Will he be here for the ACC Tournament?

Alright, sir, are you coming down? Are you coming down for the big, unranked battle between two teams that have a combined seven-game winning streak? So I just want you to know how committed I am, Adam. I got off a little bit of a vacation, coming back from 85 degrees in the Bahamas. I am as bold as pavement right now, loving every second of it. And I come back to five inches of snow here in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, only two. I am coming on Friday. I am on a plane.

And for me, this is very personal, very personal, right? The last two times I've won a college basketball game in live with my team has been when we've lost to Carolina, one with Coach K's last game in Cameron and then at the final four. So, oh, I watched their entire game last night. I watched, I took notes.

I give them a lot of credit, RJ, for how he finished things down the stretch. But I am coming into Chapel Hill for a victory. Like I am coming to sweep the tutorials and to end their season this year. And I am typically objective Adam, but not, not, not Friday, not Friday, not this weekend. You will not see an objective man.

You will not see a man who is reasonable or looking at things thoroughly down the line. You're looking at a man who is in search of revenge and wants to see pain inflicted. And this is just the first step. All right. Did I detect that you said that ending Carolina season, meaning that you believe that they need to win this game in order to keep their hopes of an NCAA tournament at large bid? Oh yeah. Yeah.

I mean, yeah. And them getting to win at Florida state was a big win for them last night. You know, not, not losing that lead. And obviously RJ, I think playing like he, he just makes such a big shot on the stretch, man.

Like when they don't turn the ball over there, better players, especially when Armando bag, they got as one point. So I think that was a significant win, but I think if they don't win out the regular season and then get one in the tournament, I think there'll be an outside looking in. So yes, I am. I am tapping my former team to beat a team that ends their run that made it to the national championship game. Yeah.

Look, if that's the case, then that's the case. I think differently. I actually think that they'll be fine. Even if they lose on Saturday night, I actually think that they'll get in the field. They might have to go to Dayton and play, I don't know, Missouri state or whoever would be matched up with them in Dayton.

But I think that the very least they would, they would be there. Jay Williams is joining us here. Maybe I'm just a little bit more optimistic because, and you know, this, you played in an ACC that was loaded top to bottom just about every year. And what I can't figure out is why no matter how many times the Atlantic coast conference runs March, no matter how many times I keep hearing, well, you know, it doesn't really matter. It's not indicative of like, yeah, but all the time, isn't all the time. Doesn't all the time matter. I would agree with you on that.

And I have nothing to say on that one. We're, we're in complete alignment. I just like last year, what we could, I know wasn't a great regular season last year. And then final four, final four elite eight, sweet 16. We had four of the final 16 teams, three of the final eight, two of the final four.

And was that, was that a fluke? I don't know. I just say it's the ACC doing what the ACC does and why don't, why doesn't the ACC get the same respect in basketball that the SCC gets in football? Nobody cares who the SCC plays in the non-conference. Oh, they play an SCC schedule, you know, you know where it is out of my, I think frankly, it's the, I see it on the media side too. And I'm not saying it's the media's fault, but there, there is, you know, some room for it because frankly, I think what's happened is, you know, now with the, with the revolving door so much with one and done and with transfer portals and with, you know, all these new leagues, right. It's hard to keep up with the kids as much, right. Unless you're an older team, not CC teams like pay or teams like Clemson.

I got old quick through the transfer portal. And so a lot of times the media takes will like pin themselves on like the coaches, right? It's like coach K got a lot of that. Roy Williams got a lot of that.

We're seeing those types. And I think not having like having a lot of newer coaches, there feels like there is this school still has an identity, but like the coaches behind those identities have made a transition. It doesn't feel like those coaches, the media have gotten behind enough to sell as it relates to the ACC. Whereas it feels like you have bill self, you have a little bit more of the staples in the big 12 and maybe that's due to some of the reason as well. That's true.

By the way, I think Duke has two more wins of coach K's on the bench because there's no way they get out of the state of Virginia without Kyle Philipowski on the free throw line in both games, the one at Virginia Tech and the one at Virginia. I'm not saying that would be right. I'm just saying that there's an intimidation factor that John Shire has not yet risen to. And maybe he's too polite. Maybe he's just too nice and he's too handsome.

