WEBVTT - The BroadCast: 12/29/2017 - Catching Up with Gonzo 0:00:01.040 --> 0:00:04.800 It's time to talk Sixers, Simmons, off Balance and an 0:00:04.840 --> 0:00:08.960 incredible bank shot is good. Here on the broadcast, the 0:00:09.080 --> 0:00:13.119 official podcast of Sixers dot com. If drive Domina, he 0:00:13.160 --> 0:00:16.079 goes in head slabs and oh man, what a play 0:00:16.120 --> 0:00:21.720 by it be. Now here's today's episode. A be elated 0:00:22.000 --> 0:00:26.279 happy holidays, a happy new Year in advance, and thanks 0:00:26.320 --> 0:00:28.840 so much for making the broadcast a part of your 0:00:28.960 --> 0:00:32.400 holiday week. Hopefully you are enjoying it with a lot 0:00:32.440 --> 0:00:38.280 of rest relaxation, some seventy sixers basketball. Brian Seltzer bidding 0:00:38.280 --> 0:00:40.720 you hello once again and thanks as always for it 0:00:40.840 --> 0:00:43.919 checking out the podcast. And on this edition we're going 0:00:43.920 --> 0:00:46.520 to speak with our good old buddy who is now 0:00:46.560 --> 0:00:51.800 of the transplant variety, John Gonzalez of The Ringer. Stay 0:00:51.800 --> 0:00:54.840 tuned for that conversation in a moment before we get started. 0:00:55.000 --> 0:00:58.240 Reminders that to subscribe to the podcast, you can do 0:00:58.280 --> 0:01:01.200 a couple of things. You can head to either iTunes, 0:01:01.480 --> 0:01:05.120 Google Play or Stitcher. Type in Sixers podcast Network that 0:01:05.160 --> 0:01:08.360 will take you to our feed. You can also go 0:01:08.520 --> 0:01:13.480 to our SoundCloud page at SoundCloud dot com. Backslash Sixers 0:01:14.440 --> 0:01:17.600 Tough One for the seventy Sixers On Thursday night, indeed 0:01:17.760 --> 0:01:21.679 one fourteen one ten loss to the Portland Trailblazers. Things 0:01:21.680 --> 0:01:25.000 were looking great midway through the third quarter, and then 0:01:25.600 --> 0:01:29.400 all the mojo, all the momentum, evaporated down the stretch 0:01:29.680 --> 0:01:33.280 as Portland came back to win it. And also difficult 0:01:33.319 --> 0:01:35.560 for the Sixers that they were not able to build 0:01:35.640 --> 0:01:38.880 upon at least on Thursday, the momentum that they generated 0:01:38.920 --> 0:01:42.040 back up in Monday's Christmas Day win against the New 0:01:42.120 --> 0:01:46.399 York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. A man who knows 0:01:46.959 --> 0:01:50.880 his seventy Sixers is John Gonzalez. He was in the area, 0:01:50.880 --> 0:01:55.960 of course, for a while at the Inquirer NBC Sports Philadelphia, 0:01:56.040 --> 0:01:58.840 and now he is back on the NBA scene at 0:01:58.880 --> 0:02:02.240 the Ringer. So let's fire up the good old Skype 0:02:02.280 --> 0:02:06.400 machine and go back to a conversation recorded Thursday morning 0:02:06.480 --> 0:02:13.320 before the Sixers played the Portland Trailblazers with John Gonzalez. Yeah, 0:02:14.200 --> 0:02:17.799 John Gonzales, first and foremost, we need you for those 0:02:17.840 --> 0:02:19.600 of us back here in the del Or Valley too. 0:02:20.000 --> 0:02:24.040 Please transport us in our minds from frigid Philadelphia to 0:02:24.120 --> 0:02:26.519 the southern shores the Pacific. It's got to be nice. 0:02:27.360 --> 0:02:31.160 It's wonderful body. How's things with you there? Are you? Like? 0:02:31.320 --> 0:02:34.760 Do you have little heaters for your sweatshirt and your 0:02:34.760 --> 0:02:37.880 shoes and stuff? You get those little heating packets at CBS. 0:02:37.919 --> 0:02:39.959 What's going on over there? I'm trying to think of 0:02:40.120 --> 0:02:43.680 what would be the analogous situation in southern California. Maybe 0:02:43.760 --> 0:02:46.799 you have some rooms in your place that are cooler 0:02:46.840 --> 0:02:49.280 than others when the weather gets hot. Here in Philadelphia, 0:02:49.320 --> 0:02:52.519 it's like, we have some rooms that are just like sweltering, 0:02:52.639 --> 0:02:55.440 disgustingly warm when we ramp up the heat, and that 0:02:55.560 --> 0:02:58.160 others that are like an