Ian Begley Talks NBA Finals, Knicks & Nets, Bill Walton | One on One Interviews
welcome back into one-on-one New York’s longest running Sports Callin show I’m Dan Bartels alongside Grace McCarron and a very special guest today and Ian Begley he is a Nicks a Nets and NBA reporter for SNY he’s also the host of the putback with Ian Begley you can find that on sn’s YouTube page Ian first off thank you for joining us and how are you ah it’s a pleasure guys how are you doing I’m doing well a lot of things around this time a lot of good things around this time of year obviously the Knicks we’ll get into that later it wasn’t the best ending to their season but I did want to start with what concluded last night and now we have an NBA Finals with the Mavs and the Celtics and Ian you’ve covered the general NBA as well so I just want to get your overall thoughts of what is the season like for both of these teams getting to where they’re at and how do you see this finals going down I mean this Mavericks team uh it’s been really remarkable how kyri Irving and Luca donic have kind of Blended their talents together in a way that has led to a lot of wins a lot of success uh this they had a full season together obviously this year and you see the difference and then Dallas obviously the moves they made at the trade deadline PJ Washington Daniel Gafford uh obviously paid huge dividends so they really I think made up for the mistake that they made in letting jayen Brunson walk maybe not fully made up for it but hey they’ve got a finals appearance uh upcoming here so strong bounceback from the Mavs and it’s just fun to watch donin and Irving in the same back court and then Boston I mean at this point this is what we expect right we expect this Celtics team to get to the finals I mean they’re perennial perennially at least in the Conference Finals and this is they haven’t broken through yet and obviously this is their best opportunity to do so you wonder about the health of Chris ABS porzingis I think that’ll be a pivotal part of this series but just two two very good teams and I’m really excited to see this matchup Ian the basketball world is was saddened to hear about the passing of Bill Walton this week do you have any personal interactions or stories with him that really stuck out to you that you would like to share one um just a a friend of mine someone who I grew up with uh had a uh problem with stuttering was a longtime stutterer and he connected with Bill uh through a mutual friend and Bill was in touch with my friend for years uh talking about stuttering kind of talking about life trying to work through the process to improve speech and uh just it tells you uh a lot about this man and how he cared for people not only in the basketball world but outside of the basketball World cared about humanity and uh huge loss obviously for the NBA everyone who cares about the NBA and Beyond just a remarkable remarkable man and one more thing on Bill Walton obviously you got to see him play more than we did we know how great of a player he was but is there any players in today’s NBA that kind of remind you of Bill Walt and what he brought to the table obviously the charismatic energy that he brought every single day but is there any big men in today’s League obviously the big men is kind of sete nowadays but the way the Walton played but is there any players in today’s NBA that give you that same feeling you know what I actually I missed him by a couple years I think I don’t know exactly when he retired but I was a young young kid when that happened so I had didn’t get a chance to see Bill play live but obviously I’ve watched some of the old games seen a ton of the highlights and and the Infectious joy that he brought to the game I think Victor wanyama you know just the passion the joy that he brings to his craft at least what we’ve seen in year one uh you know not exactly similar just but just from uh you can tell how much he cares you could tell how much he he loves the game loves what he does by what you see on the floor by what he brings every night so maybe not the exuberance uh same exuberance as Walton but just a similar care Factor Ian you’ve been covering Nicks for quite a few years now obviously this team that we just had that just lost um in the past week was a huge improvement from a lot of the recent teams that we’ve seen where does the 2023 to 24 team rank amongst the ones that you’ve covered in your career yeah it’s at the top I I think I would put it past the 12 13 54 win season uh because this team has more staying power it seems like it seems like there’s a core in place there that the Knicks can build off of uh 1213 probably for many different reasons was kind of a oneandone year and they went on and struggled the next season and then blew things up when Phil Jackson came aboard I don’t see that taking place here because the age of Jaylen Brunson Josh Hart Dante Def chenzo and the rest of the regulars uh these guys are all kind of in the middle of their primes and I don’t think many of them are going anywhere anytime soon so they do have an opportunity here to be a perennial Contender and to get past where they were this past season depending on what moves are made and and dozens of other different factors that some are in their control some are out of their control I really think they have a shot here to be a perennial contender in the East well Ian I wanted to ask you about kind of the Knicks off season and you had a video talking about Isaiah hardenstein whether the Knicks are going to bring him back you look to Oobi as the player off option there’s a lot of questions on the table with the Knicks right now and pertaining to their offseason how do you see it shaping up and a lot of questions too people think that they don’t need to make any changes they think that it was just a lack of injuries that really caused their downfall so how do you see it going down this offseason and who do you think they should bring back yeah if I’m guessing right if I’m guessing I would guess that they get a deal done with ogn and Obi I think he’ll have I mean I know he’ll have interests from other teams including Philadelphia but I don’t think the Knicks would allow him to leave after the way he impacted winning and what they gave up to get anobi in a trade you don’t let that