It's James Harden last year and Russell Westbrook the two biggest components.

Westbrook's issue is not a great shooter, right?

Kyrie can shoot the lights out, and of course, he and Westbrook don't play the exact same style.

But he's a super athletic point guard who can score like Russell Westbrook.

The difference is he can shoot now.

Put Kevin Durant on that team and you see why it would be murder.

So with that being said, though, Stephen a lets pretend, Let's do the thought experiment heart and does go to BK.

Can they take the Lakers?

I think they can.

I wouldn't definitively state that yet.

I want to see what the Lakers do this offseason, who they acquire because you don't know if Avery Bradley is going to stay.

You don't know if Kentavious Caldwell Pope is going to stay, although I think they will.

Anthony Davis should definitely stay, but you know what?

If you talk to Rich Paul or whatever, he'll throw New York out there.

He'll throw Chicago out there.

He's a businessman, and obviously, even though Anthony Davis is going to get the max, all things have to fall in line.

And you got to remember this.

This coming season is LeBron's last year before he has a player option to decide what he wants to do with his future, whether it be in a Laker uniform or anywhere else.

The man's going from Cleveland to Miami back to Cleveland to L.

A.

So it's not beyond the realm of comprehension that he would elect to move.

Although I can't imagine him leaving this Southern California sunshine because I just got back from L.

A.

As y'all both know.

And I must say, it is a lovely, lovely place to be, as you two would know, since you both lived out there yourself.

You dragged me back with you, drag me back to New York, kicking and screaming, Stephen A.

I was the fresh prince of Bel Air out there.

It's the greatest place I Well, I would say this you you got a credit?

The bosses for that, I had no problem.

Well, I remember that which you like living out that enabled me to be in California more.

I'm just not the ball.

Well, listen, you got no argument for me about Ella, although Love New York to, uh, Stephen A.

They could they beat the Lakers.

Sure they could.

I would actually make the lake like favorites here.

I would say that there's continuity, I would think, bringing in Dennis Shrewder, who just came off the best season of his career.

People like argument.

He certainly had the best season of career.

He's playing defense.

Trudeau was playing defense and he was shooting the ball well, right with shrewder.

It's like, Well, he played defense.

And Kenny, we have a year where he hits his shots.

Yeah, he's taking a bunch of threes and hitting them in a very good clip and defending.

So you look at the matchup LeBron over k D, particularly k d.

O.

Often injury.

I take a D over Harden.

I mean, you could say it's close, but you could argue when you factor in health.

The Lakers have the two best players on either team and then Kyrie obviously over shrewder.

But I'll tell you what.

Shooter doesn't have chemistry issues wherever he goes.

Kyrie does I still like the Lakers there.

Well, listen, I don't blame you for that, and I might agree with you.

But let's keep in mind a couple of things.

Anthony Davis was a difference maker because he was so formidable defensively, a matter of fact.

There were times when he switched off on hard and there was times when he switched off and he was on the joke.

Or he was on the perimeter garden of Jamal Murray.

A time stuff like that.

Excuse me?

What you gonna do with K D and James Harden?

That ain't the same monster coming at you.

I'm sorry.

So as a result of that, how effective would you be defensively?

And then let's also take this into consideration.

They're the two best players in the world.

If Kevin Durant is healthy, particularly on the offensive side of the ball with James Harden, are we sure that Anthony Davis and LeBron James is more of a dynamic duo offensively than K D and James Harden?

That kind of changes the dynamic a little bit.

They beat you in different ways, but Harden and K D and and, by the way, Anthony Davis Garden K D.

Is a different animal because he's 6 11 like Anthony Davis, who's the point guard on that team because you could make a good argument to put the ball in, hardens hands and play Kyrie as great as his hands are off ball because Kyrie can really shoot well, he could really shoot and and and and so, but it's also about his temperament.

I think that Kyrie is gonna be far more receptive tow listening to K d than he was toe listening to LeBron or others.

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