Speaker 1: This podcast is part of the seventy Sixers Podcast Network
Speaker 1: search seventy Sixers podcast wherever you get your pods. Since
Speaker 1: we last spoke, it was arguably the biggest development to
Speaker 1: emerge from the seventy Sixers Bubble Shake. Milton is getting
Speaker 1: a shot to run with the ones. It's been pretty well.
Speaker 1: When I'm playing with guys who are telling it makes
Speaker 1: my job a lot easier. After showing plenty of poison
Speaker 1: promise right before the break, the twenty three year old
Speaker 1: will try to pick up right where he left off.
Speaker 1: And just as important, what does this all mean for
Speaker 1: Ben Simmons? How has he responded to that like a star?
Speaker 1: I think he's been great accepting that and really killing
Speaker 1: it in practice. I'm more I'm Devon Givens and I'm
Speaker 1: Brian Seltzer And this is the broadcast on the seventy
Speaker 1: Sixers Podcast Network. Another edition of the broadcast, another step
Speaker 1: closer to actual, real basketball. And yes, I am absolutely
Speaker 1: considering Friday afternoon scrimmage basketball inside the Orlando Disney World
Speaker 1: bubble as actual basketball. It counts. Gosh, darn it, am
Speaker 1: I wrong? You're not wrong, Felts. I think every video
Speaker 1: clip that we see of players playing five on five
Speaker 1: gets us a little closer to that moment where they're
Speaker 1: going to play another team five on five. I think
Speaker 1: scrimmage absolutely counts as real basketball, and it's a heck
Speaker 1: of a lot more than we've had in the last
Speaker 1: four months. So I am stoked about it. Do you
Speaker 1: give me your excitement level? Is this normal preseason basketball
Speaker 1: excitement level or does this feel like something bigger, something grander.
Speaker 1: This certainly does seem bigger because of the nature of
Speaker 1: how we've gotten here, because of the layoffs that we've had,
Speaker 1: seeing them last on March eleventh, seeing the NBA last
Speaker 1: on March eleventh, So this certainly does seem a little
Speaker 1: bit bigger. I think I'm also trying to temper my
Speaker 1: expectations until we actually see the dribbling count on the floor,
Speaker 1: knowing that we actually have basketball back, But the excitement
Speaker 1: level is through the room temper a bit. I'm the
Speaker 1: kind of guy who, under normal circumstances, I always look
Speaker 1: forward to that first spring training game, that first preseason game,
Speaker 1: that first exhibition game of any kind, just because I
Speaker 1: haven't seen a team in such a long time. I
Speaker 1: want to get a taste to tease. Well, just multiply
Speaker 1: that by like four and a half months worth of time.
Speaker 1: And that's where I'm at. With the seventy Sixers getting
Speaker 1: things going on Friday. There is so much to look
Speaker 1: forward to in this first weekend of action and as
Speaker 1: the Sixers work their way towards the seeding games which
Speaker 1: start on August the first. But I gotta tell you,
Speaker 1: I was out of town the past week, tried to detach, unplug,
Speaker 1: went up to the mountains, gotten from of some water,
Speaker 1: and even up there where the cell phone reception might
Speaker 1: not be as great or the Wi Fi connection as strong,
Speaker 1: it was impossible to avoid hearing about one of the
Speaker 1: developments taking place inside the bubble for the seventy Sixers
Speaker 1: and involved, of course, the Pride of Owasso, Oklahoma. And
Speaker 1: as we do our deep dive to begin this episode
Speaker 1: of the podcast, we got to start with the fact
Speaker 1: that at this point in time, Brett Brown has given
Speaker 1: what sounds like primary on ball responsibilities to Shake Milton. Yes,
Speaker 1: I love it because this is something that I thought
Speaker 1: was should have taken place once Ben Simmons finally returned
Speaker 1: whenever he did before the league shut down. The thing
Speaker 1: that I wanted to see really was how Shake Milton
Speaker 1: and Ben Simmons would operate together on the floor. Now,
Speaker 1: while I did not necessarily think that it would come
Speaker 1: in this particular role where Brett Brown uses the word
Speaker 1: as primary four primarily at the four for Ben Simmons
Speaker 1: and Shake Milton running with the ones here, I'm intrigued
Speaker 1: by this whole setup that Brett Brown and his coaching
Speaker 1: had stat has decided to go along with to run
Speaker 1: everyone back through the timeline. This started to come to
Speaker 1: the surface, this development on July thirteenth, Brett Brown met
Speaker 1: with the media and he gave them a little bit
Speaker 1: of nugget. The last few days I've played then, you know,
Speaker 1: exclusively as as a formia. Then after Brett spoke, Joel
Speaker 1: Embiid kind of pulled back the curtain that much more.
