NBA Second Round Exits And The Offseason Questions That Follow

We break down the NBA teams that crash out in the second round and what their losses reveal about roster limits, injuries, and playoff-ready depth. We argue about who should run it back, who needs a major trade, and why the Lakers’ construction raises the loudest alarms. 
• Pistons outlook built around Cade Cunningham’s trajectory 
• Questions about Tobias Harris’s fit and trade value 
• Need for more from Jalen Duren beyond flashes 
• Ausar Thompson’s defensive ceiling and offensive next steps 
• 76ers sweep fallout and whether Joel Embiid gets one more chance 
• Tyrese Maxey playoff drop-off and “is it his team” debate 
• Nick Nurse rotation choices and bench usage 
• Wolves context with Anthony Edwards injured and missing Donte DiVincenzo 
• Trade discussions around Julius Randle and long-term roster timeline 
• Rudy Gobert matchup value and limits against elite size 
• Lakers offseason decisions on LeBron James, Austin Reaves, and trade assets 
• Coaching criticism and effort problems tied to JJ Redick 
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Transcript

Welcome And Second Round Setup

SPEAKER_00 0:00

What's up, everybody? It's your favorite show's favorite show, get a bucket. I'm your host, Trey, as usual. Hope you're all having a wonderful, wonderful day. Look, today we're gonna talk about the NBA second round exits. That means the teams that lost in the second round. But before we do that, please make sure to hit that like and subscribe button. Comment on anyone who's anyone about the show. I'm trying to get the ratings up a little bit, you know, just a little bit. And if you wonder where you heard this before, that's because you listened to me Monday through Friday, 11 o'clock a.m. Eastern Standard Time. So I greatly appreciate it. But let's go ahead and talk about the teams, right? The losers. And I say that unbiasedly, because my team lost, actually. But we, you know, we'll get to that in a minute. But let's talk about it. So we had four teams that lost in the second round. We had the Pistons. We had the 76ers. Then they represent the East and then the Wolves and the Lakers. My Lakers, we represent the West. Oh, it hurts. Don't it just feel bad? Don't you feel bad for me as a Lakers fan? I know y'all don't. I know y'all don't. But we're gonna save the best for last. So with that being said, should we actually start with my Lakers? I don't know if we were the best team to lose. Let's talk about it. You know, we're just gonna go, we're gonna start with the East. Uh the

