Speaker 1: What is going on? Clippers fans? Welcome to season four,
episode nineteen of Clips and Dip. I am Chuck Mockler,
joined by William Updyke and Adam Ausland. We hope you're
all doing well. Fifteen days into this new year, the
Clippers are playing fantastic basketball. If you're listening to us,
thank you. If you'd like to watch us, you can
find us at YouTube dot com slash at Clippers podcast.
We're gonna talk the ugly win the road trip. The
trade season has started. But before we get into that,
I actually wanted to ask Adam, did you end up
with a Chris dun bobblehead?
Speaker 2: I do have one. Hell yeah, that's.
Speaker 1: One of the top Clippers bobbleheads of all time.
Speaker 2: I think the dungeon Master.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's like a legendary goose of a stat line
for your battle ahead night.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, will Well, what did you say? It was
gonna be a half? And then he underperformed?
Speaker 3: I think I said like two points four boards. Yeah,
I was pretty closed. He finished with two boards.
Speaker 1: Oh shout out. Kris Don played much better the game
alfter that, which is great, But the bibblehead is up
there with the Gallow Leaning, Tower of Pisa and the
milosh Star Wars one give always have been great. This year, Uh,
the Clippers got a disgusting win again. They beat the
Wizards one nine five. They're two and oh through this
five game stretch that we've demanded, they go at least
four and one on which feels pretty good. Adam, how'd
you feel about this game?
Speaker 2: Uh? You know, they came through late against Charlotte and
in Detroit right before it where they kind of flipped
a switch and then pulled away. And this was a
game where they almost gave away a twenty four point lead,
but they also won by fourteen, so did they It
was down to one point game in the third quarter.
Kawhi comes into the fourth has fourteen points. It's just
unguardable out there, just putting up top threes. And I'm
fine with it because over the stretch they've been so good.
If this was you know, they still had been losing
and they finally got a win, or they just had
won one game and then this was the other one,
I'd be a little bit more concerned. But overall the
process has been pretty good.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Well we graduated, are we are? We be upset
about how they won territory with the Clippers, or are
we not quite there yet because we still need so
many wins.
Speaker 3: I mean, I I think it's I think it's reasonable,
especially in terms of regressions or these kind of like
where it does feel like they're playing flip the switch games.
But lett's at least get to five hundred and then
I feel like we can we can be a little bit,
we can could see.
Speaker 1: A little bit more. Yeah, which six more wins? I mean,
come on, we're right there. We're gonna win the next
three per R six six Yeah. Yeah. Kawhi had nineteen
points in the second half. He took eleven threes, made
the second most he's ever made in his career, maybe
the most with seven.
Speaker 2: He tied it, tied it.
Speaker 1: Yeah. He's taken nine three point attempts per game over
the last ten, which is more than double his career rate.
It's pretty awesome. It's insane what he's doing.
Speaker 2: It was supposed to be something where maybe he takes
a step back to take two steps forward while he's
going through this transformation, taking more off the bounds threes,
and instead it's all gravy. He had one bad game
where he went oh of eight from three. Outside of that,
he's been knocking him down with regularity for the most part,
at high volume and some of the highest degree of
difficulty three pointers you can take.
Speaker 1: Yeah, he's at high volume. He's literally almost double his
career attempts like on the season, and he's shooting over
his career average right now, he's at like he's right
under forty. He's at thirty nine point nine for this
season and he's at seven. Does this.
Speaker 2: I was in this.
Speaker 1: I think is putting the cart way before the horse.
How does this change kind of the outlook for his
trajectory once his contract is up, because if his game
is in his predit, if he's taking more threes and
it's not as predicated.
Speaker 2: I'm not.
Speaker 1: I'm just like, it's an interesting thing to think about
because it is a new wrinkle, right Like, if he's
gonna actually take for an entire season seven to nine
threes a game, that's a.
Speaker 3: Were talking about this already, like a little bit already,
and you know, not to make a Lebron comparison, but
like for these elite level forwards, this is a change
that you know that we see this is an uncharted
or unprecedented territory. It's more just about can he maintain
this current clip of efficiency, which not even that he
has to exactly maintain it, but can he can he
make enough to where the change like does behoove him
long term in his game? And I think, I mean,
to me so far, the answer is yes, I don't
have any doubt that that'll be able to you know,
he's always been an efficient player and so so I
think that it makes sense given where he's at. I
don't know that that is enough.
Speaker 2: To me.
Speaker 3: That's not swinging anything majorly because it's like it.
Speaker 1: Doesn't make him a max guy again or anything.
Speaker 3: While it is a new wrinkle, you know, like you're
taking the added threes at the expense of some of
the athleticism and some of the dominance that he ones had,
like being able to get to these spots. Not that
we still don't see that in flashes, but I mean
it's a trade off, right, So I don't think that
in and of itself, if you were like on the
fence about maybe putting together, say a big package to
trade for Kawhi, or even if you're in some sort
of content contract negotiations. I think it's gonna be weighed
as like, yes, this does keep his value up there.
This does still make him, you know, one of the
elite forwards of the game. Is it big enough to
be a game changer or is it more that he
can kind of stay at a consistent sort of plane.
Speaker 2: To me, it only matters if it puts less stress
in his body and he stays healthy. If he stays
healthy and he can prove that he can stay healthy,
then yeah, you can have a longer career and he'll
get more money down the line. And this evolution to
his game is very meaningful. And he's averaging his highest
points per game of his career right now. It's incredible.
He has mentioned that it sounded like before it wasn't
going to be forever, that he was going to keep
taking these threes at this rate. You made it sound
like I'm doing this for a month. I'm not sure
it's gone well. It's gone too well to stop. And
I wonder how he feels with less drives per game
and being able to take more three pointers off the balance.
