Latest / Stugotz and Company / Encore: What Happened to the Pistons? (w/Isiah Thomas)

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Encore: What Happened to the Pistons? (w/Isiah Thomas) · Stugotz and Company

• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Isaiah Tomas is an NBA Legend Hall of Famer, one
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: of the fifty greatest to ever play in the NBA,
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: and I have known him for a long time. I
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: love him, I respect him. I'm glad to bring him
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: on the show. Isaiah, thank you for joining us, man,
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: it's been a while. How are you hey?
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: It is my pleasure and I am doing good. Thank you.
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: And it's always good to hear your voice as opposed
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: to just texting with you over the phone.
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: Let's get right to the Pistons, Isaiah, I believe you
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: were at I know you were at Game five. I'm
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: not certain if you were at Game seven. But what
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: the hell happened to your pistons?
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: You know, I was a game heaven and and all
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: of us uh in the city, you know, we we
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: were we were stunned by what we what we saw
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: out on the floor and and how the Pistons played.
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: And I'm sure the players themselves were a little stunned
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: at how how they played. You know, they they had
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: come off such a great comeback against Orlando and then
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: another great comeback game in Cleveland coming at home. Everything
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: was set, uh, and you know you got to give
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: Cleveland credit for coming in and playing well, but it
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: was just one of those nights that the Pishons did
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: not play well at all in any area from start
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: to finish. I think we were.
• 1:46
  Speaker 3: All stunned as israelis here.
• 1:49
  Speaker 4: I don't know.
• 1:50
  Speaker 3: I'm like this is a compliment or not, but you
• 1:52
  Speaker 3: have one of the most soothing voices I've ever heard of.
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: Man.
• 1:54
  Speaker 3: I love hearing you he basketball.
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: Yeah you've been told that before, right, Yeah.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: Well, well, thank you. I appreciate that.
• 2:03
  Speaker 3: I'm curious about when it comes to Caid Cunningham. Obviously
• 2:07
  Speaker 3: a different type of point guard than you were, but
• 2:09
  Speaker 3: do you see him as the type of player that
• 2:11
  Speaker 3: can be your main guy on a championship team, And
• 2:15
  Speaker 3: if so, what does he need around him? Because I
• 2:17
  Speaker 3: would imagine it's slightly different than let's say, would you
• 2:19
  Speaker 3: need it around you?
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: He definitely can be a main guy and already is
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: a main guy. We've seen him throughout the playoffs and
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: also doing the regular season just be very dominant and
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: you know, the team won sixty games and he carries
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: the team night in and night out on his shoulders.
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: You know, Markley made a comment, you know, I think
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: it was last week where he said, you know, he
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: feels bad for Caid because he has so much to
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: do and so much responsibility out on the floor. But
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: when you watch k play, it doesn't seem like he's
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: carrying that much of a load. That's how good he is.
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: He plays at his own pace. He's never rushed, and
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: he gets to the spots. And the thing that I
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: like the most about him is that he shares the basketball.
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: He's not a guy that is taking, you know, twenty
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: five thirty shots tonight, even though he has the basketball
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: the majority of the time. He is a willing passer,
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: a willing facilitator, and I think his teammates like playing
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: with him because of that.
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: Isaiah, do you enjoy today's NBA. It's different from when
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: you were playing. I'm wondering if you enjoy it as much.
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: Well, it's definitely different, Yeah, no doubt, you know the
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: I don't enjoy it as much, only because strategically, I
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: just don't think the strategy of the game that we
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: were accustomed to seeing and playing really comes into play.
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: And what I mean by that is time and score,
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: taking good shots, good quality shots, as opposed to taking
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: bad shots. Where we this is a three point shooting
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: happy area era. But you know, the majority of the
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: time we're seeing missed shots, we're not seeing made shots.
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: And if they were making the threes, then it's like, oh,
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: then the game is great. But when you're going you know,
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: twelve for thirty from the three point line or nine
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: for you know, thirty five from the three point line,
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: that's not enjoyable basketball to watch, and strategically that's not
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: you know, it drives me crazy to see guys taking
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: bad shots only because they've been told to take the three.
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: And so we see leads evaporating, twin point leads evaporating,
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: and everyone says, what it's because of a three point shot. Well,
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: it's because one team starts taking bad three point shots
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: and missing them and the other team shots making them.
