Gil's Arena - The Arena BATTLES Over Kawhi’s Return, PG's Fit In Boston & Westbrook’s All-Time Legacy Part 1

Episode Date: September 16, 2026

Gilbert Arenas, Evan Turner, DeMarcus Cousins, Iman Shumpert, Brendan Haywood, and Josiah Johnson bring you the best NBA show on the planet! This episode the couch gives their opinion on the Kawhi trade, blasts new age coaching for being lazy, discusses Paul George's new role in Boston and more!  Presented by Polymarket - the world's largest prediction market. Use code ARENA when you sign up for a $50 bonus with a qualifying deposit of $10. https://app.polymarket.us/S8ac/ARENA 18+ Only. Restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Not available in all jurisdictions. Trading is risky. 100% loss can occur. See http://polymarket.com/tos for more information. The Polymarket US App serves as an independent software provider and affiliate of Polymarket US and Polymarket Clearing, the CFTC-regulated exchange and clearing organization.    Follow Gil's Arena on socials: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/gilsarena0/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GilsArena0 Threads - https://www.threads.com/@gilsarena0 Twitter/X - https://x.com/GilsArenaShow Twitch - https://www.twitch.tv/gilsarenashow TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@gilsarena TimeStamps:0:00 -  INTRO  7:50- KAWHI TRADE  10:00- PLAYOFF MOVER 13:00- OFFENSIVE QUESTIONS  16:00-  TEAM COMPARISONS  20:00- THE BIGGEST QUESTIONS  25:00- KAWHI’S STYLE OF HOOPS  28:00-  PLAYOFF STRUGGLES  33:00 - KAWHI OR BRANDON INGRAM? 35:00- OFFENSIVE LIABILITIES  38:00- LAZY COACHES  43:00- OFFENSIVE IDENTITIES  46:00-  BAD SHOOTERS SHOOTING  51:00 -  PAUL GEORGE ROLE IN BOSTON  55:00-  PG IS NOT EVEN CLOSE TO A STAR  58:00-  2ND OPTION WARS  1:02:00 - NORMAL CELTICS STRUGGLES  1:04:11-NOT A CHIP TEAM  1:09:00-  EASTERN TEAM PROBLEMS 1:13:00-  A MIDDLETON MISSING IN ATL ??? 1:17:00 - Pat Riley built team  1:21:00- BAD GIANNIS SITUATION  1:26:00 - THE KNICKS DIFFERENCE  1:30:00 - PRESSURE ON JASON TATUM(Timestamps may vary based on ads)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Welcome back to Gills Arena, presented by Polly Market and Powered by Playmaker. Whoa! We back up in here. I'm merely a host, Josiah. Johnson here with NBA and 2K legend none other than Gilbert Arenas. We're once again joined by NBA Champion of the World

and Prevailer of the Tallest Tales Network on YouTube, Brendan Haywood. Let's go baby. Let's go baby, dude, dude. We also got NBA champion of the world, and when he's not here, you can catch him on his Shump Street podcast.

Eamon Shumpert. You're back in a building with us. Thank you, Jay, man. Joining us again, former college player of the year, number two overall pick, who played 10 seasons in the league. Give it up for Evan Turner. Yeah.

And we got another special guest making his first appearance in the arena as a member of our cast. One of the most unstoppable and skilled offensive centers of his era, a four-time NBA All-Star, a two-time gold medal winner, the man we know as Big Cuzz, the Marcus Boogie Cousins. Yeah. What up, baby? Oh, yeah, yeah, you got to cut the rim. Oh man, open up the barbershop. Hold on, what's that?

Hold up, wait, wait, wait, no. Okay, you can go. Yeah. Open up a barbershop. Oh, yeah, good. What's going on with you, Bill? Appreciate you being on the show. We had you on before as a guest, but now you were part of the cast.

Happy to have your gear. Where do you get all this money to get all these people on the show? Because my checks are a little like. I started for the other. Okay, okay. I should even ask, oh, no, I set myself up with that. It kind of negotiated it. I just, you know.

We're handling that. You set yourself up, Joe. You set yourself up, Joe. Be would you understand. Okay. I should have just kept my mouth shut, messing with Gil. But we got a lot to get into. Here's what's cracking in the arena today.

The Kauai trade is now official with the claw returning to the six. How much has Kauai moved the needle for the Raptors in the East? Paul George said he's not trying to take any shine from Jason Tatum, but what are the realistic expectations for PG Tatum in the Celtics this season?

And Russell Westbrook announced his retirement after 18 seasons. Where does he rank amongst the greatest point guards in NBA history? That man deserved a farewell tour. He did not get it, unfortunately, but we're going to give Westbrook his love on the show today. But before we get into all that, we've got to talk about something. Did y'all know these sports books are out here doing you dirty? Man.

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Gil. We got to get you some Dodgers games. Yeah, I didn't even know the season started. It's almost over. Playoff time. Good Lord, man.

No, I mean, like, because we just bowled with Mookiee Betts, so I was like... He had a game that day. No, I remember he was... I remember they came to New York and they played

when we was there. Yeah. I thought that was like preseason or something. It's already in the playoffs. No, they do be playing hell of the games back to the game. That confused me too.

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the most accurate sports odds and forecast in the world. And Gills Arena is everywhere you want to be. So shout out to everybody watching the show. on Twitch. Yes, sir. If you have not done so already and you're watching the show on Twitch, make sure you follow our channel

at Gills Arena Show. Appreciate y'all for all the subs. Gil, we have expanded. Hey, is that the, is the Twitch the last one that they created that one? It's our Twitch, Gilles. You know, you own it.

Okay. It's like both the hardest. Okay. I'm just saying, because I'm, I'm not. We on the front page of Twitch today. I like it. It was a colorful read again.

I like the enthusiasm. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I like it. Polymarket. I like you. I appreciate y'all. Voice inflections. Thank you.

Like it. Gifting up and love. You're good reader. Love it. No, it's all top of the dome, no problem. The fans are home, though, no. But, like, let's get into it. Hey, now, that's crazy because, you know we didn't get the prompt into,

to the host was a girl. We have discussed. Kenzie got the, got the prop. We just benefit off of it. I would just be honest. Request for putting in. You used to just read off the laptop. Yeah, I did.

Your head down. I did. I did. And she was like, nah, I don't do that. I need one of them. And it was like, boom, got you. Now we got two. She had more booed.

I mean, we got two. We got two. On Monday, the Kauai trade to the Raptors became official less than two weeks after the NBA hit the clippers with the harshest punishment in league history for circumventing the salary cap

with their former franchise player. Cost him five firsts, a $30 million fine, and one year suspension for Steve Balmer. Kauai also fined $700,000 in his business manager on me. Versus that. that 30 versus that 30.

Yes, I'll do. And his business manager, Uncle Dennis, was banned for five years from doing business with the league. Now, Kauai is circumventing the Clippers, waiving its 15% trade kicker worth $7.45 million to get the deal done. In exchange, the clips get Brandon Ingram, Grady Dick, two unprotected first rounders, a 2027 first swap in two seconds. Raptors finished fifth in the east last season. I know you don't watch them, but they did finish fifth in the east last year. It was whooping, too. Took the Cavs of seven games in the first round.

Now they add an all-NBA forward in Kauai, who led the team to their only chip in franchise history seven years ago. And let's take a look. Kauai coming off one of the best seasons in his 15-year career. Average of career high, 28 points, along with six rebounds, four assists on 51,39, 89, shooting splits. Let's take a quick look at the Raptors' depth chart. You know, you're not too familiar. We're going to get your familiarity up with that Raptors crew. He joins a roster that includes former rookie of the year, two-time All-Star Scotty Barnes,

along with RJ Barrett and Emmanuel quickly. So, Boogie, we got you on the couch for the first time we're going to start with you. How much does the Kauai going to the Raptors move the needle for the Raptors in the East? I think they get better. I wouldn't necessarily say a contending team as of now.

I think the East is a straight gauntlet now. It basically happened overnight. So you think about the Knicks, you think about a team like Philly, even a Boston. I wouldn't necessarily say those, them getting Kauai at this point, elevates

them over those teams. Shit, I would even consider Cleveland a better team as of now. But I think anywhere Kauai goes, he's going to bring a positivity to the group. He's definitely going to elevate the group. But championship,

I can't go out on a limb and say I'm confident to say that. Yeah, we didn't say championship. No, I'm just saying. The needle, did Kauai move it? But did he make them better? Your question is, did he make them better? Yeah. Absolutely.

Absolutely. He moved. So, Sean, what you think about Kauai going to the Raptors. Like I said, Fifth in the East. I like it. I mean,

luckily I'm not, you know, I'm not invested in the Clippers even though he did do, you know, that was some bullshit. And they got everything they deserve, man.

But I'm just saying, to do that and be able to do that and be able to. Yeah, so wipe your safe clear. Kauai did us, he did justice for the people. I'm just saying,

I could understand why some people would be upset at what he just did and dip. But if you're Toronto, you like, bring him back. You know what I mean? Especially if we got Scottie and him now so the framework to guard

two through four becomes way better and especially if you got to deal with Bron them in the East. If they're going to be in the East you got to deal with that. If you have to deal with OG and O'G. Ananovi and Jalen Brunson running around, it's like you finally have tools and weapons that can

combat some of the, you know, the talent that doesn't load it up in the East right now. So I like it for the playoffs and I feel like Scotty Barnes in moments last year was Dolow. Yeah. You know what I mean? Kauai, like whether we talk about it or not. When the playoffs come, Kauai, Jimmy Butler,

certain guys that aren't going to get the top 10 talk or the top five talk in the league. When the playoffs start, they really be like that. So I like it. I think he's moving the needle. All right, let's shift to this side of couch. Brendan, what you think about Kauai getting traded to the rafters? How does he move the needle for them in the Eastern Conference?

If Kauai's healthy, I like this move for him, especially in the playoffs. If you watch Toronto in the playoffs, when they were trying to get it, run the offense through Brandon Ingram, it wasn't working. And when they were looking for that half-court presence, it wasn't working with Brandon Engel. We already know if Kauai's healthy,

you throw it to him in that mid-range, he's going to get to a shot, it's not going to be flashy, he's going to bump you off, he's going to get his shot off. He's going to give them half-court respectability, and that's what you need to win a championship. I don't think they're that. I agree with Boogie. I don't think they're a championship team,

but they're a scary team. Yeah. That ain't the team you want to play in the first round when we got Kauai right here playing defense and offense, then we got Kalamori Bowls, and then on top of that, you got Scottie Bowls, Barnes, that's a lot of defense, and that makes them a very, like, monster. That's a hard first-round opponent.

Yeah. So, like, we talked about a Philly or if you're the Knicks or whoever it is, a Cleveland, those teams that we think are going to be the favorites. That's not the team you want to play in the first round, because even if you beat them, they're going to take you six, seven games. First round, you know, you want Shump. You don't want to chip. That first round, you want to get out of there real quick and then go home.

And be healthy. And be healthy. They're going to make you play all the way through because that defense is going to be real. And they're going to grind it out with you. You know the six going to be jumping when you come up there. That little outside. They got real defense and then they got enough secondary offensive players. That's what I'm worried about.

Offensively. Offensibly, I worry about them shooting. But as far as like the secondary players, Emmanuel quickly, he can win you a game. RJ Barrett can win you a game. I just, that's a great job last year. I have enough depth. I don't count of these dogs, Colin Murray's bowl. And then you go maybe Jamal Sneeb, other than that, they lost a lot on a bench.