ice box. We can't regulate 0:02:58.280 --> 0:03:01.600 the climate in the selter house. Ushold. It's a challenge. No, 0:03:01.720 --> 0:03:04.240 it's bad news. I don't miss any of that at all. 0:03:04.360 --> 0:03:07.440 I have We have my lovely wife, and I have 0:03:07.520 --> 0:03:12.120 two dogs, and much to my consternation, they still require 0:03:12.160 --> 0:03:14.400 me to take them out every single day, several times 0:03:14.400 --> 0:03:17.880 a day. And here in southern California not nearly as 0:03:17.919 --> 0:03:22.200 bad as you know. January February March in Philadelphia, this 0:03:22.240 --> 0:03:25.359 would be the tough time for sure. Back I go 0:03:25.520 --> 0:03:27.480 back there, I assume that you'll walk them for me, 0:03:27.840 --> 0:03:32.079 of course, only if you're north of Spring Garden Street 0:03:32.240 --> 0:03:37.160 and south of Gerard those would be bad conditions. I 0:03:37.200 --> 0:03:40.080 can't believe that you just gave your location on the podcast. 0:03:40.120 --> 0:03:41.680 Now you're gonna have a bunch of fans outside your 0:03:41.680 --> 0:03:44.800 doors seeking autographs. Well, I was hoping that without constricting 0:03:44.840 --> 0:03:48.520 myself to eastern and western boundaries, that would create maybe 0:03:48.600 --> 0:03:51.760 a forty block radius That would require some extra work. 0:03:51.880 --> 0:03:54.280 But yeah, I guess if people went north south they 0:03:54.280 --> 0:03:58.280 could begin to pinpoint things. There's no stopping the Seltzer 0:03:58.360 --> 0:04:03.360 fan base. It's if we counted among the parental units 0:04:03.440 --> 0:04:06.160 and the and the wife, then you may be right, Yes, 0:04:06.480 --> 0:04:10.800 you might be correct. How are you doing? This has 0:04:11.080 --> 0:04:12.760 got to be fun for you. I would think if 0:04:12.760 --> 0:04:16.440 the good old ringer a lot of NBA focal points 0:04:16.480 --> 0:04:18.880 that you get to zero in on now, especially this 0:04:18.920 --> 0:04:22.160 time of year, things on the professional front enjoyable, I 0:04:22.160 --> 0:04:26.560 would assume, Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think for anybody 0:04:26.560 --> 0:04:30.039 that's a basketball fan, this is a great time. The 0:04:30.160 --> 0:04:32.919 league is as healthy and fun as it's been in 0:04:33.360 --> 0:04:35.760 you know, a long time. You're notwithstanding the fact that 0:04:35.800 --> 0:04:38.680 we know that we're battling towards you know, the Warriors 0:04:38.680 --> 0:04:41.839 and probably the Calves yet again, who knows, might be 0:04:41.880 --> 0:04:44.919 Warriors in Celtics Ers if we get really lucky, the 0:04:45.000 --> 0:04:48.000 Warriors and the Sixers. Who knows but the Warriors and somebody. 0:04:48.000 --> 0:04:51.000 But that aside the rest of the league. I really 0:04:51.120 --> 0:04:54.680 enjoy basketball at large, and there's a lot of fun 0:04:54.720 --> 0:04:58.520 storylines and yeah, and the Ringer blessed the Ringer's heart. Man. 0:04:58.560 --> 0:05:04.480 They that whole site is NBA focus, So we get 0:05:04.839 --> 0:05:08.400 quite a lot of conversations and it's wonderful. Do want 0:05:08.400 --> 0:05:10.400 to ask you about some NBA stuff before we're done, 0:05:10.480 --> 0:05:13.000 But of course we'll zero in on the good old 0:05:13.040 --> 0:05:16.080 seventy Sixers. And we've actually had the great pleasure of 0:05:16.080 --> 0:05:18.320 seeing you around, not only in Philadelphia, but also in 0:05:18.400 --> 0:05:20.640 the Sixers were out on the West Coast for the 0:05:20.680 --> 0:05:25.520 first time. All things considered, as we veered towards twenty eighteen, 0:05:26.160 --> 0:05:28.719 things right now right around where they should be. What 0:05:28.800 --> 0:05:32.679 are your thoughts on where the Sixers are at this point? Yeah, 0:05:33.000 --> 0:05:36.799 I think for on the whole, you know, maybe slightly 0:05:36.960 --> 0:05:39.560 slightly off from from what we thought. I mean, you know, 0:05:39.560 --> 0:05:43.400 they obviously had, you know, a recent