Main Panel:
TMAC is BACK!!!
First Half
Rockets head coach, Mike D’Antoni joined the show!
Plan to utilize Melo?
“He, James and Chris are figuring how to play off each other. So far so good” – D’Antoni
Did you speak to Melo about his role?
“He was on board. We just got to figure it out” – D’Antoni
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we had some talks and try to get it right” – D’Antoni
How will Rockets be “Better” defensively?
“Why wouldn’t we be better?” – D’Antoni
Lessons from last year’s Western Conference Finals?
“We understand what it takes to beat Golden State” – D’Antoni
With NBA Basketball being played in Seattle for the first time since 2008 at KeyArena, let’s…
Most memorable moments from KeyArena:
1994 Playoffs: 8th-seeded Nuggets upset Sonics
1996 Playoffs: Last NBA Finals win for Sonics
1992 Playoffs: Kemp dunkface on Lister
Now onto…
Perfection; JJ Redick early candidate for 6th man of the year?
Personal Space; Think this fan will want to sit courtside again?
Twirling; Is Lance capable of dishing out a normal assist?
Rim Protection; Is this the year Myles Turner takes the next step?
Splash Father; Is Steve Kerr the best shooting head coach in league?
Moving on…
What changes for Celtics with Gordon Hayward back?
“He has to get back into great basketball shape” – TMac
“It’s just baby steps you have to take. Eventually, he’ll get there” – TMac
Buy Kyrie’s commitment to Celtics?
“He’s tired of all the rumors that are out there about him joining the Knicks” – TMac
“It makes great sense to be on a team that’s going to be good for a long time” – TMac
“I have the Celtics winning the championship in 2019” – TMac
Expect Brandon Ingram to take a leap this year?
“He’s very skilled. This is what they expected out of him” – TMac
Brian Windhorst on the future of the NBA in Seattle
Second Half
Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta and GM Daryl Morey joined the show!
“We really improved ourselves this year. We’re really good” -Fertitta
“We’re excited about where we’re at” – Morey on the Rockets current roster
Is 2018-19 roster complete yet?
Out with the old…
In with the new…
“The coaching staff and players are all in harmony to help us win games” – Morey
Melo still adjusting to Rockets style?
“Carmelo is an extremely talented player. He’s going to have his best season in a long time” – Morey
Is a championship worth the repeater tax?
“This will be our 1st year in the luxury tax in many, many years. You can’t even worry about it” – Fertitta
Other highlights:
“We have to beat them. They are the champs” – Morey on the Warriors
“I don’t want to rebuild” – Fertitta
“What would happen if he (TMac) was in Coach D’Antoni’s offense? He’d probably be coming off winning his 5th straight MVP” – Morey
Rockets forward and reigning “Sneakerhead” champion, PJ Tucker joined the show!
Expect to start on opening night?
“I’m good. It’s just more precaution. ” – Tucker on his back injury
Fair to question Rockets offseason moves?
“It’s always possible. We have a better understanding of what were doing” – Tucker on the Rockets being a better defensive team than last year despite some subtractions from the roster
Smart move for Boogie to sign with PUMA?
“That’s a great opportunity for them. They signed a lot of bigs. I like what they’re doing” – Tucker
Impact of NBA removing color restrictions on shoes?
“I love how the league is allowing everyone to show their personality” – Tucker
Other highlights:
“Favorite Mac shoe: The first one” – Tucker
“It hadn’t been a process for me at all” – Tucker on adjusting to Melo
“I’ve known Melo since we were 16, 17 [years old]” – Tucker
Rockets PG and superstar, Chris Paul joined the show!
On his shimmy towards Stephen Curry during last year’s Western Conference Finals:
“It was just in the course of the game. They have a lot of fun when you’re up there (Oracle Arena) playing there when they have leads so it was just a moment in the game” – Paul
What made free agency decision so easy?
“It was never any issues. I actually bought a house last year in the city. I had no plans on going anywhere” – Paul
Excited to play with Melo?
“With Melo, we just hoop. We talked all summer and worked out” – Paul
“I don’t think I had to lobby for him. We just talked about it” – Paul on whether he had any part in bringing Melo to Houston
How did hamstring injury make you stronger?
“Things happen. With my hamstring, it was tough. I almost got nauseous” – Paul
“Coaching probably not for me. I love to hoop more than anything. It’s my happy place” – Paul
Did you throw shade at Clippers?
“There we go with somebody trying to make a story. I loved my time there in LA” – Paul
Quick recap:
How are you working to stay healthy through playoffs?
“When you compete, there’s no on and off button. For me, we have a great training staff. You control what you can control and that’s preparing” – Paul
“When you’ve been injured and are healthy enough to play, you have to take advantage of it” – Paul
On Rockets title chances:
“If you got anybody in my locker room who say anybody other than us, then they got to go” – Paul
“Absolutely. But once again, it’s the process” – Paul
