On this episode of 'Inside The Mavs' Mavericks Pre/Post Host Kevin Gray breaks down Klay Thompson's first words as a Maverick as he, Naji Marshall and Quentin Grimes officially joined Dallas during their introductory press conference. You hear from Klay as I ask him how he defines himself at this stage of his career and what it means for Dallas going forward and so much more!
Support the show: This episode is brought to you by Aura. Aura: Stop data brokers from exposing your personal information. Go to my sponsor at https://aura.com/kevingray to get a 14-day free trial and see how much of yours is being sold.
Subscribe to @InsideTheMavs on YouTube for more Mavericks content and subscribe to Grant's channel @GrantAfseth on YouTube for more Mavericks coverage as well!
Be sure to subscribe to Kevin's YouTube channel @KevinGraySports and follow him on Twitter @KevinGraySports
Download and subscribe to the 'Inside The Mavs' Podcast, the official Mavericks podcast of 97.1 The Eagle wherever you get podcasts free, give it a five-star rating and write a review for the podcast.
Inside The Mavs Podcast:
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-mavs/id1687581495
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Support the show: This episode is brought to you by Aura. Aura: Stop data brokers from exposing your personal information. Go to my sponsor at https://aura.com/kevingray to get a 14-day free trial and see how much of yours is being sold.
Subscribe to @InsideTheMavs on YouTube for more Mavericks content and subscribe to Grant's channel @GrantAfseth on YouTube for more Mavericks coverage as well!
Be sure to subscribe to Kevin's YouTube channel @KevinGraySports and follow him on Twitter @KevinGraySports
Download and subscribe to the 'Inside The Mavs' Podcast, the official Mavericks podcast of 97.1 The Eagle wherever you get podcasts free, give it a five-star rating and write a review for the podcast.
Inside The Mavs Podcast:
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-mavs/id1687581495
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3lH97deoTre1memqcpISRe?si=16ed964f523e4b17
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
For a question for Clay for you, just two part question, what was
your relationship with Kyrie Irving and howthat influenced you making the decision to come
to Dallas, And how would youdefine yourself as a player at this stage
in your career and what that meansto help this Maveris team try to win
a championships going forward. Some goodquestions. Kyrie and I are good friends.
(00:21):
I mean, we came to leadtogether in twenty eleven. We played
on Team USA together twice. Obviouslyplayed against each other in the highest stages
for many years, and I've alwaysbeen a fan of Kay's game and guarding
him was hell. So it's niceto be on the other end of that
for once and see other defenders getloose and get shook by him. That's
(00:42):
going to be a good sight tosee. And then part two. At
this point my career, I mean, still can't leave me open and I
can guard, and I'm just excited. I still think I can do what
I've been able to do, andit's just about being in the best shape
I can possibly be. But Iknow I can help this team, whether
it's the knowledge I've gained or big, big scoring nights. I just still
(01:07):
know I can be a very verygood player in this league. Klay Thompson
is a Dallas Maverick and you mightrecognize me in somebody else's digs. This
is Inside the MAVs. Welcome toInside the MAVs presented by Aura. I'm
(01:53):
your host, Kevin Gray, Maverisprim post game host the Dallas Maveris Radio
Network. Appreciate you joining me herefor the latest episode of Inside the as
makes you a download and subscribe tothe podcast wherever you get your podcast for
free, give it a five starrating and write a review for it while
you're there. And if you're watchingthis on my YouTube channel at Kevin Gray
Sports, makes you liking comments onthe video as well, and subscribe to
Kevin Gray Sports here on YouTube andyou can follow me on x at Kevin
(02:16):
Gray Sports as well. You mayrecognize where I am. I'm not in
my customary recording space, but youmay recognize this because I'm at my homemides
Nick ainstat spots, as you cantell by the stuff in the background.
So shout out to Nick for allowme to hang out in his space for
a little bit as we recap whathappened with the Dallas Mavericks as they introduced
(02:37):
Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall and ClintonGrimes as they are officially your newest Dallas
Mavericks, Lay Thompson, Naji Marshall, Quinton Grimes getting acclimated to the Dallas
media for the first time. Asyou heard at the opening of the show,
Klay Thompson excited about the opportunity tobe with Dallas. Of course,
after thirteen seasons four NBA championships.A guy who at one point score thirty
(02:59):
seven point in a quarter in NBArecord sixty points on eleven dribbles, Klay
Thompson has had an illustrious career andnow brings that championship experience and that talent
to Dallas where he tries to helpthe Mavericks be able to win a championship.
