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Speaker 1: Your in defense of the hockey hardcors Leader Fan Fan

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Speaker 1: Radio Network, Frustrated and k fan dot Com. Two minutes

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Speaker 1: and two seconds past three o'clock Central daylight time, we

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Speaker 1: welcome you back. It is a midweek edition of the

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Speaker 1: Bumper to Bumper program. My name is Dan Barrero, the

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Speaker 1: host of the show. Former angstaint Rich newspaper of the

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Speaker 1: Twin Cities. Guardsy is jetting westward to Sacramento, California to

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Speaker 1: chronicle the goal to Gopher women's basketball team in the

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Speaker 1: sweet sixteen, a game that you can hear on Friday

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Speaker 1: night right here on the fan as soon as we

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Speaker 1: wrap things up, I believe at six point thirty, so

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Speaker 1: Brett Blake Moore is back in that chair. You'll be

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Speaker 1: in that chair tomorrow, and presumably you'll be in that

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Speaker 1: chair Friday. That is correct, Guardsy. The play is is

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Speaker 1: that guard He's going to join us maybe for a

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Speaker 1: solid hour tomorrow, and then he will offer a preview

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Speaker 1: during the Friday Football Beast at a time to be determined. Bratshwan,

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Speaker 1: Brian Kfe and text line has indeed been rebooted. It's

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Speaker 1: been it was almost seamless today to get on. I'm surprised.

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Speaker 1: I know eventually the other shoe will drop six four

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Speaker 1: six eighty six if you would like to join the

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Speaker 1: festivities and the conversation this afternoon.

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Speaker 2: The uglydeck dot.

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Speaker 1: Com guest lineup includes guests on the thirties, as we

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Speaker 1: like to say in the business. The redoubtable NBA reporter

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Speaker 1: extraordinaire Mitch Lawrence will join at three thirty this afternoon.

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Speaker 1: At four point thirty, the equally redoubtable John Breen music

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Speaker 1: critic start Debune back, first time in a while he's

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Speaker 1: been on the show. But there's some very timely stuff

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Speaker 1: I believe to discuss with him, including a lukewarm review

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Speaker 1: from bringing on Minnesota legend Bob Dylan's concert up north,

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Speaker 1: so we'll get to that, and the fact that he

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Speaker 1: also received god a, this is a good it's a

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Speaker 1: good feather in the cap of any reporter. Got an

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Speaker 1: exclusive Q and A with Bruce Springsteen, who's coming back

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Speaker 1: to town this weekend to perform as well, So there

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Speaker 1: you have it. Five point thirty goes without saying it's Wednesday,

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Speaker 1: so Kessler is scheduled to join at the bottom of

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Speaker 1: the five o'clock hour as well. I want to follow

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Speaker 1: up on a subject that we did touch on yesterday,

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Speaker 1: or at least I did. I find myself in a

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Speaker 1: very unusual position, but I'm doubling down on it, inspired

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Speaker 1: perhaps by the most recent column of a Friday regular

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Speaker 1: levelle E Neil the third.

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Speaker 2: Lavelle went all in, all in.

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Speaker 1: On the Gopher men's hockey hire of Brett Larsen. That's legal,

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Speaker 1: it's his column, you know. So this is all about opinion.

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Speaker 1: There are a number of people who are hailing the higher.

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Speaker 1: The higher may end up being the best in the

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Speaker 1: history of the University of Minnesota hockey program, a program

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Speaker 1: that has a rich traditions.

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Speaker 2: That debate can go on forever.

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Speaker 1: Although I would say that there's something a bit disingenuous

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Speaker 1: in the world of sports to necessarily be either surprised

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Speaker 1: or angry about differences of opinion on that higher or

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Speaker 1: any higher. I mean, we take, if we really mean that,

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Speaker 1: we want to take that away from fans and from

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Speaker 1: all of us, that there can be no disagree and

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Speaker 1: no reason to question a higher. We're not in this

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Speaker 1: sports business for long.

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Speaker 2: The debate.

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Speaker 1: About a hire, about a trade, about a strategy is

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Speaker 1: what fuels for a lot of people, even more than betting,

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Speaker 1: although that's starting.

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Speaker 2: To change interest in sports.

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Speaker 1: The ability to sort of participate in whatever that vigorously

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Speaker 1: and whatever that debate is doesn't mean you're right, but

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Speaker 1: it means that's part of the fuel that the whole

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Speaker 1: sports concept provides you. So to be surprised that there

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Speaker 1: might not be unanimity on any higher but certainly this higher,

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Speaker 1: I find a bit.

