• 4 months ago
A. Sherrod Blakely, Gary Washburn, and Kwani Lunis discuss the Celtics signing Sam Hauser to a four-year extension that keeps another title-winning squad member in Boston beyond next season. In addition, it continues to pile on to what will be one of the most expensive payrolls in NBA history.

With Sam Hauser's recent four-year, $45 million extension, the Celtics are clearly committed to their core, including stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, as they aim for championship glory. We discuss the implications of their financial decisions amidst the new CBA's constraints and explore the potential for a roster shake-up if ownership changes hands. Join us as we analyze the balance between immediate success and sustainable growth, and what it all means for the future of this storied franchise. Don't miss our insights on the evolving landscape of international basketball and how it impacts the Celtics' stars on the global stage!

0:00 - Intro
2:02 - Excitement in France
5:11 - Sam Hauser's contract
8:26 - Second apron discussion
10:12 - Celtics' win-now strategy
12:20 - Sam's contract value
19:40 - Paying for championships
22:44 - Risk of second apron
24:31 - Wyc's Celtics sale
27:12 - Ownership debt concerns
30:41 - Possible trade candidates
32:14 - Salary cap challenges
34:18 - Second apron penalties
39:40 - International player impact
42:54 - Global player impact
46:30 - Celtics' expectations


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Transcript
00:00The Big 3 NBA podcast is powered by the Game Time app.
00:26Hello, everyone. Welcome to this episode of The Big 3 NBA podcast.
00:30I'm giggling because of course, it's me, Quanie Willis, H.R. Blakely,
00:35and as Sherrod just said, Gary in Paris, Gary Washburn,
00:40is in Paris right now for the Olympics.
00:44How are you feeling, Gary?
00:44What's the scene like in France right now?
00:47Bonjour, Gary, bonjour.
00:52Bonjour, my friend.
00:52There's a lot of excitement.
00:54I'm in Lille, so I'm like an hour and a half north of Paris
00:59where the basketball is going to be taking place.
01:03So it's a cool little, it's a suburb.
01:06It's a definite city and all that, you know, but so far so good.
01:11I like Paris.
01:12I like France.
01:13The people are nice.
01:15I'm slowly learning French, some of the phrases.
01:18Obviously, I've learned bonjour and merci beaucoup.
01:23And then I got Uber Eats the other night and the dude said,
01:27bon appétit, and I'm like, oh, that really applies here.
01:30Like, you know, like, oh, I'm going to use that here.
01:35You hear that in America.
01:36You're like, yeah, I know what that means.
01:40So he said, bon appétit.
01:41I'm like, oh, yeah, I forgot where I'm at.
01:44So, yeah, so far so good.
01:47I haven't seen a lot, you know, like the, haven't gotten,
01:51you can tell France is getting ready.
01:53Like there's, you know, the TV and people are getting excited
01:56about the Olympics, but it was still three days from opening
02:00ceremony.
02:00So I anticipate the next few days will be really, really brimming
02:04with excitement.
02:07And we'll see what happens with the basketball here.
02:09I haven't been to the arena yet or whatever, but there's a lot
02:13of excitement, you know, a lot of excitement.
02:15This is a great experience.
02:17Well, you'll keep us, of course, in the loop as everything
02:23that's going on with Team USA.
02:25So we're glad that you're there.
02:27But let's get into the Celtics because, of course, that's
02:29what most people are tuned in for.
02:31We'll start with Sam Hauser.
02:32He's back on his roster.
02:33I've seen so many jokes about the fact that the Celtics team
02:37has clearly has no cap, literally, when it comes to the
02:39money, but they agreed to a four-year deal, $45 million extension
02:43for Sam Hauser, one of the best three-point shooters in the
02:47NBA, 41.8% from three over the last year.
02:52Every year he's been back.
02:53He's gotten better, essentially.
02:54So what do you guys think this means for the Celtics, first
02:58of all? That they ain't the least bit afraid of spending until
03:04they can't spend no more.
03:05It's kind of getting insane with the price tag that they're
03:09looking at.
03:10I mean, you look at this team.
03:11They've got pretty much everyone in their main rotation signed
03:15through the next couple of years other than maybe Al Horford.
03:17I think he's the only one in their regular rotation who's not
03:20signed all the way through and he's probably going to come
03:22back on a one-year deal.
03:23Although I would hope that Al would give him a discount, but
03:25you just never know at this point.
03:27Bottom line is this team is going chips all in on this group
03:32winning multiple titles.
03:34They look at this team as having maybe not a perfect roster,
03:38but perfect in terms of getting them as close to the finish
03:42line or over the finish line for the next couple of years as
03:44they can get.
03:45They just don't see the need at this point to tinker with what
03:48they have as a collective group.
03:50And if you look at the way the finals went down, I can't really
03:54blame them.
03:55And if you look at some of the moves that teams have made to
03:57really close the gap with the Celtics, you still feel good
04:01about Boston being the team that everyone else is still trying
04:04to figure out how to beat.
04:05And you know, the last point I'll make on this one is that
04:08when your core group consists of two guys who are 26, 27 or
04:11younger, that means your window in terms of your two best
04:15players is probably going to last for at least another four
04:17or five years.
04:18And then when you look at some of the other pieces that they
04:20have around those guys, I think the Celtics team is building
04:24themselves up to be a title contender for the next four or
04:27five years where, you know, the window of opportunity to compete
04:30at the highest level, it varies because for lots of different
04:33reasons, but the Celtics to their credit have insulated
04:36themselves to where they're going to be in the hunt for a
04:40number of years in large part because they've got everyone
04:43back from this team that already won a title and the teams
04:47that are making moves around them aren't making enough power
04:50moves to really close that gap and potentially put themselves
04:52over the top over the hump and be better than the Celtics.
