Welcome back to the Big 3 NBA Podcast! A. Sherrod Blakely is joined by CLNS Media's Josue Pavon to discuss Tatum, Holiday, and White and the expectations for them on Team USA. They also get into the impact all these contracts will have on potential bidders and round out things by discussing the biggest threats to a Celtics repeat.
0:00 - Intro
1:22 - Expectations for Team USA Celtics
11:34 - Derrick White Extension Talk
20:11 - Gametime
21:51 - How will the payroll impact the sale?
31:25 - Biggest threats to the Celtics
CLNS Media is Powered by:
Prize Picks - PrizePicks.com/CLNS
Download the app today and use code CLNS for a first deposit match up to $100!
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. 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
0:00 - Intro
1:22 - Expectations for Team USA Celtics
11:34 - Derrick White Extension Talk
20:11 - Gametime
21:51 - How will the payroll impact the sale?
31:25 - Biggest threats to the Celtics
CLNS Media is Powered by:
Prize Picks - PrizePicks.com/CLNS
Download the app today and use code CLNS for a first deposit match up to $100!
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. 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
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Hello folks, welcome to another edition of the Big 3 NBA Podcast.
00:29I'm your host, A Shara Blakely, and I'm joined today by CLNS's own Joe Swaye-Pavone.
00:35What's up Joe Swaye?
00:38What's going on, Shara?
00:39How's the summer treating you, man?
00:40Everything good?
00:41It's good, man.
00:42It's good.
00:43I see you enjoying the outdoors.
00:44You're about to set a bonfire in a minute.
00:48Look at you.
00:49Someone said I look like I'm camping out here.
00:53Yeah, man.
00:54My parents' place.
00:55You know, enjoying some family time right by the pool, rocking by the pool.
00:58Perfect day for it too.
00:59Not too hot.
01:00You know, not too windy.
01:02So it's perfect.
01:03It's working out.
01:04Yeah, when you talk about perfection, a lot of folks around here think, oh, you must be
01:07talking about the Celtics because they had the perfect season, winning a championship
01:11and all that.
01:12Still, you know, it's been a minute since they won the title, but folks are still in
01:16the afterglow.
01:17And for those who thought things would slow down, they need look no further than the men's
01:21basketball team for Team USA and see not one, not two, but three Boston Celtics.
01:28You know, gold medal expectation team.
01:32And I want us to look at each of them individually and just kind of go through just what the
01:35expectations are.
01:36Not in terms of the team goal, which is to win a gold and medal, but the expectations
01:40for each one of them.
01:41And you got to start that conversation up with Jason Tatum.
01:45You know, led the Celtics and damn near every statistic that mattered during a regular season
01:51was certainly one of the difference makers for them come playoff time and then bringing
01:55home banner 18.
01:56But now that he's with a different team with a different set of skills, what are your expectations
02:02out of Jason Tatum as we kind of really get this Olympic thing off and running?
02:08I'm expecting him just to be a force off the bench, to be honest, man, do a little bit
02:11of playmaking, little, you know, transition defense, stuff that's going to scare opposing
02:17teams when you have someone like that coming off the bench.
02:19I just don't think this is that type of role where they're like, oh, you got to give us
02:24double figures and scoring every single night.
02:26You know, you got to be that puncher right off the bench.
02:29I think his presence felt in other ways than just scoring for the reason that you just
02:33mentioned.
02:34I mean, he led this team in a lot of statistical and other statistical categories, especially
02:38throughout the playoffs.
02:39And I felt like everyone just kept talking about, oh, but why is he shooting so badly
02:44from behind the three-point arc?
02:46Or what about averaging 30 plus like other stars that have been doing throughout the
02:51course of the playoff?
02:52He didn't have to do that because there was so much town on that roster on that Celtics
02:56championship team that he picked the spots in terms of being aggressive and taking over
03:01the offense.
03:02And I think in similar ways, that's what his role is going to be with Team USA.
03:07Obviously, he's not, you know, he's probably going to come off the bench.
03:10So it's not like one of the top guys like he is here in Boston.
03:14But I do think that he'll make his presence felt in doing those things, whether it's rebounding,
03:18setting guys up.
03:19And I do think he has at least one of those games where it all comes together offensively
03:23and he just sees the path for him to score big buckets.
03:26A lot of offensive weapons on this team.
03:28They don't need him to be that guy.
03:29But I do think he'll have one of those, one of those performances throughout this tournament,
03:35maybe throughout the group stage.
03:36But I'm looking forward to it, man.
03:38I think he's having a really good time, obviously.
03:39I mean, who wouldn't?
03:40Coming off of winning a championship, being around your peers and all that.
03:43And he's not one of the younger guys anymore, right?
03:46He's established, he's solidified, you know, with that championship for sure.
03:49And I'm sure he feels it when he's along, when he's practicing with these guys and hanging
03:53out with them.
03:54His teammates.
03:55Yeah.
03:56I mean, one of the things about Tatum that I think is interesting is that when you look
04:09at this roster from top to bottom, you've got a lot of guys who have spent basically
04:13their entire lives in terms of basketball as the best player on the floor.
04:19And now you're being asked to integrate your skills and talents to where not only are you
04:27not necessarily the best player on the floor, you might not be even good enough or not be
04:32viewed valuable enough to where you're going to play significant minutes or you're going
04:37to play a major role.
04:40Tatum is a guy that, you know, when you look at it relative to the rest of the team, he's
04:45certainly going to play.
04:47He's not going to play what we like to call Jason Tatum minutes where you're out there
04:51all the time.
04:52And I'm not even sure if he's going to play, you know, top tier Olympic player minutes
04:57based upon how they're built.
