Roundtable Time!!

Camelot. Camelot.

It's only a model. First, let me welcome in our old friend who just left, I don't know, this week. C.L.

Brown is a Winston-Salem guy, but professionally, going back to his roots at the Courier-Journal of the city of Louisville. First of all, I'm sorry you're leaving, you left, but I know you're a columnist now, you're big time, so congratulations on that, man. How's it feel?

I'll let you know when I feel settled, like it's such a whirlwind right now. Nothing really seems real, you know, and I've only written one column, so you know, although I did already get my first essentially hate mail saying that he wasn't going to read me again. Congratulations for that, you've obviously done well so far.

Mama, I made it. So what was the column on, your first column back in Louisville? Yeah, just on being back, it was less celebratory than I would have imagined, just because of Monday's shooting, you know, and it just took a different, I felt like I needed to take a different tone because there's so many people hurting, you know, here. So yeah, the guy who wrote in didn't like that I mentioned, I said something about guns, us not having as a country the wherewithal to do something about it, you know.

Oh man, people hate facts. So be it. Yeah, all right, let's get Brian Geisinger in here. Brian Geisinger, Pack Bride, Devil's Den, covers the ACC for everybody.

All right, sir, are we ready to talk some hoops? I don't mean to diminish you, but you didn't take a new gig that I know about. Did you take a new gig that I don't know about, Brian? No, but I did make my freelance debut over at Fansided this week, scouting report on Jaden Epps, who transferred from Illinois to Georgetown. When I thought he might go to NC State, that was the inspiration for that. He ended up not going to NC State, he's at Georgetown. So Ed Cooley's newest combo guard, Jaden Epps, scouting report up at Fansided there.

All right, there you go. Brian Geisinger is officially everywhere. All right, let's talk about the Blue Devils roster. I'll start with you, Brian.

You're part of Devil's Den. Kyle Filipowski is back. Tyrese Proctor is back. Mark Mitchell is back. I assume that Jeremy Roach will be back, and they've got a bunch of players. There are others as well, not to mention four five-star recruits.

One who decided to, what, Mackenzie Baco decided to go back into the system and not honor his commitment to Duke, which is fine. Kyle Filipowski's return obviously got in the way of that. Your thoughts on where they are as a roster? Yeah, he also could be headed CL's way, Louisville.

That would be awesome. Possibly a spot to land him. No, I mean, I think this offseason for the most part has been a pretty big hit for the Blue Devils. I think it's played out, though, the way we thought it was going to. I mean, I think everyone thought Lively and Whitehead, too, for sure first-round picks. Whitehead perhaps a lottery guy still.

With the injury concerns, those guys would go pro. I think we thought Proctor and Mitchell would be back, and Filipowski and Roach were kind of the two, you know, wildcards for different reasons, you know. Filipowski has a potential first-round pick.

Roach as a guy who is not like a real NBA prospect. He's a great college guard, but as a guy that has with Proctor coming back and two five-star guards and Caleb Foster and Jared McCain coming to town, plus Jalen Blake's like, you know, potentially is he just getting, you know, is the program sort of like moving forward or whatever? But, you know, the TBD on that, getting Filipowski back is huge because Duke now all of a sudden has a guy that they can run offense through next season.

Filipowski is a guy that draws double teams. He can score in isolation. Duke occasionally uses him to run pick and roll as the ball handler. My imagination is we'll see more of that next season, but really what he does best is he pounds the offensive glass. He's a great low post threat in the high-low game that John Shire likes to run a lot of, and he's incredibly dangerous as a screener because he has the ability to pop. He can dive, and he can make plays as a passer and a finisher on the short roll. So, I just think he and Proctor sort of return as two of the best players in the league. Mitchell is a really solid, you know, team defender, backline, rim protector, and cutter. Nice role player, and then certainly with an injection of talent, and we'll see. Like they've got, it seems like they're going to be looking for a, you know, a screen dive guy and rim protector at the five spot, which is sort of like the one thing it looks like they do need on the roster in the transfer portal.

So, we'll see how that plays out, but yeah, it's, this has been, I think Philipowski definitely locking him into coming back was massive for Shire. CL Brown, who's now at the Louisville Courier-Journal. You had to go like 1800 miles away for me to ask you about Duke. What do you think of their roster, and also do you think there's a chance that the Cardinals could get the player that decided not to come to Duke? Yeah, that's certainly been the feeling here, and part of that is because of Nolan Smith, and you know, his involvement while he was still at Duke, you know, still kind of laying that baseline foundation in recruiting, and they need it, because of a four and 28 year, they need something to feel positive about. Now, they already do, you know, they got Trenton Flowers coming in, who's I think like top 25, top 30 kid. They got Skye Clark out of the transfer portal from Illinois, so they're putting together a pretty good class here, and after having a season, they had, you know, they're just looking to be, you know, gather some momentum going into next year, because for Kenny Payne to be a former player at Louisville, it was like the honeymoon was short. Once those losses start racking up, it was people questioning if he should even get a year or two. So, you know, I don't think people really factored in the fact that he was with the Knicks, so he wasn't still in college basketball for, you know, for two years, and that's when a lot of recruiting is done.