Speaker 1: The stint gone. And I think he has a huge
Speaker 1: apportion it into your help us. And you've been sitting
Speaker 1: in on all the media availabilities so far. What was
Speaker 1: your impression when you heard some of these drips and
Speaker 1: drabs and Easter eggs being hidden and planted throughout July
Speaker 1: thirteenth media availabilities? Well, I think that when the hiatus
Speaker 1: began and Shake had been playing so well he sort
Speaker 1: of burst onto the radar, and obviously with Ben out,
Speaker 1: he was having some more opportunities in that primary ball
Speaker 1: handling position. But I'm excited to hear that he's going
Speaker 1: to continue to have those opportunities now that Ben and
Speaker 1: Joel and everyone is back and healthy. It's cool to
Speaker 1: see that they're going to take I could work that
Speaker 1: Shake put in and the success that he had and
Speaker 1: continue to reward that. I'm excited about the idea of
Speaker 1: them all playing healthy together. I'm excited about the new
Speaker 1: partnerships that are going to emerge here between Shake and Ben,
Speaker 1: Shake and Joel, Joel and Ben. I think all around,
Speaker 1: there are a lot of exciting opportunities, especially on the
Speaker 1: offensive end, putting Shake into the position that he's in,
Speaker 1: and I'm excited to see his teammates embracing him and
Speaker 1: trusting him to do that. I guess when we look
Speaker 1: back over the last year and a half with the
Speaker 1: seventy sixers, maybe we shouldn't have been all that surprise
Speaker 1: that this is something that ultimately came to fruition. Because
Speaker 1: if you go back to last spring and the playoffs,
Speaker 1: the Sixers started working Jimmy Butler on the ball more,
Speaker 1: having Ben Simmons playoff at more, and perhaps at that
Speaker 1: point in time you might have looked at it as
Speaker 1: a byproduct of how teams were defending the Sixers and Simmons,
Speaker 1: whereas now it looks like this is something the Sixers
Speaker 1: feel like could work to their advantage and they want
Speaker 1: more of a say and want to be able to
Speaker 1: dictate it. Yes, I guess my only thing with this one, Selts,
Speaker 1: is just who that person is who was taken over
Speaker 1: not named Jimmy Butler. I would have never guessed there
Speaker 1: would have been Shake Milton, with all due respect the
Speaker 1: player that I've liked coming out of SMU, but looking
Speaker 1: at the path that he has going through with the
Speaker 1: injuries in the G League with the Blue Coats, going
Speaker 1: from Delaware to Philadelphia quite a bit during his rook
Speaker 1: to season, being rewarded with the two years with the contract.
Speaker 1: Over the off season, we were talking more backup minutes
Speaker 1: for Shake Milton, then starter minutes alongside Ben Simmons, Josh Richardson,
Speaker 1: Tobias Harrison, and Dwell Embiid. And as we get ready
Speaker 1: for a playoff scenario, I didn't think that this would
Speaker 1: be the conversation that we would be having, so while
Speaker 1: we were already giving a taste of what this could
Speaker 1: look like with Jimmy Butler, I just I'm surprised that
Speaker 1: it has come to this with Shake Milton, but pleasantly
Speaker 1: surprised because I liked the player. I liked the situation
Speaker 1: that if starting five is now in and it does
Speaker 1: for the overall team once they do step on the floor,
Speaker 1: lasting impressions aren't everything they do, however, count for something.
Speaker 1: We're all aware of how well Shake played in relief
Speaker 1: at Ben Simmons and even at times Josh Richardson before
Speaker 1: the suspension of the NBA season, where last we left
Speaker 1: it with Shake, he was averaging right under ten points
Speaker 1: per game, shooting almost fifty percent from the field and
Speaker 1: over forty five from three. He's a guy that has
Speaker 1: just seemed like he has been ready for opportunity after
Speaker 1: opportunity that has come his way when it's presented itself,
Speaker 1: just not getting too high or too low, just kind
Speaker 1: of staying level headed and just kind of thinking next
Speaker 1: play mentality, no matter if I make a shot or
Speaker 1: if I turn the ball a little or anything like
Speaker 1: that just playing confident, being confident in myself and confident
Speaker 1: of my abilities, and playing with no fear. I've just
Speaker 1: been so impressed with the way that Shake looks at
Speaker 1: all these opportunities. We've talked about it a lot, but
Speaker 1: his ability to stay calm, cool and collected, come what may,
Speaker 1: it's so impressive to me just on a person a level.
Speaker 1: I don't have that level of consistency under pressure, and
Speaker 1: it's really cool to see someone who's so young really
Speaker 1: keep a cool head, embrace challenges, embrace opportunities the way
Speaker 1: that he has. And I'm excited to see the fact
Speaker 1: that his teammates again have all expressed how much they
Speaker 1: trust him, even after only playing with him for a
Speaker 1: short amount of time. Alec Burke's Glenn Robinson the Third
Speaker 1: only had a few games to share the court with Shake,
Speaker 1: and they've already talked about how wonderful he's been and
Speaker 1: how much they trust him. I think the fact that
Speaker 1: these older veterans with playoff experience, all stars are saying
Speaker 1: that they really trust Shake, someone who just got his
Speaker 1: first full time NBA contract and hasn't appeared in the
Speaker 1: playoffs before, the fact that he's already earned that level
Speaker 1: of trust from his teammates, I think speaks volumes about
Speaker 1: who he is off the court and the potential he
Speaker 1: has in a high pressure situation on the court. That
Speaker 1: speaks volumes, as you just laid out, Lauren, because of
Speaker 1: the fact that we're all talking about proven starters in
Speaker 1: this league, from Joel embiid on down to Josh Richardson,
Speaker 1: proven guys who have done it in the playoffs, who
Speaker 1: have made All Star teams, and who have earned big contracts,
Speaker 1: and to rely on a young player like Shake Milton's
Speaker 1: second round pick in the second season, where he has
Speaker 1: never really given an opportunity, never really been given an
Speaker 1: opportunity to play these types of meaningful minutes and these
Speaker 1: types of meaningful games, and for them to feel like
Speaker 1: as you just spoke of him being so poised under
Speaker 1: control on the floor, playing in Los Angeles on national
Speaker 1: television and hanging thirty nine on the Los Angeles Clippers
Speaker 1: with the likes of Kawhi Leonard, Patrick Beverley, and Paul
Speaker 1: George all take a turn and he's still doing his thing.
