The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Moneyline Monaco - Warriors play "chess" with Chris Paul trade, Celtics mistake, NBA Draft reaction

Episode Date: June 24, 2023

Alex Monaco shares his biggest takeaways from the first round of the NBA Draft, discusses why it is time for Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers to finally make a decision on their future, and breaks down why Chris Paul joining Steph Curry and the Warriors puts Golden State in excellent position to win another NBA Finals. Later, Monaco addresses the Celtics' moves this offseason and why it was a mistake to trade their "heart and soul" in Marcus Smart. #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The volume. It's Friday. My voice is absolutely cooked. Welcome into a money line, Monaco Friday, amp here on volume sports. Alex Monaco joining you fired up. But the voice is cooked. I'm screaming all night, all day. Where do we start post-MBA draft?

I got to be honest. We'll talk about the draft for a second. Everything around the draft going on with the adults in the room in the NBA is really what's compelling. Everything going on in Portland or what isn't going on, the Porzingus trade will talk Chris Paul to the freaking warriors next. And LeBron is still in Paris with James Goldstein doing whatever, gallivanting around. I sit here and I'm perplexed. I'm perplexed at a couple of these teams like the Lakers, for example. example 1A, letting quality pieces start to trickle out and trickle in.

Now, one through five in the NBA draft, we'll start there, did post it, talked it out a little bit. Value was clearly all gone by the end of yesterday morning as far as Brandon Miller and Scoot. Now, Michael Jordan wanted to leave one last mediocre decision before he left, and that was Brandon Miller over Scoot Henderson. Now, I tended to lean looking back to look ahead with Brandon Miller going to Charlotte in large part because Lamello balls there. And they have the point guard, shooting guard situation, a little more locked down than I would say the three, four slot. And Brandon Miller with much more size and much more ability to play in today's NBA in a couple of positions. That was a little more appetizing for Charlotte. But Scoot Henderson's upside is something that's interesting.

And we sit here this morning and I'll get to Damon a second but an interesting Portland roster and Shams has said a couple of things as far as Pelicans reaching out with a couple of different trade opportunities. You know, we sat on this Portland 65 to 1 to see what could happen.

It was just an educated hypothesis. Again, 65 to 1 not sitting here saying that the Blazers are going to win the West. 65 to 1 sitting here saying that if they were to land of Zion, if Dame were to opt in as in buy-in for the 900th time up in Portland for them to actually do something,

or the likelihood of something even more. I would say it's highly unlikely. A Paul George goes in the same conference like that, but you never know. And you would then thus get a little ROI on betting on 65-1. But after Scoot Henderson and no dame, the line has not moved a tickle, not a cinch.

not a centimeter. It's 65 to 1. Scoot Henderson moves absolutely nothing as far as the Vegas futures odds. I just want to make mention of that because it is a grown man leak. And we sit here after 1 through 5. And yes, there were a couple of trades in the first round. I thought Dallas had a nice little move they made with the thunder. Bertons gets dealt.

I believe the thunder got who they wanted in a point card out of Kentucky. but ultimately I thought it was as advertised. I mean, minus 115 for Wembenyama, Brandon Miller, Scoot, and then the Thompson twins. And it ended up going exactly as predicted. A men went to the rockets. A sir went to the pistons.

Now, a sir was like minus 160, I believe, and we talked yesterday on Amp. So a little bit of juice, you know, I wouldn't call that Tampa Bay raise versus, you know, let's call it the Oakland A's but it was probably Tampa Bay raised minus 160

to beat a Baltimore Orioles team on a humble Thursday. So typical juice there it cashes. We move on. I don't think any team coming out of the draft outside of clearly

the San Antonio Spurs have something shape shifting immediately. It's just you're buying seeds to plant at a garden that might sprout in two, three, five springs. I mean, we just don't know. What we do know is that Damian Lillard, and we will talk out, Chris Paul, I'm saving my Snickers hangariness for a little bit later.

But I want to stay on the Blazers because Lillard, and you heard Woz talk, you heard Shams talk, you heard a couple of the insiders. Here's an exact quote from Adrian Roginowski. Lillard appears to be in control of his future in Portland. Appears to be in control. Do I need to say it again? Here he goes with the second quote. Damian Lillard has a decision to make.

