PTI

[BeeBall Reasons]

Wilbon: Pardon the interruption but I'm Mike Wilbon. Most Improved Player award candidate Ron Artest, when asked about why his play has improved so much this season, responded with quote "I'm too sexy for my cat." Tony, are you too sexy for your cat?



Tony: Well my cat won best in show, but then again, so did I. I'm also too cool for my cat. I'm one cool cat.



Wilbon: But does your cat know more sports than you?

Tony: yea, but my cat is not as good of a TV personality. Did you know they are making a movie about my life?

Wilbon: It probably won't go well with the box office.

Tony: I believe it's called Man of Steel.

Wilbon: well you in a cape and spandex is certainly believe-able

Tony: How else was I supposed to be sexier than my cat?

Welcome PTI boys and girls. In today's episode we'll discuss magic lost, who's going number one, and Wilbon's baby bulls going all in. But we begin today with two of the NBA's fast risers. The Clippers are almost back to .500 after starting Nick Collison in place of Zach Randolph, going 8-2 over their last 10. The across conference Celtics meanwhile are 9-1 in their last 10 and look like a completely different team even through injuries with Grant Hill...

Wilbon: what a steal

Tony: ... on the squad. Wilbon, do both teams make the playoffs and which team do you expect to go further in the postseason?

[LoCo89]

Cool so far. Who won the Wilbon sweepstakes?

[BeeBall Reasons]

Cool so far. Who won the Wilbon sweepstakes?

No idea. Balls took a look but then left you can go for all I care. I just want it to be a dialogue.

[Pelicans78]

I'm Wilbon. I already called it.

[BeeBall Reasons]

I'm Wilbon. I already called it.

Deal All yours.

[LoCo89]

I'm Wilbon. I already called it.

lol I just started cuz I felt bad for BeeBall, but by all means, go crazy

[BeeBall Reasons]

lol I just started cuz I felt bad for BeeBall, but by all means, go crazy

people feel bad?
for me?


This is a solid start here. You don't have to say more than a paragraph the more back and forth the better.

[LoCo89]

people feel bad?
for me?


This is a solid start here. You don't have to say more than a paragraph the more back and forth the better.

DIBS ON 5 GOOD MINUTES!!!

Unless you get a good GM lol

[Pelicans78]

Wilbon: I say the Clippers will make it and Boston will barely miss out. Clippers are only 2 games out of the playoffs and the Mavs are a bit shaky right now. I think the Celtics are better, but they're about 9 games out. That's alot of ground to make up with less than 20 games yet. Could they go 9-1 every 10 games? Sure, but they have older guys and I see them losing a few games on back to back nights. The Celtics could make a deeper run, but the Clippers will make it and lose in the first round to either the Lakers or Rockets/Grizzlies. Don't sleep on Portland either.

BTW, Loco could be Stat boy.

[LoCo89]

BTW, Loco could be Stat boy.

JNR called it

[IamQuailman]

This has an eerily deja vu feel about it...

[BeeBall Reasons]

Tony: I think it's a safe bet the Clippers make it at this point and I think you and I both agree that they won't finish with a high enough seed to avoid a potentially problematic matchup with the A list of of the western conference. I see them as a 6th to 7th seed that will have a matchup with either the Grizzlies or Rockets. But let me tell you something, if I'm a Celtics fan right now, I'm feeling good about my playoff chances.

Because if we go 21 and 5 over the rest of our games, which with how hot we are seems possible, we are in sitting at 43 and 39. I don't know who's going to drop but it's going to be somebody between the Pacers, Raptors and most likely the Wizards...

Wilbon: How ironic would that be if the Hill trade cost the Wizards there playoff spot

Tony...but I don't think the Celtics get past the first round either...

Wilbon: REALLY? you have the Celtics entering the playoffs, closing out the season as the hottest team in the league and still not making it past round one! Do you just think the Hornets are that good?

