← Green With Envy: A Boston Celtics Podcast
Green With Envy: A Boston Celtics Podcast
Overreaction Fact or Fiction: Is There Any Hope For These Boston Celtics? + Mediocre Life Updates
01:02:04
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- [00:00]
Will
Everybody knows Shaq, but off camera, he's just a regular guy.
- [00:04]
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- [01:00]
Will
This is Mike Gorman, and you're listening to Green with Envy with Will and Greg. All right, everybody. One week down, three losses on the ledger. You know what we're gonna do here? It's overreaction, fact or fiction? One week into the Celtics basketball season, this is Green with Envy. You guys know the deal. Let's lock in.
- [01:32]
Greg
Oh.
- [01:39]
Will
What up, what up, what up? Welcome into another edition of Green with Envy. Throwing it back, coffee and Celtic style. Go get your cup of joe. We got some stuff to talk about here. One week into the NBA season. As always, this is what will. We're checking in. How you doing? How you living? Joining me as it does each and every time, my best friend, co host and the coach of our podcast, the one and only Greg Menex. Greg, I know you got a hat on this morning. For those of you not watching on YouTube, is this to cover up your hairline? Have you not applied the appropriate spray this morning?
- [02:12]
Greg
No, I. My subscription to Beijing is actually on hold right now, so.
- [02:18]
Will
Is there a 74741 subscription?
- [02:22]
Greg
I like this. I like this idea that maybe 741 could get into the hair regeneration market.
- [02:28]
Will
The new Rover spray. Make sure you get yours now before it. Before it goes out.
- [02:32]
Greg
Sprinkle some moon dust on that hairline. See what grows.
- [02:36]
Will
See, guys, this is what we're doing here. We're gonna. We're gonna find the lightness at the end of the tunnel here. We're gonna have some fun here. One week in to the NBA season, Greg, not the start Celtics were looking for. Oh, and three losses to the Sixers, Knicks and Pistons yesterday. We're recording this on a Monday morning. Monday night the Celtics are on their way if in New Orleans to take on the Pelicans and what is kind of a big game for early in the season, just to try to clear up that, that three game losing streak. But Greg, first three game losing streak since 2023. Been a while since we've been in this position.
- [03:15]
Greg
Yeah, it's, it's a new, new feeling. But you know, I was talking to Danielle and she was like, she was like looking at the score of the Knicks game when it was still close and she was like, oh, this is a close game. And I was like, yeah, it's not going to be close for long. Like I just had this feeling that the Knicks were going to pull away. We're just. Our roster just doesn't make sense right now, man. Without Jason Tatum in there just like plugging a lot of the, the holes and filling a lot of the gaps. There's just so much roster reconstruction that needs to happen and I'm excited to talk about what the roster could look like in this game of fact or fiction that we're playing.
- [03:55]
Will
Yeah. So let's set this up, everybody. So we were thinking about this and we're like, listen, we could sit here and we could do a very traditional good, bad, ugly. And it's going to be a lot of bad and ugly. Right. Like that's, that's just reality and there are some good. I don't want to act entirely doomsday, but just from you know, where we're coming from as a fan base and even with the lowered expectations, you know, Owen 3 feels rough, but we'll talk about it. And so we came up with overreaction. Fact or fiction. So basically, Greg, I think we talked about this before. You have about five or six things. I got about five or six things that I've got written down here of statements. We're going to go back and forth and decide whether these are fact or fiction. We may have a few things that cross over, but it will allow for us. We're going to talk about the entire week as a, you know, as a whole rather than just focusing on an individual game. So why don't you go ahead and start, Greg, maybe we can do it. You give me your fact or fiction statement. I'll tell you whether I think it's fact or fiction or if I have a similar one. And then you can give me, you know, your reasoning for whatever you think as well.
- [04:55]
Greg
Okay. Hugo Gonzalez we're start with Hugo will be a starter on the Celtics next championship roster.
- [05:06]
Will
O. All right. This is very similar to one I have here. I have. It's Ugo, by the way, just so we're gonna. We're gonna get it correct. I got you, Ugo. I have Ugo, Gonzaga. Gonzalez is a future full time starter. So you just added on the next championship level team is what you said.
- [05:21]
Greg
Yes.
- [05:22]
Will
Yeah. Yes. Okay, I'm gonna go. Fact. This is. Again, this is, we're overreacting here. It's. It's three games in to an 82 game season. But. And it's funny you just said this thinking about what this team can look like. I went to bed last night actually kind of thinking about this because I was thinking about these different bullet points that I had. And when I start to think about what a real iteration of this team looks like, I was like, you know what I could definitely picture in my head? A starting lineup where it's Derrick White, Jalen Brown, Ugo, Jason Tatum. We got to insert five, figure out the. The five situation. But those four, I could totally see that. And then you move Pritchard to the bench. You have Hauser, who's in that rocksteady role that, you know, that he's been in. He's a knockdown shooter and, you know, maybe Josh Minot is still in there. He's only 22. Right. That's still another guy when you look at whatever that Anthony Simon spot comes into. I'm sure we'll talk about him at some point later, but it's an expiring contract, so I don't want to. I'm not projecting him to this team for even next year yet at this point. And so when you look at that group of. What is that, seven guys, you feel pretty good about that, right? You got to clean up whatever the front line looks like. But you look at that group of seven and obviously Jason Tatum being added to the mix makes a world of difference. And you project Ugo being 19 years old and what you've seen in this first week and what is the potential to be with him. And that's exciting, right? Like, that's really exciting to think about. So I'm in as a fact that Ugo will be a full time starter and will be contributing to a winning team for in the not Too distant future, Right.
- [07:01]
Greg
I guess that's the, the main point, right, Is what is the not too distant future? When will the Celtics be able to get back to a level of contention? Because Ugo, as you said, is 19 years old. Right. So is it going to makes sense for. Let's just say it's next season, right? The Celtics pull off some move and they end up with a front court that's actually professional level. And we're, we're looking at this team next year and we're like, wow, the Celtics could actually contend this year and Ugo is going to be the starting two. Right. And I think the big thing with Ugo, one, the energy, the defense, the deflections, all that stuff he's playing with, you know, Jalen Brown after the Knicks game was like, we, it can't just be the rook, right? That's what he said. Like, everyone is singing Ugo Gonzalez praises. Stan Van Gundy was drooling. Like, you could hear the saliva dripping.
- [07:47]
Will
Down coming from Stan Van Gundy. Like even at one point. I, I, I think, I think it's Noah Eagle that was on the call with him. I think he, this is pretty good. He was like, should I, should I, should I just step out for a minute so you can talk about this? Like, he dropped a good line like that. Like Stan was going nuts and we, we were down 10 to 15 at this point. Remember, like, this is not like, oh my God, it's a close game. It's like he's trying to keep it within shouting distance.
- [08:12]
Greg
Yeah. And like I texted out to if I was texting with Phil Keefe during that game and I, I texted him. I can't remember if I had texted one of the group chats we're in that I thought Ugo was going to be a starter this season. I was like, after that Knicks game, I was like, he's going to be a starter this season. And then it's the very next game, Joe puts him in there. And I kind of like this idea of Joe just being like, you know what, I don't know what this team is yet. I don't know how this roster that I've been given actually makes sense. So I'm going to try, right? Ugo didn't play and in the first game, maybe if he does play in the first game, he's able to put the clamps on Edgecomb or Maxi for a couple minutes. Right. We saw him get the, the main assignment last night, guarding Cade Cunningham. 17 minutes of action and it was all Covering Kate Cunningham. Ugo is a great defender. Like, I saw it in the preseason where I was like, he reminds me of Drew Holiday. Like, he really does. He's got the size of Drew, he's got the physicality of Drew. He's got the, the hands that are just everywhere on defense. It's just the question is, is he going to have like the elite on ball instincts to kind of cut people off the way that Drew did and that, that flair for the big moment that Drew did, which ultimately made him one of the greatest defenders of all time. Right. But when you're projecting this team out and the four that you mentioned, right, D. White, Ugo and the Jays, that is basically the same four that we had last year. If you're just plugging in Ugo for Drew in terms of size and like defensive IM impact and especially where there was a diminished Drew Holiday last season, this season Drew Holiday is putting up good numbers for the Trailblazers. And it's like, what the hell, Drew? Where was this last year?
