Kristaps Porzingis Return Changes EVERYTHING For the Celtics | Big 3 NBA Podcast - video Dailymotion

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Welcome back to the Big 3 NBA Podcast! In this episode, A. Sherrod Blakely, Gary Washburn, and Kwani Lunis discuss the return of Kristaps Porzingis and what he changes for the Boston Celtics as they look to repeat as champions. Just how much better are they with him on the floor? What will the new big-man rotation look like? All that, and much more!   CLNS Media is Powered by:  💰 Prize Picks - https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/CLNS Download the app today and use Code CLNS when you sign up & Get $50 instantly when you play $5!  🎫 Gametime - https://gametime.co Take the guesswork out of buying NBA tickets with Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase. Download Gametime today. Terms apply. What time is it? Gametime!  💳Start earning points on rent you’re already paying by going to joinbilt.com/GARDEN. Make sure to use our URL so they know we sent you: joinbilt.com/GARDEN, to start earning points on your rent payments today!  Elevate your style game on and off the course with the PXG Spring Summer 2024 collection. Head over to https://PXG.com/GARDENREPORT and save 10% on all apparel.  Nutrafol! Take the first step to visibly thicker, healthier hair. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners ten dollars off your first month’s subscription and free shipping when you go to https://Nutrafol.com and enter the promo code GARDEN!   #celtics #NBA #BostonCeltics The CLNS Media Network is the leading provider for video/audio content. CLNS is a fully credentialed member of the media with access to all NFL/NBA/NHL/MLB teams & venues. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  CLNS' rebuilt their YouTube community in less than 12 months, during a pandemic that attacked sports. Wondering how? Find out here (and support our channel) - https://www.tubebuddy.com/clnsmedia  Visit the Official Home of CLNS Sports Coverage -  https://clnsmedia.com  Twitter - https://twitter.com/CLNSMedia Celtics - https://twitter.com/celticsclns Patriots - https://twitter.com/patriotsclns Bruins - https://twitter.com/bruinsclns Red Sox - https://twitter.com/redsoxclns Non-Sports - https://twitter.com/northstation Facebook - http://facebook.com/clnsmedia INSTA - http://Instagram.com/clnsmedia INSTA Celtics - http://Instagram.com/celticsclns INSTA History - http://Instagram.com/nbahistoryclns

Transcript

00:00The Big 3 NBA Podcast is powered by PrizePix and the Game Time app.

00:24Hey everyone, welcome to this episode of the Big 3 NBA Podcast.

00:28Your usual crew is here, H.R. Blakley, Gary Washburn, I'm Kwanye Lewis, and as you can

00:33see we have one of the three of us who is doing the most right now.

00:37Sharad, where are you?

00:38I'm going, going, back, back to Cali, Cali.

00:42I am in Gary's home state, Gary's home state of California, spending some time with the

00:48fam and trying to do a little bit of this good weather.

00:52The trip did not get off to the best of starts, seeing as though there was a power outage

00:56out by the LAX airport.

00:58We're all good, all good, because whatever they were lacking in power on that day, I'm

01:02juiced up right now, so we're ready to roll, we're ready to get this thing going.

01:06Let's go.

01:07I'm like poor Zingus, I'm ready, I'm ready.

01:10Well thank you for that.

01:11On that note, we'll just get right into the Celtics, because I'm sure Gary's already over

01:14it like I am.

01:16We are in colder weather, but Chris Zephyrus, as you mentioned, he is back.

01:20He has returned, 16.6 rebounds in 23 minutes.

01:24Let's start off with a game of pick and roll, we haven't played in a while.

01:26Chris Zephyrus, Zingus hasn't been in the game for a while.

01:29So bigger surprise was whether how he played or the fact that he played at all.

01:33Which one do you pick and why are you rolling with it?

01:36My man, Gary.

01:37Get us going, Gary.

01:38My man.

01:39Yeah, I'm a little blinded by the sun and the shades and all that.

01:44It's all good.

01:45A Hollywood lifestyle.

01:46That's what stars do, they're blinding, but keep going.

01:50Anyway, I was surprised that he played, to be honest with you, because I thought that

01:55they would hold him out for another week or two, maybe, and it would go into December.

02:01But you can just tell the workouts that he was getting comfortable, he was doing more,

02:06he was going up and down the floor, he was shooting, all the stuff that you usually see

02:11him do.

02:12But I thought, okay, they might hold him back till maybe after the playing tournament's

02:17over, after playing the in-season tournament.

02:20Maybe give him another couple of weeks just to make sure he's completely 100%.

02:24But if he said he's been ready for almost a month, then obviously he healed fast from

02:30his injury, they gave him enough time, and he was ready to go.

02:34So I was more surprised that he played, because I just thought, okay, they'll maybe give him

02:39some time off after Thanksgiving, maybe during the in-season tournament, something like that.

02:48If they make the quarterfinals, but I did not anticipate November 25th on my bingo card.

02:53No, I mean, I get that, but I was more surprised at how he played, and here's why.

02:59This is probably the worst he's going to play all season long.

03:03And the fact that he can go out there and get you 16 points, six boards in less than

03:0825 minutes, and really just not look great, and yet he's still being very productive,

03:14very impactful.

