Adam Kaufman (2:30)

Yeah, man, it's been too long. It's been too long since there's been divisional football, playoff football that they actually have a chance in. I know there was in the Mac Jones run, but nobody actually gave him a shot that Year like this year you actually feel like you have it and it's just so nice to have a contending football team back again.

Evan Valenti (2:47)

I'll make it a subject related thing just because I've been asking this question of Barrett specifically Kaufman for the past couple of months. And this goes back to I think baseball season when Roman Anthony was tearing it up and establishing himself as one of the best young players in baseball. I was having a conversation of like, you know, is Roman Anthony like the new young king of Boston? You have obviously the Jays have been here for a while, Posrnock's been here for a while, but Roman Anthony was just in, still is like just an unbelievable baseball player. And at that time, because the Red Sox were performing well and Drake May didn't have a great rookie season, I mean obviously the coaching staff was a big part of that. But I was like, yeah, Roman Anthony over Drake May. And I'm like, well, you forget football. Football could be a powerhouse in terms of driving conversation in any, you know, region of the United States, never mind New England. And obviously I think at this point Drake May has like taken back the reins of the best young player in Boston and definitely the, the face of young athletes in Boston. But would it take a. Would he have to win the super bowl to steal Boston from Jason Tatum and Jalen Brownkopf? What do you think?

Justin Turpin (3:58)

It's football's king, right? Football's the king of content. It's the king. Everybody plays fantasy or bets on football or at least just talking football. The, you know, not that these like exist anymore really, but the water cooler, right? Like everyone is into football when football is going well now, you know, lasso or less. So pardon me. Clearly when you know, things are not going well, like the last few years of, you know, less, I guess Cam Newton, but the Mac Jones after you get through year one, it's, it's Jones and Bailey, Zappi and you know, one of the. Just to go off off tangent from your question for a second, one of the craziest transformations that this season has brought me mentally, emotionally, psychologically, you name it, has been over the last few years. And I said this to someone the other day, like I just, I would go into a Patriots game never actually really believing they were going to win. And back to back four win seasons will do that to you, right? But I would just, I would go into games wondering do I even want to watch this or am I just going to put on red zone and look for the highlights along the way? Like I just I don't think think they're going to win this game. Didn't matter who they were playing. Whereas now this year, and they've won 14 out of the last 15, this big playoff meeting coming up, obviously, I. There's never a game now that I believe they're gonna lose. Doesn't matter who they're playing. I am going in obnoxiously confident like the good old days. You know, it's. It's that hybrid, though, that meet me in the middle of the back in the day with Tom Brady and two decades of dominance in the dynasty and all that. I was never really one of these people, but there were a lot of people we all know that were like, wake me when we get to the AFC title game. Like, the regular season is just a formality. Who cares? I enjoy the process, I enjoy the ride. I enjoy the regular season. So I didn't go into that bucket and this team is not worthy of that bucket because again, this is just year one. But man, if things do go well this postseason, and well can be defined in a lot of different ways, I mean, heaven forbid they actually get to a Super bowl. But even just potentially hosting an AFC title game. If the Bills go out and beat the Broncos, as I believe they do, they, they will. And if the Patriots beat the Texans, as I believe they will, this season is just so far and away over the top. What anybody could have possibly dreamed that, that it's going to set up some pretty wild expectations going into next year with, albeit a much, much harder schedule than what the Patriots had to deal with this year. But it's just, it's so much freaking fun. So going back to your question, I still feel like. And, and please, I know this is not Celtics related. By all means, people, you know, jump in the comments and weigh in on this because I am curious what the general Boston sports fan believes. I still feel like at our core, and when I say are, I mean Boston sports fans. I feel like at our core, it's still a baseball town more than it is anything else. And when the Red Sox are at the top of their game, and I know that's been kind of inconsistent in recent years, but when they are out there flirting with championships like that 18 run when they were a juggernaut and nobody was even sniffing what they were putting out on the field every single day and cruising to the World Series there against the Dodgers, it was. Those were some emotional heights that even the Patriots with Tom Brady were not consistently reaching when everything. And maybe it's because it's the summertime and the weather's better and the vibes are higher and everybody's just feeling great, and you're not, you know, in the doldrums of winter and blizzards and all of that stuff. Maybe time of the year, seasons actually do come into play with this. But, man, when the Red Sox are hot, when the Red Sox are at their very best, it's hard for anybody to match that. And so to cycle this back to the Celtics, I actually think as much as, like, we all love the Celtics and people listening and watching this show. Love the Celtics. And as many championships as the Celtics have won, I think I still feel like they're third. I still feel like it's Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, before you get to the Bruins, obviously, of. Of sort of the emotional highs that come out of this city when things are at their height. But, I don't know, push back. What do you think?

Adam Kaufman (8:24)

I'd agree with that. I would just flip the Patriots and the Red Sox. I think the thing with the Patriots and the reason that that 2018 run for the Red Sox got so much hype is because it was just expected. The Patriots are going to the Super Bowl. Like, it was just expected year in and year out that they were going to get there. Like, there was no real challenge standing in the way of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. It was just every year they're going to be hosting a championship game with the chance to go to the Super Bowl. That was just. That was the norm. Whereas with the Red Sox, it's kind of come a little bit sparingly. They've had down years, obviously. We remember the Bobby Valentine year like they were down years before that. There were seller dwellers a couple times before that. So I think, yes, there is a big emotional ties to the Red Sox, but I don't think it matches what the. What the Patriots provide. And I think we're seeing that this year where. Yeah. And even the run the Red Sox went on this past season, like that September, like when they. When they clinched against the Tigers, that was incredible. Fenway was buzzing. The whole city was buzzing. But just all this energy and this emotion around the Patriots, I think it's really showcasing. It's like, wow, you know, we were spoiled for all that long because it's easy to overlook that when you're in the moment, you're like, oh, this is great. We had the greatest quarterback of all time. Great, greatest coach of all time. Like, this is great. You kind of take it for granted a Little bit though. So I think people were just expecting the Patriots to always be there. Whereas with the Red Sox it felt like you earned it a little bit more.

Evan Valenti (9:38)

I think, though, if you go back to the original question of like, I think right now as it stands, the Jays are the Kings athletically of Boston. Why? Boston's title town. They're the only guys that won a title outside of Nolan Williams, who doesn't really count because he didn't win it with the Patriots. Right. So you, I mean, yeah, we can throw a Payton Pritchard in there and we love Pritchard. Like there's Derek White obviously. But the Jays, because they've been here for their whole careers, you know, have been around all the playoff battles, especially with the Miami Heat over the years getting through beating the Mavs, hosting the Larry, like they clearly are the cut above everybody else. I think they are the, the, the front runners for. When you think of the Boston sports scene, I think you think of the Jays in the current iteration of everything first because of the Larry o' Brien trophy. My question is if Drake, like, how far does Drake may need to take this team to eclipse that? I do think you'd have to win a Super bowl because now you're talking about, you know, you know, at that point it becomes this, the, you know, the Jays. And this is like, this is just sucks. But the Jays are like old news. Like, oh yeah, that's cute. Well, now we have, you know, this 23 year old golden retriever who has an absolute rocket ship for an arm. That guy's, that guy's the new king. Like, I just, I think, you know, it's a weird conversation.