04:59Well, honestly, I was stunned that it reached time because
05:03I thought that Hauser could have probably got more in the
05:06open market 11 a year, right?
05:10It's a bargain for the Celtics in terms of what he brings
05:13to the table.
05:14Premium shooters are expensive in the NBA guys who can knock
05:18down 40% plus three pointers are hard to find and they're
05:22expensive.
05:23I always look to the example like Joe Harris who's now I
05:26think retired or as you know, hasn't played in the league
05:29for a year or so and him getting like I think Brooklyn gave
05:33him 19 million dollars a year and the lat one of those final
05:37years of his deal.
05:37Like that was what a premium shooter was going for.
05:42That was what you know, a guy who can knock down those three
05:46pointers that you cannot leave alone in the corner, but who
05:51with Tatum and Brown on the floor, you sort of got to leave
05:54him alone.
05:56That's what that guy brings.
05:57So the fact that you're only able to pay 45 million dollars
06:02and then it's a tradable deal.
06:04If you ever need to trade it, it's a very tradable deal.
06:07If you ever want to move Houser, but I just think for the
06:10fact that he was able he wanted to accept obviously when
06:13you're making two and then your next paycheck is next year
06:17is 11.
06:18That's a 500% raise more than that for my LA public school
06:24staff.
06:25So that is so for Sam Houser.
06:29That's a that's a hell of a raise and I'm sure that's the
06:32testament to his comfort in Boston like hey, I don't want
06:35to go out there and try to I don't want to sign with a bad
06:38team and make a bunch of money and lose.
06:40I want to win.
06:41I want to make a good salary which 11 million for most of
06:45us is a good salary and I'm sure he's only 24 25, right?
06:49He's still relatively young guy.
06:51So to me that just says a lot about his desire to be in
06:55Boston and I'm sure the Celtics are probably like, yeah,
06:58we're going to lose you Sam because you're probably going
07:00to get 80 out there over four years and he turns around
07:03and goes well not necessarily like who says you got to lose
07:07me and I'm sure when the Celtics said you'll take 45.
07:11We'll jump on that because one very inexpensive deal for
07:15his what he brings into is again.
07:18It's a tradable deal.
07:20So 11 million dollar contracts are not hard to move in the
07:23NBA. So if in case they are dumping salary or you know,
07:28something comes up and they need to move or include them
07:30in the deal.
07:31They can do that with relative ease.
07:33So I think it's a win for both sides.
07:36And obviously the new owners are going to be with the tax
07:38bill and who how this all goes down in the in the future
07:43because that second apron is going to bite them.
07:46It's going to come whether it be their frozen draft picks.
07:50Their inability to do a sign and trade with anybody like
07:54so they're like we might as well just keep all of our own
07:56guys because we're in this already deep and we've got to
08:01come up with ways to keep our own guys and come up with
08:05ways. Like you said sure.
08:06I to be competitive for the next few years to put all your
08:08chips in because Tatum and Brown are now entering their
08:11primes Tatum's only 26.
08:13Remember Browns only 27.
08:15So they're not even at their primes yet.
08:18So you got to take advantage of this time.
08:23Yeah, some that the tweet I was mentioning earlier.
08:25It was someone joking about the second apron Brad Stevens
08:28heard about it and decided to keep cooking.
08:30So very well played on their part.
08:33But that's a corny joke right there.
08:35That is so you corny that is so you I'm not but I'm not taking
08:40credit.
08:41It was some random person on Twitter.
08:42I couldn't give you their name.
08:43So clearly not even giving them the right credit.
08:46But that being said when you talk about Hauser resigning
08:49what do you two think this means for the first round draft
08:52pick Baylor Shireman and what does it mean for Drew Peterson
08:55in the G League as well since they have similar games?
09:00I just think they're going to have to get in where they fit
09:05in at this point like you're right.
09:07I think a lot of this was preparing for Hauser to depart
09:11and getting another premium shooter, but there's nothing
09:13wrong with having multiple premium shooters Shireman appears
09:17to be a guy who can do a lot of different things other than
09:20shoot.
09:21I mean, I thought he didn't shoot well in the summer league.
09:23We'll talk about that.
09:24I'm sure but he was able to pass run the floor do some things
09:28Peterson's a guy that's probably going to have to show a little
09:32bit more.
09:32I you know, what does this mean for Drew Peterson?
09:35I don't think of the stuff is a worried about that.
09:37Like he hasn't shown enough for them to be concerned or thinking.
09:41Oh man, this guy is going to be in two years.
09:44He's going to be like literally, you know, the knockdown shooter
09:48and a guy who's going to be in our rotation.
09:50I don't think he showed enough in summer league.
09:54And I think when they have you have a chance to bring a guy
09:57could remember houses not 30.
09:59He's 25.
10:01So you're you're he's not entering his prime yet.
10:04He's still going to be knocking down lots of shots and he's
10:06still you know, going to hit his athletic peak too.
10:11So I think they said, you know what?
10:13We'll take more Hauser and less Hauser lights and but Shireman
10:18I think will can play a different role than Hauser.
10:22I think he'll get on the floor Peterson.
10:24I'm not so sure about.
10:28No Peter Peterson.
10:29It's a wrap.
10:30I mean, do your thing in the G League knock down some shots
10:33get to 16 points fire rebound six assists and hope that you
10:35get traded hope that you wind up in a situation that will
10:39give you an opportunity to at least see the crack of daylight
10:42when an NBA roster because it's not going to happen in Boston.
10:45Now resigning Sam was the first domino, but really it really
10:51was a second because when they drafted Shireman that was the
10:54first time that your role might not be you might not have
10:59an opportunity to have a role bigger than the one you've
11:01got with the G League.
