December 22, 2025 • 43 mins
Can the Clippers make some noise vs the Rockets…? We'll find out.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
What is going on?
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Clippers fans, Welcome to a random holiday season clips and
dip happy hour.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Hang I am Chuck Mockler.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
If you're listening to this on audio and you miss this,
you can always find us at YouTube dot com slash
at Clippers podcast, like and subscribe, set and alert, and
you can hang out during the happy hour streams. There's
been another week of news. I guess we got the
zoo box injury that happened. He's out for three weeks.
(00:44):
The Clippers have to play one of their toughest matchups
kind of one of everybody's toughest matchups in the Rockets
coming up.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
They thankfully.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
We got the dub We got our seventh against the Lakers,
so we can really we can eye this eighth win.
I don't necessarily think the Clippers are going to beat
the Rockets tomorrow. There just is a bunch of not
a bunch of stuff. There's one big thing to talk about,
(01:17):
and that's gonna be what Brook Lopez and Yanick are
gonna look like for the Clippers because Yanick is available.
Joey Lynn tweeted out some footage of Harden working with Yanick,
which is cool to see and Derek Jones Junior did
portions of practice today, which is great. Sure the season
(01:39):
is completely lost, but we can look at some positive things, right,
Derek Jones Junior coming back is good. Alex Webb asking
if Yanick is gonna start, I do not think so.
He has been hurt recently. I think I think Lopez
is probably starting my expectations for this game. I wonder
(02:04):
why you're possibly thinking, why does he seem so positive.
My expectations for this game are that we lose, but
let's lose with dignity. We saw some really good stuff
from Kawhi last game. LA Clippers film talks about this
a lot, but when Kawhi is grabbing boards, it shows
he's engaged. Tylo said basically the same thing tonight or
(02:26):
today at practice. So Kawhi was great with the effort
last game on the boards, and we're gonna need, obviously
more of that, more of the same with Zubots being out.
So I do not think someone in the chat is
saying Zubot's injury can be a blessing in disguise. I
(02:47):
do not think it is a blessing in disguise, and
I do not think that Brook Lopez's performances have been
like I think Brook Lopez was in the doghouse probably
because he's been bad, would be my take on it.
It's not like he played well or anything like that.
So that's really kind of my take with that. Yeah,
(03:12):
I was trying, Alex, I'm saying kind of up and
down lately. I was trying to I feel like Houston
is up and down. But they just have a much
better roster than the Clippers do. I mean, Reed Shepherd
is going to kill us. I think he's very good.
(03:33):
They just lost a heartbreaker and ot against the Kings.
I think there's chances for the Clippers to play well.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
For sure.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Lopez is starting probably I should say, we don't know
that for sure, but it just seems like I don't
see that responsibility going to Yannick, which poses some new
weird stuff, right like with Lopez shooting ability, now we
can have Collins as the screener or something like that,
Right with with Lopez pulling guys out of the paint
(04:08):
for their defensive coverages because it was ranged, So like,
there's some interesting stuff that could happen, albeit against it's
gonna have to happen against a really good defense. I'm
not trying to short change Houston at all. I said
off top, I think we lose, but let's lose with dignity.
I don't think we'll see any small ball verus Houston.
(04:29):
I can't see that going well. Actually, I think we'll
see it. I just don't think it'll be overall very good.
So yeah, it's it's gonna be interesting. Uh Yanick is
the backup five. Tyleru was playing Coy a little bit
(04:50):
and practice today. I think he said we'll see or
I'm not sure about Yanick being in the the rotation.
So it's gonna be it's gonna be interesting. And we're
in trade season right like things are going to probably happen.
Lawrence Frank likes trades. I think there's gonna be a trade.
(05:15):
I don't know how big of a trade it's gonna be.
I did say if the Clippers are thinking about if
the Clippers end up trading kind of one of the
big three Kawhi James Hardener eats Zubots, they should just
try and.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Get everybody out. I don't know, because that just doesn't seem.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
I don't see a move or losing one of those guys,
makes them even closer to this five hundred goal, which
we know there's a goal that they want to end
up going thirty five and twenty. That was said before
the Lakers game. I mean, I guess that it was
something to go for until Zoo got hurt. But Zoo
(05:54):
being out three weeks I think makes going thirty five
and twenty pretty difficult.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Okay, that is a sign for yan A great call.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
I cannot I do not know uh Chinese, so I
cannot say your name, uh Ray said. Rockets dominated by
King's backup rookie center Renault. Maybe that is a sign
for Yick the second the season is for the most
part not over, creeping towards being over. So let's find
(06:24):
some positives. I don't know if you guys.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Saw the.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
What let's even play on here? We had hardened working
with Yanik in the pick and roll, which is pretty cool.
Credit Joey l In for this. So it's like that's
good to see, right, lose with dignity? How do you
lose with dignity? You know, run on the pick and
roll with the rookie center who has to play backup?
(06:54):
Chunk vv says, if we beat the Rockets, I'm all
the way back in. Unfortunately, what is being all the
way back in look like?
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Though?
Speaker 1 (07:02):
You know what I mean? What does what does that
look like with this team?
Speaker 2 (07:06):
Is if you're all the way back in on this team,
does that mean you think they can get to five hundred?
I think that's what all the way back is. Yeah,
I think, well, it depends on I would rather it
for picks. And I think realistically with with the teams
that are looking to trade, like, I don't know what
(07:27):
youth we get. I'm not going to kill you for that.
I think it's annoying when people say just blow it
up or something like that.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
But it's like.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
My point was, if we trade hard and just get
every just ship everybody, all right, what have we gotten here?
But yeah, I think the issue, a big issue tomorrow specifically,
is going to be the pressure on uh Lopez and
(08:02):
Collins not ideal dribbling guys for the Clippers. So there's
gonna be a bunch of pressure shootos the guys touch
the ball because the Rockets are gonna want them to
put the ball on the floor. Usually bad things happen
when that happens too often, So that's something to watch
for tomorrow. Again's focus on the positives. Kawhi keeps grabbing boards.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
We like that.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Harden continues to you know, do his thing to carry
the team's offense. The Rockets do have a full rotation
for tomorrow night. Per law Murray, everyone is good to go.
So oh it's going to It's probably gonna be rough,
but I'm looking for some some positives here. Someone's asking
(08:52):
chalk Talk the MPJ Cam Thomas rumors. Are any of
those rumors that real? We talked about it on the
last live. I think I don't really see that. Feels
like a very not fun lateral move to me. MPJ
is having a great year. He's hurt all the time.
Kim Thomas would be cool. I guess chunk VV saying
(09:19):
we match up well with the Rockets. I don't know
that we do match up well with the Rockets. They
are very young and play really good defense, and our
offense is bad. So I don't know if I necessarily
agree with the match up well with them. I don't
know if we match up well with anybody right now.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Unfortunately, what's the spread? We're not usually a gambling pod,
but what's the spread on this game.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
All right, per some website that I have no idea
if it's a good one or not sportsbook Wire seven
point favorites. Okay, that's not crazy, that's a winnable game.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Uh yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
What I'm interested to see from this game other than
the usual you know, we need James Harden to be
his usual good self. We need to not turn the
ball over. We need Kawhitia grab boards and do all
of the other stuff. It's gonna take a lot. That
being said, hope for some good strides from Yanick. If
(10:35):
you're gonna watch this game and you want to find
one specific thing to focus on so maybe you're not
as upset at the game as a whole. Let's hope
that Yanick plays well, right, Let's focus on that ideally,
And let's hope that you know, Patuna looks good as
(10:56):
the other backup five because that's the other part for
people who wanted to see patumah five minutes. We are
there basically FARTI Cakes asking are we any closer to
learning of a return day for Derek Jones Jr. Having
one or two of Derek Jones Jr. And Done on
(11:17):
the floor are both at the same time makes Uh
makes them more optimistic about the defense. Lost you there
with some of the type posts, but I understand uh
not closer to knowing an exact return date For Derek
Jones Jr. I don't think we'll ever get one of
those until it's like two days away. But he was
practicing for some portions of today's practice, so I think
(11:43):
it's safe to say that he's progressing faster than people
thought he would to come back from this injury. I
think Law said first week of January or something is
when he saw it. He thought him coming so sooner
than expected. Uh would be the thing. But Tom has
(12:06):
been I don't know if but Tumb's been horrible this year.
