Iverson hugs Jimmy Butler after Sixers win
Today’s Panel:
First Half
“In the National Basketball Association, the people of Washington are represented by two separate yet equally important groups. The guys who are finger pointing inside the locker room and the guys who are playing for their next contract. These are their stories…”
Woj: Wizards fined Wall for telling [Scott] Brooks ‘F— you’; Wall apologized
Beal: “What happened in practice, happened in practice”
What’s next for the Wizards?
“These guys have been together too long. It’s not working out in Washington. It’s time to break it up” – Pierce
“Wizards ain’t been the same since this man (Paul Pierce) ‘Called game'” – Elhassan
“They need to take a match and burn their whole locker room. Everybody gone” – Elhassan
“The players create the culture. You have to have strong leaders in the locker room to create a certain culture. It’s just not a great culture down there” – Pierce
“I’d deal them all [Wizards players]. You need brand new faces everywhere. Top to bottom” – Elhassan
Agent: Markelle Fultz to see shoulder specialist; Will not play or practice
“We never saw any of this [in college]. He had a nice shot, he was going to the rack, he’s showing athleticism. Then he gets to the league, I’m like ‘What is happening?’ Look at what got you to be the #1 pick” – Pierce
“This ain’t a shoulder issue. It’s a mental issue” – Elhassan
“If you try to deal him now, the value is at it’s absolute lowest” – Elhassan
Did KD go too far with Mavs fan?
Said this to the fan (via carson_lanes/IG):
“Watch the f***ing game and shut the f*** up”
“If someone speaks like that to you, I give all players full go ahead and say whatever you want to say back” – Elhassan
“He’s been wearing the black hat for the last two years, whether you like it or not. He has to embrace that hate from the fans” – Pierce
November 20, 2001 – Shaq on the break and throws it down with one hand vs the Clippers!
Dimes; The Kings aren’t going away, are they?
Fundamentals; Think Embiid will get crossed up before the month ends?
Candidates; Where is Julius Randle in your 6th man of the year rankings?
Dropped a triple-double on the Spurs: 21 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists!
Decisions; Is it really the best idea to troll Giannis?
Balance; Is this really necessary?
Moving on…
How far can Kemba Walker take Hornets?
Has scored 103 points in his last 3 games
“Hornets will be a playoff team. He has established himself as a top-5 point guard” – Pierce
Pierce’s other top PGs in the league along with Walker:
-Stephen Curry
-Russell Westbrook
-Damian Lillard
-Kyrie Irving
Was going to put Wall in there, but the team is struggling
“He’s entering his prime. Look at the numbers he’s putting up” – Pierce
“They’re going to win the Southeast division. They’re going to be a 6th seed at best” – Elhassan
Time to worry about Gordon Hayward?
“Yes from a physical standpoint. He looks heavy. He looks slow. He doesn’t look explosive” – Elhassan
“Just give him time. We know he can play. But there’s a lot he’s going through mentally with the injury as well as physical. It’s going to take about 40 games” – Pierce
How Blazers bounced back after sweep by Zach Lowe
Second Half
Pierce: Lakers
“They have LeBron. You got to trust LeBron”
Elhassan: Blazers
“They already know their roles, they know what they’re doing. The Lakers have so much soul searching that they got to fo”
Elhassan: Clippers
“You’re not surprised that they lost all of their big 3 over a year and a half and they’re now the best team in the West?”
Pierce: Grizzlies
“I look at them as a rebuild right now”
Pierce: Celtics
“They should be running through the East with the depth, being healthy”
Elhassan: Jazz
“For them to be below average defensively is shocking”
November 20, 2009 – JR Smith (Nuggets) with the 360 layup vs the Clippers!
From Independence, OH at the Cavs practice facility
How did “The Triangle” form (between the three of them)?
“I’ve known Richard a long time. Richard knew Kevin before I knew Kevin and we just became good friends because we all like to do the same things” – Frye
“Frye helped change the culture which then formed into the triangle which we had in this corner of our locker room” – Love on Frye being responsible for “The Triangle”
Surprised by Cavs struggles this season?
2-13 this season (Worst record in NBA)
“Where can I have an impact? I felt at the time we were going to compete for a playoff spot. Some things have changed and we got injuries” – Frye on why he chose to return to the Cavs
“A little bit of a culture shift. Some of veterans and young guys are out. We had the coaching changing. It was tough for us to adjust to that because we had high hopes for the season” – Love
“There is an adjustment when Kyrie and LeBron left. It’s going to be a struggle. The type of character that you have in the locker room helps you get through these times” – Jefferson
JR Smith & Cavs parting ways
From Jason Lloyd of The Athletic:
“I don’t think the goal is to win. The goal isn’t to go out there and try to get as many wins as you can. I think the goal is to develop and lose to get lottery picks. I think that was always the plan” – J.R. Smith
“Our record doesn’t reflect how hard these guys work. We still have a long way to go” – Frye
“It’s tough to lose a guy like that. We know what he’s meant to this team and this city. He was one of the fan favorites” – Love
Timetable for Kevin Love’s return from injury?
“I’ll be in and out the boot for 2 more weeks. After that, I’ll get an image in 4 weeks. I expect to be back sometime after the new year” – Love
Expect Cavs fans to embrace LeBron tomorrow night?
“Amazing reception as he should. Cavs fans are going to be awesome and loud” – Frye
Back to LA…
De’Aaron Fox vs Russell Westbrook: Your favorite new rivalry?
“Nah. Come on, man!” – Elhassan
“Fox is Lonzo’s rival right now” – Pierce
Expect Westbrook to take advantage of Warriors injuries?
“This is a great time because the Warriors are vulnerable. They’re missing Draymond, they’re going through their internal issues. Got to take advantage of them now” – Pierce
“The Warriors become a very average team (without Dray & Steph)” – Elhassan
“Offensively, they turn into a very iso team when those two guys (Green and Curry) are out. That’s not Warriors basketball” – Elhassan
Clippers at Wizards
Expect Wizards downward spiral to continue?
“I expect the snowball effect to keep rolling. This is a snowball that’s just going to get bigger” – Pierce
