Welcome to episode two excuse me not, Episode two, Season two, episode
twenty eight of Clips in Dip. We are part of the two and three
Hoops Empire, the producing fantastic content as always, go check that out,
love the jam the Pod. Robert Flahm just wrote a great article about where
the Clippers are at right now. I am Chuck Wackler. With me is
William Updyke usually with us as Adam Oslin. We gave him a day off
and we got the boot. Okay, oh okay, I wasn't aware of
the boot, but we we thought we gave him the day off. Apparently
he might have the boot, but I we're just kidding out. Joy enjoy
your day. We we're having a great day, Adam. But yeah,
we're talking today the Clippers five and seven stretch, how we're feeling after some
good progress, some steps backwards, a couple steps forwards. There's a James
Harden interview that some people are upset about. We got a bunch of fantastic
Clippers fan questions to answer, and then we're previewing the unwinnable battle that the
Clippers face against the Nuggets. We're gonna talk about how they can maybe get
a win against Denver. We've seen them get over this slump. Let's let's
go this mile high slump. Will How are you doing? How are you
feeling about the Clippers right now? How's your weekend? I was in Las
Vegas. Oh yeah, yeah, here's what you're going was certainly more more
eventful than mine. Uh, you know, I'm feeling all right about the
Clippers. I feel I think it was expected that we would drop one to
the Warriors. I just didn't know which one and and the way they won
it. It is good anytime you're seeing this this team execute down to the
wire, right Yeah. I think that those games are saying more to me
now than you know. The blowout victory is certainly earlier in the season,
or even the one against Dallas. I'm I want them to begin anse sort
of reps in clutch minutes, in times where where it is important to be
able to come together and there's like a there's a better there's more pressure.
I just feel like it prepares you a lot better, even if they're not
always the prettiest of wins. That's a really optimistic way to look at it,
because I don't want to be in clutch time at all ever, just
because usually means things are going right. But I like that positive look on
it. I also, when you were saying that made me realize we've gotten
an unorderlined, unprecedented stretch of consistent games from PG and Kawhi. So we
might as well get this practice in when they're all healthy and they're available,
because I don't think they're gonna play all eighty two games. I hope they
do kind of actually maybe not, but eighty two seems heavy. Man.
Yeah, I don't want that to happen. Yeah, takes some time.
But the Clippers a rough five and seven stretch, they go three and two
over it. We find ourselves at nine and ten, holding down that coveted
ninth seed. Horrible loss of shortthanded Denver great win versus the MAVs. Maybe
stole a win, maybe executed well down the stretch versus Wards. Maybe a
little of both three and two over this. Five and seven is not that
dis eh, it's kind of disappointing. You thought they were going to go
four and one. I think I think the Nuggets game you look back on
and you say, we left one here. Yeah, I don't know how
you can pretend, you know, like I, yeah, if they were
healthy, I think three and two would be good. But we left one
on the table. But that's not crazy. It's a tough it's a tough
stretch. Yeah, crazy stat. I saw today the only team in the
league that's top eight in point differential but under five hundred in the league,
which is crazy. Yeah, but I do gotta say, I mean,
those are kind of freak blowouts. Like I don't know how much there's a
couple we don't know how much stock to put in that. There's a couple
big ones. There's there's two wins by over twenty forty and twenty five,
and then one win by nineteen. But the the margin of defeat is what
I was looking at today, seven point eight points. Yeah, that's not
good. That feels worse. That feels worse. I don't know. I
guess it was somehow. Maybe its because I thought we were getting blown out,
not blown out, but like just really destroyed during that losing streak.
Seven losses by single digits? Are the Clippers better than the record? Right
now? Did that five and seven make you feel better or worse about this
team than when it started? I mean better than when it started, for
sure, but the expectations got pretty low there, I mean about as low
as they could possibly go to still be a fan of this team, but
no, I think we've seen some some encouraging things, and I think if
play had been this way at the start of the year, I think I
think they'd maybe be good for like sixth or seventh place, you know,
if the trade happens sooner. Yeah, that's really what it is. Complete.
It's not like a complete turnaround for we are. I don't think we're
a top four uh team in the West, like in terms of seating right
now, even if the trade happened at the beginning of the year. Both.
Yeah, I can see what you're saying about maybe being a little bit
better than our record, yeah, and a little bit barely. Yeah.
I'm not saying we're light in the world on fire, but we're better than
the records. I like that positivity. Man, I'm with it. I'm
digging it. That's that's nothing in the world on fire. Uh. The
starters during this stretch, because this is the starters have kind of they've just
been good. Over these five games. The Clippers starters were plus twenty in
net rating, so you can't ask for a whole bunch more from that group.
But we got to talk Terrence. Let's do it. Things aren't going
well for Terrence. Shooting from the outside, it's not good. It's still
sub at some point this season. Is he still there? He currently is
sub twenty percent. Let me check his stats really quick. And again,
this is not seventeen percent shooting seventeen that's true. That's one of those things
though, because I asked Adam this when I when I was on Clipper to
Auk after the win, and you know, Terrence had the ankle injury to
start the season. He was out of the starting lineup like a day after
being announced that he would in fact be it starter, to the rejoice of
Clickers fans, And I was wondering if some of something was going on there
because our co host, Adam he does Zapruder style film breakdowns of everyone shooting
and stuff like that. That's stuff that just just look at it on Twitter.
Man, I don't know it's a good stuff. But so I asked
him, like, do you think something has physically changed, because it's just
like the differential is so high from what we know him to be as a
three point two. Is there something physically wrong? Uh? And he said
he didn't notice anything significant. So I'm actually reassured somehow by the seventeen percent.
It's in that category of things that are so bad, they're just so
bad. Have to be better than that. That's that's just too bad.
There's no way it could stay that way for a whole season. Whereas if
he was like shooting I don't know, if he was shooting like twenty eight
percent, I'd be like, I don't know, that's within the that's within
the margin. That's reason to me for a regression, reasonable worry. That's
a reasonable worry. Yeah. So it's like reasonable worry. And then this
is so bad there's no way it could sustain. It can sustain when it's
that bad. It's like the three point shooting the first Nico Petunia. I
feel like we had some like there was some really terrible stuff, I think,
and he specifically was not exactly lighting enough. But averages do balance out.