Adam Kaufman (11:03)

Have.

Evan Valenti (11:04)

It's a great conversation because like the, the Boston's had so much success recently as a whole in terms of athletics. I mean the three of us have seen a great kajillion championships and you have like jets fans that playoffs, like I'm just pointing this out. Sacramento Kings fans had to light the beam year and that's like all they've had to root for the past like 20 years. So just to give her, you know, some perspective. But I do think the Jays at the end of the day to try to make the Southern related. They're still the Kings of Boston. They're the only guys that have titles.

Justin Turpin (11:35)

That's it. So I, I don't disagree with any of that in the sense that, you know, they're the winners. They're getting their jerseys retired, they're going to be up in the rafters. They're you know, future hall of Famers, both of them, all of these things. But I think in the way that the sports are covered and again it goes back to the whole NFL is king, football is king. Because college football all involved in this as well. It's not that basketball is like your, you know, covered stepchild. Like that's baseball, that's hockey. Like basketball is covered at a very, very high level as well, both pro and college. So I mean hell, like any chance the, the major networks get to, to lead with something LeBron related, they're going to do it. So I'm, I'm not dismissing the notion that the Jays sit where they sit right now, but I don't think it would take much and I don't mean this year but I don't necessarily think, think it would take winning a Super bowl locally for Drake May to pass the Jays because people are obsessed with football. Obsessed more so than they are with basketball. I mean ratings don't lie, right? So I, I think that you know, especially and you hit on this being like the new young thing and the jays aren't even 30. It's not like they're old, but they are established. They are, you know, Jayson Tatum, when he's right, is a top five player in the NBA. Jaylen Brown this year is a top five to 10 player in the NBA. Drake May though is in the MVP conversation and May very well win the thing and may have this team sitting in a Super bowl win or loss and is way ahead of schedule from where it was. And you're already getting statistically not in terms of what he's actually achieved, but statistically here in this singular season, those Tom Brady Brady comparisons, like he's doing things on the field. Brady never did look at the athleticism, look at the numbers, look at the historic trends, all of these things. I just, People love football, man, and I love football. We all love football. I think that we spent the first.

Evan Valenti (13:50)

10 minutes of like this conversation pre show talking about what we were gambling on this week.

Justin Turpin (13:56)

Right, Exactly. And it's, you know, I, we're not sitting here making our, our NBA moneyline parlays now. Part of that is the volatility in you know, that sport. You know, teams that are double digit favorites at home routinely lose. It's, it's a pain in the ass. But man, I don't think it actually would take winning a Super bowl for Drake May to locally in terms of popularity, Q rating, whatever you want to call it, past the Jays. I really don't now should, but I.

Adam Kaufman (14:25)

Don'T think it will either. I agree.

Justin Turpin (14:27)

What it. If. God, I hate even doing this. And I wish you didn't have to in Boston, but I'll ask the question and then we can move on. After a moment or two of not giving it enough time, does race have anything to do with that in this city?

Adam Kaufman (14:51)

I don't think so.

Justin Turpin (14:53)

You don't?

Adam Kaufman (14:54)

No, I don't think I. I think when you're just looking at the player itself, the athlete itself, I don't think so. I think the biggest. The biggest difference in this is the position. Like, in. In the sport, that's the sport's the biggest position. Again, like, like you said at the beginning, football is king. Like, that's just. It's not just here. That's across the country. And so I just think there's going to be more eyes on that in general. And not to mention, like, if Drake may. Obviously, he's got a very. Well, I think the Jays do as well. All of them have very likable personalities. But you get so much Drake May content. It's like, oh, he's so wholesome. Every time I open, like, some sort of social media, it's him or his wife. Like, they're just the talk of everything. Like, that's just how it is.

Justin Turpin (15:34)

So I think TV show now.

Adam Kaufman (15:36)

Yeah, she's got her own TV show. Like, that's just the attention that the NFL and that football brings. So I don't think that really matters because right now it is the Jays. Right? Like, I don't. Like, they have that spot right now, and I think they should have it until there's a championship. But just because of the attention that comes with football, I think that's the biggest kind of differential in this conversation.

Evan Valenti (15:58)

I would tell you that there's probably some of that involved with certain people. I'm not going to be the guy that says that that's not a factor for certain people. For certain people. It's not for me. It's not for you guys, it's not. But we can't ignore the fact that for some people, it definitely is. And if. If you can't acknowledge that, then you're just not reading the room. Right. But I think part of it is the fact that the quarterback is the most important position in all sports. Right. In American sports, nobody is more popular than the quarterback. I don't care. I mean, you can. You can barely name guys on the Red Sox. Like, I mean, the guys come out of the bullpen. You're like, who. I don't even know who this guy is. Right. And you see their faces all the time. Drake May's got a thing over his mask, over his face. And we still know what he looks like because he's, he's all over everything. As Justin said, he's all over social media. His wife's all over social media. We have, there's a Drake May lover Instagram account that's probably got more guys that are more, more followers than the three of us combined on all of our social media platforms.

Justin Turpin (16:59)

Which, by the way, just to play this fair down the line, everything you just said about Drake May is also true of Stefan Dix. If you stop on Diggs, you know, like, you don't. You, you know, it's not one of those, like, oh, he takes his helmet off and you don't know who he is. Now for someone who might be a little bit more anonymous, say Acacia on booty, maybe. I mean, he's young, he's not super established. He's very early in his career. Stefan Diggs, you know who he is, He's a, you know, perennial thousand yard receiver. He's well accomplished in the NFL. He's a, you know, a, a vocal guy. A guy who's been part of many great moments on the field. Obviously some things off the field that, you know, you're used to seeing him and not to mention, you know, a very public relationship with Cardi B. Right. So like, you know, you know, like he, he, he fits into the pop culture side of things as well. So, you know, I, I would just to draw that comparison. It's not like, you know, boy, we all recognize Drake May because he's the quarterback, but nobody else fits that mold.

Evan Valenti (18:04)

That's a fair point. I think that's fair. It's, again, it's just the power of football in, in certain things, I think, you know what I mean? Like, it's just the most, it's the most popular sport in America. It's, it's ridiculous how dominant the ratings are. Yeah. And you know, when you have high profile status and, and Steph Diggs for sure has that, you're gonna have way more recognition. You know what I mean? Like, again, I think the city of Boston's special in certain ways because, you know, like Peyton Pritchard can walk around and, and not need to take his wallet out. People are gonna, you know, bend over backwards to try and buy that guy whatever, you know, dinner, drink, whatever. Maybe Jordan Walsh, you know, Jordan Walsh, maybe, maybe not. You know, Maybe NBA champion, he deserves it. I know. I'm saying it's like, you know, how far down the line do you go before they lose some recognition, you know, you know, Baylor Shireman could probably walk around somewhat anonymously and nobody, you know.