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: But there's no strategy behind it. And they say to
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: make a mislead, and yeah, that's somewhat too, but it's
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: also now become a bad shot taking lead.
• 5:37
  Speaker 3: That's why there so much variation in the Bust and
• 5:38
  Speaker 3: Celtics results. Right, they can win a championship or they
• 5:41
  Speaker 3: can be on the first round. It's make or miss, Isaiah,
• 5:45
  Speaker 3: I'm curious as the you know, probably the best with
• 5:48
  Speaker 3: the quote unquote small guy to ever play in the NBA.
• 5:51
  Speaker 3: When you see basically how big the league is getting
• 5:54
  Speaker 3: and how much of a monster you have in Victor
• 5:57
  Speaker 3: winbin Yama. I know there's still space in the in
• 5:59
  Speaker 3: the game or small smaller quickness than everything else. But
• 6:03
  Speaker 3: what do you see in the terms of how big
• 6:05
  Speaker 3: this game is getting? Is it good?
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: Is it bad? Is it?
• 6:07
  Speaker 3: Are there going to have to be rule changes coming
• 6:09
  Speaker 3: out because of how you know, long and explosive everybody is.
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: Well.
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: When I when I first came into the league, uh,
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: you know, and in your reference small players, remember it
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: was very controversial around that time when I was taken
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: as the number two pick in the draft, and and
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: all the point guards at that time had sized up.
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: Magic was the prototype, and everyone was playing with a
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: six nine sixty seven sixty six point guard, and and
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: people didn't think that that we could win with a
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: small guard in the back court. Once we won, then
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: everything started to level out, and I think it's gone
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: back to now bigger guards in the back court. Now
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: here's the difference. When we talk about controlling tempo, controlling
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: the game, and making sure your team is getting good shots,
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: playing right defensively and offensively, really quarterback in the game,
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: we see a lot of big guards that have no
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: idea how to do that. Now they have size and
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: they have talent, but do they control tempo? Do they
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: make sure the team is set up right, organized, right?
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: All of those things that come into play from the
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: point guard position. Tall the players right now at the
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: guard position, I don't see them doing that, And consequently
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: you have a game sometimes that really looks chaotic.
• 7:52
  Speaker 4: Isaiah, If there was one spot left in a hypothetical
• 7:54
  Speaker 4: point guard's nightclub and it came down to Jalen Brunson
• 7:57
  Speaker 4: versus SGA, and you were in charge, is the bouncer,
• 8:00
  Speaker 4: who would you let any he would own that club?
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: Yeah?
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: Oh, Jalen Brunson. Wowow. And here here's why I would
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: take Jalen Brunson right my size from Chicago, where's number eleven? Yeah,
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: and one in high school, one in college possibly may
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: get ready to win in the NBA. Jalen Brunson has
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: and is always been a winner. Now he's small, he's undersized,
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: and and so this is where I come from as
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: a small player. I have zero, zero sympathy for guys
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: who are six seven sixty six sixty nine genetic freaks, right,
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: and and they don't win and dominate. So I have
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: no sympathy for those because I'm I'm a small guy,
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: and I always say, well, if you give me the
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: six or seven eight inches that they have, then of
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: course I would be better. But if you make everybody
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: the same size as six', one could they do what we?
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: Do so here's the. Question IF sga was six y,
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: one could he do What brunson? Does probably. Not brunching
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: at six seven sixt eight can do WHAT.
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: Sga, does, Right so Brunts and it seems Like brunson
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: Reminds isaiah Of? Isaiah is that?
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: FAIR i Love, brunson and you, Know i'm a fan
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: of all the small. People, so LIKE i, SAID i
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: have no sympathy for big guys who can't and don't.
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: Win the genetically you, got all the genetic, gifts you,
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: got the, talent you got everything that you know That
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: god could have given you under the, sun and when
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: you don't do, it, REALLY i have no sympathy for.
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: You So I'm i'm in The brunson fan.
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: Club if your teams were facing a guy Like, wenby
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: what Would Chuck dally And Isaiah, thomas who was the
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: leader of that, Team what would you instruct your teammates
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: to do in terms of Defending?
• 10:23
  Speaker 4: Wenby great.
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: Question you know that we've we've never seen anyone Like.
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: Wenby there there's no right, now there's no defense or
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: there's no answer for him because because he has a
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: skill set and and he has a he has a
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: six to one. Mindset So, wimby although he he is
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: the biggest guy out on the, court he comes to
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: the game with a six to one small guy skill
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: set in mentality and the and the thing THAT i
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: loved last night after the, game, Right i'm watching his.