Man. I think three point shooting for me is one of those.
I'd be way, I'm less worried about. Okay, Yeah, that's the
thing. If it's if his cutting and his defense was bad, I'd be
like, Okay, well something is maybe physically raw. This is not good
for Terrence. But yeah, it's the shooting again, seventeen percent. It's
not good. And while his offense has been bad, the starting five with
Terrence uh is still better than the numbers the starting five with Russell Westbrook.
It's not a knock on Russell Westbrook, but him and the starters remnus twenty
two point six. So a pretty big swing for for that ant No,
goddamn man, Adam's gonna clip that when he comes back from his two days
off and have my mentions on fire. Is his spot safe during this slump
we saw norm with the starters in the second half of the Warriors. I
like, which is something we've talked about before. Yeah, I like the
adjustment. I like. I love the adjustment, and the spacing is nice
when they because teams aren't respecting Terrence from deep right now again because he's shooting
seventeen percent, but Norman is shooting quite the opposite. He might be shooting
seventy one percent from three. It's not but it's close. But I don't
think. I don't think. I think for me to start like I think
if anything. Terrence won't get banged. I think it'll be the gore tot
start or something like that. He'll still get the same amount of minutes.
But jostled Where am at with Norm starting? I think it's a bit too
much. Just it's like, you know, the you got the shake,
great ice cream or the whip cream on top, great chocolate syrup. Sure,
okay, but then there's a whole ass oreo stuff in the top of
it. It's like, that's just that's too much stuff. And that's how
that's how I feel about Norm and the starting lineup. It's like we've just
kind of figured out the balance of how these guys can play offensively together,
right Like we're still trying to figure out how this is gonna works initiating what
who's off ball? I think adding Norman is it's too many cooks, whatever
you want to call it. It is a too much situation. Be it
a Sunday, Yeah, did that happen to you recently? No? But
I was just thinking about it, Yeah, so much. And then sometimes
it's a chocolate purouet a straw, You're like, this is too much.
He's giving a shake and a paper cup for God's sakes. I don't know
where you're getting these desserts at the map. I'm not at the Mault shop.
If you're watching on YouTube, comment with your favorite malt shop ru on
YouTube, YouTube dot com Slash at Clippers podcast. I think you're right.
I don't know if I totally follow the metaphor specifically that you used. But
the offense is fantastic with Norm out there with that starting five obviously, but
the defense has been really rough in the small sample size that we've seen it.
The defensive rating is something I think it's in like the one twenties.
But you don't want to start the game because the team with the stars is
still started very well, So I'm not sure if that happens. And this
goes into something that I think is the bigger issue is the bench, because
the bench for the Clippers is all over the place right now and we don't
know what's gonna happen. And Justmorrh points, yes, uh, Westbrook and
Harden cannot share the floor together. That that can't. Are you asking me
or no? I'm that's a statement of fact. That's a statement of fact.
But when they shared the floor over these last five games, they were
minus fourteen point eight together. This isn't a knock on either of them.
This is just simply stating that they probably should not think. I mean,
that's like that that passes the smell test. That's what I'm seeing out there.
I just I guess you could still have hoped that they could gel that
out. Look, they could figure it out, because obviously the emphasis has
been figuring out things on the offensive end for the starters while trying to maintain
you know, sort of the defensive consistency that we've gotten in the good games,
in these wins. So there's reason to believe I guess that that maybe
that's another one of those law of averages things that maybe the time with them
could get a little better as they figure out the fit. But to the
eye, it has not looked like something that's really worth exploring. To me,
again, I do not coach the quipper. I have the opposite of
say uh so, yeah, yeah, it is not not looks good.
And they're part of like some I can't remember who said it on Twitter,
but they called it like a security blanket lineup that Tye runs. Sometimes it's
Russ Harden pg Kawhi and then Zoo or whoever where those four it doesn't really
work. They did that with Zoo in six minutes. Over these five games,
it was minus sixteen. Obviously a very small sample size, but not
a good one, not a good small sample, So that kind of needs
to get figured out. And ty lou Ty used ten lineups in the first
half verst the Warriors. Is there an issue with bench continuity? Is that
a thing? Is that a stupid thing that I maybe, No, No,
you're not wrong. I mean it's it's like it was saying, if
they want to try to make the bench unit run with with west Brook Andharden,
like it is one of those things they have to work on, but
it just begs the question of is it worth it? And I guess that's
how I feel about ten different starting lineups. I don't know that it's necessarily
bad. I think if you're second unit people, you're kind of expecting to
get shuffled around. I would say, optimally you even thrive in that environment.
So I don't know that it's a detriment per se. But I don't
really see that. It's another one of those things I just don't really see
the value of, like tens, Like what are you taking away from ten
different lineups in the first half. Yeah, in twenty four minutes of basketball,
like what Yeah, and obviously they you know, they can't tell us,
but it'd be nice. Well, and like Tyrol the hot hand when
it mattered, right, Yeah, oh yeah, he kept hardened in late
versus the Dubs, which was good. He brought Russ in later than that,
which was nice because we needed the rebounding and the defense. So that
was a good call. But yeah, I just, I just, I'm
just And people are gonna we're gonna talk about it in the next segment a
little bit. But people have asked about bones and stuff like that. I
don't think that's gonna happen because because there's just so many guards. There's so
many guards, and we need size. We still need size. Tye has
been good, but we're still it's a little he's not like that. Yeah,
he's not that much of a room to turn at times. He's not
really I'm gonna need to check his stats before I say this, but the
eye test suggests that the rebounding isn't as optimal maybe either as we want.
You're steiling guys off the stuff. Yeah, he does the dirty work.
He has put in the effort. The rebound's been okay, I shouldn't say
that, maybe just lately that I haven't been as hyped on the rebounding.