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Speaker 2: Disingenuous.

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Speaker 1: And I got into this subject a little bit yesterday,

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Speaker 1: inspired by a Texter that there's some people who think

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Speaker 1: there's a disconnect between demanding Moscow's firing and not heartily

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Speaker 1: embracing his replacement. And I'm thinking to myself, why who

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Speaker 1: set up those rules?

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Speaker 2: Now?

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Speaker 1: Would I have been the group that said Moscow had

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Speaker 1: to go? Probably not. I thought there was still too

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Speaker 1: much in the resume. I probably would have given him

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Speaker 1: another year to figure this thing out. Maybe he didn't

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Speaker 1: want to. We're never going to know the whole story

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Speaker 1: about the whole mutual thing, whether how mutual it actually was.

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Speaker 1: But I don't think you necessarily have to be a

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Speaker 1: great hockey mind to say the record for Brett Larson

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Speaker 1: as coach.

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Speaker 2: Is not.

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Speaker 1: Unimpeachable. It's not so over the top grate that you're

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Speaker 1: not allowed to be disappointed or to think, yeah, I

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Speaker 1: wish they would have looked around a little bit longer.

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Speaker 1: Wish perhaps they would have been a little bit more ambitious.

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Speaker 1: It shouldn't really matter that he was at Saint Cloud.

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Speaker 1: I know for some people that prejudice is the case,

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Speaker 1: and that's a mistake too. The idea of going back

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Speaker 1: to Saint Cloud again, why are we going back there?

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Speaker 1: But the idea that a number of hockey luminaries have

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Speaker 1: either endorsed the pick or have said he's one of

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Speaker 1: several good choices that are there. That's fine. But the

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Speaker 1: hockey hardcore I don't think is obligated to say, well,

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Speaker 1: then there could be no discussion, there could be no

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Speaker 1: debate on this particular hire.

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Speaker 2: We get into that mode, and I do it too,

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Speaker 2: where these.

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Speaker 1: Are the irrational fringe people who are never satisfied and

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Speaker 1: they're always looking for the next big thing, And why

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Speaker 1: even attempt to reason with the lunatic fringe in that regard.

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Speaker 1: I get that in general, but I would again submit

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Speaker 1: to you, I don't think you have to be lunatic

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Speaker 1: fringe to not necessarily hail, this is the greatest hire

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Speaker 1: in the history of the school. I mean, I'm looking

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Speaker 1: at the resume. I'm looking at the numbers.

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Speaker 2: Coach. Two years in the us HL long time ago, granted.

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Speaker 1: And his first season went twenty nine to thirty and one,

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Speaker 1: finished in fifth place, lost in what's called the conference quarterfinals.

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Speaker 1: Second year in Sioux City twenty three thirty and eleven,

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Speaker 1: finished even lower in the in the standings, and then

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Speaker 1: missed the postseason altogether. He goes to Saint Cloud and

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Speaker 1: brilliant seasons early six and thirty six and three. Then

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Speaker 1: after a thirteen five and six that was the year

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Speaker 1: the tournament was canceled. COVID year twenty eleven and zero

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Speaker 1: NC double a runner up can argue with that. Right

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Speaker 1: after that eighteen fifteen and four with a ten ten

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Speaker 1: and four in the conference, twenty five, thirteen and three,

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Speaker 1: fourth place in the conference in those two years, lost

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Speaker 1: in the regional semis in the regional final, and then

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Speaker 1: the last two years didn't make the postseason.

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Speaker 2: At all.

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Speaker 1: Well, actually last three, correct.

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Speaker 2: I've got a level. Let's do overall records. It's easier.

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Speaker 1: Seventeen sixteen to five, fourteen, twenty one, and one, and

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Speaker 1: this year, I wouldn't say is another the record to

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Speaker 1: write home about. So I'm going to stand tall and

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Speaker 1: maybe I'll regret it. I don't know, for the hockey

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Speaker 1: hard course and say there can be some disagreement on this.

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Speaker 1: The dismissiveness of the tone from our guy Lavelle's column

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Speaker 1: basically made it sound like we just hired the John

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Speaker 1: Wooden of hockey, and I don't think we know that

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Speaker 1: it may turn out fine. Like I said, now, you're

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Speaker 1: a more pro hockey guy, I think than college hockey guy.

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Speaker 2: But you're welcome to get involved in this discussion.

