After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 1

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That's BetterHELP.com slash positive. Hey, is that the new iPhone 15 Pro? Yeah, it's made with titanium and the Pro camera is epic. Just got it at T-Mobile. Nice. Yep, and I got their Go 5D Next plan so now I have the freedom to upgrade my phone every year. Whoa, I gotta get to T-Mobile. Get our best deals on iPhone 15 Pro at T-Mobile.com.

One year upgrade requires Go 5G Next plan, financing new qualifying device and upgrading in good condition after six months with half paid off. Have you caught it yet? It might be contagious. WEMBE fever. It's a different kind of viral illness. I know I shouldn't joke about that at all, right? That's so offensive.

To say anything at all about viral or contagious or fever or illness and definitely don't talk about how there's no vaccine for WEMBE fever because that would just be wrong. No, come on. You know it's all done in jest but it is pretty impressive to see the Spurs fans roll out the red carpet and it it's gosh it's so cool to see the the atmosphere for the debut there in San Antonio but also to see other athletes in basketball, outside of basketball, get so excited for him to really get integrated into the NBA. Summer League was one thing. This is different.

These are games that count. So WEMBE makes its debut in San Antonio and if you have not seen the intros and the introductions for the players but also the Spurs fans making this memorable in more ways than one. You better check it out.

There's an 18 second video on my Twitter, ALawRadio. The NBA posted it just before tip-off between Spurs and Mavericks and man it was a fun game. So a lot of fun to see those two teams go back and forth. So coming up soon, WEMBE himself, I wonder if he likes that nickname or no. Sometimes people get saddled with nicknames they actually don't like. For the longest time when I was a kid I was called mouth of course because you know I have a large one and it's loud and now I think it's funny but back then I got really upset. We don't always get to be called by our preferred nickname.

I have a preferred nickname but it's kind of funny like how do you tell people this is what I prefer please call me this. Doesn't always work out that seamlessly. I hope your Wednesday was seamless though. I hope it was the opposite of wild and wacky and instead it was calm it was serene.

It was productive. I hope it was really pretty weather. I hope it was a weather Wednesday, a weathered Wednesday. I got outside for the second time in three days and did a ton of yard work. So it was mowing the lawn on Monday and trimming plants dead plants or you know plants that bloomed much earlier in the year. Clearing out flower beds in the winter.

I hope it was bloomed much earlier in the year. Clearing out flower beds in the front and then this afternoon it was raking raking raking raking. It's really funny because Bob did not realize I actually have a leaf blower but I don't use it because I can't stand those things.

Someone gave it to me once. It's just a handheld. It almost looks like you've got a really large gas pump in your hand so it's it's yeah it's a handheld and I do not like it at all. They have the most obnoxious noise leaf blowers so I don't like it but he's very excited because he doesn't have a leaf blower and he found it in the shed. Oh you have a leaf blower?

Well yes but I haven't fired it up in probably two years because I don't like them. Anyway I rake instead but now I'm sore but it's a good sore. I like being sore. So lots of yard work which made my Wednesday worth it. Wait till you guys hear what happened with the company that was supposed to be cleaning my air ducts on Wednesday. That did not go as planned but we'll save that story for a little bit later on. I still had to wake up at noon but it did not go as planned and I got berated for it.

What I was just doing what I was told. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. If I sound like I'm in a good mood I definitely am for a variety of reasons but yeah fresh air and yard work and pretty weather it will do that for you. Plus the NBA is back with a buzz. Have you noticed because of some of the new combos, the new duos, fresh starts, new opportunities, and Wembley. I really am excited for the Spurs because they've been down for a few years pretty much since Kawhi Leonard left.

They've been working on a rebuild and Greg Popovich refuses to leave as long as he still has the fire and the passion but I don't think he would want to leave without the team being in a good place and because of the reconstruction, the rebuild, it's been rough the last couple years. So with Wembley in place now you wonder if it's a little bit like John Harbaugh and Lamar Jackson. Do you remember when Lamar was there as a rookie and took over late in the season he replaced Joe Flacco and John Harbaugh said repeatedly that he felt like he had a like a fresh challenge. He felt rejuvenated by Lamar and his youth and and the exciting game and really the the fun of working with a young man who was so talented and had such a great attitude but also a young man whose skill set was completely different from Joe Flacco's. It re-energized the fan base and it certainly did the same for John Harbaugh and then think about Andy Reid. Andy Reid same thing when it came to Patrick Mahomes and yeah I know he had Alex Smith for one year almost one year before Mahomes took over but you can tell that Andy is rejuvenated as well and how much he's been through in his personal life and yet he finds joy in coaching and certainly is still really good at it and he and Mahomes have a special connection. This is the third number one overall draft pick in Spurs history. I think I don't think there was one other than David Robinson and Tim Duncan. I could be wrong about that though but these are the three big men that they've drafted. Number one overall and so I wonder if Greg Popovich will be re-energized.