If he decides he wants to trade, I think the organization will accommodate him. but they don't want to trade him. And they don't. I heard a sound bite on first take this morning. GM for the Portland Trailblazers. Of course he wants Dame to retire. Now, you are tugging out of human beings heartstrings here.

Guys grown up from a kid to a man. It's got a family, got its roots. It's easy for us as fans to just sit here and say, go to a contender. What are you doing? Are you not about your legacy? He's sitting on $49, $50 million a year. How many years in a row are we going to do this?

Are we not? What are we doing? What are we doing, Dame? How many years are you going to play a relevant Portland Trailblazer eight through 12 seed basketball before we just don't care anymore? Because this is a stat stuffing league that is skinny jeans, SoCal soft. I'm talking to this out with my two brothers who are visiting me in New York, by the way.

Shout out Matt and Ben. Shaquille O'Neal couldn't even exist in today's NBA. They don't have the dog. The refs don't have the wabos. There's no one that can handle an elbow like that. This was a guy that made Arvita a bonus. Weep. A seven-foot man weep.

A Greg Oster tag cried. I mean, there's no such thing as that kind of domination anymore. And so all we can sit here is all these guys are fed, multi-millionaires that literally don't have to do anything. They're paid. Lonzo Ball, worst news I've heard in a long time for a rising star, got four for 80, and he may never play basketball again. That money was guaranteed.

This ain't the NFL. So the mindset on these guys, you have to be special. You have to be, quite frankly, old school. There's not a lot of COBES. There's not a lot of Jordans. Now, I'm obviously a LeBron fan because I'm a Lakers fan, but I've always felt like LeBron, who's completely steered with the Xbox controller,

the driving wheel, whatever you want to call steering wheel, his entire career. No one has even carved out. He's like a Hollywood movie star that gets to sit there with Ari Gold and say, I want to do Medellin next, and then I want to do this, and then I want to do it. He is curated and crafted a perfect career and done exactly, what he's wanted. And then we sit here with him being a shape-shifting leader in that regard for

other stars that have built up the equity within the league and within their individual franchises to do something similar like a Dame Lillard and then they don't. And it just pisses you the hell off, especially if you bet, because I want to see a parody league. I love it. but I didn't love Cavs Warriors 19 times in a row. I like five champions in five years. It's fun. It's interesting. That's why the NFL is king in one of many ways.

But the other element that the NBA can learn from is that the NFL has balance. And the NBA, you know, you got five, ten teams. You know, you can sit there and golf clap for. We don't care about the bottom 10 of the NBA. You got to be from Detroit to give a rat frinkis about the gosh damn pistons right now. Sure, it's exciting, Cunningham, Ivy, et cetera, Monty Williams. It's a project. Who wants to sit there on home improvement, A&E, whatever the hell those channels are,

and watch a house be built from step one to 12. It's 20, 23. We need it quickly. We need it now. And the patience is running thin in Portland. So we bring it back to Woj's bomb here, and this is a guy that can do whatever he wants. Milwaukee, Philly, Miami. They're not going to trade you to a contender in the West.

They're just not. But they will trade you to the east for pieces. Miami's a perfect value for value. You got multiple guys on that roster in Miami that are quality plug-in-play pieces, and you put a couple of those Miami-Heat culture guys around Scum, Good Henderson and Sharp and Simons and a couple of these other young guys, they got something maybe in two, three years up there. So a little frustrating to say the least.

I even threw a video up. I mean, say it with your chest name, but you have to realize it's basketball as a decision. And then it's a human being as a decision. I mean, does this guy want to leave the cozy, comfy, Pacific Northwest? I dated a girl from Portland for a cup of coffee. What a wonderful place.

I mean, literally, you're never going to breathe fresh air. I mean, I go out to the Hampton. You're not breathing that kind of air. Top shelf, pressure free, a lot of rain outside of that. No pressure at all. It's coffee. It's trees. And it is a lot of hipsters that can take it or leave.

