NBA Playoff Reaction: Nuggets-Timberwolves, Knicks-Pacers, Celtics, JJ Redick-Lakers | Colin Cowherd

Colin Cowherd & ‘Hoops Tonight’ host Jason Timpf react to the 2nd round of the NBA Playoffs. They start with the Denver Nuggets beating the Minnesota Timberwolves to tie the series at 2-2. Have Nikola Jokic & Jamal Murray regained control of the series from Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves? Will the T-Wolves move off of Karl-Anthony Towns this summer and does Kevin Durant fit better? The New York Knicks got blown out in Game 4 but will they still win the series over the Indiana Pacers? The Boston Celtics continue to be inconsistent, but is that on Jayson Tatum? JJ Redick is rumored for the Los Angeles Lakers head coaching vacancy. Will JJ Redick be a good coach for LeBron James?

TIMELINE
00:00:00 – INTRO
00:01:29 – Nuggets-Twolves Reaction
00:14:52 – Knicks-Pacers
00:20:14 – Tatum biggest issue for Celtics?
00:33:53 – JJ Redick to Lakers?

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#nba #basketball #nbaplayoffs #nuggets #timberwolves #celtics #pacers #lakers #knicks

welcome to the official YouTube channel for the Colin coward podcast go on hit the Subscribe button there you go right down there if you want to be among the first to hear my weekly takes NFL college football more right [Music] there all right Jason Tim is about to stop by for our weekly NBA playoff hit uh before we go to Jason hey download the game time app take about 90 seconds all right I’m waiting all right thanks game time app I want you to use the code colins c l i n that’ll give you 20 bucks off your first purchase um prices on the game time app uh go down the closer you get to tip off so it’s an authorized Marketplace of professional basketball like none other makes getting playoff tickets fast easy and great prices and great seats all right take the guest work out they have Zone deals at game time these are great you pick the section game time picks the seats take out all the guest work you know where you’re sitting before you get there game time app download it the code is Colin c i n that’ll get you $20 off your first purchase download it today last minute tickets lowest prices guaranteed with a game time app I use it you should too all right it is customary Sunday night you hear it mostly on Monday morning Jason T podcast cast his Hoops tonight um you know it’s interesting schedules can matter NFL will release their schedule on Wednesday and I think it’s a big deal um we all know who Everybody Plays already but it’s the order for instance playing in Denver high altitude in September when you’re coming out of Camp has always been tough playing Andy Reid in September tough uh some of the defensive coaches experiment more offensively early bich never had a great September so and also back to back to back tough games Road games you know Miami would prefer to never go into Buffalo with tu as a quarterback in December and January they’d love to get that game out in you know September October when the weather is great so there are Absol you know Dome teams they don’t want to play December January games up north when the league had a gap between games two and three Denver Minnesota and it hurts Minnesota’s momentum and it gives Denver time to prepare you get that extra film session or three it’s a totally different team I mean there was they were Denver was so bad defensively so lethargic now it’s almost like Denver saying let ant get his he’s gonna get 40 We’re not gonna stop him and let’s shut down the other dudes but I mean it does feel like to me that that that time an extra day or two here for a really smart veteran team and a good staff feels so substantial no absolutely Minnesota came out with pretty bad energy in game three a himself admitted it after the game he’s like I came out with low energy the meanwhile for three consecutive days Denver had to sit around and listen to everyone talk about them like literally it was like they just got humiliated for three consecutive days and you know I said after game two it wasn’t really about basketball to me I thought that Minnesota brought a level of physicality that Denver had not seen really at all in the previous five rounds that they had played in the postseason and I thought they got a little caught off guard by it and spe specifically in game two they crumbled mentally in a way that they never had before right and honestly there do you remember in game three at the beginning that play when Anthony Edwards was messing with his shoulder for like 30 seconds that was the first play of the game and on that play n Nicole yic just rocked him with the screen just like a super super hard screen and when I went back and looked over the film in that game like really all that happened was Denver did all the same things that they have done all season they just did him Harder Faster with more Force they finally met the physical confrontation and when they did you found out pretty quickly they can still score on these guys it’s like it’s not like Jamaal hasn’t seen a lengthy perimeter Defender before of course he has it’s not like joic hasn’t seen two centers on the floor before of course he has they’ve all seen that before they just didn’t handle it well and then the big one here and this is something that I called out before the series and I really was surprised that it took this long but Minnesota’s a mediocre offense Anthony no listen go ahead listen Anthony that’s what I think Denver looked at and said just give an his 40 just they have a lot of very good athletes and length but if Carl Anthony towns like tonight is a is just kind of just wandering there’s not really a second scoring option on this team there really isn’t so you need towns who’s always been to me talented but a little flaky a little inconsistent you know what I mean like he disapp Anthony Davis gives you the same defense game Carl Anthony towns who was more gifted offensively should be as good offensively as Anthony Davis is defensively he’s not you get you just get he’s lost and I thought in this game what are we doing here and when he doesn’t deliver it doesn’t matter what ant SC an could score 50 I mean Jordan was scoring 63 and they couldn’t beat the Celtics like so I I I do think Denver just said listen we we’re not going to stop this kid and make everybody else work and I think your point is right is that if towns is off it’s it’s an athletic team they’re long they almost have an extra Wing Defender and one less shooter than they need no absolutely and like it really comes down to this they were a mediocre offense all season long and then they’ve got a bunch of these streaky guys guys like C guys