June 18, 2019 • 36 mins
Dan Beyer and Cuttino Mobley fill in for Doug Gottlieb and weigh in on the latest free agency rumors around the NBA. The guys discuss Kawhi Leonard shunning the L.A. Lakers and Anthony Davis refusing to waive his trade bonus. Also, Cuttino shares insight on the irreparable relationship between James Harden and Chris Paul. Plus, all of our questions are answered in “Confessions of an NBA Player!”
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the best of the Doug Gottlip
Show podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday
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(00:21):
of the Doug got Leave Show on Fox Sports Radio.
We want to know what's gonna happen with the likes
of Kyrie Irving, What's gonna happen with Kevin Durant, What's
gonna happen with Kawai Leonard. Well earlier today on ESPN
on Get Up, Adrian war Janowski drop this little nugget
(00:43):
on the status of Kawai Leonard. Kawhi Leonards focused on
Los Angeles, but it's the Clippers, not the Lakers. Number one,
They don't have the money to sign him, and to
the idea of him being a third wheel on a
team trying to create a super team that has nothing
Kauai Zemo, the Clippers are poised to be able to
lure him from Toronto. This will be a Raptors, Clippers
(01:05):
fight down the end, he may take meetings with more teams.
It's not even certain he can't even take a meeting
with the Lakers. All NBA reports should have a band
that that is. That is for sure. But the point
that you look at here is this a Kauai thing
or is this a Lakers thing? Like is is Kawai
Leonard not going to meet with the Lakers because he's
(01:26):
just Kauai and he's a different guy. Or is this
more about the Lakers? Is the question that I have
for you, Katino Mobile, Well, you know, I think it's
more about Kauai just saying you know, I don't I'm
not into all the Hollywood glitz and glamour. I guess right,
Like that's just Kauai. Kauai just want to play basketball,
and I think he'll be able to get to get
to do that. What the Clippers, right, because uh, you know,
(01:51):
just just like come more of a blue collar kind
of team would not not sobody sparkles. So I mean
I think Kauai, if his personality fits the Clippers more,
it does like well this is this is also on
the heels that Anthony Davis is likely to exercise his
trade bonus, so it would give the Lakers even less
money to pay someone like Kauai or anybody else where.
(02:11):
They would have thought to be maybe twenty seven million
dollars to sign someone if the trade gets done on
July six. Instead, they're gonna have about twenty three two
million dollars because it's likely that Anthony Davis is going
to exercise that that trade bonus. But that's I guess
whether then the question kind of comes is you look
at you look at what the Lakers are putting together,
and in addition to all the reports that we had
(02:32):
heard that they aren't gonna be able to bring in
marquee guys, so they have to at least trade for one.
When you look at this Lakers set up, why would
any marquee free agent want to join that team right now?
And that to me is saying that's why I think
it's it's more about the Lakers. When we've seen big
threes before, Katina, we have seen big threes where the
(02:53):
guy who plays the four position is kind of the
number three. And now, if you're a backcourt guy like yourself,
or if you're coming in playing the point, are you
really gonna want to be the third wheel in this
Lakers cog. That's it. That's an issue that I at
least see the Lakers and trying to trying to determine
how they're gonna fill off this roster is I'm not
(03:13):
sure if I want to spend that four million dollars
on on on just one player, and if I'm that
one player, I'm not really sure I really want to
go to the Lakers. Well, have confidence in Lebron one
two is as far as the the the third wheel,
so to speak, that third guy of the superstars being
the four and taking the back seat to the other two.
(03:33):
I think you got to look at the dynamics of
where Lebron is at the moment right Um, he's still
amazing Game eight and eight, but you know, he's not
that Lebron he was five six seventy years ago. I
think he will defer more to Anthony Davis. And I
think because le Bron has a high high i Q.
Along with Anthony Davis and this other superstar that's coming in,
(03:55):
I think Lebron will be able to play with them,
and Anthony Davis could take a lot out of the
bulk off of Lebron as far as scoring, and Lebron
can just be natural, you know, um, you know. And
I always go back to when Lebron was with the
Olympic team. It's so many superstars, but Lebron was still
the leader of them all. And I think, what what
this is? Lebron's going into a seventeenth year and yeah,
(04:20):
I mean, if if it's needed, Lebron can get your thirty.
But when you have a young Anthony Davis, like you
have uh that officicy rating. And actually, but if Lebron,
Michael Jordan Lebron and did Anthony Davis has come as
far as off efficiency as far as teams, I think
he'll lean more towards this other superstar and Anthony Davis
(04:44):
and then clean up all the mess. And that's just
the type of guy is he can just pat his stats.
We seem to not know about Kauai. We think he's
a mystery because he doesn't say a lot. I actually
think that we maybe know more about Kauai's decision than
we what about Kyrie Irving or about Kevin Durant, because
I don't think Kauai overthinks things where it's just pretty
(05:06):
simple for him where all right, if I want to
live in southern California, I got two teams I I
can pick from, and one can pay me more than
the other one, if that's going to be the pick.
And that's where I look at Kauai and this in
the in the report from Woads thereof like, hey, this
is this is an opportunity for us to take a
meeting with the Clippers. It's because, Hey, he wants to
live in southern California. Like Kevin Durant. We don't know,
(05:29):
we don't know where his mind is, we don't know
what he wants. We don't know what's going to happen
with the Achilles, Kyrie Irving doesn't seem to want to
go back to the Celtics, and we draw connections to Brooklyn.
But Kauai, it's almost pretty simple, stay and try to
continue to build your legacy in Toronto or just go
where you want to live. Where I'm telling you, if
if I'm an NBA player, or if I'm in any business,
that's the ideal of of working where you want to be.
(05:52):
And that's why for me, I look at Kauai's decision
and his decision to not meet with the Lakers. I
agree with you. It's more about Kauai is because it's
it's pretty black and white. It's just I want to
be in southern California. That's where I'm gonna be. Yeah,
And you gotta sometimes, you know, too many options confuse you, right,
And Kauaide's he's been like this for a minute, you know,
and it's been scrutinized because he sat out against uh
(06:16):
you know, when he played for the Spurs, because he
felt as though that you know, he wasn't ready and
he wasn't listening to the outside noise, and uh, you know,
there was some scrutiny from different people talking about his work, ethics,
in his heart or whatever. But he came back to
show that he's a winner and he's a very competitive
and Kauai just like I guess he just like he's
(06:37):
so good at like if it's even if it starts
a little bit of fire, he's just a poor pours
water in a quick right, I gets just right away.
And I think for Kyrie he should have done that too, right,
But I mean he's just Kyrie seems more emotional than
Kauai um and Kauai maybe way more emotional than Kyrie,
(06:58):
but he just doesn't show it on social me to
and TV. He nips it in the butts. You have
nothing else to talk about, right, whereas though Kyrie he's
like the soap oper you know what I mean? And
I think, well, correct, right, exactly, yeah right, So, um
you know he's like, listen, I'm either gonna stand in Toronto,
I'm going to uh the Clippers or l A. That's it.
(07:20):
I'm not There is no other conversation. Don't even ask me.
You keep it super short. And they didn't have nothing
to talk about what you sign with the Clippers. I
just I wanted to challenge one and I saw that,
you know, um, I wanted to kind of like challenge
myself as a leader. And uh, I saw Elton brand
was there averaging twenty and ten and Corey mcgetty was
getting twenty. And I saw the team. You know, they
(07:43):
have potential to to to to make the least make
the playoffs, and um, I said, you know what, I
want to challenge myself a little bit. Let me see
what we can do with this team. If I can
help this team get over his hump, and you know,
and three thousand and five, two thousand and six. You know,
I remember a reporter asking me. I was just coming
from Spain and the reporter asked me, said, uh, you know,
(08:06):
why do you feel so cocky like about your decision?
I'm saying, it's not even cockiness, it's it's confidence. Man.
I've been playing basketball for a long time, so I
know it's just like you're playing in the playground. Like
I see that guy, I want that guy. I want
that guy. And that's exactly what I did. So when
I went around for free agency, and I'm like, all right,
you know what, what teams? And I didn't want to
(08:28):
be in a cold also, so what team do I?
