Bob Ryan, Jeff Goodman, and Gary Tanguay return for another episode to check in on the Boston Celtics. After a rough stretch to close out 2024, what's to blame? The shooting or the defense? Plus, they react to Bryce James' Arizona commitment.
0:00 - Intro
2:30 - Shooting struggles discussed
4:30 - NBA mentality shift
6:38 - Team confidence growth
10:51 - Durant's injury concerns
13:10 - Jokic's shooting skills
15:10 - Championship discussions
19:43 - Knicks' playoff potential
22:27 - Knicks' impact on NBA
25:46 - College basketball contracts
28:03 - Value of education
32:59 - Bryce James update
35:54 - LeBron's parenting choices
38:10 - NBA shooting stats
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!
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! Get results you can run your fingers through! For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners 10 dollars off your first month’s subscription and free shipping when you go to Nutrafol.com and enter the promo code GARDEN.
With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/CLNSFREE and use code CLNSFREE for FREE breakfast for life! One breakfast item per box while subscription is active. That’s free breakfast for life at HelloFresh.com/CLNSFREE with code CLNSFREE!
Visit https://factormeals.com/NEWSFEED50 to get 50% off your first box! Factor is America’s #1 Ready-To-Eat Meal Kit, can help you fuel up fast with ready-to-eat meals delivered straight to your door.
Right now, you can get 10% off your first purchase by going to https://ArenaClub.com/HOOPS. Wow, that’s a crazy offer.10% off a $400 Slab Pack, that’s $40 right there!
#celtics #NBA #BostonCeltics
---------------------------------------------------
🍀 For More Celtics Content:
🔴 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmp3kivpOg3lzoJC7yV7VjQ?sub_confirmations=1 🔴
🏈 For More Patriots Content
🔴 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqX7G3pEDTseNxtoDU27PEg?sub_confirmations=1 🔴
*******************************************************
Check out over 200 podcasts from CLNS Media here: https://clnsmedia.com/
*********************************************************
Come Chill With Us on Social Media:
🏀 🍀 Celtics Twitter - https://twitter.com/CelticsCLNS
🏈 Patriots Twitter- https://twitter.com/patriotsclns
🔵 Twitter Main- - https://twitter.com/clnsmedia
📸 🏀 Celtics Instagram - https://instagram.com/celticsCLNS
0:00 - Intro
2:30 - Shooting struggles discussed
4:30 - NBA mentality shift
6:38 - Team confidence growth
10:51 - Durant's injury concerns
13:10 - Jokic's shooting skills
15:10 - Championship discussions
19:43 - Knicks' playoff potential
22:27 - Knicks' impact on NBA
25:46 - College basketball contracts
28:03 - Value of education
32:59 - Bryce James update
35:54 - LeBron's parenting choices
38:10 - NBA shooting stats
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!
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! Get results you can run your fingers through! For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners 10 dollars off your first month’s subscription and free shipping when you go to Nutrafol.com and enter the promo code GARDEN.
With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/CLNSFREE and use code CLNSFREE for FREE breakfast for life! One breakfast item per box while subscription is active. That’s free breakfast for life at HelloFresh.com/CLNSFREE with code CLNSFREE!
Visit https://factormeals.com/NEWSFEED50 to get 50% off your first box! Factor is America’s #1 Ready-To-Eat Meal Kit, can help you fuel up fast with ready-to-eat meals delivered straight to your door.
Right now, you can get 10% off your first purchase by going to https://ArenaClub.com/HOOPS. Wow, that’s a crazy offer.10% off a $400 Slab Pack, that’s $40 right there!
#celtics #NBA #BostonCeltics
---------------------------------------------------
🍀 For More Celtics Content:
🔴 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmp3kivpOg3lzoJC7yV7VjQ?sub_confirmations=1 🔴
🏈 For More Patriots Content
🔴 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqX7G3pEDTseNxtoDU27PEg?sub_confirmations=1 🔴
*******************************************************
Check out over 200 podcasts from CLNS Media here: https://clnsmedia.com/
*********************************************************
Come Chill With Us on Social Media:
🏀 🍀 Celtics Twitter - https://twitter.com/CelticsCLNS
🏈 Patriots Twitter- https://twitter.com/patriotsclns
🔵 Twitter Main- - https://twitter.com/clnsmedia
📸 🏀 Celtics Instagram - https://instagram.com/celticsCLNS
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00The Bob Ryan and Jeff Goodman podcast is brought to you by Price Picks and the Game Time.
00:19Okay, it is the first edition of 2025 for the Bob Ryan, Jeff Goodman, Tangway Long for
00:25the Ride podcast brought to you by Price Picks.
00:28The exclusive Daily Fantasy partner of CLNS Media Network.
00:31Pick more, pick less with Price Picks.
00:33Guys, happy new year.
00:34Jeff, happy new year.
00:37Happy new year, Gary.
00:38Happy new year, Bob.
00:39The same to you, sir.
00:40All ready to rock and roll here.
00:42So we have to start off, though, the Celtics.
00:46Bob and I talked about it quite a bit last time, Jeff, but the Celtics, boy, are really
00:51laying an egg.
00:52I'm going to have to talk you down off the ledge again.