04:59How do you think just from a mental adjustment standpoint, that's going to be for Tatum where
05:03maybe the role that you have is going to be smaller than any role you've ever had on any
05:08team.
05:12I think if you're Tatum, man, you're eager to sign up for that, you know, because you
05:17know what you what you're capable of, right?
05:19Like I said, you know, in terms of having one of those games or maybe a couple of those
05:23games where it all just comes together, but without having the pressure to put together
05:26those performances, you know, so I think it's ideal if you're Tatum, you know, you don't
05:30have to be one of those top guys.
05:31I don't think it's one of those situations where he feels like, OK, man, this is this
05:35is my squad now.
05:37I got to be one of those top guys.
05:38Like, no, I mean, there's guys that came before him.
05:40I think that's what makes all of this experience that much more special, you know, playing
05:44with LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry.
05:47I mean, guys who won championships, you know, years before what he just did last month,
05:52but also the experience that comes with that.
05:54So I do think there's somewhat of that passing the torch for this Olympic team and that guys
05:59have to step up.
06:00And there's also that younger group that's led by, like, Anthony Edwards of the league
06:04or whatever.
06:05But then you also have those guys like Anthony Davis, right, who's sort of somewhere in the
06:08middle, like all obviously is older than Tatum, but not one of like the OG OGs.
06:13I feel like he's he's been such a thorn in opposing teams, you know, throughout this
06:18throughout this tournament.
06:20And I don't think that changes.
06:21You know, I think other guys like that, Bam out of bio also coming off the bench as well.
06:26I just think that he has so many different ways he's.
06:32He's OK with that.
06:34And again, this could be, you know, LeBron or Steph or whatever.
06:38And I think when it's when he's a bit older, he'll he'll feel like he's one of the main
06:43guys.
06:44That's when you start seeing, I think, Tatum be one and one of the best scoring players
06:49on this team.
06:50USA roster.
06:51But right now he's cool, man.
06:52He's having a really good time in the town.
06:54The balance between the older guys and the younger ones coming up, man.
06:59It's remarkable.
07:00It's really impressive, I think, with the way this team is put together.
07:02Yeah.
07:03And I think, you know, when you think ahead to, you know, the Olympics in twenty twenty
07:06eight in L.A. Tatum likely to be on that team and likely to be more in a Kevin Durant
07:12type role where you're going to look to be a really good scorer on a team that's full
07:17of a lot of really good scorers.
07:19And while Jason's role on this particular Olympic team may be a little bit unsettled,
07:24I think we got a pretty good feel for what they expect from Drew Holiday.
07:28He is Drew's conditioning to me is kind of insane.
07:33When you think about, you know, the way that he has basically been playing basketball nonstop
07:38for a number of years now, what do you see Drew being able to or being needed to do or
07:45being called upon to do with this Team USA squad that may be a little bit different or
07:49could be more of the same from what we see from Drew?
07:53More of the same, I feel like in the sense of just being that that force on defense as
07:57well, but also being a playmaker.
07:58You know, I think that's a big part of what they need him to do on this team.
08:02So I think his role is almost the exact same if you think about it, right?
08:05Sure.
08:06I like he's not being asked to be a top scorer, you know, but he's also being he's the anchor
08:11of that defense, you know, especially in the backcourt.
08:13And I feel like the experience and the championships, you know, I said plural now championships,
08:18you know, like this guy is a competitor, man.
08:21And like you said, this energy that he's going on right now, man, like whether it's the chip
08:26on his shoulder that he had from leaving Milwaukee or just the the the ride of board
08:39he was with the Celtics team.
08:40I think he's just he's just found this like groove where he's playing damn near flawless
08:45basketball.
08:46If you ask me from an individual standpoint, if you really look at what he's been doing,
08:48it's impressive, man.
08:49And I think his role with the Celtics or Team USA, rather, it really does mirror what he
08:55just did for Boston and winning that title.
08:58So I can't wait to see that, you know, when these things really do matter.
09:03No more exhibition games, you know, on that big stage, still crushing it through holiday.
09:08I think he could we could probably make a case.
09:11He's probably the most important one right out of the three out of those three Celtics
09:15players, at least for this Team USA.
09:18This run, I would say is the most important for sure.
09:22Yeah, I mean, that's really one of the things that comes down to when you talk about guys
09:28and the roles that they play, and it's not so much about talent and skills as much as
09:32it is about just the role that you're expected to play.
09:35And do you have the capability to do that?
09:37You know, you look at this Celtics team and Drew Holiday was kind of a guy on a back burner
09:42that, you know, you had Tatum and Brown kind of leading the charge.
09:45Derek White is doing anything and everything.
09:48Penis guards, shots on the glass, Porzingis is stretching the floor.
09:52And then Drew just kind of come in there, I'm gonna play a little D, I'm gonna knock
09:55down a shot or two.
09:56And then we get to the playoffs and then you get like playoff Drew, who's kind of nice.
10:01And it just seems that, yeah, he's one of those guys that seems to have figured out
10:05whatever role that he is needing to play for the team to be successful.
10:11Yeah, he's just reaching to his bag and pull whatever that is out because he's shown the
10:15ability to do that.
10:17And just kind of pivoting from Drew a little bit, Derek White seems to be very similar
10:23in that regard.
10:25Definitely, definitely.
10:29And I'm just so happy that he had his name called.
10:32And I know people had the whole thing with Jalen and all that stuff.
10:35And I think for the role that this team is looking for, he checks all those boxes.
10:40People can make the case of, oh, well, Jalen would have been upset with that type of role
10:45or not.
10:46I don't even have that conversation, to be honest with you, because I just feel like
10:50when it comes to a team like this, Team USA, when it's like a last minute type of call
10:54like that, you want to get someone who not only will do that role for you, but doesn't
11:00mind if he doesn't play at all.
