Goulet

Transcribed from ESPNs/Grantlands Bill Simmons BS Report podcast

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BS: so today we are joined by Thunder GM, Goulet, also known as "The Master of Panic" and a pseudo mad scientist of sorts...... Goulet... How do you feel about being called "The Master of Panic?"

G: Eh, I proudly wear the title. You're not gonna win every trade, we know that, but the key is avoiding the bad ones, and we've surely had our fair share, hence the Moniker.... But if we didnt make any moves we wouldn't have been as successful as we have been.

BS: Take me back to when the team was in Dallas and then moved to OKC. What was that like, being that you were kept on as GM.

G: I loved Mark Cuban. Hes a great owner. He's so passionate about everything.

BS: Do you think he was too involved as an owner?

G: he definitely was involved, and while I wouldn't say he's TOO involved, with his input on things I think we both ramped up our intensity which led to some possible panic trades.

BS: What was the worst trade you ever made, and possibly one you didn't make?

G: what u mean post Westbrook for Rubio and pieces.....

BS: yeah that didn't work out so well

G: in either case that was the worst. BUT he's back and we are glad to have him here. He's been a stabilizing factor on our youngsters.

BS: the one you didn't make?

G: Well when we had KD, getting him possibly being the best trade we ever made, he was still an elite talent and before we were ready to let him move on Orlando had offered us Clarence Harvey in a pkg. KD was the face of our franchise so we passed but that's one you look at now and wonder about.

BS: well aside from initially having Westbrook and then KD, you haven't really had the luxury of having an ELITE MVP type player but have still been quite successful. That's extremely tough to do and stay in a winning mode. How do you guys stay so consistent?

G: that's true. We've never had the luxury of an elite talent in their prime, but we've had some legit allstars. The key for us is having a vision of what a winning team looks like and finding the right players to fill those roles. There are some varying views on what makes a winning team in the KVBL, and aside from having elite talent, when you don't you need to be smart. We saw a ton of value in players like Aeneas Bailey and Kris Karambo when others didn't and they worked out just fine.

BS: tell me about Anus. He wasn't very happy getting dealt after signing that extension.

G: Def one of my fave players ever to have played for me and he was surely loyal. Real problem we had was knowing we prob couldn't keep Kris and it led to a variety of trades.

BS: bad trades?

G: well the Javale trade for Josh Smith seemed to make sense. But on the court we underestimated Javales impact on defense as well as our efficiency on offense and it really hurt us.

BS: yeah you really value effiency and certain ratings way more than other guys don't you?

G: well again bill, when you don't have a Top 10 player you need to stay efficient to compete especially now with some very top heavy teams. We do tend to value certain player evaluations more than other GMs but that system has translated into success for us. We strongly value fg% and 1-9s, ESP on defense and when you can find some nice 1-9s on offense to take advantage of its even better. That method has really helped us find some solid value guys on cheap contracts.

BS: well lets get back to Bailey. After last years debacle he was traded and pretty quickly.

G: well we knew he was our best asset to grab a multitude of pieces and the Spurs came in with a solid offer.

BS: I heard they offered Webb and Irons and you forced their hand on Yoruba?

G: well for us Webb and Irons were very attractive pieces but Yoruba provides something unique that we've never had in OKC and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to land YeYo.

BS: yeah he was an instrumental part on HOU title the. He got benched and banished to the Spurs where he was their 3rd big.

G: I agree. He doesn't foul a lot for a guy that bangs the glass and can block shots outta nowhere. He adds an element we've never had.

BS: yeah he's averaging like 11 rebounds and 4 blocks so far and you locked him up to a reasonable extension. Great work. Now tell me about these other guys. Basically it's GDA and an entirely new basketball team and you're still solid.

G: well let's credit Stan here a bit too. He knows how to create mismatches as well. But in either case getting Westbrook back to run the point was key cuz it gave us scoring and created a dynamic duo with GDA that's tough to
Handle. Aaron is still a key man because of his leadership, defensive skills, and wants to make everyone around him better. We knew YeYo could start at PF or C so the other pieces of the puzzle was at SF and C.

BS: well on draft day you traded Darren Webb for the Russian Tim Tebow, Dmitriy Mikhailov. How'd that come about?

G: well first of all, he's a great kid, and he's a natural fit for us since he played at BYU. Despite his early struggles he will be fine..... Darren made it clear to us he didn't wanna be in OKC and wanted to contend so we looked at every possible scenario we were presented with. On draft day we hadn't even scouted the top guys since we only had a 2nd rounder, but when Mikhailov started to slip and Boston wanted out we saw the value. We contacted an ECF and discussed Miks skillset and we were extremely impressed. Boston didn't want his TO issues next to Xerxes let alone this Mormon kid from BYU going to Boston so it ended up being pretty smooth. We are really excited to see how he can develop. He's already very skilled offensively, just needs to foul a bit less.

BS: and in the offseason you also added Benedict Brown and Karol Olak and just traded for wing Frank Fielding yesterday. Tell me about Benedict Brown. He's got the greatest Afro I've seen since the 70s but quite honestly he seems like a lunatic. I heard he punched a guy on the Knicks.

G: yeah the Knicks. Come on. Some of those guys deserved to get punched. But yes, he's different. When he's on the court and especially in transition he's a nightmare for defenders.

BS: but he can't stay on the court. He's averaging 5.8 FPG and has fouled out like 5 times already. And some of those fouls aren't ticky tack. He laid out Travis Perry in Utah. I'm also not so sure he didn't foul out and renter the game wearing someone else's jersey. I mean you can't hide that Afro Goulet. But I'm pretty sure after he laid out Perry the refs feared for their lives.

G: he's intense.

BS: that's it? Intense. Damn. He sure is fun to watch though.

