Do the Pacers Have ENOUGH to Win the NBA Finals?

0:00When it's time to scale your business, it's time for Shopify. Get everything you need to grow the way you want, like all the way. Stack more sales with the best converting checkout on the planet. Track your cha-chings from every channel, right in one spot, and turn real-time reporting into big-time opportunities. Take your business to a whole new level. Switch to Shopify. Start your free trial today. Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. The message for everyone paying big wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything goodness world, stop. With Mint, you can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpay no judgments, but that's weird. Okay, one judgment. Anyway, give it a try at MintMobile.com slash switch. Up front payment of $45 for three month plan, equivalent to $15 per month required. Intro rate for three months only, then full price plan options available. Texas and Fees Extra, see full turns at MintMobile.com. Kitchen and bathroom professionals know what goes behind the tile matters.

1:04That's why trade pros trust fiber cement, party backer board, to keep tile firmly in place, resist cracking, and help block moisture. Chosen in over 40 million kitchen's and bathrooms, party backer board, what the best build on. Shop now at participating Home Depot, Lowe's, and floor into core stores. For more information, visit jameshardy.com slashhardybacker. Hey, it's Kelly Rowland. You may not know this, but I have eczema. So I get how it can steal your time. But why let eczema take over when you can talk to your doctor about ebglyss? Ebglyss, lubricism app, LBKZ, a 250mg per 2mL injection, is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older, who weigh at least 88 lbs or 40kg with moderate to severe eczema. Also called a topic dermatitis that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin, or topicals, or who cannot use topical therapies, ebglyss can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you are allergic to ebglyss.

2:05Allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. I problems can occur. Tell your doctor if you have newer worsening eye problems, you should not receive a live vaccine when treated with ebglyss. Before starting ebglyss, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. Pay partnership with Lili. Respect your time. Ask your doctor about ebglyss and visit ebglyss.com or call 1-800-LiliRX or 1-800-545-5979. Visit tires' hellburn and you're listening to us setting the pace. What is going on? Welcome back to another episode here of your go-to PASER's podcast and the pace I'm your host. Alex Gold this is our last day this week with no Fachi, but Boy oh boy, we save the best for last year on set in the pace because we've got Kent Sterling on the other line here and we're really excited to talk with Kent. It's been a little bit of time since we've talked last, but the PASER's season is officially here.

3:06The NBA has started. Training campus has started. So I guess just start things off here. How are you feeling about this team interning? Well, much better. I think they're going to be far improved compared to a 19-win team. As long as guys stay healthy, I think this is an Eastern conference finals team. At least I hope. I think they win 54 or 55 games, something like that. It's kind of a crowded top of the east, but I think the PASER's, they fit in there very nicely. Yeah, that's funny. You said 54 wins because that is exactly what I predicted for this time. Really? No, 54 and 28. We went through and picked every single game of the season for a fun exercise in the offseason. And like, you know, I mean, it's just guessing, right? And there's so many like variables that are going to play a factor into the season. But I see them as a team that finishes with the second seed in the Eastern conference. And I feel pretty confident about that. Obviously, Halbert coming back, getting a Zubat center integrated with this group. But I just think sometimes people are kind of forgetting how good PASER's

4:06the ockermis of the player. Yeah. When you bring all these other pieces back and you say, oh, God, we got to worry about this guy too. Like, I just think there are so many pieces with this team that are hard to guard. And I think Pascal, the ockermis, kind of the forefront of it. You know, and then you look at the other teams in the East. And I'm not too worried about the Celtics. The Celtics with Jaylen Brown was one deal. But if you're going to, you know, try to play Paul George in his place at age 36, I don't think that's going to work. I don't think that that trade necessarily works for the Sixers. You know, what they need, they need, they need Joel M.B. to stay healthy and do what he's supposed to do or their toast. You know, the next, I don't think the next are going to be able to repeat. I love where the Pacers are. Yeah. I mean, and I just want to get back to the ocumal quick. Because we saw him last year. Like he carried this team. We talked about it. They don't win 19 games without him last year. They probably only win 10 without Pascal's the ockermis. What do you think you're like last year could, could do for a player like Siacham heading into this season now with a lot less on its point?

