@@sting114Nah, there's tons of ESPN guys that come on Ringer podcasts, Zach comes on a few times a year. ESPN laid him off because they do not want to pay smart in people when they can double down on idiotic loudmouths
Yeah. Though it's true the Nugs management totally failed to provide a full playoff roster when Brown and Green left. Their bench was too short last year.
@@David-iv6je their bench was trash even when Bruce Brown was there Last year the problem was Murray If he was just in his regular season form (not even Playoff Murray form), they would have been in the finals easily and probably won again imo
It's always been ackowledged that Jokic never had some elite talent around him. He had dudes that were elevated through Jokic. Still good players but they look elite with Jokic. He would be a 2x time champ if the bench wasnt shit and rookies this year. He would be a 4x champ if his team wasnt always injured. He's by far the best player in the league today. And arguably of all time. Much definitely since MJ.
I get that Bill is a Boston fan, but to devote 15 minutes to the Celtics who have literally no questions other than theoretical problems in Bill's brain on this pod, is wild.
biggest problem with the wolves the entire season and playoffs was kat being unadulterated ass at multiple important moments. the guy couldn't score on pj washington, he couldn't reliably keep himself outta foul trouble, etc. everyone harps on gobert, but gobert did what gobert was supposed to do the entire season. if in 2024 you're still hoping to dump the ball to gobert and have him score over smaller guys, that's on you
I think the only moment I was semi nervous as a C's fan was in the Cavs series. Donovan Mitchell was going insane last season, and I had a moment where I was worried he would motivate the rest of his team.
Denver's biggest problem is cheap ownership. It's second biggest problem is 3-point shooting. If they were allowed to keep their veterans they would have probably made it back to the finals last year. Green gone, Brown gone, KCP gone. If Braun has a good year how is he going to get paid? They have to start going to the 2nd apron or else they're going to waste the window of the current best player in the NBA.
If only they had been cheap enough to not have overpaid for MPJ. Their only chance to win the West is if MPJ finally plays consistently to his full potential.
@@stevengordon3271 I don't think they really have a chance to be the best team in the West during the regular season. OKC and Minnesota have some advantages on them and they're both deeper teams which helps you a lot in the regular season. In the playoffs the bench shortens up quite a bit and that's where a team like Denver can have its advantage. They know who their best 7 or 8 players are because they've been playing them consistently during the year. I just don't like that the management in Denver is making it harder and harder on the team to succeed. Dario Saric is not a real backup center. He's not even really a center. I know they drafted a kid who ended up getting hurt but they could have gotten some other guys that would have helped a lot more than Saric. Maybe being a Balkan brother will reignite something in that guy. That's not a lot to depend on.
@@stevengordon3271 they are a team that doesn't get fouled enough and doesn't hit enough three-pointers. Michael Porter can help on the three-pointers but I don't see him starting to go to the rim anytime soon. They need a young breakout player this year or they won't make it till last year's win total. Does team could really use an athletic Wing who can get to the basket. I don't mean in the Aaron Gordon style but a guy who can facilitate his own baskets. It would take the pressure off of Jokic. I still love watching them and I hope somehow they figure out how to get back to the finals.
This popping up right as I get the heavy part of my shift underway is a godsend-my fellow Bostonian coming through in the clutch! Better have a Deni section
Cannot wait to see how my Grizz play this year. Is Ja still him? Can JJJ and Bane take that next step and be all-star caliber? Can Edey make an impact? Can GGJ be a 19 yr old major contributing player on a championship caliber team in his second year? Has Ja ruined the timeline irrevocability?
He was easily the best IN THE REGULAR SEASON last year before his injury, he literally had some of the best stats ever, 35/11/6 with 1.2 steals and 1.7 blocks on 56/38/88 split and insane advanced stats he had the highest PER ever (Regular season alone) ..So in the regular season Embiid 23-24 season is one of the most dominant ever, like prime MJ, Bron, Shaq, Curry or Jokic, and even with his leg injuries and weird conditions with half of his face paralyzed he lead the playoffs in scoring with 33ppg, and he had a 50points game so i think a healthy Embiid in this system with Nick Nurse definitely have an argument for best in the world, i’d still chose Jokic, Doncic, Giannis or even Lebron and AD over him because they are playoffs riser who had more success than him, but Embiid was always injured in the playoffs that’s the thing, so if he can stay healthy, maybe lose a bit of weight i think he can definitely be the best player in the world even in the Playoffs
RUclips video idea that I’m sure would get a ton of views would be a book collection video. I tried to zoom in on my phone, but all are too small to read. I would be very interested to see what Simmons keeps after stating that he’s read every basketball book ever made.
Bills on point with the Nuggets, it feels like everyone has gone easy on them for blowing that game 7 and being "tired" after one finals run. Jokic is the best player in the league but he CANNOT carry them to the promiseland alone in this west.
@@GnofgJokic certainly wasnt 30 to 40 pounds overweight like he was at the start of the 19-20 season, but he definitely looked heavier in these playoffs compared to his title run. His three point shooting l suffered mightily as he shot under 25% in these playoffs including 2-14 in the last two games against Minnesota. Doesn’t help that he played 47 minutes in game 7, but he still deserves a fair share of blame for choking that 3-2 lead.
@@Gnofg You give Naz too much credit. Jokic had to deal with 3 centers that series, all on his own, while his number 2 and 3 struggled. This wolf team was designed to be their arch-nemesis by the former Nuggets president Tim Connely. Even then, it took Wolves 7 games to end them. They were later exposed by the Mavs who swept them like gentlemen in 5 games. I bet Jokic wouldn't go down in 5 games. If only he had at least one All-Star player on his team. That's not happening until they trade MPJ
Just a note about the Olympics. I think the Olympics is absolutely great for a young player, but is not a great idea for a veteran player who has just finished a long postseason. The benefits to the former are consistently pretty great, but the injury risk to the latter is pretty consistently bad.
