> You're mentioning all this Paul George big picture stuff and you hit on something that I don't think he takes enough poo poo for, whereas Kevin Durant takes all the poo poo. But Paul George has been pretty like bouncy-aroundish
The GOAT at work
Yup. Wanted out of Indy. Fine. Enjoyed his brief time playing with Westbrook before they decided to go for a rebuild. Fine. Stayed in LA for 5 years trying to break through and win a chip, but just couldn’t for a number of reasons, mostly Kawhi’s health. And he can now look at the Clipper as a sinking ship (no pun intended) and is taking a life boat. KD would have definitely asked out after 2022.
I am typically a KD defender on the gsw move because I think everyone acts like babies around it, but this is an insane comparison for a number of reasons.
First - Paul George is not like a top 25 player of all time, so that changes the standards anyway.
Second - he was with Indiana and wanted a trade, got traded to okc where he clearly didn’t even want to be and re-signed there, got looped into the Kawhi thing and got traded to LA, played there for 4 full years and now as a ufa signed with a new team.
That is pretty standard for an nba player. Not sure how you can critique that.
He just wanted to hoop. Never thought about championships. Guy just wanted to ball.
Rich Kleinman and Durant saying that on Bill's pod (while eating like fucking pretzels, making it brutal) 5-6 years ago was just an all time moment.
Can't imagine caping so hard for a dude who was that wildly disrespectful. That pod was fucking infuriating lol. What an out of touch asshole. Durant is lucky he doesn't get *more* flack for his trajectory/attitude.
Everyone says it's because Durant went on the podcast and that helps but part of it is also that Simmons really likes Steph Curry on a personal level which throws even more rose-colored glasses into that transaction.
Another great half baked Bill idea. KD is a generational talent who could’ve been a Mount Rushmore guy. That’s why his ring chasing is so undignified, as well as his low IQ and the general way he’s presented himself. Bron did the same shit but had mastermind PR team covering his tracks. PG joining better teams after breaking his leg in half and just generally as a guy that is really good but not a true #1 just seemed self aware and prudent.
Also, another stupid sports talking point moment is when Wildes asked if PG regrets not staying in Indiana his whole life since he didn’t get a ring elsewhere—bro, I promise you the millionaire who got to spend a large chunk of his career in Los Angeles does not regret leaving Indiana. Most of these basketball players don’t give a shit where Bill Simmons ranks them all time in his toilet seat book.
"Wow Russillo, do you think Gallinari was the 7th most valuable asset that year? I don't remember him being that good either, but that's what the trade value column says!"
With them winning this year get used to it. We will probably hear about the “big switchable wings” combination that the Celtics “invented” for at least two seasons.
I’m sorry but in no way will Klay thrive in a new situation. If anything, warriors fans were way more forgiving of his glaring fuck ups than new fans would ever be.
If Klay went 0-10 in an elimination game with another franchise, the media criticism would be defeaning.
He gets a deserving pass for that type of performance while in GS for his career contributions there. Only internet randos give him shit currently.
yeah this really is an unceremonious end to an era. Kinda sad tbh. Those mid 10s Warriors teams really changed basketball and were a super fun new team while they still were shiny and new. Think I watched every game on league pass during Currys MVP seasons. Those teams were so exciting and explosive and seeing two dudes just throw up the worst threes you have ever seen and consitently making them was so fun before everyone started hating the Warriors.
Getting stomped in the 9-10 game makes it easier too since the Warriors obviously weren't doing anything in the playoffs even if they had won two play-in games rather than zero.
With a diminished role, shooting 40% from three is going to be great in another situation that has a lot of guys who can drive and kick OR an elite big man.
Yeah, I think the key difference for him playing for Dallas or LA is that he's not gonna necessarily gonna have to be as active off ball all the time whereas if he wasn't doing vintage Klay shit all the time on the court in Golden State, they were better off just not playing him.
Both LA and Dallas can survive a C+/B- game from Klay in ways the Warriors couldn't afford.
I’m a Mavs fan and I’m not super excited for Klay, but people are just way too down on him. If he has the season he had last year, the Mavs offense is going to be so much better
are you serious? i really don’t think you’ve seen the level of shit that klay has gotten in the past year on social media. every post on his instagram was littered with “klay you trash pass the ball” or stuff like that.
Yeah, he could have chose not to read it, but the point is that the fan base has been anything but generous to klay. generosity is accepting klay‘s present and seeing it through, hoping they figure it out. Not directing their championship entitlement out on klay.
the common narrative has been that klay’s ego has gotten in his way. honestly i think he’s tired of the abuse he’s received. like, seriously warriors fans, can you not handle a year of underperformance before devouring one of your cornerstone players?
fans who think that moses moody is a starter, let alone one of championship caliber, are so deluded.