But I feel like this is it's it's really only a concern given how long
we're out Mason. But I think I think Mason helps that second unit too
for whatever reason. Yeah, he's huge for whatever reason. Like these past
few regions. Yeah, these past few iterations with Clippers, I thought had
kind of thrived when they've had like a plan making actual big man. Yeah,
for sure. And we don't know when what's going on with Mason.
I don't. I haven't heard anything other. I haven't heard anything other than
the sprain. Yeah, and we're playing a big team against the Nuggets again,
so we're really going to see, uh, you know what we're working
with there. But yeah, something Just hope the bench can get figured out.
What do you want to see? Man? Like, So, who's
your yeah, rundown run down? You're sixth man and you're five, well,
so I mean sixth man. I think it. I think it's got
to be norm And then I think it's got to be norm too. And
this isn't a again not a knock on Russ at all. So is it
nor so in your opinion? Is it norm in for PG in that like
mid in that mid first, in that mid first period, Norman for PG,
you move Terrence down to the you keep Terrence at the two? Yeah,
okay, or moved Terrence to the three. I don't care about the
actual number. I'm not worried about the actual number, because the defense is
the point of attack. Defense if it's norm right next to Harden gets a
little rough, I know. But that's why you still have Kawhi and Zoo
out there and Terrence. Yeah okay, yeah, I like that idea.
And then Norman played the whole second the other day, which is well,
and Kawhi is gonna I think they're gonna keep Kawhi playing the full first because
Ty has talked a lot about PG playing with that second unit. You know,
normally that is the Kawhi shift in other iterations that we've seen in this
team, is you play the full first, come back in halfway into the
second, start the full third, not necessarily play all the way through the
third, but you know right as it goes. So yeah, that woul
would be my first of it and that would be my sixth man. And
then I think harden out russ In is an obvious sort of thing. Yeah,
finish out that quarter, then you probably then sub out both of Well,
Zoo's got to get subbed out before the end of the first probably you
can't run Zoo the whole first. Yeah, but then you can stagger the
bench when they're at their most bench with you limit the time, yeah,
and you want to limit yeah, just limiting the most bench time, Yeah,
most bench time. It's weird that we're talking about death being an issue
with this Clippers team, right because we can run that for the last four
years. It was just like I thought this team was the deepest, and
you know, we gave up, We gave up a lot, We had
to let you know, we had to lot let ss walk to make things
work. But there we are. It's just weird how that's weird, how
we're back in the same position. Well, and it makes it, uh,
it makes it hard because it still feels like we're kind of going game
to game. Yeah, there's been improvements, obviously, it's not you know,
three and two hour like we talked about a pretty good over this five
and seven. We just had left. You want to see it put it
like stacking more wins. You want to see like, yeah, a little
more process wins and stuff like that. And it's not how many straight would
you need to see it to be on this? How many good process games
wins? I don't know if I can. I'm good on I'm good on
process. We don't. I don't think we could be good on process.
I think this at this point, you have to do both, man.
I mean, so that's what's different process it wins. Yeah, I mean,
hey, i'd love to see, Yeah, twenty of those, No,
I need to I want to see like, I mean, shit,
it's already almost twenty games in the season. I need to see like five
in a row of games where it's like, yes, we did everything right
and we lost. Those games happen like, you know, not play a
perfect game and lose, but do everything the way it's kind of supposed to
be done for forty eight minutes. That five games like that means forty four
minutes. Yeah, I agree with you one hundred percent. And you know
we said we were feeling a little bit better about the Clippers. It looks
completely different if they dropped that second Warriors game. Oh yeah, I was.
Yeah, it really does. But yeah, I see what you're saying.
What's the biggest leap right now is at the bench, But it has
to be the bench. The starters are like plus twenty six together. Yeah,
the starters are starting with. Starters are great. The only thing we
have to figure out is, like I do, I do still think they
have to get fourth quarter fourth quarter stuff figured out because the offense just watch
your love your touch. It's like a movie because that just has to get
figured out. Like the fourth quarter offense is still it's better, but a
lot of the ball movement and stuff that we like kind of tends to go
away. People kind of call you up. It gets back into that same
thing. Yeah, I'm actually looking up before we get to the next I
want to look up. I don't know. Clippers score thirty two point three
in the in the fourth that's not bad. Oh it's up to thirty two
point We're six in the league. Pretty good, it'd be better. Sure
could be fifth. Uh if it's not top five, it doesn't really matter
to me. You're we're right there. It's so close to mattering. Uh,
coming up, we're gonna answer some Clippers questions, We're gonna talk to
James Harden interview which didn't teach us a whole lot about James Harden, which
is totally fine. All that coming up after these ads. They've been a
little loud for some people. If that's been your case, go ahead and
turn it down. Clippers questions and the hard and interview talk coming up in
three two one, Hey, welcome back into Clips and did you're tune into
a special duo episode Adam oslind got the day. It's just it's just me,
just just just me, William Well one man. Uh so we talked
a little bit about what you know, what's going on with the book,
is how we're feeling after this, uh this California State stand and now I
guess some stuff about Harden as well as just some Clippers questions from you the
fans. Thank you so much for someon was in Charles, you put this
note in here? Where do you want to leave us in with this?
You put this in here. So James Harden didn't interview with the Athletic and
it didn't if you miss this, I wouldn't be surprised if you missed this.
There weren't any bombshells. Really in this interview, there wasn't anything scandalous
or anything like that, you know what I mean, Like it was just
kind of more of the same from James Harden. There was a couple of
things that concerned people who didn't who just already didn't like Harden anyway. When
he was asked, is was it clippers or nothing else? You know,
after he was done with Philly, and he said, it was about trying
to get a situation where I could get paid and obviously have a chance to
win at the highest level. These last few years, I sacrificed so much,
whether it's role, whether it's financial that at this point it's over with.
I just want you to be able to move forward and still have the
opportunity to make some money and obviously win at the highest level. So some
people were mad that he mentioned making money so many times. He did just
a quick breakdown, he does save money more times than he says win.
So sure, yeah, you're like that tweet, that's like something wish.
I wish I could drop the body language chart because something was he slanted?