He's looked a little old for sure, but he's still
shooting well from the outside and he can kind of
make things happen.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
That is who the bad the backup center is going
to be.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
Regional manager Michael Scott asking, Uh, No, I saw the
Clippers are sorry, the Rockets are seven point favorites. I
saw the Rockets as seven point favorites. Don't take any
betting advice from this pod would be my advice.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Yeah, we need.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
But the point from that question that I also agree with,
is Derector and Junior and Dunn on the floor at the.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Same time would be really helpful.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Adam was worried about losing some of the defensive identity
by making the initial Beal trade and the Collin stuff,
so I understand, Yeah, it would be nice to have
the defense play better with those two guys.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Hope everyone else has a good holidays as well. Yes,
it does make more sense if the Clippers were seven
point favorites. Some horrible injury news was about to break
if that would have been the case. But yeah, I
think at this point, uh oh, Adam Oslin.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
Hell, hey, hey, what's going on?
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Just I was talking about fun things to maybe focus
on during tomorrow's game to take away from being disappointed
of what the actual result might be.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
And I was saying, it's good that we get to
see Yonick time.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
Yeah, I am dangerously high on Yonick, which does sound
like a type of drug. And I know he's on
the older side for a rookie, but in basketball years,
having actual experience of playing the game, you still relative
relatively young, and something I talked about a little bit
last night. But people were lamenting the fact that Clippers
(14:06):
didn't go out and get cock Renner, who's more of
a finished product or a guy who can really help
you now. And we're seeing that with Charlotte, even though
they're not winning games either. Yannick does have the higher ceiling.
They took a swing at the guy with a much
higher ceiling. So what we've seen so far in Summer League,
(14:26):
to me, was really encouraging because while he is on
the youthful side when it comes to basketball experience, he's
shown off like some innate ability out there with his
instincts and his handle. His handle is shockingly good for
(14:47):
a big man. The play against the Lakers where he
took it from half court and yammed on somebody. I
forget who was out there. It was G leaguer, so
not even the guys in the league maybe right now,
but it was special, Like you can't teach that type
of stuff, Like it's really unique to have some of
the skills set he already does while he's still growing
(15:09):
in the game.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Did he have some weird growth sprit or something or
used to play point guard at some point I thought
I saw something floating around that when he just from
that handle perspective, like I think he grew up not
playing center the whole time because he was a tall kid. Basically,
maybe not saying he should, like, get we're not close
to point Yannick minutes.
Speaker 1 (15:32):
I'm not saying that at all, but just that feel
is nice.
Speaker 3 (15:35):
Yeah, he can put the ball on the floor a
little bit. Uh. He had another play where he took
it to the basket I think in the preseason from
the top of the arc, and it was really eye opening. Yeah.
And then the one thing I do know is when
I went back and watched interviews at Penn State, one
(15:58):
of the the interview sessions I saw was that his
teammates had all been saying he's actually the best shooter
on the team, And I was like, what, And you
look at his shot form. I think there's really something there.
I don't know what he's been shooting in the G league.
(16:18):
I know he's hit a three.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
Let me see if their stats are really it's.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Hard to Yeah, they're not easily available.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Why aren't they just a spreadsheet? Like, can't we just
put this ship in a normal format? I like this
point from Alex Webb. Harden raises every center's floor. So
if any if we're gonna see some Harden Yick minutes
which give him the personnel. There's a non zero chance
(16:48):
we see that at least tomorrow. He's in a nice
He has one of the best pairings to have, right
if it's your So hopefully he looks competent next to
James Harden, who is going to be doing some heavy
lifting of helping him look confident.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
Yeah, and specifically and just having another rim runner out there,
which Harden is used to having all the time. And
as good as Zubots is, he's not the greatest. He's
not as good as Capella was in that area or
some of the guys that Harden has worked with in
the past. That's just a vertical threat like that Janick is.
(17:27):
And the footage from practice we saw today with them
working together kind of makes you think he's going to
get minutes, especially against a big team like the Rockets,
where really stinks not to have a Visa's hubas in
this one, since he just had thirty three points against
them and was destroying their front line, including Steven Adams.
But uh yeah, I would expect them to share the
(17:48):
cord at times, and he can be the training wheels
for for Yonick getting him accustomed to the rim running role,
and I don't think because they haven't let Visa Zubos
do it. But Yannick I don't think is going to
be taking three pointers out there, but he has attempted
some in the summer league in preseason. They'd have to
(18:10):
leave him wide open. Just Darren N she be like, okay, whatever,
uh to get away with that, I guess. But his
shot form does look really, really smooth and effortless. So
when his Penn State teammates said that, it raised an
eyebrow for me and just something to track with this
player as we can't track any of his numbers apparently.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
Dude, I'm trying to pull up his stats right now,
and like the only stats on the G League site
are from the tip Off tournament where he took one
three a game and shot twenty two. So I'm not
saying he's he's lighting it up from three. I do
agree the form is there there is He also seems
(18:54):
like he has a little bit of the rookie wild
hair where he's like, maybe I can make this play,
which is usually something you don't want rookies to have.
You probably don't want Yanick to have it. Too much,
but like, I don't know, I'm excited to see the
It's such a funny difference, right because we're gonna have
a very old starting center in brook Lopez, who knows
(19:17):
how to move well in for professional basketball, and then
we have Yanick who is basically like a deer on
ice skates but has the athleticism to make things happen.
It's a tough test against the Rockets, but like.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
I'm looking forward to it.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
I hope we talked about this a little bit with
Joey Lynn yesterday, But it's gonna be interesting with Collins
and Lopez kind of in that pick and roll with
Harden now, because Lopez can pull the defense out if
he's not the screener and Collins is the guy making
the read.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Yeah, I think that'll be a lot of what we see.
Whenever Collins has played the five, they ran it a
little bit with pick and a roll to some success.
So I assume he'll be sitting screen for James Harden
and Lopez will keep the floor stretched. We'll definitely get
to see that. And again, they played next to one
another in the preseason and during the first few weeks
(20:09):
of the season and the second units. So there's familiarity
there between those two at the four and the five,
so it's not, you know, completely unfamiliar territory for the
Clippers to have those two on the court once again.
Maybe that's the blessing in disguise of John Collins starting
off the year with the backups. It's not like he
(20:31):
has taken off, although as of recent games he's been
playing better, but it's not like he's been amazing with
the starters so far. Maybe this will help both guys
get things going a little bit. They're certainly going to
need it against the Houston Rockets. But John Collins and
his athleticism, I think I'm not sure what he had
(20:56):
in the first game against them, but the last two
games he's had twenty points. He's had seven teen points.
I think he was seven of ten. And then win
over the Lakers. He hit two three pointers in that game,
which is good to see. He was two or three
from the outside. That shot has still been evading him
so far this season. If he's gonna have a progression
to the mean, it's gonna be a pretty drastic one
(21:17):
where he's gonna hit him. I have a game maybe
where he hits five threes kipping where he's been the
last two years and how poorly he's shot so far
this year from three.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Yeah, so he had seventeen against Lakers, twenty against the Thunder,
he was five for ten. Against the Grizzlies, he had
ten points. December eleventh against the Rockets, he was he
was three for seven for nine points, no boards, two
assistance steals.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
The board game. So that's the thing though.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
Board.
Speaker 3 (21:47):
It's the Rockets. They are historically great with offensive rebounds.
They killed the Clippers in that game, which the Clippers
were still in anyways. But yes, he has to be
at his best rebounding wise, and hopefully coming into this
game since he's just had twelve last time out, he's
got a little bit more confidence crashing the glass.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
Well, I like I like that him and Kawhi both
maybe got some more confidence crashing the glass, because when
Kawhi is crashing the glass, he's engaged, as Tyler said,
and we've seen kind of two games of it. Also,
College is only shooting thirty percent from three on the year.
That is that might.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
Be a career low just for a while three.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
And is since twenty two twenty three, when he shot
twenty nine percent, So it's his second career low because
every other year is above thirty five percent. Going back
to like twenty nineteen.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
And like, how many threes was he taking a game
back then compared to the last couple of years volume.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
Wise, Let me pull up Basketball Reference. Basketball Reference slows
my computer down there.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
I don't get it, so I don't get it every
time I open it. That's when my computer messes up.
So he's taking three a game this year. He was
at three point seven last year and then three point four,
three point four. He's at three effectively for his whole.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
So his best season when he averaged twenty two to
ten in the twenty nineteen twenty twenty season. Granted it
was only forty one games, but he shot forty percent
from three that year.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
On three and a half.
Speaker 3 (23:31):
Yeah, that's his highest output on Yeah, so like not,
but the last two seasons, we're talking.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
Over thirty six four hundred and threes.