Alternate universe of Tatum not getting injured I'm thatbgame 7 is they get beat down by Nuggets and Jaylen doesn't come back a freaking monster like he did after being a complete no show when they needed him the most! Meaning no title this season and I believe Steven's doesn't make the KP trade and the Holiday trade doesn't happen either! It's not a good alternate universe if Tatum doesn't get injured imo the best thing for that Celtics team was for Tatum getting injured! Browns har work coming back showing everyone that they are wrong and Steven's blowing upnthr team trading Smart who I wouldn't say was untouchable but was someone who I believe we all looked at as they heart and soul of the team! Really what happened was what was needed to happen! Moving Smart i feel pushed Tatum and especially Brown to be more of the heart and soul of the team! Brown took pride in being that Rahh Rahh guy long taking initiative to being that leader on defense! Just look at what Brown did defending Luka in the finals! Without a doubt one the most underrated dominance that everyone doesn't even talk about and was just 4 months ago smh
I think its the other way. Zach is too timid to have a negative stance on anyone. He fears confrontation. He's a smart BBall guy, but he is very timid. Embiid has shown us who he is. A regular season FT merchant, who cares about prestige but not about the sacrifices to earn it. Whether you think his injuries are his fault or not (being overweight, flopping all over the court), he is a despicable player, dirty (look at him trying and succeeding to injure Mitchell Robinson in the playoffs last year), whiny (cried for an MVP), lowers his production when the going gets tough in the playoffs (every year), sits in the regular season against real competition (hasn't played in Denver since 2019) while beating up on bottom feeders (his 70 pt game against the Spurs, when he was mostly defended by Zach Collins). He is a 7 ft James Harden, with all the good and bad that entails, except worse because he is 7 ft, 280 lbs, and skilled enough to dominate without such shenanigans. He will NEVER win a championship as the number 1 guy. No one who whines as much as he does, not as a schtick, but because he is actually whining like a spoiled child, will ever be able to lead a team through hardship to the Championship.
@@shorewallim a big fan of embiid and ill tell you why i still can’t quit hoping the guy has a different season ahead of him. When the guy is healthy, he’s as unstoppable as anybody except maybe jokic. And the ducking the hardest competition thing is kinda stupid because he misses one game in Denver. He’s gone head to head against every guy in the league and outplayed that at one point or another. But I also think you have every right to feel that way about him because he has been unable to stay healthy or perform in the playoffs whether it’s been fluky injuries, or his lack of conditioning. But man that James harden comp hurt my soul
My take, Suns are winning the NBA title this year. I'm not biased either, just because I was born and raised in Phoenix, 4th generation from Phoenix, been a Suns fan my whole life, my dad and grandfather were Suns fan, not biased at all.
100% agree that the nuggets being tired is a bs excuse. Warriors, and whatever team Bron was on at the time, got to the finals basically every single year.
That's just KCP. I don't think any other players made that comment. The Nuggets only lost to the Timberwolves because Jamal refused to pass the ball when he was full court pressed in games 1 and 2. Michael Malone also never pulled Jamal aside and told him to cut that out. Such a waste of a prime Jokic season. Tragic that they lost because of the most fixable possible issue.
@@TheMilapMehtaJamal was clearly injured, as he had been all year. Jokic was still dealing with his wrist injury when he played in the olympics. KCP couldn't shoot because he had a broken finger, and the Nuggets had no bench so the starters had to play almost all game like every game. Oh and MPJ was of course dealing with all of his brothers being total fuck ups and going to jail. There is literally no scenario where they win a championship last year. Also the warriors were different because they were already one of the best teams and THEN they got Durant. And LeBron was in the east so it barely even counts that he got to the finals lol
@@byers31303 Literally everyone has some nagging ailment at the end of the year. Pretending like the Nuggets are the only team going through that is naive. They BARELY lost in 7 games against the Timberwolves and they had leads in the second half in games 1 & 7. Game 1 was lost purely due to Murray taking on the full court press. If he just passed the ball, they win in 5 and get to the finals since the Mavs didn't have the same level of perimeter defense that the Timberwolves did. There are plenty of scenarios where the Nuggets win the title. Don't let confirmation bias cloud your judgement.
@@TheMilapMehta did I say they were the only team beaten up at the end of the season? Nope, for some reason you put those words in my mouth. And the nuggets were clearly too beaten up to go any further. They couldn't make it past the 2nd round with their health level x their lack of depth. This was literally proven lol, so I'm not sure what you're arguing about.
@@byers31303 Using a childish debate "tactic" when you're wrong is the reason why you will never participate in a proper discussion. The comment about the Nuggets being too injured to progress is nonsense. If you know that every team has players banged up, why would you make it? Jokic, Jamal, KCP, AG, MPJ, were all able to play big minutes in the playoffs which means that they were fine in comparison to the health that guys should have at that time of the year. I pit you.
@@DrPhill96He also did everything his power to turn that series around and give the Nuggets a chance to win in that game. Like any team sport, he didn’t get the help required from the rest. People will write the Nuggets off nonsensically this year.
@@DrPhill96 Definitely not. Jamal was amazing, AG/Bruce/KCP. But he was the main guy. If you want to blame him for last years exit you can, but you’d be a fool for thinking it was anything more than 10% of his fault.