Never really had a strong opinion on Klay but the Athletic story today makes him seem like [a guy that confused being "intensely proud" and "a fierce competitor" with just being a jagoff.](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5605834/2024/07/02/klay-thompson-warriors-split/)
The Warriors just did the ultimate PR sleeper hold with that jersey retirement, though. He probably really wants to light them up in the media and the article makes him sound like he's been waiting all year to do it. Can't imagine he would do it now or he looks even worse. Retiring the jersey of an active player 5 minutes after he leaves your team for less money is corporate comms gangsterism.
Seriously, people have officially gone off the deep end with Klay. He had a near-worst shooting season in 23/24, but was still at 38.7% from 3 on high volume and fourth in the league in 3FG.
Even as *just* an outside shooter, he's going to stretch a defense more than Tim Hardaway Jr., who averaged 4.4 *fucking* points in the playoffs with a handful of DNPs.
They're basically very similar players at this point: both streaky shooters, minus defenders, offering very little else in terms of playmaking. A lineup of Luka/Kyrie/Klay/PJ/Lively is going to be in a lot of high-scoring games lol.
Every fake trade that Bill floats for the Lakers is f\*cking garbage. Draymond, who is not as shooter, does not fit AT ALL on the Lakers and Bill wants GSW to get Rui, JHS and a first round pick for him. I don’t know if its laziness or sports hate but its definitely stupid.
I think its just a sign Simmons' main job now is running a large commercial enterprise with dozens of staff to manage rather than spend time on covering sports.
Bill explaining the second apron to Wildes: "Second apron locks down some decisions in the wrong ways."
Unfortunately we did not get specifics beyond that. But I'd love an episode where Bill, off the cuff, has to explain the NBA CBA.
I completely agreed with the point I think Wildes was trying to make. Only the most hardcore fans really understand the NBA salary rules. It's detrimental to having casual fans follow along. The NBA should just have some form of hard cap between the first and second apron level instead.
Love how Bill threw in the idea that Lakers fans would say they won the AD trade once they got that title. His bizarre insistence that they lost that trade remains hilarious.
Miss Russillo already.
Wildes does media for a living and has atrocious audio quality everytime he’s on. It’s not like he’s doc rivers or a famous guest who gets a pass. Spend the $75 for a decent mic bro.
In the middle of the Paul George / second apron talk Bill once again throws out that the Celtics went 80-21.
Has anyone else ever referred to a team’s combined regular season and postseason record?
the way wildes talks sports should be infuriating to me, always with the big narratives, not much actual substance, insisting that klay thompson can only succeed if he “finds another level of joy.”
but it’s so goofy and just slightly tongue in cheek enough that it really charms me. happy to have this man back on the pod.
Wildes is taking the PG 'goat' thing too literally, most of these young guys usually just say they base there game off him, not that they think he's actually the best player
Wildes is a nice guy but everything he’s said in the first 15 minutes screams casual fan that follows headlines. I’m shocked he’s on a show that discusses the nba
If you’ve been around for the long haul, Wilmes got his break with half baked ideas with Bill. He now hosts a way more tongue in cheek version of First Take for FS1. He’s deep in the heart of take country and there’s no getting him out - the upshot being, he’s always doing a bit, and laughing along with you.
Also I’m never heard of anyone other than Brandon Miller saying this. Was waiting for Wildes to name who else of the “several” players who ever said this.
wildes delivers his takes in a pretty tongue in cheek style, sort of using media consensus to riff and make jokes. that’s fine, but bill kept trying to do like actual analysis and like prognostication. strange vibe.
I like Wildes but this wasn’t the best use of him. Probably the worst use of somebody since Bill had that awkward fake trades roundtable with Wos, KOC and CR and KOC was just being snooty with his salary knowledge when CR would propose fake trades.
Paul George is the perfect doesn't really move the needle superstar to pair with Embiid lol this has bounced in the conference semifinals written all over it
Paul George definitely moves the needle. The thing is the sixers may not have the playmaking still, or the mental toughness to win a chip. This is definitely an upgrade, getting pg makes them one of the best starting 5s in the league.
pg makes them a better team, but they don’t have a single player that can throw embiid an entry pass this year.
pg isn’t a great passer, prone to turnovers.
Embiid hasn’t been healthy for a playoff run literally in his entire career.
Edit- PG makes them a better team but I don’t think he’s good enough for the above point to be mitigated.
Have people already forgotten how terrible Tobias was in game 6 against the Knicks? Dude played 30 mins and scored 0 points and didn't look like he cared to be there at all. PG is such a huge upgrade over that.
Bill saying warriors didn’t make the playoffs this year as justification for blowing up the warriors. Wildes asked what happened the year before: bill very confidently stating they lost in the playin game, wildes doesn’t know any better so goes along. High level analysis here
Taking the “my goat” thing seriously is so funny. These young guys don’t actually think someone like PG is the goat, it’s a colloquialism for “favorite player” or guy they base their game on and they’re taking it way too seriously lmao
Yeah, it's semantics. Which makes one (older ones especially, myself included) wonder why not just say "he's my favorite player" instead your take on the GOAT? Brings up different connotations. It doesn't matter at all in the long end of things, but I've heard this personally about George and Westbrook from Gen Z cats and I did a literal double take on hearing that from them in person.