- [09:49]
Will
I know we'll have to, we'll see how that, that pans out. But yeah, with Ugo, I think you're right. And it's more size, right. Even though Drew guards up like legit 6, 6, legit 6, 6. Second biggest hands in NBA history. Like, you put all that together and you know, in, you know, even taken away from the, the Holiday comparison, like, like Ugo at 19 can handle the ball a little bit, obviously. Right. Like, like, so that's also something that, you know, he gives you that Drew had too. Just another ball handle out there. And like, we'll see where the playmaking gets. Because that's something these three games, like, like not having playmaking is, is really something that, that does stick out. And so we'll see where he gets to. But just with his, you know, right now, it feels like he, he cuts pretty well. I think from what I've seen. He crashes the board. Like he had a couple put backs against that one against the Knicks where he comes crashing in from the left, left wing. Like he's got really good instincts. And so on the offensive side, like, yes, the jump shot will, will need to come along, but keep shooting him. Like, like my, I was thinking about this. I was like, if by the end of the year, if he continues to either start or get, you know, 18 to 25 minutes, whatever, Joe's gonna end up, you know, settling on. This is typical rotation. If Ugo's out there, like, I need to see him shooting three to four Threes a game. And, like, I don't care if it's in the high 20s, low 30s, like, that's fine. I need the reps. Like, we need the reps. Because then when you get to next year or two years from now, and maybe he's a 37 or 30 or something respectable. Right. Especially when you bring back Tatum, those shots get a little bit more open. Right. They give more space, and that's what you want to see from Hugo. And I feel like we. The blueprint is there. Like, it feels like it's there. And right now, three games in, that's probably the most exciting thing about this team.
- [11:35]
Greg
And it's great because I needed something to be really excited about this season. And you always want it to be like fresh blood, Right? In the past couple seasons, we were trying to talk ourselves into Jordan Walsh minutes and stuff like that. As we rightly predicted in the preseason, Ugo and Josh Minot had just outplayed Jordan Walsh. And Jordan Walsh's time as the rotation player with the Celtics is dwindling right at this point. So I'm excited for.
- [12:00]
Will
He's never gotten it, but the opportunity for it is dwindling.
- [12:03]
Greg
Yeah.
- [12:04]
Will
Yeah.
- [12:04]
Greg
And Ugo just. I mean, he's doing everything that you want out of a role player in Boston right now. I agree with the point on needing to shoot the three, but at the same time, I think what makes Ugo really good right now is that he's taking the right shots and he's looking for the next pass. Because overall, one of the things that I'm seeing with the Celtics team, especially with a guy like Derrick White, is he's playing kind of out of character and hunting shots too much. And I think overall, the team is hunting too many shots, and they just need to trust the extra pass because I haven't seen that so far this season.
- [12:35]
Will
Yeah, that's a great point. I. I think that's definitely, definitely an issue. All right, let me go. Let me go to the next factor fiction that I got here. Anthony Simons is untradable.
- [12:50]
Greg
So here's. Here's what I have for my Anthony Simons factor. Fiction. Anthony Simon's next contract will be for less than what he makes now, and it won't be with the Boston Celtics. So I. I like how we're. We're both thinking along the same lines, because, man, Anthony Simons, you put him in a pick and roll situation where he gets trapped and he has to hit somebody in the short roll. That ball has no chance of getting to the guy in the short roll. Like he had two of the worst short roll passes I've ever seen in my entire life. In the game against the Pistons last night, one on the right side of the car court near half court, one on the left side of the court near half court. And he just looks completely lost the moment there's any sort of pressure on him, especially if you're sending two to the ball. Like he can shoot, he can get to his right hand and finish. He is a quote unquote certified bucket, as everyone is saying out there. But he is not a lead ball handler by any stretch of the imagination. He is pretty God awful at it. Let me just, let's just call what it is, will never be. How about this overreaction? Fact or fiction? Anthony Simons will never be a lead ball handler on a winning basketball team.
- [14:02]
Will
Yeah, I think that's an absolute fact. That's a definite fact. Him being untradable, I think is still fiction for now. It's trending.
- [14:10]
Greg
I would agree with that.
- [14:10]
Will
It's fiction for now. Him getting less of his next contract, also trending towards fact. Right. Like, and also he makes 27 million. So it's like, you know, that's, that's likely to happen. But with Anthony Simons. You mentioned it, Greg. Like, look, I, I just, I'm not enjoying this experience so far. It hasn't, it hasn't been great. I was hoping that this would be something I'm like, to your point, new, Fresh blood. This is new to us. Right? Like he played in Portland late night games on a bad Portland team. I wasn't staying up to watch that. You know what I mean? Like the early, early Anthony Simons when they were still Dame. It's like I was just like, I don't know what this is yet. And then whatever it's become, it's, it's, it's weird. It felt like he was a guy who was looked at on the fringes of, oh, he's in a Tyler hero, CJ McCollum type mole, Jordan pool type mold. Like, you know, maybe if you get in the right situation, he'll put up numbers and he can help. What? That's an insult to those guys. Like, I don't. Like, those guys are, are better than Anthony Simons from what I've seen so far. Like Simon, he's not even close. Yeah, like, like Tyler Herro and CJ McCollum can dribble the basketball. Like they can make reads and passes. They're not going to be exceptional. But like Tyler Hero made the All Star game last year. C.J. mcCollum's been a fringe all star or was for a solid portion, you know, of his career. Not seeing that with Anthony Simons, to your point, to give him a little bit of credit, I feel like once or twice a game I do see like, oh, this is why people like Anthony Simons. He just, you know, got downhill to the rim and you know, made a play usually to the right side. Like you said, you can see when he gets hot, he can heat up pretty quickly shooting the ball. So there are some things that, that you see that.
- [15:48]
Greg
And he's trying on defense. I'll give him, I was going to say he's trying on defense.
- [15:51]
Will
Few IQ mistakes, but yes, he's trying on defense, he's working. So you're liking that. So the little bit of bail that I will throw him here and this is where I think it gets into the, the Joe Missoula side of things. Well, this is, it's two part, I guess. One is I think we were wrong in our expectation of once we heard, hey, this is a track meet team. Cool. Maybe let's look at the per, like the, the profile of the team. This should fit a guy who's athletic, a guy who can shoot, guy who we at the time thought could dribble a little better than he actually could. And we were like this, you know, you have Simons, he's going to be your second or third leading scorer. Like, cool, this is gonna fit. Doesn't seem to fit. He really only seems to function in the half court. And even then it's like it's only self sufficient for him, not necessarily the rest of the team.
- [16:35]
Greg
Yeah.