Where was he that was his posture? He says that Darryl Moray offered him
a max and then basically said psych which that would suck. That would be
a pain in the ass. That one. I do think. I do
think there's simp that you you are on James Harden's side on that. Uh
yeah, I don't think he's making that up. Sure, yeah, I
mean, especially on record on the athletic he's not. I don't think he's
making that up. That's some you know, that's a pretty you're putting on
that the athletic tampering happens. These conversations, you know, are are ongoing.
You know, it's a year round thing. You obviously know when a
player of his caliber is going to be up, you know what they're expecting
to get. And maybe there was an understanding. I don't know, maybe
like maybe there was a misunderstanding. But after he turned down the initial payday
when he could have resigned, what was that two seasons ago when he took
it, when they first brought in PJ. Tucker and he took the pay
cut, So yeah, that would have been too Like I think that would
have been two seasons no way to find out, wonderstand. I mean,
I'm not gonna do it, sorry, guys, But like I don't know
you would think that you're only making a move like that because you know,
you're like, you know you're going to be taken care of. Yeah,
And I think, yeah, I agree with that. And my thing also
with with just this whole thing is like if if you read this and you
weren't, like if you were shocked about how much he talked about money,
I'm not really sure what you were expecting. I'm not a huge James.
The man has left. The man has left over one hundred million dollars on
the table. Yeah, dude, it's so much money. And he's always
clearly been a contract thinking guy. That's not a knock he that's he who
he is as a player, Like he thinks about his next contract. And
I'm not saying it's a good or bad thing, but we just didn't learn
anything new about James Harden, you know what I mean, Like it just
kind of reinforce if you didn't like him, This reinforced way he didn't like
him. If you're a fan of his, you were like, well,
this is yay, classic James. Yeah, comes with it. I mean,
you know, at the bare minim, it comes with the territory.
It is bold though it does make me think, like, all right,
man, if you want to make a bunch of money on your next contract,
which I don't think is in the cards right now because it's not with
the Clippers. It's not with the it's a it's not with the Clippers.
So this when it comes to the winning at the highest level part, this
is that part. The money part is next year. This year is win
at the highest level. The money part is not this year, because some
will give him a bunch of money next year. I think, I think
probably if he does well. I mean, I think between I think between
the valuation of him in the league right now is unduly low. You know,
you look at this situation and you know, at the end of the
day, they can say they were holding out for picks or whatever. The
seventy six ers had no other offers, they had no better offer. So
my thing is is if the Clippers go out early first second round exit,
James Harden flames out in a couple of the games, I don't know what
that future is going to look like around the league. I'm not saying that
he's gonna be He's not a men guy. He's not done. But they're
certainly not gonna. I mean, there's not going to be huge offers out
there. I would not imagine, or maybe people just aren't willing to give
up an asset, but they will give up. The money just certainly depends.
And then you know, with his desired destination, Houston look a pretty
damn good. I don't know why you were at this point even bothered.
Yeah, it's just one of those things. It's one of those things to
consider, like the value must be pretty low, and so he could be
getting himself into a mutually beneficial situation regardless of whether he stays here or not.
Yeah, it's I don't know. I hope he plays well enough and
the Clippers go far enough he gets a bunch of money next year, because
I don't think it's going to be from the Clips. So you want him
gone. I don't want him gone. I want him I want I want
the Clippers to win a chip and James Harden helps to contribute, and then
then you say see you later. Well, and then he gets signed for
way too much money. Then someone gives him like a bunch of money and
he's like and everybody's everybody's kind of happy. It's good. Yeah, like,
if you're listening to this and you don't like James Harden, the best
case scenario is that he balls out with the Clippers to the point that someone
overpays him, and then we say, all right, thanks, thanks James,
Thanks James. Hey great James. Well, we got some questions from
Clippers fans taking it back to Twitter Tuesdays on the old podcast we used to
do, Anthony Luci asked, just read the interview with James Harden in The
Athletic He said he is no longer in a place where he wants to sacrifice.
Well, he was talking about getting paid and competing at the highest level
for team cohesiveness this year. Do you think that that mindset helps right now?
So, I think this is a bit of a double edged thing.
I think, you know, as I just said, he is in a
spot where it is advantageous for him to perform in his absolute highest, regardless
if that means sacrificing, regardless of you know, whatever it is. But
at the same time, does this mindset make its way into the locker room,
does this mindset make its way onto the bench? And that to me
would be somewhat concerning. I say, remains to be seen. I do
feel like he's made sacrifices, whether he's calling them sacrifices or not. I
do think we've seen that, and we've seen him it even be bad for
him at times where he's being too deferential, right, we need him to
be more aggressive, we need him to be this. I am the system.
I'm not going to sacrifice. I want my money player because that is
advantageous for both of us. So it doesn't do anything for me negative,
Like it's it's just to me, this is James, Like, this is
James being James, and this is hard. This is part of what you
accept, you know, when your team gives up a first round pick to
him, and that is that. That is what it is. Yeah,
he's not the way the league is now. Also, every guy understands this
mindset. I think of wanting to get paid as much talking you're talking,
it's just this one. I can never fall the player for You're talking about
generational wealth like you're building, Yeah, like in a span of what of
like one decade if you're lucky, you know, And I just don't think
that. And I don't think I they to do with cohesiveness. He's not
like telling players to get shipped out to help his chances, you know what
I mean, Like he's not I mean yeah, and him we're not like
great yeah and like yeah, Like I said, him being negative doesn't help
a payday, right exactly. See, it's all working together. Russ's legacy
depends on this year. Kind of Uh, James Harden really needs to get
a payday PG. You know, there's a lot, there's a lot.
Next question we have from agent Alvin. He said, is the starting line
up the best line up on the team? If so, how come we
never close games with it? Ever? Great question, a really good question.
So I think part of this has been terrences up and downs, and
then yeah, I think no matter what, you can almost just forget about
the vices Zubots being in a closing line Now has he Has he done it
more than like once this year, even through this stretch of play, which
I know that you know, the Clickers went three and two. It wasn't
ideal. Zoo was having some of his best games and he was not in
the closing lineup. And I'm not gonna fault that for every single one of
those times. But I do not see him as being as being a part
of this closing lineup. You disagree, Yeah, no, I I I
think that is the that's the simplest, that's the most that's the simplest answer.