00:57We did this last year.
00:58No, no, no.
00:59We did this last year.
01:01But here's the point.
01:02I'm going to throw a nugget at you so I understand what you're saying.
01:05They are underperforming, obviously.
01:08Look, it's something to talk about.
01:10Why are they underperforming?
01:11They're going to be there at the end.
01:12But Bob and I talked about it.
01:13There was a great piece on NBA.com about the types of threes they're taking.
01:18And the stats pointed out that all the threes were off the dribble, to paraphrase, and they
01:22weren't off the catch.
01:24And that's basically the problem.
01:25Yep.
01:27No, listen, obviously if you get your feet set, the percentages say that you're going
01:33to make more of those.
01:34And these aren't…
01:35I mean, that's the other thing, guys.
01:37If you look at this Celtics team, especially with Porzingis out right now, how many of
01:43these guys would you say are like, dead-eye shooters?
01:46Right?
01:47Sam Hauser and Peyton Pritchard would probably be the two guys you would say are the best
01:53two shooters on this team.
01:54Jason Tatum has never been a dead-eye shooter.
01:56Jalen Brown certainly has never been.
01:58In fact, I thought he was a subpar shooter who has worked to become an above-average
02:04three-point shooter.
02:05Al Hortford never shot threes early on in his career.
02:08Obviously he's transformed his game a little bit.
02:12And Drew Holiday and Derek White are good shooters.
02:15Derek White probably, numbers-wise, would suggest he's better than just a good shooter.
02:19But none of them, I guess what I'm trying to say is none of these guys are Reggie Miller
02:24or Steph Curry or Mark Price or some of those guys that you would talk about as being elite
02:30shooters in the starting lineup.
02:32So when you take those type of shots, yeah, you're going to have the games like we saw
02:36against Indiana or Orlando, where they shoot a low percentage and if you do, you're not
02:43winning the game when you're taking, what, 51 or 54 three-point shots like they did against
02:49Indiana and making 16 of them and making 30% or Orlando six for 33 and making 24% of
02:58your threes.
02:59You're probably not winning those games.
03:02But part B is, for me, is that if you're having a night like that, you better D up.
03:10And that's where they have been really deficient, I think, compared to what they, way below
03:15the standard they have established.
03:18And so the defensive consistency or need is not always there either.
03:24So you combine the two, yeah, you get an L. There's no question.
03:28So particularly when you don't have any pusingas to throw the ball into every now and then.
03:32So I'm concerned, Jeff, is more about the defense application than I am about the offense.
03:41I think it's the mindset, Gary.
03:43I think it's more the mindset than anything.
03:46Think about all the crap they took going into last season, right?
03:51They're not winning players, Tatum and Jalen Brown, and everybody wanted to make so much
03:56about the Olympics, right?
03:58Jalen Brown not getting invited this past year and Tatum not playing.
04:02Like, yeah, they care for a minute, but they're not out there every night during the NBA season
04:07to prove that they were screwed out of the Olympics like they were a year ago when they
04:12came into the season and everybody was saying they're not winning basketball players.
04:16It's very different.
04:18And I think, again, their mentality just isn't the same.
04:20The hunger isn't quite the same to repeat as it was to prove the skeptics that they
04:27weren't losing basketball players.
04:30Bob, I'm going to ask you a question here, and I'm going to say it first so I can take
04:35the hit on being called an old bastard.
04:39As an observer, and I'm not talking about just the Celtics, I'm talking about the entire
04:45NBA, there doesn't seem to be the discomfort to constantly prove oneself that we saw in
04:55the 80s and 90s.
04:57It seems to me now, if you win a championship, oh, you're good.
05:02With the Lakers, whether it was Magic or Larry or Kareem, or I'm not just going to go pro-Celtic,
05:07but with Jordan and the Bulls, there was a constant need to prove yourself every year.
05:16And I don't see it in today's NBA.
05:18Well, I have to admit, I haven't thought about it in those terms.
05:21So I have to start thinking about it right away now.
05:25You know, we haven't had a repeat for a while.
05:30I mean, Golden State's kind of it, right?
05:32Yeah.
05:33We're getting into how many six years now in a row, whatever it is, that we new champ,
05:38which if you're running the league, that's a good deal.
05:41I think, you know, you like that.
05:44And certainly we've got new possibility contenders this year starting with OKC.
05:50So to win it all, you know, that's interesting.
05:52I don't know.
05:53Hey, think about it.
05:54You know, I mean, I just think like for my Celtic team this year, I will be vastly disappointed,
06:04not necessarily, Bob, if they don't repeat, but if they don't go down scratching and clawing
06:08to the end.
06:09Haven't they?
06:10At least it seems to me that over the years, these guys have paid at least lip service
06:16to the idea that they want to be included, that they know that in order to be included
06:20as a great Celtic team, as opposed to, you know, a great Clipper team, that they got
06:28to win more than one.
06:30And I think they I thought they were pretty acutely aware of that and or interested in
06:34that.
06:35So, you know, I'm not going to hang out on them yet.
06:39I think that I think these guys, I think they're aware of that and they would like to be in
06:43that club.
06:44And so, yeah, that's all I can say.
