Jake Kleinberg
Appearances
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
So it's like you're happy that Wemby won because you love him, but you're sad that Shea lost because you love him. And it's like there's no rooting for anybody. The hope is like, I hope one of our teams goes far. That was always like, what if none of our teams go far? And with the U.S., you're making some good bets. But there's a world in which that happens. And then what do you do? So...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
Yeah, I think that naturally you have people you're rooting for, but I don't think there was one team that we were all hoping would prevail.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
I want to hear your thought first and I can tell you whether it's true or not. What's your bet?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
So Max Gershberg, who was the lead producer on the show, his job in Paris was to get the Serbians to warm up to him and that crew. And it was the hardest assignment of the whole project because the Serbians were the most serious. Coach Pesic ran a very, very tight ship. And I think that Max had to do a lot of work to convince those guys that this was worth their time.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
So the Serbians were actually one of the harder ones to crack because the tone that Coach Pesic said was nothing matters besides basketball. And I don't care if you're in Paris and your family's here. You need to go run on the track more instead of go have dinner with them. So they were fun once they won a medal. They were very fun. But that was the last day.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
We were one of the last days we were shooting. I think that the Canadians were the loosest team. Like they had cool music playing in practice. They were very like, they had a swagger about them that just like kind of jumped out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
They were cool, man. I think Shay set the tone of just like Jordy is a really cool dude. He's like very human. The French were also really fun to be around. Boris Diaw we got really close with. He was awesome. But they had a lot of pressure on them. And any time they left where they were, the media was insane around them. So I think it was harder for them to kind of let loose.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
And then the USA basketball team was, it was so fun to be around, but it was, they had so much attention that it was hard to gain the access there because just everyone was trying and you were one of a hundred people trying to get in with them. So yeah, each team had a different personality.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
That's awesome to hear because I guess hanging out each day, you didn't know what you were going to get, right? There was there's this unexpected mystery to like, OK, what does today have for us when you're trying to it's sort of a moving target storytelling wise. And I think one of the cool things about it is, at least from watching it from the outside perspective, you're wondering what was left.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
Like, what did you guys not put in the dock? Because there's so many moments that were captured. Steph, KD and LeBron celebrating, obviously, the incredible USA-Serbia game. But what was the moment that you or maybe the moment that you wish was in that dock that wasn't?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
Yeah, there's two that come to mind. One is we shot Greece qualifying for the Olympics, and that was cool because you saw Giannis in the locker room, and they're all spraying champagne. It was awesome, but we needed to get to the Olympic, to the tournament early on because we had so much to cover. We couldn't really fit it in.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
And then the moment between Ant and President Obama, that night we shot a dinner afterwards with the president and Team USA, which was amazing, but we just didn't have room for it in that moment because, again, we had to just get to the Olympics. Right. Those two moments really come to mind.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
But I really think we like our team did an awesome job of getting the best stuff in because a lot of these docs we shoot, we shoot over the course of like two or three years and you have a ton of footage to work with. And while we did shoot a lot, it was only from like June 24 to December 24. So it's actually not as much as you would think.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
And so we really just pick the best moments and try to build the series around those moments and sort of like tentpole them throughout the series.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
And trash talking Obama is amazing, was just no, it was not.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
Let me take some of your cringe away, because I think it speaks volumes of who both of them are, where President Obama. is creating an environment where guys are comfortable enough being themselves. He could easily come in and be like, I'm the president. How dare you talk to me that way? But he didn't. He was cool.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
He was actually kind of like getting more out of Ant by bringing LeBron in and be like, you hear what he said? So he's creating a comfortable environment for Ant, which shows how cool President Obama is. Then Ant is being completely himself because that's what makes Ant great. And he's comfortable being himself no matter who he's in front of, whether it's us or the president.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
And so it shows how cool Ant is. So while I understand it's like,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
