Some are staying, some are going, but the transfer portal is staying busy

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Call clickgrainger.com or just stop by. Grainger, for the ones who get it done. Brian Geisinger joins us, our Mr. Basketball. Transfer portal stuff has been interesting. Duke's obviously been very busy, and we'll get to that. But I want to start with, I wasn't going to, but now I want to start with North Carolina, because Jaylen Withers, not Jaylen Withers, Jaylen Withers is still there. Seth Trimble came back out of it. R.J. Davis is likely going to return to North Carolina for another year. The question for me about Seth Trimble is based on who's coming back, or who's coming in, with the two recruits who are both dynamite shooting guard wings. Seth Trimble might not play as much this year as he did last year. What are your thoughts on that?

Yeah, it's interesting. He was around 17 minutes per game. I think by the end of the regular season, they may have dipped a little bit after the postseason. But hey, UNC would be a really fun place to play basketball. And get to play with some familiar guys and a good coach and live in a cool city. There's a lot of reasons why you would want to stick around, especially if the money looks right. And who knows what the staff sort of has the role that they've pitched him on next season.

I will say this. He's an excellent player with a defined skill set already. He's a good athlete, a good defender. He can cut. He can finish.

You can use him on the break. And he's not like a, I mean, obviously like, you know, towards the end of the season, you saw how Alabama guarded. He and Elliot could go and in the tournament, but like triple shown, I think some signs of being like an okay, you know, spot three point shooter. But if you could make an elite there and become a guy that's, you know, had like a, you know, a quicker trigger is a little more fluid with the jumper. Like he already does a lot of other stuff really, really well. And he'd be a guy that you could play with a bunch of other players, but he's just going to have to, you know, show a little bit more growth with the jump shot.

Yeah, I love him. It also could be a cautionary tale to a lot of people that a lot of players you go into the portal. There's no guarantee that there's a door opens up for you that you really want to take. I mean, I'm sure he could have gone to.

Well, let's just any school in the Mac, right? And and and been a major 30 minute a game guy, but it's not the same. So good for him. I'm glad I'm glad he's glad he's coming back. All right, before we get to Duke, who haven't I haven't talked a ton about NC State.

The they have lived in the transfer portal the last several several years with Kevin Keats. How would you kind of assess what they've done and you know how close they are maybe to doing more this time? I really like what they've done so far. Like if you watch, you know, obviously Louisville was bad this season, but if you watched in the last two years, you know, they had a handful of good players that came through there and been on the Hatfield and Mike James were two of those guys in for state to, you know, get a guy like only Hatfield who's not certainly not like a post-up guy the way that like DJ Burns was but can give you some screen roll can post up some can get on the offensive glass. I don't love the sort of the pick and roll defense, but he's a hard guy to evaluate just given how bad Louisville defense was right last couple of years.

I don't be curious to see what he would look like with, you know, Modi are Dennis Parker Jr. Some of these other guys, you know around him at the back line and James is like look you don't say no to six five six six wings that can create their own shot in 12,000 into the rim. Um, then you had a guy like Dontre Stiles from Georgetown another like big power wing who was stuck on a crappy team at Georgetown this year, but like he would Dontre Stiles was good this year and like he like he plays way different. Uh, or he played way differently at Georgetown than he did at UNC. He scaled up way more in terms of usage and playing time, but he's the guy that I could see.

Same for James. I could see both those guys playing the three or the four for state when you especially if state, you know, it goes to some of its, you know, for around one type sets. Those guys can space they can pick and pop, but they can also catch and go. They can run, pick and roll.

They can drive. They could slash styles even had like a little bit of a step back game last night. I watched film of one of the one of their games against Yukon this year with the Huskies, you know, blew the doors off of them, but like he played really well in the whole game. I mean, you know, they're going to be a top five top 10 pick, and it's one of the best defenders. Uh, you know, we defenders in the in the in the draft this year, so I love what they've done so far and plus the bringing in Paul McNeil Jr. Like I think, um, you know, like in the guard room on the, you know, on the wing next season, and they've got multiple guys that are like six, four to six, six, and including guys like James in styles that have some has aside some muscle on them and can give them some some downhill drives. And so I really like what what Kevin Keats has done, and I wouldn't be surprised, man, if the postseason run step, you know, definitely like turned a few heads. I know they were kind of maybe in on styles last year to 40 kick Georgetown, but still, it's a it's a good showing for state so far. It's sort of like when Brett Favre had to spend the year with the Jets first before going to the Vikings from the Packers.

It's hard to go directly from, you know, North Carolina to NC State without ultimately causing some sort of a land war. Brian Geisinger, our Mr. Basketball 24 7 Sports Buzzbeat podcast. Let me ask you to throw your JJ Riddick as a as a coaching candidate hat on here, sir.

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This is a thousand dollar value, but I'm going to waive my planning fee to make sure you get your total retirement plan and you get on the right path for retirement. Call 888-843-0013, 888-843-0013 or text Adam to 600-700. Not too surprised because he got floated, his name got floated for some jobs, some interviews last year, like last sort of like coaching cycle as well. And the Hornets are obviously casting a pretty wide net with this search. They've looked at a lot of different names and not just sort of like even going the traditional, you know, up and coming assistant coach in the NBA or, you know, a veteran NBA coach that's looking for a new opportunity.

Like that's looking for the next opportunity. Like they've interviewed different candidates from different leagues and even a guy like Reddick who's not even a coach, like where he coaches his son's youth basketball team or whatever. I mean, I do think there's like definitely some part about it where like the teams, the teams that float Reddick, like get to say like, oh, this, you know, the hot name in media, you know, we're looking at him. And so maybe there's some like kind of like fan service to create a little bit of buzz.