06:50I'm not sure I'm buying it necessarily, but I haven't really given it a lot of deep thought
06:54either.
06:55Jeff, you got anything on that?
06:59Yeah.
07:00I mean, like, I don't know.
07:02I mean, again, I just think this is a team that thinks they can flip it a little bit
07:06here and they haven't been whole, you know, poor Zingas is, I mean, seemingly he's always
07:13hurt.
07:14I mean, he's always hurt.
07:15And, you know, again, they won without him last year.
07:17I'm not sure they can win without him again this year in the postseason.
07:21I wouldn't want to find out.
07:22Let's not.
07:23I don't want to increase.
07:25No way with the increased competition.
07:27I mean, I'm very bullish on that.
07:30I really I'm taking OK, obviously, I'm taking the Cavaliers seriously.
07:34I'm taking the Knicks.
07:35We're going to get to it again seriously and so absolutely just before they even get to
07:41worrying about who they're going to play in the finals.
07:43So no, it's not.
07:47It's different.
07:48It's very different.
07:49And at the time at the time of this recording tonight, they're at Minnesota, then they're
07:53at Houston, then they're at OKC, then they're at Denver.
07:57So that is a huge test right there on the road for the Celtics.
08:03And in case people haven't been paying attention, Houston has now become something of a threat.
08:10And I want to talk about that.
08:11Let's well.
08:12Well, Bob, I know you want to get to the Knicks, Bob, but I had that on my list since you brought
08:16up Houston.
08:17Bob, I'll start with you.
08:18Are they when they say are they for real?
08:20I need to preface it.
08:21I don't expect them to win the title.
08:24But they're in the third place in the West.
08:25Are they for real in that they will remain a top four Western Conference team the rest
08:29of the season?
08:30Oh, that's that's going to be I'm not positive, but I think it's very, very possible.
08:35I think that, you know, we know that they're they're young and athletic and we know they're
08:40well coached and they I think they're gaining confidence, you know, every day, you know.
08:47So I think that they will very possibly, but at least you can say they're going to
08:53be heading into the tough out category, you know, of playoffs, which we have in all sports.
08:59It's one of our favorite pastimes when playoffs arise in any sport is to go, you know, they're
09:05going to be a tough out.
09:06You don't think they're going to win, but, you know, they're going to be trouble.
09:09And I think that Houston is heading toward the tough out category.
09:13Yeah, I mean, you look at it and you say, all right, just if they can host the playoff
09:18game, first round playoff game, that would be an incredible accomplishment for this team.
09:21I don't know if they're going to go anywhere in the playoffs, but, you know, obviously
09:24OKC separated themselves.
09:26Memphis is different now that the jaw's back and has his issues behind them.
09:31And, yeah, I think Denver will end up catching Houston at the end of the day.
09:36But, you know, Lucas Alford, another few weeks for Dallas, the Clippers or the like, I don't
09:42think the Clippers or the Lakers or Golden State are going to catch him.
09:46You know, the two teams that you say, like, can they make up ground are Minnesota.
09:51But Minnesota doesn't look like the same team they were before the trade.
09:54And I still baffled they made that trade when they did in Phoenix.
09:59Phoenix is the one that you're still waiting, right?
10:02You're waiting to see if they can put it all together, get healthy, you know, with with
10:06Booker KD and Brad Beal together.
10:10Can they make a move and be a true player?
10:12Because let's face it, guys, the door is closing on Kevin Durant here.
10:17Like we've talked about LeBron at 40, and Steph at what, 34?
10:21What's Steph?
10:2234?
10:23At least 7 now.
10:24At least 7.
10:25Yeah, I mean, Kevin Durant, let's face it, he's had a bunch of injuries throughout the
10:29course of his career, and the door isn't isn't that far ajar.
10:37And Brad Beal has also been injury prone the last few years.
10:41So I don't know if Phoenix is going to be a contender or not, or if Kevin Durant's got
10:45to bounce again to another team to see if he can win another title.
10:50But you know, I kind of put right now, like the Lakers, Golden State and Phoenix in the
10:56same category.
10:57Obviously, Phoenix is a higher upside, I think, because they got three dudes as opposed to
11:02two.
11:04But I don't know if any of them are going to be much of a player beyond being an intriguing
11:08first round matchup for, you know, one of those top young teams, right, in the West.
11:14Yeah, I think that's fair assessment, right, definitely, yeah.
11:18So I mean, Bob, when you mentioned guys like, Jeff, you mentioned guys like Durant, you
11:24mentioned LeBron.
11:25But yeah, every time I look and I look at the scores, or I see the highlights, people
11:30like Jokic, in this line, is in 29 minutes, and Bob, I know, I'm going to go with Bob
11:37because he loves the box score, in 29 minutes, he had 23 points, 17 rebounds, 15 assists,
11:46in less than a half an hour.
11:51should be a given now that he has established himself as a historical oddity and a historical
12:03milestone kind of guy, I mean, this stuff, he's in all the discussions now, you know,
12:08I always talk about the three, the three centers, you know, the three, when you're talking about
12:12the top players of all time, you know, you got your Russell, your Wilton, your Kareem,
12:17that are unquestionably at the top of the list, period.
12:21However, this guy is knocking on that door.
