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  • 7/26/2023
Welcome to episode 138 of the A List Podcast with A. Sherrod Blakely, Gary Washburn, and Kwani A. Lunis. In this episode, Sherrod, Gary and Kwani talk about Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics inking a five year, $304 Million dollar extension, and what this means for the Celtics moving forward.

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Transcript
00:00 The A-List Podcast is brought to you by FanDuel, the exclusive wage-earning partner of the
00:04 CLNS Media Network.
00:06 Hello, everyone, and thank you for checking in with the A-List Podcast.
00:10 I'm Kwanye Lunas, joined by A'Sharrod Blakely and Gary Washburn.
00:16 It's a good day because we decided to record on the day that Jalen Brown and the Celtics
00:22 finally came to an agreement.
00:24 Five years, $304 million contract, that's the richest NBA contract so far.
00:31 The first question we have to ask, because that's what a lot of fans were wondering,
00:35 why did it take so long?
00:36 What do you two think?
00:37 Listen here, all right.
00:38 Jalen, I'm going to just ... How can I put this?
00:45 Jalen is a grown-ass man, and Jalen knows what that brick was going to look like.
00:52 If you know what the brick's going to look like, and you know that it's going to get
00:55 worked out, why would you rush?
00:57 Especially if you had things that you already were planning to do.
01:00 It's not like Jalen had this deadline that was coming up real close, and he got to figure
01:04 out how to get it done.
01:07 Even when it's done now, he still had several weeks in which he could have worked something
01:12 out if he didn't get it done now.
01:14 I think Jalen just realized that, "Look, I got this to do.
01:17 I'm going to be in Spain.
01:18 I'm going to be doing some other things.
01:20 When I'm done, I'll get it done."
01:22 He did.
01:23 I think the biggest thing that they needed to work through, I think, was a lot of minor
01:27 details as far as the length.
01:29 What the trade kicker looked like?
01:31 Is there a new trade clause?
01:32 Those are the things that I think they had to work through and work out.
01:36 I don't think there was this long laundry list of things that Jalen absolutely had to
01:41 have, which is why I think that once they sat down and started just looking at how to
01:45 structure the deal, they knew that it was going to get done pretty quick.
01:49 Again, it's not as fast as folks would have liked, but what happens in the NBA or any
01:56 other profession, it is as fast as people would like it to be.
02:01 It got done in, I think, a pretty reasonable amount of time, considering Jalen had a lot
02:06 of other stuff going on in the offseason that had nothing to do with basketball.
02:11 I think that some of the details, like Charron said, the negotiated trade kicker, no player
02:17 option, what the money was going to be like.
02:20 I also think they just need to sit down in Boston, maybe not in Vegas, when everything
02:26 is happening, and just hammer it out without some of the other stuff.
02:31 Obviously, in Vegas, the South are still trying to handle.
02:35 Marcus had just gotten traded, and Grant Williams' situation was trying to clear up and all that.
02:41 They got all that cleared up.
02:43 Jalen went to Spain for four or five days, came back, obviously made an appearance Friday
02:48 at a fundraiser, a community event with the mayor.
02:53 You just knew then, "Okay, he's back.
02:56 He's here to hammer this out."
02:58 It took a day.
02:59 I think they started talking on Monday, what I was told, so it took a day plus to hammer
03:04 it out.
03:05 He got his bag.
03:06 Now, there's no more.
03:08 Because Jalen liked Boston, he hates it here, he wants out, all the rhetoric that's been
03:13 going on about his feelings.
03:15 I'm sure he's comfortable here.
03:18 His family is here.
03:20 I'm sure he's ready to make this a long-term home.
03:23 Now, we'll see.
03:24 I'm hearing, "Oh, well, he'll never play out the length of the contract."
03:30 Who knows if that's going to happen?
03:31 He's under control of the franchise for another six seasons.
03:37 In the final year of that contract, he makes $69 million.
03:43 Even in six years from now, that's going to be difficult to move that contract.
03:49 Now, nothing's impossible.
03:52 Damian Lillard's going to be making $60 million in the final year, and he might get traded.
03:56 Nothing's impossible, but this was a serious commitment from the Celtics.
04:01 It's a serious commitment from Jalen to say, "Hey, I want to be here.
04:04 I want to be in green and white.
04:06 I want to see my number seven eventually retired along with Jason, because Jason's back's coming
04:13 next year, and everybody knows that it won't be as suspenseful as this one.
04:17 We all know that's going to happen pretty fast."
04:21 That one will be wisdom 10.
04:22 Yeah, yeah.
04:23 That's going to happen pretty fast.
04:24 When he opts out, he opts out in the final year, and then signs a new five-year deal
04:29 for $320-plus million.
04:33 I think it's all settled now.
04:35 The Al Celtic fans can kind of relax now.
04:38 Do you want some more additions to the roster?
04:40 Of course.
04:41 Do you want to figure out who's going to play point guard?
04:43 Of course.
04:44 There's still some things to take care of, but the biggest kind of thing hanging over
04:49 this franchise over the last month is now over.
04:54 I said they can move on.
04:55 Now you've got your big three.
04:57 Now you can make some plans.
05:00 You can sell your season tickets.
05:02 You can put Jalen and Jason together on the season ticket packages and on the promotions.
05:08 You know Jalen's going to be here long-term.
05:11 I think it's a good day.
05:12 As we said last week, you did not want this to bleed into August.
05:16 You did not want people to think they've knocked it out.
05:20 Good job by the Celtics.
05:21 Good job by Jalen's folks.
05:23 Now you can move forward.
05:26 Another part of that commitment you mentioned, you talk about the way he's been involved
05:29 in the community, The Globe reported that he requested instead of a formal press conference
05:35 to announce that his extension would be legitimized, essentially, he wanted it to be announced
05:41 that his Juice Bridge program, which is the program that he's created at MIT to help students
05:47 within the city of Boston.
05:48 That just goes further to highlight the fact that he's not only committed to this team,
05:52 he's still committed to the community and the work that he's already done here so far.
05:56 But overall, when you look at this deal, who do you think gets the biggest winning pie,
06:01 so to speak, when it comes to who benefits the most?
06:04 Is it Jalen, is it the Celtics, or is it just fans overall?
06:07 What you got, Gary?
06:11 Jalen got $304 million.
06:12 Fair, very fair.
06:13 I think Jalen won this one.
