Welcome to Clippers Talk.
I'm Adam Osland. You find the show under that name now on the YouTube side. If you've been podcasting it for so long on Spotify, as it's been around for at least seven years now, you can still find it there or on iHeart or on iTunes. Get to me at follow out of May again. Get to the show now on YouTube at clippers Talk. If you've missed some of the episodes so far since we started things up with the podcasting, we had Andrew gryfon from The La
Times yesterday, Brian Simo was on last week. Matt Moore and me had a drag out fight regarding Paul George HP Basketball. Of course that Matt Moore, you might want to subscribe just based off of that, but I'd say give this episode a try first. See how it fits you, see how it works for you, because tonight I think I have a good one joining the show right now.
Is not only an artist on Spotify and a frequent analyst on X and a lot of the jam the podcast, but he's one of my basketball north stars, someone whose opinion holds a lot.
Of weight as far as I'm concerned.
It's my friend Jamal Christopher at Jamal Christopher c R I S t O p h E R on Instagram or at jam Christopher on X Jamal my friends, how are we doing it?
I'm great your part too kind for that, uh that intro right there, but I consider you much of the same as well. Man. We've been we've been pretty locked in for a while. We've done something like this in the past, and you're my guy. Man, I'm glad to be on and you said it, whether it was right, you've got uh I think you got dying coming on tomorrow like you're you're doing your thing. So I'm I'm I'm just honored to be on, man. So uh yeah. Anybody that that shares that clipper passionate like I do.
It's all good.
Man, Thank you. I appreciate the love here.
Needed to have you on early on as I get this YouTube series underway here of course, and I heard you right into it. Doome Thursday night for the christening, the opening ceremony. Not only that you went to the show afterwards, you saw the Bruno Mars show. I know there was a hiccup. I want all the details on this. Was it the face scan technology? Were they able to rectify it in a swift manner. How did that go?
What was it like?
The experience in general was awesome. Man, that was my second time that I had been into it. And yeah, you just you just feel the presence of like the Clippers. Even with a Bruno Mars concert, there was hiccups. It had to do with the face scanning, and it just really created like a little log diamer. That's all. It really was. Things that I feel will be so it out by the by the opening night against the Suns. But yeah, I was there. It was cool to see
some of the Clippers there. I mean, you you would like to see like you know, Kawhi and Harden, but some Clippers were there. You really felt what it meant to be in that moment, right like it was a landmark Dave for for Clipper fans and just the franchise in general. And it was cool because you had that part of things, and then you also had the people who had no clue what the Clippers were, didn't even care about the Clippers. They were like, it's Bruno. I'm
trying to hear twenty four carres in there. That's all they cared about. So yeah, it was like a mix. But I think the biggest takeaway was like everybody was like, this arena is crazy. It's crazy, it's awesome. It still has that new arena smell. Yeah I'm a Bruno Mars fan, so that that added to it. But yeah, every time I go back to the end of a dome, it just kind of it's it's so crazy when you when you factor in like where I sat to witness like Clipper games and concerts the last few years, it's a
it's a difference. Man. The moment you sit in your chair, You're like, wow, like this is this is new, this is the fresh, this is invigorating. I had a great time, and yeah, I'm planning to go back on the twenty third, at least I'm trying. I'm trying to get off work now. But uh yeah, no, I had a great time man. And yeah, to answer the swiftly part, it was it
was pretty swift. When you're there, it doesn't feel as swift because, like you know, you're standing in the line, and as you're standing just more people are starting to come. You would like for that process to be in and out. But like I was talking with my brother about it, and the second night of the Bruno Marsh concert, you didn't hear much of that at all, And then he had they had shows going on this past weekend. You
didn't hear anything about that at all. Olivia Rodrigo is performing there tonight, so I'm assuming that's gonna go over swiftly and well, So, yeah, I think that was kind of like the first night thing. I mean, I know, for me, I expected it because it's like a brand new arena, a brand new app. Even just reading about it, right, you're just like, what like face scanning, Like this is
how we're going to do things. It was a brand new experience for me, So I I knew if I was gonna have like some kind of trepidation regarding it, it wouldn't surprise me that there would be hiccups alone way, And I think Balmber kind of alluded to it during the ribbon ceremony, if I'm not mistaken. So yeah, no, bro, it was. It was great, man, it was great.
I can't wait to go back a little bit of patience Clipper Nation, let him work out the kinks. But by October twenty third, you would expect it to be smoothed out for opening night against the Phoenix Suns.
It into its home. I need to know this.
I heard from Brian Seeman late night. He texted me at midnight. It was madness. I can't wait to be here for a basketball game. What was the sound? What was the sound like in the building compared to Crypto, compared to other venues. Maybe the Form, which I think has really good sound, Crypto not so much. Once the crowd fills in, it kind of muffles it. How was the sound and into it though? It was a THHX quality.
Crystal clear and loud? I mean I don't I don't really have like a deep dive on that. But other than like, it's just loud and you feel you feel it like it's it's a much closer I think you just said it with the Form. I don't know. If you've ever watched the show at the Form versus a show at Crypto, you kind of can feel the difference,
much more intimate. Yeah, it's loud, man, it's jumping, and even in that scenario, it's kind of like you I don't know, because like you would you would would hope that waiting outside uh to get in when damping things for people and it didn't. They got in. Once Bruno got on, it was loud. Man, that's that was just like my biggest takeaway. It was super loud. So yeah, what be Seen said is true. Man, I can just imagine a Clipper game or a playoff game, especially like dude, like,
that's that's a real home court advantage right there. So yeah, no, super loud, super crystal clear. I had a few drinks in me, so you know, thank it with thank you for how you want it. But no, it was loud and it was great.
Did Bruno acknowledge the Clippers much?
Did he's say anything, Hey, I used to be a fan of this team, but I might be converted to the Clippers now or so.