12:25I mean, seriously, to join that club, that is the greatest club, in my opinion, in sport,
12:31in any sport, is that that club, those three guys of greatness at that position.
12:38But he's, how can we deny him?
12:40He's got these wins, MVPs, he puts up numbers like this.
12:44So it's kind of now he's got to win.
12:47Oh, yeah, the guy, I mean, right.
12:49We understand.
12:50And we're not, you know, they, you know, they messed up, Murray messed them up, I think.
12:58And that's too bad.
12:59But anyway, he's phenomenal.
13:01I mean, and you can't say enough about him.
13:04I mean, Jeff, the efficiency, you know, that's the thing I look at.
13:07Well, I mean, the numbers are, believe me, I mean, crazy.
13:10But then when I look at 29 minutes or I look at a box score, don't say like, and two turnovers.
13:15I'm like, what?
13:17Yeah, I mean, and the biggest difference to me this year is he's shooting the hell out
13:21of the ball from three.
13:23Like, he's not known as, you know, like he can make some, but he's shooting almost 50%,
13:29I think, from three this year.
13:30And again, what do you do with a guy like that?
13:33Because he's so crafty.
13:36He can put it on the floor.
13:37You know, he's not the most athletic dude, but he can put it on the floor.
13:40And because he's agile, because he passes it so well, it's like, how do you, you pick
13:44your poison with him?
13:46I mean, he's close to averaging a triple-double this year.
13:50And as Bob said, when he said it, it like hits me of like putting him in the same conversation
13:56or near that conversation with the three greatest big men of all time.
14:01But like, I mean, if he wins another title, I think that's going to be a key for him.
14:07Right, right, right.
14:08Definitely.
14:09But when you're, you know, keeping the score, look, we set up all these artificial criteria,
14:15discussion, and we shape our discussions the way we want to shape them.
14:20And there's not often, not always a lot of, you know, agreement, unanimity, and what we value.
14:27But, and I think to some degree, some people have been unfairly criticized for not being champions.
14:36And so much circumstance goes on, on timing and who you're playing with, and you know,
14:40blah, blah, blah.
14:41And I'm thinking, of course, of guys like Barkley and right now Chris Paul.
14:45And that's another topic we get to some other day again about,
14:48about, you know, little guys being the best players on the team.
14:51Anyway, yeah, he's into this guy.
14:55I mean, Bob, it's a fair point by you, because even if you look back at, you know, you say Kareem,
15:00Kareem won one championship in Milwaukee, correct?
15:04Am I right?
15:04Yes.
15:04Yeah, he won one championship in Milwaukee.
15:07He goes to the Lakers.
15:09And does he win if he doesn't get magic?
15:12Well, no, no, no.
15:13And does, well, we can, that's a wonderful.
15:16But that's the point you're making.
15:17Is here's a guy who just doesn't have the supporting crew that those three players had.
15:24No, no, not right now, no.
15:25I mean, we still, we, you know, it's been kind of a revision in how we regard Murray now.
15:33You know, he's, you definitely let him down last year.
15:37And I thought he was going to be a big star for the Canadian Olympics.
15:39And that didn't happen either.
15:40But, you know, anyway, no, you're right.
15:43You make a very good point about, by the way, I just, it just flashed across my mind again
15:47about how the game is changing in so many ways.
15:49And the starting forwards on that 1971 championship Bucs team were 6'6 and 6'5.
15:58And now off the bench, they had Cornell Warner at 6'9.
16:02And, but still, that's a fact.
16:06It was Bob Dandridge.
16:07And people forget the twin, I'm having a senior moment.
16:15But anyway, they were 6'6 and 6'5.
16:17And, you know, you're not going to see that again.
16:20Okay.
16:20We got Bob talking about his Knicks.
16:22Not his Knicks, I should say.
16:23I don't want him to get about the Knicks coming up.
16:26But I first have to tell you about PrizePix, our wonderful sponsor.
16:29PrizePix is the best place to get real money sports action with over 10 million members
16:33and billions of dollars in award winnings.
16:35PrizePix has made daily fantasy sports accessible to all.
16:39Simple.
16:39You pick more or less than at least two players for a shot up to win 1,000 times your cash.
16:46Run your game all season long on PrizePix.
16:49So basketball season is heating up.
16:51And PrizePix is the best place to get real money action while watching your favorite sports.
16:56As I said, you can win up 1,000 times your money on PrizePix.
17:00Plus now they also offer MasterCard for quick and easy deposits in your account this sports season.
17:07PrizePix also offers weekly promotions that can lead to big payouts like Taco Tuesday.
17:12Who doesn't like Taco Tuesday?
17:13Each Tuesday, PrizePix discounts select player projections up to 25%
17:19to provide even more value for your lineups.
17:23PrizePix is the best way to win real money this basketball season.
17:26Hey, who's going to go off next?
17:28Which ones aren't?
17:29Which ones are?
17:30Make your picks in less than 60 seconds and turn your sports opinions into real money
17:34all season long on PrizePix.
17:38You can always look for Tatum to bus 30 and Anthony Edwards for 25, Celtics and Minnesota
17:44coming up.
17:45So that'll be an interesting game to watch and to make your bets and make your picks with PrizePix.
