Does KAT Make the Knicks the Biggest Celtics Threat? | Big 3 NBA Podcast - video Dailymotion

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A. Sherrod Blakely, Gary Washburn, and Kwani Lunis discuss the recent trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks in exchange for a package centered around Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. Did it make the Knicks a viable threat to beat the Celtics? Are there still Eastern Conference teams with a better chance?  Plus, they cover the Celtics' upcoming games in Abu Dhabi, and a potential future for the NBA on an international stage.   CLNS Media is Powered by:   Prize Picks - https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/CLNS Download the app today and use Code CLNS when you sign up & Get $50 instantly when you play $5!   Gametime - https://gametime.co Take the guesswork out of buying MLB tickets with Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase. Download Gametime today. Last minute tickets. Lowest Price. Guaranteed. Terms apply.  Elevate your style game on and off the course with the PXG Spring Summer 2024 collection. Head over to https://PXG.com/GARDENREPORT and save 10% on all apparel.  Nutrafol Men! Take the first step to visibly thicker, healthier hair. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners ten dollars off your first month’s subscription and free shipping when you go to https://Nutrafol.com/MEN and enter the promo code GARDEN!   #celtics #NBA #BostonCeltics The CLNS Media Network is the leading provider for video/audio content. CLNS is a fully credentialed member of the media with access to all NFL/NBA/NHL/MLB teams & venues. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  CLNS' rebuilt their YouTube community in less than 12 months, during a pandemic that attacked sports. Wondering how? Find out here (and support our channel) - https://www.tubebuddy.com/clnsmedia  Visit the Official Home of CLNS Sports Coverage -  https://clnsmedia.com  Twitter - https://twitter.com/CLNSMedia Celtics - https://twitter.com/celticsclns Patriots - https://twitter.com/patriotsclns Bruins - https://twitter.com/bruinsclns Red Sox - https://twitter.com/redsoxclns Non-Sports - https://twitter.com/northstation Facebook - http://facebook.com/clnsmedia INSTA - http://Instagram.com/clnsmedia INSTA Celtics - http://Instagram.com/celticsclns INSTA History - http://Instagram.com/nbahistoryclns

Transcript

00:00The Big 3 NBA Podcast is powered by PrizePix and the Game Time app.

00:25Hello everyone, welcome to this episode of the Big 3 NBA Podcast.

00:28I am Quanie Lunas, joined by H.R. Blakely, Gary Washburn.

00:33Off the top, we have to start with a moment to remember an NBA legend, Dikembe Mutombo,

00:39passed away this past week, and I want to just get both of your thoughts.

00:43I'm sure you've had some kind of encounters with him, but overall, just his meaning to

00:47the league itself.

00:49Dikembe was just a larger-than-life figure on so many levels.

00:55You will be hard-pressed to find anyone that has anything negative to say about him, other

00:59than them cats that tried to score at him at the rim, and he pinned their stuff on a

01:02glass.

01:03They weren't real happy about him when he was playing.

01:05But the thing about Dikembe that I will take away is that, as incredibly dominant and personable

01:11he was on the court and when you had a chance to talk to him, he was a better man.

01:17I think when you have the title of global ambassador for a league, it says a lot about

01:22how you're viewed not only by among the players that you play with and against, but just the

01:27global community.

01:28I mean, Dikembe was a larger-than-life figure not just because of what he did in the basketball

01:33court, four-time defensive player of the year, but because of the lives that he changed off

01:37the court.

01:38He's someone that will not be forgotten about anytime soon because he left such an indelible

01:43imprint for so many players, for so many people outside of basketball, and certainly for those

01:48of us in the media who had the honor and pleasure of spending a little bit of time with him

01:52while he was in the NBA.

01:54Yeah, just a cultural icon, obviously, if you say you got Mutomboed, you know exactly,

02:01people know what you're meaning.

02:03Oh, I applied for that job, I got Mutomboed, or I did this, I got Mutomboed.

02:09Like, you know that you got rejected.

02:12I try to talk to this lady, she Mutomboed me.

02:15Like, you just know that's the meaning of rejection.

02:18Gary, Gary, come on, let's keep it moving.

02:21Really back in.

02:23No, no, no, no, no, no.

02:26Gary went back into the time machine.

02:29Just an amazing guy in terms of his presence, just a presence.

02:34You see him in just kind of the voice, and obviously a great player, great defensive

02:38player, one of the great defensive players of all time.