Certainly the fan base is. So check out the video just a short clip on my twitter A Law Radio. You can also connect with us on Facebook after hours with Amy Lawrence. If you missed my conversation with NBA insider Matt Moore, we talked about the expectations for Victor Wemenyama and also he explains why this is not just some other number one overall draft pick.

I mean there was a lot of buzz around Zaya Williamson too but it's different for Wembe. So make sure you check out that conversation. I did retweet the link and also post it on our Facebook page so it's easy to find. Our complete podcast is available every weekday morning.

Has limited commercial breaks and all of our guests are in their own separate podcast, own separate audio file. Coming up in not even 15 minutes, we will check in with Spurs insider Nate Ryan. He will join us in the wake of Victor's debut in San Antonio.

Can't wait to hear his thoughts. But there's got to be a first. First game. First game that counts. First game at home. First basket. Front court left. Dribble handoff. Sohan to Vassell.

Works right around the screen by Wemenyama. Back to Wembe on the pick and pop. We'll try a straight away three and that's from Devin Vassell. 13-7 San Antonio. On Spurs radio, you can imagine the broadcasters are pretty rejuvenated as well and it was a great back and forth between the Spurs which I would challenge you right now. Don't look. Just send me a tweet naming anybody else on the Spurs roster besides Victor Wemenyama.

That's my point. It's turned over so much that even the guys that came back from Toronto in the trade for Kawhi Leonard, they're not there anymore either. The entire roster has turned over. So if you can name someone else besides Victor Wemenyama, I will be really impressed but don't look.

Jay and I were having fun with this earlier. He is right now worth the price of admission. He's a novelty. He's new.

So there's that. But I've heard tell there isn't anything he can't do on a basketball court and that a man of his size with those skills, a unicorn if you will. Inside the arc off the cleaver pick and pop three on the way. That shot's no good.

Leave it on the floor picked up by Trey Jones. Spurs have a chance to delete LaPass to Wemenyama. Underneath slam dunk and a foul. The foul's on Maxi Cleaver and Wenby has ignited the crowd. 113-112. Spurs by one.

And the chance of Wenby, Wenby, Wenby coming from the rafters here at the Frost Bank Center. Doncic against Sohan in the jump circle. Screen by Irving. Lukaku was right. Switched onto by Johnson.

Now a lively screen. Lukaku was left. Into the lane. To the left corner. Tyree for three.

Got it! And the Mavericks in front one. 21-119. Irving with a 20-point game. Stop and go by Johnson hanging no good. Got his own rebound back. Goes up blocked by Lively. Picked up by Sohan and then stolen by Luka. Three on one. Luka bounce pass right. Irving will finish.

And a triple double for Luka tonight. Chuck Huberstein on Mavericks radio. The old grizzled veteran. Dino Luka Doncic is 24 and a half and it feels like he's been around forever.

By the way, I didn't realize this. He is, I mean at 24 years old, right, you feel like he's been around forever. As he continues forward in his career, we know that pretty much every time he steps on the court, he is potentially going to set some new record. But yeah, to think about the years that he's been in the league, I just had kind of, I don't want to say lost track of it. I just hadn't thought of it recently, like how long he's been in the league. This is year number five for him. Yeah, and year number five with Luka Doncic. Kind of seems like he just got here yesterday when he was a teenager, but now he's the old dude, quote unquote, and when Binyama is 19.

And that interesting is just the dichotomy. And I know we get this, of course, in every sport where new guys come in, new talented, skilled draft picks come in and they attract a lot of attention, but these two may be generational players. I mean, Doncic is awesome.

I can do without the flopping, but there are new rules with flopping, so he maybe won't be able to flop and whine quite as much. But to see Doncic with the Mavericks and Wembe with the Spurs could reignite that rivalry. But yeah, Wembe himself is 19 years old. He's got an early January birthday and Doncic is now 24. Oh my gosh.