It's not just, you know, he could just pop back up, and all of a sudden guys would come here. So, so yeah, they're in a better position, and if they land him, that would be huge for their program. You were in Louisville back when Pitino was the coach, and maybe the beginning, you know, when Pitino really got that program back and going well. How steep is the hill for Kenny Payne? I actually don't think it's that steep, just based on what we've seen from, from say like Jerome Tang last year or last season with Kansas State, you know, taking a team that nobody thought was going to be much, and you know, they're, you know, a minute and a half from making a Final Four, you know.

So, I think the turnaround could be quick. They're getting enough talent to, I'm not saying Louisville's going to get the Final Four. Let me, let me pump the brakes on that, but you know, they're getting talent in to where it should be a big turnaround next year, you know. I mean, they, they should be competing at a, at a high level and back to doing what people expect from this program, which, which is good for the ACC because the ACC as a league needs the teams, the programs that are perennially good programs to act like it. So, I'm looking at you, Louisville. I'm looking at you, North Carolina. And I'm looking at you, Syracuse.

Yes. No matter what league, no matter what the sport is, like the ACC has, there are football schools in the ACC. And for a long time, the ACC's football schools, Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech, were kind of letting Clemson do it all on their own. And that's when people look at your league and go, well, it's not that good a league.

Yeah. But if those schools have, like if Florida State becomes Florida State again, Miami can, Miami's never going to be that Miami again, but if they could be good, and Virginia Tech can kind of figure something out to be an eight, nine win team, you know, kind of operate in the, even the bottom part of the top 25 on a regular basis. Now the rest of the league looks better because its flagship schools are better.

The same goes for basketball. So if Syracuse is not going to make the tournament, Louisville is going to go four and whatever. Georgia Tech's got to be better.

Brian, what's the future for some of those schools? Well, first off, to just bounce off what Ciel was talking about, like Louisville, I think is going, and Kenny Payne, will benefit very quickly just from having a sort of a more balanced roster. The pieces really just never fit for Louisville this season.

They struck out on some guys in the transfer portal. They really only had one guard that could kind of like make plays with the ball in his hands. Nell Ellis, maybe Mike James, some on the wing, but they started lineups, a lot of lineups last season with Brandon Hundley Hatfield, Jalen Withers, JJ Trainor, and or Sydney, you know, or Sydney Curry for one of those guys, basically playing three centers at the same time. I know Jalen Withers is now, he and Ciel are trading places because Jalen's coming to, leaving Louisville and coming to Chapel Hill. But Withers is one of those guys, you may remember from his red shirt freshman year a couple of years ago, he was best as like an undersized five, getting to play with Carly Jones and David Johnson, and all of a sudden he's having a play on the wing. So I think by just having more, more shooting, the pieces that fit better, more playmakers, assuming, you know, Sky Clark is a nice start in that direction, will benefit those, will benefit them a lot. I'm interested to see where Syracuse goes from here. I think getting JJ Starling in the transfer portal, that was sort of like one of the big first pieces to fall.

Starling's really, really good. I think he had, you know, maybe a slightly disappointing freshman season at Notre Dame, but if you were watching them late in the year, he was still doing, the film was still good. And that's a nice guy that you could have to run offense through next season. I think FSU will bounce back, hopefully getting Baba Miller committed to coming back for his sophomore season after the NCAA unjustly cut his freshman year in half is a big deal.

So I don't know. I think hopefully hopefully the teams will start playing better and there won't, won't be a need for, you know, Jim Phillips to have to call some zoom conference or whatever, where, you know, you huddle up the coaches to talk about the league's perception or whatever. Like, I think, I think this league has been undervalued in general. And if, again, if some of these sort of other teams in the top half can just jump up half a step or Louisville's not going, they're going to win more than four games.

Look, I like they're going to go to the final four next season, but I do predict that they will win more than four games. That is, I want to go on the record with that. That's big time. Brian Geisinger and CL Brown are joining us here on the round table here on the Adam Gold show. All right. Let me, I want to move away from, from the college game here and I'll start with UCL. Who do you have more confidence in? The Lakers or the Warriors?

Oh, wow. I would probably say the Warriors just because the Lakers have been, they're so inconsistent to me. We're just Anthony Davis tweak of a knee or ankle or something away from him being in street clothes.

I feel like that's always a possibility. And yeah, I just think the, the Warriors are, are better suited, have been through it together as a core, longer for sure. And, but I, I don't want to discount LeBron, even at, you know, even at his advanced age in basketball. I mean, he's still, you know, one of the best to ever do it and still will show you that every now, now and again when he needs to, but I would take the Warriors. Brian?

Yeah. I'll, I'll go Golden State as well. They have Steph Curry. He's incredible. Clay Thompson, you know, over 10, three through 10, three point attempts per game this season, close to 41% shooting from deep trade. Mon green is probably repressed a little bit, but it's still one of the five to seven best defenders in the NBA. Andrew Wiggins just came back, right?