like nikil Alexander Walker guys like Nas Reed who like are capable of playing at a higher level offensively but Phoenix couldn’t really play them out of that Denver’s lack ofical defensive effort in the first two games couldn’t play that play them out of that but as soon as Denver tightened the screws Pat fell apart Nel Alexander Walker fell apart Nas Reed fell apart like you know immediately Rudy goar looks like a damaging offensive player because he’s got stone hands and he can’t like make quick decisions when he catches on the roll and so like literally Min Minnesota looked like regular season Minnesota if anything it’s it’s it’s really impressive that ant is demonstrating his leap is for real and specifically on the Carl Anthony towns front you know this Carl Carl towns reminds me of a spe specific type of player I’ve seen several times in NBA history the most recent example kind of reminds me of Kevin Love Now obviously cat has a better pedigree but like it’s like the big scoring like kind of hybrid big but one that’s not actually that Superior of an athlete compared to his peers right and the and that can shoot and so what happens is during the 82 game regular season they get their 25 points a night because they can bully smaller players and they can hit threes but every every single time Kevin Love would run into a really big athletic forward someone like a thus young or a Draymond Green and just render Kevin Love into a spot up shooter and then and then everyone be like oh LeBron made Kevin Love a spot up shooter it’s like actually that’s all he can do when you reach these super high levels of intensity Aaron Gordon demolished Carl towns tonight just just completely just snatched his soul for the world to see he’s a much better athlete he’s a much better exactly it’s like the UN it’s like the guy who’s a little bit shorter but stronger more athletic kind of like Draymond or daddy young young like I was talking about with Kevin Love they can beat Carl towns to spots and so make it so that he can’t drive and then if he can’t drive he’s suddenly just a shooter and it’s like with the shots aren’t going in then his impact craters and so yeah like there’s another conversation to be had I mean you you even when Minnesota was playing well were pointing out like is Carl Anthony town still going to be here in the future and it’s like there’s there’s there’s a real conversation to be had about the team build of Minnesota in the sense that Carl Anthony towns is what he is he’s never going to become a super reliable secondary shot Creator you can’t let ant go out there by himself every night as the only guy who can get to his spots and create shots so I don’t know what they do about that in the long run but tonight was the last two games this is not game one and two of a series where you’re feeling each other out everyone knows exactly what everyone’s good and bad at right now and nobody on Minnesota can score except for ant and that’s a major problem well and also I mean yic and ant are Transcendent so it to some degree you know going into a game you’re giving up 30 plus you you know bird you know Jordan Kobe some guys are just like you’ve been in the gym like that guy’s gonna get his the series really comes down to like it’s amazing Gordon vers Carl Anthony towns you’re like oh that’s that’s kind of what the series has come down to because you can’t n you can only do so much to neutralize a superstar in this Sport and then all of a sudden and again this is what Champions do we we forget this I remember a couple years ago the Celtics played the Warriors in the finals and through the first couple of games of the series through three games Boston was so much better than Golden State and you’re like Steve Kerry gets an extra day there’s preparation they go to Boston and you’re like what who unplugged the electricity with the Celtics like what happened and I think the mistake I make thinking Denver’s cooked is you give these championship teams time they’re well coached I mean Malone’s in there I mean you forget I mean they he was like seven years in and they were just they just let It Bake I mean they there was no pressure they couldn’t win with jic for years so this is a team that’s you know they’ve been through a lot of these battles they’ve lost a lot of them in the early years but they’ve had to make major adjustments and uh you know I rush to judgment I look at Denver now and I’m like oh this this is what I thought the series would look like which is again they would match their length and physicality and jic would just you know Murray and yic are both Elite scores so uh I will say this I don’t know why the media does this they they get so protective from people that don’t need it but ant is spectacular like I always felt this about and I’m not saying he’s Jordan but he has some Jordan qualities and that’s okay Mahomes you know they’re talking about Caleb Williams has Mahomes qualities yes he does all the scouts are saying he he plays like Patrick Mahomes there are things about ant but the most Jordan thing about him is I remember watching Jordan against Phoenix in his prime and I was sitting on the couch with a friend watching it and I’m like okay he he’s not the best shooter the best ball handler he’s not the quickest guy in the league and he’s 66 why does it look like he’s like the only division one player playing at the Y like it’s like it he makes it look so easy and gets past people on the first step these are NBA athletes he just gets past everybody so when you watch it on TV I don’t think you would appreciate it the ability to all everybody knows where he’s going he loves the first step he sizes you up he he makes the game look easy Mahomes does this Jordan did this you’re like why why how I’m watching ant and even against good offenders I mean Jamal Murray switched off to him one time I’m like this is not even competitive Murray’s a world class athlete I mean you’ve been in jibs with guys but I I look at this and I’m like when when guys start making 38 points look easy there’s about three in the league at any one time that can do that maybe one yeah there’s athletic and then there’s athletic among the athletes it’s like an entirely different Stratosphere right and like right that’s kind of to me the difference between like a Jason Tatum and an Anthony Edwards like Jason Tatum is a very good NBA athlete like a like like like he’s in he’s close to that like truly Transcendent but there’s clearly a different between ant sizing up an elite Defender and beating him off the dribble and Tatum doing the same thing it’s like that next level of of elite top tier athleticism honestly I regardless of what happens the