feel like I Know that the baseball executives can't pick the starter for Cleveland and you know, maybe they can't affect the calls But somehow some way they're gonna make sure that the Yankees advanced the ASL ALCS So we get New York Houston like everybody wants give me the Yankees minus one and a half Okay Over the Guardians today and anytime you got a four o'clock baseball game coming on like you you're obligated to lay money on it Of course, like it's just it's on its background to your workday.

Sure. All right, my final one UFC 280 this weekend Bantamweight or bantamweight fight Sean O'Malley versus Peter Yan who's a former title holder? He was Sean O'Malley in the upset plus 230 Wait, when is this fight Saturday? It's Tuesday, man. You just put a bet on the Hornets full season The NBA season starts today. Oh, come on You're making bets on Saturday. Yeah Ridiculous, you know, you did bid on Aaron judge, which is many games that were today at Crystal Palace I gave you two today. I was thinking that was another week.

I forget they play EPL during the week, too Yeah, I always that game kicks off in like 30 minutes. All right, you're forgiven. That's fair enough Do we confirm that Suzanne was the monkeys? Yes, that is and I now that I'm picturing that I can't even picture where the monkey comes In I think it's escaped from the zoo Okay, so is it in clerks, too? No, it's in it's in mall rats. It's in mall rats Now now I'm gonna have to go back and watch it's shown in the closing shot That's what I thought but like where did the monkey ever come from? well, I think like the marshal the wildlife marshal was looking for the monkey Suzanne and They showed Suzanne what's great as soon as you played the song. I was like Suzanne That's the name of the monkey in the movie, but I could picture no other details. I had nothing about it That's how an old brain works This is the Adam Gold show