Speaker 3 (23:42):
We're talking like four hundred attempts the last two years
combined in Utah. So that's decent volume. And he shot
about thirty eight percent combined those two years. And now
we're getting thirty percent from the outside, so there is
more to him in that area. Again, if it's going
to even.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
Two, because if you look at his two point percentage,
this is also one of his he's just having unfortunately
for him because it is a contract yere, he's having
literally his like worst shooting year ever from two to
three or close to it.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
Well. Yeah, his two point percentage just under sixty percent.
He has missed some layups in some games I've noticed
were like spacing wise. I don't think he's like he's
not aware where he is on the court at times,
or spokes a layup an easy one. He's missed a
dunk so far this season, so I think overall is
just bad luck, a rough start. Yeah, some bad luck
(24:37):
in there. It's probably in his head. The Clippers are losing,
you know, to add to it or to compound things
with him, it's just been a tough adjustment.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
He's trying to do more on defense too, which isn't
a bad thing. I'm just assuming the team is asking
him to try and do a little more on defense
because I mean, especially with injuries now, like we need
everyone to do a little more of everything.
Speaker 3 (24:57):
Yeah, they need they need some great rebounding performances tomorrow
night just to you don't need to play the Rockets
even just only get beat by ten in.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
The regions with dignity. That's what I was saying earlier
in the stream good process, lose with dignity. I feel
okay about it, Like I don't know, it's like I'm
not thinking this team's gonna win the finals, but we
can still play good basketball, like we can still we
can still at least semi enjoy watching the team pending
yeah play against the Rockets.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
The Rockets are also coming in, uh, pretty motivated since
they just lost a game in overtime in Sacramento and
lost another game to the Pelicans that they never should
have lost. Like up Big, They've had some late game
execution issues. They've blown and smoked a couple of games
recently where I think they're one in three the last
four games now. So Emo Odoka said after last night's
(25:56):
lost in Sacramento, and he needs to find other ways
to motivate them against lesser teams, and I think they're
looking at Doctors just one of the lesser teams.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
Wait, so we're gonna have to be the example game
of how the Rockets deal with the lesser team.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
God damn, I don't like that at all.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
I posted last night. One of my favorite SNL skits
was the the Decaf Coffee thing with Chris Farley where
they switched it out on him, like on hidden camera,
things like did you know you're actually drinking? He's like,
what you lied to me? And he fights everyone and
then at the end they ask him in an interview afterwards,
like how is he feeling? And he's got like a
(26:37):
bandage rap and he's in crutches and he's like angry.
That's how. That's how the Rockets are going to be
angry tomorrow night. So you are going to get their
best shot.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
Yes, how we respond it will be.
Speaker 2 (26:52):
I don't know if I have a bunch of confidence,
but I will say I have more confidence in how
this team will respond. Based on the the win against
the Lakers. Someone is saying they have the talent. We
don't have the talent though Clippers win tomorrow, zero doubt,
zero doubt from Alfonso Lopez that the Clippers win tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
Good for you, we'll see I doubt. I hope there's
no one around here likes keeping receipts, because that would.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
Be one I.
Speaker 2 (27:25):
Will say Alfonso respectfully has no doubt.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
He's not being rude about having no doubt.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
Yeah, he may relaxed.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Yeah, that's uh. I don't know, it's been. It's just
genuinely such a weird year. I just want to see
some small, some small things to improve on.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
Who is referencing eats a cat with me? They must
know I talk about that all the time. I did
reference the Terrible Thunderlivers Kvan Guy always saying when does
the hurting stop?
Speaker 1 (27:57):
I don't even know what.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
The Cat was a cartoon on Fox in the early
nineties that had like a two or three year run
and it was really well done, and it had like
parodies with pulp fiction and Jaws and stuff, and it
was kind of one of those things where if you know,
you know, if you were an adult watching it, you'd
get the jokes, but the kids just liked the craziness
and the animation. So this was like pre Pixar, but
(28:21):
it was on Fox. It was a great show. And
then there was a spinoff called Terrible thunder Lizards where
there was a couple of capen One was voiced by
al Borland from a Home improvement who now does like
the infomercials with the hond up. Yeah, he was the
nice one your card.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
Yeah, his name is Richard Carr.
Speaker 3 (28:44):
His buddy in it Bill or Bob or something like that.
He would always end up getting the short end of
the stick, where like a boulder would fall on him
at the end of the episode or a dinosaur step
on him. And his catchphrase was when does the hurting stopt?
And so I said that recently for the Clippers. I've
even going through this stretch.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
It stopped against the Lakers.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
Maybe we get some positivity against the Rockets.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
I don't.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
I'm not. We'll see.
Speaker 3 (29:18):
I uh, I do want to see because we had
a string of games where they were competitive and there
was dignity, and then they lost to Memphis when they
came back home off that road trip. Not just a
Memphis team, an under man Memphis team without Zach Edie
and a bunch of other guys and John Moran did
(29:39):
nothing in the game. They still lost and played terribly.
So yeah, I do as much as they need results
and not just process, it would still be meaningful to
see if you're gauging whether or not they're starting to
turn a corner. We need to see them play some
good basketball.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
At least that's where because that's what I'm trying to
reconcile with is to me, I don't. I'm also like,
just turning the corner has changed so many different ways
as this season has gone. I think because I'm like
just turning the corner, I mean, I think they're gonna
go thirty five and twenty.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
I don't think they're gonna.
Speaker 3 (30:17):
Do that.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
With Zoe being out. But now it's like, are they
turning a corner? In terms of all right, we still
have the fire and we gave Houston a good run
or whatever. Yanick is starting to develop a little bit,
Kobe Sanders is starting to develop a little bit, you
know what I mean, Like, I just I guess in
terms of fan expectation, I'm like, it sucks that it
(30:40):
really seems like we're we might miss the playoffs. So
let's let's try and find some positives because we're probably
gonna get a trade. Lawrence Frank trades every single trade deadline.
I just think based on history, we probably get one.
Speaker 1 (30:53):
So like, let's just.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
You know, get a couple of Yanick oops, Like, let's
see some small positives.
Speaker 3 (31:03):
Yeah, something to look forward to a glimpse of the
future with the young guys. I definitely don't want to
hear that they've quit on this season, because they have.
That's abundantly clear when you come out of games consistently
playing good basketball and doing the right things, and then
(31:23):
later on they're old and slow and tired, like, that's
not to me a team that quit. That's to me,
just a team that doesn't have enough in the tank.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
They're frustrated.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
Yeah, and there was mental hurdles, and they have admitted
that recently that this losing streak was as much mental
as it was physical. With just losing five straight nineteen
of twenty two, there was a lot of stuff going
against them. But they definitely, as we said, heading into
the Lakers game, they were tenth in net rating over
(31:55):
the ten games prior in first halves and thirtieth in
net rating and sea second halves over the ten games
before the Lakers game, So you could see if this
was a team that quit, that was sleepwalking into games
da just getting destroyed, that would be one thing. They
were actually starting games fast is what they've been doing
(32:17):
for the most part. They can't sustain it.
Speaker 2 (32:22):
We've all we all remember running the mile in gym
class and you do those those first two laps or
whatever and you're saying, I'm feeling great, and then you
don't get the Presidential Medal Fitness or whatever.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
Alex Webb, did you get one?
Speaker 3 (32:39):
I used to run like a five thirty in the mile,
so what I was really fast? I was? I was
ran track and cross country.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
But did you get the Presidential Metal Fitness Medal?
Speaker 3 (32:50):
I don't remember. That was like a thing for like
push ups and sit ups and run and involved.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
Dude, you had to do like a visit, reach an
arm hang, mile, shuttle run.
Speaker 3 (33:07):
I think the flexibility part of it killed me.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
Yeah, I mean that makes sense. What up, Eric we.
Speaker 3 (33:16):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (33:18):
Man, you know who's having a hell of a season. Eric,
Eric is putting out.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
Some of the worst, not worst, just most unhinged art,
and that's fantastic. Someone in the comments is talking about
a video of Tyloo throwing a clipboard at Kawhi.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
I don't know if that exists.
Speaker 2 (33:43):
Yeah, please send the clip Alex Webb was talking about
Smoothie Gait, which I thought was so funny because I
think it it shows how dry and funny of a
sense of humor Kauwhi has that people don't maybe understand.
Speaker 3 (34:02):
No, but also he really mumbled it's a lie, and
then he kept moved on and nobody picked up when
he said that's a lie. Yeah, so I sympathized with
till Mary asking the question at the end there everyone
would have missed it. I had to watch it multiple
times and turn up the sound to hear what the
hell Choy said? And he said it was a lie first,
(34:25):
right after dead panting saying, yeah, I threw it at
the Half World?
