Bob Ryan: Joe Mazzulla is a Celtics ISSUE: ‘”Theres No Denying It.”

Bob Ryan: Joe Mazzulla is a Celtics ISSUE: ‘”Theres No Denying It.”

going to take it. Got it. Boston wins. Two legends in basketball analysis with over 70 years combined experience. This is the Bob Ryan and Jeff Goodman podcast. NBA, some college, a little bit of everything. This episode is brought to you by Price Picks. You and I make decisions every day, but on Price Picks, being right can get you paid. Don’t miss any other excitement this basketball season of prize picks where it is good to be right. Okay, Bob, one of the great things about Bob Ryan and there are many is you have this I’ll go old school rolodex of names of people who have been so impactful in the NBA and and Lang Wilkins who passed away at the age of 88 very recently is one of them. I first remember him coaching the Trailblazers as a player coach. That’s when I came into the picture. So, I know you want to talk about Lenny Wilkins, who was a true gentleman in the sport. Lenny Wilkins, uh, so many aspects. Uh, one distinction, one distinction he’ll probably, uh, always have. Uh, there are a handful of people who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame as players and coaches. He’s one of them. Uh, he also was in there a third time because he was the assistant coach of the dream team in 1992. and the dream team on mass has been inducted into the Hall of Fame. It’s a little bit of a technicality, okay? But the fact of the matter is the other two are not. He earned his way into the Hall of Fame as a player, a ninetime all-star and u and also as a coach. When he retired as coaching at that moment, he had coached he had the most victories in history. He has has been and he first did that by passing red hour back at the number 939 and and he was he was really luxuriating in that. He even pulled out a big cigar and and and it wasn’t being he was being respectful though. He was he was he knew that but um and he said I know I probably won’t keep this forever but they can’t take it away from me. And and they went on and on and coached and and had the most wins. He now is third on the list. Okay. The list is now third. Okay. Um, as a player, Lenny Wilkins was a consumate point guard. Okay. Uh, he orchestrated. Uh, he and he has a distinction that, uh, he he will take he did take to his grave and it’ll never you’ll never see it again. He scored over 17,000 NBA points without a jump shot. Lenny Wilkins did not shoot a conventional jump shot. Nobody talks about this. I I picked up on this right away when he when he when he and I first started covering the league in 1969. And and Lenny Wilkins had an assortment of floaters and one old-fashioned one-handers, running hooks, which which were part of everyone’s repertoire then, little men included. Uh I can tell you that Jojo had one. Gail Goodwitch had one. All the little guys had one as well. and Lenny Lenny scored on fast break layups and and this kind but he scored 17,000 points without a jump shot. That’s not going to be happening again. I got news for you on that one. Okay, so that that one we can he he takes that one to his grave. Um the what people are going to be talking about as much as anything now in the in the immediate aftermath of his death is what a damn good guy he was. Lenny Wilkins, I can’t imagine, had an enemy in his earth. He certainly had none in the in the game. Uh players that played for him loved him. He was extremely low-key guy. Uh he was a players guy. He was a he was a people guy. He was a gentleman. Uh uh I you know when my brief acquaintance with him, you know, I loved he was so much so much so easy to be around and and such an easy interview. Um uh I you know I I just love dealing with Lenny Wilkins and and you won’t you’re you’re not gonna find anybody. There’s no yeah buts with Lenny Wilkins. That’s a life well-lived. I’ll tell you that. Oh, right now. I say this. Um he his background uh mixed raceh father black mother Irish American. Uh father died when he was five. Uh he was raised uh Catholic and then wound up going to Providence and on the recommendation of a priest by the way. uh went to famous boys high school where his backcourt mate I think I don’t even think he made the team till he was a junior but his backcourt mate was none other than Tommy Davis a future national league MVP for the for the Los Angeles Dodgers that how’s that for celebrity backcourt and u at at boys high school which is now boys and girls high school um he goes to Providence and is in the forefront of of the Providence basketball legacy basketball was of no consequence when he arrived along with Johnny Egan by the way from Hartford, Connecticut and they over overlapped and