03:15I was very surprised at how he played, because again, with that kind of layoff, you just

03:20don't really know what you're getting, but you know whatever it is, it's not going to

03:23be the best version of that player.

03:26And he put up big numbers, I thought he was an impact player in every sense of the word

03:31for the Celtics.

03:32And obviously, he's going to play better, and I think if you're the Celtics, that's

03:35the silver lining that you cannot ignore, the fact that he was able to help you basically

03:40blow out a pretty decent Clippers team, and do so without playing a great game in the

03:46process.

03:47When your third option, which is essentially what Porzingis is, plays that particularly

03:51impactful and he does not play well, that means things are only going to get better.

03:56And for the rest of the league, that's kind of scary when you think about this Celtics

03:59team who now, with their starting five back on the floor, are only going to get better

04:05in time.

04:06You mentioned the rest of the league, but looking at the Celtics roster in particular,

04:10what does that mean for the rest of their big man rotation?

04:14Some guys, it's like musical chairs, somebody ain't going to get a seat at the table.

04:19And they've got a few guys that are certainly in that mix.

04:22You look at Luke Cornett, obviously, you look at Keita, and then Xavier Tillman, one of

04:26those three guys is not going to play.

04:31And again, who that will be remains to be seen.

04:34I've got some ideas on who I don't think is going to see action going forward, but I would

04:38love to hear what my homeboy, Mr. Gary Washburn, thinks about who he doesn't think is going

04:44to play and why.

04:47Yeah.

04:51It's interesting.

04:52I mean, last night, no Orford, no Cornett.

04:56So Joe took a chance on Nemeus Keita, who was coming back from a DNP against Minnesota,

05:03I believe.

05:06He played well, four block shots, ran the floor, was a rim protector, just probably

05:12the best we've seen Keita maybe this season.

05:15And Tillman got the garbage time minutes when the game was a blowout and

05:21the game was essentially over.

05:22So to me, I think he's going to mix and match.

05:27There's going to be some Cornett, there's going to be some Keita.

05:29I think everybody's going to have to get used to some games not playing and

05:32then be thrown into the fire and play.

05:34And that means the other three bigs and then Horford's going to be the main backup.

05:40But as you guys said, I think it's going to be a combination.

05:44It's going to be, you know, not everybody's going to be happy out of this.

05:48As Shiraz said, there's going to be, you know, there's going to be guys get DNPs.

05:52I think probably Tillman will be the guy who will play the least.

05:55And then I think they like Cornett and they're trying to like Keita.

06:00But Keita struggled, has struggled at late, maybe on defense.

06:06You know, he was struggling, he was struggling in his matchups.

06:10You know, so they have to be, you know, they want to be precise as possible.

06:16So if Keita is struggling, you know, they're not going to give him a chance

06:20to just make it up, you know, he's going to have to, he's going to have to play.

06:24So, I mean, he's going to have to sit.

06:25So to me, I think it's going to be a combination of guys who don't play.

06:29Cornett's going to get some minutes.

06:31Horford's going to be the main guy, obviously, you know, and then remember,

06:34no back to backs for Porzingis, no back to backs for Horford.

06:40So essentially, they're going to get, guys are going to get a chance to play

06:43because some of those guys are going to have days off.

06:45So it sounds like you don't really have an odd man out for sure.

06:49I'm going to go with an odd man out though, since Gary, I tried to bounce the

06:52ball at Gary for the layup, but obviously he's leaving space for the next man.

06:56Gary just reaching, Gary just swinging the ball back up top.

06:58So I got an odd man out, Sharad.

07:00That's okay.

07:01Uh, listen, Tillman's going to be the odd man out.

07:03Um, he's going to play sparingly, but of all those guys that we've talked about,

07:07he's the guy that's going to play the least.

07:08And I'm gonna tell you why, because when you have Al Horford now in that reserve

07:12role, the, what Tillman brings to the table isn't really all that valuable

07:16because it's similar to Al, but not as great.

07:18And when you look at the way that they've used Cata, it's clear that they are trying

07:21to develop Cata to be their starting center of the future.

07:25I don't think there's any question about that.

07:27Or at a minimum, be one of their key reserves coming off the bench.

07:30And when you look at what Porzingis brings to the table, you look at what Al

07:33Horford does consistently, and you're looking at who's going to be your third

07:36center.

07:37I think you almost have to go at lean a little bit more towards Cata than Luke.

07:41They're going to split those minutes, certainly, but I think Cata is going to

07:44wind up with the lion's share of those minutes because the Celtics, I think

07:47they're built in a way where they understand that as long as we have

07:51Porzingis healthy to start games and we can bring Al Horford off the bench, we

07:55then need to, our third center needs to be someone that we're developing.

07:59And Luke Cornett, bless his heart, bless his heart.

08:02He does what he does, and he does help this team and he does have value.

08:06But when you start looking at what Cata brings to the table, when you start

08:09looking at some of the things that he has shown glimpses of being able to do,

08:13obviously not as consistently as he or the Celtics would want, it's clear that

08:17that's a player whose upside is much greater than that of Luke Cornett.

08:21And when you're a championship team, the way the Celtics are built, you've got

08:24the kind of contracts that all their players have.