Oh my gosh. Just by the way, just to put it a different way, Wembe Binyama was born this century. He was born in, what would it be, 2004? Yeah, he'll be 20 in January 2004. The dude was born in 2004. Oh my gosh.

That was the year I debuted in network radio and he was born. That's something. 2004. Right. So Doncic is a 1999 baby and now he's considered old. Yeah.

Oh my gosh. But isn't that neat to think about Mavericks and Spurs and the idea that they could each have these two generational stars that, and they're both international of course, but that we could have these two guys who kind of set the tone for that region of the country and we could get some really cool rivalry games and a rivalry that really looks like something moving forward. Anyway, ultimately Kyrie Irving with one triple all night. He gets a big shot there late and then Luca does have a triple-double. 33 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and a little bit too much of that duo for coach pop. It was a hall of fame performance like he does almost every night. He was great. Kyrie wasn't bad either.

So you know what? The two future hall of famers got us, they took over the game, but that doesn't really bother me that much. The 12 turnovers in the second half where we lost composure offensively, a lot of unforced turnovers, quick decisions, quick shots where we didn't really make them guard. That's a tough combination when they're scoring. Still though, he doesn't sound as cranky as normal after a loss.

Those questions, inappropriate. Sorry coach. He says there's not much we can do about Luca and Kyrie, but here's what bothered me. He started with the positive. When does that ever happen with coach Popovich? Maybe give it two months and it won't be quite so mellow, but game number one and all the fan support and for Victor in 23 minutes of play, he goes six for nine from the field.

He has three triples, so 15 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and five fouls. Welcome to the NBA, Victor Wembanyama. Lots of emotions of course, but you know would have been perfect with a win.

Felt surreal for a moment. I just feel very lucky to be here. Well, we feel very lucky to have you.

It is one game, but he already has the record for most points in a Spurs debut. Of course, I'm going to think about this game because it's the only game I've ever played, but it's a long season. Honestly, we got other things to take care of.

Our rhythm is so quick that we're already focusing on the next game. It was fun. We knew the whole building is going to be loud and everything. It's probably one of the best prospects to enter the NBA, so it was fun.

You know, for me personally, I like challenges, so that was a fun challenge. Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama in the building. Sorry Kyrie, you're not even top billing.

You're not the top name on the marquee. Coming up next, we will check in with a Spurs insider who was there for this seminal moment. Find me on Twitter, ALawRadio.

Hope you had a great Wednesday. Also on our Facebook page, I did go back and answer a bunch of your questions that you posted for Ask Amy Anything, so check those out on either our show, Twitter, or our Facebook page. YouTube channel as well. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence, CBS Sports Radio. I want to give the best show to the fans and especially in here, San Antonio and in France. We're all hungry already for the whole season, but especially for the next game because we want to start our season with the most wins possible to launch us for the rest of the season. So we're really eager to play on Friday.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. One game in. It's clear that the NBA will never be the same. Wembe fever is contagious.

Have you caught it yet? What a fun debut with the Spurs and the Mavericks and the atmosphere there in San Antonio. The call on Spurs Radio. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence here on CBS Sports Radio. We're really excited that we can talk right now to Nate Ryan, who joins us from San Antonio. KENS channel 5 sports anchor at the game on the court. Man, what was this like, Nate?

Amy, how's it going? I'll tell you what, I was just commenting that I still sort of feel the electricity from the atmosphere inside the prospects. It's almost 1 30 in the morning here in the central time zone in San Antonio, but it feels it's much earlier than that. Even though the Spurs lost, the buzz from the build up before the game, it felt like just sort of a celebration win or lose tonight for San Antonio. The fact that this player is taking the floor for them in a regular season game.

Going back all the way four months ago to the draft, even the draft lottery, when they knew they were taking Wambunyama. Really just getting him on the floor in an NBA regular season game. It really felt like the Spurs lost the game tonight, but it really didn't feel like they had anything to lose in terms of a result, just because it really was just sort of an exciting culmination of what's going to be the norm now for San Antonio fans moving forward. What did you see and hear with fans in the building pregame and then as this first game is unfolding?