Folks are bugging when it comes to Giannis me personally I still think he’s the best player in the league but he’s definitely no less than 2 folks be having him 3rd or 4th lmfao as a Celtics fan the bucks are the only team I fear in the league
Someone needs to say this: you can’t judge any American player based on the Olympics. Lebron and Durant looked like guys who are dominating the league - only they aren’t. They were playing on a stacked team that masked their deficiencies and limitations at this point in their careers. I’m not saying the Olympics don’t matter or aren’t fun or anything like that. Only, it’s very difficult to evaluate guys on a stacked roster. Anybody w a decent ball IQ is going to look good.
@@Anthonydu01630 Well Embiid doesn't have decent basketball IQ. That proves the point. Tatum just hasn't be able to make shots for 5 months. That's different.
@@TheRulersBack18 I’m not saying you can’t learn anything at all. Curry proved to be clutch at an important time, but judging someone’s dominance when they are playing on a stacked team is much, much tougher.
Simmons complaining about the Porzingis injury? Does he know the Celtics record without Porzingis last season? 21-4 regular season 10-2 playoffs (and that includes the Game 4 Finals game the Celtics dropped on purpose) All that matters is can the Celtics shoot 33.3% from 3 or better: if they do that they’re 69-8 including 13-2 in the playoffs.
watch the first half of the first game of the finals , Celtics are unstoppable when Porzingis is healthy…..they won’t win this year without a healthy Porzingis.
Everything here is spot on except the Lakers talk. It’s early, but it’s pretty clear Laker fans were right about Darvin Ham being an obstacle for success. JJ has been great so far. And “is LeBron even a playoff guy anymore?” Bro what???
Simmons being worried about Tatum and the Celtics is hilarious.They won the finals.He was just drained in the Olympics.Steph lebron and Durant were early outs.They were more rested.The East is still runs through Boston.
yeah they're still going to be #1 even if they're worse. I think they'll regress a little because of injuries to Porzingis (surgery) and Horford (old) enabling their offense and defense in spots being able to switch and rotate. they might win 3-5 games fewer, but I would not be worried. April-June. i say this as a Celtics hater
I'm a C's fan, and I can defend the Dame trade. The fact the C's got Jrue is incidental, and not THE trade. I DO think the Bucks not anticipating it is a bad look, but they STILL were gonna do that. EVERYONE loved that trade when it happened, so... when do we ever just accept "things happen," and not relegislate events playing out--and act like GMs should've known better--the same trades we LOVE when they happen. We are stupid.
Lame for butler and a 1st. Lopez and portis for BI (need to trade pat connaughton 1st to get out of 2nd apron). All major salaries expiring other than giannis. Maximum flexibility. Can use new cap space for new players or trade giannis to new Orleans or Portland for their picks back (or 3 team deal if blazers and Pelicans want someone else and not giannis).
even if embild doesnt get hurt he shrinks in playoff, hes never made it passed the second round - hurt or not. building around him is a waste at this point even pandemic P had great playoff series both in Indie and LA.. not Embild
Watch Bill's face anytime someone who also knows basketball disagrees with any of his set in stone opinions. It's like he truly believes he is ALWAYS RIGHT. I respect his basketball opinions, but he is NOT the only source of basketball info.
I’m surprised these are the first people I have heard voice concern for the nuggets, that bench is a serious issue, and I know Braun might be a guy, but defensively their guards are terrible man, I just don’t see how these guys go 8-9 men deep, especially in the playoffs through 4 rounds man
Embiid is the best player in the NBA?? This is a ridiculous take. Lowe I know you are an ESPN guy so I expect as much, but still. Embiid literally “stars “ in the NBA because he gets routinely bailed out offensively by officiating. Instigating contact and being a foul merchant. He will get injured again this year and miss 20-30 games and whine about not being eligible for post season awards.
@@steelwall4396 That's untrue. They're just more likeable which makes it easier for people to overlook their deficiencies. Harden was actually known as a defensive player early in his career whereas Curry and Joker were not
@nobad4265 You're simply lying. Harden was such a defensive liability they staggered him and Russ in OKC He has 0 corrective tools, a heavy lower body makes staying in front of guys difficult. Houston specifically ran 3 guards so they could hide him on a forward instead of letting him get cooked at POA Curry was lighter and quicker. He got attacked more (because the next worse defender was often Klay) but those attacks yielded much lesser results for teams His super-human stamina allowed him to battle guys, his quick hands poked at dribbles, and he was a smart help defender, albeit too small to make much impact on certain sets
ROFL. A mess like last year is more entertaining. Especially trading away now 2x champion Jrue for a washed up Dame. Getting rid of a coach who was winning for an advisor who ends up meh ....Imagining the fan recriminations and counter denials is juicy. Having the Magic, Pacers..etc coming up and pushing the Bucks and Heat to irrelevance is more fun
@@chemicalhapJrue Holiday shot 38% from the field in his Bucks playoff career and is the 4th/5th option on Boston. Learn the sport and don't rely on media narratives and trolls for your information.
KAT had a very similar injury and surgery to Embiid a month later than Embiid and came back at the same time and returned so well that no one talked about his injury like it never happened. Joel came back and was never really right. That’s what an extra 60lbs will do for a big guy
*Celtics vs Knicks & Lakers vs Thunder. Embiid hurt again in Playoffs but if healthy the Sixers over Knicks. I also think there is a chance that either Pacers Turner, or Heat Butler get traded to Lakers* *Jokic, Luka, Embiid, Giannis, and AD are the 5 best NBA players in no order*
Even Zach Lowe started giving predictions that are closer to so-called journalists, analysts from ESPN. When they talk about the teams that won the championship, they have no respect for the play off run that the team made. Now they remembered to say that Denver at 16-4 was not impressive because they did not have 60+ wins in the regular season/last season 57. In the west there are four teams fighting for the top four spots..Oklahoma, Denver, Dallas, Minnesota . All other teams except Portland and Utah (Utah due to their own choice) are fighting for the remaining four places.Denver will cross paths with Minnesota again this season in the semifinals or finals of the West, the winner of that series will win the championship. The NBA should do something about the teams in the east, that are too weak compared to the west, that's why Boston had so many winning games, 4 or 3 games with the Nets, Charlotte, Toronto, Washington, Chicago, Atlanta, Milwaukee. However, the guys from Hoops Collective Brian Windhorst, Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon are the best and most realistic podcast with knowledge, information, complete statistics...all the others are second tier.