08:26For the most part, you're going to need to have some young talent that you can

08:30develop. And I don't care how much, you know, watching Al do his thing and

08:34watching Porzingis do his thing may help you.

08:37The biggest benefit that players have in terms of getting better is getting out

08:41there on the floor. And I think the Celtics understand that.

08:44I think they appreciate that.

08:45And I think that's one of the reasons why Cata, more than Luke, is going to get

08:49the lion's share of those minutes.

08:50If you're talking about who's going to be the Celtics third center at this point.

08:57So speaking of.

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09:48Now, the two picks that I've gone with this week, I'm going to take Victor Wiminyama to

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10:24Prize picks, run your game.

10:27And now, speaking of running our game, I'm running a game right back to Kwanee to take

10:30over and keep moving.

10:33That sounds good.

10:34The sunshine is getting me fired up, Gary.

10:36We should question why Gary is friends with Brooke Lopez, but maybe we'll just move on

10:40from that. How did he become friends with him?

10:43That's just Gary's boy.

10:45Everyone is your boy, Gary.

10:46Everyone is Gary's boy, everyone loves Gary.

10:51Most people.

10:53Wow.

10:53Back to basketball.

10:56Statement stretch here for the Celtics.

10:58They beat Minnesota.

10:59They beat the Clippers, both quality teams out West, but they're off to a slow start.

11:04So, you know, overall, there's still opponents that could be worthy eventually of a

11:10playoff. But looking forward for the Celtics.

11:12Does this enhance your view of the team overall, or do you still see them in the same

11:17light as you did before?

11:19What do you think, Gary?

11:21I think obviously they're better with Borzingas, their championship caliber team.

11:26They have a lot of great qualities, a lot of great elements.

11:32And they said they made 12 three-pointers in the second quarter, 51 points.

11:36And they beat a good Clippers team.

11:37The Clippers team had just beaten Philadelphia by 26 the night before.

11:42Both teams coming off a back-to-back.

11:44The Celtics were just prepared.

11:46The first quarter, they edged up a little bit, 27-20.

11:49But that second quarter, they just completely took the game away from the Clippers.

11:54And, you know, the Clippers, you can't be, you know, like they're not healthy.

12:00Obviously Kawhi's out, but they still got Harden.

12:02They still got, sorry, no Norman Powell either.

12:06I thought that was a factor because he's having a real career year.

12:10But I just thought the Celtics just dismantled them.

12:13And the Celtics couldn't, I mean, the Clippers could not stop the Celtics three-point shooting.

12:17So I think this elevates the Celtics, the number one team in the NBA.

12:21Now Cleveland is 17-1.

12:24We'll see what happens Sunday.

12:26That'll be a very interesting game.

12:29When Boston goes to Cleveland, there'll be no excuses, no back-to-back.

12:33So you should have a full, healthy Celtic roster.

12:37We'll see if Cleveland's completely healthy for that game.

12:39But that should be an interesting game, especially coming out of that Friday game,

12:43that key Friday game, the in-season tournament game against Chicago.

12:47The Celtics, if they win and Cleveland beats Atlanta, which they should,

12:55then you're talking about the Celtics winning the group and advancing to the quarterfinals.

12:59So if you're the Celtics, I just think you gotta feel great about the position you're in.

13:06You went 14-3 without Porzingis.

13:08You won some close games.

13:10But now your rim protection's back, another guy that could space the floor,

13:13another matchup nightmare.

13:15So I just think, yeah, this elevates them to the number one team in the NBA.

13:20And now it's just managing the rest of the season, managing the health of Porzingis,

13:24managing the health of Horford, making sure those guys get to the finish line,

13:28to the playoffs completely healthy and ready to go.

13:31Now, will that cost you the number one seed?

13:33Maybe, maybe not.

13:35I think right now their focus should be on playing the best basketball they can be,

13:40trying to win every game.

13:41But there's gonna be games that without Porzingis or Horford,

13:45they're gonna be at a disadvantage here and there.

13:47But just try to get to the finish line with both of those guys healthy.

13:50They have a fully healthy roster for the season.

13:53Cleveland, obviously, is a major factor.

13:54We'll see the Knicks are coming.

13:56Orlando's playing well, even without Vanchero.

13:59But I still think the Southerners, with Oklahoma City kind of slipping up here and

14:02there, are still the number one team.

14:04Now, they had some slip ups, the Golden State game, the Atlanta game is the one

14:09that kind of bothers, I'm sure, people the most.

14:11But they've won six in a row.

14:14We'll see what they do Sunday against Cleveland.

14:15But for now, they are the number one team.

14:18Yeah, I would agree with you on that number one team assessment.

14:22But the one thing that I think has to be mentioned that I don't know if most people

14:27are really paying as much attention to as possible is, and I'm just gonna straight

14:32no chaser, keep it real.

14:33The Eastern Conference, for the most part, has sucked this year.

14:36Some teams are starting to get right now and play better basketball.

14:40But for the most part, it has been a very underwhelming Eastern Conference from top

14:44to bottom, for the most part.

14:46And so when you look at the success that the Celtics have had, you have to keep that in

14:50perspective.