Is that possible? Could you be too handsome? No, I, I mean, I, he, I have always called him a young Brad Stevens. I mean, I've always joked around that, but here's what I will say in defense of John. I mean, doing, doing radio or doing TV for X amount of years, it's one thing it's really hard being the main person hosting the show or driving a show is a completely different weight or responsibility. And I, I do think that this being his first year, getting your sea legs and understanding there's a learning curve that comes along with it. You know, if we were critiquing coach K it's opposites were reversed. You know, coach K didn't do that. Great. His first couple of years, it was a challenge. And I get now having top recruits, but still learning the nuances of the game and when the pick your spots and either that personality still has to transform into a head coaching personality.

And I think that doesn't happen overnight. Jay Williams is joining us here. All right. So you're going to be, are you hanging out beyond the weekend or you do, or you're flying back to Connecticut when it's all over? Oh no, I'm, I'm coming in Friday and I'm staying until Sunday. All right, cool. Uh, good. Well maybe, uh, maybe there will be a, a meetup. Uh, let me, uh, let me ask you about the NBA and we say this knowing that LeBron James is going to be out for, I guess several weeks with a foot injury.

That was a, that was a tough thing to see last night. Uh, could you right now pick a team in the West with confidence that is going to reach the NBA finals? Denver Nuggets, the Denver Nuggets. Why, why does that always kind of respond? Because they haven't gotten that far yet. They haven't, they haven't done it. And I, I'm, I'm, I love the Jokic. You're skeptical. I am very skeptical. I'm, I'm skeptical of that team putting it together for whatever reason.

Uh, Jokic is amazing. I don't have any confidence in the rest of that team. Um, I think my pick is Phoenix. If Durant can stay on the court, I will only challenge you by saying, how do you even know what Phoenix is?

I don't know what they even look like. Nobody's even ever seen them play. And I, I get to what things look like on paper with Phoenix and I love KD and Devin Booker and CP three.

We'll see injuries on that team, how they handle that as well. But I go back to this cause I think Denver's in the middle of the scenes. I got coach Mike Malone the other day was like, yeah, you're not going to hear a lot about a lot about Jokic cause he's not no superior athlete. I'm like, actually he is. It's just not a Derek Rose type of athlete. And actually Aaron Gordon has had an incredible year where he's actually owned a spot actually Michael Porter jr. Played extremely well versus the Clippers the other night. Actually Jamal Murray's playing at a high level.

Uh, you know, they, they let go of bones Highland and they got some other pieces and Thomas blind who gives them depth to that position. They are top the bottom to me, the most complete team in the Western conference. It may not have the same appeal that Kevin Durant will bring or like a Kawhi Leonard, you jump on the Clippers bandwagon or, you know, what's going on with Memphis because they, they don't do things as sexy.

It's not me as attractive, but top to bottom. And I think they're the most complete team in the West that just gets overlooked. Are the Mavericks a, I mean, look, I love Jokic.

Jokic is box scores makes me make me laugh every single day. Um, are the Mavericks just going through a transition period learning how to incorporate Kyrie into the system or are they in a little bit of a kind of, are they in trouble a little bit? I don't, I'm not going to say, look, the pressure is on. You have 20, barely 20 games left. You know, I thought the course of the regular season, it's a lot to ask for anybody just to hit the ground running.

There's going to be learning curves. We wouldn't, even if we get to the playoffs, I mean, that's a whole other dynamic, right? Like who gets the ball down the stretch? Like roles aren't really established over a 20 game period that typically happens over the course of a season. So I think these are big adjustments and challenges in front of the Dallas Mavericks.

Um, and everything's going to be criticized at a pretty high level because you had to figure this out yesterday, right? Um, and, but look, I still rather have the problem having two dynamic guards and figuring out how they can share the ball down the stretch with other role players and getting guys healthy. I still rather have that problem and not have it because at the end of the day, you still have two prolific guys that can take over a game whenever they want. And you still have some pretty stable pieces around them. Maybe not as great defensively, but from spacing the floor and outscoring teams, they can score with anybody in the world.

Yeah. And I thought that at least when Kyrie was playing with LeBron, he had developed into a good catch and shoot shooter that he didn't have to have the ball to be effective. He could play off the ball.

Uh, I haven't seen enough of the Mavericks to know right now how they're doing it, but, uh, Kyrie can certainly play away from the ball and still be an effective player. Are you buying the New York Knicks recent surge as a contender in the East? For what? I'm sorry.