06:14 And I'm not saying there's a winner and a loser.
06:15 Don't think it's something that's lost.
06:16 I think Jalen's the highest paid player in the NBA.
06:17 I mean, we all would love to be the highest paid player in our profession, a person in
06:31 our profession, right?
06:32 Jalen's, and it might last like two weeks.
06:35 But it still counts.
06:37 You can always say, "I'm the highest paid player."
06:40 He can always, with anybody in the league, he can go down and play big bank, take a little
06:44 bank.
06:45 He can, that's a source of pride.
06:49 Now I know, knowing Jalen, that's not as important as being a better player, a better man, a
06:56 contributor to the community, and all of the above.
06:59 But this is what happens.
07:04 People are complaining about it when I understand.
07:06 But remember, in a smaller scale, seven years ago, remember free agency in 2016?
07:12 Edwin Turner got $75 million.
07:15 Lew Aldeen got $75 million.
07:17 Timothy Mosgov got $64 million.
07:20 Aging Yo Kim Noah got $72 million from the Knicks.
07:24 Sometimes it just happens to be your time, right?
07:28 And this is the time for Jalen.
07:30 Jalen just benefited.
07:31 He was born in the right year.
07:33 He needs to thank his parents.
07:34 He needs to thank his decision to leave school after one year.
07:39 And also thank himself for going to Cal.
07:42 Leave it for one year, though.
07:45 That's the most important.
07:46 He realized that there's no community day at his school, so let's be out.
07:49 Let's Cal folks thank him for going to Cal.
07:51 But thank him, it's just his time.
07:54 And some guys, folks, benefit from just the happenstance of being born at the right time,
08:03 coming to the league at the right time.
08:04 Look at those free agents.
08:05 If you were a free agent in 2015, you didn't get no pay like that.
08:10 Free agent in 2016, when the cap money needed to be spent, you got Evan Turner, who was
08:17 never the same player.
08:18 Nothing against Evan, but Evan Turner retired off that contract.
08:22 So did Luau Ding, and so did all them dudes.
08:25 Did you see any productive basketball from Evan Turner, Luau Ding, Timmy Musgoff, or
08:31 Yo Kim Noah after they signed those deals?
08:33 They were like deuces.
08:34 I got mine well.
08:37 So I'm not saying Jalen's going to be the same way.
08:39 Jalen's going to play hard.
08:40 But sometimes you just end up running into a good luck situation where it's your time.
08:46 It's your turn.
08:47 Okay?
08:48 Look, people want to talk about Lamella Ball got $250 million.
08:53 Lamella Ball on a level of a big-time all-star player, he could be, but he just got $250.
08:58 Tyrese Halliburton just got $260.
09:01 So it's just their year.
09:04 And next year will be better.
09:06 The TV deal kicks in.
09:07 So get used to these guys getting paid.
09:11 Just wait.
09:12 I'm telling y'all, Wim Benyama is going to be the first half-million dollar player.
09:16 Half-billion, sorry, not half-million.
09:18 Shoot.
09:19 That ain't nothing.
09:20 Half-billion dollar player.
09:22 Wait till Wim Benyama works out the way he's supposed to in three years, and he signs that
09:27 rookie.
09:28 He signs that, and then he gets another one like where Jason is going to be next year.
09:33 Wait till Wim Benyama comes up on that extension.
09:36 See how much he gets.
09:38 So this is the way, this is the new NBA.
09:42 Everyone's winning.
09:43 I was having a discussion with someone from the Player Association, a current player,
09:48 and we were talking about 10 years ago how David Stern and Billy Hunter, who was the
09:54 president of the Player Association and then Commissioner Stern, were going at each other's
09:56 throats.
09:57 It was ugly.
09:58 Teams were claiming poverty.
10:01 Everything was terrible.
10:02 Shoot.
10:03 12 years later, it is the roaring 20s.
10:07 You know, this is the, I mean, it's happy days are here again.
10:11 So this is the way it is.
10:14 Jalen just happened to benefit from being at the right place at the right time.
10:17 Yeah.
10:18 Me and, I was on the Cedric Maxwell podcast, and actually we were talking about that, about
10:23 how Cedric, and you know Ced.
10:25 He's thinking, you know what, my mom, I was born in the wrong era.
10:29 Be my parent.
10:30 Exactly.
10:31 I want my reparations.
10:33 They want reparations.
10:34 They want reparations.
10:35 I mean, Cedric, I mean, if we're keeping it 100, I mean, in this day and age of NBA,
10:41 Cedric is like a 20, $25 million a year player.
10:44 Easy.
10:45 Easy.
10:46 And he knows this.
10:47 He knows this.
10:48 I know he meant.
10:49 But the thing about Jalen, as far as like who wins, who can claim victory, there are
10:59 no losers.
11:00 I mean, the Celtics win because they have a young core that's going to be around for
11:05 a while that they have a significant amount of control over keeping them together.
11:08 You've got a fan base who knows right now who your core group is and knows damn well
11:14 that core group is going to be competing for a championship for years to come.
11:18 And last but damn sure not least, you got to talk about Jalen.
11:22 I mean, there's like generational wealth.
11:25 Then there's like his brick.
11:28 His kids, kids, kids, kids are good.
11:32 Are good.
11:33 And the thing that I love about Jalen, and you guys kind of touched on it a little bit,
11:37 is that although he's got this significant amount of just multi-generational wealth at
11:43 his disposal, he's not going to be one of those cats who just hoards that money.
11:49 He's figuring out ways to make an impact in areas that will benefit society on a much
11:54 more global scale than just fat in his pockets.
11:57 Now, he's smart enough to make some investments and make sure his money make a little more
12:00 money for him.
12:01 That's just being intelligent.
12:03 But understanding the need to invest in not only businesses, but in intellectual capital.
12:10 He's one of the few players that is very intentional about that.
12:14 When you talked about the press conference that he's going to have, there was thought
12:19 put into how am I going to roll out to the public this deal.
12:24 And his thought took him to making sure that it had a certain intellectual investment component
12:30 to it.
12:31 And I respect the hell out of Jalen for that.
12:33 Because to me, that's one of my biggest pet peeves with a lot of these athletes, that
12:37 they don't recognize the need and understand that you need to be more than just a basketball
12:41 player who makes money.
12:43 You need to figure out a way to make an impact in other ways that benefit society and don't
12:48 necessarily benefit your pockets in the process.