So we'll see what happens. I'm a little pissed. I got to be honest, if I was sitting here with Dame Lerd, I'd tell them like an adult. What are we doing, dude? you have an ability with your vision, leadership, skill set to take a team to the ship. It's never going to happen in Portland. And it takes these guys sometimes too little too late to where, you know, Kevin Durant's entire narrative, if he had chosen something different earlier, wouldn't have been what it was.

LeBron made it look easy. It's harder to time the market and time a team. he's literally got both. He's got a team he's with in a rebuild with a three spot. They drafted a future point guard with to literally replace them. And you got a quality team across the pond in Del Boca Vista land that's looking for one more guy for Bam and Jimmy. To me, it's a little mind-boggling.

The only thing in the way is the human nature element of Dame Lillard just, I'm a homebody. Look, I think Colin said it before. He got like 40 to 43% of American citizens that do not lead 25 miles within the radius of where they grew up. Now, he's already done it from Oakland to Portland. But my goodness, clearly, cozy in his adult setting to not want to leave that radius. We're just creatures ahead. So will he, I got to be honest, make the more difficult, uncomfortable decision, which really life rewards you with? or will he sit back and be baby back 11 seed for the rest of his existence?

The West is so stacked and so deep. It's almost, to me, emblematic of what could be the AFC with quarterbacks. Watch the West be so competitive next year. They're going to turn away two quality teams that don't even make the plan because there's 12. Oklahoma City's building something. SGA is a top 15 player in this league. He's got nothing but time assets, young players over there. I mean, the kings aren't going away.

The T-wolves are continuing to try. These teams that are like middle of the pack in the West, I mean, no one should be comfortable, including LeBron James, who's again for the second day in a row in Paris and join himself. That's fine. but if you're going to sit there and be lay GM as well, we got to pick up the phone.

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Live TV. changed the wish. My wish was it was a nightmare and that I was waking up and Chris Paul was actually not a gosh damn warrior. Now people are sitting and pushing back to me. Chris Paul's washed. Chris Paul's old. Chris Paul's going to Sizzler at 430 with tight hamstrings. Dudes. Ladies, come on. What are we saying? Chris Paul, when has Christopher Paul State Farm 3 ever not had to have a team he had to carry. Is there ever been one team that Chris Paul was not expected to completely spearhead and put on his back to get to the ship? I cannot sit here and make a case that there wasn't one team.

You can make a case the tiny little Costco sample of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and four guys. I don't have a picture in 2K with Chris Paul on it. It wasn't all on Chris. But I just, I beg to differ when you got an eight game, nine game Kevin Durant sample size before the playoff starts. It just, it ain't, it ain't true. So everyone push it back on Chris Paul. And this is a poor move.

Do we, how long do we have to sit here with Draymond Green being on the volume sports fellow colleague and not realize that the Warriors are playing chess? Well, everyone else is playing checkers. They've manipulated the cap in a way, in a luxury tax, but you've got to look into it. I didn't even know. They have packaged and created big threes in different ways and added to them in different variations over the years and pulled it off.

I mean, really go back and think this team has won with so many decorated players on Igwadala, a Sean Livingston, a Bogot. Then you go a completely different chapter. and that was second to the Harrison Barnes team. You go the third chapter. They add in the Kevin Durant. Then they find a way to figure out Andrew Wiggins fleecing with a low self-esteem team that doesn't know how to run itself like the T-Woles.

And then they do it a fourth time. And now you're sitting here because Chris Ball can't stay healthy and feeling like this team can't go all the way. Dude, he's going to be on a pitch cap. You think they give a flying rip if he plays. plays ball on Christmas, they don't care. They don't even want them to play 60 games. They don't literally prepare your body for April, May, and June.

Colin said it. It was spot on. You're crossing your fingers for a healthy Chris Paul come a late run. Here's where I got to get you think, because the market barely moved when Chris Paul got Del. Jordan Poole and I'm going to be honest, Jordan Poole and Tyos Jones, not a bad look there for Washington on a quick little, we're going on a rebuild there. Not terrible. I don't hate it at all. But you look at the, the dynamic of this team structure with the Warriors. You got to imagine Draymond opted out to drop to opt back in to restructure. I mean, you can look. I'm hearing Chris Paul at the bench. I don't see that. I just Chris Paul up the bench. I don't, personally, I'm going to have to see it before I believe it. I got to be honest, if there's a good soldier on this team, if they stay together, I think it's Clay off the bench.

