Kawhi Update from Lawrence Frank + Coach Lue Press Conference

Clippers Talk Live with Adam Auslund as a presser with Coach Lue and L Frank is unfolding where they talk about Kawhi's health heading into training camp, starting jobs up for grabs and more. 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, I think we are live now. Welcome in. This
is Clipper's Talk. As I set some things up here,
I'm hoping you guys can see this. It's a Clippers
Talk live. I just posted that we're going live. I
don't know what the press conference is about. I truly don't.

(00:22):
I'm just in the lurch like the rest of you
right now, just waiting to get some information on this.
All we have so far are a couple of tweets
from here. We got La Murray would be one, and
I appreciate anyone joined the show here. Alex Webb says,
what's good? Adam. La Murray would be one. He's out

(00:46):
into a dome. He's got a picture of a microphone.
Justin Russeau would be another. I know this is something
media members were obviously aware of because they are there,
and Jessin Bruzzo says Lawrence Franken Toron Lou We'll be
speaking momentarily here, so I guess I'll keep the coverage

(01:08):
going and keep you a breast of the situation as
quotes come out from this press conference, and do a
little bit of dancing. JM. L or I thirteen twenty four.
I yeah, it's definitely not a one. I'm still looking
for clarification on that. As I know he's a fan.
I'm a fan of his as well. I'm ot a Mosland.

(01:30):
This is an impromptu Clippers talk live for you guys,
because it's an impromptu press conference. For some didn't know
this was happening today, but it looks like the media
was alerted, the local media for the Clippers. They are
at into it Dome now. The timing of this is
interesting because we have Media Day coming up next Monday,

(01:51):
September thirtieth, and therefore I would have thought we would
have got something then, and having something on a Tuesday
right beforehand leads to questions. Those questions are hopefully going
to be answered here in a little bit. It's odd timing, yes,
as alex Web would say, a week before media Day,

(02:13):
not sure exactly what this is about, but hoping to
get as Lawrence Frank now is here and here we go,
La Murray of the and you. I'm pulling tweets from him,
I'll pull some from Justin Russo as well, and we'll
try to get a little bit of clarification on what's
going on here. I'm at a MASLM. We got a

(02:36):
clipperstock live for you as we have a press conference
with Lawrence Frank, your president of basketball operations and head
coach tarn lou So. Now that I'm getting oriented with
my space here on x AS, I'm pulling up tweets
here from la Murray and Justin Rousseau, who are in attendance,

(02:57):
Laurence Frank says, I think our defense is going to
be significantly improved due to the off season editions. I
think there's a great deal of pride in our group
and what we've done where we feel extremely fortunate, where
we have the longest active streak of winning seasons thirteen
straight winning seasons from your Los Angeles Clippers. That is

(03:19):
the longest active streak. Of course, the San Antonio Spurs
they have well a much longer streak at one point
of over twenty plus years. Cla Murray has this from
Lawrence Frank. Kawhi Leonard's swelling is down. Will be limited
to begin training camp, but Kawhi can't wait to get started.
So there's your Kawhi Leonard update, something we've been talking about.

(03:42):
Did a live with Grant Mota on Friday. After that
erroneous report or whatever it was coming out of China.
Didn't get a ton of information there. The swelling is down.
According to Lawrence Frank, Kawhi Leonard's swelling is down, but
will be limited to begin training camp. Kawhi cannot wait
to get started. That's big news justin Rousseau. As this

(04:06):
quote from Lawrence Frank on Kawhi Leonard his right knee,
the swing has significantly gone down. It's almost gone. We're
going to hold him back from drill work in training
camp and work on strengthening. So I'm not sure if
you guys see that as positive news or not. I know,
we have a couple of people here in the chat.

(04:28):
Strado says, I'm scared. It looks like the way I'm
interpreting this right now, maybe Lawrence Frank and head coach
sharn Leu are just speaking with the media and getting
this out of the way before Monday. That's how I'm
seeing this, Lawrence Frank said. The encouraging thing is that
the team and Kawhi Leonard have seen progress in Leonard's

(04:49):
rehabilitation of knee inflammation. There has been progress from inflammation
going back to April. Hmmm. Interesting swelling down is certainly
good news. I would have thought at this point, and

(05:09):
who knows, not a doctor, that it would have been
less of an issue. I am looking for a little
bit more clarification on that. What we can do here
is because I have the power, is bring in a
shared screen for you guys from law Murray and give

(05:31):
you this audio. But the problem is I won't be
able to hear it at the same time from Lawrence Frank,
I'm guessing it's just the audio portion of what I
just played for you. So I'm just gonna keep reading
the quotes here from Justin Russo and La Murray. La
Murray from the Athletic. Looking for an update here this is.

(05:54):
I don't know if any other reporters are there right now,
if it's just them too, but it is it into it.
Don't kind of wish I was there to just check
out the new setting in what's happening at press conferences.
I know we walked by it when we got the
into a dome tour myself, Chuck Mockler, Will Updyke, and
we got some people asking questions. Caleb berguson as we

(06:18):
fill time here to look for more quotes coming out
of this, Lawrence Frank press conference coach Lewis said to
speak as well. Caleb Berguson asked, what's the ceiling sandywise
for the Clippers. I don't know. Tell me how many
games you think Kawhi Leonard is playing. I'll tell you
what the ceiling is for this team. I think at
this point it's staying out of the plane. That would

(06:44):
be the ultimate ceiling. Here, as I get this from
La Murray, you said, Lawrence Frank is not committing to
Kawhi Leonard being ready for the regular season opener, but
expects him to have a great year. Hmmm, here's how
I'm sorry to interpret this. The swelling, as has been

(07:04):
said here, there's progress. Quote his right knee. The swelling
has significantly gone down, significantly gone down, it's almost gone.
We're going to hold him back from drill work in
training camp and work on strengthening. So therefore, he probably
can't commit to whether or not Kawhi Leonard is going

(07:24):
to be available for the regular season opener because they
don't know how he's going to respond to the strengthening
of the knee and whatever drills he does go through
during training camp. I have long talked to you guys
about this situation, going back to April when I first
heard about the swelling. As JM I thirteen twenty four says,

(07:45):
that's concerning. I think it's just one of those things
where you're going to have to manage it here and
the fact that it started in April, and really March
thirty first was the last game he played before you
started missing games. And it's still an ongoing issue where
the swelling isn't completely down yet, but it is significantly down.

(08:07):
It's obviously something that's still being managed. If we're talking
about not doing or compete or being limited in training camp,
I want to quote this correctly. Is where Kawhi is
still at heading into training camp just a week away
or after media day on September thirtieth, they will be

(08:29):
in Hawaii. He does say, Laurence frank Kawhi can't wait
to get started. I don't know how you guys want
to interpret this right now. I'd say it's not ideal,
it's not perfect. We would love to hear hiss one

(08:50):
can participate in everything in training camp, but Laurence Frank
on if Kawhi Leonard will be ready for opening Days
said quote, the timing is all going to depend on
how his knee responds to each phase. This is something
I've been telling you guys going back to April when
I said I'm not worried about him trying to go

(09:11):
in a playoff game. It's how he responds after that.
And after playing game two, his body didn't respond well.
I think he looked much worse in Game three. So
not a doctor, not close to it, but I've tried
my best to keep you guys informed on the situation.