14:50And I think one of the knocks against the Celtics, if you could find any up to this

14:53point, was they're beating the snot out of these teams in the East.

14:57But so what?

14:58What does that mean?

14:58What can they do against some of the average to maybe a slightly above average teams out

15:02West?

15:03And what we've discovered was that they're pretty damn good against anyone and everyone

15:07that they face.

15:07I thought these two games against Minnesota and the Clippers were really good litmus tests

15:12to see whether the Celtics team that we're seeing dismantle all these teams in Eastern

15:16Conference.

15:17Whether that was a transferable skill or whether that was just something that was simply

15:21allocated towards teams in the East.

15:23So for me, their success of late against a couple of Western Conference teams who many

15:27believe will be in the mix to, at a minimum, get out of the first round of the playoffs,

15:31it was a good litmus test to see where they stack up against teams outside of the Eastern

15:36Conference.

15:37And they shine brightly.

15:39I mean, Minnesota, that's always been a tough game.

15:41You look back at the two games last year, both of those came down to the wire.

15:44So it wasn't a surprise, even as the Celtics pulled away significantly in the game the

15:49other night, that it became a down-to-the-wire photo finish at the end.

15:52That's just how those teams are built now.

15:55So for the Celtics, I thought it was really good that they were able to win those games

15:59and win them against, again, quality teams.

16:02The kind of teams that as you make your journey through the Eastern Conference and hopefully

16:07to the NBA Finals, the kind of quality victories that are going to stack up favorably.

16:12And the one thing you have to also keep in mind is with the Celtics, they're doing this

16:16while reintegrating one of the core pieces of their team.

16:19And the one thing that when you talk to players, not just on the Celtics roster, but pretty

16:23much any player on a team where you have a lot of guys who are back, is they say that,

16:27yeah, we may have all the same pieces, but it's a different season, guys have different

16:31roles, and we still have to adjust to what those roles are.

16:33You look at the Celtics, Porzingis, who, again, had a really good first game.

16:37But how is the emergence of Peyton Pritchard, for example, going to impact Porzingis and

16:42terms of shots taken?

16:43Because someone is going to lose some shots because of the amount of shots that Pritchard

16:49is taking now.

16:49And this is understandably so.

16:51He's killing it.

16:52He went from a guy that a year ago was just one of the cogs that you hope could just keep

16:56the ship afloat when he came to the game, to now he's one of the better six men in the

17:00NBA.

17:01And so how is that transition going to be for the Celtics?

17:05And will it impact winning?

17:07Will it impact or will it just be an impact on the stat sheet?

17:09So those are the kind of things that when you look at the Celtics team and you look

17:13at them moving forward, beating teams like the Clippers, beating teams like Minnesota,

17:18it has to be part of the blueprint for success.

17:20Because no matter who they play in the Eastern Conference, it's pretty clear they're going

17:24to be the favorite.

17:25There are some teams that you can make a case for that could give the Celtics some problems

17:28and make things a little bit sticky, make it a little challenging for them.

17:31But they have shown early on that they have the ability to step up and deliver whenever

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17:40So and on that note, speaking of game time, let's talk a little bit about our good friends

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18:02When I'm thinking about going to a football game like all of us are because all of our

18:06college teams are now officially bowl eligible.

18:09Way to go, Cal Coveys.

18:10Way to go to get bowl eligible.

18:12Go ACC.

18:12Go ACC, welcome to the club.

18:15But it's important that you get a chance to see your teams play.

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18:28Bears.

18:28They're the Bears.

18:29They're the Bears.

18:30They're not the Coveys.

18:31And we are not the pigeons.

18:32Exactly, exactly.

18:34But they're eligible and they could really bolster their chances with a really good win

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18:38And if Gary wanted to, let's say, jet down to Dallas for the game this weekend and, you

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19:06They're going to be in Chestnut Hill.

19:07And coming in, if he decided he wanted to roll into Chestnut Hill, he could get in for

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19:14And he could stay at your house and save some money.

19:16And he could stay at Quanie's place and save some money.

19:18Exactly.

19:19Just what you said.

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20:02What time is it?

20:03Game time.

20:05Now, Kwani, finish us off.

20:09Well done.

20:09Before we wrap up, let's go around the league very quickly.

20:12You mentioned the Western Conference, and I'm sure you saw this coming, but Houston,

20:18we may have a problem.

20:19The Rockets sitting at number three in the Western Conference right now, but also 12

20:24and 6 overall, looking like a really solid team.

20:26What do you two think about Houston right now?

20:29I'll tell you right now.

20:30Even if you don't, you may get my vote for coach of the year at this point, because there

20:34is no way in the world, as great as Golden State has been, you still have on your roster

20:38one of the all-time great players in NBA history is Steph Curry.

20:41So the fact that they've been able to elevate themselves is not a total, wow, there's no

20:46way they could do that.

20:47You look at this Houston team, there is not a single player that you can look at and say,

20:51that's a face of the franchise guy that's going to lift this team to the top of the

20:54Western Conference mountaintop.

20:55And yet there they are, only like a game, game and a half out of first place in the

20:59West.

21:00Tribute to the players that they got, Jalen Green and company.

21:03But more than anything else, I think it has a lot to do with Emey Udoka and just his ability

21:07to elevate the status of what he's been given to work with.