I think you're right. Like Zoo, it's been how many years.
I mean, like, dude, it's just I'm sorry, it's not happening.
I don't make these calls. Yeah, I mean in Zoo, in
his last five games, he's been insane. Ye had twelve and seven on
one hundred percent shooting, and he closed one of those games. Am I
wrong? He had three blocks and two of these games he went seven for
eleven, seven for twelve, nine for fifteen. Man, Yeah, he
had some good he had some great plays, but he's never gonna close.
He's yeah, he's playing like the best the best stretch and it's still not
happening. And you know it is high like switchability like and closing matchup dependent.
But we always talk about like wanting more traditional sign I don't know,
it's the same thing that it's mixed messaging from every like avenue when we when
we talked about what this team intends to do and then terrors like it's just
the it's just the up and down shooting. I certainly understand wanting to have
Morman closing lineups. I think both of us were at is that you know,
Norm is the six man, He's the guy who is probably shouldn't run
with the starters to start, but should be getting the most minutes likely on
the team of anyone off the bench. Yeah. With at least James Harden,
Kawhi and PG you can get anyone else. So that kind of starters
right there too. Yeah, and then and again, just from a pure
team functionality perspective, TI like switchability. That's why Terrence is out there and
things like that. And he likes it late because it makes offenses have to
think more and weird stuff like that if it's working. So fair question,
but I think will you also nailed it to when it's like just more of
the game by game kind of stuff. Yeah, well, what's the next
question? We got? All right? So blank Slay wants to know has
Tyleru really learned his lesson this is this quote on going small or is Daniel
Tye now his hybrid of a small ball lineup to keep Zoo on the bench
in the fourth quarter? Will Tyleru try to get away with playing tys Burke
versus Jokic. Wow, there's a long question. I was expecting it to
be Charles. Why don't you jump on in Just let's just address this first
point first. Has Tie learned his lesson on going small? Uh No,
I don't think that will ever be I think we're going to see that again
at some point. It has. There's been some unseious lineups. I guess
the thing that I'm the most happy about is that there hasn't been many minutes
of them. Yeah, when you play, you know, like I know
that's not necessarily good. I just think anytime you're running three guards in this
league, it's a small lineup, and I know those aren't generally are closing
lineups, but it's still bleeding points in the middle of the game is brutal,
and that's what gets the still small. And I don't even think it's
Yeah, I don't even think it's just a fourth quarter things. As you
were, well, the starters, the starters are plus twenty. Yeah,
there's not a there's not a beginning of the game issue. Yeah. So
I don't know. I don't know if he's longing less about knocking small,
he's not playing Tyson. I don't think that will happen. Yeah, is
this all a big scheme that keeps it to keep Zoo on the bench in
Q four? In Q four, what if ty talks like a startup?
Dude, that's what question? I know. But what if like we all
to get better in Q four. I don't think it's a conspiracy to keep
Zoo on the I don't think no matter who's out there, who's probably on
the bench. Yeah, I just think that is what it is. That's
just how it goes, which sucks. But I think he'll go small again
and we'll probably be frustrated by it again. We just have to hope what
we just have to hope it happens. It not. In the playoff,
Young Gabo says, why do we see a mirror have a really solid outing
than not play anything after? What dude, it's just I'm sorry, it's
too many. You could play themall. We can't both complain about how this
team plays too small and then also be like, but Ameir needs more minutes.
Well, I think the idea here is you give him uh Pj's minutes
Kobe already has and he's also significantly smaller. Well, and Kobe's Kobe's playing
poorly. Kobe has been very bad at basketball, adressing that. Wait,
let's address it. I was wrong. He's been horrible lately. I can't
pretend. I can't sit here. I love him, I think he could
be good, but he's been very bad lately. Just give uh, give
Amir those minutes. I don't the a mere song of them. How many
minutes are we even talking about here? It's been like thirteen fifteen, hasn't
it. I don't know. Let me well, let me find the Russo
line up data. But I'm I'm not saying like at I'm not burning down
Kobe Brown island rot your oh he brought your rush shift to get back the
same. I'm not burning it down. He's just been really bad lately.
He's been bad lately. No put him on the wing, but I don't
know if it's gonna happen. He also like like like, I like the
appearance. The appearance that they were talking about is ten minutes. He was
two for three, he had three boards, like it was really good,
but like, we're not getting that efficiency every time. But I wanted him
to play over PJ. Tucker. He's not I wish that would happen.
I'm on Adam's side. Adam's not here, Adam's gone, but he was
on team play a mirror and he's right. I mean, I'm on the
team playing mirr. But I just understand why he's sounds like I just understand
why he's not. I just feel like he's the antithesism everything that we've been
saying. Why does Tide play too's fall? Why do we sometimes have three
four guards out there on out there in a lineup? Those are just give
him Kobe's minutes. Give him Kobe's minutes. That's all I'm saying. Again,
though, I'm just saying, you're that's very small. That's a very
small lineup. Well that's because the roster is poorly constructed, right, Okay,
so we're working with what we got. You got average Joe's in the
crowd given the too small to that line too small? All right, what
did Pedro ask us? Let me bring it back this guy. See,
I make these breakdowns for those of you, for those of you knew to
the show. I make the breakdowns, and no one reads that. I
always read them. I just have it face. I was looking at some
stats. What stats, Kobe Brown minutes, all right, they're not good.
Pedro Munos wants to know, why do you think? Why do you
think is Tie so reluctant to play Terrence Mann more minutes? I'm sure that
is what's messing with his confidence to shoot threes and be more aggressive offensively.
This is interesting because to me, it's like chicken or the egg. Where
are you at on this which came first? Is is Terrence not getting enough
minutes because he's playing poorly? Or is he playing poorly because he's not getting
enough minutes? I mean, he's playing the second most minutes per game of
his career other than when he's start other when he started thirty three games in
twenty one twenty two, Like he should have started thirty four games at this
point in the season, with the roster the way it's constructed and with his
shooting slump, I think you could, honestly maybe say you could be surprised
he's getting almost twenty seven minutes a game. That's not I love Terrence,
but like the shooting hasn't been there, the stars have been really good.