he was the star of the team when they went to the very first NIT in 1959. That’s where it all got started for Providence and on its way to becoming what it still is the epicenter of college basketball in New England. It still is. Providence College Providence, New Island is the epicenter of college basketball in New England. I I believe that firmly. Anyway, he got it started and he was the MVP of the 1960 NIT. Now, he was a a first draft pick of the Hawks in 1960, a very interesting class, which also included Oscar Robertson and Jerry West, by the way, and and our own Sat Sanders. And uh that was a very distinguished class, but that’s his class, the class of 60. Um you know, all right. So, there it goes. Lenny Wilkins is just one of the Bob as far as coaching it was both Portland and Seattle. Correct. Yeah. Oh, he coached four teams, but he he was player coach, right? And uh in Port and then in Seattle he was coach and he won the championship in 1979. They they they were beaten in the finals in 78, that famous eighth seventh game when the Hawk the Bullets beat them and uh uh DJ went 0 for 14 and uh in that game and as a and of course the next year they win and DJ is the star of the show has a great finals in which in among other things he averaged 20 points a game and blocked 14 shots in six games from the guard position. How about that? And that roster had Sigma, Lonnie Shelton, had Sigma, Lonnie Shelton, Gus Williams, Dennis Johnson, and JJ Johnson. And that was a damn good team. That was a very good team. Uh Lenny was the coach. Um so Lenny Wilkins has passed away at 88. And uh um the you you’ll the tributes are all going to be flowing in and they should be. Okay, Bob, let’s move locally now and get a check on on what’s happening with the local fellas. Um, your overall thoughts on the Celtics and I know you want to talk about some of the new finds here. Well, this is the this is the Forest Gump team now. Box of chocolates. You don’t know anything. That’s a great name, Bob. That’s a great name. Mark, get on that. This is the box of chocolates. This is Forest Gump. You don’t know any given night. You don’t know there. We’ve seen them what how good they can be. We’ve seen how bad they can be. Uh they they are a work in progress. They will continue to be one for well into this season. We don’t know where it’s all going to end. Um they have their moments uh of of of you know continuity and they have their moments of of discombobulation. Uh and now um one interesting aspect you know of the most recent victory over Orlando was the contribution of Anthony Simons. Now we wondered from the instant that they got him and that from Portland what his role was going to be and there still are the the consensus in the league I know is that there he he’ll he could be a trading chip when the trading deadline comes. I we don’t know I don’t know. All I know is we saw what he can beat here tonight in a dramatic first half on his way to 25 points and he and he’s a three-point machine when he’s an offensive machine, but he he has been known for being an indifferent defensive player. Uh he did get benched temporarily in the game, but he he he is a classic guy that you would want to come off your bench uh you know to to spark things up and and if he’s going to be able to play that role on a consistent basis while while paying some basic contra attention to the the team defense, uh you know, he’s going to be an asset here, I think, and I think that’s something to keep your eye on. Uh other than that, uh uh Jaylen Brown continues to shoulder the load the way, you know, I think he you can’t ask for more than what he’s been doing, Jeff. Frankly, and the guy that I think is going to get straightened out is Pritchard. Um, you know, his shooting is abysmal for him and this is un unimaginable because he his is Raison on Detra with his three-point shooting, but you know, he’s got a, and you’ve pointed it out very well last time we met, you know, this new role of his, you know, it’s it’s a burden. It’s it he’s adjusting to it. Uh, he’s being asked to be a pure point guard first and a and a and a shooter second. And and that’s not the way he’s lived his NBA life so far. Um, but he’s capable of doing this, I think. And and I I I am not remotely giving up or anything like that that he can. Oh, no. Especially an adjustment period. I mean, Bob, just think of this. You know, the example I would use is each week you write a sports column for the Boston Globe, then you get a call and you say, “Yeah, Bob, uh, we need you to write a couple of, uh, pieces on the Senate.” Right? So, automatically Bob Ryan’s shoulders are going to get a little tight. He’s got to do some homework. No, you know, there’s nothing better, and you know this, Bob, better than anybody being the, you know, the the the allworld player you were uh in in high school. There’s nothing better than just going in and I mean, in all seriousness, there’s nothing easier Well, you got to make the shot. There’s nothing better than going in and just shooting the ball. Oh, yeah. Come off and pick and you shoot. You just get open, you shoot. You get open and you shoot. You look for real. Now you’re going to run the offense. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. And so, you know, here’s my prediction. By Christmas, he’s fine. No, I like it. I like it. I I I’m with you on this. I I of course I’m a well longtime paid up member of the Van Club. So, you know, I I but I but I I I just want to I I’m glad that you have articulated it very well uh about what the situation is with. So, he’ll be okay in that, but we don’t know what they’re going to fit. I mean, um, everything is going to be contextual. Um, how good are the Knicks? The Knicks some night looks good, some nights look good. They’ve just buried the Nets tonight because the Nets are, we have three teams that are one and nine as I speak, combining for the worst team in the league. And one of them is Indiana. Now, of course, they don’t have Hallebertton, but uh uh this is I’m sure Rick Carlile can straighten things out, but Well, but you know, I I’m I don’t think Carlile would buy into this, but it’s a good year for Indiana to tank. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I mean, you got Hallebertton back. I mean, it’s I’m not going to say maybe this is a bit of an exaggeration, but I’ll try to make the comparison of the Spurs, you know, when they got Duncan, right? Oh, well that that was absolutely disperse that worked out beyond all right. So Hallebertton’s you know I tell Hal Hallebertton’s down stay down you know they get a pick I mean change game so we got three Brooklyn is predictably bad. We knew that that was going to happen. We knew that and so and so um how do you think about Joe? How’s Joe doing? It’s Joe once again, you know, this the he’s pretty much the same, I think. You know, I mean, he’s he’s I’m not hanging anything on him that we have we’ve had a couple of these terrible three-point nights. 11 for 15. I thought Washington turned the corner, you know. I thought against the I thought we turned the corner against Washington. Yeah, I’m I’m still, you know, I’m holding out that he’ll get some strike. you realize they got to have some kind of a balance, but uh he’s I I’m I’m resigned to the fact he’s not going to please some people. Some people just don’t don’t want they want it. They don’t want to give him benefit of the doubt. There’s only one all that matters is, you know, the guy above him as long as he’s got faith in him. And Brad, you know, I have no indication that Brad’s lost any faith in him. So, you know, we’ll see. But it’s going to be an issue. People Joe Joe Missoula is is a Celtic issue. There’s no question. We can’t deny it. you can’t avoid it that people are are not convinced to a lot of people are not convinced he’s the right man for the job and and don’t like this three-point thing and you know he’s he’s got to work through that because it’s not working that’s why we don’t like it. So um quick break again this episode with Bob Ryan is brought to you by Price Picks. You and I, we make decisions every day on Prize Picks. Being right can get you paid. Don’t miss any of the excitement this basketball season at Prize Picks where it is good to be right. All right, who are you looking at at the NBA this season? Obviously, Luca’s been off to a great start. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens when LeBron comes back. I think LeBron’s going to really fit in nicely as the number two. You can pick more or less. When you’re going with LeBron, you’re definitely going to be looking for assists now. Go pick more with LeBron. Definitely more assists. I bet you LeBron James averages double digit assists this season. And that’s why the Lakers are going to be contenders. He understands the situation that the Lakers are in. WBY, this kid out of San Antonio, you can pick any of them. You can go rebounds more. Always go with the rebounds. You he always go more to me. I mean, let’s not get crazy. I mean, we’re not, you know, um but if you I don’t know what you would go less with. I mean, maybe if you wanted to go high on block shots and you went seven block shots and you go, you know, less than seven block shots. Needless to say, I think those situations are are are great plays and you could do it on prize picks, which they’re now offering stacks, meaning you can pick the same player up to three times in the same