- [16:35]
Will
But on the other side of that, like if he's supposed to be your second or third leading score, here's his totals over the first three games. Sixers 5 of 10, 13 points. Knicks 4 of 9, 10 points. Pistons 5 of 13, 12 points. Like if you're expecting to get 20 points out of him, Joe also has to find ways to put him in positions to get more shots because he is one of still one of your better offensive players. And if he's getting 10, 9, 13 shots like, and you want him to get 20, like he's got to be damn near perfect to be able to even get to that 20. So some of that is certainly on him for the faults that we've talked about with being able to, to play off pick and roll handling against pressure. But I think this is where Joe needs to also find a way to put him in a better position. And he's also just to your point of Joe figuring out his lineup. The minutes for Anthony Simons 32 against the Sixers, 27 against the Knicks, 23 against the Pistons. That's also not helping. Trying to put him in spots where he can use the skill set that he does have. So not enjoying the experience. I think the experience can be made better, but Joe's got to find a way to help that experience. And maybe that's just a learning process.
- [17:47]
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- [18:47]
Greg
Yeah, and also you would like to at least get some idea of what Simon's and Tatum could look like because maybe with Jayson Tatum on the ball and you know, being just 610 on the court, it would kind of mask some of the deficiencies of Anthony Simons and get him some more wide open shots. Because that's another thing that we're seeing out of the Celtics. Jaylen Brown also called this out in terms of the spacing with this team, guys don't really know where they're supposed to be. Like after years and years of just like a well oiled offensive machine with everybody in the right spots at all times, we're just not seeing that this year. So all the reads like I want to give Jalen Brown a break. You know, the seven turnovers were pretty bad against the Knicks, but there are a couple of them where you could tell he was just like expecting someone to be in a in a space that they weren't. He was like, what the. Where's the guy holding the corner when I drive? You know what I mean? Like, and it was just like little things like that. But overall, you know, I think that this team, when you project Anthony Simons, you know, we talked about Ugo being on the next championship contender. I, I don't know what it would take for Andrew Simons to be on the next iteration of the Celtics championship team unless it was like a vet minimum that he came back on because nobody wanted him after seeing him.
- [19:59]
Will
I mean, that's why when I was laying it out, I'm like, whatever that 27 million dollar spot becomes, because I, as of right now, I don't see it being.
- [20:06]
Greg
Well, I mean, dude, you think of like Quentin Grimes, right? I, I don't know exactly what he got, but I know he got like.
- [20:12]
Will
Way he's on the qualifying offer restricted and so it was like, like 6, 7 million. But he'll get more next year, presumably.
- [20:19]
Greg
Presumably. Right. But if you're just like comparing those two guys, right, Grimes, who's like a gritty defender that can shoot a little bit, versus Simons, who can shoot but can't really do much else, it's like, who do you actually want to allocate funds to, you know?
- [20:33]
Will
Yeah, yeah, like Simons is just, just a shooter scorer and he's not even doing that at a high level right now. So it's, it's been a tough watch for Anthony Simons so far. Greg, you're, you're up next. What you got?
- [20:44]
Greg
All right, let's go to Jaylen Brown. This isn't really an overreaction, but it's more just like a, something I noticed realizing Jaylen Brown truly is better off. Let me, let me restart that. Realizing that Jaylen Brown truly is better off. The ball will be the great silver lining from this non Tatum stretch.
- [21:14]
Will
I'm gonna say fiction only because that two, two things. One, that's kind of the fact right now, right, is that he's just better off. Ball. Yeah, that's, that's the established fact. I'm gonna say fiction because I think much of the point that you just made of like guys are going to learn what spots to be in and that's some of the Jalen Brown turnovers, which Jalen played awesome against the Pistons. Right. But even as you said that there was a crucial play in the fourth quarter where I feel like he tried to kick the ball out to the wing and just nobody was there and he was just totally expecting someone to be in that.
- [21:44]
Greg
I Think it's Pritchard. Yeah.
- [21:46]
Will
Yeah. And so, you know, I. I'm saying fiction because I think as the season goes on, Jalen is gonna start to figure things out. We always do this with Jalen where it's like, I don't think he's gonna get this, and eventually he usually gets it to a certain degree. Now I don't think he's going to turn into the levels that Tatum got to as a playmaker. Different things that Jason Tatum can do. I don't think he's getting there, but I do think we're gonna see improvements in that, and some of that's gonna have to do with the team around and eventually, hopefully finding some sort of a rotation and people knowing their spots, their roles. So I think it's fiction because I just. I just believe in Jalen's ability to show growth.
- [22:30]
Greg
Yeah, no, I think that that's fair. I just. When you look at the way that Jalen was utilized against the Pistons, and he talked about it in the post game, like, they just went back to what Jalen Brown does great, right? They. They put him in a lot of, like, empty side DHO actions where he had to make, like, one read going to his right hand. You know what I mean? And, like, that's where Jaylen Brown thrives. It's like operating with dho. Let's just say it's Luca Garza, right? So Luca Garza is on the left side of the court. Jalen's in the corner. He dribbles towards Jalen as Jalen comes, lifts out of that corner for a DHO attacks the elbow. Luca Garza is rolling to the basket, right? He knows exactly where the help is coming from. He's able to either dish it to Luca, who's. Who's going to be rolling. He can pull up at the elbow, or he can kick across to the corner, right? Like, those very basic reads. Jalen is great at making those and especially getting to his right hand. You're at his mercy when he's doing that, right? He can just, like, do anything he wants. And that's where, like, I. I kind of want the Celtics to just say, jalen, you're great at this. Like, we need the other guys to show growth where, like, you just be the best version that you can be at the thing you're already great at, because that's what's actually going to lead to, like, a sustainable NBA offense with the current team. But I hear your point is that Jalen, you know, like, it's very Similar to when Jason Kidd made Giannis the point guard, like, early in his career. It's like you're going to have a lot of growing pains, but eventually you look at Giannis and he's putting up like 40, 20 and 10 to start the season because he can make all the reads in the book that lines.
- [24:11]
Will
Are out of control across the NBA. Right. I didn't even realize I was, I was scrolling my phone, waiting for my coffee made. I was like, austin reeves put up 51, 11 and 9 last night, like just every day waking up to some type of silly line. But with Jalen, like, it's interesting because. And this is where to your earlier point, or really the point of the entire podcast of this roster doesn't make a lot of sense, is we've. It feels like Pritchard and Derrick White, guys like that are trying to do things that are not within them. Right. But also to the point that you just made, it's like, okay, let's let Jalen, who's got the highest level skill that we have on this team, to do the thing that's going to keep us, you know, at a certain floor because he's just so good at that. And. But then that's going to ask Derek White and Peyton Pritchard for that growth and we're going to see some of these things that we're seeing now. And so what, what is the counterbalance to that? Right. And I mean, that's the question for Joe Missoul and his coaching staff to try to figure out. Right? Right. Yeah.
- [25:12]
Greg
We're not smart enough to figure that out.
- [25:14]
Will
No, not at all. Not at all. And so it's a really tough balance. And I want to give JB a lot of credit because after watching the first two games, you know, especially the first game against the Sixers, we talked about it, he was very in control, but he didn't insert himself when he needed too. He inserted himself from the beginning of that Pistons game. Right. And this team needs that. To my point of a second ago, just like stat lines are out of control, like Jalen needed, needed a stat line that, that joined the party with the out of control stat lines. Because when you look at this team, that's how this team is going to, you know, is going to contend with any team on, on a nightly basis. Like, he, to a degree needs to go to that Giannis mode. He's not gonna get the Giannis level. But, you know, I was watching the Cavs and, and Bucks last night, like towards the second half Like, Shia's doing everything. Like, and he kept them in that game. Like, games when the. The Celtics are playing the Sixers, who, you know, then we'll see. See them on Friday night. But even the Pelicans tonight. Right. Like, we don't know what's going to happen in that game. Like, they don't really have, like, I haven't checked their injury report, but they don't really have like a traditional center. That should scare you. You. Right. Like, like Jalen Brown needs to insert himself in the beginning of this game and we'll see if he plays back to back coming off the hammy and everything. But, like, this is a game where it's like you need to have your fingerprints all over it if this team is going to win. And so I like that Jalen Brown did that against Detroit. Obviously didn't result in the win because there's other issues that we'll talk about, but I think that version of Jalen Brown, and maybe this gets back to the original point here. He just needs to. To do the things that he's really good at to give this team a chance and see if the others can kind of step up their game and grow.