21:11We saw that play out when he was in Boston in one season there.

21:14We're seeing it play out in Houston.

21:15And yes, Houston is looking very much like a problem for teams out West.

21:21Yeah, I mean, Houston is playing good defense and they got a lot.

21:26I mean, they've stacked together talent for a long time now.

21:29Senguin, Jalen Green, Torrey Eason, then they signed Dylan Brooks.

21:36And everybody thought-

21:36Segoon is a good player.

21:37Segoon might be an all star this year.

21:38Yeah, yeah, he's kind of a poor man's Yoki at this point.

21:43And that's not an insult.

21:44Like that's not an insult at all.

21:46We all poor man compared to Yoki.

21:47So let's be real.

21:48It's kind of Yoki.

21:49And then you got guys, Dylan Brooks, everybody was like,

21:51oh, why would you sign that dude to $80 million deal coming off Memphis?

21:55He's been a glue guy for him defensively.

21:57Fred Van Vliet, they paid him.

22:00Houston knew they would have to overpay guys to come there, they did.

22:04And now they're coming together.

22:05And obviously, Emey, you knew he was gonna put that team together defensively.

22:09He was not gonna have them soft.

22:11He was gonna have them push guys around.

22:14So you talk about a quality young team.

22:17The question is, can they be consistent?

22:20I watched the game against Milwaukee where they blew a lead.

22:24They still don't have shooters.

22:26Like that's the thing, they need another shooter.

22:30Because they were, Milwaukee came back because they were like, okay,

22:33Dylan Brooks take threes, he missed two.

22:35Like Fred Van Vliet took like a 30 footer, that missed.

22:40They still need that quality shooter who can just knock down threes late in games.

22:46They need a money player.

22:48But for me, I tend to think that they'll be fine.

22:54They'll obviously make the playoffs.

22:55There'll be a factor.

22:56But I think maybe if you win the first round, I just think they're a little bit still green

23:02to where you're talking about, they're gonna make the conference finals or anything like that.

23:06I think they just need a little bit more experience and they need a shooter.

23:11But for what they're doing, I'm impressed.

23:14Obviously, you knew Yudoka was gonna put together that team.

23:18He was gonna get rid of the guys that he needed to get rid of.

23:20He was gonna make some guys work on being better defenders.

23:25And what they've done is they just gathered through a lottery, Jabari Smith.

23:30They put together a lot of just young guys who are now playing better.

23:35Yeah, and Gary, to your point, it'll be interesting to see what Houston does

23:40when we get closer to the trade deadline because you're right.

23:43You look at the way that team is composed.

23:45They have two things going for them.

23:46They have a core group that's playing hard, playing Yudoka-style basketball.

23:50And two, they've got some disposable assets that they can move on elsewhere and get them a shooter.

23:55And there are going to be shooters made available.

23:57In fact, we may be talking about one in a minute or two.

24:02Houston is a team that I'm gonna be looking at very closely at the trade deadline because

24:06I do think, Gary, to your point, I think that right now they are good enough to make the playoffs.

24:10But they need to make a decision between now and the trade deadline.

24:12Do they want to make a move to better position themselves to have a deep playoff run and have

24:17a guy that can help get them over past that second round of the playoffs and maybe to

24:20the conference finals where anything can happen?

24:22Or are they content on simply having a roster that is good enough to get to the playoffs

24:27and just roll your dice with those guys, getting some playoff experience, and then,

24:32obviously, having the focus on trying to win a championship or certainly make a deep playoff run?

24:36Maybe that's the 24-25, or excuse me, the 25-26 goal.

24:41Yeah.

24:42The Rockets are shooting 32% for the season for the three-point line.

24:46They do not have Dylan Brooks, in all honesty, is their best three-point shooter.

24:52That should never happen.

24:53Yeah, 39%.

24:55Jalen Green, 30%.

24:56Seung-gu, 29%.

24:58Van Vliet is not having a good year, 30% from three.

25:02Jabari Smith, they need a shooter, okay?

25:06Amund Thompson, 29.4%.

25:09They're not going to win in the NBA in the advanced 400 playoffs if you cannot shoot

25:15for the three-point line.

25:16You cannot be one of the worst shooting teams in the league at 32%, okay?

25:21That's terrible.

25:23Terrible.

25:23Just terrible.

25:24Just terrible, like Charles Barkley, terrible.

25:29So if you're the Rockets, you have to get some shooters.

25:34I'm impressed with the defense.

25:36I'm impressed with the young guys.

25:38I'm not impressed with the lack of shooting they have, because they are, to me, they've

25:45got to be better than this.

25:49Well, on the opposite end of the spectrum, you have the Washington Wizards.

25:52They're last place in the Eastern Conference, 2-13.

25:55Are they just bad, or do you two think they're tanking?

25:58They're bad.

25:59They're bad.

26:00I honestly don't think that they are making a strong effort to lose.

26:04They're not like the Utah Jazz, who is clearly all in on trying to get that number one overall

26:07pick, aka the Danny A special.

26:10We've seen this movie before, and unfortunately for Danny, it didn't work out quite how we

26:15thought.

26:16He got a Hall of Famer that year, but it wasn't Tim Duncan.

