Chasing Banner 18: Analyzing the Celtics' 2023 Schedule

Rayshawn Buchanan: 0:06

Welcome to the next edition of Missing the Point. I am Hollywood Rich on the Canaan with my guy, DK Sizzle. This is your first time listening to us. We thank you for tuning in. You know you can find us on all streaming platforms. Tonight we're talking all things cell pics. Yes, it is the all season, but there's still some things that have went down between Jason Jalen, I got the new edition for South Virginia's and then we'll end with the self-excedural, because the schedule release came out around this time last week at the World Court. It's on August 1st. So, DK, how you doing tonight, man?

Dave Clarke: 0:39

Good man, good, I'm really feeling this sports crowd. I need my weekends chock full of all the major sports. There's just nothing fucking on right now. I was watching the Women's World Cup. I was watching. I'm in the primary league back and watching that. But I need NFL to start up, because, looking down the pipe, waiting until October for these celltics, I don't know. No.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 1:04

No.

Dave Clarke: 1:06

It's just that this one feels long. Sometimes summers go by quick and you're all of a sudden you're back in your sports watching, you know Nest right In the fall onward. But fuck man, I just feel like this summer's gone on forever.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 1:21

Yeah, I mean, that's true. I mean, usually there's not much to think about with NBA come August. And now I remember the time last year, unfortunately we were doing a show about Bill Russell's passing. I can't believe that's already been a year. So what happened? So you know recipes to build. But yeah, listen, september 7th cannot come quick enough and obviously you know all the four sports would be back in full swing come late September. So I'm excited for that. But yeah, let's get the people what they want. It's not way any further. So yeah, like I said, first thing jumping in. So presenters, as y'all know, got trade over here in June. You know, for the beloved Marcus Smart and the three team trade, the Fever World Cup is going on, or the best what. I forget what it's called. I think it's the Fever World Cup for basketball. It's going on right now and you know for thing is we're supposed to play, he was slated to play, and then all of a sudden, we get the twink. You know, with that sense, south East nation ablaze, as always. It don't take much to get us on fire, but as soon as we saw four to six and it wasn't rings next to it we lost our mind. So the injury that's being put out, there is being said that it was plantar fasciitis, which I think about junk of nowhere had that injury and it wasn't really, you know, good for him in a long run. So just what is your, where's your concern meter with that? And you know, just you know, do you think we see him in time for training camp?

Dave Clarke: 2:51

Yeah, I mean he's supposed to be ready by training camp. If all of this is true and above board and everything that we're hearing is correct, then he should be good to start training camp. I think I'm suspicious of the timing of the tweet and the diagnosis and turn timetable for return, because it would make a ton of sense to me if the Celtics traded for this guy with already established injury concerns and they were like listen, we're going to need you to not play in that tournament. I your, your MBA career comes first. We want you to look fully healthy and ready to go. We don't want to risk an injury. That's like outside of the Celtics per view. It happens in soccer all the time, which is, I guess. I guess my concern meter is low, to answer your question more succinctly, but it happens in soccer all the time, where the people that pay players are the clubs you know these cities that host teams and the and the sort of franchise owners that pay soccer players but they also go on essentially a volunteer basis to play in tournaments for their country. So it's a very similar situation. Now, if it's the World Cup, which in, in soccer terms, is the biggest tournament you could possibly play in, and this is the dreams of every kid. You're not going to fake an injury, to not go on international duty. You know to go to go play for your country, the FIBA World Cup in comparison to actual MBA games is not the same thing. So I would be unsurprised if this was a move to make sure that he was in fact fully healthy for the for it to come come training camp in eight weeks or whatever. It is eight weeks from the time we got the news and you know it's like it what players always do in soccer, like Liverpool players, for example. It's like, oh, there's an international friendly game, right, and say you're like fresh off an injury or you know you just come back into the team, or there's like a risk of something. Your physios, your health and safety department, whatever you know, whatever you're calling those guys who are in charge of your, your wellness, are they want to keep you, they would. They're like they don't go to a friendly, which means nothing, right, and go to that teams, health and safety people where they might have a different philosophy on your injury, or that coach who's less concerned about your timetable of return because he only needs you for this week and then you can fuck off, for you know, a few months before we do anything international again. So, like they care less, they want to keep you in the bubble of your respective employer. Essentially right. So because that happens all the time in a sport I watch on a regular basis, that's, it's smacked of that for me. Right away, that was my first thought was I think I'm not saying it doesn't have plantar fasciitis. I'm just saying like if, if the Celtics sniffed anything, they'd be like you're not going to that. You know what I mean. Like you're not, you're not doing that. So, whatever Now I could be wrong, poor Zingas could be like all about playing for his country in the feeble world cup and this could be incredibly important to him, and like this might all be made up, but I don't know. I. For me it's it's like a wait and see and let's see if he does make it to training camp. If he's there on day one of training camp, I think I'm vindicated in this stance, and he makes it through the whole thing, et cetera, et cetera. They're not idiots. This is a multimillion dollar asset. You know. This is a multimillion dollar asset that they've gone and got and just for public relations purposes, you don't want this guy to start the season of her. You know, because, like, as you said, it takes very, very little for Celtics nation, Celtics Twitter to start wetting the fucking bed when something happens. And it's not as though I have been completely devoid of guilt in that department either, but with the fact that this is a known quantity, with poor Zingas and and you know he's had seasons where he hasn't been fully healthy, and the frustrations that we have at his position and just in general of players getting her to start seasons, I just think they're being extra careful. I really do. I think it's a good business move above anything else and I just think, yeah, I want him, like rolling in to the, to the training center.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 7:15

What's the training center calls the, the one you can see from the, I want to say the, the the hour box center. Yeah.

Dave Clarke: 7:22

You can see it when you're on the on the mass pike coming in, and I want him rolling in there every day, get a massage at 9am, you know, eating his greens, getting his nutrition's tracked to get in CT scans and stuff, stretching, doing yoga, drinking tea, fucking, getting sleep cryotherapy, fucking like recovery light training. I want all of that in the confines of this huge business that is the Boston Celtics organization, which, quite frankly, is a lot bigger than most international country basketball teams. Now, that's not the same thing when it comes to international countries, soccer teams, for instance, rugby teams, I mean, you know there's, it's just a different kettle of fish. But as far as basketball goes, the NBA is king. So I want him at home resting, recuperating, I want him a hundred percent, I want them to know what his fucking tear ducts are doing by the time training camp comes around. And I, you know, I want all the shit tracked his heart rate, his fucking lactic acid levels, and I want him a hundred percent. A hundred percent when he comes in on game one in October, that's, you know, and I think if that's all the case, then it's a great move. It's a great move by the organization.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 8:35

Yeah, listen, I'm glad that we're on the same page with this, because I, when I saw the tweet, I was just like yo, like I was like why come on Sam's like, come on, come on, brad, don't, don't, don't do this. Well then I remember it. It's like people and people forgot, immediately the same day that that tweet was out there, he was shooting pull up threes for my 30 feet. Yeah, it was gunning them down, yeah, yeah. The same day they said, oh, what's the game? You have a plantar fasciitis for real. Guess what? You're going to be off your feet. He was shooting, he was shooting from 35 feet. So I was like, take a deep breath, give it time, it's okay, like, he's going to be, he's going to be fine and, once again, maybe there's some other little thing that's going on. But I don't think is that. It just had it had to sound serious so that you know he doesn't get, you know, I guess, the right to be from, you know his country. But I do think that they really wanted to play. I think he wanted to play.

Dave Clarke: 9:37

Oh, I'm sure, I'm sure it's that, like I think it's the Celtics. Call you know.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 9:42

Oh, for sure, For sure. And once again, I same thing with because our, our work was going to play, I think, for Dominican Republic too, and it's like look man, you're. You're 95 years old in basketball terms. Sit your ass down. I did. You should be doing nothing out but spending time with your family in the pool, drink your peanut collards, push your dad in the background and just and you know, watching scarfs.

Dave Clarke: 10:08

I don't know, it's just, it's just for locks.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 10:10

It's for locks. You want to put up a couple of jump shots at the gym? Cool, not a problem. Other than that, you should not get any kids ready for school because the new school year is coming. That's about it.

