Havlicek Stole the Pod NBA Basketball Podcast

The Boston Celtics have played their first preseason game of their 2025-26 campaign, and with it, we can begin to talk about how the roster looks on the court together for the first time. Playing as fast as they were billed to be, Boston showed they can play another style of basketball when the rawness of their talent base demands it.

But they also showed some of the sloppiness and inexperience one might expect to see on a team with so few vets and so many new faces, hinting that there are still things to be ironed out even in the reduced expectations a retooling season brings. With that in mind, the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" linked up with CelticsBlog contributor Mike Dynon to take stock of what we saw from the youth movement and the vets, as well as the remaining concerns we have about the roster.

We also get caught up on the news while navigating some minor technical difficulties, so please be patient with any glitches while you tune in.

Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com

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Media day for the Boston Celtics has come and gone with the team upbeat about the season ahead, and training camp has started. What have we learned about this version of the team as we inch closer to preseason basketball, if anything? It is the norm for players to be optimistic about the season ahead at what serves as the first official team act of any NBA campaign (often, irrationally so), but one can often pick up subtle clues about the direction and plans of a ball club as well with a trained ear. Did the Celtics give us such clues about the season ahead?

The hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" took some time to sit down with Boston Dot Com's Khari A. Thompson to dive into everything we're hearing and seeing from media day and the first day of training camp, as well as what we've been hearing about how Boston alumni who have left the team are doing in their new homes.

We even take the pulse of the New England Patriots along the way for good measure, so be sure to tune in while we wait for the Celtics to take on the Memphis Grizzlies in preseason action next week.

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Which rising Boston Celtics prospects will make a leap forward this season? In something of a retooling season for the Celtics as star forward Jayson Tatum rehabs a torn Achilles tendon, the usual emphasis on deep postseason runs in pursuit of NBA titles has downshifted into a campaign that will focus on trying to find some diamonds in the rough among Boston's younger players.

More established players on the Celtics roster like Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, Josh Minott, Baylor Scheierman, and Jordan Walsh are looking to cement a spot in future Boston rotations. And the incoming trio of 2025 NBA Draft prospects Hugo Gonzalez, Amari Williams, and Max Shulga and two way forward RJ Luis are looking to polish their game as they look to grow their skills with the Maine Celtics.

To talk about what a successful development season might look like for each and the team as a whole, "Havlicek Stole the Pod" cohost Justin Quinn and guest Bryce Simon of "Pistons Pulse" and "Game Theory" sat down to hash out the finer details of a very different campaign for the Celtics. Check it out below!

Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com

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What should we expect from the Boston Celtics veterans this season? Much attention has rightfully been focused on the incoming and existing members of the roster who will be developmental projects for the season ahead, and rightfully so, given the importance of making the most out of this so-called "gap" year for the Celtics.

But while finding a diamond in the rough or two is important, keeping the winning culture of the team strong while continuing to expand the roles and capabilities of the vets should also be a significant part of the season ahead. What will that look like on a more granular level when talking about surefire starters like Jaylen Brown and Derrick White? What about players who may see their roles from past seasons and contexts change, like Payton Pritchard, Anfernee Simons, Sam Hauser, Chris Boucher, and Xavier Tillman Sr.?

The hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" sat down with Forbes and Hardwood Houdini Celtics beat writer Bobby Krivitsky to talk through what we expect to see from Boston's veterans in the campaign ahead, and get caught up on the trickle of late offseason news still percolating up. Check it out!

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While there may yet be games to be played in this summer's FIBA EuroBasket tournament, for Boston Celtics big man Neemias Queta and his Portuguese National Team, the ride has come to an end. But Queta and Portugal literally made history together, with the latter having one of the best EuroBasket debuts in the history of the event vs. the Czech National Team on the way to Portugal's first tourney win in EuroBasket play as well.

The Lisbon native of course kept up the impressive play while picking up another W vs. Estonia, and held his own against several NBA big men in the tourney. What can his play in EuroBasket tell us about his future with the Celtics next season?

The hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" sat down with YouTuber and league analyst NikNBA to talk over what he's seen from Queta in EuroBasket play in terms of expanding his game -- and more importantly for Celtics fans, what might translate to the league he plays in with Boston. Check it out below!