Speaker 1: I totally agree with you that it does say something
Speaker 1: when these players feel so comfortable with that young player
Speaker 1: and Shake Milton handling the rock to start game, start
Speaker 1: the games off shots, which did the league basically got
Speaker 1: shut down, he was, so we're going into it. We're
Speaker 1: keeping golf now. I do think it's worth noting that
Speaker 1: this is not a change that is set in stone,
Speaker 1: or at least that's how it stands, because when Brett
Speaker 1: Brown has been talking about his decision to put Shake
Speaker 1: Milton primarily on the ball and play Ben Simmons for
Speaker 1: a little bit more, it's been couched with. Well, listen,
Speaker 1: we only have a set number of practices before the
Speaker 1: scrimmages start. We have three scrimmages, then we have these
Speaker 1: eight seeding games, and then we get ready for the
Speaker 1: postseason in the middle of August. To me, it sounds
Speaker 1: like this is something that the Sixers definitely obviously want
Speaker 1: to try and give some lease two to see where
Speaker 1: it pans out. But they're also not closing the door
Speaker 1: on anything that has been in the past or something
Speaker 1: else knew that could be in the future. Ben Simmons
Speaker 1: has had a lot of success at the point guard
Speaker 1: position for the seventy Sixers. They're back to back fifty
Speaker 1: win teams in seventeen eighteen and eighteen nineteen, of course
Speaker 1: with this basketball team, so there's no way that the
Speaker 1: ball won't end up in his hands quite a bit.
Speaker 1: And also running the show for this team, so I
Speaker 1: do expect to still see that they've had success with
Speaker 1: it before, there's no reason why we wouldn't see it
Speaker 1: again in a posseason. As for why the seventy sixers
Speaker 1: think this move is so important, in listening to Brett
Speaker 1: Brown over the last week, the one Xino concept that
Speaker 1: it seems like he continues to go back to and
Speaker 1: revisit and emphasize is call what you want screen and roll,
Speaker 1: pick and roll, having Shake be able to free up
Speaker 1: End Simmons to play more of a screening role, and
Speaker 1: then giving the seventy sixers more options off that we
Speaker 1: haven't had a ton of guards over my time, the
Speaker 1: defenders a force to go over. You know, when you
Speaker 1: have a guard and you have a point guard, the
Speaker 1: defense is told and the players scouted, we prefer you
Speaker 1: chasing over pick and rolls more than shooting gaps and
Speaker 1: going under, because you know Shake can punish that with
Speaker 1: his skill shooting. Then the world makes, you know, even
Speaker 1: more sense. It opens up Ben even more so on
Speaker 1: those honey spot half roles, especially that sort of gather
Speaker 1: step area ends up being so much more available and
Speaker 1: open if a defended chases from Brett Brown to Joel
Speaker 1: Embiid to other starters to guys on the bench. It
Speaker 1: seems like this is a move that is energizing and
Speaker 1: exciting everyone. Yeah. Absolutely, So, Like we were talking about before,
Speaker 1: the fact that Ben and Joel have both sort of
Speaker 1: given their blessing to Shake is really exciting because we're
Speaker 1: going to see Ben and Joel obviously have their own
Speaker 1: relationship that's going to look a little different now with
Speaker 1: Ben playing more. Brett Brown called it a big, big relationship,
Speaker 1: and then each of them are going to have independent
Speaker 1: relationships with Shake as a ball handler, and I'm excited
Speaker 1: to see the way that that will change the look
Speaker 1: of the offense because obviously it will quite a bit
Speaker 1: with Shake being more of a traditional ball handler type
Speaker 1: and a really good shooter, like you said, Sel, So
Speaker 1: I think it opens up a lot of opportunities. And
Speaker 1: I know I've said it already, but I like the
Speaker 1: way that everyone seems to be embracing this change. He
Speaker 1: plays really well. You can shoot the ball. Here's a
Speaker 1: high i Q gets the red finish. He's just somebody
Speaker 1: you can play with and you can you can say
Speaker 1: something soon and they'll put it in a play and
Speaker 1: that's what you need. And then somebody like Shape or
Speaker 1: players like that. He's development still and he's come a
Speaker 1: long way since you know, the first day I see
Speaker 1: to play. He's only getting better. And the relationship that
Speaker 1: you talk about with the bigs having their relationship and
Speaker 1: then both of them having a relationship with Shake Milton
Speaker 1: if they have success, is that role man dive into
Speaker 1: the basket and doing the things that they need to do,
Speaker 1: finishing in the paint. Just imagine it's seltilated out for
Speaker 1: us law and forty five percent from behind three. While
