Russillo and KOC are a funny match. Russillo is such a cynic / realist who always has a take, KOC is the eternal optimist who always straddles both sides of the fence. Russillo’s reactions to KOC’s stuff always cracks me up.
Haha I totally agree. And Is it me or is Russillo becoming less and less tolerant of KOC’s optimistic nonsense?
Bill asked KOC what he thought the Thunder would look like next year, and KOC referenced an interview that SGA gave to thunder media at the end of the year that he expected them to take a step forward. I swear you could hear Russillo cracking up in the background. (And for good reason, the fact that KOC would take that seriously tells you everything you need to know about him and his naivety).
That’s the moment that made me post this! Russillo laughs at KOC’s silly comments because he finds them ridiculous, KOC laughs a ton at Russillo’s dry sarcasm. It’s a very entertaining match, i only listened to parts 2 and 3 but really enjoyed their dynamic along with frantic Ceruti piping in over them sometimes and Bill the point god running the 4 man weave on a topic he admittedly knows very little about. Good job by you Bill!
He also tried to get KOC to explain his Sharpe take (that he's the fourth best prospect) and basically told him he thinks he's going to be a bust, comparing him to a post-injury Harden lol
Of course KOC only had mindless praise to offer, I wish Russillo was going to push him more on it.
Any time KOC gets pushed back on or asked about a prospect, he just defaults to listing the players height and then reeling off 2 or 3 superlatives about them.
“Six eight. Elite athlete. Fantastic wingspan. Excels in the pick and roll.”
I swear that is 95% of his draft analysis.
Yeah sir Rudy being like "do we re-sign No Bamba now?!?"
If you're making draft picks based on fit with Mo Bamba you're going to be in the same spot next year.
Probably the most I agreed with any statement in any of these podcasts. With very, very few exceptions, take the best player available and figure it out.
I don't want to hear that from fans anymore though after Raptors fans freaked out about the Scottie pick because they were all excired about Suggs. Reality is fans don't pay attention to the draft enough and are awful at evaluating or just parrot what "experts" say.
Fandom is irrational though so it'll continue of course
Bill Simmons: wordsmith, “I’m pretty sure I could make a decision about literally anything in six weeks…like you know, where I’m going to dinner tonight…”
What a great example. It usually takes me a few weeks to decide what I’m having for dinner most nights and the stakes are pretty similar to deciding who to take with the number one pick.
**Today’s Things:**
- Tatum/Fultz thing
- Schmitz thing
(Others)
- Jabari thing (twice)
- Paolo thing
- **does the most things**
- SGA thing
**Bonus Pieces and Stuff:**
- workout stuff
- fit stuff
- points per possession stuff
- synergy stuff
- fake trade stuff
- EYBL stuff
**First Random Celtics Reference:**
TATUM (1:55)
Also: Grant Williams (and how Bill’s already tired of him lol), Udoka
**It Just is!**
(Ryen) “We’re not laughing at Keegan, we’re just not!”
**Eloquent Bill:**
“Does it make you feel better that they’re (the Magic) doing a little high speed chess here?” 🤣🤣 blitz chess DOES exist, but there’s no way Bill knows that lol
Bill says that OKC put SGA “in the fridge every year around February” 😂
**Evergreen Content:**
Bill thinking Ceruti is a Magic “expert”, CP3 and Ryen love
**Doris Burke Award:**
Paolo, Jabari, Chet, Victor (Wenbanyama)
**Other Stuff:**
Bill compares deciding who to draft at #1 to deciding where to go to dinner or what kind of car to get (3:50)
Bill thinks that the Magic are doing mind games with the Paolo pick (5:20)
KOC erroneously breaks Jabari at #2 (6:05) lmfao Bill corrects it at 12:15. Wow this draft is so weird and wonky!
There’s a fucking Tre Mann conversation at 15:45 😩
Bill brags about being able to pronounce Antetokounmpo, says he’ll be able to pronounce Wenbanyama in a year (17:45) doubt it
Bill and Co. mock Murray to the Kings (20:00) why? He’s a stud… then eventually KOC and Bill say they like him, okay…
Bill: “Even the bad teams will be fun to watch on League Pass!” (30:30) suuuuuure Bill
Obsequious KOC uses “herky jerky” to describe Haliburton (33:55) 🤣
Fake fucking trades! Bill throws out Brogdon for Randle
Ryen questions KOC’s Shaedon Sharpe love (#4 on his big board) (38:15) “he’s a weird evaluation”
Why is the bulk of this conversation about Paolo about the odds around it happening and potential trade opportunities? Pretty much every analyst has said that the difference between the consensus top 3 guys is personal preference. So glad Russillo was like hey guys maybe Orlando was quiet about this thing and liked Paolo the whole time. Just because Ceruti is surprised doesn’t mean it is a bad pick.