Justin Turpin (18:56)

You'Re, you're talking about a guy in Pritchard who is more accomplished at this stage of his career, was a bigger part of that title winning team than these other guys that, you know, were like barely played. You know, may have taken on larger roles now, but at that point in time weren't making their bones.

Evan Valenti (19:16)

Yeah, I think that's fair. It's just, it's a. Again, the conversation I think is mostly like popularity of NFL versus popularity of, of the NBA within the city of Boston and we'll throw all of New England in there again, I think still at this moment in time just to put a bow on this thing is, I do think the Jays are still the kings of Boston from an athletic standpoint, but Drake May is not far behind. And again, as you said, Kaufman, I'm not quite sure it'll take much to get him to that, that status. I don't think it'll take much.

Justin Turpin (19:49)

No, he's coming fast. Honestly, winning a Super bowl or even maybe just winning the MVP might be enough to get him there or at least get him on even footing with those guys already. And I'm not saying that is fair, justified, right, any of these things, but just kind of, you know, reading the greater room of the region and the amount that we're talking about Drake May, and the amount nationally that we're talking about Drake May, I think that's kind of where we may be headed. But here's what we're gonna do. For anyone that hasn't turned the show off already, we're going to take a quick break and then come back with, I promise, Celtics talk. Let's remind you, this show brought to you in part by our good friends over at Prize Picks. Whether you are starting a new routine or making player picks for the first time, trying something new can be hard, right? It can be difficult. But in life and on Prize Picks just always feels good to be right. With high pressure playoff matchups every weekend and elite hoops action almost every night, the action, it never stops. And Prize Picks have lets you take control.

Evan Valenti (21:00)

Yeah, Prize Picks is the best place to get real money sports action. 10 mil. Actually over 10 million users on prize Picks. You can be the next person to sign up. Join this party with us here at CLNS Media. And I do this every week it's the flex play. Sometimes on Friday, sometimes on Saturday. Today it's gonna be on Saturday. And what basically what this is is again, Price Picks invented this. The idea is if you, you can still cash out, still win your money back, even if your lineup isn't perfect, which happens to me every single week, Coffin, including last week, where once again, I hit two out of three. It's great. It's fine. I won my money back. I've had the same amount of money in my account for like five straight weeks because that's just two out of three. That's fine. That's fine with me. So with that being said, Cop, I got a little bit, a little bit not creative here, but I, I, I, I'm trying to minimize risk, right? Because at the end of the day, this is a risk putting lineup together. So with that being said, we're going to start with CJ Stroud in New England on a Sunday afternoon. We're gonna, and this is thanks to our friends over at Price Picks who gave us a layup for this one, C.J. stroud. We're going more than 0.5 passing guides. So that's a layup. That's a freebie. It's a free square, as I call it. That's not a problem. Next portion of the lineup, RJ Harvey, rookie running back for the Broncos, going more than 53 and a half rushing yards against the Bills. The Bills have an atrocious rush defense. We're going to hammer that with RJ Harvey, who can break out one for one big long run and basically cut that thing in half. So I like that. And then the third leg of our lineup here, cough. We're gonna dust off Curtis Samuel. Oh, we're gonna go more than 0.5 receiving yards.

Justin Turpin (22:49)

Basically has to have a catch, a positive grab.

Evan Valenti (22:52)

All he's got to do is catch the ball for a yard and we're fine. So I think we're minimizing the risk potential here with this play. Flex play gives me 3x if I hit all 3 or 1x to get my money back if I hit 2 out of 3, which is fine for me. That's fine. I've been living in this space for over a month, and Price Fix now has early payouts. If your lineup gets off to a hot start and you win, you'll basically have the option to cash out right away and get your money put in your account and lay some more down. Another lineup for Price Picks. You can get it before. Again, the game's even finished and getting your money coughing couldn't be any easier. In as little as 15 minutes, watch the money roll into your account and Price Fix uses Venmo. Easiest way I think to get your money out of your account is Venmo, but there's a bunch of other things. But at the end of the day, coffin, there's nothing easier than using prize picks.

Justin Turpin (23:41)

So download the app today. Use code clns get fifty dollars in lineups after playing your first for only five bucks. Again, download the prize picks app. Do it while you're listening to the show. The promo code CLNS. You get $50 in lineups after playing your first for only $5 prize. Prize picks. It's good to be right. So we've got Justin Turpin here with us from weei and again I know kind of a hodgepodge start to the show which was probably more football than it was anything else. Certainly not a lot of Celtics. Let's talk about the modern day Celtics fellas who are 25 and 15 half game in front of the Knicks in second place now and four and a half behind the Pistons who continue to play good basketball. Obviously they're you know, playing maybe a little more 500 of late but in general still a very good team at 29 and 10. One of those chasing the infamous 4020 which the Celtics need to go 15 and 5 to hit that benchmark. And of late we've seen they're in these games, you know, but two out of the last three have not gone their way. Three out of the last five. You had that, we talked about it last time, the narrow loss against the Jokic List Nuggets should have won that game. Lost by four. You rebound well with a win over the Raptors and as I recall, well actually no, Jaylen Brown did play in that one. He had missed a previous one against the Raptors. And then you know, you come while you're still home at that point, finishing off the home stand, you lose to the spurs who got you by five. Close game. You go on a start of a trip which they're still on. It's a 4 gamer and begins in Indiana against a wretched Pacers team. Lose by a couple of points. We're in this stretch here and they rebound with a win in Miami. It's a nice win this stretch where Jaylen Brown, while he has been excellent this season, is not playing his best basketball of late and is certainly very upset about that. You know, it feels like every show I, I, I feel like I'm picking on the guy and it's making our YouTube commenters believe that I hate him. I'm actually a big Jaylen Brown fan and. But he's whining a lot and right now it's about not getting a whistle. And look, he always needs a TD garden sized chip on his shoulder. If that's what makes him great, then by all means, keep it there. You know, you do you. But at the moment it is impacting his overall game. I think it's getting into his head a little bit and we saw that even against that slow start in Miami before. Ultimately, the Celtics, largely because of Anthony Simons, won that one. But whereas it felt like every single game, guys, Brown's your leading scorer, Brown's your leading scorer. And of course he still averages damn near 30 a game. He's the team's leading scorer. We're in this stretch right now where over the last handful of Games, Brown 33, Pritchard 27, White 29, Pritchard 23, Simons 39. It's not consistently Jalen Brown. Now, occasionally he's your leading assist guy or your leading rebounder. Not like he's doing nothing out there. He's still playing some solid games for the most part, but I feel like we're in a little bit of a, a mid season lull compared obviously to the off the charts performance throughout the first third or so of the year that we were getting out of Jalen. Terp, we'll, we'll start with that. Going into this game against the Hawks that as we sit here is tonight, this is not going to be a preview of Atlanta because I know some people won't get around to listening to this, you know, weekly podcast until after this game has already been played. But what have you seen of late from Jalen that I don't know, concerns you maybe?