(09:34):
Big R sixty four says, I just feel terrible for
Kawhi Leonard. If he has such a devastating player, it's
just such a shame that they can't stay on the court.
I'm with you, nobody wants to be out there more
than Kawhi. It's frustrating right now, it really is. This
is somebody that is a top seventy five player ever

(09:58):
and his body has been trade him last four seasons,
hasn't been able to either start a playoff run or
finish a playoff run. Another quote, coming from Lawrence Frank
says that part of managing Kawhi Leonard is that he
won't have to guard the best players with this roster.
We've talked about that a lot during the offseason. You
bring in Derek Jones Jr. You bring in Chris Dunn,

(10:20):
you have Terrence Man there, you have Nicholas batoombback, a
lot of guys to guard out there. All Murray also
said this. Lawrence Frank says that mentally, Kawhi Leonard is
encouraged that he is trending in the right direction. Yeah,
I'm a little bit. I just would have thought by

(10:43):
now the swelling had gone down enough if we're talking
about him possibly playing for Team USA, and maybe that's
why they didn't feel comfortable Kawhi Leonard had the quote
out there. Knee was in a neutral state at that time.
I don't know, but I would have thought when he
came into camp for Team USA and said he had

(11:05):
a turning point two weeks beforehand. So we're talking about,
I want to say, late June, early July, that if
he was trying to go then that we'd be a
little bit further along. But Jessin Rousseau is putting this
out from Lawrence Frank says that he's still disappointed that
Team USA didn't give Kawhi Leonard a longer runway during

(11:27):
that specific training camp after Kawhi Leonard had been cleared medically. Okay,
cleared medically is something new. Lawrence Frank point out that
other players on the roster that are dealing with minor
or minor injuries. That there are other players on the
roster that are dealing with minor or minor injuries and

(11:48):
they'll be assessed a head of training camp with the Clippers.
Updates will be provided when applicable. Frank stated he would
not name the players at this present time, so am
not a ton of clarity here. Here's what we know
so far. Kawhi has significantly improved when it comes to

(12:08):
swelling in that right knee, there is significantly and let
me quote it exactly his right knee. The swelling has
significantly gone down. It's almost gone. We're going to hold
him back from drill work in training camp and work
on strengthening. That is what we have released so far

(12:30):
from this presser with Lawrence Frank, and we believe coach
Taran lu will be available here in just a few moments.
Kayla Bergerson says, I wish though that La the La
Clippers could get Raptors version of Kawhi Leonard. Well, to
be fair, they've gotten a better version of Kawhi Leonard.
He was better than he had ever been in twenty

(12:51):
twenty one through the first round and a half. They
just can't get a guy who's been able to stay
as healthy as Kawhi did when he played sixty teams
in the regular season with Toronto and then ended up
completing the playoff run through the finals and winning the
championship and having and holding finals MVP JJ the Boy said,

(13:14):
disappointed about what the inflemation wasn't fully down yet. Why
risk it? Why risk what you're saying with Team USA.
I think that's a fair point. Big R sixty four.
He says, they have to really load manage him well
this year. I agree with you, especially after hearing this news.

(13:39):
It's significantly down, but he's still not going to be
able to participate in everything during training camp. Here's something new.
This comes from Justin Russell. Lawrence Frank says that they've
had ongoing discussions with Terrence Man on an extension. Frank

(13:59):
reiterated that they want Man to be with the Clippers
for a long time. Quote, We're hopeful we can get
a deal done. Frank says that has been one of
the themes this summer. We already saw if it's a
Zubats he got his extension. So what's happening right now
with Terrence Mann. They're hopeful to get a deal done.

(14:22):
This comes from Lot Murray, Trent and Flowers and that
wrist surgery will not be going through training camp. He's
on a two way deal. Lawnce Frank says there's also
other minor injuries on the roster again, won't disclose names
for now. Launce Frank on James Harden said, the pecking
order will be pretty clear this year. Okay, makes sense.

(14:45):
He's one of the top two players on the team.
There's not going to be an issue between who's number
two with him and Paul George so As, I'm still
reading through these tweets from Justin and Russo and La
Murray As. There's a press conference going on right now
with Lawrence Frank. The news so far it was about

(15:09):
Kawhi Leonard and getting an update on that right knee. Again.
The status and the quote from Lawrence Frank was this
his right knee. The swelling has significantly gone down. It's
almost gone. We're going to hold him back from drill
work in training camp and work on strengthening. I'm a

(15:31):
little bit surprised that it isn't fully gone by now.
I think it's just going to be difficult to manage. Guys.
I gotta be honest with you. We're talking about April.
It's September twenty fourth now, that's a significant chunk of time,
and the swelling isn't fully down yet. Not trying to

(15:53):
raise alarm. Bell is just trying to be realistic with it,
Just trying to be honest. I wasn't sure at this
point that we'd still be here when we're talking about
his knee being somewhat swollen, but significantly less than it was.
That is important. That is a note, and that's the

(16:17):
most important thing coming out of this so far. Lawrence
Frank says regarding Terrence Man, he won't be a slow
starter this year. He expects him to shoot more threes
and rebound better for his position. I like that We've
talked about it. Terrence Man, notoriously the last two seasons

(16:38):
now has gotten off to very slow starts shooting wise
from the outside. He was coming off the ankle injury
last season that occurred in practice, I think right before
training camp, and then he was shooting about twenty percent
until the calendar flipped, and in twenty twenty four Terrence

(16:59):
Man shot forty four from the outside and then shot
forty five percent in that series against the Dallas Mavericks.
You're listening to a clipperstock live. I'm out of Moslems.
We can still take your questions here. Charles Gardner says, sorry,
I can't believe Frank when it comes to Kawhi. I

(17:19):
do I believe what he's saying. The problem is, Charles,
nobody can know how his knee is going to respond
once they ramp things up. This has been my concern
the entire time. What happens when he plays five on five?
Then where is it at? Why not? The Clippers says,

(17:40):
I truly hate how they aren't transparent with us just
banking on the Kawhi name to have us buy these
expensive tickets. I think they're being as transparent as possible.
This is what they know about his knee right now.
No one has a crystal ball of how his knees
going to respond once you get back to playing in

(18:01):
an NBA game at the highest level. Guys, no one
could know that. His doctors can't know that. Kawhi can't
know that, So how can the Clippers and Lawrence Frank
know that. I'm just being honest with you. I think
that's fair. You want them to predict the future, they can't.