11:03And so to Gary's point you Shireman does have the versatility
11:06to where it's not that inconceivable to see at some point
11:10where Hauser and Shireman can be on the floor together.
11:12It's not that big a stretch right now feels a little bit
11:15of reach but I do think in the next year or two that's not
11:18going to be you know, a tandem that is completely absurd
11:22and just no way in hell that'll happen.
11:24So the Celtics again, this is this is yet another move on
11:29Brad's part.
11:30That's when now they are absolutely committed to winning
11:34now and they don't care what the cost is to win now and
11:37it's very unusual to see teams and organizations as bullish
11:43on spending the way the Celtics are now.
11:46They have shown like no hesitation and cutting checks to
11:50anyone that they feel can contribute to their success.
11:54You look at their rotation last year.
11:56Everyone has gotten paid.
11:58Everyone has gotten paid and you go back and you look at
12:00teams that win championships that almost never happens.
12:03There's always that one cat that played well and the team
12:07is like thanks for your service.
12:09Good night, and they're gone.
12:11They're time because someone else can offer them more money
12:13and they go take the money and rather than be in a situation
12:17that benefits them.
12:18The point that Gary made about Sam leaving money on the
12:22table.
12:22I absolutely agree with that.
12:24I mean Sam was an 1819 could have possibly 20 million dollar
12:26player if he hit the free agent market in a year or two,
12:29but I think there are two things that made him leery of
12:33testing the waters one the culture that he's in now.
12:37It's a great situation for him.
12:39He's got a great role and there's no one coming up the
12:41pipeline that's going to challenge him legitimately for
12:44the role that he's in now so I can make five times what
12:47I'm making now with the same role and I don't have anybody
12:51coming at me closely.
12:52Why would I go elsewhere unless I really needed the money
12:56or felt I needed the money and I think for Sam, you know,
12:58remember Sam.
13:00This isn't a guy that was taken in the first round or even
13:03a second round.
13:03This is an undrafted player.
13:06They have a very different calculus on what means to be
13:10an NBA.
13:10They have a very different feel for the importance of finding
13:14the right situation because for them remember when you are
13:17undrafted you can sign with anyone but if you screw that
13:20up, if you screw that up, you could wind up out of the league
13:24just like that.
13:25I mean just imagine if Sam would have instead of signing
13:27with Boston, he said, well, you know, let me try my luck
13:30with Golden State.
13:31You ain't never going to see a lot of day is as a as a
13:34shooting guard on that team because they got the greatest
13:36of all time doing it with Steph.
13:38So there's so many factors that I think come into play when
13:43a guy like Sam Houser makes this type of decision leaves.
13:46I think I think most people agree.
13:49He probably left a good six seven eight million dollars
13:53a year a year on a table simply for the comfort of being
13:58a Celtic, you know, and again for an undrafted player making
14:01that kind of money and you got a little one on the way this
14:03fall too.
14:04So you'll tell your tax so you need to make a little more
14:07cheddar you it's just for Sam to me.
14:10This is a great deal.
14:11This is a great deal for him.
14:13It's a great deal for the Celtics and it's literally one
14:15of the few guys you can say that they brought back where
14:17you feel that the Celtics are clearly going to get significant
14:21bang for their buck.
14:22The other guys are getting I think with the market value
14:24dictates Sam is getting what I think is a one of the biggest
14:28bargain deals among all the guys the Celtics are bringing
14:30back to the full for next season and beyond it's summertime
14:35and there's no better way to spend it than at the ballpark
14:38popcorn soda hot dogs.
14:41Mmm, I'm starting to get hungry.
14:42Just thinking about it.
14:43Those games create lasting memories and getting to those
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16:14All right, let's follow the money like we've been talking
16:16about already because Gary and Trent as you mentioned that
16:20second apron is definitely going to hurt the Celtics in the
16:23future.
16:24So seven of Boston's top eight players signed through over
16:27the next two years.
16:28We talked about Al Horford probably hopefully give this
16:31Boston a discount in some sense.
16:32Well, that's TBD.
16:34But by the time the 2526 season gets here Boston's salary
16:38plus tax penalties will cost him nearly half a billion dollars
16:42for that season alone.
16:44So as of right now where we stand as a Celtics being the
16:47reigning NBA champs.
16:48Do you two think it's worth it?
16:51I think so.
16:53Here's a thing when you go ahead.
16:58It's right.
16:58Go ahead.
16:59You got it.
17:01No, here's the thing when you go.
17:02Here's the thing.
17:02I back down.
17:03It's worth it.
17:04Is that it's worth it.
17:05You've got to drop the knowledge.
17:06So go ahead.
17:07Go ahead.
17:07Drop the knowledge.
17:08Here's the thing.
17:08Go ahead says as I was saying for professors in the building
17:13now, let me let me talk.
17:14Let me speak.
17:15Let me speak.
17:16No, the thing about the Celtics right now is that they have
17:21been so close to winning it all that once they finally won
17:25it all they realize this is a recipe.
17:28This is how you do it.
17:29And then they start looking at all the ingredients that went
17:31into winning a championship and realize.
17:33Oh my goodness.
17:34There really is nowhere where we need to upgrade.
17:37We don't need to get a better backup shooting guard.
17:39We don't necessarily need to get a better backup point guard.
17:42We don't need to get a better utility guy.
17:44We got Derek white.
17:45We don't need a better Alpha and then a number two Alpha because
17:48we got Tatum and Brown you start breaking down this roster and
17:51there really is no area other than maybe the big situation.
17:54But damn you got a seven foot unicorn in presenting is that
17:57when he's healthy is a matchup nightmare and for the most part
18:02they have all the pieces to be a title contender and winner
18:06for years to come.