Speaker 1: they may not main change throughout the season, he is
Speaker 1: already a threat from behind a three point line because
Speaker 1: he is shown that he can make that shot and
Speaker 1: make that shot in big spots against big defenders, not
Speaker 1: just big defenders in size, but big defenders in terms
Speaker 1: of name and stature in this league with what comes
Speaker 1: along with the all NBA defensive squads. So I totally
Speaker 1: agree with the relationship that he can have with his
Speaker 1: bigs and how that will also benefit the team with
Speaker 1: his outside shooting. And then while we're talking about the
Speaker 1: starting five, we haven't mentioned Tobias Harris or Josh Richardson,
Speaker 1: who obviously are huge threats themselves. So the fact that
Speaker 1: there's almost no weak spot in the entire offense is
Speaker 1: really exciting because you know the bigs are going to
Speaker 1: bring it. You know that Shake, based on what he's done,
Speaker 1: can bring it. And then Tobias and Josh are so versatile,
Speaker 1: Josh on both ends of the court, and we've talked
Speaker 1: about Tobias's defensive improvements all season. So to look at
Speaker 1: this starting unit on both ends of the floor and
Speaker 1: have them be so formidable, I think it's really exciting.
Speaker 1: And the person who sounds like he could be most
Speaker 1: pumped of all is Ban himself. Yeah, right to be
Speaker 1: things out to see if they work, because we're not
Speaker 1: in the stage where we can be comfortable yet. You know,
Speaker 1: I'm still trying to figure it out myself to where,
Speaker 1: you know, what feels comfortable, what's right for this team,
Speaker 1: how we're gonna win. If it's this way that I'm
Speaker 1: all for it. Ben has had nothing but really encouraging
Speaker 1: things to say about what this move off the ball
Speaker 1: on most occasions might do. I think there's definitely going
Speaker 1: to be spots and situations where you see Simmons bring
Speaker 1: the ball up. Why wouldn't you have him tear down
Speaker 1: the floor off a miss or something like that and
Speaker 1: put pressure on the defense immediately. But he seems like
Speaker 1: he's totally on board, and that could be as much
Speaker 1: of a key to this whole thing working out as
Speaker 1: it is to the skill set of a player. I
Speaker 1: think you're right, Selts, that's something that has come up
Speaker 1: a lot. This isn't a binary change. Ben Simmons is
Speaker 1: still going to be handling the ball, Shake Milton is
Speaker 1: still going to be sharing the ball. There's going to
Speaker 1: be a lot of collaboration between both of them, and
Speaker 1: they both have their own individual skill sets. Like you said,
Speaker 1: Ben on the break, there's almost no one as good
Speaker 1: as Ben in terms of getting out in transition. His
Speaker 1: speed is unparalleled, So we're still going to see plenty
Speaker 1: of that. It's not like Ben is no longer going
Speaker 1: to be on the ball. It's just an opportunity for
Speaker 1: him to showcase his versatility both places, and I think
Speaker 1: it's really exciting. It's absolutely exciting to see that it
Speaker 1: shows the growth and maturity as a player too. Looking
Speaker 1: at where we are right now in this situation with
Speaker 1: the restart, this is about the eight seeding games and
Speaker 1: certainly the playoffs egos are put aside right now. We
Speaker 1: hope for the seventy six is where they're just looking
Speaker 1: to go out there and when not that it never
Speaker 1: was the case because we know they take it on
Speaker 1: the chest when they lose and they don't like it
Speaker 1: like we've seen during the season, but in this particular scenario,
Speaker 1: when it's called upon for a different role but still
Speaker 1: have success in your new role, that again just shows
Speaker 1: team first for this basketball team, and we hope it
Speaker 1: extends throughout the duration of the playoffs. This is something
Speaker 1: that I think at times now and I just feel
Speaker 1: like we focus on other things with Ben Simmons, but
Speaker 1: I feel like this sometimes gets lost in the conversation
Speaker 1: about Ben. He is a playmaker probably first and foremost,
Speaker 1: and he spoke about that at the end of day.
Speaker 1: If you know me, you know, if you put me
Speaker 1: on the floor, I'll make anything happen. I already look
Speaker 1: at it as like a title of position. That's raining
Speaker 1: for you guys. With articles I think that he's a
Speaker 1: playmaker on the offensive end. We've certainly seen it on
Speaker 1: the defensive end. And the way he chalks it up is, listen,
Speaker 1: you put me out there. I'm confident enough in my
Speaker 1: basketball IQ that I'm going to find a way to
Speaker 1: make positive plays that affect the basketball team. So now
Speaker 1: we're just going to see the next phase in that evolution.