He's doing what he needs to do to open games and help the starters be
good. And we were just like, again we were just talking about size
and all that stuff. Whose minutes is he taking? Right? Like,
whose minutes are you going to give? That's not going to rock the boat
more to Terrence when he's shooting so poorly, Like that's the thing. If
Terrence was lighting it up, I'd be like, yeah, shoot him a
couple more minutes, But he's shooting really so and how many more minutes or
do we want? Like I think that this is not a minutes driven thing,
right, Terrence has had to once again completely recalibrate where he fits into
this offense. And he's not gonna get a lot of looks. And when
you're not getting a lot of looks from when you don't have it's not even
looks, right, it's you don't know on a play by play basis very
often when the ball is coming to you. And so if you don't even
know that, I can't, like, I can't expect you to perform at
a consistent level. But you did even a season ago, because even then
you had some time to tie things in pre pre trade deadline, you had
an idea of what the team was gonna be, what the offense was gonna
look like and this year you had your benefit of actually having a camp with
your stars healthy, but you still went ahead and made and made a huge
change. So I don't know that, Like it's not just a minutes thing
for me with Terrence. I do think it's an opportunities thing. And he's
lower on the pecking order, and how you figure that out? Zoom We've
seen Zoo be very effective in games offensively, then he is still gonna be
really low on that pecking order. It's kind of an afterthought to figure out
how he fits in that offense when when you know, push comes to shove.
So I don't know. I don't know that the I don't I don't
know that the confidence is gone. I just think it's different. And once
again he's had to change and he's the glue guy now, like he has
to be so many things. Something is going to suffer. And I think
that, like like I said earlier in the show, the shooting is so
bad, you have to believe it's gonna bounce back. How can you possibly
believe that he's gonna shoot seventeen on the season. Do you want to make
a bet? Do you want to make a bet that he won't shoot seventeen
percent from the season. Yeah, all right, one hundred bucks. I'm
not going to know. I'm not going to about one hundred dollars. I'll
bet you. No, I'm not gonna bet anything. If Adam was here,
he would bet you because he has to get revenge for the terrence on
the John walbet Bud's clips are us asked when Clippers go after Kuzma at the
deadline with the twenty thirty first and norm in coffee or is that not enough?
Sorry for bad English if you see this, No bad English, no
problem at all, a great job, Buds are us. No, they
would not do that that I would. I would cut my own head off
if the Clippers traded a twenty thirty first round pick for kayle Kus. Yeah,
yeah, this is a great question. We appreciate the question. I
think that Kuzma, I just don't think he fits. He just doesn't Fitch,
He's not a smart basketball player. Ty Lu and Kawhi Leonard would would
throw him off the roof of the building. Kyle Kuzman is not He's a
good basketball player. I'm not saying that, but like, I just don't
I don't know. I don't think that a first round. I don't even
know how much does he make with that salary even work well? Like,
and in this situation where we're still keeping James, because that's another guy,
Like, what value does he really provide without the ball in his hands?
He has taken he has taken steps, he's working defensively, but it's still
it's just to me, it's just not that clean of a fit. I
you know, obviously he can be somewhat of a threat off ball. He's
just another one of those guys that I I think if you're evaluating the fit
objectively, like, let's say we keep hard in next year. He make
twenty five million dollars a year this year, Yeah, so would you want
to give up norm in order well and Coffee and then essentially and then essentially
because it's twenty five million dollars, we gotta like Norman Coffee's what like seventeen?
Yeah, I think you're you're you're pretty short there. Yeah, Like,
I don't think it's possible. And the upgrade, and the upgrade is
essentially what you're saying is we have the same we'd have the same starting lineup,
except put Kyle in the Terrence Man spot and for that, for what
we're giving out, that to me does not seem like a significant Okay,
yeah, Norms at eighteen. Yeah, and then we'd still need to find
seven, so it'd be Mason and the first round pick. No, see
you at the bottom of the La River. I'd be my feet. What
are these graphics of mine? Never? Does it mine? Where it doing
the thumbs up? If you're watching on YouTube, you're seeing some great graphics
or not. Sometimes it happens. Thank you for the question, buds for
us. All right, now, we got some spicy questions. Love it,
We got some spicy questions. I'm gonna get into this clip. This
nuggets outro. Uh. Daniel m asks will Russ. I believe he's referencing
Russell Westbrook. Will Russ be on the team post trade deadline? Yes?
I think, yes, I think for sure. I think if you,
I don't know, I don't know what. Uh he's not on a large
contract. He's making three and a half million dollars. Yeah, yeah,
you can't. You can't really give up a men for a man. He
would have to be attached to a bigger deal. I don't know how teams
value him. I mean, and a half million dollars you're valuing it.
That's a very nice. If you're getting Russell Westbrook on your team for three
it's solid, it's good. But I just don't know, he's not like.
I don't think they're not trading Russ. I don't even think. And
I think I said how I feel about how some just some of the decision
making and how he's used on this team. I don't think they should trade
Russ. Yeah, for all the campaigning publicly that Paul George and Tyler did
the day after the deadline, the same day that Lawrence Frank gave his reasons
for what they did at the deadline, the way they publicly campaigned for Russell
Rustbrook, if you traded him off, if they do what they did last
trade deadline, Remember when Lawrence Frank was like, We're all these guards are
gone. Now you cannot use all these guards. If they do that with
Russell Westbrook, then I think the Clippers actually have locker room. Then I
think it's like, oh shit, Oh, I mean, there's no way,
there's no way things could go. There's no way they deal them.
I don't think unless he says he wants to be moved. Yeah, because
I don't think. I don't think you get it past the stars. I
think that's a hard sell for Tyler as well. So I think he's definitely
on his team post great and if he's not, man that will that will
be a lot things will be very interesting. All Right, Well, what's
this next one we got? Because this one, for some reason reminds me
of something you would ask in what way? I don't know read the question,
Husker Drew says. I know there have been positive signs as of late,
but when did they kick the tires on the two and three era and
blow it up like Brooklyn did the KD Kyrie era. There has to be
some reason they're keeping Brandon Boston Junior and Bones Highland, et cetera, even
though they're not in the rotation preparing for the rebuild. Look, I think
I think there were are probably one year past too far on the blow up
two and three things. At least with a maximal return, we are getting
fully healthy season. What look at the contracts. No one's under contract.
