How do Cade Cunningham and the Pistons take the NEXT STEP? W/Cone – From Half Court Episode
[Music] what is going on I want to welcome you from half court I am Shawn Murphy and today I am joined by one of my favorite people in the basketball sphere if you’re not subscribed be sure you’re subscribed to three cone on YouTube it is my guy con my guy how you doing it’s good to see you just talking before this about the the playoff run that your Thunders went on some of the awesome work you’ve been doing over the last year you’re you’re doing some good stuff man thank you I appreciate it yeah we’re talking a little bit about uh some playoff Hoops uh yeah for those of you that don’t know I’m a thunder fan uh unfortunate end to the whole thing amazing season I mean I they blew away my expectations like I felt I’ve always been pretty optimistic I had us as a six seed I remember when I made my YouTube video about my preseason predictions and I had us as a six seed people were pretty mad at me in the comments they said that oh you’re very biased there’s no way they’ll be that good they’re still young to an experienced and then they’re the one seed so I guess even I as an optimistic fan was a little bit pessimistic in the end um and then they went ahead and lost to the Mavericks who obviously ended up in the NBA final so uh not too mad about that I’m cool with that um I would have loved to see them in that position and I think they had a shot just I think that inexperience did show a little bit in that series with a lot of guys who were just lights out shooting the ball all season failing to kind of find their shot you know Aaron Wiggins struggled a little bit Cas Wallace who was so like Perfect all year especially as a rookie had a couple mistakes in some of the latter games that really piled up towards the end y um really anybody but Shay was a bit up and down throughout the series I mean Shay was a monster he was the best player in that series um you know I think Luka is the better play overall but Shay was the best player in that series individually might be the most consistent player like Luca might be the best in basketball but I think Shay might be the most consistent because he just goes out and does it every single night yeah which is really all I want to see from this run is growth from the team they get that experience and for Shay to show that he is that guy that I know he is we got all those things um and I think going forward you know getting more experience the Thunder will be perfectly fine like we talked about before the show um I love how I turn this into me finding a way to ramble about the thunder I wouldn’t want it any other way I also love talking about the thunder so it’s totally okay before before I ask you some questions about another young team that’s in a little bit of a different position than the Thunder I am just curious I’ve seen you post some some edits so I think I have a relative idea of what you want them to do but who what would be your dream off season for the Oklahoma City Thunder dream off season um well trading for yoka should be number one uh yeah uh really I think one I mean one guy who’s been talked about in relation to the Thunder for months at this point is lry marinin uh he feels to me like he makes a lot of sense I’m friendly in the camp that Chet hren is a center and that is the best role for him going forward I do think there’s a world where we add another big like I know Jared Allen is a name that’s been floated around a little bit that I wouldn’t hate uh I do think C could work in that role but I think part of the reason why that people don’t understand as to why the thunder were so good this season is because Chad is that floor spacer that stretch big who can also put the ball on the deck and is a lot faster than a lot of other Bigs like and we saw in the Pelican series Jonas was putting up some points down low you know he’s physically dominant but he got played off the court a lot of moments because he couldn’t keep up with chat that’s why they had to go smaller with LaRon an Jr to try and keep up with him and I think that’s part of the advantage people say oh chat doesn’t really have the physicality to match some of those you know really bulky bigs they don’t have the foot speed to match up with Chad and also that allows him to be very versatile in the offense it’s a big reason why the thunder were a top five defense this year I mean as a rookie he averaged over two blocks per game and was an anchor of a top five defense so to me the fact that Chad homr didn’t end up on all defensive team I think is really unfortunate I firmly had him on that team maybe it’s just because I you know I am biased I’ll admit that but also watched a lot of what the Thunder did this season and he was a GameChanger he’s one of the best pick and roll defenders in the league amazing in drop coverage whatever scheme you put him in chat’s going to be successful so I’m a believer that long-term he has a five to me the vision is getting a bigger body at the four that allows JB to move down to like the three or you know even in some worlds you know maybe the lineup changes more and he ends up as a two but I think he’s more of that two or that three than that four we have him playing a lot bigger of a position than he needs to at the moment so that’s part of why I love Lowry because he gives us a lot of size there adds more versatility offensively you know we’re already a top five offense but you had a guy Lowry who’s a near seven-footer that can stretch the floor put the ball in the deck do a bit of everything next to Shay and I think we’re talking about one of the favorites I mean they are already a number one seed Insanity out there in the western conference with them and Lowry isn’t like the best offender but he can hold his own and he’s playing next to Shay and Jaylen Williams and Lou Dort and Chad holgren with you know case Wallace Off the Bench and if lot of those weaknesses can be shielded and and he can complement those guys very well in that end exactly yeah like I’m not worried about I mean right now we would be replacing giddy with low in the starting lineup which I think would be an upgrade on that end regardless just giving us more size in that rebound so yeah I mean he is like one of my dream candidates you know way more realistically than again a guy like you know joic or any of those top players Kevin Durant is a name I know some the Thunder fans have floated out there the idea of him returning I don’t know how anybody feels about that I personally if a reunion happened I would you know we’re trying to compete for a ring here like forget at this point it it was 2016 I was 16 years old when that happened I’m 24 now if I don’t think it’s going to happen this off season I don’t even know if it happens at all like if there’s even a chance if he would be to it if the organization would be but I do say just from a perspective of the type of player Katie would also be like a phenomenal fit someone who doesn’t really he’s shown he could be great off ball or on ball he’s a good Defender he gives us some more size like I still think we need to might maybe had a little bit more rebounding and that would come from like a back of big obviously but yeah I mean he’s another player that would fit that mold way higher you know aim than L Larry marinan who I don’t even know if Danny a is open to trading him I know a lot of the reports around the Jazz have been that they might want to compete sooner than later which I don’t really understand I feel like they’re really far away from competing unless they’re planning on making this insane Splash which I don’t know who’s you know out there on the market that is like dying to go to Utah at the moment maybe if they get a better Supporting Cast but I don’t know so it’s up in the air right now but I think lar is one of my dream guys in terms of free agency like I would love Isaiah hartstein on this team he’s dream pickups oh yeah putting him as that backup big because Chad had one of the best onoff numbers in the entire NBA playoffs so far the problem was when he was off the court we really lacked that Rim protection and Isaiah hartstein was huge for the Knicks uh on both ends really with that team throughout their playoff run on the defensive end he was great all season and then he did have some kind of fall off at points in the playoffs but I think a lot of that is because you know Mitchell Robinson’s out and Tom Tom tibo’s got his guys playing like 40 minutes a game because there’s literally no more bodies that they have so I think if you put him in a backup big role behind chat hren he’s one of the best backup bigs probably the best backup big in the league pretty handily unless oh I guess Nas ra is also up there as well completely forgot about the six man of the year but he’d be in that in those talks for sure yeah I top three for sure because now I’m I gotta remember to look through the names um but I also think like a Nick CLA would be cool he’s another option I like it’s probably Isaiah hardstein is my number one because I think he’s a little bit more versatile offensively at the moment you know he’s got that little push shot that he really likes to go to and somehow it always goes in I swear he’s never missed that yep um and then on you know the defensive end he brings a lot to the table claxon does as well I think both those guys could theoretically play alongside Chad you know you move Chad over to the four if you have to go double big I don’t think you really ever have to but say you it’s one of something it’s something you want to experiment with like maybe there’s just a scheme moment where you’re like oh this might work either one of those guys can play the five and then chat you just slide him over to the four you still got that stretch ability so yeah those are kind of some ideas I have and then at the draft if we don’t pick up a big INF fre agency I would like us to grab another guy at that big man position although if we’re going to spend money I would more so like it to unless we’re absorbing like a Stars contract or something like that but I would more so like for us to go for that big INF fre agency if possible and then the draft can just be adding another big if we just want more depth there or just you know best player available we’ll see who’s out there I know a lot of Thunder fans have mentioned Cody Williams he’s really cool you know JB’s brother obviously so that adds another Dynamic there too uh I know a lot of Thunder friends have also mentioned Kyle phel palowski who you know fits that kind of floor stretching big mold that people want to see with this team and I think is what we want to have although you know a floor stretching defensive big like would be great behind Chad is like the most valued archetype of player in almost the entirety NBA at this point so it’s it’s hard to grab those guys um and then like I like K Weare a lot I know there have been some concerns about his motor and stuff but just strictly from that archetype of player I think he would be amazing as well um Don Holmes is a player that I’ve really fallen in love with early on in this draft process I guess not early on the drafts in like a few weeks at this point but after the Thunder got eliminated really diving into it he’s a player that as of