Pistons Future Around Cade Cunningham

SPEAKER_00 1:09

Pistons, number one seed, right? Third seed if you're talking about my one through 16 format in the playoffs, but that's that's another discussion for another day. I have already had it, but I may want to spend the block back with it, right? But the Pistons, I didn't expect them to lose to the Cavs. I'm not gonna say I'm surprised, right? I ain't even gonna try to throw no Cav slander here. I'm just not just not surprised. But I did have the Pistons winning. Overall, Cade Cunningham, phenomenal job. First option all the way, bona five star. At some point in time, Buddy's gonna be top 10, right? He could be there already at the back half, but we already know he's on that trajectory. He's only been in the league for a couple seasons now. He's in the same draft class as Jalen Green. Kade went number one, right? Cade did his thing. Kudos to Cade. Here's my question: Do they need another player? Like, or is it just more time? Because their team is still young, although they were the one seed in the East. It could have been viewed as a down year in the East, right? No Jason Tatum, no Tyrese Halliburton. Next year is gonna be a little different. The Charlotte Horns is gonna come back. But they they surprised a lot of people by being number one seed. Should we run it back? I'm not saying as a Pistons fan, I'm saying we because we're talking about the Pistons. Like, they did well. But should they move on from players like a Tobias Harris? Toby played phenomenal in spurts. But like during the Cavs series, he didn't really show up for me the way I wanted him to. He's a scorer. He was a quality body out there for sure. But he was starting to look like we needed him as the vet on the team to be that second, maybe even third option. And I'm gonna I ain't gonna hold y'all. First round versus the Magic, he was quite pivotal because they almost lost to the Magic, who are also a tough team, by the way. But later on against the Cavs, he ain't really produced as well. So should they move on from Toby? Try to trade him. I don't know. Let's see what they can get for Toby. But that's a discussion. Also, Jalen Durin, because he got some criticism, right? Except for game six of the second round. But every other game, he really didn't show up. Even game seven, it was, you know, it was aye. It was a game seven. It gets a little, it gets a little muddy, right? But still, I wanted to see Jalen Durin display what he did game six, which if you watched it, you understand what I'm talking about. I'm not gonna give stats because him and Paul Reed were playing phenomenal. Paul Reed may need to get paid as well. But Jalen Durin, we need to see more out of you, champ. There's your first year really in the playoffs as with expectations on you. So maybe that messed him up a little bit. But ladies and gentlemen, we need to see more out of Jalen Durin. Asar Thompson, we got to look at him for de-poy odds. And I understand we got Victor Women Yama out there. Asar and Amin, to be clear, are both elite defensive players. The way he had, oh my God, he had Donovan Mitchell locked up, bro. I'm talking about Donovan was really having like a five to ten year bid during this round. It was ridiculous. Even though the Cavs advance, it's very I have not really seen Donovan struggle the way he did with just one defender, to be clear. So Asar Thompson, you need to get paid, but also we need to see a little bit more from you offensively. I would love to see that. If they can do that, I'm not talking about beat the star, because that's Kate, right? Denias Jenkins played phenomenal. He's questionable their second option. And I think he should be a sixth man. That's the role that he needs to be in order for this team to get over the hump, personally. I think if someone liking the star can elevate to that second or even third option, that'll work. But the Pistons overall, again, I did not expect them to lose. I'm not surprised that they lost because the Cavs do have more experience. But there were things that we need to note for this Pistons team. So going in next season, a couple players do need to have their eye on the prize and start elevating. Because if we see some elevation, then great. If they just try to run it back with the exact same style and format, I got question marks about these Pistons for sure. But the star is bright and big, whatever it is, deep in the home of Texas, like however that goes. The Pistons are looking a little bit bright. And it's crazy because we were talking about the Pistons being one of the worst organizations not too too long ago. So again, kudos to the Pistons. It sucks that they lost in the second round. But remember though, they're a young team. So let's figure it out.