5:11I think he can become a guy late in the game that you can count on to go get buckets. Maybe at a level that you didn't before. But I think he's going to, he's going to recede a little bit into the role that he's really best suited for. And that's to be a bit of a complimentary score and be one of three that can really get that job done. I think that's a really good three, some with Halle Burton and Zubat. So I think that works. Yeah. And then just going off the other two guys that were there last year for the majority of the season. Nimhard and Eastman. I'll start with Nimhard. What do you think he could learn from last year as well? Because he was that primary point guard for the majority of the season. Now kind of shifting back into that off guard that'll play some point next to Halle. I mean, how do you kind of envision with the steps he will take as a player next? I think that that gives him and views him with some more confidence. I think it puts him at a better spot like if Halle Burton just got to miss five, six games with a hamstring or a groin or something that you're going to be able to insert Nimhard into that role and still get good confidence out of it.

6:17And maybe you move Ubrae into the starting line of somehow. I think it gives you better depth more, more reps, more better, right? And a lot of guys last year, I think benefited from that. And now they're going to be able to, when they're all healthy, they're going to be able to be a part of a hole that is better. But those guys are going to be better suited to an expanded role if necessary. Rick Carlisle talks a lot about this being an ecosystem and everybody needing to play their part to make it work perfectly. I think last year we saw them with Aaron Eastman. He did not look like the same player without Tyree's Halle Burton at the point, guards, but it was just like he had a couple of games where he kind of got off. But like most of the time it was like pressing a little bit too much kind of realizing he's being asked to do more than he's able to do. And so getting this whole group back healthy, how do you think that'll impact Aaron Eastman? Do you think he can actually take a step forward? I think he's one of those guys who on a good night when everybody else is having a bad night.

7:20I think he can step up and he can get buckets. And I think that he's going to be better suited to defending at a really high level too. I think that last year really works to feed this beast a little bit. And especially with guy like Neesman, who's always been that guy who was kind of on the cusp of being really good. And he got the opportunity last year when he was had injured and it got some things done. But I think that he's going to be happier in the role that he's more traditionally a part of. I would agree wholeheartedly. I love Aaron Eastman's game. I think he's a huge part of what this the success of this team over the last couple of years. But I definitely think he was just overmatched being asked to be like, hey, go be our two guy. Like I just not who he is. But I think for the Pacers bench, they've obviously shifted a little bit from what it looked like a couple of years ago. But Tijama Khan, Obi Topin, those are your, you know, constants. Those are your two guys that have been a part of this group.

8:21The last finals run and the last Eastern Conference finals runs. Tijama Khan, he's not getting any younger. How much do you think he still has left in the tank to carry an 82 game season plus a deep playoff? You know, I think that Tijama Khan is the best weapon, his best asset is his brain. You know, and that's not, that's getting older. It's getting wiser. He didn't going to get dumber. You know, he made athleticism was never the thing. You know, and so I'm not too worried about him losing athleticism because he, I mean, when we talked about, talked too keen in Allen with the Colts about a lack of speed and him getting older, he said, hey, you can't lose what it's going to be. You can't lose what you never had. And while McConnell is athletic enough, like he gets you up here and up here is just fine. There's going to be a point at which, I mean, he's not going to be able to play into his 40s. He's not going to be Bob Kuzier's something like that.

9:22But I think he's going to be able to contribute. Maybe like shrink the minutes back a little bit to keep him healthy. But what is he 3435 now? You know, I think he's all right. I love him. And I think the guys love him. Like he does, you need a guy on a team who's going to go out and do the things that nobody else is doing. You need somebody to go out and get on the floor in order to encourage the other guys to go get on the floor. And he's that guy. He's that pied piper of hustle plays. And I think in that role, he excels and he brings the best out of the other four on the floor. Whoever they are, when he's out there. Yeah, he gets guys fired up. And I mean, we saw at times a Benedict Mathering when he was on this team, like you kind of fed off of that energy. And I think Oby Toppen's another guy that fed off that energy from Keija McConnell. And Toppen is just somebody to me that I fell in love with more and more watching him throughout that final run. Because he really just kind of grew into that role. And you think about when the pastors traded for him, he became their starting power forward.