What team do I think I can mesh well would
and help these guys win? And I saw the Clippers
and I'm like, you know what, let me take that challenge.
So I took the challenge and before you know, boom,
now we make the playoffs and now it's a different
story than what they thought it was gonna be. Well,
quite honestly, I think Hawaii's decision is exactly what you
had to face. You don't want to be in the cold,
(08:49):
and you wanted the challenge, Like the two Seeds of
Free agency, if you want to say the cold and
the challenge. And I look at the Clippers organization as
so different. You and I have done shows here in
in in talking about what's going on with the Clippers.
I think that the Clippers and when you look at
the grand scale of the NBA of of where they are.
(09:09):
First of all, people may not realize this, but the
NBA's Western Conference is in need of marquee teams because
if you don't have the Warriors, and you don't have
the Lakers sorry Spurs, sorry, like the the draw isn't
there the big markets for for for or in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago,
all in the Eastern Conference. So to have another Western
(09:30):
Conference team become a marquee team would be really good
for the NBA and become good for for that conference.
You also have new ownership that is turning over a
new leaf because the old Clippers are no longer. And
that's what's so intriguing to me. And I've said on
this network of what Steve Balmer can do with this
now post lob City era, is how this team can
(09:52):
can build if they're going to get their new arena there.
There there's so many unknowns about the Clippers, But the
only thing I do know is it's not the Clippers
of the past now. And that's what I think is intriguing.
And if you want to be a part of that,
if you're Kawhi Leonard, because I think there's a lot
of positivity and a lot of potential if you will
in that organization. Yeah, I mean you hit it right
(10:12):
on the nose, right you think about you have dcr Rivers,
who's a great coach, right, one of the best coaches
in the league. He motivates his players. And then you
have like Patrick Beverley's Lou Williams is in Montrez Harold.
You have the young core, young guys. One guy came
from uh what's his last name starts with the S shooter, Uh,
he came from the Sixers. He's he's great, He's gonna
(10:33):
be amazing. That kid. Um Landry Shammon, Shammon shamm Itt,
and um, you know you have Alexander you know, I mean,
I mean these these that's a great core. Now you
add a couple of stars there with Jerry West in
the back, you know, like the Wizard of Oz, you
know where he goes. It's just like gold I mean,
I like my chances there. It's just like, you know,
(10:54):
if you have a healthy Lebron and he has some
sidekicks like an a d or Kyrie or Jimmy, But
I love my chances to get into the finals with
that guy. That's just what it is. Tom Brady, I
love my chances. Right. Half of his career, he's been
to the Super Bowl, Mike, That's what I'm liking. I'm
liking my chances so to you know, I mean, we
(11:16):
may be talking something different if if Golden State was healthy, right,
I'm loving my chances if they're healthy. It's just what
it is. Be sure to catch live editions of the
Doug Dot Leap Show weekdays in noon eastern three pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the I Heart Radio app.
There is some news from the NBA involving Anthony Davis,
as reports say he's likely to take his bonus, his
(11:38):
trade bonus for being dealt by the Pelicans to the Lakers,
which would make the Lakers, if he's dealt on July six,
make their salary cap situations shrink a little bit from
about seven million to twenty three million dollars. And this
is This is where normal guy versus athlete gets really
really in a gray area, Katino, Because if a normal
(11:59):
guy like myself, for anybody who who's working, whether it
be at the store down the street and their own
business at the factory, if a bonus is given to them,
they are going to take the bonus right, no matter what.
But they're Anthony Davis's bonus is going to hinder the
Lakers ability to add pieces around him and Lebron James.
(12:21):
So if you're Anthony Davis, would you have had any
reservation of exercising that trade bonus for four million dollars?
So you gotta think about it like this, Right, they'll
figure it out in such a way where it's gonna
work for everyone. Um, I'm thinking they're They're creativity will
be something similar to how Miami Heat got Lebron d
Wade and Chris bosh um Uh. Anthony Davis uh is
(12:46):
managed by one of Lebron's best friends, right and uh
and and and so in saying that, I think, like
you know, Maverick and Rich and those guys they're gonna
make They're gonna be creative and make it to where
uh they have the highest possibility to go to the finals.
So and whatever the case that is. I think, um,
a few of those guys are gonna have to bite
(13:07):
the bullet a little bit. And um and because they're
younger too, right there, they're not you know, the thirty
four year old Lebron James. And I think once they
go to the finals and hopefully win it, uh, they'll
they'll see uh some some you know, some money at
the end of the road. Uh. I'll say this when
(13:27):
when you're anybody and your work, don't ever think that
the the company is gonna be like you know, we
we saw those overtime hours you've put over in the
last ten years or so. Here's your No, take what
they give you an exercise. It doesn't know. We don't
need the bonus. No, I don't need this vacation that
no utilize it. That's what it's there for. That's all
Anthony Davis is doing. It was in the contract. Take
(13:48):
the four million bucks. I mean, I know it's well,
I I talk about optics a lot of like this
doesn't look good. You've got to weigh the optics and
what's what's reallyas there. But if there's a a bonus
in your contract, even if you force the trade, I say,
still cash in on it. And that's what Anthony Davis
is doing. Yeah yeah again, like if he does great,
I mean I'm pretty sure they'll be you know, I
(14:09):
think for the Lakers they need a bench. Um of course, right,
um and um. I would rather have a bench than
to have another guy who's got to do less than
he's used to doing for a Big three. I just
I would. I mean, look at the finals, Kevin Durant
goes down, you still have to play and staff their benches.
Their Brench is terrible. Yeah, their benches terrible. Seriously, like
(14:33):
and and listen, Quinn Cook. Maybe the stage is too big, McKinney.
Maybe the stage was too big. Maybe they didn't get
the rhythm. Whatever it is, but this is your time
to shine. Andrew Bogan, you've played. You're older, right, like
Sean Livest you're older. You know, you've played. Uh, we
don't expect much from you guys, just to be able
to you know kind of. Yeah. Well it got so
(14:55):
bad they had to bring Bogan back from Australia, like
they just there there was there was no Oh I
understood the DeMarcus Cousins signing and the value of it.
I didn't think that it would work out, and I'm
not gonna hold the injury against but the point is
is you still needed to bring him in on a
deal because you were so worried about what you could
do defensively at the rim. That's a bad sign. And
(15:16):
I think they brought him in because they knew they
were going at the meat that you know, you always
get pounded on the boards, so they they and uh
and being having DeMarcus uh, you know, not a hundred
percent um and it's just it's just tough. It's Toronto
had an amazing They had eight guys that can play defense,
(15:37):
eight of them one on one defense. It's not a
lot of teams that have that. You gotta think about that,
Like from the one to the two, three, four or
five starting five, all of them played one on one defense.
Then you got guys coming off the bench, all of
them play one on one defense. So I mean, you're
not lacking at all. Maybe the offensively, you know, but
I guess what Van Vleet making his threes, Ibaka making
(15:59):
his shots like Pole comes in with energy. Like they
had the perfect team to be able to take down
now Grant, I have additions of the Doug dot Leap
Show week days in noon eastern three pm Pacific. The
(16:20):
Boston Celtics, according to The Boston Globe, have basically been
ghosted by Kyrie Irving. There were reports that Kyrie was
going to opt out of his contract to become a
free agent. We knew that was gonna happen. We knew
that that's that was going to be the the operation
for Kyrie Irving entering this soft season. But what Adam
Himmel's back of the Boston Globe says, and Adam is
(16:41):
a friend of the show. It's been on with Doug
a bunch of times, saying, quote, the strangest part of
the Irving situation right now is that it appears he
has essentially ghosted on the Celtics. The people within the
organization that he has spoken with have made it clear
that they've had little if any communication with Irving in
recent weeks. Range that's what he does. That's that's kind
(17:04):
that's just like what he does. Like why why are
we listen? My mom always said, if a person shows
you who you are, believe him, and he's been showing
him who he was. The whole season, you know, like
why is why is what he's doing now such a
surprise or strange or you know what I mean? Like, well,
I think that they need information on how they are
going to proceed. It's open ended. He's always made things
(17:27):
open and yes, right, so at the end of the day, right,
like you know, you have a core, you you have Tatum,
you have Brown, you have Rosier, you have Smart, you
have Al Horford. Right, guess what forget him? The owner
of the team said he likes last year's team better
than this yours team. He came out and said that, yeah,
so just forget about it. Well, this is this is
(17:48):
the problem though, This is this is the problem when
when you have a family dinner and your in laws
and their family of seven are coming over and there's
only eleven people in the family, you need to know
if they're gonna R S V P or not, because
you need to know on how much you spend and
make it work to make it work, how much hamburger
(18:09):
do I need to buy? How many hot dog buns
do I need to buy? Because your family of seven
is the reason that I am going to buy all
of this food. And if you're not that's but if
you're not considerate enough to R S v P. Guess
what some of y'all not gonna eat. You're not eat
a lot. How about that one? Just like him? You
guess what? You're not gonna dangle me already have a team.