Tony: Even if they're the 7th seed I just don't think they'll have the legs for it. The Celtics are OLD! Grant Hill is on track to play 91 games. They don't have a lot of depth. They have guys coming off of injuries playing a ton of minutes. I think they have enough left in the tank to close out the regular season. But they won't have enough energy for the grueling demands of playoff basketball.

Wilbon: So you think the Celtics win 36 of their last 30 games and still can't even beat the Sixers who don't deserve the second seed.

Tony: In playoff basketball? No I don't think they can.

[Pelicans78]

Wilbon: We saw today the Atlanta Hawks trade 3 future 1st round picks to the Orlando Magic for Andre Iguodala. Honestly, when I saw this trade go down, I shook my head in disbelief. Tony, what is your thoughts on this trade?

[BeeBall Reasons]

Tony: If I'm Andre Igoudala, and I feel like I should just put the role play mask on, and I've seen David West get traded, I don't care what I've been traded for, I'm furious! I'm going to come back with a vengeance. I know that the magic got a ridiculous amount for me but I was drafted as the franchise player. In addition I'm leaving maybe the second most dysfunctional franchise in the league to the most dysfunctional franchise in the league. And talk about the Hawks, What's the point of the Ted Sepien rule, Ted Sepien the infamous cleveland GM that traded away all of their first round picks that ended up being James Worthy and a bunch of other fantastic players, if you're just going to go and give up all of your picks. Why if you're the Hawks do you go into rebuild mode to just then move all of your picks? You would think these GMs are in high school or something. If I'm the Magic now I'm sitting with three lottery picks and I feel like a clown who's just been given a Knife.



What do I do with it? AM I MURDERER OR A JOKE?

[Pelicans78]

Wilbon: I really can't imagine why the Hawks would give so much for Iggy. He's a nice young player, but not a foundation piece. And like you said, you trade away Wallace and Rose to start over yet you have no draft picks. I don't know what's going on in Atlanta, but this is becoming a disaster for the fans there. They don't know what direction they're going in and don't have any future to show for it. Plus, if you're Jay Williams, why do you stay? He wants to get paid and play for a winner. I don't see him staying. Plus why stay when you could get traded quickly?

[BeeBall Reasons]

Tony: Are you lobbying for Jay Williams to Chicago?

Wilbon: Ha we just got our point guard.

Tony: More on that later

Wilbon: Don't want to talk about it.

Tony: Sources around the league have been reporting that the Seattle Supersonics would take University of Washington senior, and hometown boy, Brandon Roy with the number one overall pick in the NBA draft. I know it's early Wilbon, but is there a consensus number one pick in the upcoming NBA draft?

[Pelicans78]

Wilbon: Well, Tony I think Roy is the heavy favorite for the top pick. He can score, handle the ball and defend. I could see him as a great fit for a team like Sacramento looking to start over. He can come in and be a 20 point scorer on their team and a great building block. Another guy to look at is PF Lamaracus Aldridge from Texas. He can score and rebound and has great size and potential. Even though he tends to take alot of shots outside of the paint, I could see him making a similar impact to a team like the Spurs as Al Jefferson has done with the Rockets.

[BeeBall Reasons]

Tony: At the end of the day. I think it's going to come down fit. Ya boy Lebron James...

Wilbon: He's better than Jordan!

Tony:...is taken number one regardless of his combine measurements or who you have at his position. You could argue the same with Chris Paul and Dwight Howard in the past two drafts...

Wilbon: boy, how good have they been.

Tony: But there isn't that guy in this draft. And don't get me wrong, both you and I agree that Brandon Roy is the best player in this draft and has had a terrific senior year at Washington and in no is this a disrespect to what he's done this season, but I only see him going number one if he fits on the team. A team like San Antonio, as you mentioned, who have a history of drafting the best player available maybe pass on him with Jason Kidd, Allan Houston, JR smith, Monta Ellis on the team and pass on Rondo who in my opinion is the second best player available...

