Chris Paul’s potential last season, Kawhi Leonard trash talk and offseason grades 🏀 | NBA Today

Chris Paul’s potential last season, Kawhi Leonard trash talk and offseason grades 🏀 | NBA Today

A return eight seasons in the making. Chris Paul will be making his reintroduction with the Clippers later this afternoon and both of you guys are going to be in attendance for CP3’s press conference. Uh Mark, when you think about what you’re going to talk to CP3 about, what is the biggest question that you have for him? Well, he had a interview with, you know, the amazing journalist friend of ours, Jamal Hill in July where he said at the most a year, 40 years old and like there’s expectations that this will be his last season. But I’m hearing that. Don’t expect him to say that at the press conference today. Uh you got to remember at the time when he spoke to Jamal, he didn’t know where he was going just yet. Playing in a Los Angeles Clippers uniform is different. You could actually commute to your house instead of taking a private jet to your house. You could go to your son’s game. You could go to your daughter’s events. And they got their stuff going on, too. So they ain’t got time for daddy all the time. So I think the fact that he’s in a Clippers uniform gives it a different dynamic where maybe, you know, it could add another year to his career. And you’re talking about a guy who’s a vegan. He’s in Lucas shape, right? He’s in great shape, right? So, wearing that uniform and I think it also solidifies that he will be the first guy to get his jersey retired as a Clipper. Um, maybe it gives him some extra life to even go beyond 41. Yeah, I think because of the way they’re going to use him, it won’t necessarily put so much taxing um demands on his body. So, so maybe he can extend it because you’re talking about a team that obviously the ball’s going to be in James Harden’s hand as the primary playmaker. You have Bakdanovich, you have Chris Dunn, and so Chris Paul, I don’t think be relied on night in night out. We actually might see the first time in his career that he gets a DNP CD. It’s never happened in his career. The only time he’s missed a game is because of injury. He played 82 games, but you know, when you look at this Clippers roster construction, there might not be a night in demand for Chris, which one could certainly help him stay fresh, right throughout the season, and two, if he stays fresh, you of course are going to trust him in a playoff situation. Well, in the fourth quarters. In the fourth quarter. Yeah. I mean, I think he’ll be special. He’s played with James already. He’s played He’s not played with Kawhai. But I think the one thing that the Clippers are getting in him is I I remember watching those Lakers teams with Kobe and Shaq on the early on and and guys like, you know, Ron Harper and Brian Shaw, they got them to the finish line to win games. That’s right. I could see Chris playing that role in the fourth quarter, even if he didn’t play much, but coming in fourth quarter tight games, getting them to the finish line to victories. So, you think this new role that he’s going to be playing with the Clippers will allow him to play a few more years in the league? Yeah. 42, 43. Why not? Like, this is it’s easier. Uhuh. His he’s a family guy. He’s about his kids and now he could touch his kids every day. Yeah. So, I think that makes a difference. If it if this was, you know, a different uniform outside of the LA area, I would think differently. But being that he’s home Yeah. and your biggest issue is commuting from the valley. Yeah. It’s possible. You also got that number three from Bradley Beal. So, just conjuring up a lot of nostalgia for Lob City as well, uh, for people that were Clippers fans back then. Again, CP3 will address the media today, but he will be also sitting down with our Malikica Andrews, and you can catch that interview tomorrow right here on NBA Today. Let’s talk about something that Chris’s new teammate just learned. Young Hansen has been having a pretty good summer. He was selected number 16 overall by the Memphis Grizzlies. Then, he was traded to the Trailblazers. And as a Blazer at summer league, he averaged almost 11 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two blocks per game. Now he is teaching trash talk to Kawawaii Leonard. Yes. Take a listen to this. Are you been liking the NBA? Can you give me some phrases that your last name? How you talk trash? [Music] It’s a big dummy. I need some inerson coaching for that. I’ll try some rabbit, man. If you got some free time, let’s get in the gym, have some shooting contest. When I head out there, I’m going to hit you up. Keep in touch. What’s that mean? Keep in touch. Oh, keep in touch. Not him speaking English and Kawaii can’t now understand English. Uh, Mark, how much trash talk does Kawawaii Leonard talk? He’s like a robot on the floor. That’s the most I’ve ever seen him talk. Get these two guys a podcast. I I think that would be special. I ain’t never seen him show. People that play with him and Dave knows this always tell me about how much personality and how fun and how cool he is behind the scenes and he doesn’t show it to us, but that’s great. Get those two guys together. You would listen to that podcast? Yeah, sure. Why not? About five minutes long per episode, but yeah. We got to this point by Yang Hansen’s dad talking trash to him. He told the Washington Post that basically my dad told me when I was a kid I was a little chubby like you better pick up a sport or you’re going to be fat and I don’t want to be fat. So, thank you for Yang’s father. Could you imagine trash attack? So, now we get the trash talk with him. I heard somebody online saying that that you pronounce his name like say young and handsome real fast. Young and handsome. Oh, okay. Okay, there we go. Um, but you saying that, can you imagine him being 7-1 and out of shape? I mean, we’ve seen it in the NBA. I can name probably a laundry list of guys that look like that. Kevin Pelton released his grades for all 30 teams off season so far. And coming in at the top of the class are the Hawks and the Rockets with A’s, while the Nuggets came in just behind with an A minus. Mark, in your opinion, what would you give an Agrade or what team would you give an A grade for the offseason? I’m going to give Jeff Welman some love with the Orlando Magic. I I think he certainly is the deserving of a a I mean