I think jerami grant for rui hachimura is good trade for the Lakers I know grant is the older player but grant is a better player and a playoff performer
Disagree as a Lakers fan rui has more upside than JG , im glad lakers stayed put w/ tge roster imho JJ will be mich better than DH & lakers will@ least get into playoffs
I love these two together Both a bit weird and neurotic but both earnest listeners and can feed off of each others vibe Also they but know how to hold and make a point!
👀 Get Zach Lowe on the Ringer, Bill!
Now he actually can
Yeah wow….at least Bill appreciates Zach
Yup
Zach getting on bill Simmons podcast is what got him fired. ESPN hates bill Simmons
@@sting114Nah, there's tons of ESPN guys that come on Ringer podcasts, Zach comes on a few times a year. ESPN laid him off because they do not want to pay smart in people when they can double down on idiotic loudmouths
Bill - do the right thing and create basketball content nirvana - Lowe to the Ringer!
Good to see Simmons and Lowe back together.
facts
Lowe has taken the road of that bad middle age dye job. Own it man.
Just about to eat prefect timing
Eating at 5 am is crazy
@@khizarbadshah4527 I’m from Europe my guy it’s 2 pm
Yup perfect dinner video
@@khizarbadshah4527- Why?
Try eating food instead
Bill literally said “2023 Nuggets may be one of the best teams of all time”
Now “nuggets never had a really great team with Jokic” lmfaooo
Yeah. Though it's true the Nugs management totally failed to provide a full playoff roster when Brown and Green left. Their bench was too short last year.
@@David-iv6je their bench was trash even when Bruce Brown was there
Last year the problem was Murray
If he was just in his regular season form (not even Playoff Murray form), they would have been in the finals easily and probably won again imo
He qualified that in terms of the regular season, they haven't had a 60 win season. That's kind of a benchmark for a truly great team.
@@nikolakrstic8079 I wouldn't call it trash. Just enough to give their starters a blow
It's always been ackowledged that Jokic never had some elite talent around him. He had dudes that were elevated through Jokic. Still good players but they look elite with Jokic. He would be a 2x time champ if the bench wasnt shit and rookies this year. He would be a 4x champ if his team wasnt always injured. He's by far the best player in the league today. And arguably of all time. Much definitely since MJ.
2:58 is perhaps the most shocking thing I’ve ever heard Bill say
😂😂😂
We don't have to split the bill, we could each just kinda pay half
"it doesn't have to be a draft" *describes a classic Bill Simmons draft*
It doesn't have to be a draft? Who is this and what did he do with Bill?
@@djacks247 draft best non draft episodes
NBA content in the middle of football season. Thanks Bill!! I do appreciate it
I struggle to care about NFL. Multiple teams came and went in my home town, so meh. Much appreciation for the NBA talk.
"He is still at ESPN" Oof. That did not age well :(
Bill and Zach, pump it into my veins
Gay
Zack and Bill reunions is always a banger ! Need to do it more often
Love that these guys seem like they just got up from a sleepover
Bill Simmons lookin like live action Cat and the Hat
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I can’t unsee it now
😂😂😂
Lol
Brutal
I actually want to see this happen
Hopefully Zach will join the ringer now!
Speaking of media day, I wonder what Jimmy Butler is gonna look like. 😂
Thanyou for the reminder 😂
My guess it's the hobo look this time.
However he looks I hope it results in some more great playoff performances this time at least for Bill's sake
@@silewis9396 Just for Bill’s daughter’s boyfriend to rub it in his face. 😂
Well played sir. Jimmy brings an element of dadaism/surrealism that is otherwise sorely missing the the Association.
Get Zach on the ringer
Time stamps would be great for a hour+ long show. Thanks
But then you wouldn't watch the entire hour
@@johntran-qj5itwho the fuck wants to watch the entire hour of this?
@Serching4JerryGarcia I know...I am just saying Bill Simmons wants you to watch the whole thing
@@Serching4JerryGarcia Are you 12 years old? You can't sit and listen to an hour of NBA content from the two best NBA podcasters?
@@MrNiiiiceGuy the two best NBA podcasters? Lmao how old are you? These guys fell off a long time ago and haven’t done anything great since Grantland
please don't interrupt Zach to give us FanDuel odds
No Giannis on Christmas Day, he's only the top player in votes by the fans for the All -star game , now that's good marketing.
The timing of this pod in the grand scheme of things now...
I get that Bill is a Boston fan, but to devote 15 minutes to the Celtics who have literally no questions other than theoretical problems in Bill's brain on this pod, is wild.
Agree, but not surprising, haha
Need timestamps
The single most concerning thing that could happen is a serious Wemby injury. The NBA needs him on the court.
That’s why you don’t say it lol. Don’t put that out there
@@bryandaluga9077 true that 😂 I knocked on wood after typing it lol
Meh. The Spurs aren't a contender this year. If he's to get a bad injury, let it be one when he's super young and he's on a middling team at best
biggest problem with the wolves the entire season and playoffs was kat being unadulterated ass at multiple important moments. the guy couldn't score on pj washington, he couldn't reliably keep himself outta foul trouble, etc. everyone harps on gobert, but gobert did what gobert was supposed to do the entire season. if in 2024 you're still hoping to dump the ball to gobert and have him score over smaller guys, that's on you
Yep. They even have Naz Reid to replace KAT. They need to trade him for quality pieces.