(18:34):
This is not Memphis, this is not you know, one
of those teams that didn't make the playoffs, and we
need you so bad. We have a core group of
guys that we can go back to the Eastern Conference
finals or at least the second round. I'm okay, bye, Yeah,
I'm cool. That's that's the issue with dragging around. But
I think there's a bigger there's a bigger issue with
(18:54):
the Boston Celtics. And this is the issue that I
have seen and and I will bring up just for
the simple fact of as I seem to always do
this when it comes to the Celtics, but Katino, the
Celtics last title in two thousand and eight is eleven
seasons ago. And the Danny Ainge trade of of Kevin
Garnett and Paul Pierce to Brooklyn for all those draft
(19:17):
picks and the deal that they made ended up not
turning into an NBA title, and your biggest move really
was to then, all right, we are going to make
a move. We are going to acquire Kyrie Irving in
a trade with the Cavaliers, and in that trade, considering
what happened to the Cavaliers and the pieces they got,
came out pro Celtics. But it still hasn't turned into
(19:39):
an NBA title. So I look at the Celtics as
the thirty eight year old who was being dumped by
their fiance because they reportedly want to meet with Kyrie.
They want to meet with him before the draft to
let his intentions known. Where where Kyrie and the fiance
are saying, no, this relationship is over with, don't you
don't We don't need to have a face to face
that this thing is is done with. But it seems
(20:01):
like the Celtics almost want that confirmation that they want
to know because they are so far down the road
of and they haven't cashed in yet. And that's what
the year old fiancee is like, I should have had
a husband and and and and kids by now, and
now all of a sudden, this plan has gone out
the window. What am I going to do? That's the
position of the Boston Celtics are in if they want
(20:23):
to talk to Kyrie Irving. Listen, listen. The Celtics are
the is the is, the is the female right yeah, yeah,
So guess what. Hopefully you have an education, you have
a trade, you have a great job, right, and you've
got some money in the bank, which they all have.
The Celtics have it all. Guess what? Bye bye. They
have been waiting for Mr. Wright for six or seven years,
(20:46):
and the thought that he came in, they thought that
maybe this was the guy because they had waited so long,
and now Kyrie Irving isn't that guy, and they've realized
that they've maybe wasted two years, that they've maxed out
one of their credit cards on him, and now you're
sitting there wondering what are we gonna do next. That's like,
if the Boston Celtics do move forward with the core
(21:06):
that they have without without Kyrie Irving, how good are
they at the Eastern Conference? Do you really think that
they're better than Milwaukee? I do? I think they're better Milwaukee.
You know what I would go. I would go after
DeAndre Jordan's also, So that's gonna be the piece with
Then who's then Gordon Hayward's there their star. You bring
(21:27):
back Al Horford. I think tatums their star. Taut. I
Thinkyword and Tatum can play with each other and you
can forget about Brown, like you know what I mean,
like he's he's really good. I like, yeah, I like
that Rose Year is really good, right, Marcus smarts really good,
you know, and they played their they played their positions
pretty well. So if you you know, you bring a
(21:48):
rim protector like a DeAndre Jordan's that can, uh, you know,
play up and down with the Al Horford. I mean,
I like that team without Kyrie. I like that team,
you know, I think they'll build more. I think they were, uh,
their hands were tied as far as the younger guys, right,
because they respected Kyrie so much that the true game
didn't come out. And I think with him gone, I
(22:11):
think that helps Rosier and all the young guys. Tatum
and I think that they've become blossom and Tatum becomes
their you know, their franchise players. No an argument could
be made that that's where you're putting your eggs in
your basket, and that that that duo of Tatum and
Brown with the assistance of Gordon Hayward can become because
that's the NBA now, the six eight guy can do
everything and blah blah blah can switch every play. That's
(22:33):
what Golden State was so good at, right, switching everything defensively,
you know, having I cus all of them have high
accus in Boston. How much do you believe that the
Celtics believe in Jason Tatum as opposed to they didn't
want to be the team to deal Jayson Tatum? I
think do you think they really truly believe they? Yeah,
(22:53):
he's because he's young too. I mean he's he's young,
and he showed he showed his son he was a
young freshman a ship, but he showed his first year,
he showed up. You know he should have between him
and I think, what was it, Mitchell? It was you
know the truthfully would have been rookie the year you know, yeah,
Ben Simmons, Ben Simmons, but I mean Ben Simmons had
(23:15):
a year underneath his belt in the pros. Yeah, even so,
I'm going I'm going more with the guys that their
first their actual first year. I just I I look
at I look at where the Celtics are, and and
and you look at Kyrie and I'm sorry. You know,
Kyrie's history isn't isn't sparkling either. I mean, I mean
there was you know, a season season at Duke where
(23:37):
he's injured, he goes to the Calves and they end up,
uh not winning. Then you go with a couple of years, yes, yeah,
they didn't win. Then all of us you go to Boston,
and now you've got you know, this roller coaster. So
it's it's it's never been, it's never been. All right,
We're cool here With Kyrie, there's always seems to be
you know there there seems to be something with him.
(23:58):
I just look at the Celtics and and and whether
whether Kauai goes to the Western Conference or stays in
the East. I just don't know if you can like,
you like the addition of DeAndre Jordan's but I like
there the culmination of their team. I'm trying to figure
(24:18):
out the perfect way to say this, but I don't
think that that team is good enough to get to
the NBA Finals with what Milwaukee has. The well, they
just beat him in five games, do you think taking
I think they beat him in five game. It's different.
I think they beat him in five games. It's like
when you and your if things are going a little
(24:40):
in the home life, if things aren't as well, then
when you leave home and you still have that on
your mind, when you're going to around your friends and
different people, you're not your true self because you had
that in the back of your mind subconsciously. So now
when I go out there, I'm not who I was before,
when everything was you know, clicking on all cylinders, the
(25:01):
basketball's rhythm sport. So all throughout this whole year, the
Boston Celtics has never been to their fullest potential, especially
the younger guys. They've always played through Kyrie. Kyrie hasn't
played through them. They played through Kyrie, which put them
in a setback from the year prior when those guys
show that they can play in the NBA. So that's
kind of that hurted them. So that now when you're
(25:23):
playing against Milwaukee and Milwaukee has a strategy in Milwaukee's
already set in Milwaukee knows exactly what they're doing. You
don't know what you're getting from. Um, a person who's
shooting seven for twenty two or eight for twenty two
and the same next game, Oh, well, I won't do
I won't do that again. No, you won't. You shot
seven for twenty two and then you shot six for
twenties something the next game. So I mean in three games,
(25:46):
you're shooting sixties eight times in three games, whereas other
guys should be able to get that ball and more rhythm.
You know what I mean? You No, that makes sense.
But I also think, now if we want to compare
the Celtics, the argument that the Warriors were better without
Kevin Durant, and it's a it's Doug has talked about
this topic a lot, and the point being of they
(26:06):
aren't better like they they aren't a better team without
Kevin Durant. And so I look at the Celtics kind
of in the same way of like for everything that's there,
I just don't think that they are better without Kyrie
Irving just because of who Kyrie Irving is and when
you look at the team that they have, and and
it's not just Milwaukee, and I don't put Toronto in
(26:27):
just because we don't know if Kauai is going to
be back or not, but you still have Philadelphia there. Uh,
hopefully for Indiana, Victor Oladipo can come back and and
be healthy, and there's a question, but you also have
Brooklyn maybe knocking on the door, depending if Kyrie goes there.