Dave Clarke: 10:20

You know resistance band training in the morning, Maybe? Yeah, no way, I was just yeah.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 10:28

So, yeah, I'm glad we have a right page and I was glad to see there was other people that actually agreed with our sediment. Like I said, you can't just you know, just like with the low management stuff, like you have to actually have to say this to Andrew. You can't just say, oh, they're resting, you have to say that is for an actual thing. So, yeah, I'm totally on board with that, that having to be that. Once again, when you sign him, it's for a two year. You know $60 million extension. You're obviously investing in the next three years with him. So, yes, you have to make sure that, whatever precautions you can take, you can. And yeah, it's about September, late September, and it's about October 25th. Like I said, we'll get into that later on when they open up against the NIC. So, yeah, I said I don't actually care less about his tournament, honestly, and this is going a step further, but it just goes against what you just said. But I just feel this is how I personally feel. I would even care if you send notes to the Olympics to like, fuck that, I'm sorry, I don't care. Like the only goal that matters is Larry. That's. The only goal that matters to me is Larry O'Brien and I get it. Go, there's a dope. I would not sit here and say that's not the case.

Dave Clarke: 11:40

Again, I mean from the self perspective. Right, you employ this guy. Right, you have a guy that's over seven feet tall. The general consensus is his body is not as likely to hold up as a guy who's six foot three. Right, that's not always true, but with him, specifically because of his injury risks, and you're employing this dude, I think it's fair enough to say everybody's got a finite amount of games in them. Everyone's got a number, everyone's got a number that they hit. You know, me and my friends in college used to joke around about Kevin Garnett. You know, obviously KG was still playing for us and every time somebody took a shot after the whistle as you I'm sure remember, kg would jump up and slap the fucking ball away because it's like you're not getting a rhythm on my court. Like, fuck you. I get, I understood it. But like, towards the end, me and my friends that I lived with had this running joke of like how much do you think he wants those 10,000 jumps back? You know, like how it's like, because if you just have 10,000 more jumps instead of jumping up and slapping the ball away, it seems insignificant. But to me, if you have a finite amount of games and we're paying you to play those games. We're paying you to pay those games for us, right? You were paying you to play them for the Celtics. So if the circumstances were different, if it wasn't such a if we weren't on such a knife edge with with getting a guy in at that position that we kind of need so badly to be there when it gets really important, I don't mind him getting games managed in the season, I don't mind if he misses a couple of weeks here and there because his fucking calf hurts or you know, whatever it's like. Whatever, we'll just take precautions. Like it's a long regular season, I want him there for the playoffs and I and I don't, and I don't want him just there for this year's playoffs. I don't want him just there for now. I want him there for every fucking day that his contract is paying him a ludicrous sum of money to put the fucking round thing and the other round thing. So he does that for us. We fucking pay him. So no, you're too injury prone. Sorry, you're not going to the world cup and you're not going to the Olympics. Like I don't know what to tell you. You want to cause a fucking thing about it. We'll see. But if I was the Celtics I'd be doing the same shit.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 13:54

No facts. I mean same thing. I think that's probably why the channel is not playing now either. I thought he would have played. That's the case. I mean, there's anyone on that team that wants to play every game and it doesn't matter where he's at work to do.

Dave Clarke: 14:05

You know, we got work to do.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 14:07

Right. So I know I think it's actually I mean great, we say it now, but we didn't fill up. We have the game seven. But it's probably good that he had the ankle injury at that time, because he would have played this summer, right. And then we didn't be like, okay, now he comes in October, september, and he's gassed, so he's playing it to August, he's. You know, he's played all year round.

Dave Clarke: 14:26

I actually say on that note we have to figure something out in that regard, because there's now two seasons in a row that by the time the playoffs came around, he had something that was banging him up and affecting his performance.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 14:37

Well, he came out of nowhere, though I feel like that wasn't something that was no lingering.

Dave Clarke: 14:41

I, I, I understand what you're saying because, like, you saw it happen because he like came down on the ankle and then like didn't actually play right. But I do think that there's like probably someone more qualified than me and like in physical science, but I would bet that there's an idea of like general durability and amount of use played Like. There's it like. You know like when you see somebody roll, you know like when an injury like roll an ankle or like fuck up their knee or something, and it goes in a weird direction and then they're fine and you're like Jesus Christ, it's like that's because you like stretched good, bro, like he was playing a lot of hard minutes. You know what I mean. Like I just feel like we need to yes, I agree with you on the front end we need to make sure that he is recuperating, resting, not playing stupid amount of minutes and in like same thing as with porzingis. But I also think it's like. I think that there has to be something said, for I know they're not load management guys and I do respect it. I generally respect like what Tatum's stance is on it with like, and you know I enjoyed those quotes I think it was probably a couple months ago now, where he's like what I do. I just don't feel like fucking playing against New Orleans. Like you know, those people paid the money to come see me play. Blah, blah, blah, blah. I think that that's a good attitude, is like a superstar on the team, I and the best player in the team. I think it's a good attitude in general. But I also think that it shouldn't be up to him. I think it should be up to the people who are doing our sports science and they're like. If they're like he could really use the game off and it would. It would significantly reduce his risk of injury. I think we should do it and I know that that goes against like the old head thing of like whoa. You remember when fucking Carl Malone was playing like and it's like I understand, but it's not 1998 anymore like we understand so much more about the body now. So let's just listen to the fucking people whose job it is is all I'm saying yeah, I'm okay with that.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 16:29

I mean, like he, I think he plays all 82, I don't think he's. I mean, we don't play all it's about minutes, though.

Dave Clarke: 16:35

It's about minutes and it's about what you're asking him to do in those minutes.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 16:38

Right, I'd be okay with him going from 82 games or 80 games to like 71, yeah, 71 games and then, instead of playing I know he played, but he probably played about 36 a night, yeah, um, if you get him down to about 31, yeah, a night, um, I think that would be you know he's bringing some fucking depth.

Dave Clarke: 16:57

On the wing, though, which I know is on your agenda. I don't want to jump ahead, but yeah, hold on, I'm gonna.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 17:01

That's, that's the good thing, we're gonna. That's, that's that's next. So, um, I feel like I jumped ahead too, but that's fine, we get excited, uh, so yeah, so the report came out that you know the sellers are working out Lamar Stevens, who I feel like was Jeff the bike Cleveland or played for Cleveland for a little bit. I know it was much about him, but then obviously you know TG awards a little more proven commodity. Both guys could fill the wing position. Uh, that, thanks Stevens is a little more kind of like what they just got would join a wall, so I don't know, and they would go down route. So, um, just, I mean I don't know how much you know about both players, but I mean we know more about TJ. Uh, we know, would you be cool with, uh, either one of them joining the team and just filling out that last rock the spot or, you know, would you rather hold it open, for you're like a bio guy later on in the year?