10:24It didn't work out after the first couple of months. And he gets demoted, I guess, as a right word for that, but he gets demoted to a bench role. But ever since then, he's really thrived in that. And so I'm kind of curious your thoughts on how Oby has just found his, you know, putting here with this piece. I think it's been awesome to watch. That a guy takes this as a challenge. And he rises to that challenge. I think he's the guy who just loves ball. And he is a great athlete, you know, on a scale of one to ten athletically, even inside a very athletic NBA. He's probably a nine. Yeah, the guy's long. He can block shots. He's smart. You just have to restrict him to what he does exceptionally well. And you're going to be okay. And that, I think, Rick Carlyle has done a really good job of imparting that kind of communication to him. And reinforcing what he does well and kind of dissuading him from what he doesn't. Yeah, I was smiling a little bit because I remember about four or five years ago when we were podcasting on a regular basis.

11:30Some of the fans were saying the most athletic player on the team was Miles Turner. And so just to think how far we've come, you know, five years later, where Oby topping is that guy, it's just like, wow, thank God the Pacers really address the issues. And how far fans have come in appraising athleticism had those people ever watched Miles Turner run? I mean, what are they doing? What are they talking about? Yeah, I think I don't know if I would even say he was in the top five athletic players on that group. He wouldn't be in the top two in my house. I love it. I love it. I think I just, you're talking about older guys getting wiser. I started thinking about how can I incorporate a Miles Turner joke into this. He is now the vote on quote veteran of the Milwaukee. Yeah, it's too bad. He felt like he couldn't compete here. And he had to go to Milwaukee to compete. How's 32 wins for competing miles? How's that work for you? Yeah, I think if they get 32, that'll be a miracle. I really believe that it's an okay team in terms of young pieces to develop.

12:35But that's what they got last year. You know, and they're not going to get 32 this year because the honest has gone that whole things changed. And it's going to crater. And and Miles is going to be right in the middle of it. And that is that is a just if this is the end of his career, this contract. That's a just end to this guy's career. As mean spirit is, as that is, I own it. I love it. I appreciate your honesty because it just makes me smile. I love I love any miles Turner shade, even though I don't even dislike the guy. I just think it's fun. So it's a poke fun and a guy that has a lot to say and it doesn't really ever make sense. But. I'm just saying listen to some of the stuff he says and it's just like. 100% it's just it's just ass and I'm but I will say this. We talked about it would be tough. And I and I wrote about this today because I thought it was really important. It's a guy that's in the final year of his contract, right? And Ricky Skeldiel and Rick Carlyle talked about it at the first day of training camp.

13:35It's you know, embraced the role player role basically. It's like starring your role, whatever the terminology was. But a system player that's what it was be a system player for this team. And he said I think that can get him paid. And it's. Yeah, the league that it can do that. And so I kind of go back and look at another. Formerly number eight overall pick and it'll be top in. Who really kind of did that. He wasn't really getting off to a great start with New York. It was up and down there. Didn't really know what a fit in there gets traded to the pay. So as they play a style that fits him perfectly. And he gets get $60 million over four years. I mean, that's a pretty good payday for a guy that seemed like you didn't really have a great spot at any rotation. So for Jaros Walker, he is going to be that wing opposite of Kelly Ubra, Jr. Entering year four contract year. What does he really need to do to get another contract with the pay. I think you're exactly right. He's got to find a well-defined role that he fits really well.

14:35What he still is at this point in his career and he's years in is a guy with great potential. And we keep trying to figure out where he fits. And there is like he can shoot it. He can rebound it. He can defend a little bit. But there are wobbles there that make you uncomfortable about trusting him in any of those roles specifically. You got to be a stopper. You got to be a shooter. You've got to be a facilitator. You've got to be something. You can't be everything. He's not LeBron James. And he's got to realize that he needs to like if you're playing roulette and you scatter a bunch of chips all over the table. You got a better chance of cashing but not big. You know, if you decide I'm going to go just balls to the wall here and you cash, you got a chance to really make some money. And I think that that's kind of what Jerry Swalker's got to do. He's got to be a guy. He can't be a jack of all trades because he's not that. But he can't be a master of none either.