Well, there was a crowd of 18,500 plus, which was a little more than 3,000 more than made it to last year's season opener. I mean, if you just look at it, first played the Mavericks tonight. They closed last season against the same Mavericks team in the last game of the regular season last year. That was the season in which the Spurs lost 60 games, the most ever under Greg Popovich. And fast forward to tonight, they're playing probably one of the more hyped season openers in recent NBA memory against this same team on national television. About a quarter of the arena has Wambunyama jerseys. You're attracting a whole new fan base, not just from San Antonio, but from Europe. It's not just eyes locally here in this community, but everywhere in the country.

I mean, you look at the Spurs are leading highlight shows on national programs or in commercials. It's all an excitement that's returning to the city that's kind of been in flux and towards the bottom of the standings the past few years. Well, we certainly led with Wenby Fever. It was the first thing out of my mouth on tonight's show before we even said hello.

So we're right there with you. Well, what did Greg Popovich have to say about his debut and his 19-year-old teenage sensations first game? He literally said quote for quote, he said, I thought he had a wonderful outing. And that's considering the fact that Wambunyama was in foul trouble most of the night, picked up four fouls there pretty early in the ball game and had to sit early in the fourth picking up his fifth foul. He only had six points entering the fourth quarter, but then once he really got into a rhythm there down the stretch, I think it was nine straight points he had during a period in the fourth quarter where he willed them to the lead.

That is when everybody in the building was sort of on their feet. Listen, this is a guy who's had the cameras on him for the past year and especially since coming to San Antonio. And we talk about so much hype and so many cameras, so many expectations placed on Victor Wambunyama's shoulders on his NBA regular season debut. The first half did not go as everybody around the league and fans of basketball thought it would go. I mean, he had six points going up at halftime and people were talking about him finishing.

Oh, he's going to finish with at least 20. He's going to be dominant because that's what he was in preseason. In preseason, he played four preseason games. Not one of those games that Victor Wambunyama see the floor in the fourth quarter. Tonight was his first action in crunch time. So it really was his welcome to the NBA moment. And for a period there, about three, four minutes down the stretch, he really did take the game over. He took one out from beyond the arc. He hit a wing three to, you know, pull them within two points, one 10, 108, and then the N1 dunk where, you know, Trey Jones threw a full court pass to him.

That's just something where the tallest guy on the floor go up and get it in a three-point play. That was probably the most exciting point of the game. But for Greg Popovich, he said word for word, I thought he had a wonderful outing because despite the foul trouble, he didn't let his rhythm get affected. It did seem as though Popovich was less than perturbed about the loss. In fact, he seemed very mellow to me. Maybe it's just because it's game one, but he didn't seem annoyed as usual.

No, no, he kind of was a little zenned out about it. You know, he just sort of accepted the fact that, you know, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving took over down the stretch. But again, too, I mean, it's game one of 82 and Greg Popovich and, you know, the time that I've been here covering him and sort of his constant throughout his 28 years as coaches, he's never put pre-season expectations on a team.

He's always gone out and let his squad go out and play. He's not a guy who thinks too far down the line in terms of, you know, putting expectations record on a season. I think that's one of the things that makes him so, so kind of gruff and unique at the podium. He's a little bit dismissive, but he really, he almost puts things too simply in a sense when he talks about, you know, his team and his performances. There's not a whole lot more to me to the eye at the podium.

Maybe it's something where, you know, I'm sure it's been befuddling journalists for a long time as far as what he, you know, goes into his press conferences. Sometimes people don't know if he's being serious or if he's joking, but here tonight, I mean, I think he's proud of the team's effort. Now he's, you know, he's on to game two of 82. Nate Ryan is with us from San Antonio after the Wembanyama debut and in an arena that was lit up from the very beginning.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence, CBS Sports Radio. Just before we move on, I do love about Greg Popovich that he is always all in on his people. For instance, when Becky Hammond's Aces won their second consecutive WNBA title, he was beaming. He was there. He was beaming. He was talking about drinking celebratory beverages.

I mean, he definitely will light up for the people he cares about. Yeah, the night that the Aces won the WNBA title that was last week, he had just finished his own preseason game. They had just beaten the Rockets on a Wednesday night, but the team he wanted to talk about to start his press conference was the Las Vegas Aces and he's long been a supporter of Becky Hammond. When you think about the tree of coaches that he's had in the NBA, you know, Steve Kerr played for him in San Antonio. Mike Brown was a former assistant. The list goes on and on with Will Hardy now with the Utah Jazz.