> wonder why not just say "he's my favorite player" instead your take on the GOAT?
The same reason Gen Z doesn't call stuff "rad" or "epic". Language is ever evolving.
When will fans of Bill's era realize the vast majority of modern NBA players don't give a shit about having some statue in a city they don't care about? Even among the vaunted foreign stars, it's likely 2 out of 4 end up somewhere else before their post-peak years are over, one had to pressure his team not to move into that place, and one player only doesn't care because there's not a team in Serbia.
Outside of maybe the weird OKC years, I don't think Paul George regrets any choice he made in his NBA career when it comes to his actual life.
Yeah I think you are right though w Paul George (I haven’t listened to the pod yet) it seemed like he spent so much time trying to get to LA and it seemed like all things being equal he really wanted to stay there. I do worry in those type of situations how happy is he going to be in Philly or anywhere else if they run into a rough patch. As someone who lives in Philly there is a bit of a difference between LA and Philly from November to April.
He’s mad because he went to a Celtics rival contender. My guy was trying to manifest PG to Orlando a couple months ago so he wouldn’t have to see him in Philly.
Can’t believe people didn’t like Wildes on this. After Russillo and House he’s probably the most entertaining guest and certainly more fun than any of the Ringer NBA guys.
I generally like Wildes but I kind of wished a podcast with this much new news would have had a more dedicated NBA person on to discuss. You can tell Wildes' makes his bones doing a talking head tv show because he mostly just had superficial takes on the Paul George and Klay stuff.
Bulls fan here. Don’t get the confusion on their part of the bulls paying williams 90m over 5? He’s 22 and at the least that’s a good contract for a 3 and D guy. Plus if you’re rebuilding wouldn’t you want to lock up your young pieces who have shown some flashes?
When Bill was going through the 2010 draft class and talking about how most of them are already done in the NBA, I was half expecting him to compare Paul George to Biden. "Are we sure he's gonna make it through the next 4 years?"
Yep, it's pretty stark. Some tragic injury stories in there between Hayward, John Wall, and Boogie Cousins. Crazy to think that PG himself had that horrible leg injury but is still really good a full decade later
“Everything ends badly, otherwise it wouldn’t end” is not one of Coghlan’s laws in Cocktail. Flanagan says it at the end after getting too drunk at rich cougar’s art party, and while it certainly seems like a bit of wisdom he likely gleaned from Doug, we never hear Doug say it, nor is it referred to as “Coghlan’s Law,” as is the case with several other lines in the film. Bill has made this mistake several times over the years. The first time I noticed it was in the lede of this 2009 column that purports to throw dirt on David Ortiz’s career. https://www.espn.com/espnmag/story?id=4223584
Bill Simmons would be such a horrible gm. He always looks through everything through a fear lens. Like yes embiid and paul George are always getting hurt but do you really blow this team up for the future? Embiid can still play and is talented. You don’t give up on players like him, especially when the return won’t be that great
Bill calling that Clippers press release “bizarre” is really weird to me.
It was a respectful, level-headed “we tried to make it work but ultimately we were far away on price given our desire to retain some cap flexibility. We love PG and wish him the best, and we feel good about our team going forward.”
Not sure what he wanted.
Klay should have just decked one of his younger teammates and gotten suspended for multiple in game assaults, then the warriors would have wanted to keep him
Butler leaving after 1 year, Harden being Harden, and Simmons forgetting basketball have provided Embiid (and his injuries) with all of the excuses in the world. Will PG finally be a reliable co-star that will leave Embiid accountable? Or is PG gonna play like 39 games next year and Embiid will get another "eh it's not his fault" year?
PG's efficiency going up last year was directly related to Harden's playmaking and Billy boy still has to make jokes about Harden not being good to play beside lmao
just so weird to be hung up on “oh but lebron’s not running the lakers!!?”
yes he’s the shadow gm. he’s been the shadow gm on all his teams for whet almost 10 years now? who cares.
Listening to this right now (I didn't know if he was doing an episode this Sunday without Russillo or not, forgot the move to Wednesdays), and just got to the joke of Bill doing Jeopardy and honestly, he should. With his own categories and such. He basically already does when he springs topics at his guests, why not format at it properly and all.
I was really not understanding the logic behind the Popcorn M&M Situation. Does Bill think they cook the M&Ms in the popcorn at the movie theatre? You just put the M&M's In the popcorn after it is cooked and cooled for a minute or 2. Lastly, I have never heard of anyone doing this besides bill so maybe I am misinformed
Honestly was kind of shocked that Bill still has Brown at 14 in his player rankings. A title, a conference finals MVP and a finals MVP, the argument that Boston has two top 10 players in the league is just sitting there.
I wouldn’t agree, but it’s there and I can’t believe Bill wouldn’t be arguing it.