Kavon Looney's had a nice season for them. So no, I'm going to, I would, I have a little bit more equity built up with Golden State and I do, I do think they'll win the I-80 rivalry match up here in the first round against a, you know, an explosive Sacramento Kings team. But, but the Lakers have a real nice shot against Memphis in this first round series. I know Memphis is, I think they were the best home court team in the NBA this year, but without, likely without Steven Adams, with Brandon Clark hurt, I mean, and not, and not, you know, out for the year, they're down two of their best front court guys, the guys that you would use on Anthony Davis guys that would, you would use to switch onto LeBron James and various pick and roll scenarios. So, you know, I do kind of, you know, I'm not saying I'm picking LA to beat Memphis in the first round, but this Lakers team, the way it is constituted now is differently, obviously, than it will look like in, you know, January, December, et cetera. And so even with LeBron James not getting downhill like he used to, it's still a dangerous team. But no, the answer to this, I think it's pretty obvious Golden State.

Yeah. I actually picked the Warriors to come out of the West. I have them beating the Lakers in the second round and come, I mean, who else in the West CL is there to trust? I mean, I'm not, I'm not like trying to fight anything here.

I don't know if anybody out there is, is, is trustworthy. Well, it's kind of funny. I wonder if the league would rather have that happen. Like, like, you know, the, the star power of, of the Lakers and warriors, or would they rather have it to where the teams that have been the best all year, you know, the nuggets, the Grizzlies and the West emerge. Cause it's, cause it's almost like, it's like, it's not fair. We know the answer to that. They want the warriors or the Lakers and they want that.

They want that series. All right. Final thing.

And this is where we are running short on time, but I want to ask both of you this, and I probably shouldn't have waited this long. Zion Williamson about what three days or so ago was asked about coming back. And he said, I'm healthy, but I'm not coming back until I'm Zion. All right.

I'll start with you, Brian thoughts on that. Yeah. I mean, I think if you can read between the lines a little bit and say that medically, this guy comes back and you know, the doctors, whomever are saying, yeah, things are, are fully healed. But I do think we can, we can acknowledge that there's some difference between a player and their body being diagnosed as a hundred percent and them feeling a hundred percent. You can even see the video of Zion going through the motions during a warmup the other night. And like he's dunking the ball, but he didn't look explosive. He doesn't look like, like Zion, you know, normally does. And this is a guy who like, you know, is played what, just 140 games through his first four NBA seasons. And there's a lot of promise and a lot of intrigue and excitement and sort of, the guy has the ability to go down as sort of like one of the all time greats. And so I would understand why he would be protective of that, but, but it is tough. Like if you're a, if you're a staffer for the pelicans or if you're CJ McCollum or whatever, I could see why you want the big fella out there because they were first place in the Western conference with him in the rotation this season. And he doesn't play for him played since January 2nd. But no, I think you got to listen to the athlete in these, in these situations and just hope that another off season, some better conditioning and some rest will benefit Zion going forward.

CL sounds got to play, man. I mean, there are plenty, plenty of situations where, you know, guys are not a hundred percent and you still go and play. And I mean, this team could have been, they should at least be in the playoffs. Like he should have played that game against OKC and, and, you know, just tried to cut it out.

Cause I do get, you know, definitely what Brian is saying. And, and, you know, there is a big difference between being medically cleared and, and feeling like you are yourself, but when you're that gifted and you make that big of a difference. And I think just psychologically, it would be a big lift for him to be back in the lineup for his teammates. Cause the flip side of that is, you know, I think people in the locker room might start looking at him sideways, especially seeing him, even though it might not have looked as explosives. Don't, don't be out here, Duncan and acting like you're going through warmups. Like just, if you're not going to play, then sit out. You know what I mean?

Like, like just shut it totally down and, you know, do all that when you're doing rehab or something. But yeah, and I love Zion, but I think, I think he should have gotten out there and tried to play. And I'm a Zion apologist to a, to a fault.

I love everything about that kid. But if, if you're Zion and they, and, and you say, I'm healthy, but I'm not coming back until I'm Zion, you should not have said anything. So you created a bad look by a, the layup line where he's dunking. That's part one. But part two is I'm healthy, but I'm not mentally there yet because the mentally ready to return should come first. You should be ready to return mentally and then push your body to get there and just need to be, you know, 85 or 90% physically to get back on the court. But if the physical has to come first and then the mental now, I mean, Kawhi Leonard has sort of been in this position for a while now, but at least he's got skins on the wall first, right?

He's got titles. He's got that performance thing. I want to get back to that.

I'm not going to come back until I get back to that. But man, I just think it was a tough look for Zion. And I mean, the league wants him to play too. So, but I think you're right, CL. Not that you're wrong, Brian, but I appreciate you taking the players part of this and I appreciate your time. Brian Geisinger at BGeist underscore birdies everywhere. College pro everywhere at CL Brown. Louisville won the trade.

Jalen Withers might be great, but Louisville won the trade. They get you. They get you. We got your number, though, so we're going to be calling. No doubt. Thanks, man. CL Brown at CL Brown Hoops. I assume the Twitter handle has not changed.