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There might yet be weeks to go before the Boston Celtics and the rest of the NBA start their training camps, but that doesn't mean the news cycle is slow. In fact, we still have Boston big man Neemias Queta and his Portuguese National Team staying in the mix in FIBA EuroBasket play, some hints that the free agency gridlock keeping vet Celtics alum Al Horford from signing with the Golden State Warriors may soon relax, and a HUGE scandal brewing in the wider NBA.

That scandal, which alleges that Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and his team colluded to create a no-show endorsement gig for Kawhi Leonard to pay him more than the cap allows, could have wide-ranging impacts on the entire Association.

To get an idea how this significant cap kerfuffle might impact the Celtics and the rest of the league, cohosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" took some time on a recent episode of their show to talk it over, along with the rest of the news still reaching us at this late date in the offseason. Check it out!

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How is the NBA's Western Conference looking in a likely down season for the Boston Celtics? Did the Celtics miss a chance to capitalize on the parity era and a weaker West by downshifting their roster after Jayson Tatum got hurt? Or is the Western Conference looking tougher than ever, making it a good moment to retool Boston's roster for the future?

To try to get a handle on how the league's West standings may look by the end of the 2025-26 regular season, the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" linked up with Thunder Wire editor Clemente Almanza. We give our over-under projections for the West based on preseason projections and the moves each team have (and in some cases, have not) made, as well as touching on the trickle of news still making the rounds late in the month of August.

Tune in to join us as we get our collective bearings on how the Western Conference may look come April 2026 in what might turn out to be a very turbulent season on that side of the standings.

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Who are the greatest Boston Celtics villains of all time? With the Celtics being the NBA's winningest franchise in terms of both titles and regular season games won, there is no shortage of players, coaches, and execs who have wanted to see Boston fail over the years, preferably at their expense.

But there have also been some high profile examples of Celtics betrayal from people inside the storied ball club sticking a proverbial knife into the back of the team. And there are plenty of examples of players who aspired to be Celtics villains, but couldn't quite pull off the status for any number of reasons. There are even some who are entirely miscast in such a role, yet keep getting mentioned as such.

To get to the bottom of this important historical debate/peak offseason content, the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" linked up with Boston-based actor and longtime friend of the pod Evan Turrisini, who has developed the most scientific approach to determining Celtics villainy we have yet come across. Check it out!

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The ownership of the Boston Celtics has officially changed hands from Wyc Grousbeck and his Boston Basketball Partners, LTD. group to Bill Chisholm's semi-eponymous Chisholm Group, the Celtics have made a pair of signings, and the NBA's 2025-26 regular season schedule is out in a busy August week of news.

What changes now that Chisholm is in charge of the Celtics? Why did Boston wait so long to sign two way big man Amari Williams? Will Ron Harper Jr. parlay his Exhibit 10 deal into another tour with the Maine Celtics, or does he have a shot at making the team? And how is Boston's start to their retooling campaign looking? Between this late spurt of activity in the midst of what is usually the NBA's summer doldrums and a surprisingly long list of Celtics villains, the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" have a feast of late offseason podcasts for you to sink your teeth into.

Part one of this week's fare focuses on the news with hosts Daniel Donabedian, Justin Quinn, and Alex Goldberg, so check it out in this episode. Part two is all Celtics villainy, so keep your eyes peeled for the closer look segment soon to come out.

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Boston Celtics owners might help keep WNBA basketball in New England -- or they might help push it out of the region for most of the next decade, if not longer. If that is confusing, that's because the whole situation is, and Celtics owners past and present may play a major role in how the sale of the Connecticut Sun will impact the presence of the league in the Northeast.

The Sun are for sale, and former Boston minority owner Steve Pagliuca is fronting a group trying to bring the team to Massachusetts. But he didn't submit an expansion application to the WNBA given he was busy with a bid to buy the Celtics, ultimately seeing a competing offer from current majority owner Bill Chisholm win the day. And Chisholm's group may be in the lead for a Boston WNBA franchise, but one likely to take shape many years in the future.

How are the Celtics entangled in this sticky situation? Is there a way to keep the Sun from being poached by a team out of the region? Would it be in Boston, the Constitution State, or some other compromise location? And how do we think this saga will play out? The hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" sat down with SB Nation's Noa Dalzell to talk it all over, as well as the rest of the recent NBA news still trickling out. Check it out!

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