Speaker 1: Even if it's only for a couple scrimmages and or
Speaker 1: seating games. Who knows how long it's gonna last, but
Speaker 1: it is a really important story for the Sixers as
Speaker 1: they're going to trying something new. And before we close
Speaker 1: the book on discussing this, I think we've hit upon
Speaker 1: the two primary angles of this whole situation. It's Shake
Speaker 1: getting an opportunity in the starting lineup, and then what
Speaker 1: does it do for Ben Simon is freeing him up
Speaker 1: a little bit more, But then also the idea of
Speaker 1: how this can affect the seventy sixers bench, because right now,
Speaker 1: as it stands, the starting lineup is going to be
Speaker 1: Shake Richardson, Tobias Ben and Joe Well. That leaves such
Speaker 1: an experienced and I think heavy player and Al Horford
Speaker 1: coming off the bench, which could then give the seventy
Speaker 1: sixers a different look with that second unit, which we
Speaker 1: saw work at various times, especially in the month three
Speaker 1: weeks or so before the regular season was put on pause.
Speaker 1: The epitome of leadership, the epitome of putting your ego
Speaker 1: aside and understanding what's at stake here and trying to
Speaker 1: win for this basketball team. We're talking about a multiple
Speaker 1: time All Star and someone who has made deep runs
Speaker 1: in the postseason in the past. He knows what it takes,
Speaker 1: so you feel comfortable knowing that he's going to be
Speaker 1: the guy who is backing up Joe Ellenbi. You don't
Speaker 1: lose anything in terms of running the floor and transitioning
Speaker 1: and having someone like Al Horford, someone who can play
Speaker 1: that pick and pop to when we talked about the
Speaker 1: relationship that Ben Simmons and Joel and b will have
Speaker 1: with Shake Milton, we've also seen that relationship with Ben
Speaker 1: Simmons and Al Horford as well. And when Shake Milton
Speaker 1: does come in and you know, give Ben Simmons a
Speaker 1: breather and he is once again running the point guard position. Hey,
Speaker 1: again that pick and pop, that pick and roll for
Speaker 1: Al Horford. Defensively, Overall, we're talking about someone who knows
Speaker 1: how to play the game of basketball, and right now,
Speaker 1: this is where they need him, and that's somewhere that there.
Speaker 1: I think we'll see some success with the big man.
Speaker 1: And just because Al Horford might not be with the
Speaker 1: first group to start a game, I'm not sold on
Speaker 1: that meaning that he's not going to be out there
Speaker 1: in certain situations to end games for sure, because we
Speaker 1: know the value of having someone who is a very smart,
Speaker 1: intuitive player out there, especially in crunchtime situations, especially in
Speaker 1: the postseason, and the versatility he brings the defense is
Speaker 1: something that is immensely valuable. I think, at least I
Speaker 1: agree with you Salton. I thin there's an argument to
Speaker 1: be made that the Sixers achilles heel in the playoffs
Speaker 1: last season was what do they do when Joel Embiid
Speaker 1: is off the floor. They didn't have the best answer
Speaker 1: to those situations, and they were still able to take
Speaker 1: the Raptors, who would ultimately become the champions, to a
Speaker 1: Game seven that came down to the last second. I
Speaker 1: know it might be still sensitive to talk about, but
Speaker 1: that's what happened. And to now have a great option
Speaker 1: when Joel is off the floor, I think can't be understated.
Speaker 1: And for that option to be Al Horford, a bona
Speaker 1: fide All star, we know he's a stud in the playoffs.
Speaker 1: I think that's something that the team will rely on
Speaker 1: and that fans can have more confidence in seeing someone
Speaker 1: with that resume be the backup is quite the luxury
Speaker 1: to have and someone that the head coach trusts. Right,
Speaker 1: just laid all that stuff out, Lauren, and when it
Speaker 1: all really comes down to it, the head coach trust.
Speaker 1: Head coach trust that player to go in and spell
Speaker 1: Joel Embiid for whatever amount of minutes there are and
Speaker 1: to your points out as well to close out a game.
Speaker 1: Our deep dive on Shake Milton, the shot he's getting
Speaker 1: and how it affects the seventy sixers really pumped to
Speaker 1: see the initial phases of that. When the seventy sixers
Speaker 1: hit the floor at Disney World for the start of
Speaker 1: their three scrimmage schedule this Friday against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Speaker 1: In about twenty seconds, Devon larn and I will recap
Speaker 1: some other headlines that made news of the seventy Sixers
Speaker 1: over the last couple of days, but first got to
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Speaker 1: about every seventy six ers fan to hear the talk
Speaker 1: about Shake Milton and Ben Simmons and all that stuff
Speaker 1: last week, But there were some other important, tasty nuggets
Speaker 1: that we feel here on the broadcast are worthy of
Speaker 1: highlighting as well, and we'll do that right now in
Speaker 1: our did you hear that segment? Divine? Let us begin
Speaker 1: this week with you, Ma Man. Yes, I actually got
Speaker 1: this one from Lauren Rosen's Twitter account. How about that? Uh?
Speaker 1: Pretty good? That's right. Kyle lot Quinn the veteran big
Speaker 1: Man quote that really stood out to me in a
Speaker 1: situation like this inside the bubble. Here's the quote. Whether
Speaker 1: it's eating together or going golfing, I always opened it
Speaker 1: up for those guys to ask all the questions they need.