18:07I don't think anyone will be shocked if this team won a couple
18:11more titles in the next three or four years the way they're
18:13built and constructed.
18:14They're totally built to do that and you got to give Brad
18:18Stevens his props because Brad has shown the ability to put
18:22together teams that are not only contending but can contend
18:25for an extended period of time and he hasn't always done it
18:28by going out and getting that, you know, the guy that's just
18:31the the big, you know, sexy addition, you know, and you
18:36just feel as though you're only going to have an opportunity
18:39to win a championship at the highest levels for so many years.
18:42And if that costs you a ton of money, then you pay that price.
18:46And again, one of the reasons that more teams don't pay more
18:50is because the talent isn't worth it.
18:52They're like, why should I be paying all this damn money for
18:54this this team that can get me to the second round of playoffs.
18:57Come on now.
18:58I mean, can you let me think about the Phoenix Suns who are
19:01cutting checks like no one's business.
19:04They suck.
19:05They suck.
19:06If they could get out of the first round of playoffs, they
19:09are feeling good about themselves.
19:10But when you start looking at the Western Conference, that
19:13is far from a given.
19:15They may be what for fifth best team and yet their payroll
19:17is off the charts.
19:18And if you're the Celtics, you don't mind and Wicca said
19:21this time and time again, and he's lit and he's preached.
19:23He's practiced what he preached.
19:25I will pay prime dollar if we have a chance to win the
19:28championship.
19:28I don't mind cutting that check and now that he's cut check
19:32after check after check.
19:33He's trying to get his check to get up out of here, which
19:36I get and we'll talk a bit more about that later.
19:38But the bottom line is this team is worth what you're paying
19:43because the goal and putting a team together is to win a
19:46championship.
19:47That is what everyone wants to do.
19:48This team is built to do that for number of years to come
19:53which makes it worth it.
19:58Okay.
19:59Yeah, I think I agree with you throughout.
20:01I think you just got to get your goals to win multiple
20:07championships.
20:08Now, like your goals to two out of three, three out of four,
20:11you know, you got to get greedy.
20:13You got it.
20:14You can't just is this sort of like the big three-year with
20:17Garnett Allen and Pierce and they only came out with one
20:20championship, right?
20:22You know, nine Garnett got hurt.
20:25He got knocked out by the Magic in 10.
20:28They lost in game 7.
20:29The whole image and reputation of that team changes if they
20:36win a check of title in three years.
20:38If they get two chips in three years, they're even more glorified.
20:43They're even more adulated in terms of just a team and we
20:48know they've done specials and they they were at the parade
20:52with their trophy.
20:53If they had won two titles with that group, I mean you you're
20:59talking about, you know, like on the level of the 1970 Celtics
21:03that won in 74 and 76 like you're talking about just one
21:08step below the 80 Celtics and way before I was in the 60s
21:11where you know, they won eight in a row.
21:13But so if you're the Celtics you're chasing history now,
21:16you're like you're chasing like you only you don't want to
21:20only you'll be different Nuggets.
21:22You don't want to be the Milwaukee Bucks, right?
21:24You don't want to go out win one title and then you never
21:27heard from again because your team got old because you lost
21:31free agents because you didn't want to pay for the players
21:34to come on back.
21:35You didn't want to pay Bruce Brown.
21:37You don't want to pay Jeff Green.
21:39You don't want to pay now Contavious Caldwell-Pope.
21:42You want to say we put our players in the best position
21:45to win multiple championships.
21:47So I think if you're the Celtics you're taking a risk with
21:51the second apron because we really don't know since it's
21:54the new CBA situation what the pre-percussions will be
21:58long-term but ain't nobody worried about 2032 and all that
22:03that's 2020.
22:04Like I'm not saying that we're worried.
22:05I mean, but you know, ain't nobody worried about, you know,
22:09Kwanee 32.
22:10She ain't worried about 40 yet.
22:12Like she worried about right now, right?
22:14Why Kwanee Young?
22:16You ain't worried about not, you ain't worried about decade
22:19from now.
22:19You worried about now.
22:20You worried about the next couple years.
22:22So if I'm the Celtics you worry about what happens then
22:26then and you worry about winning now and if you come away
22:30and say hey, we had to pay the price, but we won two three
22:34championships out of it.
22:35Then that's worth it because Dynasties and winning multiple
22:39championships for a franchise is hard.
22:42So I'm all for the Celtics doing this.
22:44But yeah, eventually they're going to have to figure things
22:47out. Like they're going to have to even up some salaries.
22:50They're going to have to let somebody go.
22:53Somebody's going to take a discount like maybe, you know,
22:55poor Zingas when he comes back if they want to bring it back
22:58on another extension.
23:01Somebody gonna have to be like, okay, I'll take less to come
23:04back because if you got Tatum and Brown both making fitted.
23:09Right?
23:11And in almost 16.
23:14Then somebody going somebody going and then you got drew
23:18on a four year deal.
23:19Somebody else is going to soak it up.
23:22But also that puts pressure on the Celtics to cultivate young
23:26cheaper talent like the Anton Watson's like the Baylor
23:29Shireman's fine guy who can make a lesser salary for a longer
23:35term and then produce that's what exactly what you they have
23:40to do.
23:40That's what puts more pressure on the organization to find
23:43quality players to come in and say hey, this guy's only making
23:47five million.
23:48So we good for a while or Anton Watson is going to be on a
23:52cheaper deal and he looks like he's a keeper.
23:55He's going to help in two to three years.
23:58Charm is going to help in two to three years.
23:59It might not be next year, but it's going to they're going
24:02to come up in fact their values going to come up and then
24:06the next first round pick in 2025, which is going to be
24:09a great draft.