player walk out the door hardstein it’s clear that the Knicks value him he values the Knicks I think if all things are equal or relatively equal I I think he wants to be back so I would assume that they get something done there too although I think it’s a little bit more I don’t want to say iffy but there’s a a bigger chance that he could go elsewhere because the Knicks are limited in what they can offer hartenstein I think they can offer him around 17 annually to start out and other teams can blow past that so he may have an interesting decision to make but I think of if things play out the way that people expect them to that he’ll be back and then in terms of other moves or where else they may go I mean we’ve seen it the past couple Summers here like they are they get involved in trade conversations when they feel that it makes sense they did it a couple summers ago with Donovan Mitchell in an aggressive way uh if Mitchell becomes available which I I would assume at this point he ends up staying in Cleveland but if he becomes available I don’t think the Knicks would be as aggressive there as they were a couple summers ago just because the the dynamic has changed here and the the team construct has changed but I do think you know if if other players become available other bigger name players maybe Paul George if he decides not to resign with the Clippers and he looks elsewhere uh Minnesota who knows what they do with their with their tax situation out there they going to be opportunities and I I I would expect the Knicks I think they will at least make calls and see what the the market is for those players uh if and when they become available in trade talks this summer I wanted to talk a little bit also about the impact that Tom Tibido has had on the Knicks franchise in the past couple of years how do you think he has impacted their culture in recent years and how do you think he’ll continue to do so in the next couple of years yeah the well the first order of business for the Knicks and Tom fibo is to hash out an extension uh because he’s going into the final year of his contract excuse me as a head coach and nobody likes the coach on a lame duck deal so I’m sure they’ll work out an extension at some point the number uh monetarily is going to be interesting the length of the extension is going to be interesting but they’ll get something done and then what you’ve seen from this team is something to me that is such a important part of success in the NBA the the top players in that Nick locker room are on board with Tom fibo I mean they they it’s not as if everybody’s fully in lock step because over the course of the Season there’s going to be disagreements there’s going to be things that annoy coaches things that annoy players but by and large these guys are fully on the same page when you talk about Jaylen Brunson Josh Hart chenzo is hartstein and others they’re on the same page with Tibido and you you don’t get that all the time in the NBA and and it’s such an important part to me of having success and having sustained winning so I I that I think you’ll get more of that from Fido just the idea that he and the players are are of the same mind in terms of playing hard every night uh playing hurt sitting if you’re injured but playing hurt and uh and the compete level for this Nick team under Tibido has been higher much higher in the regular season than other teams night in and night out I think you’ll see that continue uh assuming that he and the Knicks can agree on a contract extension number Ian as you know Nick’s fans they love to dream they love to dream big a guy that I look at is you know we talk about chemistry we talk about the Villanova Knicks you’ve done a piece on male Bridges I do just want to get your opinion is it feasible is it possible we’re going to see that or is it just another one of these things that Nick’s fans are just kind of dreaming that hopes that they happen yeah look I I I wouldn’t fult Nick fans for for dreaming on this one the reason I don’t think it’s gonna happen is because I can’t see the Brooklyn ETS Shawn marks trading male Bridges a but B if they do decide to trade male Bridges I can’t see them deciding to trade male uh across the water to the Knick because if you trade Bridges to the Knicks and then the Knicks go on and and have great success and then you’re scuffling for a couple years the Optics are terrible and uh it’s just easier to deal him to another Market if you decide to trade him uh for a comparable package than it would be to send him to the next I can’t that’s why I can’t see it happening although you know I think Nick fans are are right to dream though because he would be the one of the better maybe the best fit of the possible trade targets that you want to talk about just because of you his history with these guys and the way that he plays so be a great fit but I I don’t know it’s a severe severe long shot in my mind and last thing on the Knicks from me I really want to get your opinion on this because it is a question that goes around basketball circles all the time we saw how good he was in the playoffs with all the 40-point games that he had in Jaylen Brunson but is he a number one to you is he someone that you can think can lead this team to an NBA finals or do you think he needs another complimentary star he does have Randall but more like the 1 a 1B type thing with Bronson do you think he needs another star well I think from a a perspective of a hierarchy right he is the top and he will continue to be at the top of the hierarchy there so if that’s how you want to Define onea then he’s onea uh I think yeah they need help they need uh they probably need more scores they have a very good Wing defender in OG and and Obi uh I think you know they can upgrade at a few different positions depending on how things go over this offseason and future offseasons but I don’t think what won’t change is the idea that it starts with Jaylen Brunson with ball in Jaylen brunson’s hands he’s gonna be the leader of this franchise so if somebody comes in and maybe scores more points than Brunson I don’t think he’ll care I think he’s comfortable with playing with anybody that will help this team get better and and win more but I I do think that one a one B from that perspective it’s going to be Brunson at the top for