Speaker 1: When those guys meet me, I've got to answer the call.
Speaker 1: It's definitely, you know, a role that has to be had,
Speaker 1: you know, just to keep guys together, engage. You don't
Speaker 1: have that family aspect, you know, just the duty is
Speaker 1: bigger than the title. So I think that you know,
Speaker 1: when those guys need me, I got to answer the
Speaker 1: call in a situation like this. Why he has not
Speaker 1: been here because this has been a unique one. He
Speaker 1: has been to the postseason. He understands what this is
Speaker 1: all about. So when someone liked for a con quorkma
Speaker 1: shake Milton the tea sty wars. Young players step into
Speaker 1: this new world which will be called the playoffs. It
Speaker 1: doesn't hurt to lean on the veterans that you have
Speaker 1: within your locker room. And while there are many one
Speaker 1: who seems like he really takes, you know, the young
Speaker 1: guys and leads them the right way, even in his
Speaker 1: reserve role, knowing what he would be doing once he
Speaker 1: signed with this team in the offseason. I really really
Speaker 1: like to see and hear that quote from Kylo Quinn.
Speaker 1: During the week, I would try every possible way to
Speaker 1: support a fellow twin Dad Kylo Quinn, it's easy on
Speaker 1: point with that remark. Totally agree with you. I think
Speaker 1: he has been an absolute great presence inside the seventy
Speaker 1: six ers locker room and now inside the Bubble. Lauren,
Speaker 1: what else did you hear this past week? I mean,
Speaker 1: I think we can't let this week's podcast go without
Speaker 1: drawing a little attention to our matisse Thyble, who started
Speaker 1: his now nationally recognized Welcome to the Bubble vlog series,
Speaker 1: and for anyone that hasn't seen it, go watch it.
Speaker 1: For anyone who has seen it, it's very clear that
Speaker 1: he's so talented off the court. We already knew he
Speaker 1: was a big photographer, but it's awesome to see him
Speaker 1: flex his video skills and his editing skills. He's editing
Speaker 1: all of them himself. He's been very clear about that.
Speaker 1: He wants everyone to know that this is something that
Speaker 1: he is able to take full ownership over, which is
Speaker 1: really impressive. I mean, a lot of people get paid
Speaker 1: a lot of money to make stuff like that, and
Speaker 1: he's getting paid a lot of money to do something
Speaker 1: entirely different where he's also excelling and coach Brown was
Speaker 1: very complimentary of Matisse on the court this week, so
Speaker 1: were his teammates. It seems like he's been pretty dominant
Speaker 1: defensively the way we would expect him to be, and
Speaker 1: it's just cool to see him have this creative outlet
Speaker 1: off the court that's really going to create some special memories.
Speaker 1: The thing that he said about it that I like
Speaker 1: most was that he felt like it would be a
Speaker 1: fun way to look back on this experience and have
Speaker 1: really cool memories. I've wanted to do things like this before,
Speaker 1: whether it was when I was in college or while
Speaker 1: I was going through the draft process, but never really
Speaker 1: had the confidence to do it, or it just never
Speaker 1: really felt right. And for me coming into this situation
Speaker 1: knowing how many eyes are going to be on it
Speaker 1: and finally feeling like enough pressure so to kind of
Speaker 1: go through and get over my discomforts of whether it's
Speaker 1: being in front of camera, just like putting myself out
Speaker 1: there like that, I felt like this is a good
Speaker 1: opportunity to see what had happened. Just go for it.
Speaker 1: He's talked a little bit about the fact that he
Speaker 1: does get nervous in front of the camera. He doesn't
Speaker 1: love having to speak on camera, which I can completely
Speaker 1: empathize with. But he does a great job, and it's
Speaker 1: cool to see him putting himself out of his comfort
Speaker 1: zone and embracing it and making something really cool that
Speaker 1: The La Times, the New York Times, national news outlets
Speaker 1: have honed in on and appreciated him for doing it.
Speaker 1: So I think it's awesome and I look forward to
Speaker 1: future episodes. Listen, a lot of people can say that, hey,
Speaker 1: I just want to do this to have some fun,
Speaker 1: make some memories, and then go take a photo on
Speaker 1: their iPhone. Not everyone can pull off a professional level
Speaker 1: production by themselves. It's ridiculous. He is such a next
Speaker 1: level thinker. I mean, you can see now how it
Speaker 1: really translates on the court. I think some guys to
Speaker 1: be a professional, elite professional basketball player, you have to
Speaker 1: think at a next level. But I think just the
Speaker 1: depth of his vision when he's taking still photos, producing
Speaker 1: these videos, it's incredible. I'm so impressed. It is awesome stuff.
Speaker 1: It's a great watch, it really is. And he's not
Speaker 1: using like low level software. He's using Premiere. He's editing
Speaker 1: on a high level. I had to go to grad
Speaker 1: school to learn to do that. And here's someone who
Speaker 1: is not doing this professionally. He's doing something else professionally
Speaker 1: at a high level, able to do something that I
Speaker 1: had to really really study to learn to do. So
Speaker 1: props to Matise for making this happen. It is tremendous.
