Detroit Pistons Vs Boston Celtics Pregame Show With Courtney Tate

My dog doesn’t bark at all. I It’s okay. You’re going to have to go in the room if you’re going to do that. He’s usually so fine. I’m so sorry. It’s all good. Hey guys, I I want to welcome you back to Pistons Talk podcast. I’m joined by a very special firsttime guest, Courtney Tate. She covers the Celtics, believe in Celtics. So, shout out. I’m happy I was actually uh being able to collaborate with someone that is also a part of Believe. Thanks for having me. I’m such a pleasure to be here. It’s a little, you know, interesting to be on a Pistons podcast today when our both of our teams are playing right now. Yeah. I was like, when I scheduled it, I was like, oh crap, they play at 8 and then I got a postgame show at midnight. So, I was like, we are just going to ride through it. We’re good to go. Yeah, we’re good. We’re good to go. Got I made a p of coffee. I’m staying up late. I really don’t care. We’re going to do this. the same. Um, I I kind of wanted to recap the Boston Celtics off season. I felt like it was a really busy offseason with you guys. Uh, I wanted to kind of go with the trades first. So, Drew Holiday, Kristoff Porzingis, I I guess from your perspective, uh, what did you kind of think of the trades that the Celtics did make? You know, I mean, obviously we knew that the team had to make some moves. you know, there it was just costly at this rent. It wasn’t about, you know, do we like Drew Holiday? Do we like Porzingis? It was mainly about we can’t afford to keep these guys on the team anymore. So, where do we go from there? And then you start to look at, okay, you have Drew Holiday, he’s in his 30s now, you know, like he, you know, dealt with a couple of injuries. So, to me, we are going to miss him defensively for sure. We saw that in that first season opener. we allow 74 points between two guys, which is in my opinion sickening. Um, but typically, and with that player, I saw that to be okay. We got back Anthony Simons, who’s been giving us big time minutes, like he played 32 minutes in that last game. Uh, so I just genuinely think that, you know, with that, that was understandable. Port Zingis kind of made Boston a little bit more angry with that, Matt. you know, like ultimately it’s tough to see a 7 foot big man who can play inside and out, but ultimately also we we’re paying him $30 million to play half a season, you know, and I I just happened to see today he’s ruled out tonight for illness. So, it’s just like, yo, this makes this kind of is something that reminiscent of what I wouldn’t want to see as a Celtics fan repeated over. So, I think ultimately the moves that were made, they were good. uh they were necessary in terms of just needing to free up some cap space, needing to get below that second tier luxury tax, all of these things that were necessary. Um you know, we ultimately you are still missing Al Horford as well. So that that front court is a little bit struggling right now. You’re you’re trying to figure that out. But I think that this team is in with with all things said and done, even amidst um every all of the moves, I think that that Drew Holiday and Porzingis were mainly the ones that made the most sense. I like the Drew Holiday trade just because you got a a I thought a pretty good value player in Anthony Simons who I I think maybe a lot of Celtics fans maybe they’re not too familiar with him. I mean like when he’s hot like I I feel like the guy can’t miss can score at all three levels. He’s a bucket. He’s a bucket. Yeah, he’s a bucket getter. I mean he I even saw reports that like hey like he’s for sale if you want him and I was like h I mean like what are we doing there? I mean, I know Jason Tatum got hurt, but I’m like, um, I I don’t know. It’s I I I like him a lot for you guys. I like a I like him a lot. And I was interested to see because there’s a lot of talk like, oh, well, it doesn’t matter if you bring Anthony Simon and he can’t defend worth anything, you know? So, it’s like, well, why would we bring someone who can score us a lot of points, but ultimately gives up maybe even more points and he’s scoring? That could be a big risk. But ultimately in game one, Anthony Simons played the best defense in my opinion, you know, and I I appreciate the fact that he said that he was he knows that that is the area of his game where he lacks the most and where he, you know, has the most room to grow. So I genuinely feel like that has been his commitment to Boston. And I’ll already in just one game, I’ve seen some growth and development in his defensive uh per perimeter defensive uh especially game right now. And I think that’s a big thing. And if you can come in and you