It's an extensive with Monty Williams is another guy. It's hard pressed to find a coaching staff where at least somebody on the bench has not either played for or coached under Greg Popovich, where it was kind of funny last week Steve Kerr first played in Golden State and Steve Kerr had said, oh, he senses Greg Popovich has rejuvenated now with a player of Wen Binyama's caliber in year 28 and he was asked about that and Popovich says rejuvenated? You know, he kind of threw it back at Steve Kerr. He's like rejuvenated? What was that? You know, was I not rejuvenated before that?

It's kind of a funny thing. Are there any limitations on Wen Binyama in terms of minutes? Anything like that? I think you're going to see the limitations come in, not necessarily in minutes in a ball game, but it's more going to be on games that are played on back-to-back nights. You know, the Spurs have a history. They were one of the first teams to institute load management, if you will. If you remember, you know, Parker, Duncan, Ginobili, sitting a game against Miami 10 or some years ago, but I think it's mostly going to come on those back-to-back nights and long term you look closer to the, you know, you hate to get looked too far down the line, but if the Spurs are contending for a playoff spot towards the end of the season, if they're looking to get into the play-in for the playoffs, it's going to be tough to sit Victor Wen Binyama, considering he'll be one of your most productive players on the back-to-back nights and he's, you know, going to help you win ball games, but if it's a case where the Spurs aren't contending for a playoff spot with, say, a month left in the season, if it looks a little bit out of reach, I think then is when you might start to see Ben Antonio take it a little easier with him, but it's less about minutes in game, because if he's cooking, you're not going to look to, you know, turn off the stove by any means.

It's more on games with back-to-backs, which is going to be worth monitoring. Producer Jay and I were joking about this earlier that we're pretty sure the average NBA fan out there, maybe even just the average sports fan, couldn't name more than two other guys on the Spurs roster and maybe not even two. So what else do fans need to know about the Spurs around Wen B? Oh, that's an excellent point, too, because, I mean, this is a team, again, lost 60 games a season ago and, you know, this is the youngest roster in the NBA, a little under 24 years of an average age.

This is, on average, per pay scale. This is the team, like, the Spurs average about seven million dollars per player this season. That's the lowest of any team in the NBA. They're also one of the tallest teams in the NBA.

They've got an average height of six foot six. They're starting five that they're going to trot out this season. It looks like they're not going to have a natural point guard. You're going to have times where, you know, second year, six, seven forward, Jeremy Sohan is going to be bringing up the basketball. Devin Vassil might be bringing up the ball.

Victor Wemenyama himself, if he clears a rebound on the outlet, he'll dribble the ball up himself. But Devin Vassil is a guy who just signed a five-year contract extension. He's only 23 years old. He's a sharp-shooting swing man out of Florida State. Last season, you didn't hear a lot of him because he missed half the year with knee surgery, but he led the preseason in three point shooting percentage. He's a guy who I think takes a big leap this year, particularly just because he's going to be on the floor. He's a lot healthier. Keldon Johnson has a ton of energy.

He was mic'd up if you were watching the ESPN broadcast, bringing a lot of bounce to the locker room. Zach Collins is another guy who's kind of like a Wemenyama protector. I look at him and, you know, if you're one of the older basketball fans, he's kind of like a Bill Lambier kind of guy where, you know, he's really in there as sort of an enforcer role, but he can step out and knock down a mid-range jump shot. Don't be surprised if you see him get involved in a scuffle. He might, you know, you might lead the team in technical fouls, but no, this is a team that's very, very young and very, very versatile in terms of positions. Luka Doncic is now a grizzled veteran into his fifth season at the ripe old age of 24.

Seriously, the guy's like, you guys are almost my age here and he's one of these guys. But cool to see him and Wenby on the floor together. There could be hope then for this renewed rivalry between Spurs and Mavericks. It'd be fun to see these two guys, both international stars, both, you know, players who are generational, maybe renew the excitement in the area around those two, but also around, you know, them in the same building together. Yeah, it kind of goes back to, you know, all throughout the the 2000s, it was Dirk Nowitzki going up against Tim Duncan who were two relatively international big men. I mean, Tim Duncan obviously from the Virgin Islands, but these teams used to have battles in the 2000s in the Western Conference playoffs and now possibly looking to move back to that. Obviously, the Houston Rockets adding some pieces in the offseason. Fred Van Vliet and adding a guy like Dylan Brooks, who's always looking to stir the pot. Dylan Brooks and Zach Collins had to be separated in the preseason last week.