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Speaker 1: And I again find myself in a rare position where

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Speaker 1: I'm trying to defend the loons or those perceived as

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Speaker 1: never satisfied, unrealistic in their expectations. But I don't see

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Speaker 1: a resume here. I go slam dunk, no brainer. Why

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Speaker 1: would there even be any discussion about anybody else?

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Speaker 2: Do you?

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Speaker 3: I think we just have this And I'm not an

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Speaker 3: elite husky's mind, nor am I, But one time, what

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Speaker 3: I will say is that we have this discussion about

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Speaker 3: coaches all the time in this team. For instance, the

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Speaker 3: other Gopher coach that we love to rip is PJ.

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Speaker 2: Fleck? Correct?

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Speaker 3: What's the defense every time we rip PJ.

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Speaker 2: Fleck? Who could get possible? Who could get who's better?

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Speaker 3: So then if they let's say they were to get

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Speaker 3: rid of PJ. Fleck and they hired someone else who

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Speaker 3: was less than enthusia, then those same people would go see,

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Speaker 3: you asked for it, you asked from So that's true. True,

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Speaker 3: it's not. You're trying to have your cake and eat

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Speaker 3: it too, but you can't. I don't know. I'm willing

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Speaker 3: to see and let it play.

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Speaker 2: Out well and every that's the other thing that's annoying me.

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Speaker 2: Everybody will.

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Speaker 1: It's not like there's going to be picketers outside Mariyuchi

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Speaker 1: on this highre this notion that you know, you got

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Speaker 1: to give him a chance.

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Speaker 2: People are going to give him a chance. It's he

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Speaker 2: just got hired.

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Speaker 1: You're allowed to react to it if you're a sports fan,

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Speaker 1: either applauding it or saying, Okay, yeah, I guess I'm

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Speaker 1: not sure that it's you know, looks like he's on

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Speaker 1: the path to the coaching Hall of Fame exactly, but

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Speaker 1: maybe it's the old I need he's gonna have more,

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Speaker 1: you know, to work with here, etcetera, etcetera. Everybody's going

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Speaker 1: to give him a chance. Now, maybe they won't give

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Speaker 1: him enough of a chance. You know, maybe they'll jump

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Speaker 1: fast if he starts slow. But everybody's going to give

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Speaker 1: him a chance. But you know what, I know, the

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Speaker 1: business is, you know, having an opinion, especially if you're

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Speaker 1: invested in what you think a coach represents or whether

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Speaker 1: you go, wow, this, this looks really good and in

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Speaker 1: the end, the rest of it is always what counts. Right,

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Speaker 1: we talk all the time about did he win the

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Speaker 1: press conference? And what have we learned over the years

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Speaker 1: The press conference means little if you don't succeed, if

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Speaker 1: you don't win the right percentage of games, nobody's going

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Speaker 1: to go back and go out. Tell you what, though, Man,

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Speaker 1: the day he was introduced, he was hot. I mean,

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Speaker 1: he was pithy, he had clever observations, he said all

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Speaker 1: the right things. Nobody cares about that, right, so we

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Speaker 1: all know that eventually it will be about what the

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Speaker 1: coach he or she is able to do.

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Speaker 2: And you know, I.

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Speaker 1: Just think that, like I said, I find myself in

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Speaker 1: a very unusual position. Try to defend if you want

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Speaker 1: to call them the hardcorees or the loans or the

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Speaker 1: fringes that are never satisfied. And I'll say that, you know,

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Speaker 1: I have no problem arguing that on this point with

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Speaker 1: Leavell and Friday, because Leavell just made it sound like

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Speaker 1: what do you want? You wanted Motsco out and now

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Speaker 1: you're unhappy with this guy. Well, those things don't have

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Speaker 1: to be mutually exclusive. You can you can think both. Yes,

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Speaker 1: you can think both. You can think neither if you want.

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Speaker 1: But the idea that this is preposterous, How could anybody

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Speaker 1: doubt because within the network here of some respected hockey names,

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Speaker 1: this is.

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Speaker 2: A no brainer.

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Speaker 1: Okay, that's fine, but that's you don't have to necessarily

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Speaker 1: be party to that. You don't necessarily have to agree

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Speaker 1: with that as well. So mark down the date.

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Speaker 2: What's today the twenty fifth March.