late fans the process begins as soon as your team’s done yeah I’m see the thing is I’m I’m used to it happening way sooner over the past few years like I got so into the cycle of okay Thunder eliminated they’re not going to the playoffs over the past couple of years it’s like okay dive into the Draft what pick do we have like my whole happiness for the entirety of the summer relies strictly on pingpong balls which I know you relate to way too much at this that’s where we initially bonded was over the fact that we were living our lives in the lottery you know hell and having to just rely on where in the heck those balls bounce and uh for the Pistons two years in a row they have biggest fall in the history of the NBA lottery so yeah I want to I want to ask actually like what was the so you’re I’m sure you’re watching the lottery live like oh yeah yep what is the what is the reaction as that happens like what hits you in that moment I mean for for p fans I I think the the the term is really just like the proverbial salt in the wound um you know I think it’s just reliving a lot of the you know the fall that was that was last year um you know I think for for Pistons fans the the number five in the wimy draft is just going to be the wound that you know will will be there for a while especially with how last season went and with how good wimy was in contrast and although yes we still got an awesome player in assar Thompson and I and I still think that you know the Pistons do have some like solid pieces to build around it is just one of those things where it just felt like you know things really went even farther as far as like okay we knew that this draft wasn’t going to fix whatever problems the Pistons had in fact the conversations before this draft around you know around like Pistons Twitter and just around like the fan sphere was you know whether or not they even keep the pck right but you know just it’s it was kind of the it was kind of the death proverbial death to the philosophy that the organization was kind of going under over the last few years which was just you know like relying on lot you know relying on the lottery building through the draft getting you know as best odds as possible and I think you know we were the Pistons were kind of the team that had to uh bear the example of how radical the tanking rules have changed MH um which is interesting because they were an organization that resisted tanking for so long and so the second they did they now they now uh bear th those uh you know those those consequences so to speak but you know at the same time when uh I I think when you look at the teams that are remaining right I think the things that a lot of them have in common while yes um you know some Lottery luck definitely helped in a lot of ways they made their own luck right like Boston they went and traded for those picks that became Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum and although they won the lottery the year they won Tatum they still traded back to be able to go get him and add even more to it in Dallas they went and moved up and got Luca donin right so I think you know while I think Lottery luck will always play a role in team success and you you will still need that certain amount of luck and Detroit did did get it a few years ago we did get Kade Cunningham who in my opinion is still a you know vastly overlooked player who if if he had an adequate roster around him would be in the conversation with those other number one picks I would love your your perspective and thoughts on that you know as an outsider but yeah I would just say essentially you know it was kind of the you know the Pistons already were in a spot where they needed to look at getting getting older and getting more veterans but you know that was kind of the you know I would say the death the nail in the coffin so to speak yeah I mean even with like OKC when we had the uh you know we got Chad not last year but the year before in 2022 we got Chad at the second overall pick which was incredible like that’s skywind the whole time and then we also got jaub with that 12th pick which came from the Paul George trade of course Sho just Alexander trade let me call it that um and the uh you know the Thunder also trade up in that draft to grab Usman Jang and something we’ve heard is that if they didn’t trade up leap like their own pick to go get that there were a couple teams that were trying to trade up ahead of them and get Jaylen Williams before them so the Thunder also in a way did that same thing where they said we’re not going to risk anybody trading up and taking our guy we will be the team to trade up and we’ll just grab Usman Jen who we like too so it is interesting how it’s changed a little bit in the NBA with that that mold and that’s something you know I’ve given s prey a lot of credit for is also you know you have to find those those Diamonds in the Rough type of guys like Isaiah Joe who was cut by the Sixers and Aaron Wiggins who’s I end of the second round pick who’s become huge for us um he’s done a good job of kind of figuring that out and then you know one thing I think the why the thunder are ahead right now of the Pistons is also just because we started off with a eventual MVP level guy in ch which the Pistons didn’t really have the chance to because they didn’t have a guy of Paul George’s caliber to trade away to begin the rebuild they missed on so many picks for so many years that they just had empty cupboards with nothing to offer to anybody to get anything in return and that it makes a rebuild so much harder I mean you even take a look at the Pacers who started the rebuild tyres hurn because they had damonta sabonis to go ahead and trade away I think that’s you know it’s obviously like a massive boost but it’s so hard to just be like oh just do that because you have to have one of those types of players in the first place whether you you know trade for them and then you or not trade for them but you draft them rather and then develop them into that guy or they sign there like even with the Jazz having Lowry Markin and now after the Donovan Mitchell trade or you know Walker Kessler who’s great from Rudy goar and all those picks going forward it’s just the Pistons were in a tough spot from the beginning and I mean the lottery gods have definitely not done them any favors whatsoever so it’s I know it hurts I was um I was live streaming on uh bleach report when the draft lad was going on I was reacting to that from a thunder fan perspective because we had you know we were either GNA get the 12th pick from the Rockets if the Jazz fell a little bit we could get their pick or the Rockets could have theoretically jumped with that pick they did end up jumping with the Net’s pick of course which is gonna be interesting to see what they do there um but I remember seeing the Pistons at five and I immediately was like oh my God man I cannot cannot believe this happened to them again because I remember I saw so many pistons fans that were like are youall excited to get the fifth overall pick again today like it seemed like a lot of you guys knew that that is what was gonna happen because that just felt like the most obvious punch in the face that could have come with everything that already happened well and now that you are that team that lives through that experience and has those Lottery odds uh I I also wonder if they need to maybe tune the system a little bit more in the other direction where because again I think they’ve done a great job of de decen de incentivizing tanking which you know was which was the mission there’s more parody than ever and I think they’re doing a really good job in that light but the way the L the way essentially the piss and odds have been stacked up is well yes they they can’t fall out of the top five and they had like 14% chance to get the number one overall pick the way the odds stacked was they had a 47% chance both years to get the fifth overall pick and while yes in theory that gives you 53% chance to be above that that just seems so like disproportionately high to the others where that just seemed like the inevitability you know what I mean like when when the draft when the lottery was happening and the fifth pick was being announced I said it in unison with with the uh with with who I I think it’s Mark Lori who oh yep yep when he I I literally said the Detroit Pistons right as he said it because like I just knew it was happening yeah and he that’s a guy Mark T every time he does that he’s like announcing and no matter what happens he’s always got a smile on his face like professional especially when teams are getting screwed over like I but I swear with the when the Pistons got that pick announced even for a moment I saw like a twinge of he was like oh God I can’t believe that this happened to them again like I I swear I saw like I don’t even know if you fully put on that spile it was just more kind of like a you know like a little y m mouth if you’re listening audio you have no idea what I just did but like the straight face with like a little curve up at the end like trying to kind of maintain that smile a little bit but fighting so hard to be like oh my God I can’t believe this happened to them again which I think was everybody’s reaction when that happened so yeah 100% I think he knew the letters that were about to be coming into his office um but you know I think the the the thing that you know when you look back on at least when Pistons fans look back on this past season I think you know obviously you know one of the biggest mistakes was you know their lack of aggression in the last off season because they they also LED um you know th this off season they will have the most salary cap space going into free agency they also had the most salary cap space going into last year’s free agency but they essentially uh pushed you know pushed the proverbial rock down the road you know they um you know they they thought that if more pieces were healthy that they would have a better record they would be in a better position they I think in my opinion they way over relied on you know a on a returning Kade Cunningham who had missed the you know the majority of the Season before due to injury he had the third highest usage rate in the pick and roll this year I believe um which for a guy who’s like in his third season and coming off of an injury is pretty insane workload but as the season got on like especially like after January 1 like K Cunningham was playing really good basketball I’m not sure how much Pistons you ended up watching this year because I would totally surprisingly a lot because I can’t I can’t lie man it was like I y’all’s losing streak I I wanted to see it end because you know I felt bad you know we’re we’re friends and I have a lot of Pistons fans who are I’m friends of and I just felt really bad for y’all but I I gotta be honest like the whole y’all going for the historic losing streak thing combined with the Wing Stop that Co thing going on that Meme was it like it was a it was the Stars aligned for NBA Twitter it really one of the funniest stretches of basketball like it felt like every Pistons game once the losing stre got up into like the 20s felt like you can’t miss it like can’t miss basketball and I I did hit a decent bet because y’all were up big