02:40Like Shiraz said, just not only being an ambassador, but just helping out, like opening up a hospital

02:49in the Congo, his native land, and kind of reaching out and continuing and basically

02:54strengthening that bond between the U.S. and Africa, and also the NBA in Africa.

03:00Just being, just walking around and just being that legend.

03:03Like, you know, he played all, he gave all he could in his career in terms of on-the-floor,

03:0918-year career.

03:11A guy played a long time, many teams, and always had that kind of presence about him.

03:17You didn't want to challenge him at the rim, but just a man of, just a giant man off the

03:24floor, like everybody says, and just kind of one of those guys that never had a bad

03:28day.

03:29Just a friendly guy, the big laugh, the voice, got his due and got inducted to the Hall of

03:37Fame.

03:38Just a guy who was just a gem of a man, and it's just sad.

03:43It's just far too young to go, and he's somebody that we all, you know, remember from

03:49Georgetown, so we know if you're, you know, a certain age, you've seen his entire career

03:55for when the U.S. had started at Georgetown in the late 80s and played with Alonzo

04:01Mourning, and was like the next, that line of great centers that they had at Georgetown,

04:05and then getting to the league, going to Denver, and then Atlanta, and his numbers

04:10with the Atlanta Hawks, obviously number 55, and, you know, helping the Sixers to get to

04:15the finals in 0-1, and just, like I said, just a person who was a gold, just a heart

04:22of gold, would help anybody, would laugh and joke with anybody, comfortable in his own

04:27skin, and knew, you know, his role.

04:29No, no, no, I mean, just knew that, and it was fun, and he just, it was a terrible loss

04:36for the league, a terrible loss for the world in terms of how we strengthen our knowledge

04:42of, let's say, the motherland, Africa, and just what he tried to do in that country,

04:48in his home country of Congo, and also in the continent, to strengthen not only basketball,

04:53but just change lives.

04:56And I'm sure we'll see more tributes to him throughout the rest of this NBA season

05:00and beyond, so again, rest in peace to Mutombo, and of course, condolences to his close family

05:05as well.

05:06But looking ahead to the Celtics, they actually had a chance to have their first full week

05:11of practice.

05:12What were your impressions?

05:13They are now in Abu Dhabi, for those who don't know, they're already on the other side of

05:18the world practicing, but let's just talk about the first week of practice.

05:21What did you guys take from what we've seen so far?

05:25What you got, Garrett?

05:27I mean, basically, all, nothing but positives.

05:31I mean, Missoula is giving them, you know, putting on, implementing plans, a difficult

05:37camp, physical camp, long practices.

05:41They went, I think, a couple days ago, they went three, before they left it for Adubati.

05:50Three hours, they practiced for three hours.

05:53He's getting them prepared, and I just think the guys are coming out like, this is what

05:57we needed, you know.

05:59We didn't want no light practice.

06:00We didn't want a bunch of high fives, and oh, you guys are great.

06:03You're champions.

06:04You know, no problems.

06:05Do your thing.

06:06No, no, no.

06:07They need, they know, hey, we have to play and put our games to another level and get

06:14prepared because this season, this onslaught is going to be even more difficult than 23-24.

06:20And so I came away, just the positive impressions.

06:24Everybody says this is a tough camp, which is good when the players are like, hey, this

06:28is tough.

06:29That's what you want.

06:30And I think the players desire that, the desire to be pushed.

06:33And I just think so far, so good.

06:36Everybody came into camp in shape.

06:39A good vibe about this camp.

06:41And I think Lonnie Walker is a guy who I talked to this weekend who seems to be blending in

06:46well.

06:47Obviously, he knew former teammates with Derek White in San Antonio, worked out in summers

06:53with Drew Holiday.

06:54So a guy who could blend in very well for this team.

06:58And it just seems like there's a real positive vibe with this team before it left, obviously

07:04for Abu Dhabi.

07:07Yeah, Abu Dhabi.

07:09The thing I like about this particular camp is that if you kind of read in between the

07:16lines and listen to what they're saying, they have embraced the grind that they're going

07:20to have to go through in order to be champions again.

07:23It's one thing to have won a title and know what that is like.

07:28It's a completely different thing to replicate that.

07:31And they understand that the only way that they're going to be able to replicate winning

07:34another title is you're going to have to grind even harder.

07:37It's going to be so much harder.