the foreseeable future I wanted to turn it over a little bit to Brooklyn obviously a different situation completely from that of the Knicks they since they recently hired a new head coach and Jordy Fernandez how do you think having him at head coach could help the Nets improve from what was an underwhelming season last year yeah you know it’s uh it’s interesting the Fernandez hire because firsttime head coach right uh he’ll be coming in and kind of learning the ropes learning things on the fly as you’ve seen past first year head coaches uh but the idea with the Knicks excuse me the Nets I think is I think they’d be okay with you know struggling through another season and getting to the offseason of 25 where they’ll have significant cap space to spend so I think that that I mean look if they have an opportunity to go out and trade for a top player let’s say one of the guards in Atlanta I’m sure they’ll seriously consider it but I do think now with the Fernandez higher there I think an option for them is to go and kind of develop through another season and get to that place where you have the cap space and then you make your big play so to me that’s what the Fernandez higher signals like if you were going to bring in Mike buen holer for example it’s going to be a win now situation so the idea that they didn’t they went a different direction tells me that they have a little bit more patience are taking a longer view on this thing in Brooklyn also talking about the Nets in their offseason plans is there anyone that you look at specifically whether it be cam Thomas cam Johnson any of these guys Dron sharp is there any player that you could see being moved this offseason or one player that really kind of needs to be moved if you’re the Nets yeah in terms of the any big trade talks I would assume it’s it’s centered around uh or not center around a significant player there would be cam Thomas because he’d be coming up for an extension after next season and he’s shown you that he can score the basketball I think he the Nets believe he’s improved in other areas of the game Distributing the ball uh so I think it would start there with their draft picks and with Cam Thomas considering his age and what he’s done so far in his career and the contract situation so I think that’s the player that I start with with because they’re going to resign Nick Claxton I think that’s you can expect that to happen and then you look at their other players and I don’t think anyone is enticing from a combination of potential upside age and where they are with their contract than a cam Thomas is what would you say is obviously there’s a lot of differences between the Knicks and the Nets right now but what do you think puts the Knicks over the top in the fact that they’re ready to win where like where did the Nets lack in that concept do you think I think it’s just a nucleus that the Knicks have here and and the Nets I mean go back to the year before they signed Kevin Durant Kyrie Irving they had kind of a similar n nucleus with a bunch of young players that had experienced success together regular season success reached the postseason I think that’s what you’re seeing now with the Knicks where they have this nucleus of players who are not at the end of their careers who are squarely in the middle of their careers that have won together that are comfortable playing together and uh and the Nets do not have that at the moment not saying they could not develop that but based on what we saw last year they did not have it and they were they were far from from that and I think that’s to me primarily the difference right now is that core that you can build off of is there in New York and it is not there right now in Brooklyn last one from us here Ian and again we thank you so much for your time and we know that it’s very valuable in dealing with kind of where we’re at right now in our aspiring careers is trying to be journalists reporters and kind of being in the position basically that you’re in um what would you say to people that are kind of coming up and trying to be you know in that position yeah it’s funny I uh when I came in right it was 2005 and it was the newspapers you know were declining but we’re still uh a viable Avenue for a career and now so much has changed right social media digital media different platforms different forms of Storytelling reporting uh but one thing that I don’t think will ever change though is just the idea that you learn on the job in this industry like you you obviously learn a lot in the classroom and there you can get a lot from your classroom experience but you learn so so much just by being out in the field or being in a newsroom setting where you’re you know relied upon as an intern or or an employee so I would just encourage everybody to pursue those out of classroom opportunities aggressively and do as much as you can just to get the experience under your belt to get a feel for what it’s like to be out there at doing the job kind of on your own and I think that’s where the a good amount of learning happens and then I think it’s true of any industry but particularly uh with with our industry just be flexible be adaptable to do new trends um new new ways of Storytelling that may be coming about and the other thing that I don’t think will ever change is work on your networking and your reporting no matter what position you’re in um because when you can present new information to your audience I think that’s where your our value is and that’s that’s not something that’s going to change whether it’s newspapers radio uh blogs whatever it may be so th those are the things that I would say in terms of young people uh coming up and and breaking into this industry Ian thank you so much for your time you can catch Ian on the putback with Ian Begley sny’s YouTube page basically every week you put out great content in and continue to do what you do we’re looking up to you from from below I appreciate appreciate you guys it’s great to be with you and I wish you best of luck and let’s do it again soon absolutely we’ll be right back on one-onone
SNY’s basketball insider Ian Begley joins Dan Bartels and Grace McCarron to discuss the NBA Finals, the future of the Knicks and the Nets, and the life of Bill Walton.
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