- [26:57]
Greg
What you got next?
- [26:59]
Will
Yeah, I have a Jalen Brown one, but I, I don't. I'm. I'm gonna skip that one for, for right now. Let's just go to the one that I'm sure people thought we'd probably start with. Celtics should go in full tank mode. It's. It's. It's time. Three games in. It's 0 and 3. We've got Darren Peterson, we've got A.J. daban, we've got Cameron Boozer who put up a 24.23 rebound. How 23 rebounds down, Greg, can we get 23 rebounds in the mix? I don't know, man.
- [27:27]
Greg
And maybe Cam Boozer on the team. His dad, Carlos. That is the. The boozer.
- [27:34]
Will
Yeah.
- [27:35]
Greg
Okay.
- [27:35]
Will
Yeah, yeah.
- [27:36]
Greg
He can give Jalen Brown some, some tips on how not to be so obvious with the Beijing.
- [27:41]
Will
I. Well, I, I don't know if you can give him about not being obvious. He's the king of obvious. He was the first one that everyone went nuts, but he got clowned for.
- [27:48]
Greg
It to the point where he had to adjust.
- [27:49]
Will
Yes, that's true. That's true. So maybe there's a brewing collaboration there. Boozer times 741. We can get Sam Adams in the mix. Boozer 741, we got a whole activation going.
- [28:01]
Greg
Yeah. You drink this. Your hair Will grow back.
- [28:04]
Will
Yeah, yeah, yeah. There we go.
- [28:07]
Greg
That's great. Okay, I'm gonna go fiction for now. You can't tank three games into a season, right? I think that there's, especially with them evening out the lottery odds to the degree that they have. There's just no reason to go full tank until you 100% see what you have with this roster. And to. I think the Celtics are already talent deficient enough where like, even if they try to win, they're probably going to be roughly around the tanking spot when you get to the trade deadline. Right. I think right now you need to maximize your trade assets on the roster just in case you want to make those trades. But also looking towards, as we started this podcast with the next championship contender, who are the guys that you really want to keep on this team? Is it Ugo? Is it Josh Meine? Is it Keda? Right. We haven't talked about the center position yet. Is Keita the future starting center for this team? Does he project as a backup big? Does he project as a, as a third big? Like where does he actually fit within an NBA big man rotation? Right. So I think it's way too early to talk about tanking with the Celtics. I want to see them. You know, Peyton Pritchard mentioned, hey, we have guys that can shoot the ball that are not shooting it to the clip that they're normally expected to shoot. My pushback to Peyton Pritchard is, yeah, but normally you have Jason Tatum to get you wide open shots, you know, and right now we don't have Jason Tatum to get us wide open shots. And you see Peyton Pritchard forcing it or not being able to get a shot off. You see Derrick White just playing completely non Derrick White type basketball through three games, just taking terrible shots, just terrible, terrible shots from Derrick White. And I need to see this roster just mesh a little bit more and put together a stretch of 48 minutes of basketball sooner rather than later.
- [30:00]
Will
Yeah, I think it's fiction as well too, but it's going to be at the forefront of conversations constantly. Anytime this team has a losing streak and, you know, starting the season off with three losses, it doesn't feel good. But Greg, right, let's think about it from this perspective, right? Start the season off against the Sixers, Knicks and Pistons. Knicks we are. They are considered part of the inner circle of not just the east, but the NBA. Like they're top four, five, six team in the NBA. Expected loss, Pistons team on the rise. Like that's a team that is expected to be in a guaranteed Eastern Conference playoff spot. Four or five, somewhere in that range, probably a loss. The Sixers game is really where it comes down to the Celtics this past week needed to win that game and be barely out there, but barely out there. They're rolling out there with Dominic Barlow as the only big. You've got a rookie in VJ Edgecomb, and of course, Tyrese Maxey's doing his thing, but they're undersized. That's the game that the Celtics needed to win. And so, yes, the Celtics are.03. If they score two more points against the Sixers, and they're 1 and 2, it doesn't feel good, but it feels a lot better than it does right now. And I don't think we're having this discussion, but they did lose that game, and so now this discussion is more prevalent.
- [31:17]
Greg
Yeah, no, I think that that's completely fair. And, you know, with. With this team being 03, you look around the league at the other teams that are kind of struggling to get off to a good start. The one that we talked a lot about was the Indiana Pacers. Right. Who are also own three, and they played great basketball in the first game against an underman Thunder team, But they. They look good. They've. They've hung in their games. And it's just like, when. When you lose the best player on a team, it's just hard to, like, immediately know how to win games. Like, we've learned how to win games with Jayson Tatum, Jalen Brown, and Derrick White as our, like, three best players for the past three years, and now we have to learn how to win games without Jason Tatum out there. And also without Chris Saps for Zingis, without Al Horford, without Luke Cornett, without Drew Hol. Like, it's easy to say, oh, the Celtics without Jason Tatum. Last year, like, Jaylen Brown had these numbers, and the Celtics had this record. It's like. Yeah. But we also still had, like, a really good support.
- [32:14]
Will
That's an entire starting five you just named. Right? Like, that's an entire starting five that's gone.
- [32:18]
Greg
Yeah. So it's. It's just, like, not fair to. To be.
- [32:22]
Will
And Luke looks great in San Antonio, by the way.
- [32:24]
Greg
Oh, he looks amazing. It's just not fair to be too harsh on any of these guys right now because they are literally playing with an entirely new group of people, and they just don't have any sort of chemistry right now.
- [32:36]
Will
Yeah. The one scary part that I will say is those three games, sixers Embiid out there, but not really out there. Paul George coming back. Jared McCain coming back. Knicks. Mitchell Robinson didn't play. We, again, they're probably in different class. Pistons. We were hoping that they're. They're in the next class, but not that far off. We'd be right on there, kind of like, like, right. Right behind them. No. Jaden Ivy and Celtics. This is it. This is it. There's no reinforcements coming. You know, unless you're counting Tatum in a moonshot at the end of February, early March, which, you know, if this keeps up, there will be no need for that. We can end that discussion sooner rather than later. But that's the scary part, is that there are no more reinforcements. There is not. Well, as soon as Player X gets back, we'll feel a little bit better. Like, this is the roster, and this is going to be the roster likely for the season. And other teams are still getting whole. So while the Celtics are figuring each other out, there's other teams that are. That they're losing to that are getting really valuable pieces back that are only going to make things harder than this first week.
- [33:44]
Greg
All right, my next one. Let's go. This is a big one. I like it.
- [33:52]
Will
Let's go.
- [33:53]
Greg
Derrick White will be traded this season.
- [33:55]
Will
Oh, I'm gonna go fiction. I'm going fiction. I can't. I. I can't get there yet. I can't get there. It's interesting that you bring this up because, as you know, we bring up all the time that we listen to, you know, Bill Simmons and the Ringer crew. And I was thinking back to when they did, like, kind of like the emergency Fred Van Vliet. What happens? Like, you know, who can fill that spot? And both Peyton Pritchard and Derek White got brought up. And the Peyton Pritchard idea, watching him struggle, I was like, yeah, maybe we could trade Peyton. We'll see what happens, see what we can get back, you know, like, that. That crossed my mind. Derrick White, I haven't gotten there yet. Although the haul that you can get for Derrick White, I'm sure depending on how the season goes, will look appealing, but I still believe in Derrick White. Like you said, it's been very un Derrick White like basketball. And I praised him during the. The Sixers in the last preseason game because, like, I. I liked the mentality he's taking on. But now it's creating more and more decisions that are just so un. Derrick White like, that we need kind of a course correction in some way. And I don't know how we get there. Part of it is going back to one of my other factor figures, I think is we have to find a way to honestly maybe slow it down a little bit so we can get Anthony Simons to score the ball more so that Derrick White doesn't feel the pressure to have to make those decisions and maybe he can set up a guy like Anthony Simons. Like I, I don't know. Again, we're not smart enough to know what these answers are. We're just throwing stuff. We're throwing spaghetti against the wall and hoping it sticks, right? We're hoping that it's ready. But I don't know. But I'm not there yet. Where are you at.