Yeah, we like that. That's what I'm saying last season would have been.
But like that's what I'm saying, Like last season would have been optimal.
I just don't know what. I just don't know what the value was
in the market. I don't think that it was. It was positive,
absolutely, That's what I mean. Like this question, it's like not now,
I just think it. Yeah, I think it might be too late,
and I think, who are all up? You can do? You
could do the worst kind of rebuild, which would you let a bunch of
people walk for nothing? Maybe you can get a like maybe if you're letting
there we go, if you're letting the three of Westbrook Harden HANDPG ego,
like, maybe you can work out a sign and trade with one of them.
I'm hoping that you're so keeping Kawhi in the same areas not gonna happen.
There's it's they're not blowing it up there. They just and you look
at the nets. You look at the nets too, and I mean they
had the benefit of both those guys were or I mean at least KD under
contract right like that. That's what I mean. It's just it's impossible.
I mean, I yeah, I don't know. It'd be a nightmare if
that happened. For as frustrating as things are right now, would you if
you're a fan listening to this, would you honestly rather go through a rebuild
with the way that this team And I'm not saying this would be the full
thing. What about this team's drafting would give you confidence that they would put
together a winner with draft capital. I mean, I'm just my thing too,
is like, let's say let's say we decided to go nuclear. We're
like, we're not gonna wait until these contracts are up on the books and
rely on a sign and trade. We're gonna trade everybody. We're gonna do
fire market sale at at the trade deadline this week? Who is bidding on
these guys? Right? And I don't mean that as a negative against anything.
If anybody is bidding on them, it is a team that thinks they
are a contender. So very likely let's say they are, even if you
get a ship done, thunder picks they are, these are middling. These
are middling picks unless you want to do a deal with Funning and they can
basically do whatever they want right now. Yeah, I don't know if this
is going to happen, So yeah, like you're you're not in a situation
for getting good picks. This team doesn't draft that well, I don't.
I I like things about the idea of a rebuild. I just ripped one
year too late. And I don't think at this point it's it's really an
available option. No, and I don't think Balmer do it either. Coming
up, Thank you for the questions. They were sent into at Clippers pot
over on Twitter. You can send them there. You can send them to
at Clippers podcast on YouTube. Coming up, we're talking Clippers versus Nuggets.
Very briefly, we got ads coming up. They've been loud for some people
that your case, go ahead and turn it down. We got ads coming
up in three two one. All right, we are back and we are
talking the impossible problem. Excuse me, my phone is going off. We're
talking the impossible problem, the unsolvable equation. Uh huh. Clippers versus Nuggets.
It's happening on Wednesday. Jamal Murray tweaked an ankle in his return,
which sucks. He probably will not go. No injury report yet for the
Clippers, but those that's been pretty chill, both teams coming off multiple rest
will what the hell do we have to do to beat the Nuggets? Get
more shots up? Okay, get more shots up, move the ball.
I think, yeah, I think if we stagnate offensively, this one is
over and quick. Even if the Clippers are playing like the defense that we've
seen them play that we know can bail them out of games, uh,
it will not be enough in this one. So I would say, it's
really you know, this is I talked about, you know, liking some
of those close games, liking I mean liking a comeback said, and this
to me is like, this is the exact pressure could be. This is
the exact iron sharpening iron thing that we say cliche Alian sports, like,
this is the time to beat the Nuggets. This is the time to like
make true on all these promises that we've made, make a leap forward with
the little baby steps that we've seen so far. But it's been a little
it's been a little wibbily. It's been a little one step forward, two
steps back, et cetera, et cetera. Now is the time to really
lock that in. You want the perfectly made Sunday, No, you want
no whole oreos inside. And when I was a kid, I would get
the Sundays at Dairy Queen I would get I would get the mint flavor,
which feels really it was like mint syrup on top of it's a Sunday man.
That's not It's always been an ice fam Oh my badd Okay, I
didn't. I was talking to Chief Chief. Yeah, what the hell is
this? Agreed about the stagnation. The Clippers are twenty fifth and assists per
game. We know that that's not going to change overnight. But hey,
let's not be bottom five against the Nuggets. Let's average more than the bottom
five team against the Nuggets for assists, because that's how we're going to have
to win. Offenses usually get help when you make the defenses try and make
decisions. I've heard that and sometimes sounds like it's for cowards, though I
say, one on one yourself, use me clear out. Please. No,
we don't need we don't need a mountain of that. We also need
to try and keep the Nuggets off the line. They shoot. They shoot
the third fewest free throw attempts per game. The Clippers. A lot of
people have been talking about kind of shocking how little they're getting to the line.
Well, Jamal Murray is not there to drive and all that good stuff.
And it's weird too, because anytime we say that we play the Clippers,
I'm like, yes, you get a lot of calls. I don't
know what I'm not complaining. I mean I would come I complained. I'm
complaining about against this team. I'm not thinking that Sanigan's on the league.
But well let's go. Look, you're not gonna call something as serious as
Shenanigans on the NBA without without due evidence. Yeah, I mean, but
we're giving the Clippers are giving up three and a half more free throw attempts
per game to their opponents than the Nuggets usually get themselves. So we're already
kind of behind the eight ball with that. So we hope that gets figured
out. And we saw this in the Warriors game. Paul George and Kawi
need to be good from the jump. Paul George was rough in that first
half against the Warriors. He totally redeemed himself. Yeah, I was gonna
say, I said first half. I said, first half. But against
this Nuggets team, a poor for Like, it's not like the Warriors were
fully healthy against the Nuggets team. If we fall asleep defensively, good luck.