15:36He's got to figure out. He's got to figure out what he has the capability of doing exceptionally well and doing it all the time and being bankable in that role. Hey, Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. Now, I don't know if you've heard. But Mint's premium wireless is $15 a month. But I'd like to offer one other perk. We have no stores. That means no small talk. Crazy weather we're having. No, it's not. It's just weather. It is an introverts dream. Give it a try at minemobile.com slash switch. Up from payment of $45 for three month plan, $15 per month equivalent required. New customer offer for three months only. Then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. SeammentMobile.com Hey, it's Kelly Rowland. You may not know this, but I have Exama. So I get how it can steal your time. But why let Exama take over when you can talk to your doctor about Epglyce? Epglyce, Lebrichizmab, LBKZ. A 250-mg per 2-mg leader injection is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older,

16:38who weigh at least 88 pounds or 40 kilograms with moderate to severe Exama. Also called a topic dermatitis that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin, or topicals, or who cannot use topical therapies. Epglyce can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you are allergic to Epglyce. A allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. I problems can occur. Tell your doctor if you have newer worsening eye problems. You should not receive a live vaccine when treated with Epglyce. Before starting Epglyce, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. Pay partnership with Lily. Respect your time. Ask your doctor about Epglyce and visit Epglyce.com or call 1-800-LilyRX or 1-800-545-5979. Yeah, I think consistency is the key for Jair's walking. It's just too much on a roller coaster ride with him, too much up and down and not figuring out what's going to stick. And I think for him, the main message that I'm getting from the coaching staff in the front office is don't try to press because it's a contractor. Don't try to play outside of your limitations, right? Be what we need you to be. Bit into the system, make the right play and good things will happen.

17:41It has always been a point of emphasis to say play with force. And Carl Alatauk's in demand zap from all of his players, but it's been reiterated multiple times for Jair's walker because he doesn't naturally play with force. And I felt like there was a switch that was turned last year where he kind of started playing that way. We saw him taking a charge, dunking with force and rebounding with two hands and crashing the glass. He was starting to get it. And I think after three off seasons now working out with Pascal, see, I'll come as this mentor. I hope that he's starting to get it because I think that the front office and the coaching staff actually believe he can be more than what he's proven throughout the first three years of his career. But Bobby Marks came on this podcast and he said it's put up or shut up for Jair's walker this season. And if he doesn't, it's a good chance he's probably not here by the deadline. And then he's got to go into free agency and he's got to figure out where he's going to sign. And you don't want to be a guy. I mean, Benedict Mathurin goes out and what he signed a two years, 16 million dollar deal to go to the pells.

18:44I would have bet money going into last year that Benedict Mathurin, especially with with Tyrese Hallburt and being out, that he was going to be a 20 point of game score. And he was going to turn the last year's work into really big money. And he just kind of didn't because I think he did that. He pressed and I don't know if you play golf. But like if you play golf and you go out and you press and you get tight and you're trying to rip it and you're trying to be ever so precise, you're not going to score very well. But if you go out, maybe you drink a beer on the front nine and you get kind of lose and you're just swinging it a lot of times you're going to play your best golf. Yeah, good analogy. And I mean, I'm not a golfer, but I do understand the analogy because I get that. I think it's just it's with Mathurin for sure. He dealt with some injuries last year as well too. The guy is the roster last year was so bad at times because of all the injuries they had. I do think I played a factor, but your point still stands because he when he got traded the clippers. It seemed like the clippers had some interest in keeping.

19:44And then they were just happy to let him go. I'm thinking, yeah, that's pretty wild. You've talked to him like I like Benedict Mathurin, but there's there's a little bit of crazy in there too. And you can see it in his eyes a little bit. And I think that guys who run franchise this guy's like Lawrence Frank, when they meet with a guy like that, they're like, yeah, all right. There's a little bit of nutty going on in there. I can't trust it. We're going to move on. We're not going to sink big bucks into this guy. Yeah, I think there was that. And of course they got the pay through the wall pick to keep wagging. I do wonder if that play the factor as well. But no, I mean, I just I'm wishing the best for Jerry. So really, I know that I've been pretty. Adam on this podcast that I don't think he makes a pass the trade deadline just because I haven't seen it from him yet. But this is it's him that's trying to win now. And he's really going to have the proof that he can fit into that role next to Kelly Ubrey. But. Jay Huff, another player that is back for your two, the first time that he's actually stayed with the team throughout the offseason and hasn't been dealt way overmatched as a starter. That is not his role.