26:18It was actually Chauncey Billups.

26:20Actually, that was before Danny, but it was still the Celtics tanking, and even when Danny

26:24has tried it, they wound up with the fifth pick.

26:26I think it was Jeff Green that year.

26:29Greg Oden was the big guy out there.

26:32Bottom line is this.

26:33The Wizards are just a bad team in every sense of the word.

26:37They've got some interesting pieces that can play, but they don't have a team.

26:42They don't seem like there's a structure or an identity or a culture, all the kind of

26:47things that when you're trying to build something, you start to see a vision of where this is

26:52going.

26:52I just don't see that with Washington.

26:54They look like just a bunch of guys that decided that, hey, we're going to go to the park and

26:58play pickup, and I got you and you.

27:01Basically, I got the guys that weren't picked up by the other team that we're playing, and

27:04then they just go out there and hoop.

27:06They've got some good players.

27:07I think they have good players.

27:08I just don't think they have a good team, and I don't see any structure, identity, culture,

27:13any of those things that teams are trying to build.

27:15I just don't see it.

27:18Washington's tanking.

27:21They have a plan.

27:22They need to get another lottery pick on their club.

27:25They're just trying to figure out which direction to go at this point.

27:30You've got guys.

27:31They took Alex Saar.

27:33You've got Kyle Kuzma, who's probably going to get traded eventually.

27:37Jordan Poole, they paid him.

27:39Who's going to pay that man another $30 million a year?

27:42Say no one.

27:44Salary.

27:47To me, you've got a bunch of young guys.

27:50You've got Bilal Kulabi, who's going to be a piece.

27:52He's going to be.

27:53Bob Carrington, Keyshawn George.

27:57You've got young pieces, okay?

28:00But you're going to have to go young, and they're going to tank.

28:05They're going to be bad.

28:06That's why, like I said, I like Brian Keith.

28:09He's a guy.

28:09He's a local guy from Winchester High School.

28:11I've known him since our Seattle days, where he was an assistant coach.

28:15I was covering the Sonics back in the day.

28:17They brought him back.

28:20You don't want to go and spend $5 trillion on a head coach when the team is going to tank.

28:26They brought him back to just try to develop these guys.

28:29Develop them.

28:30Try to get the winning habits.

28:32It's hard when you're losing, but try to get these guys to get to the next level.

28:37Then you bring in another lottery pick.

28:38You clear some cap space, and hopefully Washington can get a free agent.

28:42The problem with Washington, years ago, is they saved all their chippers for Kevin Durant,

28:50thinking Kevin was going to want to come back.

28:52He's from PG County.

28:54He wanted to go back to the DMV.

28:56Kevin didn't even meet with...

28:59It was 2016 when he went to the Hamptons to meet with Tom Brady and the Patriots.

29:04I'm sorry.

29:05The Patriots, Tom Brady, and the Celtics.

29:08But he ended up, obviously, signing with the Warriors.

29:11They thought they had a shot at KD.

29:14They did have a shot.

29:15It's called no shot, but keep going.

29:17They had max money, and they saved it.

29:20Kevin was like, I have no interest in playing for the Wizards.

29:24The Wizards are going to have to try to get a free agent.

29:27They're going to have to overpay.

29:28They're going to have to do what Houston did.

29:30Houston's the blueprint.

29:32After a hard left, people are like, why am I going to go to Houston and lose?

29:35Great city.

29:37I'm sure I'll enjoy myself, but I ain't trying to lose.

29:41Every night.

29:42Houston's not considered a great sports town or whatever.

29:45It's got its teams and whatever.

29:49So what did Houston have to do?

29:50Play Dylan Brooks.

29:51Play Fred Van Vliet.

29:52And now you got them with the young guys.

29:54Washington's going to have to do the same thing.

29:57Develop these young guys.

29:58They're going to have to fall and crawl before they walk.

30:02And then next year, try to bring in another, if it's Cooper Flagg or Ace Bailey or one of

30:08these top guys, bring him in.

30:11And then you've got a core.

30:12Now you try to go after somebody in free agency.

30:16So they are tanking.

30:18Washington does not want to win ballgames.

30:21They want to compete.

30:22They want to do like the Dissaseltes.

30:24Oh, we almost won.

30:25We fought hard.

30:28Kids showed the principles.

30:29That's what they're trying to do because it's no reason for them to win and get an eighth

30:35or ninth overall pick.

30:37They need the number one or two pick.

30:39They need a franchise player.

30:41Alex Saar, don't like what I see so far.

30:44Role player.

30:45The kid from the Hawks, the number one pick to me, he's got much more upside in talent,

30:51but we'll see what Saar does.

30:54But they're tanking, folks.

30:55Don't be fooled.

30:56They're bad and they're tanking.

31:00All right, before we get into our last thing, I have to give a shout out to my dad who's

31:04been silently warming up his food because today is his birthday.

31:07Happy birthday, pops.

31:09Biggest basketball fans I know, so.

31:11My favorite grade school teacher.

31:13My favorite grade school teacher in New Jersey.

31:15Happy birthday.

31:16It's your birthday.

31:18It's your birthday.

31:20Oh, yeah, don't do that, Shalon.