Yeah, it's really hard. Episode one was the last episode we finished because you're just constantly making sure the setup is accurate to what you're showing. I think what you want to do is – for basketball fans, the dream team has been covered at Nazim. Like everyone knows the dream team in every detail and every game and the Monaco practice and all that. So the basketball fans –
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
The NBA fans need to see it from a different perspective, which is like you're telling a dream team story because you're showing how the world is catching up. For the non-basketball fans, you have to give them enough information to understand what the dream team was for the context of the show and then move on to the show.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
So it's a balance of like how much do you incorporate because there have been –
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
multi-part series docs on the dream team so you could technically do one you don't have the time in the show you need to make sure you're giving enough information to people who don't know the dream team and not enough not too much information where the people who do know about the dream team are bored so you're walking that fine line of like what's too much and what isn't um and i think that's always a balancing act when you're looking back and telling something archivally
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
That's really interesting from a creation perspective of like the first episode was actually the last to be created, which is really, really cool. You never think of it that way. We made many versions of it, but it was the last to be like that's where we're landing. Right, right, right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
I wanted to ask about the end credit sort of sequence that you guys had with Wemby saying the league better watch out or the world better watch out next. Yeah. Is there a potential for like a quarter cold two in 2028 with, you know, it being in L.A. and all that type of stuff? Is there potential for a second part to this thing?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
It's not my call. I have a cog in the machine. However, I think that basketball is ripe for that kind of programming, because when you have something that. Everyone around the world can latch on to. It's rare that it crosses country boundaries and basketball does. So when you have a tournament, it's going to be probably the most competitive ever in 28 because this one is it was competitive.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
The USA still won 28, I think, is going to be like there's going to be five teams that could win it and it's going to be close.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
So I think it's right for some sort of ancillary programming and some sort of doc around it, whether that's quarter goal two or something else, it deserves it. And not my call. So hopefully that happens. But yeah, I think it would be a smart move for a lot of people involved. We got to get Jake in there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
Yes. Words and Pictures was working closely with the women's team last summer. And I think that the hope is that the women's game is has never had more eyes on it. And rightly so. It's an awesome game with a lot of amazing personalities and a lot of just the talent is unbelievable. So now is a good moment to get that going.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
out there and to seize the moment and really take it to the next level and make sure it stays at that next level and doesn't just have a moment and go down. Um, so yeah, I think there is a world in which they're like, I think a lot of people want that. And so I hope that, that it comes to life because it could be very cool.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
That would be very cool because it feels like also internationally, there's so much talent there on the women's side, too, that's grown. Jake Rogel, thank you very much for joining us here. Creator of Court of Gold. Incredible Netflix doc, if you guys haven't already. I mean, spoiler warning for this whole thing, but you probably know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
You probably if you if you're sleeping under a rock, if you don't know what's going on. Jake, thank you very much. As always, Zena, myself and thank you to Dave Dufour. Thank you for listening to the Athletic NBA Daily. We will see you guys next time. Take care.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
Last summer, we were privy to one of the best, if not the best basketball tournament of all time with the 2024 Olympics. And a couple of weeks ago, we got to relive it with Court of Gold on Netflix, which was absolutely incredible. And we're joined by the creator, Jake Rogal. And look like watching this court dock back. As a Canadian, obviously heartbroken through the whole thing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
But on top of that, I think the thing that shocked me was the access, the level of access that you guys got throughout this whole tournament for all four teams, which was the U.S., Canada, Serbia and France. That felt unprecedented to me with the way that the league works and a lot of these players work. How did you guys get that level of access?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
Um, there's a lot of layers to that. I think it started with, uh, Connor shell who runs a company called words and pictures in New York. He's the former head of ESPN. I work for words and pictures and Connor was putting all these deals in place before I joined the company. So he was talking to all the federations about, to USA Basketball, to the NBA, to the IOC.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