give those minutes, you score double double figures and you you know, you go out and get a couple of steals a night, that’s huge for a backup uh guard coming off the bench right now. Yeah. I mean, I I I thought the process of the the trade made sense, especially you mentioned like you guys were really close with that a sec second apron and then I’m not even going to go down like the ownership thing because it just confuses me. Uh because I I I do have some friends that do cover the Celtics and like I was asking them questions like, “Yeah, man. We don’t even know. We don’t even know what’s going on with the ownership stuff, but the Kristoff Sporzing trade, I thought George Niang was a solid piece and then like you didn’t keep them.” And I was like, “Oh, no.” Okay. I didn’t really understand that. I mean, again, obviously I I just genuinely feel like with that Cena trade, the only thing that went into their mind was freeing up $30 million. That’s the only I don’t you know there was a lot of like oh we’re getting we’re getting a great return back but I don’t think so. You know I don’t I don’t think that I I didn’t think that when we when they had made that trade happen I didn’t think we won that trade. Um so I’m not surprised that they let him go. I mean it’s a salary dump and like you mentioned like he’s already out with illness. I know like ju just as like a basketball fan watching the playoffs I’m like is Joe Mazulu like gonna play this guy and he can’t even breathe? I was just like like his I don’t even know what was going on with the illness during the playoffs. I was like, man, like is this guy okay? They were very secretive about what it actually was what was actually going on, but it didn’t seem well. It did not see it didn’t seem well. No, not at all. But I kind of get it from the perspective of like I feel like if Jason Tatum didn’t get injured, maybe you don’t make as many moves. You just kind of try to run it back and maybe be a second apron team. But especially with that injury, maybe it’s just kind of just a situation where you’re just trying to re-evaluate, seeing if um Jaylen Brown can take those, you know, first option reps because I feel like that’s a conversation with Celtics fans that they have all the time, like who’s the number one option, Jason Tatum or Jaylen Brown. Absolutely. And with Tatum going down, I mean, obviously that put a definite we’re going to make some changes here in Boston. Like that was just the vibe ultimately. like it gave as soon as Tatum it was ruled as an Achilles injury and he was going to miss the major the majority of the season already in everyone’s mind it seemed like it’s like okay we are no longer that championship contending team anymore so let’s do what we can financially to just build things from the ground up let our star get back um but ultimately interestingly enough I think Jaylen Brown kind of took that personal this summer I think that um not having the not having the ability to have people just rely on you to know that with Jaylen Brown we’ll be okay kind of seems like a big challenge for him this season. So I am interested to see how he responds. I like his response after he you know after the loss against the 76ers a couple days ago where he took full accountability for the defensive, you know, just shortcomings. Um, I think that he’s committed to the challenge of showing them that I can lead this team to maybe even a little playoff run, you know, like and I don’t think that when Tatum went down, I don’t think anybody expected this team to do anything this year, you know. Um, so it will be interesting to see how Jaylen Brown responds to that call this year. For sure. Um, I full transparency drafted him to my fantasy team because I know he’s going to get those touches. So I was like, absolutely. But you know what’s cool is um I’m seeing Derek White step up in a lot more offensive manner as well. Like you know he we know what he can do offensively, but you know he’s always in that championship team, not the first or second option. Right now he’s just about the second option scoring wise and he’s delivering in my opinion. So um you know it’s just it’s cool to see new players step up in new roles on this team. Yeah. I mean you guys were really deep like Payton Pritchard I think doesn’t get talked about enough. I think he’s a really good piece off the bench. He’s the sixth man of the year and he’s starting now. He starts now. Yeah. He started a lot of games last season cuz you know Drew Holidayiday missed quite a few games, Derek White missed a few games and he came right in and he delivered the the idea of making sure that he could play in a leadership type of system instead of coming in as the sixman where a