Speaker 2 (34:30):
In what world is Kawhi Leonard going to tell the
press that he threw a milkshake at Half? Like That's
what got me is I'm like, what do we?
Speaker 3 (34:42):
Well? Law was we Law was putting him under the
hot lamp and asking him about it, like, wait, did
you throw up? What happened? Because I guess it was
a huge mess. So like everybody was wondering, what the
hell's going on here?
Speaker 1 (34:57):
See that?
Speaker 2 (34:57):
So maybe remember a couple of seasons ago when Paul
George's car got in that hit and run and then
the Clippers went on that streak. He like posted the
kid's face on his ig and was like, who is
this guy, he just hit my car. I'm not crazy.
This happened someone in the chat. That is what I'm
talking about. Maybe this is our version of that. Maybe
(35:19):
this is the shakegate or whatever the shake bit is
the Clippers. Then we get a wacky team outing, which
I will say Chris Paul was correct for trying to
get a Halloween party calling. Maybe outing, you know, just
these little things, we need, small positive things.
Speaker 3 (35:37):
Something happened back in the day with Blake Griffin obviously,
remember he punched his buddy or whatever and broke his hand.
That was on the training staff. Yes, so somebody at
AM five seventy did a parody video song thing where
they said and hotline Bling had just come out and
(35:59):
they said, every time on Blake Griffin swings, Clippers go
on winning streaks. Is right afterwards. I guess they won
ten of thirteen or something. I don't know.
Speaker 2 (36:07):
Shake Kate, that's it was Pg's wife car Thank you,
Farty Cakes.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
I wasn't losing my mind. I remember that. Yeah, So
maybe we get a dumb after milkshake Kate, or we
just get you know.
Speaker 3 (36:22):
I'm concerned that Houston's very very.
Speaker 1 (36:25):
They're gonna be pissed. Off.
Speaker 2 (36:26):
No, I don't again, I said it right off top,
lose with dignity, good process. Just yeah, let it wash
over you. If you've never experienced the Clippers losing season before,
let it.
Speaker 3 (36:41):
Shake wash over you. Let the shake that Kawhi didn't
throw wash over you.
Speaker 2 (36:47):
We are all targets of the thrown milkshake that is
this NBA season for the Clippers. But I don't know
it's And do you have anything else to say? On
on I don't have anything about trade rumors. Nothing has
come out, nothing is substantial yet.
Speaker 3 (37:05):
No. I mean, the one thing I do wonder about
I kind of tiptoed around it last night, was if
this will the loss of zubots, if this will turn
it into more of a lost season perceptually from the
front offices point of view. If they eventually say, well,
(37:28):
this is the straw that broke our back, the idea
of us being able to go thirty five and forty
es salvage this season without of East's zoobots for three weeks,
that could be a tipping point for them and they
say Okay, maybe it is time, or maybe at least
pushes them further in that direction of possibly blowing it up.
I have no idea what they're thinking is on the situation.
(37:49):
That's just something across my mind.
Speaker 1 (37:51):
Yeah, I wonder if things do start to go further south.
It's not like we're exactly you know, in Canada now, if.
Speaker 3 (38:04):
We're not at the.
Speaker 1 (38:08):
If Yeah, I really I hadn't thought about that. I
wonder if that.
Speaker 2 (38:12):
I don't think that makes them take a worse deal though,
because this team is still they will not.
Speaker 3 (38:16):
They will not take a deal that compromises future cap space.
They will not negotiate with They will not with terrorists. Yeah,
that that's not going to happen. Now. Let's say, though,
they just really started getting obliterated and all of a
sudden those games where they start off fast lose. What
(38:39):
if what if they weren't being competitive at all and
all those games we saw that they were in, just
like the Rockets game or the game in Memphis, and
they lost them in the last five minutes. What if
all of a sudden they were getting beat for you know,
forty five minutes of the ball game instead of being
in it for forty five minutes and then losing it
in the last three What if that happened? Everybody has
(39:01):
a prize. Everybody has a breaking point. Would that be
what sends this in a different direction for this season?
And they say, we just have to move on and
play the young guys because we're we're just not even
competing out there.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
Yeah, the as Nico my cousin is here says, the
red wedding type season.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
Yeah, Lakers. Well, I mentioned too after.
Speaker 2 (39:26):
I mean that what sticks out to me is that,
you know, we see a couple more twenty to three
rounds or whatever, like if that kind.
Speaker 3 (39:34):
Of things are happening thirty to two Miami heat run.
Speaker 2 (39:38):
Yeah, thirty to that's what it was. I also, people
have been talking about this hardened to the Rockets thing.
I think the last place James Harden goes is the Rockets,
and you can glip me or whatever act with this.
Speaker 1 (39:48):
I just don't see it happening.
Speaker 3 (39:51):
Didn't we research this? I mentioned email Odoka saying something
about Harden. Yeah, he's literally commented on this in the past,
So I don't. I don't see it happening. Nor do
I see them selling off with their young guys to
get hard and like you're not getting to Bari Smith
Junior or something, right.
Speaker 2 (40:10):
I mean, that's the thing like, if the young guys
are there, let's do it. We start saying thunder or
the frame. I didn't watch Game of Thrones. I understood
the Red Wedding Room.
Speaker 1 (40:21):
I did not watch. I'm not against it. I just
I was doing other shit.
Speaker 3 (40:27):
Okay, I was I did too cool for school?
Speaker 1 (40:29):
No, absolutely not. I'm not against what. I will say this.
Speaker 2 (40:33):
I have seen one episode and we had a dude,
we had a friend staying with us who was on
a He was like, hey, can I crash them there
for a work weekend. I said, sure, We're doing a
barbecue Sunday. He goes, hey, is it cool if I
watched the final episode of Game of Thrones and we
were like, yeah, we like, can we watch with you?
Like I've never seen it. I'll tell you what. I
(40:55):
don't know what happened in the show, but when they
revealed whoever the guy got picked, he was disappointed about
how that finale went. And it was such a funny.
Speaker 3 (41:10):
Experience because the worst story, how could you think.
Speaker 1 (41:15):
He was in his mind?
Speaker 3 (41:18):
And they really packed it in the final two seasons
or last season and a half or whatever. The Starbucks
Cup was a dead giveaway. Things were going South.
Speaker 1 (41:26):
Yeah, it didn't.
Speaker 2 (41:26):
It like got so bad that like it was considered
one of the greatest shows of all time, and then
like those last two seasons, just like I know this
is Patreon content, the last two seasons just like ruined it.
Speaker 3 (41:36):
Well, the problem was so much of that show hinged
on how it was going to end, because it was
all built upon Winter is Coming and this grand finale,
and it ended up being a little bit of a dud.
So it would kind of be hard to go back
and rewatch it now because everything that they're building ends
up so anticlimactic. Anyways, for you, it's so unsatisfying. But
(41:59):
I've enjoyed Game of the Dragon won House of Dragons
going on. No, I'm not talking about Clippers House of Dragons.
I've I've enjoyed actually because there is no white walk
or bullshit where you're going, Oh who we go, here
we go. You're kind of just living in that world
a little.
Speaker 1 (42:16):
Bit more sure.
Speaker 3 (42:17):
Okay, that's been a nice spin off.
Speaker 1 (42:19):
All right, Well that's good to know. I'll drop that down.
I should probably.
Speaker 3 (42:22):
Watch I hear read the books the better.
Speaker 1 (42:27):
Aren't they not even? All right? An?
Speaker 3 (42:30):
No, they're not, And they may redo the last season
Game of Thrones at some point.
Speaker 1 (42:34):
Oh yeah, that's awesome. All right.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
Any final thoughts on on trade time with the Clippers
before we send these people on their holiday week merry way?
Speaker 3 (42:45):
Eh no? Uh is there anything else? Uh no? I yeah,
what Chuck said. If you're gonna lose, lose with dignity
out there, play hard the right way and compete and
(43:05):
get Yanica dunk on Aquaman. I need to see Conan
the Destroyer what I call him. That was the sequel.
Everybody else going with the Barbaria, but Conan the Destroyer
throws one down on Aquaman tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (43:17):
That'd be great, that'd be fantastic, clear eyes, full hearts.
Probably will lose, but let's lose with dignity. I've been
Chuck Walker with Adam Oz and William Updike is spreading
the Clippers gospel in Montana. He will be back next week.
Here's to a good showing tomorrow. Thank you for hanging out.
We hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season. Whatever you're doing,
(43:38):
we hope it's enjoyable and you have good people around you.