24:10You brings that person in and you start cultivating and
24:15bringing up young guys who can really help you and that's
24:18why you have to get out of this and not pay the you know,
24:21not to where you having a fire sale or you got to have to
24:24like cut cut guys and trade them away just to get below the
24:28cap.
24:31Well, you teed me up perfectly because as everyone at this
24:34point, I probably am sure knows that with growth spec announced
24:37that he was going to basically sell off his part of the
24:41Celtics, but what if the sale doesn't go according to the
24:44timeline that he has planned?
24:47Do we potentially see a fire sale in another year or two?
24:53Well, okay.
24:54Here's the thing.
24:55I'm Paul Sharab and folks out there.
25:02Folks, the listeners and the viewers if a dude says, here's
25:05the thing that means he's lying.
25:07So when somebody says Kyle Draper thing, here's the thing.
25:13Oh, here we go.
25:15He would say that a long time ago.
25:19Here's the thing.
25:20That's what he says.
25:22Here's the thing.
25:22He made the hamsters turn.
25:25He tried to make it up.
25:27You know what?
25:29That's not the thing.
25:31He's thinking as he says, here's the thing.
25:36That's not true.
25:37You about to lie.
25:39So anyway, you're right.
25:43I do think Wick has a problem.
25:47There's going to be buyers in mind.
25:49I do think he'll try to move the team, not quickly, but he'll
25:53take the right deal.
25:54And I think that there's major interest in the Celtics.
25:58So, you know, you hope for the Celtics sake, it doesn't take
26:02three to four years for this team to move.
26:04I think there'll be very affluent men or women or group
26:08or former athletes or whatever to come up and show interest
26:12in buying the team rather quickly.
26:16And I'm sure Wick's going to have his share of offers on the
26:18table and figure out which one to take.
26:21You hope that it's tough.
26:22I don't think he would have made this announcement if he
26:25wasn't trying, it wasn't going to go faster.
26:28I don't think, I think he would have kept to himself if he
26:30thought, man, this could take three to four years for me to
26:33find a buyer.
26:38Yeah, I mean, I think he definitely, you know, has a
26:41certain number of potential suitors in mind.
26:46And I think that they never got to the point, I can't imagine
26:50you would ever got to the point where they got the specific
26:52numbers talked about, but it's pretty damn clear that you
26:55want this team, you're going to have to cut them a check
26:57on a six billion range, which makes a lot of sense when
27:01you look at just where this team valuation will be at,
27:04what this team is built to do.
27:07But the challenge that I think is going to be interesting
27:10is the amount of debt that whoever buys this team is going
27:13to incur.
27:15That's the one thing that I think is the wild card in all
27:18of this, because the fact that people see the Celtics as
27:21being worth potentially six billion dollars, that to me
27:25is not the issue at hand.
27:27The issue is how comfortable is a new ownership group going
27:31to be with taking on the amount of debt that this team is
27:35going to, that they're going to incur, that they'll inherit.
27:38Because as Quantie mentioned earlier, in a couple of years,
27:41they're going to have to cut a 500 million dollar check
27:47because of the salaries and them hitting that second apron
27:49and that doesn't even get into some of the more punitive
27:53specific things such as having draft picks lower or taken
27:56away and some of the other issues that come about when
27:59you hit that second apron.
28:01So there's a lot of uncertainty about the comfort level
28:05that a new ownership group is going to have because the
28:07Celtics, they don't just have a little bit of debt.
28:09They got some of the, they got the kind of debt that make
28:12you be like, damn, I don't know if I want to buy this crib.
28:16It looked nice on the outside, but damn, I got to fix the
28:19lawn. I got to fix the backyard.
28:21I got to fix the patio, that garage going, you think, damn,
28:24it's a nice house, but damn, there's a lot of cosmetic
28:26stuff. I got to, I got to shell out in order to get this
28:29thing to where it's going to be a value beyond what I see
28:32in front of me.
28:33And so it'll, it'll be interesting to see how that all plays
28:36out. But I definitely think it's going to not go quite
28:40as smoothly as people think because I do think that it's
28:45going, there's going to be a little bit of trepidation
28:47for a new ownership group to assume all that debt.
28:54And another thing to keep in mind, I'm sure you two have
28:57been following the NBA rights deal that is right now being
29:02Amazon putting themselves in the race.
29:04But of course, TNT Warner, they want to be considered as
29:08well. So I think those moving parts obviously affect the
29:11way that the new ownership, I imagine, looks at the valuation
29:15of a team and what media outlet will be broadcasting those
29:18games. So it all really does tie in together hand in hand.
29:22But that being said, you two mentioned that the level of
29:25concern is not that great right now.
29:27But let's say for, just entertain me, if that were to be
29:31the case, they did need to have a fire sale.
29:33Who would you think would be gone first off this roster?
29:39I think Sam Hauser, just because they've got guys in the
29:42pipeline that aren't as good as Sam, but certainly bringing
29:47some of those same traits. If they're looking to move a
29:50big piece, I think they probably would move Drew Holiday.