BS: what about Del Vecchio? I hear this kids a total primadonna. How's he fit on a team with GDA, Brown and Westbrook. He's a sneaky thief but seems too nice. He didn't even play for Chicago last year yet coaches always rave about him. Something's not right there.

G: well he's friends with Arturo (Sanz) and we def heard about his skills. He's played well for us so far. He defends the 4 better than the 3 but is more suited skill wise to be a 3...... (phone rings)..... One
Sec I gotta take this. Sorry Bill.

Overheard in background: G: done. Send it in.

G: sorry Bill I'm back.

BS: what was so important that u had to mess up the podcast.

G: yeah..... Gianluca has been traded.

BS: what? Where? Really. Like that?

G: Quebec. Along with Arturo and Diplarakos..... For
Mayhem and Raptors 1st.

BS: wow that's 4 Euros moving teams lightning fast. Goulet you don't mess around. Whats the take?

G: Quebec needed a PF and asked about Arturo. We def like his skills but he didn't play a big role in our rotation. Gianluca did, but he's gone.

BS: wow you don't like him either lol. And you add Mayhems expiring?

G: yeah and be will see the court. He's not just an expiring contract. He doesn't have the outside game Fielding has but he can also drive to the hoop and draw some fouls and cause some damage posting up smaller guards.

BS: yeah having a guy named Mayhem seems to fit your team much better than a Gianluca.... But wow this is fluid. Who
plays PF now in your rotation?

G: Benedict can.

BS: what?!?! C'mon.

G: yeah seriously. He has before. He does it in practice all the time. Frank was prob gonna start anyhow at SF cuz of Bens foul trouble, but this makes that choice a lot easier. Mayhem will back up the 2 most likely with Brown playing the 3/4 since he has more size.

BS: well you're def a little undersized but Brown is crazy enough to defend the 4. I like it. That's a crazy athletic
Lineup when Brown is at the 4.

G: exactly and to make it work properly we are gonna slide Mik over to PF and YeYo to C.

BS: yeah YeYo guarding the rim makes a ton of sense and might help Dmitriys foul problems a bit. Wow a live trade on the podcast. Goulet doesn't disappoint.

G: you're welcome.

BS: alright we are running short on time here but talk to me real quick about some of the other GMs in the KVBL. If I gave you a GMs name, what's one word you'd say about them.

G: oh come on Bill this could get ugly.

BS: oh come on, just try it.

G: alright shoot.....

BS: Seacrest

G: lol. Of course you'd ask. "relentless". He tries to offer you the same guy til you eventually break down.

BS: see, not too hard. Zei Zao....

G: "the professor"... Simply put he knows his shit.

BS: Diss

G: "the enforcer".... From his horrifyingly graphic posts to his smack talk, he reps the KVBL well.

BS: Duck

G: "Respect"... He's got the hardware

BS: Kenneth

G: lol.... U mean lack there of..... Ok I'd say "stubborn"... He's stuck in his mindset and doesn't adapt to the landscape of the league let alone acknowledge those who do if they see it differently than him.

BS: bitter huh?

G: no. Just a bit disrespectful for a guy who hasn't won here in a long time.

BS: moving on..... BlakeJesus

G: "Calculated"... He's an awesome GM, and he will tell you that too, lol. But he's earned a living making trades Where he always seems to benefit. I've rarely if ever seen a questionable move.

BS: KJ

G: lol. It's perfect. Fantastic commish.

BS: Porn

G: "loud".... Regardless of what he says. It's always loud!

BS: Aero

G: "professional".... Simply put. Goes about his business. Always cordial and always competitive.

BS: JayKim

G: "tough".... Takes a lot to win that guy over respect wise.

BS: Brian

G: "bed humping", but thats two words... JK. "determined"....... Just to prove everyone wrong. Good for him and the nets so far.

BS: Memphisx

G: "draft picks".... He loves draft day!

BS: Smath

G: "tulker".... Lol. We want that guy in OKC.

BS: haha .... Apologies to anyone we omitted..... But finally finally ..... Goulet .....

G: wow that's tough. But I'd say "hungry".... We ate always looking for a way to improve on our system and our team. We won't stop trying to add pieces we think will help the team.

BS: well you're off to an even .500 start with a team of fresh faces, so good luck this season and good luck keeping Benedict on the court. I friggin love that guy. we will have to discuss this again come playoff time, you'll be there right?

G: we sure hope so. Thanks Bill.

BS: talk to you later

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Dre

What happen to them Podcasts

Goulet

Considered doing this as one but doing two voices woulda been just ridiculous lmao.

Need to immerse myself in this season though, and once I get a feel for everyone's teams I think I can do some KVBL sports radio podcasting

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Drizzy

A lot of the GM descriptions were funny as hell. Nice read overall gave me a good laugh hahaha

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King Joseus

Great stuff. The Goulet/fsecreast additions should never be overlooked as part of KVBL history.

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Interested in joining the KVBL? PM me for information.

Porn Player

Loud?


**** you. I've been on the down low for a minute.


Sent from my iPhone using VerticalSports

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jayk009

Nice Article..reminded me alot of RA

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KVBL Cleveland Cavaliers

omer51

same thought here..

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FRSL commissioner

Sonics

Dissonance

Kidd

fsecreast

Goulet

Was thinking the same thing!!!

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JerryWest

This post confirms goulet = RA, it's no wonder I always found him half retarded

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KVBL Basketball Sim, Los Angeles Lakers

FRSL, Los Angeles Lakers
Season 2 Champs (64-18), Season 4 Champs (66-16), Season 5 Champs (72-10)

Smath

good read

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KVBL/FRSL - Miami Heat GM

Goulet

Maybe one day you can contribute something more than smug arrogance.

Maybe?

You could've called me a RAtard and it would actually have been funny.

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