Thanks for hanging out. As always, let's go Clips
What is going on?
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Clippers fans, Welcome to a random holiday season clips and
dip happy hour.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Hang I am Chuck Mockler.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
If you're listening to this on audio and you miss this,
you can always find us at YouTube dot com slash
at Clippers podcast, like and subscribe, set and alert, and
you can hang out during the happy hour streams. There's
been another week of news. I guess we got the
zoo box injury that happened. He's out for three weeks.
(00:44):
The Clippers have to play one of their toughest matchups
kind of one of everybody's toughest matchups in the Rockets
coming up.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
They thankfully.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
We got the dub We got our seventh against the Lakers,
so we can really we can eye this eighth win.
I don't necessarily think the Clippers are going to beat
the Rockets tomorrow. There just is a bunch of not
a bunch of stuff. There's one big thing to talk about,
(01:17):
and that's gonna be what Brook Lopez and Yanick are
gonna look like for the Clippers because Yanick is available.
Joey Lynn tweeted out some footage of Harden working with Yanick,
which is cool to see and Derek Jones Junior did
portions of practice today, which is great. Sure the season
(01:39):
is completely lost, but we can look at some positive things, right,
Derek Jones Junior coming back is good. Alex Webb asking
if Yanick is gonna start, I do not think so.
He has been hurt recently. I think I think Lopez
is probably starting my expectations for this game. I wonder
(02:04):
why you're possibly thinking, why does he seem so positive.
My expectations for this game are that we lose, but
let's lose with dignity. We saw some really good stuff
from Kawhi last game. LA Clippers film talks about this
a lot, but when Kawhi is grabbing boards, it shows
he's engaged. Tylo said basically the same thing tonight or
(02:26):
today at practice. So Kawhi was great with the effort
last game on the boards, and we're gonna need, obviously
more of that, more of the same with Zubots being out.
So I do not think someone in the chat is
saying Zubot's injury can be a blessing in disguise. I
(02:47):
do not think it is a blessing in disguise, and
I do not think that Brook Lopez's performances have been
like I think Brook Lopez was in the doghouse probably
because he's been bad, would be my take on it.
It's not like he played well or anything like that.
So that's really kind of my take with that. Yeah,
(03:12):
I was trying, Alex, I'm saying kind of up and
down lately. I was trying to I feel like Houston
is up and down. But they just have a much
better roster than the Clippers do. I mean, Reed Shepherd
is going to kill us. I think he's very good.
(03:33):
They just lost a heartbreaker and ot against the Kings.
I think there's chances for the Clippers to play well.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
For sure.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Lopez is starting probably I should say, we don't know
that for sure, but it just seems like I don't
see that responsibility going to Yannick, which poses some new
weird stuff, right like with Lopez shooting ability, now we
can have Collins as the screener or something like that,
Right with with Lopez pulling guys out of the paint
(04:08):
for their defensive coverages because it was ranged, So like,
there's some interesting stuff that could happen, albeit against it's
gonna have to happen against a really good defense. I'm
not trying to short change Houston at all. I said
off top, I think we lose, but let's lose with dignity.
I don't think we'll see any small ball verus Houston.
(04:29):
I can't see that going well. Actually, I think we'll
see it. I just don't think it'll be overall very good.
So yeah, it's it's gonna be interesting. Uh Yanick is
the backup five. Tyleru was playing Coy a little bit
(04:50):
and practice today. I think he said we'll see or
I'm not sure about Yanick being in the the rotation.
So it's gonna be it's gonna be interesting. And we're
in trade season right like things are going to probably happen.
Lawrence Frank likes trades. I think there's gonna be a trade.
(05:15):
I don't know how big of a trade it's gonna be.
I did say if the Clippers are thinking about if
the Clippers end up trading kind of one of the
big three Kawhi James Hardener eats Zubots, they should just
try and.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Get everybody out. I don't know, because that just doesn't seem.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
I don't see a move or losing one of those guys,
makes them even closer to this five hundred goal, which
we know there's a goal that they want to end
up going thirty five and twenty. That was said before
the Lakers game. I mean, I guess that it was
something to go for until Zoo got hurt. But Zoo
(05:54):
being out three weeks I think makes going thirty five
and twenty pretty difficult.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Okay, that is a sign for yan A great call.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
I cannot I do not know uh Chinese, so I
cannot say your name, uh Ray said. Rockets dominated by
King's backup rookie center Renault. Maybe that is a sign
for Yick the second the season is for the most
part not over, creeping towards being over. So let's find
(06:24):
some positives. I don't know if you guys.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Saw the.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
What let's even play on here? We had hardened working
with Yanik in the pick and roll, which is pretty cool.
Credit Joey l In for this. So it's like that's
good to see, right, lose with dignity? How do you
lose with dignity? You know, run on the pick and
roll with the rookie center who has to play backup?
(06:54):
Chunk vv says, if we beat the Rockets, I'm all
the way back in. Unfortunately, what is being all the
way back in look like?
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Though?
Speaker 1 (07:02):
You know what I mean? What does what does that
look like with this team?
Speaker 2 (07:06):
Is if you're all the way back in on this team,
does that mean you think they can get to five hundred?
I think that's what all the way back is. Yeah,
I think, well, it depends on I would rather it
for picks. And I think realistically with with the teams
that are looking to trade, like, I don't know what
(07:27):
youth we get. I'm not going to kill you for that.
I think it's annoying when people say just blow it
up or something like that.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
But it's like.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
My point was, if we trade hard and just get
every just ship everybody, all right, what have we gotten here?
But yeah, I think the issue, a big issue tomorrow specifically,
is going to be the pressure on uh Lopez and
(08:02):
Collins not ideal dribbling guys for the Clippers. So there's
gonna be a bunch of pressure shootos the guys touch
the ball because the Rockets are gonna want them to
put the ball on the floor. Usually bad things happen
when that happens too often, So that's something to watch
for tomorrow. Again's focus on the positives. Kawhi keeps grabbing boards.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
We like that.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Harden continues to you know, do his thing to carry
the team's offense. The Rockets do have a full rotation
for tomorrow night. Per law Murray, everyone is good to go.
So oh it's going to It's probably gonna be rough,
but I'm looking for some some positives here. Someone's asking
(08:52):
chalk Talk the MPJ Cam Thomas rumors. Are any of
those rumors that real? We talked about it on the
last live. I think I don't really see that. Feels
like a very not fun lateral move to me. MPJ
is having a great year. He's hurt all the time.
Kim Thomas would be cool. I guess chunk VV saying
(09:19):
we match up well with the Rockets. I don't know
that we do match up well with the Rockets. They
are very young and play really good defense, and our
offense is bad. So I don't know if I necessarily
agree with the match up well with them. I don't
know if we match up well with anybody right now.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Unfortunately, what's the spread? We're not usually a gambling pod,
but what's the spread on this game.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
All right, per some website that I have no idea
if it's a good one or not sportsbook Wire seven
point favorites. Okay, that's not crazy, that's a winnable game.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Uh yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
What I'm interested to see from this game other than
the usual you know, we need James Harden to be
his usual good self. We need to not turn the
ball over. We need Kawhitia grab boards and do all
of the other stuff. It's gonna take a lot. That
being said, hope for some good strides from Yanick. If
(10:35):
you're gonna watch this game and you want to find
one specific thing to focus on so maybe you're not
as upset at the game as a whole. Let's hope
that Yanick plays well, right, Let's focus on that ideally,
And let's hope that you know, Patuna looks good as
(10:56):
the other backup five because that's the other part for
people who wanted to see patumah five minutes. We are
there basically FARTI Cakes asking are we any closer to
learning of a return day for Derek Jones Jr. Having
one or two of Derek Jones Jr. And Done on
(11:17):
the floor are both at the same time makes Uh
makes them more optimistic about the defense. Lost you there
with some of the type posts, but I understand uh
not closer to knowing an exact return date For Derek
Jones Jr. I don't think we'll ever get one of
those until it's like two days away. But he was
practicing for some portions of today's practice, so I think
(11:43):
it's safe to say that he's progressing faster than people
thought he would to come back from this injury. I
think Law said first week of January or something is
when he saw it. He thought him coming so sooner
than expected. Uh would be the thing. But Tom has
(12:06):
been I don't know if but Tumb's been horrible this year.