He didn't. But what he did acknowledge is he acknowledged in the middle of his show he was like, hold up, hold up, that we're making California history. We just opened it endto a dome. I need everybody to go crazy. Da da da, And then towards the end he acknowledged he thanks Steve Balmer for giving him the opportunity to open it to a So that was real cool, real cool.
How was the traffic on the way out?
Where did you park and how quickly were you able to hit the freeway to get out of there.
It wasn't quick. Wasn't quick, but I haven't been so far. But it wasn't like, I don't know, like it was to be expected. It wasn't quick, but it wasn't like super drawn out. I don't I don't know that the garage the name of the garage yet that I parked it, but it's right by. Uh shit, I forgot. I parked there for the tour that I.
Went on as well, the West Garage.
Maybe I think that's that might be what it is. I would have to look at my emails. But no, the traffic was was regular.
I'll take that.
Yeah, like like it was, I don't know, like if you've been to like a Dodger game, or even if you've been to like a Clipper game, to a lesser extent, like it's nothing like you can't manage like. I saw that on Twitter as well, where people were just like, oh, this is just gonna be super packed trying to get out.
I didn't experience that. I didn't experience that. It wasn't like an in and out thing unless you decided to like lead the concert early, but like, no, you it was pretty pretty smooth, don't.
People got home in an orderly fashion, nothing too unusual or out of the ordinary.
That's all we want.
That's all we want.
Uh.
What are some of the keys for you within too a dome and the difference that's going to be made there for Clipper Nation and experiencing basketball at this place.
For me, the biggest key is going to be the people, man, because it falls on us as fans. To me, that's the biggest key, right, Like Bomber has done its part right. He's created a more h for lack of a better term, but he made an environment where you could be more into it. And once you once you get there, you'll see it. Like even the super high not super high, but like even the highest sections you feel like you're much closer to the action than you would be at Crypto.
You've never experienced a basketball game the way you're going to experience that into it. Just sitting in my seat for the tour, I was like, wow, Like just the halo is crazy, and yeah, like every seat in the arena you feel like you're on top of the players and it just really creates a home court advantage. You know, we were saying it felt a little bit like the
Lone Beach Pyramid. The best ways I could explain it is the Lone Beach Pyramid and combined with San Diego State, combined with the Utah Jazz That's kind of how it looked and felt with the arena. And yeah, I think Valmer achieved what he set out to do, which was create an environment that incites fans to want to be a fan. And I think that's what's what it's going to come down to. It's a state of the art, billion dollars you go through, you can see your high
school on the wall, like it. It's crazy. You can go on and on about all of the things and all of the features of the arena, but if we don't bring it as fans when it comes to providing that home court advantage for the guys, and it's like, you know, but I do think that's going to be the biggest key fans night in and night out on that Monday night versus the nets. Are you guys going to come out and yell to the top of your lungs. Because I'm a true believer in home court advantage. I've
seen Clipper crowds at Crypto very underrated. So I'm excited to see what a really good crowd at into It is gonna look like. But yeah, it's gonna fall on a fant of me. That's gonna be the most important thing.
I'm gonna make a prediction here based upon what you've said, what I heard from Brian Seamen, what I saw when I went and visited Okay, because Brian said they had six thousand people there for a test run scattered throughout the arena, which holds about eighteen thousand in full capacity. He said, I believe the decibel level that it got up to was one twenty one forty is a jet engine.
I remember it being one ten up at our Coole Arena where I'm from back in the day during the Cowbell days and the heyday for the Sacramento Kings was see Webb in the curw.
It was definitely if six.
Thousand people can create one hundred and twenty decibels near the floor, eighteen thousand, I'm gonna say this is gonna end up being the new loudest arena when Clipper Nation brings it, they're gonna be able to reach magnitudes and sound decibels that we haven't heard even in places like Okay See that are known.
To be loud. I don't I don't disagree, and honestly, I don't even think it's going to be that hard of a feat as long as, like you said, the fans bring it. It's like like the little stuff like everybody knows now about how there's charges at every seat. You go and get something to eat, the game clock is right there learning you like, hey, you need to get back to your seat. It's really a mecca for basketball.
It's really incites you to be a fan. And those are things that have never pretty much ever been done in a basketball arena. So yeah, no, I would see that, and I don't disagree at all. I honestly would be shocked if we weren't the lotest arena in the league. Hopefully our guys come through and provide the product on the floor, because we do need that as well to make it, you know, work between the fans and the players. But no, if if the fans bring it, I don't
even think he's going to be close. Man, Like maybe I'm gassing it a little bit, bro, but like he's not lying. Like when I was at the Bruno Marshall, Bro, it got so loud and I can just imagine how mind you, this is a Clipper arena for like a pop star, a Clipper arena for a Clippers basketball game.
So they had to reconfigure it.
The wall was down, they had to make it for the concert right, right.
And so and then if I'm not mistaken, for the concert venue, you do have to cut out a certain amount of seats just for the same in a sense. So yeah, man, there's nothing like a basketball venue, a venue that was made for basketball and having that basketball team that I just I just think this guy's the limited in terms of noise noise, noise noise.
You know, I always say, bring the mother f and ruckus come on.
Man, Like I always say. The loudest game that I've ever been to in my life was Game six in the Semis in twenty twenty one versus a Jazz. I was close enough to where it literally felt like the ground was shaky and I can literally see the Jazz players like, yeah, you're in. You're in some shit, you know what I mean, Like like I think we can
eclipse that. So yeah, bro, I'm looking forward to him. Man, I'm looking forward to him, and guy's the limit in terms of the voice that the Clipper fans can bring.
For sure, I know a guy on good authority that can back you up on that being one of the loudest games ever at Crypto because big brother Jake Warner, the head engineer for the Clippers radio station. He's also worked for the Lakers in the past.