12:51 And Jalen is really good about thinking of different ways to do that.
12:54 So he's one of those guys that you look at that $304 million bag and you think like,
12:58 damn, that's a lot of money.
13:00 But he's the kind of guy that you feel comfortable having that type of financial freedom.
13:05 Whereas there's some other players who you look at them and like, damn, oh man, I don't
13:12 know about this dude.
13:16 This might get ugly.
13:17 They might regret giving that guy that money.
13:21 Jalen's not one of those guys, obviously.
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14:09 Gary, you kind of started talking about this, but how would you two say that this deal affects
14:18 the Jalen and Jason pairing?
14:20 Like you mentioned, they won't waste any time when it comes to Jason Tatum's deal, but what
14:25 do you think this just says about the future of the franchise?
14:27 Well, I mean, they've put their stake in Jason and Jalen, and now you've got to get a championship
14:34 out of it.
14:35 The next step, they should be motivated.
14:37 And I think Jason and Jalen can play together.
14:41 I think we've seen that.
14:43 Okay, now they've got to be both at a better level, a higher level next year.
14:50 I saw the odds come out in Jason's like fifth overall, plus 900 for you FanDuel folks, to
14:57 win the MVP next year.
14:59 Well, Jason, as I've said before, has got to take next year as a personal campaign to
15:04 not only win the MVP, but lead his team to the finals.
15:08 And Jalen has got to make up for that game seven against Miami and be in the lab.
15:13 Time to go to the lab, Jason and Jalen.
15:15 Work with the kids, hey, work with the kids half the day, the next half, whether it's
15:21 whatever, a dark gym at midnight, work on your game, get it back in the lab, get to
15:28 where you are at a higher level.
15:30 The same with Jason.
15:31 Get to, you know, have your fun, hang out with Deuce, go to your events, be seen.
15:37 Jason's living the life of 25, but get in the lab and both come back for training camp
15:43 with a full season now of Joe Mazzola with poor Zingas and got to figure out what the
15:48 guard situation, but come back like, okay, this is us.
15:51 This is our year.
15:53 Bleep everybody else.
15:54 I don't want to hear about no Denver, I don't want to hear about no Milwaukee, I don't want
15:58 to hear about no Miami, no Philly, no Lakers.
16:01 Like this is our year.
16:02 Y'all got to be on a campaign.
16:04 That's how I look at it.
16:06 So their relationship should be closer than ever.
16:10 Jason got the bag, Jason know he getting the bag.
16:13 Jason ain't losing no sleep over his contract issue next year.
16:17 So both of them are going to be highly paid, highly rewarded.
16:20 And now the next step, if you're Jason and Jalen is getting your number lifted in the
16:25 Raptors.
16:26 Now y'all got to make some history.
16:27 It's been 15 years since they won a championship.
16:30 You want to be Garnett?
16:31 You want to be Pierce?
16:32 You want to be Ray Allen?
16:33 You want to be these guys?
16:34 You want to be, you know, Max?
16:36 Max's number is up there.
16:38 Yeah, you make more money than Max, but all Max got to do is point to the Raptors of the
16:41 garden and go, where are you at?
16:44 Where your jersey at?
16:47 It could be coming, but win a championship and it will be guaranteed.
16:51 So now you're working on your personal legacy, your team legacy.
16:55 Now you got paid.
16:57 Jason's like the money's set.
16:59 Like no more, I'm working hard for the foot to get paid.
17:03 I'm trying to get my lap.
17:05 This is your best contract you'll get for Jalen and maybe, maybe the next one, who knows
17:10 Jason?
17:11 We don't know.
17:12 He could play another year, a few years, many years after this next contract and maybe he
17:17 gets rewarded too, but this is it.
17:19 Y'all bought, y'all got paid.
17:21 You got your bag.
17:22 Now it's time to lock in and be all time.
17:25 Great Celtics, biggest team in the championship.
17:28 Payton was at an event where they asked him, which would you prefer a max contract or a
17:36 championship?
17:37 And the interviewer obviously didn't know much about Jason.
17:39 And so Jason kind of gritted and said, I already got a max contract.
17:41 So there has to be a championship.
17:43 Yeah.
17:44 And the, the, the, here's the, I point that out because players that young aren't really
17:50 geared to coming up the way Jason had.
17:55 Jason is already established as one of the best in the game.
17:58 You look at all the different mile markers in his career.
18:02 He's the first to do this as a Celtic, the first to do that as a Celtic.
18:05 He is clearly on a path to be one of, if not the greatest Celtic to ever play the game.
18:12 That's not a hype.
18:13 That's not a probably that's the trajectory that he has been on since he has been in the
18:18 NBA.
18:19 Never that void, no championships.
18:24 You got, you have to fill that void in order to enter that room.
18:28 Larry Bird, Cedric Maxwell, Bill Russell, you can talk about having numbers with them,
18:34 but you're not going to enter the conversation to be with them until you get a chip.
18:38 And he knows that.
18:40 So it's not about the bag.
18:41 It's not about your boy getting his bag.
18:43 Cause he got that.
18:44 Now it's about you handling your business as the best player on one of the best teams
18:48 and put another banner up there.
18:50 That's a different kind of pressure that only you as a player would understand that only
18:55 you would know what it feels like that, that literally it's a failure on your part and
19:01 your team's part.
19:02 If you don't be the last team standing, they're one of the few teams that has that type of
19:07 pressure.
19:08 He's one of the few players who has lived that pressure the last couple of years, but
19:11 it's even more pronounced now because you there's, there's no excuses for you not getting
19:16 it done.
19:17 You have to be that great.
19:19 And again, we, we can go on and on about just how the economics of the NBA have changed
19:23 where there really isn't a middle class anymore.
19:26 That class is true.
19:28 It's kind of like society.
19:29 It's kind of like our own country's economy where you've got the upper class, you've got
19:33 the lower class and that middle class is shrinking by the day.
19:37 It's the same thing in NBA.
19:39 So if you're Jason, who is part of the upper echelon, upper class, you got to carry your
19:45 franchise.
19:46 You got to embrace that.
19:48 And I don't want to hear about a sore wrist.
19:51 I don't want to hear about an achy ankle.
19:55 Excuses while they may be valid, doesn't change the fact that your season is based on winning
20:01 a championship and anything other than that is a failure.
20:04 I don't care how you want to slice it.
20:05 I don't care how you want to put lipstick on that pig.