rest of this series and I do think Denver is gonna gonna pull this out now I think they’ve effectively just rendered Minnesota’s offense useless and and they’re going to go home and I think they’re going to win game five and the the biggest thing too is like Minnesota hasn’t been particularly competitive in either of these games which is which is a major concern right but like no matter what it’s very clear that Anthony Edwards is here to stay I I think he’s the next guy in that like line of truly Transcendent Great American basketball players like it went from MJ to Kobe and it went from Kobe to LeBron and like there have been guys along the way that have had their little moments but nobody that really had the potential to take over the league for a long time and can’t you just see it Colin can’t you just kind of imagine what the next 10 years are like for a you could just kind of Imagine him continuing to ascend and getting better and better I I started to think like like if Ant could have pulled this game out it could have been one of those Transcendent moments you think about like you know LeBron in his in like 2007 or 2008 kind of thing and honestly like Denver’s just too good like that that’s really all it is like LeBron ran into the 08 Spurs and got swept so like at a certain point it doesn’t matter how how good you are at that phase of your career it is a team sport and and like literally while all of his veteran teammates were falling apart he was continuing to ascend it was really impressive yeah I mean and this is appropriate Jordan couldn’t get through a fully formed Pistons or Celtic Dynasty so I mean Denver’s fully formed they have the experience they’re better offensively they have Minnesota’s length so again this is the way it works it’s the baby steps he comes in he pushes and makes Denver you know step back they got hit in the Gin oh we got D you know they da the champion and they lost that’s what happened to Jordan that’s what happens to LeBron so to me this is totally appropriate we are Amazed by the individual player but they still have tweaking to do I mean we all know what Minnesota’s going to do in the offseason they’re probably going to move Carl Anthony towns and they’re going to get they’re going to get more offensive players I mean eventually Jordan needed Pippen and cerr you know I mean like they don’t have to be a nightly great player but you do have to find players that take something off ant’s plate a little bit you think Minnesota should go k it’s not terrible because again what the great gift of KD you can give him the ball eight seconds on the shot clock four he’ll get a great look he doesn’t need you know it’s it’s a little Klay Thompson but obviously much better he doesn’t need the ball in his hands that’s why that’s why the Jaylen Brunson KD works the emotional part of KD to the Knicks tibs that style you know is he is he willing for it let’s let’s pivot to that because listen the Knicks are beat up nothing you can do just set the guys down get ready for Tuesday be embarrassed you know you’ll be on fire Tuesday so OG is hurt OG got banged up this year as well brunson’s not 100% we already know Mitchell robins and Julius Randall are out so this is a limited team offensive League without injuries so we we all kind of kept waiting for this team that was playing with game seven intensity to just just collapse just the wheels came off and they sort of did I still think they have a chance to win this series but but I was saying this earlier this week and I said it last time I was on with you there’s a lot of different scenarios with Nick and it’s very easy to talk yourself into we’re just a piece away but the East is going to get better it’s just going to get better Butler’s going to be healthy Dame’s goingon to be healthy Yannis will probably be back and be will get help there’s so many scenarios for the Knicks and I do wonder if instead of looking at Kevin Durant and the Paul George they just they find another OG on the market you know they go get another really good player because I do think you know playing hard maybe it has limitations if you fade I don’t think they could be to Denver Minnesota’s length but Min the Knicks have done something the last three years that they haven’t done for 20 which is they’re patient they’re like you look at them and you’re like this a well-run team they don’t take I mean they used to take you know big reaches on Amari stmy when he had bad knees it’s like what are you doing like every GM in the leagues like omari’s you know he’s he’s got like two years left he’s cook for Carmelo when they could ass signed him as a free agent one year later not got the roster yeah I don’t know exactly what they do I I think Paul George fits everywhere um but again it’s such a unique culture like it’s just not for everybody I mean I can’t wait to watch I don’t they’re not a championship team I think you know listen they’re not we know it they’re just you can’t there’s too many great players too many good teams in this Le Knicks are not a championship team I don’t know what the solution is I I want to watch it it’s not in the draft we know that it’s not a good draft I mean KD’s it’s it’s I just don’t know KD is boy you look at him post Golden State it’s it’s he’s different he’s running through coaches you know and tibs has power in that room now for a segment called making it look Easy by Morgan and Morgan America’s largest injury law firm uh the Pacers cruising do a huge win over the Knicks 32 points that that looked pretty easy right just like Indiana did Morgan and Morgan does the exact same thing over 100 offices Nationwide over 800 lawyers this is what they do $15 billion recovered Through The Years with 300,000 clients Morgan and Morgan has a proven track record to get you full fair and reasonable compensation okay they’ve been fighting for the people for over 35 years if you’re ever injured go to forthepeople.com colum if you’re ever injured go to for the people /in or dial pound 529 to check out America’s largest injury Law Firm winning in the NBA is hard Morgan and Morgan makes it look easy winning in the NBA is hard hiring Morgan and Morgan is really easy nobody’s pushing back on tibs yeah I I think for sure they need somebody that can play That’s bigger I mean the biggest problem they’re running into now is their best five guys are four guards and Isaiah hartstein because of the ogan anobi injury so like they’re literally running out there with Brunson Hart Devan chenzo and Duce McBride with Isaiah hartstein and trying to make plays happen and like there there have been moments where they’ve been playing Alec Burks at the four like they’re they’re really