He has worked he continues to work with the La Kings.
He's seen Stanley Cup final games there, he has seen. He was at Game seven Lakers Boston.
He said, the.
Only game he'll be on the pod soon. The only game that was louder, that got louder in that arena that he could remember was Kobe's final game again also against Utah in twenty sixteen.
That's it.
That's it outside that it's game six, Clippers coming back down twenty five. Terrence Man with thirty nine against Utah to advanced in the Western Commerce Finals.
No, you know, to be fair, that was like the first home game in which what was it like COVID had kind of lifted a little bit and.
It still wasn't full capacity.
Yeah, yeah, that's it wasn't full capacity. But like I just remember the Mavericks had like sell our crowds and then we had like cut out cardboard fans and then Game six was like the first game where we could actually have like a decent showing in terms of fans, and we brought it that night, and so yeah, I think we can eclipse that easy so Withinto It. So yeah, I'm excited. Man.
I think I saw the cardboard cutout from three minutes of a Baby and the jazz.
We're seeing some ghosts then too. That's an old weird rumor. Okay, okay, okay.
Jamal Christopher is our guest here on Clippers Talk. I'm excited for this. I'm excited to have him tonight. We still have a lot to get into here. I wanted that first hand account of Into It during the first concert with Bruno Mars. But I want to go back a little bit further before we project and talk about this season with some predictions here. Because you had been for so long, Jamal one of the good soldiers for Paul George, battling people online that were overly negative about him,
talking about his inconsistencies, talking about his playoff lows. You would stand up for him, and you would bring up how nobody talks about Damian Lillard and some of his playoff low points. Nobody talks about Jimmy Butler and that series he had what in twenty one or twenty two against Milwaukee, and you would defend George.
When did you turn?
Was it after the playoff series against Dallas where you just couldn't defend it anymore? Or was it the day of where after everyone knew he was leaving and it was obvious and the Clippers put out that statement that they're no longer pursuing bringing back Paul George. You ethered him on X something good.
You can lie that was one.
Hey give yourself credit.
I have it.
I have it right here. And if you wouldn't mind, if you wouldn't mind, Jamal, would you mean, I don't know, do this a cappella and spit this verse here because it's a parody of Meet the Grams by Kendrick Lamar, and you adapted it and you put it in terms and in lyrics for.
About Paul George regarding him leaving. I don't know.
If not, you're gonna have to make the corny white guy do it. Nobody wants to hear that. Nobody wants to hear that.
I can. I'll do it. I just got to get my phone because I can't see it.
I don't know if I can make this any bigger here. This is at jam Christopher. It only got one point six million views here and Jamal right afterwards doing the laughing emojis, and I know it was okay, here we go, here we go.
Yeah, say, well, you know you got to have the whole Kendrick the grand Uh playing in the background.
Hold on, I can get that. I can get that. I can get that.
Yeah, you tell me if you hear it, and tell me if it's too loud or not, because for.
Whatever reason, we'll let me hear the music.
Tell me if you hear this, Yeah, I can hear it.
Is that is that appropriate?
Levels? Yeah?
Okay, you got eighteen seconds here to get this in based upon the mix you put up yourself.
So this is an.
Eighteen second instrumental that you're going to have to perform over here, Jamal.
Starting in three two, you lied.
About the Heavy Queens. You lied about you lied about the getting back and where you want to retire at. You lied about the battle cards. You lied about the point guard.
You lied about the benefits, you lie about the bully, you lied, Meet the Georges.
Thank you for iterritating me there and indulging the audience. I just I had to hear it because it is an all timer. Again, it's got almost two million views. Paul George has likely seen this.
I'm not kidding.
This is something Dallas Rutherford, one of the guys, may have stumbled upon from his podcast.
But you went in hard.
I know.
Some of that was just having some fun with it and we got to laugh to stop from crying sometimes as Clippers fans. So it was it was well put, it was well taken. But was there is there that much animosity from you towards Paul Jeory now as as things completely flipped with him going to Philly.
Nah, not not to that extent like you said. I was just I was just doing my thing for me. I and my brother were backing me up. I thought Paul George was leaving for a while months prior to him actually leaving. I was one of the guys who believed that he had a max offer out there, and I always said, you know, Paul George is thirty four years old and You're gonna have to show me a thirty four year old willingly passing up that full max that the Sixers were offering, not to mention, not to
mention that it was towards a contender. So it was like, yeah, bro, if the sister think is real, I think he's out of there. And so I thought I thought he was leaving for a while. But yeah, I don't know. I wouldn't say like it was a full turn. I think as you can attest to it, when you watch somebody every game for like five years, your opinions a lot like his game is just kind of like this, right,
it's just up and down. I do think that that this series versus the Mavericks was kind of just like, Okay, what are we doing? Like not only is Kawhi hurt, but like you are asking for max money and you, I mean, he looked terrible. He looked terrible, you know, he wasn't even hardened. Was better than him, Zoo was better than him, and it's like, what are we doing at this Terence Terrence was better than him, and.
Tucker in the second half of Game six was better, like.
You know, its just it was just really disheartening. To see. It was disheartening to see it in that way. But yeah, I used to go to bat for George Man because I still do think sometimes he gets an unfair he's unfair criticism that comes his way. But and Philly fans will soon realize this, a lot of it is warranted. And when you watch him every night, what you will see that the other fans don't see is the random I played forty minutes and I have six points and
I've shot four times. Why why does that happen? You know what I mean? Stuff like that, or the week or two where it seems like you're starting to ask, is Norman Powell actually better than you? Like? What's going on here? And you know you can you can go and say Kawhi's injuries, you can say we didn't get hardened to start the year. You can say whatever. But at the end of the day, the onus is always gonna fall on the guys who were on the floor.