(18:25):
He's telling us the swelling is significantly down. I'm not
sure what else you can really get at this point,
because it's Kawhi, because it's the reconstructed right knee from
the ACL on the meniscus, and because of what just
happened in April. Lawrence Frank says that you never want

(18:48):
to put a ceiling on a team. Confirms that he
has internet access and has seen Vegas expectations for the Clippers.
Believes in Kawhi, Leonard and James Harden leading the team
and the opportunity for the rest of them. Okay, L
Frank says, compete. You want to be a competitive team, Well,

(19:09):
you need competitive guys to do so. I love that.
That's what it means to be a Clipper. That's what
we have seen for some time now, and that's been
the makeup of this team. When the ships have been down,
they played some of their best basketball when their backs
were against the Wall, they played some of their best basketball.

(19:31):
The twenty one to twenty two team. That team ended
up with a winning record, even though they didn't have
Kawhi the entire year and Paul George only played thirty
one games. The twenty eighteen to twenty nineteen team before
the two Pine three era, that team overachieved. Co Lemerick says,

(19:55):
I think the big question is is the swelling significant
less from last April, or from last week or from
after he left tm USA. Well, I think it's obvious
that it's less than from April. If the quote is,

(20:15):
I'll keep reading it because I don't want to misquote
Laurence frank Here his right knee. Here's the quote. His
right knee. The swelling has significantly gone down. It's almost gone.
We're going to hold him back from drill work and
training camp and work on strengthening. There's the quote. So

(20:35):
almost gone is pretty far away from where it was
in April. Guys, I don't know how you can interpret
that an the other way. Frankie boy nine says, So
if his knee is not one hundred percent, why the
Clippers wanted to play him for Team USA. Kauwa I
wanted to play for tem Usa, and the Clippers supported

(20:59):
that decision. Kawhi felt good enough. Kawi said right as
Team USA camp was underway that there was a turning
point two weeks beforehand before getting the camp with that knee,
and that's why I think he joined Team USA. He

(21:24):
felt like he could compete. We saw tape of him
playing five on five and scrimmaging. He looked solid. Other
players said he looked good. The coaching staff said he
looked good, and then they sent him home. So that's
still perplexing. I know now that you're hearing the swelling

(21:45):
isn't all the way down. Maybe they thought it was
that a manageable enough place where for playing a few
minutes here and there on Temusa you wouldn't be risking,
exacerbating or worshiping the injury. I don't know. It doesn't
look like that question was posed or pressed to Laurence Frank.

(22:08):
Here we're expecting coach Luther talk as well. Here's Lot
Murray saying when Kawhi is healthy, he wants to play.
That's a quote from Lawrence Frank. Laurence Frank says the
team wants Kawhi to get to one hundred percent, and
then any management plan that consists of back to backs

(22:29):
will be determined from there. So rightfully, so before you
start talking about how to load manage him or manage
his health best during the season, he first has to
get back to one. So clearly he's not there yet.
Maybe that's where Temsa was coming from. They want everybody

(22:52):
to be at I don't know. It's really, as we
like to say on clips and dip reading tea leaves again,
Lawrence Frank had a quote regarding if the Clippers' roster
as a championship or has championship aspirations. He said quote,
I'll never put a ceiling on a team. I'm not naive.

(23:15):
I have the Internet. I know what Vegas is saying
about us, So we're honest about ourselves. Okay, JJ the
boy says his knee probably swelled up again after the
five on five scrimmages. Well, let's just conjecture and speculation.
We don't know that. The quote is it's almost gone.

(23:42):
Stratos says this. I'm hoping this is just early liad management.
So he isn't stressing his knee during camp and pre season.
I would guess You're gonna be overly cautious right now
in training camp for a guy who's thirty three years
of age, is a vet, has been through this multiple times.
Air on the side of caution. If the swelling isn't

(24:06):
completely down, air on the side of caution and work
him along slowly. Orange Frank would not commit to whether
or not Kawhi would be available for opening night yet,
because they have to see how his knee responds with
whatever strengthening they do during training camp. If he's not

(24:26):
participating in some of the drills, that sounds like the case. Okay,
let's see how he responds to some of the one
on one training and strengthening conditioning he does. Jbo's eighty
four says, swelling for five months, Kawhi's career is over. Well,

(24:47):
that is just sky is falling, chicken little type stuff.
Jabo's this is not the way. Do I have concerns
about the knee. Yes, I've told told you guys this
four or five months. I told you guys this on
Friday after the podcast I ended up doing with Grant

(25:11):
Mona because of a tweet that was coming out from
China and it was freaking everybody out. My concern is,
just like I said on Friday, it's turned into an
overused thing because this time it didn't seem to be

(25:32):
one tweak that inflamed his knee or got the inflammation
and swelling in there in soreness. It was he played
sixty eight games and then I guess over time it
built up. I don't know. We really didn't get anything
concrete on that end, but it didn't sound like it

(25:55):
was one movement against the Charlotte Hornets that unfortunately caused
the swelling. So I don't know if that's a wear
and tear thing. I don't know if that's okay. This
is still just his second year back from the ACL
and then first year back from the meniscus, and it

(26:17):
just was too much playing sixty eight games last season
and kawhisney hit the wall. I don't know. Here's fresh saying,
not sure Low's sources close to Kawhi or trustworthy. Well,
right now, his sources, Lawrence Frank talking to them right

(26:40):
now into a dome. So it's straight from the horse's mouth.
He's pulling this from Laurence Frank talking about the swelling
being almost gone. Lawrence Frank also said this regarding the
Western Conference quote, the West is a beast. Think about
how thin the margins are. We were fourth. Difference between

(27:02):
fourth and tenth was five games. Lawrence Frank was asked
about power forwards. Lawrence Frank apparently doesn't categorize it by
using the number four. He mentions he believes in a
point guard, a big and three wings. I like that,
but also mentioned the following players Kawhi, Niko Kobe, Derek Jones, PJ. Tucker,

(27:25):
Emir and T. Mann. Also said that he wants better rebounding.
So that's how he looks at the situation with power forwards.
The starting four, it's gonna be Kawhi Leonard. It looks
like once again it's become a positionless league. I totally

(27:49):
understand his mindset and philosophy. There so many teams are
going smaller, but they need to be better on the boards.
This comes from JJ the boy. That's what's so frustrating
with his injury. We don't know much at all how
it happened. It feels like some witchcraft stuff man with
some real bad ju ju. Maybe because Kawhi doesn't know

(28:11):
what happened. I talked about the Charlotte game afterwards and
was mentioning how good he looked in that game. Movement wise,
he looked great. It was one of the more more
explosive games he had. He was blowing by Miles Bridges,
he was getting to the basket, and then he doesn't
play the next game and apparently there was knee soreness

(28:32):
and then it turned into swelling. You're asking to know
Kawhi Leonard's body better than he does, that's what you're asking.
It doesn't make sense, guys, they can't know everything. Kawhi.
I don't know if he has a read on it.