29:53I could see a team absolutely giving them some draft capital
29:57and some young talent. If they feel they're one defensive
30:00minded playmaker away from getting over the top or competing
30:03at the highest level, and the Celtics feel that they,
30:06you know, if it's one of those years where the Celtics are
30:09really good, but maybe not championship caliber material
30:12and Drew's maybe not having the greatest season, then you
30:14maybe look to do something like that. But the two guys that
30:17I just don't think we're ever going to enter that conversation
30:19being traded is Tatum and Brown. I think those, they're
30:22as close to being untouchable, I think, as you're going to
30:25find in the NBA, simply because players that good, you trade
30:32them only because you either one can find better talent
30:35elsewhere or two, they want to be out. And I don't get the
30:38sense that either one of those guys wants to be out. And
30:41when you start looking at talent around their age, maybe
30:44slightly younger, there just aren't a lot of guys that you
30:47can see made available. I mean, Anthony Edwards, if he were
30:49made available, then yeah, you think about that. But Trey
30:53Young, now we're good. And the host of other players that
30:58are all-star caliber players, but certainly would be a clear
31:01downgrade from what you have with Tatum and Brown. So yeah,
31:05I would say Sam Houser would probably be one of the first
31:07to go if not the first to go if they had to just really
31:09start unloading salary. And I'd say Drew would probably be
31:12next only because he's got a pretty large contract that
31:16would really kind of clean up a lot of their books in a
31:18hurry. And you know, you'd still have Derek White, who
31:23has proven himself to be an elite wing. And you're paying
31:28Drew or assuming you're paying Derek big money too. So it's
31:31not like you're, you know, asking some guy who's not
31:33making much money to all of a sudden take on greater
31:35weight. Derek, you know, he's making good money and then
31:38he'd be up for that challenge. So those are the two guys
31:41I probably look at.
31:46Yeah, I guess I would agree. I don't know whether they're
31:50going to have to have this fire sale. That's a that's
31:53a tough word. That's like a baseball word where they just
31:56giving away guys because one, there's a salary floor.
32:00Okay, you got to spend a certain amount people ask.
32:03Well, why did the Pistons signed Tobias Harris to
32:06$26 million a year because they had to spend money.
32:09You can't you can't put it in your pocket. You can't
32:12keep it in your pocket anymore. You can't you can't
32:15have it stacked in your wallet. You've got to spend
32:17money on these players. So I don't know if this other
32:22will do a fire. So I think they'll figure out how
32:26to get maybe some of their players and I'm pointing
32:28to like more mostly probably maybe Porzingis where
32:32you go to Chris taps and say, okay, you know, you're
32:36often injured. You're not worth, you know, we can't
32:39pay you 35 million a year, but we can pay you 20.
32:43How about that? Like you start to try to negotiate
32:47salaries that are team-friendly in order to win
32:51and play in this Celtic atmosphere. And if it doesn't
32:53work, then you might have to make a move or let a
32:55guy walk in that situation. And that's again. That's
33:01why you go younger. That's why you bring up young
33:04sheet players. That's why you have to draft. Well,
33:07you know this whole second apron and I think fans
33:10and I explained it in my last Sunday knows this
33:12whole second apron thing is real.
33:16Limiting right in terms of there's this things you
33:19can't do anymore. The Celtics cannot include, you
33:22know, they can't sign a buyout player that does that
33:25makes more than the let's say, you know, people are
33:29all they should go out to Gordon Hayward again last
33:30like no he made too much like he's got to make a
33:33blow the mid-level exception. You can only now
33:36they can only you have no you have no mid-level
33:39exceptions to offer anybody. You can only sign
33:42players to minimum deals. Now if they want to fit
33:45find that 15 spot. If a guy said, hey pay me 7
33:48million. I made 20 last year. I'll come to Boston.
33:51They're like they can't do that. They can only pay
33:53you three, you know, they can't scrape up money.
33:56There's no it's limiting and I said if they're in
34:00the apron for three out of five years, their first
34:04round pick gets frozen, which means they can't
34:06trade it in another situation there for regardless
34:10of where their first palette round pick is seven
34:12years from now. It gets pushed back to the end of
34:14the first round. So there's major penalties for
34:17being the second apron. The Celtics will find that
34:19out. I don't think it'll I think they'll figure
34:22out a way with obviously the great Mike's there
34:24and their salary cap people to Maneuver around
34:27that, but I don't think they're going to be was
34:28given guys away for you know, bad contract. You
34:33hope that it doesn't go back to the old days of
34:36them taking, you know, like well, we just got to
34:38take this bad guys contract because you know,
34:43he's he's on an expiring deal. You hope that they
34:47don't get to do the nickel-and-dime aspect of
34:49this, you know, do they need to get from the
34:52second apron to the first apron? Yes. I think
34:54eventually they do and we'll see how they do that.
34:58But I do think like Shiraz said Hauser and then
35:02and then holiday and I think for Zingas is a guy
35:05that they'll say listen, you've won a title here.
35:09We can't afford 35 million, but we can afford
35:1220 million. Can you can you take that for the
35:15you know, he's not getting any younger. He's not
35:18going to get any healthier. So you he says, hey,
35:20I'll you know, and he does like kind of like
35:22Horford did where he starts taking more reduced
35:25contracts for the atmosphere and the desire
35:27and the ability to play in Boston.
35:33All right, before we close out, let's talk about
35:35obviously the precursor to the Olympics the team
35:38USA men's basketball team two games already close
35:42calls LeBron James stepping in for both first
35:45versus South Sudan one-point game 101 100 and
35:49of course against Germany a few days ago two days
35:52ago last night. I was Monday. Wow. It's just
35:55because of blur 92 88, but Gary I'm sure you've
36:00been able to were you at the games in London?
36:03I go to London.
36:07So but in general, what is the level of concern
36:10from both of you when you think about Team USA
36:12their performance so far and the big goal is to
36:16really bring home the gold for the United States.
36:19Well, I think what we're finding out is is that
36:22nobody's team. They're not afraid like and we've
36:24said that you're all they're not afraid. They're
36:25not afraid Germany ain't afraid even South Sudan
36:29and people was like, well who where first of all
36:31I thought Sudan was one country. I didn't know
36:34there was a North Sudan. Is there a East Sudan?
36:36Is there a South Sudan? Is there a West Sudan?