11:02And again, I'm not trying to say Jalen would have been pissed if he doesn't play at all,
11:05but it would be kind of awkward, right, Sherrod?
11:07If you had finals MVP just sitting there on the bench for most of the time, and let's
11:11be honest, there's not a whole lot of minutes to go around.
11:13And again, for this particular role, I think Derek White is the exact kind of guy you want
11:20because of what he can do.
11:22Like you mentioned, the playmaking, the defense as well, but also he can give you some points.
11:27You can't leave him open.
11:29And I think a lot of people who are just watching the NBA finals, they know that.
11:34So I'm really excited for him.
11:35Not only does he get the contract extension along with those guys as well, but they have
11:40that experience, that phone call last minute, man, must have been incredible, man.
11:44So I'm really happy for Derek White, for sure.
11:46But yeah, you're right, man.
11:47It's very, very similar role.
11:49And man, if you're Derek White, man, you're just absorbing all of this knowledge and experience
11:54and taking it all in and while you're going into your prime years.
11:59It's incredible.
12:00I can't wait to see what Derek White looks like, especially after this, going into another
12:05season with the Celtics and just having that security, knowing he's going to be here for a bit.
12:09And being rewarded for that, obviously, with the hefty pay raise.
12:14But at the end of the day, let's face it, Sherrod, that's a bargain.
12:18If you look at across the league, the type of money he could have earned in the open market.
12:23But he's a Celtic, man.
12:24He likes what's going on here.
12:25He wants to keep this thing going.
12:26And the Celtics want him to be a big part of that as well.
12:29So it makes a whole lot of sense from both sides.
12:32Yeah, and people, I don't think, really have a full appreciation of what winning a championship
12:37means, not only to the players, but also to the organization, the fan base, all that.
12:44When you start leaving like several millions and millions of dollars on the table, not
12:48because you're necessarily fearful that you're going to go to a bad situation, but because
12:54the situation you're in currently is as good as you can imagine it being.
12:58I mean, for Derek White, for Sam Houser, for all the guys that got paid, it's like, I'm
13:02competing for a championship.
13:04I have a prominent role in that team that's competing for a championship.
13:07And they're going to pay me a lot of money to do that.
13:10Now, granted, I can get a few extra coins playing elsewhere, but do I really want to
13:14play in Atlanta?
13:15Do I really want to, as our boy Tatum said, have Tuesdays in Charlotte?
13:20No, I don't want to be that guy.
13:22I don't want to be that guy.
13:24I want to be playing into deep May and early June and maybe mid-June playing for championships.
13:30And if I got a chance to make good money and have a chance to compete at a high level,
13:36why would I not take advantage of that?
13:38And the other cool thing about Derek, and I think about this with him and Sam Houser,
13:42is that those are two guys that figure into the Celtics regular rotation, but you look
13:48at the journeys that they've taken to get here, Sam undrafted, Derek literally the last
13:53player taken in the first round.
13:55And if you go back even further, the fact that this is a kid that did not have a single
13:59Division I basketball scholarship offer when he's coming out of high school.
14:03I mean, there are schools that are thinking like, damn, we recruited him, but we didn't
14:08really think he was going to be all that.
14:11And now you're looking at him.
14:12He's a damn Olympian.
14:13Colleges, all that stuff, man.
14:15It's a hell of a path.
14:16Yeah, for sure.
14:17And now he's going to be Olympian.
14:18Yeah, it's incredible, man.
14:19And also, I thought you were going to do this, but I'm glad you mentioned that as well, because
14:26I was just going to say, like, how humble this guy is, man.
14:29Let me just tell you real quick.
14:30I remember we was out in Indianapolis for the Eastern Conference Finals.
14:32I just recorded a podcast with Max.
14:34We want to do it remote.
14:36I mean, we call on location or whatever, not the arena, but somewhere like right in downtown.
14:40So we wrap up everything.
14:42I say bye to him.
14:43I'm a producer or whatever.
14:45I say, come meet up with me later.
14:46I go grab a bite to eat down at the Yard House.
14:48And who's there chilling like a casual person, like he wasn't one win away from going to
14:54the NBA final.
14:55Derek White and his boy.
14:56Like, I just thought that was super cool because obviously, like, the Yard House is cool.
15:00But, you know, I mean, this dude could dine in and some other some establishment where
15:04they got the white the white tablecloth, you know, some of those steaks, house steak houses
15:08that people be talking about in Indianapolis.
15:09But like, he just strikes me as the type of guy that he just wants to watch the game.
15:12There was I think the Mavericks were actually playing, believe it or not.
15:15He just want to watch the game with his boy, you know, and I thought that was super cool
15:18him. And it's funny when I told Max that story, he goes, man, they'd just be going
15:22wherever, man, that do it.
15:24It's almost as if Max was disappointed.
15:26And I'm like, no, Max, that's cool, man.
15:28Like we could. He's like, yeah, that is pretty cool.
15:30And he was like, I should have went with you.
15:32We could do the episode there.
15:33I'm like, damn, I wasn't even thinking like that, Max.
15:35But yeah, I mean, look, I just think that it speaks to who he who he is, man.
15:39And, you know, I don't think that changes, you know, with this with this new contract.
15:44It really wouldn't surprise me if this dude pulls up to another yard house or something like
15:47that in the near future, because that's just who he is, man.
15:50He doesn't need all that fancy that the fancy environment or to splurge.
15:55He doesn't he doesn't strike me as that type of that type of player, that type of person.
15:59So, yeah, man, big shout out to Derek White.
16:01He deserved the raise.
16:02And yeah, I thought that was pretty cool when I ran into him, you know, outside of work
16:07down in downtown Indianapolis.