I mean, they got into a little bit of a scuffle. Those guys will be a storyline worth monitoring here in the Lone Star State. But across the board here in Texas, I mean, obviously the the influence of the international game in the league as a whole, you could make the argument that, you know, looking at international players, you've got Wembanyama, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo. This is turning into a more international, you know, players game than it is, you know, here on the home front.

But it certainly is going to be an obviously Doncic's contract and what he decides to do in the coming years. But it's certainly shaping up to be where these two guys are going to be are going to be ruling the hardwood, especially here in the Lone Star State. Before I let you go, Nate, would you, and this is a guesstimation on your part, but would you say fans in San Antonio root for the Rangers or the Astros?

That is a great question. Not being from Texas myself and being an impartial guy, I would probably say here in San Antonio, I'd go 75-25. It would lean Astros.

Really? It would lean Astros. But I would say that a lot of that stems from more recent baseball fans, just because it's a what have you done for me lately? And the Astros have been, you know, doing particularly well in the last, you know, five to seven years. But I would say 75-25 Astros to Rangers. Rangers do have a local tie here in San Antonio. They're starting third baseman Josh Young. He's from right here in San Antonio.

He went to high school at one of the local high schools out here. So that'll be a rooting point here for folks in San Antonio. But that last series was a fun one. Okay, so it's not actually 9-30 at night, Nate. It's after 1-30 central time. So maybe your adrenaline will start to wane here in a little bit. But we appreciate it a couple of minutes. You can find Nate on Twitter at Nate Ryan Sports from KENS Channel 5 in San Antonio.

Caught up in wimby fever. It sounds like it's a lot of fun though, Nate. Thank you.

Yeah, the only prescription there is an Advil PM. Thanks so much, Amy. Appreciate it. Good to talk to you.

He definitely has got a lot of energy and enthusiasm. And I like it because that is what we bring here on the show. People ask me all the time, how do you do that? Are you drinking extra coffee? Well, no, I'm not extra. I drink coffee. But it's just because I love what I do. There are times when I'm dog tired. And yeah, the mic goes on and I can't tell you that I'm always coherent or that I'm always really good at what I do. But I can tell you always have energy, just the joy that comes with doing what you love. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence.

Thanks for hanging out with us on Twitter, A Law Radio, also on our Facebook page. There's more, right? There's more to get to. Kristaps Porzingis and Drew Holiday making their debut.

See what I mean? There goes the perfect show. I was so close to getting out of this segment. Making their debuts with the Boston Celtics in New York. There's a lot of close games that went down to the wire. We've got the latest on James Harden, sort of. So plenty to get to on night two of the NBA season. You are listening to the After Hours podcast. The buzzer and it is over. The Boston Celtics come to Madison Square Garden on opening night, kick away a double digit lead in the fourth quarter by riding the newest cell that Kristaps Porzingis down the stretch. They score a marquee win on opening night.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Well that'll jazz up your night. Some funky music and some NBA highlights, of course. Sean Grandy, Cedric Maxwell, Granny and Max on Celtics radio. Long time tandem on Celtics radio and just re-upping new deals and so they will be in place for a few more years at least.

Always glad to hear that because they're both good friends. Somebody's gonna get my tickets on Sunday. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Kristaps Porzingis back in New York. Remember? It feels like forever ago he was drafted by the Knicks and fans went ballistic in New York.

Who is this guy? Why did they draft him? And then he spent, did he even last in New York two years?

Three years? He spent most of his time in the Big Apple being injured. That's what he was doing while he was in New York. He was recovering from injuries. He was away from the team.

There was a lot of jabbering back and forth. He would go home because, you know, another international player, he would go home and he would have people around him sniping back at the Knicks and how they would handle their business. It just, it wasn't pretty and for him the journey has been long as you can imagine. I mean this is a guy who's now played for multiple franchises and ends up with the Celtics where according to everyone who's been around him, who's watched his career, he's as healthy as he's ever been. Healthy and more durable. This is just his seventh season. Remember he, I say international, he's Latvian. So yeah, made his debut. He was a relative unknown, but he was picked number four overall by the New York Knicks going back to the summer of 2015. 7'2", close to 250 pounds, but looks like a different man than he did when he was drafted.

It's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. We were talking about Victor Wemenyama scoring the most points in a Spurs debut. Well that's exactly what happened with KP, as he's called, Kristaps Porzingis. He also has the most points in any Celtics debut.