It's just I marvel at the fact that he's doing
this at high volume, at this efficiency. And it's come
together this quickly for him, because that's a real change
in your game. It's not supposed to look this easy,
and it has.
Speaker 1: And I wonder how it looks the closer we get
to whatever the end of the regular season looks like
for the Clippers, right, Like, are we going to see
kind of a shift into a different playoff style?
Speaker 2: You know what I mean?
Speaker 1: Because he is He's basically at fifty forty ninety. He's
at nine point seven field goal percentage, thirty nine point
nine three point percentage, and of course we know ninety
four percent from the line. So I wonder if it
changes closer to the playoffs, but or what again, play
in whatever. Hopefully it is some form of that, but
that will be something a monitor. But it's just been
it's been cool to see he's so fucking good.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a nice healthy reminder of just one of
the greatest players ever being able to do this at
thirty four and look like the best player in the
league last three weeks is pretty incredible to watch. And
I think it's good for the team too. When everybody
wants to talk about spacing and stuff, your best player
having more gravity from the outside if you look at
the new gravity stat that's out this season, he and
James Harden are both top ten in that area. Of course,
Steph is number one, as everybody suspected he would be
if there ever was this stat, and now there is
how kick eyes up there? I oh, man, SpaceX.
Speaker 1: I don't know they did intro to gravity. All right,
I'll have to brush up on this because that's interesting.
Zoo did not or Harden distributed well in this game
made the ten free throw attempts. Account looks a little
tired at times. Joseph I Award and I were chatting
about that, but everyone looks tired in that third quarter.
Zoo is now day today. With the ankle, Lopez started
in his place one for six from three. Other than that,
I thought he was okay. But we got to see Yanick.
It was versus the Wizards, but he had fourteen five
and two plus two blocks. Will if you ordered the
red Yanick jersey yet? No, absolutely not.
Speaker 2: He didn't have to order it. He went to the
team store.
Speaker 1: Yeah, uh, that was curbside pickup. Thank you. I I mean,
obviously we want to see Onic develop more. It's a
shame that Zoo is day to day, which we're gonna
talk about when we kind of get into the road
trip talk. But it's nice to se yes, it was
the Wizards. What a nice see onic put up cond tape.
Like his defense is the biggest issue still, but yeah,
let we had.
Speaker 2: Some crazy blocks and yeah, it's definitely the rim protection
needs a lot of work with his body position, pick
and roll coverage and stuff like that. I will say
I think six of his seven makes or five of
his seven makes were all dunks. Yeah, he did have
that spinning move I think on his second bucket in
the second quarter going to his left for a layup
that was really impressive again showing off the handle, and
they do need it. I was just I'm a little
bit concerned about in the outside shooting that we've been
talking about. What do you mean, because well, I don't
want to bring up any inconvenient truce here, but unfortunately
since the game, unfortunately nine three pointers made per game
is not sustainable from Brook Lopez, like we saw against
Portland and so they played. They played ten games since then,
and he has had one good three point shooting game
in the next ten games, and that was against Charlotte
where he went three of six you mentioned last night,
he goes one of six since the Portland game. That's
not great. He's shooting nineteen percent from three this month. Yeah,
if guys aren't guarding him because he's not making three pointers,
that whole spacing thing doesn't really work as well because
they're just sacking off of him, which I've seen a
lot of.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's interesting. He did get two. He had two
dunks last night, which was funny. That was that doubled
his dunk total for the year, which was like, hey,
wait to find it an the way to get a bucket, Like, yeah,
old man throws down, old man yells at room. Collins
also now banged up. He felt it in pregame warmups.
He did a pregame dunk and he pulled up on
a pregame dunk or something. He's going on the trip.
So now the Clippers have Kawhi, Collins, and Zoo all
questionable for the Raptors game tomorrow. Feels rough. The Clippers
are in eleventh. We're tied with the Grizzlies for tenth. However,
they have a I think three to zero tiebreaker over us,
so I don't think we'll be passing them in that.
Speaker 2: Those were rough games. Those those were rough games against
the Grizzlies.
Speaker 1: They were not fun at all. Yeah, I mean I don't.
I'm interested to see how the team overcomes this because
Will it just kind of feels like another gut punch.
We saw the Zoo ankle turn in person. He didn't
play that final fourteen minutes.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I wasn't sure at the time if he had
tweeked the ankle or not. And it came out the
next day that was questionable. But I didn't realize that
during the game that I thought they were just rolling
with Brooke because he had his first good three point
shooting game and coach who wanted to keep it shit.
Zoo wasn't great.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I uh no, because Will and I were up
not to brag, but we sat in terrace. Well hey,
the seats are so good you can still see it.
But he was limp and hard dude, like he came out.
He was frustrated, Like in fourteen minutes is a lot
to sit out for Zoo.
Speaker 2: Yeah, but Brook is due, so if he has to
go again and start, I think those threes are going
to start falling. Because, as I'd say for anybody else
whose body of work, like, he's been pretty consistent thirty
three point shooter for years. Speaking of guys that advanced
advanced their games at an older age, he did it
like around twenty nine, I think when we started taking
three pointers.
Speaker 3: I think it it was like towards the end of
his tenure with the Lakers when it like really started
to make a turn and they didn't prioritize.
Speaker 1: Keeping him, which I always thought was like an interesting, interesting,
yeah move, some interesting center moves over there for the Lakers.
Well now we have Yeah, I'm they never have had
to trade Zoo for Mighty Mike Mascalis. So that's a
great call. Actually, so now and so Collins is hurt,
which now Kobe Sanders is going to start in his
spot he did last game. I'm bummed for Collins man.