16:10Now, I mean, it speaks to just the way he was brought up.
16:14It speaks to the kind of journey he's had to take to get here.
16:17And I think it speaks really heavily to that because, you know, he hasn't had the luxury
16:21of, you know, having boxes and boxes of sneakers from shoe company X, Y, Z for him.
16:26Or, you know, having, you know, go to the mailbox and you've got Kentucky, Syracuse, you
16:32know, all these different schools across the country just want to holler at you, trying to
16:36get you to visit their campus for you to open up your home, for them to come in and make
16:41their pitch. He didn't have all that.
16:43I mean, this is a dude that had, you know, when he first got his first real NBA paycheck,
16:47what did he do? He paid off student loans.
16:50That is such that is such a real world thing to do.
16:54That's right.
16:55It's your first job. You got a little extra bread.
16:57What are you going to do? You'll pay off some of your debt.
16:59No, that was good.
17:01Yeah. And to me, when you look at this Olympic team, you need guys who kind of
17:06understand, look, I'm just here to help in whatever role that y'all need me to help.
17:10One of the things I pointed to with this Olympic team and made the kind of the Derek White
17:14comparison is I liken what he is to this team, to what Tayshaun Prince was when he was
17:19an Olympian. Tayshaun was not the best shooter.
17:23He wasn't the best defender.
17:24He wasn't the best passer.
17:26But when you look at those specific abilities and then you look at the fact that he was
17:31willing to, frankly, play at a high level in whatever one of those phases you needed him to
17:35play and had the ability to do so, that is what you need.
17:39You need someone who like, for example, when they play South Sudan and they did not look
17:43very good, Derek White comes in and gets like five times.
17:46I think he had like one or two points and had like five.
17:48They needed someone to keep the ball moving.
17:50They needed a facilitator.
17:51He was able to fill that void.
17:53That is what this team, USA, is going to need.
17:56Because, look, I expect the average margin of victory when they win the gold medal,
18:00because I do expect them to win the gold, is going to be fairly large.
18:03But there's going to be one or two games that they're going to play where for whatever
18:08reason, they just ain't going to have it.
18:10And they're going to need somebody who isn't on the top tier of the scouting report to
18:15step in and give them a little something that they absolutely got to have in that
18:18moment. And I believe it'll be Derek White.
18:20I believe there will be at least one game that they're going to win in their route to
18:24the gold medal that when you go down and you start looking at the receipts as to how
18:28they got this W, you're going to stop at Derek White and be like, damn, he did this.
18:33He did that. That led to this run.
18:34That led to them coming back from this deficit or that led to them being able to
18:38withstand this run. Yeah, he kind of got them this W tonight.
18:42That, to me, is his value to this team, that in case of an emergency, we can crack this
18:47guy out there, put him out there and we won't lose a beat.
18:50We'll find a way to win.
18:52And, you know, the effort is going to be at a 100 percent, man, like that's just who he
18:55is. Yeah, for sure, man.
18:56I mean, we told you everyone watching about his background, how he came up.
19:01I don't think an NBA championship changes that.
19:03I think it's just you see more of what we've been seeing all along.
19:12And like I said, big guys in store, you know, just in the next two, three years.
19:15But I'm with you, man.
19:16I think one of those games for sure will be like one of those signature Derek White type
19:21of performances, late second half.
19:23Definitely. I can see that.
19:25Yeah. Yeah. And in addition to being part of the Celtics and part of the Olympic team,
19:30he's also part of what I like called the get paid crew.
19:33The bench, they're the stay ready crew.
19:34But but Derek is part of that get paid crew.
19:37And that is the guys that are running that the Celtics are running backward who got major
19:42paydays this offseason.
19:44And then, you know, you look at the Olympians specifically, you know, Drew Holiday, he got
19:48the extension early on before.
19:49And we're all wondering, like, why are they doing that?
19:51But then in hindsight, you're like, oh, I get it.
19:53I get why everyone's coming back.
19:56That's right. Yeah.
19:57And Tatum and Derek White, they got their new deals all within days of each other.
20:01Tatum is now the highest pit will be the highest paid player in NBA history with his
20:06deal. And Derek White is certainly getting a nice chunk of change for his efforts and
20:11contributions to the program.
20:13It's summertime and there's no better way to spend it than at the ballpark.
20:17Popcorn, soda, hot dogs.
20:19Mm. I'm starting to get hungry just thinking about it.
20:22Those games create lasting memories and getting to those games is a lot easier with
20:25game time, which is an authorized ticket marketplace of Major League Baseball, which
20:30makes getting tickets faster and easier.
20:33Prices on the game time map actually go down the closer it gets to the first pitch with
20:37killer last minute deals, all in prices, views from your seat and their lowest price
20:43guarantee. Game time takes the guesswork out of buying MLB tickets.
20:49Now, being a Yankees fan that I am living here in Boston, I know it gets complicated and
20:53very uncomfortable from time to time.
20:55But keeping an eye on the ALEs is a really big deal for me, as you can imagine.
21:00I know I can go to the game time map and jump on the best deals quickly.
21:03The color coding options at the ballpark make it super easy to see what are the best
21:07deals for the best seats from all the seats in that particular venue.
21:11And you can customize your search options based on your favorite team or your favorite
21:15team to watch. The game time app makes it super easy to get into the game and you can't
21:20beat game time's lowest price guaranteed.
21:23And when you're ready to lock up your tickets, game time has all in pricing.
21:27So there's no surprise fees at checkout.
21:29Hate when it happens.
21:30Take the guesswork out of buying major league baseball tickets with game time.
21:34Download the game time app, create an account and use code CLNS for $20 off your first
21:40purchase. Terms apply.
