On this episode of the Bob Ryan & Jeff Goodman podcast, Bob Ryan and Gary Tanguay discuss whether fans should feel as confident with Payton Pritchard closing out games as with Jrue Holiday. The Atlanta Hawks are on a hot streak. Can they maintain it? Plus, a full Kobe vs Lebron debate. All that, and much more!
0:00 - Celtics confidence
2:10 - Holiday's playoff value
5:54 - Pritchard closing?
7:54 - Hawks Rise and DeAndre Hunter's impact
14:50 - LeBron's career low
17:02 - Kobe vs LeBron debate
19:31 - LeBron's legacy
24:01 - Michael's competitiveness
29:03 - Jimmy Butler's uniqueness
31:10 - Rockets' potential interest in Butler
******************************************
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0:00 - Celtics confidence
2:10 - Holiday's playoff value
5:54 - Pritchard closing?
7:54 - Hawks Rise and DeAndre Hunter's impact
14:50 - LeBron's career low
17:02 - Kobe vs LeBron debate
19:31 - LeBron's legacy
24:01 - Michael's competitiveness
29:03 - Jimmy Butler's uniqueness
31:10 - Rockets' potential interest in Butler
******************************************
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 NBA tickets with Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase. Download Gametime today. Terms apply. What time is it? Gametime!
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SportsTranscript
00:00The Bob Ryan and Jeff Goodman Podcast is brought to you by Price Picks and the Game Time Podcast.
00:19Time for Bob Ryan, Gary Tang.
00:20We're here at CLNS Media.
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00:29All right, Robert, here we go.
00:30You know, I saw this interesting topic, and when it comes to the Celtics, you know, we
00:35kind of have to dig for topics, but do you feel as confident with Peyton Pritchard finishing
00:43a game as you do with Drew Holliday?
00:47I may almost have to recuse myself from this discussion, given my affinity, longstanding
00:56admiration and appreciation of Peyton Pritchard, which goes back to Oregon.
01:02The answer is yes.
01:04And I think that Holliday, being Holliday, would not have his ego bruised if that were
01:11to be the case.
01:12You know, I think he would recognize the team factor, unless I misjudge him totally, and
01:18I don't think I have or anybody has.
01:21That's an interesting theory, because Pritchard's shot-making ability this year has been upgraded
01:29even more, and I wouldn't mind trying that, if that were the situation.
01:35I think, you know, the way I look at it is it's a good problem to have, and I think it's
01:40for basketball junkies, it's something to talk about.
01:43I mean, if I'm in the playoffs, for me, Holliday's my guy, obviously, to me.
01:49I mean, we've seen what he's done.
01:52He could have been the MVP last year in the finals, I think.
01:54I think he was an unsung hero.
01:57He gets open, he does things that you just don't see coming, he does the little things,
02:03and I think he's still the number one guy to me.
02:09However, however, if you're in a jam, if there's foul trouble, if he has a night off, if he's
02:16hurt, Pritchard certainly has made us feel a lot better.
02:20No, they have a very legitimate three-man backcourt now that they can really rely on.
02:27I think Pritchard has earned himself that status.
02:30Yeah, I mean, now, the funny thing is, if we were talking about this tonight or tomorrow,
02:37or the guy who you would replace is not Holliday, it would be White, who's in the slump.
02:42Now, we assume he'll come out of that slump, and it would be shocking if he doesn't, but
02:47he is in a legitimate slump and shooting threes.
02:52But Pritchard, he's earned this discussion, he's earned this respect, the year that he's
03:01having.
03:02He is a legitimate, although, as Boston always gets very parochial, I don't care what sport
03:07we're talking about, we do get excessively parochial, oh, he's the leading candidate
03:11for six-man.
03:12Well, he's a candidate.
03:13Right, right, right.
03:14He's not the leading candidate, necessarily.
03:17He's a candidate, but he is, and that's fine.
03:22But that's an interesting premise.
03:24The guy has just been so reliable this year.
03:27Yeah, I think it's a testament to the coaching staff, it's a testament to Pritchard.