on the Celtics at halftime I was like the Celtics are not losing this game and I bet on them so I appreciate that from y’all but yeah it was uh it it literally became can’t miss TV like I got to make a video on I think it was New Year’s Eve or like the day right before that was like the Pistons won a basketball game and the fact that I was able to make that video I was like I watch a lot of Pistons surprisingly this season so I I I definitely did keep up and even after losing streak I like Kade and you know one there was some progression from some of the guys I like thear a lot coming into the draft and had a really fun beginning to the season and stuff so yep 100% And I think where you know a lot of a lot of his season kind of you know went off the rails a little bit was you know from from I think what was the most puzzling aspect of the entire Pistons season which I think is specifically the Monty Williams situation where you know he was brought in at the time he was given the largest contract in the history you know of of the coaching cycle which you know I think in retrospect he was just resetting the market you know he’s now fifth on that list so I think it was going to happen anyway right but that’s a whole other conversation nonetheless he got a bag in a lot of years and in a lot of security and um you know it if it kind of felt like the the thought of that not working out never really passed Detroit’s mind and you know this season you know he was obviously the the face of the losing streak in my opinion you know you look at all like the memes and the the templates and things like that like I I it felt like every other postgame press conference something Monty said was getting me right um from from your perspective you know obviously you know Detroit fans all know about the Jaden Ivy stuff him coming off the bench for like the first month or two of the season was pretty puzzling um you know and just it just general like the all bench lineups that he would roll out every single game when the Pistons had arguably one of the second units in the history of basketball um to he was the reason that Killian Hayes was on the roster this season because he he reached out to Troy and said I want I want a chance to coach him I think I can fix him and that didn’t happen you know just just name naming some of the things but from your perspective you know like what like what went wrong from your eyes I don’t know man I was one of the like Monty Williams Defenders I understood that I didn’t hate that the Suns fired him just because it seemed like the whole franchise was going a different direction they want a bit of a reset I didn’t love it necessarily but I I understood it it was fine like I get it I understand how works yeah and then when the Pistons hired him I was like cool you know he was a coach of a team that made the finals not too long ago they’ had some really good Seasons under Monty Williams uh just give him a fresh face over there in the lock room I really really like the hiring and then the season began and I was like what the hell is going going on the J iy thing as an outside fan especially I was so confused like the nights where he would be like the eighth man Off the Bench and stuff like that like that it was mindblowing you know he wouldn’t always play those type of minutes but would be like the eighth guy to enter the game it just never made sense to me if you’re GNA be bad anyways play your best two guys and give them a chance give Kate and Ivy a chance to develop alongside each other um I know like just like you said the bench lineups assar Thompson going from like really big as part of the team at the beginning of the Season then like really wavering throughout the year a lot to the point where he’s like hardly playing at some nights it was just wildly confusing at times a lot of stuff going on with the the big man rotation between like baggley and wisan and all that stuff I don’t know man it was a lot which I don’t obviously you know I’m not privy to the information inside the organization but it was there were moments where I was like is he throwing is he trying to just get fired and get a bag and you know head out because I know there was that whole thing where he didn’t really want to coach like he was going to take a year off or something the Pistons are like no take this money we want you to coach he’s like okay cool sure I’ll do it for a billion dollars right and it literally felt like at moments he he was just throwing and then you know there were some of the comments where he was saying stuff that just seemed like blatantly obvious to like I think anybody watching I wasn’t sure if he was just you know not really wording it properly or just putting it pretty much layman’s terms more complex stuff but I don’t think I’ve ever had my opinion of a coach shift so drastically throughout one the course of a season from where and the off I was like this was a home run hire for the Pistons you know if it all works out he could really be a culture changer to now being like would it really be the worst thing for them to just swallow the rest of his contract and just get somebody else to come into the situation yeah it’s it’s puzzling because as someone that was that was in the building for the first time this year and you know someone who came in with those exact same you know perceptions not not saying that you know I uh you know not saying that I have like a negative opinion of Monty Williams or anything like that but you know just seeing someone who I thought was you know at the time he was I for my money he was one of the best coaches in basketball to you know this year so many you know like repeated situations where it’s like okay but we know this doesn’t work you have to know this doesn’t work where’s the adjustment and you know you’re not alone in you know in having that theory of is he throwing this like almost like you know there are beat writers you know with with the team that almost wondered if he was trying to send a message you know to to ownership about the you know where the roster was at and you know the overall you know construction of where things were so you know I’m interested now that you know the Pistons have you know made the changes that they made you know with bringing in tran langden from New Orleans Pelicans a guy who’s been you know a long time you know long time viewed as like one of the upand cominging executives when the Pelicans hired David Griffin they almost hired him as the president instead but they liked him so much that they offered him a big contract to work under David Griffin and to be their general manager so now he’ll finally have a shot running his own team he’s already made the decision about the general manager will he will he make that same decision about the coach and I almost wonder if Detroit’s in a similar situation not to switch sports or anything but it almost kind of feels like the the Shawn Payton Russell Wilson situation where there’s mutual interest in that working for both parties where you want to make sure that like you don’t like if you don’t have to eat the rest of that contract it would be beneficial for them not to have to so I almost wonder if giving Monty one more season with a more competitive roster better veterans you know like you know on paper just a more competitive situation would that actually give us a better image of where Monty really was at fault with some of those things but at the same time would you also be able to find a candidate on the market right now other teams actively or already hiring coaches is it too late you know that’s that’s just they’re in a really weird position yeah which it’s so tough because part me thinks maybe they should just wipe this slate clean that was an abysmal season it was awful it was the worst season in Pon history they almost had the worst lugan streak in the history of American professional sports you just wipe the Slate clean you know Troy Weaver gone as a thunder fan sorry about that uh as you know just fire Monte Williams try and bring in some new names and just try to revamp this thing from the ground up and basically say to Pistons fans because I know y’all are you know upset rightfully that it’s going this way be like hey we know last year sucked let’s just go ahead and start over if they did that wouldn’t blame them at all I mean again firing Troy weeper I think kind of indicates they want to show that at least a little bit it is tough to swallow that whole contract if you’re the Pistons because you just made him the highest paid coach up until this off season or I think maybe up until like Doc Rivers got hired by the bucks for top literally got his extension like two weeks later and immediately you them I think I think you’re right I think you’re right yeah at the time the most you know the highest paid coach in the league it it is a big admission of just like we messed up although you know things are changing now it’s no longer the same general manager so maybe it’s not the worst thing in the world although it still reflects up on ownership I guess yeah which I know y’all don’t have the best opinion of ownership either um or at least the pist fans I’ve talked to so I’m not opposed I think if you went with a new coach makes a lot of sense but at the same time you know there has to be still something that you saw in Monty that still exists now I guess and if you do give him a more competitive roster if you sign some guys in for agency make good decisions in the draft and just give him a chance I mean what what’s the worst case you suck again and you just fire him anyways you know part way into the season I don’t think that’s you know it’s not going to mess anything up um you know if if you’re G to be bad anyways I don’t think I don’t think Monty Williams or a different coach is going to drastically change how this team performs next season yeah like if the Pistons are hanging around a playing Team you know say they’re around that like 12 to 11-ish range they’re at the bottom it it’s going to be just maybe a c a few wins in either direction depending on who’s the coach I don’t think it’s going to change that much it’s going to depend a lot more on the talent that’s in the building and I guess it does give you some continuity with Monty Williams in the building which maybe you do want for a young team that is going through a lot of changes already if you’re gonna bring big GES that’s a lot of change in the first place so I I don’t hate it um I am c yeah well that that’s another thing too because I was gonna ask you you know if they got rid of Monty Williams who’ you even like as a head coach but like you know Mike Boer has been scooped up he was one of the top names that had been mentioned for a while now you know all these teams are making their head coaching choices the the Cavaliers are obviously still going through that at the moment but like yeah I was goingon to ask you like who would you want as like even a coach and I don’t even really know who’s established and available at this point I guess you know like the Thunder one went the route with Mark dagal who was our g-league coach and he just went coach of the year so maybe it’s something like that um I know JJ reck’s out there I don’t know if you’re interested in him at all at all as a candidate but yeah I was