The I just think that there there there are some
challenges there for Boston and for them to just and
all this time of them wanting, of of stockpiling these
(26:50):
draft picks and building this organization and then waiting for
the right time and then you strike and you strike out.
Really on the Kyrie situation, I just don't know how
much of a success it truly is. Is if now
all of a sudden Kyrie leaves and then you're kind
of just gonna go back to the waiting game again
and just take what you have. And that's where I
just don't think Boston has has cashed in and it's
gone on for a long long time. I mean, even
(27:13):
if they win the East, they're not going to win
an NBA title. I think with the team that they have.
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
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Radio dot com and within the I Heart Radio apps.
Search f s R to listen live report from Yahoo's
Sports Vincent Goodwill saying that the relationship between Chris Paul
(27:34):
and Rockets scard James Harden is quote unsalvageable end quote,
and that Paul wants out of Houston as a result. Now,
this from the report, the delicate relationship between Harden and
Paul was termed unsalvageable as the players want to divorce.
Paul went to Rockets management demanded to trade and hearted
Harden issued a hymn or me edict following the Rockets
(27:56):
second round loss to the Golden State Warriors. That's according
to sources. Another source says that there's no respect at
all on either side that they need to get away
from another. Chris doesn't respect James is standing in the league,
and James doesn't respect the work that Chris has put
into this point. Of course, Chris Paul is in your
one of a four year deal that paid him one
(28:17):
hundred and sixty million dollars. Any of this shocking to
you as we hear this word now coming out of Houston,
it's it's it's it's not shocking to me. Uh. You know, listen,
this is a fraternity, so you know, we kind of
know each other and after a while, who you are
is who you are, so your true self comes out
(28:37):
whether it's in the locker room or it's outside. And
and this was more so in the locker room kind
of thing. Um and uh, you know, Chris being such
a competitor, and whether it's with New Orleans or or
Clippers and now with the Houston Rockets, it's always been
some bumping into heads and some type of format, whether
it's a you know, a player of some sword or
(29:00):
whatever it is. Uh, I think it comes off wrong
because Chris is so competitive and he wants to win,
and he knows his clocks. His clock is ticking big time.
Is in his four team season and for the past
I don't know, eight or nine seasons he's been um,
you know, not to the best of his ability because
of injuries has plagued him. Um. You know James, you know,
(29:22):
happy go lucky guy who's a competitor as well. And
you know James never really bummed heads with people as much.
And I think, you know, having that history of Chris
being so authoritative kind of thing and very forceful, and
his message maybe comes out the wrong way. I think,
you know, he's the one with the matches in his
pocket everything where he goes, it's this smoke there is
(29:44):
it seems like and now you know when you're a
superstar that Chris was, and now you're just you know,
you're you're declining star because you're in your fourth team
season and having this many injuries. I think, um, you
subconsciously know that you're you don't have that much time left,
so as a sense of urgency, and sometimes that sense
of urgency comes off wrong when you're wanting the team
(30:07):
or you wanting players to be or do certain things.
And you know, James being in his prime, you know
he's not going for it right, it's his team and
you came on my team kind of thing. Uh, And
and neither guys wrong. Both guys are competitive. But again, uh,
it's it's you know, James not picking up calls people
don't you know, f like here and all the bickering
and talking everything like that. It's it's it's a shame.
(30:30):
It's like that because Chris has what he's a hundred
and twenties something millionals left on his contract. I don't
know where you're gonna move them to. Who's gonna take
that on an unhealthy point guard? I don't know. Yeah,
to that point that that's why you know, for for
all of the moneyball, the the stats that you look
at how you want to put together a team, when
you look at the NBA like the the Rockets, and
(30:53):
how you look at numbers, and how how the front
office went about constructing their team. It all went out
to win. When you said we're gonna pay Chris Paul
this much money, and really, Katino, it was for the
season that just passed because you were so close at
winning an NBA title or getting at least to the
NBA Finals. You're up three two on the Warriors, and
(31:15):
then your point guard or goes down and you lose
the final two. So you're like, all right, let's run
it back again. But the only way you were able
to run it back was to make sure that Chris
Paul got his money. So now you're paying him a
hundred and sixty million dollars basically for that one season
because and and that's and that's where they were done
in But with all that being said, I look at
(31:36):
it like this, and and as you said, it's gonna
be difficult for the Rockets to trade and because of
that money. But James Harden probably needs Chris Paul more
than Chris Paul needs needs James Harden, and I say
that for the for this point of James Harden's career,
in my mind, is one that can be extremely elevated
by an NBA title, So he needs to have people
(31:56):
around him to help him get to that point. Chris
Paul is at a point in his career or I
think he just needs an NBA title, not not to
just he needs that a part of his a part
of his resume. But I don't think it would elevates
who Chris Paul is. I think Chris Paul is who
he is, where James Harten has that ability to rise
(32:17):
up to another level with the title. So in a
rare instance, it's the better player who maybe needs the
lesser player. In my mind, as you look at these
two who are potentially headed for a divorce, does that
make any sense? No, it does, it does. It's it's
but again like it's kind of like the Kyrie Everything,
you know, where Chris Paul's. Does Chris Paul know that
(32:37):
he's declining? Does he know he's not gonna be one
eversing healthy and he's not gonna be able to take
over games? And when you thirty something games by himself
during the season. I don't know if that's in his mindset.
His mindset maybe you know what, if I wasn't hurt
last year, we could have been X Y and Z
initi year coming up. This past year, I think hurt
them because he got hurt so early, and then James
(33:00):
had to carry the team from fourth team placed all
the way up into fourth place. And it got James
into a rhythm where Chris Paul had to fit in
to a system now because James was more of the
one man's show and they kind of wasted a year
for Chris, right. So I again, it's the mentality, you know,
the Michael Connolly's of the world. I see him fitting
(33:23):
with James because he knows how to you know, he
he's never been the superstar anyway, right, but he's a
really good player, right, He's a star in himself. And
I think you know him playing for Memphis and when
Powell and and I mean Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph
was there with Tony Allen and those guys, he was
the core of that group where he, you know, made
(33:45):
sure everybody eight and and and the the team was run, right.
I think James needs someone like that. Because James gonna
dominate the balls. You have two guys on the team
that literally throughout their career with James and Chris who
as far as handling the ball and dominating the ball,
they're too highest of the top five in the whole league.
Why would you have them together? And you think that's
going to well? Yeah, I and and I think that
(34:06):
James Harden's game is misunderstood for the simple facultino. There
was a lot made during the season of how many
games James Harden would score on a basket that has unassisted.
But that doesn't mean he's necessarily a ball hog, considering
that he's always been top ten NBA in assists. Just
(34:27):
to me, and that tells me that James Harden is
the Rockets best option of scoring and and when he
has possession. And to me, it's it's a lot different
of James Harden scoring thirty three points per game, you know,
as he as he averaged throughout the season and having
seven assists, as opposed to another player averaging thirty three
points a game and having one assist. Like the The
option for the Rockets option A is always for James
(34:51):
Harden to shoot the ball and if that's that's where
it goes. Then great. I I think that sometimes we
look at him as like a a ball hog, and
I don't think that is who he is. It's just
always the best option for James Harden to have the
ball in his hands. So that wasn't James coming into
the NBA. James was a playmaker. And have you seen
him when he was against when he was playing with
(35:13):
Okay See and Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant and the
fourth quarter of James took took control of the ball
and was was able to assist everyone. Uh. And then
when he went to the rockets, he wasn't a ball haul.
He spread the ball around. Just that this past year
with all the injuries with Clint Capela and Chris Paul
and you didn't really have uh dominant scores besides himself
(35:35):
on the team. It's what I have to do at
the moment, and it's working, so let me just keep
doing it. Do you think about it? From December until
the end of the season, they had the second best record,
and offensively and defensively right they were top in the league.