20:51We see that he cannot do that. But what he's making. Do you believe in him as a backup five? I think he gives you minutes and he can shoot it. And so I like it in in matchups where maybe you need a stretch five and go out and knock down a three. I kind of liked that. He can get hot. He got hot a few times last year. And he's a team first guy. He's one of those guys who's going to be additive. He's not going to bring an attitude. And you know, bring people down because he's not getting the minutes that he wants. I think that he's additive. And because of that, I think he has great value. Yeah. I've been a little down on him just through the last year. I was disappointed that he didn't kind of live up. Not the expectations. But just I thought he really like really struggled early on trying to get pace or shape. It took him quite a while to kind of get his footing here. But I think the shoplocking is a real thing. The three points. There it was 32% that can't happen again. He's going to have to get that up, especially with less attempts. Maybe that will be the case. And maybe he'll get better looks based on.

21:57And he did have games where he knocked some down where where he was. He wasn't always reliable. But he was pretty reliable. And I know 32 like the difference between 32 and 36. And now we're going to go back to turn with with a like career 36. I mean, you're talking about one out of 25 shots. I mean, and over the course of two weeks worth of games, you're talking about one three as opposed to a guy missing a three. But I get it. I mean, 32 is not 36 and 32 is really not 40. And so he does have to be a little bit more consistent. But I don't know why he can't be. I think it's good for him. Like to you don't want you know, in in the NFL, you got a guy like Gardner Minshue, who's with a different team every damn year. And because of that is career really never kind of takes flower. And I think that Jay Huff can really benefit from being here being a part of the fabric of this organization for an off season, working on things specifically having people work with him specifically on what they need him to be.

23:04I think that could be a real boon to his his role. All right. Well, I think I have touched on everybody now that I didn't touch on earlier this week. So I appreciate you kind of going through some of these players that haven't got as much love. But obviously the big talking points with this team, how the burden back. He beats his robots coming back and or just being brought into this team in this next. I'll let you pick. Who do you want to start with and who are you most interested in seeing. Well, I want to see his robots because I think Zubots is an asset that likes to which the Pacers haven't had in a long, long time. He's a traditional center who's going to be able to operate traditionally both offensively and defensively. You're going to have a guy who can body people down low. So if you've got like how many times did we have to sit through Andre drum and just abusing miles turner. Those days are over with Zubots as long as he stays healthy. And so and him working like picking roles with with Halberton and you work off him is he's an adept passer. And so I think see how come benefits from him and then on the on the defensive end like I said, now you got to match up for real centers and they're everywhere in the NBA now.

24:13That's a big point. I think just getting a top 10 center in the NBA that can do it on both ends of the floor and in a variety of ways is going to play huge dividends for this team. You know, they were kind of pigeon hold into playing one certain way with turner. I'm curious how they can unlock more ways to play with Zubots. And I don't know if you kind of saw this but the Pacers social team did sprinkle on a little clip of big zoo hitting a corner three in one of their little workouts. I did ask to do about that at media day like plan on adding the three point shot or the shot into the game at all. And he said, I'm going to do what I do best. But if it's potentially there like we'll work on it and see how it works but or see how it looks. But I don't know. I think that there's just so many fun things about big zoo that make a lot of sense for how this team is going to play. And the point I've been making all of season long. I'm sure you'll agree with this is the only thing I think Miles Turner did better than zoo is to everything else. I think zoo is better at. Yeah. Yeah. And you know what? If we got a one two three and four who can all shoot threes at a high rate. I don't need to fly to shoot threes. And if Zubots wants to shoot threes, make them.