stretch there that 0:05:43.600 --> 0:05:46.800 wasn't what anybody probably hoped. What two and eight in 0:05:46.839 --> 0:05:48.360 the last ten. That was a little bit of a 0:05:49.040 --> 0:05:50.880 tough stretch there where they sort of fell out of 0:05:50.920 --> 0:05:55.640 the current playoff picture. But that said, I think some 0:05:55.680 --> 0:05:57.800 things to be hopeful about, right, I mean, Ben Simmons 0:05:57.800 --> 0:06:00.560 has looked absolutely amazing. When Joel is out there, he's 0:06:00.560 --> 0:06:05.040 looked fantastic, And those two guys together are the future 0:06:05.080 --> 0:06:07.640 and we're seeing that that right now in real time. 0:06:07.720 --> 0:06:10.279 So while they had you know, a couple of stumbles 0:06:10.279 --> 0:06:13.840 here and there, you know, building around those two guys, 0:06:14.480 --> 0:06:17.640 there's so much to be hopeful about. I guess it 0:06:17.720 --> 0:06:19.200 is hard at times, and you can probably say this 0:06:19.240 --> 0:06:22.600 about any NBA team or any team in professional sports 0:06:22.640 --> 0:06:26.280 to separate what you're seeing when you don't have a 0:06:26.279 --> 0:06:29.560 fully healthy squad versus what you're seeing when all the 0:06:29.640 --> 0:06:33.359 pieces are there. Because that game Monday at Madison Square 0:06:33.400 --> 0:06:35.960 Garden on Christmas, it's just like, Okay, you know, you 0:06:36.000 --> 0:06:39.760 throw Joel and b jj Reddick back out there, right boom, 0:06:39.839 --> 0:06:41.880 nearly half the points the team scored and a lot 0:06:41.920 --> 0:06:43.600 of other great things they do, and it makes quite 0:06:43.600 --> 0:06:47.440 the difference. Yeah. No, I mean that's true for any team, right. 0:06:47.480 --> 0:06:50.560 I mean, like when the sixers are healthy. Of course 0:06:50.560 --> 0:06:53.440 they're better, you know, and hopefully you get markul Foltz 0:06:53.480 --> 0:06:55.400 back out there and your shoulder is better and he's 0:06:55.440 --> 0:06:56.840 working on a shot, and then all of a sudden, 0:06:56.839 --> 0:06:58.880 you know, you're starting to see things come together and click. 0:06:59.120 --> 0:07:01.480 But look at the grizzly Is. I mean, Mike Conley 0:07:01.520 --> 0:07:03.640 goes down and the whole thing craters, right, I mean 0:07:04.279 --> 0:07:06.880 it's Porzingis goes down for a little while, and all 0:07:06.880 --> 0:07:10.040 of a sudden the Knicks stumble. It's true really of 0:07:10.080 --> 0:07:12.480 any team, like you lose one or two of your 0:07:12.480 --> 0:07:14.600 best players and then all of a sudden things get difficult. 0:07:14.720 --> 0:07:18.560 And Seltzer, let's not forget either. Like I think that 0:07:18.880 --> 0:07:22.520 the expectations got really ramped up this year because you know, 0:07:22.760 --> 0:07:24.559 we were going to have Simmons out on the court, 0:07:24.600 --> 0:07:27.560 and we get to watch him, and you know, ostensibly 0:07:27.600 --> 0:07:29.520 unbeat is healthy and he'll be out there and you've 0:07:29.560 --> 0:07:32.800 got faults. But these are guys who haven't played professional 0:07:32.840 --> 0:07:36.600 basketball together. It takes time, no question about it. Yet 0:07:36.680 --> 0:07:39.880 there they were in the midst of the Ringers top 0:07:39.920 --> 0:07:43.080 twenty five through twenty five games ish, both of them 0:07:43.240 --> 0:07:45.880 right there. I think what was what was Simmons he 0:07:45.960 --> 0:07:48.840 was top fifteen and Bead was ten. Yeah, I think 0:07:48.920 --> 0:07:52.480 right around there. I don't have it, And this is, 0:07:52.520 --> 0:07:54.680 you know, to my great this is a great failing 0:07:54.680 --> 0:07:56.920 of mine. I have not kid admitted the list of memory. 0:07:57.360 --> 0:07:59.080 When they find out, they'll probably fire me, and they 0:07:59.080 --> 0:08:02.560 should anyway. But yeah, they had two guys on there 0:08:02.640 --> 0:08:06.560 that was you know, you probably know this, certainly anybody 0:08:06.560 --> 0:08:09.000 who reads the Ringer knows this. We have a ton 0:08:09.200 --> 0:08:12.920 of Sixers fans on our staff. So the Simmons and 0:08:13.160 --> 0:08:15.760 mb both landed in the top fifteen, not a surprise. 