After following a course in five gamesto the Boston Celtics in the NBA
Finals this year, it was aspirited atmosphere at the Mavericks practice facility as
(03:21):
Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, andQuinton Grimes now have an opportunity to help
this team be able to move forwardwhat has been a successful offseason for this
Mavericks team, and for Clay youcould tell that he is ready for a
fresh start. For a player thatsaw his time end in Golden State not
the way that he necessarily wanted to, but not necessarily having had hard feelings
(03:43):
about leaving Golden State, now hasa chance with Luka, Doncic and Kyrie
Irving to be able to forge anew chapter in his career. For Quinton
Grimes, a Dallas, Texas native, I should say, having a chance
to come home where, of course, now he played at the University of
Houston, he'll be three hours awayfor his family to be able to come
and see him play. He talkedabout that a little bit during the press
(04:03):
conference as well. And for NajiMarshall at twenty six years of age,
coming over from the New Orleans Pelicans, spending his first four seasons there,
a young player that's a physical,tough defender that's going to be able to
knock down chops from the outside.All three of these players will fit in
nicely for what the Mavericks are tryingto achieve based off of what they didn't
have in terms of some shooting duringthe NBA Finals, and Klay Thompson,
(04:27):
of course the largest member coming tothe Dallas Mavericks. You heard it in
the opening. I'll play it againbecause I want you to have an understanding
of what Klay Thompson is being ableto feel now coming to Dallas. But
most important, I had a chanceto ask him what his relationship was with
Kyrie Irving and how that affected hisdecision to come to Dallas and what still
defines him as a player at thisstage in his career that will allow him
(04:50):
to ultimately be successful here with theDallas Mavericks. Here's what he had to
say. Thanks for a question forClay for you, just two part question.
What was your relationship with Kyrie Irvingand how that influenced you making the
decision to come to Dallas. Andhow would you define yourself as a player
at this stage in your career andwhat that means to help this Maveris team
try to win a championship going forward. Some good questions. Kyrie and I
(05:15):
are good friends. I mean,we came the lead together in twenty eleven,
we played on Team USA together twice. Obviously, played against each other
in the highest stages for many years, and I've always been a fan of
Kaya's game and guarding him was hell. So it's nice to be on the
other end of that for once andsee other defenders get loose and get shook
(05:35):
by him. That's going to bea good sight to see. And then
part two. At this point mycareer, I mean still can't lead me
open and I can guard, andI'm just excited. I still think I
can do what I've been able todo, and it's just about being in
the best shape I can possibly be. But I know I can help this
(05:56):
team, whether it's the knowledge I'vegained or big scoring nights, I just
still know I can be a veryvery good player in this league. Today's
video is brought to you by Aura. Do a Google search on your name
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(06:17):
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I value my privacy and I valueyours. You can go to Aura
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the link in the description. Youstill can't leave him open. That struck
me because klay Thompson last year wasfourth in the NBA and three pointers made,
(07:43):
shooting in the thirty nine percent fromthree and what was a down year
for him percentage wise in terms ofhis three point shooting, but still a
guy that made nearly two hundred andtwenty catch and shoot three pointers last year,
and that is going to be hislargest role on this team, providing
that spacing for Luke and Kyrie tobe able to knock down shots and really
give this team a boost from thethree point line and really be able to
(08:05):
stretch defenses. Clay talking about theknowledge and experience that he's gained with the
thirteen years that he spent with theGolden State Wars and bringing that championship,
DNA and experience to this team whonow has to marry the idea of what
they were able to accomplish in termsof making that finals run, but also
now being able to be better asa team and being cohesive toward making another
(08:26):
run toward the NBA Finals. KlayThompson knows a little bit about that and
the player that overcome the adversity ofthe torn acl and the achilles to still
come back to be an effective player. Yes, there will be questions about
him at thirty four years old interms of the defense that he can still
play, But as you heard there, he is confident in his physical abilities
to still be a really good defenderand still provide the necessary defense that the
(08:50):
Mavericks are going to be looking for. And if you were looking for the
Mavericks to move on from Tim HardawayJunior, which they were able to do,
if they were going to replace himwith someone, you got a much
better version and better defender even atthis stage of his career. And Klay
Thompson at thirty four years old,so he coming along with Naji Marshall and
Quinton Grimes. I believe the Maverickshad a really successful offseason based on what
(09:11):
they utilize in terms of their resourcesto make it happen. Klay Thompson of
course coming over as part of thathistoric six team NBA trade, the first
that we've ever seen in NBA history. Naji Marshall signed a three year,
twenty seven million dollars deal coming overfrom the New Orleans Pelicans. He carved
out a nice role for himself whenhe was with New Orleans and now has
a bigger and larger opportunities as partof this rotation with the Mavericks to be
(09:35):
that much more of an impact playerand for Quinton Grimes coming over from what
was New York and Detroit, afresh start for him as well to be
able to put an impact and animprint on this team. A guy that
goes six to five can knock downthe three, can defend, and will
be a part of this significant rotationfor the Dallas Mavericks and which you've got
with Luca and Kyrie obviously with PJ. Washington's hopeful improvement from the three point
(09:58):
line, another summer for guys likeDaniel Gaffer and PJ. Washington to be
able to help this team get readyto get ready for next year. They're
exciting times for the Mavericks and KlayThompson for me, he's going to be
a hell of a quote while he'shere in Dallas. If you listen and
watch the forty three minute presser thatthey had, Klay Thompson is a guy
who is very sure of himself,very comfortable with where he is in his
(10:20):
career, and most importantly knows whathe has to do to be able to
maximize what his body has left togive as far as the rest of his
NBA career is concerned, but mostimportantly, how he is able to impact
every single member on this team andthe relationship that he already had with Kyrie
Irving coming into this situation, nowgrowing and developing one with Luka Doncz Klay
Thomps is saying that Luca texted himas he became a member of the Mavericks.