03:33You know, Holliday's in foul trouble, Holliday gets hurt, you get two minutes to go in a
03:38playoff game, you got Tatum, and you got, you know, Brown on the floor, and Pritchard's
03:46in and you're like, okay, no big deal.
03:48No, you can put a lineup on the floor because of Brown's versatility, that he's really a
03:55combination big guard, small forward, power forward body.
04:00And you could put a lineup out there that would include him as the other guard if you
04:05wanted to have Bowser out there along with, say, Tatum and Przingis, or if you had Al
04:11out there along with Tatum and Przingis, whatever.
04:14So you would have Brown, you'd still have two legitimate ball handlers, etc.
04:17No, it's an interesting premise, but it's a tribute that we were having this discussion
04:21to the year that Peyton Pritchard is having.
04:24And you know, he's, like I said, this doesn't have a relevance to all our viewers or listeners.
04:31He's a combination, to me, of Larry Siegfried, and pick your choice, any house, because of
04:38the three-point capability.
04:39But I'm telling you, I can't think of a comparable Celtic guard at that size since Larry Siegfried,
04:48who last played a game in the 1969-70 season for the Celtics, that fits that defensive
04:54aggressiveness, the feistiness.
04:59And he is a tough little guy, and they didn't want to pick on him, but he doesn't give up
05:03baskets easily.
05:05And I love his rebounding, and his sneaky offensive rebounding is a major asset on this
05:09team.
05:10And we haven't had anybody that I can think of, maybe I'm forgetting somebody, so I'd
05:16be happy to get any candidates, since Larry, 54 years ago, that is that type of, at that
05:23size.
05:24And we've had, Tiny Archibald was that size, he was a different kind of player.
05:29Tiny was taller than people think, Tiny somehow projected small, and he had the nickname Tiny,
05:35but I'm 6'1", almost 6'1 1⁄2", and Tiny, I looked him right in the eye.
05:40So I'm just, this is a total aside, Tiny was taller than people think, I think it was 5'11",
05:45he wasn't, it was 6'1", whatever difference that makes.
05:47All right, why don't we digress?
05:50I love talking about Peyton Pritchard, I'm enamored with Peyton Pritchard.
05:56So now let's get to the East, because the Eastern Conference, things are getting kind
06:00of interesting, and we'll start with the Hawks, and you think they may be a team to keep an
06:05eye on.
06:06I think you want to keep an eye on the Hawks, as we speak, they've won 6 out of 7, they've
06:12beaten the New Orleans, Milwaukee, Cleveland twice, and Denver and New York, they're playing
06:23well.
06:25Trae Young is leading the league in assists, his shooting apparently is a little down,
06:29but he's leading the league in assists, he's a very interesting player, talk about small
06:33guards.
06:34He made a stir last night in Madison Square Garden after they beat the Knicks in the cup
06:39game, he went to midcourt and famed shooting dice, because they're going to Las Vegas,
06:47and some people were very upset about that, and they were questioning why the Knicks didn't
06:50go over and knock him on his ass, and I say, in a building where there's a Hollywood director
06:55in the front row, been showing off for 30 years, he has a right to show off as an athlete,
07:00you know who I'm talking about.
07:03But he's a player, he's a serious player, Trae Young, when he's on.
07:08Jalen Johnson is the big thing, Jalen Johnson is averaging 19.8 points and 10 point rebounds
07:17a game without fanfare.
07:20The Hawks have been kind of off the radar screen, but they should be back on the radar
07:24screen in the East, they're going to be, they could be the category, when we get to April
07:32and March, if they continue to play this way, of the proverbial tough out, okay?
07:38And they could be the proverbial tough out, but that's good, because they threatened it,
07:41they had a good team, the Celtics wound up playing against them in a playoff series that
07:45was really notable, not too long ago, and then last year they fell back.
07:50But they've come back, DeAndre Hunter, who I loved at Virginia, has led them off the
07:56bench now five times during their winning streak, and that's very impressive.
08:04So we talk about six man, I'm sorry folks, he may be the leading candidate, not our guy,
08:10but DeAndre Hunter, 6'7 forward from Virginia, which means he had to learn to play defense,
08:15we never would have gotten him off the bench for Tony Bennett, and he's a nice player and
08:19he's coming off the bench.