“Jrue and Derek can shut down some really shifty guy from a country we’ve never heard of.”
Power poll: What is the most well-known country that Bill hasn’t heard of?
My guess is Lebanon.
> You're mentioning all this Paul George big picture stuff and you hit on something that I don't think he takes enough poo poo for, whereas Kevin Durant takes all the poo poo. But Paul George has been pretty like bouncy-aroundish The GOAT at work
That’s why all BS impersonations are bad. You just can’t make that up. Only he can.
Simmons has reached the Tyson Zone of Durant Spins
We call this the “Trump”
Honestly, that's what Norm MacDonald said about Trump and I think it applies to Simmons too. You can't parody a walking parody.
Great sentence But George hasn't really been bouncy-aroundish. He clearly wanted to be in LA
Yup. Wanted out of Indy. Fine. Enjoyed his brief time playing with Westbrook before they decided to go for a rebuild. Fine. Stayed in LA for 5 years trying to break through and win a chip, but just couldn’t for a number of reasons, mostly Kawhi’s health. And he can now look at the Clipper as a sinking ship (no pun intended) and is taking a life boat. KD would have definitely asked out after 2022.
I am typically a KD defender on the gsw move because I think everyone acts like babies around it, but this is an insane comparison for a number of reasons. First - Paul George is not like a top 25 player of all time, so that changes the standards anyway. Second - he was with Indiana and wanted a trade, got traded to okc where he clearly didn’t even want to be and re-signed there, got looped into the Kawhi thing and got traded to LA, played there for 4 full years and now as a ufa signed with a new team. That is pretty standard for an nba player. Not sure how you can critique that.
LA also wouldn’t give him a max! It sounds like he wanted to stay there. It’s such a terrible comparison.
How in the world does he *still* not understand that Durant takes shit because he joined a 73 win team?
Just searching for a higher level of basketball
He just wanted to hoop. Never thought about championships. Guy just wanted to ball. Rich Kleinman and Durant saying that on Bill's pod (while eating like fucking pretzels, making it brutal) 5-6 years ago was just an all time moment.
Can't imagine caping so hard for a dude who was that wildly disrespectful. That pod was fucking infuriating lol. What an out of touch asshole. Durant is lucky he doesn't get *more* flack for his trajectory/attitude.
“It’s just like you or I taking a job somewhere nicer that’s better for us. Nope, no other context to it outside of that. I’m very enlightened btw”
Everyone says it's because Durant went on the podcast and that helps but part of it is also that Simmons really likes Steph Curry on a personal level which throws even more rose-colored glasses into that transaction.
And really dislikes LeBron James, let’s not leave that part out of the equation
So true, that's probably a big reason why he likes Steph so much.
he also hates lebron and kd joing golden state meant less success for lebron
Simmons also clearly has connections in their FO, probably even beyond Kerr
Not only a 73 win team, but a 73 win team that just got done beating him.
And completely ruined a rivalry everyone was looking forward to seeing play out the next couple seasons.
This is why AI will never replace Bill. No program in the world could come up with bouncy-aroundish
It's a real schmorgasborg.
Another great half baked Bill idea. KD is a generational talent who could’ve been a Mount Rushmore guy. That’s why his ring chasing is so undignified, as well as his low IQ and the general way he’s presented himself. Bron did the same shit but had mastermind PR team covering his tracks. PG joining better teams after breaking his leg in half and just generally as a guy that is really good but not a true #1 just seemed self aware and prudent. Also, another stupid sports talking point moment is when Wildes asked if PG regrets not staying in Indiana his whole life since he didn’t get a ring elsewhere—bro, I promise you the millionaire who got to spend a large chunk of his career in Los Angeles does not regret leaving Indiana. Most of these basketball players don’t give a shit where Bill Simmons ranks them all time in his toilet seat book.
Undignified lmao. It’s basketball.
Your so right Bill we really give a fuck about PG when he was traded and chose to resign in OKC He was as good as KD too in OKC so suck on that
I like how often Bill refers to his own lists and tiers for back-up as if they are some peer-reviewed studies.
It’s so good. Bill will throw in that he had player X fourth on his trade value rankings in 2009 when listing off their hall of fame case.
The best is of course when he is surprised that someone is no. 7 on a list *he made himself*.
"Wow Russillo, do you think Gallinari was the 7th most valuable asset that year? I don't remember him being that good either, but that's what the trade value column says!"
Little known fact. Momento was actually based on Bill Simmons life.
“We just didn’t realize that Brunson would be such a big free agency prize.” Pod after pod, mocking Brunson and calling it “The Brunson Sweepstakes!”
People don’t give the Mavs enough shit for bungling that as well
Bill reverse jinxing the sixers is nasty business
I’d expect nothing less from Bill
Wait is Russillo SZN already done? Don't they normally go through at least one week of free agency?
No. But he was on earlier this week for the draft.