He's just been on a heater, dude, Like and we
need that. We've needed that level of play from God.
Speaker 2: That's a huge part of this run. The Clippers have
been on winners of eleven of thirteen. But he told
coach Lou Pregame before the Charlotte game Monday night that
he was tired. Watch me, like, make sure you know
keep an eye on me out there, and he didn't
have a good shooting game. Granted he didn't take a
lot of shots, but he did make some impactful plays
and led them in the plus minus. And then the
groin issue happened. So you're saying it happened.
Speaker 1: Uh, pregame it was like a dunk he.
Speaker 2: Was, Yeah, because all of a sudden it popped up
on let me out of nowhere. Yeah, because I was
worried it was something lingering and maybe him being tired
against Charlotte also correlated to that, or there was a
connection there.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Colin to Maayer, Collins warmed up for the Clippers
but experienced some groin soreness and even grimaced after a
dunk in warm ups.
Speaker 2: And he's questionable tomorrow right, well, questionable on the trip.
Is much better than guys out for three weeks with
coryn STrenD.
Speaker 1: And, like I'm trying to.
Speaker 2: Think, and he has taken some really hard falls as
of late, watching his activity and his motor yeah or
DJ like he's just always falling down at some point,
He's always falling down, man, he's active.
Speaker 1: Is it is Zoo's ankle, the same one he was
just out.
Speaker 2: For I thought he was out for the right ankle
and this is the left right.
Speaker 1: I guess I don't know, Will, Will, would you rather
have same hurt ankle or now both ankles are hurt?
Both that? Yeah, I feel I'm like, shit, I don't know,
doesn't feel great. He just came back so fast from
that other one. It was right at two weeks and
we got the several weeks prediction when it first came out.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm trying to see the injury report on that.
And if it was his right ankle, I think it was.
Let's go with that for now. Now it's just left.
It's gonna balance out because of this. Oh you know what,
the it was his left It.
Speaker 1: Was the same one.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Shit, Well he's only questionable though. He is on the
trip and he's questionable, right, we can yeah, cling to
that life raft.
Speaker 2: I mean, Kawaj just did his right ankle, which is
what had him miss ten games, and he's been playing
through it the last three or four games now and
playing well.
Speaker 1: And really need it. Yeah, playing really da good. All right,
coming up, we're gonna talk the upcoming road trip and
then Adam I think is gonna have forty five minutes
to pitch us on Kaminga and then we will probably.
Speaker 2: Wrap things up cutting me short.
Speaker 1: Huh uh. Well, the rest of you Patreon. If you're listening,
there's gonna be some ads. If you're watching, there's not.
So yeah. Schedule Roach coming up in three two one.
Speaker 3: All right, welcome back into Clips and Dip. We're talking
about the Clippers on their upcoming road trip. If you
follow the show, if you've been listening, the Clippers are
two games into a five game stretch that we called
sort of essential for the rest of the season. Certainly
essential going into the All Star break. We landed at
four and one is sort of the baseline for acceptability
in terms of this five game stretch. Obviously, they want
to maybe not the prettiest games against the Hornets and
the Wizards. They are taking on Toronto to kick off
this road trip, probably the hardest game of the stretch
and rest and whatnot. Notwithstanding, so they got the Raptors
then taking on the bull the Wizards and the Bulls,
and that one is a back to back, so who
knows what that if they are to drop a game,
do you think it's Toronto in this stretch?
Speaker 1: Are you Okay with that. Yeah, uh, I would of
these three teams, Yes, losing to the Raptors, I would
be like, Okay, I can understand that it's a very
good defense. We've seen them give, Like we watched the
Raptors be very annoying to play against before. Yeah, I
think that one. I would be at peace with being
the one for the Yeah, we already won a game
without zooing John Collin. You know what I mean. It's like,
I guess it came. I don't know.
Speaker 2: They won seven of ten. They're good. They're fourth in
the Eastern Conference. They're young, they have young legs, and
they can I'm trying to think what is their pace
at because I remember last year they really gave today.
Speaker 1: Was that the last game of the season or like
the close to the end of the season when they
were just it was just a track me head into
it like.
Speaker 2: A fourth and pace this year, Yeah, he went off
on the Lakers. So I'm a big fan Scottie Barts.
That was one of the great rants. Yeah, they're twenty
fourth in pace this year, which is interesting. They were
ninth last year, so they've changed things up then and
now Brandon Ingram is back.
Speaker 1: We'll see.
Speaker 2: He was there still away last year like Washington's doing
with trade this year.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, and so r J. Barrett and Purdle are
out for the Raptors. That was confirmed.
Speaker 2: Trade rumors, and then both of.
Speaker 1: Them mamou Klashvili is questionable with an illness and quickly
has back spasms, so he is questionable too, so also
in trade talks.
Speaker 2: Yeah, maybe that'll be the distraction that derails him in
this game. From the Clippers, it's the right time to play.
Speaker 1: Him, that would be great. I have a feeling this
game might be really gross, depending who's out for both teams.
Speaker 3: What about the Clippers recent games with Leady to believe
that where it's any of.
Speaker 1: This coming from? Yeah, uh, Adam. You mentioned Ingram and Barnes.
They're combining for forty fourteen and nine right now from
those two.
Speaker 2: I'm a fan. I've been on brandon Ingram Island for
a while. Haven't exactly gotten off. The contract is is
a lot and they gave up a lot to get them,
but it's working right now. They're one of those teams
that's like, yeah, if they're in the Western Conference, it's
not that great. But they're in the East. Everybody has
a chance, so you might as well play hard and
go for it and try to make moves to win.