07:39When you talk to players who've won championships and they reflect upon the season after, everything

07:44was harder.

07:45Teams play you harder.

07:46They cut harder.

07:47They attack the rim harder.

07:49Everyone that you face does everything at a higher level more consistently because you

07:54are not just a team they want to beat.

07:56You're the standard that they're playing every night.

07:59And you have to embrace that challenge if you're the Celtics.

08:02And I give Joe Mizzou a lot of credit.

08:04He's not allowing these guys to get comfortable.

08:07He's not allowing them to wrestle the fact that they are champions, the fact that they

08:10know what this journey that they are embarking on now looks like.

08:14They know that it's not going to be smooth sailing, but they're not using that institutional

08:18knowledge at this point as far as how they're approaching the season.

08:22They're coming at the season as if we haven't won a damn thing.

08:26Let's go get it.

08:27Let's start building this thing up so that once the season starts and once we get into

08:31the mix of things, we are not going to treat this as if this is like the sequel to the

08:36championship run.

08:37We'll treat this as if we're hitting the ground from nothing.

08:40And everyone that we're fighting and we're battling, those are the teams, they're not

08:44trying to take a title from us.

08:46They're not trying to win a championship just like we are.

08:48That's a different kind of mindset that most NBA champions do not have.

08:52Most view that second season as a defense, as if they are basically, rather than being

08:58proactive and going out and getting a championship, they're more reactive to trying to defend

09:03one.

09:04And the Celtics, they seem to embrace the idea that, no, this is not a title defense.

09:07This is just trying to stack another chip on top of the one that we got.

09:10And I think it's the right attitude for this team, because when you look at the players

09:15that they have, and we've talked about this before, and we'll certainly talk about it

09:18more this season, they got guys with legitimate chips on their shoulder.

09:22The kind of chips that most NBA champions usually have to artificially inflate and create.

09:27They got legitimate beef with folks.

09:30Not this prepackaged, non, not this, this is legitimate beef.

09:35And that, to me, is what separates them from a lot of defending champions.

09:40And I think it's what's going to allow them to be the last team standing once again.

09:45We'll get more into Abu Dhabi and the Celtics in just a second.

09:50But we do have to address the biggest trade, the news drop of the week.

09:56The Minnesota Timberwolves sending Karlan Thee Towns to New York City in exchange for

10:01Julius Rando and Dante DiVincenzo, who there were reports whether or not he wanted to be

10:07in New York already.

10:09But the biggest story is the fact that Kat is going to New York.

10:12And of course, that affects the Celtics because they're in the East.

10:16Well, they're one of their more competitive, bigger competitors in the East.

10:19But what do you guys think this means for the Knicks?

10:22And does this affect the chances of the Celtics, you know, getting to the playoffs?

10:27Well, I think for the Celtics, they are clearly the best team in the NBA.

10:32I mean, not just because they won a championship, but we just look at the way their

10:35roster is constructed.

10:37There's no team that you can look at and say, yep, on paper, they're better than the Celtics.

10:40Not happening.

10:41So for New York, the battle is really on who's the next best team besides the Celtics.

10:46And so I think in many respects, I just kind of put the Celtics on one shelf and look at

10:50the Knicks relative to everyone else.

10:52And I think this move puts them at worse, at worse.

10:56It puts them on the same level as a team like the Philadelphia 76ers.

11:00And I would say I'd probably lean a little bit more towards New York over Philly only

11:06because Joel Embiid is going to do what Joel Embiid does.

11:09But when you add a guy like Karl-Anthony Towns, to me, he addresses one of the few

11:14weaknesses in Joel Embiid's game.

11:16Joel is not very good at stepping out on stretch base.

11:19We saw that with Presenius.

11:21You're going to see that with Cat.

11:23That's an area that is one of the few areas of Joel Embiid's that teams have the

11:27potential to exploit if you have the right personnel to do that.

11:30They have that now with Karl-Anthony Towns.

11:33But the one thing about Karl-Anthony Towns that we've seen throughout his

11:36career is that one minute, he's Karl-Anthony Towns.

11:40Another minute, he's Cat.

11:42And he's Cat-like.

11:44Nice and soft and cuddly and unable to give you any kind of toughness that you

11:49need to win at the highest of levels.

11:51And so which one of those will the Knicks get when it gets to crunch time,

11:55when it gets to the playoffs?

11:57They got a lot of dogs on that team.

11:59When you look at their point guard.