Dave Clarke: 17:46

um, I, like you, I know more about TJ Warren than I do about Lamar Stevens. I do know that Lamar Stevens played in San Antonio, which always I'll see this never catch, okay, um is always, always, always, always a good sign to me. Um, I think anyone coming out of that organization like I've been on record and I think it's hard to debate that that's the best run organization the past 30 years um, just as far as like top to bottom what they do, I think you can make the argument that that Kawhi stuff happened and that was a little weird, but that was a little bit of an anomaly, and then it turns out that Kawhi maybe doesn't like to play basketball. So I think that, um, I think that anyone coming from there is a good sign, but I, like you, I don't know a ton about him. I haven't seen him play a ton of basketball. Um, so I guess I'll answer your question in two parts. If it was Lamar Stevens, I'd rather keep that spot open, um, and and see what the bio market looks like. Uh, we so rarely take advantage of that bio market and I think we're in a really, really prime position to do it this year. Um, and also, that would give us a little bit of leeway to see what the team is shaping up like and what we really need. I mean, I think that there's things you can identify on April, I think the win position is that like right off the bat because I do I. You know we've been calling for wing depth for those guys for a while but at the same time, um, what type of wing player are we looking for? You know what, uh, what kind of minutes like if we're trying to get Tatum down to 31 and Brown? you know, I think Brown's probably right, right around the 33, 34 minute um mark and I'm a little less concerned about bringing his minutes down because he's sort of proven to be more durable knock on wood, but I think that we should start to look at those minutes. If we're considering a Lamar Stevens, we should start to look at those minutes and start to look more specifically what we need, and I think we could probably do better with a higher impact bio guy, tj Warren. I like um, I like his. I would be okay if it was him um, if we wanted to go that route, because I think that he has size um and I think he brings something different than Tatum and Brown. When he gets on the floor, um, he can score. He's not a prolific scorer, but I think if he could come in and get you nine to 11 points off the bench, I think that that's pretty possible. We saw sort of two different versions of him. I think the version of him we saw yeah, yeah, well, the version of him that we saw in Brooklyn is very, very different than the version we saw in Phoenix, and I think that um in. Indiana too, and while both of those that I mentioned are smaller sample sizes, I? I am optimistic that he's the better version that we've seen like in reality because of, because of circumstance, so I'd be super cool with him coming in. He's the exact kind of the? Um sort of four that I like. I think that he offers some things that are similar to Tatum, but obviously he's not as good, um, but also I think that he just offers a little bit of robustness in that, in that wing position, um depth, like you were saying. So I guess what where I would come to is I don't really want Lamar Stevens. I don't know much about him. May I'd be happy to be proved wrong, as we always say. Um, you know, I want him to be good, but I would love to to hold out for the bio market, which I I'm not sure why, maybe it's a Brad Stevens thing, but Danny wasn't huge into the buyouts either. I'm not as like up on the contract, um, you know luxury tax stuff as I should be, probably, and I don't know what it means financially in those buyout situations. I know that it costs you money, um, obviously. So you know that might be a reason there might be sort of a you know it like. It's like I could see a general manager listening to their owner in that situation where you're saying, like the return ill investment you usually get in the buyout market isn't worth x amount of money because this, this and this has to happen to get them to a buyout position in the first place. Right? So usually you can find certain players that you know this is a little bit more rare, but certain players that have maybe become um surplus to requirements in a different situation that would be perfect for us. Like one man's trash is another man's treasure. The problem when you're in a position like the Celtics are in is you're feeling small holes. At this point, like that the team has sort of been built out and and the big pieces are there, um and like we kind of know what we're going with here, there is versions of bench players that I would like to see improved on from previous seasons. For obvious reasons, and as much as I fucking hated Grant Williams, he was wing cover, so we have to do something like about that too. So you know I'm I don't mean to sound like unexcited about it, I just I'm very chill about where the roster is right now, and I know that that's a little antithetical to the sort of general consensus of Twitter, but like that's Twitter for it, you know, or whatever the fuck I felt. Now that's just the culture. Um, I'm, as a just a reasonable basketball watcher, for the most part quite chill about the whole thing. So I would, like you said I would, I would be happy to chill and wait until the buyout market kind of comes around, especially with this mid-season tournament and like what that means, and I'm not really sure what that's going to mean for minutes and and you know I don't love that it's happening, because that's a separate conversation entirely. Um, I would, I would imagine you're a, you're a TJ Warren fan, is that? Is that the case?

Rayshawn Buchanan: 23:12

no for sure I think. Obviously you know he turned into like prime MJ in the bubble. What it was ridiculous. I know there's, but that's the bubble, so a lot of places no, no, no, it was I mean, but it was like, like it was a joke, how, like the numbers he was going up like right, there was like 50 through any game. Now it was like right, what, like whoa, like yeah, are you kicking that?

Dave Clarke: 23:35

yeah, the air was different in there, for sure, yeah.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 23:37

I was like wow. I was like okay, like that. That was like I'll, that's also like what.

Dave Clarke: 23:42

That's also the fucking rod I used to beat Lakers fans with. I'm like I'll see shit. Like yeah, tj Warren looked like fucking Larry Bird in the fucking bubble.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 23:50

That's one of the championship like that.

Dave Clarke: 23:52

That fucking all year was crazy, you know yeah, I'm like that's.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 23:56

I was like maybe because you know, some guys need to block out the noise and just go out of hoop. Maybe he's one of those guys, um, so so I was like, but I was like that that was. That was an insane run from him. But yeah, I just think from what they're looking at I know they just signed his form a teammate um, oshae Brissette, over the summer as well, and to me I feel like Oshae Brissette's more of a backup to a Rob and Aladon, even though he's not as big a little guy. But I feel like he plays, you know, like them. So I felt like he's gonna be a third guy kind of something out there where Cornette I feel like at times. So that's a little different um where TJ Warren can kind of spell Brown and Tatum, uh, whether they're out, whether they're gonna play less minutes. One more tonight.

Dave Clarke: 24:38

You know Sam Hauser factor, you know I mean exactly, exactly you're in the Sam Hauser camp, um, if you, if you're a Sam Hauser fan, um, I, you know, you have to sort of ask yourself are we gonna sign guys that are taking away minutes from him like he make a leap? Are we in a position to watch him make a leap? At this point, all signs points are like like, if I'm Sam Hauser, I probably want to be somewhere where I'm playing, you know, 25 minutes a game, which I just don't see as being super realistic but I don't, I don't, I don't, but I he's not, he's not 25 a minute and like died yet anyway, not yet, no, but you, you gotta give him you gotta see a minute short where you got a minute a few minutes. He hit him better. You know what I mean. Like you gotta start sure stuff. You start gradually up in those minutes to see where you can go. I think that, like I like the idea of him a lot more than I'd like him in practice a lot of the time. Like we really are missing like a fucking spot up jump shooter, like a guy that can just like put that ball in the net from a spot as and like. The reason I say we're missing it is because, like I mean, it would be a luxury like porzingas can do it, but like I don't want him to be wasted on just like the as the third shooting option or the fourth shooting option all the time. Like I want him like we've talked about this extensively like moving in and out, picking rolls and all that shit. I want him to shoot the three, two, don't get me wrong. But I find out like everybody just plays solo ball thing is like the foot, this stuff of nightmares for me, to be honest. So I think like a guy that can, like it would be such a nice luxury to have a. Sam Hauser's three point shooting percentage was at a really respectable level this year at a 15 minute mark, because he's going to be unguarded a lot of the time, because if you put him on the floor with Jason Tate and Jaylen Brown, chris has porzingas and I don't know probably had white white playing playing point. In that situation, everybody's a threat to score at that point. And it if Hauser's open because like they're trying to slide guys on to fucking you know, porzingas because he's killing you, or Jaylen Brown because he's killing you, or Jason Tate because he's killing you, or fucking Derek White because he's killing you. And Sam Hauser just has this lovely existence of every time he plays 15 minutes for the Celtics, he finds himself standing alone in a corner you know what I mean. And we find him to get a ball because we're moving the ball better than we did at the end of last year. Hopefully, that's a. That's a thing for me I want to see. So I you know if we're going to bring a guy in at that position. Yeah, tia Tj Warren could probably do it, but yeah, a guy that's like robust, a guy that's set in screens the guy I thought Grant Williams was for like five seconds would be good. Um, um, marcus Morris, I would be happy to have him in there. You know what I mean? like a fucking someone like yeah, I think Tj well, maybe not defensively, but I feel like everything else he does, essentially what Marcus Morris, right, right or even yeah, yeah yeah, so I mean, you know, um, I thought that he fit here very well when he was there, obviously, but you know yeah, we were also in an era, though and I don't want to re-enter this era where, like everybody, thought they were the next fucking re-allon for periods where, like Marcus, Morris was taking three shots and five. And was his name. Oh my god, I can't believe it. He just was there. Yeah, no, not really. I didn't mind what he shot, despite the, the unglorious, this disclorious way that he went out. Uh, if I'm missing 8000 shots, but I, uh, what can I fuck? Remember is a Crowder. You know Crowder thought he was the second one, so probably yeah, g of, uh, fucking of Reggie or Ray or Steph, and I'm like, dude, please stop fucking shooting. So I just don't want that to happen again. So like, if we guys in there they're just put on threes, I I can't, but also we and this is not a celebration of this, necessarily but we no longer have Marcus smart on the team and he was the least efficient fucking shooter I've ever seen in my life. So you know, maybe we'll look at if other guys are taking no, yeah, I mean.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 28:32

No, I mean that's, that's true. I mean once again, um, you know, we'll see how it looks to have a a point guy who's looking to um be a pass first. Yeah, or even even like once again Brogdon became the higher gun, but that's where Brogdon's calling card was Indiana, even in Milwaukee like what's his screen?

Dave Clarke: 28:54

though it's so weird, I like, yeah, I mean I won't go with that injury, I'm just used.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 29:00

Yeah, he's, he's not a lot of the he's here at pass February and, honestly, yeah, um, I don't think they've done enough to repair their relationship. Um, mostly they cut off, but um.

