Welcome to the dunked on NBA podcast. I am Danny. We're your host and so happy to have you with us for this episode for those of you who listened on Monday night slash Tuesday's episode.

You're probably familiar with the format here. Nate and I pre-recorded a long segment, a great one going through not only the all-area teams, including some discussions.

But then also we do a full bracket and we go through what we would do in seven game series if those areas were to face off was fun.

We got into some really interesting arguments and discussions and thinking about teams in that context was something that we both genuinely love doing.

It's hardy. It's over an hour and I'm thankful after going through the barrage of injuries that comprised the opening segment and the last podcast that this one is significantly shorter.

And that means there have been fewer injuries. It's also a shorter passage of time. I am recording this on Wednesday, early afternoon, Pacific time.

So any news that has not yet transpired obviously will not be a part of the show. That will be one night night catch up with each other when he gets back, which will be the Monday morning Sunday night episode of dunked on. That'll be more traditional. Let's call it that.

But there is still news to get to news of importance and where I want to start is in Houston. We had preliminary reporting earlier in the week, which has now actually come to fruition. Unfortunately, Eric Gordon had to undergo an arthroscopic procedure today on his right knee and he is going to miss at least six weeks.

That is unfortunate. I mean, he's been an important part of the rocket success over the last few years that's going to put a lot more on various player shoulders.

It looks like in the kind of this intervening time, Ben McImmore is going to get at least some starts and we'll see probably a bunch of different players go through that.

Unfortunate for the rockets for a bunch of different reasons. It doesn't necessarily as long as it doesn't recur effect their playoff viability.

There are also potentially implications for Eric Gordon's contractual guarantees, but those are a long way out with the extension that he signed.

So I think he could trigger it early, but I believe he will still have other chances to do that.

He hurts the rockets odds of getting the top seat or a different one, but still a lot of season left to be played.

So I always like I said this with the Chris Middleton one. It's had to see players out, but feel better that it for these high end playoff teams that at least this injury likely will not keep them out in the post season.

So plenty of time for recovery there. A similar story with Landry Shamit in LA. He did not have a significant injury, which is great, but he did have a great two high angle sprain that is less severe than Deer and Foxes.

Also, Shamit is a less important player than Deer and Fox, but still a loss for the clubers and another reminder that they still aren't full strength because they lost Shamit right before they're going to get Paul George back.

He's going to return either in Wednesday night's game against Houston or Thursday night's game against New Orleans as of this recording.

The the clippers have not yet decided which of those two, but still exciting to see him back and presume as with all of these things that it will take some time for George to round into form.

And for the clippers to fully adjust to him as that process goes in, but that makes them significantly more interesting over the next few weeks even without Shamit.

I don't want to delve too much into the next stuff as I didn't the last time, but a little bit of subsequent reporting from you and Beggley, I think puts some background on some of the weirdness that happened.

So basically what Beggley reported is that Steve Mills and Scott Perry had a conversation on Sunday, which James Dolan, and the way he phrased it was, they came away with the impression that the jobs would remain secure, provided the Nix showed progress this season.

...