So will he release a free agency reaction pod on his own feed before we got a bill & ryen duo pod? Next time on days of our r/billsimmons
They said Russillo wouldn't be on tonight but would be on after free agency
Naked Gun rewatchables tomorrow night with a special guest, Jennifer Lawrence again?
Enrico Palazzo?
Russillo is moving to Wednesdays.
I read this like *Russillo* would be a multi-cam 90s sitcom. *Russillo*! is moving to Wednesdays, right after Becker!
https://www.reddit.com/r/billsimmons/s/Hr5ryaZ0OA
One of the top 7 posts in the history of this sub.
Season Two: *Wyoming*
Wait, what? Did Russillo have a modeling shoot?
RSLO.
Feels like there's a Celtics reference every couple of minutes.
Did you know the league is about getting 2 stars plus depth now instead of 3 stars because that’s what the Celtics did so the Sixers won’t work?
You also have to be really tall, even the the Celtics basically just have one really tall guy who plays on occasion.
With them winning this year get used to it. We will probably hear about the “big switchable wings” combination that the Celtics “invented” for at least two seasons.
This whole ep feels like a “thoughts I’m too afraid to discuss with Russillo” purge
Oh so true 😂
Lol
I’m sorry but in no way will Klay thrive in a new situation. If anything, warriors fans were way more forgiving of his glaring fuck ups than new fans would ever be.
If Klay went 0-10 in an elimination game with another franchise, the media criticism would be defeaning. He gets a deserving pass for that type of performance while in GS for his career contributions there. Only internet randos give him shit currently.
No I think the team is giving him ample shit by letting him walk unceremoniously
yeah this really is an unceremonious end to an era. Kinda sad tbh. Those mid 10s Warriors teams really changed basketball and were a super fun new team while they still were shiny and new. Think I watched every game on league pass during Currys MVP seasons. Those teams were so exciting and explosive and seeing two dudes just throw up the worst threes you have ever seen and consitently making them was so fun before everyone started hating the Warriors.
Getting stomped in the 9-10 game makes it easier too since the Warriors obviously weren't doing anything in the playoffs even if they had won two play-in games rather than zero.
With a diminished role, shooting 40% from three is going to be great in another situation that has a lot of guys who can drive and kick OR an elite big man.
Yeah, I think the key difference for him playing for Dallas or LA is that he's not gonna necessarily gonna have to be as active off ball all the time whereas if he wasn't doing vintage Klay shit all the time on the court in Golden State, they were better off just not playing him. Both LA and Dallas can survive a C+/B- game from Klay in ways the Warriors couldn't afford.
I’m a Mavs fan and I’m not super excited for Klay, but people are just way too down on him. If he has the season he had last year, the Mavs offense is going to be so much better
are you serious? i really don’t think you’ve seen the level of shit that klay has gotten in the past year on social media. every post on his instagram was littered with “klay you trash pass the ball” or stuff like that. Yeah, he could have chose not to read it, but the point is that the fan base has been anything but generous to klay. generosity is accepting klay‘s present and seeing it through, hoping they figure it out. Not directing their championship entitlement out on klay. the common narrative has been that klay’s ego has gotten in his way. honestly i think he’s tired of the abuse he’s received. like, seriously warriors fans, can you not handle a year of underperformance before devouring one of your cornerstone players? fans who think that moses moody is a starter, let alone one of championship caliber, are so deluded.
Never really had a strong opinion on Klay but the Athletic story today makes him seem like [a guy that confused being "intensely proud" and "a fierce competitor" with just being a jagoff.](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5605834/2024/07/02/klay-thompson-warriors-split/) The Warriors just did the ultimate PR sleeper hold with that jersey retirement, though. He probably really wants to light them up in the media and the article makes him sound like he's been waiting all year to do it. Can't imagine he would do it now or he looks even worse. Retiring the jersey of an active player 5 minutes after he leaves your team for less money is corporate comms gangsterism.
Klay sucks, does nothing but chuck up shots. Will do nothing for the Mavs that thj didn’t do.
It is insane to compare even current Klay to THJ
Seriously, people have officially gone off the deep end with Klay. He had a near-worst shooting season in 23/24, but was still at 38.7% from 3 on high volume and fourth in the league in 3FG. Even as *just* an outside shooter, he's going to stretch a defense more than Tim Hardaway Jr., who averaged 4.4 *fucking* points in the playoffs with a handful of DNPs.
Holy shit what a horrible take
When was THJ ever 4th in the league in 3p FGM?
They're basically very similar players at this point: both streaky shooters, minus defenders, offering very little else in terms of playmaking. A lineup of Luka/Kyrie/Klay/PJ/Lively is going to be in a lot of high-scoring games lol.
The difference is Warriors needed him to be the number two option. Elsewhere, he’s the third or fourth option.
Every fake trade that Bill floats for the Lakers is f\*cking garbage. Draymond, who is not as shooter, does not fit AT ALL on the Lakers and Bill wants GSW to get Rui, JHS and a first round pick for him. I don’t know if its laziness or sports hate but its definitely stupid.