Yeah. So if Kauai, it's a lot. healthy the whole year. I think, you know, last year they started off so hot and then they went 50% the rest of the way, like the last 40 or 50 games. I think one thing that does occur is Kauai's win percentage is around what, 68%. And then I guess what they love is if we upgrade to Ingram, from Ingram to Kauai, it's like, yo, we might, all we need is a hot week and we're going to be very, very dangerous come playoff time because Kauai led a new team with the Toronto Raptors to a 2019 championship. And sometimes I joke, but I'm like, we remove

glasses or whatever, he gets into a mode of hooping like Jordan, bro, where he can who? I'm saying in a sense of like, Jordan, Kauai, Kauai. He's saying in a sense of like, bro, he goes crazy. Defensively, he can stop anybody. Coming down and in crunch time, he can score at any type of level, bro. That's different, bro. And the other top players are worried about him.

So I think when he shows up, he can lift every voice. I like the talent, you know, on paper as far as everybody else surrounding him. But just because it's talent on paper, does that talent. necessarily compliment their star player. And that's more so what I'm worried about. Defensively, I think this group is going to be. Cole. I think that's what made Kauai.

That's what makes Kauai is not a superstar that you got to be. That's fine. But you still, the complimentary, and what I mean by complementary pieces is more so to shoot. Oh, right, I got you. Yeah, like, can you? They need outside. We know Kauai.

It's a great possibility. He's getting trapped soon as he crosses to half of course. So at that point, what are we leaning on? What's that go-to second option as far as, you know, continuing the game and keeping that flow. And you brought up with the manual quickly. This is a young guy. That's a UK boy, so you got my love regardless.

But is he at that level to be that next option? Then you talk about the Scotty Barnes. Scotty Barnes has a lot of things he's good at at basketball. I wouldn't necessarily say he's great at anything yet offensively. So that concerns me. And then we kind of talk, RJ Barry. I said earlier, I don't think he's really improved since he came into the league. I think he's the same exact player that he was when he left Duke.

Hey, even when you... And that's not necessarily a knock. I think he's still a good player. He's a gamer, though. Like, he's there competing. But I'm still speaking on that second option that's going to take the low from Kauai once those traps. Or the outside shooting. Exactly.

So that's more so my concern compared to, you know, they got talent on paper. I think sometimes their identity is kind of like Detroit in a sense. Like, obviously they can score, but their physicality is also advantageous to them. When you sit there, it's like, hey, we're not get into 120 champ. We're getting around 95. Yeah. We keep it to one-on-three. We do.

Because we're imposing our nature on them, and I feel like that's what the rafters are going to have to do, take the type of mentality, physicality, and like you say, make everything a half-court game, so Kauai's staring you down and turn it into a chess match as opposed to... Turn into a chess match. Yeah, because we're not going to win trying to...

Scotty Barnes, if he gets 25, we're like, damn, that's a career high, not in a disrespectful sense, but he's an 18, 12, 7 type of dude. Shut you down, lock you down, and take it from there. R.J. Barrett is able to give you inefficient 25-point nights

and then certain nights is going to be able to get hot and then you guys are going to be able to win from there. But your cheat code is like, damn, their Superman. Like, Kauai Linter is going to show up, give you 25 and you damn shot 90, 50, 40. They got a hang their hat on the 3rd. And then when it comes playoff time

with dudes like Kauai, even like with Taito and Boston, them dudes just need a good week's worth of basketball. All that 82 games shit out the window. Like, can I average 30 for a week? I guarantee you. It's going to be hell to tell the captain. And that's what they're taking in that sense. And that's what makes some dangerous.

But I'm glad you brought up Detroit, though, because I think that's what their problem going to be. You saw what happened to Detroit. Same problem. You saw what happened to Detroit last year. That boy didn't get a lot kicked in, though. That would look different. If his lung didn't get kicked in.

No, I'm just saying. No, no, he was still doing this time. He still did this thing. But he just won the enough. No, but he averts six turnovers a game for the players. But Sean, what I'm saying, that is. He was rolling. He was holding roll.

You need that second notch. You saw what happened to Detroit. You know, Zach Levine. Motorcade is like that. He's next up. He's one of the ones. But, man, you know how hard it is when they're throwing two, three people at you, and you ain't got that second option to truly just take that smoke away?

That's what a championship normally looks like. All right, we got the star. Then we got another guy that he might be Hall of Fame worthy to. Like Jay Williams. Exactly. And on a night where I don't have it, I can throw it to you. Right. On a night where Kauai doesn't have it.

Because every star, and every series, there's going to be a night where the team says not you. Right. On that night, is R.J. Barrett ready to be the guy? I don't know. Scottie Barnes. Offensively, he's not ready to be the guy. What's his go-to? He is once Kawhi Leonard take all the attention.

They was barely dealing with his ass last year. The Cleveland Cavaliers slowly got by them. I didn't say. Cleveland ain't a great example. They still got two people that will come in there and bust your ass. James Harden to come in there. and do you bad. Donovan Mitchell.

Allegedly. Allegedly. He'll come in there and shoot webs all over your shit. He'll do it in May? Allegedly. In May? In May? He did it.

He did? In May. Listen, y'all keep forgetting. I didn't say, James. I didn't say Mr. James. I didn't say Mr. James Hardin was brought to Cleveland to score 60. No, he is supposed to score.

He's supposed to compliment. He is. He is, though. He knows that. He both half 20. He didn't post that 20. Next group. Sam Daryl?

No, no, no. He posed up. I put Mowblin and Scottie Barner. That's the problem. Jayne post that 15. They're going to be too much too soon. Jane post that 15. They both to be winning at the end.

You're shooting free throws. Okay. 20 to 25. Amen. 60s. If Mowgli is your second option, I'm comparing Scottie Barnes is exactly what Mowley do. And that's the problem. You think Scottie Barnes offensively is ready to be a true number two option on a championship level team?

I think. We talk about Crohn's. I think. Why Leonard coming there creates some sort of illusion. Not an illusion. Well, Sean, you know, not an illusion. I think it just gives a hierarchy to where they now know, okay, if we need a bucket, need a bucket, we're going right there. You're not going to have people tilting as hard on you or focusing on you like that because we got to focus on Kauai.

So you're going to get easy ones, easy ones, you're going to be in rhythm. You're going to have way more energy. Scottie Barnes. We're talking like, why is like average an aid assistance? What's you mean? All he got to do is this. What are you expecting him to do? They don't even do that.

No, no, no, no. Because he's shooting 90, he, he's 40. All Kauai got to do is take the defense to tilt. We're talking about guys compliment each other. That's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying. Kauai not coming off looking for, Kauai coming off looking to shoot.

That's good. So once he's trapped, that's where the defense has their advantage. We got Kauai exactly where he wants. As soon as we tilt and we get this advantage to happen where we say, we got a bring to. All right, we throw the ball to. happens, now you gotta close out the Scottie Don't, uh, uh, uh, uh, no you do?

That's the point. Boogie, you right. I'm not closing out the Scottie, but shoot that shit. I watch the playoffs. Kauai is a score to Buggy's point. Brandon, Ingram was off. That's why they skated past. Hold on.

Nah, bro. Hey, listen, if B.I would have been killing like he normally do. It was different. He says, B.I got the shots and wasn't shooting well. That's it. Hold up. So, Kawhi got the ball, right? Bam, he's coming off.

He's killing. Yeah. They're like, we're going to send two to three people at them. Now, when they, that tilt, you talk about that all the stars see in the playoffs, they're going to tilt off Scotty Barnes. They're going to force Kauai to throw to Scottie Barnes. Scotty Barnes shoots between 27 to 30 percent from three. So that's how dangerous.

If you have a point, hold on. So that rotation that you're talking about, you know how it is in the playoffs. They got to take away something. They're going to say, guys, we're going to tilt on Kauai. When it goes to him, we don't go out there. He gets as many of those threes as he wants. he's going to have to prove at least three, four, five games before we come out there. When you shoot 30% from three in playoff series, they let you shoot.

And that shit dropped. They let you shoot. Actually, when you shoot 30% from three, they hope you hit your first one. Oh, bro. They get your confidence up. Because they really want you shooting threes as opposed to Kauai, ISO in one-on-on-one. And that is going to be the question for Toronto. Can Scotty, can RJ, and those young guys step up?

Because they're going to say, not you, throw the ball to you, and we ain't rotate. We want to see what you got. I'm letting you know I totally believe that Scotty Barnes and R.J. Barrett are totally capable of being two and three with Coisle Leonard.

I'm not saying. So why didn't do that last year? Because Brandon Ingram's not Co-Wallangering, so. Oh, no, no. You know what I mean? They would double him, and then he got a pass.

He would say that. They would say it. They double Ingram, and he got a pass to them to shoot 27 cents. So ain't shit. I think they're a second. All the way.

No, no, no, 38%. You know the only thing that has changed is the illusion. There's a second option to work. A 34-year-old guy who's been injured most of this time. 35. That's going to come there for a year or two, and you traded all your young pieces with all your young pieces. So the future of your team is at the Clippers now. You got him for a year or two, and then he's gone, now what you got?

But yet, no. Nothing. But presently, what would you do? I wouldn't. I thought, I thought that he came there added with the. those guys, he can teach those guys how to be great, and then they can move on. But the fact that you've got rid of three, four young people that's going to build with Scotty Barnes, that's going to move the needle together to bring in a 34-year-old that you're going to

35, 35. 35. Give the extra year, 37. What you're doing with him? He's gone. Whether he gone. Right, now you're rebuilding next year? This is old.

They can go from five to four seed. I'm not left off. That's being great. As of right now, I don't think. You asked me to be they're a second option away from. I don't take it more than. There's a second option away. So you don't think Scotty Barnes's second option.

No. I'm not saying Scotty. Scottie, you watching this? And I'm not saying Scotty Barnes can't turn into it. Hey, Scottie, you're watching this, buddy. How do you feel about it? I hope it is. It went small ball.

I hope he is. Gody at the 5. Kauai at the fourth. Hey. I hope he. Scott. 24, 9, 6 boys in the play. We're watching it.

We're watching a totally different player. I'm not used to-old. 24, 9 to 6 rebounds, 30% from 3, 50%? Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's the same. But only 3 in 10. 3.

That's right. That's all right. That's all you do. And you better hope he don't make. All right. All right. All right. Faire was looking real confident.

I didn't see you look that coming in a long time. I've been playing with that superstar next to you, brother. There's it. It's a first round. Did you know that? I don't even like you. Threes.

I always tough. It looks like I liked it. It looked like I liked it. Bro, bro, bro, bro, throw me another one. Throw me another one. I don't know why they doubling you and leaving me, but I've been waiting to do this. Quigin. Huh?

Now that's the difference. Yeah, what? Scottie Barnes has to be James Hardin. So you lose your second option. You don't have to be James Hardin, now. Yeah, you have to be. Whoa, whoa, what I'm saying, no, no, what I'm saying is, poor man John.

But why is just a score? He is James Hardin. It's coming to, he's old school. But he can go off the floppy action. But who is getting the ball to the rest of the team? Scotty Barnes. So now Scotty Barnes has to be the middleman. Emmanuel, no, Emmanuel getting the ball.

No, so he's technically the third off. He's giving him up. No, no, no, no, no. So, RJ Barrett has to be going to get in the shit. He's not looking to pass. No, RJ Barrett has to be the score now. Bro, that big, kick and roll a big crazy. And Scotty Barnes is the one that gets you from Kauai to give it over here.

and efficiency and efficiency. God he's got in the role for Kauai. They are. I told you. They're very like

it's almost like having the same three guys. You remember Kauai Havis 28 last year. Yeah. Remember there's James Hardin on the team. When he came back.