20:08 It's still going to be a pig if you don't win a championship.
20:11 So I'm really curious to see if he's going to step up his mental game because physically
20:17 in terms of talent, he's there.
20:18 But is he going to be more of a outward leader?
20:22 Is he going to get on guys when they're not getting it done?
20:25 Is he going to put the team on the back more nights than not when Jalen may not have it
20:30 going on and Malcolm's not giving him much and Prazingis is having trouble getting shots
20:34 up?
20:35 Is he going to just say, ride my back, fellas.
20:37 I got y'all tonight?
20:38 Is he going to get to that point because he has the talent to do that?
20:42 There is absolutely no doubt in my mind and the minds of most that he can do that.
20:46 But is, has he matured to the level of doing that?
20:51 And I don't know.
20:52 I don't know.
20:53 I don't have an answer to that question.
20:54 And I think that's the concern that many have going forward with this team.
20:59 It's not about talent.
21:00 It's about mental toughness.
21:01 Do you have the mental fortitude to push yourself, push your body above and beyond when you may
21:10 not be at the top of your game?
21:12 Because we've seen many games where Jason doesn't really play well.
21:16 And then you look at the final stats, he's got 27 points, eight, nine rebounds, two,
21:20 three assists.
21:21 I mean, granted, he went nine for 29 shooting, but he still found ways to get buckets and
21:25 make an impact.
21:26 He has to be able to do that and win when it matters.
21:30 So I'm, like I said, I'm eager as hell to see how this thing plays out because there
21:34 is no, there is nothing that he can do other than win a championship to satisfy his fan
21:40 base.
21:41 Nothing.
21:42 So to further add to the original question, do you think the contract itself will finally
21:48 kill the noise when it comes to the breakup, the Jays conversation that we've heard all
21:53 year round?
21:54 Hell no.
21:55 Hell no.
21:56 People still going to say, it won't make any, it make even less sense though.
22:00 When you look at the deal that Jalen has and you know the deal that Tatum's going to get,
22:05 I mean, those two guys are going to be caring about more than half a billion dollars in
22:09 combined salary and not to, I think that they're now with what's happening.
22:16 So the idea that they can't work together, you're basically saying Celtics, y'all really
22:23 don't know what y'all doing.
22:25 Because y'all paying half a billion dollars for these two players and the Celtics are
22:28 like, but wait a minute.
22:29 We're a title contender now and for the foreseeable future, we've got, yeah, we're spending a
22:34 lot of money, but we've got some pretty damn good players and they're not old.
22:37 They're in their mid twenties and typically guys and Gary, you've been around the game
22:41 long enough, along to me and Quanie.
22:44 Yeah, a little ageism joke.
22:49 But players typically peak when they're in their late twenties, like 28, 29.
22:55 That's when they're like at the top of the game.
22:57 And so based upon that, these guys probably have another two or three years to keep getting
23:02 better.
23:03 And that if you're a Celtics fan is incredibly encouraging because you're already, you've
23:07 been a title contender for the last two, three years and you got theoretically a window where
23:11 you're going to be in the mix for at least another two or three years.
23:15 So, and again, once they reach that peak, then players tend to level out.
23:20 So you're probably going to be getting great Jalen and JB play for the next five, six years
23:24 before this, any signs of, I think a noticeable dipping and even that's questionable.
23:29 So bottom line is this, you've got a situation in Boston where you have, you're going, your
23:35 window is going to be open for a while.
23:38 It's going to be the trick and challenge is for management to figure out the right side
23:43 dishes to put around your main course.
23:45 And you're going to have to do that through drafting.
23:47 You're going to have to do that through trades.
23:49 You're going to have to do it through cheap labor.
23:50 I mean, if we're being honest and keep it in 100, you're going to have to get some
23:53 free agent on a minimum deal who plays like a borderline all-star at some point or a starter.
24:01 That's how you're going to be able to win at the highest level because your main two
24:04 guys make too much damn money and they ain't taking no pay cuts no time soon as they shouldn't.
24:10 So I'm really looking forward to how to see the Celtics franchise evolve with these two
24:15 guys as their core, get it done type guys.
24:20 Yeah, I think the Celtics, it's something, this is something that people are saying they
24:27 had to do it, but I definitely think it was in their best interest.
24:32 And remember with the new CBA, you have to spend 90% of the cap before the season starts.
24:37 That means you can't be like Oklahoma City and spend 60% and then take on a really bad,
24:44 somebody's $35 million contract during the season to get to that 90% and you're good.
24:48 Like you've got to spend money.
24:50 Like the way the players worked out the CBA is y'all going to pay us.
24:57 And as Sherrod said, the middle class is shrinking.
25:00 Like you've got guys, like Malcolm Brogdon makes $21 million a year.
25:06 That's kind of middle class, but now that's not all that much money in terms of the NBA,
25:12 the grand scheme of the NBA.
25:14 $20 million per season is a quality NBA player, but not a great NBA player.
25:21 We just saw Fred Van Viet get $40 million a year from the Houston Rockets.
25:27 We just saw Dylan Brooks, who was told by Memphis, COS, we don't want COS in the vicinity.
25:40 Get out of here, boy.
25:43 Crazy circumstances.
25:44 Like Marty Maher, get to stepping.
25:47 We saw him get $22 million from the Houston Rockets.
25:53 He got a raise and he got fired on his day off from the Grizzlies.
25:58 He's cray.
25:59 He was stealing boxes.
26:02 And so to me, you look at it, this is the way the NBA is going to be.
26:08 Teams are going to have to spend money.
26:10 Even the bad teams, even the Charlottes.
26:11 That's why Charlotte gave Lamello $250.
26:15 That's why Indiana, because you're going to have to spend your high money on your best
26:19 players.
26:20 That's what it's going to be.
26:21 And it's going to squeeze out the middle class.
26:23 Unfortunately, the middle man's going to take it.
26:26 They're going to get it in this situation, because that's what the Celtics did.
26:29 We have two premium players.
26:32 We got to spend most of our money on it.
26:33 And we got to figure out what to do with the rest of the roster.
26:38 So now you got one dude making, next year it'll be a little bit easier.
26:43 Jaylon's still making 30.
26:44 Jason's making 33, 34.
26:47 Porzingis is making 36.
26:49 And Malcolm making 21.
26:52 That's why they had to get rid of Grant, unfortunately.
26:55 Because you just didn't want to have it.