He's looked a little old for sure, but he's still
shooting well from the outside and he can kind of
make things happen.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
That is who the bad the backup center is going
to be.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
Regional manager Michael Scott asking, Uh, No, I saw the
Clippers are sorry, the Rockets are seven point favorites. I
saw the Rockets as seven point favorites. Don't take any
betting advice from this pod would be my advice.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Yeah, we need.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
But the point from that question that I also agree with,
is Derector and Junior and Dunn on the floor at the.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Same time would be really helpful.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Adam was worried about losing some of the defensive identity
by making the initial Beal trade and the Collin stuff,
so I understand, Yeah, it would be nice to have
the defense play better with those two guys.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Hope everyone else has a good holidays as well. Yes,
it does make more sense if the Clippers were seven
point favorites. Some horrible injury news was about to break
if that would have been the case. But yeah, I
think at this point, uh oh, Adam Oslin.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
Hell, hey, hey, what's going on?
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Just I was talking about fun things to maybe focus
on during tomorrow's game to take away from being disappointed
of what the actual result might be.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
And I was saying, it's good that we get to
see Yonick time.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
Yeah, I am dangerously high on Yonick, which does sound
like a type of drug. And I know he's on
the older side for a rookie, but in basketball years,
having actual experience of playing the game, you still relative
relatively young, and something I talked about a little bit
last night. But people were lamenting the fact that Clippers
(14:06):
didn't go out and get cock Renner, who's more of
a finished product or a guy who can really help
you now. And we're seeing that with Charlotte, even though
they're not winning games either. Yannick does have the higher ceiling.
They took a swing at the guy with a much
higher ceiling. So what we've seen so far in Summer League,
(14:26):
to me, was really encouraging because while he is on
the youthful side when it comes to basketball experience, he's
shown off like some innate ability out there with his
instincts and his handle. His handle is shockingly good for
(14:47):
a big man. The play against the Lakers where he
took it from half court and yammed on somebody. I
forget who was out there. It was G leaguer, so
not even the guys in the league maybe right now,
but it was special, Like you can't teach that type
of stuff, Like it's really unique to have some of
the skills set he already does while he's still growing
(15:09):
in the game.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Did he have some weird growth sprit or something or
used to play point guard at some point I thought
I saw something floating around that when he just from
that handle perspective, like I think he grew up not
playing center the whole time because he was a tall kid. Basically,
maybe not saying he should, like, get we're not close
to point Yannick minutes.
Speaker 1 (15:32):
I'm not saying that at all, but just that feel
is nice.
Speaker 3 (15:35):
Yeah, he can put the ball on the floor a
little bit. Uh. He had another play where he took
it to the basket I think in the preseason from
the top of the arc, and it was really eye opening. Yeah.
And then the one thing I do know is when
I went back and watched interviews at Penn State, one
(15:58):
of the the interview sessions I saw was that his
teammates had all been saying he's actually the best shooter
on the team, And I was like, what, And you
look at his shot form. I think there's really something there.
I don't know what he's been shooting in the G league.
(16:18):
I know he's hit a three.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
Let me see if their stats are really it's.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Hard to Yeah, they're not easily available.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Why aren't they just a spreadsheet? Like, can't we just
put this ship in a normal format? I like this
point from Alex Webb. Harden raises every center's floor. So
if any if we're gonna see some Harden Yick minutes
which give him the personnel. There's a non zero chance
(16:48):
we see that at least tomorrow. He's in a nice
He has one of the best pairings to have, right
if it's your So hopefully he looks competent next to
James Harden, who is going to be doing some heavy
lifting of helping him look confident.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
Yeah, and specifically and just having another rim runner out there,
which Harden is used to having all the time. And
as good as Zubots is, he's not the greatest. He's
not as good as Capella was in that area or
some of the guys that Harden has worked with in
the past. That's just a vertical threat like that Janick is.
(17:27):
And the footage from practice we saw today with them
working together kind of makes you think he's going to
get minutes, especially against a big team like the Rockets,
where really stinks not to have a Visa's hubas in
this one, since he just had thirty three points against
them and was destroying their front line, including Steven Adams.
But uh yeah, I would expect them to share the
(17:48):
cord at times, and he can be the training wheels
for for Yonick getting him accustomed to the rim running role,
and I don't think because they haven't let Visa Zubos
do it. But Yannick I don't think is going to
be taking three pointers out there, but he has attempted
some in the summer league in preseason. They'd have to
(18:10):
leave him wide open. Just Darren N she be like, okay, whatever,
uh to get away with that, I guess. But his
shot form does look really, really smooth and effortless. So
when his Penn State teammates said that, it raised an
eyebrow for me and just something to track with this
player as we can't track any of his numbers apparently.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
Dude, I'm trying to pull up his stats right now,
and like the only stats on the G League site
are from the tip Off tournament where he took one
three a game and shot twenty two. So I'm not
saying he's he's lighting it up from three. I do
agree the form is there there is He also seems
(18:54):
like he has a little bit of the rookie wild
hair where he's like, maybe I can make this play,
which is usually something you don't want rookies to have.
You probably don't want Yanick to have it. Too much,
but like, I don't know, I'm excited to see the
It's such a funny difference, right because we're gonna have
a very old starting center in brook Lopez, who knows
(19:17):
how to move well in for professional basketball, and then
we have Yanick who is basically like a deer on
ice skates but has the athleticism to make things happen.
It's a tough test against the Rockets, but like.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
I'm looking forward to it.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
I hope we talked about this a little bit with
Joey Lynn yesterday, But it's gonna be interesting with Collins
and Lopez kind of in that pick and roll with
Harden now, because Lopez can pull the defense out if
he's not the screener and Collins is the guy making
the read.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Yeah, I think that'll be a lot of what we see.
Whenever Collins has played the five, they ran it a
little bit with pick and a roll to some success.
So I assume he'll be sitting screen for James Harden
and Lopez will keep the floor stretched. We'll definitely get
to see that. And again, they played next to one
another in the preseason and during the first few weeks
(20:09):
of the season and the second units. So there's familiarity
there between those two at the four and the five,
so it's not, you know, completely unfamiliar territory for the
Clippers to have those two on the court once again.
Maybe that's the blessing in disguise of John Collins starting
off the year with the backups. It's not like he
(20:31):
has taken off, although as of recent games he's been
playing better, but it's not like he's been amazing with
the starters so far. Maybe this will help both guys
get things going a little bit. They're certainly going to
need it against the Houston Rockets. But John Collins and
his athleticism, I think I'm not sure what he had
(20:56):
in the first game against them, but the last two
games he's had twenty points. He's had seven teen points.
I think he was seven of ten. And then win
over the Lakers. He hit two three pointers in that game,
which is good to see. He was two or three
from the outside. That shot has still been evading him
so far this season. If he's gonna have a progression
to the mean, it's gonna be a pretty drastic one
(21:17):
where he's gonna hit him. I have a game maybe
where he hits five threes kipping where he's been the
last two years and how poorly he's shot so far
this year from three.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Yeah, so he had seventeen against Lakers, twenty against the Thunder,
he was five for ten. Against the Grizzlies, he had
ten points. December eleventh against the Rockets, he was he
was three for seven for nine points, no boards, two
assistance steals.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
The board game. So that's the thing though.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
Board.
Speaker 3 (21:47):
It's the Rockets. They are historically great with offensive rebounds.
They killed the Clippers in that game, which the Clippers
were still in anyways. But yes, he has to be
at his best rebounding wise, and hopefully coming into this
game since he's just had twelve last time out, he's
got a little bit more confidence crashing the glass.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
Well, I like I like that him and Kawhi both
maybe got some more confidence crashing the glass, because when
Kawhi is crashing the glass, he's engaged, as Tyler said,
and we've seen kind of two games of it. Also,
College is only shooting thirty percent from three on the year.
That is that might.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
Be a career low just for a while three.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
And is since twenty two twenty three, when he shot
twenty nine percent, So it's his second career low because
every other year is above thirty five percent. Going back
to like twenty nineteen.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
And like, how many threes was he taking a game
back then compared to the last couple of years volume.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
Wise, Let me pull up Basketball Reference. Basketball Reference slows
my computer down there.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
I don't get it, so I don't get it every
time I open it. That's when my computer messes up.
So he's taking three a game this year. He was
at three point seven last year and then three point four,
three point four. He's at three effectively for his whole.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
So his best season when he averaged twenty two to
ten in the twenty nineteen twenty twenty season. Granted it
was only forty one games, but he shot forty percent
from three that year.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
On three and a half.
Speaker 3 (23:31):
Yeah, that's his highest output on Yeah, so like not,
but the last two seasons, we're talking.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
Over thirty six four hundred and threes.