Wilbon: He can't shoot

Tony: However looking at the other teams in line for a top pick, I think Sacramento takes Roy, Orlando takes him...

Wilbon: And then trades him

Tony: *chuckle* ... Seattle, New Jersey, New York, Denver, all draft Brandon Roy number one overall. But, that, being said for San Antonio Aldridge is a good fit, I think he would be a good fit in Portland too, and I think a team like the Phoenix Suns, with Vince Carter and David West, take Rajon Rondo number one.

Wilbon: I don't know about Rondo but Phoenix does like drafting point guards.

Tony: That, they do. Let's take a break! but coming up we'll sit down with John Hollinger and Joe Johnson of the memphis grizzlies for five good minutes.

Wilbon: And we'll look at the NBA's most unbreakable records.

[Xist2inspire]

"Phoenix does like drafting point guards."



I don't even want one, but I oughta go for it just to troll you clowns.

[BeeBall Reasons]

Tony:The NBA playoff race has heated up and it is no surprise the Memphis Grizzlies are in the middle of it again, we welcome to the show John Hollinger, former ESPN analyst and now vice president of basketball operations for the Memphis Grizzlies and the new face of the franchise shooting guard Joe Johnson. Joe, let's start with you. You were taken fifth overall in the 2001 NBA draft to what ended up being a loaded Grizzlies team with MVP Alonzo Mourning, Elton Brand, and eventually Jalen Rose and Peja Sotjakovic. You were consequently brought along slowly for your first two seasons but now look like maybe the best player from that draft class. Do you have a chip on your shoulder for not being selected earlier?

[LoCo89]

Joe Johnson: Tony, Mike, first I wanna say it's great to be here. To answer your question, I don't think I necessarily have a chip on my shoulder about being picked 5th. There were plenty of good players that went before me in 2001, not to mention I feel like I wasn't playing as well as I thought I could my first couple of seasons which humbled me a bit. Seeing how it's worked out over the last few seasons, I think not only has Memphis worked out as a great place for me to grow, but it's where I was meant to be. The fans have been great, the management has been great, and being around these guys is the best. We always are in the thick of it and put into a position to win.

[BeeBall Reasons]

Wilbon: Well the Grizzlies sure have been good ever since you were drafted. But they were drafting 5th overall due to a terrible 2000-2001 season before trading for Alonzo Mourning. John, I know you weren't around that season, but can the stats you love explain why a team with a core of Elton Brand, a center piece of your Grizzlies, Antawn Jamison and Damon Stoudamire, who went on to have successful careers elsewhere didn't produce more wins and how has your organization learned from that season?

[LoCo89]

Hollinger: Well Mike, as you said, I wasn't there, but I remember seeing that team, and I believe there were a few issues with that team that are actually more logic than stat based. For whatever reason, while Jamison and Brand rolled, scoring-wise, during that first season, Damon did not fit well and was probably better suited on a team where he could be free to do more scoring. Marc Jackson was another player from the Grizzlies who went on to have some success on other teams as the years progressed. Antawn maybe still wasn't ready to carry the load offensively, unlike the next season where he improved 8 PPG to be at the top of the league in scoring after being traded to the Suns. I believe another issue with that team was the pieces outside of the 3 of them. Part of that was the massive amount of cap that the guys beside Brand ate up and the production that they weren't providing. Maybe if they would have been more patient with that team, they could have gone with a core of Jamison, Elton Brand, Damon, Jackson, and Joe and gone on to slowly build into a contender. But from what I've been told, getting arguably the best center at the time was an opportunity that management could not pass up, and the fact that a talent such as JJ fell to them made them feel more confident that they could pull the trigger on the trade at the time and that's how we came to the core that we still have today

[BeeBall Reasons]

Tony: I know you didn't expect to get through five minutes without us mentioning your rival the Houston Rockets. We know that you and Carmelo are rivals and that you are in a dog fight with them for the division. You have a reputation around the league as a guy who likes to play against the best competition, is there another team, or specific player you get excited to play against?