Dave Clarke: 29:09

I'd be happy enough honestly like that because I'm happy with the idea of the, of the transition of focus going to the front court and that's what I've been for for years. I'm happy enough to like there's a lot of good point cards, bro. Like there's a shitload of fucking good point cards like you just have to.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 29:25

I know I really like his game.

Dave Clarke: 29:27

Once again, like I'm not saying there's a ton of point cards that are as good as Malcolm Brogdon.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 29:31

I'm saying yeah you can get a guy that can do a job as the second string, third string point card and focus that roster spot and Malcolm Brogdon's taking up on other areas well, the, the guy that could have been a replacement, um, for him, you know, we didn't get to deal because it fell through with the Clippers, but, um, ty Ty Ty Jones would have been phenomenal here. Um, in my opinion, um, once again, that is big, because you know he's only, you know he's around our height, but, um, he's score is, you know, it depends. Well, I, I thought so at that. If you, if you had told me when that happened that he was gonna be replacement, I'd be like, okay, cool, I'm not gonna argue, like let's just see what he's a young player, let's just see how he, how he uh, how how we, how the transition happens. But unfortunately, I say it just didn't work out that way. And then you know the casual, see if it all became. You know, uh, marcus smart. So it is what it is. But, yeah, what is it?

Dave Clarke: 30:29

Personally over me. I don't know how realistic this is, but I would be aggressively putting your trade package together for Jose Alvarado. Whatever we can do to get that would be.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 30:39

I think Photo.

Dave Clarke: 30:41

Celtics fucking backup point card, just a spark plug.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 30:44

Yeah, or he would be a favorite here immediately.

Dave Clarke: 30:48

Yeah, oh, he would be so good. I would also be happy to take back, um, like and this is very unrealistic, but like a Terry rose here, like you had mentioned, like I you know, perfect, the perfect fucking bench garden and a team like this, um, yeah, uh, what's his name? I don't even know if he's in the league anymore. Who is the guy. Every Bradley, you know. I'd be happy to take an Avery Bradley, like it got. We did lose defensive, uh, backcourt presence by losing Marcus smart, as much as we're all kind of doing a celebration of, like you know, the 30% from the fucking field and no half game is gone. He has, he was a defensive backcourt juggernaut, right, and I think Derek's defense is good and Malcolm, if he plays, his defense is pretty good, but I would love a fucking Jose Alvarado man like that would make me so happy, like he would just be yeah, perfect.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 31:38

Yeah, I mean hopefully, um, can I mean his roles? I could be his role is not going to be the score of this shit, but, um, hopefully Jordan walls can cover up a niche as what's why don't I? Like to preach it. Um, well, I mean, you just dropped 61 without boy it and it's not really game. That was dope. Um, that was cool to see, but um, I, I mean it's, it's put up a subtle time with him. Like is this, this is, this is year?

Dave Clarke: 32:03

Before, within minutes now is he gonna get?

Rayshawn Buchanan: 32:05

is he gonna? I would, I would think so. I feel like he would. He has to at this moment. Um, because, once again, if you're gonna maybe more broad than to the two of you, like we're not looking for broad enough to really be a guy, um to set up the offense. He's more of a guy who's gonna really be the spot up. Uh, you know 50, 40, 90 guy, as he was built when he came here. Um, then, yeah, let's, let's see what we're preaching, what we're preaching can do, um, and once again, you, you can't, you can't go on the, on the sympathy tour that he went all last year.

Dave Clarke: 32:34

Um no, it was bad timing. I I did not like that at all yeah.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 32:39

I mean, I honestly I don't even think they would. There would have been a right time to do it. Um, even in the office he's out in the pest, and I might do a video playable enough to To have this, the sympathy tour saying hey. On the other hand, though, getting thrown.

Dave Clarke: 32:51

You know, getting thrown into the fucking hit threes in a situation where the offense is just not working is like, not At the same time, right, like. But I admitted we're like you know coasting and you know it's like let's give him a fucking chance, you know yeah no, that's, that's true.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 33:06

I mean, um, I do think he may, you know, the year before, figure out how to A lot had to be a spark plug without ruining his confidence completely. Um, I know there was times that he had been a lot of coaches, decisions, uh, dmp's, but, um, I feel like he made the best of his opportunities the year, the year before. I agree, oh, I'm not a coach. So, um, what's the guy? Hopefully that you know, hopefully sam can say I think sam could sell, believe it or not, was actually a pain in the foot of shoes. Um, he was the backup to verna maxwell and candy smith when they won the championship in houston. So, you know, and obviously, him smelt came three times champion, now five time all star. I mean, I'm not saying that pain person in terms of what sam could sell was because he averaged 15 and six for his career. Yeah, um, if what's the big three mean it's like you got something close to that. You, you can, you can book it, that we're at least getting back to the conference, I know, and go out and we get something and play out there from the bench like that. That would be insane.

Dave Clarke: 34:07

I agree, I mean no, I see you saying because you know you can advise the kid.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 34:11

Right, exactly. So maybe, maybe that's where he'll pay his most, um, his most difference is that? So I hope that that's the case. But you know, um, but you know the answer. To wrap up on the original point, original question Um, yeah, I said teacher won't be great here Once again. Um, I don't, I don't know why. I thought, I don't know why. I thought it was like too bad. I thought about this guy. It was another guy named dj stevens, he, he played a keyboard. So, um, yeah, I'm with you. What you said, your sentiment originally, was right. Um, if some of the senate son, you know, comes over, like usually they are, are top the fundamentals, they, they know how to play their roles. They're not gonna, you know, we'll bitch him home. So For next step, point alone, I'd be like, yeah, let's let's, let's do it. Um, but once again, from a talent perspective, um, you know I'm over here for, you know, teaching war and being a part of the team and, once again, being a guy that can Spots start for brown or Tatum, you know when, when they are not playing. Or I said they, they have injured, they need to heal, uh, during, during the regular season. So, uh, before before we get into Tatum Brown a little bit further. Uh, another guy want to bring up Um because it's been circling around that he may come back. Um are you? Are you here for Blake Griffin?

Dave Clarke: 35:22

coming back. Yeah, I love Blake. I I really like his um, I really think his energy on the team, I like his uh, you know, his willingness to play the role that he was playing for us, which Is somewhat diminished due to the sort of diminishment of his Quite frankly, some of the best athleticism I've ever seen in an NBA player in his prime. Uh, but you know he he's also a veteran that Was at the highest highs at points. I know he's never obtained a championship and I know that the lob city experiment was Ended in disappointment especially, I mean I was even I was before we had a podcast but I was very Up on that clippers team, um, before they sort of uh, fizzled and faded and I don't really think that was Blake's fault. I mean, like chris paul has now developed a reputation for, you know, getting injured at the worst possible time for his team's championship aspirations. But I mean, there's nothing you can do about that. I'm not saying it's his fault either, it's just bad luck. You know, I think that in another dimension that clippers team has at least one championship and it was an exciting one to watch. Turns out, the bronze Heat team ended up being like the high flying circus act that went and won a championship. That's uh, that that that clippers were team were so Trying to elusively seek out. But I really liked Blake Griffin's game. Like he was, like fucking NBA, a jam player when he first got into the league. Um, I he's he's from a fun era of basketball that we maybe have moved past a little bit, but I and I think I respect the shit out of the fact that he adjusted his game to stay in the league, um, after that athleticism went with with those injuries, um, and he seems like a good dude. Everything that, everything that comes out of his mouth is like, so like, oh man, I love it in boston. Everybody, those guys are great. You know the atmosphere is great, it's. He's a veteran. He understands what to say to media, he knows like. He's not an idiot, um, and I also just think he'd be a great presence Because you know, you don't you don't want to limit your, your view to what you see on the court. There's a lot of things that go on behind the scenes, as we know. Any documentary you've ever watched about a championship team or like, think about the last dance, the things that were happening in those locker rooms and the things that were happening between the players, all this it's hard to win a championship. All this stuff is really really small degrees of of change to to make everything work. And I think having a guy like that around the kids, even sitting on the backups bus he didn't even mind to see it seemed like seemed to mind doing that and he's probably telling him cool fucking stories from the NBA and he's probably the fucking main man with all those guys you know and and Just the leadership behind the scenes, um, I really enjoy and and I didn't mind him when he played. To be a hundred percent honest with you, I I don't want him throwing on to play out situation probably at this point.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 38:08

Uh, I think we're yeah, I mean yeah, he doesn't eat absolutely.