Speaker 3 (23:42):
We're talking like four hundred attempts the last two years
combined in Utah. So that's decent volume. And he shot
about thirty eight percent combined those two years. And now
we're getting thirty percent from the outside, so there is
more to him in that area. Again, if it's going
to even.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
Two, because if you look at his two point percentage,
this is also one of his he's just having unfortunately
for him because it is a contract yere, he's having
literally his like worst shooting year ever from two to
three or close to it.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
Well. Yeah, his two point percentage just under sixty percent.
He has missed some layups in some games I've noticed
were like spacing wise. I don't think he's like he's
not aware where he is on the court at times,
or spokes a layup an easy one. He's missed a
dunk so far this season, so I think overall is
just bad luck, a rough start. Yeah, some bad luck
(24:37):
in there. It's probably in his head. The Clippers are losing,
you know, to add to it or to compound things
with him, it's just been a tough adjustment.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
He's trying to do more on defense too, which isn't
a bad thing. I'm just assuming the team is asking
him to try and do a little more on defense
because I mean, especially with injuries now, like we need
everyone to do a little more of everything.
Speaker 3 (24:57):
Yeah, they need they need some great rebounding performances tomorrow
night just to you don't need to play the Rockets
even just only get beat by ten in.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
The regions with dignity. That's what I was saying earlier
in the stream good process, lose with dignity. I feel
okay about it, Like I don't know, it's like I'm
not thinking this team's gonna win the finals, but we
can still play good basketball, like we can still we
can still at least semi enjoy watching the team pending
yeah play against the Rockets.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
The Rockets are also coming in, uh, pretty motivated since
they just lost a game in overtime in Sacramento and
lost another game to the Pelicans that they never should
have lost. Like up Big, They've had some late game
execution issues. They've blown and smoked a couple of games
recently where I think they're one in three the last
four games now. So Emo Odoka said after last night's
(25:56):
lost in Sacramento, and he needs to find other ways
to motivate them against lesser teams, and I think they're
looking at Doctors just one of the lesser teams.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
Wait, so we're gonna have to be the example game
of how the Rockets deal with the lesser team.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
God damn, I don't like that at all.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
I posted last night. One of my favorite SNL skits
was the the Decaf Coffee thing with Chris Farley where
they switched it out on him, like on hidden camera,
things like did you know you're actually drinking? He's like,
what you lied to me? And he fights everyone and
then at the end they ask him in an interview afterwards,
like how is he feeling? And he's got like a
(26:37):
bandage rap and he's in crutches and he's like angry.
That's how. That's how the Rockets are going to be
angry tomorrow night. So you are going to get their
best shot.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
Yes, how we respond it will be.
Speaker 2 (26:52):
I don't know if I have a bunch of confidence,
but I will say I have more confidence in how
this team will respond. Based on the the win against
the Lakers. Someone is saying they have the talent. We
don't have the talent though Clippers win tomorrow, zero doubt,
zero doubt from Alfonso Lopez that the Clippers win tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
Good for you, we'll see I doubt. I hope there's
no one around here likes keeping receipts, because that would.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
Be one I.
Speaker 2 (27:25):
Will say Alfonso respectfully has no doubt.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
He's not being rude about having no doubt.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
Yeah, he may relaxed.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Yeah, that's uh. I don't know, it's been. It's just
genuinely such a weird year. I just want to see
some small, some small things to improve on.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
Who is referencing eats a cat with me? They must
know I talk about that all the time. I did
reference the Terrible Thunderlivers Kvan Guy always saying when does
the hurting stop?
Speaker 1 (27:57):
I don't even know what.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
The Cat was a cartoon on Fox in the early
nineties that had like a two or three year run
and it was really well done, and it had like
parodies with pulp fiction and Jaws and stuff, and it
was kind of one of those things where if you know,
you know, if you were an adult watching it, you'd
get the jokes, but the kids just liked the craziness
and the animation. So this was like pre Pixar, but
(28:21):
it was on Fox. It was a great show. And
then there was a spinoff called Terrible thunder Lizards where
there was a couple of capen One was voiced by
al Borland from a Home improvement who now does like
the infomercials with the hond up. Yeah, he was the
nice one your card.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
Yeah, his name is Richard Carr.
Speaker 3 (28:44):
His buddy in it Bill or Bob or something like that.
He would always end up getting the short end of
the stick, where like a boulder would fall on him
at the end of the episode or a dinosaur step
on him. And his catchphrase was when does the hurting stopt?
And so I said that recently for the Clippers. I've
even going through this stretch.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
It stopped against the Lakers.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
Maybe we get some positivity against the Rockets.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
I don't.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
I'm not. We'll see.
Speaker 3 (29:18):
I uh, I do want to see because we had
a string of games where they were competitive and there
was dignity, and then they lost to Memphis when they
came back home off that road trip. Not just a
Memphis team, an under man Memphis team without Zach Edie
and a bunch of other guys and John Moran did
(29:39):
nothing in the game. They still lost and played terribly.
So yeah, I do as much as they need results
and not just process, it would still be meaningful to
see if you're gauging whether or not they're starting to
turn a corner. We need to see them play some
good basketball.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
At least that's where because that's what I'm trying to
reconcile with is to me, I don't. I'm also like,
just turning the corner has changed so many different ways
as this season has gone. I think because I'm like
just turning the corner, I mean, I think they're gonna
go thirty five and twenty.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
I don't think they're gonna.
Speaker 3 (30:17):
Do that.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
With Zoe being out. But now it's like, are they
turning a corner? In terms of all right, we still
have the fire and we gave Houston a good run
or whatever. Yanick is starting to develop a little bit,
Kobe Sanders is starting to develop a little bit, you
know what I mean, Like, I just I guess in
terms of fan expectation, I'm like, it sucks that it
(30:40):
really seems like we're we might miss the playoffs. So
let's let's try and find some positives because we're probably
gonna get a trade. Lawrence Frank trades every single trade deadline.
I just think based on history, we probably get one.
Speaker 1 (30:53):
So like, let's just.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
You know, get a couple of Yanick oops, Like, let's
see some small positives.
Speaker 3 (31:03):
Yeah, something to look forward to a glimpse of the
future with the young guys. I definitely don't want to
hear that they've quit on this season, because they have.
That's abundantly clear when you come out of games consistently
playing good basketball and doing the right things, and then
(31:23):
later on they're old and slow and tired, like, that's
not to me a team that quit. That's to me,
just a team that doesn't have enough in the tank.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
They're frustrated.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
Yeah, and there was mental hurdles, and they have admitted
that recently that this losing streak was as much mental
as it was physical. With just losing five straight nineteen
of twenty two, there was a lot of stuff going
against them. But they definitely, as we said, heading into
the Lakers game, they were tenth in net rating over
(31:55):
the ten games prior in first halves and thirtieth in
net rating and sea second halves over the ten games
before the Lakers game, So you could see if this
was a team that quit, that was sleepwalking into games
da just getting destroyed, that would be one thing. They
were actually starting games fast is what they've been doing
(32:17):
for the most part. They can't sustain it.
Speaker 2 (32:22):
We've all we all remember running the mile in gym
class and you do those those first two laps or
whatever and you're saying, I'm feeling great, and then you
don't get the Presidential Medal Fitness or whatever.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
Alex Webb, did you get one?
Speaker 3 (32:39):
I used to run like a five thirty in the mile,
so what I was really fast? I was? I was
ran track and cross country.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
But did you get the Presidential Metal Fitness Medal?
Speaker 3 (32:50):
I don't remember. That was like a thing for like
push ups and sit ups and run and involved.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
Dude, you had to do like a visit, reach an
arm hang, mile, shuttle run.
Speaker 3 (33:07):
I think the flexibility part of it killed me.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
Yeah, I mean that makes sense. What up, Eric we.
Speaker 3 (33:16):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (33:18):
Man, you know who's having a hell of a season. Eric,
Eric is putting out.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
Some of the worst, not worst, just most unhinged art,
and that's fantastic. Someone in the comments is talking about
a video of Tyloo throwing a clipboard at Kawhi.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
I don't know if that exists.
Speaker 2 (33:43):
Yeah, please send the clip Alex Webb was talking about
Smoothie Gait, which I thought was so funny because I
think it it shows how dry and funny of a
sense of humor Kauwhi has that people don't maybe understand.
Speaker 3 (34:02):
No, but also he really mumbled it's a lie, and
then he kept moved on and nobody picked up when
he said that's a lie. Yeah, so I sympathized with
till Mary asking the question at the end there everyone
would have missed it. I had to watch it multiple
times and turn up the sound to hear what the
hell Choy said? And he said it was a lie first,
(34:25):
right after dead panting saying, yeah, I threw it at
the Half World?