curious if you had any thoughts if they did fire Monty Williams yeah I if they fire Monty I mean one one thing I could I could foresee happening is I could see maybe Dwayne Casey coming back one more year and taking over before they would you know if they wanted to like you know have a full extensive search the next season I think that’s probably not likely he still is within the organization in the front office and I think he probably wants to you know stay that way but the Steve Clifford special going back to the Hornets exactly but speaking of the Hornets I actually think James bergo would be someone that would make a lot of sense I’ve seen a lot of stuff about him yeah yeah uh he’s he’s someone who’s you know in the conversations with the Lakers right now he has that connection you know that Pelicans connection with uh with TR and langden so that would make sense he he took a Hornets team that really wasn’t that good and quite frankly I think they overachieved and the fact that they haven’t quite been as good since James brao left I don’t know how much of that’s a coincidence obviously there was the miles Bridges stuff and you know whole other Litany of things too but nonetheless I think you know I I I think when you look at where the Pistons are at like one thing I like about uh TR and langden is you know they kind of need people who are experienced in taking chicken and turning it into chicken salad you know what I mean yeah and one thing about like that was a well-timed bleed by the way that was very well timed I appreciate that thank you um with uh like with Tran langon like he like part of his experience that I like is not just like you know his like what he’s been able to do in New Orleans where you know even though like you can you can say whatever you want about the record about the star power they have you know whether or not they can compete for a title they’re one of the deeper rosters in basketball in my opinion yeah um and he also came from the Brooklyn Nets specifically when they had Parris Levert Jared Allen was instrum instrumental in getting those guys in the building and that was like the alltime chicken salad team because they they had nothing like they didn’t had their own picks they really had to like build their team around the margins and the scraps just to be competitive right so and and I know that you really want to be looking at things through the lenses of winning a championship and things like that but bone just out of curiosity uh just a little pop trivia like pop quiz for you do you know the last time the Pistons that I’m not talking about a playoff series do you know the the last time the Detroit Pistons have won a playoff game oo because I know you all made it that one year and Stanley Johnson was beefing with LeBron which is a crazy thing to look back on yep that year but they didn’t win then they also made it the Blake Griffin year and they didn’t win then either was it like for some reason I want to say like end of the like 2008 or n or something like that 2008 against the Boston Celtics the year they it was the year the Allen Iverson year was the last time that the Pistons have won a playoff game that’s a sentence I’m I was 11 and I turned 27 like a week and a half ago so it’s been a bit late happy birthday hopefully you’re it was a good present to get the Troy Weaver firing I I I mean honestly like for me like I I don’t really like celebrate that stuff especially like covering the team but like it all SCS this like the writing was on the wall the second day out there hiring a new president I mean it felt like yeah it it’s so tough like to make those I I imagine you know those are tough decisions to go ahead and make like you bring him in and his first thing he has to be like is tell this guy who’s been running the team that like hey you’ve got to get out of here kind of thing you know yeah I don’t I don’t envy people in that position I’m not a very conflict like I’m not good with conflict I could never be a Doo’s out there like firing people and stuff like that I could never be in that position but yeah man I it’s just like you said I think the writing was was on the wall I mean after last season went so poorly and this year was somehow even worse the it was there was no way he was coming back if he came back I would have been stunned yeah I mean he compared to other general managers I think he drafted really well relatively speaking I mean the Pistons were one of the many teams that missed on Tyrese Alberton in that year I think it’s more I think Detroit’s just more heavily highlighted just because of the fact that they specifically drafted a point guard in that draft in that spot and it turned out to be mil Hayes who we all know how that turned out and the crazy thing is I kind of even like kilan Hayes a little bit in that draft like I definitely did not I was not one of the people that was like oh I hate that pick right off the bat I was like okay cool like I can see this you know it kind of makes sense right I and and I wanted halberton at the time but I’m not going to pretend to you that I thought halberton was going to be 10% of this I I thought he could be a solid point guard I had no idea what his true stealing was and so like I wasn’t like a passionate like we need halberton but um yeah like the like they they still were able to get like a cade Cunningham they were still still able to get guys like AAR Thompson I still think you know Jaden Ivy has a lot of potential and Jaylen Duren as well you know you could potentially get some decent stuff in return for those guys but you know the the the part where that he really ultimately couldn’t do was put a competitive roster around those guys like I think what Oklahoma City’s done so well is they put a roster around Shay that that that compliments him that allows him to play you know to his game but also you know guys that fit around him that make sense that that compliment him where not all the weight is on his shoulders you know he still has to go out and be the guy but he has other guys he can rely on whereas whereas in Detroit like our number one scoring option outside of Kate Cunningham was boan bogdanovich who was a second unit like eighth or ninth guy for a playoff Nicks team when he was traded over there you know what I mean like just yeah not good enough yeah and that’s I mean again I’ve been as a thunder fan I’m extremely happy in the position we’re in and I do think you know it took some luck but I think pressy has done a good job like we said you know grabbing Jaylen Williams who I like going into the draft I was like hey if we get him that’d be awesome has even exceeded my expectations you know throughout his first couple Seasons he’s been unbelievable I think he’s gonna be an All-Star level player is is right around that range already and you know give it next season we’ll see the West is insanely deep with Talent out there I don’t know if actually make it but I think he’s about to have that type of impact or art is right there on the cusp you know chat’s been awesome and everything like that and I know you asked earlier you know what are my thoughts on Cade I do still think kade’s really really good I’m one of the people who’s I’m a big Kade hand believer I still am I know some people are out on Cade and they’ve kind of given up on him some people saying like you know sure Supporting Cast is bad but if he’s that good of a player he should still be able to elevate them I mean like the numbers was putting up right before the end of the losing streak if I remember correctly or just completely absurd he was dropping like 30 point games like 40 like these hyper efficient games and it just didn’t matter yeah I don’t I don’t think people like give enough credit to the fact that basketball is a team sport I think we talk about basketball way too much nowadays as like an individual base it’s like oh 100% this player couldn’t win a championship or you know this player couldn’t get it done when it’s it’s a team game so Kate is doing everything he can he was really really solid this season by no means perfect like there are concerns with his game at times but that’s true for most players his age there are very few players who are the a perfect example of a basketball player in the history of the sport never mind at the age that Kate Cunningham is and not to mention he’s gone through the dysfunction that has been you know what like the Monty Williams situation like what’s going on there like that’s another new coach for him he missed his entirety basically of last season a lot of expectations are on him as a number one overall pick things you know players progress differently and not to mention no shooting at all for the Pistons last year whatsoever I’m sure you know about that the potential points like that were left on the table just off of his you know potential assists off of three-pointers that were missed it’s off the charts like if if they just made a few more of them like people I think would would look at K and go oh he’s playing like that yeah cuz I’m gonna I’m forgetting exactly what the numbers were but I’m so stalling this season was 22.7 4.3 and 7.5 like like those are really really good numbers for a guy who’s what he’s he’s 22 right now like he’s you know a couple years younger than me which continues to blow my mind the Thunder had an average age lower than me this season which they’re they’re one the you know one of the youngest teams in NBA history especially to have the success that they did but God if that that did make me feel old um isn’t that insane yeah and like K finished the season 32 points against the Timberwolves the number one defense in the league by the way 33 against the Wizards 36 against the Grizzlies eight assists seven assists two assists couple of steals even like the three-point efficiency came up a lot because I remember it was pretty bad to start the season if I remember correctly and he ended up shooting 35.5% like Kate is really really good it just sucks that he hasn’t gotten the talent that highlights him and to me that’s what this offseason should be for the Pistons um I you just need to get Talent Get Talent around K Cunningham even if you know you’re not sure if they’re guys that are going to long-term able to help you compete for Championship or even help you like like no there I don’t think there are many people that you can get in free agency right now unless you get LeBron James who I don’t think is coming to Detroit You Know M maybe they spend the fifth overall pick on Bron we’ll talk about onm I don’t think he’s coming to Detroit either just a prediction yeah okay Sean I didn’t I you know I didn’t want to upset you or anything like that I’ve got a hot take I’ve got a strong feeling that LeBron may not join the Pistons this offseason so unless it’s like LeBron you’re not GNA get anybody that’s going to turn you into a championship Contender this off seon you know maybe you have insane development and you’re a playing team or even push for the playoffs because there is some question marks in the Eastern Conference I don’t think it’s out of the rumble possibility if you make the right signings but just regardless you have money spend it spend it on somebody like add any kind of talent even if it’s you know like I don’t know how you this is just something