The Core Four: Ja's Return

The Core Four is back for another week, down a man in the rotation. Dave and Matt run the two-man game in Xavier's absence. They open the show by covering the week that was for the Memphis Grizzlies and Matt recaps the Tennessee Vols' first weekend of March Madness.

In Embrace Debate, Dave and Matt share their thoughts on Ja Morant's impending return. The length of his suspension may have been the right amount of time, but was it enough for Ja to really change his behavior? Matt deep dives into Ja's sit down with Jalen Rose and Dave believes Ja needs to have his priorities in order before he returns.

In Kleiman Corner, the guys grade the Luke Kennard trade and revisit some other trades around the league. Kennard has added much-needed shooting and spacing to the Grizzlies' offense but he may not be fully acclimated just yet. He could see added minutes by the time the postseason rolls around but his defense could make him a liability if opposing teams hunt him on that end of the floor. The team that won the deadline so far? The Los Angeles Lakers, just in time for a playoff push.

What's Hot and What's Not? The 76ers have been the hottest team in basketball going back to the start of the year while the Denver Nuggets have hit a tailspin. It's flipped the MVP race on its head and left Matt wondering if Denver is beatable on the way through the West. Dave is cold on the League Pass lineup as tanking season takes hold.

New Segment Alert. The guys wrap up the show with their Crystal Ball segment, predicting seeding for the Playoffs. Matt is still waiting on the Heat to move up the Eastern Conference standings. Dave has the Grizzlies reclaiming sole possession of the two-seed. One thing is for certain, this could be the most wide-open the playoffs have been in years.