- [35:29]
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Will
What about toys? Do they have brands kids have been wanting all year? Yep.
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Do you mean they have all the brands I adore?
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- [36:31]
Greg
I think this ties into the tanking idea, right. If we go full tank, I think Derek White will be traded and I think that's, that's part of it, right? Is it like for us to put the worst possible team out there? Derek White's not on that team. And it's also looking at just his age, right? He's 31. If we're like, you know what this roster is going to? It's this is a three year overhaul and not a one year overhaul. Then you're looking at like Derrick White for some younger guys. Maybe we get back to Bari Smith or something like that who you know can help with the rebounding. He brings more size. Tatum at the 3, Jalen at the 2. Now we're like Absolutely huge. Maybe you believe in Ugo, starting with that lineup, maybe we get back like a Clint Capella, like a real center. I don't know what contracts are right now. Just talking out loud, but you know, there's, there's ways that the Celtics can talk themselves into a Derrick White trade. I don't want to see it by any means. Like, I want Derrick White on, like for the rest of his contract that we have him on. I want him on the Celtics because he does function. We know how well he can function in a tertiary or, or fourth option role. Right. What would be, by the way? What's the fourth one? It would be quaternary, Quaternary, Quadray, Quadrari. I think it'd be Quaternary.
- [37:45]
Will
San Diego, San Diegoites.
- [37:48]
Greg
A whale's vagina. I think, I think that's where we need Derrick White is to, to learn what he can learn as a number two option this year. But be ready to be the third option once Jason Tatum comes back.
- [38:02]
Will
Yeah, I just again, looking at what. And I, I can't see this being a two, three year rebuild. Not when you have the Jays, right? Like, you have to find a way to, to maximize and capitalize that they are in their primes. And so if you're trading Derrick White, which I can't, that to me would be an off season move. I can't see them doing that in the middle of the season. I think there's other ways that, you know, like you said, just by playing their regulars, they might be bad enough to, to not have to really worry about, like, oh, we have to sit people. Like, this just might be a thing that happens naturally. And with the odds having, like you said, having leveled out, like, you don't need to trade Derrick White to make yourself that bad, right? Like, you can be like, hey, cool, we'll be the, you know, eighth worst record in the NBA and we're gonna have, you know, not that much lesser of a chance than if we were the fourth worst team because of the odds, right? Like, so it's like, cool, we'll, we'll let play it out from there, see where we're at. And if we end up with the seventh pick instead of jumping up to the, you know, fourth or third pick, like that's still valuable. Like we, we trust our scouting department. We can still get value there. And, or we can package seven plus maybe Pritchard and Hauser or Pritchard and somebody else. You'll get something, right? Like there's still going to be something you can get out of it. So I. I just don't think getting to the point of trading Derrick White is. Is going to make sense to me this season. I just think he makes too much sense with the Jays. And, you know, what's there that you gotta. You gotta get Jason Tatum back before you ever make that call. Yeah.
- [39:29]
Greg
And we've seen with. With the Jays, right, because they don't necessarily make each other better. Just like them too, you need that connecting piece, and Derrick White knows exactly how to be that connecting piece to really highlight the strengths of each of those guys.
- [39:44]
Will
Yeah. All right, I got one more here, and then I'll go back to you if you got one more. The Celtics will fix their rebounding issues by Christmas.
- [39:55]
Greg
Fiction. They are last in defensive rebounding percentage right now, so, like, of all the 30 teams in the league, they are the worst. For all available rebounds that are out there, they are dead last in the ability to grab those defensive rebounds.
- [40:10]
Will
So home. Real quick. I grabbed this screenshot from Keith Smith yesterday after the game against the Pistons. Detroit's last six possessions in their win over Boston. Possession, one miss. Offensive rebound, miss. Offensive rebound, dunk for two points. Next. Possession, miss. Offensive rebound, layup for two points. Next. PossESSION, MISS. Offensive rebound, layup for 2 points. Next position, 2 free throws. Next. Possession, miss. Offensive rebound, layup for 2points. Next. Possession, miss. 6 possessions, 5 offensive rebounds, 10 points. You have it as well here. Pulled up on the screen. Last two games against the Knicks, 12 offensive rebounds combined for call Anthony Towns and Josh Hart. Against the Pistons, another 12 offensive rebounds combined for Jalen Duran and Asar Thompson. It's rough out there, bro. It's. It's rough.
- [40:58]
Greg
It's rich.
- [40:59]
Will
I don't know how it gets fixed. I really don't say it's a point of emphasis as much as he wants, but I don't. I don't think that fixes it.
- [41:06]
Greg
Yeah, at some point, it's like Asar Thompson is going up with Derrick White, who's a great rebounder for his size, but he's not a Sar Thompson size and he doesn't have a Sar Thompson's hops. And Asar Thompson just like jumps over and grabs the ball. It's like, what the is Derek White supposed to do? He boxed him out. He did everything he was supposed to do. He just wasn't big enough. Right. And this is where, you know, with Tatum being six, nine and the biggest guy in the court and being an awesome rebounder, like, we just don't have that extra Size. We're just small out there. Peyton Pritchard was normally not in the closing lineup. Right. He was normally on the bench. Drew Holiday, 6 5.
- [41:45]
Will
Right.
- [41:46]
Greg
Jason Tatum, 6 9. Al Horford is one of the strongest guys in the entire league. Like, we just don't have the size.
- [41:53]
Will
And without AP is seven three. Luke Cornett, seven one.
- [41:58]
Greg
Exactly.
- [41:58]
Will
Two seven footers. That could be out there as well.
- [42:00]
Greg
Exactly. And when you think about Jalen Duran, he had all those offensive rebounds, but he also got fouled a lot going for rebounds where they got another possession out of it. That doesn't even factor in to the idea. Like that doesn't count as an offensive rebound. But he got fouled and got to the free throw line.
- [42:16]
Will
Free throws for Jalen Duran. 36 free throws and 32 of them. 36 free throws for the Pistons yesterday.
- [42:22]
Greg
Yeah. And it's, it's just a problem, man. Like Kada got pushed around. Luca Garza is the most groundbound guy in the league. And then the second most ground guy is Xavier Tillman.
- [42:34]
Will
Yeah, everyone has an issue like Xavier Tillman and Luca. Cool. They're big, they're not tall and they're not athletic, so they just stay on the ground. Derrick White, too small. When you have guys like Assar Thompson who are just that athletic. We don't really have, like Josh Minot and Ugo are the closest to like athletes that can just kind of come in out of nowhere. But then they're also kind of like wiry framed. Right. At least compared to some of these other guys. So everyone that you look at has these different faults that every team is just seeing and is going to exploit. And we don't have. You know, Nemi's kid is the only like 7 footer that we really have, but he's got his own faults. Like, it's, yeah, gang rebound, sure, but. But even that, I. I don't know. And it's, it's. Yeah, it's. How do you correct it? Because if you're gang rebounding and every single person is crashing, that's going to slow down if you're trying to play fast. And so there, there's a contradiction there that you have to kind of figure out. And Joe Missoula's got a lot of work.
