48 Minutes with former Clippers GM Dave Wohl

0:00 ... Animation and Welcome to the show.

1:08 ... Bet Online live commercial read

1:43 ... Bruce introduces our guest, former Clippers GM Dave Wohl

2:32 ... Dave recalls how the legendary Jerry West called him a pest and he took it as a complement

3:34 ... Dave feels that the Clippers have been hurt by injuries in recent years and adding James Harden has given the team a great new vibe. Dave also heaps praise on Russell Westbrook for how he has handled his reduced role with Harden joining the team.

6:14 ... Bruce admits he didn't like the Harden acquisition but gives James credit for playing the same style of ball as he did last year in Philadelphia and that is helping the team succeed.

7:01 ... Dave is concerned about the Clippers' upcoming schedule and feels like we'll know if they're for real after 8 or 10 more games.

7:33 ... World B feels Kawhi Leonard is a top 5 MVP candidate at this point in the season.

9:21 ... Ross wonders if PJ Tucker has a future with the Clippers or is a likely buyout or trade candidate later in the season since his minutes have been reduced. Dave thinks PJ should handle his complaints with head coach Ty Lue and not put them out in front of the public.

11:15 ... Bruce asks Dave if Lue and Russell Westbrook discussed Russ' new role in order to make the transition easier for him coming off the bench. World B shares info about how Westbrook actually reached out to Lue and offered to come off the bench.

13:47 ... Dave always roots for guys like Russ with that team-first attitude.

14:36 ... Speaking of passionate players, we discuss Draymond Green, who is serving an indefinite suspension. Dave feels that Draymond is an emotional player and you can't take that away from him and expect him to be the same player.

16:25 ... Dave had Kevin Garnett in Boston, who was really emotional as a player but he learned how to channel it and Draymond could learn something from him.

19:05 ... Dave feels maybe an intervention with some of his teammates might be in order for Draymond.

19:44 ... Bruce will always blame Green for his suspension in the 2016 NBA Finals that cost Golden State the championship and he asks Dave if Draymond is capable of changing his tactics this late in his career.

21:37 ... Ja Morant returns from his suspension this week and there are questions about how he comes out. Will he try to do too much or will he ease himself back into the first two weeks of action.

23:17 ... The Grizzlies have gotten off to a poor start and making the playoffs (or the play in field) is a long shot even when Morant returns. Will Ja have continued "off the court" issues?

26:13 ... Dave feels that Ja should no longer have his friends meeting him on the road and that he should be spending time on the road with his teammates.

27:09 ... We discuss teams whose "stock" is up: first we have the Timberwolves

29:33 ... Mike Conley has been a calming veteran presence for the young Wolves team

30:52 ... The Oklahoma City Thunder are another team whose stock is up ... Dave gives a lot of credit to rookie big Chet Holmgren.

32:33 ... Shai Gilgeous Alexander has been incredibly impactful along with other young guys like Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams. Thunder GM Sam Presti has set this team up for the future with all the assets he has stockpiled. World B points out how OKC is one of the three most "complete" teams in the league.

37:45 ... We then discuss two teams whose stock is down: first up is the Suns. Dave feels their struggles go beyond just the injury to Bradley Beal.

39:17 ... Bruce feels the Beal trade was a huge gamble and wonders if the Suns gave up too much to get a guy who has barely played so far. Dave feels that the jury is out on that question because there's a lot of season left and Beal could still make an impact.

42:06 ... We turn to the Detroit Pistons, losers of 24 straight and Dave relates a story from his first year with the expansion Miami Heat where the team was losing at a clip similar to Detroit. Dave understands how losing so much takes its toll on a team. Pistons coach Monty Williams is the right coach for this team since he will stay positive and keep teaching.

44:35... Dave relates a story about when Doc Rivers was struggling as Celtics coach and Danny Ainge publicly backed Rivers and the Celtics won the championship the following year.

46:30 ... The Pistons are a really young team and Bruce asks Dave if the team needs to bring in some older guys. Dave replies that it depends on the qualities of the guys since you can't just bring in anyone. They can't just be older guys looking for a paycheck.

50:00 ... The crew discusses the Giannis situation where he and Oscar Tshiebwe battled over the same game ball. Dave had a couple of good suggestions on how it could have been handled better.

51:30 ... Bruce railed on Oscar because his first NBA basket was a free throw and if he wanted the game ball, he should have made a bucket from the field.

53:45 ... Dave tells a story about his former teammate Calvin Murphy and a legendary on court fight that Murphy had where he knocked out a player who was a foot taller than he was.

56:45 .... Bye until next time