Because James Hardin is the one that keeps him happy and everybody else. Right. So that means Scarty Barnes one of the most solid.

Overall player, right? He has to now rely on RJB. bear to be the guarantee distributor? Oh, score. The score, by the bad.

All he'll do is shoot, he had his best playoff. Hey, man, they're going to possibly make the fourth or fifth seed and then... And good luck, bro. And then in the summer. What was his best? Summer, trade them somewhere else. All right.

We're going to revisit this. And they say get another superstar over there's second option to work. I love it. A four or five pick-go. They're going to get a Kyrie Irvin. We have in the time. There you go. Well, there you go. That makes it totally. different. But that's a different conversation. That's what I'm saying. But it is

34. 35. 35. Give me 40-year-old, Kyrie. Give me 40-year-old, Karee. Give me Uncle Drew. Exactly. But give me old-ass 60-year-old Kyrie. Fuck is you talking about. Fuck it. You say you didn't watch the rap. You got it all out over there. Very informed about the Toronto Rapids. Oh, no, no, because the Lakers played them and then I had to watch

him locking it up. Ah, man. No pass to the room. He'd better get this. Like I said, we know how Kauai want to play. He won the ice. And it's an over time. The Toronto Raptors were probably one of the bottom three teams as far as shooting threes last year. So every team is going to say, okay, we're going to load up on you

and make you beat us with your weakness, make you play basically left-handed. And so that's going to be their problem. Like, can Scotty knock down threes? I hope he can, but he normally shoots 30. They're going to give him them shots. They're going to give RJ those shots because it's all about probabilities in the playoffs. The probability of Kauai playing one-on-one against our guy is not in our favor. The probability of you shooting that

corner three, we like them odds, and that's what they're going to do. If Toronto's hitting shots, they can win a couple rounds. If they're not hitting shots, they can be gone. I'm just saying, like everyone was saying, if it was me and I'm playing against the Toronto Raptors, I'm like, let's get this shit

over with in five games. At the most. I'm not going to be playing with Kauai down the stretch. I don't feel like doing this, and I feel like, if you play chicken in the playoffs, Sometimes it work in your favor to where everybody fit to be sitting here like how he keep winning.

Like, bro, it's matchups at the end of the day. I just feel like if you can get him out of him five, you get them out of him four, cool. But like he said, I wouldn't want to be in no real series with Kawai and Scotty Barnes. Hell no. Kawai Scottie Barnes and RJ Bear, that's 68 to 6-9. That's annoying.

You got to play short. Limit it off. You got to play shorter. You got to play slower. You got to play slower. Or if you have, like, playing with Bron, playing with Mello, a six-nine guy that can move is just, it's hard to deal with it. You have to do so much to just have to say, okay, this is just so he don't fuck us up. But when they're not great at anything, it's a little bit easier to deal.

I totally get that. I'm just saying after seeing them in the playoffs. I'm not running Scotty Barnes off the three. I'm closing out of short. If you were to took the playoff last year and replaced. Shoot that broke-ass shit. Shit, RJ Bear sent to the overtime. That's what I'm saying.

They act like they wasn't amazing. That's what they did last year. And then y'all told us Scott Barnes. A dude that they shoot threes, know how to hoop, bro. So y'all are talking about let him shoot. He's talking about I ain't finished you regardless. Talking about let me shoot. I'm going to do it.

He averaged nine and six. Oh, bro. I'm going to do it. No, no, no. But if you got in, if Ingram's still there and Scotty is the third option, now you have a dangerous thing. Listen, they got lucky. You're absolutely right.

You're absolutely right. You know what I mean? But you hope that R. Barry develops a little bit more, bro. He's still boring. And I said that earlier, you don't know what he's turned into. That's what I'm in the playoffs. Did you see him in the playoffs?

He has never been that off. Even if he's taking three and he's shooting. One out of time. One out of time. He's now got to shoot. Uh-oh, there we go, Paolo. Hold on, you said BI's never been off. B.I was off the last time he was in the playoffs in New Orleans.

I'm saying he ain't never been that off. He had open looks. He had things. Hold on, the last two times B.I's been in the playoffs. he has not played well. If you pull up the numbers, he didn't play well when he was in New Orleans.

That's why he played, I know what they were playing against OKC, but he did not play well. This first round against Cleveland for Toronto, he did not play well. His last two playoff series were not good. Can we also just argue like he didn't have a good second, I guess?

Like you know what I'm saying? I didn't say he had a good second, but his numbers weren't what they normally are. Yeah, he shot like 10%. That's all I'm saying. He didn't play well. Whether he played well in the past, whether it's some new shit,

I don't know. What I'm saying is, if you watch BI all year and you was the Toronto Raptors, you're like, when we get to the playoffs, he can get us a bucket down the stretch. Oh, hold on. But we also know that the regular season, guys that get buckets in the regular season, as opposed to guys that get buckets in the playoffs is different. Without a doubt. So what I'm saying is, I don't know.

He only been to the playoffs one other time. He'd been there twice. Both times, when that weather started changing, when the piling started coming off the trees, I don't know if he got allergies or what. But his game switch You like that one I saw you smile I got you like that one But all I'm saying is that when the weather

When the weather started switching When the game slow down When they allow you to get real physical His game is about His game is about fighting to the mid-range He's a slim player that fights to the mid-range And in the regular season The officials will let you get there

Then in the post season for some reason It's a different whistle They let a lot more hand-to-hand combat go and the last two times Brandon Ingram has been involved in the playoffs if you pull up his numbers shooting percentages have plummeted. That's all I'm saying.

So I don't know if his game translates to the playoffs. I'm not saying I don't know. I think it was the second option, not the first option. Hey, that's fine. I'm saying I've watched plenty of players go through the league and have struggles their first couple of playoffs. They don't play well. But that's what drives them to keep working their ass off.

For sure. 35% from the field in 2024, 34, 33. I'm not going to knock him. Hold on. I'm not going to knock him the same way I wouldn't knock. Like, I get angry over James Harden getting stuck in the playoffs and feeling like he needed to get his ring already. Because I feel like at the end of the games, instead of going to the step back, the moment he goes to just laying on the table. Laying back and shooting a one-two dribble pull up that they can't stop.

It ain't nothing you could do. You could double do whatever. It's up to him to make or miss it. Like, once he gets to that, I feel like he's going to be in another conversation, no matter if he's on the later part of his. I agree, but hold on. Hold on a second. Joe, Joe, what? Don Mitchell is going to be able to carry you there.

All you have to do is figure out the last five minutes of a game. Hold on. He didn't have the ball every single play for the game. Joe, what was it? No, it seemed like that because you saw four turnovers. But if four turnovers was four shot attempts of James Hardin saying, I'm going to take two dribbles, I'm going to go right here, and ain't shit you can do about it. This is 400.

This is 400. This is 400. That's fine. All I'm saying is, if James. does that and takes away the turnovers, you're looking at a different outcome for James Harden. That's what the playoffs is. But we're not talking about James. We're talking about B.I.

What was BI's numbers? So 2024, shot 35% from the field in the playoffs four games and then this postseason, he shot 33%. That's all I'm saying. That's the only thing I'm saying. 35 and 33. Now, all I'm saying is, if you take

Kauai and put him in Bia's spot, does Toronto go home? I like, I'm with you. That's what I was saying. I like, I like, I said they're a scary team. I like, I like, I like the, you don't want to play them in the first round. I like what no way to change.

I don't, yeah, I know you would. But I'm just saying, I understand that there's levels of this and I think they're a good playoff team. I don't think they're a championship team. And when Kauai gets to cooking, I think they're going to shrink the court. This is one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the NBA. That's going to be their demise. And no end room in game six or seven either in this post.

He heard it's plan or fashion, right? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, this first year in the playoffs, yeah, it's 27, 6, and 6. Shooting what? In 2020. 27, 6 and 6 shooting 45%. Who?

B.I. Okay. So he is a playoff player. I'm saying the last two. What do you shoot? Now, a hard. Joe, what do you shoot the last two, Joe? It's hard to play the playoffs if everybody got passed who can't shoot.

Exactly. So, I mean, let's just be honest. If I'm trying to get on the ISO, and I got to pass to somebody who can't shoot. I used to play with Dan. Now I don't want to pass. Real talk. It becomes harder. People don't understand that, too.

It's like you said, the court is shorter before. And I'm a mid-range guy. So I'm a mid-range guy, so I'm trying to get to this mid-range guy. And I can't now because I'm loaded up. But that's what we're saying about, that's what we're saying about Kauai. Just put like this right here. Yeah, you're getting it tougher for Dane. Exactly.

When you are on the weird. It was over with everybody around. One at a time, gentlemen. That's what we're saying. When the court shrinks is going to be so much hard. Think about when you on the Wiz, they started shrinking that court. When they wasn't guarding me and Kwamey, how tough was life for you? Oh, yeah.

And life was tough, man. Ooh, shit. They like throw it to Haywood. We dare you. Like, no, that's where they want the ball to go. You still trying to get yours off dribbling through that tight. Man, you so happened what the heat did to us. Shrink that court, make that ball go over there.

Real talk. Make it out of ice. Because we know Karan can buggy, but Karan wants to get, he wants to jab step. So we're like, okay, he don't want to catch him. shoot, Brenda's not a score, Kwame's not a score. All right, Gil. Court shrunk, what you're going to do?

You out there is like, ooh, look like I'm playing one on three. That's different. That's different. That's different. That's what Kauai is going to see until the weak side guys prove that that coverage won't work.

And that's why I don't like dudes that just play defense on the court. Yeah. Because people don't understand. Wait, what? Coaches don't understand. I feel like that. Hey, hey, hey, I don't know.

Hey, Bougie, I feel it. You got a field attack? No, no, no. Wait, what? He's saying. He's not like, what? No, I'm talking about at the guard position. That the guard position.

You're just a guy out there playing defense. You don't realize how hard you just made the game. Where there's a guy out there who can't do nothing offensively. Meaning now I can just sit there and look, pass it to him. We haven't even mentioned Jacob Porter or whatever. Yeah, whatever is, man. He's on the floor as well. That's going to be.

That's a whole. That's nasty. Because most of the time now, you got a stretch five, you got strong corner shooting threes. The game is basically played like a triangle. You got your stretch five or your stretch four at the top. You got shooters in the corner and your best players in the middle of that triangle causing a damn problem. I don't play plenty of games where they done did that to me where I've told them I don't feel like shooting no more threes. I'm done.

They then came, set that ball screen. I went right up there, right behind Tristan. You going to try a high? Nope. They go a full speed off the, like, say you was getting it going. Nope, you're going to guard gill today. We're not doing that. If y'all going back off me, cool.

I'm going to come set a screen on you, backing off. He's going to go down. It's that perk screen that he used to run for Russ. We're going to do that. But it's like, as a basketball player, you're just going to have to figure that out. I don't think that they're bad basketball. Hey, Shump, you all over. Nobody said that.

I've been like, we're talking like they just going to sit here and accept that shit. Yes, some of them are bad basketball. I think they're bad. But, Shump, I don't know. When we played that talented guy who was gifted, but dumbest shit, couldn't remember to play. He got to sit on the bench because he couldn't remember nothing. They get to play now. It's called five out.

They don't run plays. So dumb basketball players get to be out there. They're super talented. But they are not smart enough to know, hey, I can't shoot. You know what? If I can go set a back screen and do all this and come to the ball, I'm the past. They don't understand that. They just go sit in the corner and just be like,

we start realizing that on field. Like, bro, they're doing this. They're trying to get me to shoot this shot. I could just set a flare for JR. They're not guarding me. Like, they're not even looking at me. They're so focused on mellow. I could just set this slam screen.