Dave Clarke: 38:11

But I mean, if he's, he's our brian scallabrine and like, if he's in a fucking suit on game seven of the fucking finals and and he's celebrating a championship with us, I'm, I'm dedicating 10 minutes to our fucking championship celebration show to be like Blake Griffin got one motherfucker, like I'm 100%.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 38:31

DeGliondre Jordan got one In Denver this year.

Dave Clarke: 38:35

Right, right, all those guys deserve one, even if it's like you know, no no even if they're not the stars of the show. I think that uh.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 38:43

Blake Blake playing the.

Dave Clarke: 38:44

Sam Cassell role, you know, like playing by the time the fucking playoffs come around, like that's. That's a dream. So yeah, I'm happy, to happy to take him back.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 38:53

Totally here. And once again, we remember Sam Sam Cassell. That year when he came over, um hit a very big shot in San Antonio when we never be San Antonio at that time San Antonio was somewhere that it was. That was an automatic loss, no matter who was around, who played. Like we just can never win a San Antonio. And he hit that big three to put them up. And then they won that game and they went on a run, uh, shortly thereafter. So, yeah, I never forget that particular moment. Obviously, we know. But pj brown day later on downtown, um, so, yeah, like that, that's where that to me, that's where Blake Griffin was for at parts last year, like he was the pj brown for the team, um, you know, just for a little bit of a better jump shot. So, um, I, I said I would love for him to come back. When I said he, I saw his this show, what's the show that mark jimico does? Um, houston and rafters, and they talked about it at that. The bus form boys, what they call him, and um, yeah, it was great to see the chemistry between him, cornet paying pressure, um, you know. So. So, so, yeah, like he Is, like it's like it's not fake love either. It's not fake love because, like I said, every, every, like, literally every home game, like if they were a big or Like even if they were like down, unfortunately, crowd was the crowd that was left. There was still like yo, like we want Blake, we want Blake. So that that was, that was literally every game. So that wasn't something where it came out of nowhere, but, like, um, fans were really, really wanting to see him play. Um, he, he Definitely just played more hustle than I envisioned. Um do with diversity of four loose balls. Um, you know, gay steals Time, the time we charge it. So, yeah, like 10 to 12 minutes a night, I think it will be suffice, especially when you know Al being up there and obviously you know where this Rob, and even sometimes a presenter. So, yeah, I, I would love for him to come back. I think he obviously and enjoyed it here. So, um, you know, I want to make sure that we keep good vibe, to keep the good chemistry as much as possible. But you know, speak, speaking in chemistry. There's a picture that's floating on the social media, on, on, on twitter. Like I said, we'll never call the x. You know, mama calling twitter, I'm gonna, I'm gonna call the twitter. Uh, tennan brown looks like they're working out together in the summer really seemed like for the first time Really ever in their in their career together. So, uh, I'm gonna do the twitter, I'm gonna, I'm gonna do the twitter overreaction and uh, I'm into this, I, I, I, you went to this, I, you went to this. So I'm hanging out, hanging out and actually working out Over the summer. Does this show anything different for you In your mind as a selfish man, I mean?

Dave Clarke: 41:32

I don't want to be like, but I'm like 100, 175 and sports years at this point and like. I'm very wary of like the, the propaganda machine that like is a summer workout photo. Um, I think, like you know, jason Tatum was also Also at one point came off a summer working out with Kobe Bryant had like the worst fucking year of his life. So it's just like I don't know. I I want Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown to achieve the highest possible ceiling that they have, both as individual players and as a tandem. And I think the highest possible ceiling that they could have as a tandem has much, much more to do with their off-the-court relationship, their ability to Play together and play unselfishly around each other, than it does with their physical talents. So if I'm taking any sort of um upside or or happiness with the idea that they were working out together, it's that they don't mind being around each other and anytime you spend more time with a teammate you can develop a connection. And if they're even thinking of one, two, we're like one or two little fucking Texas two-step moves to bring out in a fucking game together in the gym. That's great, but more than that, I want them to just be on the same page mentally, because what has been true about this Celtics team I'd say for the past three years are probably coming into the third year is that they are capable physically talent wise, skill wise, um, roster wise of winning a championship. What we need to do now is figure out the smaller nuances that go into getting past a very mentally strong Miami Heat team or um, figuring out where to go if our offense starts to stall or, you know, like this is the stuff that you need to be a lead out to go in a championship. And if you look at any championship in the NBA ever the exception of, maybe, maybe, the golden state warriors just going fucking ballistic against everybody and like being impossible to be you need to overcome adversity. It's a thing that. That it's a thing that makes you great. You know it sounds like a cliche, but I think it's true. Like teams going in hot into the playoffs is is great, but that like lower seated team that has to fight the, the, the guy coming back from an injury, the bouncing back from a bad game, that like the stuff that that really matters when you're at the top, the top, top, top 1% of these leagues. It can only help. It can only help if you're having a nice time with with the other best player on the team in the gym. Um, that being said, I mean I don't know, I don't know how what to read into it, because I thought that them as a tandem, like Playing together, that best I've ever seen it I think was last season. Um, that's not to necessarily say that like they had their best seasons or post seasons More accurately, but like how they played off each other I think has always gotten better every year and I think that it's not necessarily the easiest to Players to put together and see Play perfectly. Like you can put a seven foot tall Center and a six foot three guard together and be like just run the fuck a pick, a roll, you guys are gonna have great cabin street, but like two guys that play essentially the same position with a lot of the same qualities, you need to figure out situational um awareness and and situational sort of hierarchies and I think that the speculation, the media speculation, has always been far more than the actual Players with those two guys, like with the way people talk about them and the way they think about them, has always been very different. So I don't know why that would change just because it's positive. Do you know what I mean? So for me it's like great, I'm glad you're playing basketball, let's just see what happens. I just don't overreact to it. I don't mean to sound like a funny buddy, but I just. I've seen a lot of offseason photos. I've seen a lot of of oh man, fucking thinker may feel look great practice today, man, his arm was an electric and it's just like yeah, well, let's see. You know what I mean. Like let's fucking say that's this my only kind of initial attitude about it.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 45:39

Um well, I'm overreacting.

Dave Clarke: 45:43

Um, they're shacking Kobe now.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 45:45

Yeah, that's, that's like every mj and pippin baby, let's get it. Oh, just, it's a thing who do we usually take him to work out with Joel and Bede? Right, we see him working with Joel and Bede and Joe Hanlon who's their you know, who's the user that worked out coach and it's like why do you have a chemistry with him? Bede, you're not playing with this guy. Fuck Joel and Bede Once again. Now, if that's your plan-.

Dave Clarke: 46:09

I did like the 101 videos where Jason would get the best of me.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 46:11

Oh yeah, no, no, they would dope to watch. But this is like, if you're not playing the seed for him to request a trade to us, like I don't care, like to be honest where, like I'd give like every knee, I'd give my niece and nephew for Joel and Bede. Honestly, like I think that would be a phenomenal move, but anyways, but hey, bj and Brienne, I love you. But it was just like you know, like that that's to me. I just I just feel like to me, if I, if I want to psych and analyze it, because that's what I'm going to do, because I'm going to overreact and I can't even start a show. I took that as they like, look in this ever a time that we now need to be on the same page, like right before cancer. Now, like not not September 27th, not October 25th, not February 3rd. We need to be in tune and safe, in motion right now so that by the time we get to training camp we're finishing each other's tennis.