really undersized right now and so I I do get encouraged by the idea Ju Just if you could somehow get KD without OG and an Obi which I think would be really difficult I like the idea of having OG at the three with KD and a Haren Stein because you’re just really big on the front line and then you could still have a d chenzo or hard at the two so you maintain some of that physicality it’s just if you had to give up OG that’s such a significant chunk of that identity I mean just look at this Pacers series since OG and anobi has gone down the Knicks just just physically look different they just look different right now like like Indiana has to feel really good going into game five uh like they’re going to win this series because they’re they they really controlled things outside of outside of a few clutch stretches in games one and two and that’s the other thing too New York actually has a negative Point differential to this point in the postseason which is actually kind of crazy but it’s because they’ve been in every close game and just pulled it out late and so you have to get some bounces that go your way like even when you look back it’s like how’ they beat the Sixers in game uh in game six it was a it was a Josh Hart 3 from the top of the key at like that broke a tie in the final minute you know what I mean like it’s it’s big shots at the end of games like it really the the teams that can win the championship they don’t need to do that every single night so I do think they need some more Firepower but it’s just going to be really difficult to tow that line between adding Firepower while sacrificing the physical identity which is such an important part of how they win right now yeah so you know I said this last week uh and I and I lose track sometimes because I’m doing three hours a day and I’m doing this with you and I’m doing other stuff but I want to talk Celtics for a second I said the NBA I grew up in the 70s it’s pretty well chronicled I could tell you the starting lineups for the Washington team that won the Portland team the Sonic Team the sixer team like that was really in my wheelhouse I was collecting basketball cards I I was like a you know like like you are now I I literally just could not get enough it was the only thing I cared about you know when I was a young kid and so and then you get dynasties you you get the Laker Dynasty and the Celtic Dynasty and the Piston Dynasty and the Bulls and the Sha and Kobe and the Spurs and so all these dynasties come up and I do think it’s the first time we don’t have another Dynasty I think we have really good teams now again Denver wins it then you’ve moved into the heatles conversation where you’re darn close now it’s not a dynasty but you can it does have a Spurs feel to it like with joic he doesn’t need the attention he’s the kind of guy that would take a pay cut like let’s just keep doing this running it back I don’t need the drama they have a very Spurs feel to them that you know the star is like a good guy kind of Brady esque like just let’s let’s just keep our roster but I was looking at Boston and I’m like in this era of good maybe Boston’s just two things very good because they’re 500 at home over the last three years historically makes no sense that is just not the way it works great teams are so think about this they’re 500 at home in the playoffs only been to one finals that’s against the East the East has been abysal for about four years so they’re 500 at home in the playoffs against a weak much weaker conference it’s hard to argue they’re Elite or special what they are is very good I said I think they don’t have a shack a Kobe and MJ in their Prime not even an ant is it possible they have two Scotty pippens and you’re like they’re good enough to win a title but they need some breaks because I I keep watching them and just if they’re not hitting threes they get bad fast like you’re like wow this is they’re just and they’re almost unserious like they’re just the energy is terrible is it possible we’ve overvalued them because it’s a big brand we like Tatum it’s a it’s a you know you have two players uh they do Point differential regular season they’re outstanding you can’t be 500 at home over three years against the East and tell me your Elite that it would be different Jason if they had a title and then you you kind of pull the governor down like we’ve seen this like the Shaq Cobe teams it’s like they’re great or KD and the Warriors then you pull it down like let’s just get through the regular season what is Boston Elite or in my contention just very good in a Era of Good they’re they’re very good I mean coming into the season you and I were on the same page on this like they’re kind of on the same level as Denver and then when we did our playoff preview we were like they’re kind of on the same level as Denver yet they had like I want the I can’t remember exactly what the Nuggets finished with but they were a mid-50s team and the Celtics were a mid-60s team in terms of wins right so like they’ve won 60s something games this year but they’re not like a traditional 60- win power house because the Eastern Conference is so weak and again it’s really this simple you play 52 games every single season against your own conference you play 30 against the other conference so like and all you have to do is go look at the go look at the uh ESPN standings and go look at the uh uh the record for Boston against the Western Conference they were just another team against the Western Conference I think if Boston was in the west they’d be near the top but they would not have separated themselves the way that they did against the way that did against the rest of the East now one of the things with Boston like Boston has nowhere near the defensive Personnel that Minnesota does so like and that’s that’s the scary thing with what Denver’s doing right now is you could not build a better team to guard the Denver Nuggets than what they have and Denver has sliced and diced them two games in a row now so like Denver’s going to score on Boston but what Boston has that Minnesota doesn’t is they have a ton of offensive skill all five of their in the starting lineup can shoot everyone can dribble and so they do have the ability to kind of space Denver out and have some success there I think Boston presents some challenges for Denver but I would pick Denver to beat them and so to put it simply they’re just another team in the top tier whereas if you looked at the standings you would view them as having separated and really it does come down to Tatum for me like Tatum in my opinion is somewhere around the seventh to 10th best player in the league and it’s just really difficult to win