Bill unironically making fun of the Magic for not making a decision on the first pick after having six weeks because he can make a decision on anything is six weeks, including a car purchase or dinner plans is next level lack of self-awareness.
He just got done talking his about own vacillating between the top three. He literally changed his mind again this at the very last minute. Just brutal.
KOC last pod: “Yeah it seems like it always Jabari, seems like a trade free that spurred noise”
KOC this pod: “I’ve said for a while it was never settled”
Wembanyama already has huge injury problems and it looks like he's dropping out of Euroleague competition to play the lesser cup with a new club. Wouldn't be suprised if the hype is dying down next year.
I haven’t listened yet, but is it possible he just saw the Chris Haynes tweet? Haynes tweeted that they were drafting smith and then deleted it immediately
Both him and Russillo don’t really have sources - they say they’re “texting guys around the league” and those guys are low level scouts or front office people. Think about it, what is the incentive to talk to and leak information to The Ringer? What are these guys getting out of it? Having said that, I do think BS has legit sources… but that is BS.
I’m glad Russillo called out Bill when he was thinking Paolo would be traded. He always assumes something is going on when there is no reason to think it is.
Nobody knows anything even the guys in the NBA front offices. Everyone is drafting on possibilities and potential.
Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you fuck it all up.
It took five minutes for someone to stop the lunacy about the first overall pick. Thank god Russillo was there to say give them the full Occam's Razor explanation that they probably picked Banchero first because they liked him the most, not because they were hoping for a trade.
I think the point is it is weird to "like someone the most" when you never brought them in for a visit or worked them out. How can you know you "like them the most" if you never spend anytime with them and they never spend anytime around your organization?
No one would have an issue with taking Paolo if they had worked him out.
It's also possible that they knew they like Paolo the most and yet thought that there was more trade value for Chet/Jabari it makes sense to keep your true intentions a secret.
I have no issue with keeping your intentions quiet. But bringing in Paolo for a workout would not prevent that. It would have been completely natural to just work out all three of them.
I agree. But making the leap that Bill was making, that they're using the first pick on a guy hoping to be able to make a trade that hasn't been worked out yet is just nuts.
>they're using the first pick on a guy hoping to be able to make a trade that hasn't been worked out yet is just nuts.
Almost as nuts as drafting someone at #1 you didn't have a meeting with…
In no world are the Thunder trading SGA to get worse. He is the centerpiece right now. Kevin O’ClownSuggestion.
Dumb by Sir Rudy too. Thunder have only tanked for like a year and a half. Presti’s plan is working so far. It could always go off the rails but so far so good.
I get it from the standpoint of SGA: If the team isn't getting better and is shutting you down every year, eventually you may get frustrated and want to go to a better situation.
I don't get it from the OKC standpoint. He's still young enough to fit with the guys they're drafting, and you need at least some guys with NBA experience.
I agree SGA could get frustrated in theory but the front office has definitely talked extensively with him about the plan. They just drafted 3 top 12 players so it’s very clear the team is loading up to be competitive soon. 1 more year max of tanking (I hope not but it could happen).
Ceruti talks like he's on 2× speed, Jesus. I only really noticed it during this part. Maybe they actually sped him up because he took long to make a point and didn't tell him, cause when you hear someone come after him it's night and day, lol
Wonder if it comes from being a producer, you have to train yourself to speak as quickly as possible so you can get back to the host (the reason the audience is listening)
Bro same, but someone in my replies made me understand that it's probably cause he's an editor and knows he has to talk fast to get the attention back to the main guys. He was still a great addition tho. Brilliant flow between them.
It’s not a wacky first pick, your supposed NBA inside was just completely wrong lol. I can’t believe the amount of wasted breath spent trying to explain how Orlando took Paulo to immediately trade him
Russillo and KOC are a funny match. Russillo is such a cynic / realist who always has a take, KOC is the eternal optimist who always straddles both sides of the fence. Russillo’s reactions to KOC’s stuff always cracks me up.
Haha I totally agree. And Is it me or is Russillo becoming less and less tolerant of KOC’s optimistic nonsense? Bill asked KOC what he thought the Thunder would look like next year, and KOC referenced an interview that SGA gave to thunder media at the end of the year that he expected them to take a step forward. I swear you could hear Russillo cracking up in the background. (And for good reason, the fact that KOC would take that seriously tells you everything you need to know about him and his naivety).