Dave Clarke: 47:07

Yeah.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 47:08

Like that's where it needs to be. So yeah like you know. So it's got to be, got to, got to finish that. So that that's where I'm at with that, and I just think that you know, ironically to me, the best they've ever played and I know, statistically obviously it was this year but I remember the first series they had well, it wasn't the first series, yeah, when they, when they had, when they played against Milwaukee in 2018, the game, that game four, I mean they had to have losing that game, but the game four we're at the day book top hit 30, I was like, oh, like this is how it should look going forward, because it wasn't your turn, my turn. I was. Before all that, all that nonsense happened and it was just like oh, you're hot, don't cook. Oh, you're hot, don't cook. I might be gonna get in the way and I'm just like, yes, that's, that's what's needed. Don't don't just say you're a turn, of my turn, just like yo, if that guy is going off, and you know that that guy has guarded him, can't stay in front of him, feed him more. And I'm just like I don't know why that didn't stay. I get it, cause other people started coming back the next year. We know what happened. I don't want to get into that, but I just feel like if they just say, look, we're just gonna dominate the matchup every time, cause that's what it is, it's not necessarily a ball saying you're a turn of my turn, cause where was it front of you? No, they can't guard you, bro, Go to work. Go to work Like it's, it's, it's okay and just just try to just do your best to make the right play over and over and over again. So, once again, my only over reaction is that, like I said, I just feel like they feel like the sense of urgency is there. I think that I don't think they loved the Morgan Smart Guard trade, but I do think there's maybe a 5 or 10% part of them. That's like he's out of here and that was that. Now it's on us. There is no, there is no man. We, you know we wait till next year or we'll get better. It's like now. Yeah, we gotta, we gotta figure it out now.

Dave Clarke: 49:07

I can accept that, like it might indicate that they're accepting the responsibility for our season which they need to cause.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 49:15

It's on them, it is, it is I'm saying it's set, set the tone, so that's where it used to be. And you know, let's say when, when the day, when the day, and just be 1% better, and they're 1% better is better than a lot of people, so they're just 1% better.

Dave Clarke: 49:31

You know, lock in, lock in, one dribble at a time, one step at a time, one shot at a time. It's, it's.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 49:36

Literally one dribble, literally, please. We literally would Please, please, taylor, please. Literally one at a time like don't, don't, don't, just do much and never guard anyway. So I, just, I don't want to have another hand or wisdom come come January, so, please. So now time is finally here. Like I said, we told you in the beginning we were going to talk about the release, so the center for the NBA came out last week for this whole thing. So so the first question actually is what, what games are you looking forward to? Yes, I'll start at the. What games are you looking forward to in the?

Dave Clarke: 50:12

season, I got the Christmas Day game circled. I think the Celtics in the Lakers should play Christmas Day every year. I think the last time we played Christmas Day I want to see it was either the Sixers or the Bucks, but I like playing the Lakers. I like that it's here. I'm going to try to go so like two o'clock so I could still probably make it for dinner if my mom pushes it back slightly. But I would like to. Hopefully it doesn't piss too many people off, but I would like to go Christmas Day to see the Celtics play. That would be super dope. The fucking community would be great too. The Christmas Day in LA is the greatest day in the world because there's no one on the road, so you can get everywhere in fucking 20 minutes. So getting to the Staples which I'm not going to stop calling it, that I don't care the get to the Staples Center, which is an arena I actually have on record as loving, I would love to go see that. For me, though, it is difficult to look past Philadelphia Game 1. I think that you can set a huge tone with the first game of the season when you have the luxury of playing one of your direct rivals. Now, all of the we are their daddy aside, because the fact that how that Celtics team was constituted last year got past them I'll never fucking understand, but that was a fucking pure anomaly. They should have beat us. I think that it's going to show a shit load, that first game of what everyone's been thinking about, what kind of basketball we're going to play, and this is the biggest thing If we learn from the mistakes of last year's postseason most importantly, the switch everything philosophy that got us cooked repeatedly when Hardin was switching on to Horford. I don't know what that Philadelphia team's going to look like with all the hardin drama right now, but I would imagine that they're going to try to do that with at least with somebody else, if it's not, him if they're able to. It was infuriated to watch over and over and over again in the playoffs last year and I think that I hate to say it. Marcus Smart was a big part of why we did it. His ability, at least in his head, to cover or directly guard any player on the floor, including Joelle and Beaton the Post, was insane and I don't like it and I don't want to see it anymore. And I don't want Al Horford switched on to the deep perimeter borderline fucking half court by a guy who's 8 million times faster than him because he's not 7 fucking feet tall or 6'10". So I think that that will show a lot. The big red circle I have around our first game is going to be really, really informative of what kind of work we've done in the offseason, especially the coaching staff. I'm not asking them to be perfect game one. I'm not asking them to look exactly like they're supposed to look by Christmas, for example, but I really do want to see if Joe Missoula was in the fucking office over the last few months and over the next couple of months drawing X's and O's, watching tape and figuring shit out, because I swear to God if it looks the same or we're playing some fucking five-out basketball. I'm going to be calling it for his head from day one. I'm going to be like just promote Sam. That's a worst case scenario, because if that's the case then we're not doing well. But I kind of want that to happen. But I'm never going to wish bad games on the team so that that happens. But I just think the same thing of anybody there should be. If you're looking at everybody on the coaching staff, I think Sam Casel should be the head coach. But whatever, I'm going to be so fucking mad if we're watching that same shit game one. So that, to me, is probably the biggest one. They have some tough stretches. Right around Christmas they have a West Coast tour that they're going to need to get through. We have not done well on those over the last few seasons and we need to get better at playing away. In general. We play the Knicks twice in the first two weeks. I think that will be telling. I think it's not incredibly important, but I do want to see us play the teams that beat us. That shouldn't have last year, like we kept booking and losing at Cleveland and I don't think that we would have been a playoff series or anything like that, but we seem to keep losing regular season games to Cleveland. I want to see that stopped. I want to be able to beat them. I don't want to see teams have our number again like that in that way. Miami, we need to go out and make a statement against them early because they just have our fucking number in the playoffs. They're up on us in the 2-1, I think at this point over the course Since we started this podcast. So I think we need to right that wrong. We need to go in with a better mentality against that team and a better coaching performance is better individual player performances overall. So I definitely have those games circled and I know we played those guys a few times. I think this in-season tournament in November I think it's kind of dumb, but I bet we win it. I bet we win the fucking thing because I think we're going to be cooking by that point. I think we have the potential to have the best record in the NBA going into that November tournament and I'd like to. I'm really interested if we're talking specifically the schedule. I got November 10th, that Friday against Brooklyn the group game against Brooklyn circled Because I want to see just what the fuck this tournament looks like. I want to see how seriously the players are taking it, because that's going to determine how seriously I take it. To be quite honest with you, if they're playing like it's an all-star game, I don't care. If they're playing like it's a regular season game, maybe I'm interested. If they're playing like it's a fucking playoff game or a tournament, I'm very interested. I guess I'll get on. I'll get on board, but I imagine it's going to be somewhere in the middle. They're probably just going to treat them like regular season games. The rotations are probably not going to shorten up much. You know what I mean. Like I just I don't think it's. I think there's a lot of pageantry around it that won't necessarily translate to the players actually caring more about those games than they would. A regular season game Are they extra games, ray, or is it? Do they still?

Rayshawn Buchanan: 56:21

I don't remember. I don't remember if that's the games that I know, because when we did a show with Mike, mike could kind of broke it down. They've tried to explain it five, six times and most of the time when we have to play some of them many times that means no one fucking knows what's going on.

Dave Clarke: 56:33

Yeah, we just got to see it. I guess.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 56:35

Yeah, just got to see how it unfolds. Personally, what I would want to do, I would love to have a tournament of the worst teams at the end of the year, like going into the summer. Yeah, that would be a lot of fun because you see players to replace the lottery and whoever won the tournament will get the number one pick. That'd be sick. And then obviously, whoever finished second to third like that would be your order. You do it like that.

Dave Clarke: 57:02

And it's a game. You throw a knife in there. It's like all right, fight for it, number one pick. I wonder what the politics of that would be, though, because it's like how much do the players like? There's certain situations, certain basketball situations, where I'm not sure the player would give a fuck If that organization gets the number one.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 57:20

Obviously, it would have to be money involved for it too.

Dave Clarke: 57:23

So it's more incentive.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 57:25

Yeah, you get like a. It's like you get the team is number one pick. Everyone gets like a $750,000 bonus, Something like that, which that would mean much to the first or second guy paid on the team, but to a guy that's totally OK. First and same save. The cell players were in that position where they were in the top, the bottom eight right Think about someone like Jonah Walsh or even George J Davis and guys are two-way players. So I had to pay $8,000 to them when they are barely making $200,000. They would be like yo, let's get it. So, yeah, exactly. So I think that's where it would be cool in that regard. But, like I said, I guess we just kind of we have to see how it unfolds and hopefully, when they do select this, it's going to be here to stay. It's just a matter of how it's received by the fans overall. But as for me, right away I'm looking at the heat game, october 27. I think that is here. Let me see. I'll see right now where it is. No, it's here, guys, it is here. It's a Friday night. I hope that we beat the brakes off them, like I'm with you, I, whether it's the heat, the Bugs, like we. Actually we handled the Bugs pretty well, actually Pretty well on the breakfast stage last year.