But you need more credit, Sean. But you ain't going to get no credit. It's just like, that's how you go stay on the court. If you can't shoot. That's why you were on the court. You deserve it. It's like, bro, we ain't got time for this. I don't miss three straight.

Y'all think I'm going to keep chucking this. It goes back. And play into their head. Hell, no. Flush, come shoot this bitch, bro. It goes back to what Gilip just said, though, Shump. You've always had a high basketball like you. The only year I played with you, I'm like, okay, Shump know how to play.

Some guys, some guys. RJ Barrett not doing it. Some guys, when you put them in the corner, they don't, that screen you're talking about setting. What's that? Hey, man, a cutback, what's that? I don't know where to go. That's hard to believe. Have you watched the guy?

Have you watched the new NBA? There's a lot of guys that don't know how to play like that. Believe it, bro. You don't believe. Some of these guys. Six-A dudes, they go after three in the midst of the game. It's one trick, one skill, bro. A lot of them dudes come out that.

They get in special. They get in the playoffs with the big eyes, the lights get bright, that pop going to get extra buttery, and they don't be no way to go. Y'allie, y'all don't get in that field room, though. I'm telling you, it's a world of thing. It's a world of things you can do. You ain't got to set up for that trip, ball. They be telling them to take them shots now.

Yeah. Yeah, I get that. I totally get the position. They'd be working on a and shoot them shots. As long as the shot go up cool, it's like, I just don't like nobody. You got career 32 point, you got guys that shoot 32% for their career shooting eight threes. I ain't never done that. They be working on that.

That's the new game. I'm hurting the team. I do that shit. I did shot 25% my whole life. And they're talking about ET shoot more. Like, no, do betters. Like when we lost to y'all Portland, Portland versus New Orleans, like, why we lose? Like, perfect example.

They trap and dame, who they got in corners. Who's spanking y'all all year? No, we got rid of y'all a couple few times. No, you didn't. Before you got hurt, what occurred? We spanked y'all all year. That's, that's, that's, that's, that's, so how are we ahead of y'all? Let's look that up later on.

We spanked y'all all year. You can be some other teams. You don't remember the live to the 360. You can't have a good one. He spanked y'all all year. My brother, no, no, no. But we, it was Harlem Globe tried to. No, no, no, no.

Oh, God. Not the Washington General. He'd go on. Not the Washington generals. Come on. Kids have never been spoken about that. That was crazy. That's fun.

But that year? No, you did it the one game before you got hurt. This was what I'm saying? One game you went absolutely berserk. This is when you were in Portland and a Boston. My career house has always been against Portland. That's what I'm saying. When it was the combination of us too, we spanked y'all the entire, y'all never won a game.

Oh, my Lord. 1,000%. We're going to look that up. Look it up. I mean, I don't want to talk about my age. I would love that at all. It's going to be like the Marcus, 47, 5. I'm cool on that.

But what I'm saying, like, moving sport. The Blazers is 55 when you were with the Kings. Ooh, 55. That's strong right now. It was getting ridiculous. There's no shortcut for saving time. But saving money is simple. Just combine your car and home insurance with Bel Air Direct and save. Get a quote at bellair direct.com.

Didn't catch the latest Roland Martin unfiltered podcast? Here's what you missed. And the argument is, do you want to win. If you don't win, you have no power. It's real. Those are the very people who I always say vote against their own economic interest and they complain about the very thing to receive. It's raw. I knew that the issue of transgender athletes was not going well with a lot of black men. Roland Martin unfiltered. I went off. I said, this is exactly what I'm talking about. Y'all going to scream at Chanel, but you don't want to see a black luxury.

company in the same vein. Catch Roland Martin's daily commentary on the Black Information Network. Twelve seats. Those are moving south. So if you Democrats, you don't wait to 2030, you better be hitting the ground going hard in the south now. And download Roland Martin Unfiltered on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts. Wherever you get your podcasts.

30 years ago, an island off Manhattan almost brought down New York City. Who will you trust? your friends and neighbors, or you trust the people five miles overseas. This is a story about neighbors turning on each other. And what happens when a forgotten place decides it's had enough. We reached for a feeling that exists in this city. But we're not stopping, are we? I'm Ben Natt of Halfrey.

And for my new series on Revisionist History, I took a deep dive into Staten Island's attempt to secede from New York City in the 1990s, and what it all has to do with the politics of resentment that dominate America today. Listen to revisionist history, the Staten Island Problem, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Is there an epidemic against literature? More specifically, black literature. Our books are being banned, scanned by AI, and destroyed. I'm Jack Quees Peace Thomas, and on this season of the Black Lit podcast. We're outside asking some of the custodians of our stories, teachers, and our modern day writers. Why? They don't want a whole bunch of little Ella bakers. Malcolm Maxis and Martin

with the Kings running around. They want to build children who have no empathy. That's really the ultimate goal. We want books that don't make white kids feel bad. So is the war on literacy and information or our ability to connect? We want people to know how sexy reading is and how fun they could be and not always associated with education. It could be an escape. It could be entertainment. And that is the beauty of reading. It can be all of those things.

And considering this is Black Reading Month, the only real question is, what are you reading next? Listen to Black Lit from the Black Effect Podcast Network on our iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hi, it's Alec Baldwin this season on my podcast. Here's the thing I'm speaking with more artists,

policymakers, and performers like actor Stephen Root. I think for me to be any good or for any character actor to be any good, you've got to put enough of yourself and your empathy for people in it. I'm a people watcher. You see that guy going down the dream and go, yeah, I can use that.

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It was best to come out of your trailer, full of life, and just face another person who's full of life and don't talk. Listen to Here's the Thing on the IHeart Radio App Apple Podcasts, or wherever you. you get your podcasts. But I'm saying like when you go into that situation, like we kind of had that moment where they were trapping Dane, trapping C.J. So now you got myself and a couple other members I won't bring up where it was just like, it came to the point of being like,

yo, we're in trouble if I'm shooting five threes a game as opposed to set up a different type of offense to get Dane going, get Dane to receive a shot. So we play it right into your hands. And it's like, dog, niggas ain't shot threes all year.

Like this is what we're going to do in these four days? Like, you know what I'm saying? and that shows up and that modes well. But I feel as though like the coaching and preparation isn't just like, you know, this player is limited. It's like where can we put them in position to be successful? And that's where we say coaches get a little lazy,

not dissing them, but it's like you have, those moments come prior to April, prior to when the weather changes. It's like, yo, what can they do? Realistically, E.T. going to shoot 37% this year? No. Like, he plays a certain type of way.

So when we went into the playoffs and you're like, all you got to do is trap dang. That's just small-minded, right, man? Yeah, they should have had you flashing middle. No, I just said him. Even if he flashed middle, who the ball going to? Moe Hartless? Myers-Lennard?

That's exactly what we wanted. And then just going to go right to Evan. Right after the team. That's why they got swept. No, no, I'm saying it's not going to go to him shooting threes. It's not going to go to him when he's slashing. Even if he goes middle. And his bob.

Who's he swinging into him? Oh, he got, you're going to find. Dame, you can't double. It's CJ and Dame to where it's like, I know where y'all gonna be at. He's just telling you they did double. It's better be one-on-one from right here. He's just, he's telling you in that series they did double. They said, okay, we're not going to double up.

And he's saying they had him in the corner to shoot threes. Not in the middle of the floor where he's good. But that's the problem. We're so, that's what I'm saying. We all say in the same thing. Y'all coaching me through it. Like, this thing was shoot threes. He didn't want to.

But that's the difference between basketball players and just people doing the offense. Yeah. Right? So you get trapped, we're going to trap you. What the other three going to do? What did y'all teach them all year?

Yeah, what rhythm are. Because you only getting, we're trapping you this series. Y'all ain't both been trapped all year. What you're going to do? You don't have an actual offense. For that. And this is what basketball misses. The triangle wasn't meant for Michael Jordan.

It was meant for everybody else to move so you couldn't double. in single-light Michael Jordan. So if you're not going to play these motions right, easy lays, keeps you honest. That's what the offense is made for. The office is made for your team to move and get easy stuff, and your star is going to play his one-on-one

and take advantage of his man. So where is the offense for everybody's team? We know it. Golden State has one. For sure. Move around, move around. Dremont drives you don't want to help you do this. Like, they have that.

But it's for you. for everybody else to play defense and be honest. That's an incredible point because I call a lot of college basketball last year and I do pro. And the one difference I see is what you just brought up, offensive identity. If you watch a college game, Duke don't play like Carolina, Carolina don't play like Michigan, and Michigan don't play like Nebraska or whoever else or Kansas, right? But you watch an NBA game. Everybody plays the same.

But it didn't used to be like that. No. Because when we came in the league, the nets are running to Princeton. The Lakers were running the triangle. Then you had Sacramento running the high post offense with blotting the boys. Golden State running gun. Low post offense, cross screens. Dallas 5 out.

Everybody played to their strengths because they said this is what we do. And then you know what happened? Everybody came in with the iPad and everything else and analytics. And they said, hey, we want to be pacing space and shoot three's mid pick and roll spread game. The whole NBA plays like that. So to your point, that's the offense that we're missing. Offensive identity has left the league. I love what you said, though, because you said something that, honestly, even the whole time I play, I don't think I ever realize that our offense is not meant for the superstar.

It's meant for the, well, if it's going to be a successful offense. It's actually run for the other guys. For sure. The star can get hit at any time. But it's so they are organized when it go down for the star. And that's fucking crazy because I played my whole career, never really like. I always felt like they built this shit for bras, but this shit is for Karee,

like a motherfucker, and they got nothing to do with me. That's for you. This is for me? See, Lou, you did this for me? It was so I could be successful in this, my God, so you knew where to be? So you knew where to be?

That's some all-shit, that's an all-shit moment for me, because I'm like, you try to get me out the way so they can do their shit. That's what I'm thinking. But it's like, nigga, if I could replay it now,

it's like, bro, I want to be the guy that they like, let him beat us. Because I had them games in the playoffs, and it's like, when I look back on it, it's like, damn, bro, I was pissed off that game. I was blue. You were already mad. Because I'm like, yeah, I'm irritated from two games ago when I couldn't get off and I'm just standing

here. We went to the next series, and then it's like, you finally play a game where it's like, I didn't got eight threes this game and I hit six. And it's like, oh, and hooray, and we're closing out. I'm just, you're just now thinking about like, wow, this nigga, T. Lou set that up for us. That's crazy.

He knew they was going to be tilted doing that. You're learning even after basketball. That's sick. That's sick as hell. But it's taking a nigga like, dude. No, he was one of them niggins that I thought when they was building off this. He's looking at it like, nigga, this shit ain't for me. I got one for flat. Yeah, I can do it all in the line.

All this chins and all that's for keeping everybody moving. I'll keep me all the rhythm. But I had looked at it. I was like, wait, how's the game faster? shooting, we shot, what, 14, 7-3s in our day? Yeah. Averaging 100, 600, 5. They shooting 40 to 50s.

But averaging 100, 115, 110, there's some games that's motherfucking 95. Like, what the how? How? Oh, your bad shooters are shooting. Exactly. Well, like 19 seconds left on the clock. I'm looking at this. They was like, well, who else you wanted to shoot?

The nigger I paid. Straight up. Curry shot, seven threes then. Right? He shoots 10 now. We shoot 40 more as a team. He better shoot 25 of them. Right.

I need him shooting. I don't need Kamega taking 10 threes. Dremont taking 5. That's what his point was. Right. Draymond taking more than Ray Allen took. I need step. If you're going to take more, shoot him more.