0:08:16.160 --> 0:08:20.240 Does that create for any tensions or hostilities at time? 0:08:20.280 --> 0:08:23.720 We're just good office banter. Given the level of interest 0:08:23.760 --> 0:08:26.040 in the Sixers, that's there, a little bit of a 0:08:26.040 --> 0:08:29.200 little bit of b I would say, like it feels 0:08:29.240 --> 0:08:32.319 at times like eighty percent of our conversations in NBA 0:08:32.440 --> 0:08:35.880 Ringer Slack are about either the Sixers or the Celtics. 0:08:36.400 --> 0:08:39.160 The Celtics for obvious reasons, and the Sixers because we'll 0:08:39.240 --> 0:08:42.920 just keep hiring Philadelphians. But also it can be a 0:08:42.920 --> 0:08:46.760 little trolley sometimes seltzer, like when Mark hell Foltz stuff happens. 0:08:47.080 --> 0:08:50.560 The non Sixers fans get into NBA Slack and you know, 0:08:50.600 --> 0:08:52.480 get after us a little bit and all of a sudden, 0:08:52.679 --> 0:08:55.600 Chris Ryan and I, the executive editor for The Ringer, 0:08:55.920 --> 0:09:00.679 have talked about starting a Philadelphian's Only Sixers slack as 0:09:00.679 --> 0:09:02.520 an offshoot where we can just go. It would be 0:09:02.520 --> 0:09:07.600 like our safe space. That's awesome, man, it's great. I mean, 0:09:07.600 --> 0:09:09.880 it really is hard to have a conversation as easy 0:09:09.880 --> 0:09:13.320 as it may seem, about the Sixers without really spending 0:09:13.320 --> 0:09:16.000 a good deal time on Joel and Benn and what 0:09:16.040 --> 0:09:18.640 they've done so far. What do you think we've learned 0:09:19.120 --> 0:09:22.440 through two and a half months about each guy at 0:09:22.480 --> 0:09:25.520 this point. Well, I mean let's start. I mean you 0:09:25.520 --> 0:09:29.000 start with Simmons. He's the runaway Rookie of the year favorite. 0:09:29.120 --> 0:09:31.640 He's been fantastic for as good as Donovan Mitchell has been. 0:09:31.920 --> 0:09:33.200 And I know this gets me in a lot of 0:09:33.200 --> 0:09:36.760 trouble with Sixers Twitter, but Jason Tatum is fantastic and 0:09:36.840 --> 0:09:41.880 anybody who's honest with themselves about his ability would admit that. 0:09:41.920 --> 0:09:43.720 I mean, like, if you took your Sixers fandom hat 0:09:43.760 --> 0:09:46.320 off and just watch that guy play basketball, you would 0:09:46.320 --> 0:09:49.560 say he's been fantastic. Now, all of that aside, Ben 0:09:49.600 --> 0:09:51.839 Simmons is the guy, and he's the guy even without 0:09:51.840 --> 0:09:53.800 a jump shot, and if he can eventually add that, 0:09:53.880 --> 0:09:56.360 and you know, there's been a lot of talk about 0:09:57.240 --> 0:10:01.240 his hand, which should be shooting with God, the sky's 0:10:01.240 --> 0:10:04.120 the limit for that guy. But even without it, right now, 0:10:04.160 --> 0:10:06.360 we see how talented he is. I mean, how he 0:10:06.400 --> 0:10:08.880 can get into the paint at will, and he can 0:10:08.920 --> 0:10:11.480 do so many things when he gets there. And then 0:10:11.480 --> 0:10:14.760 beyond that, his court vision, his ability on the break, 0:10:15.679 --> 0:10:19.200 his rebounding, you know, his size relative to other guys 0:10:19.200 --> 0:10:21.240 who are trying to defend him, even when you know 0:10:21.280 --> 0:10:26.040 they'll switch on to bigger guys. Were you convinced Gonzo 0:10:26.640 --> 0:10:29.280 or sold initially on the idea of Simmons as the 0:10:29.320 --> 0:10:33.079 true point man for the Sixers? Oh? I mean, look, 0:10:33.679 --> 0:10:36.400 I love the idea of him running the point because 0:10:36.440 --> 0:10:40.920 he creates so many matchup problems and like you see, 0:10:41.320 --> 0:10:43.600 you see, like you know, no matter who they switch 0:10:43.640 --> 0:10:46.480 onto him, either the bigs aren't quick enough to stick 0:10:46.520 --> 0:10:49.680 with him, or the traditional point guards aren't big enough 0:10:50.960 --> 0:10:53.839 really to handle you know, the sorts of things he 0:10:53.880 --> 0:10:56.080 can do once he gets into the lane. So I 0:10:56.200 --> 0:10:58.600 love it. I mean, he's fantastic. His court vision when 0:10:58.600 --> 0:11:03.079 he's running the break is just fascinating, and you know, 0:11:03.120 --> 0:11:05.120 and it opens up the foreign ways that you wouldn't expect. 