making that trade for Desmond Bane and and Orlando’s known for being quiet. That was something I wasn’t expecting. That was aggressive. Paulo basically after the season told Jeff told management, “Look, man, we need some shooting. We need some added depth. We need some guards.” And they did that. They got Desmond Bane who’s going to bring leadership, shooting, defense, toughness. They got Tyus Jones. That was a sneaky move too to get another veteran guard resign Carol resigned you know uh to get drafted Jace Richardson Vagner resigned like I really like what the Magic are doing and they’re they’re a sleeper in sleeper contender in the Eastern Conference like it’s wide open. Don’t don’t play with Paulo. I think Paulo’s an MVP candidate next season. I due respect to Kevin Pal. I got to take that minus away from Denver. I I think Denver’s had a tremendous offseason to be able to get campaign who had finals experience in Phoenix, a prototypical 3 and D wing in today’s game. They keep their core of their three best championship players. I know you had to part with Michael Porter Jr. to do so, but you still have Joker, you still have Gordon, you still have Murray, and you know, Christian Brown’s only going to get better. I I just think they had a pretty good playoff run that was cut short and I think we’re going to see them, you know, they they gave OKC as much as they could handle. I think they’re going to be right there next to OKC in the top of the Western Conference standings this year thanks to their offseason moves. All right, we’ll see if they’re able to give them a run for their money. Now, if you’re wondering, were there any franchises that got an F in Pelton’s NBA summer school? There was. It was the Pelicans. Mark, what do you think of the Pelicans getting a failing grade for their offseason? I love Kevin, but I don’t love this grade. I I think it’s extremely unfair. Um, you know, when you look at this, it’s all based on what could be projected in the draft next season, but if the Pelicans make the playoffs, like, what’s this pick, right? Like, it could certainly be a moot point. Um, it doesn’t account for getting Jordan P. It doesn’t account for getting a guy in a locker room that you could sit next to uh Zion, a vet and Kon Looney. Getting him to leave the Warriors to come there and and and be in your locker room and getting that sensational Jeremiah. Jeremiah is going to be a star. I think a future star. Jeremiah Fierce. So, I don’t know how you get an F when you bringing in all that and and you don’t unless you you could tell me that this is going to be the number one pick next year. I I Kevin, I love you, but that that was an really unfair grade. I mean, listen, Troy Weaver and I go back to our our Syracuse days together. Troy goes back even further with Carmelo Anthony, and he knew Carmemelllo Anthony from the time he was a young teenager. And when I talked to Troy about Derek Queen in Las Vegas this summer, he said, “He reminds me so much of Melo. Body size, a competitive nature, joy that he brings to the game, the way he relates to his teammates. Obviously, he has a little bit of a injury situation. He’s going to be out with his wrist, but there’s still plenty of rookie season that should be there for him to take advantage when he gets there. And I mean, listen, Troy Weaver has a very strong track record of identifying talent and and having them be able to translate the next level. John Morant has missed 35% of the possible games he could have played in his NBA career. That includes missing nearly 40% of Memphis’s games last season and nearly 90% of the team’s games two seasons ago. Dave, you caught up with John at summer league and his thoughts on the West. Take a listen. I’m always confident in us. Um my mind my mindset now is just, you know, make sure I’m out there and available and um I feel like, you know, when I’m out there on the floor, you know, we got opportunity versus any team. So, um a lot of talent in the West, but yeah, but I mean it’s the Western Conference. Dave, do you still believe that the Memphis Grizzlies can have a chance be a contender in the West? They are a contender for a playing spot, but the last time we saw Jaw at the peak of his powers, we were talking about the Grizzlies being a contender for it all. They were the number three seed in the West. They got upset by the Lakers in the first round back in 2023 and a lot has changed since then. The conference is different, his coach is different, his teammates are different. Mark was talking about the great moves by Orlando this offseason because they went and got Desmond Bane who’s been such a big part of that team success right alongside John Morant. Listen, they they still have talent. We’re talking about Zack Edy. We’re talking about um Jiren Jackson Jr. obviously um some of the younger players coming up, Jaylen Wells, etc. However, uh this has got to be like a prove it type of season for Jaw, I would think. Mark, I don’t we just want to see him be back to what we expected him to be or we thought he was going to be like and what he was. I mean, there was a time when he was going to be one of the top most popular players in the league where his jersey was a hot seller where he was a hot ticket where he was mustsee TV. Then the incidents off the court happened and the injuries happened and then the incidents and then it was it hasn’t been about basketball. I want to see this dude healthy, playing, being jaw, us getting excited about him again, watching him in the dunk contest, him being an MVP caliber guy, he is to me like their only hope for being special. I mean, obviously Jiren, we know what he is, right? But if they’re going to compete for something higher than what you’re talking about, he has to be the jaw we saw three years ago because that it’s kind of reminds me of Stevie Francis where respectfully Stevie, seeing a guy jump to a high superstar level and then drop off the face of the earth. There’s no reason why he shouldn’t be one of the elite players in the league right now. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause]

The NBA Today crew discusses Chris Paul’s potential final season, Kawhi Leonard trash talk and offseason grades.

0:00 Is this Chris Paul’s last season?
3:22 Yang Hansen taught Kawhi Leonard how to trash talk
5:30 Offseason grades
9:08 Ja Morant’s thoughts on the West

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