So it's not like he was doing anything wrong. It's
just that he might have you know, just they had
(35:55):
a more gas. Be sure to catch live editions of
The Doug Dot Leap Show weekday said noon Eastern three
pm Pacific
Thanks for listening to the best of the Doug Gottlip
Show podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday
from three to six pm Eastern Time, that's twelve to
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for the Doug Gottlieb Show at Fox Sports Radio dot com,
or stream us live every day on the I Heart
Radio app by searching fs R. This is the best
(00:21):
of the Doug got Leave Show on Fox Sports Radio.
We want to know what's gonna happen with the likes
of Kyrie Irving, What's gonna happen with Kevin Durant, What's
gonna happen with Kawai Leonard. Well earlier today on ESPN
on Get Up, Adrian war Janowski drop this little nugget
(00:43):
on the status of Kawai Leonard. Kawhi Leonards focused on
Los Angeles, but it's the Clippers, not the Lakers. Number one,
They don't have the money to sign him, and to
the idea of him being a third wheel on a
team trying to create a super team that has nothing
Kauai Zemo, the Clippers are poised to be able to
lure him from Toronto. This will be a Raptors, Clippers
(01:05):
fight down the end, he may take meetings with more teams.
It's not even certain he can't even take a meeting
with the Lakers. All NBA reports should have a band
that that is. That is for sure. But the point
that you look at here is this a Kauai thing
or is this a Lakers thing? Like is is Kawai
Leonard not going to meet with the Lakers because he's
(01:26):
just Kauai and he's a different guy. Or is this
more about the Lakers? Is the question that I have
for you, Katino Mobile, Well, you know, I think it's
more about Kauai just saying you know, I don't I'm
not into all the Hollywood glitz and glamour. I guess right,
Like that's just Kauai. Kauai just want to play basketball,
and I think he'll be able to get to get
to do that. What the Clippers, right, because uh, you know,
(01:51):
just just like come more of a blue collar kind
of team would not not sobody sparkles. So I mean
I think Kauai, if his personality fits the Clippers more,
it does like well this is this is also on
the heels that Anthony Davis is likely to exercise his
trade bonus, so it would give the Lakers even less
money to pay someone like Kauai or anybody else where.
(02:11):
They would have thought to be maybe twenty seven million
dollars to sign someone if the trade gets done on
July six. Instead, they're gonna have about twenty three two
million dollars because it's likely that Anthony Davis is going
to exercise that that trade bonus. But that's I guess
whether then the question kind of comes is you look
at you look at what the Lakers are putting together,
and in addition to all the reports that we had
(02:32):
heard that they aren't gonna be able to bring in
marquee guys, so they have to at least trade for one.
When you look at this Lakers set up, why would
any marquee free agent want to join that team right now?
And that to me is saying that's why I think
it's it's more about the Lakers. When we've seen big
threes before, Katina, we have seen big threes where the
(02:53):
guy who plays the four position is kind of the
number three. And now, if you're a backcourt guy like yourself,
or if you're coming in playing the point, are you
really gonna want to be the third wheel in this
Lakers cog. That's it. That's an issue that I at
least see the Lakers and trying to trying to determine
how they're gonna fill off this roster is I'm not
(03:13):
sure if I want to spend that four million dollars
on on on just one player, and if I'm that
one player, I'm not really sure I really want to
go to the Lakers. Well, have confidence in Lebron one
two is as far as the the the third wheel,
so to speak, that third guy of the superstars being
the four and taking the back seat to the other two.
(03:33):
I think you got to look at the dynamics of
where Lebron is at the moment right Um, he's still
amazing Game eight and eight, but you know, he's not
that Lebron he was five six seventy years ago. I
think he will defer more to Anthony Davis. And I
think because le Bron has a high high i Q.
Along with Anthony Davis and this other superstar that's coming in,
(03:55):
I think Lebron will be able to play with them,
and Anthony Davis could take a lot out of the
bulk off of Lebron as far as scoring, and Lebron
can just be natural, you know, um, you know. And
I always go back to when Lebron was with the
Olympic team. It's so many superstars, but Lebron was still
the leader of them all. And I think, what what
this is? Lebron's going into a seventeenth year and yeah,
(04:20):
I mean, if if it's needed, Lebron can get your thirty.
But when you have a young Anthony Davis, like you
have uh that officicy rating. And actually, but if Lebron,
Michael Jordan Lebron and did Anthony Davis has come as
far as off efficiency as far as teams, I think
he'll lean more towards this other superstar and Anthony Davis
(04:44):
and then clean up all the mess. And that's just
the type of guy is he can just pat his stats.
We seem to not know about Kauai. We think he's
a mystery because he doesn't say a lot. I actually
think that we maybe know more about Kauai's decision than
we what about Kyrie Irving or about Kevin Durant, because
I don't think Kauai overthinks things where it's just pretty
(05:06):
simple for him where all right, if I want to
live in southern California, I got two teams I I
can pick from, and one can pay me more than
the other one, if that's going to be the pick.
And that's where I look at Kauai and this in
the in the report from Woads thereof like, hey, this
is this is an opportunity for us to take a
meeting with the Clippers. It's because, Hey, he wants to
live in southern California. Like Kevin Durant. We don't know,
(05:29):
we don't know where his mind is, we don't know
what he wants. We don't know what's going to happen
with the Achilles, Kyrie Irving doesn't seem to want to
go back to the Celtics, and we draw connections to Brooklyn.
But Kauai, it's almost pretty simple, stay and try to
continue to build your legacy in Toronto or just go
where you want to live. Where I'm telling you, if
if I'm an NBA player, or if I'm in any business,
that's the ideal of of working where you want to be.
(05:52):
And that's why for me, I look at Kauai's decision
and his decision to not meet with the Lakers. I
agree with you. It's more about Kauai is because it's
it's pretty black and white. It's just I want to
be in southern California. That's where I'm gonna be. Yeah,
And you gotta sometimes, you know, too many options confuse you, right,
And Kauaide's he's been like this for a minute, you know,
and it's been scrutinized because he sat out against uh
(06:16):
you know, when he played for the Spurs, because he
felt as though that you know, he wasn't ready and
he wasn't listening to the outside noise, and uh, you know,
there was some scrutiny from different people talking about his work, ethics,
in his heart or whatever. But he came back to
show that he's a winner and he's a very competitive
and Kauai just like I guess he just like he's
(06:37):
so good at like if it's even if it starts
a little bit of fire, he's just a poor pours
water in a quick right, I gets just right away.
And I think for Kyrie he should have done that too, right,
But I mean he's just Kyrie seems more emotional than
Kauai um and Kauai maybe way more emotional than Kyrie,
(06:58):
but he just doesn't show it on social me to
and TV. He nips it in the butts. You have
nothing else to talk about, right, whereas though Kyrie he's
like the soap oper you know what I mean? And
I think, well, correct, right, exactly, yeah right, So, um
you know he's like, listen, I'm either gonna stand in Toronto,
I'm going to uh the Clippers or l A. That's it.
(07:20):
I'm not There is no other conversation. Don't even ask me.
You keep it super short. And they didn't have nothing
to talk about what you sign with the Clippers. I
just I wanted to challenge one and I saw that,
you know, um, I wanted to kind of like challenge
myself as a leader. And uh, I saw Elton brand
was there averaging twenty and ten and Corey mcgetty was
getting twenty. And I saw the team. You know, they
(07:43):
have potential to to to to make the least make
the playoffs, and um, I said, you know what, I
want to challenge myself a little bit. Let me see
what we can do with this team. If I can
help this team get over his hump, and you know,
and three thousand and five, two thousand and six. You know,
I remember a reporter asking me. I was just coming
from Spain and the reporter asked me, said, uh, you know,
(08:06):
why do you feel so cocky like about your decision?
I'm saying, it's not even cockiness, it's it's confidence. Man.
I've been playing basketball for a long time, so I
know it's just like you're playing in the playground. Like
I see that guy, I want that guy. I want
that guy. And that's exactly what I did. So when
I went around for free agency, and I'm like, all right,
you know what, what teams? And I didn't want to
(08:28):
be in a cold also, so what team do I?