(10:45):
All of this will find itself tobe a huge, huge improvement for
this team going forward and for ateam that obviously is getting ready for Summer
League. O Max Prosper going tobe the focal point of the Summer league
team this summer. You're looking foreveryone, as Nico Harris had talked about,
to make a ten to fifteen percentimprovement and what they want to see
from them going into training camp lateron this year. And if you can
(11:07):
not only get that from the currentplayers that you have, but you also
add that ten to fifteen percent betterfrom the three guys that you have in
terms of a refreshed and motivated KlayThompson, a Naji Marshall looking to prove
himself in a bigger role, anda Quinton Grimes looking to continue his development
and growth here, you feel likethe Mavericks have put themselves in that position
to remain a top four team inthe West, even with how difficult things
(11:30):
have become as far as the topfour of the West is concerned. We
talked about with Oklahoma City adding AlixCaruso and Isiah Hartenstein as well to be
able to improve their team. Thereare a lot of teams that are still
there when you look at the MinnesotaTimberwolves, the Denver Nuggets, obviously the
Oklahoma City Thunder as we talked about. But for the Mavericks, not only
do they get better as a teamin terms of their shooting, but they
also continue to bring in guys interms of Naji Marshall, Quinton Grimes twenty
(11:56):
four to twenty five, twenty sixyears of age, all fitting in that
timeline that we've talked about before.When you've got a Luka Doncis, when
you've got a PJ. Washington,when you've got a Daniel Gafford and others
in their mid twenties and a teamthat is still growing and developing together.
Now you bring in somewhat of KlayThompson's experience and accomplishment to go alongside Luca
Donchis and Kyrie Irving. The skyis the limit for this team. And
(12:18):
you can tell for whether it beNico Harrison, whether it be Michael Finley,
whether it be the entire front office. They feel like they have now
put together the kind of roster thatnot only has staying power for the next
couple of years, but really forseveral years going forward, still having assets
with the twenty twenty five and twentythirty one first round picks to be able
to make moves that they need to. They've got a core and a nucleus
(12:39):
that has now put themselves in experiencedpositions and making an NBA Finals run,
and now bringing along someone of KlayThompson's experience to be able to help them
navigate that much further. And oneof the things that excited me most about
hearing Klay Thompson was not just thefact that he wanted to be here in
Dallas, but he really studied andfelt like this was the best opportunity from
(13:00):
a basketball standpoint, and Michael Finleytalking about it in his opening comments as
well, that the Dallas Mavericks arenow becoming a destination place for players to
want to play really because they're doingthe kind of winning that would attract the
kuse of Klay Thompson like players evenat their stage of their careers to come
and play here, and that,to me is a huge standing point for
this team when you look at whatthey've accomplished now over the last few years,
(13:24):
even with making the Western Conference Finalsa couple of years ago. Yes,
they did not finish the way thatthey wanted to last year, going
thirty eight and forty four to fiveand eleven with Luka Donson, Kyrie Irving
in the lineup together, but reboundingto come back to win fifty games,
finish top five in the West,and then eventually make the NBA Finals.
This team, this organization, andthe entire organizational structure is heading in the
(13:46):
right direction and made it so attractiveenough that Klay Thompson wanted to come here
and be a part of it,leaving the only team that he's ever known
to be able to have a freshnew start. And as we continue to
get to know Clay here in Dallas, one of the things that you'll discover
from him is that he is hisown man, marching to the beat of
his own drum and has made decisionsin the best interests of him, even
(14:07):
to the disappointment of his father,Michael. He even addressed that during the
press conference on Tuesday about the ideathat yes, his father was disappointed that
he didn't choose his hometown Los AngelesLakers team, but eventually understood the decision
that Clay made and felt like thatwas the best one for him to be
able to experience something new. Claymentioning that he grew up, of course,
in Los Angeles all of his life, and he was ready to go
(14:28):
somewhere else to make an imprint ona new franchise, but most importantly for
him start a new chapter that willallow him the opportunity to be able to
fulfill the kind of player that hewants to be and most importantly, for
him be able to go out onhis own terms. Players at this stage
of his career sometimes get pushed outby organizations, and even though the Golden
State Warriors tried to make things workbetween him and Clay, the relationship was
(14:52):
just not recoverable to that point towhere even when him and Joe Laka played
golf together, it just didn't necessarilywork out for them to be able to
mend that relationship. But now theMavericks have built an organization built on family
culture and most importantly a locker roomthat will assimilate yet another personality in Klay
Thompson who will fit in very nicelyto what the Mavericks have built here in
(15:16):
Dallas. And when you look atKyrie Irving for example, yes, all
the things that he went through,some of course self inflicted with him,
especially in Brooklyn, he found anatmosphere in a team that accepted him for
who he was as a person andhe was able to allow him to thrive
to have a twenty five to fivein season with the Dallas Mavericks. Klay
Thompson looking to do the same,being accepted for the player that he is,
(15:37):
what he's still capable of, butalso being able to grow as a
person and as a player on andoff the floor in a new environment.