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Speaker 1: Twenty fifth, twenty twenty six, when the hockey ambassador actually

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Speaker 1: agrees with the folks who are being described as the delusional, unrealistic,

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Speaker 1: lunatic fringe gopher fans. I'm actually on this one on

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Speaker 1: your side, at least to the extent that I'm defending

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Speaker 1: your right to not be overjoyed. I don't think you

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Speaker 1: have to apologize for that in any way, shape or form.

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Speaker 1: I don't even think that that makes you necessarily all

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Speaker 1: that delusional the fan. We'll get to this with Kessler later,

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Speaker 1: because my assumption is he will gladly carry Lester Bagley's

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Speaker 1: water on this story like he has so many times before.

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Speaker 2: But many of you I know by now have heard

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Speaker 2: that the Vikings.

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Speaker 1: Have submitted a bit have submitted a bid to play

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Speaker 1: host to the twenty twenty eight NFL Draft. It's a

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Speaker 1: good follow up to what we were discussing as recently

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Speaker 1: as either Thursday or Friday.

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Speaker 2: I think I led the show with it.

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Speaker 1: That in Pittsburgh they've closed public schools for three days

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Speaker 1: when they host the draft. So I'm assuming that'll be

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Speaker 1: part of our pledge. We're going to take the kids

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Speaker 1: out of school just so there is greater convenience and

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Speaker 1: fewer tap traffic problems.

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Speaker 2: I hope that's not the case. I hope we will

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Speaker 2: rise above that.

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Speaker 1: I hope we value education more than they apparently do

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Speaker 1: in Pittsburgh, PA. But we'll get into that in a

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Speaker 1: little more detail a little bit later in the program.

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Speaker 1: Seven six three, Guy writes, Okay, skip Bayless, good shot,

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Speaker 1: good chief shot from seven to six three.

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Speaker 2: Guy.

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Speaker 1: The fatal flaw is if I were doing Bayless on

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Speaker 1: the opening salvo in the show, I would predict that

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Speaker 1: Brett Larson will crash and burn and not even have

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Speaker 1: a single winning season. And by the way, I may

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Speaker 1: be in the minority of one because I worked with him.

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Speaker 1: Write this down if some people will consider it worthy

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Speaker 1: of PST twenty twenty six. When I worked alongside Bayless

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Speaker 1: in Dallas, when he was a columnist and I was

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Speaker 1: a lowly reporter, there was not a staffer in the

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Speaker 1: sports department who was more encouraging, more generous, and more

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Speaker 1: available to sort of, you know, get help on things,

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Speaker 1: or just get opinions and give you advice. Maybe PSD

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Speaker 1: for some people, because I know how most people feel

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Speaker 1: about Baylist and I'm not here to defend.

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Speaker 2: Everything that he did. But come on, come on, man.

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Speaker 1: Regarding Larsen's record, you're right, and by the way, let

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Speaker 1: me get one other update there. His record this past

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Speaker 1: year was sixteen nineteen and one did not have that

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Speaker 1: at my fingertips when I was giving the record up

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Speaker 1: until then. But don't forget he's been coaching in a

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Speaker 1: much tougher League at Saint Cloud than the Big ten

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Speaker 1: gover Fance. Don't want to admit it, but the truth

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Speaker 1: compy controversial. No Big ten team has won national titles

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Speaker 1: in two thousand and seven, well seven, and the last

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Speaker 1: nine champs are from the NCCHC. Time will tell the

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Speaker 1: problem I have with reducing it to if you want

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Speaker 1: it is on that the base of that logic, then

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Speaker 1: Big ten men's basketball stinks and it doesn't. You can

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Speaker 1: say it has should have had a national champion in

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Speaker 1: that case more recently than it did given the pedigree,

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Speaker 1: But I think that's a little danger. But I get

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Speaker 1: his point. Gophers will never win another title and it's

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Speaker 1: all thanks to the Big ten. NCAC will forever run

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Speaker 1: in Sibily men's hockey. I just don't like it when

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Speaker 1: they rip the hell out of the guy because he

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Speaker 1: is not good enough for their precious Gophers. Again, I

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Speaker 1: get I've heard that sentiment, but you're gonna have to

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Speaker 1: diagram the sentence for me. Not good enough for their

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Speaker 1: precious Gophers. That's the team they salute, that's the team

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Speaker 1: they follow. They want the best possible hire for a

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Speaker 1: program that historically has been one of the best in

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Speaker 1: the country. I don't know what exactly all that outrageous

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Speaker 1: about it.

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Speaker 2: Not sure.