12:01You look at OG and OB.

12:03You look at that Ross of Bridges is another guy.

12:05They've got some legitimate dogs on that team.

12:08And Cat needs to learn from them, needs to be more like them in that regard if

12:12the Knicks are going to be able to do what so many people don't think they can

12:16do, which is knock off the Celtics.

12:18But for them in their space, I think they're better than Philadelphia right

12:22now because I do think they match up better than Philadelphia.

12:24And I think from top to bottom talent-wise, I think they can compete at a

12:30slightly higher level than Philadelphia can.

12:33The cat dog reference tickled me.

12:39That's what I do.

12:40That was brilliant.

12:41Anyway, I think the Knicks are a different team.

12:46And when you trade Julius Randle and you trade Dante DiVincenzo, two tough guys,

12:54two guys that quite honestly get it done.

12:57And the Celtics never really had anybody to match up with Randle.

13:03Like Randle, physical dude, take your lunch money kind of guy,

13:07physical in the paint, can stretch out, shoot the three.

13:10I always thought he was kind of the key to the Knicks.

13:15Now Brunson is a great player.

13:18And he's kind of become that A1 guy.

13:21But I always thought maybe when Randle gets it right, gets healthy,

13:24man, they're going to be dangerous.

13:26Carl Anthony Towns is a player that I like.

13:30I think he has a skill set.

13:32But he's been a finesse player over the years,

13:35especially with the presence of Rudy Gobert in Minnesota.

13:39And I looked up his numbers.

13:41He was a guy who was getting like 25 and 12 in his early career.

13:45Last year, he averaged eight rebounds.

13:47Like that's not enough.

13:49He's going to be the legitimate center because Mitchell Robinson is hurt.

13:52Isaiah Hardenstein's gone to Oklahoma City.

13:55So this is a team, quite honestly, that needs a big

13:59and needs a dude to pull down some rebounds.

14:01Now you can rely on Bridges.

14:03You can rely on Josh Hart.

14:05You can rely on Adam Nobby to get some rebounds and those type of things.

14:09But Cat's going to have to be a little bit more physical.

14:12He's going to be a tough guy, tougher.

14:15No more just stretching, I'm going to shoot threes.

14:19I think he has very much become consumed with like,

14:24oh, I'm the best shooting big man ever.

14:26And that's great.

14:27That's great.

14:28Career 39% three-point shooter.

14:30So he's backed it up.

14:32But he's got to get it done in the paint too.

14:35Get to the free throw line.

14:36Get on the post and become a big man too.

14:39And I think that's what the Knicks are going to ask him to do

14:42because he got Adam Nobby as your four.

14:44You got Bridges as your three.

14:46And now probably Josh Hart slides in.

14:48Along with Brunson.

14:50If you're probably trying to figure out a starting lineup in New York.

14:54But I give Philly the edge because Philly is just so deep.

14:59If you're looking at some of the guys they acquired,

15:02remember you got Kelly Oubre that they brought back.

15:05Kyle Lowry for his 19th year.

15:07But you also have Reggie Jackson, Eric Gordon, and Caleb Martin.

15:12Three guys who can play significant roles on teams.

15:16So I think the Sixers probably have the depth.

15:19The Knicks lost depth because you traded your top three-point shooter

15:23and your toughest player for a guy who is good, very talented,

15:29but has never done it on the big stage.

15:31Remember, he did not have a good series against Dallas last year.

15:34Shot 37% from the field, 24% from three in that Dallas series.

15:39That was not his best basketball.

15:41He's got something to prove.

15:43We'll see if he does it in New York on the big stage, the big lights.

15:46The towns of the Knicks have been kind of bonded together

15:50and rumors for years.

15:52He was coming to the Knicks.

15:54Now, okay, he gets his shot.

15:56The Knicks haven't won a title since 1973, 51 years.

16:02So is this their best team in the 50 years?

16:06Maybe.

16:08More talented.

16:10But to me, it all depends.

16:13It depends a lot on Karanthony Towns.

16:15Where are your other bigs?

16:17Jericho Sims?

16:19Mitch Robinson's hurt?

16:21He's going to need to fill that void as the big

16:25and not just sit out there and shoot threes.

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18:09That's the thing about adding him to the mix.

18:12If he puts up big numbers, it won't be a breakout season.

18:15It'll be like, this is what you're supposed to do type of season.

18:18I think for the Knicks, that's what made this deal so attractive.