Speaker 1: Welcome to the vlog, Welcome to the international media powerhouse
Speaker 1: that is content King Matisse thyble as for me what
Speaker 1: I heard this past week. It's also something that Kyle
Speaker 1: Quinn talked about. But I'm going to use a bite
Speaker 1: from Brett Brown speaking about Joel and Bead and the
Speaker 1: vibes that Joe has been giving off inside the bubble
Speaker 1: so far. Yeah, and I talked a lot about that.
Speaker 1: He was the one that brought it to me. Joel.
Speaker 1: We all understand. You know, he comes in and you know,
Speaker 1: he brings it, he practices it, has a game, and
Speaker 1: then he goes home. And there are a lot of
Speaker 1: players that are liked that. I'm kind of like that,
Speaker 1: and so this environment here, I just think is surreal
Speaker 1: in the fact that you've got no choice. Here you are,
Speaker 1: You're with each other, and I love it. And I
Speaker 1: think our guys have most importantly appreciated each other's company.
Speaker 1: I really don't feel like this is an insignificant story,
Speaker 1: and it shouldn't be interpreted as Joel being a standoffish
Speaker 1: aloof kind of guy, not someone who's there to support
Speaker 1: his teammates and that sort of thing. But he does
Speaker 1: kind of and has in the past, operate and inside
Speaker 1: his own world. I think that's been well documented, and
Speaker 1: he's even admitted it himself as recently as the past
Speaker 1: couple of days. But I thought it was so encouraging
Speaker 1: to hear that he's been proactive and sitting down with
Speaker 1: Brett Brown, taking more of an initiative to be part
Speaker 1: of team functions that sort of thing, because I think, listen,
Speaker 1: it's something that's important for all players to do, but
Speaker 1: when it's one of your franchise pillars, it becomes that
Speaker 1: much more important. I agree. I loved hearing it. It
Speaker 1: was something that was refreshing to hear. Not knowing as
Speaker 1: in depth about him not really being around the teammates
Speaker 1: as much. I know that he does things with them
Speaker 1: from time to time. It's good to hear that, and
Speaker 1: hopefully with what they've gone into this bubble to do
Speaker 1: this helps in a big way with those guys together
Speaker 1: in their chemistry on the flu as well. I do
Speaker 1: think that this bubble environment has created some unique silver linings,
Speaker 1: maybe when it comes to team chemistry. A guy like Joel,
Speaker 1: who obviously is the ultimate person to play with, but
Speaker 1: to take that initiative and want to grow as a
Speaker 1: teammate off the court and want to grow alongside his teammates,
Speaker 1: And then moving past Joel and just looking at the
Speaker 1: team as a whole, how often do they have the
Speaker 1: chance to golf together, to fish together, to do all
Speaker 1: these activities. And obviously I'm sure they would love to
Speaker 1: be with their inner circles and their loved ones, but
Speaker 1: it is cool to see them embracing each other off
Speaker 1: the court. I think that could go a long way
Speaker 1: as this playoff run begins. They all they got, hopefully
Speaker 1: they all they need as they work their way through
Speaker 1: getting ready for the season inside the bubble. All right,
Speaker 1: did you hear this? That's what we heard this past week,
Speaker 1: And as we begin to finish things up by going
Speaker 1: around the rest of the league, I just love checking
Speaker 1: in on what's happening with the other twenty one teams
Speaker 1: inside the bubble, whether it's a number one seed or
Speaker 1: bottom contending team to get into that eighth spot, whether
Speaker 1: it's in the East of the West. I just love
Speaker 1: tracking it because it's total, totally different. It's something we
Speaker 1: haven't seen before. So, Lauren, what stood out to you
Speaker 1: from around the rest of the league. The biggest thing
Speaker 1: for me this week has to be the league's announcement
Speaker 1: that zero players tested positive for COVID nineteen inside the
Speaker 1: bubble this week. That is a huge accomplishment and it
Speaker 1: shows that the resources they've put towards this bubble, towards
Speaker 1: this atmosphere are the correct resources and they are effective resources.
Speaker 1: So I think that's a huge relief to players, family
Speaker 1: members of players, fans, people everywhere that we're wondering if
Speaker 1: this was going to work. It's a huge sign. It's
Speaker 1: a great thing, and I'm really thrilled for the league.
Speaker 1: And then the second thing that I would want to
Speaker 1: call attention to around the league this week is the
Speaker 1: way that players, coaches, teams paid tribute to the late
Speaker 1: John Lewis, who passed away earlier this week. Lebron James
Speaker 1: had a really special, powerful moment in his media availability
Speaker 1: where he talked about how important Lewis is to him
Speaker 1: and the causes that he fought for are the causes
Speaker 1: that Lebron has vocally been fighting for lately. We saw
Speaker 1: Brett Brown also give a moment at the beginning of
Speaker 1: practice to talk about John Lewis with his team. Tobias
Speaker 1: Harris talked about it on Twitter. A lot of players
Speaker 1: were posting about what Lewis meant to them, and it
Speaker 1: was important, I think, for them to have that opportunity
Speaker 1: to pay tribute to someone who's so important, even though
Speaker 1: they're in this bubble environment and focused primarily on basketball.