31:23My twin.

31:23You have to put your head right here.

31:26There he is.

31:27Happy birthday, sir.

31:28Happy birthday, sir.

31:29Happy birthday.

31:30All right, give it up.

31:33All right, I'll let you go.

31:34She said, all right, get out of my shot now.

31:36I know, right?

31:37Wow, you said it to your own father?

31:38No, no, no, because he was trying to leave and I was like, no, I want to do this.

31:41Gary, Gary, he was trying to lick her.

31:43You know what?

31:43Now we know where we're going to get it from.

31:45She sure don't like to leave that camera, boy.

31:47I'll tell you right now, I know where she gets it.

31:49She gets it from her daddy.

31:50All right, finally, Chris Middleton is a person that you mentioned.

31:54Might be ready to move on from Milwaukee.

31:57Houston, like you said, could be a viable option.

32:00Is that a possibility?

32:01Do you think him and the Bucks are going to cut the court?

32:05I don't think there's much of a choice at this point.

32:07I mean, Milwaukee, they're really evaluating everything about their roster,

32:11figuring out what's working, what's not working.

32:13What can we move on from?

32:14What can we, you know, really dig into?

32:16And Middleton is a guy that as much as he's been injured of late and just not impactful,

32:21when he has been able to play, the one thing he does and does at a high level,

32:25the Celtics know this firsthand, is he can knock down shots.

32:29And I just think that he needs a team that has a good amount of athleticism

32:34that will allow him to get great looks at the basket,

32:36that don't require him to necessarily create his own shot.

32:39I thought the last two or three years when he has been healthy,

32:42he's shown the ability to be a better shot creator than he showed earlier in his career.

32:46But he's just at a point now where physically speaking,

32:48I just don't see that in his game.

32:50I think he's going to be more of a catch and shoot guy going forward at this point.

32:54And he needs to be in situations that take advantage of his shot making

32:58and don't necessarily force him to be much of a shot creator.

33:01I think Houston could be that type of team.

33:04And as I mentioned earlier, Houston's got so much talent on that squad.

33:07Some of it is not getting anywhere close to the kind of burn and run that they would elsewhere.

33:13And when you look at Milwaukee, they need some type of infusion of youth.

33:17They need some, not just young talent, but talent that just, yeah.

33:22And so Houston's got some players that they could potentially,

33:25you know, put on a table that Milwaukee might be intrigued by.

33:28I think it becomes a win-win, I think, for both teams if they're able to do some deal

33:32that gets Middleton in a situation where he can still play for a really good team

33:36and have a significant role without necessarily having to carry a similar weight that he's

33:41going to have to carry when he gets back to Milwaukee.

33:43And for the Bucs, you know, you're trying to figure out a way to kind of crack through

33:46and be one of those top three, top four teams in the East

33:50and be able to sustain your position there.

33:52You know what you're getting with Giannis.

33:54Dame, I think, is starting to kind of get a feel for what he needs to do,

33:57but you need that third piece.

33:58And right now, no disrespect to Bobby Portis, who I love, but if he's your third best player,

34:04you're probably not going to win a championship.

34:06And then we all win when they play the Celtics in the NBA Finals

34:10and we get the coaching rivalry in the reunion game.

34:14Facts.

34:15Facts.

34:15Big picture.

34:16Facts.

34:27What you got, Gary?

34:27What you think?

34:29I mean, I don't know why the...

34:32Middleton's hasn't shown he can be healthy.

34:33I don't know why the Rockets would go after him.

34:36And he's shooting.

34:37You think they need better shooting?

34:39Yeah, but he's not proving he can be healthy.

34:41He's got to play.

34:43I mean, he's apparently close to coming back.

34:46He's got a player option next year at $34 million.

34:50He probably...

34:51You never know what guys do nowadays with these player options because

34:56Chris Middleton's not getting $34 million on the open market.

34:59So you would think he would opt in, but guys now do anything to...

35:05You never know what they do with these opt-ins.

35:07Sometimes they'll just take less money but for more years.

35:13But I don't...

35:14I think Milwaukee's going to try to hold on and see what they have with their current core.

35:22You got Giannis and Dane.

35:25Lopez is not having a great year so far.

35:27Bobby Portis is not having a great year.

35:30Conton's getting old.

35:31They need to get younger, but how do you get younger?

35:34You can't get younger during the season.

35:35You got to get younger in the draft.

35:37So to me, Milwaukee's kind of stuck.

35:41But what are they going to do?

35:44How are they going to facilitate a deal for the $30 million

35:48on Chris Middleton's contract this year, right?

35:52That's going to have to...

35:54They're going to have to give...

35:55Houston would have to give up probably somebody they don't want to give up

35:58to facilitate that deal for a player who hasn't shown over the last few years he could be healthy.

36:04So I just don't see that.

36:06I'm looking at Houston.

36:07Okay, they can...

36:09Does Milwaukee want Steven Adams and Jeff Green, you know what I'm saying?

36:15Like the elderly crew, do they want that?

36:19Does Milwaukee want to get older?

36:21They do not want to get older, right?

36:23Milwaukee's trying to win this year.

36:25So it's got to make sense for Milwaukee.

36:30And so they have to get young.