26:58 Those penalties for that second apron, if you're there three out every four years, you
27:03 lose.
27:04 Your draft pick, regardless of what it is, goes to the bottom of the first round.
27:08 You start really feeling the heat when you get to that second apron in consecutive years.
27:16 I think it's three out every four year period.
27:18 So the Celtics got to be careful.
27:20 Financially, that's why they signed Al Horford.
27:23 They're a nice $10 million deal.
27:25 They still had Robert Williams making about 12.
27:29 That's easy money at this point.
27:31 Now 12 million 15 years ago was a grip.
27:34 Now that's a nice little sound.
27:37 That's OK.
27:38 We got you.
27:39 That's lunch money.
27:40 That's lunch money.
27:41 You can't-- that's enough money for teams that aren't going to be tripping off of.
27:47 But for Grant, unfortunately, he just got squeezed out of the salary thing, the new
27:52 CBA.
27:53 He wasn't able to-- because the Celtics didn't get long term with him.
27:57 And Dallas had that money for him.
27:58 So good for Grant.
27:59 But this is what's going to happen.
28:01 It's going to be the new NBA.
28:03 So get used to it.
28:05 And I think the Celtics financially are going to be OK.
28:10 I think there's a lot of things that are going to-- this puts a lot of emphasis that we talked
28:14 about in the next couple of years.
28:17 This team coming up, because salaries are going to raise.
28:20 You're going to make some more tough decisions.
28:21 You're going to have to bank more on younger players who-- that's why they didn't get rid
28:25 of Peyton Pritchard.
28:26 Peyton don't make no money yet.
28:30 That's why you're going to have to rely on Hoshe Brissett and all these-- Sherrod's guy.
28:38 Delano Banton.
28:42 You're looking at guys-- you have to-- yeah, Syracuse, we get it.
28:50 We get it, Sherrod.
28:52 You're looking at players that are going to have to outperform their deals.
28:57 They're going to be paid below market value.
29:00 They're going to rely a lot on Hoshe Brissett this year.
29:03 And he ain't making much money.
29:04 The same with Banton.
29:06 You have to get those type of guys.
29:08 You're going to have to get young guys-- and it was Brad Dunn, very intelligent-- young
29:12 guys, you pluck them off other teams that are looking for a chance.
29:16 Because someone would have done that probably with Peyton Pritchard if they didn't have--
29:22 if Peyton was a free agent.
29:23 You take young guys off other teams that you've seen and go, OK, he ain't making no money,
29:29 and he's ready to break out.
29:31 So you roll the dice that these players are ready to have breakout seasons, that Hoshe
29:36 can fill that role of Grant, because he's more athletic than Grant now.
29:39 Can he rebound, defend, all that like Grant?
29:42 Not sure.
29:43 We'll have to see.
29:45 But those are the players they're going to put faith in.
29:49 So this is the new NBA, folks.
29:51 So I mean, if you're looking for guys that make $20, $25 million, the Celtics are going
29:56 to be like, no, we got about $10 for you.
29:59 They're going to make sure that they've taken care of their two guys, and they just extended
30:05 Porzingis $30 million a year after this coming year.
30:08 So now their big three is set, like Sherrod said, for the next three years.
30:11 And we'll see what happens.
30:12 You all are an omen.
30:15 All right.
30:16 Well, we talked about-- you mentioned the NBA's middle class is slowly shrinking.
30:22 So what impact would you say that Jalen Sinek will have on the rest of the roster overall?
30:27 You're going to have a lot of, at best, average players on your squad, because you can't afford
30:35 anything more than that.
30:37 Listen, they are going to have to hit a home run eyes closed, where they just take a swing
30:44 at a guy, and they hope to make contact, and they just knock it out the park.
30:49 That's to me, they're going to have to get that-- have that kind of fortune.
30:53 I don't know if they've got anybody on the roster that kind of falls to that category
30:57 right now.
30:58 But again, once we get into training camp and get into the season, guys may emerge.
31:02 You think back to when they made the trade for Isaiah Thomas at the 11th hour at the
31:06 trade deadline.
31:07 They were just hoping he'd come in, give him some points off the bench, spell Marcus smart,
31:12 and keep the trade moving.
31:13 And then Marcus gets hurt.
31:15 Isaiah becomes a starter.
31:17 Marcus is healthy.
31:18 Marcus ain't starting no more, because Isaiah becomes a two-time All-Star.
31:23 And so they're going to need that kind of fortune in order for this to really work out.
31:27 Because again, Jayla's contract makes it difficult for them to add players of significance, only
31:34 because of the size of the contract and the lack of flexibility it gives them beyond him
31:39 and Jason.
31:40 But to me, it puts a greater onus on him to be more impactful.
31:46 We're not breaking any news or having any headline out there when we say Jayla's got
31:51 to handle the ball better.
31:52 He has to become better with his handle.
31:54 That has the ability to nullify some of those gaps that they have in that bench.
32:00 And that's what I think Jayla and Jason have to become better at, is figuring out ways
32:03 to impact the game to take some of the pressure off that second unit.
32:07 Because that second unit can't be as good as the Southerners would ideally want it to
32:10 be, because the talent isn't there that they can afford to make it significantly better.
32:15 Again, they're going to have to hit some home runs, eyes closed with some guys, which again,
32:21 is always possible.
32:22 But highly unlikely to happen.
32:25 And when that's the case, you fall back on your two core or three pillars, really, if
32:31 you throw in Porzemis.
32:33 And again, it's a good situation to have, because if those are your big three, you look
32:39 at them compared to the top three at most teams, they're as good or better than most
32:43 of them.
32:44 But at the same time, you still have a whole lot behind them if one of those guys is out
32:49 for whatever reason.
32:50 So I'm curious to see how the Celtics are going to replenish that back end of the lineup,
32:57 because that's one of those keys to finding success, particularly in the playoffs.
33:03 Yeah, I think the rest of the roster is going to be faith.
33:09 You look at the Denver Nuggets, they lost Bruce Brown, who got pizzayed, paid $45 million
33:17 over two years, Boston's own Bruce Brown.
33:21 And then they lost Bruce Brown and Jeff Green.
33:24 They didn't replace either.
33:26 They're depending on rookie Christian Braun, who just come off his good rookie year, and
33:30 then a guy named, a kid named Peyton Watson, who kind of spend a lot of time in G League.
33:36 They're depending on those two guys to step up and fill those roles.