21:42Again, create an account and redeem code CLNS for $20 off.
21:46Download game time today.
21:48Last minute tickets.
21:49Lowest prices.
21:50Guaranteed.
21:54You touched on, you know, Derek White and not thinking that the money will impact him.
21:59But the money, I think, does have an impact on one other aspect of all this.
22:07And we haven't talked about it on this particular episode, but I'm going to bring it
22:10up now is, you know, Wick Grosbeck's decision to sell, you know, majority shares of the
22:14Celtics. This is a lot of money that you are shelling out.
22:19And Wick, to me, I love the idea.
22:23I'm going to sell this team to someone who's going to pick up all this debt that we're
22:28racking up now. I'm going to get my check.
22:31They're going to be paying for it.
22:33I mean, to me, it's like going to a restaurant, having a great meal, and then you look
22:36over to your neighbor and say, hey, you got this?
22:37OK, cool. I'll see you in a round.
22:39Appreciate you, man.
22:40I appreciate you. And I'm not mad at him because the one thing he said from the
22:45beginning and he kept his word about this.
22:48And that is, I am going to not be afraid to spend when necessary to build a champion.
22:56And you look at the moves that they made.
22:58I mean, bringing in Drew Holliday, get Porzingis, they could have easily gone a cheaper,
23:03more financially fiscal route, but they decided to bring in with the best that money
23:08could buy. And the result was an NBA title.
23:11And looking at all the potential players that they could have parted with and looking at
23:16the potential players they might have been able to bring in, it didn't make a whole lot
23:19of sense to break up the band.
23:21And so I guess my question to you, Josue, is how much of a factor do you think it will
23:26be for potential suitors for the Celtics to look at the talent, be like, ooh, and then
23:32look at the price tag, ooh, and realize that, damn, it might be a minute before we make
23:38a profit unless we start breaking off some pieces sooner rather than later.
23:42How much of a factor do you think the payroll and the taxes that they're going to be
23:47paying because of that payroll is going to impact the potential sale of this team?
23:52I think it plays a big part, a big part in whoever comes in here, you know, and has to
23:57sort of figure out or at least make those really, really hard decisions.
24:00Right. I mean, you can't keep these guys together for five, six plus years because
24:06that's going to get really, really expensive.
24:07And I think if you're able to put together another championship run, then that's
24:14humongous in a sense of like, OK, we we can sort of start making our changes or
24:20whatever. But at the same time, you know that, man, we're one more away from from
24:24completing a dynasty. So I think that's the part that you can really get someone to
24:29say, OK, man, I want to be a part of that.
24:30You know, I want to be a part of getting two more championships before making those
24:34hard decisions. And I think the next couple of years really sets these guys up for
24:40that, you know, this team, because you don't have to worry about what's going to
24:43happen next summer or you have to go get another guy like everything is already set
24:47up. You know, I just think it's a matter of picking up the clues, you know what I
24:52mean? As to, OK, well, maybe that's a guy who will have to try to move down the road
24:56or this is a guy who we have signed now, but could be a trade piece later.
25:00You know, someone like Sam Houser, I mean, you have potential replacements coming up.
25:05So let's say in a couple of years, you know, you can kind of start there or what
25:09happens with Chris that, you know, how is he going to look coming back from his from
25:12his injury? You know, but it's a really good situation to be in because you look
25:15across the NBA and I don't see any other franchise that's in the same lane as the
25:21Celtics. And I'm not just talking about town.
25:23I'm talking about just the overall picture in the sense of what you're able to do to
25:28improve this team or what you're going to have to do to catch up.
25:32You know, a lot of teams would love to be in this type of situation.
25:35Yeah, the build, it's up there, but you have this two to three year window where you're
25:41in really good shape to compete.
25:42And I think a lot of teams out there are going to be hit hard with this, with these
25:47restrictions, with the second apron, with the fact that, you know, you can't just go
25:51out and try to buy a free agent to come play.
25:55You know, you can't just go out and just buy a team or super team, quote unquote, like
26:00you used to. You know, you have to be creative.
26:02You have to really hit on the draft pick.
26:04You know, you have to try to make sure that certain players pan out.
26:08You know, so I think the Celtics are because of that, because of the way this thing is
26:12set up and a lot of that has to go to Brad Stevens.
26:14Right. You ask me, man, my dude is still undefeated, still undefeated since he's taken
26:18on this new role. He's a big he's a big part of that.
26:21And it makes things a whole lot easier.
26:23But obviously, in the next two or three years, I don't see I don't see that that seat
26:28vacant for for longer than a year or two, you know, because I think that's when you have
26:32to get that buyer in, because no one wants to just walk in to a mess, right, or walk
26:37into having to make these humongous decisions, knowing that how it plays out could put
26:43you in a tough spot for a couple of years or whatever.
26:45Right. No one wants to be in that in that spot where you want to be is in a spot where
26:49you're able to thoroughly evaluate what this team is looking like, you know, so you start
26:54to figure out which players could you potentially want to move or which players do you
26:59think could benefit, you know, from a type of a particular trade that comes across your
27:05table, you know. So, again, I think it's it's a tough spot to be in because you have to
27:09make those hard decisions. But I think if you're if you're in this business, what more
27:17do you want going into a team like Celtics, who are obviously a championship team right
27:21now, but have more potential to win multiple championships?
27:26And you can't say that about pretty much any other NBA team right now.
27:30You know, they're all just trying to catch up to the Celtics.
27:32So this year is definitely big.
27:34Yeah. And those other teams that you alluded to, they all have concerns within their
27:40roster that make you a little bit leery of going all in on them as being on the same
27:45level as the Celtics, whether it's young guys who are coming up on the end of the rookie
27:50deals. How much are you going to pay them or teams with established veterans who have
27:54had injury issues in the past?