The Mavericks have built such a culturethat will allow him to flourish here and
he believes that he has found theright opportunity to be able to do that.
So an exciting day for the DallasMavericks based off of what they were
able to accomplish losing Derek Jones jto the Los Angeles Clippers, obviously moving
(16:02):
on from Josh Green in order tofacilitate being able to get Klay Thompson here
to Dallas. But all in all, based off of what they had at
the end of the season and wherethey are now, for me, this
is a better team than what theMavericks had when they ended the season last
year and of course losing to theBoston Celtics in the NBA Finals. No
matter how you may feel about KlayThompson and what he is as a player
(16:25):
and what he may not be physicallyas a player anymore, he is an
upgrade in what they were able toacquire in him and moving on from Tim
Hardaway Junior, and most importantly,I think a motivated and a focused Clay,
a player who, in my mindis defiantly trying to rewrite the narrative
of what people have considered him tobe over the last couple of years,
which is kind of wild to thinkabout, because a player who has been
(16:47):
as efficient as he's been from thethree point line, and yes, I
know the last time that we sawClay on the court was an zero to
ten performance. Of course, inthe play in situation. I don't think
you'll see that if at all herein Dallas, a player that yes,
understands his limitations and what he is, but most importantly now understands what he
can be and remaking himself in hiscareer. It's like any kind of good
(17:10):
professional wrestler. As you get olderinto your career, you've got to reinvent
ways to make yourself relevant and continueto be effective and entertain in the crowd.
Klay Thompson looking to do the sameas a player here in the NBA,
reinventing himself. He may not necessarilyhave all the fastballs anymore, but
what he does have is the knowledgeand the experience that he's gained over thirteen
years and knows how to move withinthe offense. Yes, there may be
(17:33):
some changes that the Mavericks make offensivelyin terms of Klay Thompson, who's a
movement shooter but most importantly is aneffective catch and shoot guy, and the
amount of open looks that he's goingto get playing alongside Luka Doncis and Kyrie
Irving are going to be a plenty. But Clay understands that at this stage
in his career he has a goldenopportunity to win a fifth NBA championship and
put himself in some rarefy there interms of winning that fifth title and the
(17:56):
fact that he chose the Mavericks,the Lakers who reportedly offered him more money
and yes, the opportunity to playalongside Lebron James Anthony Davis. He looked
at Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving inthe relationship that he had with Kyrie and
what he's been able to build herein Dallas, and looked at this situation
as the best one. And youcan tell from the excitement from his comments
(18:19):
obviously from Naji Marshall and Quinton Grimes, both of them looking for opportunities to
have impacts on this team. TheMavericks have done well for themselves this offseason
and for Naji Marshall, as wementioned, a former undrafted player, a
guy who's carved out a nice rolefor himself in this league as a tough,
hard nosed defender and enforce her type, if you will, a guy
(18:41):
that's going to be able to knockdown shots from the three point line and
will be able to do so onmuch more volume with the opportunities that he'll
have here. And for Quinton Grimes, a young player at twenty four years
of age who now gets to comehome to Texas and really be able to
grow and develop his game that muchmore. You could tell he's already in
the gym, already getting working.He is excited about his opportunity here and
(19:04):
really gives the Mavericks hopefully a betterversion that what they had in Josh Green,
who yes, brought a lot ofenergy off the bench, was improving
as a shooter. Quentin Grive isa little bit more natural of a shooter
and a much better defender with thesize and the link that he has at
the six four six foot five framethat he possesses to really be able to
help this team. So if youwere excited about the Mavericks of what they
were able to do this past season, you should be that much more excited
(19:29):
about what they're capable of going forwardfor the rest of the summer, into
the training camp, into this upcomingseason as well. So look, as
you can tell, I'm in Nickspot. He graciously allowed me to be
able to record my show in hisstudio and it's kind of surreal. I
feel like I'm kind of like inDisneyland because you see all the Mavericks stuff
all behind me and all everything aroundhere. Man, it's amazing to be
(19:52):
actually being here in the studio.So if you don't, don't freak out.
