Harden MVP talk starting to annoy Giannis?
The Panel:
Guest:
Hall of Famer, Jason Kidd!
First Half
Monologue: Will Hornets wild weekend end up changing future of franchise?
Meanwhile, up in the stands, here’s just a little sample of an IG account of a Toronto fan who brought his mother to see her first ever Raptors game:
The variables of which way this could go are huge. And it would be pretty amazing if it all ended up having swung on two crazy days on the calendar, in March, when most people were busy doing something else
Start of Hornets run or Kemba’s last dance?
“The Kemba Walker contract situation is one of the most complexed I’ve seen in recent NBA history. It’s hard to see that because he’s not that high profiled as a player as the other free agents. Giving Kemba Walker $220M is frankly a bad contract. That is a contract that in 2 or 3 years could be a problem because of the history of players with his size when they get on the other side of 30. He has been underpaid” – Windhorst
“From the Hornets standpoint, they’re a small market. You got to do everything you can to keep him. Kemba has the Hornets in a handcuff. They have to give him a max deal or they’re going to start over. Small markets can’t start over” – Pippen
“The best situation for him is to stay with the Charlotte Hornets. He’s going to make the most money there” – Pippen
Kyrie’s critique a shot at Brad Stevens?
Celtics: 4-game losing streak
Windy’s…
“I don’t think it was a shot at Brad. It was him being honest that they should have did something better to defend him [Walker]. He’s offensively been killing them and they don’t have the right matchup for him. Probably need to put more size on him if you’re the Celtics” – Pippen
“It’s absolutely a shot at Brad Stevens. This has happened before this year and it’s probably going to happen again” – Windhorst
“If the players don’t sacrifice, then it’s all on the coach. You can’t look good as a coach where you got players complaining. It also makes things look bad for Kyrie because Kyrie’s leadership is being questioned night in and night out” – Pippen
Should Brad Stevens make changes to starting lineup?
“Are any alarm bells going off at all? Because alarm bells are going off when you’re having a post game film session to address basic issues in March. That’s concerning to me” – Windhorst
“Come postseason, this will get cleaned up” – Pippen
March 25, 1999 – Vince Carter with the 360 dunk vs the Rockets!
Baseketball; Carolina Hurricanes got game?
SLAM DUNK!! 🏀 pic.twitter.com/aMQO6Ohcy4
— Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) March 24, 2019
Entertainment; Lakers finally starting to have fun?
Reality; Think Thomas Bryant was in the drama club in high school?
Energy; Ever seen a smoother windmill from a PG?
Tanking; Will we see the Hawks in the playoffs next season?
“Trae Young has done this a couple of times this year. He wants the ball in that situation. He wants that shot. That’s the kind of makeup he’s got” – Windhorst
Moving on…
Trae Young “The Players’ Pick” for ROY?
“Trae’s been playing a lot better since the All-Star break. There’s some favortism from the players” – Pippen
“Luka is my ROY. It’s because of the year he’s having. Since February 1, he has been the best rookie. And guess what: This is going to be a decision that’s about the next 10 years not just about who gets the award in the spring” – Windhorst
ROY race heating up between Trae and Luka?
“I feel like I’m Trae Young. I came on late in my rookie year. Grant had it sold up. He had it won. Trae is playing at a very high level and Luka, for the season, has done it from start to finish” – Kidd
“It’s a great award but it’s not just about the award but the long term” – Kidd
Second Half
What’s next for coaching career?
“Cal is a great institution. Will see what happens. I would love to get back to coaching at any level. It’s nice to be wanted. The year off helps clean up some things too just to refocus and have that energy” – Kidd
“I’m going to be patient in this process. Luke Walton has done an incredible job. Hopefully there’s one that fits” – Kidd
“When you look at the Lakers as a whole, it’s a franchise that is one of the best in the world. Not just the NBA. They’re all about championships” – Kidd
“When you talk about the best player in the world, you’re always going to say yes because as a coach or a teammate, He’s always going to make you better because you are going to work. As a coach, X and Os, you got to be on point. And as a teammate, you are going to work extremely hard because you know he’s going to need you to make that shot or come up with a defensive play. That would be a great honor to coach any elite basketball player” – Kidd on whether he would like to coach LeBron James in LA
Anything you would have done differently with Bucks?
“It’s been great to see it from afar. Giannis has gotten better and has jumped to the moon. He’s just starting his journey” – Kidd
“You talk about having more fun. Not dying on each possession. Shoot a lot of threes get stops late in the game and go on to the next game” – Kidd
How difficult was it to develop jumpshot?
Kidd:
“Stick with what you do best” – Kidd on advice for Sixers PG, Ben Simmons
Pippen:
NBA Draft Stock Watch (Tourney Edition) by ESPN NBA Draft Experts, Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz (E+)
Harden’s 2nd 60-piece this season
“What James Harden has done is incredible” – Kidd
Giannis’ consistency give him MVP edge over Harden?
“When you look at what Giannis has been able to do, the leadership and what he’s with his team, he’s playing the game the right way. He’s making other people better. Giannis has my vote for MVP” – Pippen
“When you look at what Giannis and his teammates have done the whole year, you have to put some weight on winning. Giannis wins the MVP” – Kidd
Zion’s NCAA tourney takeover?
Pippen: Everything
“He’s amazing. Just great entertainment for the game”
Kidd: “If you have your own camera, that means your special. He’s just so dominant. He understands that he’s on the biggest stage. And the other thing that’s kind of exciting is that he cares about his teammates and you can see that throughtout the game”
Windhorst: “One thing that I think will happen next year is teams will set their defense to bring help defenders in, to take charges and everything. So he’s going to have to be a playmaker in the NBA, but he is a playmaker”
March 25, 2003 – Zydrunas Ilgauskas aka “Big Z” (Cavaliers) with the no-look behind the back pass to Ricky Davis vs the Warriors!
Injury bug
Pau Gasol out for a month with ankle injury, per Malika Andrews/ESPN
The L-Train
LaMarcus Aldridge drops 48 points in win over Celtics
Stat line: 48 pts, 13 rbs and 6 asts
“I’m impressed because a couple years ago, it seemed like he didn’t even want to be in a Spurs uniform. He has really asserted himself to be the man” – Pippen
Lonzo cuts ties with Big Baller Brand co-founder (Via Ramona Shelburne, Paula Lavigne and Malika Andrews)
Click here to read more about this topic
“I’m happy for this young man. I felt like when he started this Big Baller Brand, it was a bad move for him moving forward. He followed his dad’s path. I’m just glad he’s accepting that mistake and ready to move forward” – Pippen
Porzingis playing his cards right this season? (Via Tim MacMahon/ESPN)
Click here to read more about this topic
“Hopefully next season we have something big to look forward to because he really teased us a lot” – Pippen
“He has something in his back pocket. He’s knows hes getting paid this summer. That pressure is off” – Windhorst
JimmerMania in Salt Lake?
Jimmer. Swishes. pic.twitter.com/YpXSg0Pbr4
— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) March 25, 2019
I’m teammates with Jamal Crawford and Jimmer Fredette. That’s wild.
— Devin Booker (@DevinBook) March 24, 2019
“Jimmer’s game is designed for the Chinese league. But this is a great moment for BYU fans and Utah fans” – Windhorst