the championship in NBA history if you don’t have of the top guys who won it last year joic best player in the world who won it before that Steph top three player in the world who won it before that Giannis top three player in the world who wanted it before that LeBron kawhai KD and Steph LeBron like you you have to go all the way back to 2014 with a crazy fluky Spurs team that had magical ball movement and magical everything to find a team that could win a title without a Bonafide Alpa dog top five Superstar alltime great and like as much as I like Jason Tatum and he’s a super nice guy had another really insightful quote about media and how much he appreciates that media is given to the game and like super great guy great leader of a team but he’s just not as good as the top guys it it’s literally that simple well yeah and I I think um this is the first year I’ve watched Anthony Davis this year and thought he’s a one I always thought he was the best two in Lee history I thought it was Pippen forever and then then Anthony and we’ve had a few of these like ants a one you can just see it he he the trash talk the intensity everything you don’t have to argue about that Tatum is viewed as an absolute one what if like Anthony Davis he’s he’s the best two in the league because I really thought this year I’m like God Anthony is this this is a healthy dominant Defender mostly good offensively plays through pain literally changes changes everything it can allow LeBron to be bad Defender and cheat he allows the team to cheat and I’m I look at Tatum I’m like it’s not a knock I know he makes all NBA but it’s very hard to find an all time basketball is a trash talking sport it’s a it’s a it’s an energy juice sport most guys that are like top five in the league you know now Kawai doesn’t talk to anybody um but I mean most of them have a little bit of a chip a little bit of they almost play angry and Tatum doesn’t have that he’s got almost like a guy person it you know like he lets the game come to him he he you know can always break guys down when I’ve watched him live three times he always gets his shot but it’s like he plays like a two but we’ve anointed him to a one and I know that sounds ridiculous but I don’t know when I watch him play when you say something for five straight years it’s probably true for five straight years we’ve said Jaylen Brown sometimes acts like he wants the ball more than Jason okay we’re on the fifth year of that like that’s because it feels true right Am I Wrong is he a low-end one or is he a great too not that it matters but I watch him and I think his body language his mentality how he plays his aggressiveness he feels like a great too you start when you’re one of those guys when you’re one of the true Bonafide top tier superstars in the league and you’re in your mid to late 20s you put together awesome playoff performance after awesome playoff performance like it it’s there is a level of expectation that comes from that and I think Tatum’s 26 now and he’s played what eight playoff games against against pretty inferior competition and he shot below 45% seven of the eight games like his best game is a 50% night so like like you’d think that there’d be a 14 for 20 game in there somewhere right like like it’s it’s it’s one of those things where like and really does come down to the first step for me he’s he’s a guy that doesn’t have a great first step and is an inconsistent jump shooter like th those two things are going to render you like he does a lot he’s a very good defensive player he’s a much better playmaker than most of the forward his forward peers that he has in the league he’s a very good player I want to be clear like top seven top 10 in the league is nothing to like you know uh uh to dumb your nose at but at the same time like there’s levels to this and when you get to those top guys in the league it’s like it’s like how is it that 39-year-old LeBron James was having a mentally more uh a productive offensive playoff run than you against inferior competition every single night like it’s like it really is bizarre but like at the same and here’s the other thing too what really concerns me is Boston has no hierarchy and so because Tatum is not this guy that can really command games offensively every single night it’s like now Jaylen Brown wants the Reigns now Dereck white wants the Reigns like Drew holiday started game three against Cleveland being super aggressive out the gates and and looking for shot and so like really there’s it’s actually kind of what leads to some of Boston’s bad Rhythm games where they look really bad is like everyone’s kind of yanking at the Reigns and no one can get going and it’s like that’s just not what it’s like on these other teams it’s like if you watch the Cavs who’s running the offense for the majority of the game Donovan Mitchell if you watch the Knicks who’s running the offense the majority of the game Jaylen Brunson tyres halberton it’s Nicole yic and Jamaal Murray it’s Anthony Edwards it’s LCA donic it’s Jay gildas Alexander in Boston it’s like it’s all just Vibes it’s like whoever want wants to take control can take control and like and that that’s the thing is like no like this if this team’s going to get to the promised land Jason like you’ve got to really take control of this thing because you it’s all great against Cleveland and it’s all great against uh against Miami without Jimmy Butler but you got a little bit of a tougher team in the next round and then you’re going to walk into a most likely a Denver team in the NBA Finals that’s going to want to snatch your heart the way that they’re doing to Carl towns and all these other guys from Minnesota and so it’s going to get harder and they need more out of him he he just hasn’t been able to get there consistently the NBA playoffs are heating up man they have been so good I know it’s over but Lakers Nuggets may have been a five game series it was great Knicks Sixers amazing why don’t you sign up for the DraftKings Sportsbook app takes 90 seconds the official sports betting partner of the NBA if you’re in DraftKings once you sign up you got to check this out new customers bet five bucks to get 150 bucks in bonus bet instantly great proposition right five bucks get 150 bucks download the draftking Sportsbook app the codee’s Collins c i n it’s me c l i n really quick really easy if you’ve never bet Sports before check it out really makes the games fun the code is Colin new customers get 150 bucks in bonus bets by betting five only on DraftKings the crown is yours well and I think um I think if you look at what Brad Stevens did did the construction of the team por zingis was off a very good offensive year