30 points. He goes five of nine from beyond the arc and nine of ten from the free throw stripe. Eight rebounds, four block shots, and that's one reason why Brad Stevens went out and got him because they wanted more of an inside presence and it was worth giving up assets that they had to find someone who could be not just a rim protector but could be a big body, a load inside if you will. So after his journey from the Knicks to the Mavericks to the Wizards, bet you forgot about his Washington tenure. He is now a member of the Boston Celtics and has a huge game in his first timeout in Terry Green.

That was awesome, that was awesome, I'm not gonna lie. Playing here at the Garden is always special as a home team obviously but also on the road here it's really fun and yeah at one point we got really crazy right when the fans got into it they made a comeback but we stayed poised and we stayed calm and we were able to finish out the game on making some big plays and some free throws and overall fun game to play in for sure. He has an innate ability to put two on the ball whether it's if they're trying to pop and veer whether they're trying to blitz him and so when he gets to space he has that, he's a maximum he's a magnet and so we have to just continue to get better at our space and get better at our two-on-one reads and they're going to look different than they did at times last year with him on the floor but because of him we can get to some you know some more post-ups like we did down the stretch and really change the spacing of the game throughout the game. So it's a different starting lineup for the Boston Celtics remember Marcus Smart is now with the Memphis Grizzlies and they lose in their first game but it's Jason Tatum, it's Jalen Brown, sorry I don't know why I have a hiccup, it's Jason Tatum, it's Jalen Brown, it's Kristaps Porzingis who played 38 minutes again the durability apparently according to people who've been watching him this preseason well even going back to his his couple seasons with the Wizards that that's a big change for him his health certainly injuries can be freak but the fact that he is more durable think a little bit a little bit like Tua right so Tua is being accused of of getting thicker but what he's really trying to do is is get bigger and more durable so that he can withstand any hits that come his way and the rigors of a full NFL season well that's the case with Porzingis he was leaner he was skinnier right he had to bulk up he had to be able to withstand the pounding of a physical NBA season that stretches on 82 plus games and that is now the case and then there's Drew Holliday in that starting lineup his first game with the Celtics as well and what did he learn resilient might have were down 10 points with four minutes to go we always have a chance so i think we kind of just banned together started executing on both ends of the floor and got the necessary plays that we needed us getting close the last two years and not giving up getting over that hump um allows guys to buy in more uh you know with the mindset of just doing with whatever each individual needs to do uh to make the team better and uh you know not gonna overreact it's one game we got 81 left but tonight was a good start so Jason Tatum, Jalen Brown, Drew Holliday they all have to figure each other out and then there's the element of Kristaps Porzingis the other starter for the Celtics lineup or Celtics starting lineup is Derek White who's been with the team for a while gained some major props last year for the defense but when he gets hot when he's in his zone he can definitely light it up and and then off the bench Al Horford which is interesting right he's now coming off the bench he's hardly ever done that in his NBA career but he got replaced to the starting lineup by Kristaps Porzingis other guys maybe you've never heard of before but that's pretty standard around the league right now a lot of new faces that need name tags in locker rooms it's after hours on CBS Sports Radio let's face the facts everyone wants to feel valued especially your employees in fact a 2023 study found 78 percent of business owners say benefits and retirement plans improve employee retention employees want to feel secure in their jobs and their finances at principle we help you invest in your people because investing in your people is investing in your business learn more at principal.com benefits products and services offered by member companies of the principal financial group Des Moines Iowa for important information visit principal.com disclosures this episode is brought to you by FX's A Murder at the End of the World starring Emma Corrin Clive Owen and Britt Marling Emma plays Darby Hart a sleuth and tech savvy hacker she joins an exclusive group invited to a retreat when one of the guests is found dead Darby must prove it was murder before the killer takes another life FX's A Murder at the End of the World now streaming only on Hulu maybe you're still new to this whole EV thing but those range fears turns out your all-electric Hyundai IONIQ 5 gets you to work and back all week on a single charge and now every IONIQ 5 comes with a complimentary EV charger and up to $600 installation credit when it comes to embracing change or thinking of every mile Hyundai it's your journey call 562-314-4603 for complete details 2023 IONIQ 5 rear wheel drive has an EPA estimated driving range of up to 303 miles actual range will vary with options driving conditions and habits vehicle and batteries condition and other factors available in limited quantities and select states only.