(28:55):
This is I understand the transparency stuff. I think they're
trying the best they can, but considering there's still some
swelling but significantly less and it's almost gone. I don't
know what more you would like them to report. I

(29:18):
just it's really difficult with a player like Kawhi, with
the injuries he's been through to prognosticate with any player,
but especially with Kawhi when it comes to injuries and
where his body's at. Jay Bo's Edy four says, I'm

(29:39):
scared holding me at him. Look at least we know
now going into training camp how this is going to
go the way they're going to try to manage him,
at least during training camp. He will be limited to
begin training camp, but the swelling is significantly down. You

(30:10):
would not throw him right back into the fire into
five on five. I would guess until he ramps up
slowly and checks some more boxes. So they're holding him
back from drill work and training camp. He's gonna work
on strengthening. That's what we know, guys. I know it's

(30:35):
not ideal. You would have loved to just hear Kauhi's
one hundred percent ready to go camp, participate in everything.
I wish that was coming out today too. This is
them being transparency, being transparent. They're not necessarily just telling
you what you want to hear. They're telling you what's
going on. Frankie Boy nine says, I feel like we're

(30:57):
gonna see twenty eighteen, twenty nineteen hard year Harden will
carry us to the Western Conference finals. Call me crazy,
but it could happen. Harden's thirty five. Now, I don't
think that's realistic at all. I think Harden could be
very good. I think he can get them to have
a top ten offense still, if the defense is much improved.

(31:19):
Great that they're in business. I believe the defense is
gonna be much better than seventeenth. They have to be
top eight on that end. To me, why not? The
Clippers says, we have to stop stressing at him. Lol,
We're sorry, Adam, We're just ready for basketball. Kai no
Kawhi take me to into it. Yeah, obviously he's injury

(31:42):
prone and has been unreliable as a Clipper. He's been
snake bit by injuries. Nobody's more frustrated than Kawhi about
this guy's Kawhi is a killer out there piece, an
all timer. If he could play, if he was healthy
enough to play, if they would let him play, because
you got to protect player from themselves at times. I

(32:04):
know Kauai wanted to play more against Dallas. I know
he wanted to play more against Potix. But you can't
let a guy do that after all the injuries he's had.
It's often not up to the player. NBA talks says,
need KPg to start, or let's just play big like
the Calves. They don't have the personnel for that. In KPJ.

(32:27):
The chances of him starting are minute are extremely small. Guys,
Let's be realistic. He hasn't played basketball since April of
twenty twenty three. He's being investigated by the NBA. He
could still be suspended him. It's starting shooting guard and

(32:49):
that Reddit post is wild. Maybe it was from NBA Talks.
Gregarius One says, the way load managing has gone, I
would be more concerned with how ready he will be
later the season than how ready he will be opening
the season. Well, they've left no stone unturned. They've tried

(33:09):
everything so far with Kawhi outside of just waiting till
March to play him. But you can't wait till March
and say just save him for the playoffs. They wouldn't
make the playoffs in the West if you wait that long.
I don't think they would be flirting with being out
of the play in if that was the case. So

(33:33):
the team, guys, they're trying everything they can to handle
this the right way. They really are. JJ the Boys says,
I ain't blaming Kawhi. I just feel bad. All I
can do is pray for his health throughout the season.
As for Cup half fool perspective, at least the swelling
is down and not worse, making progress that's important. Now.

(33:55):
I don't know how much he's tested it. That's my question.
How much rigorous training has he done? And I'll say this,
it was reported by Kelly Johnson at opening night of
Into a Dome on the red carpet, she talked with Mobamba.
Mobamba and Kahi are boys and have been for a while,

(34:17):
and he went down and traded in San Diego with
Kawhi and talked about how tough the training regiment was.
That's encouraging to me. So if that's the case and
it's almost gone, even while training that knee, even while
doing hard stuff, even while doing maybe most of the
usual off season training stuff he does, that would be

(34:38):
very encouraging. NBA Talk says, let's trade everyone for SGA. Lol, dude,
just lose my number or whatever. Like this is not helpful,
This is not productive. Frankie Boy nine says, changing topics.
The part when an interview with Ralph Lawler was amazing.
Can't wait for part two. I appreciate everybody for checking

(34:59):
that out. Worked hard on it. My director Chris Graham, like,
I'm just there asking questions. He made it look good,
Ralph made it sound good. But I'm proud of it.
I hope you guys, enjoy Part one. It's up now.
Put it up yesterday on the YouTube side called it
Clippers Talk All that, All Access Part one with Ralph Lawler.

(35:21):
So enjoy that and maybe we'll get better news. This
training camp goes along. Here, let me check in with
la Murray and see if Coach Lou has come to
the podium yet here. Yes, he has Coach Lou is here.

(35:47):
So this is basically a pre media day bonus with
coach Liu and Laurence Frank. I don't know if that
means they will still be speaking next Monday or not.
Some quotes coming out from coach Lou. He says that
last year's training camp set the tone for the entire
season in terms of conditioning and how hard they needed
to play. Now they have to do it without Russ. Well,

(36:10):
they played hard times for sure. They also ended up
being seventeenth defensively when they said a training camp the
goal was to be top five. Coach Lou said this
on Harden and his responsibility more picking rolls. Good run them,
it's easy offense, it's easy money. Coach Lou says that

(36:31):
there will be competition for starting jobs. This is interesting.
This is something this is the development, guys, a competition
for starting jobs. We've been thinking the entire time that

(36:51):
it's going to be most likely James Harden, Tarent Man,
Derek Jones, Junior, Kawhi Leonard and it beats the Zubos. Hmmm.
So is Norman Powell in the mix to be a starter.
Are he and Terrence Man competing for that spot? Or

(37:13):
this is a question I posed recently. Not many have
talked about it. Is it possible Niko Batoum starts at
the four, which puts Kawhi the three, which then leads
to a competition between Derek Jones, Junior, Terrence Man, and
Norman Powell for the starting two spot. That would be interesting. Hmmm,

(37:43):
now that got me thinking. JJ the Boys says Zubots
needs to be on rocky level montage prep for this
off season. That's pretty good Zubos with the long hair.
It's Chuck Mockler and Will Eepdik would say long haired
zoo Bots would be a bucket. So more from coach

(38:09):
lou coming out, and I got Justin Russo and Law
Murray up both their Twitter accounts and just reading those
at this media press conference or local media press conference
with the Clippers. Here's more on what I just spoke about.
Justin Russo phrased it as this. Tron Lu said that
there will be a competition from some starting positions, and

(38:32):
he wants the team to play faster, get more threes up,
and generally take better shots. Starting positions is plural, multiple spots. Hmm, okay,
let's go over this. Harden, Zoo and Kawhi their locks right.