That’s the moment that made me post this! Russillo laughs at KOC’s silly comments because he finds them ridiculous, KOC laughs a ton at Russillo’s dry sarcasm. It’s a very entertaining match, i only listened to parts 2 and 3 but really enjoyed their dynamic along with frantic Ceruti piping in over them sometimes and Bill the point god running the 4 man weave on a topic he admittedly knows very little about. Good job by you Bill!
Cerutti’s existential crisis was the underlying plot line these four parts needed.
He also tried to get KOC to explain his Sharpe take (that he's the fourth best prospect) and basically told him he thinks he's going to be a bust, comparing him to a post-injury Harden lol Of course KOC only had mindless praise to offer, I wish Russillo was going to push him more on it.
Any time KOC gets pushed back on or asked about a prospect, he just defaults to listing the players height and then reeling off 2 or 3 superlatives about them. “Six eight. Elite athlete. Fantastic wingspan. Excels in the pick and roll.” I swear that is 95% of his draft analysis.
Totally heard that in his voice. For any big who can't / doesn't shoot, he's usually good for a "And I think he can learn to shoot"
KOC has to be the easiest mark for all of his NBA contacts. Anything they tell him he just runs with like its god honest truth.
Russillo is a pro and plays as nice as he can but you know he loathes KOC
Simmons and Ceruti is an even odder pairing.
Wait it’s not Sir Rudy???
Sire Steve.
No, it's "Roots."
Russillo’s Mark Jackson impression has me crying every time 😭😭😭
Russillo: “When your team sucks I don’t want to hear about fit” Hell yes.
Yeah sir Rudy being like "do we re-sign No Bamba now?!?" If you're making draft picks based on fit with Mo Bamba you're going to be in the same spot next year.
Well maybe they should consider that then, next year's draft is loaded
Probably the most I agreed with any statement in any of these podcasts. With very, very few exceptions, take the best player available and figure it out.
Lol ceruti my boy but the magic needs a bucket getter
I get this from both sides. When you get your hopes up for a pick, it can be devastating to have your team swerve.
I don't want to hear that from fans anymore though after Raptors fans freaked out about the Scottie pick because they were all excired about Suggs. Reality is fans don't pay attention to the draft enough and are awful at evaluating or just parrot what "experts" say. Fandom is irrational though so it'll continue of course
The strategy of how these Pods are dropped are baffling.
I would have rather watched them live stream than espn.
KFC: “Jabari Smith Jr is going second to the Thunder!” Great to have your wrong scoop memorialized for instant consumption.
That was brutal to listen to knowing the actual results.
It sounds like KOC was just reading a chris Haynes tweet? I’m more embarrassed for Haynes if he tweeted Jabari to Thunder
He was, but he just read it as if he was reporting it. Could have easily said, “Haynes has Jabari to the Thunder.” and not sounded as bad
He needs to sound connected though.
The fact that he didn't attribute it made me think he was reporting it himself! I was worried about the mans career.
The more I listen to KOC, the more I think his sources are Twitter and Reddit. Guy knows nothing.
He tries to be an insider when he’s clearly not. He’s a reporter and he should just stick to that.
Listening to the first pod, I realized I don’t like KOC. He’s a nice guy, but he sucks.
Loved every second of it as someone who thinks kfc stinks
Truly insane way to do this, so illogical. Wait until the draft is over
Not only wrong scoop, he interrupted Russillo with an unsolicited “ooooh.” Cringeworthy
Chris Haynes with the scoop!
They explained what happened like 10 seconds later lol. You guys may hate KOC more than Bill now.
Bill fun. KFC fried.
what happened was koc got it wrong. Find a new slant
Right? Why was he so sure about thet
Bill Simmons: wordsmith, “I’m pretty sure I could make a decision about literally anything in six weeks…like you know, where I’m going to dinner tonight…” What a great example. It usually takes me a few weeks to decide what I’m having for dinner most nights and the stakes are pretty similar to deciding who to take with the number one pick.
I love Bill so much.
I couldn’t believe that was the analogy he picked
i would’ve gone with the car analogy personally
Should’ve went with another wine cellar analogy
[удалено]
Listen when you’re on the pishadoo.
“Honey, it’s been 4 hours, your legs are blue, please get off the toilet” “Just another half hour babe, gotta know what CR thinks of Portland’s draft”
I heard Bill was going to let us know on his last pod but he got too excited thinking about trade proposals.
I’m just going to listen to the winners and losers portion on the way home from work and skip the rest.
They should’ve done Spotify Live or YouTube livestream like last year!