Speaker 1: Now, could the Clippers switch to the Eastern Conference. There's
already two teams in LA.
Speaker 2: That's a great point.
Speaker 1: Forty one home games in a row over here, forty
one over on the East.
Speaker 3: Coast, and literally makes as much sense as the Pelicans.
Speaker 1: Being very good point. The Rafters are fourth and opponent
turnover percentage, which is kind of of my big bugaboo
stat about this game. Possibly elite defense that also generates
a bunch of turnovers. Clippers generate their own turnovers, no
problems sometimes so your help.
Speaker 2: We know.
Speaker 1: Yeah, we're proud. We're a proud team. So I'm a
little worried about that.
Speaker 2: Over the last thirteen games though, the Clippers, I want
to say myself, I was thinking of a scary movie
two scene there. Yeah, they're They're eighth in turnover percentage
over the last thirteen games. The Clippers, even with an
outlier turnover game was against Detroit where they had twenty plus.
But Detroit they had twelve in the fourth quarter, so
they have been much better. I think a lot of
that is just the ball is in Kawhi's hands more
and he doesn't turn the ball over much and it's
use trading his way up. Yeah, and by the way
back in Toronto, he'll have something for him.
Speaker 1: That's true. He'll probably get light booze despite.
Speaker 2: I don't know they do. They light booze and they
gave my hero as welcome remember when we first came back.
I don't know how many times he's played since he's
been a Clipper in the Toronto game, to be honest,
my first time back, he gets his ring. He's out
there with Kyle Lowry, but I mean he's a legend
there for good reason.
Speaker 1: Yeah, they don't. The Raptors don't take very many threes.
Their twenty fourth and three point attempts and their twenty
ninth and three point percentage. Kind of a weird team
to look at stat profile wise. I haven't watched a
lot of Raptors games, admittedly, but it's kind of a weird.
You know what.
Speaker 2: I like?
Speaker 1: Just team stature, Like how is just elite defense? I guess, And.
Speaker 2: It's like you're playing the international team or something that's different.
Speaker 1: It's their deal over there, man, croissants.
Speaker 2: I'm trying to look at two point percentage with them,
is it's gotta.
Speaker 1: Be it's really good.
Speaker 2: Good Eh, it's outside top ten barely, But like, the
best two point percentage team is the Lakers at sixty
point four percent. They're at fifty five point one. Clippers
are actually better than them.
Speaker 1: That's what I think. It's a very weird team. To
look at the stats, like.
Speaker 2: What's their free throw attempts per game? Now concerned? Wait
a second, I don't know, and I know the Lakers
are still second in that area.
Speaker 1: They were twenty four. Wow, they're like close to death, dude.
It's really weird. And they only score one hundred and
fourteen points a game, but they only get.
Speaker 2: Okay, and now I need to see their clutch trading. Ah,
and here it is, boys, and here it is. This
is why they are fifteen and six in the clutch.
So they are winning their coin flip games. They have
played twenty one games in the clutch, which is a lot. Yeah,
it's tied for eleventh, but I'm an idiot, but they're
winning them.
Speaker 1: What are the Clippers, because we are the opposite of that.
Speaker 2: Oh, fourteen clutch time games, they're four and ten.
Speaker 1: Right, So Okay, so we cracked it. Just don't go
to clutch time and we'll win. But we were like
two and nine at some point.
Speaker 2: It was worse.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it was really good.
Speaker 2: They got some recently.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so that's gonna be weird. But then yeah, so
like Wizards Bowls back to back, Well, you I would
be furious if we lost. Honestly, I will be furious
if we lose either of these games between the Wizards
of the Balls.
Speaker 3: Yeah, back to back is tricky, but yeah, yeah, if
you drop one of the Raptors, you really just can't
afford to leave either one. You know, the season is
and over, still a lot of games left, but this
is like this is this is one of the stretches
where you get a chance to breathe. It's a bummer
that all these injuries are piling up at the same time.
But I guess on the plus side of that, you know,
we talked about last We talked about last time, like
if you were excited about anything this season not being
a championship, it's the development of the young guys, and
this provides some ample opportunities for guys.
Speaker 1: Yeah, the Wizards games at noon is the other. Yeah,
so I think we'll need some young legs for that
one lost on them. Correct, correct, because.
Speaker 2: Yeah, the good news is it is a back to back.
But they start one game at noon and the next
day they don't start till five. They do lose an hour,
I think because in Chicago, but it's not like, you know,
after they're done in DC they got a game twenty
three and a half hours later.
Speaker 1: That's true. Just for those who haven't seen the Clippers
Pioneer shirt, the.
Speaker 2: Clippers, they've seen it, but you never know.
Speaker 1: It's one of the craziest shirts ever created by anyone. Yeah,
the time is weird. The thing about the Wizards that
gets me is that Sar is going to be fired up.
He Okay, that second tech on Sar was a complete
technicality bullshit tech.
Speaker 2: It is, but it is an automatic tech I.
Speaker 1: Know, but like bounce the ball in self frustration and like,
you know, like, um, it's so dumb. But I think
he might be extra fired up.
Speaker 2: I'm sure Draymond wouldn't have got that tech somehow.
Speaker 1: No, they would not.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you're gonna be pissed.
Speaker 1: I've watched a lot of footage. I don't think Draymond's
ever actually I don't think any of the foul calls
on dream I should have been.
Speaker 2: Called damn, he should have member zero personal fouler. Sawar
was cooking a little bit, and uh yeah, he may
try to give him the business. This is what you
missed out on.