Like I wish Kawhi Leonard was on the floor, he wasn't. There's not much you can say about that. But when it comes to PG, I just think, man, you know in twenty nineteen, the guy that we traded for was coming off first Team All NBA twenty eight, twenty nine a game, first Team All Defense, third MVP voting, and yeah, he wasn't even thirty, so he was like right in the middle of his prime. So you figure, if you pair him with the Finals MVP, that's worth everything. Just
give the house. We need to pair those two guys up and give it our best shot. And while those two guys during that era, they weren't good on the floor, but the Paul George that we got and I'm not even let's not even talk about the injuries yet because that's just unfortunate, bad luck. But when Paul George was actually on the floor, we got a really good Jalen Brown ish tier player, which is really good. He's really good, and I still think he's one of the best players
in franchise history. But that is not the player we traded for. We traded for a guy that is fighting for first Team All NBA alongside Kawhi Leonard, and we didn't get that, and that had a trickle down effect on a lot of things. That is why Harden eventually ended up being here. And yeah, it's it's such that
it ended the way it did. I don't hold too much animosity for it because at the end of the day, we are the Clippers and this is still a guy that as a Clipper was an All NBA, multiple All Stars, and yeah for the loan finals, I mean not finals, but Western Conference finals apparent he averaged twenty seven a game. So that on that note, I am definitely appreciative of PG. That's why, like that tweet is like, I'm just doing
my thing. I'm just getting my jokes off. I kind of mean some of it, but like I'm getting my jokes off, but it's.
Truth in the jest.
But overall, I think I interpreted and everybody interpreted it the right way.
Except PEG fans. They've been But like the thing with PG fans, bro, it's like I, depending on what day I get on Twitter, is like I either hate Paul George or I give Paul George waye too much love. Like I've heard both of both sides.
So it probably means you're being objective hate from everybody, You're probably being objective.
Yeah, I try to be man, especially when it comes to Paul George. And it's not because even before the Clippers, he was one of my favorite players. And having him join the team, it was just like wow, like you know, I'm I'm on cloud nine. And yeah, sometimes when you when you get to see things up close, it's like, this is cool, but this is not what I thought it would be. And yeah, it just sucks that it
ended that way. But yeah, I still hold Paul George in high regard, especially or in this Clipper team.
He deserves again, as Jersey retired at some point out of the line by this Clippers organization. How easy would it be for you to make the case to make the argument that the Clippers got the better end of the exchange. With James Harden now being a Clipper and Paul George being in Philadelphia, It's almost like there was a trade that happened between those two players. How do you can you make that case today that James Harden is the better player can have the better season.
I can't. I don't know how much it would matter, because at the end of the day, if you asked me to answer honestly, as of August twentieth, Paul George and the Sixers are in a better position to attempt a title chase than we are now. So I don't really know how much it would matter. But I think it's very clear that James Harden is a better player. I said this a few days ago, that there's real potential for the Harden and Kawhi duo to be a better fit than PG and Kawhi just off of the
fact that you know Kawhi Leonard. You can make the argument Kawhi Leonard has never played with a point guard that's good as James Harden. You could argue that Paul George is coming off his most efficiencyason ever because of James Harden, and James Harden has raised the floor of teams even last year in a way that I don't even think Paul George has ever done in his career. And so he just plays a very high IQ Prize
every possession brand of basketball. It's like, you know, I don't mean to throw shots at Paul George, but when the ball is in James Harden or Kawhi's hands, I don't think about the ball going into the fifth row or doing some like what the kind of pass are you throwing?
You know what I mean, Hey, that's gonna be like the tenth throw into it dumb because the seats are so much closer.
There you go, there you go, there you go. So yeah, especially after the playoffs last year, I'm not I'm not
gonna lie. Like during the season, I felt like Paul George was our second best scoring option, but I felt always that James Harden was our second best player because of how he can lift the team, he can make plays for Zoo, how he can make plays for Terrence Man, how he can make the game easier for Paul George and Kawhi, and then in the playoffs, I just thought it was just abundantly clear by that point, like, yeah, James Harden, if Paul George was as good as he
was billed, we would have gotten out the first round even without Kauahi. Right, So yeah, I think I can make the case pretty pretty easily, honestly, that James Harden is a better player then Paul George. But then again, that just packs a question, like you know, how much does that matter? You know what I mean?
What are because you're higher than most on the Clippers coming into this season, at least you were before the schedule orally released, that may have changed some things for you. But I know you were saying a lot of people are sleeping on this team.
They're better than you realize.
How much of that is on the growth and development of it eats a Zoo boss and Terrence Man now having you would assume bigger roles.
Oh everything, especially Zu, especially Zoo. I'm hired, I'm higher than most on the Clippers. Uh, but I do believe that without a Zoo leap, it just becomes very tough. Again, it goes back to what I said about Paul George. When you watch a guy every night, you can kind of get a more accurate, like depiction of who he is as a player. Same with Zoo. I've watched Zoo every game since he'd been a Clipper, and that's been easy because he doesn't miss up the time, another reason
why I love him. But yeah, he's just his offensive game every single season. Man just grows the individual stuff where you can just throw the ball to Zoo and say, hey, we we need we need to belout it's low on the shot clock. Uh, just get us a quick two. It feels like everything around the rim goes in. He's also one of the best defenders in the league. I think the second year synergy of Harden and Zoo will
only be better. So yeah, I have us in like the the the sixth of the six to ten range going into the season, but that can even go higher if we do get a career year from Zoo and and again that that is asking a lot, but when you watch what he did in the first round last year, what him and Harden did in the first round last year, I'm all the way in on Zoo. I think Zoo has all the reason to be one of the most improved players in the league this year. It's same for
Terrence Man. Law talks about it a lot, how every time Terrence Man is given more of a leash, uh he produces. And just last year just so happened that he ended up being squeezed with Harden and Westbrook, Kawhi, Paul George and so he doesn't get the ball as much. But this is the year where he's probably gonna be featured. So I'm really looking forward to the leak that Terrence Man can take as well. One of the best finishes in the league, one of the best athletes in the league.