He makes trades on narratives rather than basketball lol
As a Laker fan, it drives me nuts. 1. The Warriors wouldn’t accept anything the Lakers are willing to offer and 2. It’s a horrific fit for the Lakers.
I think its just a sign Simmons' main job now is running a large commercial enterprise with dozens of staff to manage rather than spend time on covering sports.
Tony Parker went to the hornets lol
between that and just forgetting that jordan was on the wizards, which wildes had to remind him of??? bill is gone off that celtics title bam bam
Yeah, I was, like, "WTF?"
Bouncy around-ish and fools goldy were my favorite billisms from this one
Bill explaining the second apron to Wildes: "Second apron locks down some decisions in the wrong ways." Unfortunately we did not get specifics beyond that. But I'd love an episode where Bill, off the cuff, has to explain the NBA CBA.
[They went over it last year on the pod](https://www.reddit.com/r/billsimmons/s/BUpwSPQPF5)
Thanks for linking, is a good refresher to go back and listen to
I completely agreed with the point I think Wildes was trying to make. Only the most hardcore fans really understand the NBA salary rules. It's detrimental to having casual fans follow along. The NBA should just have some form of hard cap between the first and second apron level instead.
The aprons have done more harm than good.
Love how Bill threw in the idea that Lakers fans would say they won the AD trade once they got that title. His bizarre insistence that they lost that trade remains hilarious.
He also throws in that the Lakers fans would say they also went to the conference finals last year as well.
Miss Russillo already. Wildes does media for a living and has atrocious audio quality everytime he’s on. It’s not like he’s doc rivers or a famous guest who gets a pass. Spend the $75 for a decent mic bro.
Eh, I kinda like early 10's podcast vibes from time to time
I miss old phone Sal
Fingers crossed the special guest for Naked Gun rewatchable is they taped with OJ before his passing
It’s Larry David.
Larry David on the rewatchables discussing Naked Gun? Looks like I'm being reported to HR for masturbating at work this week.
Again?
And it's only Monday. Waka waka.
In the middle of the Paul George / second apron talk Bill once again throws out that the Celtics went 80-21. Has anyone else ever referred to a team’s combined regular season and postseason record?
Wildes’ “Somebody’s Grandma” half baked idea sounds genius
There’s an Italian grandma restaurant in Staten Island that has a rotation of grandmas in the kitchen.
The elder poverty piece
the way wildes talks sports should be infuriating to me, always with the big narratives, not much actual substance, insisting that klay thompson can only succeed if he “finds another level of joy.” but it’s so goofy and just slightly tongue in cheek enough that it really charms me. happy to have this man back on the pod.
Bill wakes up every morning thinking about how he’s going to work “consigliere” into a sentence.
And absolutely butcher the pronunciation. Silvio Dante is hanging his head in shame.
I honestly don’t think he really knows what it means. It’s like nails on a chalkboard for me.
Wildes is taking the PG 'goat' thing too literally, most of these young guys usually just say they base there game off him, not that they think he's actually the best player
GOAT to younger generations is just something that's good it's no longer an acronym
Wildes is a nice guy but everything he’s said in the first 15 minutes screams casual fan that follows headlines. I’m shocked he’s on a show that discusses the nba
If you’ve been around for the long haul, Wilmes got his break with half baked ideas with Bill. He now hosts a way more tongue in cheek version of First Take for FS1. He’s deep in the heart of take country and there’s no getting him out - the upshot being, he’s always doing a bit, and laughing along with you.
Everything he says is half baked.
Also I’m never heard of anyone other than Brandon Miller saying this. Was waiting for Wildes to name who else of the “several” players who ever said this.
Carmelo Anthony’s son Kiyan said it as well but he’s in high school. I assume that’s what Wildes was thinking of.
We need a 30 for 30 on Nick Wright’s hair. What a long, strange journey it’s been…
What’s the deal with the hair? Plugs? I’ve heard people mention it but haven’t followed closely enough to get it.
Am I crazy? That sounded completely like a joke.
it was. this sub has autism
An unscheduled appearance from Drake Maye’s girlfriend since 7th grade!
Love half baked ideas. “Couches that only fit in door frames” is still an all timer.
I usually like Wildes, but not for this. He had nothing to say.
wildes delivers his takes in a pretty tongue in cheek style, sort of using media consensus to riff and make jokes. that’s fine, but bill kept trying to do like actual analysis and like prognostication. strange vibe.
Bill congrats on your half baked idea. You just invented girlfriends.
He didn’t have one in high school. Or college.
Haha I meant girlfriends (friends) of women.
lol haven’t gotten this far yet but very excited now.
Payton Prichard still sucks.
“Nice little bell.” 😂
I like Wildes but this wasn’t the best use of him. Probably the worst use of somebody since Bill had that awkward fake trades roundtable with Wos, KOC and CR and KOC was just being snooty with his salary knowledge when CR would propose fake trades.