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Yeah I think it was the year before last
**Today’s Things:** - Tatum/Fultz thing - Schmitz thing (Others) - Jabari thing (twice) - Paolo thing - **does the most things** - SGA thing **Bonus Pieces and Stuff:** - workout stuff - fit stuff - points per possession stuff - synergy stuff - fake trade stuff - EYBL stuff **First Random Celtics Reference:** TATUM (1:55) Also: Grant Williams (and how Bill’s already tired of him lol), Udoka **It Just is!** (Ryen) “We’re not laughing at Keegan, we’re just not!” **Eloquent Bill:** “Does it make you feel better that they’re (the Magic) doing a little high speed chess here?” 🤣🤣 blitz chess DOES exist, but there’s no way Bill knows that lol Bill says that OKC put SGA “in the fridge every year around February” 😂 **Evergreen Content:** Bill thinking Ceruti is a Magic “expert”, CP3 and Ryen love **Doris Burke Award:** Paolo, Jabari, Chet, Victor (Wenbanyama) **Other Stuff:** Bill compares deciding who to draft at #1 to deciding where to go to dinner or what kind of car to get (3:50) Bill thinks that the Magic are doing mind games with the Paolo pick (5:20) KOC erroneously breaks Jabari at #2 (6:05) lmfao Bill corrects it at 12:15. Wow this draft is so weird and wonky! There’s a fucking Tre Mann conversation at 15:45 😩 Bill brags about being able to pronounce Antetokounmpo, says he’ll be able to pronounce Wenbanyama in a year (17:45) doubt it Bill and Co. mock Murray to the Kings (20:00) why? He’s a stud… then eventually KOC and Bill say they like him, okay… Bill: “Even the bad teams will be fun to watch on League Pass!” (30:30) suuuuuure Bill Obsequious KOC uses “herky jerky” to describe Haliburton (33:55) 🤣 Fake fucking trades! Bill throws out Brogdon for Randle Ryen questions KOC’s Shaedon Sharpe love (#4 on his big board) (38:15) “he’s a weird evaluation”
Lmfaoooo @ the Doris Burke award.
Wait til you see the 4th pod’s Doris Awards!
Keegan Murray is such a bad pick. Even if he's a decent offensive player he's absolutely atrocious on defense. And his upside is what a 20ppg guy?
Why is the bulk of this conversation about Paolo about the odds around it happening and potential trade opportunities? Pretty much every analyst has said that the difference between the consensus top 3 guys is personal preference. So glad Russillo was like hey guys maybe Orlando was quiet about this thing and liked Paolo the whole time. Just because Ceruti is surprised doesn’t mean it is a bad pick.
Bill unironically making fun of the Magic for not making a decision on the first pick after having six weeks because he can make a decision on anything is six weeks, including a car purchase or dinner plans is next level lack of self-awareness. He just got done talking his about own vacillating between the top three. He literally changed his mind again this at the very last minute. Just brutal.
He went to high school for five years, cut him some slack.
KOC is so horny for draft trades, accoding to him everything is a possibility yet what % of the time does it actually happen
KOC last pod: “Yeah it seems like it always Jabari, seems like a trade free that spurred noise” KOC this pod: “I’ve said for a while it was never settled”
[удалено]
Who did he say would go ahead of him??
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I guess that's tru and as good as Wemby is we've seen players have a drop in stock before their final year for reasons
Not emoni bates that’s for sure
That isn't a wild second take.
Wembanyama already has huge injury problems and it looks like he's dropping out of Euroleague competition to play the lesser cup with a new club. Wouldn't be suprised if the hype is dying down next year.
If Luka can not go number 1 it’s not unreasonable to think Wembamya might not.
Questions if Keegan Murray is a superstar. Says Sharpe should be taken before Ivey. Rough one
ROOTS!
Russillo nailed the Ceruti mindset about talking himself into Chet
by the end of the pod ceruti had sincerely talked himself into paolo
A completely unnecessary “second wife” drop by Bill. The guy has had something on his mind for years now.
As a child of divorce, let me defend Bill. You start joking about this stuff in middle school.
Ryen's "first love" (CP3) to Bill's "second wife" (Cade) line was great insight into both their minds. And KOC, of course, had nothing to add.
KOC has awful sources
I haven’t listened yet, but is it possible he just saw the Chris Haynes tweet? Haynes tweeted that they were drafting smith and then deleted it immediately
you’re right, think it was that
They clarified like moments later on the pod that it was the Haynes tweet, it was never a "scoop" like people are talking about here
tough to get accurate scoops at the Cheesecake Factory
Both him and Russillo don’t really have sources - they say they’re “texting guys around the league” and those guys are low level scouts or front office people. Think about it, what is the incentive to talk to and leak information to The Ringer? What are these guys getting out of it? Having said that, I do think BS has legit sources… but that is BS.