0:11:05.120 --> 0:11:06.840 Even though that he even though he does sort of 0:11:06.880 --> 0:11:09.080 have things that he still has to work on with 0:11:09.120 --> 0:11:12.360 his shot. This may not be a popular view to take, 0:11:12.480 --> 0:11:15.679 but for me, just stepping back and observing his evolution, 0:11:15.720 --> 0:11:17.240 I think it's going to be neat to see how 0:11:17.280 --> 0:11:21.080 he adjusts to teams adjusting to him as the season 0:11:21.120 --> 0:11:23.760 goes along, because it seemed like, you know, first month 0:11:23.800 --> 0:11:26.000 the season, driving lanes might have been a little bit 0:11:26.000 --> 0:11:28.040 more open than what we've seen as of late, and 0:11:28.080 --> 0:11:29.800 that's it's going to be a big part of it. 0:11:29.840 --> 0:11:33.320 Seeing how he can counter too when the opposition counters 0:11:33.360 --> 0:11:36.160 on him. Yeah, I mean there's stuff that he has 0:11:36.200 --> 0:11:38.360 to he has to still figure out, right, I mean, 0:11:38.400 --> 0:11:41.040 like you said, there's going to be Look, the NBA 0:11:41.160 --> 0:11:44.960 is a really not surprising development. It's a smart league, right, 0:11:45.040 --> 0:11:47.960 Like coaches adjust, they see what guys can do. The 0:11:48.000 --> 0:11:51.640 second time you see a player or a team is 0:11:51.640 --> 0:11:53.480 different than the first time, and it's different, you know, 0:11:53.520 --> 0:11:55.839 if you're on the in the same conference the third 0:11:55.840 --> 0:11:57.800 and fourth time, Like they adjust and they and they 0:11:57.840 --> 0:12:01.480 create problems, and so you know, can Simmons figure that 0:12:01.520 --> 0:12:02.800 stuff out? And a lot of that is going to 0:12:02.880 --> 0:12:05.040 have to do with in the offseason when he's working 0:12:05.040 --> 0:12:06.880 on his jumper, right, I mean, like if he can 0:12:06.920 --> 0:12:10.360 add and slowly start to move farther and farther from 0:12:10.360 --> 0:12:12.360 the basket, the guy's going to be a monster. He 0:12:12.400 --> 0:12:16.000 already is a monster even without that. So I think 0:12:16.040 --> 0:12:18.959 he's going to continue continue to figure it out and 0:12:18.960 --> 0:12:21.720 he's going to be more of a problem for opposing 0:12:21.760 --> 0:12:24.360 teams and the other way around. We've seen the Twitter 0:12:24.400 --> 0:12:28.800 sphere populated with stumping for All Star candidacy for Simmons 0:12:29.040 --> 0:12:33.200 and Embiid. Simmons a little bit less at least time 0:12:33.280 --> 0:12:36.400 overall in the league, and you know that might be 0:12:36.440 --> 0:12:38.760 a slight uphill client for him. Do you think embiad 0:12:38.840 --> 0:12:42.240 has a shot? Yeah? I do. I do. I mean, 0:12:42.400 --> 0:12:44.520 I think like when you look at the Bigs in 0:12:44.559 --> 0:12:47.800 the Eastern Conference. You know, Al Horford has been really 0:12:47.800 --> 0:12:52.080 good for the Celtics. You know, Andre Drummond we've seen 0:12:52.200 --> 0:12:54.600 with the Pistons, But but Embiid put it on him 0:12:54.600 --> 0:12:57.760 when they played. Um, you know, Miles Turner has been good, 0:12:57.800 --> 0:13:00.840 but Oladipo has really been the guy there. So I 0:13:00.880 --> 0:13:03.040 think like part of the problem is going to be that, 0:13:03.200 --> 0:13:06.280 you know, you're voting front court spots rather than traditional centers, 0:13:07.120 --> 0:13:09.080 because once you get into front court spots then it 0:13:09.080 --> 0:13:11.400 becomes a little trickier. You know, you've got Janius and 0:13:11.679 --> 0:13:15.760 Lebron as starters immediately and then what right? So, but yeah, 