27:57How much can you count on them?
27:58And I'm thinking specifically about the Sixers getting Paul George great talent when
28:03he's healthy. But you there's an element of concern, certainly for them, that he may not
28:08necessarily be at the top of his game physically when they absolutely need him to be
28:13there. But the other thing, too, just kind of getting back to the Celtics, that has to be
28:17taken into account is that they're now in a position where basically everyone in the
28:21rotation, not only do you have a salary that's a little bit more closer to what their
28:27worth is in a broad sense, but you also have a lot of tradable assets now, more than you
28:35had before. I mean, if you want to if you feel that, let's say Baylor Shireman just
28:41really comes on strong and is showing the ability to be, you know, shoot similar to Sam,
28:45but maybe not as good, but is a better playmaker, maybe a better defender.
28:49You might want to move Sam.
28:51And knowing that Sam's making eleven and a half million dollars, you could probably find
28:55you some decent talent for eleven and a half million dollars.
28:57You know, if Porzingis and that injury become problematic, you might find a team that's
29:02willing to take that thirty million dollar hit.
29:04He's got two. He signed a two year, sixty million dollar extension.
29:07You might find a team willing to take that hit and give you some assets in return, maybe
29:12some draft picks so that you can build up that the younger portion of your rotation up
29:17and do so again without significantly impacting your roster.
29:22So the Celtics, by signing so many guys to these mid-sized to large contracts, they've
29:29created potential trade ships that if they get to the point where the new owner says,
29:34look, fellas, Brad, we love you.
29:37We love what you're doing. We absolutely love what you're doing with the team.
29:41But we got to make some money.
29:42We got to we got to get paid.
29:43I mean, we spent a lot of money on this team.
29:45And, you know, this is year two.
29:47We need to start looking at ways to make some money.
29:49So we need to start.
29:50You need to start swinging some deals, get us, you know, some assets, get our get our
29:55payroll down so that we're not as deep into this luxury tax in the second apron as we
29:59are right now, because right now, the way it looks 25, 26 season, the Celtics between
30:05the salaries on the books and between the expected taxes and, you know, the second apron
30:11and all that, they might be looking at a bill of almost half a billion dollars, which is
30:18insane.
30:19But yeah, but when you talk about this is the best team in the league and if let's say
30:24they have another title between now and their next ownership ownership group, then it's
30:29like, well, you're literally getting what you pay for.
30:32I mean, you paid for all this talent so that you win a championship and you got that.
30:36So you really can't bitch and moan about we I don't know if we got our money's worth.
30:40If you win a championship, you damn sure got your money's worth because that's the whole
30:43time you're paying all that money.
30:46I just find it interesting how the Celtics are in an incredibly great position in terms
30:52of roster strength, but also roster flexibility.
30:55If they get to a point where they need to start unloading some pieces in order to better
31:01align with whatever ownership is going to do or if maybe there's a player or two that's in
31:05that rotation now that shows signs of just not being able to impact the game at a high
31:10level. Brad has, I think, enough pieces in place to where he can carve off a pretty
31:16significant piece, not named Jalen Brown or not named Jason Tatum, and still be able to
31:21function as one of the better teams in the NBA.
31:27Now, one of the things, Josue, I wanted to talk to you about before we get out here is
31:33the Celtics have obviously made the decision.
31:35No, no question.
31:36What's that?
31:42No, the last thing I wanted to talk to you about, Josue, was just how the Celtics stack
31:45up in the East.
31:48And who's the threat?
31:50Like, who's the team or team that you worry about could knock the Celtics off the top
31:55perch, East or West, don't matter?
31:58East or West don't matter.
32:00I'll give you two for one for each conference.
32:02One for the East, New York.
32:05I think they're the only team in terms of depth.
32:09They're on par with the Celtics in the sense of the depth.
32:11I don't know top tier talent.
32:14I think that's where the Celtics have the edge.
32:15But in terms of depth, I think that's going to be key going up against the Celtics,
32:21especially when you're adding defensive wings, defensive backcourt guys that can really
32:28slow you up.
32:28So I'm going to give it to the New York Knicks.
32:31I'm not giving it to Philly quite yet.
32:33I think they lack some of that depth.
32:34I know they're top heavy, clearly, with adding Paul George and adding, I say adding
32:41Maxey, because you've seen us do lately.
32:43You've been in the gym like crazy.
32:44Another all-star year, certainly on the horizon, for sure, but I'm still giving the edge
32:50to New York.
32:50I'm giving the edge to depth and them building off of what happened last year.
32:56Turn to the Western Conference, man.
32:57I'm going OKC.
32:58I think the Thunder are the biggest threat for the Celtics.
33:02Their size, I think, puts them there.
33:06I put them over Minnesota this year, if I'm being honest, but I think the Thunder are
33:12the biggest threat for the Celtics this year, if I'm being honest, man.
33:14They traded for Caruso for an opportunity, more playing time.
33:26Well, you bring in someone like Caruso, he's just going to do his job.
33:28He's not going to worry about that type of stuff.
33:29Or are they being concerned about how many points he scores?
33:32He defends, he can shoot from outside.
33:35I think those two additions put them over the top, if you ask me, man.
33:39What about you, though?
33:40Who do you think?
33:41Well, certainly New York is the team in the East.
33:44I think the thing I like about New York is that they match up their top tier personnel
33:51very well with the Celtics.
33:53They have a lot of defensive versatility and they have a coach who we're very familiar
33:59with here in Boston, in Thibodeau, who is very much about defense.
34:03I think he's evolved a little bit to be a little bit more open to the need to have a
34:07better offense.