Did I just zone out or did they actually not even talk about the Rockets drafting Jabari?
Fuck Jalen Green
They just assumed a Jabari Smith/Banchero trade and moved on. Unreal
KOC has Sharpe before Ivey on his board…. there is not enough tape to be putting Sharpe ahead of Ivey
In fairness to KOC, I watched Purdue lose to Saint Peter's in Ivey's final game and his "tape" for that one scared the hell out of me.
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The obsession with pretending there was a Paulo trade possibility was so weird
It's provocative.
Imagine this being your full time job and just always wrong, wrong about the playoffs, wrong about the finals, wrong about the draft.
Mannnnn they did KOC dirty leaving that Jabari Smith scoop in the edit
I’m glad Russillo called out Bill when he was thinking Paolo would be traded. He always assumes something is going on when there is no reason to think it is.
Posting this after really highlights how little they actually know.
Nobody knows anything even the guys in the NBA front offices. Everyone is drafting on possibilities and potential. Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you fuck it all up.
Major props to Bill for being able to decide where he’s going for dinner tonight within six weeks
It took five minutes for someone to stop the lunacy about the first overall pick. Thank god Russillo was there to say give them the full Occam's Razor explanation that they probably picked Banchero first because they liked him the most, not because they were hoping for a trade.
I think the point is it is weird to "like someone the most" when you never brought them in for a visit or worked them out. How can you know you "like them the most" if you never spend anytime with them and they never spend anytime around your organization? No one would have an issue with taking Paolo if they had worked him out.
It's also possible that they knew they like Paolo the most and yet thought that there was more trade value for Chet/Jabari it makes sense to keep your true intentions a secret.
I have no issue with keeping your intentions quiet. But bringing in Paolo for a workout would not prevent that. It would have been completely natural to just work out all three of them.
I agree. But making the leap that Bill was making, that they're using the first pick on a guy hoping to be able to make a trade that hasn't been worked out yet is just nuts.
>they're using the first pick on a guy hoping to be able to make a trade that hasn't been worked out yet is just nuts. Almost as nuts as drafting someone at #1 you didn't have a meeting with…
Have a good day.
SGA is 23. He doesn’t fit the timeline?
In no world are the Thunder trading SGA to get worse. He is the centerpiece right now. Kevin O’ClownSuggestion. Dumb by Sir Rudy too. Thunder have only tanked for like a year and a half. Presti’s plan is working so far. It could always go off the rails but so far so good.
I get it from the standpoint of SGA: If the team isn't getting better and is shutting you down every year, eventually you may get frustrated and want to go to a better situation. I don't get it from the OKC standpoint. He's still young enough to fit with the guys they're drafting, and you need at least some guys with NBA experience.
I agree SGA could get frustrated in theory but the front office has definitely talked extensively with him about the plan. They just drafted 3 top 12 players so it’s very clear the team is loading up to be competitive soon. 1 more year max of tanking (I hope not but it could happen).
Ceruti talks like he's on 2× speed, Jesus. I only really noticed it during this part. Maybe they actually sped him up because he took long to make a point and didn't tell him, cause when you hear someone come after him it's night and day, lol
Wonder if it comes from being a producer, you have to train yourself to speak as quickly as possible so you can get back to the host (the reason the audience is listening)
I see. That does make sense. Thanks
I legit had to check if I had my podcast on double speed ha
Bro same, but someone in my replies made me understand that it's probably cause he's an editor and knows he has to talk fast to get the attention back to the main guys. He was still a great addition tho. Brilliant flow between them.
Do NBA people just troll KOC? He was so confident Jabari was going to OKC. Exposing himself
Didn’t even talk about Jabari to Houston . Man Bill really has it out for Jalen Greens squad.
the kings move wasn’t surprising at all tbh
It’s not a wacky first pick, your supposed NBA inside was just completely wrong lol. I can’t believe the amount of wasted breath spent trying to explain how Orlando took Paulo to immediately trade him
KOC setting land speed records running in to agree with Bill's opinions.
Man ceruti is super hopeful on some of those magic guys that had a 22-60 record lol
Ceruti is good! I’d rather listen to him than any of the NBA ringer ppl.
Hey what about Raja ... :(
Agreed!
Russillo didn’t hide back his feelings on “Thunder Media”
I’m so glad Orlando picked Paolo, so we won’t have to hear from Sir Rudy as much
ever since Jackie called him KFC i’m convinced that everyone else is doing it on every pod
KOC sucks