(39:00):
The other two spots the two and the three or
the two and the four, depending on where you're putting Kawhi.
If Nico Batoum starts, then Kawhi can slide down and
play the three spot. Remember Kawai said last season he'll
play the four till they get a real one. Okay,

(39:22):
they got Nico Batum back. I don't know, this is interesting.
JM I thirteen twenty four asks what do you think
about Chris Dunn and djj is starting to help your
point of attack defense? What do you think Chris Dunn's
going to start over James Harden. You're saying start James

(39:45):
next to Chris Dunn, next to Derek Jones, Junior Kawhi
and zubats So. No. Terrence Man No, Powell. I don't know.
I'm open to competition in camp. I like that idea.

(40:05):
I'm all for that. I want guys iron sharpening iron
out there. Let's see if we got anything more from
coach Lou. Yes, we do. Regarding his new extension, he
stated that he was happy to get a new deal
with the Clippers this offseason quote fully guaranteed five year deal.

(40:27):
Lou joked that he can leave things in the arena
now rather than have to take things home because they
own into a dome. Man broadcasters gonna do that too.
Do we get little cubby holes or lockers there? I
don't know. Toiran Lou says that he won Jeff van
Gundy on his Cleveland staff. We learned that from the

(40:50):
article from om Young Masuk, who came out with me
last week. Here's what Coach Lou put as the criteria
for the guard playing next to James Harden. Defend, make
open shots. Quote team Man has been great. We got
to see how it plays out. So Terrence Man, he's

(41:13):
got to re earn that starting job. That's interesting. I'm
not shocked by it. If Terrence Man does what he
did after the calendar turned into twenty twenty four. I
think he'll be okay, but he can't turn down shots
from three. He's got to put him up and his

(41:34):
defense has to be where it was against Luka Doncic
in the playoffs to start the year. He was so
much better in that playoff series then he had been
all season long. Defensively, he had been all right, but
I don't think he was fully locked in. Terrence Man
and the starting two job or starting two guard job

(41:56):
is up in the air right now. Guys, here's big
a R sixty four. How are we going to score
enough points? That's what I'm worried about. A system. James
Harden didn't say the system. I'm the system. He said,
I'm a system, not a system player. I'm a system.

(42:23):
That's how high pick and roll James Harden guys. The
last twelve years, the worst a James Harden offense has
ever ranked was twelfth on average. Their fifth multiple years
they were first, get Zobots involved, get Kawhi cooking, and
get their other two guys open threes. I believe in

(42:46):
a system with James Harden. Jackson snow says, they've been
telling Man to prove himself for the past four years.
It's a fair point. I think it's a familiar role
that Terrence Man is in right now, having to earn it,

(43:06):
having to prove himself. I hope he does, But I
don't know who it is that's pushing him most. Between
Chris Dunn and Norman Powell. It's not Kevin Porter Junior. Guys,
it's not. But it's one of those two guys. How

(43:27):
they both are. Maybe they said, Chris Dunn, you come here,
you have a chance to earn the starting two guard spot.
I mean it could also be are they thinking Derek
Jones Jr. Can just play the starting too, because they
might have Kawhi the three, because Nicholas but two might
be playing the four to start. I don't know. We

(43:49):
got a lot to talk about now. This is getting interesting.
JJ the Boyce says's kind of hard to prove yourself
or your role constantly changes and has to play off
of four Hall of famers. Well, I mean, last season,
would he end up starting Terrence Man sixty games? Seems

(44:09):
like a big enough sample size, And to be honest,
he ended up shooting We started seventy one games last season, Guys,
he shot thirty five percent from three now again, the
last fifty games or so, he was at forty four
percent from three, which tells you how bad he started off.

(44:31):
And Lawrence Frank said in this presser that Terrence man, uh,
he's got to start faster. Basically, I'm paraphrasing a little
bit there. Now, we got some stuff from Coach Lou.
I want to make sure to get it to you guys.
This is all coming from our fabulous reporters in La

(44:54):
Murray and Justin Rousseau. H. I don't know what the
question was, but Coach Lou said, quote, yeah, we're going
to have an identity this year. Well, if you know me,
I've been asking what's their identity the past couple of seasons.
I don't think they've had one, and that's been frustrating.

(45:19):
I think it's going to be a defense first mentality.
Toront Lou did say that the defensive improvement will come
from playing harder, rebounding the basketball, and getting back in transition.
So Lawrence Frank and Coach Lou have made a point
when it comes to rebounding better. We know that's been

(45:40):
an issue. Here's old dirty Dasher saying, I believe in
a defense anchored by Zoo. Well, yeah, he was the
best rent protector in the league last season. Why was
you not nobody held defenders to a lower percentage at
the rim than Big Zoo. Big R sixty four says

(46:03):
defense needs to be their identity. That's their strong point.
I told you that back on what day was it,
June thirtieth, when free agency opened up. I immediately said,
when they got Derek Jones Jr. This is it. They're
building a defensive ball club. That's how they're making up
for the loss of Paul George. They're not going to
be seventeenth defensively this season. They can't beat They have

(46:26):
to be top ten. I think they have to be
top eight, then Chris Duncoms, then Niko Batoum. This has
been something I've talked about and we've talked about on
clips and DIP all summer long, guys, So I'm not
surprised by the messaging here making defense a talking point,

(46:50):
and I'm guessing that's going to be their identity. Looks
like that was the last we got from La Murray.
He's asking if you want the press conference on YouTube
or not. Let's see if Justin Rousseau is finished on
his side with his tweets and by the way, he's
at fly by Night, kN Ie follow him and follow

(47:12):
La Murray at La Murray and you on X. John
Lous said this about new Clippers assistant coach Jeff Van
Gundy quote, I always tell him he's not happy unless
he's mad, which is pretty funny, well worded statement. Again,

(47:34):
there's going to be a competition for the two spot.
That's the second biggest development coming out of this. It's
not secure with Terrence Man. He started seventy one games
last season, but that job is still I guess someone
on shaky ground. They brought in Chris Dunn, Norman Powell.

(47:55):
I think he's always wanted to be a starter. I
think he's always wanted to be an All Star. Last
season he kind of accepted his role as a six
man and it worked out for him, shooting forty four
percent from three, getting fourteen points per night. It's it's

(48:16):
gonna be an interesting competition because I think a lot
of Clipper Nation they're gonna be rooting for Terrence Man
to win it because well, he's the incumbent, I guess,
and he has been a fan favorite for so long.
But I find it fascinating that a guy they're working
on an extension with and trying to get locked up

(48:39):
longer doesn't have a secure starting spot. I'm not shocked
by it. I think this is just what it is
now with the Clippers. They're trying to build a culture
of competition and might a fire under guys and make

(48:59):
them fee like they always have to be out there
competing and playing at their best. What's wrong with that?
So if Terrence Man's fighting with Chris Dunn and Norman
Powell for the starting two spot, good and like Lawrence
Frank said, quote, Terrence Man won't be a slow starter

(49:22):
this year. Expect him to shoot more threes and rebound
better for his position. That's his mission, That's what's expected
of him, and that's what needs to happen if he
wants to hold on to being the starting two guard.