I don't, I don't actually know. Obviously a lot would depend on if he was the guy, a lot would depend on like what his staff would look like. I enjoy listening to his podcast. He definitely knows a lot about basketball.

He's played for some incredible coaches. Um, but, uh, but it is, it's, it would be an interesting thought. I would be a little, he's got such a good, a media gig right now. Um, I guess he could always come back to it, but like it does seem like a, it would be totally, you know, basically ESPN, ABC, you know, number two, uh, you know, uh, analyst, uh, for NBA. And, uh, he actually, he has this, you know, burgeoning, you know, podcast and video network too, with the old man in the three.

So that that's like a tough thing to live, especially to leave, especially if you've got like a family and young kids. But there's only 30 NBA head coaching gigs. So like if you get the chance, maybe you got to take it. Um, I'm open to it for the Hornets, but it, it would be, it would be, I would really want to see like how he would fill out a staff. Um, if he was, you know, actually like tabbed as the guy, my, my take on is that it would depend on the team, right? If you have a team as young as the Hornets are, I don't know if that's the right guy for a young team. I mean, I really don't.

Um, but I mean, you could also make the argument that it's not good for a, uh, you know, a team that has designs on not only making the playoffs, but making a run in the playoffs, somebody without coaching experience. I'm not sure there's, you can make cases either way, but as you said, he, I mean, he's obviously a really smart basketball mind. Uh, I'm absolutely hooked on the, uh, this, uh, this thing he's doing with LeBron.

Mind the game. It's just, I think it's outstanding. Um, so I mean, and I'm, I'm actually listening to it more for JJ than I am for LeBron and I like LeBron. Yeah. Both those guys are, you know, kind of basketball geniuses. So it is a fun listen.

I would just say quickly would advise. I would think Charlotte's, you know, new front office and new ownership group. I would strongly advise them to probably not make the 20, 25 playoffs. Um, they owe a lottery protected first round pick to the Spurs in 2025. And so if that doesn't convey, it didn't convey the two second round picks. And, uh, I would sort of rather have my hat in the Cooper flag sweepstakes than, uh, than lose the first round pick.

So, um, I'm sort of hoping they're taking a slightly longer view. Good. Then hire JJ. Yeah, go for it. I hire JJ Reddick.

All right. Uh, Brian Geissinger, before we let you go, um, who's the biggest challenger to the Celtics in the East? Oh, man, you could go back. I mean, if Giannis is healthy, I think I would say, uh, the Bucks. But, um, and I assume at some point, you know, he's gonna, he's gonna end up coming back in that series. I think right now, I guess you have to say New York though, like until I see Giannis back on the court with the Bucks, I'll say, I'll say New York, uh, even without Julius Randall, just the physicality. Brunson's playmaking like Anna, no B his defense, what you could use him to guard, you know, Tatum or Brown. Um, I would definitely pick Boston to win that series, especially without Randall available for, for New York. But I think for right now, I think you probably have to say them. If Giannis comes back and looks like himself though for the Bucks, I, I would, I would flip that pick though.

All right. And in the West, even though the thunder are the number one seed, then everybody thinks the nuggets are the favorite and they probably are who's the biggest threat to them. For the ones who work hard to ensure their crew can always go the extra mile and the ones who get in early so everyone can go home on time. There's Granger offering professional grade supplies backed by product experts.

So you can quickly and easily find what you need. Plus you can count on access to a committed team ready to go the extra mile for you call click Granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done. Oh, I think at this point, um, and it's tough to say, like, I think Oklahoma City, you can make a case for them. You probably need to, you know, you don't want to get caught up too much in the last two games, which is Minnesota. The Timberwolves are a team that has given Jokic issues at times. It's not like you can stop him, but they've got, uh, a lot of like, you know, tall, uh, big centers to throw at him and they can use, go bear to Rome and try to have him at the rim on the, the lobs for, uh, for Aaron Gordon.

Uh, Jalen McDaniel's Anthony Edwards. These are like incredible, you know, guard wing defenders. Um, so I think right now I would say Minnesota, but like the Thunder was, I mean, the Thunder were like the clear cut second best, you know, in my opinion, maybe not clear cut, but they were probably big profile.

Uh, it's probably like the second best team in the West for a bunch of the season, but, um, for now I'll say Minnesota with Anthony Edwards playing this way, the size and length that they have on the wing and in the front courtroom. Um, and right now they're just, they're just, they're absolutely bulldozing the sun to look like they're kind of going out with a, with a, without much noise here in the playoffs. Incredible.

All the, uh, all the stars right at trading for all those stars. Uh, it couldn't happen to a, uh, to a nicer owner. Uh, and he met the Ishbia, whatever his name is. Uh, did he, did he, he hasn't stolen the ball yet. Nailed it away from, uh, any players on the Timberwolves has he? Not, not to my knowledge. Um, and, uh, I think that was, hopefully that was a one off for him. Uh, he probably doesn't want to risk injury again. Right.

Well, he did, he did take a hard foul, right? Yeah. It was brutal, brutal. Gosh, what a terrible scene that was. Uh, Brian Geisinger, uh, missed our Mr. Basketball, uh, at B guys underscore bird day. Thank you very much, man.

I'll talk to you later. For the ones who work hard to ensure their crew can always go the extra mile and the ones who get in early so everyone can go home on time. There's Granger offering professional grade supplies backed by product experts. So you can quickly and easily find what you need. Plus you can count on access to a committed team ready to go the extra mile for you call click Granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.