18:21They have lots of physical, grimy, tough guys.

18:24They have plenty of those, but do they have a guy

18:27that can actually make a significant impact as a scorer

18:30who's not named Jalen Brunson?

18:33He can get you 31, 9, 10 next.

18:36Do they have a guy that has the potential and talent

18:39and has shown that throughout their time in the NBA

18:42to be meant to hide 20-point score?

18:45They're getting that with this trade.

18:48To your point, Gary, is he going to man up

18:51when he needs to? Is he going to be that

18:54physical presence that they're going to need?

18:57At some point, you're right. They're going to need him to be

19:00physical, grimy, get me 10, 12 rebounds

19:03in the playoffs against this team because they are

19:06attacking us at will. We need someone to protect that paint.

19:09We need someone to get those loose balls. Can he be that player?

19:12To me, it's not a question of whether he has a talent

19:15to do that. It's whether his temperament

19:18will allow him to be an impact player

19:21when his team needs him the most. To me,

19:24the relationship I'm going to be watching closely if I'm the Knicks

19:28is the relationship between him and Jalen Brunson.

19:31Brunson's toughness is not questioned.

19:34No one is going to question that dude if he's that dude.

19:37Is he going to get in Carl Anthony Towns' face

19:40when Carl is acting more like a cat than Carl Anthony Towns

19:43the baller? When they have that moment

19:46and they're going to have it, there's no doubt about it.

19:49There's going to be that moment where Carl Anthony Towns is going to be playing soft

19:52and Brunson is going to have to make a decision.

19:55Am I going to exert my leadership in this moment?

19:58Or am I just going to let him figure this thing out knowing damn well

20:01he's been in the league for a damn near decade and ain't figured it out.

20:04Jalen Brunson's leadership is going to be just as important

20:07as Carl Anthony Towns' temperament if this thing is going to work

20:10for the Knicks. Because the talent is there.

20:13They are right in the mix. If you talk about the top

20:163, 4, 5 teams in the NBA to win a championship,

20:19the Knicks are in that mix. But Carl Anthony Towns

20:22is the wild card in the chase for the Larry O'Brien trophy now.

20:25So as it stands right now, do you still see the Knicks

20:28as the number 2 seed in the East? On paper, of course.

20:31I do. I mean, Gary might feel differently,

20:34but I think the Knicks are number 2. And I put a lot of that on

20:37two things. One, I think Jalen Brunson is

20:40when I look at Philadelphia and I look at New York, Jalen Brunson is probably

20:43going to be one of the top 2 or 3 players.

20:46I look at what Joel Embiid can do and Carl Anthony Towns

20:50at his best or pretty close to his best,

20:53he's not going to shut down Joel, but he makes

20:56Joel work a lot harder than Joel is used to working

20:59in the East. And so that's the main reason why

21:02I give the Knicks a slight edge because I think

21:05the Sixers' best player is going to have to work so much

21:08harder now than he's used to.

21:11And the Knicks, even if Carl Anthony Towns

21:14is not playing at a significantly high level, they still

21:17got enough talent around him now to where a slightly

21:20below superstar Carl Anthony Towns is still

21:23good enough for the Knicks to be better than Philly, I think,

21:26in a best of 7.

21:29Yeah, I take Philly slightly

21:32with their depth. We did mention

21:35Paul George, obviously him, Maxie

21:38and Embiid at Big 3, and now you got

21:41I said the guys I mentioned, you know,

21:44who's kind of found a home in Philadelphia,

21:47you're talking about Eric Gordon, talking about Reggie Jackson,

21:50guys who have been other places and can come off the bench,

21:53and Caleb Martin, a guy who obviously the Celtics

21:56know a lot about him over the years, and he signed

21:59obviously with Philly. So I think

22:02you got guys like KJ Martin, they got a lot of depth. And the

22:05Knicks, like, it's just hard to trust

22:08a Thibodeau team in terms

22:11of, are they going to make it through the season?

22:14Is he going to work them too hard? And this is not a team

22:17that's super, super deep. I mean,

22:20campaign, you know, the guy, they brought him

22:23over, Precious Achua, Landry Shammott,

22:26like, guys that are okay,

22:29but, I mean, they don't have a deep bench. They have all

22:32their money in their starters. And so,

22:35we all know that Thib's teams tend to

22:38tire out at the end because he's working them, playing them 40 plus minutes,

22:41he's having practices. We'll see how that goes.

