What was your overall impressions like good and bad of like playing for him?

Yeah, I think like all of us Tommy, we're all to a degree complicated, right? We all have our idiosyncrasies and struggles and things like that.

No, he was not different.

He was a complicated guy.

Extremely gifted as a coach.

We all know he played for the Celtics, had a great playing career.

Won eight championships or whatever it was as a player with those great Celtics teams.

I couldn't believe, first time I played him, I was like, wow.

What was your overall impressions like good and bad of like playing for him?

Yeah, I think like all of us Tommy, we're all to a degree complicated, right? We all have our idiosyncrasies and struggles and things like that.

No, he was not different.

He was a complicated guy.

Extremely gifted as a coach.

We all know he played for the Celtics, had a great playing career.

Won eight championships or whatever it was as a player with those great Celtics teams.

I couldn't believe, first time I played him, I was like, wow.

correct correct what what hurdles do you think the knicks face trying to do that now i mean it's it's not easy to repeat right chris

yeah they've had uh the last eight years there's been a different champion So there's been an emphasis on parity.

I think not just in the NBA, in all leagues, I think it's healthy to have every market, every local market feel when the season starts that they have a chance.

Even deep into the season now, the way the NBA is set up, they have got the play-in tournament, which now there used to be just only eight teams made the postseason.

Now there's a possibility of 10.

So it's more exciting towards the end of the season.

I think it curbs tanking through the middle to the late part of the season.

I mean, you're still follow the St. John's from afar?

So before we get started with everything about Don Nelson and your relationship with him, just your thoughts on the Warriors off-season, uh, coming into this new season, the 2026-27 year.

Vante, Monty, and Dalton, great to see you guys.

Good to be with you.

Yeah, look, you know, you look at the roster, obviously last year they won 37 games, and for the most part, they're gonna keep that roster intact, uh, add in their draft picks, um, fro- from this past draft.

You know, but, but you gotta understand, when you make moves prior to, um...

Your prior moves always impact what you can do moving forward.

The big, the big move they made with Jimmy Butler, um, and obviously his injury's, uh, unfortunate, but that move was pretty significant.

Yep.

Do you, do you have the, would you, is he onto something? Is that the same experience you would call it? How would you describe being a player front office and what these, what the, what do you think the player doesn't fully appreciate that you finally get after being in the front office? Probably the number one

thing.

There's a lot of things that are not in your control, much like when you're playing, right? Playing, you probably control more.

When you get in the front office, there's a lot of different dynamics that are going into decisions that are made.

And a lot of times it's not your final, you don't have the final say.

There's going to be something that overrules that, usually money, right? And then I think your job is to make that thing as best as you can, even if you don't agree with it.

So they have those sayings about you agree to disagree.

How sustainable is this? How will we look back on how much and how permanently or how lasting the changes that the Warriors brought about will be?

And even if a deal is made before the trade deadline, chances are it's going to happen right at the deadline because you wait until the very last minute to see what else might happen, correct?

Absolutely.

There's a deadline for a reason.

That puts a little more pressure on both sides to a degree.

But as you said, Monty, the Milwaukee Bucks are holding all the cards.

Giannis is going to have a say on where he goes.

But for the most part throughout his career, he's been very cooperative with the organization.

How difficult is that to navigate? And do you have to have a plan B?

Yep.

They came from Philly.

Used to see Tom and Wilt Chamberlain, Paul Arizin, Tom Bresich.

Rich history, but like most teams, they did some down slope, so that's when I came in, came into a rebuilding situation.

Few years went by, in 88 we drafted Mitch.

I was here for two years.

We made the playoffs in my second season.

What was y'all thinking at the time? Tim Mullney, what was y'all thinking at the time?

Appreciate that.

Now, as far as...

You know, and you guys know, when you play, you know, you're gonna win, you're gonna lose, you're gonna score your points and all that.

But ultimately, it's the respect of your teammates, and maybe more, your peers, the people you play against.

So what- what Magic said to me, to this day, one of the most uplifting things ever said about me f- from a basketball standpoint.

When I first m- made my first All Star game, Pat Riley said similar things.

That- that still sticks in my mind.

Yeah.