76ers Sweep And Embiid Questions

SPEAKER_00 5:30

76ers. Remember, this is the second team that lost in the East, ladies and gentlemen. Again, I'm not surprised by their loss to the New York Knicks, okay? What caught me off guard was the sweep. Like, y'all couldn't win not one game. Like, not one game. I hear you, right? Joel Embiid, you're injured still, right? I I should we give you one more chance or should we look to trade you? I know some, and I I know some 76ers fans, like, I'm tired of him. I don't believe in the process. Let's go ahead and trade him. But it is still one of the more dominating players in the game. And I think if he's healthy, which we it's it's I don't know if we've ever really seen him healthy like that for a for real. But if he's healthy, he's easily a dominating force. And pairing him with someone like a Tyrese Maxie, that ain't nothing to scoff with. Now keep in mind, Joel Embiid had an appendectomy, which I'm not a doctor, right? So I don't know exactly how long Joel Embiid should have been out. But it's projected, at least from my Google research, supposed to be one to three weeks. Now, factoring in his history, his injury history too, plus he's 32 years old. That takes that that maybe that took a toll on him this season. But he played well, though, to be clear. Over the season, gave 27 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 0.6 steals, 1.2 blocks on decent efficiency in the playoffs versus the Knicks. Those dip. Now, it was mainly the scoring, which is what they need from him the most. 19 points, 5 rebounds. Oh, they need some more rebounds too from you, Joel Embiid. Three assists, so cool. No steals and one block. Shaky field goal percentage. Well, no, not field goal percentage, shaky three-point percentage. Because he shot 33 during the regular season, 25% from the playoffs versus the Knicks. Again, so clearly a dip. But I can't put this blame on Joel and B because Tyrese Maxie, while young, and some people are saying maybe it should be his team now. I question should that be the right move? Because people are trying to say he's a top five point guard. Let's pump the brakes on that. Now, during the regular season, he gave 28 points, four rebounds, seven assists, 1.9 steals, 0.8 blocks on good efficiency. 46, 37, 89 splits during the regular season. But during the Knicks playoff race, he averaged 18 points, three rebounds, five assists, 0.5 steals, no blocks on 43, 16, 82 splits. Keep in mind there are a lot of drop-offs across the board. We're talking about offensively and defensively. Again, I understand it's the playoffs. I understand that. But let's be clear though, Tyrese Maxley also did not have a stellar playoff performance. Versus the Knicks talking about, okay? Both him and Joel and B did well against the Celtics. So my question is: should the 76ers want to run it back? I personally thought Nick Nurse did not use his bench enough. Like you got Trendon Waffer, you got Kyle Lowry, who I'm not asking him to play Buku Menace. I'm talking about his experience, his veteran presence. That could have been used on the floor. Hell, especially when Joel and B was getting doubled, you don't think Kyle Lowry can make a three-pointer? Like, really? And defensively, he was known as a pest. I'm not talking about he's gonna lock people down. I'm saying, ladies and gentlemen, we could have thrown him out there and got some love. Also, that Jared McCain trait, I still look at as questionable. Because especially, I don't even remember what you got back for it. But last year, when everybody was basically injured, Paul George said that Jared McCain was the most the most professional player on the team. And that was Jared McCain's rookie season. And you lost that. You needed three-point shooting, which is what Jared McCain actually specializes in. He could play make a little bit. DJ Edgecomb and him would have been really spectacular this offseason. But instead, you trade him for it. I don't think anything really. I gotta double-check that actually. But I ain't like the trade that y'all, the package that y'all got back for Jared McCain. Because again, I like Jared McCain. I've talked to a 76ers fan who was not a big fan of him. I thought that was foolish. Because again, you see him on the Thunder doing pretty well right now, carving out some minutes for him. I like Jared McCain. Wondering why y'all didn't. So I got a couple question marks around the 76ers organization. I heard people saying that Tyrese Maxie should want to leave. I think we may want to pump the brakes on this. Because again, they have a quality team that could be a contender for sure. Everybody just need to be healthy. They need to get that cohesion in peace. Paul George, you played well in spurts for sure. But we need to see that for an entire season and playoffs as well, too. Can the 76ers win? Yes. But I'd say give them one more chance. Give them one more chance. But after that, you know, they're not trending in the right direction. Meaning, if we can't be a top three seed in the East, maybe even four lowest, maybe start look to trading away some pieces. But again, though, ladies and gentlemen, that does conclude the East. Let's