25:24I don't want to see guys standing in the quarter missing shots. And then we got a live ball. It's a live ball turnover when it comes off the rim. He ain't going to be able to beat his counterpart down the floor. They get a break buckets. I don't want to see that kind of thing anymore. Kitchen and bathroom professionals know what goes behind the tile matters. That's why trade pros trust fiber cement party backer board to keep tile firmly in place, resist cracking and help block moisture. Chosen over 40 million kitchens and bathrooms party backer board. What the best build on shop now at participating home depot, lows and floor into core stores. For more information, visit jameshardy.com slash hardy backer. Hey, it's Kelly Roland. You may not know this, but I have XM. So I get how it can steal your time. But why let XM take over when you can talk to your doctor about Epglis? Epglis, lubricism app, LBKZ, a 250-mg per 2-mg leader injection is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older, who weigh at least 88 pounds or 40 kgs with moderate to severe axima.

26:35Also called a topic dermatitis that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin or topicals or who cannot use topical therapies. Epglis can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you are allergic to Epglis. A allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. I problems can occur. Tell your doctor if you have newer worsening eye problems, you should not receive a live vaccine when treated with Epglis. Before starting Epglis, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. Pay partnership with Lily. Respect your time. Ask your doctor about Epglis and visit Epglis.com or call 1-800-LilyRX or 1-800-545-5979. What do you think about the grabbing that you will provide just out there from being this low post presence that we haven't seen in Indiana really since subonus. But I think even subonus was not a high flyer. This is a guy that will get up and get above the rim. Not only for offence of rebounds of a dog's alley, that kind of thing. I think it's beautiful. How much fun is that going to be? And you've got a guy who can unlock all of that in Halleburton, who can make every pass and get zoo bonds to the ball on the point.

27:40I think that this makes Halleburton a much better offence at point guard. And I'm really looking forward to seeing that. And I'm sure he's looking forward to seeing it too. I think that this, as long as everybody stays healthy, I think the ecosystem of this team is really strong. And you've got to, you've got to, one of the better benches in the Eastern Conference. And I take one through five. You've got a really good starting lineup for the Pacers that can go out and win games. And they've got a lot of experience under the belt too, which makes a big difference because they know how to win together. Even though there are some new pieces and Ubrae and zoo bots that haven't really been a part of this, they've been in the league long enough. They know what it takes to win. So I think just having chemistry with two guys that are actually like they spoke so well at meet you day. All the players they brought in that are new faces. They just really seem to embrace what this culture is all about the camaraderie, that kind of thing. So yeah, I'm really excited to see what big zoo can do. And we haven't touched on it a ton, but defensively, I am curious what he looks like as a defensive big and how they try to guard picking roles and picking pops and that kind of thing is.

28:49How does he look guarding a car on Anthony Towns? Is he going to step out there and guard him or is he going to play off of him going to the screen? They're going to do some switching that kind of stuff hedging. I find it all fascinating just because we don't know what is going to happen. We haven't seen it yet, but it does get you excited. And I think you brought up a great point with Haliburton, right? How zoo can maybe unlock parts of Haliburton's game. We haven't really seen yet. And I think that he is always like he's already such a gifted thinker like you talked about my condolence brain. Haliburton probably got one of the best minds in the NBA when it comes to processing and seeing a court. I think that it's just going to unlock a totally different version of Haliburton. And I think with Haliburton, the playoff run, we haven't seen him play since then and that playoff run established him, I think in his own mind as a guy who didn't go get late game buckets like, you know, few people we've ever seen in the league. I mean, he they don't win any of the series that they played on their way to the finals without Haliburton to hit an a late game three or a late game bucket at some point in that series.

29:58And that kind of that kind of experience has to imbue that guy with confidence that he wouldn't have had otherwise. And it's going to be fun to see how that kind of manifests itself this year. Yeah, how are you about Haliburton coming back and looking like this former so I get worried about health all of time. I mean, it's the one thing that can absolutely corrupt what you're trying to get done, you know, like Kevin Pritchard and Chad Buchanan can go do everything right. But if they lose a guy like Haliburton, if you have, you know, you got a weird hip injury or you know, you got knee or you got, you know, a digital adepo torn quad tendon type thing. It completely changes your team and takes you from from a team that's got to be taken seriously as a potential NBA finalist to a team that like we saw is going to win 19 games like that drives me nuts as a fan. I can't even imagine what it's like for Kevin or Chad to deal with that. Yeah, I mean, I'm a little worried about it, but I also feel like having 16 months off getting your body right working with the best doctors, the best trainer is like, I personally just think