When you're watching the podcast or you'relistening, it's like, what are
you talking about? Yeah? Iwas actually in Knick Studio doing thing for
the Inside the Mass podcast. Butshout out to Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall,
and Quinton Grimes, the newest membersof the Dallas Mavericks. They are
excited to be here and it wasa fantastic day for them to be able
to introduce themselves to not only thisteam, but also the media members as
(20:15):
well. And we will have muchmore coverage of course on this team throughout
the course of the summer when itcomes to not only those three, but
any other moves the Mavericks continue tomake as well for the Mavericks to be
able to move forward for the restof the season. But again, Klay
Thompson, Clinton Grimes, Naji Marshall, the newest members of the Dallas Mavericks,
I had a chance to tell youabout it right here in the Locked
(20:37):
On Mavericks studio. I would bringNick on, but you know, I'm
gonna give him a chance to beable to rest inside of his own house
and we'll be able to talk tohim at some point down the road.
But that'll do it for this episodeup Inside the mass Again, thank you
so much for joining me here onthe show. Make sure a dwnlod subscribe
to the podcast wherever you get yourpodcasts for free. Give it a five
star rating, write a review forit while you're there, And if you're
(20:57):
watching on my YouTube channel, makesure your your subscribe to the channel.
You can follow me on Twitter atKevin Gray Sports as well. This has
been Inside the MAVs presented by Aura
For a question for Clay for you, just two part question, what was
your relationship with Kyrie Irving and howthat influenced you making the decision to come
to Dallas, And how would youdefine yourself as a player at this stage
in your career and what that meansto help this Maveris team try to win
a championships going forward. Some goodquestions. Kyrie and I are good friends.
(00:21):
I mean, we came to leadtogether in twenty eleven. We played
on Team USA together twice. Obviouslyplayed against each other in the highest stages
for many years, and I've alwaysbeen a fan of Kay's game and guarding
him was hell. So it's niceto be on the other end of that
for once and see other defenders getloose and get shook by him. That's
(00:42):
going to be a good sight tosee. And then part two. At
this point my career, I mean, still can't leave me open and I
can guard, and I'm just excited. I still think I can do what
I've been able to do, andit's just about being in the best shape
I can possibly be. But Iknow I can help this team, whether
it's the knowledge I've gained or big, big scoring nights. I just still
(01:07):
know I can be a very verygood player in this league. Klay Thompson
is a Dallas Maverick and you mightrecognize me in somebody else's digs. This
is Inside the MAVs. Welcome toInside the MAVs presented by Aura. I'm
(01:53):
your host, Kevin Gray, Maverisprim post game host the Dallas Maveris Radio
Network. Appreciate you joining me herefor the latest episode of Inside the as
makes you a download and subscribe tothe podcast wherever you get your podcast for
free, give it a five starrating and write a review for it while
you're there. And if you're watchingthis on my YouTube channel at Kevin Gray
Sports, makes you liking comments onthe video as well, and subscribe to
Kevin Gray Sports here on YouTube andyou can follow me on x at Kevin
(02:16):
Gray Sports as well. You mayrecognize where I am. I'm not in
my customary recording space, but youmay recognize this because I'm at my homemides
Nick ainstat spots, as you cantell by the stuff in the background.
So shout out to Nick for allowme to hang out in his space for
a little bit as we recap whathappened with the Dallas Mavericks as they introduced
(02:37):
Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall and ClintonGrimes as they are officially your newest Dallas
Mavericks, Lay Thompson, Naji Marshall, Quinton Grimes getting acclimated to the Dallas
media for the first time. Asyou heard at the opening of the show,
Klay Thompson excited about the opportunity tobe with Dallas. Of course,
after thirteen seasons four NBA championships.A guy who at one point score thirty
(02:59):
seven point in a quarter in NBArecord sixty points on eleven dribbles, Klay
Thompson has had an illustrious career andnow brings that championship experience and that talent
to Dallas where he tries to helpthe Mavericks be able to win a championship.
After following a course in five gamesto the Boston Celtics in the NBA
Finals this year, it was aspirited atmosphere at the Mavericks practice facility as
(03:21):
Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, andQuinton Grimes now have an opportunity to help
this team be able to move forwardwhat has been a successful offseason for this
Mavericks team, and for Clay youcould tell that he is ready for a
fresh start. For a player thatsaw his time end in Golden State not
the way that he necessarily wanted to, but not necessarily having had hard feelings
(03:43):
about leaving Golden State, now hasa chance with Luka, Doncic and Kyrie
Irving to be able to forge anew chapter in his career. For Quinton
Grimes, a Dallas, Texas native, I should say, having a chance
to come home where, of course, now he played at the University of
Houston, he'll be three hours awayfor his family to be able to come
and see him play. He talkedabout that a little bit during the press
(04:03):
conference as well. And for NajiMarshall at twenty six years of age,
coming over from the New Orleans Pelicans, spending his first four seasons there,
a young player that's a physical,tough defender that's going to be able to
knock down chops from the outside.All three of these players will fit in
nicely for what the Mavericks are tryingto achieve based off of what they didn't
have in terms of some shooting duringthe NBA Finals, and Klay Thompson,
(04:27):
of course the largest member coming tothe Dallas Mavericks. You heard it in
the opening. I'll play it againbecause I want you to have an understanding
of what Klay Thompson is being ableto feel now coming to Dallas. But
most important, I had a chanceto ask him what his relationship was with
Kyrie Irving and how that affected hisdecision to come to Dallas and what still
defines him as a player at thisstage in his career that will allow him
(04:50):
to ultimately be successful here with theDallas Mavericks. Here's what he had to
say. Thanks for a question forClay for you, just two part question.