Drew holiday was a better offensive player than Marcus Smart To Me Brad Stevens is telling they didn’t move off Al Harford who can have these weird offensive nights like I’m watching Brad Stevens who was a really smart guy and I’m like he wanted more offense like he clearly you know if you go look at Kobe it was getting people that didn’t threatened to take shots against Kobe or MJ or right you don’t want to take the ball to even Jaylen brunson’s hands like don’t don’t take the ball to his hands too much with Luca although his ball usage rate is too high but it kind of looks like Brad Stevens said I’d like to get better scoring in the front Court I’d like a better offensive player than Marcus Smart like he was just adding offensive chips that’s okay but it’s it’s a lot of times if you have the guy it’s not about that it’s about adding guy who can take off some of his defensive pressure some size at The Rim you know if you go look at what they added to LeBron it they didn’t get Kevin Love to take the ball his hands basically it was Bader Allen it was just other people that could augment the game but not take it over I I look at them and I’m like they’re you know when he was healthy porzingis would have 28o nights and you’re like oh this feels like his team tonight like this is his team so again that’s viewed as a a criticism but I you know if you watch how a team is run they’ll tell you what they are I always say this when you watch a football game and you watch what the team does in the first two series they’re telling you this is what we think we can do because you want to get ahead if you lead in an NFL game you take the lead you win like 65% of the time so teams are telling you this is what the film says we can do this they can’t stop this there are times when I when I watch the Celtics and I’m watching the construction of them and again I’m just I’m spitballing but there are times I watch them and they’re like they’re telling me they have reservations whether Jason can take a series over that I mean joic it’s established an already it’s absolutely established Donovan Mitchell can be hot and cold but Jesus I gotta tell you something I said this the other night Jaylen Brunson gets more consistent he’s not as athletic as Tatum Jaylen Brunson gets Great Looks he gets great I don’t know how he does it either great shot so anyway um yeah it’ll be viewed as a criticism but I think it’s a reality okay I want to do this topic so um I saw this on the internet and I I apologize for not giving credit but somebody said everybody starts somewhere is JJ reuck supposed to go to the G League he you know a lot of these guys just don’t want to coach College the nil they just don’t want to deal with limitations NCAA is JJ reick is he a bad idea for the Lakers I mean you think buen hoser would have taken the Lakers job and LeBron would have bought in they couldn’t get him out of town fast enough and he had a title in Milwaukee Yannis wasn’t a fan is JJ reic a terrible choice or are we over overstepping that that everybody starts somewhere where’s he gonna start he’s Rich he’s not going to the g- league not taking that job Jason kid first experiment not good now he’s established themselves I mean what is your take of JJ reck who people are getting gobbled up could be Head of the Class now for the Lakers yeah so the experience thing doesn’t matter as much to me for a couple of reasons one it’s it’s the it’s the classic like corporate ideology like you’re constantly Towing the line between rewarding experience versus rewarding talent and like there’s always a fine line between like oh well this guy’s been doing it for eight years but it’s like yeah but is he mediocre because that’s the other question here this guy if JJ happens to have the talent for it if he happens to have the basketball IQ or whatever for it then by all means make the move and so much of that depends on how he’s uh acting behind the scenes in the interviews if they go through an interview process but the the the second piece of it is you can counteract a lot of the lack of inexperience or lack of experience with just putting experienced head coaches on his staff so you can you can address that by just giving him a a really good assistant coaching staff as far as I’m concerned with JJ reick like when it comes to the Lakers what I’m really looking for is somebody that holds players accountable because at the I look at them as a defensive-minded team anchored by two big athletic forwards in LeBron James and Anthony Davis just look at the around the league when the Lakers won they won when they defended you know that was always their their bread and butter they made it to the Western Conference finals last year as a defensive-minded team they lost in the first round this year as an offensive minded team going back to 2020 they won when they were a defensive minded team so I’m really interested in somebody that’s going to hold them accountable and I don’t really know if uh if JJ’s willing to do that with LeBron that’s going to be something that is going to have to be flushed out in the interview process but I’m not concerned about the experience simply because if JJ’s got the talent he’s got the talent and they’re going to Anchor him with experienced uh uh NBA coaches that will help him navigate the 882 game regular season and honestly like it’s it’s really just going to be about uh like a collaborative effort between LeBron James and and and JJ reic to kind of identify what the strengths and weaknesses of the roster are and go from there it’s really hard honestly Colin I wonder what it’s like for you covering the NFL too like it’s really difficult with coaches especially new coaches we’re not there for the interviews like with a player I can go look at tape and I can get a really good feel for what he good and bad at but like with JJ it’s like well what’s his philosophy going to be what are what are his core uh his core principles that he’s going to build the team on like what is is he going to continue the five out offense they were running out of Darin ham with Darin ham are they going to run something different what are they going to do something different defensively it’s so hard to say because we’re not in the room for those interviews but if JJ interviews well and they give him good assistant coaches and he’s got the talent for it I absolutely think it could work well I mean Duke kid you know you listen to the podcast he’s you know he’s he’s a thoughtful guy to me you know it it it’s experience is funny you know it’s I I creating the volume or working for years at ESPN or Fox Sports you know people managers have come to me and said Hey listen to a tape or what do