Speaker 2 (34:30):
In what world is Kawhi Leonard going to tell the
press that he threw a milkshake at Half? Like That's
what got me is I'm like, what do we?
Speaker 3 (34:42):
Well? Law was we Law was putting him under the
hot lamp and asking him about it, like, wait, did
you throw up? What happened? Because I guess it was
a huge mess. So like everybody was wondering, what the
hell's going on here?
Speaker 1 (34:57):
See that?
Speaker 2 (34:57):
So maybe remember a couple of seasons ago when Paul
George's car got in that hit and run and then
the Clippers went on that streak. He like posted the
kid's face on his ig and was like, who is
this guy, he just hit my car. I'm not crazy.
This happened someone in the chat. That is what I'm
talking about. Maybe this is our version of that. Maybe
(35:19):
this is the shakegate or whatever the shake bit is
the Clippers. Then we get a wacky team outing, which
I will say Chris Paul was correct for trying to
get a Halloween party calling. Maybe outing, you know, just
these little things, we need, small positive things.
Speaker 3 (35:37):
Something happened back in the day with Blake Griffin obviously,
remember he punched his buddy or whatever and broke his hand.
That was on the training staff. Yes, so somebody at
AM five seventy did a parody video song thing where
they said and hotline Bling had just come out and
(35:59):
they said, every time on Blake Griffin swings, Clippers go
on winning streaks. Is right afterwards. I guess they won
ten of thirteen or something. I don't know.
Speaker 2 (36:07):
Shake Kate, that's it was Pg's wife car Thank you,
Farty Cakes.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
I wasn't losing my mind. I remember that. Yeah, So
maybe we get a dumb after milkshake Kate, or we
just get you know.
Speaker 3 (36:22):
I'm concerned that Houston's very very.
Speaker 1 (36:25):
They're gonna be pissed. Off.
Speaker 2 (36:26):
No, I don't again, I said it right off top,
lose with dignity, good process. Just yeah, let it wash
over you. If you've never experienced the Clippers losing season before,
let it.
Speaker 3 (36:41):
Shake wash over you. Let the shake that Kawhi didn't
throw wash over you.
Speaker 2 (36:47):
We are all targets of the thrown milkshake that is
this NBA season for the Clippers. But I don't know
it's And do you have anything else to say? On
on I don't have anything about trade rumors. Nothing has
come out, nothing is substantial yet.
Speaker 3 (37:05):
No. I mean, the one thing I do wonder about
I kind of tiptoed around it last night, was if
this will the loss of zubots, if this will turn
it into more of a lost season perceptually from the
front offices point of view. If they eventually say, well,
(37:28):
this is the straw that broke our back, the idea
of us being able to go thirty five and forty
es salvage this season without of East's zoobots for three weeks,
that could be a tipping point for them and they
say Okay, maybe it is time, or maybe at least
pushes them further in that direction of possibly blowing it up.
I have no idea what they're thinking is on the situation.
(37:49):
That's just something across my mind.
Speaker 1 (37:51):
Yeah, I wonder if things do start to go further south.
It's not like we're exactly you know, in Canada now, if.
Speaker 3 (38:04):
We're not at the.
Speaker 1 (38:08):
If Yeah, I really I hadn't thought about that. I
wonder if that.
Speaker 2 (38:12):
I don't think that makes them take a worse deal though,
because this team is still they will not.
Speaker 3 (38:16):
They will not take a deal that compromises future cap space.
They will not negotiate with They will not with terrorists. Yeah,
that that's not going to happen. Now. Let's say, though,
they just really started getting obliterated and all of a
sudden those games where they start off fast lose. What
(38:39):
if what if they weren't being competitive at all and
all those games we saw that they were in, just
like the Rockets game or the game in Memphis, and
they lost them in the last five minutes. What if
all of a sudden they were getting beat for you know,
forty five minutes of the ball game instead of being
in it for forty five minutes and then losing it
in the last three What if that happened? Everybody has
(39:01):
a prize. Everybody has a breaking point. Would that be
what sends this in a different direction for this season?
And they say, we just have to move on and
play the young guys because we're we're just not even
competing out there.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
Yeah, the as Nico my cousin is here says, the
red wedding type season.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
Yeah, Lakers. Well, I mentioned too after.
Speaker 2 (39:26):
I mean that what sticks out to me is that,
you know, we see a couple more twenty to three
rounds or whatever, like if that kind.
Speaker 3 (39:34):
Of things are happening thirty to two Miami heat run.
Speaker 2 (39:38):
Yeah, thirty to that's what it was. I also, people
have been talking about this hardened to the Rockets thing.
I think the last place James Harden goes is the Rockets,
and you can glip me or whatever act with this.
Speaker 1 (39:48):
I just don't see it happening.
Speaker 3 (39:51):
Didn't we research this? I mentioned email Odoka saying something
about Harden. Yeah, he's literally commented on this in the past,
So I don't. I don't see it happening. Nor do
I see them selling off with their young guys to
get hard and like you're not getting to Bari Smith
Junior or something, right.
Speaker 2 (40:10):
I mean, that's the thing like, if the young guys
are there, let's do it. We start saying thunder or
the frame. I didn't watch Game of Thrones. I understood
the Red Wedding Room.
Speaker 1 (40:21):
I did not watch. I'm not against it. I just
I was doing other shit.
Speaker 3 (40:27):
Okay, I was I did too cool for school?
Speaker 1 (40:29):
No, absolutely not. I'm not against what. I will say this.
Speaker 2 (40:33):
I have seen one episode and we had a dude,
we had a friend staying with us who was on
a He was like, hey, can I crash them there
for a work weekend. I said, sure, We're doing a
barbecue Sunday. He goes, hey, is it cool if I
watched the final episode of Game of Thrones and we
were like, yeah, we like, can we watch with you?
Like I've never seen it. I'll tell you what. I
(40:55):
don't know what happened in the show, but when they
revealed whoever the guy got picked, he was disappointed about
how that finale went. And it was such a funny.
Speaker 3 (41:10):
Experience because the worst story, how could you think.
Speaker 1 (41:15):
He was in his mind?
Speaker 3 (41:18):
And they really packed it in the final two seasons
or last season and a half or whatever. The Starbucks
Cup was a dead giveaway. Things were going South.
Speaker 1 (41:26):
Yeah, it didn't.
Speaker 2 (41:26):
It like got so bad that like it was considered
one of the greatest shows of all time, and then
like those last two seasons, just like I know this
is Patreon content, the last two seasons just like ruined it.
Speaker 3 (41:36):
Well, the problem was so much of that show hinged
on how it was going to end, because it was
all built upon Winter is Coming and this grand finale,
and it ended up being a little bit of a dud.
So it would kind of be hard to go back
and rewatch it now because everything that they're building ends
up so anticlimactic. Anyways, for you, it's so unsatisfying. But
(41:59):
I've enjoyed Game of the Dragon won House of Dragons
going on. No, I'm not talking about Clippers House of Dragons.
I've I've enjoyed actually because there is no white walk
or bullshit where you're going, Oh who we go, here
we go. You're kind of just living in that world
a little.
Speaker 1 (42:16):
Bit more sure.
Speaker 3 (42:17):
Okay, that's been a nice spin off.
Speaker 1 (42:19):
All right, Well that's good to know. I'll drop that down.
I should probably.
Speaker 3 (42:22):
Watch I hear read the books the better.
Speaker 1 (42:27):
Aren't they not even? All right? An?
Speaker 3 (42:30):
No, they're not, And they may redo the last season
Game of Thrones at some point.
Speaker 1 (42:34):
Oh yeah, that's awesome. All right.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
Any final thoughts on on trade time with the Clippers
before we send these people on their holiday week merry way?
Speaker 3 (42:45):
Eh no? Uh is there anything else? Uh no? I yeah,
what Chuck said. If you're gonna lose, lose with dignity
out there, play hard the right way and compete and
(43:05):
get Yanica dunk on Aquaman. I need to see Conan
the Destroyer what I call him. That was the sequel.
Everybody else going with the Barbaria, but Conan the Destroyer
throws one down on Aquaman tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (43:17):
That'd be great, that'd be fantastic, clear eyes, full hearts.
Probably will lose, but let's lose with dignity. I've been
Chuck Walker with Adam Oz and William Updike is spreading
the Clippers gospel in Montana. He will be back next week.
Here's to a good showing tomorrow. Thank you for hanging out.
We hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season. Whatever you're doing,
(43:38):
we hope it's enjoyable and you have good people around you.
Thanks for hanging out. As always, let's go Clips
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