Dave Clarke: 58:42

Bugs have weirdly flawed to me these days since they won the championship.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 58:45

Yeah, well, the flaws, it's really their age. They got old really fast yeah.

Dave Clarke: 58:52

And I get it. They had a revamped a little bit in the mid roster after that championship. It's hard though because you can't take championship when you guys out Like I know I get it.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 59:03

Yeah, not even that. I'm talking from a money standpoint. Like they gave Drew Holiday a Max Dale literally as soon as he got to the championship.

Dave Clarke: 59:11

I do get why. For the hit, the role maybe not the role comparatively to other Max players in the league, but the role he was playing on that team.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 59:19

Yeah, it was like you had a pan and also he was phenomenal in that 21 full season.

Dave Clarke: 59:23

So I love Drew. I think he had a great great.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 59:28

I actually I was actually OK with them training Mark and Swarferyme at the time.

Dave Clarke: 59:32

Sure, people looked at me like I was out of my mind but I'm like Mid-range brings, like John Brown's the only other guy that really does it so I wouldn't mind.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 59:41

Yeah, exactly so I would have been like I doubted me. Cool. But yeah, that game. Just like you, I'm here for the Lakers. I'm actually I'm glad that it's in LA where you are. I did not want to work Christmas. I worked Christmas last year. It was great because we smacked the Bucks by 20. That was cool.

Dave Clarke: 59:55

But I hated it was the Bucks we played last Christmas day yeah.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 59:59

I hated sitting there eating food and then it's like OK, at 3 o'clock I had to put on my beautiful, pretty pretty girl. That was trash, so I am more than happy that it is out there at Staples. You know I'm here for it, so we got that. I'm excited to see that. To me they've been fine on the road. I know you mentioned you said they had some struggling on the road, but to me they've been struggling more at home lately last year. I just love.

Dave Clarke: 1:00:28

West Coast trips, you know like I just mean like the extended road.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 1:00:31

It wasn't always going to be hard, though, like I know.

Dave Clarke: 1:00:34

But, like I know that they are, but at the same time, like the way this team is currently put together, like you asked a question on your agenda, do you care about seating? It's like I do. I want the number one fucking team in the NBA. I want them to have full fucking home court throughout the entire playoffs. I want them to be a fucking behemoth. I want them to be scary. I want their reputation to precede them so that the teams that they're playing are scared to fucking play them, you know, and when they start to look like they're going to get, they're going to lose to the Celtics team, they accept it faster because they go. Well, that's the number one seed. I mean, these guys are really fucking good. Like I want us to, like you said, beat the break up breaks off Miami, off Philadelphia, off Milwaukee, off Los Angeles off. I want us to go for the beat Denver twice I want us to. I want us to. I want us to to to. I want our record, our seed and our and our important game wins and losses to reflect that we're the most talented team in basketball and I want that to go into the playoffs, because I don't want anyone to fucking think that they could get at us, you know so yeah, I don't think they've won 60 games in this era and this was an era.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 1:01:44

I know they've come close a few times, but they have 58,. They have 57. I want 62 wins this year. That's what I want. Yeah, I mean they, they was I didn't. Last time, they were 60.

Dave Clarke: 1:01:54

Maybe it was 09.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 1:01:57

608, right, yes, this is 08. But to me the team after that was actually better, after they'd already won that team.

Dave Clarke: 1:02:06

That team that won 18 straight.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 1:02:09

You know, unfortunately. You know, obviously kids got hurt, but they had. You know, when they lost to the Lakers on Christmas Day, they were like they were 27 and two at the time, like it was, it was the same, they were just that. That's, that's what. That's. What we're looking for is on a festival. Yeah, like that. You knew when they, after they went to the conference with Sky High and it was like, look, there is no money in the NBA Consistently that could fuck with us.

Dave Clarke: 1:02:35

Yeah, I want. What I want has to be their attitude.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 1:02:37

You know, I mean yeah.

Dave Clarke: 1:02:43

I want them to be like yeah, we're gonna go get that heat game. Yeah, we're gonna go get that West Coast trip road trip. Yeah, we're gonna win that fucking in season tournament to. We're gonna win fucking everything. Yeah, we're gonna be the best players on the All-Star day. Yeah, we're only gonna hang out with each other in the All-Star locker room. I want all of them. I want all of them you were saying about, about the workouts in the offseason. It's like I Agree with you. I I chalk it up to the modern NBA and the kind of players that we have now and the way that yeah, but it is your. I don't know if you're ever gonna see a kind of but togetherness that we achieved with Ray, paul, rajan and Kevin, but and doc, but I think that I I would, we should strive for it, you know. I want I want everyone to fucking hate us. Like that's the way I like it, you know. Like I want everyone to think we're fucking assholes. I want everyone to. I want, I want the the spirit of, of the internet discourse about us to be Filled with venom, because that's how I know we're pissing other fan bases off If they're laughing at you. They're like we can get at these motherfuckers. They fucked up against the heat last year, dude. I want to be pissed. I wanted to hate us.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 1:03:48

Fuck the Celtics, oh, but I mean that that's how it was with that team down. Yeah, you know what the hate, I want it, I want all this. No, I mean yeah, I mean that that's. That's the best position, since it's a being, obviously you know you got. Fan base is still saying I can't believe you guys are celebrating a championship as 15 years no one knows that shit, like the 08 Southerners. And I'm like, oh, if you watch it for those that follow, repairman said it was one of my favorite players all the time, but he talks about that best five alive, yeah, no form. And that that happened longer, longer, that happened almost 20 years ago now. So, um, I want people to understand it is hard to win and I and I and I get, I get that. You know, you're mad that pierces be Iverson. You're mad that pierces being Reggie Miller in the playoffs. You're mad that pierces being, you know, kobe Bryant in the playoffs. You're mad that he's being LeBron James. I get it. I understand that you're upset that you beat that, but that's what fucking happened at 08. They read, they ran through the goblet and their hardest series of we're being honest was against Atlanta hops, and so that says a lot. So this is just just just being honest, like, um, hey, it is what it is. So, um, it is hard to get there as hard. So, when it almost again. They should have won twice. But like stops it between injuries and you know other guys stepping up, la, you know it changed. It changed that narrative. But um, and that's what we're missing, Matt, is you're looking at that error a lot differently. If they won two out of three, you just are and how it could. They could have faced la three or straight, really.

Dave Clarke: 1:05:31

Yeah.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 1:05:32

Oh sure, you know in itself, um, but you know, it's just, they got that just. That's just not how it. Uh, there was too much good energy up here at that time, though. Like no, the Patriots took it all. Can you have it all? You know? Rest houses, work, rest houses, second air for a little bit and got something. Who they was like? Yeah, but sports guys was like look man, you know how many fucker is he? One a decade. I'm like bitch, I want them all. I Want them all. Baby, you know, I'm a little brother for years. Yeah, and I'm like you don't understand that, but you know that that's another, another topic for another day. But, um, you know, to stay on this topic, you know I mentioned about them not being great at at home. So, um, you know, do you think they finally Right this ship and play better home or protect home court better, because it really pissed me off to be there Certain games against the next, that calves game and we talked about on air last year, the Bulls game from a couple years ago where they blew a 28 point lead, like this used to be a place that people came into and Once that building got loud, people teams were full, like it's like a cheap tent. So, um, do you think we finally give back to that, to that aura, to that, you know, that statue of stature soon the other, just this season.