22:44There's something about the Knicks I just don't think is quite

22:47there, but I still pick

22:50him as a third, and they could challenge the Celtics for sure.

22:53I would have felt

22:56better about the Knicks if they didn't have to give it

22:59to DiVincenzo.

23:02To me, I don't know if the deal would have got done

23:05if he wasn't included, because you knew

23:08the Knicks did not want to do that.

23:11If he truly was unhappy,

23:14then it does make sense for the sake of your locker room too.

23:17It's hard for you to imagine

23:20he would be unhappy when you're playing with your boys from college

23:23and you're starting. That's fair.

23:26That's why it didn't really make sense. I don't get that.

23:29Honestly, it could be definitely Knicks

23:32PR. There's spin on it

23:35to avoid that kind of controversy.

23:38Back to the Celtics.

23:41Very quickly, Abu Dhabi.

23:44The last

23:47two NBA champs playing against each other.

23:50Denver is also there as well.

23:53Obviously, this is an opportunity when you think big picture

23:56for the league to expand its reach.

23:59The NBA is global, but of course,

24:02being in Abu Dhabi potentially

24:05opens up to new investors, new people that could be interested

24:08in the game. Specifically for basketball fans

24:11here in the US, what's at stake when it comes to

24:14us consuming that game?

24:17You got it, Gary.

24:20I think

24:23the NBA is great to go

24:26globally. The preseason games.

24:29I know they got the games in Paris during the season.

24:32The question is, where is this going to lead to?

24:35Can you have

24:38an NBA team in Paris or Rome?

24:41Could you have a separate league

24:44over there?

24:47I don't know with the travel,

24:50with a six-hour flight, could you have one team

24:53in Paris?

24:56Right now, you're going to expand to 32 teams.

24:59I think you're very good at 32. I don't think the league needs any more than 32 teams.

25:02We don't need no 36-team league.

25:0532 is fine, but what are you doing with

25:08the bond?

25:11Can you create, let's say, a series

25:14between the EuroLeague champ and the NBA champ?

25:17Can you do that?

25:20The important thing I thought

25:23over the last couple of weeks, kind of a development, was

25:26the NBA and FIBA are starting to meet

25:29and have more talks about collaboration.

25:32Obviously, there's FIBA rules.

25:35As we know, you can knock the ball off the rim

25:38after you're kind of goaltending.

25:41The three-point line is closer. There are certain rules.

25:44The ball obviously looks different. It's a multicolored ball.

25:47They're kind of collaborating.

25:50Can the NBA and FIBA come together

25:53to maybe make this more of a global game

25:56in terms of having the NBA champions?

25:59Can you bring a team over here?

26:02There's going to be teams from New Zealand.

26:05Because the EuroLeague season is starting,

26:08them dudes ain't coming over here and playing no exhibition games.

26:11Their money's on the line.

26:14You're going to have teams from Australia, New Zealand, or whatever.

26:17London.

26:20I think that it's cool to go to places overseas.

26:23How much will it do for the game?

26:26How much will the ratings?

26:29The game's coming on.

26:32I think the first game is at noon.

26:35I think it's an eight-hour difference or something like that.

26:38The game's coming on noon on Friday on NBA TV.

26:41Are people really going to watch that?

26:44Friday afternoon, when you've got baseball playoffs.

26:47Baseball playoffs going on.

26:50There are other preseason games.

26:53I think the Lakers play that night

26:56in prime time.

26:59I think it's good for the players. It's good for the teams to bond.

27:02But for the league,

27:05we don't know where this is going.

27:08Unless you've got a spaceship

27:11or you look at Jetsons

27:14and look that up, you'll know where the Jetsons is.

27:17You ain't getting no team in Paris or Rome

27:20where they have seven-hour flights to road games.

27:23That's not happening.

27:26It's like putting a team in Hawaii.

27:29Good luck with that.

27:32It sounds great.

27:36That's a heavy load on travel.

27:39It is.

27:42I think their approach is really this simple.

27:45We know where the bread and butter is of our fan base.

27:48But we try to get some side dishes

27:51to add to the meal as well.

27:54That's why you go to somewhere like Abu Dhabi.

27:57That's why you go to Paris.

28:00You know you're never going to establish a league there.

28:04I think travel is probably the number one

28:07or number two reason why you won't do that.

28:10But that doesn't stop you from developing a fan base

28:13in those parts of the world.