off the top of my head even if like the Warriors are just desperate looking to dump Andrew wiggins’s contract like they just want to get off of it absorb you know take on a pick absorb the contract maybe Wiggins ref finds this for him if he doesn’t at least he’s a player who showny could be a big- time contributor on a winning team just get guys in the building like anybody because I think Malik monk makes a lot of sense I I that is the name I want to bring up yeah Malik monk is one of my favorite potential pickups for y’all throw him a bag because Malik monk I don’t think people realize how good he is he was my pick six man of the year um is one of the most clutch players in the entire league over the past couple of seasons has really developed into a an elite shot maker someone who can playmake at a high level you give Kade another guy who can create next to him which would be huge I think you slot him you could slot him into that starting lot next Cade you could bring him off the bench I feel like Malik monk if he’s coming to Detroit might want that starting spot which I think it’s fine you put Ivy Off the Bench I think he can still Thrive there but I mean I like buk a lot just throw money at guys whoever it is give them money to just help the Pistons compete and most most importantly help Kate out because I’m sure Kate is really frustrated at this point with how good he’s been playing and the fact that y’all have won what was it 31 combined games over the past two years like yeah you K Kate needs more than that yeah 100% I mean these guys come into the league they they I don’t think they’ve lost 31 times in their lives at anything so to to come in and to face that level of losing I I can only imagine what’s going through his head but you know like I I I think another guy that makes sense he brought him up for the Thunder actually a little bit ago is Nick clack I still I’m still very apprehensive on giving up on like a jayen Duren but he still has a lot of room to grow as a rim protector and and on the defensive side of the ball and I think that’s where Detroit really needs that you know stability and consistency if they want to become the defensive team that you know that they talk about wanting to be so um I also know that you know with langden being in Detroit I know people are you know making the connection to like Brandon Ingram as a potential trade destination I think that makes I think that makes some sense as well um especially when you talk about how like you know in Detroit you’re never going to be a true free agent destination but you know small Market teams you can still trade for All-Star caliber players and I I don’t know if Brandon Ingram is a Allstar but I’d say he’s All-Star caliber especially in the Eastern Conference I think oh yeah for sure for sure over in the East that’s yeah that’s one thing I feel like people I’ll say someone who Aller caliber they’ll be they they haven’t been an All-Star like they’re not going to be an Allstar like yeah because the Western Conference has 40 guys who could be an allar theoretically like Kyrie Irving Jamal Murray neither one of them were Allstars this season and John R like didn’t even play like you just take a look at the guard position it’s completely absurd so ridiculous yeah I I like Brandon Ingram too because I think a good example and I mean maybe he Demands a trade or doesn’t accept the extension so maybe this doesn’t end up working out but I like Cleveland trading for Donovan Mitchell a lot even if it doesn’t work out when you’re a smaller Market team like that you’ve got to take swings on players like that when you can you know if you’re not because the Cavs were in limbo after LeBron left but they got darus Garland to really Step Up Moy turned into this high level player you know I don’t know how they got in on the Jared Allen trade but that was an amazing ability by them to go in and get on that get a guy in Jared Allen who has become this really good s just maybe had the best season of his career even though he didn’t make the allstar game this year but like you have to take swings on players like that you got to find ways to make it work you know what you said with um Tran langon like trying to turn things that you know suck or bad situations into whatever you can you just have to make stuff happen so I like the idea of Bron Ingram I I mean I don’t know how you feel about Zach LaVine how many years does he have left on his contract now is it I think it’s like two or three but he I I’m pretty sure uh I I saw something that his um that his values gone down significantly and I think if Detroit could somehow get draft compensation to take on that contract I think it makes sense I know Zack LaVine was very close to being a Detroit Piston um uh this last trade deadline like if he didn’t go under the knife he would have been a piston flat out um so like that’s that’s how close that was I think it makes sense at the same time you know it is particularly telling in my opinion how much better the Bulls got when Obie white was given the ball and Zack LaVine was was out of the offense not saying that I think he was solely the problem in Chicago I think a lot of things you know kind of you know really compounded get them where they are but you know I I definitely would be I I I would definitely be concerned with the you know with the the the gravity where the ball would be if Zack LaVine is you know is on the because you want the ball in Kate’s hands as much as possible right yeah and I think you know that’s a Duo that could definitely work well together and you could set them up really well and I think when you are in Detroit you know like when you’re are in Detroit situation you know you have to make risks like that um but on the on the flip side to me it just feels too much like the like the Blake Griffin trade from 20 you know like from 2017 2018 I believe um when um because it’s it’s a very similar Guy where it’s you know All-Star caliber talent but injury riddled heading into his 30s you know to me when when you’re talking about like you know Detroit needing to get some Surefire guys like they also need some guys that can last them a while too you know and I just think I think that would just put them in a very similar position to where they were already at if that makes sense yeah yeah LaVine isn’t one of my favorite guys I think it’s like you said if you don’t really have to give up anything for him and you just get compensation to take on his contract I think that’s super cool like i’ I’d be down with that but yeah definitely not one of my favorite guys although like you said it’s it’s not the end of the world I think there is a way to go ahead and make it work yep um but yeah I’m trying to think of like other guys y’all go ahead and sign I was just right before I hopped on actually doing a live stream where I was talking about like thunder potential options in this offseason and I was looking at a list of free agents for this off season and like like I’m trying to look at names that kind of makes sense because it’s a pretty weak class overall I mean if like Philly’s not bringing back buddy hee like I mean y’all throw money to just give a Kate a shooter like I don’t hate that at all yep um D rozan feels like an insane decision to make I don’t think I would do that one but I mean if he he’s gonna get a bag from someone this summer and it’s going to be mindboggling but you know what happy for Demar yeah and he because like he still is good I it’s going to depend on the years of the contract because exact if it’s if it’s crazy yeah we’ll have to talk about that because he’s about to turn 35 um like I’m trying to look at some potential guys I mean the thing like to me it feels like it’s a great fre agency class for just grabbing like role player type players like a Gary Trent Jr I don’t hate that either a guy like him um but I think the other aspect as well though about this free agency class it’s it’s going to be interesting the players that do become available because I think one thing people are still forgetting about is the tax aprons are going to become a thing this summer and so a lot of teams are very close or at that level and are not nearly good enough like Atlanta is an example that’s why the Trey young and and jonte Murray conversations have been out there you know for like other teams for so long um you know I I think a lot of teams are going to have to like make some decisions and I think Detroit could potentially be like a benefactor of that um I guess my last Pistons question before I quick ask you about the finals um the I think Detroit’s in a difficult position because I think in order to get better they’ll probably have to part with some young talent that they really like and I think and you look at their I think their core four players would would kind of be you know I think it’s pretty like Universal it’s paade it’s it’s AAR it’s Jaden Ivy or J uh yeah J Jaden Ivy and Jaylen Duren of those four guys you know because like again with Detroit you’ve you’ve traded players in the past you’ve seen it blow up in your face of those four guys like which ones would you want to build around because I think I think personally if you’re in the in the position of the organization I think they’re looking at Kad and assar as like the two Untouchable guys but at the same time Jaden Ivy has has shown some flashes where he looks unworldly good but at the same time he has some flashes where it’s like what are you doing yeah and I mean that that’s what happens right with these these young guards I think that’s people don’t have enough patience with young ball handlers we talked about the Cavaliers earli with daryus scarland his rookie season he was statistically the worst player in the entire NBA and then he became an All-Star level guard didn’t have this great season this past year but I think darus Garland’s still really good it just hasn’t worked the best at times with him and Don Mitchell trying to share the ball and maybe I mean maybe that’s a situation kind of similar to what’s happening in Detroit where Kade and Jay ivvy are both really good players but maybe it just doesn’t work and to me that’s a tough spot I I really like assar Thompson he’s got to find a jumper like he has to be able to hit outside shots what he shoot like 15% or something like that from three this season I know it was really rough a lot of airballs if a sar can develop a jumper an incredible fit next to uh K Cunningham and even if it doesn’t even have to be like a great jumper if he can just shoot like 30% or like 32 get it up to there for percent from three a massive impact player his corner I think his Corner three-point shot like got to like like towards the end of the season I think he had a stretch where it was like 37 or 38% so like you know he even made some developments at in the off season I honestly of all the players of like on this team who need to develop a shot even though his was so bad I think I’m concerned about assar the least just because that’s like that’s a player that lives in the gym like that’s true he’s a guy they need to tell to go home yeah really all as as long as assar is in the gym this summer and doing nothing but shooting like three-point jumpers I think that’s big because assar I really like players that do he’s a very unique