17:51So download the app today and use code CLNS to get $50
17:54instantly after you play your first $5 lineup.
17:56Download your app today and use code CLNS to get $50
18:00instantly after you play your first $5 lineup.
18:02PrizePix, run your game.
18:04Okay, Bob and the Knicks.
18:06The Knicks got off to a horrible start, but boy, they have been on fire as of late, Bob.
18:12Yeah, they got off to a bad start.
18:13They weren't defending and there was a question of Mikkel Bridges was not performing the way
18:20they had hoped.
18:21Well, that's all history now.
18:23The Knicks now won nine straight and once again, I love last night's box score with
18:30these guys because of Thibodeau.
18:33They won last night and in so doing, we had minutes played.
18:41Let's see.
18:42Oh, yeah.
18:46Heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy minutes played for the starters.
18:51Bridges played 44 minutes.
18:53Adenobe played 41.
18:54Hart played 45 last night and this is how they're winning though and can that keep up?
18:59Well, we'll see.
19:00You know, I think you would like to think that it won't.
19:03By the way, they won last night without Jalen Brunson in the aftermath of his 55-point game
19:09and without McBride and here's the great, I don't know if you're aware of this little
19:14story, Tyler Kolek, first round draft pick out of Marquette.
19:19He spent the afternoon playing for the Westchester Knicks and he had 36 points and 11 assists
19:25in an overtime victory and then he wound up playing 12 minutes for the real Knicks.
19:31That's awesome.
19:31Because they needed the body but how about that?
19:34Not many people can make that statement in their history and their basketball history.
19:38So good for them.
19:39I mean, Jeff, I want to hear from you on this because I expounded the other day about how
19:44I am definitely taking them seriously and well, how about you?
19:49How do you see them?
19:51Yeah, I mean, listen.
19:52Obviously, you said when they made the trades in the offseason that you felt like they were
19:59close.
20:00They could be the second best team in the East, in my opinion.
20:04Love their starting lineup.
20:06Love what Towns did for them.
20:08Giving them a big who can, you know.
20:10Now again, is Karl Anthony Towns the toughest kid mentally when things go bad in New York?
20:17They haven't really gone bad yet.
20:19They've been good enough and the expectations while are much higher than maybe they should
20:26be even from some people thinking they could compete with the Celtics.
20:30I think Knicks fans still understand how far this franchise has come and are happy
20:36to have them be relevant right now and good enough to be in the discussion.
20:41Here's what I'll say.
20:43Ready?
20:44Out of this nine-game winning streak, two have come against Orlando without their dudes.
20:52Two have come against the Wizards who absolutely suck.
20:57One has come against San Antonio.
20:59Let's face it.
21:00The Spurs are nowhere near where they're going to be in a few years.
21:04Utah, not very good.
21:05Toronto stinks.
21:07New Orleans stinks.
21:10I come to one victory out of these nine that came in Minnesota that I would say like,
21:16all right, you know what?
21:17You beat a good team that might be relevant that come postseason.
21:21I'm not even sure.
21:22Again, the Timberwolves are what?
21:24Like eighth right now in the West?
21:27So a lot of it is schedule and they've got two games coming up against Oklahoma City
21:33that I really want to see how they fare.
21:35But listen, the Knicks, I guess, are who we thought they were.
21:40I would say that.
21:42Yeah.
21:42When you examine these guys individually, you say, I'll take him.
21:47I take him.
21:48I take him.
21:48I'd find a spot for him.
21:50I'd find a spot for any of those five on my team.
21:53And I don't care what team we're talking about.
21:54Boston Celtics.
21:55I'm sorry.
21:56I'll take any of those guys.
21:57So yeah, no, that's a very good way of putting it.
22:00And by the way, they have revitalized the garden.
22:03You know, the garden is electric now.
22:05And people, you know, you think about the gross national product of all the dollars
22:10that have been spent buying Knicks tickets since they last even made the playoffs.
22:16And people keep filling that garden every single night.
22:19And the basketball love in that city remains at a high level, which is really nice.
22:26Life is better in the NBA when the Knicks are good.
22:29Sure.
22:33And if Philly gets, you know, Philly beat the Celtics.
22:35But, you know, Boston, New York, Philly, when those three teams.
22:39And then, of course, I wish you had the Lakers.
22:40Like that corridor.
22:42When those three teams are cruising, it's great.
22:46Yeah, you're right.
22:48But in any sport, you want New York good because it polarizes America.
22:52You know, people tune in to see them lose half the time.
22:55They're supposed to be tuning in to see them win.
22:58That's that's the way it is.
22:59That's just life being in New York.
23:01I had a family friend who owned a couple of a couple of sub shops around the garden.
23:09I think he's a billionaire.
23:13Sold a lot of sold a lot of sandwiches around the garden.
23:18Sold a lot.
23:19I mean, just the simple you want.
23:21I mean, just yeah.
23:23He had an indoor swimming pool.
23:25I'll leave it at that.
23:26OK.
23:28Oh, but one quick quick aside.
23:32The guy I was trying to think of for the Bucs, the six five forward was Greg Smith.
23:37And the funny thing, I just looked him up and basketball reference.
23:41They let's play.