So Connor really started the access conversation. And then the IOC being open, which they are notoriously private, that was a big part of it. And then once they did all that amazing work together to kind of put us in the positions, it was on the ground level just getting the trust of the teams and the coaches. Really what the IOC said was, we'll put you in the best place we can to get you
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
in the faces of the players. But from there, you've got to be respectful and let them dictate what you can shoot and what you can't. And we took it a step at a time. We just went to the coaches and said, we are here to document something. We're not going to make you do anything you wouldn't normally do. We understand you have a tournament to win. We understand your family is here.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
We understand you have 1,000 things to do, and making a documentary is probably the 1,000th thing on your list, and we respect that. But we'd love to just be a part of this. So it was started very high up with Connor and then kind of worked down to me and on the ground trying to navigate the emotion of it all.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
No, I don't think you can anticipate that. I think when you – I've never been to an Olympics before. This is my first experience there. So right when the tournament starts, not just the basketball tournament, just the Olympics overall, there is a ton of emotion right away. I mean the opening ceremony and they're on the river and Celine Dion is there and the Eiffel Tower is illuminated.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
You immediately are emotional. So you start from a place of emotion and then I think when you're in it, you're in this sort of like bubble of emotion where nothing else in the world is going on. So it's a ripe environment for some of that emotion to come out. And I think the job is to make people know that you can be comfortable being emotional in that environment.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
And if you feel emotional, it's not unique. Everyone in there feels emotional. And showing that is cool. And it's relatable. And I think when people open up like that, as you saw the reaction to Kevin crying. People like that. And it's because we all feel that way a lot of times. And so when you show it, it makes you feel human and it humanizes the person showing it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
So I think just making people comfortable in what's already an emotional environment is kind of the trick there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
Yeah, I think it also helped audience and the fans to sort of see Kevin in a different light and respect him in a different way. I think I can speak for a lot of people where it's like you really change your perspective on a lot of these players like Xena mentioned. And I think the fact that One of the other unique things about this doc was it took four different perspectives, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
The US was obviously the main perspective, but you had Canada, you had Serbia, you had France. How did you guys nail down those three other teams in terms of picking which teams could kind of go far in this tournament? And were you guys silently rooting for some of these teams to make it further to make this thing work? Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
So I'll get to the first part with the teams. So, again, this is Connor and a lot of conversations happening without me there. But Team USA was the obvious choice because win or lose, they had to be in it. They're kind of the story, the great white shark. France was another pretty obvious choice because they're the home country. Silver medal in the Tokyo Olympics.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
Victor Wambinyama being one of the biggest stars in the game. That's kind of an obvious choice. Those last two spots, though, Canada was more obvious than people would think, I think, because they had I think it was the second most NBA players behind the United States and their team. Yep. You have Shea. They have a basketball history that's pretty interesting that people don't really know about.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
And so I think Canada became like a pretty obvious third choice. And then the fourth choice we debated for a long time. And I was part of that discussion. And it was which countries have the most interesting stories that you want to let the world know. and who actually have a chance.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
And Serbia came to mind, one, because of the rich basketball history and the war and just how compelling that story is, but also because they won the silver medal at the FIBA World Cup in 23 without Jokic. So you add the best player in the world to a team that's already successful, you think like, okay, that could go well.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pistons beat Celtics + "Court of Gold" behind the scenes
As far as who we're rooting for, immediately the groups were made, and it was USA and Serbia in one group, so we knew they'd be playing each other. And then as the tournament unfolded, you have Canada and France in the first game of the knockout round. So there's conflicting feelings all over the place because you develop relationships with people on every team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Please let us know your honest thoughts about our shows and also about your podcasting habits. It would be a delight to have you do that. And now, Alex, tell me about the top stories this week.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