Adam Kaufman (27:24)

Yeah, I think you hit it with the officiating and his frustration with officiating. I think that's a bigger conversation surrounding the team itself. Just look at their three of their last four losses. They've come out and blamed the officials. Right? It was Jalen. He did it before the, the sport, the Nuggets game that he did and the spurs game. And then Joe Missoula did it with the illegal screen press conference. It's like you don't want to be that team. And I think with Jaylen Brown specifically, I think he lets it get to him and then he forces it. He tries too hard to go downhill and get a call and he ends up with these kind of these aimless drives and these turnovers, and it ended up hurting the team. So I think that's one of the biggest things with him for now. And I also think, you know, we're in January. Like, there's this inevitable lull that comes across the NBA season. And we've seen it for years. We saw it with the team last year, right? They played 500 basketball for a stretch of like four weeks in the middle of the season. Like, this is kind of an inevitable part of the NBA season, especially with Jalen, with how many minutes he's been playing, how many games he's been playing. So I think the officiating has been a big thing that's been frustrating him, and it's been forcing him to play a little bit differently because he's kind of going out of his way to go get foul calls and prove a point, and that's usually a good thing for them. Like, I think, you know, he wasn't great against Miami, but what he did in the third quarter and how he was able to get to the line, that was good for them, and that really helped the offense get back on track. So I'm not saying it's totally a bad thing, but I think he is letting the officiating get to his head a little bit too much, where he just needs to go out and play within the game, which is. Which is what he's done this year, and it's allowed him to succeed. So at such a high level this season.

Evan Valenti (28:49)

I think the turnover has been a huge problem. He's been turning the ball over a ton recently at five in that game against Miami. He had seven of the game against Denver, five in the game against San Antonio. Like, he's. It just. He hasn't been as strong lately. Like, I know there are some bigger turnover games throughout the season, but he's averaging currently 4.4 a game this month, which is the worst of any month he's had so far this year. And that's kind of been some of the secret stuff that Jalen is. Like, some of the turnovers are. Are, you know, him dribbling the ball off his leg or his foot or he makes the wrong read or whatever. And some of them aren't live ball turnover. Some of them, you know, they go out of bound, like kicks off his foot, goes out of bounds. They can reset their defense. I don't know. I don't have the number in front of me. I can't really track this, but it feels like most of them now are live ball turnovers, which is a problem for Boston. They don't get back in transition. Jalen's hanging his head and they get dunked on the other end. It also gets highlighted mostly in that Miami game where Miami, one of the best transition teams, you do it against Toronto, one of the best transition teams, and yet, and you have some problems. You know, look, the shot's going to come and go for, for Jalen only because he, I mean, if he were able to sustain being the best mid range shooter in the league for an entire season, that would be amazing. So the fact that he's not shooting the ball as well for a little bit of a stretch is fine with me. But a lot of it has to do with the way he's attacking teams at this moment. And teams are playing him a little differently now that he's gone through, you know, the first couple months of the season killing everybody. Teams are sending to a little bit more, they're making him get rid of it, get off it a little bit earlier. And Boston is, you know, recalibrating to that. But for Jalen specifically, like, he just needs to attack a little bit quicker when it comes to the half court. Like, I think he's just, I don't, I don't want to say not trusting himself, because that's not the word. He's just not seeing it fast, as fast as he was earlier in the year. Again, maybe that's because teams are playing him a little bit differently, so he has to process a little bit differently, but it just, he's just not working as fast. And I think Kaufman, when it comes down to that, you know, a lot of the times when he uses his athleticism to get by guys quickly, like he's just sort of a force. But when he's trying to beat guys off the dribble and he makes his life a lot harder, you know, those shots, they went, they were going down early in the season. I mean, you go to that Clippers game, he dropped 50 and some of the stuff he was doing in the half court, you're like, you're laughing, you're falling over in your chair or off your couch or whatever because of the degree of difficulty on some of the shots was nuts. I think now they're not going in as much and, and that's kind of leading to a little bit of the frustration, the lack of file calls. Maybe that that's something with the two. But for me, the big thing is always going to be turnovers with him. And if he can mitigate that. The other stuff I don't really care about because he's so good at, you know, the mid range stuff has just been such a plus this year. Just got to keep the turnovers down.

Justin Turpin (31:42)

In my opinion, if I'm going to attempt to spin any of this into a positive, you know, obviously I, I'm confident that Jalen's gonna right the ship. You know, he's, he's gonna get through whatever he's getting through and he's going to be fine. And hopefully that coincides with the return for Jason Tatum as well, which, you know, I think we all still believe is, is right around the corner. I think even potentially I'm not closing the door on February as we sit here in mid January, to be perfectly honest, guys. But the performances that they're getting around, Jalen, you know, occasionally Simons of late, and he's getting, you know, featured showcased a little bit more and I do want to talk more about him and just sort of the future of Anthony Simons in the Celtics uniform. But Derrick White, Peyton Pritchard, the guys that, you know, you would expect, I know it's less of the, the Walshes and you know, Garza's playing great. You know, it's, it feels like it's his turn right now. Obviously my knots missed time, so we haven't really talked about him. But you know, we've gone through this stretch of the season where it's like, okay, here's the Minot stretch and there's the wall stretch and you know, to some degree the Ugo stretch. Now again, I feel like we're in the Garza stretch. They are getting performances around some of the setbacks for Jalen Terp that, you know, have still led to again, these close games. You know, the, the, the Celtics, as mentioned, they've lost 3 out of 5. Could very easily be 50 in these games. All of those losses were winnable games. They were by a grand total of 11 points, those three losses. So what are you seeing elsewhere that gives you confidence about what Boston is doing on the whole?

Adam Kaufman (33:20)

I mean, I really like what I'm. What we're seeing from the guards. I mean the guards have been terrific. I know Peyton Pritchard has, Anthony Simons have had a couple down games in there. But over the last like 20 games or so, really since like the beginning of December, the guards have been outstanding. What they've been able to get from White, Pritchard and Simons, that trio, it's like every night. And it, you know, you know, it might not jump out on the stat sheet, especially in the case of, like, Pritchard. Like, he'll have a quiet, like, no, like, 14 points, whatever, but you look. And he somehow has like, six or seven assists, like, that's what they're doing. And he. I think Pritchard especially has played the role of the point guard just perfectly. Like, the way he's creating for others, the way that he's getting to his spot and getting his shot. Like, I don't think it's been talked about enough about how well he's played as a starting point guard this year, I think, because obviously what Jaylen Brown's been able to do, and people love the story with Mayon. And like you mentioned, the different stretches, the Ugos, the. The Jordan Walshes, I think people have kind of gravitated towards those, and it's not really looking at what they've gotten from Peyton Pritchard. And I think the same can be said about Nish Ka. Like, there were so many questions about their big man rotation coming into the year, and he's just been so consistent, like, night in and night out. You're not really worried about him? Like, of course, yeah, inevitably there has been games where he struggled, but for the most part, he's come out every night and just given them a chance down low. And he's. I think his rebounding has been overlooked. Like, he's been a terrific rebounder for a team. That. That was the biggest question entering the season. Who the hell is going to rebound the basketball? Like, Jason Tatum was their best rebounder last year. And I think he'll go a long way in helping shore up some of their issues, too. Because you mentioned the losing the games in the clutch. Like, 80% of their losses have come in the clutch. And a lot of that has to do with their rebounding. They're getting out, rebounded, letting up. I think it's like a 70. I forget the number off the top of my head, but it's a ridiculously high offensive rebounding percentage for the opponents. Like, Jason Tatum goes a long way in fixing that. He also goes a long way in fixing your offense because he is your closer. Right. I think the different coverages are starting to get the jail a little bit. You guys mentioned that a little bit earlier, just how teams are guarding him. He's reading that well at the beginning of the year, but I think they're just mixing and matching coverages so much. It's kind of slowing him down a little bit. So I think It's a long winded, winded way of saying, like, yeah, like you're getting contributions from other, other players. You're in every game. And oh, and by the way, one of the most clutch players in basketball, you're a closer over the last handful of years, is hopefully coming back soon and that's going to go a long way. So I think the one thing with the clutch losses that kind of annoy you is one, it's a hallmark of a good team. Like, good basketball teams execute down the stretch and the Celtics haven't been able to do that yet. But you can also look at it again, Tatum's coming back. You're not getting blown out. You are in every game. So I think you can look at it both ways. So I just think the contributions they're getting from up and down the roster from guys like Pritchard and Gata who have been starting all year that you probably don't talk enough about is huge for what they're getting.