23:42You know, they go PG, SG, C, PF and PF, CF, SF, you know, forward.
23:52He's listed at six five as the PF.
23:55Right.
23:56In 1971.
23:57Silas at six five was a powerful.
23:59He was six seven.
24:00He was six.
24:00Oh, six.
24:01Oh, sorry.
24:01OK, excuse me.
24:03I'll tell you, it was six five legitimate power forwards.
24:05A guy named Don Adams.
24:07He was he played the position that like he was seven.
24:10Anyway.
24:11Anyway, we digress.
24:12OK, so this is interesting.
24:15Bob, you want to talk about it?
24:16I'm going to start with Jeff, though.
24:18Bob brought it up, the Leonard Hamilton thing.
24:21So he's being sued by six players at FSU
24:24saying that they're owed two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in money.
24:28How does the coach impact that?
24:31Because they're saying that that he was the one verbally
24:35who who gave some sort of indication or promise that that these kids would get that money.
24:41And my take in all this is if you don't have a contract like first of all, kids,
24:47anybody listening to this, if you're a college player, make sure you hire a good agent.
24:51Don't pay 20 percent for a collective deal.
24:54OK, pay 10 percent tops, five, 10 percent.
24:57If you're paying 20 percent, you get you are getting ripped off, ripped off.
25:01Now, 20 percent for marketing deals.
25:03That's one thing.
25:04But to me, five, 10 percent for this.
25:06These contracts with collectives is fair.
25:10A lot of these agents right now are low level agents that have been elevated
25:17because of college players making big money right now.
25:20So they're taking advantage of these kids.
25:21They don't know what they're doing.
25:23And when they do these deals, some of them don't have contracts, guys, which is insane to me.
25:30Like, how do you not have a contract if you're making two hundred, five hundred,
25:34some of them making a million, two million dollars?
25:38So these Florida State kids did not have contracts.
25:40So to me, again, it's going to be interesting to see what what transpires here.
25:45But in my opinion, listen, if you don't have a contract, I get Leonard Hamilton or the
25:49collective or somebody might have promised you a certain amount of money, like get a damn contract.
25:56Yeah, Bob, it's so odd for me to be talking about college basketball in these terms.
26:01Well, it's quite odd for all of us.
26:03The thing has changed irrevocably forever.
26:07OK, and it's completely a discussion that would have been utterly unimaginable.
26:12What, 10 years ago, even five years ago, probably, you know.
26:16And but it's inevitable that we get that this would happen.
26:20That's my view.
26:21My interest in this story is that this is a milestone.
26:27I don't know if this is the first.
26:29Jeff, are you aware of any other circumstances like specifically like this, where a representative.
26:35It'll happen.
26:36It'll happen.
26:36I've heard a couple of years ago.
26:39I mean, I've heard plenty of players that say they didn't get paid their money.
26:42They haven't gone forward and actually sued.
26:45A couple of years ago, a kid at Illinois that said he didn't get all of his money.
26:50I heard Virginia Tech players last year didn't get paid.
26:54So I've heard this over and over with plenty of different places.
26:57It hadn't got to the lawsuit stage.
27:00And again, the commonality with a lot of them is like, do you have a contract?
27:05No, no, I don't.
27:06Well, then you know what?
27:07You got to hire a better agent and get a contract because you're talking about big money now.
27:13You're talking about legitimate, big money.
27:15And there's no reason there shouldn't be to protect both sides, to be honest.
27:20Leonard Hamilton, this might be it for Leonard.
27:23And it's funny.
27:24I remember talking to Leonard when NIL first came in a few years ago.
27:27I remember talking to him at the ACC Media Day about this.
27:31And Leonard was a staunch, I don't want to say a poser of this, but his deal was always like,
27:39listen, these kids, there's value in education.
27:43And I haven't talked to him about it lately, but his whole take was like,
27:49especially inner city kids, they need to understand the value of education.
27:54And I think we've lost that to some degree right now,
27:58because all these kids just feel like, hey, there's an entitlement now
28:05with this money that comes in and not understanding the value of education.
28:10And the fact that, yeah, a lot of these kids, they might make 500 grand now.
28:13That might be the most money they ever make in their entire lives.
28:16They might not be playing basketball by the time they're 30.
28:20What are you going to do the rest of your lives if you don't have a college education?
28:23They've been bouncing around, transferring three, four times, losing credits,
28:27maybe not getting their degree because they're trying to make as much money as they can now.
28:32And I understand it, but there are some drawbacks of the current system that need to be rectified.
28:39Some. I'll tell you, the academic thing is never discussed.
28:45It's the third rail thing that even talk about it.
28:52I kiddingly say, when's the last time you ever heard of someone being quote, unquote,
28:55academically ineligible? That's a phrase you haven't heard in years.
29:01I wonder if some of these kids even know where the classroom buildings are
29:04as they go on their little Marco Polo trek across America, going to three schools in four years.
29:10And it's all online classes too, Bob.
29:12I mean, how can they? Oh, I guess.
29:14It's a ton of online classes. In addition, the academic system has changed.
29:20Even my daughter, her next semester, she's going to take half her class load
29:26is going to be online classes. And some kids, especially the ones who do a year, like
29:32grad year somewhere, they won't even go in the classroom.