28:16Amazon still delivers jerseys to Abu Dhabi.

28:19FedEx still delivers things to London and Paris.

28:22You can still develop your fan base

28:25by simply giving them a little taste

28:28of what NBA basketball is like.

28:31Your players are cool with that because they're doing it

28:34in the preseason when the games don't count.

28:37It winds up being a win-win for your players.

28:40They get to see a part of the world they otherwise wouldn't do

28:43and the potential to extend their own individual brands

28:46and bases.

28:49The league wins because now all of a sudden you're exposing

28:52your product to a part of the world that otherwise

28:55would not be able to see that or they would have to travel

28:58to watch an NBA game.

29:01It makes a lot of sense for everyone involved.

29:04But the one area that you never hear much talk about

29:07is just some of these countries that they go to have

29:10some civil rights issues in play.

29:13They've got some kind of social unrest

29:16where the rules of law in that particular country

29:19are very different than they are in the United States.

29:22It's one of those things that you don't really hear

29:25the league talk about, which is understandable.

29:28These governments are not run the way the U.S. is.

29:31Citizens don't have the same freedoms and liberties

29:34that we are accustomed to and used to,

29:37which is why in a lot of these countries you're going to see players,

29:40you're going to see people along with the organization,

29:43but you're not going to see much family because family

29:46is not players.

29:49They're family.

29:52They're people who are visiting.

29:55Visitors are treated differently in some of these countries

29:58than visitors who come to the United States.

30:01Those are some of the issues that the NBA doesn't address,

30:04which, again, their focus is on building the base.

30:07Their focus is on expanding their product into lands

30:10and places and spaces that otherwise would not have an opportunity.

30:13I understand that.

30:16But for me, someone who watches a lot of NBA

30:19games and has been to a lot of different parts of the world,

30:22that's one of the first things I want to find out more about.

30:25How does this particular city align itself from its treatment

30:28of its citizens, of its treatment of the press,

30:31with how the U.S. does?

30:34If there's a stark contrast, does that make it something

30:37that you shouldn't do or does it make it something that you look past,

30:40which the NBA does?

30:43How do you address that?

30:46If you're someone who is thoughtful, who has a very high level

30:49of social consciousness and social awareness,

30:52you better believe he knows that he's in a place that's very

30:55different than the United States.

30:58If he's not asked about that stuff, he's not going to talk about it.

31:01But if he is asked about it, I think he would absolutely point out

31:04some of the distinctions and be real about that.

31:07But, again, those are some of the storylines,

31:09some of the conversations that you're not going to hear because,

31:12frankly, the media in that part of the country don't care about that.

31:15And the media, they're not going to ask about that.

31:18They're just happy to be in Abu Dhabi.

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32:42Which they should, because to your point, the first thing I thought of

32:45when I saw the video from the Celsius account of the players getting off the bus

32:50was I naturally noticed that there were spouses of some of the players there.

32:57Alfred's wife, I saw her in one of the videos,

32:59and we know for a fact that Abu Dhabi is a very conservative city.

33:05You have to dress a certain way specifically as a woman there.

33:09So I wonder if, obviously I don't want to speculate,

33:12but is there a double standard right now of anyone that's here visiting with the NBA

33:18will treat you differently, or are these women being subjected

33:22to the rules and the laws of the country that they're in?

33:25And that alone is something that needs to be addressed,

33:27because to your point, yes, the players are there.

33:30All of them are men, but there are female staffers,

33:32there are female family members, there are so many women involved in the league

33:37that the NBA should be at least taking that into consideration.

33:41How are your female employees, the women that are connected to this league,

33:46being treated, and how are they able to even be, you know, explore a city like that?

33:52And it's always a slippery slope, too, because it's like there's a part of you

33:56that wants to respect the rules and regulations of the land that you're in.

34:00But at the same time, there's a certain amount of self-respect

34:04and dignity that you're used to having that now all of a sudden you're supposed to suppress that

34:09because you're in a country that doesn't recognize the value in allowing its citizens

34:13to have certain liberties and freedoms that the country that you live in,

34:16that you've grown up in, that you're allowed to do.

34:20I always find it interesting just looking at some of the kind of the non-on-the-court stories

34:27that really should be addressed in some capacity.

34:31You don't have to spend every damn waking moment talking about it, but at least acknowledge the fact

34:35that this is a little bit different than going to Charlotte on a Tuesday.

34:41Well done. Well done.

