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  • so many more old faces will debut on December 23rd in new places.

  • Besides the aforementioned CP three versus Luca duel on ESPN, Russell Westbrook will make his Wizards debut in Philly.

  • John Wall will face the thunder.

  • The Hornets Gordon Hayward will start against Cleveland, and all the new Hawks that Vince Carter said would be going there will start in Chicago.

  • Wait a little Vince Carter breaking news section of our free agency special.

  • He was dead on Matt.

  • Which of these debuts are you most interested to see?

  • We got Katie other way.

  • That's who I'm most excited to see.

  • Um, but I'm excited to see how John and Rust doing their new situations to me, that that that that trade didn't make a lot of sense to me because they're so similar in game, obviously ruses more decorated with accolades a little bit older, but they were very similar.

  • But I'm really excited to see what CP three does for Devin Booker and in Aden out there because Chris number, you could say what you want, but he makes every team he plays on better.

  • He's gonna be the probably the best thing that's happened for Devin Booker, allowing him to play off the ball and take a lot of attention off him and a lot of pressure off him.

  • So I'm really looking forward to what CPD three does with those young Phoenix Suns.

  • Well, for me, it's gonna be John Wall on, and it's gonna be like this.

  • And it's been like this.

  • It's always gonna be that player that you always pair with James Harden because of his style of play, you know?

  • So it was like I was interested to see CP three when he first got there.

  • I was interested to see Russ, and that was John.

  • Because the way Harden style of play is is so interesting the way it contrasts with these other guys.

  • It just sometimes it just we don't think it matches like John Wall is a pure about a pure point guard that you have in the league, and he needs the ball on, and we all know Harden's usage right on the ball.

  • This was made him an M, v.

  • P.

  • And, uh, the player is today.

  • So it'll be interesting to see that dynamic because I think one of them has to change I mean, I don't see wall running the lane running to the corner shop.

  • Three spotting up on.

  • So it'll be interesting to see a The Hardened takes that role.

  • It becomes that player at this station's career, which I don't know if it's also there's so much behind the scenes.

  • Going on there with the Rockets is hard.

  • I'm gonna want to stay.

  • Is James gonna want to change his style for so situation you might not stay with?

  • I mean, it just depends.

  • I think James Harden has a choice, whether he wants to just be one of the all time great scores, offensive threats in the in the game, or actually try to win a championship.

  • And it's up to him because he can if he wants.

  • So I think the next step is kind of coming off the ball more and then knowing that anytime you want, you can get your shot.

  • But let the team play and flow and let everyone else get going.

  • So it's not always three guys looking at you.

  • And whenever James decided to take that next step, if Paul said if he wants to, then we're gonna they're gonna be in contention, but I like what they've done.

  • If if you could get a healthy John Wall in a healthy DeMarcus cousins, people forget about book.

  • If you could get a healthy boogie cousins, you got P.

  • J.

  • Tucker.

  • They're still They got the young kids.

  • Forgive me.

  • I forgot his name.

  • They just picked up from Detroit.

  • Uh, yeah, I'm with you too.

  • Sorry.

  • The center e.

  • I think they're putting some.

  • We've been talking about him all day.

  • Yes, Christian would Sorry about that, but yeah, he he flew under the radar.

  • Played really well at the end of the season.

  • But if it's up to James, is he gonna go?

  • Is he gonna force a trade?

  • Because the last thing you want is unhappy Superstar the whole season.

  • Well, also, Paul, you mentioned John Wall and you know John so well from playing with him.

  • I'm from the D C area and I covered him.

  • People kind of forgot about John Wall.

  • I'm sorry.

  • The talent level of that dude now, I don't know what he is going to be like.

  • The history of guards with Achilles injuries.

  • It's not great when they come back.

  • What do you expect from John?

  • Well, I think he's gonna be a smarter player.

  • I mean, you gotta understand, he's came in as one of the most athletic point guards that probably ever seen, and he depends on that.

  • And now he's probably gonna lose some of that athleticism as he gets up there in age in this in this injury.

  • So I'm gonna see probably amore efficient John Wall.

  • You know, a guy who's probably worked on this shot knocking down shots a little more.

  • Ah, higher, I Q.

  • Not that he wasn't before, but he was.

  • He was a high i Q players.

  • So I think injuries tend to, like, help you learn the game a lot more because you sit back and you watch and see how you could get better.

  • Do you think he's got to study the game like Paul said?

  • He's got to be a student game because he hasn't places December 26th 18, you know?

  • I mean, it's coming up on two full years of him actually not playing basketball.

  • We had him on the show earlier, Um, on all the smoke, he said he's feeling great.

  • He's explosive.

  • He's, you know, like I said, I think the bigger the next step in his game is is the mental step, and not that he wasn't a smart player before, but at with age and time off being able to see how you can affect the game, I e.

  • I think he'll become, come back and be very effective.

  • If the Achilles is completely Hill physically, he probably could have come back for the bubble and the team.

  • Just everybody elected like, Let's be smart here, right?

  • But that may be extra padding of time is maybe a good thing.

  • When you're looking about the chance of re injury, we'll just have to see.

  • I want to ask you guys about the Toronto Raptors because they're going to spend at least the next three months away from Canada play their home games in Tampa, Florida at the Tampa Bay Lightning.

  • Zarina.

  • This is, of course, due to the travel restrictions between Canada and the US right now, whether they will return to Toronto after the All Star break in March.

  • Who knows what we I mean?

  • No one knows about anything going on in March here, a few notable games that the Raptors will play in Tampa, starting with the Pelicans on December 23rd, the Celtics on January 4th and a two game home set against both the now fellow Floridians.

  • I guess the Heat and then the 70 Sixers.

  • So, Paul, how do you see this forced relocation affecting Toronto?

  • The players?

  • I mean, they might move back in the middle of the season.

  • I mean, out of all the teams in the league, their most affected.

  • I mean, you're not asking no other team in the league to play outside of their home arena.

  • I mean, not that we're not gonna have fans, but you're gonna stand the comforts of being at home, going into your house that you bought, or the apartment or whatever you live coming home to your family, going to your practice facility.

  • You know, players are by nature, you know, they like routine.

  • They go to their favorite restaurants after games or or before games.

  • And now you're you're going to a totally foreign environment to a city who probably none of them have been to.

  • Tampa is a great city, but I'm sure people don't just wait and see.

  • I wanna go to Tampa.

  • You know so nice in the winter.

  • You know, it's a great place.

  • I've been there.

  • But, you know, you go to Miami, you go to Florida for the most part, and so they're gonna be a team at a disadvantage out of all the teams to start the season.

  • But I think to piggyback off that if anything, any team can handle it.

  • It's them, you know.

  • They have great veteran leadership in Kyle Lowry.

  • Nick Nurse is a great coach.

  • They've been through the wars, They won championships.

  • They've done it without co.

  • I, um So I think this team is ready can handle it.

  • Obviously, it's gonna be a disadvantage of not being at home.

  • But, you know, they landed in Tampa, so it's gonna be at least it's a nice city.

  • The weather's nice, and it's we're just unfortunate circumstances right now.

  • So, like I said, I think it's gonna be tough, but I think this team could definitely on, and I don't see the effect, but think about this.

  • You just come from the bubble, and then it's like you don't even get to go home.

  • So just psychologically you're like it wears on.

  • It wears on you so that that could cause an effect on the player s.

  • Oh, my hat's off.

  • You know, if they got through the bubble, they can they get through this?

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so many more old faces will debut on December 23rd in new places.

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