lineup. What we were just talking about, right, with Wimbley, you can do blocks, rebounds, points. So, you want to pick more on Steph Curry’s points, three-pointers, and assists. Now, you can pick all of them in the same lineup on Price Picks. Follow other Prize Picks players directly on the app and copy their lineups in one click. Whether it’s a friend, a celebrity partner, or just someone who whose pics you like, hit the follow button, check out every lineup they create in the new feed tab on prize pick. So download the Prize Pick app today and use code CLNS to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. That’s code cls to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. Prospects, it’s good to be right. Oh, as we’re talking about this, I started to think, I mean, you mentioned like New York has good nights and bad nights and this and that, and you know, at the time of recording this, the Celtics are going to play Philadelphia tonight. There’s so many inconsistencies throughout the East. I bet you the playoffs are going to be awesome. Oh, I think Yeah, they’re going to be they’re going to be very contested. Wide open. Yeah, there’s no you know, but you still Yeah. No, we don’t know. You know, Cleveland is still the Cleveland, I think. But Oh, although although now they have been playing without Darius Garland and guess who got hurt last night. He just came back and he’s hurt again. Garland his toe. Um that’s bad. They need they got to have him and you know to be full, you know, to do be what they can be. So that that’s got to be a big a big downer in Cleveland right now is as soon as they get the guy back, you lose him again. So, I don’t know where that how that’s going to it’s going to play out. Um, you know, so we’ll see. So, no, there’s no clear front runner. I’ll tell you the hottest team in the east. You know who it is. And we’re going to get to one of my favorite little tidbits. Last night, the Detroit Pistons won their seventh straight game and defeated the Wizards 137 135 in overtime. And in that game, it was for me, given the league that I started covering in 1969 and the way the world was in those days in the NBA, Back to the Future. Kate Cunningham, ladies and gentlemen, had first of all, he had a a triple double, right? Okay. He had his first trip to triple double, 46, 12, and 11, plus five steels and two blocks. Now, this being the stat world that we live in, naturally they are telling us no one’s ever had those numbers in the same game. This is an historic night, okay? The the that collection. Plus, you can manufacture any stat you want. You know, so many of them. It’s a hell of a night. But here’s my favorite part. He was, are you ready for this? 14 for 45 from the floor. So, he missed 31 shots, which apparently is a record. Uh, I don’t know that to be true, but we I think we got to find out for sure. But he was 14 for 45. Now, the reason and by the way, the previous high number of field goal attempts by an individual in the league this year was 32. So, he he went way over. Okay, he took 40 he took 45 shots. When I started covering the league, things like that happened. Not all the time, but quite frequently. Yeah. I remember with John Havich, now this is before my time, but I know the number. One night in in a first game of a double header in Baltimore, John went 15 for 42. I know that. And I remember covering and being and writing about guess who joined the 40 shot attempt club one yet. You know Dave Cowins one night took 40 shots from where? All within the bucket. Oh no. He could shoot 15 footers and you know and you know Yeah. He he joined the 40 shot club one night. It wasn’t you know that absolutely incredibly you know I’m sure Eligent Baylor had this 40. We know Wilt did. You know what Will was? Of course you know the numbers. The night of the 100point game. Now that’s an apparition night. 100 point game. You ready for the numbers folks? Youngans, you ready for this? Will Chamberlain 36 for 63 from the floor and then and totally uncharacteristic 28 for 32 from the line. That’s how he got the 100. The way he for one night he shot free throws, but he he only put it up 63 times in those 48 minutes. So, um, it’s that’s a different and his final score of that game was 169 147. The night Will had 100. So, it was a and, uh, well, that’s what people I laugh when people say now that they don’t play defense. I go, well, look at I don’t think I don’t think defense is so much more sophisticated today than it was, believe me. And and uh, it I I’m I’m here to tell you that. Oh, no. That that was always a myth anyway, you know, that they didn’t play defense, of course, but but it’s it’s they play defense. Don’t worry, they’re scoring, but these guy