On #3MW this week, Will Strickland and Duane Watson, hosts of the TSN Radio Network's flagship basketball program, #1On1 with Will & Duane, plant the flag and stand strong with Blake Murphy, managing editor of Raptors Republic and part of ESPN's True Hoop Network, to give you the news, views, and truths on the NBA and beyond!

With Kobe Bryant announcing his retirement, what things best define his legacy?

Strickland: One of the most polarizing athletes in modern history, Kobe Bean Bryant had no in between; either you loved him or you hated him. For many, it seemed Bryant spent far too much time in relentless pursuit of being Michael Jordan 2.0 instead of Kobe Bryant 1.0. But he is revered by the players in the generation that came after him. And, despite missing the most shots in NBA history, he also played for 20 seasons with the same team, something that may never occur again. No matter how you slice it, the debate will rage on ad infinitum about his status in the Pantheon, impact on the game, and whether his body of work stands alone as evidence of his greatness. That in and of itself will keep Kobe in the minds and hearts of fans for years to come.

Murphy: This nails it. Weird as it sounds, the arguments about Kobe's legacy may best define his legacy. There hasn't been a more polarizing professional athlete that I can think of and the number of ways to debate Bryant's place in basketball history is astounding. He was Michael Jordan for a generation of players, the last "Next Michael Jordan," and he himself has inspired a number of today's stars. But he has fewer rings than Jordan and wasn't quite as good, which opens up a whole can of worms about where he ranks all-time (top 10? 12?). That argument comes down to an evaluation of your basketball belief system. Advanced stats, team success, personality, style of play, impact on the next generation; there's no way to talk about Kobe that isn't grounds for intense debate and that will stand to make him relevant to the basketball conversation long after his retirement.

Watson: Many will argue that Kobe spent much of his career trying to copy Michael Jordan, but there was no player in Bryant's era that could match his drive and desire to compete. His accolades are many: 5x NBA Champion, 2x NBA Finals MVP, All-Star, All-NBA, All-Defensive, 81-point game and Olympic gold medalist to name a few. Yet this was a player who went right at Jordan, a man he idolized, in the 1998 NBA All-Star Game. He wasn't willing to back down to anyone. To do that with such confidence, at such a young age, showed the type of player we would come to love (and hate) in the years that followed.


What would be an accurate assessment of the Toronto Raptors' first 20 games of this season?

Strickland: Uneven. Through a 12-8 start that included a heavy dose of road games early, getting stellar, steady and effective contributions on both ends of the floor from newcomers Cory Joseph and DeMarre Carroll have helped the star core of Lowry, DeRozan and Valanciunas improve, especially on defense. But things have to get cleaned and tightened up with the intensity and play in back to back games. Not protecting home court despite putting up stellar road numbers is another point of contention as well. Maddening bench inconsistency as well as seemingly lacking the semblance of a quality go-to offensive set makes the grade incomplete.

Murphy: They've met expectations but in an objectionable way. They're on pace to win 49 games again, on the higher end of their preseason projection range, and they've done so despite one of the most arduous travel schedules in the league. The defense has been much improved, as advertised; the offense hasn't taken as big a step back as could have reasonably been expected, and save for Thursday, they've mostly brought the mental toughness they preached. Losing a couple of tight, winnable games and tasking their three best players with too heavy an early workload are complaints that may hide that the team's been pretty good.

Watson: While a 12-8 record after playing extended games on the road doesn't suggest up and down, it's more than apt. The Raptors propensity for playing to the level of their competition is pleasing and frustrating at the same time. Overall, they have been more consistent as a team defensively this season, but still need more consistency in their approach game to game. However, their ability to compete with the top teams in the league tips the scales in the positive favour, 20 games in this season already shows more promise than anticipated.

How do yhe off-court issues of Sixers rookie centre Jahlil Okafor affect the Hinkie Plan in Philadelphia?

Strickland: The name Hinkie makes everything going on in Philly seem... "hinkie." Not to absolve Young Jah of culpability in these incidences, but maybe some of this stuff is a reaction to the design of Sam Hinkie. The losing and the culture in Philly reek of, "I gotta get mine." Mix a 19-year-old millionaire, who is heavy on social media reading all the negativity about his team, and then hears it when he's in the streets, you are more than likely to end up with a band-aid over a gaping bullet wound scenario where the franchise assigns a security detail too late to monitor Okafor's off-court activities as well as suspending him too late because the Sixers are well... the Sixers. If the organization is depending on that bastion of quality sports telejournalism, TMZ, for their player intel, it's too late! There is clearly a disconnect. But in some obscure, obtuse way, this potential tragedy could also be a part of The Plan. Ben Simmons beware!