Justin Turpin (36:04)

What do you think of.

Evan Valenti (36:06)

Yeah, big thing. Well, the big thing for me and that just, just to piggyback off the clutch time stuff came out this week and people have been talking about it, sees the worst offensive team in crunch time by like a mile. Not, it's just not great. What are they? 128. The rating is like 128. I think defensively per 100 possessions, which is just awful. Obviously the offensive rebounding rate is one of the reasons why they give up that many points per hundred possessions. Because when you get an offensive rebound, normally your shot is there at the rim where you kick it out the wide open three. And those are all daggers. So, you know, we have to address at least the fact of, like, where they're failing at the end of games. It's not necessarily their offense that's failing them, although they have recently, I think, reverted to some, some bad habits in a couple of these games, specifically, like the San Antonio one. But yeah, the other part of that, and you go, part of that San Antonio game is Wemby is insane and hit like an insane shot that only Wemby can really hit. And their defense has really been failing at the end of the game. So it's, it's, you know, again, what you, you can, you can chalk up the, the three out of five, you know, losses and three out of five do a few things. You know, the, it's January. You know, they're missing guys. You know, they're covering them differently, like all these things. And that's, you know, what does it really highlight? It highlights the fact that Boston's, you know, room for error is, is very, very, very small. And the fact that they're, you know, still have a shot at 40, 20 is a remarkable accomplishment and is a testament to everybody in the organization from the coaching staff, the, the front office and the players. Like it's to be where they are right now is, is unbelievable. I think it's just been frustrating again, a three out of five because everything's been so good, that losing three out of five is like, what's going on. But at the same time, like a lot of teams are going to go through this particular type of stretch, especially the Easter conference and given the beginning of the year in the off season, like, this is still a very, very good basketball team. That's way ahead of where they really should be.

Justin Turpin (38:06)

We remind you there are a lot of great Celtics podcasts available to you across the CLNS media network, of course, including this one, Celtics Beats. Make sure you rate, review, subscribe, download, wherever you get your podcast, audio versions, of course, Apple, Spotify, Pandora, Spreaker, you name it. But we are out there as well. Video on the CLNS Media All Access page on YouTube with so many other great seas podcasts and a number of people that have contributed to the show along the way as well. So make sure obviously you go leave comments. We like to read them, like to respond to some of them and even bring some of them to air, which something tells me after this show, we're going to have a few to be able to pick from, but we're going to take a quick break, tell you that today's show is powered in part by Omaha Steaks New Year, New you. It's time to start the new year off with some healthy, delicious meats. And Omaha Steaks is the best way to stay on track. Omaha Steaks delivers the world's best steak experience. Honestly, I'm starting to drool just while I'm reading this. With Omaha Steaks, you know exactly what you're getting. USDA certified tender steaks, premium proteins, elegant sides, and a decadent, indulgent dessert. Shop this season's top gourmet gifts@omaha steaks.com plus or our listeners. That's right, you out there, you get 35 bucks extra off with the code. All right, well, the promo codes. Patriots then.

Evan Valenti (39:34)

Yeah, but like, just to get, just to give everybody a little bit, we, we are working diligently with Omaha Steaks to send us a package so I can put on a cooking display for everybody because I got this viking stainless steel skillet pan for Christmas that I would love to just to get a nice like center cut full of fillet and just sear that real quick. High heat, avocado oil, get that thing ripping, get a nice sear on that, turn the heat down. Butter, base it. A little bit of rosemary in there, get that aromatics going and then finish by baking in the oven for just a couple of minutes just to, you know, get the, the cook all the way through. I'm waiting desperately. Omaha Steaks. Send me a care package. Send it over.

Justin Turpin (40:18)

I'm going to Ed's house.

Evan Valenti (40:20)

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Justin Turpin (41:01)

Pretty good. Save big on gourmet gifts and healthy eating with Omaha Steaks. Visit Omaha Steaks.com and for an extra $35 off, use code PATRIOTS at checkout. That's right. All pats on the brain terms apply. See site for details. That's Omaha Steaks.com promo code patriots. So we're back here with Terp and Ev. Feels like we have an issue again. I don't know what's going on.

Adam Kaufman (41:33)

There he goes.

Justin Turpin (41:34)

I. He's. He's disappeared. He froze on us. We thought we had had this resolved. We really did. Turf. I don't know where he went and he didn't touch anything. He didn't do anything. There's the tech. There's something. I don't know if it's the new computer he got or the new mic or the Internet or the world. Something is against f. Over the last. I don't know how many weeks, he's still here lurking in the shadows producing the show. But we can't see him or hear him anymore. And that, that's bothersome. I don't like that at all.

Adam Kaufman (42:07)

It's technology, man. It's not advancing as much as people think.

Justin Turpin (42:11)

No, not like the people say. I had alluded to an Anthony Simons discussion and I I want to spend a moment on that because, you know, obviously the trade deadline is what is. We sit here about a month and a half away, if I recall. I think it's less than a month.

Adam Kaufman (42:31)

Less than a month. February 5th.