Speaker 1: Ship usually because he had a tech from the ref already,
So I was like, he's a more of a shit
talker to the refs than I thought.
Speaker 2: I he's leading the league in blocks. I think this
season like he's he's their legit cornerstone piece that's kind
of panning out right now, and they're about to get
another one in the draft because they are holding on
to that top eight pick that ain't going to uh
New York.
Speaker 1: To have one of those someday.
Speaker 2: The Bulls what you wish for.
Speaker 1: True, the Bulls are another incredibly weird team. To look
at their stats, they have a worse offensive rating, defensive rating,
and net rating than the Clippers, but they're nineteen and
twenty one. I don't know, it's just like this is
a weird. This is a wee game trip.
Speaker 2: The Bulls started off this season hot, like they might
have been five to oh to start the season or
something like that. So they padded up some wins early,
so the record still looks somewhat respectable. But the truth
is the wheels have fallen off over the last month
and a half.
Speaker 1: Well, Giddy Giddy wasn't back for their last game because
he's got the hamstring thing. So TVD on that guys
do return. Versus the Clippers, though, yeah, they were.
Speaker 2: They started, they won their first five games of the season.
Everybody's like, oh shit, the running of the Bulls because
remember they had a good I think end to last
season and people were keeping an eye on them to
see if there was carry over, and there was until
till ever started.
Speaker 1: Ask the Clippers about November. But yeah, no, I would
be that's fucking crazy, dude. I can't believe it was
two wins.
Speaker 2: Dude, give me too.
Speaker 1: The Bulls are a good shooting team their top ten
and attempts and percentage. When these teams that are like
in the middle of the road, that are Eastern Conference,
it's such a pain in the ass because they just
might get You have no idea what you're gonna get.
I mean, say, with the Clippers, right, like, we could
come out and win two of these games by twenty
five and then lose a fifteen point lead with two
and a half minutes. You know, like, I think it's
I predict messiness a little bit.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they are vulnerable in the games.
Speaker 1: I'm shorting the Clippers on it. I don't even know
what that means. Well, I mean, yeah, we just the
I tweeted it from the show account last night, but
I was like, oh, we're gonna need a point a
minute from Kawhi to night haha, and then we quite
literally needed that.
Speaker 2: So he's been on that. I think he's been averaging
a point per minuter, like just below it for through
three weeks.
Speaker 1: Yeah, let me look, I think it's close, isn't it. Yeah,
a big James couple of games would be cool because
he's been quieter. Yeah, not give us the Hornets. Yeah
that is true. Man, why's numbers are insane? Okay, he's yeah,
he's kind of he's borderline outpacing it. Thirty three points
thirty minutes last night, thirty five points thirty one minutes
versus the Hornets. Okay, he's close. Wow, he's at thirty
four minutes per game and twenty eight points per game.
Come on, why take take two more threes dude.
Speaker 2: That's on the season.
Speaker 1: Just yeah, that's on the season. The man is unreal
which of that, Oh, it's not.
Speaker 2: It's not going to be here forever. Of course, they
do need to improve in other areas. I like what
Will said against James Harden. Somebody else is gonna have
to start doing some heavy lifting. It's not going to last.
Like if all of a sudden they start if Kawhi
could go into a slump and they start losing, and
people are gonna go, what's going on? Well, Kawhi was
on this crazy heater and all timer for his career
and he's a Hall of Famer and now he's not.
That's the type of thing that could happen. It's very realistic.
Speaker 3: You need it'll cost him a Hall of Fame spot
first ballot, I don't know well.
Speaker 1: And then if Collins can't go, because like we said,
it's one thing to beat the Wizards with Kobe Sanders
and Brook Lopez starting, no disrespect to those guys, but
the Raptors is a different story with No Zubac and
John Collins if they can't go. So I'm also wondering
who's gonna be available for the back to back like
we might see some rest on the.
Speaker 2: JAP was so many guys questionable for game one? Yeah,
who's going to be available for the back to back?
How are they going to navigate that they're vulnerable in
both of those games? To be honest, it feels like that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, because we're but we're saying three and one, two
and one.
Speaker 2: Yeah, two and one. That'll get us to four and
one on the five games.
Speaker 1: There we go, it's right there, that's there.
Speaker 2: Here maybe here.
Speaker 1: I hope we don't have to play Chris paul because
that would be awkward.
Speaker 2: He's back.
Speaker 1: Yeah, everyone's hurt. We got to ring Chris PAULA who's
gonna be bro? I know he has a UNI. Who's
your Adam, who's your player of the trip?
Speaker 2: Oh? Player of the trip? I guess I'll play it
safe and try to go with somebody who's not questionable here.
Uh yeah, I'll take my guy. I'll take this hero
Jordan Miller. Yeah, after that move he had going to
his lap behind his back between the legs crossover. Who
was it that he took off the dribble Keishawn George? Yeah,
that was crazy. He's averaging fourteen points the last couple
of weeks or whatever.
Speaker 1: We'll need that on this trip for sure. Well, who's
your player of the trip? I think anyone's on the
table here except for Kawhi because.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he's questionable though, man could be taking a risk.
Speaker 1: Kobe, Kobe, Kobe Brown. Wow, still on the island. Uh,
no vegetation starting right now, guys. Yeah, I think Sanders
is maybe he's hit the rookie wall a little bit,
which bright like he's not gonna score in a fish in
twenty every single game, but he's still making good decisions
for the most part.
Speaker 2: Like I asked coach lou about that pregame yesterday, like
what he gives you when he's not scoring, and he
talked pretty highly about his defense, and now good he's
been on that end. Even when he's not scoring. The
defense is great.