0:13:15.760 --> 0:13:17.680 I do I think I think embiad has a good shot. 0:13:18.640 --> 0:13:23.560 We of course, are waiting and eagerly anticipating to see 0:13:23.559 --> 0:13:26.800 what the next step is for markl Foltz, at least 0:13:26.840 --> 0:13:30.600 in these parts of the NBA world. What do you 0:13:30.600 --> 0:13:33.760 think we might be saying about Markel comes season's end. 0:13:35.200 --> 0:13:38.640 I think we're going to say that he got out there, 0:13:38.840 --> 0:13:41.520 he worked on his game a little bit. Maybe it 0:13:41.600 --> 0:13:45.200 wasn't the rookie season that we had expected or wanted 0:13:45.520 --> 0:13:49.400 for the first overall pick. But let's not forget he's what, 0:13:49.520 --> 0:13:52.280 he's still nineteen, right, Saltzer, isn't he? Isn't he still nineteen? 0:13:52.360 --> 0:13:54.640 Or is did he turn twenty already? Let's go to 0:13:54.679 --> 0:13:57.320 the tape. Let's go to the tape. He's right. He's young, 0:13:57.640 --> 0:13:59.440 is what we need to know. Just can't give any 0:13:59.480 --> 0:14:03.960 false nineteen nineteen nailed it all right, he's nineteen years old, 0:14:04.240 --> 0:14:06.920 and I think, like, you know, we see first overall 0:14:06.960 --> 0:14:10.080 Peck and then immediately we go, well, you know, he's 0:14:10.080 --> 0:14:11.640 got to be amazing, and he's got to be amazing 0:14:11.720 --> 0:14:13.360 right out of the gate. And I think sometimes we 0:14:13.400 --> 0:14:15.319 forget that they're kids and it takes time to ackle me. 0:14:16.400 --> 0:14:17.920 So at the end of the season, if we can 0:14:17.920 --> 0:14:21.200 say that he was part of the group, he was 0:14:21.240 --> 0:14:24.440 out there consistently, he was healthy, and he was learning. 0:14:25.200 --> 0:14:27.320 Given how the season started, I think that'd be a win. 0:14:28.040 --> 0:14:30.440 It's gonna be interesting to see where the Sixers are 0:14:30.480 --> 0:14:33.400 at when he comes back, because you almost get the vibe, 0:14:33.400 --> 0:14:37.920 based upon how Brett Brown has discussed his impending return 0:14:37.960 --> 0:14:42.720 at some point that when he's out there, the tone 0:14:42.720 --> 0:14:46.240 in some ways is almost out of necessity going to 0:14:46.320 --> 0:14:49.160 have to change a bit to being a little bit 0:14:49.160 --> 0:14:52.080 more patient, letting him work through some things. Whereas now, 0:14:52.160 --> 0:14:55.000 given on who's available, there's some veteran guys that if 0:14:55.000 --> 0:14:57.040 you need death in the backcourt, you go to to 0:14:57.040 --> 0:15:00.160 try and win games immediately. But it does seem like 0:15:00.160 --> 0:15:03.440 there's a realistic outlook for what might be the dynamic 0:15:03.480 --> 0:15:07.760 once Faults comes back. Yeah, I mean that's something that 0:15:08.400 --> 0:15:10.440 fit is a thing. It's a thing that you have 0:15:10.480 --> 0:15:11.920 to think about it. It's a thing that you have 0:15:12.040 --> 0:15:16.400 to consider, and it was a thing before they drafted Faults, 0:15:16.520 --> 0:15:18.320 and it was certainly a thing at the beginning of 0:15:18.360 --> 0:15:20.040 the year because people wanted to know, well, who's going 0:15:20.080 --> 0:15:22.280 to be the point garden? As we mentioned, Simmons looks 0:15:22.280 --> 0:15:25.120 really good, as you know, the point forward, the point big. 0:15:27.000 --> 0:15:30.240 Now what happens now? What happens with a guy who 0:15:30.560 --> 0:15:34.640 you know, hopefully is healthy when he returns, but also 0:15:34.720 --> 0:15:37.600 had some questions about like how he was playing, So 0:15:37.720 --> 0:15:39.600 how do they deploy him? Where does he go? Can 0:15:39.680 --> 0:15:42.840 he shoot the three when he returns, because it's really 0:15:42.880 --> 0:15:44.600 I think it would be really tough to play them 0:15:44.720 --> 0:15:46.960 side by. It would be next to impossible to play 0:15:46.960 --> 0:15:49.160 them together. If neither one of them is shooting at 0:15:49.200 --> 0:15:52.040 three and we know Simmons