system is already in play for you having to create your own shots. He’s seemingly struggled a little bit in my opinion over dur throughout preseason and game one. But I think that again like like you said the this team no matter what’s happening right now between in that front court that back court still has quite a few options. Yeah. I feel like the back court is probably more of a strength than a than a weakness. The front court I’m like h I I don’t know like that’s that it’s that’s a whole different story. Um one of the questions I wanted to ask you is I felt like you the Celtics in my opinion because I do a lot of draft coverage. I thought Hugan Gonzalez is probably one of the better value picks um in the late first round. Uh what did you like about that draft pick or if you’ve had a chance to watch him so far? You know, it’s interesting. I actually anticipated seeing Hugo Gonzalez in game one. He didn’t get any playing time, but I was pretty impressed with his showcasing in this summer. Um you know, he seems to learn the system pretty well. He seems to listen. I know that he’s 19 years old and there’s just a number and just a just a wide open lane for him to develop and you know get into NBA shape. So I I do wonder too and that’s maybe something that to listen in on and the pressers and ask coach himself like why it what is the decision on Hugo Gonzalez? Is he going to Maine? Is he going to be in a GLeague or is he going to get some playing time? I think right now especially we just lost Luca Garza tonight for due to concussion. Now would be a great time to add some more depth to that front court. Let him get some burn. I think so. I think that he could potentially get some good minutes on this team. So, I am rooting for him. I think that that was a great selection. I I liked what he did overseas. I liked what he did this summer. I like, you know, that he’s young and he’s teachable. Um that’s just what that’s all you can ask for in a good player. I like his size. I just think that, you know, there’s no downside right now, especially with the position that he plays to, you know, get him a little bit of playing time. Yeah. I remember there was a lot of talk when he got drafted. It’s going to be a draft and stash like the Celtics aren’t going to bring him over and then within like 12 hours like no, like he’s coming over now. Uh I I watched uh his summer league. I was really impressed with him. I I still felt because we had a really late second round pick or early second round pick. I was like, maybe we can trade up to get him and we ended up not doing that. But it wouldn’t surprise me if you maybe see him, you know, develop a little bit in Maine over there in the G-League or, you know, maybe you mentioned like uh Luca Garza going out with a concussion. You are kind of I I wouldn’t say lacking in the front court, but I think it’s a good opportunity for him to definitely get some, you know, game reps, up the game speed because uh Euro Basket and the NBA are completely different animals. Absolutely. Absolutely. And again, like I said, the a 19-year-old, you’re still a kid at that rate, you know, like um it’s hard to for players in my opinion to not look at you like a little kid at 19. So, um I it’s be interesting with Luca Garza out tonight. I will be interested to see if he gets in a little bit against the Knicks tonight, but I know that the stakes are really high tonight. It’s a big rivalry game for those guys. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I know. I know coach is probably not interested in in giving somebody their first shot tonight. I don’t know. We’ll see. Yeah. I mean, Luca Garza, you know, he played in Detroit for a little bit. His dad is probably one of the coolest human beings I’ve ever met. Like, you ever get a chance to talk to him or interview him, it it’s honestly really cool. His dad, Frank. But, um, I wanted to ask you about expectations. I I I I see a lot, you know, whether it’s, you know, basketball fans, Pistons fans, outsider perspective, like what do you think expectations are for the Celtics? Do you think it’s just a retool year? Do they want to be competitive? Do they want to push for a a top, you know, what’s this say, six seed, you know? Um, I think that that is what essentially when you have players like Derek White, Jaylen Brown who have been Pard even have been on championship teams with this with this team and you have players that have won gold medals and so they’ve won at the highest level. So as a competitor, you never want to settle for this is just a rebuilding year. Like I think Jaylen Brown is one of the most competitive players in the league, you know, and I think that that is a great attribute to have um in terms