Justin Turpin (42:32)

Is it February 5th? Okay. Oh, that's right. Because we're only. I saw somebody tweet it. We're like nine games away, something like that. So obviously it's. It's decision time for Brad Stevens and for Mike Zarin, that entire front office here coming up. And I'm scrolling to find a tweet by our guy, Bobby Manning, who joined us on the show recently. And he had put out a. A quote, tweet, tweet of his appearance on with us weeks back, highlighting a conversation around Anthony Simons and his impact on the team, whether or not he should be someone that, you know, ultimately sticks around long term. And what I saw Bobby, I'm gonna pick on Bobby for a second. What I saw Bobby tweet was, God, I want to read it verbatim too, because I don't want to put words in his mouth before I dump all over the take. There's. There's no fun in that. All right, so he was talking about, again, just Simon's potential value to this team and the way that he can contribute and obviously what we've seen of late, the 39 point game and yada, yada, yada. And scrolling through his tweets, he said, I'm gonna have it for you, I promise. All right, so he was quote, tweeting, someone said, Anthony Simons on a team friendly deals, a piece on the next Celtics title team. And Bobby said the. That should be the focus, not ducking the tax. This new ownership group has a big decision ahead in less than three weeks, only nine games until the deadline. This was a tweet from last night. I feel like Bobby and anybody else who is highlighting the tax and the spending surrounding Anthony Simons is actually missing the bigger picture of the entire Anthony Simons discussion to me. And please push back, Disagree If. If you feel so inclined to me.

Evan Valenti (44:29)

The.

Justin Turpin (44:29)

The conversation around Anthony Simons is not whether or not he has the ability to help you or can score off the bench, provide that extra punch even after Tatum returns, whether or not the Celtics should consider investing in him and what that does to various tax penalties, aprons, that type of thing. The conversation around Simons is he is an asset, a tradable asset that given what he makes, which is damn near $30 million this year on an expiring Contract. He is really realistically your only path to acquiring a big man who is actually a good basketball player to again put alongside Keda Garza, guys like that. If you hang on to Simons, you hang on to that asset and whether he walks for nothing or you do resign him and spend, you know, whatever it is on this quote unquote team friendly deal and he's part of your next iteration. Fine, I'm, I'm an Anthony Simon supporter. But you have no other realm where you can add to this team, where you can build, where you can get a big, it's not like that money, even if you don't sign them, it doesn't just come off the books. And it, you know, here, here's 27 to 30 million dollars that you can go and spend. Doesn't work that way, right? You have this tradable asset that you can bring in a piece that not, I'm not advocating for a rental, but you can go out and get a piece that can be under contract in theory, you know, a Claxton, a Zubot. So these are the names we just keep bandying about someone who can be under contract, who is sub 30 or around 30 for multiple years and can be a big man that can help you. And that is such a glaring, as we've talked about, area of weakness on this team that if you're going to part with anything to get it, in all likelihood that's Simons. This isn't about spending. This is about trying to get something that can help you in a different area of need.

Adam Kaufman (46:34)

Yeah, I do agree that the, obviously the biggest hole on this roster is the center position, but I do think the tax is worth mentioning because they're roughly 12 over the 12 million over the luxury tax line right now. And if they, if they stay here where they're at right now, they're gonna end up paying 40 million. And I think what has everyone been talking about since the summer? It's the ownership group, right? It's like, look what they did with the second apron. I think for the most part people have a good grasp of why they made the moves that they did over the off season. But still it's been such a hot topic. What is this ownership group going to do? Because you really haven't been able to judge them pretty fairly for what they may well do. Right. So far because obviously what they did over the summer was going to happen. Right. You can't live in the second apron, but now you can judge them for what they are and the moves that they make. So I think following what they do with attacks is worth kind of monitoring. But yeah, I would agree that, you know, they need to shore up and get a center. Like that's the biggest issue. As good as Luca Garza has played, I don't think anyone really trust him going into what you hopefully think can be a long playoff run. So I do think there are other alternatives though. Like I wonder if you look at a guy like Sam Houser and people are always willing to overpay for shooting. Like that's just how the NBA is, especially a guy who has never shot 40 below 40% from three at any level he's played at. People love that type of scoring. And look at his defense too. I don't think he gets enough credit. Joe Missoula will tell. And anyone that asks about him, they'll never say anything about Sam Houser shooting. He's an elite scorer, an elite shooter. They're never. He'll never say anything about it. He's always going to point out his defense. And I think part of that is true. I think he is a very underrated defender. But I wonder if you look at a guy like Sam Houser just given how the younger guys have evolved. I know it's different skill sets, but Ugo, Jordan, Walsh and Shireman, you have this surplus of wings right now that might makes Ham Hauser more movable than Anthony Simons. Because if you take away Anthony Simons, and I know that you run a risk, right, because you have Simon's bird rights if you hold on to him. But he's not a restricted free agent, so he could kind of he has his pick. Like if he wants to go out and be a number one again somewhere else, he can. But I don't think he's going to be making the 27 million he is now. And I don't think it's really crazy to think that he could be closer to the mid level. Like, I really don't. I think his market in the league was reflected over the summer where the Celtics were shopping him all summer and there were no suitors, there were no biters. And I think that kind of reflected his standing in the league and his how he's viewed. So I wonder. There's no doubt he's going to be in for a pay cut and I just wonder how significant that pay cut is. And if you're looking at the Celtics right now like, yeah, if you take away Anthony Simons, then what about your guard depth? Like, what are you going to do there who's going to slide up there and behind Derrick White and Peyton Pritchard? I just think given what you have with your wings, a guy like Sam Houser may be more tradable. And the Celtics think very highly of them. They really like what he brings like on both ends of the floor. His spacing, especially with Jason Tatum, I think that's an important part of this as well. He, him and Jason Tatum are one of the best two man lineups the Celtics have like that. They're so efficient together just with the gravity Tatum creates. And you know, the Sam House's ability to space the floor like that is something that can't be overlooked. But I just think with what you have at wings and the surplus that you have, maybe a guy like Hauser might be more movable than he was before. And that's somebody that you know is under a team friendly deal, someone that will get you below the tax and can get you a good player as well. So I do look at that as a, as a potential candidate to move as well.

Justin Turpin (49:59)

The ongoing joke, years long joke around Celtics supporters, especially from people that are critical of Celtics fans, is that we have a tendency to fall in love with the role players and our own guys and overvalue them and all of that. And I would say I have like, like anybody else been guilty of that along the way with certain players.

Adam Kaufman (50:20)

Right.

Justin Turpin (50:20)

But I mean I like Sam Houser as much as anybody. I think he's on a very good contract for what he brings you. I would also drive Sam to the airport personally if it meant you were getting a good return. Thing is, whereas Anthony Simons again is making $27 million and just takes you to a whole other bracket of player that you're capable of acquiring, acquiring Sam Houser's in the midst of a four year, 45 million dollar deal in the scope of the NBA, the guy makes nothing. So what are you going to get for him? That's what I go back to. I mean you might have a deal that includes both Simons and Hauser, but Hauser by himself or Hauser with a draft pick, like in order to again make the money work to get a quality player. Sam Houser's not doing it by himself. He just, he. The. The contract isn't getting you anything that is really going to help you, I don't think.