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Speaker 1: Maybe people are jumping on this because we have been

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Speaker 1: an impatient fan base for all sports in general. It

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Speaker 1: seems like we tend to not give a proper chance

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Speaker 1: or afford patients and grace to new players and coaches.

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Speaker 1: That's so different here than any other market. There's no

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Speaker 1: difference rust me and as some of that exists, yeah,

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Speaker 1: it always does. But in this case, as I said,

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Speaker 1: he's going to have a chance, they're not going to

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Speaker 1: be picketing the building. It's just the instant reaction that

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Speaker 1: is has been part of sports, believe it or not,

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Speaker 1: long before we were twenty four to seven online. Now

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Speaker 1: we may see more irrational behavior because of it fueled

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Speaker 1: by online stuff. But people have been debating coaching dismissals

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Speaker 1: and hires for as long as I've been on this earth,

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Speaker 1: which is now seventy one years and beyond. So I

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Speaker 1: don't know what why people think this is so irrational

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Speaker 1: or so.

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Speaker 2: Unusual.

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Speaker 1: There are people who said, come on, now, you know

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Speaker 1: it's going to have more to work with here. Maybe

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Speaker 1: though we just got it, we just heard what part

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Speaker 1: of it was. He was in a better conference. Before

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Speaker 1: early success with Moscow players, we did make that point

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Speaker 1: that can be unfair to a coach.

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Speaker 2: Because to a certain extent, you could say, well.

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Speaker 1: If you maximize, then you don't have to ever apologize

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Speaker 1: even of somebody else's players. Now if you don't sustain,

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Speaker 1: and quite frankly, the record has turned far more average

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Speaker 1: and kind of meandering since the really good start. You're

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Speaker 1: allowed to acknowledge that you're allowed to then wonder what

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Speaker 1: does that mean in terms of the ability to attract,

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Speaker 1: you know, the right coach, et cetera. Real quick, because

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Speaker 1: I don't know if we're gonna have time to get

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Speaker 1: to this later.

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Speaker 2: Let me hit the I got the wrong mouse, let

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Speaker 2: me get it.

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Speaker 1: I'm hoping we are able to get a little more

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Speaker 1: depth on this if I'm able to make contact with him.

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Speaker 1: But there's a there's a breaking story that we have

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Speaker 1: discussed before, and it's pretty significant is that is not

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Speaker 1: related to the Toy Department at all, and it's that

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Speaker 1: Los A, La jury court case involving Meta and Google.

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Speaker 1: And as our guy Gerald Posner, who I've been trying

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Speaker 1: to reach out to, has tweeted, I'll just give you

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Speaker 1: the way He characterizes it to just sort of introduce

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Speaker 1: you to it if you've not heard about that breaking news.

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Speaker 1: Tech's big tobacco turning point just happened, and la jury

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Speaker 1: just is something no court has done before. It held

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Speaker 1: Meta and Google negligent for how their platforms are designed,

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Speaker 1: not the content, he emphasizes, but the systems. Jurors found

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Speaker 1: the companies failed to warn users, specifically children, about risks

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Speaker 1: tied to features like algorithmic recommendations, AutoPlay, and person assistant notifications.

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Speaker 1: This is the first major verdict to treat social media

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Speaker 1: design itself as a potential source of harm. The case

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Speaker 1: centered on a young woman who said years of compulsive

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Speaker 1: use of Instagram and YouTube, beginning in childhood, led to

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Speaker 1: severe mental health consequences, including body dysmorphia, depression, and suicidal ideation.

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Speaker 1: The defense argued her struggles were rooted in prior trauma

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Speaker 1: and if the platforms were not designed to maximize time

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Speaker 1: or addiction. The jury ultimately disagreed. He writes this may

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Speaker 1: be the closest thing yet to a big tobacco turning

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Speaker 1: point for tech, not because of damages alone, but because

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Speaker 1: of the theory of liability. He notes that plaintiffs are

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Speaker 1: increasingly bypassing Section two thirty protections by focusing not on

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Speaker 1: user generated content but on product design, and that shift,

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Speaker 1: he says, it's important.

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Speaker 2: It opens the door to arguing.

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Speaker 1: That engagement systems themselves are not neutral tools but engineered

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Speaker 1: behavioral loops. Very well summarized by Agar Jared. But our

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Speaker 1: guy Gerald, I hope to get him on this subject,

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Speaker 1: if not later today, even tomorrow or Friday. But it's

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Speaker 1: a case we talked to last time we had him on.