isn't going too so then 0:15:52.120 --> 0:15:54.200 you have to stagger their minutes and then who starts 0:15:54.200 --> 0:15:56.240 and who doesn't. So all this is a lot for 0:15:56.280 --> 0:15:59.280 Brett Brown to consider. But as problems go. I think 0:15:59.320 --> 0:16:01.280 this is sort of like a pleasant problem to have 0:16:01.360 --> 0:16:04.200 because you get your number one overall picked back, as 0:16:04.200 --> 0:16:06.280 opposed to just having him on the shelf and him 0:16:06.320 --> 0:16:09.400 convalescing like you'd much rather have him out on the floor. Indeed, 0:16:09.480 --> 0:16:11.760 something on the horizon for the head coast to consider 0:16:12.440 --> 0:16:16.120 in addition to early morning cold walks with the Gonzales dog. 0:16:16.800 --> 0:16:18.400 Do you miss Brett Brown? I feel like you two 0:16:18.440 --> 0:16:20.640 have a very nice rapport When you two are around 0:16:20.680 --> 0:16:23.240 each other, good vibes always seem to be there, and 0:16:23.280 --> 0:16:26.000 more than that, just a nice healthy respect between John 0:16:26.040 --> 0:16:30.680 Gonzales and Brett Brown. Yeah. I mean I wrote twenty 0:16:30.720 --> 0:16:34.600 five hundred three thousand words about Brett Brown. I saw 0:16:34.680 --> 0:16:37.960 you guys and you in Sacramento when you guys are 0:16:37.960 --> 0:16:40.480 in Sacramento, and then we all came back to La 0:16:40.560 --> 0:16:43.640 together and we hung around here Santa Monica High School 0:16:43.640 --> 0:16:46.720 and they were working. And like I've said this to Brett, 0:16:46.760 --> 0:16:48.320 I said it in the piece. I'm sure i've said 0:16:48.320 --> 0:16:49.960 it to you previously. I know I've said it to 0:16:50.040 --> 0:16:53.040 zoom Off. Like I've covered a lot of people, not 0:16:53.080 --> 0:16:55.240 just in the NBA, but throughout my career in like 0:16:55.600 --> 0:16:59.560 you know, major League Baseball or the NFL. And the 0:16:59.720 --> 0:17:03.200 thing that I don't need you to like me. I 0:17:03.280 --> 0:17:05.280 just need you to be professional. Right. Can we have 0:17:05.320 --> 0:17:10.560 a conversation? Can we be adults? And sometimes like us 0:17:10.600 --> 0:17:13.119 doing our job and them doing their job gets in 0:17:13.160 --> 0:17:15.000 the way of that, right, Like it becomes like some 0:17:15.359 --> 0:17:19.520 sort of formulaic and there's not just like an actual conversation, 0:17:19.600 --> 0:17:21.040 like when you and I see each other, when we 0:17:21.119 --> 0:17:23.800 catch up and how are thingk. Bret's like that, And 0:17:23.840 --> 0:17:26.119 that's why I like Brett. He doesn't always have to 0:17:26.119 --> 0:17:29.320 give you what you want. Sometimes I'll tell you, like 0:17:29.359 --> 0:17:31.280 I've asked him questions and he's been like, you know, God, 0:17:31.359 --> 0:17:33.440 so you sound like an idiot. But at least it's 0:17:33.440 --> 0:17:35.879 a conversation and we treat each other like humans. And 0:17:35.920 --> 0:17:37.840 that's why I really like Brett. And that's why I 0:17:37.840 --> 0:17:39.960 think his players like them, because you can have a 0:17:40.000 --> 0:17:43.919 conversation with him and you know, it's an adult discourse. 0:17:44.680 --> 0:17:46.919 The article is great if anyone has not read it. 0:17:46.960 --> 0:17:49.200 The process is Longe Survivor about a month and a 0:17:49.240 --> 0:17:52.040 half ago on the head coach of the Sixers. What 0:17:52.080 --> 0:17:53.760 do you think is the I don't know if it's 0:17:53.800 --> 0:17:56.919 the biggest symbol or a testament or first thing that 0:17:57.000 --> 0:18:00.400 comes to your mind when you think about the job 0:18:00.400 --> 0:18:03.200 Brett's done, how he's handled the last four plus years. 0:18:04.119 --> 0:18:08.760 I mean, how hard that had have been for Brett Brown. 