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: Interview not That i'm a basketball fan or freak or.
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: ANYTHING i just watch it all the. Time, sorry But
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: i'm watching his post game, interview and the reporter, Asked,
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: hey you, know did it bother you THAT sga got
• 11:16
  Speaker 2: the M vt and they celebrated so forth and so,
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: On and here's what the great players will always. Do
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: they will always be honest about their. Competitiveness and he,
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: said straight, face dead, hand all that you, said absolutely,
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: yes and then went out on the. Floor you, KNOW
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: i mean that that's what you do when you when
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: you got that level of greatness about. You so what
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: we would have done With wimby probably Let wemby Be.
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: Wimby but the other four, guys we would have probably
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: had to try to do something to eliminate how good
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: that they were. Playing Like arper, had you, know an unbelievable.
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: Game even Though cassel had eleven, turnovers he had a great. Game,
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: uh you, know so they you would try to stop
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: the other, four But wimby right now that there really
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: is no answer for.
• 12:14
  Speaker 3: HIM i wanted to ask you about The cleveland, backcourt,
• 12:18
  Speaker 3: uh because you were talking about a six to one.
• 12:20
  Speaker 3: Mentality Donovan mitchell is actually six to one and somehow
• 12:23
  Speaker 3: doing all this stuff that he's. Doing and then you've
• 12:25
  Speaker 3: got you, Know James, harden who was a very let's,
• 12:27
  Speaker 3: say divisive player in terms of. Opinions do you think
• 12:31
  Speaker 3: is that the type of backcourt that can win a
• 12:33
  Speaker 3: championship or do you feel like maybe one or both
• 12:36
  Speaker 3: need to offer a little bit something.
• 12:37
  Speaker 2: More, no they they definitely are the type of backcourt
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: that can. Win AND i want to Give cleveland's front
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: office a lot of credit for recognizing that they needed.
• 12:53
  Speaker 2: More they they could have they could have stayed pat and, Said,
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: okay we're gonna you, know we're gonna play it. Out
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: but they they recognized that they needed more and they
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: went out and and they got another. PLAYER i, thought you,
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: know when they got, hardened it made a. DIFFERENCE i
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: Think New york went out and got a special. Piece
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: and In, ALVARADO i think he's A he's a difference
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: maker and a game. Changer. RIGHT i Thought atlanta did.
• 13:23
  Speaker 2: GOOD i thought a lot of teams that the break
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: really made changes to improve their team and and get.
• 13:31
  Speaker 2: Better AND i got to Give cleveland's front office credit
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: for Pairing harden And mitchell together because you know their
• 13:42
  Speaker 2: names on the on the, blackboard and you you gotta guard.
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: Him, Yep, Isaiah what do you make Of Jalen brown
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: after The celtics were eliminated going to His twitch channel
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: at saying that this was the most enjoyable season he's ever,
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: Had and he says that having one a chance beingship
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: just a couple of years. Ago what did you make of?
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: That? WELL i think you know from a personal, gratification
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: and this is what you have to understand about THE
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: nba AND nba players and all Mindset remember there's only
• 14:16
  Speaker 2: four hundred and fifty of us or four hundred and
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: fifty of, them and then you're looking at maybe five
• 14:24
  Speaker 2: thousand who have ever played the game. Before so you're
• 14:28
  Speaker 2: talking about highly, highly highly competitive. People and every year
• 14:35
  Speaker 2: you got to get. Better and What Jalen brown was
• 14:38
  Speaker 2: speaking to was he got better as a basketball. Player
• 14:43
  Speaker 2: and so there's there's a personal pride and enjoyment that
• 14:48
  Speaker 2: you get out of improving and getting better and, Saying,
• 14:52
  Speaker 2: OKAY i am maximizing my, talent i am maximizing my.
• 14:57
  Speaker 2: Potential i'm not wasting. It so From i'm a personal gratification,
• 15:01
  Speaker 2: standpoint he takes pride and he, said, YEAH i did
• 15:06
  Speaker 2: good this. Year now from a team, standpoint you, know
• 15:10
  Speaker 2: he wasn't talking about his. Team he was talking about himself.
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: Personally he was in AN mvt. Conversation. Yep so you,
• 15:19
  Speaker 2: know let's let's let's not get it.