(49:43):
It's pretty simple. Terrence Man attempted just under four threes
per game last season. It was down two attempts from
where he was in the twenty one to twenty two season,
where he was playing three more minutes per game. Grand
because that was the year without Kawhi, the year or
Paul George only played thirty one games, but he probably

(50:06):
should have still been taking five threes per game last season. Remember,
once he went into that rut, he shied away, he
passed up three balls. That's been his issue. It's not
whether or not he can shoot from the outside. He's
a thirty seven percent three point shooter for his career,
and we're talking at this point almost one thousand threes

(50:30):
taken in his five seasons in the NBA. That's enough
of a sample size. He's a good three point shooter.
Have confidence in your shot, don't shy away from it.
They need you for them to unlock their offense. He
has to take and make threes. Here's Thomas saying, I

(50:52):
hope Tyler lou will give Cam Christy ten minutes a
game for eighty two games to speed up the process.
I don't want him in the G League. Well, he's
a young player. One year at college at Minnesota. I
wouldn't bank on that. Kobe Brown was twenty three, twenty
four years of age last season, got a ten game
sample size and then didn't progress farther than that. Further

(51:17):
than that because that was a team with championship expectations
that was trying to win now and they couldn't wait
on him. We'll see. They're trying to compete now while
I think getting guys and young guys a little bit
more run out there in development. Yes, he has a

(51:38):
high IQ. Great. You know how many young players come
out and have a high IQ and it's still the
game is moving far too fast for them. We have
no idea how far along he is yet, because he's
never played at this level. Summer League is not the NBA. Sorry,
he has a tangible skill set. He could shoot. I

(52:02):
don't think he'll be afraid to put him up, but
you don't know. He hasn't done it at this level yet.
I think he is a legit three point threat already.
But if he doesn't do all the other little things right,
it doesn't matter. He's gonna hurt you on the other

(52:24):
end of the court. He's gonna hurt you in all
the little ways, the intangibles. So we'll see what type
of opportunity he gets. I don't know when coach Leu
talks about him starting too and that position being up
for grabs and training camp, that Cam Christie is competing

(52:45):
for that job. Yes, voice or reason, Thomas says, thanks, Yeah,
game is too fast for rookie Well typically yes, So
I'm not gonna say he's gonna be getting ten minutes
per night would be pretty significant for a second round
pick pick forty four or forty six. I forget which

(53:06):
one he was and which one Terrence Man was the
best way for him to learn and get more reps
is the G League. That's the path right now, because
the G League they don't have dogs down there. They
got wolves. As Sendarius Thornwell said before, you don't want
to have to go to the G League because those
guys play so hard every minute, every second of the game,

(53:30):
because they're climbing over each other like rats on a
sinking ship to try to make it up to the
big leagues. In the NBA, those guys go so hard.
So as much as I love Camp Christy, I wouldn't
expect him to be at the NBA level to start
the season. Maybe if he looks like the game is

(53:52):
too small for him in the G League and he dominates,
maybe he'll get a look. But why would you think
he's gained the look before. Someone like Jordan Miller, who
was eighth in G League scoring last year and just
lit up Summer League and so far every hurdle you
put in front of him, he clears. That's the guy
that should be getting a shot first. He and Kobe

(54:16):
Brown are turning twenty five by the end of this season. Guys,
it's kind of now or never. Honestly, this is it.
They got to find out what they have. And I
don't know Jordan Miller. He should have been the MVP
of the Summer League. He dominated b Reno, Andred says,

(54:39):
what is your starting lineup? I'll give you mine. I'll
give you what I hope the starting lamp is gonna
be simple. James Harden, Terrence Man, Derek Jones Junior, Kawhi,
Leonard Avitza Zubats. That's my starting five. But I see

(55:01):
arguments for other guys in there. I could argue with
myself right now and say, I kind of like Nicholas
batoum with the starters at the four spot. So Kawhi
plays a three, and then you've got a decision to
make between Derek Jones Junior and Terrence Mann at the two.
And obviously it's James Harden running the show. Thomas says,

(55:25):
but Jordan Miller needs have proven an actual NBA game
yes he does, but he's already proven it in the
G League and dominating Summer League, so you give him
a chance before Cam Christy. Like, if a guy is

(55:46):
overcoming all the challenges you throw in front of him
at lower levels, eventually you have to see what you
can do at the highest level. That's how it works.
I agree with old Dirty Dasher, we're down bad. If
Cam Christy is getting run this season. Probably there's just
so many guys on this team that have shown more

(56:09):
and have done more at higher levels so far than
Cam Christy. Hey would love to be wrong. I'm rooting
for the guy. Like I said, he showed better defense
in Summer League than I thought he had, and the
shot he didn't shy away, he was confident that could
be a steal in the draft. Really believe that. Here

(56:33):
is Nara asking about Terrence Man. If he doesn't get
the starting role, trade Man, then we can't lose him
for nothing. If he doesn't get the starting role, he
still is a very valuable piece, giving you twenty plus
minutes per night. While only making eleven million dollars or

(56:55):
ten million dollars per year. It's going to be tough
to get equal value considering how little he's being paid
right now. Now, I understand you don't want to lose
him for nothing and go into next off season with
Terrence Man just being able to walk, but you at
least take it till the trade deadline, most likely, unless

(57:18):
those talks get nasty and things become untenable with he
and his agent, which I don't expect to happen. No,
I'm seeing how things go with Terrence Man and where
this team is at before I trade somebody making that
little that has a very high level of production when
it comes to making winning plays and being a plus

(57:41):
out there. Reno Andred. I think our audios pronounce his
name two different ways, Jordan Miller and Kobe d minutes
this season? Okay, do you also want to win this season?
That's the balance, that's the Teeter Totter game. You likely

(58:04):
can't do both. It's very hard to blend in young
guys and also win at the same time. It can
be done Denver's being able to do it. Of course.
They have Jokic and Murray and Aaron Gordon and Michael
Porter Junior and guys being relatively healthy. I know Jamal
Murray's had some issues but Jokic really hasn't. So they

(58:26):
can hold up their end while young guys learn. Not
everybody can do that. That's difficult. Thomas says, I saw
the Ricohins and Kevin Porter junior shots horrible in the
free throw horribly written in phrase here. I just don't
know why he's like that. If he's such a good shooter,

(58:47):
so he wasn't shooting it well at the free throw line,
I don't know. I'm going to look up his numbers
at the charity stripe in his career. I'm more interested
in what he's actually done in the NBA than Rico
Hi at the free throw line. He's a seventy two
percent free throw shooter, so not great, but his last
season he shot almost eighty percent from the charity stripe.