08:20So they've got some assets, and Quinn Snyder can coach, he can coach.
08:25Now my question about Quinn Snyder is, why is he wearing those silly red glasses?
08:30And I don't know whether he was a devotee of Sally Jessie Raphael, many years ago, she
08:37had the red glasses, which I found out she got because she needed glasses at one point,
08:42she went across the street to get the readers, and all she had was red, or something, she
08:47got the red, and that suddenly became her trademark.
08:49I don't know why Quinn Snyder wants those dumb red glasses as a trademark.
08:52You know why, Bob?
08:53I'll tell you why.
08:54Because everybody in the NBA has a stylist.
08:58I'm not kidding.
09:00Remember when Paul Pierce was wearing glasses without lenses?
09:03Dwayne Wade was wearing glasses, no lenses.
09:05No lenses!
09:06And they didn't hide the fact, they were like, yeah, there are no lenses in there, I just
09:11think they look cool.
09:12By the way, the flip side of that, was during the Barcelona Olympics, the word, I saw this
09:21with my own eyes, that Scotty Pippen was wearing glasses with clear frames.
09:28Oh yeah, yeah.
09:29He wanted to look studious.
09:31Oh, I've known people that have done that.
09:33He wanted to look studious.
09:35Dude, Bob, television anchors, you know, clear, not for Christmas.
09:41Yeah.
09:42Tonight.
09:43I don't know.
09:44Let me tell you what's happening.
09:45I mean, you know, it's a bunch of plastic.
09:47Eh, whatever.
09:48Trade secrets, folks.
09:49Believe me, you put these on, you'll get dizzy.
09:54Listen, people, we have Gary around, we get some trade secrets on that TV.
09:59On the TV thing, oh yeah.
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11:38Anyway, back to Hawks.
11:39Yeah, 14 and 8.
11:41They're going to be, you know, respectable.
11:44And I love a category of team that you're happy to root for.
11:47Their fans should be happy to root for them.
11:49Right.
11:50Much like the Rockets.
11:51Their fans should be happy to root for them.
11:53And, by the way, the East, when we last checked in,
11:56when I last checked in and we last checked in on this matter,
11:58there were 10 Western Conference teams over 500 and only four Eastern.
12:02We're up to seven in the East.
12:05And the East is not the pushover that people think it is.
12:11It's not going to be if it continues like this.
12:13But definitely Atlanta is a team that has earned some respect.
12:17And good for them.
12:20What's going on with Orlando?
12:22Well, I feel bad for them.
12:24First, they look like they were going to be the next one up after Boston
12:28and Cleveland.
12:29They had a shot to be the next one up in the East over Milwaukee,
12:32over Philadelphia.
12:33I'll tell you a whole other story.
12:34We don't need to talk about them tonight.
12:36And Boncaro, who is a wonderful young player and who is going to be a big
12:41key to our next Olympic team, by the way, when that rolls around.
12:46He got hurt, and he's out.
12:48But they were winning anyway.
12:49And one reason they were winning anyway was the Wagner brothers,
12:52led by France, who is a terrific player, averaging over 20 points a game
12:56this year.
12:57One of the 40 people averaging 20, by the way, but that's another story.
13:00And he got hurt.
13:01Now he's got an oblique injury.
13:04And that's a mysterious injury that I looked up.
13:09It's very nebulous.
13:11It's very mysterious.
13:13There's different categories.
13:15But anyway, he's out indefinitely.
13:18Now they were winning without Boncaro.
13:20I don't see how they can continue to win without Wagner as well.
13:23So that's too bad for them because they were showing some signs of life,
13:26and we'll see if they can hang on now.
13:29But I don't see how they can without Franz Wagner.
13:33Bob, I wanted to mention this before, but when you mentioned Trey Young
13:36rolling the dice at center court because he was going to Vegas,
13:41I think that's the only time you had a league commissioner happy that a
13:46player was insinuating or representing gambling because, as we all know,
13:52Vegas, baby, Vegas, the NBA loves this stuff.