29:36I had a kid at Kentucky a couple of years ago, he did his grad degree.
29:39Kellen Grady went from Davidson to Kentucky and never stepped foot in a classroom at Kentucky
29:45in the year he was there.
29:47Well, yeah, that's too bad because you missed the college experience.
29:50But speaking of college, we have another James that is making some news.
29:56Not just Brawny, that's coming up right here.
29:58So we want to tell you about GameTime.
29:59And GameTime Picks is the best way to get tickets right on your phone.
30:03I have the app. You just click it on.
30:04You set the whole thing up so it's customized to what you want,
30:07the games you want to see in the market, you want to see them.
30:09For me, I go to my app, I click it on.
30:11I got everything with the Bruins tickets.
30:13I know what's going on with Celtics.
30:14If I want to go to BC, even Harvard, you can check it out.
30:19And that's how GameTime Picks works.
30:20It filters out the fluff to show you incredible deals and great seats
30:24so you don't have to waste time searching through thousands of tickets.
30:28It's that simple.
30:28They have the super deal.
30:30The single best value seat available is the super deal.
30:34And when you buy your ticket, you can just click it on and you have your view.
30:38You know what you're getting.
30:39You get to look under the hood, as they say.
30:41You get to kick the tires before you buy.
30:44And you can customize your spot, as I've done.
30:47Also, they have the lowest price guarantee,
30:49event cancellation protection, job loss protection, etc.
30:53I mean, who has job loss protection?
30:54In this day, that's a good thing to have.
30:57The lowest price guarantee for GameTime.
30:58They'll credit you 110% of the difference.
31:01Your purchase is covered with the most flexible customer service policy
31:04in the ticketing industry.
31:06And not just sports with GameTime.
31:08I mean, they get concerts, comedy, theater,
31:11all kinds of things to expand your horizon.
31:13So download the GameTime app today.
31:15Create an account.
31:16Use code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase.
31:18Terms apply.
31:19Again, create an account.
31:21Redeem the code CLNS for $20 off.
31:24Download GameTime today.
31:25What time is it?
31:26It is GameTime.
31:27I didn't know there was another James.
31:30I thought it was just all about Brawny.
31:31When you guys said, you know, Bryce James to Arizona.
31:34Bob, you put this on the list.
31:35I went, Bryce James?
31:37I didn't even make the assumption that it was LeBron's son.
31:41Now, Gary, we have to cede the floor here to someone
31:46who has a strong residual interest in this transaction.
31:49I do, I do.
31:51An alumnus of the Wildcats.
31:54How do you react to this news?
31:56What the hell is Tommy Lloyd in Arizona doing?
32:00That was my first reaction because I've seen Bryce James play probably,
32:04I don't know, I probably saw him play five times this past summer
32:07between April and July.
32:09And, you know, listen,
32:11Brawny came in with all the hype and the fanfare
32:14because he was the oldest son.
32:15And I thought he lived up to it for the most part on the AU circuit.
32:18He was a good player.
32:19He produced every game.
32:21He didn't always wow you,
32:22but he was productive in pretty much every game I saw him.
32:25Bryce James, he doesn't really do much.
32:29He averaged like five points a game in the Peach Jam,
32:32which is the biggest AU event down in Augusta, Georgia.
32:35And 6'6", wing.
32:38He's got the size that Brawny doesn't, but maybe the upside.
32:43Here's the deal, guys.
32:44Here's why Arizona took him.
32:46A couple reasons.
32:47One, LeBron and his family understand
32:52the plan and the path is not the same for Bryce that it is for Brawny.
32:58They're not going to try to rush him out in a year.
33:00He's not going to go to the NBA in a year.
33:02In fact, there's a chance I'm told he could redshirt next year at Arizona.
33:06So that's number one.
33:08Number one is they don't think this is a Brawny recreation
33:11where they're going to try to get him to play with LeBron in a year or two.
33:15Number two, high character kid, good kid, just like Brawny.
33:20The upside they're thinking is there.
33:22If he redshirts, let's see what he becomes.
33:25Maybe he grows another couple inches and maybe he becomes a 6'8 shooter.
33:30Number three, he is represented by Rich Ball and Clutch Sports,
33:36which is no surprise because that's Brawn's buddy.
33:39Well, they also represent Koa Pete and a kid named Braden Burries.
33:46Both are top ten players in the class.
33:49So I got to figure that plays into this as well heavily of,
33:54hey, listen, let's take them and maybe we can get one of these other top players
34:00and in a kind of a package deal, maybe Rich Ball just kind of takes care of us
34:06as much as anything is, hey, we took care of him.
34:09We took care of him with this one because the kid is a Duquesne level player, guys.
34:13He's an 8'10 player.
34:14He should have played for, you know, Drew Joyce, LeBron's other buddy,
34:19who's the head coach at Duquesne.
34:20That would have been the right fit.
34:21And that was my take for Brawny if he came back to school.
34:25But that's kind of the lowdown on Bryce James.
34:28Well, very good.
34:30I learned a lot there.
34:31But it's just so intriguing.
34:34And, you know, this whole LeBron saga just continues to expand.
34:41I mean, tough spot.