Murphy: I think it's an interesting experiment, especially opposite Minnesota's approach of using roster spots on veterans for the purposes of culture and competitiveness. I don't necessarily believe the losing streak changed a player who didn't have any makeup issues in his profile entering the draft, but this is a guy, as many rookies are, coming from a winning program and not used to losing. Hinkie may have underestimated the toll that years of losing can take on players, especially with no end in sight. There are no healthy veterans on the team to serve as mentors or sounding boards, and that seems to, you know, matter. Who's to say the organizational culture of accepting losing will be easy to change?

Watson: If I was a conspiracy theorist, it actually helps their plan. Win your first game of the season? Suspend the team's best player, ensure the losing continues! In premise, the idea is good in the effort to rebuild, but it's incredibly tough on the fan base and makes a mockery of the process. As mentioned in this space, the lack of a veteran presence makes for more situations like Okafor's and ultimately hurts the team. I have no trust in "the process."

Who has been more disappointing thus far, the New Orleans Pelicans, Milwaukee Bucks or Houston Rockets?

Strickland: The Pelicans, even coming off a big overtime win vs Cleveland, have been very disappointing. Playing in quite possibly the toughest division in the NBA, New Orleans was expected to do more than just make another push for an eight-seed in the Western Conference this season. Injuries to key members of the squad, especially Anthony Davis who is hurt more often than many would like to see in a man they envision as a multiple MVP and eventual face of The Association, have hindered development plans under new coach Alvin Gentry. In all, it still doesn't explain a 5-15 start, though it can be considered when Ish Smith was leading your backcourt at one point and GM Dell Demps felt the need to dig up the Indomitable Toney Douglas for "help" off the bench. Now, with a healthy Tyreke Evans, Eric Gordan, Jrue Holiday, and Ryan Anderson to compliment Davis vs the Cavs, fans got a glimpse of what they expected to get from the Pels. It will be interesting to see if they can redeem and salvage the season.

Murphy: The Rockets. I expected the Bucks to take a step back given their over-performance on the defensive end last year, though not to this degree. They're a young team that jumped their timeline and are taking an understandable step back. The Pelicans are disappointing, to be sure, but my disappointment is in the basketball Gods for cursing them with injuries (or blessing them, if they do what I think they should do and trade Ryan Anderson and other support pieces, putting themselves in the running for Ben Simmons). The Rockets are just an inexcusable mess, a team that should be very good on paper, has been very good in the past, and can't seem to be bothered with being very good anymore. Shame what happened to McHale.

Watson: Milwaukee Bucks in my eyes. The mixture of youth, talent and addition of Greg Monroe, with one of the league's brightest coaches in Jason Kidd, was a recipe for increased improvement in the East this season. Yet they are back to where they were a couple of years ago: at the bottom of the standings in shiny new clothes.

Thumbs up or thumbs down on the recently revealed NBA All-Star jerseys?

Strickland: Thumbs way up!  adidas did the league proud with this excellent homage to #The6ix and The Toronto Huskies, who were the opponents of the New York Knickerbockers in the first game ever played in the NBA. The multiple and very tasteful odes to Toronto's prominent place in NBA history and the country of Canada put the "b" in "subtle". The man who scored the NBA's first ever basket, Ossie Schectman, would be proud.

Murphy: Big thumbs up. Previous All-Star jerseys have skewed garish, but the Toronto-inspired look is far more modest. The hints of Canadiana are subtle and noninvasive, the nod to the Toronto Huskies is obvious and perfectly executed, and overall it's just a clean, sharp design. I'm not one to get too excited over a jersey, but these are fresh, as is the accompanying jacket.

Watson: Thumbs up. I like the simplicity, subtlety, and the fact they didn't use the CN Tower (again). The nod to the Huskies was a nice touch. More often than not, when Canada or Toronto is depicted by outsiders, it falls to cliche too quickly. That didn't happen here.

Blake Murphy @BlakeMurphyODC can be found petting the hair of the dog who bit him while Duane Watson @duanewatson and Will Strickland @wallstrizzle1 hit game winning shots every Saturday, 3pm et, on their show, #1On1 with Will & Duane, only on TSN 1050 and TSN.ca