34:08But at his absolute core is hard, physical, tough, gritty, versatile defenders.
34:16And he seems to have a team that I think is much more in the image that he would want
34:21his team to be than we've seen in past years.
34:23So they are absolutely going to be a threat.
34:26Out West, I'm going to go with Minnesota.
34:28As you know, I'm a big fan of Ant, Anthony Edwards.
34:32And I'm a big fan of just the way that they defend.
34:36They defend at a really high level.
34:38The one concern I have with them is Rudy Gobert.
34:42I have been, as high as I am on Ant, man, I'm comparably low on Rudy Gobert.
34:49I think-
34:50Because of what Luka did to him?
34:52Was that it?
34:53That put you-
34:54Look, that was just the latest chapter in the narrative of Rudy not being that guy.
35:01I watched that live.
35:02I couldn't believe that, man.
35:03That was a hell of a play.
35:05But it was so predictable.
35:07And it's one of the reasons why, you know, I like Minnesota, but Rudy makes me a little
35:12bit-
35:13I'm torn between them and OKC.
35:14I think Minnesota has a little bit more maturity about them.
35:18And because they had some things that didn't go quite their way last season in terms of
35:23health and things like that, and yet still, they had a great season.
35:26I think that if they're able to have a relatively drama-free season and stay relatively healthy,
35:30I think they will be the last team standing.
35:32When you look at OKC, you know, a lot of things broke well for OKC last year.
35:37I'm not sure that's going to happen again.
35:39And if they don't happen, how is that- how are they going to respond to that?
35:42How will they react to that?
35:44I'm going to go with Minnesota, though, because, like I said, I think that they're just a little
35:47bit closer to being able to withstand and persevere through some of the setbacks that
35:53teams are going to go through.
35:54But I say that with an asterisk, Rudy makes me nervous.
35:59Rudy is a guy that can obviously defend at a high level, but I will be hard-pressed to
36:04ever vote for him Defensive Player of the Year simply because there are clear and undeniable
36:08matchups where he's atrocious defensively.
36:11No, for real.
36:12And last time I checked-
36:13Should've went to Bam.
36:14Yeah.
36:15Yeah.
36:16To me, if you're going to be Defensive Player of the Year, the one thing that you have to
36:20have above anything and everything else is versatility, because a great defender is going
36:25to be able to defend or at least contest a multitude of players regardless of size.
36:30That's a great point.
36:31That's why Marcus won it.
36:32Remember the year Marcus won it?
36:33Trying to cut you off.
36:34I just want to say this before I forget it.
36:47That's why he won it, because he could guard and beat, and he could guard defensive stops,
36:53and it didn't matter.
36:54He could have been positioned one through five.
36:55So yeah, that's a great point.
36:56Yeah.
36:57And I look at him having won the award again and how he's now thrust into the category
37:01with the likes of Ben Wallace, who I covered in Know Well and Dikembe Mutombo, and it just
37:08makes me cringe to think about him being in the same class as them because they, as much
37:13as people want to say, well, Dikembe was really slow, you didn't see guys switching out trying
37:18to go at Dikembe.
37:19And when they did, Dikembe was long enough and savvy enough to where they just didn't
37:24get what they wanted more times than that.
37:26And Ben Wallace was the best defender I've ever seen switching one through five.
37:31I've never seen a guy who literally put the clamps on you at every single position you
37:37had on the floor.
37:38He was that big, that strong, that quick, that athletic, and again, that feared when
37:43he was guarding you.
37:46And the fact that Rudy Gobert, in some respects, is in the same category with him as far as
37:50Defensive Player of the Year awards, it just makes me a little ill.
37:53But I'm not going to let that sickness overcome the reality that I think Minnesota is a pretty
37:59damn good team with Anthony Edwards leading the way and Catt embracing the Robin side
38:05in him.
38:06Because that's the way it is.
38:08It's Ant-Man and Catt.
38:10Ant-Man, you drive in, Catt, get over to passenger seat, buckle up, because Ant-Man is taking
38:16you deep into the playoffs in the future, for sure.
38:20Well, look, Joe Sway, awesome, as always.
38:24Oh, before, actually, you know what?
38:26I almost forgot.
38:27I wanted to ask you really quick before we head out of here about the whole Jalen Brown,
38:31Jason Tatum, because you can't have an episode about the Celtics and not talk about Jalen
38:35Brown and Jason Tatum in some way.
38:37Yeah, of course not.
38:38Exactly.
38:39Well, our good friend Jason Tatum was talking with folks from Sports Illustrated, and he
38:43said something that we kind of all have in some way, shape, or form been talking about
38:48for a while.
38:49And it was great to hear him talk about it, but in a nutshell, he talked about how he
38:52maybe should have been more public in his support of Jalen Brown in the past.
38:57And we don't have to go through the whole laundry list of Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler,
39:04Bradley Bill.
39:05There's a laundry list of folks that the Celtics were rumored to be interested in.
39:08Anthony Davis was my favorite.
39:10What's that?
39:12I said Anthony Davis was my favorite, but yeah, Rich Paul put an end to all that talk.
39:16But that was the only one I was like, hmm.
39:19Yeah, Rich squashed that really quick.
39:22But just curious, Tatum acknowledging publicly that maybe he should have been more supportive
39:28of Jalen and just let it be known that he wanted him in Boston, he wanted to play with
39:32that kind of stuff.
39:33What are your thoughts on him talking about that, specifically talking about at this particular
39:38moment in his time as a Celtic?
39:41I love it.
39:42I love it, Sherrod, because it shows, well, one, it's honest, right?
39:46He didn't have to go out there and say that.
39:47But two, it also shows how much he's matured throughout the years.
39:52And looking back on it, though, I just feel like it would have been not a character of
39:58him to go out and say stuff.