13:56Now, you and I really haven't followed it.
13:58We're not into it.
13:59Our colleague Jeff Goodman isn't either.
14:01But with an objective eye, can you see that this is helping the league
14:04at all, or do you have any idea?
14:06I don't know.
14:07I hear ratings, I mean, are not good in general compared to down.
14:11I don't know that this is – so it doesn't appear to me that it's been
14:14a great stimulus for ratings.
14:16I just can't see people getting excited about it.
14:18Well, it was.
14:19I think it worked last year because LeBron was in it.
14:22Okay.
14:23Well, all right.
14:24All right.
14:25You're right.
14:26Here's the thing.
14:28I've been teaching at the Higher Learning Institution of Emerson,
14:32and it's still about names, man.
14:36It's still about names.
14:37Really?
14:38Yeah.
14:39With sports and with the way kids follow and on the phone and all that,
14:43it's still about names and personality.
14:45Okay.
14:46It really is.
14:47I can't get excited about it, and I just have to laugh.
14:52The Lakers won it last year.
14:54But, I mean, LeBron is still a guy.
14:57If LeBron's in it or Steph's in it, I don't know who those next guys are.
15:05Maybe it's Houston, maybe it's San Antonio, but they're not there yet.
15:10I don't know if Tatum and Brown are.
15:13Tatum and Brown are just so workmanlike.
15:18No, they're not.
15:19They don't move the needle, I don't think, that way at all.
15:22But they don't want to.
15:23I'll tell you who moves the needle.
15:25It's John Morant.
15:27Morant, right.
15:28John Morant moves the needle, I think.
15:29He moves the needle.
15:30Any young player does out there.
15:34I think there's guys that move it for me, but they don't matter to surveillance.
15:39No, but John Morant, by the way, that shot he made against the Celtics,
15:44that reverse dunk for a guy six feet one, it was, to me, the shot of the year.
15:52The dunk of the year, if you're going to do it.
15:55Anyway, he may move the needle a bit.
15:57Yeah, that's a very good point.
15:59I've never been like that.
16:01For me, it's the team, but for people, if it's an individual.
16:05And the NBA, no question, David Stern sold the NBA by marketing Magic and Larry.
16:10They set the table for Michael.
16:12Those three names in the 80s and early 90s, obviously,
16:16were the turning point for everything in the NBA in that regard.
16:20They were able to market them.
16:22So I don't know if there's anybody, LeBron, who's now 40 years old.
16:28We're going to be talking about him all year.
16:30It's very interesting.
16:33He's on a career low, apparently, points per game.
16:36And he's still averaging 20.
16:38And he's going to be 40 in 18 days as we speak.
16:43He'll be 40 years old.
16:48Oh, are you aware, by the way, of this raging X debate about who's better
16:56historically, LeBron or Kobe?
16:58Not Michael.
17:00Kobe.
17:01And it's about LeBron.
17:03They can see Michael.
17:06I have never thought about Kobe versus LeBron.
17:11Have you?
17:12I have not.
17:15And God bless him.
17:17But I have never really looked at him in that way.
17:21I mean, it was always LeBron and Michael.
17:23I never really had Kobe.
17:24Still LeBron and Michael for me.
17:26And Kobe, I mean, when I rate the top, I got him at number 9 or 10,
17:31fighting with Duncan.
17:33Just in general, you got the three centers, obviously,
17:37Will through Russell and Kareem in whatever order you choose.
17:41You got Magic and Michael.
17:43I mean, LeBron and Michael.
17:45And then Magic and Larry.
17:48And then after that, that's where I draw the line.
17:51And I put Kobe along with Tim Duncan at the head of the next level.
17:55But that's me.
17:57It's my opinion.
17:59Kobe's got two titles of four.
18:01Four, right?
18:02I lost track.
18:03I think he's got two.
18:04He's got two with Shaq and two by himself.
18:05No.
18:06Wait a minute.
18:07I think he's got three because he went one-on-one against the Celtics,
18:11and then I think he had two with Shaq.
18:13So he's at least got three.
18:14LeBron's got four.