(59:10):
I don't think whether or not he's hitting free throw
is going to make or break whether or not he
can played for the Clippers. It's first of all, is
he going to be suspended suspen suspended by the NBA?
Easy for me to say. Second of all, if he
is well, other guys are already filling that spot and
the season has started, it's going to be really difficult

(59:31):
for him to break into the rotation. If he's not,
he still is competing with guys who have played more
recently in the NBA and guys who have played for
the Clippers. How's he going to overtake Norman Powell? Because
I don't think you can play Chris Dunn next to
Norman Powell and KPJ out there in some three guard lineup, guys.

(59:55):
I think he can play Chris Dunn next to either
of them, but not next to both. So how do
you get minutes for everybody? It's really tough. Big R
sixty four says, I believe they'll reassign Terrence man here
in a few weeks. Well, he's been extension eligible for
some time and it hasn't happened yet, But maybe you
have some intel we don't. I hope that's the case.

(01:00:16):
I wouldn't be shocked that. Mexicannar says if a Toomb starts,
who's the backup for Kai? Kobe? Kai hasn't squashed a
greape yet in the NBA either. He's on a non
guaranteed camp inbite guys. I hope he balls out and
becomes a stud in this league for the Clippers. But

(01:00:40):
what are we talking about. I think a mirror would
play a little bit offore, not great at it, not ideal.
I think Kobe Brown's going to get a shot. We'll see.
It's a fair question, that is the appropriate one. If
Nick Niko Batuma's starting, will they just go smaller with

(01:01:03):
their second unit? I don't know. It's hard to say
at this point. It's just interesting that it sounded like
not just a position is up for grabs, but positions,
if I'm reading that correctly. From La Murray and Justin Rousseau.
Thomas asked, why do the Clippers take a risk on

(01:01:25):
Kevin Porter if he's going to be suspended because it
could be a project, something long term, because he is talented,
because they're not looking for him to make a contribution immediately.
That that's probably probably why uh Rafa meant to, says

(01:01:49):
CB and Denver played a huge role, Christian Braun, Christian Brown,
excuse me, and the Nuggets win the chip likely a
huge role for Dallas Lively, a huge role for Dallas's
rookie Lewis stubborn in his ways. Look if somebody shines
and shows something, then they'll play These young guys, haven't

(01:02:15):
don't tell me that Kobe Brown didn't get a shot
last year. He did, He got a ten game sample size.
He got a little bit better by the end of it,
but the game was still too fast form. And tell
me who are the young guys on the Clippers that
you want playing over some of the vets right now

(01:02:35):
that are going to help you win more. Now, tell
me who those guys are. I don't think that's conclusive.
Jordan Miller, Kobe Brown, I haven't showed anything. Camp Christy
has not showed anything. Kevin Porter Junior could be talked
about as a young guy. He could be suspended. He
has shown something in the league, but he also hasn't
played since April twenty twenty three. Who are these guys?

(01:03:02):
Who are the young guys that should be playing over
more established players? Big R sixty four says that James
Harden version is gone. They need him to play more
like John Stockton. Well, I agree, the guy who was
getting thirty five per game or close to at times.
We had someone ask about this earlier. He's not walking

(01:03:24):
through the door at the age of thirty five. James
Harden is not going to be to average thirty five
at the age of thirty five. Now, I'm sorry, brand
Boston Junior is not on the Clippers anymore. If that's
the guy you're saying should play, I hate to break
it to you. Brand Boston Junior also got enough opportunities.

(01:03:45):
Tell me what's his NBA skill set right now? Because
yet he never showed it. He had a couple flashes
and that was it. He's somebody that would try to
get into his bag bogged down. The offense was more
of an individual ISO score or if I'm being generous,
that's how he could project to be in this league,

(01:04:05):
a sixth man Jordan Clarkson type. But that is being
very very generous. He never showed enough, guys, and I
think he got enough opportunities. He also had some injuries.
Here's Brino Andreid asking or saying, but too in the
starting lineup is good, but the second unit will be

(01:04:28):
too small. Well, it depends do you stagger them to
beast zoobots and play him a lot with the second unit.
Is Terrence Man starting or not? He can play multiple positions,
so there's a lot in flux right now. D Flow says,
all this news today makes me even more proud to
be a Clippers fan. Baby, let the heartache I'm used

(01:04:52):
to begin. Misery loves company and more misery. James Harden's
goal should be to lead the league in assists. A
big R sixty four says that, yeah, he did it
just two years ago with Philadelphia. You're saying Bones Highland

(01:05:13):
is a guy. I am the leader of the Bones
Highland fan club. Who is he taking minutes away from
between James Harden, Chris Dunn, Norman Powell, Terrence Man. He
had the backup point guard spot in his grafts and

(01:05:38):
then they brought in James Harden. That meant Russ was
coming off the bench. How was Bones going to play?
Do I wish he was the backup instead of Russell
Westbrook last season? Yeah? I do, because he has shown
me enough to say that guy is a backup point
guard in the NBA right now and can be electric.

(01:06:02):
But some of it's on him. He pouted. It looked
like out there he slouched, his shoulders dropped when he
stopped getting playing time, and then when even he did
get out there during garbage time, he was playing unserious basketball.
Thomas says, I hope Tyler has a set rotation established

(01:06:24):
after ten to fifteen games. Because every time Tyler experimented
with different lineups throughout the regular season, it messes up
the chemistry and connection. What about when he experimented with
putting Russell Westbrook off the bench and starting Terrence Mann
again seemed to work. That experiment work pretty well. Look,
they had to implement James Harden on the fly. Wasn't easy.

(01:06:48):
I think it worked out when they clicked in and
went twenty six and five in a thirty one game stretch,
I think that worked out all right. Now. Regarding Mobamba,
Rafa Mentue says, we have Bamba for the second unit. Yeah, well,

(01:07:10):
things could still change. I like Mobamba. I think he
has more upside than people realize. But he hasn't exactly
established himself in this league yet for being such a
high pick. It's the reason the Clippers were able to
get him, and I believe a vet men he still

(01:07:31):
is playing to prove. We'll see. It is a situation
that is going to lead to a lot of storylines
this season. Bastian Schweinsteiger, that's a footballer. I learned that.
I really think this team buys in defensively. With Jeff
Van Gundy, Man gives us more room for error this

(01:07:53):
season given how hard we'll compete on that end. Yeah,
if you raise your and your baseline of this is
how we play every night defensively, and guys really give
a great effort on that end, shots will come and
go on the offensive end, and you'll still be in games.

(01:08:15):
It is a sustainable and realistic way to get by
in the regular season by having a high end defense
regardless of where your offense is. Because I don't know
remember if it was Doc Rivers who said it, but
he said, you can have a winning record in the
regular season if you just play hard every night. So yeah,

(01:08:39):
Jeff Van Gundy, I was all for bringing him in.
It's really cool with the first team. He is back
in the NBA with being an assistant coach for as
the Clippers, because a lot of teams have been after him.
Thomas says, I think Jeff Van Gundy is a great
mentor to the young guys and can show them how
to play the game the right way. Yeah, he's fiery.