- [43:32]
Greg
Look at the Thunder. Two years ago, they were one of the worst defensive rebounding teams in the league. And they're, they're like, this is a problem. We need to go get a big man. And they went and got Isaiah Hartenstein.
- [43:41]
Will
Right.
- [43:41]
Greg
Who's one of the best rebounders in league. So like, you can't just throw guys that can't rebound out there and that are undersized and expect to have a winning team. It's just not gonna happen. The Thunder had to make a big change to win a championship and they went out and did it right. They also have some guys that are just fire hydrants with like Lou Dorr and people like that. Yeah. And like SGA J dub, they all play bigger than their size. Caruso plays bigger than his size. Case on Wallace plays bigger than. But they're also, even with that lack of size, are bigger than the Celtics lack of size. Right. Like Peyton Pritchard is little and he had the most rebounds in the team last night with 10 rebounds. So like even Jalen. Jalen's like six, five and a half. Six. Six. He's not like a six, eight wing.
- [44:27]
Will
You know, Jalen's always been a little bit of an. Not disappointing, but underwhelming rebounder for. For his size and athleticism. I've always wanted him to be a little bit better on the boards than he's been in his career. That's been a long term thing.
- [44:41]
Greg
But yeah, we'll see. We'll see how he, how he crashes the glass and like looks at the tape and you know, he. He clearly takes things personally. So after the Knicks game, he was like, it, I'm getting out. I'm going and getting buckets because I'm not doing this like passive, passive. I'm gonna be playing full steam ahead, like head down, getting to my spots after this game against the Pistons where we just got bullied. And that's what happens against the Pistons. Right. They're a team of bullies. That's what they do. We'll see how he. He does the. Is gonorrd Zion today. Like Jesus Christ.
- [45:16]
Will
Yeah, that's. We'll see. Big game. Big game Monday night in New Orleans. Greg, you got any other factor fictions you want to. Want to get in here?
- [45:26]
Greg
I'll just throw these out there. We don't have to really talk about them. This is more for the audience to think about. The Celtics will have a different starting backcourt by Christmas. By the end of the season, the Celtics starting five will be white Ugo Jays and a center to be named.
- [45:43]
Will
Okay, I like that.
- [45:44]
Greg
And then that's it. But I also have a couple stats. Celtics are 24th in net rating, 26th in assisted turnover ratio. Not great.
- [45:56]
Will
Okay. Okay. Yeah, Not. Not a lot. That. That's great here for The Celtics through three games. Again, silver linings playbook that is going to be the theme of this season. So we'll have to see big week coming up here. New Orleans on Monday, the Cavs on Wednesday and a chance at redemption on Friday against the Sixers.
- [46:15]
Greg
So we'll have prediction end of the week, end of the week, what's the Celtics record?
- [46:20]
Will
So I had something similar to this that I just, I didn't want to get to. That was it. I. So one of the notes that I have here in front of me is factor fiction. Celtics will be 5 and 15 after 20 games. It's the end of November and I.
- [46:32]
Greg
Haven'T looked at the schedule so I'm.
- [46:34]
Will
Just going to read it through real quick to you just, just so you can, can hear it out here. So I mentioned this week week, New Orleans, Cleveland, Philadelphia, back to back against Houston. Then they get Utah, Washington. Okay. Then they got Orlando, Orlando, Philadelphia again, third time early in the season. Memphis on a back to back LA Clippers, Brooklyn Nets. Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic, Pistons again, Minnesota Timberwolves and Cleveland Cavaliers. That's your first 20 games.
- [47:05]
Greg
I could see three and 17 there, man.
- [47:08]
Will
I mean we need to get a win tonight.
- [47:09]
Greg
That's the thing. It's like we need to, we, we can't start the season 0 and 6.
- [47:13]
Will
Right. We need to have a win right tonight. That's why I said tonight is such a big game because you know, Philly, we left the door open and beads and nut and beads going to, you would think progress and not be the doormat that he was on opening night. And that's a real problem because the Celtics don't have anyone to guard him. If he's even trying to like a little like we have no one that can match up with him. And so you look at these other games and it's like you better damn well, you know, win the Jazz game, win the Wizards game. There's two Nets games in here. So those are like four games that are almost like you must go 4, 0. And so that's where I got to. I was like, what's the fifth win that I'm like, I'm all like positive that we're going to get and like if Pelicans feel like that's got to be one and then you got to support everyone else on this list. You're surprised with a win like you're, you're coming. You know, there's not a team that you feel like you're on even level with. The Cavs, the T Wolves. We just saw the Pistons. The Magic are supposed to be on a different level. Grizzlies, maybe. I don't know. Like, they're. They're kind of hit or miss.
- [48:15]
Greg
Let's do this. Let's make a prediction. When will the Celtics win the first game?
- [48:22]
Will
I think it's tonight.
- [48:23]
Greg
God.
- [48:24]
Will
It's back to back, and I don't know if.
- [48:25]
Greg
Back to back, dude. Back to back against, like, a Pelican scene. That looks pretty good so far. Can you read me the schedule again? And I'll stop you when I think we get our first one.
- [48:34]
Will
Okay, so tonight, Pelicans, Wednesday, Cavaliers, Friday, 76ers in Philly. Saturday, back to back after the Philly game. Houston at home. Monday, Utah at home. Wednesday, Wizards at home.
- [48:50]
Greg
Okay, stop. It's going to be either the Jazz or the Wizards. We're going to win one of those two games. I think we're oh and seven to start the season.
- [48:57]
Will
Like, I think that's a very real possibility. It's. It's.
- [49:00]
Greg
I'm not. I'm not trying to be a doomsday guy. I just think, like, the. You would want to win tonight, but we're in New Orleans on a back to back against the Pelicans team. That is strong. They're a strong team, right? They're gonna bully us.
- [49:15]
Will
I think we get the win either tonight or Friday against Philly because the Philly team is just not that in Philly. Like, I just. Like, it's in Philly. I get it. But I, I think to your point, like, Jalen Brown can look back at the game like, all right, here's where I needed to do better, right? And I think he can put that a little bit on himself and, and make a big difference, especially if they go into that game 0 and 5 and he's like, nah, this. We are not having Emea Duka, oh, Doka come back here and be like, look at you. You are 0 and 6 laughing at us. Like, nah, I know that is gonna give me some. Like, I gotta get it done. Like, you know, not that it changes everything. You're still one in five. But, like, I got to get that zero out of here. So I. I think it's either against the Pelicans, and I think if it's the Pelicans, it means they're going just so hard all in to get that win. They're getting smoked out of the building on Wednesday against the Cavaliers. Like, I think that's one of the things that could happen. Or it's a come to Jesus moment on Friday where they just find a way to get that win. I don't know how, but they find a way to get that win is what I think. All right, let's do a really quick here. Mediocre life update. Everybody's favorite segment. Cue the music.
- [50:30]
Greg
Some very mediocre music.
- [50:32]
Will
It's very mediocre. Very mediocre. We're working on it here. We're working on it here. I got one that's a little bit of a doozy, but go ahead. Greg, you go first.
- [50:42]
Greg
You go first. You go first. Because I have two that I'm debating between.
- [50:46]
Will
Okay, so I feel like this segment is going to, is very easily going to turn into you and I just complaining about something that happened in our lives and, or food, like, because those are the two things that are very prevalent. But got a little bit of a neighbor situation right now.
- [51:00]
Greg
Oh, tell me about it.