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: Twisted we twist things in the media, though that's what we, Do.
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: Isaiah we appreciate the. Time i'll leave you with one
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: final question. Here IF i told you way back when
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: when you were playing At indiana For Bob, knight that
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: one day way off in the, Future indiana wouldn't dominate
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: college basketball. Anymore they would dominate college. Football you would
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: have told me, What, ISAIAH i would.
• 15:49
  Speaker 2: Be dead and gone and you.
• 15:51
  Speaker 4: Would and here we.
• 15:57
  Speaker 2: Are, yes, yeah before we, go let me just tell
• 16:00
  Speaker 2: you this story real. Quick. Right SO i was at
• 16:03
  Speaker 2: the game In, miami and and you know How miami.
• 16:07
  Speaker 2: Is you, know we we we're there all of. All you,
• 16:10
  Speaker 2: Know i'm in the president's box and you, Know i'm
• 16:13
  Speaker 2: sitting with her and every and so we win the,
• 16:16
  Speaker 2: game and this is how amazed we. Were we didn't
• 16:22
  Speaker 2: know what to. Do we didn't know where to. Party
• 16:26
  Speaker 2: we you, know we had no experience in. Winning SO i,
• 16:29
  Speaker 2: said he shouldn't we be like tearing down the gold.
• 16:32
  Speaker 2: Post shouldn't we go like run up some cars and
• 16:34
  Speaker 2: stuff like, That like what are we supposed to? Do?
• 16:37
  Speaker 2: Now it was the most amazing. Thing and if you
• 16:40
  Speaker 2: go back and you, look you'll see all the, indye
• 16:43
  Speaker 2: all The indiana fans just standing in the stands like
• 16:48
  Speaker 2: hugging each. Other but nobody stormed the. Field. Nobody we
• 16:52
  Speaker 2: didn't know what to. Do we didn't know where to go.
• 16:53
  Speaker 2: Party it was there were no parties set. Up it
• 16:56
  Speaker 2: was it. Was it was. Unbelievable so even though how
• 17:00
  Speaker 2: to do it we, got hopefully we'll we'll know how
• 17:03
  Speaker 2: to do it next. Year, right Is he's?
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: Right they, say act like you've been there, before but
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: you guys have never been there.
• 17:08
  Speaker 2: BEFORE i, say, yeah we didn't even know how to.
• 17:12
  Speaker 2: Act we didn't know what to. Do we Didn't the
• 17:16
  Speaker 2: only thing we knew what to do is give each
• 17:18
  Speaker 2: other a high. Five i'm to be turning over cause
• 17:25
  Speaker 2: we're supposed to be like faring down the golf. Holes,
• 17:28
  Speaker 2: hey we can be hum.
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: Now final? Question make me And tailor feel. Better he's
• 17:34
  Speaker 1: our executive producer. Here we are big Time knicks. Fans
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: make us feel better because after Watching wemby last, Night i'm.
• 17:41
  Speaker 1: Depressed so do you think The knicks will make it
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: to THE Nba? Finals and if they do, well they
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: have a shot at beating either of those?
• 17:47
  Speaker 2: TEAMS i think you got a replay Of New york
• 17:54
  Speaker 2: And San antonio in the. Finals nice And San. Antonio
• 17:58
  Speaker 2: remember they came With robins And duncan And New brooks
• 18:03
  Speaker 2: coming in with what they. Got San antonio's got a.
• 18:06
  Speaker 2: Repeat now they Got wimby And New york will probably
• 18:11
  Speaker 2: be the, underdog but you know they'll put up a good.
• 18:14
  Speaker 2: Fight AND i think you're going to see A New
• 18:16
  Speaker 2: York San antonio final. Again All, right.
• 18:19
  Speaker 1: All, RIGHT i feel. Better thank, You. Isaiah it's been
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: way too. Long hopefully we'll do this again more often
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: and do it again. Soon but we appreciate the time
• 18:27
  Speaker 1: during a very busy time for, You so thank you
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: for Doing.
• 18:30
  Speaker 2: Isaiah always good to talk to you, guys and enjoy
• 18:34
  Speaker 2: yourself and stay healthy and keep smiling and do a
• 18:37
  Speaker 2: great job on your. Show all, right thank.
• 18:40
  Speaker 1: You we appreciate.
• 18:41
  Speaker 2: That