young player there aren’t a lot of young guys who are you know attacking the offensive boards the way that he is rebounding the defense is absurd already for assar Thompson I remember the like third game of the season or something like that we went up against y’all and I think Shay had a pretty good game but out of anybody guarding him assar was easily the most impactful and I had you know watched some of him leading up to the draft but watching him like in that NBA setting I was like this guy’s so good I was like I really like his two months people forget and the streak really dampened it because he was all all NBA Defensive level he was leading rebounds like for the entire league for a bit Yeah he was like a double double machine at one point it’s crazy the way that he was impacting the game while being so bad on that offensive end par particularly as a three-point shooter you know ended up averaging 6.4 rebounds per game I know the minutes fluctuated a lot 8.8 points I like AAR a lot I wouldn’t want to trade him either to me he’s one of the guys that should stay there y it is concerning you know if he doesn’t develop a jumper then you might have to have some questions but even still a guy who’s able to on a team that lacks defense La you know needs guys that are going to put all their effort into to the game I think AAR is someone you should absolutely keep there I like him a lot yep then it comes down to Duran and Ivy I’m a I’m a big fan of both I’ve been a big fan of durren ever since the draft you know the defense isn’t there at all yet for durren he needs to be better on that end he’s gota be a better rim protector for sure but I think he you know he’s got that frame he was also one of the youngest players coming out of his draft class too he was young last season he gives you a lob threat which I think is big for Cade giving him that vertical threat out there uh he shown some really solid idea um just ideas as a playmaker out of that short role you can give it to him on the elbow he can make some plays he’s always giv me a little bit of like a bamama to bio type feel I mean Bam’s one of the best defenders in the world so that’s very different but a mold where he can be that impactful player on the offense that doesn’t always need the ball in his hands but can be that connective guy at the center position that is my vision for what Jaylen Duren can become and like I don’t want to trade that either because if he does end up really locking defensively with the frame that he has or even just becomes like a pretty good Defender he doesn’t have to become like a Deo level guy just becomes a pretty good Defender because you’ve got assar who I think assar could WI a defensive player year 100% at some point although wemy may just swallow the league and just dominate for 15 years and win 15 straight deys we may not s a chance I want to see are going to both live on that all defensive team oh for sure absolutely like them and wmy just just get them a residency in the all defensive team list for the next 10 plus years yeah we’re going to look back at that draft as one of the best defensive drafts I think in NBA history yeah D wy’s like was 10th in that draft and he’s been as awesome as he was yeah and then you know as a thunder fan I got shot my guy K Wallace to what he did as a guard all season Y uh there’s some other Defenders too that are like I’m blanking on I’m gonna look at this this draft real quick uh but yeah I mean this was like it was a very up and down season for durran and I mean the Pistons obviously as a whole with the the losing streak and just development of players but that’s how it goes with young guys and I still I’m a big believer in durran so I don’t want to trade him either I also don’t I don’t want to trade Ivy but I do think if anybody has to be traded say there’s a a dream player out there that could really help yall become more competitive I think Ivy is the one I would most be willing to part ways with I don’t want to part ways with any of them I do still think if you can just spend your money really well and maybe find bad contracts to absorb you don’t have to get like a star in this offseason you don’t have to obviously you know it’s preferable but if you can just get good winning players next decade and maybe you’re not a playing team next year but rather than winning you know 14 games you win like 30 something and you’re right there in the mix conversation that’s a start yeah you’re right there in the mix like say throughout a majority of the Season you’re in the mix for a play in spot but towards the end of the year you fall off a little bit and maybe for the last like 10 eight games or so you just basically bought him out because Cooper Flags in this draft and getting him would be awesome yep I think that’s you know a perfectly fine season for the Pistons obviously I’m sure you want to see the playoffs again as someone who watched the thunder only miss it for a few years I desperately missed the playoffs although I didn’t miss the heart attack that games gave me I was at game one against the Pelicans and I almost passed out watching that game I felt like so yeah I I think I think Ivy I guess is my answer which I hate because he I really really like Jaden Ivy as a player yep but I do think with having your guard in my opinion assuming Kade continues to develop the way that he has and I think he will continue to you have a guard set with Kate then you have that wing and assar that big and jail and Duran it hurts to give up that other guard but I do think it makes the most sense just from a team building perspective I guess yeah which a doubt I hate my answer on that too I hate any of the answers I could have given yeah no it’s it’s it’s a crappy question because like you said like they they are like for a team that was so historically bad they’ve got some good players like that’s the part that’s frustrating about they do the potential is because you know right now like they don’t work well together but the potential is so there with all of them even though 100% And that’s like people I think often confuse people’s play now with how good they’re going to be because I saw a lot of people saying like oh can Kate ever be the guy because he was the best player on this 14- win team it’s again goes to the conversation of being a team sport but also the vision with Kate is so much more than what he did this season and what was his second roughly full year with the team because even still you know there were some Miss games here and there so yeah I mean I I think there is a vision there which is the hard part what I think y’all are gonna have to do is figure out what is the vision going forward to fix this thing without looking back and being like like you said I mean you you’ll trade some be like damn I can’t believe we traded that guy I mean we traded James Harden so like we get it as as Thunder fans I get it completely and that’s why a lot of people are like so scared to trade anybody they’re like oh what if we make another big like Harden type mistake that was a historic trade obviously in Detroit like they don’t have one that that that’s that big but they have ones that make you look back and go wait Chris Middleton was on their team you know what I mean like we had him in the system and just let him go for Brandon Jennings you know what I mean like it’s it’s not James Harden level mistakes but you know once you’ve made them so many times they stack up so yeah man I don’t know it’s it’s tough I mean is your answer to that question also jayen Ivy unfortunately yes I I would love to I I would love it if they at least gave this unit at least a half a season together you know like just like one more run like one more full training camp you know maybe if you do make a coaching change and decide that you know and see what you know a new coach could do with those guys but you know at the same time when you like you said when you look at the players that make the most sense um when you look at the guys who could probably Garner the most as far as as you know like like assets you know that there’s interest around the league for a guy like a Jaden Ivy um so but on on the flip side that’s why you really don’t want to trade him because he like he to me for my money he’s still the fastest player in the NBA as far as like speed from up to down up up and down the court like his his lightning speed is insane and and there’s still a lot of a lot of upside there to explore but you know that that is the the tricky thing with Jen Ivy’s game is just how streaky he is cu one month he was like 40 plus % from three then the next month he was like 23 24% so and again that’s that’s any player like you said especially any young guard but well con yeah before I get you out of here we could I we could talk about this all day but I gotta I I I I would be remissed if I if I didn’t ask you at least a little bit about this final series that we’re about to be watching because I think this has you know and I feel like I’ve said this every year but I truly believe this has the chance to be one of the best finals we’ve seen in a long time uh between yeah two teams that have a lot of pressure on their shoulders in particular I think if Boston loses this I think it will be an alltime you know like meltdown on like in the offseason from their fan base where what’s your mindset going into this series and you know obviously I want to know like who you’re favoriting but what are you what are you excited to watch within this series I mean I think just from a think about the narratives we I’ll talk about the basketball in a moment but starting with like the narratives going to the series The storylines there might not have been a better series out there whether it’s Kyrie going up against Boston out of all teams in the finals where he you know was flicking off the fans when he was with the Nets and he said I want to resign here and then didn’t resign was stopping on the logo and there was all that stuff and now he’s going over to Dallas and he’s found success playing next to Luca he’s gone from leaving Cleveland trying to become the guy to the whole thing with the Brooklyn Nets to now he and LCA become this unbelievably synergistic back Court over there that is dominating everybody then you got christops going up against his former team and Luca said in a recent interview that you know he and christops are cool but there were reports all throughout his time over there in Dallas that there was a little bit of tension between him and Luca so that is a thing over there as well as like you mention I mean the weight on the shoulders of all these guys a lot of people are ready to Crown LCA as the best in the world and hey if he wins this series and you know grabs Finals MVP I’m sure he will that’s perfectly fine in my opinion to go ahead and call him that and you take a look at what Tatum has done over there for the Celtics who is that he’s been ridiculed a lot the Boston Celtics have if they go ahead and say they dominate the series like they’ve dominated the League this entire season I think there will be a lot more conversations to had about Tatum and how good he actually is because I do believe Tatum has gotten underrated by a lot of people I think people look too much at how they don’t like Boston and attribute that