Speaker 1: All right. So we got Kobe, we got Jordan Miller.
Those are pretty cool, good, awesome picks. I'm gonna go, man.
I was thinking Brooke because if Zoo misses time, we
need Brook to be good. Oh now, who looks his
come around on Brooke? Okay, I've never been a guest
bade Zoom.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 1: I'm against the people who've twisted their minds into some
kind of soft Annie's pretzel that we can't just use both,
that we have to somehow jettison.
Speaker 2: Zoo assault on that pretzel.
Speaker 1: Absolutely, I was thinking Brook or I was gonna say
John Collins, he was going to power.
Speaker 2: Through, take the risk.
Speaker 1: But we'll see. I'm gonna go Yanick. We're all going,
young guys. I'm going because if Zoo's out, we also
need yan to be pretty.
Speaker 2: Good hy coach who doesn't play young guys? What are
we thinking? We can't do this?
Speaker 1: We had to go five out against the Wizards, which
was a little troubling at some points just for what
that means about how the centers were playing. So yeah,
I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go Brook if you can't go,
and if you can go, I'm going Collins.
Speaker 2: Wait a second contingency plans?
Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely for the Clippers with all our questionables, you
gotta have a plan B all right, coming out, we're
talking a little bit about the trade scuttle butt that's around,
guys are eligible, and then after that we're out of here.
Quick audio break coming up. If you're watching, there won't
be ads coming up in three two.
Speaker 2: One welcome back in clips and dip. I'm out of Mauzle.
We got Will Uptyke and Chuck Mockler here, Episode nineteen
of season four. This is a big episode because it's
time to talk about the island that I have been
on for some time. And I told you guys my
theory before. If you get stuck on a desert island,
all you gotta do while you're worrying about just making
fire for your campsite, no, no, no, you set the entire
island on fire, okay, and create the biggest smoke signal
ever castaway. That would have been a real short. That
would have been It wouldn't even been a short like
that would have been a TikTok video if he had
just done that. That's all.
Speaker 1: I'm Dog Wilson here.
Speaker 2: And forgetting.
Speaker 1: Fed x not.
Speaker 2: He emailed himself that timer to see or he emailed
himself he said he shipped of that timer to see
how long it took to get there, and that skewered everybody.
Yeah that's a great movie, Robert, Oh yeah, that's quality.
So Tyler rewatched him cominga highlights from the playoff series
against Minnesota last year as well, specifically the last three games.
Speaker 1: All right, so what is what are the Warriors doing?
Because they seem so confused about what to do with
Jonathan Kaminga they want there's so league sources said the
Warrior has been prioritizing expiring contracts. They've declined the idea
of taking back long term unless it's, you know, a
no brainer. The Warriors refuse to absorb three year sixty
million on the leak Monks deal, Like what what do they?
What is Kmingo worth?
Speaker 2: Is?
Speaker 1: It's just expiring deals? Right?
Speaker 2: I think one of the expiring deals is going to
have to be a player that can help them. Now,
I would think, yeah, regardless of how high level a player,
that is, just somebody that could help them, that they
could sell the fan base on that we got this
guy and he can play a role here. It has
to be I don't think they just give away totally
for nothing.
Speaker 1: They're twenty two and nineteen. The Clippers what. I don't
think the Clippers have a package for Kamingo.
Speaker 2: If Bogie was healthy, it'd be interesting, but he hasn't been.
He hasn't been since since even before he got here. Yeah,
I don't I don't know how the Clippers and also
we're picking all these young guys for our players of
the weekend or pick a three game road trip. Okay,
but you thought about yeah, and that's her plan. See,
but I play why I do? Uh? I do? I
do wonder about Golden State and how much they're looking
for because is there enough of a locker room issue
where they just feel like we have to move on
at this point? But because he just became trade eligible today,
which is why his agent put out the report today
it said he is demanding a trade. He also was
a shooter around today. I don't think he ended up
talking to reporters, but he was there.
Speaker 1: Will have you gotten any saying he's a bad locker
room guy? I know the coaches don't like him. I
don't think it's.
Speaker 3: Just so hard to tell given this current scenario, because
you know, he's had an issue. He didn't want to
be there to begin with, which was like clear with
the deal, you know, he's in and out of the rotation.
They're not sure how to use him. He clearly has
a not even that they're not sure how.
Speaker 1: To use him.
Speaker 3: They have a system and he doesn't fit the exact
mold for that system, and so he's suffering. He's unhappy
with the role, they're unhappy with him not fitting into
said system that's been so successful for them for so long.
So it's a little bit of a tough situation to judge.
I mean, do I think he's been a malecontent in
Golden State?
Speaker 1: Yes?
Speaker 3: Absolutely, I can't. Like, I don't see any situation where
it's time. That's not to say that he's not professional
or that makes him a bad.
Speaker 1: Person or something.
Speaker 3: It's hard to go to work every day in a
shooty situation where it feels like no one wants you
to succeed and hence you're not succeeding. But like, do
I think that's something that would carry over. No, that's
not something that would That's not something that would worry
me uh so much as.
Speaker 1: Well. I mean, honestly, I just I.
Speaker 3: Think there's a lot of teams that could take a
flyer on them. So I guess the biggest thing is, like,
is that even a realistic target for the Clippers?
Speaker 2: I see, I'm not alone on the island.
Speaker 1: Will's paddling his bot up over there.
Speaker 2: I was gonna say earlier, is if you do bring
in Jonathan Kamingez the Clippers right now, some of the
young guys that are now in the rotation are going
to be out right, That's that's something you have to consider.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I've considered it, and you're comfortable with it. Sliding
the piece of paper over it.