We need more shots. Get more shots. So when we go back to the guy like Scotty Barnes, who's shooting a great percentage at three again. And now he has. to go from six to eight a game. Wait a lot. That's a great callback. He's not going from six to eight because Scottie Barnes know his name.

There's certain people that know their game. But he's just not going to know your game. That's what I'm saying. You could, instead of being in a corner, you could back to him or get a oon. Not for. Scotty got a different type of skill set of athleticism. One half step, he's at the rim. True.

He's finishing over everybody. When he looks at people, he's like, bro, this is seven footer. That's a baby. I'm going straight to that room. I'm going right to the paint. If I'm Scotty Barnes, I'm still getting eight free-threat. There's a lot of advantages he has to approach the scheme. It's just trying to be like, yo, they want me to shoot tonight.

They want me to shoot every single night. What I'm going to do? He just averaged nine-assist last play. He's going to go get to it. I'll see when there's a hot. You're getting about that. Once you get a, once you cross half court and that trap comes, it's hot potato basketball now.

It's not the same rhythm. It's not the same comfort of the ball. Scottie. Long, dream. I'm just saying, Goddie, but it's a game. Maybe I like a day

to watch too much, maybe. Maybe I watch too much. I like that. But to get nine assists with that. Once it becomes half court, it's a game. But to get nine assists

that personnel is impressive, true or false. After we just disson, there's no. That's great. He never played with Kauai. He's a baby. Nine and six probably won't be the same

at all. At all. At all. Six. Six. It'll go six. So expecting Scottie to still be the same

exact playmaker? He might go from nine to maybe But Kuwait is catching you too. I'm saying it's getting changes. It's not the same flow. It's not the same flow. It's not the same level. It's like you said, I don't feel like Scott is the lead distributor.

But that's what I'm saying. Like there's some people that their IQ is, it's like Chris Weber, right? We have a point guard, but the point guard, baby, you shoot. Just get a ball to big man, let big man dig everything. Same thing with Scottie. I would want the ball more in his hands. Okay. Because he's more of a willing.

Because he's a willing pass. He knows how to pass. know what he's looking for and then let it like I don't even know where's the two-man game I don't know that's what I'm saying I'm saying where's the two men pick and roll with Scottie and Kauai is over that's what I'm saying and then what he wrote a picker roll with Scottie and Kauaii and they just don't call the bank because nobody else can shoot it's automatic switch I want an automatic switch quick one has the defender on them switch and get my defender you let you don't know yet we don't know yet

we play Calibre and there you got Jago they can play he's also got formal at the rim Porto's out. Okay. Calam Murray Bowles got to play a lot more. Okay. Paul's just, Paul's warming up and big fella coming in, right.

They lost too much. They don't really, yeah. They're always going to go. They're a good team defensively. They're a second option away from being the championship team. I stand. Now,

I don't try to move the mood of conversation. You want to talk about. There's no shortcut for saving time, but saving money is simple. Just combine your car and home insurance with Belair Direct and save. Get a quote at bellair direct.com. Didn't catch the latest Roland Martin unfiltered podcast?

Here's what you missed. And the argument is, do you want to win? If you don't win, you have no power. It's real. Those are the very people who I always say vote against their own economic interest, and they complain about the very thing to receive. It's raw. I knew that the issue of transgender athletes was not going well with a lot of black men.

Roland Martin Unfiltered. I went off, I said, this is exactly what I'm talking about. Y'all going to scream at Chanel, but you don't want to see a black luxury company in the same vein. Catch Roland Martin's daily commentary on the Black Information Network. Twelve seats, those are moving south. So if you Democrats, you don't wait to 2030, you better be hitting the ground going hard in the South now. And download Roland Martin Unfiltered on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, Wherever you get your podcasts.

30 years ago, an island off Manhattan almost brought down New York City. Who will you trust your friends and neighbors? Who will you trust the people five miles overseas? This is a story about neighbors turning on each other. And what happens when a forgotten place decides it's had enough. We reached for a feeling that exists in this city. but we're not stopping, are we? I'm Ben Nathafaf.

And for my new series on revisionist history, I took a deep dive into Staten Island's attempt to secede from New York City in the 1990s. And what it all has to do with the politics of resentment that dominate America today. Listen to Revisionist History, the Staten Island Problem, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, it's Alec Baldwin. This season on my podcast, here's the thing I'm speaking with more artists, policymakers, and performers like actor Stephen Root. I think for me to be any good or for any character actor to be any good, you've got to put enough of yourself

and your empathy for people in it. I'm a people watcher. You see that guy going down the dream and go, yeah, I can use that. Open Igloo co-founder, Alia Muhammad. I love staying on top of what is going on in our city, what is going on in city politics. what is on renter's minds

and taking all of that knowledge to build a platform that hopefully is going to make New York City better in the long run. And actress and singer Melissa Eriko. Partnership took on a whole other meaning when I started making my own work. It's like you with a great actress or actor.

It was best to come out of your trailer, full of life, and just face another person who's full of life and don't talk. Listen to Here's the Thing on the IHeart Radio app Apple Podcast. Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Is there an epidemic against literature? More specifically, black literature.

Our books are being banned, scanned by AI, and destroyed. I'm Jack Quix-Pice Thomas, and on this season of the Black-Lit Podcasts, we're outside asking some of the custodians of our stories, teachers, and our modern-day writers. Why? They don't want a whole bunch of little elevators, Michael Maxes and Martin Luther King, running around. They want to build children who have children who have. no empathy. That's really the ultimate goal. We want books that don't make white kids feel bad. So is the war on literacy and information or our ability to connect? We want people to know how

sexy reading is and how fun they could be and not always associated with education. It could be an escape. It could be entertainment. And that is the beauty of reading. It can be all of those things. And considering this is Black Reading Month, the only real question is, What are you reading next? Listen to Black Lit from the Black Effect Podcast Network on our Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Solution Solution Raptors talk for the gig.

We got other things we got to get to. By the way, Gills Arena is everywhere you want to be. So shout out to everybody watching the show on Twitch. If you're watching on Twitch, make sure you follow our channel at Gills Arena Show. Appreciate y'all for all this subs. I'm trying to segue, Jay. We've got a lot of people on the couch.

We had our big. episode of the week yesterday. We got to keep it rolling today. Renham spoon. Let's keep it in the Easter conference. Celtics made a blockbuster trade this summer sending former finals MVP, all-NBA wing, and longest tenured Celtic, Jalen Brown, to the Sixers in exchange for nine-time all-star Paul George. Boston also got two first and two second round picks in the deal. PG's production has been down since signing a

four-year $212 million deal with the Sixers in 2024. Played in 41 games his first season in Philly, averaging just 16 points per game while dealing with knee and adductor injuries. His lowest point per game average since 2013 appeared in just 37 games last season, which included 25 games suspension for violating the league's anti-drug policy. He released a statement saying he made a mistake by taking an improper medication while seeking treatment for a personal mental health issue. So PG and fellow New Celtic Mike Conley, Jr., met with the media on Tuesday for their

introductory press conference. PG was asked his thoughts about dealing with Celtic fans' frustration in him replacing Jalen Brown and whether he's still trying to beat him. He is a superstar and he had this response. It's fair to live with that emotion, given what J.B. stood for and what he brought in the history, right? He was a part of raising a banner and winning the championship here. So I'm not saying that, you know, that's going to forever stick, right? But it's a new group.

It's a new opportunity. and again, I think they're getting someone that's ready to, you know, not fill the shoes or fill the void of J.B. But I think from a personal standpoint of myself, I think I can come in and kind of still keep us in that contention and give us a chance to win. Superstar, we have a superstar and that's J.T. I'm not here to, you know, not necessarily still the shine or try to reinvent, you know, I'm here to help JT and he's the guy, right? I played alongside another superstar wing and we coexisted beautifully. And so I see that with, you know, myself.

I see that with J.T. Being able to play off him, being able to help him, being able to kind of still be a mentor. You know, so that alone, you know, I can play off another superstar wing and still bring a presence and still be on the side of doing everything to win. Her PG saw some of you guys, some mixed. emotions, reactions here on the couch.

Brandon, we will start with you. Okay. You appear to have the most. What? I would just, uh... Reaction to that. No, I don't have the most reaction. I mean, I love what Paul was talking about.

I just, you know, when he was talking about this, we know there's one superstar there. Like, you know, there might have been a... Wait, why... No, we know this one. No, I'm just saying we know... Like, Paul last year's average, like, had a good year, average 17, the year before that.

He averaged like 16 for fail. that's cool, but no one thinks he's about to turn back the clock and give them what. So, J.B. had to be the coldest two-way player in the league. He is capable of going out there getting 29, and then he's guarding the guy that's getting 29. He makes that look easy.

It ain't easy. Right. Yeah, that's in shape. You two guys know how much energy it takes to score. You've had years when you've averaged 29. You've averaged 29. Now, imagine if you had to do that, hey, yo, I need you to go guard the best person on the other team, too.

So the fact that J.B. was doing that, and they're losing that. No disrespect to Paul George, but he's not coming close at 35 to being that. I'll take it a step further. Put the stats aside. That emotional leader within the group, I think that's more important than any stat that he can bring to the team. I think they now, and no knock the PG, I think he's an incredible player. And I actually think he's going to have a better year than he has the past two years.

But with that being said, they don't have that emotional leader anymore. I think they now kind of take the same identity as that Clippers group, Kauai and PG. Where it's the super laid-back type of guy, you know, you gotta go with the flow, whatever happens, happens. Nobody really wants to hold each other accountable. We don't want to make anybody upset or uncomfortable. And all of that is needed. Hard to be on the... In order to get to that level.

But because I'll cut you all that, because I've been around like the soldiers a bit, And sometimes I think it's kind of like the KD moment or like to Tatum, whatever, he's too nice of a guy. But I've been around where it's almost been impressive where he doesn't have to speak too much to really control some of the situations. I'm talking about even in comparison to J.B. and J.T. As much as an emotional leader J.B. was, when Tatum showed up, everything changed. He didn't have to scream.

He didn't have to do any of that or overly speak. Even when you look at little things such as I'm just lifting after games, how crazy people are with their routine and everything. That's a Jason Tatum thing. That's great. And I'm not knocking. But he also had that insurance of J.B. If all that being said, he still had the insurance of J.B.

No, you're absolutely right. But I think the conversation and narrative shouldn't mean be that of Paul George. Approaching Paul George, it's like, yo, it's not his responsibility. We need to talk about Derek White. We need to talk about Peyton Pritcher stepping up. Paul George, your team is going to be great if Paul George is a decent fourth option, like he's been showing the path three or four. Who the fuck is the second?

Average of 14 or 15 in a game? I'm asking. Derek White. Derek White. Oh, they're full. But that's been the chance. Crapped the season. Well, I mean, he was a number two option last year.

He was the number two option last year. My point, exactly. Payton Pritchers coming off the bench shooting 18 in game, whether you think so or not, bro. He's, Paul George is no, if he's best, third option. And my personal opinion, but once you start playing around that program, you didn't gave up your first couple of options. It's good to see him even touch on it that humble, though. Like, you know what I'm saying?

because I know he still got to prove it. Bro, he's been playing. He knows he'd been playing like a third option of pastor. That's fine. I'm just saying it's going to be more complimentary playing in Boston system. It's going to be more beneficiary to him. To him. Yeah, of course.

He's you a 53-point shoot. He's a second option. He's a second option. With what? To get you a bucket. You ain't trying to come on a line on. We're not coming out time out. Like, you're drawing up Paul Georgia catching shit.