Wolves Injuries Trades And Identity

SPEAKER_00 10:06

move on down to the West, right? Now, the Wolves, I I can honestly say I expected them to lose. I'm not surprised. Because Anthony Edwards was injured. They are going up against the better team, if you will. The Spurs were a better defensive team. Offensively, you can argue who's better. Coaching wise, I think it might lean with the Spurs. Best player, that's up for a debate. Is it Victor or is it Ant-Man? But the supporting cast for Victor might be a little bit better than Ant-Man's is. And again, Anthony Edwards was injured. Okay, so should the Wolves want to run it back? We got to wait and see because there's no Dante DiVincenzo. I think that hurt them drastically, too, by the way. Can Jaden McDaniels take a next step? We got to wait and see that. Because I've been on record for saying I want Anthony Edwards paired with someone like Scotty Barnes. Because we always talk about Ant-Man being called Jordan, right? The next Jordan. So why not get him a Scotty? Right? I think that would be lovely to watch. But also, them two can be top 10 players in the NBA as well. They got that type of potential. And their playmakers, their scorers, their defensive pass, elite defensively, by the way. I'd like to see that happen. But if Jaden can't take that next step, that's what I'd be looking to do. Should we look to trade Julius Randle? That is a discussion that we could have because Julius, when we're talking about timeline, he is impactful, but during the playoffs, it does dip a little bit. I'm not going to lie to you, it does dip a little bit. My question is, what is Julius Randle's trade value? Also, should we keep Rudy Gobert? Because look, hear me out. Against Jokic, who a lot of people have been trying to say, oh, he's going to be top 10, like blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Well, he actually held Jokic in check. Jokic got his numbers, but the efficiency is what Jokic has really stood out from, right? That's what helped Jokic stand out. And he wasn't that efficient. And we can talk about Jokic's injury during the regular season, how he hasn't looked right ever since. But still, Rudy Gobert on an island did pretty well against Nikola Jokic, which I'm I'm assuming a lot of people would not have bet their lives on. So to be clear, I do like Rudy. The only thing is when he went up against Victor Weminyama, which a lot of people will, he did not look the best. And that's no knock on Rudy. Victor Wemanyama just dropped 40 and 24, 40 points, 24 rebounds, three blocks. Like, that's game one against the Thunder. So it's levels to this, ladies and gentlemen. Should the Wolves want to run it back? We got to wait and see. Also, I know people have been talking about Ant-Man dapping up the Spurs with eight minutes left. Look, they were down 20-30. I'm gonna just say this real quick. I'm gonna make another episode about it probably. I get it. Could it have been a little premature? Sure. But I don't know if Ant thought he was gonna come into the game. Can do do yeah. Do deficits diminish? They do. They do. But that Spurs team looked a little bit different. All right. And the Wolves were on the brink of losing. And they're giving it their best, and they're still down 20-30 points. You sometimes you just gotta tip your cap to the other team respectfully. So, I mean, I do hear it on the gripes. I hear Ant-Man's position as well, too, in terms of him doing that, because he might have thought he'd not gonna get back on the floor. But there might be a little bit of turmoil. I'll be, I'm I'm gonna try to follow that throughout the offseason, see how that goes. But the Wolves have a chance to run it back, but they will be injured again, missing Dante. They gave some other time to AODSumo and and Shannon as well. I appreciate that. But now we gotta see what that makeup or that DNA looks like. Because I think the Wolves could try to tweak some things for sure and still get potentially to the Western Conference Finals. But we gotta wait and see. Now, ladies