No rebuttal. No notes on the technical extent. Mine is... A stat that I think really helps define why some of these teams have been so good defensively this year and why I would take a few of these teams in a way everybody's taking them seriously as contenders. But the top three teams in restricted area field goal percentage, opponent field goal percentage, so how they're defending the rim.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Cleveland Cavaliers, 62%. That's what they're allowing at the rim. Oklahoma City Thunder are second at 62.5. And then the Boston Celtics are 63.9. Those are the top three teams basically in rim defense this year. I just thought that was super interesting because I think if you were to poll people, those are probably like the three teams that you would think are like the strongest title contenders.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
And I think that something that Aids that is just the fact that they can defend the rim so well. Yeah. And, you know, you look at even like the Thunder, they just don't even allow that many attempts at the rim. I think their third and third fewest rim attempts in the league. So I just thought that was interesting to just see where they're at.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
I mean, then you look at the others and I found a couple of these. Very, very interesting when you think about the playoffs and how things slow down and teams are trying to get paint touches to spray the ball out. And a couple teams that you think, yeah, it makes sense. Washington Wizards have the worst field goal percentage in the restricted area, 70.5%. Very bad. Utah Jazz, 29th at 69%. Nice.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Third, this is fascinating. Well, bless you, Al. I could hear your sneeze, by the way. What? We'll leave that in. Oh, I pressed the wrong button to mute it. He's allergic to such bad rim defense. The Clippers are the third worst team in rim defense in the NBA. Teams are shooting 68.6%.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
in the restricted area against them and then philly which makes sense but then you have the los angeles lakers which when you think about their personnel like yeah it makes sense but you just wonder if teams are shooting 68 in the restricted area and teams are able to get there on both the lakers and clippers i just think that is a pretty big achilles heel for both those teams
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
that if if either one of them are going to take big steps forward i think like that's where they take steps forward in the off season it's like finding guys that can really defend and block off the rim um but for both the la teams i just think that that is particularly interesting um when even thinking about a memphis and we'll talk about memphis i i think less of memphis now than i ever have but they're the team that drives the most in the league
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
And if they played the Lakers in round one, I think a lot of people would dismiss Memphis. But that's a team that gets a ton of paint touches. They drive more than anybody in the NBA. And so when you're thinking about a four or five matchup, I think that that stat is something that I would circle going into a series like that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
He's been great. Very, very impressive. Okay. So my, my player of the week is not one player, but I actually had this conversation with Trey Kirby earlier this week. He did a list of eight X factors going into the playoffs. And I've got a bone to pick with, with our, with our guy, Trey Kirby from the no dunks pod, which I'm sure you guys listen to because it's spectacular. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
So here are the eight guys that he had as X-Factors. Jamal Murray, Mikael Bridges, Jaden McDaniels, Jared Allen, John Morant, Porzingis, J-Dub, and Ben Matherin. There's some of these that I don't have a problem with, and we'll add them to my list here in a little bit. But... Listen, I think some of these guys are just factors and not X factors.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
I just when I think of X factor, I don't think of guys that I think of. Okay, so you take the Lakers, for instance. Yeah. There are guys that have clear expectations for what's going to happen with them, right? Luka Doncic, LeBron James. To me, you can't call them X factors because they're just going to be there. They are just factors. You know what to expect. You need them to be what they are.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
in order to win and then you're going to have these other guys that rise up around them that become the x factors like the robert ory's of the world is like one of like the biggest x factors in the history of the nba um you think about kcp and bruce brown on that denver run like those were x factors in my opinion that really led to them winning the title and so
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
To me, there are a few that I want to keep for this list that are, I do believe, X factors. But I would like to remove some of these because, in my opinion, they're just factors, not X factors. So the guys I would like to keep, I think Ben Mathurin is a great X factor for the Pacers. I think he is somebody that I think...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
you know, on a night where they need a scoring lift, like he could have a big game and help them win a playoff game. Sure. Jaden McDaniels. I think that he is also an X factor. He's been up and down this season. He's had great months.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