I got to be honest. CP3 and Curry at the one, two, you go with Wiggins, you go with Draymond, and you go with Loonie. Or you could go really small and go CP3 Curry, Clay, Wiggins, Drayman, and that can work against certain teams. You do that against the Nuglets. You might be in trouble. But you have to also think about this is a starving opposite of a fed man in Chris Paul coming to the Warriors. You got to be optimistic, not realistic with this, especially as a better.

12 to 1. If you put this team and the Celtics on the court right now, I'm back in the Warriors. I genuinely believe last year's. chemistry, and I will say less here, was off for particular reasons. Well, now it's back on, baby. This team, and to choose, we'll call it, we'll call it what it is. Draymond Green over Jordan Poole says everything about the foundation and the pillars of the Warriors.

And if you can't see that and you can't envision that this team's going to get a Chris Paul. and then not make another move, you're wrong. They are going to have a ridiculously impressive offseason. There are numerous key pieces out there. The other devil's advocate, no one has done it yet, but you have to put it in your gambling coffee for a second. Who's going to be the star with a little bit of mileage left to take a pay cut

to go to a championship team? I saw it be done one time I didn't have my license. Chris, I'm scared. Carl Malone and Gary Payton figured out in their, whatever you want to call it, competitive nature to take no money. In fact,

I almost remember like it was yesterday. Malone was offered, what, over 20 to stay in Utah? I think he took like one and a half, two, maybe three million to play with the Lakers. In one season, the Lakers got to the ship. Now, again, it was on the heels of the dynasty of the O-O-O-O-Shock and Kobe team, not taking anything away from them.

I'm just saying, Gary Payton, Carole, so, so Chris Paul, Steph Curry, Clay Thompson, Draymond, are those four Hall of Famers or are those four Hall of Famers? Not to mention, you look at the, list of guys that are out there. Imagine Brooke Lopez says, I don't care about making any money. I want to win another ring and I want to play incredible basketball. I don't even know if this is legal. Can you potentially through and you would do it through endorsements or whatever, can you, can you take a pay cut for a Warriors and then have the Silicon Valley people behind the GST? seen, make sure you get money in other ways.

I don't know. That's something I wonder if it's a little rich Paul seeing in between the lines move, if you will there. So I'm very high on Chris Paul the Warriors because as a Laker fan for my entire life, all I've ever won was Chris Paul on the Lakers. I can't, I still remember the day that they see beat and they didn't know. Are you kidding?

You asked Chris Paul, I didn't even know that that was street legal. You could have played with LeBron James. But LeBron James was tapping Rihanna's belly at the Paris Fashion Week, wearing shades, smiling, nowhere near a cell phone to make a house call. Where is the banana boat entourage when I Johnny Drama Need it? Don't want to be found. I'm sick. over it because Chris Paul, again, in a cozy comfort,

Kauai Leonard Sitch is going to flourish. I'm telling you, I'm telling you. And as much as we knock the guy for not being durable, look at the career numbers and the amount of games he has played as a 38-year-old. It's to me, something that I feel was a huge loss for everybody that didn't get him. You now have the best shooter of all time. You have a top three, if not top five, passer of all time. You have a top 10 shooter of all time.

And is Draymont Green not a top 50 defender of all time? I mean, Steve Kerr, four Hall of Famers. Every bit of chemistry reps. trusting your teammate, loving your teammate, you could possibly ask. And again, men are fascinating. Men fight, get on with it, move on with it. Ain't no Vanderpump rules-ish going on in the Alpha Male Animal Kingdom. So anyone worried about 2014 Curry tiptoeing as Jordan's on the baseline

for an and one against Chris Paul and saying this ain't 2014 no more. That's a positive, okay? Because they went head to head, they disliked each other, and now they're going to bond over years of competing against one another. What does that do in the alpha male top hyper-level competitive athlete world? I think it does everything. I think it does everything. And Chris Paul has never won a ring.