Yes. No. But throwing him. You're having to get him out of the way right now. Paul George. I wouldn't, but I know what they're going to do. They can't do that. I know what they're going to do.

Derek White's getting a second most shit. He shoots whatever he wants. No, no, that's true. Like, literally what you want? That's the season. That was the season. But that's because. That's your second option.

Scrap the season. That's what it was last year. They won 60. But that's swing, swing. That's because J.B. Carey. Yes. That swing, swing. Jay Tee, for the camera.

Do you see how much Derek White. I got him after 20 leaders. But he had you. I get you, though. Over the hump of the plans. So what you think Paul would do? I'm just saying. I don't hear that like Derek.

What JT's literal routine is after the game. That shit not translating. Hey, man. Listen, we're talking about Derek. Culture translates. We talk about Derek White being the second option. We talked about what he did last year. Derek White shot 39% from three and 32% from, I mean, 39% from the floor and 32% from three.

That can't be your second option if it's going to be champion. Hold on. Well, George, so you're telling me you coming in, like, I'm not knocking either one of them. I'm just like, bro, Paul ain't been on shit. Wow. He shot 38% of 10-1-1-1-1. Wow. Wow, that was aggressor.

Wow. So we can call it. Like, I'm not dissing Paul. I'm trying to get heat off Paul and being like, yo, he's probably been a third option for the past few years. He ain't been healthy in the past few years. Remember, hey, 37, we owe this hell. It's over. All I'm saying is, if I'm picking my second option between Derek.

and Paul Joel. You're cool. You're absolutely right. You're cool. Now I'm going to tell you the reality. I'm going to describe the season. It's where we're at. Wait, wait, wait.

Listen, though you realize, do you realize that Derek White played so good? You're done. I like Derek White. Listen, oh, Derek White played so well last year as far as what they felt like meant to their team. And he was some shit in the playoff. Listen, as far as what he meant to their team last year, especially analytically, they felt like it.

Don't get me the analyst. I'm not the guy for. the analytics. I'm just telling you the decision that they made. I don't give a fucking about no analytics. Because they felt like the most important thing here next to JT is Derek White. They gave J.B. up because he is the real alpha in the room. It's fine. But I'm telling you why analytically.

Hey, man, touch on that. Say that again. Why analytically? Why are you saying that? Here, Alpha, they don't like that. How are you mad because a guy compliments his best season in his eyes and you take that as a negative? Who took it as a negative? The Celtics.

As the organization, they did. Yes, they did. Yes, they did. Even the only, no, no, no. He carried you the entire season. No, I went to doing that. I went to his own personal accomplishment. This was his favorite.

They said analytically, Derek White was better on. No, no, no, that was just booed. That's why you can't play the game on analytics. They was trying to trade them for Yonis. Yeah, they couldn't get them. They had dangled them out there. And they already fucked it up, then they had to trade them. Now, you ruin the relationship.

Now, and to the same. And to the. Deltaics defense. But they have already. I would have never traded that. I'm not mad at that. But they already, they already picked, when they've dangled them, they already picked Derek White.

I mean, I'm saying his body, just body wise. I'm doing that. It gives them a different look. But you're saying Derek White didn't play very well last year. He shot 32% in the playoffs. And oh, for the season. For the season. From 30.

And he was the second option. With all that said, he was the second option. And where were they at? It was second all year? Second all year with that performance. And you're telling me I can get the same performance. I get Tatum back. And then I get Paul George, who's healthy, who's a three-point shooter and an ISO player with a five-out system.

He's averaging 20. I hope, bro, I think Paul's on the back player. It's a five-out system. He didn't shoot all the threes he wants to shoot. He's about to be a 2K player. I want to see it happening. He's about to be a 2-K player. But you're saying, he's going to be the second-out-old.

I think this is a better system. from Paul. You think they're going to run plays for him. But I'm saying up there and give him. I know he's going to touch it, but we're saying are they going to run plays for him? The second option, you know what the second option is. You know what the second option is.

The second option mean we're starting the game. Gil, you getting the first two shots. And then our second option is fin to get the next three plays so that both y'all could get going and now we can start the game. All right, let's try it like this since we've been here. I'm listening.

It goes from Tatum to Paul George. I like that. And then my next options is who? Pitcher. Pitcher coming off the bench. But Pitcher going to be in the game? Who starts a one? Who is going to be in the game?

Who is going to be in the game? Daryl. Baylor Shired. Okay, okay. Yeah, thank you. So I'm going to just shoot this shit because we're supposed to be shooting 503s. So I'm going to shoot it. Do you think the rest of these three going to ever complain?

No. No. Listen, I'm not tripping off. Listen, I'm not tripping off them in three. When we say a second option, though. He might. He might. He might.

Like, we see what Derek White did, right? He shoot, I can shoot all the shots I want. You know what type of freedom in that is? Yeah. You're giving Paul George the freedom again, and I need you to shoot 53. 38% you're our best three-point shooter, and you don't think he's about to come in and take what? 15, 17 shots? He's going to take a bunch of threes.

What I'm saying is at the end of the game, at the end of the game, they're not going to throw Paul George the ball and ask him to just create shit. He's going to average a duck. He's average a duck. He's going to average a dog. Can I ask a question? He's right. He's going to have a better season.

It's going to be more efficient for sure. This system with the Celtics complements him way better than anything he had it. Without a doubt. Way better. Can I ask you all a question, though? Way better. And Derek White definitely.

This is offense. Hey, because can I ask you a question? When y'all watch the Celtics, whenever they struggle in the playoffs, what's normally been their problem? They're not hitting three. They're normally not getting threes. Who did they get rid of?

Hitting threes. Hitting threes, right. They're going to take them. They take them. So no matter what, they shoot the three, and when that three ball ain't falling, they struggle. But there was one guy that would go in that memos and get aggressive and go to the cup. And he was playing defense. That guy's no longer there.

I love PG. On top of putting the battery and everybody back. I don't think that he's going to be able to replicate what J.B. did for them. That's what I'm saying. When we look at them as a championship level team, championship, like he just said, scrap it. They're not a, I don't see them as a championship level team without J.B. I love Paul George, but I don't know if he's turning back the clock at 35 being old school Paul George. I think he's going to get in there with the three-point shooting too.

I know that Jason Tatum, he's going to shoot his threes too. Who's going to say, nah, I'm going to the basket. Peyton Pritchard, nah. Derek White, no. I mean, so when they struggle, when they come out there with their analytic ball game, we know they're going to play it like that. And they get to shooting them threes. And there's a playoff series where they're not hitting them.

When they come to the timeout, they don't have a Jaylon Brown no more. That's like I'm going to the Cup. Y'all follow me. That's why he was the finals MVP. That's why he was also the Eastern Conference Finals MVP. For sure. Because when stuff got tight, he was the guy. Yeah.

You know 32% from Paul George would have been the worst he ever shot from the three-point line since his rookie season. I'm not worried about him shooting the three. So I don't see a guy like him who is a natural score, a natural one. Yeah. Offensively, they will be better offender. He's got to be healthy too, you know. He's a natural score. He's a better to do it.

He got to do it. Offensively. Then they work with J.B.? Yeah. Oh, no. Is he a, no. He's a, no. And we're walking off the set.

Yeah. They're going to be better than when they work for J.B. No way. I think indivision from Paul. He's going to have a better scene. You feel like. They're not better with Paul George than J.B. No, no.

No way. Offensively, Paul George? It compliments. Paul George's game on a fight now. Paul is 37. That's all. And that's another. Huh?

Paul is 37. What did he do when he came back from the 25 games? He's 37 years old. But the shit he's taken accidentally makes him about 25 again. He can't take it again. No, bro. When you start taking it, he turned 36. He turned 36, but that shit, what he was, whatever?

He said he got the residue in the right? I don't lie with him. He said he got the residue. And he was, he was in the bushelmed. He still had the residue in his bag. He still had the residue. All I'm saying is 28, 26, 1939, 23. Huh?

All I'm saying is, whatever was there, put it back in. You can't fail another test, though, Gil. You said he still got the residue? He still got the residue. Just a little bit. I ain't gonna lie. I play it with him on 2K. It looked like he's still moving to.

Hey, if he got any more of that left, I ain't going to lie. If he got some of that left, it's going to be different. But when I look at it, when I look at it, I just see, like, even when J.T. came back, like, though it's a different hop, it's very complimentary to the playoffs. I think that a lot of stuff that J.T. get done, even last year, it was like, I could tell his body wasn't ready. He just wanted to play. Then he had to sit out that last game because that was really just a business decision. They didn't want nothing happening like how Kay did when Kay risked it. We all wanted him to fight through injury.

He risked it. Then he was down. You know what I'm saying? But seeing JT come back, I was low-key looking at it like, damn, I see why they be at this question all the time of who do you keep. Because it damn near seemed like you holding one back no matter what you do. Because both of them, at the end of the game, at the end of the game, both of them are never. together. For sure.

Ironite. They can pay two, they can pay two, they can pay the two in the three or the three and a four. Like it was one of those, it was one of the two groups that you dangled for Janice. Everything, they had the, they had the perfect build for each other. But once you dangles for Yon. But, why are you okay, I would have been like Pat Riley. I would have been on my knees, my bad. What?

I would have been on my knees. Okay. My bag. I didn't mean to dangue you like that, sir. Real tough. What you need? You need that Black Wall Street shit. I got the Black Wall Street.

Whatever you need, because there's just some people you just can't trade. I agree. What he brings you wish everyone had. What's the idea? Just that toughness. Whatever that toughness is. That whatever that toughness is that says, Luca, he does what? I got him.

Right? He's that guy. You can't replace that. You can't replace that guy. You just can't replace that guy with a lot of people. But we're just talking about them specifically. What you just said made. our point. You can't replace

that guy in the finals that was going out there getting finals MVP and guarding Luca with this current version of Paul George. You can't do that. No, no, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Who guards now? Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Who guards? Datum. Derek White.

Yeah, no, you got to do it. I'm just saying that. Paul George still plays defense. Not like Jaylen Brown. It ain't like Jaylen Brown. No, it ain't like Jalen Brown, but I don't got to be like Jalen Brown. But that's what we said. Oh, I know what Brown was dressed out.

I'm not here to replace Shannon Brown. Yes, you are. I'm going to show you I still got a little bit left. He definitely said that. I still got a little bit left. He totally said that. That's why he got to say, hold on, God damn.

That's what I said. That was good thing. I'm here to be the best version of myself. Hey, listen. I average 17 last shit, god damn. And tonight. I'm giving you your 20. If you're looking for 28 and 9, baby,

you better, you better trade me for him back. You know what I see in the- Get you something good. You know what I'm starting to see a lot in the Eastern Conference, though? we got a lot of teams that don't have that second option star to win a championship. We just talked about Toronto, we don't know if they got it. You go look at Detroit, we don't know if they got it.

Now we're looking at Boston. They traded their second. There's a lot of teams in the Eastern Conference that got that first piece. They got that championship level piece. Miami? They don't have it. The whole, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Who is the second off? Miami. Yeah. He's the second. Bam is the second out. How he did? Janus is the first time. I know that.

I'm saying, though. how we, they were like, bam. Like, oh, Ben. No, it's better than I think. He was the first. No, Bam is a tricky player. Look, we got to see how they're going to compliment each other first.

We got to see how that's going to work. The four-five? Yeah, damn smart, man. Before we start talking one, two. No, no, no. Bam is one of those players, man. If you look at him at one-on-one, you're going to be like, no, why he don't be, why he's not aggressive all the time?

Yeah. It's like he's like one of those. He got stupid games. He got shit. But it's almost like, it's almost like the LeBron effect, like as far as finding the right guys to play next to a force. Like, Janus is the same exact puzzle. But Yonis, I think Yonis is going to have to become better with passing because. Good luck.