Lakers Roster Problems And Coaching Heat

SPEAKER_00 13:56

and gentlemen, my Lakers. It was expected that we get swept by the thunder. And it's not even because Luca was not playing. My team is just not constructed well at all, whatsoever. Off top, we gotta figure out if we're gonna keep Braun because finances will sway the decision. I don't think he deserves $53 million. I don't. Don't get me wrong. We did well. We advanced past the first round. Kudos. The Rockers were vulnerable. We got lucky. If we go up against the Wolves, I think we get BTA work personally, against us, not we dishing it out. So I don't know if we get swept that round, though. Maybe win a game. Maybe possibly two. Go six. I could see that. But if you get swept, I always say stars get you one. And we couldn't get one. So my question is, do we have a star anymore? Now, Luca on the floor, maybe we would have had one, possibly two. Maybe, like maybe. But to be clear, even based on the regular season, they they kicked our ass the entire time. Again, our closest game was when we had all of our players. The Thunder had all of their players, minus Shea Gilders Alexander, the league MVP, back-to-back seasons, and we lost by nine. That was our closest game all season long. So I was not expected that we lost. Offseason moves are gonna be very pivotal. Do we keep LeBron James? Do we keep a player like Austin Reeves? Do we sign him to this what I've heard, what, five million or five-year, $230 million? Like, hell no. I hope we don't, unless we're looking to trade him. Which ironically, apparently, Luca has said he wants to play with Austin Reeves and not like and not trade him if we're gonna get another star. So is that his way of saying he wants LeBron James out? That could be the case. Because LeBron comes off the books, that's $53 million that we can try to get out there. But here's the hear me out, though. What are our trade chips? What are our trade bargains? Rui played well, but respectfully, I don't know if that's worth a star. Luke Kennard shot the hell out the ball early on. He didn't during OKC series. We gotta keep Marcus smart because, hey, his defense and shooting combination, plus he's a bigger guard. We need that. He only 31-32. So it's not like he's old. I mean, he's old in basketball years. He got a couple miles on his body for sure. But I think he's somebody that we need. I just don't know if he needs to be our best defender all the time. Him and Braun were like our best defenders, and that's a problem. Not saying they can't defend. I mean, you you have question marks around Braun, but Braun's 41. Why should he be one of our top two defenders on the team? And then DeAndre Ayton. I don't think it's worked out. I think you're in an unfair situation. I don't blame our loss solely on you, although you did contribute. I don't blame any rebounding disadvantages that we had because our team as a unit did not hustle. I also am questioning our coaching staff. Yeah, JJ, as a Duke fan, I'm looking at you and this hurts. But at the end of the game, when Rui has, and at the end of a game four, where we're about to get swept, and you just got to try something at this point in time, dog. Why take out Rui Hachamara when he's four of eight from three and we need a three? Like, why? It don't make sense. But not even just that. Again, I told you, my team don't really hustle. That's coaching. That's also effort by the players, but that's coaching too, ladies and gentlemen. If you don't believe me, that's cool. But remember, at Duke University, we would hustle. And the reason why is because of Coach K. And we have talent that could at minimum hustle. And we didn't. We didn't use some of our players. Like Jackson Hayes had what, 18 and 6 in one game. Game four, actually. And that was off hustle. But our team can't hustle as a unit. JJ, I'm looking at you personally. Forget the win count because we can also talk about how this season for the West was a down year, quote unquote. The Nuggets got injured, the Wolves were injured. The Rockets were injured off jump. The Warriors were injured. Jimmy, Jimmy Butler. Like, if they realistically, if everybody's healthy, we're not a four seed. We're probably a six seed, maybe even seventh. Maybe. So again, ladies and gentlemen, I got a lot of question marks about my Lakers personally. And a lot of it hinges on what are we going to do with Braun? What are we going to do with Austin Reeves? And I'm starting to wonder, hell, should we keep, should we want to have Luca Dante? Because if you're saying you want to, you would rather play with Austin Reeves than let's say a Giannis, for example, right? You would rather not lose Austin for what? The longevity piece? I can maybe understand that, but then I think about it, nah, it sounds stupid. It does. So again, I got a lot of question marks about my team top down, starting with Luca, starting with Braun, starting with Austin, starting with JJ. Management in question. Hire me. Damn. Like, dude. Please, I'd appreciate it. But ladies and gentlemen, because I ain't gonna get I'm I I gotta talk more about that. That's gonna be a that's gonna be a separate episode, person, because again, I'm a Lakers fan. I'm biased on this one now. I gotta I gotta I gotta talk about them in depth for sure.

Listener Questions And Closing CTA

SPEAKER_00 19:45

But that does conclude the recap of all the four losers in the second round. And I say losers respectfully, because again, they made it to the second round. Second round nothing to score fat. A lot of people really don't get past the second round. Donovan Mitchell just got past the second round and he's 30 years old. So again, I say it with love and respect. But I'm curious, ladies and gentlemen, what do you all think about these four teams? The Pistons, the 76ers, the Wolves, the Lakers. Should they run it back? Were you surprised that they lost when they lost? What are your gripes with them? What changes should they make? I want to hear all your thoughts, ladies and gentlemen. Or if you just want to say hello and how do, I'm cool with that too. But ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, that does conclude the end of the episode. So please make sure to like, subscribe, comment, tell anyone who's anyone about the show. My name is Trey, I'm the host of Getabunk, and I hope you are all having a good one. Take care.