What team do I think I can mesh well would
and help these guys win? And I saw the Clippers
and I'm like, you know what, let me take that challenge.
So I took the challenge and before you know, boom,
now we make the playoffs and now it's a different
story than what they thought it was gonna be. Well,
quite honestly, I think Hawaii's decision is exactly what you
had to face. You don't want to be in the cold,
(08:49):
and you wanted the challenge, Like the two Seeds of
Free agency, if you want to say the cold and
the challenge. And I look at the Clippers organization as
so different. You and I have done shows here in
in in talking about what's going on with the Clippers.
I think that the Clippers and when you look at
the grand scale of the NBA of of where they are.
(09:09):
First of all, people may not realize this, but the
NBA's Western Conference is in need of marquee teams because
if you don't have the Warriors, and you don't have
the Lakers sorry Spurs, sorry, like the the draw isn't
there the big markets for for for or in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago,
all in the Eastern Conference. So to have another Western
(09:30):
Conference team become a marquee team would be really good
for the NBA and become good for for that conference.
You also have new ownership that is turning over a
new leaf because the old Clippers are no longer. And
that's what's so intriguing to me. And I've said on
this network of what Steve Balmer can do with this
now post lob City era, is how this team can
(09:52):
can build if they're going to get their new arena there.
There there's so many unknowns about the Clippers, But the
only thing I do know is it's not the Clippers
of the past now. And that's what I think is intriguing.
And if you want to be a part of that,
if you're Kawhi Leonard, because I think there's a lot
of positivity and a lot of potential if you will
in that organization. Yeah, I mean you hit it right
(10:12):
on the nose, right you think about you have dcr Rivers,
who's a great coach, right, one of the best coaches
in the league. He motivates his players. And then you
have like Patrick Beverley's Lou Williams is in Montrez Harold.
You have the young core, young guys. One guy came
from uh what's his last name starts with the S shooter, Uh,
he came from the Sixers. He's he's great, He's gonna
(10:33):
be amazing. That kid. Um Landry Shammon, Shammon shamm Itt,
and um, you know you have Alexander you know, I mean,
I mean these these that's a great core. Now you
add a couple of stars there with Jerry West in
the back, you know, like the Wizard of Oz, you
know where he goes. It's just like gold I mean,
I like my chances there. It's just like, you know,
(10:54):
if you have a healthy Lebron and he has some
sidekicks like an a d or Kyrie or Jimmy, But
I love my chances to get into the finals with
that guy. That's just what it is. Tom Brady, I
love my chances. Right. Half of his career, he's been
to the Super Bowl, Mike, That's what I'm liking. I'm
liking my chances so to you know, I mean, we
(11:16):
may be talking something different if if Golden State was healthy, right,
I'm loving my chances if they're healthy. It's just what
it is. Be sure to catch live editions of the
Doug Dot Leap Show weekdays in noon eastern three pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the I Heart Radio app.
There is some news from the NBA involving Anthony Davis,
as reports say he's likely to take his bonus, his
(11:38):
trade bonus for being dealt by the Pelicans to the Lakers,
which would make the Lakers, if he's dealt on July six,
make their salary cap situations shrink a little bit from
about seven million to twenty three million dollars. And this
is This is where normal guy versus athlete gets really
really in a gray area, Katino, Because if a normal
(11:59):
guy like myself, for anybody who who's working, whether it
be at the store down the street and their own
business at the factory, if a bonus is given to them,
they are going to take the bonus right, no matter what.
But they're Anthony Davis's bonus is going to hinder the
Lakers ability to add pieces around him and Lebron James.
(12:21):
So if you're Anthony Davis, would you have had any
reservation of exercising that trade bonus for four million dollars?
So you gotta think about it like this, Right, they'll
figure it out in such a way where it's gonna
work for everyone. Um, I'm thinking they're They're creativity will
be something similar to how Miami Heat got Lebron d
Wade and Chris bosh um Uh. Anthony Davis uh is
(12:46):
managed by one of Lebron's best friends, right and uh
and and and so in saying that, I think, like
you know, Maverick and Rich and those guys they're gonna
make They're gonna be creative and make it to where
uh they have the highest possibility to go to the finals.
So and whatever the case that is. I think, um,
a few of those guys are gonna have to bite
(13:07):
the bullet a little bit. And um and because they're
younger too, right there, they're not you know, the thirty
four year old Lebron James. And I think once they
go to the finals and hopefully win it, uh, they'll
they'll see uh some some you know, some money at
the end of the road. Uh. I'll say this when
(13:27):
when you're anybody and your work, don't ever think that
the the company is gonna be like you know, we
we saw those overtime hours you've put over in the
last ten years or so. Here's your No, take what
they give you an exercise. It doesn't know. We don't
need the bonus. No, I don't need this vacation that
no utilize it. That's what it's there for. That's all
Anthony Davis is doing. It was in the contract. Take
(13:48):
the four million bucks. I mean, I know it's well,
I I talk about optics a lot of like this
doesn't look good. You've got to weigh the optics and
what's what's reallyas there. But if there's a a bonus
in your contract, even if you force the trade, I say,
still cash in on it. And that's what Anthony Davis
is doing. Yeah yeah again, like if he does great,
I mean I'm pretty sure they'll be you know, I
(14:09):
think for the Lakers they need a bench. Um of course, right,
um and um. I would rather have a bench than
to have another guy who's got to do less than
he's used to doing for a Big three. I just
I would. I mean, look at the finals, Kevin Durant
goes down, you still have to play and staff their benches.
Their Brench is terrible. Yeah, their benches terrible. Seriously, like
(14:33):
and and listen, Quinn Cook. Maybe the stage is too big, McKinney.
Maybe the stage was too big. Maybe they didn't get
the rhythm. Whatever it is, but this is your time
to shine. Andrew Bogan, you've played. You're older, right, like
Sean Livest you're older. You know, you've played. Uh, we
don't expect much from you guys, just to be able
to you know kind of. Yeah. Well it got so
(14:55):
bad they had to bring Bogan back from Australia, like
they just there there was there was no Oh I
understood the DeMarcus Cousins signing and the value of it.
I didn't think that it would work out, and I'm
not gonna hold the injury against but the point is
is you still needed to bring him in on a
deal because you were so worried about what you could
do defensively at the rim. That's a bad sign. And
(15:16):
I think they brought him in because they knew they
were going at the meat that you know, you always
get pounded on the boards, so they they and uh
and being having DeMarcus uh, you know, not a hundred
percent um and it's just it's just tough. It's Toronto
had an amazing They had eight guys that can play defense,
(15:37):
eight of them one on one defense. It's not a
lot of teams that have that. You gotta think about that,
Like from the one to the two, three, four or
five starting five, all of them played one on one defense.
Then you got guys coming off the bench, all of
them play one on one defense. So I mean, you're
not lacking at all. Maybe the offensively, you know, but
I guess what Van Vleet making his threes, Ibaka making
(15:59):
his shots like Pole comes in with energy. Like they
had the perfect team to be able to take down
now Grant, I have additions of the Doug dot Leap
Show week days in noon eastern three pm Pacific. The
(16:20):
Boston Celtics, according to The Boston Globe, have basically been
ghosted by Kyrie Irving. There were reports that Kyrie was
going to opt out of his contract to become a
free agent. We knew that was gonna happen. We knew
that that's that was going to be the the operation
for Kyrie Irving entering this soft season. But what Adam
Himmel's back of the Boston Globe says, and Adam is
(16:41):
a friend of the show. It's been on with Doug
a bunch of times, saying, quote, the strangest part of
the Irving situation right now is that it appears he
has essentially ghosted on the Celtics. The people within the
organization that he has spoken with have made it clear
that they've had little if any communication with Irving in
recent weeks. Range that's what he does. That's that's kind
(17:04):
that's just like what he does. Like why why are
we listen? My mom always said, if a person shows
you who you are, believe him, and he's been showing
him who he was. The whole season, you know, like
why is why is what he's doing now such a
surprise or strange or you know what I mean? Like, well,
I think that they need information on how they are
going to proceed. It's open ended. He's always made things
(17:27):
open and yes, right, so at the end of the day, right,
like you know, you have a core, you you have Tatum,
you have Brown, you have Rosier, you have Smart, you
have Al Horford. Right, guess what forget him? The owner
of the team said he likes last year's team better
than this yours team. He came out and said that, yeah,
so just forget about it. Well, this is this is
(17:48):
the problem though, This is this is the problem when
when you have a family dinner and your in laws
and their family of seven are coming over and there's
only eleven people in the family, you need to know
if they're gonna R S V P or not, because
you need to know on how much you spend and
make it work to make it work, how much hamburger
(18:09):
do I need to buy? How many hot dog buns
do I need to buy? Because your family of seven
is the reason that I am going to buy all
of this food. And if you're not that's but if
you're not considerate enough to R S v P. Guess
what some of y'all not gonna eat. You're not eat
a lot. How about that one? Just like him? You
guess what? You're not gonna dangle me already have a team.