you make of this guy and my take is if you’ve never done Network who cares like we listen to your tape and we’re like yep he’s ready to go okay I I don’t you didn’t have to be somewhere you we thought you would be here so it it’s you know it’s Jerry Seinfeld was speaking at Duke he had a commencement speech and he had a great line he said having stuff is nice becoming stuff or having stuff is nice becoming something is really more important and becoming something is misses it swings it’s it’s an Ascension in every job I’ve ever had I was a little over my skis for the first like six to eight weeks like I’m bailing water here I’m trying to catch up I had a friend once that got a job at Google and she was like I literally six weeks in I’m like oh I’m dumb and this is a full of smart people I’m too dumb to work at Google and she goes then the light goes on you start clicking and then like six months into it you’re like okay she but it’s like it’s okay Darvin ham learned on the job if you’re smart in any industry you’ll figure it out like a lot of this stuff with coaching is like I heard Frank vogle you know some complex defensive stuff Beal didn’t really buy in Booker was close to an assistant coach much closer than he was Vogel Kevin was fine but Kevin’s Kevin at this point and it was like vogle just didn’t he didn’t resonate with all the guys in the room JJ reic if LeBron buys him will resonate with everybody in the room so my take is you start somewhere if you get LeBron there is some credibility like with Jason kid like there is credibility player to player that JJ has and I think that’s kind of unspoken but kind of the middle-aged you know guy that didn’t play I always think you go into a locker room and about half the room is like if the star doesn’t buy into it half the room’s not buying into it maybe that’s cynical but I think everybody would buy into JJ reic well it’s like M it’s like Mike anori from the timber wolves or I can’t remember his name that assistant from the Celtics who just got signed by the Charlotte Hornets it’s like if you bring in an assistant it doesn’t matter how much he’s been grinding in the fill room doesn’t matter how much he impressed the previous organization he’s got to be able to look at LeBron and be like hey man I need you to do this and LeBron’s got to be like okay you know and not only that but I’ll hold the rest of the team accountable to help them along the way and so there I do agree that’s the gravitas piece and by the way that’s why they hired Darin ham they thought Darin ham would be able to bring some of that like real gravitas to the situation the the thing with JJ is you got to acknowledge the risk because you’re right like they let Darin ham on the Fly and he didn’t really start making huge mistakes until this season with the roster when he was like leaning into Cam Rish we’ve gone over it but like he made too many mistakes and then the Lakers had a situation where they looked at the urgency of their situation and said we have to make a move and so I just I just hope that the Lakers front office and ownership understands that if you do take JJ there is a risk and even though I believe he could do this well especially with good experienced staff behind him anytime you go for a first- Time head coach there’s a like what if he’s just really bad at at at in-game adjustments what if he’s just really bad like we don’t know what it’s going to be like we’re going to find out over time and so that’s where like the let’s say the alternative let’s say they were to get like a Kenny Atkinson for instance like Kenny Atkinson is more of a known commodity he might be a higher floor but like maybe you don’t get some of the upside you get if you get a freak town to your point Steve Kerr like Steve Kerr is regarded as one of the best coaches in the league I think he’s the second best coach in the league behind Eric spoler like that was a risk signing Steve Curry by the way Steve Curry was Radical he came into a Mark Jackson Le team that was spamming pick and roll and he said hey Steph Curry we’re taking the ball out of your hands we’re going to lead the league in passes we’re going to run this motion ball and player movement offense and I’m sure there were moments in training camp where it looked ugly and I’m sure there were moments where the front office was looking down like uh this is weird you know like we just went you know two great playoff runs in 2013 2014 just having Steph run spread pick and roll so like this is funky but then it works and now Steve cerr is regarded as one of the best coaches in the league so like there’s upside to going with the JJ but there’s also a risk and so for me I’m I’m okay with that risk because I don’t really think there’s any candidate out there that’s a home run anyway so I think I think there’s risk all around to begin with yeah and I I also think you have to um because the league is so player driven you have to be more patient like you know in football it’s really owner coach GM driven so there’s no excuse for a coach to say you know I can’t get the room I just I can’t get the room just cut guys if you can’t get the room you’re never going to be a good coach in the NFL in the NBA international soccer where you have these ronaldos and LeBron that are literally I mean they’re they’re almost above the sport they’re they’re these iconic figures it is harder to get that attention it is harder to get the Buy in you hopefully get a Tim Duncan uh or or you know I mean I think sometimes we forget that Phil Jackson had replaced Doug Collins Michael liked Doug but Doug’s really intense and there was there was some combative nature to his personality but Doug Collins and Michael mostly worked that was the first time Michael got real buyin from Doug and then and they got real bayin from Phil Phil’s considered you know the Zen master the better Coach but um part of its buyin um but I think LeBron has to also acknowledge you know when Michael was in a prime for both Collins and Phil like LeBron’s not there anymore and I do think when he was completely unselfish for the 15 years in his prime he could have scored 12 to 15 points more every game he played in now he can be a little he looks for soft spots in the defense that he can manipulate smaller players that he can drive to the basket on you’ve talked about this is that I think LeBron gets a little selfish now where it’s more about Legacy and and and production is that I think it’s time to step back I’m not denying he’s a top six player on any night but it does feel like a little bit with LeBron he he’s gotten a little selfish where it’s like it’s okay to acknowledge is you can’t literally even if you’re great