31:06from like a physical like presence and just like seeing him in person, he looks physical appearance, but I was thinking of he's just so much bigger. He looks more muscular than we've seen prior prior season and it's not like he added like some ungodly amount of weight that looks unnatural. It's just it looks like the right amount of weight for maybe him to take some more bumps and some more bruises and that to me is a sign of encouragement because I'm like, I got to know like there's things he's doing to try to prove that he's not a good guy. I think he's been trying to bring up the same thing to try to prevent these lower body injuries that he's had throughout the time. You've got to be resilient and resilience a lot of times we think about that up here. You have to be willing to overcome adversity. You have to I think during the off season and we saw it not to make any kind of comparison between Tyrese Hallebert and Michael Jordan, but Jordan took that leap, you know, in 90 and 91, beat the living hell out of them.

32:06And so he got in the weight room and he built his body to where he could withstand that kind of physical torment and and became then a six time champion. You know, you've got to you've got to build physical resilience with a kind of a psychology that allows you to overcome that adversity. You know what I mean you've got to say, okay, what can I do as a guy? What can I do as a player to make myself more physically resilient? Well, I got to get in the weight room and I got to add seven to ten pounds of muscle without corrupting any of my athleticism. How do I do that? And you talk to the trainers, you figure it out, you come back bigger, you come back stronger. There's an arrogance in the status quo that I don't think Tyrese Hallebert and indulgence. Like as good a player as he is, I think he wants more and I think wanting more fuels kind of him becoming a little bit broader, a little bit thicker and is going to make him more physically resilient. What do you think would be a good stat line for him to say it's a successful fool?

33:10Oh, 23 and 10. I think it'd be great. I think that'd be good. I want double digit assists out of him more than I want a whole bunch of points. Pretty such an adept score that I'd hate to have the offense hold him under 20. Yeah, I mean, I kind of want to see how much more he'll get like open looks with with zoo setting screens, right? Yeah, it's going to be different looks who's not going to pro I also shoot the deep threes that he does shoot. But I felt like a lot of times it was because they were playing that pick and pop coverage with Turner. Now you got to worry about zoo won't the basket like how many floaters does he get a game where does he pull up and hit a lot of like 14 footers 15 footers just. And I think he's got a really good mid range game that he does. He does a lot of because Carlisle is very adamant about threes and layups like it's kind of the new NBA. But we've slowly seen that the mid range is coming back over time just like everything does it. Okay, this is open a lot. So let's take it if it's fair. But yeah, I'm excited for Halibur and obviously big zoo there's super excited for him.

34:11And then somebody that's like low key, intriguing to me off the bench that we haven't talked about is Kelly, very junior. I just I found myself blown away by the way he spoke with his interview like he was just so well spoken very thoughtful much more mature than he was when he came into the league and like 12 years will do that to a guy. So I think the fact that he said he chose the Pacers because of their culture. He wants to be a part of a winning organization like that to me is music to my ears as somebody that's covered in his team and just wants a guy that really understands what it's all. I love the swap and I know it wasn't like a straight up swap but the swap of Mathrin for Ubrei. Ubrei is not going to be the guy who on any given night can drop 35 for you. But he is a guy who's going to defend legitimately against guys and he can go get a bucket when he's got a and he's got the right attitude to be a bench guy. And in Mathrin, you always felt like he thought that he should be like the A player.

35:13He should be the guy who's counted on to go get buckets and you don't need that out of a backup three. You know, you need you don't need 35 points. It's great when it happens. But I think Ubrei just kind of fits that role a little bit better. You know, like if you've got like I'm going to go back to movies. If you've got like Tim Blake Nelson, you know who that is. Anyway, Tim Blake Nelson is kind of a character actor. Well, you can't have Marlon Brando go be a Tim Blake Nelson and you can't have Tim Blake Nelson be a Marlon Brando. You know what I mean? And so you've got to understand what you do. You've got to understand what your team needs you to do and you have to do that all the time. And that just wasn't kind of in Benedict Mathrin's thing. That's not who he is. He wants to be the best on the floor at all times. And there's that's a responsibility that he wasn't ready to fulfill and still isn't ready to fulfill.