What was your relationship with Kyrie Irvingand how that influenced you making the
decision to come to Dallas. Andhow would you define yourself as a player
at this stage in your career andwhat that means to help this Maveris team
try to win a championship going forward. Some good questions. Kyrie and I
(05:15):
are good friends. I mean,we came the lead together in twenty eleven,
we played on Team USA together twice. Obviously, played against each other
in the highest stages for many years, and I've always been a fan of
Kaya's game and guarding him was hell. So it's nice to be on the
other end of that for once andsee other defenders get loose and get shook
(05:35):
by him. That's going to bea good sight to see. And then
part two. At this point mycareer, I mean still can't lead me
open and I can guard, andI'm just excited. I still think I
can do what I've been able todo, and it's just about being in
the best shape I can possibly be. But I know I can help this
(05:56):
team, whether it's the knowledge I'vegained or big scoring nights, I just
still know I can be a veryvery good player in this league. Today's
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the link in the description. Youstill can't leave him open. That struck
me because klay Thompson last year wasfourth in the NBA and three pointers made,
(07:43):
shooting in the thirty nine percent fromthree and what was a down year
for him percentage wise in terms ofhis three point shooting, but still a
guy that made nearly two hundred andtwenty catch and shoot three pointers last year,
and that is going to be hislargest role on this team, providing
that spacing for Luke and Kyrie tobe able to knock down shots and really
give this team a boost from thethree point line and really be able to
(08:05):
stretch defenses. Clay talking about theknowledge and experience that he's gained with the
thirteen years that he spent with theGolden State Wars and bringing that championship,
DNA and experience to this team whonow has to marry the idea of what
they were able to accomplish in termsof making that finals run, but also
now being able to be better asa team and being cohesive toward making another
(08:26):
run toward the NBA Finals. KlayThompson knows a little bit about that and
the player that overcome the adversity ofthe torn acl and the achilles to still
come back to be an effective player. Yes, there will be questions about
him at thirty four years old interms of the defense that he can still
play, But as you heard there, he is confident in his physical abilities
to still be a really good defenderand still provide the necessary defense that the
(08:50):
Mavericks are going to be looking for. And if you were looking for the
Mavericks to move on from Tim HardawayJunior, which they were able to do,
if they were going to replace himwith someone, you got a much
better version and better defender even atthis stage of his career. And Klay
Thompson at thirty four years old,so he coming along with Naji Marshall and
Quinton Grimes. I believe the Maverickshad a really successful offseason based on what
(09:11):
they utilize in terms of their resourcesto make it happen. Klay Thompson of
course coming over as part of thathistoric six team NBA trade, the first
that we've ever seen in NBA history. Naji Marshall signed a three year,
twenty seven million dollars deal coming overfrom the New Orleans Pelicans. He carved
out a nice role for himself whenhe was with New Orleans and now has
a bigger and larger opportunities as partof this rotation with the Mavericks to be
(09:35):
that much more of an impact playerand for Quinton Grimes coming over from what
was New York and Detroit, afresh start for him as well to be
able to put an impact and animprint on this team. A guy that
goes six to five can knock downthe three, can defend, and will
be a part of this significant rotationfor the Dallas Mavericks and which you've got
with Luca and Kyrie obviously with PJ. Washington's hopeful improvement from the three point
(09:58):
line, another summer for guys likeDaniel Gaffer and PJ. Washington to be
able to help this team get readyto get ready for next year. They're
exciting times for the Mavericks and KlayThompson for me, he's going to be
a hell of a quote while he'shere in Dallas. If you listen and
watch the forty three minute presser thatthey had, Klay Thompson is a guy
who is very sure of himself,very comfortable with where he is in his
(10:20):
career, and most importantly knows whathe has to do to be able to
maximize what his body has left togive as far as the rest of his
NBA career is concerned, but mostimportantly, how he is able to impact
every single member on this team andthe relationship that he already had with Kyrie
Irving coming into this situation, nowgrowing and developing one with Luka Doncz Klay
Thomps is saying that Luca texted himas he became a member of the Mavericks.