I lost you on that last one. When I said as a contender in the East? I'm sorry. You're breaking up, Adam.

There must be a horrible safe zone coverage here. How are we looking at a contender? I'm just kidding. It's still the Knicks. It's still the Knicks.

They'll figure out I kind of laughed at this. Um, there was a video online of when Jalen Brunson found that found out that before the trade deadline, they were getting Josh Hart and he looks excited. Right. And I got excited for him because I was like, you know, very similar to how we see it in the NFL. I think for, I think at times we take for granted relationships and accountability and expectations like, and we saw that with Jamar chase and Joe burrow, right that wide receiver quarterback continuity and relationship and how that's translated into the league. Um, and for me, like that's what Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart have, like they know what to expect from each other every single night. That's not a common in today's professional sports leagues.

It's not, um, so suddenly you're in the young team. So I, I think it, I liked the core of what they're building. I think they are a blue collar team that is overachieving, which is great.

They should. I still makes me wonder though that what this back court could have been if they had had Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell. Cause I still think the Nixon are looking at themselves saying, yeah, we thought we were, we were going to be all in an RJ Barrett, but at the end of the day, when you can only drive and finish one way, your game doesn't have a lot of that shot making ability around it. I'm not sure they're going to look at that commitment to RJ being that's the commitment that's going to change our future. When I did, they missed the window on Donovan Mitchell. So I think they're a mid of the pack Eastern conference team that is playing extremely well.

Um, but I think they will always be there until they find that next iteration of themselves. So is it the Celtics and the bucks or do you throw somebody else in there? I put Philly in there.

I think there's some questions around Yanis right now and the hand injury and bumping the knee the other night. Um, I think it opens the window for Philly. I think teams like Miami will always be hard, uh, to get through. Um, but at the end of the day, I think it's those three teams. And I think it's really am a Philly and Boston if Yanis is having issues, but in reality, if Milwaukee is healthy, meaning Yanis is healthy.

I think it's Milwaukee and the Celtics. If it's a, if it comes down to Philly and Boston's going to take me back to, uh, to fourth grade, uh, when I used to hang out on the playground, uh, pretending that I was either a bird or, uh, wasn't Barkley. It was like, um, it was Julia serving. I was a Dr. J guy as a kid growing up, but it's way before your time. I'm so much older than you, but Adam, yeah. And I'm with you. I mean, come on.

I watch Dr. J all the time. It does lead me to the question around Joel and B that I I've started to find myself asking, can you, can you win an NBA championship with your big being your best player right now? Like when I say bigs, I'll talk about people that can't initiate the office. I don't look at Yanis as a big, I don't look at your kids as a bit because your kids can get those polo rebounds, keep them in one hand, initiate the offense, like leads the team and assist different, right? Um, where's the guy like Joel and B and I'm like, can he be your best player?

Do you need like a James Harden to be that guy or answering those clutch moments? And that's a big question. I do believe that it's knocked out again early this season. Like I don't think Dr. Lewis would be the coach before. I think you'll hear stuff around in the Udoka and also think you'll, you'll be, you'll be seeing sparks of whether Joel and B wants to stay in Philly longterm or not, or what to go somewhere else and play with a guy like a Daimler or someone like a Bradley bill and increase his odds of winning the chip.

You are a hundred percent, I think, accurate on that. Jay Williams, uh, I'll see you, uh, hopefully this weekend, man. Uh, good luck. Wear protective gear to the Smith center. I'm kidding. They're not going to throw anything.

They're not going to throw anything, but if they do, that means we won the game and that means I'm happy. All right. Uh, best to you and your family. Best to, uh, to everybody.

I'll talk to you soon. All right. Thank you. Jay's fired up for the game. That's all that's important. So excited.

He is very excited now. Uh, I, again, I said earlier that I will reserve judgment. I will not make a pick until we watch Duke and state tonight. Uh, and I'm not even sure that is going to influence, like if Duke wins, I'm not even sure that it's going to make me pick Duke. Carolina is shooting the ball very well.

That's a, that's a big deal. Can they keep it up for another game? We'll see. I am looking forward to, uh, DJ burns versus Derek lively tonight. Oh boy. That should be fun. Absolutely.