36:14Or he'd be making more $8 million this year. You know, Kelly Ubrei knows who he is. He's not going to make trouble and he's not going to cause disharmony on the floor or off the floor. Not that Benedict ever did. But Ubrei, I think is a perfect guy for the role that they've cast him in. Yeah, I would agree whole hardly with that. And I think maybe eight years from now, Benedict Mathrin will be in the same spot. There's a couple of stories in now where it's like, wow, this guy's really matured. Wow, this guy is really accepting of his role. You know he's not a starter, we could be a starter, but he's really accepting the ritual. Cause I remember when the Pacer signed Ubrei, how many of these national pages on social media were like putting him in the starting five over Air and East. But then I'm like, what are we doing? I don't think anybody that knows what's actually happening. Things that Ubrei is going to start. It was clearly a hey, you're brought in as like eight, nine times pay. nine highest paid player on this team. Like you're definitely gonna be a bench guy.

37:14And we're not changing our starting five. Like you were coming into this and like, it was pretty obvious he knew what he was signing up for. Like he chose the pace. There's knowing he's coming off the bench versus potentially, he could have gone to the lake or somewhere else where he could have actually been a starter. And I think that to me just speaks volumes to maybe where he's at as a person, but also where the paces are at in terms of one of the champions. And it speaks volumes about the national guys who choose to elevate a guy because of his level of fame. I mean, everybody knows who Kelly Ubrey is. Neesmith is not a guy who's that well known and that well regarded. And so they go to the name that's gonna draw the clicks and that's just who they are. And it's a shame because it's a disservice to what people do in covering the game. They shouldn't do that. But they're always talking about whoever's famous, not about whoever's good. And it's a shame. It definitely is. Well, this has been a lot of fun. I always enjoy chatting with you. Know you've got a lot of stuff going on over your YouTube page

38:16or go ahead and plug in with me. Oh, you know what? As we get rolling with the paces, we're gonna be talking a lot about the paces. We already talked about the Hoosiers and the Colts quite a bit. But we, I can't just stick to one thing. I got a little bit too scatterbrained to do that. So I try to cover everything that people care about in Central Indiana and enjoy myself watching the games and talking about it because that's why we got into this because we love sports and the paces are a huge part of that here. And it's so good like we had that year off a little bit where we really didn't think too much about them. And now they're back. And I think a really good bet in Eastern Conference to go get out of the Eastern Conference playing the NBA Finals. And I can't wait to see what happens. I can't wait to see what happens either. I'm hoping that they can get back to the NBA Finals and that OKC and San Antonio beat up on each other quite a bit before we get to that NBA Finals.

39:19And I would actually like to see a rematch with OKC. I think that being on get revenge for what happened in Game 7. I think it's the perfect storybook ending. And you know, we're recording this right now about 45, 50 minutes before the fever are in an elimination game against the aces. But it was a year ago today when they ended up falling through the aces in that pivotal game five and Kelsey Mitchell had to leave the four. So could it be another storybook ending for her where she kind of writes the ship? We will probably know after people listen to this podcast. But it's a really it's a really interesting match up here in Game 3 tonight. I can't wait. How much fun is that going to be either the fever are ready to contend for a championship or they're not. And we're going to find that out tonight. Not just literally because they're going to move on in the playoffs or they're going to lose out. But we're going to find out if this is a team that mentally has what it takes to overcome an obstacle like Asia Wilson on her home court. I can't wait to see him point. Yeah, it's going to be a lot of fun. I can't wait to see either. And Caitlin Clark, I thought the logs don't have stuff

40:21was really fun today as well. Yeah, that was fun. That was fun. So she's a captivating personality and she's great on the court and what she did in that game too was super impressive. But hey, it's your nation. Thank you all so much for tuning in to this episode here. I'm excited to pay. So we'll be back next week with more content coming your way. But if you haven't already, please subscribe to the YouTube channel and like this video so we can get more people watching our content. So with that being said, hope you'll have a great rest of your day. We'll talk to you all next week. Peace out.