Speaker 2: Yes, I am fully interested for the right price. Still,
I could care less about all the dnps. I do
think while there's blame on both sides, I think overall
it's been a mismanaged situation from the get go. And
he's been and he's like twenty.
Speaker 3: Three admitted to fault at that before. I've definitely seen
him have quotes about it before.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he's the same age as rookie Kobe Sanders, and
he's been in the league for a while. I think
they've had too high of a standard because Warriors culture,
championship culture and all these things, and you have to
play this way, and they have all this off ball
movement and he wants to ISO and I know a
lot of the jump shooting numbers aren't great, but whenever
he's gotten like a consistent chunk of minutes for a
month here and there. Over the last couple of seasons,
he's put up numbers. And then last year in the playoffs,
last three games against Minnesota, and you can write it
off of well they've lost those three games. You can
do that for any player. Then everybody sucks. But because
if you lost the game, bottom line is I guess
you weren't good enough. He had thirty, twenty three and
twenty six on good of his See he went three
or four from three to one game, zero two from
three to one game, three of nine from three another game.
I think he was one of the reasons they were
in games. And then yeah, that's what six of fifteen
from three in those three games. Like, the talent is there,
It's obvious. He's not just I don't think he is
just a high flying athlete that you know, has never
refined his game. I think there's more to his game
and his jump shooting ability if he ever just got
consistent minutes and rotation minutes. And I also think if
you bring in a guy like this, he's probably probably
going to at least try to ingratiate himself to the
fan base and the culture and the organization right away
and do everything right. Change the scenery, clean slate. You're
probably gonna get the best version of him, and if
you give him a real opportunity, I don't know he
could thrive. It's worth the gamble to me, he.
Speaker 3: Has an though after this year, right teams, I think, oh,
that's right, it is a team option.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: And that's the other thing.
Speaker 3: So he does have every incentive to turn it around.
Speaker 1: That's why you didn't take the Q. Oh yeah.
Speaker 2: It also fits on the Clippers twenty twenty seven timeline
to find out who he is for two years before
you make a real commitment.
Speaker 1: That is true.
Speaker 2: I don't know if Golden State would have even trade
with him though, to be honest, you know, after what
the things fell apart with the Paul George stuff, Oh god,
the garbage and rivalry very important.
Speaker 1: Some of the some of the deepest rivalry, the diminion.
Speaker 2: But one of the reasons that it fell apart was
they weren't willing to give up Kaminga. And this entire
time they say we don't basically we don't like them,
we won't play, but we also won't give them up.
Are they finally going to say, yes, we will give
them up. I think so.
Speaker 1: They probably should.
Speaker 2: It's not gonna be nothing, though, I have to assume
they get something of value.
Speaker 1: Yeah, there was.
Speaker 3: Some selling lower though than I think they could have this.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and that's why they're this report out there that oh,
they're willing to keep him the rest of the seasons.
Like yeah, of course they're going to say that to
try and reclaim leverage because everybody's like you, they know
you have to get rid of them, so they're low
balling them right now. But if they say we don't,
we don't have to get rid of them. We can
keep them the rest of this year, you better up
your price.
Speaker 1: That's like okay, man, Like whatever you need the roster spot.
Speaker 2: The truth is, all it takes is two teams. All
they need is two teams that like them and they
can pit them against one another.
Speaker 1: It's gonna be interesting. And we're not gonna hear any
real rumors about the Clippers being interested. Probably just a
heads up to the listeners out there. There was some
Boss Easton Wallace Zoo scuttle, but Jay King wrote in
The Athletic, on top of his basketball talent, his contract
would be a positive for the Celtics. He makes eighteen
million this season, which is nine million less than Simons,
with two more seasons left on a very reasonable deal.
The problem if he's available, the Celtics would have to
part ways with significant draft capital. What we talked about
a liver the last episode. Significant draft capital from a
team that's going to be in the finals. Team conversation
pretty much every year for the next we assume four
or five, right, maybe maybe less. You need a lot
of first round picks to make that worth it. I
kind of get like three, I think three. I think
three hit like that.
Speaker 3: I don't know that you can get it, but that's
what I'm asking.
Speaker 1: For because you're you're looking at twenty five through thirty, right,
like for the most part, that's probably where those picks
are gonna enden.
Speaker 3: But I mean, I guess it would depend on like
what the package is. The thing is he just makes
so little money that, like, you know, your return is.
Speaker 1: Just not the guy's not going to be as good
who you get back unless you're getting Derek White or
something like do they want him?
Speaker 2: Not bad? And probably not? I don't even know what is.
I like Derek White a lot, but that's kind of
a player that is in win now mode. Why would
you bring in was his early thirties, late twenties.
Speaker 1: Why he's up, He's up there.
Speaker 2: Also, three picks from Boston is different than three picks
from Atlanta or three picks from courts.
Speaker 3: But that's what I'm saying, like, like that, had you know,
you'd have to have a player in there, I like,
along with the picks or it's just it's still not
that great of a deal.
Speaker 2: Hey, you and me, Anthony Simon's island right here.
Speaker 1: Who's the other nine million to make it work? Chris Paul? So,
I mean another six after that?
Speaker 2: Kobe Sanders is making four. I think Kobe Brown. Sorry
Kobe Brown, they call it in I didn't.
Speaker 1: I blacked out and hear anything you said, No, it
would take a lot. I mean. Well then, also, it's
like if they trade Zoo for that, I would I
assume if they trade Zoo, and I've seen Dime talk
about this too, if they trade Zoo, in my head,
that signifies they're probably trading everybody of the Big Three,
because like that.
Speaker 2: Why would you do that when they're so much better
without him? Why would you need to trade everyone else?