“Get Lowe! GET LOWE!” *Jalen Rose voice
Chicago Illinois salutes Bill Simmons, he's such a respected analyst and hes so smart 💡🤓 and hes not a yesman or a follower
Damn it, I was just about to sleep, and here are my two favorite podcasters showing up in my feed
If you ever met Zach Lowe in person, it would immediately change your opinion of the arrogant prick.
I think the only moment I was semi nervous as a C's fan was in the Cavs series. Donovan Mitchell was going insane last season, and I had a moment where I was worried he would motivate the rest of his team.
Denver's biggest problem is cheap ownership. It's second biggest problem is 3-point shooting.
If they were allowed to keep their veterans they would have probably made it back to the finals last year. Green gone, Brown gone, KCP gone. If Braun has a good year how is he going to get paid? They have to start going to the 2nd apron or else they're going to waste the window of the current best player in the NBA.
If only they had been cheap enough to not have overpaid for MPJ. Their only chance to win the West is if MPJ finally plays consistently to his full potential.
@@stevengordon3271 that was Tim Connelly, not Calvin Booth. as someone who lives in Colorado, we all hated it when it happened.
@@stevengordon3271 I don't think they really have a chance to be the best team in the West during the regular season. OKC and Minnesota have some advantages on them and they're both deeper teams which helps you a lot in the regular season. In the playoffs the bench shortens up quite a bit and that's where a team like Denver can have its advantage. They know who their best 7 or 8 players are because they've been playing them consistently during the year. I just don't like that the management in Denver is making it harder and harder on the team to succeed. Dario Saric is not a real backup center. He's not even really a center. I know they drafted a kid who ended up getting hurt but they could have gotten some other guys that would have helped a lot more than Saric. Maybe being a Balkan brother will reignite something in that guy. That's not a lot to depend on.
@@stevengordon3271 they are a team that doesn't get fouled enough and doesn't hit enough three-pointers. Michael Porter can help on the three-pointers but I don't see him starting to go to the rim anytime soon. They need a young breakout player this year or they won't make it till last year's win total. Does team could really use an athletic Wing who can get to the basket. I don't mean in the Aaron Gordon style but a guy who can facilitate his own baskets. It would take the pressure off of Jokic. I still love watching them and I hope somehow they figure out how to get back to the finals.
Jokic hasnt beat a 50 win team. They are not going 2nd apron be ause they beat 8th seed heat in finals
This popping up right as I get the heavy part of my shift underway is a godsend-my fellow Bostonian coming through in the clutch!
Better have a Deni section
Cannot wait to see how my Grizz play this year. Is Ja still him? Can JJJ and Bane take that next step and be all-star caliber? Can Edey make an impact? Can GGJ be a 19 yr old major contributing player on a championship caliber team in his second year? Has Ja ruined the timeline irrevocability?
I got faith in them IF Ja can stay healthy. His comeback last year was impressive right away other than it was only 9 games.
Grizzlies a championship caliber team? Lmfaooo
@@Serching4JerryGarcia Why do you think The Grizz are not?
GG being injured to start the year hurts to see but people are going to love Vince Williams Jr as the 6th man.
"I think the biggest disappointment for me this year was ESPN not covering The Lakers. " - Bill Simmons 😂
Get that nonsense out of here Zach, Joel has NEVER been the best player on the planet, healthy or not.
He is just speaking to the metrics. I don’t think he actually believe this
Best around big man, on both sides. Just can’t stay healthy.
Embiid is the most media manufactured sports star ive ever witnessed
He was easily the best IN THE REGULAR SEASON last year before his injury, he literally had some of the best stats ever, 35/11/6 with 1.2 steals and 1.7 blocks on 56/38/88 split and insane advanced stats he had the highest PER ever (Regular season alone) ..So in the regular season Embiid 23-24 season is one of the most dominant ever, like prime MJ, Bron, Shaq, Curry or Jokic, and even with his leg injuries and weird conditions with half of his face paralyzed he lead the playoffs in scoring with 33ppg, and he had a 50points game so i think a healthy Embiid in this system with Nick Nurse definitely have an argument for best in the world, i’d still chose Jokic, Doncic, Giannis or even Lebron and AD over him because they are playoffs riser who had more success than him, but Embiid was always injured in the playoffs that’s the thing, so if he can stay healthy, maybe lose a bit of weight i think he can definitely be the best player in the world even in the Playoffs
@@Anthonydu01630 now check the free throw numbers…..
The NBA is almost back baby!!
Bill get Zach on the Ringer, please
OG Grantland Jordan & Pippen - Goated
RUclips video idea that I’m sure would get a ton of views would be a book collection video. I tried to zoom in on my phone, but all are too small to read. I would be very interested to see what Simmons keeps after stating that he’s read every basketball book ever made.
Bills on point with the Nuggets, it feels like everyone has gone easy on them for blowing that game 7 and being "tired" after one finals run. Jokic is the best player in the league but he CANNOT carry them to the promiseland alone in this west.
Jokic is out of shape and that contributes to two defeats in that series. Naz burned him twice and that cost the Nuggets.
@@GnofgJokic certainly wasnt 30 to 40 pounds overweight like he was at the start of the 19-20 season, but he definitely looked heavier in these playoffs compared to his title run. His three point shooting l suffered mightily as he shot under 25% in these playoffs including 2-14 in the last two games against Minnesota. Doesn’t help that he played 47 minutes in game 7, but he still deserves a fair share of blame for choking that 3-2 lead.