(18:34):
This is not Memphis, this is not you know, one
of those teams that didn't make the playoffs, and we
need you so bad. We have a core group of
guys that we can go back to the Eastern Conference
finals or at least the second round. I'm okay, bye, Yeah,
I'm cool. That's that's the issue with dragging around. But
I think there's a bigger there's a bigger issue with
(18:54):
the Boston Celtics. And this is the issue that I
have seen and and I will bring up just for
the simple fact of as I seem to always do
this when it comes to the Celtics, but Katino, the
Celtics last title in two thousand and eight is eleven
seasons ago. And the Danny Ainge trade of of Kevin
Garnett and Paul Pierce to Brooklyn for all those draft
(19:17):
picks and the deal that they made ended up not
turning into an NBA title, and your biggest move really
was to then, all right, we are going to make
a move. We are going to acquire Kyrie Irving in
a trade with the Cavaliers, and in that trade, considering
what happened to the Cavaliers and the pieces they got,
came out pro Celtics. But it still hasn't turned into
(19:39):
an NBA title. So I look at the Celtics as
the thirty eight year old who was being dumped by
their fiance because they reportedly want to meet with Kyrie.
They want to meet with him before the draft to
let his intentions known. Where where Kyrie and the fiance
are saying, no, this relationship is over with, don't you
don't We don't need to have a face to face
that this thing is is done with. But it seems
(20:01):
like the Celtics almost want that confirmation that they want
to know because they are so far down the road
of and they haven't cashed in yet. And that's what
the year old fiancee is like, I should have had
a husband and and and and kids by now, and
now all of a sudden, this plan has gone out
the window. What am I going to do? That's the
position of the Boston Celtics are in if they want
(20:23):
to talk to Kyrie Irving. Listen, listen. The Celtics are
the is the is, the is the female right yeah, yeah,
So guess what. Hopefully you have an education, you have
a trade, you have a great job, right, and you've
got some money in the bank, which they all have.
The Celtics have it all. Guess what? Bye bye. They
have been waiting for Mr. Wright for six or seven years,
(20:46):
and the thought that he came in, they thought that
maybe this was the guy because they had waited so long,
and now Kyrie Irving isn't that guy, and they've realized
that they've maybe wasted two years, that they've maxed out
one of their credit cards on him, and now you're
sitting there wondering what are we gonna do next. That's like,
if the Boston Celtics do move forward with the core
(21:06):
that they have without without Kyrie Irving, how good are
they at the Eastern Conference? Do you really think that
they're better than Milwaukee? I do? I think they're better Milwaukee.
You know what I would go. I would go after
DeAndre Jordan's also, So that's gonna be the piece with
Then who's then Gordon Hayward's there their star. You bring
(21:27):
back Al Horford. I think tatums their star. Taut. I
Thinkyword and Tatum can play with each other and you
can forget about Brown, like you know what I mean,
like he's he's really good. I like, yeah, I like
that Rose Year is really good, right, Marcus smarts really good,
you know, and they played their they played their positions
pretty well. So if you you know, you bring a
(21:48):
rim protector like a DeAndre Jordan's that can, uh, you know,
play up and down with the Al Horford. I mean,
I like that team without Kyrie. I like that team,
you know, I think they'll build more. I think they were, uh,
their hands were tied as far as the younger guys, right,
because they respected Kyrie so much that the true game
didn't come out. And I think with him gone, I
(22:11):
think that helps Rosier and all the young guys. Tatum
and I think that they've become blossom and Tatum becomes
their you know, their franchise players. No an argument could
be made that that's where you're putting your eggs in
your basket, and that that that duo of Tatum and
Brown with the assistance of Gordon Hayward can become because
that's the NBA now, the six eight guy can do
everything and blah blah blah can switch every play. That's
(22:33):
what Golden State was so good at, right, switching everything defensively,
you know, having I cus all of them have high
accus in Boston. How much do you believe that the
Celtics believe in Jason Tatum as opposed to they didn't
want to be the team to deal Jayson Tatum? I
think do you think they really truly believe they? Yeah,
(22:53):
he's because he's young too. I mean he's he's young,
and he showed he showed his son he was a
young freshman a ship, but he showed his first year,
he showed up. You know he should have between him
and I think, what was it, Mitchell? It was you
know the truthfully would have been rookie the year you know, yeah,
Ben Simmons, Ben Simmons, but I mean Ben Simmons had
(23:15):
a year underneath his belt in the pros. Yeah, even so,
I'm going I'm going more with the guys that their
first their actual first year. I just I I look
at I look at where the Celtics are, and and
and you look at Kyrie and I'm sorry. You know,
Kyrie's history isn't isn't sparkling either. I mean, I mean
there was you know, a season season at Duke where
(23:37):
he's injured, he goes to the Calves and they end up,
uh not winning. Then you go with a couple of years, yes, yeah,
they didn't win. Then all of us you go to Boston,
and now you've got you know, this roller coaster. So
it's it's it's never been, it's never been. All right,
We're cool here With Kyrie, there's always seems to be
you know there there seems to be something with him.
(23:58):
I just look at the Celtics and and and whether
whether Kauai goes to the Western Conference or stays in
the East. I just don't know if you can like,
you like the addition of DeAndre Jordan's but I like
there the culmination of their team. I'm trying to figure
(24:18):
out the perfect way to say this, but I don't
think that that team is good enough to get to
the NBA Finals with what Milwaukee has. The well, they
just beat him in five games, do you think taking
I think they beat him in five game. It's different.
I think they beat him in five games. It's like
when you and your if things are going a little
(24:40):
in the home life, if things aren't as well, then
when you leave home and you still have that on
your mind, when you're going to around your friends and
different people, you're not your true self because you had
that in the back of your mind subconsciously. So now
when I go out there, I'm not who I was before,
when everything was you know, clicking on all cylinders, the
(25:01):
basketball's rhythm sport. So all throughout this whole year, the
Boston Celtics has never been to their fullest potential, especially
the younger guys. They've always played through Kyrie. Kyrie hasn't
played through them. They played through Kyrie, which put them
in a setback from the year prior when those guys
show that they can play in the NBA. So that's
kind of that hurted them. So that now when you're
(25:23):
playing against Milwaukee and Milwaukee has a strategy in Milwaukee's
already set in Milwaukee knows exactly what they're doing. You
don't know what you're getting from. Um, a person who's
shooting seven for twenty two or eight for twenty two
and the same next game, Oh, well, I won't do
I won't do that again. No, you won't. You shot
seven for twenty two and then you shot six for
twenties something the next game. So I mean in three games,
(25:46):
you're shooting sixties eight times in three games, whereas other
guys should be able to get that ball and more rhythm.
You know what I mean? You No, that makes sense.
But I also think, now if we want to compare
the Celtics, the argument that the Warriors were better without
Kevin Durant, and it's a it's Doug has talked about
this topic a lot, and the point being of they
(26:06):
aren't better like they they aren't a better team without
Kevin Durant. And so I look at the Celtics kind
of in the same way of like for everything that's there,
I just don't think that they are better without Kyrie
Irving just because of who Kyrie Irving is and when
you look at the team that they have, and and
it's not just Milwaukee, and I don't put Toronto in
(26:27):
just because we don't know if Kauai is going to
be back or not, but you still have Philadelphia there. Uh,
hopefully for Indiana, Victor Oladipo can come back and and
be healthy, and there's a question, but you also have
Brooklyn maybe knocking on the door, depending if Kyrie goes there.