to Jason Tatum and I say this as someone who wasn’t even the biggest Jason Tatum believer earlier on his career I was like oh maybe he’ll be like he’ll probably be like an All-Star level guy I can see that but maybe never like all NBA first team guy now he’s already with the all NBA teams he’s racked up probably getting close to Hall of Fame status and I mean if he wins a Finals MVP here continues to up these numbers he’s easily on that Hall of Fame trajectory it’s not even close so there’s a lot for him on the line here especially after how 2022 went and he really struggled in that finals he was outplayed by Andrew Wiggins who he was shade tweeting like years ago y when he’s when he’s like 15 then for Jaylen Brown you know being called like way overpaid that the contract wasn’t worth and the Celtics have invested a lot in this they gave J holiday and extension they extended chrisop porzingis this is their team like this is their chance the Mavericks are really good but they are a five seed I guess relatively to the Celtics so just in terms of seeding and they are being favored pretty heavily in this series there was a lot on the line for both sides but I do think the Celtics have I guess you could say more pressure on their shoulders to go ahead and get this done so just from a storyline perspective I mean there’s stuff all over the place and then you take a look at the basketball how do the Celtics defend luuk and Kyrie it you know drick white kind of got torched by Luka in their regular season matchup so I would imagine it’s more likely a Drew holiday on Kyrie and then you put like Jaylen Brown say for example on LCA donic but the Celtics just also just have so many great Defenders you could throw anybody at him you could put Derrick White Drew holiday Jason Tatum Jaylen Brown like all these all defensive Fringe all defensive level guys they’re all over the place and with KP coming back assuming he looks like himself which is a whole another storyline in itself what does he bring to the table on that end and he has been massively impactful for them all season I don’t think enough people have talked about how sure the Celtics played a pretty easy path to the finals relatively because teams were injured but they were without KP who was their second 2 a 2B maybe even third depending on how you look at it best player this season behind Jason Tatum and I probably Jaylen Brown so they’re now coming to a whole another level exactly the reason they won the Eastern Conference by like 16 games is because they added KP he changed everything for them both you know with the the floor stretching at that five spot the rim protection the postup element that he’s really added to them this season too it’s been revolutionary so there is a lot that makes me lean the Celtics in this series because when I take a look they are the more talented team I think schematically they have more ways they can attack you they’re more versatile with one of the best starting Fighters we’ve seen in a long time in the NBA but and then with Dallas it’s it’s lcad donic and Kyrie Irving like what they’ve been doing and they’re not slouches slouches either I mean I saw have nightmares about PJ Washington dring Corner threes against the Thunder it was insane what he was doing against us not yeah Derrick Jones Jr one what I’ll tell you I’ve learned very recently that there are certain moments that will make you be like okay this game or this series is over especially in the playoffs would Derrick Jones Jr hit that turnaround shot over Chad hren falling to the ground with like no seconds left on the shot clock I was like okay I think we might be cooked here and then Kyrie right around that time too hit the three that bounced straight up and came right back down in I was like we are just not destined seems like to win this game yep I think of the Rudy gobear turn around shot I was just gonna say the next thing the Rudy goar Fade Away over yic I was like oh the wolves are winning this 100 per. I still don’t think I believe that shot went in like like you could show it to me again and I’m like that’s AI like I just oh for sure yeah and I’m not talking Allen Iverson yeah no although if you want to talk about the most AI looking play that Rudy goar has ever made it’s that one yes um yeah that I I that will be one we’ll have to tell tell our grand kids about we like no I promise this actually happened yeah no like Rudy goar actually did that like here’s the video and they’re even going be like okay that’s edited yeah they’re like they’re like Grandpa you’re 98 years old what are you talking about I’m like no trust me the Rudy go bear Fade Away was Cinema yeah but like I do worry a little bit more about their supporting pieces because PJ wasn’t great shooting against the Wolves the Celtics are the wolves are the better overall defense but I think the Celtics are better equipped to handle the Mavericks and slow them down I don’t know if you can truly stop Luke and Kyrie but you could definitely slow them down a little bit and they’re going to have to I worry about some inconsistencies with Boston from the three-point line like if they’re not hitting their threes they look very human although if they are hitting their threes they look Unstoppable it’s very up and down you know um you’ve also I mean another story line is like Joe Missoula and Jason kid two coaches people both said kind of sucked throughout the season have they’ve made it to the finals so we’re gonna find out a lot about Joe Missoula in this series in my opinion yeah this is his first time kind of on this stage I mean Jason kid you know didn’t coach in the NBA Finals with like the bucks or anything like that or the Nets but he played it as a player I guess he’s been here before it’s really interesting um I am leading Boston even though luuk is the best player in the series which maybe just takes over the edge I just if Chris doops looks like himself if he doesn’t this becomes a little bit scarier but I do believe that if KP is playing like the way that KP has all season the talent that the Celtics have on the roster is just overwhelming great Defenders all over the place knock down three-point Shooters you know Al Horford now coming off the bench who was great in a couple games in that Pacer series Jaylen Brown is playing maybe the best basketball of his career right now y they do need Jason Tatum to be better from three he’s shooting like 29% from the outside in the playoffs so far need him to be a little bit better in that regard and this is a really good defense the best one they’re gonna have played so far I I just think there’s too much talent with Boston I picked them before the season I picked them going into the playoffs I’m going to stick with them you know up until the very Bitter End which Mavericks fans G me a lot of crap for on my video about them the other day I made my series preview cuz I picked the Thunder to win that Series against them because of course I did I wasn’t you have to like bitterly now you have to like bitterly go like hey I’m not being bitter I promise this is the pick I made exactly and it’s like I picked against them with Minnesota because I was never the biggest I I picked against the wolves in both their series clearly it was a mistake against the Suns but I picked against the Wolves twice so either way I was going to be picking against a team like for the second series in a row third one in a row if it was picking against Minnesota so I I Pi I picked the Wolves to win that series and now there are people that think I have a vendetta against the Mavericks because I picked them in like I what I thought were two toss-up matchups against them and now we reach another one where I think the Celtics are the better team but the Mavericks can absolutely get it done and I I’m just gonna go Boston I said on YouTube seven games I think a Moro leading six now I just think the talent is overwhelming for that team plus they’ve played such an easy path up to this point relatively maybe that means the Mavericks are more battle tested but with the talent the Celtics have honestly I’m not too worried about it not to mention the Mavericks have been really good in clutch games but the Celtics are four and0 in the clutch in these playoffs so far like they have been really good in the clutch which has always been a concern maybe it’s a more highlighted issue against a better team in Dallas but I feel like so far they have they’ve shown me that they can execute in those late game scenarios so I’ll just trust them for now until they inevitably burn me in the finals also I tweeted out during the regular season I don’t know how anybody is going to beat this Boston team four times it seems impossible or something along those lines and people relentlessly clowned me for that tweet saying that some people thought I was just a Celtics fan which very much not no and then you know a lot of people are like oh it’s the same old Celtics like they’ll always choke I part of me just wants to see the Celtics win so I can go back to that tweet and be like y’all clown me for this and then they went out there and ran through the Eastern Conference they you know won the finals maybe convincingly I guess we’ll have to wait and see but yeah part of me wants to go back and run Victory laps with that tweet so we’ll see but I think if I’ve got to give you like a full team pick and game prediction I’ll would probably go Celtics and six with Tatum winning Finals MVP yeah I think that’s totally fair for me the reason why I slightly lean Dallas is is a lot of what you just laid out a second ago about you know the ability to play in the clutch I think with Dallas you have two of you know two of the most confident players in the fourth quarter perhaps ever play the game of basketball and on on the flip side with Boston as you said they they’ve been good in the clutch in the playoffs but I also wonder how you know how much in those moments they have truly been tested with Donovan Mitchell you know miss you know missing pretty much all that series Tyrese halberton missing pretty much all that Series so going up against not only did they not really have to go up against like one star during those moments now they’re going to have to go up against you know two players who are just you know explosive in that you know in in that mode you know and like you said if if Chris H Sportz zingis is healthy and is you know like fully you know out there and able to play and and and be like even just like 80% christops porzingis I think Boston has a really good shot but to me you know that my my concern with them is never you know their their their talent it’s never you know the you know the players that they even have that are like you know I I I like you believe lot and you know Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown I think you know they both are playing some of the best Hoops they’ve ever played but you know I still think there isn’t Clarity of who is the alpha with in the final minutes like who’s going to you know who going to get the ball who’s going to like who who are we drawing up the shot for um and you know I I just I wonder you know especially in this situation how much they’re going to miss you know like Miss an Oka you know so I I I just I even though Boston has looked as good and and it’s