(10:45):
All of this will find itself tobe a huge, huge improvement for
this team going forward and for ateam that obviously is getting ready for Summer
League. O Max Prosper going tobe the focal point of the Summer league
team this summer. You're looking foreveryone, as Nico Harris had talked about,
to make a ten to fifteen percentimprovement and what they want to see
from them going into training camp lateron this year. And if you can
(11:07):
not only get that from the currentplayers that you have, but you also
add that ten to fifteen percent betterfrom the three guys that you have in
terms of a refreshed and motivated KlayThompson, a Naji Marshall looking to prove
himself in a bigger role, anda Quinton Grimes looking to continue his development
and growth here, you feel likethe Mavericks have put themselves in that position
to remain a top four team inthe West, even with how difficult things
(11:30):
have become as far as the topfour of the West is concerned. We
talked about with Oklahoma City adding AlixCaruso and Isiah Hartenstein as well to be
able to improve their team. Thereare a lot of teams that are still
there when you look at the MinnesotaTimberwolves, the Denver Nuggets, obviously the
Oklahoma City Thunder as we talked about. But for the Mavericks, not only
do they get better as a teamin terms of their shooting, but they
also continue to bring in guys interms of Naji Marshall, Quinton Grimes twenty
(11:56):
four to twenty five, twenty sixyears of age, all fitting in that
timeline that we've talked about before.When you've got a Luka Doncis, when
you've got a PJ. Washington,when you've got a Daniel Gafford and others
in their mid twenties and a teamthat is still growing and developing together.
Now you bring in somewhat of KlayThompson's experience and accomplishment to go alongside Luca
Donchis and Kyrie Irving. The skyis the limit for this team. And
(12:18):
you can tell for whether it beNico Harrison, whether it be Michael Finley,
whether it be the entire front office. They feel like they have now
put together the kind of roster thatnot only has staying power for the next
couple of years, but really forseveral years going forward, still having assets
with the twenty twenty five and twentythirty one first round picks to be able
to make moves that they need to. They've got a core and a nucleus
(12:39):
that has now put themselves in experiencedpositions and making an NBA Finals run,
and now bringing along someone of KlayThompson's experience to be able to help them
navigate that much further. And oneof the things that excited me most about
hearing Klay Thompson was not just thefact that he wanted to be here in
Dallas, but he really studied andfelt like this was the best opportunity from
(13:00):
a basketball standpoint, and Michael Finleytalking about it in his opening comments as
well, that the Dallas Mavericks arenow becoming a destination place for players to
want to play really because they're doingthe kind of winning that would attract the
kuse of Klay Thompson like players evenat their stage of their careers to come
and play here, and that,to me is a huge standing point for
this team when you look at whatthey've accomplished now over the last few years,
(13:24):
even with making the Western Conference Finalsa couple of years ago. Yes,
they did not finish the way thatthey wanted to last year, going
thirty eight and forty four to fiveand eleven with Luka Donson, Kyrie Irving
in the lineup together, but reboundingto come back to win fifty games,
finish top five in the West,and then eventually make the NBA Finals.
This team, this organization, andthe entire organizational structure is heading in the
(13:46):
right direction and made it so attractiveenough that Klay Thompson wanted to come here
and be a part of it,leaving the only team that he's ever known
to be able to have a freshnew start. And as we continue to
get to know Clay here in Dallas, one of the things that you'll discover
from him is that he is hisown man, marching to the beat of
his own drum and has made decisionsin the best interests of him, even
(14:07):
to the disappointment of his father,Michael. He even addressed that during the
press conference on Tuesday about the ideathat yes, his father was disappointed that
he didn't choose his hometown Los AngelesLakers team, but eventually understood the decision
that Clay made and felt like thatwas the best one for him to be
able to experience something new. Claymentioning that he grew up, of course,
in Los Angeles all of his life, and he was ready to go
(14:28):
somewhere else to make an imprint ona new franchise, but most importantly for
him start a new chapter that willallow him the opportunity to be able to
fulfill the kind of player that hewants to be and most importantly, for
him be able to go out onhis own terms. Players at this stage
of his career sometimes get pushed outby organizations, and even though the Golden
State Warriors tried to make things workbetween him and Clay, the relationship was
(14:52):
just not recoverable to that point towhere even when him and Joe Laka played
golf together, it just didn't necessarilywork out for them to be able to
mend that relationship. But now theMavericks have built an organization built on family
culture and most importantly a locker roomthat will assimilate yet another personality in Klay
Thompson who will fit in very nicelyto what the Mavericks have built here in
(15:16):
Dallas. And when you look atKyrie Irving for example, yes, all
the things that he went through,some of course self inflicted with him,
especially in Brooklyn, he found anatmosphere in a team that accepted him for
who he was as a person andhe was able to allow him to thrive
to have a twenty five to fivein season with the Dallas Mavericks. Klay
Thompson looking to do the same,being accepted for the player that he is,
(15:37):
what he's still capable of, butalso being able to grow as a
person and as a player on andoff the floor in a new environment.
The Mavericks have built such a culturethat will allow him to flourish here and
he believes that he has found theright opportunity to be able to do that.