36:39Is there a West side of Sudan? What's hard? Is
36:42there a West side Sudan? Like I need to know about
36:48so we didn't I think a lot of people didn't watch
36:50your back Gary. Watch your back. I think a lot
36:52of people didn't know that it was like two
36:55countries and then they were like, well, you
36:57know, they're there, you know, who does well
37:01from it. They've been fighting for years. Yeah, who does
37:03well from the African tournament side of the
37:05tournament. Remember Nigeria beat the USA the
37:08exhibition in Vegas three years ago. Remember
37:12when Mike Brown was a coach don't sleep on the
37:15African countries and I don't you know, I know
37:17there's been some things negative things said
37:18and that's really sad and stereotypical, but they
37:22got ballers out there and I think the NBA finally
37:26realized after years decades at the scene who
37:29tumble and seeing guys come over from the bowl
37:32ball. So when you bowl seeing guys come over
37:34from the continent who were like really good
37:36players. They finally realized, you know, what
37:40there's a lot of talent in Africa. They just need
37:43to be cultivated. They need to camps courts places
37:47to play new shoes. They need South Sudan has no
37:51in yes, they need and yet they were able to exactly
37:54against Team USA, you know, and Royal Ivy former
37:57Texas Longhorn the guy played in the league and
38:00has been a longtime assistant is their coach.
38:02Like this is this is not surprising that an
38:06African country, especially with the NBA Africa
38:09in a lot of the former African players putting
38:11you know, the luau dings and the Mutombo's putting
38:15money into these programs giving back to their
38:18communities that there's going to be MVP. We've
38:24already seen it from Joel and be who's Cameroonian,
38:27right? Although he's playing for Team USA, like
38:29we're going to start seeing an influx of great
38:32African talent. Look at the kid from South Sudan
38:34is going to do like we're going to start seeing
38:36that big time. We thought we saw it from Europe.
38:41It's going to come from Africa. So I don't think
38:43those teams are scared of the US and the US can't
38:47mess around with the game. They do this like we'll
38:49play 810 good minutes will look like the Globetrotters
38:53they will chill or was it a lot like the Celtics
38:56were a few years ago play great ball. Then once
38:59they get a big lead. Okay, it's alley-oop time
39:01behind the back pass. Oh, let's let's I'm gonna
39:05go three on five and try to get to the rim. Like
39:07they start making silly mistakes. And then all
39:10of a sudden all-star games. Yeah, they treat like
39:12the all-star game throwing ball at the back of
39:14the backboard for dunks and all that and then all
39:17of a sudden they turn the ball over and these
39:19teams are poised and smart. We have to realize
39:22like a lot of these teams the US puts their team
39:25together. These guys haven't played together
39:27Germany, Australia, those guys are playing together
39:30for 10 to 12 since they were kids. So the cohesion
39:33is there. That's what and then let's be honest
39:36to Kwanee Sherrod. There's this dudes who just
39:39play better in Olympic competition. Daniel Tice
39:42is literally yoke itch damn near when he gets
39:46to the Olympics. He hit a three last night. Whoosh.
39:49I was like what he never did that with Celtics
39:53like he was always a foul trouble. Patty Mills.
39:57Hey, Patty Mills played for the Heat in the playoffs.
39:59He was running around. He was just like they were
40:01just that was a last-ditch hope for the Heat to
40:04stay in the series. He played for Team Australia.
40:07He like I saw him and then I'm in France.
40:10They had an exhibition game against France.
40:11They showed it on TV. He comes up like whoo
40:15behind his back fade away 18-footer swish. I'm
40:18like hold up like some the some players just
40:23whatever it is play better than international
40:26in the Olympics. Dudes that you they are dudes
40:28a scrub. No, not in not in this atmosphere.
40:33That dude's a star. So the stuff that the team
40:37USA better be ready for some of these guys
40:39and it starts Sunday with Serbia with the big
40:42man yoke. It's real deal like, you know, he's
40:45a real player like he can be good. I hope
40:47y'all know that he good, you know, and you can't
40:50and in both Bojan Boganovic from the Atlanta
40:54Hawks. I've seen that dude kill the Celtics
40:56with three pointers like that like you better
40:59be ready every game and even Puerto Rico
41:03Puerto Rico. Oh, like we in Puerto Rico like
41:06there they got talent, you know, our friend
41:09Tremont Waters is on on Puerto Rico Jose Alvarado
41:13like these things ain't afraid of the u.s. No
41:15more. This ain't like somebody said this ain't
41:17Angola asking for autographs after the game,
41:20you know, no, no. Okay. We take a team picture.
41:22No, no, no, no even though it's and they might
41:25do that because it's LeBron and LeBron's a
41:27legend. It's probably his last Olympics and
41:29Durant, but ain't afraid no more. They ain't
41:32afraid of us. It's like Bernie Mac. I ain't
41:35afraid of you like, you know, they ain't afraid
41:37of us. And so that's what the u.s. Has avoid
41:41complacency work hard. We'll see if Durant gets
41:45him back into the lineup. I'm sure I'm sure
41:47Jalen Brown loves loves one that Durant is not
41:51played and some dude named Langston Galloway
41:54is like a filler coming off the bench because
41:58they need a lot like I'm sure they were like,
42:01don't get us real. Kevin Durant Kevin Durant
42:08hasn't played yet and Kawhi was hurt like I'm
42:12sure Jalen like, wow, you know, I love KD, but
42:16he's 30. He'll be 36 in September. He's got a
42:19history of calf issues and in our friend Brian
42:23Windhorn from ESPN reported. He might not play
42:25in the opener on Sunday and this today's Tuesday.
42:29Like when is he going to play? Yeah. So I mean,
42:33it's only it's three games and then it's this
42:36it's the quarterfinals. So like, okay, when is
42:39KD going to play? I'm sure Jalen just sitting
42:42at home like wow, like y'all really don't like
42:45me. So you guys better watch out though. Be
42:48careful.