Bam. But Yonis is a willing passer. He's that only had a spray. He's only had to play with Yonis, bro. Listen, when he's only when he's going downhill. He's going downhill. Exactly. But now you just have to learn how to go downhill, throw a little floater lob.

What year is it for him? Don't fucking matter. It does matter. A lot of times if you've been doing, hold on, a lot of times if you've been doing something for a decade, that means you just might not be good at. If he would have made it work in Milwaukee. Like, if you get, if he was willing to change his game, it would have worked in Milwaukee. Change it how? To make that passion.

Be becoming a willing, a more willing passer. Oh. He passes. More willing. He passes once he's totally. inside. You play Bronn passes with anticipation. He's like, like, all the

those stories, that's all I'm saying. Yonis is going to have to change. Some people can't do what Braun do. They can't do, they can't do what Luka does as far as know. We also said Yonis couldn't win the way he was winning until he won. We didn't think Yonis was going to become what he became. A lot of things went into play for that to happen.

That person is not. That person is perfect. That person is thirsty to John. The four shooters around. A lot of six changes. Round one scoring dude. Step on that gun. It has.

What big man has Janice had that plays in the bunker? Never. Yeah, but you know, because Janus plays in the way. Who? That plays in the dunk. Do you understand what I'm saying? No about it. That's the point.

Exactly. So we don't. Look, he might like this shit. He might like getting down here and saying, instead of having to throw this on target flip pass to the corner, I kind of like being able to drop it off. And then this man. So, y'all got to continue to play nine here.

That means. not doing that. Bam's whole game is now perimeter oriented. So it's almost... That's what the dunker spot is for. You can't have Yonnas playing downhill and Bam in the way. Hey, listen, man, this ain't Milwaukee. Whatever offense that was running down there obviously didn't work.

This is Miami. We're going to have a whole new offense. For sure. But I'm saying every time Yonis gets downhill now, it don't have to be sprayed out to the corner. That if you're getting downhill, you can have somebody that knows how to play that baseline. It's like playing high-low. It's a constant rotation.

It is Miami. That's what I'm saying. In Miami, they are smart. They are smart. Bam is now never still, and he's doing the Udonis hazam shit. It's on relocation. I get it. Setting real screens, back screens, and now you're dealing with Janus downhill.

A simple pocket pass, and you have to deal with Bam's athleticism, he also can pass. So if Bam is setting the screen, what if they... If Bam is setting the screen on Janus. Oh, I was going to say... Yonis would be second side. Yeah, Janus could be second side. We used to play second side for Braun to get down here. We don't have to let y'all load up.

Pat Riley and I'm going to let that happen. But when Milwaukee wanted a lot of this office that you're talking about, Brooke Lofus for him. Hey, that's what I'm trying to say. That's why it was closing games out. So that's what they don't have that Chris Middleton option in Miami. Because you're right.

Sometimes they can let, uh, not Kauai. Who did they just pick up? Wait, wait. Somebody. Wait, wait. Somebody. Play. Yeah.

Sometimes. Yeah. Sometimes they can let them. They got Wiggins. They got a good team. They got a good team. Miami's cold, but we're talking about Yannis, right? So when he's getting downhill, there's a reason why at times they were going to

Middleton because Yonis don't want to shoot that jumper. And he don't want to go to the free throw line late in the game either. Because that's how the playoffs when he first got the playoffs is killing him. So that's why sometimes depending on the game, the coaching staff in Milwaukee did a great job. Drew Holliday, Middleton. All right, we're going to run that offense through Chris and the mid-post. Miami don't have that option right now. What?

They got rid of Tyler. Outside of Yonis? Who they're going to run off? Norm, Powell. Bam! You're like, you're like Bam, one of the coldest one-on-one players.

He is a better one-on-one player than Chris Middleton. He's going to have to prove that. Are you serious? I feel like Bam has always been a compliment. Who has Bam? Who has Bam? Wait, wait, wait.

I feel like Bam has been a complimentary. Talk about that. When did Chris Middleton become a one-on-one player? Bro, he- Why you just look at me like that? With Yannis? What he was a closer, but he wasn't one-on-one. He was a closer, but he wasn't one-on-one. He'd go off actions.

We're just talking about Christa-Heat. We're not talking about like, go get it. But that's what he's saying. I'm saying, Bam can go get it. Who has to guard Bam now when Yonis is there? That's one fan. It's an easy. Who literally has to-

The lower tier big man to-beating. But even if Bam this ball, make a small, they're going to just play up Yonis. Without it. But see, that's, the reason we don't. The reason. The reason. don't know what Bam has is because Miami for the last four or five years has had what all option

twos and threes. That's a, that's, Jimmy Butler, who is one of those guys that he fills the spots. Yeah. He had to be a one option. So it's like, okay, Tyler Hero, you're the number one option so I can do everything. Same thing. So these guys are sacrificing because some of them are actually two options and three options, trying to be one options.

So now you have a number one option. coming in so Bam gets to go to what he really is. No. Yes. That's not what he really is. A second option guy who can just do a little bit of everything? We ain't seen yet. I look at it as like a Lamar.

They give him stuff. I don't think it's going to be shit you haven't seen. I think you're going to see the same thing over. It's going to have. I think finally you're going to see the same thing you've been seeing, but now I have a number one option you got to pick it. But I'm saying you're going to have to deal with you like I get a secondary. I get a secondary score.

How you'll see BAM have to score in a lot of different ways. You're going to see BAM do the same four dunk every game. That was the best four-five. I think I think our skill set was way different than Bams and Yon. Who you talking about? He was talking about me and AD compared to. That's a good. It's kind of the same.

Two real guards. No, because they don't have. Y'all was going to dry little shit. No, because they don't have. We were running. Hold on. Let them cook. Because y'all don't have.

You don't have you in a potion. If you got Bam and Janus as your horn action, that's insane to deal with. Hey man, can I, can I, because now your point guard becomes dangerous. One arm is a limited shooter. Me and AD weren't limited shooter. Whether Janus is limited. And we could shoot off the drink. It's a totally different thing.

The whole league this whole time has known we got to back off Janus and don't let him drive. Who the fuck has stopped it? I'm not talking about that. That's what I'm saying, no. If you run the horned offense and now, he actually has somebody else that's vicious too going downhill. The reason I'm also a problem because even the skill as me and AD was it was still a dynamic within that of us playing together.

We had to figure it out. And it was mostly due to the spacing, especially when two guys can do a lot of the same things. You're going to start to clash at some point. So that's what I'm trying to say as far as when it comes to Yonis with the ball. But I feel like y'all was a better shooting pair. They were better shooting pair. But they were all They also did the same thing though.

Every day. But they just passed and playing the post. They were legit. Before he tore his Achilles, he was dead-ass hooping like a 16-point guard. He was trying to compare it to where he's kind of struggling with. It's just like, man, Janice and Bam didn't have the same type of ball handle or skill set as those two had. It was literally night and day. That's why it's hard to compare it because it was.

But they have a different skill. One is a fast break demon. So when he gets the ball, he's gone. But you got to remember, this space is going to be the most, the most Johnness has ever had. Because you still got, like you have to play in Wiggins on the floor. Y'all missing the point. You're not, we're not.

This is in Miami. What's the point, Brennan? The Posture is so down to make the adjustment. I love the fact that he brought up him and AD. Because you got two guys, offensively, they get it. They're thinking about how to score. When I had to guard Boogie, if Boogie had a quick five, five buckets early on, boogie knock will end up with 16.

If he got a quick 10, boogie will end up with 37. That's the difference. When you watch Bam play, I've seen plenty of games. Bam, get out six for six. You come back, and he finished the game six for eight. He finished the game. He finished shit with 80-some points.

Bro, that's one game, fam. Again, you're judging him. That's the number one. I'm not judging him as a number one option. I'm judging him as a guy who's from North Carolina. I've seen him play in high school. I've seen him play in Kentucky. I've seen him play in the league.

He does not have the same natural scoring mentality as you two guys. Listen, I'm not saying that he's not going to prove his story. I don't need him to do that now. I have Janice. He's a good option now. I have Janice. I have Janice. And when Janice is driving, you tell me who the weakest shooter on the team is now.

I have Clay. I have Wiggins. Probably Wiggins, right? Wiggins and then what? Debenz? Dave Yonement. So, one, we're playing five out why he's going. You can't do anything.

There's no dead weight shooting on that team. And it's a Pat Riley team. And it has a rebound in presence with Benz's. It's a Pat Riley's team. For sure. Defensively, he's going to switch. He's going to, I'm just talking about. A fair name has to charge.

There's a different. I do think, let me say that, I think Bam has all the ability. I'm a fan. Like, Bam got a bag that a lot of people don't even know about. Why don't they know? Because he don't do it. I second off, I think he was limited in his role. Yeah.

with the old heat. Now it's something new. I think he has to elevate offensively. And that's the question mark. That's the great area right there. He's saying, finally, he can settle into that and take a year and say, this is what I need to work on. He's also playing against a guy that creates a kid.

We're not saying this year. I'm not saying. I'm not saying. I'm not saying. It's not going to happen this year. I think Bam is because, in order for this to really, really flourish. And the reason I'm saying this is because I had to do it when I play next to A.D. my game became a lot more perimeter oriented.

Bam, Bam's game is now mostly perimeter because Janus is dominating the paint. Even last year, Bam kind of went from the Dunker to the corner three and started, he started shooting 34, 35% from the corner three. So he has been to spend and they haven't talked about it

because he hasn't been taking so many top, like, threes from the gar parameters. But to shoot from that corner operate from there does give you a different type of look. And then when he wants to come in, Paul's, buddy does take one style. Go crazy. But even with that, I don't think that's going to run.

Even with that part, he does have to shoot more corner threes, but it's going to be a way different shot. Because if Bam is in the corner, it's going to be a rhythm. That still allows that big to stay low, which is what you don't want. So you want to bring that big up high to allow Yonis to have that entire pain. Absolutely. So Bam being in the corner, yeah, it may work a couple possessions, but you still, Yonah's getting down here, he still has to deal with that help side big.

So we want to bring Bam up. We want to put a goal. in the corner so it's a small guy at the rim. That's why I'm saying. Bam game offensively is more perimeter oriented. And what I mean by that is not necessarily the corners, it's the wing in the top. So we... So now, like I'm saying, he has to dig into that

bag offensively and his whole game has to change. You just went in. That's crazy. We're talking about his whole game has to change after he's been in the league seven, eight years. That's not easy to do. I don't know.

That's not easy. Every time we get training, who's just changing their game here. He's not changing this game. It's unlocking it. Bro, basketball. I'm unlocking by one of them. Changing the game. Changing the game is the wrong time.

We're not saying you're going to change how you play. He's got to go in that back. It just requires you to do something else that your skill set already can. I already do this. Like when I scored the 83, you just got to drill it enough. I was sitting here doing this shit, right? Did you watch that game? He was going to what?

Come in, like he's playing point. He had to get the bitch. I got to dribble up the, so what happens now is, look, you're going to have Clayton and Mitchell in the corners, right, to keep the small guys there. Yonis is going to be trying to drive. They're going to put Bam where Lopez is, but he can pump fake and actually drive.

He ain't just going to sit there and try to. He can pump fake and drop. Bam, Bam gets the ball. Bam is gone. I can do. All the way of him pump face working is if you're knocking that bitch down consistently. He was, I scored 83. That's great.