He's had terrible months, but they need him, um, to be an X factor where you have like your stable starters and guys that are going to contribute in ant and Randall and go bear. Like, I feel like those are like the factors of the team, but Jaden McDaniels, if he had like a game where he hit six threes X factor, um, Um, I'll accept Porzingis because they basically won the title without him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
And if he was healthy and could play throughout the playoffs, I think that's the next factor. And then Jared Allen, I'll accept Jared Allen. I think that he's probably like, like the fourth best player on the team. Sure.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Like, because those are those are more in the vein of X factors in my in my opinion. Yes, but I'm just saying, like, I'll accept.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
So the other X factors, I would say, and I really try to think about teams that I think could make like really big runs in the playoffs if they somehow just had a crazy playoffs. that I think it would make a huge impact. Number one, Christian Brown for the Denver Nuggets. He's had a spectacular season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
He's been a monster in transition and a guy that if he can score at the level that he's capable of, can help the Nuggets get to the West Finals and beyond. I think that's an X factor.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Yeah, that's an X factor as well. I'll put, I'll put Russ in there too. See, we're on the same wavelength here. I have Rui Hachimura in here as well for the Lakers. I think that they need him in order to play small ball. They need him to be at the top of his game in LA. That's a huge X factor. I think Brandon Pajemski...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
For the Warriors, he's also a pretty big X factor in that when Steph's off the court, where do they go? Jimmy has been okay for them in spots, but I think that he's a pretty big guy for them. And then Josh Hart for the Knicks, I think he's a pretty big swing player.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Yeah. Yeah. Without without the factors, you can't have the X factors.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
That's a good question. Let us know, actually. Payton Pritchard? Pritchard could swing. If Payton Pritchard swings five games in the... Yeah, I was going to say, if he swings five games in the playoffs, I'm not going to be surprised with his shooting.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Wigs will swing games. Yeah. And Alex Caruso, I think, is a good X Factor, too, who doesn't play a ton of minutes. Yeah. That could be another one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
I'm glad they let him do it. I'm glad. I'm glad that Patrick Williams let him just blow by him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
It was so fun. And like the pure joy on the bulls rock, like for the bulls roster too, it was like so much fun. Giddy's response. Like he was so into it. There's a fan that's like running down the sidelines.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
it was it seriously it had it had it all it was so much fun to watch them somebody that does not have it all is the Memphis Grizzlies don't even have a coach when we're going to talk to Keith Parrish about that team right after this quick break music
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
It's Keith Parrish, who hosts the Grits and Grinds podcast, which is a great Grizzlies podcast. I find it very entertaining. I love listening to Keith. He also hosts Fast Break Breakfast with our friend Dave DeFore, which is also a very fun listen. Keith, I don't even know what to say. I'm just honestly so glad that you're here with us right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Yesterday.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
What are the possible reasons that they would do this though? Like right before the playoffs, like, like it's, we're just right around the corner from what could be like pretty important little playoff run for the Grizzlies and for anybody in the West. Like why now is just the question that I just find myself having no answer for.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
It's very surprising. Do you have a guess as to who it's going to be?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
They should absolutely let you do it. Yes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Oh man. We can talk more about Zach Eady. Is that okay? I just want to know, like he was, he was super polarizing. What do you want to know? I just want to know how your opinion has changed about him since the draft, essentially. What are the things that you like? What are the things that you don't like about him since you've seen him play this whole season?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Yeah. I mean, I think that makes sense. I'm curious about Jha's season. Cause he's been, it's been up and down. He's in and out of the lineup. The, the, even the injury reports where they seem to be changing from day to day at times where like what his ailment is has been confusing to me. Can you just like, tell me about like, what, what are your thoughts?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
The numbers are down, but this is still a really good player in the NBA, but like, I don't really know what to do with his season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Welcome to the Saturday Slammin' Jam here on the Athletic NBA Daily. On today's show, we are talking about the defensive player of the year, our players of the week, and Keith Parrish. is talking about the Grizzlies today. And, you know, if you saw the wheel spinning, you didn't know. We didn't know what was gonna happen on Grizzlies week. We didn't know when we woke up this morning.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Um, I'll say, I'll say lower, lower.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Oh, okay. There's a couple guys that come to mind off the top, but I don't know if they're correct. This should be so much easier, but my brain immediately goes to centers and it's like, well, Embiid's not playing. I don't think Jokic does that. So now it's like, I feel like you've asked me this question before. Have you asked this question before?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Andrew? That seems like a good one to start with. Jaron Jackson?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