Speaker 1: They've talked about how important social initiatives are, and this
Speaker 1: is someone who's been a social hero for a really
Speaker 1: long time. So I think it was special to see
Speaker 1: so many people call attention to him. Well put by you, Lauren,
Speaker 1: and I thought it was great seeing on Lloyd Pierce's
Speaker 1: social media, former seventy six assistant coach now head coach
Speaker 1: the Atlanta Hawks some pictures that he took within the
Speaker 1: last couple of years with the Nellie US representative John Lewis,
Speaker 1: who passed away in Atlanta. That's obviously where Lloyd Pierce
Speaker 1: currently coaches these days with the Hawks. So good stuff. Lauren.
Speaker 1: Appreciate that do what about you? Well? First, I would
Speaker 1: also like the second that it was great to see
Speaker 1: everything everyone paying their attributes to the late great John
Speaker 1: Lewis with all that he has meant to so many
Speaker 1: people within this country. It was great to see that.
Speaker 1: Sad to year of course about the passing great that
Speaker 1: people sit up and remember him the way that he
Speaker 1: should have been remembered. I will look at something in
Speaker 1: the league and I will go with a report on
Speaker 1: July thirteenth that would be from schum Surania where there
Speaker 1: was to his tweet. There's growing belief Pacer star Victor
Speaker 1: Oladipo will attempt to play in the NBA's restarted season
Speaker 1: after multiple strong team practices in Orlando, sources inside the
Speaker 1: Bubble tells Chumps. So when we last spoke, we were
Speaker 1: looking at this as a possible only there to practice
Speaker 1: to be around a team situation for Victor Oladippo along
Speaker 1: with Indiana. Now there is the belief that not only
Speaker 1: has he been practicing, but he might even play in
Speaker 1: the exhibition games as they get underway starting this week.
Speaker 1: So encouraging, of course, you never want to see anybody
Speaker 1: down due to injury. They are tied with the seventy
Speaker 1: sixers in terms of their record, sitting in a number
Speaker 1: five spot in the Eastern Conference. If he is going
Speaker 1: to be able to play, I'm sure these three exhibition
Speaker 1: games are big, and he and the team figuring out
Speaker 1: what's next for him in his recovery overall, and then
Speaker 1: stepping back out there on the floor. So big development
Speaker 1: in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Speaking of all stars making
Speaker 1: impending returns. The Houston Rockets the number six seed in
Speaker 1: the Western Conference, and this is what I had my
Speaker 1: eyes on, getting Russell Westbrook back. And this kind of
Speaker 1: dovetails off of what Lauren talked about with their now
Speaker 1: being no reported positive tests out of the three hundred
Speaker 1: forty six players being tested for COVID inside the NBA campus. Now,
Speaker 1: to me, the next part of that story, and the
Speaker 1: next layer in that story is is how do teams
Speaker 1: go about integrating and working back in players who had
Speaker 1: been away for a bit. Now, I think in Westbrook's case,
Speaker 1: obviously he's extremely talented, and it's not like this has
Speaker 1: been a month long or even three week thing yet
Speaker 1: where the teams have been quarantined inside the bubble in Orlando.
Speaker 1: But still, if there are players who are returning to campus,
Speaker 1: coming to campus for the first time in Orlando or
Speaker 1: at some point down the road, if they have to
Speaker 1: leave and then come back, how they work themselves back
Speaker 1: into the mix with their respective teams. That's something that
Speaker 1: I think is going to be really compelling to keep
Speaker 1: an eye on. And Russell Westbrook, it looks like is
Speaker 1: most importantly doing fine after testing positive a few weeks
Speaker 1: ago and is set to rejoin the Houston Rockets that
Speaker 1: takes care of around the league before we bid Ado.
Speaker 1: I think we have to say happy birthday to Ben
Speaker 1: Simmons right turn twenty four on Monday, twenty four years
Speaker 1: old for number twenty five. It is amazing for how
Speaker 1: much we talk about Ben Simmons and the expectations that
Speaker 1: he has. I don't think he'd it any other way,
Speaker 1: that he is still just freshly minted in terms of
Speaker 1: being a twenty four year old. And shout out to
Speaker 1: Alec Burks and Mike Scott and Tobias Harris who have
Speaker 1: also had birthdays inside the bubble. I don't know if
Speaker 1: anyone's tracking this, but it really does feel like we
Speaker 1: might be leading the bubble in bubble birthdays. I don't
Speaker 1: know if that'll translate to anything on the court, but
Speaker 1: at least the Sixers have things to celebrate, So happy
Speaker 1: birthday to all those guys. Absolutely all right, another week
Speaker 1: in the books, another episode of the broadcast that I enjoyed.
Speaker 1: Hope everyone else listening out there did as well. Lauren Rosen,
Speaker 1: thank you very much, Thank you so Von Gibbons, thank
Speaker 1: you very much. Always a pleasure. Guys. Next week we'll
Speaker 1: be talking about some basketball, two basketball games in fact.
Speaker 1: Thanks so much for listening. Talk to you next time.
Speaker 1: See it.