You're going to guard me. No, but we're talking so much about the offense, but they're going to be dominant defensively. We keep talking like a hypothetical 125. This shit going right back down to 903 and it's going, you don't think so, a slow ground game. If I watch a 93 points, motherfucker, I'm not watching that game. You said a slow ground. In the playoffs, they're not going to be in a hundred hundred and five. In the playoffs, they're going to slow ground team, that's not good for yonis.

You don't think. Fuck, no. Half court with Yonis? You got five shooters, though. I'm saying, but you got some shooters. We're talking about the guy that loves to get down here. Takes it off the rim, gets down here. I'm giving Spole credit for how he's going to set up the offense and put them in the right type of situation.

You got, you got, you got Andrew Wiggins shooting 41 percent. I think Clay is going to somewhat bounce back. You got some type of players. I'm just saying at very least, we're trying to ship. That's not this. I'm not, not. He got him some black people. Andy, Andy, Andy left her?

He got that, he brought that boat in a night. He could bring that boat in the South Beach. He can bring that boat in South Beach. That's ain't got no water, so you know what I'm saying? Oh, but we're speaking so much about somebody changing their game and it's like, all right, bro, what they're going to do from the other side? That's all I'm saying. I like, defensively, a month. So, yeah, I think they're going to run same Nainty, but they're another Detroit Toronto type of vibe where it's going to be like, yo, they're going to be even

crazy on the other side, bro. We, we, it's going to be a good shit to what. You don't think Miami could possibly be the number one seat. You tweaked. Absolutely, I do. You're going to be. Seriously.

Wow. Yeah, you tweaking. Yeah, wow. Who's going to be, who, who's going to be the number one seat? I don't know. We know, we know Philly is not going to play that. You know, Jaylen Bruce.

You don't got you got so many options. But what I'm saying is Jaylen Brunson. They got three six men. But in two second office. But the dick play. But statistically, the best player out front we've ever played playing 65 to something something game.

The Knicks played the best playoff run we have to see, Joe. That's cool. They're playing such good basketball, Joe. Yeah. How many games do you think you think of yon is going to be on? New York is still going to be a great. No, they're not going to be a number one seat.

They don't even play that style to be number. I don't know about that. They don't even. Kay is about to be healthy. He's been to be pissed off. Yeah, but that's what I'm saying. Which is a plus. Kay is going to be pissed off.

So they're not even going to play. They're not even going to play the style. The deep number one that. Try to, real tall. Straight up. On the first year together, they're number one. I mean, I think Yon is playing. New York is the only team that doesn't have to change anything about their team.

But that's why they won't play. That's why they won't play to try to be the number one seed. I think it'll happen. Because I'm going to, I need to rest them up. I need to rest Brunton. I think it's going on. Remember, I play these guys 40-something minutes, so they're the only, one of the only teams that play a lot of minutes.

So you're not going to be trying to kill them. So they're not going to be the number one. No, but the reason they're going to have a shot to be the number one. It's not going to be because of the amount of minutes. It's going to be because they have the most continuity. All these other teams, we keep talking about things. We keep talking about it. Is Toronto going to figure this out? Is Miami going to figure

this out? Well, we know the Knicks got it figured out. They just got to be helped. They're just rolling the ball on. They're going to go and going to the most. They know who's going to get the ball where. They know where the shots are coming from. Looking around, seeing who open. That's the difference in the league between the good teams and the bad teams.

The really good teams know exactly what we're going to do when the game is tight. the last five minutes. Crowd, no. Crowd no. Ruff, no. Hey, I still in my mind know exactly the plays

of where the ball was going to go from when I played in Dallas in 2011. At 42, we know. I know exactly where I was going to be hiding on the baseline. I know Jet going to be setting the screen for Dirk because I know how we had to finish games. There's an advantage to that.

There's an advantage to knowing how to play. The Knicks have that. That's why they are the favorites to probably be number one in the Eastern Conference. Gap. Gil has the phone. Cap. I can't, man, what staff are you looking up?

Give me that phone. I'm just trying to tell you, like, how they're going to be playing this. Who do you think number one? Why am I? That's going to be a bad. You want me to tell you why? Here you go. Health matters.

How many matters? You think Yonis is going to play? Yon is going to play. Yon is missing games too now. I'm saying the Wins. Yon is going to play. I'm saying the Wittles is going to be scary. I like the Wittles is going to be scary.

I like the Wills. Hey, boy, that boy, AJ, hey, that boy, AJ with bassline. So you tell. and finish it like this on the other side. Hey, yo, I see AJ at Somerly. He damn near my height, too. I said, hey, AJ DeBast.

He's not six, he's not six, eight. That boy, six-ten all day. I was looking at him like, hold on, dog. That's tight green. So you're going to lie, he did some shit. I was like, wait, hold on. At 6-10, too. Get what you got for us.

It was the movement he did before. Get what you got for us. So, because we talk about teams. We don't talk about organizations. So you're telling me, Pat Rodney can go to the finals with Tyler Hero as the number one score, bam, Jimmy Butler third, they got Kyle Larry, Caleb Martin, Max, Victor, Gabe,

old-ass Kevin Love, Hayward, Highsmith, don't even know who that is, Duncan Robinson, Cody Zeller. So you're saying they can go to the finals with this team, an AAU team, and you say he has a real juggerna, I got a question on that. Hold on me, let me jump in. Every championship Pat Riley's had and won, he's had a freak of nature on his team.

Yeah. And he just got another one. The first thing you just said, though, was you said who can be the number one seed and then you read those stats. That same team that you were talking about was the eighth seed. Which one? That one. They should have been.

That's what I'm saying. We would talk. They should have been an eighth seed. You said they were going to finish. But why was the AC? Got injured, right? No, because they didn't. Even when Jimmy was there, they were ACs.

They were in the playing for like the last three years, Gil. Miami, even when they were going to the championship, they were a playing team. They bubble buddies. Yeah. Jimmy Butler played six to four games. They're not really hitting on shit for real. Based off the casuals, when it comes to that bubble you brought up Miami.

Based off the casuals, they say the late with a number one seed. But on the other end, what Miami did is credited. Why is that? Why isn't they considered football? Hey, LeBron. But you know. Wait a minute. What was considered the flu?

The Lakers won in the championship, 2020. No. Bubble year. It was considered a flute by the casual. Might be the toughest championship. I'm agreeing. Like, stop your body. I got to read from that scene.

I'm going all out. And then come back and ram it up the playoffs with no fans? I'm just making sure. Go, God. That's what Dame said. Dame said it was like, it's just mentally, like the show. That was just, to see people flourishing that. I'm like, oh, no, he a real murderer.

TJ Warren was dropping. He's really sick-in-old. Because there's no energy there. You got to create your own space. That's like a guy that's going to practice. That was going to practice. That was crazy. That was the best hoop we seen.

That's crazy as hell. It's refreshing to hear you say that. A lot of haters really just because LeBron won. Anybody else wins anything. I really hate that people with that. That might be one of the most coldest championships for him to be as old as he is. Shut his body down. They basically told everybody the season was over.

You take away home court advantage. Right? It's all the way. It's all fans. Everybody gets to cheer. sides. No, electronic fans. Electron. I was cheering. I was during coaching. It was cheering.

It was crazy. It was crazy. It was crazy. It was crazy. It was a speaker. Ref. Ref. Yeah. I never heard nothing. It was quiet.

Red. The red said, you can't boo us or you can't have part of it. Ref you suck. So it was a great environment for everybody to be happy. No pressure. No pressure from nothing.

No free throw pressure. No. I heard all the best of the best. The best. There was a lot of pressure. It was a lot of trash talk. And I was like, I was honestly blown away that there wasn't a lot of text thrown because they were saying all type of crazy shit.

It's just because there was no fans, they were just letting it ride because that was the only energy there. The global pandemic. I feel like it was the coldest championship. I would have loved to play in the bubble. Real hoop. I would have liked to play in the bubble. That's a different locket. The real hoot was that bubble.

But because he wanted everybody just, Yonkich lost in the bubble. Yeah. And back fucking MVP, MVP. Yannis, yeah. Yonnis had a double-double every game besides the one he got injured in. He went to the championship next year. Devin Booker, right? That was that eight games.

That was the championship next year. Right? That's what Spider-Man was created. That's where, who else came from there? Yokhich. No, Bobble Murray. No, Bobble Murray came from there. T.J. Warren scored 50.

He was only one in law. Luca. What Luca did today? All of the real hoopers who hooped there, when they came out of there, they were a whole different beasts. Yeah. You ain't lying. Gene line. That bubble was Shay?

That bubble shit was hard. Chris Fall was on that OKC team. Yes. Yeah. And we even elevated after that. Yeah. After the bubble. Yeah.

Sitting in the hotel just thinking about who? Yeah. Y'all for maybe go back and watch that whole bubble. That was some good bump. That was some great bump. That was some great bubble. What I'm saying. Whoever the casuals are that went out here.

It's a lot of them. Like you said, they stem from A-Bron. The fucking don't. That was good bump. The fucking don't. The only reason they say it don't count like you said is because of Braun. That might stand. Every other championship during the pandemic counted.

They say Tom Brady's championship counted. I think who, who what, Baylor in college they wanted. Everybody else's championship counted except for bronze. That's because they all, all the people who, they all had the clippers. They all said the clippers. was going to win and that's well that's what you all lost it was like oh lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo and a little

average 20 you had to do in his highest of his prime I was just thinking about hooping he's going to go to the Celtics and average and change the world he'll average the world I just said he'll average 20 he big sure I'm not

I'm not putting no name on it I'm saying no but think about it brother you go to you go to back to phoey's like you're saying they should don't want to championship during that time. Who?

The Clippers. You don't be the Clippers should have won a championship during that? I do. I do. I do. The top 40 from the three,

they had a good coach. They had Kauai, Paul George. I'm just saying. Oh, I saw the matchup day before the Lakers and Clippers. But I got to remember, right the season before the bubble? Clippers was bumped.

Mentally. Clippers was bumped. You're used to a certain way. The Lakers beat the Clippers right before the season ended. I don't know. I remember. But you're talking about getting

shut down and sat in a gym gym with a bunch of NBA players. who lives lifestyles, right? So we have players that their pre-gamous go to the club. Yeah. Right? Go strip club, go to the club,

and that's how they... Now you're saying, no, you can't do that sit here. That changed his game. No, Gil... Right, so now you're talking about just straight hoop and you're talking about a clipper team.

Think about that clipper team. That clipper team got to sit in the hotel and just think about basketball. I'm sorry, brother. I hope like Paul George and I got Kuwait and I get what you saying. I'm winning a championship.

Huh? I hoop like Paul George and I got Cowellie. while my team, I'm winning a championship no matter what's going on, bro. That Clippers team was too good to lose. That Clipper team had flaws. Now, if this is outside, they're going to do their outside world life. Cool, cool, cool. But you're talking about sitting here and just think about hoop.

And now you got LeBron. You're playing against LeBron. And that's his world. You ain't going out. You ain't going out. We're going to focus. We're going to sit down. You got to see him every day at the hotel.

Everybody else over there. Hey, man, can we get the girls in another hotel? Can we give me? See, that's a skill, locking in. Like it is a skill. That's a skill. That's what I'm saying. Whoever the fans are that said that bubble, I don't know.

That's a raw ass trophy. I ain't going to lie. You say they all at the hotel pool? In the lobby. In the hotel pool and the lobby? Hotel pool in the lobby. All dudes is crazy. Can't be in.

I know one team who wouldn't do that. Clippers? Hotel pool with all guys is insane behavior. But I'm saying you got to see him. You got to see him. You mind of your business trying to go fishing. There's LeBron. Willies.

You know damn what you. Beach crew. loser