Norman Powell Fired Up For Opportunity w/ Miami Heat | Was Surprised Clippers Traded Him This Summer

Norman Powell Fired Up For Opportunity w/ Miami Heat | Was Surprised Clippers Traded Him This Summer

Hey, welcome on in guys. Tobin here with you and thanks for checking out the channel. Hope you’re doing well out there. If you guys could subscribe, that’d be great. I’d appreciate you stopping by. So, Norman Powell met with the media today. And I got to say, you know, as the official scorer of press conferences, that was 108 Norman Powell. He won that press conference. He he he he knocked that out of the park. He was absolutely fantastic. and uh a guy who definitely confident coming into this thing and I think uh it was interesting because I think brought a lot of uh honesty to the table about where he was at. I think the thing that was interesting like right off the bat was him saying that he was kind of miffed that he was traded that he went to Europe with the impression that he was going to get into extension talks with the Clippers that he had talked with Clippers general manager Lawrence Frank and they were like communicating and they were interested and that they valued him and that they wanted him to come back and that he was like Oh, okay. So, they thought they were going to get into extension talks. He’s in the last year of his contract. And then, uh, he was like, “Yeah, I was kind of shocked that they dealt me.” He was not expecting it. So, but then he found out it was Miami. He said he was excited about that. Um, if if you don’t know, Norman Pal a big time Dwayne Wade fan, a big model, uh, models his game after D. Wade uh same measurables 6′ 34 I’ll give Dade 6’4 with a 6’11 wingspan and you know as obviously was not the route that Dwayne Wade took as a you know number five overall pick you know he really had to make his bones in this league and he talked about the journey that he had and all the sacrifices that he had made and uh the thing is but he was really jacked up as far as like the idea that he thinks he’s going to you know and unsolicited wasn’t asked about heat culture or anything. He’s like, I just I think I fit the heat culture really well because I work hard and I’m competitive and I just think that he’s he said I I make my weaknesses my strengths. I was like that’s kind of goofies. The uh and then the other thing was like he’s like those who say that my my defense has has fallen off, he’s like I’m going to he’s like I’m going to show you that I’m still a dynamic defender. And I was like whoa. He said uh he’s he says I’m excited to to to put to get back to guarding and pressuring. And I was like this is kind of I mean like this guy if he was if he had to have a job interview for the Miami Heat this would have like definitely gotten him hired. He was uh he just he just had all of it nailed and even was like the the ways of like people asked him about um you know like Simone Fonteio was asked yesterday about like Bam and Tyler and it was like you know kind of your run-of-the-mill answer. It wasn’t anything but this guy’s saying he goes I think he’s like he’s already visualizing he goes he goes I see how you know Bam and I can work on the pick and roll and the be a lob threat form and you know we can make it so dynamic defense is not going to know where to go. I’m going to take pressure off of Tyler. I thought that he looked good and took steps as a playmaker and I was like, “This guy is incredible. He’s giving me the goose.” Like, I was already excited about the Norman Pal trade. Don’t get me wrong. I was already excited about it. Who who cannot be thrilled with what he was bringing to the table. Um, but I was I was like, “Geez, this guy is this guy has gotten me really jacked up to see him play with the Miami Heat.” And he seems like, you know, he’s got it right in mind. He had, you know, great things to say about Da’Von Mitchell and he’s like, I think it’s going to be really great because of the way that he guards and the way that he’s aggressive and he thinks that they’re going to be he thinks that they could push the pace more and I’m just like speak sweet nothings to me. Norman Powell, I mean, you know, Storm Norman like it is it is it is music to everyone’s ears to hear these types of things that the Miami Heat need to get a little bit more groovy on offense and and have themselves in a better spot. Um, the only thing that I’m not that I’m pretty sure of though is, you know, it it I don’t he he hasn’t I I guess had a phone call with Spo yet. They’ve texted He did have a conversation with Pat Riley who had said to him that he uh that they had had a conversation. They’d always try to get him. Pat loves his floater. They’ve been wanting to get him for a while and now he’s on the team. But it was uh it was it was he was you know he’s like yeah it felt good to know that they had wanted me for a little bit and that they have wanted me for a while. But this is definitely an interesting it is an interesting dynamic that he’s bringing and I don’t think that this is like he’s going to be an issue by any means. He doesn’t seem like that type of dude by by any measure. But this is also somebody who definitely let you know like, yeah, I’m a little surprised that I got traded. And I think that but he was also very clear. Hey, I think I showed you what I can do last year being a one. He was like, I’m a one or a two option. Like that’s what I am. I show he’s like, I showed you what I am. I’m capable of being a number one or a number two. And this guy’s not backing off. And I don’t think is coming here. And I don’t even and I’m curious about this because again I don’t think this this dude does not seem like a dude who’s going to be a problem. Um he he seems A+ in every way. And this is a guy he’s you know you guys play with Toronto. He had mentioned that his vets uh we mentioned James Johnson of course played for Spo Kyle Lowry. So I’m sure is is going to get some some preparation there as far as like what to expect how he goes about things. But I’m also, you know, I think he’s probably also like, like look, look, maybe this is the place that I can finally land and the Heat fall in love with him. And look, if he does bring back the juice defensively that was there, cuz you know, I while the Clippers were a really good defensive team, uh people have said that No Pal’s not the defender that he once was. um if he does take that and and he’s bringing it on both ends like that and he’s like essentially, you know, trying to to show every element of it on a contract, like it’s going to be hard for the Heat not to fall in love with that. Um, and such an interesting position because yeah, we are going into this year where so much is unknown about the Miami Heat, but also there are guys who are are playing for big money and this is a guy who is in a contract year. Um, and while yeah, I