you’re not guaranteeing anything in this league this is the West it’s packed you you could be a playing team and I know you know LeBron better than anybody his game but I I do feel like with LeBron he’s a little more of a taker than a giver now in ter not just not just assists but he’s seeking play he’s seeking production sometimes to maintain and I I think it’s time to step back I think he he should be a two on a team I think you’re ABS know I think you’re absolutely right I mean this was actually kind of a little bit of a subplot over the last two seasons more so last year than this year cuz LeBron was so good this season but like and for the record I don’t really I don’t think it’s Legacy I think it’s confidence like I think LeBron still thinks he’s the guy you know and so I think a lot of times like LeBron confronts a basketball problem like okay we’re in this slow down basketball game uh I need to get something going for my team offensively that means give me the ball and then I’m gonna you know play basketball surgeon you know bring this guy up I’m going to get a switch I’m going to attack this smaller player or oh I want to pick on joic and pick and roll so we’re going to bring Anthony Davis up to the screen but one of the things that I noticed over the course of the last couple of years is LeBron almost confronted every basketball problem with him having the ball in his hands and and and and there is something to be said about like even though LeBron on the ball is still a very effective form of offense it’s not the same as it used to be and you know specifically with Anthony Davis I actually do think that LeBron would benefit from leaning more on Anthony Davis offensively over the course of the season one to build up Anthony Davis’s confidence so that when they get into some of these situations where they need to lean on a like perfect example of this was uh was game two against Denver when they blew the 20-point lead it was LeBron and AD were picking on Nicole yic in ball screens and then Michael Malone made a very smart adjustment he moved Aaron Gordon onto Anthony Davis so that they could switch the LeBron ad uh pick and roll and then LeBron instead of going hey Aaron Gordon’s on ad let me just keep feeding ad against Aaron Gordon instead he thought I can beat joic in ball screens because I’m LeBron so now I’m going to bring ruy up to the screen because joic is guarding ruie and I’ll start to pick on joic in the Laker offense fell apart and so like I don’t I think LeBron made the bad read because he was thinking I’m LeBron James but it’s not I’m LeBron James it’s I’m 39-year-old LeBron James so maybe I should go to this other guy who made 14 straight shots earlier in the game like maybe I should go to him instead and so I think you’re right like I think in general and this is something I think that the Lakers from an organizational standpoint hiring a coach and as they approach this off season they need to actually give a clear ball handling option that’s not LeBron so that LeBron doesn’t have to feel like he needs to approach every Problem by him playing LeBron ball out above the break and the big guy that I’m looking at and I really I I want them to go after dejonte Murray I don’t know if you saw today but in the draft lottery the Hawks got the number one overall pick which which is which is super interesting because like I would imagine they’re going to look at that as let’s rebuild around Trey young and Jaylen Johnson and so I think they I think they’ll probably look to move Deonte Murray this summer and he’s one of those guys where like dejonte was really good in the playin games and really good down the stretch of the Season he can really beat people off the dribble he’s an excellent point of attack Defender that’s the kind of guy where like you can actually put yourself in a situ situation where you have a like because as good as Austin Reeves is you kind of only want to lean on him it’s better that he can go in spurts you don’t want to lean on him for big doses I saw if you look at dejonte Murray’s numbers when Trey young didn’t play like it it’s it’s a little jayen Brunson without Luca you’re like oh oh no he could be a one in a bad team or a top I mean like when Trey young didn’t play there was like 30% elevation in assists 25% like I don’t remember the exact numbers but I did a rant on this and I was like I mean you watch him he’s obviously explosive you can see that but it’s like we did this with Brunson you know you’re like well he’s he’s kind of a two to Trey and it’s like no maybe they’re two ones it it the numbers when Trey doesn’t play the Jon’s numbers move up and his efficiency gets better so that’s an interesting one yeah it to put it simply the Luca Trey like heliocentric do everything player I it is difficult to be the number two for that we can at least admit that if anything it’s like a testament to Kyrie because like Kyrie’s the kind of guy like in game three who or game two who can score eight points and still dominate the game as an excellent defensive player and passer and all that all that kind of stuff but like it is difficult to be in that role and Deonte Murray in particular like he’s a guy that like he can really dance with the ball beat people off the dribble and make stuff happen and so like if he’s and what you know what no one ever said about Deonte Murray is he’s Klay Thompson like he’s not going to stand out on the wing and just shoot step catch and shoot threes all game and so like it actually it actually makes a lot of sense I I I actually look at that as if if I was the Lakers this summer I’d look two routes through the trade I’d look for dejonte Murray through free agency because they’ll have their mid-level exception that they can use every year I would Target a a real Center like an actual big Center that can play next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis and give them a big look I think if they do that and Jared Vanderbilt gets healthy they all they they all of a sudden become a much more physically imposing team with a lot more ball handling because of Deonte Murray like I actually think that there’s a a if they nail this summer and and the head coach hire works out I think there’s a small opportunity for them to to to do some damage next year but but yeah like I uh the JJ reic piece I I really do think that there’s it’s just as good as any other option out there it’s not like there’s some slam dunk home run option and so I kind of I kind of think as long as he Nails the interviews and they put the right staff around him it could work Jason temp who tonight as always great stuff it’s good to see you man looking forward to next week [Music]