@@Gnofg You give Naz too much credit. Jokic had to deal with 3 centers that series, all on his own, while his number 2 and 3 struggled. This wolf team was designed to be their arch-nemesis by the former Nuggets president Tim Connely. Even then, it took Wolves 7 games to end them. They were later exposed by the Mavs who swept them like gentlemen in 5 games. I bet Jokic wouldn't go down in 5 games. If only he had at least one All-Star player on his team. That's not happening until they trade MPJ
@@akirosakuragi9279 Naz scorched him
@@akirosakuragi9279 Naz Reid destroyed him when it counted.
Oof talking about Bill going on Zach's pod... Will he have signed with the ringer by then?
The combo that can bring me back to basketball podcast at any time.
Im a dull man i only watch and follow NBA. I got giddy when he said we 2 weeks away from media day!
Denver Minnesota I would say was best series last playoffs
Bill - What are you using for tennis rackets? Are you 3.5? 4.0? Always love your content
Bill’s facial hair is killing me man. You on a pirate ship in the 1600’s??😂
Just a note about the Olympics. I think the Olympics is absolutely great for a young player, but is not a great idea for a veteran player who has just finished a long postseason. The benefits to the former are consistently pretty great, but the injury risk to the latter is pretty consistently bad.
100%.
lol Zack Lowe gets fired from ESPN and RUclips suggests this video.
Agreed with Zach Lowe, I'm not shocked if the Nuggets make the finals this year
TIMESTAMPPSSSSSSS! - Not everyone has an hour to sift through podcasts.
I got you. CELTICS TALK starts at 0:00 - 1:37:30
@@umbreonpokemon8190 LMAO
And he's gone from ESPN what a world
Goated pod
Alternate universe of Tatum not getting injured I'm thatbgame 7 is they get beat down by Nuggets and Jaylen doesn't come back a freaking monster like he did after being a complete no show when they needed him the most! Meaning no title this season and I believe Steven's doesn't make the KP trade and the Holiday trade doesn't happen either! It's not a good alternate universe if Tatum doesn't get injured imo the best thing for that Celtics team was for Tatum getting injured! Browns har work coming back showing everyone that they are wrong and Steven's blowing upnthr team trading Smart who I wouldn't say was untouchable but was someone who I believe we all looked at as they heart and soul of the team! Really what happened was what was needed to happen! Moving Smart i feel pushed Tatum and especially Brown to be more of the heart and soul of the team! Brown took pride in being that Rahh Rahh guy long taking initiative to being that leader on defense! Just look at what Brown did defending Luka in the finals! Without a doubt one the most underrated dominance that everyone doesn't even talk about and was just 4 months ago smh
Zach exposes Bill’s Embiid hatred so much I love it
Where's the hate? He said he's injury prone and hasnt delivered in the playoffs. All facts.
I think its the other way. Zach is too timid to have a negative stance on anyone. He fears confrontation. He's a smart BBall guy, but he is very timid.
Embiid has shown us who he is. A regular season FT merchant, who cares about prestige but not about the sacrifices to earn it. Whether you think his injuries are his fault or not (being overweight, flopping all over the court), he is a despicable player, dirty (look at him trying and succeeding to injure Mitchell Robinson in the playoffs last year), whiny (cried for an MVP), lowers his production when the going gets tough in the playoffs (every year), sits in the regular season against real competition (hasn't played in Denver since 2019) while beating up on bottom feeders (his 70 pt game against the Spurs, when he was mostly defended by Zach Collins).
He is a 7 ft James Harden, with all the good and bad that entails, except worse because he is 7 ft, 280 lbs, and skilled enough to dominate without such shenanigans. He will NEVER win a championship as the number 1 guy. No one who whines as much as he does, not as a schtick, but because he is actually whining like a spoiled child, will ever be able to lead a team through hardship to the Championship.
@@shorewallim a big fan of embiid and ill tell you why i still can’t quit hoping the guy has a different season ahead of him. When the guy is healthy, he’s as unstoppable as anybody except maybe jokic. And the ducking the hardest competition thing is kinda stupid because he misses one game in Denver. He’s gone head to head against every guy in the league and outplayed that at one point or another. But I also think you have every right to feel that way about him because he has been unable to stay healthy or perform in the playoffs whether it’s been fluky injuries, or his lack of conditioning. But man that James harden comp hurt my soul
@@MichaelJones-by9fbHe's not even as good as Harden was when the playoffs roll around 🫡
@@steelwall4396 cuz he’s always hurt
My take, Suns are winning the NBA title this year. I'm not biased either, just because I was born and raised in Phoenix, 4th generation from Phoenix, been a Suns fan my whole life, my dad and grandfather were Suns fan, not biased at all.
No way KD wins another ring 😅😅😅
Celtics vs Nuggets would be a great finals
100% agree that the nuggets being tired is a bs excuse. Warriors, and whatever team Bron was on at the time, got to the finals basically every single year.
That's just KCP. I don't think any other players made that comment. The Nuggets only lost to the Timberwolves because Jamal refused to pass the ball when he was full court pressed in games 1 and 2. Michael Malone also never pulled Jamal aside and told him to cut that out.
Such a waste of a prime Jokic season. Tragic that they lost because of the most fixable possible issue.
@@TheMilapMehtaJamal was clearly injured, as he had been all year. Jokic was still dealing with his wrist injury when he played in the olympics. KCP couldn't shoot because he had a broken finger, and the Nuggets had no bench so the starters had to play almost all game like every game. Oh and MPJ was of course dealing with all of his brothers being total fuck ups and going to jail.
There is literally no scenario where they win a championship last year.
Also the warriors were different because they were already one of the best teams and THEN they got Durant. And LeBron was in the east so it barely even counts that he got to the finals lol
@@byers31303 Literally everyone has some nagging ailment at the end of the year. Pretending like the Nuggets are the only team going through that is naive.