34:42Just as, you know, as a parent, you know, you get two kids
34:46and I don't know how many kids they have total.
34:49But, you know, you heard so much about Brawny.
34:51And Jeff, you've always said Brawny's just this great kid.
34:54He's handling it well.
34:56And you just hope the same thing for this kid
34:58because it's even tougher on him.
35:00I mean, you remember Michael Jordan Jr.
35:02Where did he go to college?
35:03In Florida somewhere?
35:04UCF.
35:05Yeah.
35:06But I mean, can you imagine?
35:07I'm Michael Jordan Jr.
35:09I mean, holy crap.
35:10Well, that was the other Jordan.
35:12I think Michael, I think Jeffrey Jordan went to Illinois and walked on.
35:17The other Jordan, Marcus Jordan, went to UCF and played well.
35:21That was pretty good.
35:22Oh, OK.
35:22So, all right.
35:23My bad.
35:23But still, that's just, I mean, for these kids, I feel for them.
35:28I mean, listen, they're not looking for their next meal
35:30and they never have to work a day in their life.
35:32But the pressure is insurmountable.
35:34Yeah, I just would have, if I was LeBron, I would have went the other route.
35:38I would have put him at a big West school like UC Irvine
35:42and said, let him play and earn it.
35:45And if he averages 15 a game, then you have a decision to make, right?
35:49Like, does he transfer to an Arizona?
35:51And then he's already ready.
35:53But listen, if this is the path and he redshirts and he gets better
35:57and he plays at Arizona and he's a good, solid player for four years,
36:01all the best to him.
36:02Again, all the best.
36:04And this kid has far less pressure than Bronny.
36:06Because like you said, Gary, you didn't even know he existed until yesterday.
36:10Yeah, and it was probably better off for him.
36:12Bob, before we go, your 20-point list.
36:16I've got some stats to chew on as we analyze the NBA in year 2025.
36:24Okay.
36:26The number of people currently, as we speak, averaging 20 points a game, 34.
36:33The number of people averaging of that group, 25 points a game, 10.
36:38And of course, the number of people averaging 30, there are three,
36:42namely, Quambo, SGA, and Djokic.
36:47Now, as a few other things, free throw shooting is remarkable.
36:52There are 11 people currently shooting over 90%.
36:57When I was in my formative NBA coverage years of the 70s, there might be one, two at the most.
37:07You didn't need to shoot 90% necessarily to win the free throw.
37:11That speaks to something.
37:12I'm not sure exactly what.
37:14So we got that.
37:15But here's another little subplot here.
37:20Field goal percentage.
37:21Okay.
37:23The leader is Gafford of Dallas with 71.719.
37:29As you might suspect, eight of the top 10 are not really shooters.
37:35All right.
37:36They're dunkers.
37:37They're tipping.
37:39And we're talking about Gafford, Kessler, Allen, Betance,
37:44Rudy Gobert, who has not taken a three all year.
37:46I checked it out.
37:48Okay, and won't be.
37:50Zuback, Jackson Davis.
37:53But the two guys in the league, in the top 10 field goal percentage, Antetokounmpo at 61.
38:01And my favorite player, Donatas Sabonis.
38:05Don't forget him, folks.
38:075595.
38:09Furthermore, but here's one that I just learned about 20 seconds ago.
38:14Of the 30 leading three-point percentage people,
38:17the leader, by the way, is Okoro of Cleveland.
38:19Djokic is second in the league.
38:21Wow.
38:22You were making allusions earlier, Jeff.
38:24Yep.
38:24He was second.
38:25He's shooting 489 from the three.
38:27That's crazy.
38:28And that's prior to last night.
38:30I don't know.
38:31Let's see what he did last night.
38:31All right.
38:34But here's one for you.
38:36Who do you think of the top 30
38:40attempts, top 30 guys, free throw field goal percentage, and the number 30 is at 42-4?
38:46Who do you think has taken the most shots, the most threes in the top 30?
38:53There's a reason I ask.
38:55And you should figure it out.
38:59Go ahead.
39:00Pritchard?
39:01Yes.
39:01Pritchard.
39:02Coming off the bench, as he does, he has taken the most three-point shots of the top 30
39:09three-point shooters, which I assume when he's number one in the league.
39:12He knows this out.
39:13No, he doesn't even know this out.
39:14It's not even close.
39:15He's taken 287 attempts, made 122.
39:20That's 42-5.
39:22Cam Johnson is second with 224.
39:27And Garland is third with 220.
39:30Just Peyton Pritchard.
39:32That says it all about Peyton Pritchard, doesn't it?
39:35Or said a lot of it.
39:36Doesn't say it all.
39:37That's why I love him.
39:38A lot.
39:38So much more than that.
39:39Well, we'll get into that someday.
39:41That's fine.
39:42Gentlemen, this has been a tremendous show.
39:43What a great way to start 2025.
39:46Lots of information to chew on.
39:48Lots to talk about.
39:49And who knew LeBron had another son?
39:52Now we know.
39:54Bob Ryan, Jeff Goodman, Tang Wei, along for the ride.
39:56Brought to you by Price Picks, the exclusive daily fantasy partner of CLNS Media Network.
40:00Pick more, pick less with Price Picks.
40:02Guys, until next week.