We're gonna need that, especially with the absence of Russell Westbrook in terms of that backcourt pace and in force to the rim. That this version of James Harden may not provide as much. So yeah, between those two, man, if those two pan out the way that I think they can, yeah, I think we absolutely are one of the more underrated teams in the league going into the year, but understandably so because I don't want to sit here, sit up here and like live not Replacing Paul George
makes it much more of a mountain to climb. And the steps that you are asking Zoo in terrence to take, wow, I think are possible. They are real steps. So that's why our range of outcomes to me includes like barely you know in the playing almost but I have a stop six. I do have a sup six.
Give me a stat line on averages with the beatsa zubos for them to get to that six spot and stay out of the playing Are you saying eighteen and eleven, sixteen and ten? What do you think it needs to average for them to hit their ceiling?
In your mind?
What he did in the playoffs, So if I'm not mistaken, that was like sixteen and ten, sixteen them eleven, something like that. I think what he did in the playoffs he can replicate it. This may be some zu Gas, But I think that's the player man. I think he can do it. I agree. I think it's gonna have a lot to do with I saw Shap tweeted it today. He was saying, let Zoo go. Twll right, let him go, And I think it's gonna have a lot to do with like Tie and Kawhi and James to really say, like, hey,
we really believe you can be our third guy. We really this guy as a limit. They've got to trust him and feed him. I'm kind of going off the rails here, but like feed him like he's joking, bro, Like he he has the second best touch in the league around the rim other than Jokis, doesn't miss. Like, give him the ball and give him as much as he can handle and that will make the game easier
for everyone else. It is time to unleash Zoo. If we're gonna do this this year, it is time to unleash do And yeah, I'm I'm all on the Zoo train. I think the sky is the limit for him. He's healthy, he plays every game, one of the best defenders in the league in a restricted area. He's money. He's got to jump hook now, even if you give it give it to him outside of his little range. He's got
the floater that he can give you. I just think the world of Zoo and his abilities, and I just think for years we haven't trusted him enough, and I think we may be it. We may be in a position now where we have to and I think he can pay dividence.
You've had the meet the Graham's parody. I've thought about doing a Forgot About dre parody for a beat to Zoo boss, because so often they say, oh, this is it, We're gonna start getting him more involved, more touches. It happens for a game or two, and then it's over when Zoo fails. When Zoo has a bad moment or possession or two, it's like he gets treated as a rookie still. Sometimes he has no built up equity within the team or the coaching staff. It feels like I think,
I think it's gonna be different this season. But over the years, with so many with Paul George and so many mouths to feed, it has froze him out at times. And I can't take it because he's too important. There is an easier way to win ball games, and it is playing for a Vitza Zubos.
Yeah, I mean, you know it was I remember, what was it, twenty two twenty three, the year that we got Westbrook, and like, you know, right before we got Westbrook, we are you know, we got our guys complaining to the media like we need a point guard, and Paul
George is saying the answers Westbrook. He's out there, and I'm just like, yeah, okay, but like more of what you alluded to, there's an easier way to do this, just throwing the ball and let him put out some fires the same way he put out fires on the defensive end. Yeah. I don't know what it is, man, I do know Tylu loves a small ball. He trusted
Zoo a lot more last year though. But I think from a feature standpoint, that's the key right there, right, I'm not talking about just playing Zoo more, giving him more touches, no, no, no, no, feature him. This is one of the star players on the team. He is the third best player on the team. Give him the ball, and you know this is a guy that what was the game against the Pacers, like almost what was it, thirty and thirty twenty nine?
I think he fouled out and didn't get that last rebound.
Yeah, man, I saw him give Jokic thirty five man or in Denver. Come on, man, like Lewis like that man.
So he's wrecked Yokic.
He's given him two of his worst shooting games in his career, you know.
And you know they always get us, They always get on us about the twenty twenty three to one, But the minutes in which Zoo was on the floor with Jokic, we won those minutes. Like zu is, He's I don't know, man, I don't know. I do feel much better about our chances though. If we do get a sixteen seventeen a game year out of Zoo, if he has it in him, I believe he does. I think that's what's gonna happen. I'm gonna go on record and say it. I think
we're gonna get a career high year from Zoo. And if you get enough Kawhi games along with that, James Harden more aggression because no Paul George, then yeah, I think we can avoid the playing, which to me is our goal. That's my goal for the Clippers this year, avoid the playing. Getting the playoffs with a healthy Kawhi and then all bets are off at that point, you know.
You put out at Jim Christopher on ax Reese only during the Summer League, something to the effect of, I think we got one here talking about Jordan Miller.
What did you mean?
What did you mean by that? Exactly?
How much potential do you see in him?
I love Gas At that point, I was, I was.
He should have been the MVP of Summer League.
There was reason to be. He was robbed, man, he was rob But you know, when it comes to us in our in our picks, man, like we strike out so much, and when we strike out, it's not like it's not like we, oh, this player didn't pan out. These players leave the Clippers and aren't in the league anymore, or like these guys can't even get on the floor
to help us, you know what I mean. Like by the end of last year, like our rotation was embarrassingly thin, you know what I mean, And we have guys like respectfully, I don't I don't want to miss anybody, but like Moon's taking up spots. You know, you can't play him in a game, you know what I mean. You're not putting, You're not putting him in the game. And so I know a lot of people like to say, like Kylou doesn't trust young guys, and I'm not so sure about that.
I think more than anything, the young guys that we have a lot of times just aren't up to the up to the challenge, not good enough. Now I think that's starting to turn a little bit. I was really encouraged with Jordan Miller because for me, I'm a big proponent of like, like I need to see a runaway right and dating back, he was awesome in college G League dominated. It was legit too easy for him. Got in the Summer league dominated, it was too easy for him.