these offensive guys are pretty good. Well, of course changes everything. Meanwhile, the fact is that Detroit is playing very well. And they did have, you know, they made the playoffs last year. They beat the Knicks. Um they they’re a coming team and and and good for them. I think I I want Detroit to their fans have gone through some bad times since the last any good. and and that’s fine with me. But Cunningham, no, he’s one of the he’s a top 10 player now, don’t you think? Top 10, top 12, I think. So, and uh so they got a keeper there. But once again, uh I would love to have seen this game. You know, that would that would gladden my heart to watch him. Well, I mean, I’m just looking at the roster. I mean, he’s pretty much it. He’s Oh, he’s the man. I mean, Harris isn’t Harris, Tobias Harris is a good player. Duncan Robinson we know can shoot. Yeah. But I mean this is a one-man team, man. You know, he’s he’s he’s hurt the Celtics already. We know that. Yeah. I mean, this this is that’s why and when you get to the playoffs, if somebody’s hot, forget about it. No. Yeah. And you know, our our our friend and colleague Jeff Goodman has been a member of the Kate Cunningham fan club from Jump. Oh, yeah. And doesn’t he know Lever? told us he’s the first one that tipped us off to what, you know, keeping him. Yeah. Well, yeah, there’s no doubt about that. Yeah. Um, so you want to talk about our old friend Marcus? Well, I mean, Marcus started off right now. I don’t know what’s going to happen when LeBron comes back, but um and but he was he’s been inserted into the starting lineup now. He started off on the bench. Um, you know, when I, you know, I’m always proprietary toward Marcus Smart. I can never always wish him well. um the you know he had had a nice little night last night um had 10 points and six assists I think something like that anyway and you know he’s gonna give him the good D and so just don’t forget about he moved around you know we know he was out of sight in you know Memphis but uh he won’t be out of sight in LA you know and I I think they’ll appreciate him. Uh meanwhile LeBron is inching back to a uh to a return uh with his sciatica problem. They’re telling us that he’s starting to practice and so we’ll be looking for that. And they’re holding up. They’re eight and three without him. And Reeves got hurt, too. So, uh, you know, now they’re really reaching down, but don’t for Hachimura can score. Eighton is they’re giving him a little bonus in the middle. Um, in the West, I just think they got the certainly got the makings of a playoff team, the Lakers. Oh, sure. I mean, right now they’re in the fourth place, right? But LeBron doesn’t I mean they’re winning without LeBron. Winning without LeBron now had his routine 38 last night I believe. And uh you know and and by the way uh in Dallas last night uh where they did lose a game uh and but uh Cooper Flag had his best game yet. He had 26. But the big story tonight was the fans were fire Nico. Fire Nico. They were the fans were hooting and hollering on Nico Washington. Uh that that trade just you know doesn’t sit well frankly and especially you know Irving’s not playing and I mean it’s it’s not so anyway anyway but Flag uh Cooper he hasn’t been dazzling or anything but things you have to remember about Cooper Flag is that he can help you in a different variety of ways right there is a bird-like atmosphere to his game. He can he may help you one night with 15 rebounds. He may help you one night with 14 assists. He may help you one night with 31 points. Uh he can help you in a variety of ways. And uh so uh just keep that in mind. You know, I have to tell you um when you go through changes in life, like maybe a move or you’re sending kids to college or you’re changing jobs or you’re expanding your family, say you got another one on the way, that’s when you really got to take a look at your finances and make sure you have everything under control. And it’s hard to do, right? 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Um, you don’t need to track every dollar yourself, but ignoring your finances entirely can cost you. So, if you’re not on top of your money, you could be missing chances to save more, invest more, and hit your financial goals faster. As I mentioned, you may have a child coming or if you’re going to be buying a home or you want to move from a condo to a bigger home, you have to plan financially. And don’t forget to save for retirement. Trust me on that. You want to think ahead even if you’re 20 years, 30 years out. So helps you stay informed so nothing slips through the cracks. Don’t let that financial opportunity slip through the cracks. Use code hoops at monarch.com in your browser for half off your