18:16But I never looked at Kobe as – I didn't think he was as good as LeBron.
18:22I mean, I've always looked at him as Magic light, Michael light.
18:25He's closest thing to Michael, and that's a high compliment.
18:28Closest thing to Michael in temperament and skill set.
18:31You know, same size.
18:34Defensively, you know, Michael was terrific and Kobe was terrific.
18:39I think Michael was a better pair.
18:41They're both great passers, but not on the level of Magic or Larry,
18:45but good passers and clutch shooters.
18:48But I just think – you know what?
18:52To me, this is more not necessarily pro-Kobe, this debate.
18:56It's anti-LeBron.
18:57There are a lot of people that are just determined not to give LeBron his due.
19:01And the people out there, they say he's selfish.
19:04They'll never forgive him for switching franchises.
19:07Kobe played for one team and Michael played for one –
19:10he didn't, he played for two.
19:12But Magic played for one team.
19:13Larry played for one team.
19:14But LeBron has bounced and sought championships.
19:19And, you know, they're holding that against him and this and that.
19:23I just – I resist on that.
19:25I'm a LeBron.
19:27I think he's a wonderful, fascinating, wonderful player.
19:29And what he's doing at his age is absolutely remarkable.
19:34Anyway, it's fair discussion.
19:36It's a barbaric discussion, and it's a new one.
19:38I've never thought about comparing Kobe to LeBron.
19:42Reb says he has five, but then they list 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009.
19:48But, anyway.
19:49Oh, yeah.
19:50Well, they beat the Celtics in nine and ten.
19:53They beat the – they won it – you know, they beat the Celtics in ten.
19:57Nine.
19:58The Celtics got beat by Orlando because he was hurt.
20:02Right.
20:03Yeah, so five – so he has five.
20:05All right.
20:06Fine.
20:07You know, we can – is this that?
20:09Counting the championships, that's only one criteria.
20:11It's not the whole story.
20:13It depends on who's hurt, who's – he shouldn't have been MVP in 2010.
20:16I swear to God, I'm never going to give up on that.
20:19Pau Gasol should have been the MVP in 2010.
20:22But, you know, he gets – it's on his record.
20:24Fine.
20:25You know, and that's – anyway, it's a discussion that a week ago I didn't know existed,
20:29but believe me, it's out there.
20:30Yeah, LeBron's never going to get his due.
20:33I've always felt that, you know, you can – I'm never going to argue with somebody
20:40who picks Russell over Michael.
20:42I'm just like – I'm like, fine.
20:44You know, Russell, you want to – I'm okay with it.
20:47But, like, anybody else, like to me, it's still Michael.
20:50It's still Michael over LeBron, and then LeBron comes in second.
20:54Michael Jordan – there's so many things about it.
20:59His first game that Larry played against him,
21:02Larry came on and said, it's the greatest thing I've ever seen.
21:04And he specified that it's different than – you know, Larry looked up to magic
21:10and compared himself, and he thought they were mirror images in many ways.
21:14But this was something different.
21:16And that night, he had like 29.
21:18It wasn't like a rocket ship game.
21:20It was a workman-like, you know, but Larry being Larry and being the professional that he was,
21:25he saw things that, whoa, I haven't seen this before, you know.
21:29And he told us right away, this guy's the greatest thing I've ever seen.
21:33And that was after one just routine Michael performance,
21:36not even a, well, it couldn't have to be his greatest thing.
21:39So I've always respected that, you know, because, you know,
21:43obviously I'm prejudiced toward Larry.
21:45So, no, I'm sticking – and on my – you know, we've had this discussion.
21:49I've had it a hundred times.
21:51I'll have it a thousand times willingly.
21:53The difference between – here's the difference between LeBron and Michael for me
21:56and how they got each ascended to the top of their respective mountain places in different eras, okay.
22:02Michael got there when he was willing to share and trust his teammates.
22:07And I always say that the 1987 or 88 Michael would not have thrown those passes to John Paxton
22:15and Steve Kerr that won championships.
22:18But he was willing to do that at that point in the early 90s and then finally got himself a ring.