0:18:08.880 --> 0:18:12.119 I think it is like pretty obvious. And I was 0:18:12.240 --> 0:18:18.160 worried that we know how fickle the NBA, the NFL, 0:18:18.400 --> 0:18:21.359 major League Baseball, hockey, whatever sport you're in, it's a 0:18:21.359 --> 0:18:24.040 fickle business, right like, if you're not winning right now, 0:18:24.400 --> 0:18:26.520 there's a ton of turnover. And that's true for the 0:18:26.560 --> 0:18:28.920 front office, and it's true for the team with the players, 0:18:29.080 --> 0:18:31.439 and it's true for coaches especially, And I was worried 0:18:31.480 --> 0:18:35.080 that maybe he wouldn't get time to prove himself with 0:18:35.119 --> 0:18:38.280 an actual team. And now we're starting to see, you know, 0:18:38.320 --> 0:18:40.400 what he can do. And for everybody, like I think 0:18:40.400 --> 0:18:43.679 six or Twitter loses its mind after a loss and 0:18:43.720 --> 0:18:46.720 throws it at the coach. And that's not surprising giving like, 0:18:47.280 --> 0:18:49.439 you know, I am a Philadelphia and I understand how 0:18:49.480 --> 0:18:52.120 it works. This is the job. Brett Brown gets it too. 0:18:52.840 --> 0:18:55.439 But as I said earlier, these are guys who have 0:18:55.560 --> 0:18:58.840 not played basketball together. They are young, they are nineteen 0:18:58.920 --> 0:19:01.800 twenty you know, in Mbiad's case, twenty three years old 0:19:01.840 --> 0:19:04.320 hasn't played a full season yet. They have to figure 0:19:04.359 --> 0:19:08.040 it out. Similarly, while Brett Brown is you know, his 0:19:08.119 --> 0:19:12.239 coaching pedigree is long and impressive, he's working with a 0:19:12.320 --> 0:19:15.920 new unit, like a functionally new unit. Give the guy 0:19:16.000 --> 0:19:19.639 and give the team some time before we all decide 0:19:19.680 --> 0:19:22.280 to pass judgment on what it is or isn't. It's 0:19:22.280 --> 0:19:24.760 easy for the Sixers dot Com digital reporters say, but 0:19:24.840 --> 0:19:27.439 it'd be like, all right, I'm just removed the delete 0:19:27.480 --> 0:19:30.680 key on the board for a second, and then, oh, 0:19:30.720 --> 0:19:33.240 by the way, the cursor only works sporadically too, Like, 0:19:33.400 --> 0:19:36.240 you know, you might have all the thoughts in your 0:19:36.240 --> 0:19:39.240 head to put out there and write, but you can 0:19:39.240 --> 0:19:41.040 only do so much when you're not at full strength. 0:19:41.040 --> 0:19:44.240 I would say, yeah, absolutely, the delete key is the 0:19:44.280 --> 0:19:47.240 perfect analogy. I am a big fan of that key. 0:19:47.400 --> 0:19:50.159 It's my favorite. If it wasn't for that key, I 0:19:50.160 --> 0:19:52.679 would be doing something else. But it certainly isn't what 0:19:52.760 --> 0:19:57.000 I do now. Yeah, Brett Brown doesn't have that luxury. 0:19:57.080 --> 0:20:00.760 Neither did the players. They're young. It's a young team. 0:20:00.880 --> 0:20:02.920 Let's give it a second before we freak out. We 0:20:02.960 --> 0:20:06.800 waited this long, right, can wait a little longer, very quickly. 0:20:06.840 --> 0:20:10.199 Before we wrap this up, just some brief global NBA 0:20:10.320 --> 0:20:13.560 things I wanted to bring up with you. He had 0:20:13.640 --> 0:20:17.760 something about the Eastern Conference young stars on the rise. 0:20:17.800 --> 0:20:19.680 What do you think we're seeing in the East at 0:20:19.680 --> 0:20:23.760 the current moment? I love it as somebody who spent 0:20:23.840 --> 0:20:26.760 most of his formative years on the East Coast, grew 0:20:26.800 --> 0:20:29.880 up in Philadelphia, went to school in Philadelphia. I saw 0:20:30.000 --> 0:20:31.959 a house in Philly, and then I lived in Boston 0:20:32.000 --> 0:20:34.320 for four years. You know, the Eastern Conference was on 0:20:34.400 --> 0:20:37.439 hard times for a decade. And now it's not just 0:20:37.480 --> 0:20:40.040 the Sixers. I mean, we see what we see with 0:20:40.080 --> 0:20:42.760 the Sixers and their young you're with their young core 0:20:42.960 --> 0:20:45.679 is fantastic, but there are other teams trying to do 0:20:45.760 --> 0:20:47.800 sort of the same thing. You know, You've got the 0:20:47.800 --> 0:20:51.560 Box in Jannis, and you saw Oladipo and Turner in Indiana. 0:20:52.080 --> 0:20:55.080