Now you're like, Okay, this is a guy that we can put on the floor and I don't even not a star or anything, but like we can put him on the floor and spell us for five minutes without the game going to shred, you know what I mean. So, yeah, him, I think Kobe. I do think Kobe should have got a longer lease last year. But I do think Kobe as well. And Cam Christy, who I'm I'm super high on.
I'm a big camp Chrisy guy. Yeah, I think we got one with Jordan in terms of finally having young guys that we can put out on the floor and he can like be solid. But I think I can say the same thing for Kobe, and I'm not too far off, maybe a year away from saying that with Cam Christy. I'm super high on Camp. So yeah, that that summer league experience, man, was I don't think I can remember a more fun summer league watching Clippers basketball.
I remember the Semis. I was literally up like it was a regular season game, like get a stop to stop, you know what I mean? Like I was into it, man, No fun. Uh yeah, that was a fun summer funmer did.
The schedule releaset temper at expectations at all are kind of damn for them because sixteen back to backs because second toughest strength of schedule.
Any of these things upset you. I'm a little bit.
Irked just because first year into a dome, here we go, no more afternoon games. Great, but then sixteen back to backs and there's another team in LA that has thirteen and I don't know, I know someone's pointed out the fact that the Lakers have more nationally televised games and they're trying to not have those teams play a game before that game or the day after that game, and
that could help them out. But the Clippers have their own damn arena, Yes, Renty rent and the Clippers have their own home.
Yeah, exactly, And it's better than don't get me start.
They got a ten year lead on the next best arena.
They do it real talk, real talk. Honestly, I can't say the back to back shirts me too much. It's kind of like it is what it is. I obviously wouldn't prefer it. But when they said we had no madnee games, I was like, oh, the other shoot has to drop, you know what I mean. Like I'm like, oh, no, this can't be. This can't be, like like this is way too good, you know. So, yeah, I've never been a guy other than like the Mad Das and even the Mad days, Like I never really gave them too
much treatence. It wasn't until it actually appeared that it started to mess with us. And I'm like, Okay, we need to find a way to get out of this because we obviously stink in the afternoon. But yeah, I'm not a super schedule because like it's the one thing you can't change, right, Like it is what it is. I'm just looking forward to playing these home games. Is that crypto crypto ship into it too? Yeah? Man, and
seeing the difference. I haven't really took a deep dive into the schedule anyway, but yeah, I've never been too much of a schedule guy, because it's like, what are you gonna do? You know, because like I always say, what if it's game eighty two and we're out of the playoffs, right and or we're out of we're out of the playing or we're into playing right and you're looking at it and you're like, how did we get here?
What are you gonna do? Blame the schedule? Like are you fine with saying, hey, our season ended because our schedule stunk? Like no, like you know that that's a that's a that's a terrible reason to go out, you know what I mean? So yeah, I can't place any blame on the schedule. Man. It is what it is. Lace them up, be a pro. We got enough.
I like it all right.
Before we get out of here, I wanted to shift for a second because you met one of my eyes before, and I have to ask you about this. How'd you meet and have a relationship with Mac Miller.
Oh man, oh man, I could the real story. Yeah yeah, okay, first off, rest in peace. Man, that's my dog, Man, that's my dog. So this day's back to like twenty ten, twenty eleven. It started off. I was just a fan. I was. I was a super fan of Mac. Kids had dropped, and yeah, I was a super fan. And his team at the time, like I said, like eleven, they were doing this thing where on Twitter, and they were like, why should you be Why are you Mac
Miller's biggest fan. It's a contest and if you win, you could spend a day with Mac blah blah blah blah at right, And so after that I emailed him and I told him why And I was a super fan like I used to Yeah, this is crazy. I used to like print out uh CDs of his Kids mixtape and pass them out and be like, Yo, listen, you guys are sleeping. This guy is the next best thing. I was just super mag miillered out. Kids took me
back to a time in my youth. Man, I'm a very nostalgic person, and like, I just thought, he's a great rapper and I love this music, and so I emailed them back and so then like a few weeks later, I get a call from Trej is a guy named Trej who's in his team, and he said, hey, man, like, you're in the top three of the contest, so again, this is your chance. Let us know why we should take you, right, And so I let him know and then they said, all right, we'll be in touch, and
then I'll never forget this day. One day, me and my brother we were at Target, right, we were at Target.
Your brother Justin Wilson at La Clippers film, who is in fact your brother, right, Because yeah, I gotta say this.
There was a game last season.
I don't know which one of you came up and talked to me before the game, and I just had to play it cool and be like, my guy, goodness see you.
I don't know if it was you or Justin.
The my guy. My guys. Yeah, man's it's It's happened a lot, man throughout our life. But yeah, we're identical. That's my brother, my twins. But yeah, I was with him. We were in Target, and mac Miller tweeted that he was about to go to and still and still it's not there anymore. But it's just like retro spot. It was this retro spout on the bread where you get like really cool retro clothes and stuff. And I used to go there all the time. So when he tweeted that,
I was like, Yo, I'm gonna go meet him. Like I'm just gonna go go right, And so we went. We went, We sat, we parked right outside, right in the front of and still, and we sit there and we wait for them to show up. Right like maybe thirty minutes past. I tell my brother like, all right, were out and it's not gonna happen. And then as I'm about to pull off, I see them crossing the streets. Crazy. So I said, oh, wow, this is it. And so I get out of the car and I go and
tell him. I was like, yo, what's up man? And they were like, Yo, what's up? Man? Who are you? And I was like, I'm Jamal. I was top three in the contest and they was like, no way, this is fate, bro, you won the contest. And I was like what, no way? And then so Max was like yo, this is and it was so crazy man. So he took me inside of the ant still story. He was like, yeah, get whatever you want, man, right, So I get whatever I want and then he had a show that night.