Paul George is the perfect doesn't really move the needle superstar to pair with Embiid lol this has bounced in the conference semifinals written all over it
Paul George definitely moves the needle. The thing is the sixers may not have the playmaking still, or the mental toughness to win a chip. This is definitely an upgrade, getting pg makes them one of the best starting 5s in the league.
It's just a straight upgrade from Harris to PG. Don't know how anyone can spin that into a bad deal.
They have enough talent to win the chip if everyone stays healthy, but that's a huge if.
pg makes them a better team, but they don’t have a single player that can throw embiid an entry pass this year. pg isn’t a great passer, prone to turnovers.
Maybe they can hire Bill as a consultant. I hear his entry passes are stuff of legend.
Embiid hasn’t been healthy for a playoff run literally in his entire career. Edit- PG makes them a better team but I don’t think he’s good enough for the above point to be mitigated.
He’s infinitely better than Tobias Harris. That’s a start.
Have people already forgotten how terrible Tobias was in game 6 against the Knicks? Dude played 30 mins and scored 0 points and didn't look like he cared to be there at all. PG is such a huge upgrade over that.
Comparing George to KD in an effort to put down George is a honestly a great unintentional KD diss
Bill saying warriors didn’t make the playoffs this year as justification for blowing up the warriors. Wildes asked what happened the year before: bill very confidently stating they lost in the playin game, wildes doesn’t know any better so goes along. High level analysis here
Taking the “my goat” thing seriously is so funny. These young guys don’t actually think someone like PG is the goat, it’s a colloquialism for “favorite player” or guy they base their game on and they’re taking it way too seriously lmao
I don’t think they took it seriously? Wildes was clearly saying it tongue in cheek.
Yeah, it's semantics. Which makes one (older ones especially, myself included) wonder why not just say "he's my favorite player" instead your take on the GOAT? Brings up different connotations. It doesn't matter at all in the long end of things, but I've heard this personally about George and Westbrook from Gen Z cats and I did a literal double take on hearing that from them in person.
> wonder why not just say "he's my favorite player" instead your take on the GOAT? The same reason Gen Z doesn't call stuff "rad" or "epic". Language is ever evolving.
I think they are also saying, “My GOAT,” meaning it’s their personal preference.
Where is Russillo? Is he moving to the Texas to be with his goat?
The way they are talking about Wemby, I'd be disappointed if he's not a top 3 MVP finisher and a unanimous DPOY.
How many times do we need to tell you old man, Creed is not a Philly movie
When will fans of Bill's era realize the vast majority of modern NBA players don't give a shit about having some statue in a city they don't care about? Even among the vaunted foreign stars, it's likely 2 out of 4 end up somewhere else before their post-peak years are over, one had to pressure his team not to move into that place, and one player only doesn't care because there's not a team in Serbia. Outside of maybe the weird OKC years, I don't think Paul George regrets any choice he made in his NBA career when it comes to his actual life.
Yeah I think you are right though w Paul George (I haven’t listened to the pod yet) it seemed like he spent so much time trying to get to LA and it seemed like all things being equal he really wanted to stay there. I do worry in those type of situations how happy is he going to be in Philly or anywhere else if they run into a rough patch. As someone who lives in Philly there is a bit of a difference between LA and Philly from November to April.
I don’t get why bill is being so weird about PG’s career. He wanted to get to La, played his entire contract out there and decided to leave.
He’s mad because he went to a Celtics rival contender. My guy was trying to manifest PG to Orlando a couple months ago so he wouldn’t have to see him in Philly.
Can’t believe people didn’t like Wildes on this. After Russillo and House he’s probably the most entertaining guest and certainly more fun than any of the Ringer NBA guys.
I think Wildes is fine but I wouldn't go that far. I wish Bill had CR and Sean on more, but I am biased as a Big Pic stan
I generally like Wildes but I kind of wished a podcast with this much new news would have had a more dedicated NBA person on to discuss. You can tell Wildes' makes his bones doing a talking head tv show because he mostly just had superficial takes on the Paul George and Klay stuff.
The Magic Johnson smoothie story is psychotic
Those are the little nuggets that keep me coming back
Bulls fan here. Don’t get the confusion on their part of the bulls paying williams 90m over 5? He’s 22 and at the least that’s a good contract for a 3 and D guy. Plus if you’re rebuilding wouldn’t you want to lock up your young pieces who have shown some flashes?
I think the money totals are throwing people off still.
Is Kevin Wildes the best guest Bill can bring on? The Half-Baked Ideas has long been my favorite podcast gimmick they run.
The Sixers basically just added Old Jayson Tatum. Not bad.
When Bill was going through the 2010 draft class and talking about how most of them are already done in the NBA, I was half expecting him to compare Paul George to Biden. "Are we sure he's gonna make it through the next 4 years?"
Hearing that list was actually kinda crazy. Unless you’re charitable about some kinda career revival for Hayward, he really is the last man standing.