22:23LeBron, conversely, needed to accept the responsibility of being the best player on the floor and acting accordingly.
22:30He was deferential in 2000 to the point where – against the Celtics where I really believe – I hate to say did he quit.
22:36And in 2001 he was deferential against the Mavericks and it cost him that series.
22:41Something happened. We'll never know.
22:43Will he ever tell us? Will he give us the tell-all autobiography, you know,
22:47that I figured out what I had to do or somebody got to me.
22:53I don't know who. Maybe Phil sat him down in a room and sat him down and said,
22:58look, you've got to take over.
23:00But from that point on he became – he understood when to turn it on, when to turn it off.
23:06The word I use is calibrate. How to calibrate his great raw talent with his teammates.
23:11Something that is absolutely necessary for any great player to get to the mountaintop.
23:17And he finally figured it out. Once he did, multiple championships followed.
23:21So, I mean, you know, I'll never forget that Andre Iguodala was the MVP of a finals.
23:27I know.
23:28How about that?
23:29I know.
23:30So, you know, that couldn't happen before.
23:33Anyway, that's the difference in that sense between those two.
23:38And that's always been my – oh, but. And they say, who's better?
23:42Well, LeBron is bigger, stronger, faster, better passer, better rebounder.
23:49Not as tenacious a defender all the time, but he got to be a pretty good one.
23:53But if I'm playing for my life tonight, there's no question, I want Michael Jordan.
23:57He's the guy you want in the foxhole.
24:00No question. Not LeBron. It's not in LeBron's nature.
24:04Michael is a cutthroat, ruthless competitor. LeBron was never cutthroat and ruthless.
24:10He was team-oriented from day one back in St. Vincent, St. Mary.
24:14And just didn't have that personality that Michael had.
24:18Kobe has a lot of that. You know, he's the closest thing to Michael we've seen.
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25:55You know, I just I was looking up James's numbers right now. You said averaging 20.
25:59He's going to be 40 and he's averaging 23 points a game, 9.1 assists and 8 rebounds.
26:06Yeah, he's almost average. I mean, it's it's you can't dismiss that.
26:11I'm sorry. And it's not as if and I've seen X's, you know, he's a stat compiler.
26:18He is not. No, no. He is. I've seen stat compilers.
26:21And I'm telling you right now, LeBron James is not a stat compiler. He's a basketball player who plays every night to win.
26:27Right. And that's what he's always done. Going back to St. Vincent, St. Mary.
26:32And when when he was accepting who he is and how great he is,
26:37he had that period of time where it took him a while to come to that realization in Cleveland.
26:42But once he did, they started to win. Who's the biggest stat compiler you have ever seen?
26:47Who's a stat guy? Do you have?
26:49Elvin Hayes was a stat guy. Not my favorite player. He was up there.
26:55He was up there as a stat compiler. I always kid that they would never have won the championship that they did win with the Bullets in 1978.
27:02If Elvin hadn't fouled out. I love it.
27:09And Mitch Kupchak got made the big play of the game coming off the bench.
27:13Big loose ball. Mitch Kupchak got. Elvin wasn't getting that ball.
27:16I may have to confess, I've always had a thing.
27:20But Elvin is one I have to think. I'm sure I'll come up with a better answer at three.
27:24James Harden. Who? Oh, James.
27:27I, you know, I'm so ambivalent about James Harden.
27:30And when you realize that the statistical accomplishments that he has and how good he's well, he's playing at his age, too.
27:37You know, he's going to be a Hall of Fame. There's no doubt. Nobody's going to.
27:39I would I would never deny him that if I were on the committee.
27:42But but I don't like him. I mean, he doesn't have enough.
27:46Accomplishments, I don't think that could rank him in the top, you know, where he ranks.
27:52I never even consider him when I'm ranking my top 20. I don't know.
27:56Not even a consideration. Oh, he's so he's got stats up to yes.
28:00Yeah. Yeah. You know how he gets all these assists.
28:05He must bribe every scorekeeper in America because I can't remember any of them.
28:09Bob, right. The Phantom assists. Now we got to talk about a guy.
28:15Who's forever in these kind of discussions, this in the history of the National Basketball Association since 1946.