39:59I mean, could he have been a little bit more like, hey, it's not as bad as everyone thinks
40:03it is.
40:04We're fine.
40:05He's an incredible teammate, all that stuff.
40:10Yeah, sure.
40:11But I also just feel like that's just not who he is or who he was, especially when everyone
40:16was just questioning their leadership, whether we're talking about post-Kemba Walker or when
40:25we're talking about when Al came back.
40:28Those years where it was like, OK, it's either now or never.
40:32And I feel like him to open up the way he did is great.
40:37The second part of it, though, talking about just the rumors and all that stuff, the trade
40:41stuff, I honestly think we talked about a little bit, it was a Saturday morning when
40:48we did our show.
40:49I think it would have looked kind of like he would have been putting out a weird message
40:54if he went out and said, hey, I don't want Jalen Brown traded.
40:57Or you know what?
40:58I spoke to the organization.
40:59I want to make sure that, you know, they're not putting him on the train.
41:02But because then it looks like he has a lot more power than maybe the Celtics want it
41:05to seem like, you know, and you don't ever want to look like you're the quote unquote
41:10LeBron James 2.0 of the situation.
41:13Right.
41:14You don't want to make it look like you have all the say in the world as to who comes in
41:17here, who doesn't, because then it looks like the Celtics are just catering to him.
41:23And I think that that's the last that's the last thing Tatum ever want.
41:27The last message he ever wants to put out there.
41:29And especially for Jalen.
41:30Like, how would that be received if you're Jalen Brown?
41:32You know, I was like, wait a minute.
41:33Like, what's your take on this?
41:35Like, who cares?
41:36Like, wait, wait.
41:37Do you have a say in this?
41:38Like, are you the reason why Al Horford came back?
41:40You know what I mean?
41:41Like, then it goes on and on.
41:42And every single move from that point forward is going to be ridiculed or at least under
41:46a microscope.
41:47People wondering if Tatum had a lot to do with that.
41:49So I love that Tatum said all this.
41:52Looking back on it, I can see why he felt like it was appropriate.
41:56But again, I don't think I don't think when I look back on it, I'm going to say like,
42:02oh, well, yeah, Tatum, you know, he could have saved things from being easier, I guess
42:08for Jalen.
42:09I don't know, because I don't think it changes much, but it would have been nice.
42:12I'm sure.
42:13But the fact that he said it behind closed doors or that they had conversations, phone
42:18calls and all that stuff.
42:19Good, because I think as a leader, you're supposed to do that.
42:22I think it would have been appropriate.
42:23But to go out and do it in public, I don't think that it's it's as important as other
42:28people may think it is.
42:29You know?
42:30Yeah.
42:31For younger for younger Tatum.
42:32You know, you got to remember you remember where he was at and where this organization
42:35was at the time.
42:36Yeah, it was nowhere near where it is now or even going into the last season.
42:40Right.
42:41I mean, there was a lot of question marks about those two being leaders and if the team
42:45could actually win a championship with those two.
42:47So we're so far removed from that.
42:49But I get it.
42:50I get it.
42:51You know, and again, it's worth mentioning.
42:52And I'm glad Tatum did that.
42:54Yeah.
42:55Yeah, man.
42:56To me, it's just part of his growth.
42:57Tatum's growth, being a leader, being able to consistently be authentically whoever he
43:02is meant to be.
43:05It is good to see that it was absolutely good to see that will not make the difference in
43:10terms of winning or losing a championship.
43:12But it does, I think, clear up in the minds for a lot of fans and a lot of supporters
43:17that have been wondering, like, why isn't he more vocal and outspoken supporting Jalen?
43:21And he gave us some insight to that.
43:23And that's really, in this day and age, is not something that's a given when it comes
43:27to professional athletes.
43:28So good for Tatum.
43:30So true.
43:31Good for Tatum.
43:32Yeah, man.
43:33And good for us here.
43:34What's that?
43:35With his great Gatsby pose.
43:36I like it, man.
43:37I like this.
43:38He's doing this on purpose.
43:40I don't know.
43:41People are, like, giving him crap.
43:42I think it's funny.
43:44Whether it's quoting other people that came before him in moments of celebration or the
43:51cover of a magazine looking very similar to Leonardo DiCaprio and the great Gatsby.
43:56I love it.
43:57Hey, do your thing, champ.
43:58You celebrate the way you think is appropriate, man.
44:01I'm here for it.
44:02When you win a championship, you can do that.
44:04Exactly.
44:05You do that.
44:06To me, that's the flex.
44:08That's the flex you've earned.
44:09You've earned the right to flex in that regard.
44:11So true.
44:13Well, listen.
44:14That brings us to the end of this episode of the Big 3 NBA Podcast.
44:17I want to thank Joe Swaye-Pavone for checking in and hanging out with us.
44:20Appreciate you, bro.
44:21And also wanted to give a quick shout-out to PrizePix, the exclusive daily fantasy partner
44:25of CLNS Media Network, and also our good friends at Game Time, which takes the guesswork out
44:30of buying last-minute tickets to your favorite sporting events.
44:33The way the Red Sox are playing, that ticket price is probably going to be rising.
44:37So Game Time is exactly what you need in your life right now.
44:42And again, it takes the guesswork out of buying last-minute tickets to your favorite sporting events.
44:46Just download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase.
44:53Terms apply.
44:54That's download.
44:55Excuse me.
44:56Yeah.
44:57Download the app, create an account, use code CLNS, and get $20 off your first purchase.
45:02Terms apply.
45:04For Joe Swaye-Pavone, this is H. Rob Licht with the Big 3 NBA podcast.
45:08We are outta here.
45:11Peace.
45:12See ya.