33:43 You're going to have to rely a lot on younger players during this new era.
33:48 So Jordan Walsh becomes a factor.
33:51 His development becomes important, maybe even this year for this team.
33:56 You know, now you can put JD Davidson and J Scrub, our guy from the junior college ranks
34:04 who's now on a two-way contract, put them in Maine, but you got to develop Jordan.
34:09 You're going to need more out of Sam Houser, right?
34:15 You're going to need Peyton to step up.
34:17 And then we'll see what happens if they decide they want to bring Blake Griffin back.
34:23 I know Shempagne and what's the big man from Vanderbilt?
34:31 Oh boy.
34:32 The center, the center, number 40.
34:37 The fact that you're, I'm not going to help you because he's not going to be relevant.
34:43 So keep moving.
34:44 That's what I'm like, summer league roster.
34:46 No, no, I'm talking about, keep moving, Gary.
34:49 You don't need him.
34:52 They're a non-guaranteed contract.
34:53 Oh, you mean Cornette.
34:54 Cornette, yeah, Luke Cornette.
34:55 Oh boy, boy.
34:56 Thank you, Corney.
34:57 I could have said that.
34:58 I literally forgot who he was.
34:59 Me too.
35:00 Let's move forward.
35:01 Let's move forward.
35:02 I'm sorry.
35:03 Luke Cornette.
35:04 Luke Cornette.
35:05 Luke Cornette.
35:06 Luke Cornette.
35:07 Luke Cornette.
35:08 Luke Cornette on Shempagne are both on non-guaranteed deals.
35:12 So they got to figure out whether they want to bring some guys on some minimums.
35:15 And there's guys out there.
35:16 There's going to be plenty of guys.
35:18 There's Kelly Oubre.
35:20 There's Christian Wood.
35:21 I mean, everybody got flaws now.
35:24 This is not the prom.
35:25 This ain't a beauty pageant.
35:27 Not everybody's looking good.
35:29 I can't.
35:30 Austin Rivers.
35:31 There's guys out there with some, everybody out there got some issues, but the question
35:35 is can they work out for you on a minimum deal?
35:38 Or the Celtics are going to have to figure out whether one of those guys, let's say,
35:44 can help them.
35:45 Another big replacement, big.
35:48 Wancho, sorry.
35:49 Hernan Gomez from New Orleans.
35:54 There's guys out there that are looking for contracts that are going to have to accept
35:57 league minimums, which the Celtics have plenty of those.
36:00 And they're going to have to fill their roster with those guys.
36:02 Now, I don't know what they're going to do with Cornette.
36:04 Well, they're going to invite him to camp and see if he can make the team, or Champagne,
36:09 but to me, it all depends on the younger guys.
36:15 This is what happens, unfortunately, when some of your first round picks don't work
36:19 out or you don't take a lot of first round picks.
36:22 You're going to have to rely on guys, pluck them from other organizations.
36:26 The Banton move was interesting to me, just in terms of like they've seen him for years
36:32 playing at the end of the bench in Toronto, coming in at the end of games, and they like
36:36 something about him, right?
36:37 They kind of plucked him from the Raptors.
36:39 I saw Raptors writers saying, "Damn, the Raptors sat there and developed him for two
36:44 years and then just lose him to a rival in their division."
36:48 And then, you know, the same with Brissette.
36:52 Like, you know, did anybody even know O'Shea was a free agent?
36:56 Not really.
36:57 It wasn't people.
36:58 Well, Serrano, of course.
36:59 My fault.
37:00 He's got the-
37:01 He's got the-
37:02 He's got the anybody though.
37:03 The Syracuse free agent notifications on his phone.
37:09 Orange alert, orange alert.
37:10 Yeah, we get them alerts.
37:11 We get them alerts like July 1st.
37:12 Yeah, that's right.
37:13 That's right.
37:14 All right.
37:15 These lowbrow Syracuse players are all free agents.
37:20 So anyway, the Celtics have to be intelligent in that sense.
37:25 And I think that they picked two good guys that can help them.
37:29 And Jordan Walsh looks like he's going to be someone that's going to make the big team.
37:33 And they might sit in the main and get some seasoning if he's not playing.
37:37 But they got to figure it out.
37:38 And some of these guys, Peyton, Hauser, they got to step up.
37:42 You know, guys have to step up.
37:45 And if you need to get a, you know, like, I thought they should have signed, tried to
37:49 go- they tried to go up to Pat Bev.
37:51 They tried to go up to- they didn't go up to Montrezl Harrell, our friend Montrezl.
37:55 He signed him, re-signed him with Philadelphia.
37:58 But there's a bunch of guys out there still, as we approach August, who are going to be
38:03 looking for a guaranteed deal, one-year minimum, and they'll take it.
38:07 The Celtics are very intelligent to wait.
38:10 And we'll see what happens in August and, you know, and who they bring in for- in the
38:14 camp.
38:15 But I think that they have 17 on their roster now, if you include the two-way guys.
38:18 So they have three spots to fill for training camp.
38:22 So I think, Quanie, the salaries just put more emphasis on the franchise.
38:28 But all franchises, too.
38:29 Like, you know, I said, look, I just pointed out the Nuggets.
38:33 Nuggets lost two key contributors and did not replace- they're going to replace them
38:38 with guys that were in their system that they hope step up.
38:42 And that's going to have to be the answer for the Celtics when you- Nuggets are paying
38:48 Jokic and Murray, Michael Porter Jr., you know, and Aaron Gordon.
38:53 So they're paying four guys.
38:54 So they're like, hey, we can't afford to bring in no $10 million free agent.
38:58 We got to hope that the dudes that we've worked with and tutored and all that, you know, and
39:04 brought up and cultivated are ready to step up.
39:06 So the Celtics, the same position.
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40:51 One of the young people that you mentioned is Peyton Pritchard.
40:54 He was actually selected to the USA Select team.
40:58 As a result, he is actually eligible to serve as a replacement on the FIBA World Cup team.
41:03 They're going to start meeting on August 3rd in Las Vegas.
41:06 What do you two think?
41:08 What is the benefit of him not only participating, but how can it benefit the Celtics in the
41:12 long run if so?
41:13 I think Peyton would benefit from just getting a little confidence boost if he plays well
41:18 with that group.
41:19 I mean, you've got guys like Cade Cunningham and some of the young on the rise stars that
41:24 are on that team.