28:22This guy may occupy a singular niche of unquestioned, talented player and a big game player and a big hearted player.
28:31And, you know, who keeps bouncing around and he's up and grabs again, Jimmy Butler.
28:39Right. And now people are looking at Jimmy Butler in Miami, apparently, is what the viewers out.
28:44OK. And I mean, when is this story ever end?
28:47And now to say, well, if Phoenix gets him, maybe they'll bounce back into contention, you know, and maybe they would.
28:53But he's a phenomenon. Jimmy Butler in this regard.
28:57I don't know if there's ever been a player quite in that category the way he has now.
29:01Harden's bounced around, too. But there's something about Jimmy Butler.
29:04You know, you want him, but you want him and you want him.
29:07And then he put this. You know, you're willing to give him up.
29:11And he's 34 now. So whoever gets him, you know, it's going to be for the immediate future.
29:18I always said Jimmy Butler was Dennis Johnson on steroids.
29:24Well, you know, DJ was a tough guy. And God, did he change his opinion on him when he was traded?
29:31You know. Oh, my God. We were. Anyway, that's it.
29:35Let's table that discussion. We want to table that one. But but it's a good point.
29:39But Jimmy Butler is up for grabs. Apparently, this is the word right now.
29:43Keep your eye on that where he might go. And apparently, you know, I don't know.
29:48Now, I haven't done my research. I don't know what Phoenix would have to give, frankly, in terms of draft picks or anything else.
29:54I don't know. They'd have to give up. You'd like to think that Miami.
29:57And I did see a thing. We're not giving him away. No, I wouldn't either.
30:01But it's an he's an interesting player. And it is. And he was not highly touted.
30:08You know, he was just a guy you would draft in the first round, but he was never touted for superstardom coming out of Marquette.
30:15I saw him in a tournament. I mean, Chicago. Right. I mean, to me, he really turned it on in Miami.
30:22Yeah, he did. Exactly. He knocked the Celtics out, you know, basically.
30:26We had these discussions, Gary, with Jeff, if only Tatum and Tatum particularly had the spunk.
30:34If Jimmy Butler, you know, I can't say that about Brown, but with Tatum, you know, with a superior talent,
30:42he didn't have that temperament, that personality that Butler had.
30:45And he still doesn't. But he's figured it out his own way.
30:48But I'll tell you, though, I'm looking like if I'm. As a fan.
30:55I'm looking at the standings and where would I want to see Jimmy Butler go as a Celtics fan?
31:00I don't want him to go to Cleveland. And again, I don't know if the cap's going to work or how this all could work.
31:05But I would love to see him go to the Rockets. It's got to be a would be contender.
31:08Yeah. Now, that's a young team. One more. Oh, that would be very interesting.
31:13The Rockets or even the Hawks. But the Rockets. Yes. The Rockets are a growth stock as well.
31:19I mean, my guess is 17 and eight. You put Butler on that team.
31:23He's 34. You go, look, we'll take care of you during the regular season.
31:27We'll have you here for the playoffs. Now, how many games do I get out of?
31:31Yeah. You make you want to you want to make sure you baby him and get him ready for the playoffs.
31:35You know, he misses a lot of games. And that's the other thing.
31:39But, you know, the Rockets would be interesting because the Rockets are, you know, got some nice young talent.
31:44And and and they're, you know, they could be a not just like I don't know if they'd be the tough out,
31:52but they would certainly be a team of interest that you wouldn't be shocked if they pulled an upset in the playoffs.
31:58All right, Bob. Bob, I think we've done yeoman's work. Anything else on your mind tonight?
32:04No, no, no. I just let's see how the Celtics, you know, progress here and how long it takes Derek White to come out of a slump.
32:12And and there but, you know, there's no need for nobody to panic.
32:16Long season. Strange schedule with them, you know, because of this cup thing, you know,
32:21where they they were playing five games and seven nights and now they're playing, what, two and however many.
32:26But they needed this break. All right. We have nothing. All right, Robert.
32:30Nothing to complain about. I know. I know. Nothing. Nothing to bitch about.
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