It was him and Casey Veglie. They had a show that night at the at the Traubeldoor maybe the travel Door troupa door and he was like, are you coming to the show tonight? And I was like, I don't got tickets. He's like, bro, it's me, It's my show. If you want to come, you can come. And so I was like, yeah, I'm down. He was like all right. And then as I'm about to leave, I was like,
all right, I'll see y'all at the shoulder night. As I'm about to leave, Max says, hold up, and then he tells his He tells his manager and he was like, yeah, we can't do this, like he has to roll with us. And I was like what And he was like do you have anybody that can take your car? And I was like, my brother is in the car. He's like yeah, just tell him to take the car and just roll with us for the day. And I was like all right,
this is crazy. This can't be happening. And so we my brother takes a car back and I just spend the day with Max. From there, we went to eat and some spot in Beverly Hills. We were all right in inside of a sprinter and we get out of the car and he says, everybody got money to eat. We all got in the circle. He pulls off this big water cash and he just makes sure that everybody is good. Go eat whatever you want, whatever, whatever, and then we eat. Then we all get back in the sprinter.
We head back to the hotel. At this point, we're just talking about everything in life. Some things I'm not gonna even mention that we were talking about. It was just crazy.
For kids or Blue Slide Park.
Uh no, this was before. This was the around the time he was prepping to drop best day ever.
That's the best day ever for a fan type thing, right.
So so yeah, he was like it just kind of worked out that way. So we get back to the hotel. We're unloading his stuff. It was like the first time I ever seen, like up close, like a rapper have women falling over him. Like we're unloading stuff and the girl girls are just driving by. So that was crazy. And then we're just chilling at the hotel and then we had to leave the hotel to go to soundcheck,
and then at the show. At the show later that night, it was even more crazy because like I'm backstage now and you know, there's smoke going on, there's drinks flowing, and then Casey Veggie's opened up for Mac Miller. Casey Veggie's brought out Don Kennedy and Tyler the creator, so they're backstage with us, and yeah, it was just a
crazy night, man. And so I think after around like one, they gave me some money for a taxi and I took the taxi home and I think Benji Is it was his manager, and Mack was like, Yo, let's just keep in touch man, you're a really great guy. And I was like, for sure, man, for sure. And so yeah, you can see it's it's called mac Miller Funds for everyone buying one. It's on YouTube. But yeah, that kind
of that was the start of it. And then after that we just kind of hung out when we could not a ton of times because he was always busy, but we kept in touch. He heard that my mom was sick. He let me know like while he was on tour, like before every night they prayed for my mom, which I was like, yo, that that was just you know, he didn't have to do that, man, you know what I mean. But he everything you hear about him in terms of being a nice guy. He genuinely isn't great soul,
a super nice guy. He would always tell me, you know, whatever it is you want to do, man, you can do it. Man. This world is for the taking, super positive guy. And and I miss him, man, I miss him. But yeah, that's kind of like the short version of it. But yeah he some time. Yeah, yeah, yeah for sure. But yeah, Mac is a Mac is a great guy, one of my favorite rappers of all time. Going too Soon.
It's crazy because I feel like as Mac was passing, I think the album that he dropped right when he passed was Swimming, and I thought that was his best body of work. And like you can tell, as he got deeper into the tooth of his career, the genres that he touched started expanding, like his flows got better, like he just kept getting better and better year after year. And so, uh, yeah, going too soon, man, But yeah,
that that's my guy. And I'm proud of say that I actually knew him on a semi personal level.
Man, I appreciate you sharing that I became.
I'm not gonna lie I was a total casual. I listened to kids a lot, but I didn't get deeper into his catalog until he died posthumously.
Then I went through his.
Entire discography, from like Easy Mac all the way to when Faces came out a couple of years ago. And I completely understand what you're saying about the maturity and sophistication that was coming with his music. I think of tracks like Woods in two thousand and nine and Surf and Wright and then Colors and Shapes on Faces.
I was listening to that earlier today.
I was taking a walk before the podcast here, and I was kind of getting nostalgic and wistful and thinking about how Max kind of a what if story and the Clippers two and three eras of what if story. And I think about this girl that I knew, that you know, I loved and she loved Mac Miller, and I think about that situation. I'm having a moment here, but I was thinking about it. I was thinking about that I messed things up? Am I a what if?
Story?
And then I thought, Man, I just want to be on the air when the Clippers win the championship. That's all I want. That's all I want to ask and I want to talk to Jamal post game.
You know what it is, Bro, I've come to grips with like, I love this Clipper thing way too much. It has way too much of a bearing on my life. I don't know what I would do if we actually won a championship. I have a terrible case of the what is when it comes to the Clippers. I've watched like Game five of the twenty twenty Western Conference second Round, way too many times I've watched I've watched Game six versus the Thunder in twenty fourteen, way too many times.
I've watched Game five versus the Rockets three to one, chance to close it on the road. I've watched that game way too many times, Like what if we close it out? Yeah? I get a bad case of what other what if? With the Clippers. So you're not alone? Man, You're not alone.
Oh can't live like that.
Gotta keep pushing into a domas on the way. It's gonna be the best day ever on October twenty third, Clippers taking all the Phoenixes to open things up. I want to see Jamal Christopher there. Jamal, I know you got fifty k followers on Instagram at Jamal Christopher. Is there anywhere else you want people to find you? I mentioned your music on Spotify. I was listening to some of that earlier. I was thinking about the parties over
two or three hours over. Just give everybody your your outlets where to find you.
You know this, this the party's over, and then what if? And you know this is pretty? This is a down man.
I didn't mean to get happy with it here.