Yeah. If we're on. If we're on defensively, and Paul George
shows up with the defensive intensity we saw on the second half of that Warriors
game. We don't have to have all three of the Big three score twenty
plus like we can afford. Yeah, we can afford one of them to
be, you know, half a terrible game. And I still think that
we can. I still think that we can get through to the defenses at
that. Yeah, you still have that, But the other two guys still
have to go off. Like twenty two people have to go off. Yeah,
two people have to score at least twenty five points. You have to
put up points in this one. There's just no way you're slowing them down.
No, it's not. It's just not going to happen. What are
we hoping Jokic is held to He's averaging a pedestrian twenty nine, thirteen and
ten. God, if we keep it within two points, if we go,
if he's up at thirty one, fifteen and twelve, I guess I'm
fine. Thirty one, fifteen and twelve. He's playing incredible win in that
game. Maybe they want to like he's gonna get his This isn't a not
like Zoo did play some solid defense the last time that he played against him.
He got all his points off free throws. What did he go like
thirteen for thirteen or something. Crazy? Yeah, that was crazy. That's
an anomaly as well. I wanted to be below average, but he might
get his Yeah, I don't like it. I mean, I want to
see him put up. I think to let him, I think you kind
of have to let him go. You think, so, what do you
mean let him go? Just let him go off offensively, Just guard everybody
else points wise, because he can't go off if he's distributing. If he's
it like, if he's distributing, I'm worried because that means that's why I'm
surprised he said more than his season average for assists. Yeah, I guess
you have to limit one of the things. I mean, i'd rather him
had your little digit assists and you can put up forty points. I mean,
he's going to be getting absolutely roasted on the other end if he's doing
that much off. Yeah, that's true. Yeah, hold him to hold
him to nine assists, tenn asists, I guess, because he's not.
He's just under ten nine nine, and then we get the win. It's
that easy. If we put up points in the offense, doesn't that,
Like I said, you still got to score, you get. I mean,
this team could have their best defensive outing all all season and it wouldn't
be enough if the offense is as bad as we've seen it. If we
see a five minutes scoring draft. If you know, this is a big
Tylu game for that, and because the starters have been good, so this
is a really big test for Tyler's bench now because the Nuggets are going to
be obviously they're gonna be missing Jamal Murray. Most likely, they're going to
be as healthy as they have been, much healthier than the last time we
played. And that wasn't our lineup issue as an effort issue. But this
game, the lineups are going to be highly and they should be highly scrutinized
after all the days off and whatnot that the Clippers have had. And I
would be shocked if they show up. If they show up lethargic or I
am going to be lived, I don't know. I well, how about
this, I don't know if I would be shocked, But I'm not saying
I'm going to be shocked. Yeah I would. I'm going to be furious,
furious, Yeah, no, if they if they come out slow.
Hey, that's let's hope for a big second half. Player of the Game
picks the most important part of the show. Who are you picking for Player
of the Game, PJ. Tucker, don't do this to me. Okay,
wait, we do we I have to do something. I have to
mention one thing. There's a PJ. Tucker quote going around from that Hardened
article that says something like there's not enough basketballs in the world for that team
in reference to the Clippers. Not a big deal. This isn't a quote.
It's not like a dig at the Clippers. Some people are taking this
as like a dig at the Clippers. It is. It's not that it's
not a big deal. It's also it's not untrue right now, there's a
lack of a we got some ball dominant guys. We just do. Also,
an aggregate account put out a tweet that was like he hasn't scored in
so many games or whatever, but included two dnps. Don't include dnps in
that you missed the boat on this. That's just a mean tweet. Yeah,
just a mean tweet. So you're picking PJ. Tucker though, No,
my playing the game. I'm gonna go I'm gonna go Terrence, and
I think, yeah, it's just I think that it's time. I think
we see a plus forty percent three point shooting performance. Still maybe not cracking
double digits point wise, but he doesn't need to. He knocks down say
two out of three three's, and does everything else that we know Terrence to
do. I think that could end up being big enough to help the Clippers
over the humping. What will be if won a hard fought game. So
you're thinking, like, like a seven eight four stat line from Terrence four
seems really high. If he could get to seven eight, if he got
seven eight and two, I would be very pleased seven eight and two and
like plus plus nine yeah in a six point win. Yeah, I like
that idea. I'm going I'm going Norm, man. I think Norm's gonna
start second half again, and I think he's gonna light it up. Love
it. I think we're gonna need him to light it up, but I
think he's gonna do it, and I think we're gonna we're gonna get the
dub. It's time, right, it's time. It's time to beat the
Nuggets. Something has to change. Come on, like the greatest movie of
all time. Something's gotta give. Yeah, debatable. We'll talk about well
if Adam's second greatest movie. I can't hardly wait wait waits to beat the
Nuggets. Man, I'm bummed Adams not here for this part. All right,
we already addressed Kobe Brown. We're gonna be back on Thursday with a
tripod and potentially a guest. I haven't told you guys about that yet,
but Rod Benson is coming on on Thursday. Fantastic played for cal played overseas
nos High Level Ball also has a book coming out. We're doing a double
dip on high it's called High Level Ball, and then in parentzes z no,
it's not called that, and then we're doing a double dip. I
think Adam's not here to say that we can or cannot, but neither confirmed
nor deny. However, I've just been handled a piece of paper with some
horrifying information that confirms it, so we will be there. Adam's also not
here to say anything positive about the Clippers heading out. Will you can you
take this before we get out of here and tell people where they can find
us, or yeah, yeah, look, the Clippers are gonna The Clippers
are gonna end this streak of constantly being owned by the Nuggets. Just this
time they're not going to get their pants pulled down. We're going to see
two out of the three of two one three plus hard and look very good.
Look there's a lot to like. You know that, there's a lot
to like, and it's only just begun. Speaking of which, if you've
only just began your journey of listening to this podcast, you can do that
over on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, on Google Podcasts, on Stitcher,
on deezer, anyway you get your podcasts. And if you're not already,
you should be watching this show over on YouTube. That's YouTube dot com at
clippers podcast. And also we are available on the one social media site where
we do anything. You know what it is, but it's at clippers pod.
It is. Thank you so much. We will talk to you'all on
Thursday, Double tip on Wednesday, and as always, let's go clips