of a leader in terms of figuring out what you can do with what you have right now. Um and it’s just a cool thing to be in the Eastern Conference because outside of like the top teams that I see that are probably going to fair out to be one, two, and three being Knicks Magic, maybe Orlando, I mean, excuse me, Knicks Magic, maybe. Um who knows who could take that third spot. just such a wide openen thing in my opinion because with Indiana Tyler Tyrie Hallebert and now you never know where things could go for anybody. We don’t know where things could go for Detroit right now, you know, like yeah, it just it just seems a pretty wide openen year outside of who’s going to take those bottom tier playoff spots. Um I would like to see them still compete. Okay, like I expectationwise I see potential in the guards that they have. Um, I can see that they can compete. I saw how they played against Philadelphia. They were in control of that game for the most part, you know, outside of again giving up 40 points to Ty Maggie and 34 to BJ, you know, like it’s it’s not it’s not the greatest thing you can do, but um I see room for improvement there. I see don’t see it being like that the Celtics are as dominant as they typically would be in a in in the East, but I do see that I do see them over exceeding expectations in terms of not making the playoffs at all. This being just a rebuilding year. I think that this team has the potential to make a playoff to to make the playoffs for one for sure. Maybe that fifth and sixth spots maybe play in. Um that’s my expectations. I expect them to compete. I expect Jaylen Brown to step it up this year. Yeah, I know. Um, a lot of a lot of my friends, they’re like, you know, watch the Celtics makes the playoffs and then win the lottery and draft AJ Deansa. I was like, yeah, that that’s probably that would probably happen. Like, it would not Boston would not surprise me. I mean, if you get into conspiracy theories and scripts and all stuff like that, you never know. It’s the NBA script. Like, you know, like we’ll see. Sometimes it pans out to be just like that. I mean, I I’m still this mind blown with Cooper flag being in Dallas. It still doesn’t make sense to me. They look they looked good, too. They looked pretty good. They, you know, I was a little bit skeptical. Cooper Flag’s first preseason game, I mean, summer league game, but, you know, it’s one game. Wimby had a bad game and Wimy’s first game this season was insanity. So, I’m excited to see what he does. But, I I do think that that’s that’s a pretty stat team if you ask me right now. Yeah. I mean, me personally, I still have the Celtics as at least a top six team because I I think Joel Missoula, he’s just not going to lay down. He’s just that type of coach where he wants to win. He wants to compete and then you you have guys like Jaylen Brown and Derek White that they’re not going to go out there and lay down. I know some fans like uh talking to some Celtics fans like what it’s a retool year. Why not just try to get a high lottery pick and retool and come back next year, you know, even you know stronger? But I get it. Exactly. And and and the Celtics being a top six team is a retool year to be honest. You know, if you look at how things have been in the past few years, like this making being in the top six is is not something that they are looking forward to doing. I’ll tell you tell you that. Yeah. I mean, we made the top six and you would have thought we were the number one seed because that’s not been great. No, no. I mean, like we went from like 15th to sixth and it was just like everyone’s like, “Yeah, improvement.” Like talking to a Celtics like reporter in a podcast like, “Yeah, that’d be a down year.” like this the perspectives is honestly kind of like mindboggling when you can just have conversations. Yeah. No, it’s it’s still like realistically speaking, this is still this is still a team that has three NBA champions and you know just players that have played together for a couple you know just there there was losses there there’s been changes there great loss in Jason Tatum but you know there’s still in my opinion there’s still room for there to be a regular season for them. So I I I want to ask you this question and I feel like it it gets I feel like when people talk about Jason Tatum, Jaylen Brown, even after they won a championship, people are like, you know, can they coexist? I feel they both signed huge Max deals, do you feel that they’re still committed to Jaylen Brown like long term, even outside of this year? Absolutely, 10,000%. I think they bought in on Jaylen Brown. think, you know, especially this year to see that his commitment to Boston alone, even when it feels