34:44Well, we will see how that goes.

34:48Speaking of well done, it sounds like we're done, Kwanye.

34:52That was not the most smooth transition, but Sharadi could work on that.

34:56At least mine are funny when I do it.

34:59That's what we tell you, yeah.

35:01I think the audience would agree. If not, I'm just delusional. Who cares?

35:05But that's all we have for this episode.

35:08Gary, it's not too late for you to get to Abu Dhabi to ask all these societal questions.

35:13Or you can hop on a Zoom, I'm sure.

35:15Yeah, I'll ask when they get back.

35:17Okay, that's perfect.

35:18Speaking of Gary, shout out to Gary.

35:21Yes.

35:22Set it up, Kwanye. Set it up, Kwanye.

35:24Congratulations to our own Gary Washburn, whose book is officially out.

35:29Sharadi and I had the honor of listening to him talk about it at WBUR's City Space,

35:34going into depth about how he decided what ended up in the book.

35:37If you haven't heard him talk about it already, he starts at the beginning of the Celtics franchise

35:42to present day when they won Banner 18.

35:45So if you haven't gotten the book already, go to Amazon, go to your favorite bookstore, order it.

35:50And we got to get it signed.

35:52The only issue I had with Gary's book was there was no mention of Vitor Favarone in there.

35:57Vitor, Sharadi's buddy, or Michael Petras. My bad. I got to apologize for that one.

36:04It was hard narrowing down, I imagine.

36:06No Vitor Favarone.

36:07What was it, 170?

36:09God bless him, no Fab Mello either. I'm sorry.

36:12Damn.

36:13It was 178 moments, correct?

36:1675.

36:1775 moments, yeah.

36:19From Celtics history, so of course it's hard to narrow it down.

36:22Tried to touch on every part of every era from obviously the very beginning, how the Celtics were formed,

36:28all the way through the 60s.

36:29So if you're looking for more of a history lesson, who is this guy?

36:33Never heard of him.

36:34Or, oh, I didn't know he played with the Celtics.

36:36Or I wanted to know more about those 60 titles that we all kind of lump into like,

36:40oh, they're all just Bill Russell just blocking shots.

36:43They just beat the hell out of everybody.

36:45There are some real fascinating stories on how they won all those championships

36:49and a lot of close calls, a lot of clutch plays that I learned about during the research of the book.

36:56So if you're a Celtic fan or your father or mother or anybody,

37:02or if you want to give it for a young guy, young gal to learn the history,

37:06I must say, like I'm not patting myself on the back,

37:09but it's a good book because it was 175 different moments.

37:14You get to kind of go through the eras and reminisce some.

37:17Yeah, and the thing I liked about your book, Gary, and I don't like any book just to be liking a book,

37:23but the thing I liked about Gary's book is that for folks in Boston who deal with the fact that,

37:30oh, you know, the city of Boston is racist and the Celtics are racist,

37:34make sure you get a clear distinction between the city and the team,

37:38because when you talk about race relations and you talk about the Boston Celtics,

37:41check your history books.

37:43Check out this book because this book lays out a clear, definitive distinction between the city and the organization.

37:50They are not the same. They never have been the same.

37:53The Celtics have been one of the frontrunner, excuse me, at the forefront when it comes to the NBA.

37:59So when I've had this conversation with folks, they give me like the side of like, what are you talking about, Willis?

38:04I tell them, do your history, check your history books.

38:07And this book really, I thought, did a good job of just explaining and laying out how, from a historical standpoint,

38:13the Celtics, when it comes to race relations, was far and away one of, if not the most influential franchise of all the NBA teams.

38:22So well done, Gary Washburn. That's what I'm talking about.

38:25Not to get ahead of ourselves, but the holiday seasons are approaching before you know it.

38:29So this is the perfect time to start buying gifts.

38:32And again, like you said, an NBA fan, a Celtics fan, I'm pretty sure they'll appreciate it.

38:36So again, congrats, Gary.

38:37Thank you. Well done.

38:39Well, that's all we have for this week.

38:41We make sure you catch that game on Friday at noon if you don't have work or just stream, I guess, the Celtics.

38:47But we'll be back next week to recap that game.

38:49And of course, continue to talk about what we're looking forward to from this regular season.

38:54For Rayshard Blakely and Gary Washburn, I'm Kwanye Lunas.

38:57This is a Big 3 NBA podcast and we thank you for listening.

39:06.

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