The I just think that there there there are some
challenges there for Boston and for them to just and
all this time of them wanting, of of stockpiling these
(26:50):
draft picks and building this organization and then waiting for
the right time and then you strike and you strike out.
Really on the Kyrie situation, I just don't know how
much of a success it truly is. Is if now
all of a sudden Kyrie leaves and then you're kind
of just gonna go back to the waiting game again
and just take what you have. And that's where I
just don't think Boston has has cashed in and it's
gone on for a long long time. I mean, even
(27:13):
if they win the East, they're not going to win
an NBA title. I think with the team that they have.
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
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Sports Vincent Goodwill saying that the relationship between Chris Paul
(27:34):
and Rockets scard James Harden is quote unsalvageable end quote,
and that Paul wants out of Houston as a result. Now,
this from the report, the delicate relationship between Harden and
Paul was termed unsalvageable as the players want to divorce.
Paul went to Rockets management demanded to trade and hearted
Harden issued a hymn or me edict following the Rockets
(27:56):
second round loss to the Golden State Warriors. That's according
to sources. Another source says that there's no respect at
all on either side that they need to get away
from another. Chris doesn't respect James is standing in the league,
and James doesn't respect the work that Chris has put
into this point. Of course, Chris Paul is in your
one of a four year deal that paid him one
(28:17):
hundred and sixty million dollars. Any of this shocking to
you as we hear this word now coming out of Houston,
it's it's it's it's not shocking to me. Uh. You know, listen,
this is a fraternity, so you know, we kind of
know each other and after a while, who you are
is who you are, so your true self comes out
(28:37):
whether it's in the locker room or it's outside. And
and this was more so in the locker room kind
of thing. Um and uh, you know, Chris being such
a competitor, and whether it's with New Orleans or or
Clippers and now with the Houston Rockets, it's always been
some bumping into heads and some type of format, whether
it's a you know, a player of some sword or
(29:00):
whatever it is. Uh, I think it comes off wrong
because Chris is so competitive and he wants to win,
and he knows his clocks. His clock is ticking big time.
Is in his four team season and for the past
I don't know, eight or nine seasons he's been um,
you know, not to the best of his ability because
of injuries has plagued him. Um. You know James, you know,
(29:22):
happy go lucky guy who's a competitor as well. And
you know James never really bummed heads with people as much.
And I think, you know, having that history of Chris
being so authoritative kind of thing and very forceful, and
his message maybe comes out the wrong way. I think,
you know, he's the one with the matches in his
pocket everything where he goes, it's this smoke there is
(29:44):
it seems like and now you know when you're a
superstar that Chris was, and now you're just you know,
you're you're declining star because you're in your fourth team
season and having this many injuries. I think, um, you
subconsciously know that you're you don't have that much time left,
so as a sense of urgency, and sometimes that sense
of urgency comes off wrong when you're wanting the team
(30:07):
or you wanting players to be or do certain things.
And you know, James being in his prime, you know
he's not going for it right, it's his team and
you came on my team kind of thing. Uh, And
and neither guys wrong. Both guys are competitive. But again, uh,
it's it's you know, James not picking up calls people
don't you know, f like here and all the bickering
and talking everything like that. It's it's it's a shame.
(30:30):
It's like that because Chris has what he's a hundred
and twenties something millionals left on his contract. I don't
know where you're gonna move them to. Who's gonna take
that on an unhealthy point guard? I don't know. Yeah,
to that point that that's why you know, for for
all of the moneyball, the the stats that you look
at how you want to put together a team, when
you look at the NBA like the the Rockets, and
(30:53):
how you look at numbers, and how how the front
office went about constructing their team. It all went out
to win. When you said we're gonna pay Chris Paul
this much money, and really, Katino, it was for the
season that just passed because you were so close at
winning an NBA title or getting at least to the
NBA Finals. You're up three two on the Warriors, and
(31:15):
then your point guard or goes down and you lose
the final two. So you're like, all right, let's run
it back again. But the only way you were able
to run it back was to make sure that Chris
Paul got his money. So now you're paying him a
hundred and sixty million dollars basically for that one season
because and and that's and that's where they were done
in But with all that being said, I look at
(31:36):
it like this, and and as you said, it's gonna
be difficult for the Rockets to trade and because of
that money. But James Harden probably needs Chris Paul more
than Chris Paul needs needs James Harden, and I say
that for the for this point of James Harden's career,
in my mind, is one that can be extremely elevated
by an NBA title, So he needs to have people
(31:56):
around him to help him get to that point. Chris
Paul is at a point in his career or I
think he just needs an NBA title, not not to
just he needs that a part of his a part
of his resume. But I don't think it would elevates
who Chris Paul is. I think Chris Paul is who
he is, where James Harten has that ability to rise
(32:17):
up to another level with the title. So in a
rare instance, it's the better player who maybe needs the
lesser player. In my mind, as you look at these
two who are potentially headed for a divorce, does that
make any sense? No, it does, it does. It's it's
but again like it's kind of like the Kyrie Everything,
you know, where Chris Paul's. Does Chris Paul know that
(32:37):
he's declining? Does he know he's not gonna be one
eversing healthy and he's not gonna be able to take
over games? And when you thirty something games by himself
during the season. I don't know if that's in his mindset.
His mindset maybe you know what, if I wasn't hurt
last year, we could have been X Y and Z
initi year coming up. This past year, I think hurt
them because he got hurt so early, and then James
(33:00):
had to carry the team from fourth team placed all
the way up into fourth place. And it got James
into a rhythm where Chris Paul had to fit in
to a system now because James was more of the
one man's show and they kind of wasted a year
for Chris, right. So I again, it's the mentality, you know,
the Michael Connolly's of the world. I see him fitting
(33:23):
with James because he knows how to you know, he
he's never been the superstar anyway, right, but he's a
really good player, right, He's a star in himself. And
I think you know him playing for Memphis and when
Powell and and I mean Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph
was there with Tony Allen and those guys, he was
the core of that group where he, you know, made
(33:45):
sure everybody eight and and and the the team was run, right.
I think James needs someone like that. Because James gonna
dominate the balls. You have two guys on the team
that literally throughout their career with James and Chris who
as far as handling the ball and dominating the ball,
they're too highest of the top five in the whole league.
Why would you have them together? And you think that's
going to well? Yeah, I and and I think that
(34:06):
James Harden's game is misunderstood for the simple facultino. There
was a lot made during the season of how many
games James Harden would score on a basket that has unassisted.
But that doesn't mean he's necessarily a ball hog, considering
that he's always been top ten NBA in assists. Just
(34:27):
to me, and that tells me that James Harden is
the Rockets best option of scoring and and when he
has possession. And to me, it's it's a lot different
of James Harden scoring thirty three points per game, you know,
as he as he averaged throughout the season and having
seven assists, as opposed to another player averaging thirty three
points a game and having one assist. Like the The
option for the Rockets option A is always for James
(34:51):
Harden to shoot the ball and if that's that's where
it goes. Then great. I I think that sometimes we
look at him as like a a ball hog, and
I don't think that is who he is. It's just
always the best option for James Harden to have the
ball in his hands. So that wasn't James coming into
the NBA. James was a playmaker. And have you seen
him when he was against when he was playing with
(35:13):
Okay See and Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant and the
fourth quarter of James took took control of the ball
and was was able to assist everyone. Uh. And then
when he went to the rockets, he wasn't a ball haul.
He spread the ball around. Just that this past year
with all the injuries with Clint Capela and Chris Paul
and you didn't really have uh dominant scores besides himself
(35:35):
on the team. It's what I have to do at
the moment, and it's working, so let me just keep
doing it. Do you think about it? From December until
the end of the season, they had the second best record,
and offensively and defensively right they were top in the league.
So it's not like he was doing anything wrong. It's
just that he might have you know, just they had
(35:55):
a more gas. Be sure to catch live editions of
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