like, okay, well, what what is this team doing? His commitment alone to Boston, I think that the Celtics would be extremely extremely it would be misgrace to not buy in on Jaylen Brown, too. You know, I just I think that there’s nothing wrong with having a one-two punch. I don’t think you win championships without having a dynamic duo in a back court, you know. I think that there, you know, and I don’t think, in my opinion, this team goes anywhere as far with just one or the other. You know, I think that they maybe believe that, too. I think that the media maybe pushes that they don’t work well together because when I watch interviews, even when Tatum went down and Jaylen Brown was brought to tears, like it gives like we have a brotherhood there, you know? Yeah. Um, so I don’t personally think that this is a duo. I think that the media does a good job of making Jason Tatum be like the superhero of the team, which can kind of seem like it would come as a discredit to Jaylen Brown. Um, but you just you just can’t knock what Jaylen Brown does even when Jason Tatum is the finals MVP, you know, like Jaylen Brown still has better numbers, you know? So, you know, so it’s just like I I I personally think that Boston would be a fool to let that relationship die and let another team come up on that. I feel like it’s more just from my perspective, it’s more national media trying to drive a wedge between Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown. And it’s like, yeah, it’s like they’re trying to drive a wedge because you have, in my opinion, two top five NBA players when healthy. And it’s like if you drive a wedge between it, like I I know tons of teams like it would not surprise me if Danny A tried to trade for Jaylen Brown, he’s got a bunch of draft picks in Utah now. Well, you got to think about it too because typically the whole face of the NBA thing is a thing, you know, like now in LeBron’s, you know, for coming to the near end of his career, the NBA is trying to pin that title onto somebody else. So Jason Tatum seemed like the golden child to give the title of face of the NBA. So the narrative has to be he’s the leader of this team. He is the the number one scoring option on this team and ultimately he is your number one scoring option. I feel like you know but I don’t think that I think that it goes hand in hand in terms of their role on the team. Yeah. It’s ju just from like being a Piston fan like I I see just some of the conversations with like other podcasts that I listen or watch or just like watching inside the NBA with like all all those guys like you need like a just a number one. You don’t need a number two which I I think they even won a championship and those conversations still happen which is wild to me. Like I don’t get it. Exactly. Exactly. So yeah, I’m I’m I’m bought into Jaylen Brown. I hope that that’s Yeah. Again, also like with new ownership you just never know where their heads could be. never know what direction an owner, new owner wants to take with the team. You never know. So you that would just be insane to me, but I know of a lot of teams that would like to pick that man up. So yeah, I mean, you never know with Danny A. I mean, he’s been collecting a lot of draft picks. He might want a guy that he drafted in Boston and Utah. You never really know. Yeah, you never know. So we’ll see. So the Pistons do play the Celtics on Sunday. It’s actually our home opener. What are your expectations with this game with the Celtics and the Pistons? You know, I I think that it’s interesting because I watched some highlights from y’all’s first game this season and the offense struggled in the half court. I Yeah. Um so it’s going to be tough in my opinion, especially you lose, you go down one more guard in that back court. Who’s your ball handler, your primary ball handler? because the Celtics, they’re pretty stacked in that back court, you know, like we did horribly defensively, but depending on how tonight goes and seeing whether or not they made some adjustments defensively. Um, I think it’s going to be pretty tough to, you know, fair out again that again, like you’re going to have to really pound it pound it inside to get there. K Cunningham is really going to have to play 40 minutes at this rate. You know, that’s that’s tough. That’s it’s a tough situation, tough thing to be in. I hate that injuries are plaguing, you know, the season so early on, but I think this really early. Um, I still think that, you know, because I think who who went you guys are missing what? Jaden Ivy, too. Jaden Ivy, Marcus Aster, Caris Levert. Yeah. So, it’s a tough I’m saying it’s tough. It’s tough. And and I was worried that that hamstring was going to affect Jaylen Brown, but