I didn't mean to No, it's crazy. I appreciate that you listen to me listening to my music. I don't really even I'm not really even active when it comes to music anymore. I haven't done that in a while.
You should be bad. I was great in your versus.
You talked about Mike VIVI handle.
I used to be such a Mike Didby fan. I used to be such a Mike Dibby fan. I wanted them to win. I don't mean to bring this up for you. I know in terms of what is this could be probably tough. But like O two lives with me a lot. I wanted Mike Dibby to do it so bad. As much of a Kobe fan as I was, I wanted Mike Dibby to do it.
He had a shot in Game seven on the near side baseline short corner that would have won it before it went into overtime. That I think about a lot. People don't think about that shot, you know. I talk about Game six and the screw drop with the Kings in that game and the Lakers game twenty seven free throws in the fourth quarter a lot. But they still have their opportunities and that I've spent a good part of my life on that series.
Let's just say I can understand. I think about the Paijia airball. There's a page airball.
I think about how people forget Paisia wasn't supposed to play in that series.
He was coming back from an ankle enter.
I think about how if he didn't play, with how good Hito was playing, Oh, they might have won the series.
Keito was great. Paigea probably should have never played.
I think he ended up shooting like the last three games when he came back in Game five.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you gotta give you gotta get credit to the Lakers too, Kobe and for a reason, but they definitely weren't the better team that year.
They weren't the better team that year, but that's thing they hear not there. Yeah you can, you can. Uh yeah, I don't really have many other places, uh to find me. On Twitter, it's at jam Christopher uh j A m c R I S t O p A t R Instagram, Jamal Christopher ja AOVR is sto phdr And Yeah, nowadays it's just a lot of just like me living my life and people seem to enjoy it and enjoy my takes. Some people follow me because they hate my takes, which is a weird thing, but I'll take some pay follows
absolutely absolutely bring it on. Man.
You know well, I love your analysis. I always have. I remember you.
We got to know each other with you defending me from someone coming after.
Me on EDGs.
This is probably like six years ago or something like that now, but you had my back with the situation. Yeah, it's been it's been a little bit. It's been a little bit. Maybe it was twenty eighteen somewhere.
In that area.
I don't remember.
It was early in my time with the Clippers. But you are you are a basketball compass for me.
I look towards you for insight, information, for reliably honest and objective takes.
That is Jamal Christopher to me.
Man, that's uh, that means a lot, man, because I share the same sentiments as you do. Someone that's passionate about the team, but like passionate about the sport in general. So like you know, I look for a healthy dialogue when it comes to talk about basketball or the Clippers. So I don't even remember defending you, but I probably did because I actually rock with you. I used to. It's crazy, I used to. I know, I know. I always supported you when you went back and forth with coach.
Whenever you go back and forth with coach, you be sonning that man, and ye drink I will.
I love Ricky G. Ricky G is the OG. Yeah I died for that guy.
Yeah, shout out to Ricky G. But yeah, no, I I don't remember actually defending you whatever you're referring to, but it sounds about right because I actually do rock with you the long way pause and you know you're You're a great guy. You do great work. You have been for years and yeah, man, genuine people connect with that.
Let's just say it has something to do with someone accusing me of being racist because I don't hire African American people as if I'm running a company.
I don't run a company.
I don't know what he was coming after before, and you were like, dude, what are you talking about?
What that you know? That sounds like some typical Twitter stuff. And you know, I said this a while ago when I first got on Twitter. I had to say to myself, like, you know, if you make the choice to get on Twitter, and especially if you make the choice to get on NBA Twitter, You're gonna get some stuff coming at you all from all ankles. So you know, it's just part of the game and lets you know you're doing something right.
Sometimes you just got to take a deep breath, hit that mute, hit that block, and keep moving, keep pushing.
Some time with us.
This has been a joy here.
Of course, I had to have have you on early with this new YouTube series going on on Clippers Talk. We'll do this again soon once we get some action, once we get some basketball going. But I appreciate your perspective on the Bruno Mars concert where the Clippers headed to and of course.
Giving us that verse out loud audibly.
That's crazy, that's kind of crazy that I did that. But no, thank you for having me on. Please have me on the game anytime I'm down. Yeah, you just say the word. Man, I already know where this thing is going to go for you. So I feel honored to be to be part of the beginning.
And by the way, I only asked you about the mc miller situation because I want to trust that it was you and not Justin Wilson. You guys are fooling me like the Morris twins. Now, I didn't only have the inside information on mac miller, No, I just I still couldn't.
I was like, I don't know. I just talked to Jamal and just start to Justin.
They're identical twins. What the hell of us say? Hey? Man? Like I like I said, it's You're not the first one. There was this thing going on on Twitter for a while that people thought that I was doing a thing where I would retweet myself or tweet myself. They thought I was running my Twitter and La Clippers film. And then b Seemen tweeted a picture out of me, him and my brother and that kind of put it into everything.
But yeah, that for the longest people then really I said it on Twitter for a while, like yeah, like that's my brother, and only the people that knew knew me in real life understood what I was saying. But like you know, a lot of people on Twitter their troths man, and so you can tell them one thing they don't care about that.
It's like some people needed to see Buckethead with less Claypool in the same place at the same time to make sure they're not the same guy.
Uh, we got that figured out.
We got that sorted out now, and just be in an open invite next week, my friend, if you want to come on.
I just had your brother on here, but uh, tomorrow here are Clippers Talk. I'm gonna hit him up.
Dime Dropper and I are doing a home and home so I'll come on with him on Lockdown for the first half of the episode. Second half, he's coming on with me here on Clippers Talk. I know Jamal just joined Dime Dropper recently. It was a great episode on Locked on Clippers, But that is a future episode coming up on Wednesday tomorrow here on Clippers Talk for Jamal Christopher. I'm Adam Oslin. This has been another Clippers Talk show for you.
Love y'all, Talk to you later.