48 Minutes: Beal to the Clippers, WNBA All Star Reflections, Hornets Win!

0:00 ... Show Open ... Ross welcomes the panel and makes his dedication of show #166 to Jonathan Kuminga and Russell Westbrook who both shot just 66% from the free throw line last season. Bruce registers his disappointment with Ross's choice and suggests someone else.

1:54 ... The Charlotte Hornets are the NBA Summer League Champions ... Rookie Kon Knueppel led the way for the Hornets and we all learned the proper pronounciation of his first and last name. The future looks promising for the Hornets after a string of losing seasons, but health will be a huge issue for the "Bugs."

7:53 ... Bruce wants to give some love to Bronny James, who looked like a different player in the Summer League and could be poised to do well this season.

9:04 .... The WNBA All Star Weekend made all kinds of news, especially with their warmup T-Shirts that said "Pay Us What You Owe Us." The crew examines why the players in the "W" deserve more money and make suggestions on who should pay it.

13:09 ... As for the WNBA All Star game itself ..... it was a big bummer ... Rookie All-Star Paige Bueckers and ABC's Elle Duncan both trashed it on the air for the lack of defense and effort .... OUCH.

15:29 ... Bradley Beal certainly got paid and also got a ticket out of Phoenix to Los Angeles. His departure from the Valley leaves lots of wreckage behind as the Suns will need to stretch $97 million of his salary over the next 5 seasons, causing a major financial hurdle for a team that needs more talent. As for the Clippers, they have a lot of old dudes and are a textbook example of a "Win Now" team. And with the addition of 40 year old Chris Paul, the clock is definitely ticking on the veteran team's "window."

22:00 ... With all the old guys on the Clippers, the crew suggests sponsors whose logos can appear on the uniform jerseys of the team. Everyone took a shot and Ross's choice of "Depends" adult diapers was the clear winner among the crew.

23:40 ... 35 year old Damian Lillard is returning to the Portland Trailblazers and with the recent acquisition of another 35 year old guard, Jrue Holiday, the 48 Minutes crew is scratching their collective heads as to what the strategy of the team will be. Does it mean that Scoot Henderson is on shaky ground with the Blazers?

28:56 ... Ross leads a discussion on Giannis and whether any of these moves might make him appreciate being in Milwaukee.

31:42 ... Former Celtic Marcus Smart will soon join the Lakers after being bought out by the Wizards. Bruce and many other Celtics fans are all "up in their feelings" over this move.

35:05 ... Victor Wembanyama has been cleared to play again after suffering from blood clots in his shoulder last season. These are exciting times in San Antonio with Wemby joining Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper on a team that will be a "League Pass Obsession."

37:53 ... The New Orleans Pelicans are looking like a hot mess tossed into a dumpster fire. They've spent the entire off season making one questionable move after another. Over the weekend, their top rookie Derik Queen suffered a wrist injury that will sideline him for three months. New boss Joe Dumars is off to a "bumpy" start to say the least.

42:35 ... Good news in Denver .... recently acquired Jonas Valanciunas has agreed to stop his pursuit of a deal with a team in Greece and will play for the Nuggets as the backup for Nikola Jokic. It's the right thing to do and the Denver fans deserve his best effort, even if he just plays one season for the Nuggets.

45:24 .... This week it's Ross's turn to try and stump his partners with this week's "Card Challenge." Some of the players that Ross used to put Bruce and "World B" on the spot were Brandon Roy, Marcus Camby, Yao Ming, David Lee, Gary Payton, Andre Iguodala, Bruce Bowen, and Dwight Howard.

53:48 ... Ross wraps things up and says goodbye ...

TRT 54:05

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