41:25 If he can hold his own with those guys, I think that's a huge confidence boost for him.
41:29 I thought Peyton, he didn't get as many opportunities as I certainly think he would have liked last
41:34 season.
41:36 I think part of that had to do with the fact that when he got in the game, often he just
41:39 didn't play with great confidence.
41:41 I thought as the season progressed and his opportunities became fewer and farther between,
41:47 he made the most of those opportunities when they came.
41:49 And I'd like to see him build off of that with a strong showing against some good competition.
41:54 This is not that Pro-Am league that he dropped 95 in a couple of summers ago.
41:59 This team is a little bit better than that.
42:01 Exactly.
42:02 So, I mean, I want to see him play better.
42:06 I want to see him hold his own against better competition because y'all remember when he
42:10 dropped that 95, he came back and he was not the same.
42:13 He wasn't.
42:14 With the South Carolina squad, it's just like, damn, really?
42:19 But Peyton, I mean, this is a good opportunity for him.
42:22 I think it's a definite confidence boost for him to even be added to the team.
42:27 This is a guy that, again, the Celtics didn't really seem to have a tremendous amount of
42:31 confidence and faith in.
42:32 And more than anything else, he just got caught in the numbers game.
42:36 I mean, are you going to play ahead of Malcolm Brogdon?
42:38 Are you going to play ahead of Marcus Smart?
42:40 No, it's not going to happen.
42:42 And then you got Derek White, who's playing a lot of both front court and back court.
42:47 Plus Tatum and Brown are being more ball initiators.
42:51 So it's just like someone is going to be the collateral damage when all that stuff is going
42:55 on.
42:56 And Peyton, in many respects, was that.
42:58 Now some of that log jam is cleared up.
43:00 He's on a select team.
43:01 Let's see what he can do there and see if he comes into camp feeling a little bit better
43:04 about himself and actually have legitimate folks that he went at and he performed well
43:10 against as opposed to, you know, a bunch of Gary Washburns up in that pro athlete.
43:15 I'd be locking fools down.
43:17 What you talking about?
43:20 Yeah.
43:21 Yeah.
43:22 Forty five points later.
43:23 I mean, yeah, I think it's a good experience for him to get some international competition
43:30 to play against a lot of his peers, a lot of guys that are a little bit ahead of him
43:35 in the NBA hierarchy in terms of guys that he probably was drafted with.
43:40 But he can get that experience.
43:41 And I think it's a good experience for Peyton.
43:43 I mean, it's not just had to decide what they want to do with Peyton Pritchard.
43:46 Right.
43:47 First of all, he's eligible for an extension.
43:49 I don't know if he'll get it, but it'll be if not, it'll be a restricted free agent.
43:53 No money.
43:54 They broke.
43:55 Yeah.
43:56 And he'll be like Grant Williams was this year.
43:57 But they got to decide what to do with him.
44:00 I think he's got skills.
44:02 He's got talent.
44:03 But you got to give him more playing time and you got to let him make some mistakes
44:07 out there.
44:08 And then under Brad, it worked out that first year under Brad, everybody was pleasantly
44:13 surprised.
44:14 Then he may just did not like him, did not play him a lot.
44:19 And then last year was kind of the same thing.
44:21 And he wanted out.
44:22 He admitted to me like I was upset I didn't get traded a trade deadline.
44:27 And I love that, by the way.
44:29 Yeah.
44:30 People was told he's a traitor and, you know, get him out of here.
44:34 But he wants to play.
44:37 And Peyton came out.
44:38 The thing about Peyton is different from other guys is Peyton came out at 22.
44:44 He was a 22 year old rookie like Peyton's like 26 now.
44:48 Like his time, you know, he doesn't he sees like, listen, I got to I got to make I got
44:53 to make it now.
44:54 It was a closing in that.
44:56 Have you?
44:57 I don't know about you, but I saw some of the birthdates in the summer league of these
45:01 players and I saw all four.
45:03 And I was like, yo.
45:05 Yeah.
45:06 It's good.
45:07 Walsh.
45:08 Oh, four.
45:09 Oh, four.
45:10 My youngest brother is 2000.
45:11 That was Kanye's like first album, right?
45:12 What?
45:13 I don't need to know.
45:14 So you had a picture of what a title.
45:19 Gary.
45:20 Like, like literally, George Walsh is like, damn, I don't even remember Kanye.
45:24 I was born.
45:25 Like what?
45:26 Like, you know, like Ludacris and Kanye and Nelly were just banging in 50 Cent.
45:34 If you look at the music back in '04, you start shaking your head like, who?
45:39 What?
45:40 Yo, yesterday, our interns, we were playing 90s R&B to go up somewhere for work.
45:45 And why did the two interns, both born in 1999, they're like, was this the music you
45:49 grew up on?
45:50 And I'm like, what?
45:51 Exactly.
45:52 How old do you think I am as a result?
45:56 Remember, Kwanye, everybody is somebody's old head.
45:59 I'm an old head now because 90s R&B is a bitter taste.
46:02 Yes, yes.
46:03 You got to give you, you got to give you the bowling shirt.
46:05 You're officially an old head.
46:06 I was so hurt.
46:07 Everybody is somebody's old head.
46:12 So if you look at some of the birthdates on these young dudes coming into the league,
46:17 '04, OK?
46:19 So they are 19 years old.
46:21 Peyton's like 26.
46:22 Like, OK, I got to make my bread now.
46:24 I got to earn some money.
46:25 I got to get a new contract.
46:27 My time is now.
46:28 So there's a sense of urgency for Peyton.
46:30 He is not the young kid anymore.
46:31 Especially age-wise.
46:34 So he's got to make it happen.
46:35 So I think it's a great experience for him to play with his peers, play hard one-on-one
46:41 against Kay Cunningham.
46:42 And those, you know, not only the games and all that, but the scrimmages and just the
46:47 workout and the experience.
46:48 Give him some international experience.
46:51 I think it's good for him.
46:52 He can come back with confidence.
46:54 Like Charron said, not after scoring 95 against, you know, some dudes who used to play at Portland
47:00 Community College, but literally real NBA players that he can come back and say, hey,
47:05 I fared well.
47:06 I'm ready to help this team.
47:08 Because he wants to ball.
47:11 He's got no shade in Portland CC.
47:16 But all due respect.
47:18 All due respect to Portland CC.
47:22 As he disrespects them.