get the I get the impression that this guy feels like he’s going to start now. the deal was probably too good to to pass up, but like did the Heat like reach out and like tell them like, “Oh, no, you’re going to to get that same opportunity you had in LA?” Cuz I don’t know if that’s, you know, maybe LA thought to themselves that they weren’t going to keep doing that, that they weren’t going to uh to put him in that position to start anymore. And especially with the extension talks and also, you know, they feel like, oh, we’re going to get Bradley Beal on the Chiefskies, even though this guy was better than Bradley Beal the last two years. And while Bradley Beal ab you know absolutely has the better accolades that Norman Powell doesn’t um you know he’s not really played in anything meaningful recently and you know the Clippers were a pretty damn good team last year in a very very difficult Western Conference. So, from my standpoint, um I just thought that he was uh I thought that, you know, he said a lot of things that were that were really gooseies and I think Heat fans will uh will will appreciate this guy. It seems like um I asked him, you know, with my chance to to talk to him, I wanted to ask a little bit about the DWade stuff because this is uh you know, this is I thought it was cool. like D.Wade seemed pretty fired up about the deal when it happened. And he uh he actually revealed that not only, you know, did they have a social media exchange, but that they actually texted because they had seen each other a couple of weeks ago, I guess, at uh Cons. Is that in France? I don’t know. I’m not cool. Um, and lo and behold, like that they’re, you know, this I think Dwight knows like, hey, this is one of my guys that like looks up while they competed against each other and and you know, Norman Pal has faced Dwe in his career. Um, he also is like he he said they texted and and that he was he was excited about it. Just going back to you said about your D. Wade, you know, growing up and and watching a little bit, saw him on social media, was excited to see you joining the organization, even as a guy who’s competed against him, I guess. What does that mean to to to a guy that you admired? It seems like he’s pretty pumped to have you in an organization he obviously flourished in. Yeah. Um, it’s amazing. Um, honestly, it’s still crazy to me. Um, I actually uh saw him uh when I was in Europe and uh in cons uh for Sports Beach. Um, so I got to talk to him a little bit. Um, you know, and having a a guy that you’ve like modeled your game after. Um, you know, um, playing style, being able to attack, being a 6’3. I’ve talked about it on p podcast and interviews before. um how I’ve token the mentality of Kobe and just the approach of sacrifice and putting in um hourless uh uh amount of time on your game and your craft and then taken the skill set um and and DW and you know obviously putting my own twist to it but um taking moves and different things from him uh implementing into my game um and talking to him and seeing how uh uh he watches my game and knows my game and he’s proud of me and what I’ve been able to do and accomplish and um that he was a motivating factor um in my basketball career and then literally two and a half weeks later, you know, I get traded uh to the Heat and seeing him uh comment uh under the post and then I texted him um about it and he was excited about it. Um so I think it would be good especially now playing for the same organization. Hey, you already know, dude. That’s gooseies galore. There’s just something about knowing Pal that just is like something about him. There’s something about him. It was just like, you know, for me, I know that there’s been a lot of uh aggression on and disappointment that I’ve certainly voiced about state of the team where they’ve been at. But there is I I like the idea of bringing somebody, you know, while everybody was leaning youth, maybe Yakonas looks amazing in Vegas, but he definitely looks like he’s going to take some nurturing. And the idea of being the overlooked team is not something that he aren’t used to. This guy feeling like he’s uh been overlooked his career. Now look, he’s a little bit older. Um, it’s a little older than Jimmy was where Jimmy was like, “Ah, Jimmy’s going to Miami to retire. I’m not suggesting this guy’s going to be Jimmy Butler.” And I don’t, while he sees himself as a one and two, like is Norman Pal one and two on any team that’s doing any significant winning? Probably not. But I like the attitude and I like them bringing that and I like the competitiveness and I like the ruggedness and I like that more of that DaVon Mitchell, Pella Larson, uh, all that injection piss and vinegar um, I think is going to be good for the Miami Heat. And you know, maybe that does. This guy’s, you know, kind of been through every and been through every facet of his basketball career. And even in his best season, I think probably feels a little disrespected. I think he feels a little bit of a slap in the face where it’s like, “Wait a minute. You guys, you were you made it seem like I was going to get a deal and you you dumped me for two old dudes.” Or I guess technically they dumped it for John Collins. It’s like, you dumped me for John Collins. That wasn’t all. I was a basically an all-star last year and you traded me for a journeyman power forward. So, I’m kind of excited to see what that means for this team. I don’t I can’t put a number on it, but from an attitude standpoint, you know, like Wiggins, when you bring in Wiggins, right, like they expected Andrew Wiggins to come in here, obviously was coming in on very tough circumstances and and didn’t think that he was going to get traded and left a place that he really loved. And I think everybody was kind of looking at him and was like, “Hey, you know, you’re you’re going to do stuff for us, right?” And I think that was just a weird situation. And I think he’s also just like I don’t know just I don’t know if he runs as hot as as Noman Pal seems to. Um because I think that just I don’t know just Andrew Wiggins just like he’s just cool. You know it just doesn’t seem like you know while he probably works his ass off and grinds and has all that stuff. It’s not voiced the same because he’s just a quiet mildmannered dude. So all that stuff’s kind of internalized. But hearing somebody kind of vocalize it and feeling maybe like a like a bit of a slap in the face, I think that that can uh that I think that couldn’t be good for the Heat locker room. And if he takes that opportunity and uh and and see how sees how it flourish. He’s already thinking about how he works with all these these parts on the Heat roster. This man this man had himself a hell of a day. had a hell of a day introducing himself to the uh to the South Florida audience.

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