- [51:02]
Will
So I've told you before, I think I've mentioned on the podcast an issue in my neighborhood is there are just bad pet owners and there's, there's dogs that are like, kind of like on loose. And there's one notorious offender who lives about three, four houses up from me and he's got this big ass Doberman that's just always out. Always out. And I've been off leash and I've been trying to pinpoint which houses. I've narrowed it down. It's one of two houses. I wasn't sure which one it is. So fast forward to last Friday or, or reverse back to last Friday. And you know, I try to get Taco out in the morning, give him a walk, and, you know, just get his day started. As, you know, with kids, sometimes the plan doesn't go according to schedule. And so usually I try to do it before I do the daycare drop off. Just didn't happen. This particular morning. I think my wife was also doing like a Pilates class. It was like, you know, we were doing a bunch of different stuff and I was like, all right, I'll do it when I come back. I come back from daycare, it's like 8:30, 8:40, something like that. And I see the Doberman out and I see that there's another dog with him out. And I'm like, God damn it. There's now two of them. Like. And so I was just like, all right, well, Taco, I'm sorry, man. Like, I, I can't deal with this right now. I was gonna try and like get a quick 20 minute, walk in, I come back, start working. So it's like, all right, I'll just start working. And, you know, I work remote so I can, like, kind of like, keep an eye out. Maybe I'll have a break later in the day. My office is right by one of our. Our front windows. So I just. These dogs are out all day. They're out all freaking day. Like, I see them up, up and around. They're, like, coming, like, walking by the. The front of the house. And, you know, at one point, I see a dude is walking his husky, and I see him, like, kind of being chased by them, like, almost, almost. And I'm just like, oh, this poor bastard. He's just trying to, like, speed walk away and not. Not be, you know, bothered with it. And so, I mean, so me and Lorena are talking about it, like, throughout the day. Fast forward to lunchtime. We go out, sit in the backyard, and we're just having. Having lunch. Tacos out there, running around with us. And then all of a sudden, we hear him. Like, we could tell, like, his energy change. And he runs over to the fence. And so next to my house, separate issue. It's a vacant house, but. But in, like, the. The fence is kind of falling apart for it, and there's, like, a family of kittens that has kind of, like, moved in there. And so all of a sudden, concrete jungle, man. Dude, it's crazy. And so we hear Taco freaking out. And then I realized, like, those two, like, dogs had gotten into the backyard next to my house. And so now they're at the fence, like, barking at each other. And I was like, all right, I gotta end this. So I bring Taco in. I'm like, jesus Christ, these dogs are, like, pissing me off. Like, I feel like I want to go say something, but I still don't even know exactly what house it is. So I'm like, yeah, yeah, stay reserved. Fast forward. A couple hours later, I'm getting ready to, like, end the work day. All of a sudden, I start hearing this barking that's, like, really close to the house. And I'm like, all right, these dogs are doing something out in the yard. So I'm like, all right, I gotta get my shoes. I gotta go figure out what's going on. It sounds like they're really in front of my door. Open the door. Come to find out they're, like, burrowing under my wife's car. And what I think it is is I mentioned that family of kittens. Every once in a while, I Come back, and I see the kitten is just, like, chilling underneath the car. Like. Like, shade, protection, whatever. So they're probably trying to get away from this. These giant Doberman that's. That's chasing it.
- [54:03]
Greg
Crazy.
- [54:03]
Will
And so he's, like, getting under. I'm like, all right. It's like, give my shoes. I'm gonna go figure out whose house this is. So I go to one house, and I ring their. Their doorbell. They're not home, but they have, like, the ring doorbell so they can, like, talk to me through it. And they're. I was like, hey, excuse me, do you own a Doberman? And they're like, no, next door. That's. That's him. I was like, oh, so you're familiar with this? They're like, yeah, that. That dog's always out. I'm like, yeah, it kind of sucks, doesn't it? Like, yeah, it's not. It's not great. Great. And so I was like, okay, cool. Well, thank you very much. So go next door, ring the doorbell to this guy. Like, hey, do you want a Doberman? This guy just goes, yeah, yeah, I do. Is. Is he around? I'm like, yeah, dude. He's down by my house. Like, go get your dog. Like, go. Like. And he's like, oh, where do you live? I'm like, I live, like, three houses down. He's like, out in my front yard. Like, can you go get him? He's like, oh, yeah, yeah, sure, sure. So he goes in and grabs, like, two leashes because there's both his dogs that are. That are out there. So we start walking down, and, like, I've already been wanting to confront this guy. So, like, I'm. On a scale of getting hot, I'm. I'm probably about, like, a seven. Like, I'm not being friendly. I'm not being friendly. I'm like, no, dude, this is a problem. Like, you got to get better about. Like, your dog's always out. Like, this is a problem for the neighborhood. His only response is like, yeah, man. The fence. He just. He just gets out. I'm like, okay, cool. You identified the problem, so you're gonna fix the fence. He was just like, oh, like, dude, like, you know the problem. Like, it's the fence. Like, so fear. Fix the fence. I don't care what it is. Fix it. And so we're walking down the street, and then this guy is, like, the worst dog owner in history. We get down there, and he's, like, trying to call the dog over. The dog's not listening. To him at all, like, just not listening whatsoever. So he goes over and grabs him. And I don't think he must have ever put a leash on his dog before, because the way this man is attempting. And he also said something very weird in the moment that I had to pass up. He goes, yeah, man, they usually have collars, but, you know, people steal those. Him. People are just collars off your dogs. That's. That's what they're doing. That. That's what's happening.
- [55:55]
Greg
Oh, my God.
- [55:56]
Will
Any sense. But I was like, I don't have time to address how ludicrous of a statement that was trying to wrap the leash around his dog. Me and Lorena's outside at this point, and we're just like, yeah, man. Like, they've been out here. And, like, I think he might be limping. Like, you might want to get him, like, checked. And he's like, oh, yeah. And he's just, like, struggling to get this leash on. And at one point, he just goes, hey, could you help with the other one? Sure. This other random dog, like, will help me and Lorraine get this leash on the dog in about 10 seconds, right? We've never met, like, in 10 seconds. I look up, this dude is, like, carrying his dog, like, fully off the ground. He couldn't get the leash on. And so then I'm like, jesus Christ. All right, So I take the other dog and I'm walking him up there, and. And I get up there, and he puts him in the house. And I'm like, all right, let's try to end this, like, amicable, but, like, you got to do better. So we start talking a little bit, and then Lorena comes walking up the. And I had noticed this when we were down by her car. There was these little pieces of plastic under her car. And so she had noticed this after we left and took a picture. And there's some, like, tube under her car that one of the dogs, like, as they were, like, pawing because we were nervous, like, shit. Did the kitten go up into the engine?
- [57:04]
Greg
Right?
- [57:06]
Will
So I think the dog was pawing at something and broke off this plastic that left, like, this tube exposed. I don't really know. Cars looked it up later, like. Like, basically, like, we have to go get, like, that tube fixed. So it shouldn't be much, but, like, definitely the dog pawing at it. Yeah. Plastic on the ground. So she came up, like, had a picture of it, was explaining it, and I was like, oh, hey, man, if I could. Let me just get your number. So that Way, like, you know, we probably gotta get this looked at. I don't know if it's gonna be anything big, but just in case. So he gives me his number and we're talking. And at first, he was kind of seeming like, yeah, you know, like, I have another house. Maybe I'll bring him up there, like, instead of here. Because I keep getting out boat. And then as we're walking away, I'm just like, yeah, man. So, you know, if you could. We appreciate it just as, like, neighbors, like, just try to keep the dog, like, ends for the safety of everybody and, like, for the dog itself, too. And I was like, you know, and I'll just like, I'll text you where we'll see what the car looks like. I don't think it's gonna be anything bad, but I'll text you. And then he just goes, how do I know it was my dogs that did that? And that's when I lost it. And I was like, are you kidding me, dude? And he goes, whoa, whoa, whoa. Chill, bro. Are you kidding me? I was like, like, no. You just came down to my house and saw these dogs underneath my wife's car, and you're telling me that that's not them? He's like, I don't know. I don't know if it was there or not before. And it starts, like. Like, yell. Yeah. So this ended up just turning into, like, a yelling match on his front lawn.