So an exciting day for the DallasMavericks based off of what they were
able to accomplish losing Derek Jones jto the Los Angeles Clippers, obviously moving
(16:02):
on from Josh Green in order tofacilitate being able to get Klay Thompson here
to Dallas. But all in all, based off of what they had at
the end of the season and wherethey are now, for me, this
is a better team than what theMavericks had when they ended the season last
year and of course losing to theBoston Celtics in the NBA Finals. No
matter how you may feel about KlayThompson and what he is as a player
(16:25):
and what he may not be physicallyas a player anymore, he is an
upgrade in what they were able toacquire in him and moving on from Tim
Hardaway Junior, and most importantly,I think a motivated and a focused Clay,
a player who, in my mindis defiantly trying to rewrite the narrative
of what people have considered him tobe over the last couple of years,
which is kind of wild to thinkabout, because a player who has been
(16:47):
as efficient as he's been from thethree point line, and yes, I
know the last time that we sawClay on the court was an zero to
ten performance. Of course, inthe play in situation. I don't think
you'll see that if at all herein Dallas, a player that yes,
understands his limitations and what he is, but most importantly now understands what he
can be and remaking himself in hiscareer. It's like any kind of good
(17:10):
professional wrestler. As you get olderinto your career, you've got to reinvent
ways to make yourself relevant and continueto be effective and entertain in the crowd.
Klay Thompson looking to do the sameas a player here in the NBA,
reinventing himself. He may not necessarilyhave all the fastballs anymore, but
what he does have is the knowledgeand the experience that he's gained over thirteen
years and knows how to move withinthe offense. Yes, there may be
(17:33):
some changes that the Mavericks make offensivelyin terms of Klay Thompson, who's a
movement shooter but most importantly is aneffective catch and shoot guy, and the
amount of open looks that he's goingto get playing alongside Luka Doncis and Kyrie
Irving are going to be a plenty. But Clay understands that at this stage
in his career he has a goldenopportunity to win a fifth NBA championship and
put himself in some rarefy there interms of winning that fifth title and the
(17:56):
fact that he chose the Mavericks,the Lakers who reportedly offered him more money
and yes, the opportunity to playalongside Lebron James Anthony Davis. He looked
at Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving inthe relationship that he had with Kyrie and
what he's been able to build herein Dallas, and looked at this situation
as the best one. And youcan tell from the excitement from his comments
(18:19):
obviously from Naji Marshall and Quinton Grimes, both of them looking for opportunities to
have impacts on this team. TheMavericks have done well for themselves this offseason
and for Naji Marshall, as wementioned, a former undrafted player, a
guy who's carved out a nice rolefor himself in this league as a tough,
hard nosed defender and enforce her type, if you will, a guy
(18:41):
that's going to be able to knockdown shots from the three point line and
will be able to do so onmuch more volume with the opportunities that he'll
have here. And for Quinton Grimes, a young player at twenty four years
of age who now gets to comehome to Texas and really be able to
grow and develop his game that muchmore. You could tell he's already in
the gym, already getting working.He is excited about his opportunity here and
(19:04):
really gives the Mavericks hopefully a betterversion that what they had in Josh Green,
who yes, brought a lot ofenergy off the bench, was improving
as a shooter. Quentin Grive isa little bit more natural of a shooter
and a much better defender with thesize and the link that he has at
the six four six foot five framethat he possesses to really be able to
help this team. So if youwere excited about the Mavericks of what they
were able to do this past season, you should be that much more excited
(19:29):
about what they're capable of going forwardfor the rest of the summer, into
the training camp, into this upcomingseason as well. So look, as
you can tell, I'm in Nickspot. He graciously allowed me to be
able to record my show in hisstudio and it's kind of surreal. I
feel like I'm kind of like inDisneyland because you see all the Mavericks stuff
all behind me and all everything aroundhere. Man, it's amazing to be
(19:52):
actually being here in the studio.So if you don't, don't freak out.
When you're watching the podcast or you'relistening, it's like, what are
you talking about? Yeah? Iwas actually in Knick Studio doing thing for
the Inside the Mass podcast. Butshout out to Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall,
and Quinton Grimes, the newest membersof the Dallas Mavericks. They are
excited to be here and it wasa fantastic day for them to be able
to introduce themselves to not only thisteam, but also the media members as
(20:15):
well. And we will have muchmore coverage of course on this team throughout
the course of the summer when itcomes to not only those three, but
any other moves the Mavericks continue tomake as well for the Mavericks to be
able to move forward for the restof the season. But again, Klay
Thompson, Clinton Grimes, Naji Marshall, the newest members of the Dallas Mavericks,
I had a chance to tell youabout it right here in the Locked
(20:37):
On Mavericks studio. I would bringNick on, but you know, I'm
gonna give him a chance to beable to rest inside of his own house
and we'll be able to talk tohim at some point down the road.
But that'll do it for this episodeup Inside the mass Again, thank you
so much for joining me here onthe show. Make sure a dwnlod subscribe
to the podcast wherever you get yourpodcasts for free. Give it a five
star rating, write a review forit while you're there, And if you're
(20:57):
watching on my YouTube channel, makesure your your subscribe to the channel.
You can follow me on Twitter atKevin Gray Sports as well. This has
been Inside the MAVs presented by Aura
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