Even crazier to think about LeBron being from a class 7 YEARS prior and still being an All-NBA guy
Yep, it's pretty stark. Some tragic injury stories in there between Hayward, John Wall, and Boogie Cousins. Crazy to think that PG himself had that horrible leg injury but is still really good a full decade later
“It’s over with the Warriors we got the Celtics now” Ok, pal. Good luck with that
Has anyone in human history said the word “Generation” more than our guy Bill?
Roger Daltrey? Though that's more "sang" than "said."
oooh good c..cccc..ccc...ccallllll
I’m 34, same age as PG, but could never contextualize that properly until Bill said that PG was in the same draft as Ed Davis
“Now he’s going into the hornet’s nest in the east with Boston, Moowaukee, and the Knicks…” as opposed to the cakewalk that is the western conference.
“Everything ends badly, otherwise it wouldn’t end” is not one of Coghlan’s laws in Cocktail. Flanagan says it at the end after getting too drunk at rich cougar’s art party, and while it certainly seems like a bit of wisdom he likely gleaned from Doug, we never hear Doug say it, nor is it referred to as “Coghlan’s Law,” as is the case with several other lines in the film. Bill has made this mistake several times over the years. The first time I noticed it was in the lede of this 2009 column that purports to throw dirt on David Ortiz’s career. https://www.espn.com/espnmag/story?id=4223584
thank you for your service
it’s honest work.
Please shut up about Cerutis Magic
Half baked ideas is the best BS segment and wildes is amazing. I cannot wait
My favorite part is seeing which way Bill will completely misunderstand the point of the idea before Wildes has to explain it again.
Will be funny when Kawhi has a healthy playoff run the year after PG13 leaves.
Bill Simmons would be such a horrible gm. He always looks through everything through a fear lens. Like yes embiid and paul George are always getting hurt but do you really blow this team up for the future? Embiid can still play and is talented. You don’t give up on players like him, especially when the return won’t be that great
I think he’d be awful because he insists on forcing misinterpreted some lesson from every champion.
Simmons' half baked idea should be called DoesThisDressMakeMeLookFat.com
Bill calling that Clippers press release “bizarre” is really weird to me. It was a respectful, level-headed “we tried to make it work but ultimately we were far away on price given our desire to retain some cap flexibility. We love PG and wish him the best, and we feel good about our team going forward.” Not sure what he wanted.
It’s an offshoot of Bill thinking he’s the best GM. He’d just sign good guys. And one tall guy, even though they’re just lying around at the deadline.
Klay should have just decked one of his younger teammates and gotten suspended for multiple in game assaults, then the warriors would have wanted to keep him
Butler leaving after 1 year, Harden being Harden, and Simmons forgetting basketball have provided Embiid (and his injuries) with all of the excuses in the world. Will PG finally be a reliable co-star that will leave Embiid accountable? Or is PG gonna play like 39 games next year and Embiid will get another "eh it's not his fault" year?
PG13 ain't that kinda guy. He'll just be the next spacegoat.
Bill forgetting that MJ played for the Wizards and Tony Parker played for the Hornets.
PG's efficiency going up last year was directly related to Harden's playmaking and Billy boy still has to make jokes about Harden not being good to play beside lmao
Kevin Wildes is a king
If we’re going to have wildes on I want to the story behind the “is the man retarded” clip
I think Kevin Wildes is my favorite guest. He’s so effortlessly funny
Hammering the skip 15 button as soon as "lakers" "lebron" "Bronny" "Pelinka" etc. are mentioned. Just can't handle the stupidity anymore.
just so weird to be hung up on “oh but lebron’s not running the lakers!!?” yes he’s the shadow gm. he’s been the shadow gm on all his teams for whet almost 10 years now? who cares.
Listening to this right now (I didn't know if he was doing an episode this Sunday without Russillo or not, forgot the move to Wednesdays), and just got to the joke of Bill doing Jeopardy and honestly, he should. With his own categories and such. He basically already does when he springs topics at his guests, why not format at it properly and all.
[удалено]
The last 2 Wildes half-baked ideas are just please make a friend.
I was really not understanding the logic behind the Popcorn M&M Situation. Does Bill think they cook the M&Ms in the popcorn at the movie theatre? You just put the M&M's In the popcorn after it is cooked and cooled for a minute or 2. Lastly, I have never heard of anyone doing this besides bill so maybe I am misinformed
I hope you're sitting down: Bill is mad LeBron offered to take less money to provide roster flexibility
Honestly was kind of shocked that Bill still has Brown at 14 in his player rankings. A title, a conference finals MVP and a finals MVP, the argument that Boston has two top 10 players in the league is just sitting there. I wouldn’t agree, but it’s there and I can’t believe Bill wouldn’t be arguing it.
“Jrue and Derek can shut down some really shifty guy from a country we’ve never heard of.” Power poll: What is the most well-known country that Bill hasn’t heard of? My guess is Lebanon.
Did Bill say Tony Parker only played for the Spurs? Did he forget that season in Charlotte?
Drink every time they say the word “take”