They BARELY lost in 7 games against the Timberwolves and they had leads in the second half in games 1 & 7. Game 1 was lost purely due to Murray taking on the full court press. If he just passed the ball, they win in 5 and get to the finals since the Mavs didn't have the same level of perimeter defense that the Timberwolves did.
There are plenty of scenarios where the Nuggets win the title. Don't let confirmation bias cloud your judgement.
@@TheMilapMehta did I say they were the only team beaten up at the end of the season? Nope, for some reason you put those words in my mouth.
And the nuggets were clearly too beaten up to go any further. They couldn't make it past the 2nd round with their health level x their lack of depth. This was literally proven lol, so I'm not sure what you're arguing about.
@@byers31303 Using a childish debate "tactic" when you're wrong is the reason why you will never participate in a proper discussion.
The comment about the Nuggets being too injured to progress is nonsense. If you know that every team has players banged up, why would you make it?
Jokic, Jamal, KCP, AG, MPJ, were all able to play big minutes in the playoffs which means that they were fine in comparison to the health that guys should have at that time of the year.
I pit you.
Maybe Embiid should stop flailing, and hitting the ground so hard to sell a foul. Maybe that will help out his body
People love Jokic so he doesn’t get slack for the game 7 20 pt loss -that’s an epic collapse
They loss by 8. They gave up a 20 point lead.
@@DrPhill96He also did everything his power to turn that series around and give the Nuggets a chance to win in that game. Like any team sport, he didn’t get the help required from the rest. People will write the Nuggets off nonsensically this year.
@@enoFTTV - They always need help, right? But when he won, it was because of him,right?
The great ⚪️ hype will never be criticized
@@DrPhill96 Definitely not. Jamal was amazing, AG/Bruce/KCP. But he was the main guy. If you want to blame him for last years exit you can, but you’d be a fool for thinking it was anything more than 10% of his fault.
I feel like Bill makes his mind up on the spot depending on what the other person says!
Sometimes you go by feel, and talking about it helps you to know what you think.
Folks are bugging when it comes to Giannis me personally I still think he’s the best player in the league but he’s definitely no less than 2 folks be having him 3rd or 4th lmfao as a Celtics fan the bucks are the only team I fear in the league
Odd watching this now knowing that Zach will be unemployed a week after this aired.
Why did Bill talk about who’s gonna be the Celtics new owners for an hour? Zach clearly not interested in the topic
Godfather Bill had to flex the ring on KOC
Someone needs to say this: you can’t judge any American player based on the Olympics. Lebron and Durant looked like guys who are dominating the league - only they aren’t. They were playing on a stacked team that masked their deficiencies and limitations at this point in their careers. I’m not saying the Olympics don’t matter or aren’t fun or anything like that. Only, it’s very difficult to evaluate guys on a stacked roster. Anybody w a decent ball IQ is going to look good.
Tell that to Tatum 😂Or even Embiid lol
@@Anthonydu01630 Well Embiid doesn't have decent basketball IQ. That proves the point.
Tatum just hasn't be able to make shots for 5 months. That's different.
what do you think of curry?
@@TheRulersBack18 I’m not saying you can’t learn anything at all. Curry proved to be clutch at an important time, but judging someone’s dominance when they are playing on a stacked team is much, much tougher.
@@Anthonydu01630 this clown was prob saying tatum better than durant n bron all season. Like if they werent in his place theyd have another ring
1:08:58 “I’m gonna try to avoid the story as much as possible because I don’t really care” 😂😂😂
Simmons complaining about the Porzingis injury?
Does he know the Celtics record without Porzingis last season?
21-4 regular season
10-2 playoffs (and that includes the Game 4 Finals game the Celtics dropped on purpose)
All that matters is can the Celtics shoot 33.3% from 3 or better: if they do that they’re 69-8 including 13-2 in the playoffs.
watch the first half of the first game of the finals , Celtics are unstoppable when Porzingis is healthy…..they won’t win this year without a healthy Porzingis.
@@Thunderstick-y8h Thet won last year without a healthy Porzingis.
Timestamps please
We are so back
Back to basketball thank goodness
Dame will be better this year, and the overall chemistry will be better. Gary Trent Jr. was a great signing, as were the others.
Michael Porter Jr. should look to emulate prime Rashard Lewis
Why's Zach so high on PG?! He's been way overpaid his whole clippers tenure and has been a chemistry killer too
Everything here is spot on except the Lakers talk. It’s early, but it’s pretty clear Laker fans were right about Darvin Ham being an obstacle for success. JJ has been great so far. And “is LeBron even a playoff guy anymore?” Bro what???
😂😂😂😂
Simmons being worried about Tatum and the Celtics is hilarious.They won the finals.He was just drained in the Olympics.Steph lebron and Durant were early outs.They were more rested.The East is still runs through Boston.
yeah they're still going to be #1 even if they're worse. I think they'll regress a little because of injuries to Porzingis (surgery) and Horford (old) enabling their offense and defense in spots being able to switch and rotate. they might win 3-5 games fewer, but I would not be worried. April-June. i say this as a Celtics hater
Those guys are in their late 30’s! TATUM DRAINED!? that’s a joke lol Tatum’s shot abandoned him that’s the issue
Disnt beat knicks, 76ers bucks..all 3 will have better offensive #1 than tatum if game close
I'm a C's fan, and I can defend the Dame trade. The fact the C's got Jrue is incidental, and not THE trade. I DO think the Bucks not anticipating it is a bad look, but they STILL were gonna do that. EVERYONE loved that trade when it happened, so... when do we ever just accept "things happen," and not relegislate events playing out--and act like GMs should've known better--the same trades we LOVE when they happen. We are stupid.