Could you imagine this team winning a fifth? I don't know how. I don't know how. You don't take 12. to one right now. I just don't. The Warriors are the best value bet. In June, mark my words. I'm going to wrap with a quick spiel on Christop's Porcingis, who I was high on yesterday by the numbers, but then I've gotten asleep in myself a few wonderful analysts in my noggin to get me to start to critically think, they lock up the heart and soul of the Boston Celtics.

Let's not forget that Jason Tatum does not have the dog that Marcus Smart has. Even Jalen Brown, who I got to be honest, was hurt, yes. I thought he was the heart and soul of this Boston Celtics team. Jalen Brown's been one foot out the door without saying it with his chest that he wants to stay in Boston. and we already know why he doesn't even potentially want to stay there now. He'll take the money all day. But why didn't he say this six, seven months ago? Marcus Smart has always bled green.

He's always, always been at the center and the heart of every skirmish encounter, any animosity, any hostility, any back in your teammates. he is the guy. I think the Grizzlies got a huge come up, a huge come up. And the Celtics, who let's call it what it is, have a little bit of chemistry issues. Now, I read a little bit this morning. Apparently, Joe Mazula and Marcus Smart did not see eye to eye.

So now you mean to tell me, you're taking the 34-year-old coaches side over the heart and soul of the team What does that do to a locker room? Now, Porzingis could not handle the big stage at the guard. We all remember it. Started out with a boo. The guy never was comfortable. And I'm going to call it what it is.

Was never really a Nick. It was never embraced. He never embraced them, i.e. us here in the big apple. and here we are. Zingis on how many teams now if he was that good, if he was that prolific, would he be on his fourth team?

I mean, is that not worth a thought? Porzengis, here's the thing with the NBA as well. Has Porzengis played on a competitive team yet? Has Porzengis played meaningful playoff basketball? I mean, a little bit of, in Dallas Mavericks land. But outside of that,

this is a guy that they're going to look to to be a presence. And if we're being honest, a little bit of a leader, I don't see it right now. I don't see it right now. They don't have a point guard. Derek White is facilitating your offense in a league with the point guards that we have. That is a hole. That is a hole in your game.

So the market's going to overreact and jock the Boston Celtics. I think it's to me absolutely not worth firing on. Plus two, what is it? Plus 200. Insanity. Insanity plus 200. This team doesn't have a true point guard right now. They don't even have great.

flow on offense if you watch the game. Jalen's turn. Jason's turn. Jaylen's turn. Jason's turn. Take over the game, Tatum. Brown, do something. Mark is smart.

What's the great equal? What will they do if they don't find a facilitator? If Freddie Van Fleet ain't coming, Malcolm Brockton better be in the ice bath without forearm right now where the Celtics are in trouble. That's how I feel. I am not as high after listening to the Leglers, to the Allen Hans.

So even Perkins, I respect. The overall takeaway on this Boston Celtics team is that they have already, they should have already achieved what they should have two years ago. And now I'm genuinely feeling this team is making a little bit of emotional decisions. You trade your heart and soul for Christop's Porzengis. I'm a little bit after yesterday feeling like they may have made the wrong decision. Because now, now, if you don't sign back Jalen Brown, you're in serious leadership trouble. And you cannot win a ring without leadership in 2023 basketball.

The Denver Nuggets set the tone. The leadership selfless basketball team mentality, next guy up. We don't care who is up either. type persona that the Nuglets embodied all year, I mean, that is going to be virtually impossible to beat. That's why the Warriors got Chris Paul and the Celtics got poor Singus. I hate the Boston Celtics. But aside from that, I love talking a little ish on him after a day where I was otherwise positive.

Chris stops poor Zingis, Chris Paul, Bradley Beal, maybe Dane Dalla next, absolutely electric start to the post heat loss that I sat on. I am still looking to make some money in the NBA thanks to the heat cooking me. So I will be watching this market. Even though there's no games, people, remind yourself it's a live market. woge, shams, whoever else, windy, breaking news. If you're really about this life, turn the notice on. There's blues clues everywhere. Appreciate you listening.

Moneyline, Monica. We're out for the weekend. Your boy turns another year old this weekend. Appreciate everyone. I will probably be back on Monday with less of a voice than I have now, but we will have a lot to say. Much love. Don't forget, as always.

to the woman that birthed me to hug your mother. We'll see you next time. The volume.