47:25 And that school is expensive.
47:26 Go Portland CC.
47:27 Before aid, it's $22,000 a year.
47:30 What?
47:31 Before aid.
47:32 What school is that?
47:33 Portland Community College.
47:34 No, it's not.
47:35 Portland Community College?
47:36 Yeah, I just looked it up.
47:37 It's Beverly Hills Community College.
47:38 I know, where did Community College take your money?
47:39 What is like housing and everything included and a $100,000 job after you graduate included?
47:52 What?
47:53 You want to get a zip card with that?
47:58 That's gossip?
47:59 You want to get a zip card?
48:00 Unlimited groceries or something.
48:01 Oh my goodness, what's going on here?
48:06 Anyway, on that note.
48:11 So I think it's good for Peyton to get out there, get his burn, come in with confidence
48:17 and play against his peers and take that next step because he's got a lot to lose and so
48:22 do the Celtics.
48:25 Well that's all I had to talk about the Celtics.
48:27 I imagine we'll get an update about this story, the Bronny James situation.
48:32 I don't know if you two saw, well you probably saw, he's in stable condition after suffering
48:37 cardiac arrest during practice on Tuesday.
48:40 So we don't really know more, but like NBA news wise, that was the only other thing that
48:45 jumped out to me.
48:46 I obviously hope that he's doing okay, but hopefully it's also nothing serious and just
48:51 hopefully, you know, maybe just a spook or whatever.
48:54 That's scary stuff, particularly when you're talking about young athletes.
49:00 And you know, I'm glad that whatever it is happened in an environment where there are
49:06 people around that they could address it.
49:08 And now they're starting to do the test, obviously to see if there's more to it than just, you
49:12 know, a one-time incident, which is great from the standpoint of they're going to get
49:17 some answers to what could have potentially been something that could have been far worse
49:21 of an outcome if it wasn't detected now.
49:24 So that's the silver lining in all this.
49:27 And I know LeBron James on many levels is kind of a polarizing figure, but these are
49:31 the times where none of that matters.
49:33 I mean, you, however you feel about him, you want to see his son do well.
49:37 You want to see him healthy and back to competing at the level he's accustomed to.
49:43 So definitely, you know, wishing the best for him, his family, his mama, because I know
49:48 these people forget about mamas in these types of situations.
49:53 They're the ones who in many respects, from an emotional, you know, engagement standpoint,
49:58 are just devastated and freaking out about it.
50:01 So shout out to Savannah and hope that she's, you know, getting closer to being at peace
50:06 with all this going on with her son.
50:08 So yeah, I just want to say like one, you know, it's okay if he never plays basketball
50:16 again.
50:17 Like it's okay if he has another calling in this world.
50:21 If that like his, you know, because obviously he's going to be, his heart's going to be
50:24 examined and, you know, hopefully he can play this season.
50:28 Like I don't care about that.
50:30 I don't care if he ever plays another game again.
50:32 I want Ronnie James to be a productive citizen.
50:36 If his calling by God is from somewhere else other than the basketball court, then that's
50:41 great.
50:42 The good thing is, the wonderful thing is this guy, Karn, and that, you know, and I'm
50:49 writing a column for tomorrow that, you know, these athletes are not invincible.
50:55 We look at LeBron, we look at his father and think, you know, he's a man of steel.
50:59 And you look at these guys and they run up and down the court, but heart issues is very
51:04 serious and these guys are susceptible at times to heart issues.
51:08 We look at DeMar Hamlin and hopefully he can resume his NFL career.
51:13 Obviously it was a scary incident, but you know, the great thing is that Ronnie has another
51:20 chance that this didn't, this wasn't the end.
51:23 You know, it could have been.
51:24 There's an 18 year old kid we heard and you see some of the, you know, guys and you've
51:29 seen, you know, cover high schools over the years.
51:31 Some high school kid fell out at practice, heat stroke, like, you know, dehydration,
51:39 high minute at the University of Maryland a few years ago.
51:43 You know, we've heard of, you know, Corey Springer from the Missoula Vikings.
51:47 Like now that was like more heat related or whatever, but you know, the body has its limits
51:53 and you know, I don't know if this is like, you know, God sending a message to Ronnie
52:01 to be like, okay, watch out.
52:02 I don't know.
52:03 I don't want to get all religious, but this is a good, maybe a warning for another thing,
52:08 but I just want him to be healthy and sound and safe and pursue his dreams.
52:13 I'd love to see him on the ball, basketball course.
52:15 I'd love to see him play for USC.
52:17 I'd love to see him play in the NBA 15, 20 years, but that might not be his calling,
52:22 but I'm glad that he has a second chance.
52:24 He can get healthy, get right.
52:26 Maybe he can attend school when it starts at USC and we know we can worry about basketball
52:32 later because I, and we all know like, Hey, it's tough to be a celebrity.
52:36 Just can't.
52:37 So many celebrity kids be out there acting a fool and acting out and, and you know, Ronnie's
52:43 been a model citizen, done everything he's supposed to do to try to carve his own niche
52:49 and have his own basketball career.
52:51 So I'm just rooting for him to hope he's okay.
52:53 Number one, hope he can attend school when it starts and can be just a regular student.
52:58 And if basketball is in his plans, I hope he can ball out on the court eventually.
53:02 And they find out and get to the bottom of the issue and hopefully it never happens again.
53:07 But if not, I just want him to be safe and okay.
53:12 Cause Thursday, the 30th anniversary of Reggie Lewis is passing.
53:19 You know, he passed away of a heart issue, heart attack at Grand Ites University 30 years
53:24 ago on Thursday.
53:25 So that's not a stark reminder.
53:28 Just don't push yourself.
53:30 And sometimes it's not meant for you.
53:32 That's it.
53:33 We all still miss Reggie and miss his impact.
53:36 So you know, I just wanted to, that's all I wanted to say.
53:40 Very well said.
53:41 And thank you for sharing that.
53:42 Make sure you guys check out the column that Gary mentioned.
53:45 It should probably be out by the time you're listening to this.
53:47 But as always, we appreciate you guys listening to the A-List Podcast.
53:51 As you know, we say this every week, the NBA never sleeps.
53:54 So we'll be back next week for A. Shard Blakely and Gary Washburn.
53:57 I'm Kwanye Lewis.
53:58 This is A-List Podcast.
53:59 Thank you for listening.
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54:10 [Music]

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