- [58:26]
Greg
Nice.
- [58:26]
Will
And it just kind of ended. It just ended there. And I was fired up. Yeah. So, yeah. So this dude Fabian. Don't know his last name, so I can't call him out any more than that. But let's do Fabian up the street him. Yeah, man. Shitty neighbors. They suck. That's my.
- [58:40]
Greg
That's tough, man. And it sucks for the dogs because the dogs aren't in a good environment, and they're gonna get hit by a car or they're gonna end up, like, biting another dog. They're gonna bite a kid, and the dog's gonna have to get put down. That's. That's the. Like, that's what I was trying to say.
- [58:54]
Will
Even if you don't give a. About your neighbors, like, for your dog's sake, because I've seen this dog.
- [58:59]
Greg
Like, you have to call animal control.
- [59:00]
Will
You have to. I mean, that's what I think I'm gonna have to do. I don't want to, but that's what I'm probably gonna have to do.
- [59:04]
Greg
It's gonna be better for the dog Bucks.
- [59:06]
Will
Yeah. And like, even, like, a couple weeks ago, I ran into, like, some of my neighbors are, like, around the corner, and they were like, petting taco, whatever. We started talking, and somehow we ended up talking about that Doberman. And they were like, oh, yeah, yeah, it's from that guy across here. Look like they were like, I think he killed, like, a squirrel or something. Like, they were, like, outside their yard. And I was like, yeah, it's so frustrating. Like, yeah, that guy doesn't really care. They were like, I think they must have talked to him at some point. Point. And they were like, you know, your dog's always out. And the guy's response was, yeah, but he always comes back. And. And. And then I forgot to mention this in the story. When I first came to the door, that was what he told me. I was like, dude, your dogs are out. He's like, oh, yeah, yeah. They usually come back. I was like, that's not the point of this at all. Like, just does not get it.
- [59:52]
Greg
So you call animals. So here's what you do. You call animal control today. You call them today, and you complain. And you also, like, talk about neglect, because that's like, dog neglect. That's pet neglect. You can't. You can't let that happen. So it's going to be better for the dog in the long run. That guy Fabian. So we've got my guy that refusing to take, you know, blame for what happened with the car accident.
- [60:17]
Will
Austin, a really bad rapid art, mediocre life.
- [60:19]
Greg
Update it, man. That's. That's tough, man. There's. There's nothing worse than neighbors that don't have good dog etiquette. And that's something I've had to deal with a lot in my neighborhood as well. But we have an hoa, so I've been able to go to the hoa and, like, the HOA is taking care of it.
- [60:36]
Will
One of the few times where an HOA comes in very handy.
- [60:38]
Greg
Yeah. Yeah. And people have been a lot better about dogs on leashes in my neighborhood, which has been great. Okay, that went long. That was a great story. You got. You got anything else there?
- [60:48]
Will
No, I'm done. I knew that was gonna go long. That's why I was like, maybe if you have something quicker, go for it. That's.
- [60:53]
Greg
That's what I. Yeah, I'll go. I'll go super quick. So Halloween, obviously, right around the corner, got our Halloween costumes picked out. We're gonna be so with James, by the way. We're getting together on Saturday. Are we Also going to be dressing up for Halloween.
- [61:11]
Will
Hadn't really thought about it. So circle back on that one.
- [61:15]
Greg
Okay, Circle back on it. So with James, we're gonna be Winnie the Pooh character. So he's going to be Winnie the Pooh, I'm going to be Tigger, and Danielle is going to be Piglet. So that's the, the costume there. And then for our, if we decide to go out costume, I'm gonna be Never Nude Tobias Funke, but Blue man version. So I'm gonna have a bald cap. I'm gonna paint my face like a little bit of blue. I'm gonna have the cutoff shorts full. Tobias. And Danielle is going to be Lindsay Bluth when she wears the like the Slut T shirt when she, when she's trying to get Ice the Bounty Hunter to. So that's our costume if we get the chance to do it. But the real Mediocre Life update, best time of year because our freezer is stocked with chocolate right now, my guy. And as you said, like this is. They probably end up being complaining or being food related.
- [62:07]
Will
Yeah.
- [62:07]
Greg
So we've just got Snickers, we've got Twix, we've got M&M's, we've got Reese cups. All the best Halloween candy is just sitting in our freezer right now. And Danielle and I have like, like probably $75 worth of candy in our house. And we're just trying every night not to eat all of it before Halloween. And this is, this is something that about a month ago we were like, should we buy Halloween candy right now because it's on sale. And we're like, no, we're just gonna eat it all. So we bought it this weekend and we're hoping, fingers crossed, that we have enough self control not to eat $75 worth of candy before Friday.
- [62:42]
Will
Do you guys get a lot of trick or treaters in your neighborhood or like, was this just like an excuse to buy a lot of candy candy?
- [62:47]
Greg
Well, I think a little bit of both. But I think Danielle, as an assistant principal at her school, I think she's bringing some of it to, to campus.
- [62:54]
Will
Okay, that makes sense. Yeah, yeah. Because I was like, we have not bought candy yet. But also we don't get a lot of. We get like four or five people that, that come up.
- [63:02]
Greg
Well, how the hell are the kids supposed to be out when they've got loose Dobermans running around?
- [63:05]
Will
Exactly. Exactly. It was Halloween every day. It's Halloween every day over here. You gotta run for your life. Yeah. But, yeah, candy's nice. We gotta. I think we gotta bring some candy to the. To the daycare. So I'm gonna. Gonna obviously pick up some extra candy, get a little Costco run later. Yeah, sneak a little bit of. A little bit of candy in the.
- [63:20]
Greg
There you go. There you go, buddy.
- [63:22]
Will
Yeah, so we'll get that. We'll get that.
- [63:24]
Greg
You gotta bring that pillowcase, dude.
- [63:28]
Will
That's right. Gotta. We were talking the other yesterday with some friends. Like, remember, like, going out for Halloween was like so exciting, but then. Because when you live in the Northeast, it's like, could potentially be like 30 degrees. Yeah. And so it's like, oh, put the jacket on. What's the point of me dressing up as the undertaker if I have like a, you know, a giant bubble jacket on? A giant. You know, remember the Patriots ones? Like, all the different. Yeah, like you have that on, but you're the undertaker. It's like, this looks stupid now. Like, what? Every. Every Halloween costume constantly ruined by the weather.
- [64:00]
Greg
Oh, yeah, definitely. And here in Austin, it's like, maybe it's too hot on hell.
- [64:05]
Will
Right, Right. It's the exact opposite of that. Of that problem. But we'll check in. We'll have some more updates on Halloween next week. We'll be back later this week, probably after the Cavs game on Wednesday to check in with you guys. As always, appreciate you guys rocking us here on YouTube, on Twitter, wherever it is that you stream your podcast, we appreciate it. Go ahead, smash that. Give it five stars for us. Make sure you subscribe across the YouTube pages and check us out on Instagram. Tick tock. Shout out to our guy Alex, who is keeping the videos pumping. We'll be back later this week, everybody. Enjoy the rest of your week. Try to find those silver linings and we'll catch you guys later. It don't take much no more.
- [64:49]
Greg
Until.
- [64:49]
Will
I hit the floor Every time I hit this high it's you I find it don't take much no more.
- [65:00]
Greg
Until.
- [65:01]
Will
I'm at your dark.
- [65:05]
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