36:32So to me, I don't think there's any chance.

36:34I think Middleton is stuck in Milwaukee because I just think his market value is low.

36:40I think at the trade deadline, when Houston will try to find a quality shooter on a bad team

36:46or guys looking...

36:47And they have enough young talent, the Cam Whitmores, to trade for, let's say,

36:53that quality shooter that's going to get them over the top.

36:55So I would not count on Chris Middleton going to the Houston Rockets.

37:00Okay, there you have it.

37:02Well, before we close, it is the week of Thanksgiving.

37:08What are you two thankful for?

37:10I'm thankful for all this beautiful weather and sunshine that I'm getting to enjoy here

37:15in beautiful California.

37:16That's the wrong answer.

37:18And I'm thankful...

37:18Oh, see, Kwanye, you didn't let me tag it out.

37:21See, what I was about to say was I'm also thankful for you two.

37:25And just some of the things that just being able to have these conversations with you guys

37:30and just talk to the people, it's good.

37:33It's a good feeling.

37:34I enjoy having this time together every week.

37:39Despite Gary getting on my damn nerves sometimes, I still...

37:43This is what we do, and this is y'all family.

37:45So this is a good time.

37:46So I'm thankful for both of y'all.

37:48That's real.

37:50Definitely thankful for both of you guys, even Sherrod.

37:54For good health, family, just being around, still being here on this earth is a blessing

38:02in itself.

38:03Every day, somebody seems like we know.

38:06We used to...

38:07Some celebrity or somebody we knew, or you look on Facebook now, and it's like, okay...

38:14Every day, people drop in.

38:15Every day, it's somebody's parent or friend or something, and they didn't make it.

38:21You know, they're going to heaven.

38:24And unfortunately, it's sad, but it's part of life, I guess.

38:28But I'm just blessed to be here, blessed to have, unfortunately, Sherrod.

38:33But you two...

38:35Kiwani, too.

38:36More Kiwani than Sherrod.

38:38But the podcast...

38:43And I'm trying to figure out that fake background.

38:47I don't see one person moving in that background.

38:50Oh, my gosh.

38:52No one's moved this entire time, and he's probably sleeping in bed.

38:55That's because I am on my patio.

38:59You're pumping in YouTube videos of children having fun.

39:03I see one person move in 38 minutes.

39:06Oh, my goodness.

39:07You're right.

39:07I can move the camera and show you how people are moving.

39:10You need to see people moving.

39:11You see people moving?

39:12Okay, I see one person.

39:13No, I don't see nobody moving.

39:14No fish?

39:16Where?

39:16Who's moving?

39:17No.

39:18You don't see the dude in the restroom?

39:20No, I see the guy in the pool.

39:21I see the guy in the pool.

39:22Look at the pool.

39:23Okay, there's one person moving.

39:26No, he was right, though.

39:27There wasn't anyone moving for the last 40 minutes.

39:30I don't know if I told him to stop.

39:34Sherrod got the AI thing going.

39:36Gary, you do know I have pretty high status and merit.

39:38You know that, right?

39:39Yeah, right.

39:40So I'm just saying.

39:42I'm just saying.

39:45What'd you think of Oquanalupe?

39:46Yeah, I'm grateful for you, too, as well.

39:48I'm grateful for life.

39:49I'm grateful for us being able to just really live out our dreams.

39:53But also, like you said, being every day on this earth is a blessing.

39:57So and having family around, I'm excited to be home for Thanksgiving

40:01and really just soak in on my family.

40:04So I'm grateful.

40:05Definitely very grateful.

40:07A year of gratefulness.

40:08One more shout out to Pops.

40:09Happy birthday, my man.

40:11Happy birthday, Dad.

40:12My guy.

40:13Best teacher in Jersey.

40:15He really is.

40:16I don't know why he's probably dealing with it.

40:18If you have children in New Jersey, he's probably dealing with them.

40:21They're dealing with them kids during a pandemic.

40:23And it was like, what, kindergarten to first grade?

40:25He teaches one of them.

40:25Yeah, it varies.

40:27Kindergarten to three sometimes.

40:30Specifically, students that come from Haiti that are trying to learn English.

40:35I salute y'all, Pops.

40:36Good people, man.

40:36That's great work he does.

40:38Great work he's done.

40:40In the words of our friend Jason Jones, buck them kids.

40:47Or that.

40:49This is what I hate about Gary.

40:50I can't.

40:52I can't.

40:52Shout out to Jason Jones for the athletic.

40:55Buck them kids.

40:59But once again, we do want to thank Prize Picks,

41:01the exclusive daily fantasy partner of CLNS Media Network.

41:04Also, shout out to our good friends at Game Time,

41:07which take the guesswork out of buying last minute tickets

41:10to your favorite sporting events.

41:11Just download the Game Time app, create an account,

41:13and use that code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase.

41:17Terms apply.

41:18H. Rob Blakely, Gary Washburn.

41:20I'm Quanie Lunas.

41:21Thank you for listening.

41:22And also, if you watched this far, put in the comments below,

41:26what are you grateful for this week?

41:28We'll be back next week.

Kristaps Porzingis Return Changes EVERYTHING For the Celtics | Big 3 NBA Podcast

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