I did say the name. You want to commit to it? I don't want to commit to it. No, I don't. There's probably an obvious name that I'm not thinking of, but I can't. I cannot think of who that would be. Any guesses? You can just throw out a grizzly. Any grizzly.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Chrisley's rookie.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
I'm trying to think like that further back. Cause I just don't know that any of these, cause a lot of the bigs that they've had recently have not been rookies. Um, Shoot, I'm like drawing a blank here.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Complete blank. I don't know. I don't want to. I'll say Brandon Clark, but I just don't think that's right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Mark Gasol.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Who is the third? Holy smokes. I don't have any clue who the third one is, Al.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Hey, by the way, Keith, you were right. Tomas, however you say his name, is going to be the interim coach. Yeah, Isolo. Look at that. Knew it before it was even announced. Newsbreaker right here. Keith Parrish.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
He's the head coach of the Grizzlies now. Unbelievable.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Yeah, for real.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Yeah. I don't know. Is it the beat? I don't know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
The other three just first have 30-point games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
I feel like Keith is going to know this.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Oh, boy, Al. 30 points is a lot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Shoot. I feel like there's a lot of guys that could do this.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
I'll go Scottie Pippen Jr. He was really good last night.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
I'm pretty sure. I'm pretty sure this player did. I just have doubts. Also, I'll say Jalen Wells. I'm pretty sure Jalen Wells did.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
What is going to happen to the Nets this week?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
I actually kind of enjoy watching the Nets, at least for the first three quarters. I enjoy watching the Nets. Hey, go leave us a five star review just like this one from two five. Butler, a dunk six years ago. I don't know. Great show, good takes. Love Slammin' Jam and The Daily Pot as well. I appreciate how lighthearted the crew keeps it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Always has a positive or as positive as they can be with subjects like Randall or the 76ers. Approach to discussing teams and the NBA. Makes the podcast a fun listen for the jokes, trivia, and great guests. Thank you so much for that review. And then we have one more. From GWP 12, five stars. It helps me keep up with the NBA every day. It's the best way that I can keep up with the NBA.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Great podcast. Thank you so much for leaving those reviews. Thank you for listening. Please, again, go to theathletic.com slash athletic slash survey25.com. for your chance to win a hundred bucks. And also just give us some information about what you think about the show and then your podcasting habits. We'd very much appreciate that. Hope you guys have a great weekend. Enjoy the basketball.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
And we'll talk to you guys again next week.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Unbelievable. Unbelievable. I'm still just shaken up by the fact that it's Grizzlies Week and that we get to talk to Keith here in a minute.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
This is a bad thing. I'm terrified. I'm terrified. I'm terrified of what could happen later when we spin the wheel horrified. Let's go to our bet. MGM line of the week brought to you by bet. MGM. Al, it's Defensive Player of the Year, which is a bona fide catastrophe at this point. You have Draymond Green, who is caping for himself to be the deep boy, and somehow it's working.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
He's the odds-on favorite, which, honestly, he's a legendary defender. We don't need to dog on him at all. This is the seventh best defense in the NBA. I can't come up with a statistical reason why I would say that he is the deep boy. There's nothing there. I've done a deep dive on some of the numbers. I can't figure it out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
I didn't know whenever I was at the game last night talking to Taylor Jenkins prior to the game that he was no longer going to be employed. Incredible. Before we get to the top stories, I do want you guys to please go fill out a quick survey. We love the listeners of the slam and jam, the jammers, the slammers. please go fill out this survey. Theathletic.com slash athletic slash survey25.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Yeah, and some of it is that there's just not a lot of defensive stats that you trust. Whereas with the offensive end, it's easy. And so I honestly think that Lou Dort is a very viable candidate to win this award. I've said it on this show, the Thunder have by far the best defense in the NBA. It's not particularly close.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