(01:09:05):
He will have guys well prepared and ready on that end.
I expect them to be a top ten defense, but
if they can be top eight and a lot of
that could be depending on how many games you get
out of Kawhi Leonard because he's such a great defender.
But if they can be top eight, now you're in business.
Because I think with James Harden, after looking through over
the numbers last twelve seasons with him, no matter if

(01:09:28):
he's in Houston or Brooklyn or Philly, the worst offense
he's ever had was ranked twelve, and on average, offenses
with James Harden were top five. That's big. Shaquem Samuel says,
So how far do you think the Clippers can go
in the playoffs? Playoffs means you're a top six seed

(01:09:52):
or you get in through the play in I think
they're gonna end up somewhere. Let's say, if Kawhi plays
fifty games, if James Harden plays sixty five plus games,
I think they'll be somewhere between six and eight. But
nothing's guaranteed in the West. If Kawhi struggles with his

(01:10:17):
health more as we have seen, what are we talking
about with playoffs? Why talk about playoffs? I want to
see if Kawhi can play seven to ten games straight again,
that's what I want to see. I just want to
see a healthy Kawhi and where he's at before we
start making predictions. Yeah, I think overall there's somewhere six

(01:10:42):
to ten. But it's going to be really tight. As
Lawrence Frank mentioned in the Western Conference, you look at it,
the Sacramento Kings two years ago were the three seed.
They won forty eight games. Last year they won two
less at forty six, and they drop down to the
night seed in the West. Two games in one season

(01:11:06):
of difference. That's incredible to me. But all this is
always going to come down to the health of Kawhi Leonard.
If he can give him fifty to fifty five, sixty
games or more, then I feel good about the Clippers'
chances of staying afloat and hovering just outside being in

(01:11:30):
the plan. But I don't know. I don't know where
his health is going to be at. And once again
the quote coming from Lawrence Frank is regarding the swelling
with Kawhi Leonard, and I want to get it right
one more time here for you, because this was the

(01:11:52):
main story coming out of this press conference with Laurence
Frank and coach Luce today. Lawrence Frank said this regarding
the status of Kawhi Leonard's knee. Quote, his right knee,
the swelling has significantly gone down, it's almost gone. We're
going to hold him back from drill work in training

(01:12:13):
camp and work on strengthening Lawrence Frank said. The encouraging
thing is that the team and Kawhi Leonard have seen
progress in Leonard's rehabilitation of knee inflammation. That's it when
you want to talk about where the Clippers could end up.

(01:12:34):
I don't know how many games is Kawhi playing. Kind
of hinges on that, and if he's healthy, he will
be playing. He wants to play. Art h said, I'm
expecting twenty one points per game from James Harden this year.
He's putting the work in. I think that's realistic without

(01:12:55):
Paul George, with how much is going to be demanded
of James hard to coach. Lou talked about more pick
and rolls this season. Love hearing that because that means
you're getting Big Zoo involved to A ton has to happen.
But James Harden could very well go from sixteen points
six points per game to twenty one points per game,

(01:13:16):
which is where he was last year. The year before
last in Philadelphia in fifty eight games, average twenty one
points and ten point seven assists per ball game. That's
the James Harden they need, guys. It's pretty simple. He
ended up shooting forty four percent from the floor in
thirty almost thirty nine percent from the outside that final
season with Philly. That's the blueprint. That's it. Give us

(01:13:39):
that version of James Harden and the Clippers are in business.
They still need Quiet to be healthy. But I think
that's the minimum of what you need from James Harden,
and I think it's very much attainable. I do. I
would not be shocked if he has a very similar
season to what we saw that last year in Philly.

(01:14:02):
I'm interested to see where he's at movement wise, because
he had a hamstring injury in Brooklyn that it seems
like the further he gets away from it, the more
burst he shows. But we'll see. He's thirty five, just
turned thirty five. He's had, by all accounts, a healthy offseason.

(01:14:24):
But there is this other note coming from the Clippers
regarding other guys having minor injuries on the roster. Those
names aren't being disclosed for now, so we have to
wait and see next Monday, media Day looking forward to that.

(01:14:49):
I also like this prediction here from Brino saying Zoon
needs to step up big this season. Sixteen points per
game and ten boards would be great. Yes, it would be.
I think that's the bare minimum they need from avitz
Zu bots sixty to ten. That's kind of been where
I've been at sixty four. Big r R sixty four

(01:15:12):
says Big Zoo could easily average fifteen to ten with opportunities.
He's got to play more than twenty six minutes per game,
which is where he was at this past season. I'm
confident he will. It's gonna be right on the line.
I think of thirty minutes right in there, twenty nine,
thirty thirty one somewhere in there. Rafamantue said Zoo is

(01:15:35):
thirty thirty or Zoo's thirty thirty game proved he hasn't
in him almost thirty thirty game. I think he had
twenty nine boards, not thirty. All right, I appreciate everyone
for being in here. One more time. I'll advertise. After
I'm done here, maybe go check out the Ralph Lawler interview.

(01:15:56):
It's special. It's shot really well. You'll be amazed by
the production level. It was appropriate because it was Ralph.
I had to do it big. I had to do
it right for him. And it's just part one. It's
about forty seven minutes long, came out yesterday and it's

(01:16:17):
one of the features now on Clippers Talk and it
is a Clippers Talk YouTube exclusive. So if you're listening
to this episode of the Clippers Talk live on the
podcast side, the only way you can see the Ralph
Laller interview is going to Clippers Talk on YouTube. Simple,
doesn't cost you anything, you just go there. I appreciate
everyone for joining me during this press conference, from Coach Lou,

(01:16:41):
from Lawrence Frank big Ups, to La Murray to Justin
Russo follow them. That's where I was gathering this information from.
Make sure you support the local media and reporters for
the Clippers here. That's the way to do it. Art
says he's checking out the Ralph Lawler interview. This is

(01:17:03):
one of those things where I can't overhype it. I
honestly think it will deliver for you guys. And when
part two comes out, I think it's even better than
part one. Really really I do. Anyways, love y'all check
me out tomorrow night. We'll have a clips and Dip episode,
and I think before that, I'll have an interview off

(01:17:23):
with Carl Jimenez. Excuse me, not Carl Tart, not Carlo Tart.
Carlo Jimenez, your radio voice of the Clippers. As my
throat is, I'm running out of steam here. My radio potner,
Carlo Jimenez will join me tomorrow on Clippers Talk. Should
be up around five or five thirty. That'll be a podcast,

(01:17:46):
not a live Carlo Jimenez you may know from the Tiktoks,
the Tiki Tuckies. Yeah, he is pretty slick with it.
I'll ask him about his social media presence and being
one year in as the Clippers new radio play about
play voice. So I'm Adam Ouslin. This has been another
edition of Clippers Talk Live. Touch you tomorrow