Dave Clarke: 1:06:46

I mean, I also I don't know if I've seen anything to indicate that we will, other than the fact that we have Christos for thing Is now that we might just be ahead 40, and it's harder to pull 40 point lead than a 30 point lead Um, I Just I I want to see in regards to, yeah, the home, the home court Performance is sure, but also I just I generally want to see that stuff out of the team, like they're just that, the blown leads, the, the isolation basketball that leads to nothing, the, the Trick-or-treat defense sometimes we play it, sometimes we don't. I think it's very possible, because I think we've had a leadership Shaco in Boston and I think that that could potentially result in a different mentality when it comes to that kind of stuff. But I Want to see not just at home though, but yeah, I do see your, I take your point, but I want to see a step on the neck mentality wherever you know and especially at home. Like don't you like I want I know it's a cliche, but I want that like don't come in our fucking house and try to do that shit. I want I want them to be putting teams in positions where we're up 25 and there's a handshake and if they decide to try to come back, we really fuck them up, like that's what I want to happen at home away, I just want to win the games. At home, it's like listen, we're up 20. It's the third quarter. Nobody has to get hurt, nobody has to twist an ankle. Let's just game out. Thanks for coming. I hope you enjoy that, the fucking, the concession stands. Have a nice walk around. Yaw key way around the corner, you know. Enjoy the sights. Go to the top of the president potential building. Have a nice on the north end. I hope you're fucking visit to Boston. If you don't want to do that, if you want to try to come back with this 20 point lead? If you're. If you want to set a hard screen or you want to fucking and dunk the basketball aggressively or whatever, cool, well, let us lace up our fucking shoes. Then, like no problem, you're now losing by 50. Like have a nice rest of your fucking night. You don't get to go to the Prudential Center. You're ordering Domino's, like there's, it's just it's not. It's like I want that to be the attitude in a perfect world.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 1:08:58

So yeah so perper is able to, and I hope Sam Casel brings up the story I don't know if you've done it, he's on the team all this time but, um, I remember the year today, one, two, seven, oh wait, um, the years that Rockins had been on a insane winning streak. They won 22 in a row and they, meow and team back, were just doing what they should have done when healthy, which is, you know, run through everybody could they deal with. They were that talented. People forget whether it's like you know, revision. Essentially they were really good and you know it was part of the sex of triangle. You know we'd be Dallas, you know we tell you, oh yeah, he was on the team, just hit that big shot against uh, I guess San Antonio and Houston was under that for a trip and everyone was like man, you know, this is the real test, like and they can they complete the test of triangle and they beat them by 20, I think, but at least I think I want to say 22 we might be more than that. But I know it was at least 20 points and I always, I'll never forget that, that pick and roll with KJ and Paul. Yeah, and he came through with the KJ. Kj delts it down in the middle. You a camera all the same, right between the eyes, kevin Gardner, like so now it was just like. And to hear, to hear the pain and team as voice after the game saying like Like, what's that, what's that one's do like we want to choose, like he he did not sound like someone that just want to join last 23, he's like dejected. I really I really I really I, I just there's still a highlighted.

Dave Clarke: 1:10:29

Go and look at Kevin Garnett if you like, you too. Kevin Garnett like trash talking highlights. There's still a highlight from that game where you're just listening to the regular broadcasts on like TNT or wherever it is and there's a kind of a scrambler underneath the basket and I think it was might have been traced to be great. He like put up kind of a weak layup and Kevin gonna smacks it and all the broadcast like nobody's mic'd up or anything. You just hear go get that shit out of here. And you're just like, oh fuck, and like you can actually see the Rockets team be like oh fuck, okay, dude, fuck man. And it's like, yeah, obviously like Kevin Garnett was like a Hall of Fame trash talker, but like in those moments you know, those are the moments that you like, if you're saying to sell, you're looking back on and be like these are the moments that define this is a team and I think that I agree with you. I'm not putting too much on him to expect him, I think, to bring a Guy who knows how to win championships to this thing and and those situations. We got a complete Texas triangle like let's go on this West Coast road trip and do good. Let's make sure that these guys coming in my house get be. Let's go down and fucking make sure that every human being in Philadelphia knows that they are Boston's little fucking brother. Like all this stuff Ends up to a successful regular season, more so than like the amount of wins and losses, it's the quality of wins and losses, I think, and I think we're on the same page there. But yeah, I want 62 wins and I want 62 great wins, you know, six solid wins.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 1:11:51

Yeah, even so. One last point on the Coaches out before I make can use a major protectors. I'll make mine for his wins and then we can close out, but I it cannot be overstated, however you want to say, like it can never be cannot be mentioned enough that there was not a coach on the staff last year that had championship experience.

Dave Clarke: 1:12:14

We're really.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 1:12:17

Don't say bad as a player or a coach, right, never happened. So what, when? When I, when I remove the veil of anger and I look back at that, there was nobody in that room that could say, hey, I've been there, I've done it, I've been to the moon top on the scene. That's why is he like To follow, like fall. Listen to what I'm saying to you, because if you do, if you do, x-mine is the. You know we're gonna at least be in the finals. Um, what's it Does ever guarantee to win, but you're at least gonna be in the finals. So I just do, I just I can't say that. Enough that getting to sell, getting, you know Charles Lee, who I think I said is gonna help Rob and Al and the rest of the big men you know tremendously. Um, I just think that that came. You mentioned enough that not having guys around Joe and even the guys that were around them you know the hardies and you know they were starting my day left. So it's like whatever brain trust that was there that was helping him make the system behind the scenes. Um, you know we're gone by March. So that that matters. Yes, it falls on him eventually because you're the head coach, but it's like you know, you're only as good as the people behind you and I'm hoping that that gets rectified and we see, um a Major difference, because once again, I think that there there was moments in that side through, but it just wasn't consistent enough. So you know that that would be. You know, my final point of that before before, as an early prediction Um, I'll go two wins lower than what you say. I'm okay with 16 and 22. I just want healthy basketball. I want good team basketball. Um, I want a better home record. Once again, I trust them on the road. We've seen the playoffs last few years. Whenever they need to get one on the road, they could do it. It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter if it's brown Like, it doesn't matter who it is, it's gonna step up. Someone's gonna get one on the road for them to bring it back to Boston. I don't, I don't fear that anymore. So, um, I fear them being at home and and and, just you know, resting on. Oh, it's this city guard, so we're good. The only game I feel like that wasn't the case was game seven two years ago. It's the box and they gave seven. There's this past season against Philadelphia, which was again to be there for both. Um, you know, the atmosphere was crazy and Once again, there's no as I've been now. So I went to the playoffs when LeBron was down there in Miami and that crowd was that crowd was great for the Playoff from playoffs as the not great record season, but the first post is they were great. I, I'm very old at CS. To me, whatever is calling now but I know there's American Airlines and Mary Gala has arena Does it doesn't come close to what CD garden is when that, like, what it's, what it's all is a rocking. So, um, to me, I don't know, call me crazy, I don't want that all the fucking time. So just do what you can to make sure that we See good winning basketball. It was again. You're capable. Now we just got to get the mental to match the physical, you know, and in the skillset as a whole. So, um, you know, this is this issue, me this high this season. I'm excited. I know you're excited, bobby and Mike, this not with us and Craig, you know we're all excited to see what the stuff is do I said never one thing. We just, we just want health and we want to go to a good season. So any, any last, any last statements before we wrap up.

Dave Clarke: 1:15:47

Uh, you know I've talked a lot about stamina and Gundy. I don't really like him as an announcer, but his wife did just pass away so I can all this in the band Gundy's, I think it was unexpected, so that bumming out, um. But you know, overall I'm just I'm excited, for I would imagine this is. With the NFL season coming up, I would imagine this is one of the last times we're going to talk about basketball until probably october Probably, um, unless something crazy happens or, you know, a big trades announcement or something along those lines. But I am looking forward to getting into the meat of the of the year and getting into the meat of the season, um, and I'm really looking forward to watching the self-display basketball that could be, you know, untrue after game one, like it was immediately, but it's the best time, right, it's anything. So you know that's, that's true.

Rayshawn Buchanan: 1:16:35

Um, and just for me, you know, being a lookout for you know some other concept we have coming out. We have our angela nfo game show, I spearheaded by you know the guy on the screen with me, my guy gk sizzle. So you gotta look out for that. Um, there's some new wrinkles in there so you know, make sure you stay tuned to hot Ellen foals. I think you guys are gonna love it, as always.

Dave Clarke: 1:16:57

You guys, always we record it. Maybe we don't, who knows?

Rayshawn Buchanan: 1:17:01

Yeah, no no, let's see we're gonna get it done. We'll see how we can get some some, some issues that were out of our control. Uh, oh, we're gonna make sure that we get that done so that you guys can hear All the grit and you have to say for as many as it fell. So, uh, for me, case sizzle, I'm probably over a shambles cannon. Uh, we're, thank you for listening and so next time we'll see you, peace.