42:52Yeah, I mean, it's it's clear that the rest of
42:56the world and we talked about this before the
42:57rest of the world is not looking at the US like
43:00who big bad USA. They're looking at them. You
43:02got nice, but y'all gonna be beat. Y'all can
43:04catch an L any day of the week and the African
43:08influence. I think is very underrated in the
43:11NBA, you know, as much as you want to talk about
43:13Yonatan Degumpo and you know, his Greek affiliation.
43:17You don't have to go far down a DNA trail to
43:20realize that brother is from Africa. That brother
43:22has deep DNA from Africa and there are a number
43:26of players international players who have a little
43:30more melanin than some others who if you check
43:33if you trace their family tree, you realize that
43:36they have either parents or grandparents that
43:39were direct descendants from from the continent
43:41of Africa. And so this whole narrative that oh
43:44my gosh, these African players are really good.
43:46It's like no, they're just you pay more attention
43:50to them. Now. They've been their roots have been
43:52planted globally for a long time and we're just
43:55now starting to see. Okay. Now you go back to
43:57the essence of what those roots started from
43:59they can ball, you know, luau. Dang was not just
44:02this anomaly. I mean, I think there's a lot of
44:04luau things out there, you know, in you know, in
44:08the various countries within Africa of the
44:11and so it's good to see that but at the same time
44:15if you're the u.s. It's just a reminder that you
44:18always got me on top of your game whether it's
44:21from Altoona Africa, Germany, you know, Mexico.
44:26It doesn't matter. You have to be top of your
44:28game no matter who is Pennsylvania. I know I
44:33was I was thinking I was thinking about something
44:36with Africa. That's all.
44:41Oh God. Hey, hey Frenchie. Just relax. Okay,
44:46Frenchie. Just relax.
44:48Syracuse.
44:51Frenchie. What's it out?
44:55Relax, Frenchie. Relax, Frenchie. Just relax.
45:00Sorry, get your son or something to just just
45:02chill. All right, did you see here's the thing
45:07Frenchie be a good team next year, but see that's
45:11what I told you about here.
45:12I hate him.
45:15I hate him.
45:17Here's a here's a great guy.
45:21You're right. It's a lie.
45:25Here's the thing. Let's wrap up with the Celtics.
45:28What are your expectations from the trio of Tatum
45:32a holiday in the white none of them the well holidays
45:37started Tatum not starting getting a lot of slack
45:40on X people just hate Tatum though. That's a whole
45:43other conversation for another day. But what are
45:46your expectations for the Celtics stay healthy?
45:49That's the only thing I expect that they're not
45:52they are not the go-to guys on this team and
45:55then they understand that they respect that but
45:57if you win a championship like they did and you
45:59got and you got a chance to win a gold medal and
46:01you ain't got a very actually carried team to get
46:03the gold medal cool do that put yourself in truth
46:06control. Derek White has like one of the best jobs
46:09on that entire team. And so, you know and Tatum
46:13is expected to do some things every now and then
46:15but he's not expected to carry them like he was
46:17the Celtics, you know, Andrew holiday is a starter
46:19but again drew holiday. He for the most part is
46:22just doing what you holiday need to do. Nothing
46:24great. Nothing hard was just steady Eddie and that's
46:27all you want at this point. That's what I expect
46:30for them to just be the version that this Olympic
46:33team needs and to be which is carried whatever
46:36load you're asked to but know that it's not going
46:37to be heavy.
46:41Yeah, you just hope that they play roles. This
46:44Frenchie. No, thank you. You know, I'm almost one
46:50day. I'm gonna make a trip to Altoona to go back
46:53to the motherland there. I'm gonna go back to
46:57anyway.
47:04Anyway, I'm I think taters played. Okay. Actually,
47:08I don't haven't seen a lot of them. I mean, I haven't
47:10seen you know, like the plays he's made. I think
47:14holidays obviously a blue guy and I think they're
47:16trying to figure out what to do with Derek. Why
47:18does he play point guard? The senior plays in
47:20point. I just think they just got to fit into a
47:23team concept and you know, the one thing I do see
47:26I see a lot of Anthony Edwards man that do
47:29that don't pass.
47:32You know, they used to call Brandon Bass. No pass
47:35bass and you know, our friend Brandon Bass and
47:40Anthony Anthony that must be his cousin or something
47:43because that dude don't pass Anthony is no pass
47:46Edwards. No pass. No gold collect $200. He goes
47:51straight to jail because that dude that dude don't
47:54pass. You don't pass nothing like you just see
47:57it like I know they're like the number one option
48:00and he could score but to me is is like you got
48:06to they got to move the ball when they move the
48:08ball and they get into Anthony Davis and Steph
48:13can create their beatable. But when do start doing
48:17one-on-one things and then oh, I got three defenders
48:20around me. I'll just make like I'll make a behind
48:22the back pass and you expect you expect the dude
48:25to cut or to be in a spot. This is like what are
48:28you doing? Like play good quality fundamental
48:31basketball. That's how I look at it. I expect all
48:34that from holiday Tatum in white. I think they'll
48:38be fine. I'm just kind of worried about that. I'm
48:40worried about the Devin Booker's. I'm worried
48:42about the Anthony Edwards, you know, you hope
48:46that they don't come in and have one of these
48:48eight turnover games and they end up losing in
48:52the in the knockout round or something because
48:54they just they didn't have it that night.
48:59Well, we shall see as Gary mentioned all of its
49:03dark Sunday, of course, shameless plug for NBC
49:06is that they can watch all of the Olympics game
49:09this season, but for a shoplifting Gary Washburn,
49:13I'm Kwame Willis. This is the big three NBA podcast
49:17for everything else you need. We'll be back next
49:19week.

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