Lame for butler and a 1st. Lopez and portis for BI (need to trade pat connaughton 1st to get out of 2nd apron). All major salaries expiring other than giannis. Maximum flexibility. Can use new cap space for new players or trade giannis to new Orleans or Portland for their picks back (or 3 team deal if blazers and Pelicans want someone else and not giannis).
Have to do the dishes tonight. Perfect!
even if embild doesnt get hurt he shrinks in playoff, hes never made it passed the second round - hurt or not. building around him is a waste at this point
even pandemic P had great playoff series both in Indie and LA.. not Embild
Watch Bill's face anytime someone who also knows basketball disagrees with any of his set in stone opinions. It's like he truly believes he is ALWAYS RIGHT. I respect his basketball opinions, but he is NOT the only source of basketball info.
I’m surprised these are the first people I have heard voice concern for the nuggets, that bench is a serious issue, and I know Braun might be a guy, but defensively their guards are terrible man, I just don’t see how these guys go 8-9 men deep, especially in the playoffs through 4 rounds man
Little did they know...
Embiid is the best player in the NBA?? This is a ridiculous take. Lowe I know you are an ESPN guy so I expect as much, but still.
Embiid literally “stars “ in the NBA because he gets routinely bailed out offensively by officiating. Instigating contact and being a foul merchant. He will get injured again this year and miss 20-30 games and whine about not being eligible for post season awards.
Why is the first thing Bill says when he mentions Harden is that he doesn't play defense but Joker and Curry are his favorite players 🤔
Curry and Jokic were and are both MUCH more effective defenders than Harden
@@steelwall4396 That's untrue. They're just more likeable which makes it easier for people to overlook their deficiencies. Harden was actually known as a defensive player early in his career whereas Curry and Joker were not
@nobad4265 You're simply lying. Harden was such a defensive liability they staggered him and Russ in OKC
He has 0 corrective tools, a heavy lower body makes staying in front of guys difficult. Houston specifically ran 3 guards so they could hide him on a forward instead of letting him get cooked at POA
Curry was lighter and quicker. He got attacked more (because the next worse defender was often Klay) but those attacks yielded much lesser results for teams
His super-human stamina allowed him to battle guys, his quick hands poked at dribbles, and he was a smart help defender, albeit too small to make much impact on certain sets
And Jokic is 6'10" with high IQ and sharp hands. All 3 are in completely separate tiers of defender
A competitive Milwaukee would be great for the league.
😂
@@DrPhill96hater
ROFL. A mess like last year is more entertaining. Especially trading away now 2x champion Jrue for a washed up Dame. Getting rid of a coach who was winning for an advisor who ends up meh ....Imagining the fan recriminations and counter denials is juicy. Having the Magic, Pacers..etc coming up and pushing the Bucks and Heat to irrelevance is more fun
@@chemicalhap - They were not winning anymore with Holiday so it doesn’t not matter what they traded. Might as well trade Dame and Greek Freak.
@@chemicalhapJrue Holiday shot 38% from the field in his Bucks playoff career and is the 4th/5th option on Boston. Learn the sport and don't rely on media narratives and trolls for your information.
KAT had a very similar injury and surgery to Embiid a month later than Embiid and came back at the same time and returned so well that no one talked about his injury like it never happened. Joel came back and was never really right. That’s what an extra 60lbs will do for a big guy
2 weeks into the NFL and my team is cooked. NBA content is all I can stomach. Thank you.
Broncos fan?
Came back to this video to ask for Zach. Please figure it out network people.
hoops talk is back
*Celtics vs Knicks & Lakers vs Thunder. Embiid hurt again in Playoffs but if healthy the Sixers over Knicks. I also think there is a chance that either Pacers Turner, or Heat Butler get traded to Lakers*
*Jokic, Luka, Embiid, Giannis, and AD are the 5 best NBA players in no order*
Espn effd up letting this guy go...his pod skills are legit..
Even Zach Lowe started giving predictions that are closer to so-called journalists, analysts from ESPN. When they talk about the teams that won the championship, they have no respect for the play off run that the team made. Now they remembered to say that Denver at 16-4 was not impressive because they did not have 60+ wins in the regular season/last season 57. In the west there are four teams fighting for the top four spots..Oklahoma, Denver, Dallas, Minnesota . All other teams except Portland and Utah (Utah due to their own choice) are fighting for the remaining four places.Denver will cross paths with Minnesota again this season in the semifinals or finals of the West, the winner of that series will win the championship. The NBA should do something about the teams in the east, that are too weak compared to the west, that's why Boston had so many winning games, 4 or 3 games with the Nets, Charlotte, Toronto, Washington, Chicago, Atlanta, Milwaukee. However, the guys from Hoops Collective Brian Windhorst, Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon are the best and most realistic podcast with knowledge, information, complete statistics...all the others are second tier.
I think jerami grant for rui hachimura is good trade for the Lakers I know grant is the older player but grant is a better player and a playoff performer
Disagree as a Lakers fan rui has more upside than JG , im glad lakers stayed put w/ tge roster imho JJ will be mich better than DH & lakers will@ least get into playoffs
thought I heard the outro music 76292925 times but it was a chair creaking😂
Nice Content!
Bill stop b*tching about Lakers coverage..you understand how this shidd works. Especially as a Celtics fan.
“Bradley Beal in a big 3 is offensive to the history of big 3’s”
Us suns fans been saying this
Put time stamps in your videos god dayum
A podcast of this stature not having annotations feels criminal
let him talk bill
Doc can be a jinx..lol, Bucks is a trade demand away from starting over...Yannis to Lakers..
I love these two together
Both a bit weird and neurotic but both earnest listeners and can feed off of each others vibe
Also they but know how to hold and make a point!
I never realized how much bill talks over and cuts off guests… I don’t mind it I just started noticing it and now I can’t un see it lol