Adam Kaufman (51:17)

Yeah, and I think that's what the thing with Simon's too, because I go back, I keep going back to the summer and I maybe, you know, maybe that's not fair. Because he's really embraced the role. His defense has steadily improved and obviously he looks more comfortable, especially as of late. Over the last month, month and a half, he's been fantastic. And maybe I kind of revert back to the summer. Maybe it's not fair. Maybe it's like maybe the standing on him has changed. But there was just no suitors. And I guess the conversation will become, what is the trade that you're getting for Anthony Simons? Because if you can go out and get an established big and somebody that can contribute for not only the short term, but for the long term as well, and somebody that fits the mold of what this team's trying to do, absolutely, you're going to do it. But if you're doing it just to do it and just to get a body, I don't know if it's worth it. Like, I just don't know if it's worth bringing in kind of this bargain big because no one really is interested and, you know, get parting ways with that scoring. I just, I don't know. It's a delicate balance. But if there is somebody that can contribute in the short and the long term that you can get in and bring into this team to contribute to the next title contending iteration, this team or that could be this year, depending on the trade deadline, like, I don't know, it has to fit the short and long term needs. And I just think if you're dumping them just to dump them, that's not the right move. Just with the scoring he can bring. And personally I'd love to see him next to Tatum. I think the skill set that he provides could fit really well with Jason Tatum, especially coming off the Achilles, like being that guy that can create for others is playmaking, I think that can be really important.

Justin Turpin (52:41)

Yeah. I just wonder if at that point you're putting too much pressure on Jason Tatum. You know, thinking about next year, that's a different situation. But if you're looking to actually make some noise this year in what looks to be a wide open Eastern Conference, where you are positioned to potentially be able to contend, you know, maybe not win a championship, there are some juggernauts there in the west, but at least in terms of, you know, reaching the NBA Finals, representing the east, something that was not on anybody's, you know, realistic timeline here for, you know, for the, the spring and summer of, of 2026, to do that, if you're not improving your big man situation, other than the mentality of like, guy returns from injury and that's like an acquisition. I don't know what realistically we can expect to get from Jason Tatum, you know, in terms of all the rebounding and the, the rim protection and all the things that he did so well when fully healthy.

Adam Kaufman (53:38)

And I think that's, that's a point that people are missing. Right? I think people keep thinking, oh, Jason Tatum's coming back, Jason, Dave's coming back. Yeah, that's great. And Jason Tatum in itself just being on the floor will be a difference maker for the Celtics, but he's not going to be averaging 28, 10 rebounds, whatever. Like the ridiculous numbers he put up in the past. Right away, that's just not going to happen. Like, first of all, he's probably going to be on a minutes restriction when he comes back. Second of all, he's going to have to learn, relearn his body, relearn how he was seeing the floor. And I think that was one of the most important things he was doing last year. Everyone's going to look at the scoring with Jason Tatum, but how he was rebounding the basketball. He was their best rebounder. We said that earlier, his assist as well. And his playmaking was another level last year. It was the best we've seen in his career. Just how he was seeing the floor and, and now it's been what it'll be almost a year by the time he comes back. A little less than a year. Like eight, eight, nine months there. Like he hasn't seen the basketball floor, like the basketball court, like that is his court vision is kind of going to be different. Like he has to relearn his body. He has to relearn kind of how to see the game. Like this is going to be a gradual kind of step forward. And that's why I think any minutes he gets on the floor this year are so important because you get all that rust knocked off and you come back ready for next year. Like, I think that was the. Here's the thing where people were so the expectations of this team were so much different at the beginning of the year. And now them playing so well, they've kind of changed. And now it's like that shouldn't change how people view Jason Tatum and what he could be capable of when he's coming back. Like as long as he gets on the floor and knocks off some of that rust, that's a positive. But to expect him to come back and just be Jason Tatum right away is so unfair to him and it's so unrealistic. Like, that's just not going to happen. So I'd agree that you need to go get a big and I think when it comes to Simons, it would just depend on who it is. Like, like I said earlier, if you're just getting a big to kind of move off the contract and bring in a body, I don't think it's necessarily worth it. That said, I don't necessarily believe in the long term with like what they've gotten from Luca Garza. Like, he's been great. But if, if your goal is to win the Eastern Conference, which I don't think is off the table, then it would have to be a little bit different.

Justin Turpin (55:43)

Let's take a quick break. Tell you that today's show is powered in part by Ethos. When you bring a child into the world, your perspective changes overnight. Believe me, I can speak to that a few times over. Suddenly you are thinking years ahead about child care, school, the milestones that you can't wait to see. And for me, part of loving my family meant thinking about their future, even in the uncomfortable ways. That's why I recommend life insurance through Ethos. Ethos makes getting life insurance fast and easy, 100% online. You can get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes, get same day coverage. There's no medical exam. You just answer a few simple health questions. You can get up to $3 million in coverage, some policies as low as 30 bucks a month. As of March 2025, roughly a year ago, Business Insider named Ethos the number one no medical exam instant life insurance provider. Ethos has a 4.8 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot with over 3,000 reviews. Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos now by going to ethos.com all32 that's a L L32. In as little as 10 minutes, you can get your free quote and up to $3,000,000 in coverage at ethos.com/all32 that is E T H O S.com All32 ethos.com All32 Again a L L 32 application. Times and rates may vary. Back here with Justin and again EV we we had for a little more than half the show before technology did him in, but he is still in the back listening to us if you will. We'll wrap here shortly because I know we've, you know, we're sitting around an hour at this point in time here turf, but this upcoming stretch, you know, we've hit a lot of bigger picture thoughts surrounding the Celtics obviously, and the personnel and potential future moves. All of that as we sit here at this moment. Trade deadline, nine games away, as we've highlighted at Atlanta tonight, at Detroit, obviously a far superior team on Monday. This Hawks team, by the way, as we know, not far removed from dealing Trey Young. There's no Christopher Porzingis. Big surprise he's unavailable to play in this one. I do feel badly for what he is going through but man, the Hawks are getting the full Porzingis experience and then back home for just a game against the Pacers who you should beat. I know lost to him last time, but should be. Then it's two more on the road back to back Friday, Saturday, Brooklyn and Chicago, which takes us to a week from tonight. So it's a busy stretch. Handful of games here will in all likelihood be back with you after the next three, maybe four games. We'll try and come back to you before the Friday game to preview that that home and home or not home and home. But you know, two game back to back. What are your, what are you looking for? Be it from the team or any individuals over these next five, six games.

Adam Kaufman (58:53)

I mean these are games, with the exception of Detroit that like they should be favorites in all of these games. I would think looking at, just looking at the schedule, like you should be fa. I know Brooklyn's been playing well, but like they're not going to be underdogs against Brooklyn. I well, I mean they've been playing better but I think they should be favor 2017. Yeah, that's exactly. They've been playing better than, you know, not well, like I said. But I think they should be favorites in pretty much all of these games and this is a good opportunity for them to build some momentum. Like the Knicks, man, they, they just, they keep, they can't get out of their own way. I mean losing to Sacramento the other day, like what's happening there? They were 10 point favorites and they lost to Sacramento. Like the Knicks, you know, you can build some ground there. I think like it's kind of with the clutch things. Another thing I think, I think we might have mentioned this earlier. Just when you're dropping these winnable games, it hurts you in the standings because they very well could be so much closer to Detroit. They could be way more games ahead of New York. Like if you, if what six of those clutch games go your way, like think about how much different things are. So I think they're really close but I just like to see them continue, you know, the dominance that we saw a little bit earlier in the year. You mentioned A little bit with the lull that they've hit recently, specifically in the clutch games, like, get back to that execution, really just stack some wins here because this is a really good chance to do it. And with. With the trade deadline, I just look for guys like Anthony Simons to not be bothered by it.