They're just about to take off to the championship once
they trade Zoo.
Speaker 1: To the moon Baby.
Speaker 2: But you know what.
Speaker 1: I like, that would be tough if the start, if
the center cores that we are relying on his Brook,
Lopez and Nick because I think Kawhian Harden would probably
be a little upset. Like what you know what I
mean like that as much it's as we love Lopez,
that lowers your ceiling a bit, it does love Lopez
Charles Dude. Yeah, I want Lopez to succeed because it
means the Clippers to succeed. I also want people to
get better comprehension and reasoning skills, but that is a losing.
Speaker 2: Battle that gonna happen.
Speaker 1: Final question of the pod. Where the heck is Chris
Paul gonna end up? What teams?
Speaker 2: Dwayne Wade said Houston earlier.
Speaker 1: So Kevin duran Ham can kill each other.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I again, CP three was not moving well when
he was out there this season.
Speaker 1: And I don't even mean this in jest, Like he
doesn't there, He's not on the team anymore. So like
what team does he go back to? The Spur? Like
can we just trade him for cash considerations?
Speaker 2: I really don't know.
Speaker 1: Watching please send us any ideas where Chris Paul could
should go.
Speaker 2: I'm guessing that the only reason obviously he hasn't been
waived is because they could use his salary as filler
in the trade. But then also they said they want
to do right by him, So it's got to be
a place that he also, aside from whoever else are
giving up in this trade, that CB three wants to
go to. I don't know. It's it's difficult. Is it
a game of chicken to see if he'll just say,
you know, I'm going to retire.
Speaker 1: There's Chris paul Is on a list of people I
would not want to play chicken against because he is
not moving out of the way. There's a lot of
guys in the NBA like, no, he's not, He's not.
He's going straight.
Speaker 4: What's yeah, considering he didn't even commit to retiring after
this season after a tribute video was played for him
and he said it'd be his last time in Charlotte.
Speaker 2: What that was so weird.
Speaker 1: Very weird. I don't know. Maybe he'll be yeah, maybe
he's using the Collin Sexton trade.
Speaker 2: CB three, When we retire your jersey, it's gonna be beautiful.
We're gonna do it right. It's just weird right now,
this is this is temporary. Your legacy with the Clippers
is intact.
Speaker 1: This part is just weird, all right, anything else on
the trade rumors, anything at all?
Speaker 2: You guys thought about Minga has.
Speaker 1: Heard of this guy? I don't even heard of from
ing dude. All right, So we are gonna do postgame.
There's gonna be no Friday Live. I have to go
out of town. So Adam, maybe you'll do one on
Clippers Talk. There's gonna be a postgame pod on Tuesday,
full app on Wednesday to talk about the Lakers showdown.
Excuse me, postgame live on Tuesday, full episode on Wednesday
to talk the Lakers showdown. Then will where can these
people voice their very valued opinion on this show or
kind of anything? I guess yeah.
Speaker 3: You can voice your opinions overheat, Apple podcasts or Spotify
wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to show.
You can also, of course, voice your opinions on every
single episode that's over at YouTube dot com slash at
Clippers podcast. That's where you can subscribe. You notified to
find out when we're going live, when we're doing different stuff.
But however you listen, however you watch, you know we
appreciate you.
Speaker 1: We really do. Our last five star reviews said just
the heads up, the ads seem a little loud. I
had to turn them down, so thank you for that.
That's why we do the ad. Warning Adam one positive
thing for these Clippers fans as we head into kind
of a weird East Coast trip.
Speaker 2: You know, I think is gonna be an All Star.
I think that's pretty secure right now, feeling pretty strongly
about that. Everybody is, uh, you know, I was watching
Kevin O'Connor. Is it such an NBA world? Remember a
couple of years ago where he was like, you know,
Daniel Turous kind of showing who was he talking about?
Who is the backup center for the Clippers of that young?
Speaker 1: Oh my god? Young?
Speaker 2: Like he had been watching the Clippers a lot, even
though what he said proved he had not been watching
the Clippers.
Speaker 1: I remember exactly. Yeah, he called him an up and
coming center, and every Clippers fan was like, what the
fuck are you talking? So as I look at my Daniel.
Speaker 2: Card today and I get it he has to cover
a lot of teams, but like, you ain't gotta fake
the fun like this, well, I think he does it
for Yahoo and the stuff that he was saying about Yanick.
I thought I was high on Yanick. He had been
talking about Yanick because of the game last night was
probably one of the few games he's seen the last
couple of weeks from the Clippers, and the rest is
just narrative and Kawhi is playing really well, but he
hasn't actually watched that many games. He'd been acting like
Yannick is playing every night and getting sixteen every night.
What did he say, my guy, my guy, slow your
role a little bit. He was talking about him being
Harden's clinck Capella now and it's like he hasn't even
been in the rotation consistently at all. I know he
has had two sixteen point games in the last what
is this six games in between? There six points, zero
points in six minutes, two minutes, two minutes. Like he's
not he's not consistently in the rotation. It won't be
at all but beats the Zoobos is back most likely. Look,
I'm high on Yonick, Don't get me wrong. I think
he has a very bright future. But he's already acting
like that. He's getting a consistent twenty five at night,
just because last night he was seven of seven.
Speaker 1: Well, you know, not everyone one's a cyber truck is
a genius. I guess.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's ut familiar with this game.
Speaker 1: He's such a dork. I'm high on Yonick too. We're
all high on Yonick and we know what. We don't
need help, all right. We will be back next week
with the postgame live on Tuesday. Hope everyone has a
great weekend. Thank you for hanging out, and as always,
let's go clear.