first year. That’s 50% off your first year at monarch.com and code hoops. Bob, I’m going to I’m going to put you on the spot. You don’t have to answer it. It’s just to kind of spur a discussion, no pun intended. Uh, who’s left standing in the West out of these five teams? It’s just I just I want to talk about these five teams in the hunt. Top five teams in the West. Thunder, Spurs, Nuggets, Lakers, Rockets. This, I think, is the story of the league. I think Yeah. Um, I’ve been saying all year I I mean the Thunder are obvious that you know, but um don’t sleep on the Nuggets. They still got Jokic. They still got Murray. Uh they they they they’re you know, don’t sleep on them. That’s very interesting question. Um the Spurs are better than WBY’s off to a phenomenal start. Fact, if you know if they’re going to have the the f the three-week MVP, there’s a lot of candidates, but I mean he’s the he’s the man. I mean, how can you not root for the Spurs, though? I mean, as an NBA fan, just like like as an NBA fan, look, the Celtics, they are what they are. Like, I’m sitting back here. I’m looking at other things. How can you not root for the Spurs? Well, man, you can root for him, of course. Yeah. I mean, as a fan, I’m just saying as a fan, it’s a great story. You know, this kid WebM is coming in. I think he’s going to be the next big name in the league. It’s just new. It’s fresh. And and we we knew the Rockets retired them last year that they were, you know, comers, right? anymore. Um, and then the the Hardy perennials, you know, the the are the Lakers and the and the and and the Warriors, you know, you they’re not going to win the Warriors, right? But they won’t be dismissed easily. We’ll put it that way. Okay. Um, they’re not going to win. They’re not they’re not a champion. And the Lakers aren’t going to win ultimately. It’s going to come down to uh I think it’s going to come down to OKC and and the Nuggets, right? You have to ask me, that would be who I would say. Yeah, I think so, too. At the end of the day, I the others, there’s yeah, too many. Yeah, buts with the others, I think that compared to um LeBron has always been a team guy. You know, he’s not a selfish player, as we know, early in his career, he was not selfish enough. No, of course not. Do we assume when he returns everything’s hunky dory with the Lakers? I I have faith that he will acknowledge in his head, you know, and and maybe not his heart, but in his head that he’s number two now. And that’s going to be an adjustment he hasn’t had to make ever in his career because we know he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated at age 15, which means we think he was number one on that high school team at St. Vincent St. Mary, right? He’s always been number one. He’s not number one now. and and uh and whatever for what it means, you know, but I mean it does mean something and and something um I I think he’s capable if he if he says, you know, maybe we can steal another I think he’s going to come back with the belief that we’ve got some components and and I’ve got something left and I’ve got this guy here that with me and and we’re going to we’re going to we’re going to be heard from. I I got faith that he’s gonna play and and acknowledge that he is not number one and and he’s got the the technical capability of playing any way he wants. You know what I’m saying? On ball, off the ball. Oh, yeah. Yeah, of course. The technical capability. He’s always had that. So, uh it be interesting to watch. I mean, I would wouldn’t mind tagging along with the Lakers, you know, for a road trip to see how they play every night. They make a pretty good article. Yeah. Oh, yeah. They’re they’re going to be a they’re going to be a a case study this year. Absolutely. And and he’s going to be one as he reacts to Don. Okay. So, I forgot how many MVPs he has, but he’s got four rings, right? Four rings. All right. Four rings. He doesn’t seem to be all hellbent on catching Jordan. That has never seen that’s not really his thing. He’s an extremely likable person. He’s an extremely uh he’s great with the media. I mean, I’ve never seen him be a jerk. I mean, some he’s had some problems with some tweets and to me it’s in this it’s small it’s small small potatoes as they say in the pine tree state. Small potatoes. I think of any of the greats, he’s the one guy that can do it. I don’t think Jordan can do it. Even though with Washington, he did kind of settle became a jump shooter. I don’t think Larry could do it. I don’t think Magic could do it. I think out of all of them, this guy can take that role and enjoy it. Like, okay, I’m good. I can sit back a little bit. I could take a night off. I can fill the void. You know, I don’t have to