And you ask anybody inside the walls of that Thunder organization, who is the best defender? Who leads the defense? And it's Dort. He sets the tone. He leads them. He defends the best player on the other team almost every night. He shut Desmond Bain down, which maybe that's why Taylor Jenkins couldn't get Desmond Bain freed for enough threes last night. I don't know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
He was one of 12 from the field, one of nine from three with Dort guarding him. Yeah. I think he's a viable candidate. Do I think he'll win? No, I don't think he'll win because he's a guard and the on-offs are not good. But the on-offs aren't good because he's playing against the best players. And they have Alex Caruso coming off the bench, who's been amazing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
And when you look at estimated plus minus... He is. When you look at the actual estimated plus minus on the defensive end on dunks and threes, who's number one? It's Alex Caruso. And he hasn't played enough. He hasn't qualified because he hasn't played enough games. But yeah, I don't know where to go either because I don't think enough people will take Dort's candidacy seriously enough.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Evan Mobley was... chopped down by Udonis Haslam on national television, saying that teams target him, you should never vote for him. I think people will take that pretty seriously. Dyson Daniels is on a team that's mediocre. Jaron Jackson has missed a bunch of time. And you ask around about him, a lot of people think he just kind of jumps for blocks, that he's not that great of a team defender.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
And so then, like... That's how Draymond surfaces to the top. One, he's keeping for himself. And then it's like, well, who else is it going to be? It is one of the stranger years for Depoy that I've ever seen. And I'm so curious to see how this all plays out. Honestly, I think... I don't think you should overthink it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
I think you should pick somebody from OKC because they do have a historic defense and one of the best defenses in a very long time. And they're almost three and a half points per possession better than the number two team in Orlando. To me, that should be enough. But I'm not stupid, Al. I'm not stupid. I know that this is probably not going OKC's way.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Three lucky winners will win a $100 gift card to Amazon. So please go fill this out. Again, that's theathletic.com slash athletic slash survey25. It's a mouthful, but pay attention one more time. Theathletic.com slash athletic slash survey25. I'll also put the link in the description to the show so that you can, have it there, but fill it out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Maybe we just need Thunder fans to just retweet that more. Maybe the Thunder should send that to voters instead of like a cookie or I don't know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
That's right. Get ready for the Quentin Grimes. He's been great. He's been awesome. He has really done great for himself down the stretch. It was a perfect situation, honestly. If you're Quentin Grimes, maybe Dallas would have still been a good situation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
But it's played out very well for him in Philly, and we'll see what happens moving forward there. My favorite quote, one, I can't quit the Bulls. at any time soon. I'm just, I'm over the moon that they're coming to Oklahoma city on Monday and I get to go watch them in person. I just can't, I got, I'm just so excited about that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
During not this past Lakers game, but the one before Stacey King on the broadcast, Kobe white pulled up like for a really deep three and made it. And it was kind of like a heat check three. And yeah, He said, that's Denzel Valentine range, which like one, it's like super like inside Bulls basketball to reference this.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
But it was from the bubble when Denzel Valentine pulled up for maybe like one of the worst threes in Bulls history and misses it. Just like absolutely killing any chance for the team to win. Just like no recognition of like. Time and score. I mean, it's just funny. But the fact that he just like draws back to that just made me laugh. I just thought that was really funny.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
And what has been an outrageously entertaining run for the Bulls, you know, Stacey King adding to it. I just really love that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Trade Deadline Awards | Slam N Jam
Memphis will be fine. It is not going to move the needle.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
The new audiobook by Sebastian Fitzek. Now only on Audible.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Durant Trade Destinations + West Risers | Slam N Jam
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Durant Trade Destinations + West Risers | Slam N Jam
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Durant Trade Destinations + West Risers | Slam N Jam
At PwC we build for what's next. So you can get there now. So you can protect what you built. So you can create new value. PwC. So you can. PwC refers to the PwC network and all one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Durant Trade Destinations + West Risers | Slam N Jam
So you can get there now. PWC. So you can. PwC refers to the PwC network and all one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity.