00:00I want to try to do my best Piston fan imitation.
00:02We got to play more B-Ball Paul.
00:06Okay, so it's one thing to say that.
00:09He's an energy guy.
00:11If you give him seven minutes, he's going to give you everything he's got.
00:15He'll score a little bit.
00:16Fine.
00:17This is all fine.
00:18But here's the part you're leaving out.
00:21If you want, this is like the scales of justice, all right?
00:26You want to play Paul Reed more.
00:28Who are you getting rid of?
00:33Because here's your problem, and I want you to really think about this.
00:38He's your third-string center.
00:41It's Durin, it's Beef Stew, it's B-Ball Paul, right?
00:46We are in a time where you're trying to ascertain whether you're going to make Durin a lucrative contract offer.
00:54You also have a love affair with the backup, which is Beef Stew.
00:58Who's a bit of a cult hero in town.
01:00Who you do pay $16 million a year to.
01:04There is no world.
01:06Paul Reed, who's paid in Coney's, is simply going to casually play more than these guys.
01:13Without you needing to make a decision in the offseason who you're getting rid of.
01:17But in the short-term, Rico, okay, last game, Beef Stew played eight minutes.
01:21Paul Reed played seven minutes.
01:23Durin, for some reason, I don't know why they're playing Durin this much.
01:26I don't.
01:27Oh, did you enjoy the four rebounds in 30 minutes he offered you?
01:31The zero blocks?
01:33The four turnovers?
01:35And don't even hit me with offense.
01:37What, do you have 10 points?
01:38I don't know why they even went back to Durin to close the game out.
01:43The point I'm making is, if you want more B-Ball Paul, I'm taking minutes from Durin, not Beef Stew.
01:52Because Beef Stew is a rim protector.
01:55Beef Stew is the toughness quotient.
01:59And Beef Stew can, has, and will at least feign interest in taking an open look.
02:07From more than six inches from the basket.
02:10But I wanted to ask the question.
02:12If you want more B-Ball Paul, who's playing less?
02:16Because I think people are looking at it the wrong way if they say, play Stew less.
02:21But can you, no, no, what you're saying makes sense.
02:24But you cut yourself off.
02:26You realize that, right?
02:27I know.
02:28I didn't say a word.
02:29You cut yourself off.
02:31No, what you're saying makes sense.
02:33But then it's like, well, you know, Durin gave you, you know, 20 points a game in the regular season.
02:39Once again, the regular season's fake.
02:41Signed James Harden's existence.
02:43This is what I try.
02:44Look, all I can do is try to teach Piston fan.
02:47Okay?
02:47I can't change them.
02:48But that's why.
02:49Because it's like, because you've seen his potential and you're hoping that he'll duplicate that in the playoffs.
02:54And I've seen 10 playoff games and I don't need him at all.
02:59I'm trying to win now.
03:01So I'm asking.
03:04For Piston fans, when game four comes around tonight, if you're of the B-Ball Paul movement, who are you
03:11taking minutes from?
03:13Because right now, for me, I have the Charles Barkley approach.
03:16If you're seven feet tall, 6'11 in this league, and you play 30 minutes, 10 rebounds, that's like a
03:23bare minimum.
03:24Like, I don't want to hear about it.
03:26Jalen Durin had four boards, no blocks, four turnovers.
03:31If you want more B-Ball Paul, take the minutes away from Durin.
03:35Because I'll tell you right now, I don't know why they put Durin back in that game.
03:39They could have won it.
03:41They didn't.
03:42No big deal.
03:43I'm not worried.
03:44I'm not worried even if they lose tonight.
03:45Cleveland is undefeated at home.
03:47They're winless on the road.
03:49They got to come up here and win before they get my attention.
03:52But this B-Ball Paul thing, I always find hilarious because people act like it's not like a lever.
03:58More minutes to one person takes food off someone else's table.
04:01Who are you playing less?
04:02No, you're right.
04:03Would you play stew less?
04:04Is that what you want to do?
04:05No, I don't.
04:07David, do you want to play stew less?
04:08See, I thought about it because I just don't like the way Stewart looks, meaning he dealt with an injury
04:14before the end of the year.
04:15And I'm wondering if something's there.
04:17But there's still no minutes to take from him.
04:19Because I'm looking at what happened in game three, he played nine, Paul played ten.
04:24So you're not taking anything from Stewart.
04:26You're going to have to take it from Doran.
04:28You're going to take five to seven more minutes away from Doran to play Paul Reed.
04:32That's how you have to do it if you want to.
04:36Yeah, I mean, when you look at his numbers, David, Duren's numbers get cut in half in the postseason.
04:42It's a smaller sample or size, but it's money time.
04:45Yeah, and it's why we do say that the postseason is more difficult to play.
04:50He goes from 20 points to averaging 10 points in the postseason.
04:54And I think a lot of people are, he's supposed to be your guy, that number two guy.
05:00He's Cade's boy.
05:01It's all of these reasons.
05:02So you keep waiting and waiting and waiting for it to kick in.
05:05But you may be waiting your way to Cancun because it may not happen.
05:09But Paul Reed is doing, he's having the same numbers that Duren has with the third of the time.
05:15So you've got to find a way to get him a little bit more.
05:18Or you don't play beef stew.
05:20Those are your options.
05:22Less from Duren or you simply take beef stew.
05:25You take the eight or nine minutes away or ten minutes and you give him the Paul Reed.
05:29But to me, at least I know with Stewart what I'm getting defensively.
05:35He has shown, even in the playoffs, an ability to take and make a three.
05:40And I know he's the enforcer.
05:42I love the presence he can provide.
05:43I don't like all his antics, let me be clear.
05:46But I'm asking the question to you guys because I know what we're going to get tonight.
05:51Yeah.
05:52For me, you've got to take minutes away from Duren.
05:54Duren, you've got to bite the bullet and realize this is as good as it gets for the playoffs.
06:00Regular season?
06:03Mike, it went past him just having a bad game.
06:06Yep.
06:06No, it's ten games.
06:07He's ten games into the playoffs.
06:09And he's had one really good game.
06:11What game was that?
06:12It was a game seven.
06:14Don't care.
06:14You were playing a corpse.
06:16I was about to say, Orlando really wasn't trying.
06:18It's just for me, I've seen what I need to see.
06:21And we'll figure out the Duren thing later.
06:23I need to just put the best lineup on the floor.
06:27Look, I don't do the Paul Reed thing the way other people do.
06:30I would just give more minutes to Beef Stew and call it a day.
06:33But if people want this guy, fine.
06:36Who are you taking it from?
06:38David Tex.
06:40I don't understand why Beef Stew doesn't get more minutes.
06:43He's an elite defender and can stretch the floor offensively.
06:45He can shoot from the perimeter.
06:47Take some minutes away from Duren and give it to Stewart.
06:49So we're coming back to the Duren thing now.
06:51Yeah.
06:52Because remember, you can do this any way you want, but make no mistake, it all ends in
07:00the same place.
07:01It's taking minutes from Duren.
07:03You're never going to effectively play three centers.
07:07Right.
07:07Duren averages about almost 32 minutes in the playoffs.
07:10He's giving you a 10-point read.
07:12Six minutes, and he's giving you four points.
07:15Averaging.
07:15Would anyone be upset if we just reduced Duren's minutes to between 20 and 25 a night?
07:21Until he shows he's going to give you more.
07:23Look, if he comes out and is dominating in the first half, cool.
07:26Give you 35 minutes.
07:27I got no problem with it.
07:28But I'm 10 games deep.
07:30I mean, what am I supposed to do?
07:33Go ahead, David.
07:34This is where coaches get in trouble being, quote-unquote, loyal to their guys or to players.
07:39Duren had no business coming back in.
07:41J.B.
07:42needs to wake up and get a little more cutthroat.
07:44Look, between J.B. and Atkinson, you're seeing kind of their blind spot.
07:48For J.B., it's Duren.
07:50For Atkinson, it's Harden.
07:52Why Harden's played more minutes than Spider Mitchell, I'll never understand.
07:56And then here they are at home.
07:58Their season, any hope of them being in this series is on the line.
08:01They completely deconstruct their offense.
08:04And Atkinson goes, James, do it.
08:08And I'm going, oh, my God.
08:10This guy thinks he's back with the Rockets again.
08:12Yeah.
08:13But here's the thing.
08:14He did it.
08:15No, no, no.
08:16See?
08:17I knew, James, I believed in you.
08:19And I knew you would do this.
08:21And if you're a Pistons fan, be happy.
08:23It'll cost them the series.
08:24Exactly.
08:24I mean, it's ridiculous to me.
08:27We're doing clear outs for 36-year-old Phillip Banks.
08:30He hit the dagger and then said, what noise?
08:33Well, the other thing, the Pistons just need to start blitzing it.
08:36I mean, if they're going to dictate it through screens to get Duncan
08:39or to get Uncle T out there, and then Harden's going to wave him off
08:43and do his CYO League, you know, slow motion ball, just blitz him.
08:47Guy will dribble it off his nuts, and you're going the other way.
08:52Well, David, I'll tell you, let me be timely.
08:542-4-8-5-3-9-9-9-7-9-7.
08:56But if you're going to call in about B-Ball Paul,
08:58I need to know who you're taking minutes from.
09:01We'll get some Piston fans.
09:02We'll get some texts as well.
09:04FanDuel, giving you better payouts on same-game parlays.
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