Good afternoon and welcome to Locked on NBA Daily on today's show.

Did last night's win prove once and for all that the Hawks are better without Trey Young?

Meanwhile, the Spurs may have exposed the Nick's fatal flaw,

and Kate Cunningham is building a bulletproof case to end up on MVP ballots.

You are Locked-on NBA, your daily NBA podcast.

Part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day.

Hello, and welcome back to Locked-on NBA Daily, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network. Now the number one sports podcast network. However, you're tuning in on YouTube or on your podcast app, thanks for making us your first listen every day. I'm Wes Goldberg today. We're talking about what the Hawks should do about Trey Young and the Knicks' fatal flaw before talking a little bit about the clippers. We're doing it with the help of one of Lockdown's local experts from the Lockdown Nuggets podcast as a senior NBA writer for the Action Network.

It's Matt, happy new year.

Happy 2026.

Hope 2025 was okay for everyone and hope 2026 will be better.

We're sad that today, unfortunately, Hayes is on assignment today.

He's in a prayer circle hoping that the bears are not actually the frauds that they are.

If we're talking football, man, I'm feeling good. The Miami Hurricanes beating Ohio State. You. You. You. The U. Let's go. What a way to start off the new year. We're going to start off today's show in Atlanta, where the Hawks snapped a seven game losing streak last night on New Year's Eve against the Timberwolves. And a lot of people are pointing to the fact that, uh, coincidence that Tray Young did not play.

The Hawks had lost five straight games without or with Tray Young in the lineup.

And they have a better record this season without Tray Young than they do with them in the game. So still, though, locked on Hawks host, Brad Rowland, has not given up on Tray Young being able to help the Hawks this season. There's a lot going to be made. I'm sure there already is being made online right now as I'm talking to you about Trey Young not playing and the Hawks winning. I get it. the Hawks have been better this season, and by the record, with Trey off the floor and when he's on the floor.

That is indisputable. They have one more games without Trey than they have with them. I still believe the best version of this particular team has Trey playing, not just not playing. And yes, there's a different discussion to be had that I've already had some and I'll probably have even more about like turning that roster slot and that pay slot into something else in the future. And that's a very reasonable argument to make. But for now, I don't think for me, the takeaway of today was not like, oh man, the Hawksmole without Trey. I know that'll be a takeaway from a lot of people. I totally get why. It's fine. I'm not mad about it. For me, it's Porzingis coming back and looking good.

The always reasonable Brad Rowland, Matt, do you agree with him? Should we point more towards the fact that they had Anakia Kangu and Christop's Porzingis in the lineup for the first time in a very long time as the reason for last night's win, or do you think this says more about Trey Young and Atlanta's future? I just think these things become referendums on players, and that's when everyone digs in and takes their side, right? Because it's like, well, I like Tray Young, and I think Tray Young's a good player,

and he doesn't deserve to be slandered and blame like this. So, GER, no, this is actually not what's happening, versus I don't like Tray Young. I've never liked Tray Young as a player. Someone saying that, not me. And then being like, I want to make sure to push the agenda that Tray Young is bad.

And I get it.

And there are players that I will take. and then being like, I want to make sure that push the agenda that Tray Young is bad.

And I get it.

And there are players that I will take that kind of position with.

...