Justin Turpin (60:10)

Right.

Adam Kaufman (60:10)

Just come out, continue to do what you're doing. And he talked about it in the locker room last week. Just, you know, it's the NBA. He's used to it. He's been in trade rumors since his second season. Like, this is a whole thing, but, like, as long as, you know, just keep. I want to see him just keep playing his game, and I want to see them stack some wins here because they have a good chance to do it. And I think this is. Now we're almost halfway through the season. I think tonight would be the 41 game. That's the halfway point. Like, you got a real chance here to really start building up on wins here and hopefully Jason Tatum comes back. So take advantage of the soft schedule here and, you know, don't let guys like Anthony Simons or maybe even Sam Houser, don't let the trade deadline kind of get in the way of their.

Justin Turpin (60:45)

Their.

Adam Kaufman (60:46)

Their process and their games here.

Justin Turpin (60:48)

Who's the next, I don't know, role player cycle here? Is it going to be this continuation of Garza? Are we going to get an elongated UGO moment? Because that hasn't necessarily happened. The same consistency as some of those other guys or, you know, do we revert back? Does. Does Walsh burst back on the scene?

Adam Kaufman (61:07)

I. It's. I think it should be Jordan Walsh. I think he's been great. He was terrific the other night off the bench. I know all the conversation was about Anthony Simons, but, you know, Jordan Walsh was great, and I really like what he gives them just defensively, like, their turnovers, the turnovers they're forcing have gone significantly down since he came out of the starting lineup. Like, I think it should be Jordan Walsh, but I think someone who could be knocking on, like, a really increased opportunity is Baylor. Sharon, I know he only played like three or four minutes the other night, but he's been getting a little bit more run recently. Obviously got the Wemby assignment. He got it for some of the game. Him and Jordan Walsh is putting that. I think we're getting closer and closer to a Baylor Shireman type of run here where he deserves it, man. I think, you know, you're looking at him and you're looking at the stat sheet and it's not going to jump out. It's just. It's not. The numbers are not going to be flashy. You're not gonna be like, oh, wow, Baylor Sharon played great. But if you actually watch the games, he's picking his pockets perfectly. Pockets of the game where he can impact the impact a run, whatever it may be, and just impact winning. And I think he's done a terrific job with that. And even if he plays three minutes the other night, like Joe Missoula doesn't, he doesn't miss those pieces, those pockets of the game that he has that impact. So I think we could be getting closer and closer to kind of a Baylor Shireman type of run here. But I think it should be Jordan Walsh. And I'm excited to see what happens when Josh Mina comes back. Obviously, he's been dealing with the sprained ankle, had a couple of DNPs before then, like, what are they going to do with him? Like, that's another one that I'm kind of interested in seeing because for a while it looked like he was your third center.

Justin Turpin (62:32)

Yeah.

Adam Kaufman (62:32)

Or your backup center, rather. And then Garza reemerged and we haven't really seen much of Minot, so kind of interested to see what happens with him when he comes back.

Justin Turpin (62:40)

So.

Adam Kaufman (62:40)

The fun thing about this season, though is just the unpredictability has given so many storylines, right. Like, we're sitting here like, who's going to be the next player to get, like, go on this run. Like, we've had Minot, we've had Garza, we've had Ugo and Stretch. It's like, who's it going to be? And that unpredictability. I think one, it's a competitive advantage because if we're here, sit and talk about it, we watch every games. You can only imagine what the scouts thinking when they're only watching a handful. Like, it's that level on predictability is fun for the storylines and fun for just the competitive advantage. So Joe Missoula hinted at it at the beginning of the year. He was saying like, hey, we're going to have a different starting lineups, we're not going to have a set rotation. And obviously that hasn't totally come to fruition where they've settled on starting lineups again for certain pockets and you kind of know the rotation of what it's going to be. But just, you know, the different minutes and all that has been interesting to watch. It's been a fun storyline.

Justin Turpin (63:25)

Do you believe that Shireman is a piece And I, I asked that knowing full well that, you know, if I, if I had asked you that question a year ago about Jordan Walsh, you would have been skeptical. I mean, a lot of people were right. You had written off Jordan Walsh going into this year and all of a sudden gets an opportunity, starts consistently, and now we're looking at him as someone that, yeah, can, can be a, a rotational player on a championship contender. How are you feeling about Shireman?

Adam Kaufman (63:50)

I just think the skill sets of him, Ugo and Jordan Walsh are all so similar that it's going to be tough to kind of hold on to all three of them in the long term. You know what I mean? Like, I think Jordan Walsh is their best defender and they're all knocking down their open shots, which is a big thing, like. But you don't really look at any of them necessarily as a shooter. I know Baylor kind of was in college, but you don't really look at them as shooters. Jordan Walsh is shooting lights out of ball this year and all of them are making their shots when they've been called upon. But I just think that the skill sets between the three are so alike that eventually you're going to have to settle on two of them. And I would think that's Jordan Walsh and Ugo Gonzalez. But who knows, because we're talking about a relatively small sample size for Jordan Walsh. I mean, I know it's been about a quarter of a season now because he was kind of out of the rotation for the first quarter of it, but like, you know, that's in the small, in the grand scheme of things, that's kind of a small sample size. So Baylor Shireman could have a Jordan like Walsh like run in, in the third part of the season or in the final quarter of the season. Like, you don't really know. But I just think the, the skill sets between those three are so similar that I have a tough time envisioning them hold on to all three of them.

Justin Turpin (64:58)

All right, well, I, I feel badly that EV is in the background and, and going on much longer without him, you know, so we're going to make sure that we have him back with, with us here to at least start the next show next week. But Justin Turpin, who is on Twitter at Justin M. Turpin, of course, a writer for Wei, does a great job covering the Celtics, chimes in as you can tell already on other teams as well, we are all counting down the moments until we get to watch Patriots, Texans and Foxborough and hopefully a weather game that would be fun for a dome team coming from the south playing in the you know, albeit afternoon won't be as cold as it will be at night. But nevertheless, with 3pm kickoff, it could be pretty nasty out there at Gillette. And I know we're hoping it is. But more than anything else, hoping we have a Patriots game still to talk about after that one and stretch this really fun season as Drake may climbs the ranks of national and local popularity. But for Evan Valenti before I'm Adam Kaufman, we want to remind you, check out CLNS, the All Access page on YouTube for all the great content available to you across many Celtics related podcasts and NBA podcasts and a lot of great Patriots Focus podcasts as well. The team has been killing it from down in Foxborough all season long. And of course the audio version Download Rate Review subscribe wherever you get your podcast. Justin Turpin, thank you so much for hopping on with us again, man. We'll bug you again real soon.

Adam Kaufman (66:25)

My pleasure. Anytime. Go pets.

Justin Turpin (66:27)

All right. For Turp ev, I'm Adam. We'll see you later.