he seemed to be just fine um in that first game. So, I’m not I’m not here to I’m not here to like pull any cards, but I think it’s going to be a tough game for the for Detroit in that game pending just how much you have to rely on P Cunningham, how much you have to rely on, you know, getting feeding the ball into your bigs, you know. So, it’s just that’s that’s a that’s a difficult thing to be in. Yeah. I I think in terms of ball handlers, like we did a lot of just giving it to Assar Thompson. something that the Pistons have really been hyperfocused on is developing got the the Battle of Thompson’s twins tonight. Yeah. Yeah, that’s the Battle of Thompson’s twins. You got, you know, Kate Cunningham and Kevin Durant. There’s some history there. So, it it should be a really good game. Um, but in terms of like ball handlers, you’re right. Like Caris Levert, it’s questionable. Marcus Sasser has a hip injury. Jaden Ivy’s up four to six weeks uh with the right knee procedure. Um, Kade is gonna have to play flawless. I think the first game there was just a lot of, not saying bad shots, it’s just he was gassed, I thought, by the third quarter because uh, Duncan Robinson really didn’t do anything against the Bulls. He had two points. He seemed like he was just really uh, uncomfortable, wasn’t getting to his spots. Um, but I think where the g the game could favor Detroit is in the front court with Tobias Harris, with Isaiah Stewart, with Jaylen Duran. Um, but I do think your guys’ wings and guards could give us trouble, especially Derek White. Derek White, I I don’t know what it is against the Detroit Pistons. He just feast. I don’t know if there’s some kind of like Yeah. Something that he Yeah. Something we don’t know about that he just has to go off. Yeah. And like uh the Pistons get up for the Celtics too, ever since Jaylen Brown made those comments last year about saying we don’t really take the Pistons seriously when we see them on the calendar. So um I think all eyes will be on him, especially I think the Celtics don’t have any room right now to not take anybody seriously at all this year. So I think that they’ll be taking you guys very seriously. It it should be a good game. I think it’ll probably go down to the wire. I don’t think it’s gonna be a blowout by any teammates. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, by any means at all. But I mean it should be a good game. Um I I just hope you know they can at least get a a win because first game over here I mean fans already crashed now. They’re already looking at ping pong balls. Like that’s how bad it is over here. I was like man like relax you guys. It’s one game. Yeah. No, exactly. So I’m I’ll be excited for that too. Like I mean this next couple of games are going to be I’m just glad the NBA is back honestly. I’m just really glad the NBA is back. Oh yeah. Yeah. I mean, doing podcast all summer was a lot very hard. Yeah. Yeah. Trade, man. Josh, trade, draft, trade. Summer. Yeah. I mean, in most summers, our our summers were just chaotic because we fire everybody and then you just go down rabbit holes of who you can hire. But, I mean, now we have a little bit more stability, so content was a little uh harder to find. But, I am glad that we have basketball season back. But I do want to wrap up this podcast, but I do want to give you the floor to plug and promote where people uh can find you, listen to Believe in Celtics, and whatever other social media that you have. So, Believe in Celtics, we obviously air on Believe Network, but you can also find them on Apple Podcast, Spotify. I post clips of the show um on Believe in Celtics on YouTube, also on my social media um Courtney Tate on TV everywhere, YouTube, Instagram, Tik Tok. Um X is well actually I’m not on X anymore because my account got hacked but believe in South Texas is on X. So if you would like some updates there as well. We also always always always post. Well I will find all your social media. I’ll put it in the description when we do release this um on Sunday morning. Um but I appreciate you making the time talking to me for the last 25 minutes. It was a it was a lot of fun. Um but we’ll see you guys. I think we have another one of these on Yeah, we have another one of these on Monday. We’re gonna be talking to uh Gabby Gouty from for the Cleveland Cavaliers game. So, it should be a lot of fun. Should be a lot of fun. Well, h Well, thanks for having me again. Thank you so much. [Music] Ooh. [Music] Ooh. Ah. [Music]

Today on the Pistons Talk Podcast, we were joined by Courtney Tate from Bleav In Celtics to discuss the Boston Celtics’ offseason, expectations, and what to expect in today’s game

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