and it’s hard because like you said all logic everything points towards Boston should win this series but when you have Luca playing at the level that he’s been playing Kyrie looking as good as he’s he’s looked since 2016 and you know the the the level of play that they’ve gotten from their from their Supporting Cast it just feels like momentum is on their side as well that’s why it’s hard to pick against Dallas right now as well but they’re they’re but Vegas has them as the third biggest uh Underdog since the merger so that’s pretty pretty crazy in itself because I I think this is a lot more of a toss up than that yeah I don’t agree with that necessarily the the Mavericks definitely have that team of Destiny feel to them yep for sure there’s never been a five seed that’s won the finals Luca feels like on a mission to show that he’s the best player in the world Kyrie like it would literally be the ultimate Revenge storyline if he beat Boston in this series it does feel like they have that team of Destiny feel and that’s part of why I feel bad like I don’t I agree I don’t think it’s that much of a a slam dunk in favor of Boston I think there is a world where if the Celtics just start firing at all cylinders this one’s over in like five like I could see them just dominating I don’t see the Mavericks winning this series in four or five I think if they win it’s in six or seven I can see a world where Boston kind of Slams on the gas and just annihilates them they’re like hey this is who we’ve been all season we’re gonna show you here now but they they’ve just had like they have had all those moments in the past where it’s like and I do think people have been disingenuous to Boston I’ve seen people say they’re always the favorites and they always choke like they’ve very rarely been like lost Series where they were favored in it’s not super often other than in like some of the Miami series uh but I don’t believe they were favored in the finals they might have been I don’t remember it was a tossup kind with that one yeah they they were also going up against Stephen Curry playing some of the best Hoops of his life you know like I think people you know I I I think Boston gets too much flak for that series when I think you know it can be true that a team didn’t play that well but also golden state was playing some really inspired basketball yeah he I mean he had the Steph Curry finally gets an Finals MVP script on his side so it was it was written in stone already exactly but yeah I mean yeah while I don’t agree with those people saying oh Boston always choking the favorites or anything there were moments like throughout this year I can remember a lot of Big Time games where I think I’ve even tweeted about this multiple times this year where it’s like the Celtics somehow find a way to get the most contested and like ugliest shots in the clutch at times it’s just extremely frustrating and I do worry you know going up against Luke and Kyrie who are like the clutch to own the league right now how is that g to look and even if Luke and cry aren’t the guys scoring PJ’s hitting big shots or Derrick Jones Jr is hitting big shots and Lively’s been unbelievable in these playoffs so yeah I don’t know one thing I I also want to note is like Daniel Gafford was pretty rough in that like he was almost unplayable in that game against Boston in the second half of the Season where they got annihilated the Mavericks did on Boston’s home court so I’m interested to see how he looks in this series because y you know he’s held up he’s had some really good moments but L’s been clearly the better big so far so we’ll see what happens with him against Boston too and I’ll tell you what man I think honestly the reason why I I I my rooting interest might lean towards Dallas I am rooting for Derrick Lively this playoffs like unapologetically just with the things that that kid has went through and and and how awesome he’s been as a player but how awesome he seems as a human it would just be really cool with you know losing his mom like a month or two ago and and losing his dad at Early Childhood age to come in his rookie year you know get drafted top 10 and now win a championship as a rookie like like that that you can’t write a better story than that you know yeah Lely I I’ve always really liked his game you know he seems like an awesome guy and then watching him the way that he has elevated himself throughout these playoffs to become the big the Mavericks needed like there were people talking about like oh sh they trade for like a Clint capella or any one of these established bigs to fill that role because that was a huge question mark coming to the season and then boom Derrick lley is immedately that guy amazing lob threat you know playmaking off the short roll putting back those shots rebounding monster at times too I can tell you again fir hand going up against the Thunder nightmares of him grabbing offensive rebounds for PJ Washington 3es I will see it replaying in my head Forever Until the Thunder win a championship so yeah man I I mean I really don’t blame people if they feel either way like that’s my big thing is yeah I’m not someone who I don’t think the Celtics are going to annihilate the Mavericks I just don’t see it happening I think there’s a world like a few scenarios but I don’t think it’s this one I think this goes at least six or seven for whoever wins I’m yeah I’m just going to lean Boston because I I think there’s a talent Advantage but it’s just so hard to bet against that team in Dallas who does have that team of Destiny feel to them and I mean just did find a way to not go to a single game seven against a tough Western Conference like the Thunder really good I’ll say that as a thunder fan the Mavericks just knocked off the nuggets out of all teams like they were really really good and the Mavericks found ways to go and make them look very very human at times which is impressive 100% it’s gonna be it’s going to be phenomenal basketball and the good news is you know normally most Summers you have to wait a long time for Hoops to come back but I think with you know with the surgence of the you know like with how the explosion of the WNBA right now with both men’s and women’s Olympic basketball as well like we got a pretty full hoop summer man and I think I think it’s and a big Pistons off season ahead of us yeah exactly ex I mean the most important thing of all I mean right there yeah olyp Olympics all that stuff no it’s Pistons off season time it’s like yeah yeah yeah tell me what TR and langdon’s up to you know what I mean yeah I don’t care about any of these other transaction sham W mute those give me tran langed updates I need the Lang Co mess JJ reic blah blah blah tell me tran Lan’s daily agenda is there a Tran Len Ms account yet has that happened I feel like that’s if not it’s coming you know the second second he makes any kind of big move I think it’s it’s on the horizon so yeah there there’s got to be a muse account for everything at this point it’s great oh 100 100% I think I tweeted about that or something and I had the most obscure music accounts I didn’t even think were possible replying to my tweet yeah which very tangentially but I was at a concert last night and it’s crazy how many obscure jerseys you’ll see just at a concert or something I saw a jazz Paul Milsap Jersey yesterday keep in mind I’m in Virginia like I we are very far away from Utah yeah Jazz Paul milap Paul Milsap jerseys let alone like in in Virginia yeah and for like Utah wasn’t even like Hawks Paul milap or anything like that it was like early career PA Paul milap I saw an Adrian Dantley one too I don’t know why all the Jazz jerseys were out at the game like I or not the game the concert one of my friends is like Dantley who’s that I was like Adrian dley why is there that Jersey I saw Larry Johnson Hornet Jersey there last night too oh my God which I guess it’s closer to Virginia Charlotte like that’s pretty close but I I don’t know it was just crazy the am I saw Russell Westbrook Rockets Jersey too which is a you know Russ fan shout out to that guy yeah but it was a very weird day of seeing jerseys like just the the Strang I think I I even saw this is you know again moving off to a different sport a Desmond Tru font like like Falcons jersey which was so random that is bizarre it was it was insane I’ve never seen as many weird jerseys as I did last night it was it’s very fun to see those especially like going to summer league the past couple of times you will see the most random jerseys in your entire life at summer league so if any if anyone ends up going there keep an eye out because you’ll see some alltime great ones oh I can only imag imagine just like at that NBA convention just the amount of zunis Il galus Anderson veral jerseys who knows maybe even see like a pag sto yakovich seu deoya oh boy oh yeah Pistons Legend baby oh yeah the the the real French Phenom sorry wimy but oh seriously you’re the dude thank you so much for taking the time I could literally talk Hoops with you all day man this is an absolute blast yeah for sure man where can people find you uh where can people find work at man yeah so I do my own YouTube thing uh three cone it’s all spelled out t h re e c o n e um do same thing on over on Twitter 3or cone over there uh got some exciting stuff in development on that on that end with the the YouTube and you know getting more into the media space so definitely make sure to go ahead and check that out um Instagram I just post like random photos uh three con also on there and you know I do my thing on bleach report too 3core con I think on the BR app I do live streams like six seven times a month depending on what is going on you know what part of the Season it is so if you want more like live content like I hop in I interact with the chat you know talk Thunder a good bit but also just general NBA stuff I think I’ll be talking about the finals and the draft coming up here soon so if you want more stuff on that make sure to go check that out too but real quick I want to appreci say thank you again man for having me it was a lot of fun like you said I could sit here and talk Hoops with you forever it’s been a blast I can’t believe it’s already been an hour and 20 minutes about fle by dude flew by feels like I blinked and here we were but yeah yeah man I mean I’m always down to come hop on the podcast maybe can after both our teams do their off Seasons we can see where we’re at hopefully you know Tran langon Cooks the way that trasan langon Muse hopes he does y and we star power over in Detroit coming up here soon man yep langon M we gotta get the clock we gotta get that finals appearance that or finals match up that we were talking about man we do man we do pistons Thunder finals it will happen eventually and when it happens we will be there con we will we will be there we will but man keep killing it keep up the awesome work just appreciate you and thank you to everyone for listening and joining this episode if you like the podcast be sure you like the video subscribe down below and we’ll catch you guys next time from hath Court sure you subscribe [Music]
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1 Comment
Hi Bro!!! My Dad was the only white kid in G.R. playing hoops during the depression years. What you got?