answer all the questions after every game. I think he can do it. All right. Well, I that’s a fair fair statement and I I do too, too. I think he I think he can do it and I think uh it may he may may have made a value judgment about how good we can be, you know, and I think that uh he if he’s made that value judgment that we can go fairly far. Yeah. But it’s going to be a test and it’s it’s an unusual story, you know, that and and uh given that once again now um he he’s no longer a top five player, right? Is he still a top 10 player? I don’t know. Is he still a top 15? Yeah, for sure. U it’s it’s going to be interesting, you know, his but his skills, he is 40. You can’t ask too much of him and and then will he be able to gauge exactly what he can and can’t do, you know, and then of course fitted into this whole thing about he’s got this guy that can do a lot of things like got Donic. It’s good. I mean, as I said, they’re going to be a really a a lab study for everybody that follows basketball. I think it would be a great doc this season. I don’t know if anybody’s doing it. I mean there are cameras everywhere but you know they have the hard knocks for the NFL you know for the NBA the team to definitely follow this year would would be to me would be the Lakers. Yeah, especially with that coach LeBron Los Angeles, you know. Um, okay, Bob, to wrap it up, you wanted to talk about Richie Adubach. Yeah. Hey, you know, Richie, I discovered Rich, he was a part of the first threeman assistant uh staff in NBA history. Dick Vital was the first coach to have three assistants. Now, of course, they all have about 9 500 assistants, but one of them was with this guy, his buddy from North Jersey, Richie Adabato from Livingston, New Jersey, I believe. And you none of us knew who Richie Adabato was. You know that he but he’s part of this this group of New Jersey guys, Ruby Brown, Mike Vetello, and of course, Vital himself. And uh so he he he coached in the NBA and a couple teams didn’t his big breakthrough and and and the focus of the obituary that I read this morning in the New York Times was his time with the in the WNBA. Richie went in as a no knowledge or experience coaching women at all and found out how what an educational experience it was and he loved and he and he and he became a damn good WNBA coach and um uh although it was very excitable that because he had a lot of technicals and all but anyway but um he made his mark there but he was I I knew him from the time with the P with the Pistons and and a a very affable guy, you know, a guy that, you know, he I just want to pay a tribute that he he he had his NBA moments and and uh but he’s definitely had his WAN NBA moments and and you know, and he was a likable guy, Richie Adabato. Well, I just find guys like Richie fascinating because they’re just lifelong coaches. That’s what they do. Oh, they they all do. They they coach. Like, are they going to be an accountant? No. Are they going to retire and play golf? No. They’re just going to coach. when it comes to that generation to uh there were um like QB himself was a three high school three sport coach Hubie coached football baseball and and basketball and baseball football football you know that wasn’t uncom he comes from that that background but that was an an interesting specific group of people that that you know that that came out of North Jersey that wound up making some kind of a mark in the NBA. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to see UB Brown coach high school football. Yeah, I wish that was on I it’s not, but I wish that was on film or something or that would be something to see. All right, Bob, we’ll talk to you at the end of the week. We got a big week. We’ll wrap it up later on. This episode brought to you by Price Picks. You and I make decisions every day. But on Price Picks, being right can get you paid. Don’t miss any of the excitement this basketball season on Price Picks, where it’s good to be right.

Join Bob Ryan and Gary Tanguay as they pay tribute to basketball legend Lenny Wilkens, reflecting on his remarkable legacy as a player and coach. Known for his unique scoring ability and gentlemanly demeanor, Wilkens’ impact on the NBA is undeniable, from his nine All-Star selections to his pivotal role in the Dream Team. The conversation seamlessly transitions to current NBA topics, including the Boston Celtics’ performance and the evolving dynamics of the Eastern Conference.

00:00 – Remembering to Lenny Wilkens
8:09 – Anfernee Simons’ role
11:54 – Joe Mazzulla’s coaching
16:24 – Pistons’ winning streak
22:24 – Lakers winning without LeBron
24:25 – Financial planning tips
26:01 – Teams in the hunt

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