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Speaker 1: He previewed the case and also emphasize his belief that

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Speaker 1: this could be a major departure in that regard, even

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Speaker 1: as some legal eagles thought that the case was not

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Speaker 1: a particularly strong one in some ways, no matter how

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Speaker 1: you feel about big tech, etc. So we'll keep an

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Speaker 1: eye on that. Wanted to bring it to the listener's

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Speaker 1: attention in a tension in case you missed it, And

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Speaker 1: if we can add him today, tomorrow or Friday to

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Speaker 1: flesh out the story a little bit more, we will

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Speaker 1: indeed do so. How about our guy NBA big knocker,

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Speaker 1: Mitch Lawrence. There's much to get to with him, I

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Speaker 1: might rant to Mitch, and I'm curious to see if

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Speaker 1: he'll agree with me on this particular rant. We'll get

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Speaker 1: to some other things as well, if you have questions

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Speaker 1: Wolves related otherwise, NBA rated Brat Shawan Bryant, k FA

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Speaker 1: n dot com six four six eighty six.

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Speaker 3: The Fans celebrates our five thousand dollars winning teachers and

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Speaker 3: iHeart Radio's Thinking Teachers powered by donors Choose, and there's

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Speaker 3: still time to nominate a public school teacher making a difference.

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Speaker 3: They could be the next one five thousand dollars to

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Speaker 3: make over their classroom.

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Speaker 2: Do it now.

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Speaker 3: iHeartRadio dot Com slash teachers. iHeartRadio dot Com slash teachers.

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Speaker 1: As I mentioned Powerpack broadcast today, Scott, I should stay

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Speaker 1: away at Skogin's yesterday, but today at five point thirty,

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Speaker 1: b Kessler in studio John Breen to talk about Springsteen

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Speaker 1: coming back to town this weekend, and he attended a

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Speaker 1: Dylan concert and was apparently underwhelmed.

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Speaker 2: That'll be at four point thirty.

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Speaker 1: Mitch Lawrence, a NBA big knocker, joins us now via

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Speaker 1: the Connecticut Water Systems Hotline. Our sub producer just mentioned

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Speaker 1: a teacher related contest, who is did you go public

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Speaker 1: school all the way Mitch, Oh yeah, you're a public

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Speaker 1: school now.

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Speaker 4: Okay, So whether you're talking about grade school, middle school,

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Speaker 4: or high school, who was the most memorable teacher that

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Speaker 4: you ever that you had that you remember?

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Speaker 5: Well, A guy by the name of Gil Gibb. He

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Speaker 5: died early, died very young. Oh he didn't make forty.

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Speaker 5: But what he did do. I was on the boys

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Speaker 5: obviously boys lacrosse team, and he built a team that

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Speaker 5: was recognized back in the early seventies as the number

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Speaker 5: one public school team outside of Baltimore, Long Island. Clearly,

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Speaker 5: the listeners are going, what the hell is this guy

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Speaker 5: talking about? But back then, all the major programs got

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Speaker 5: their best players out of Long Island or Baltimore. And

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Speaker 5: he built a program where we sent guys to all

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Speaker 5: the major Division one programs back in the day. And

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Speaker 5: he probably had a lot of He had a lot

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Speaker 5: of influence on me, He had a lot of influence

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Speaker 5: on other players, guys who played for him. And he's

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Speaker 5: in the UH he's in the National Hall of Fame

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Speaker 5: in New Jersey Hall of Fame. And like I said,

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Speaker 5: it was a tragic that he passed away because he

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Speaker 5: would have had an even greater career but when he

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Speaker 5: was thirty nine of cancer.

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Speaker 2: Oh man, that's rough. That's way obviously, way way too young.

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Speaker 2: All right, where do we begin?

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Speaker 1: Well, I'll just give you, I guess maybe a toss

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Speaker 1: up question here. What what NBA story is at the

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Speaker 1: top of your list right now? Can be a team,

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Speaker 1: it could be a controversy, it could be a situation,

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Speaker 1: it could be a dilemma. What's at the top of

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Speaker 1: the Mitch Lawrence pyramid right now when it comes to

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Speaker 1: talkable interesting story for you?

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Speaker 5: Well, I mean the news today which has been floated

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Speaker 5: out there for weeks about the expansion situation regarding Seattle

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Speaker 5: and Las Vegas. That's pretty newsy. It also is interesting

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Speaker 5: that it kind of takes the bad spotlight away from

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Speaker 5: the tanking that's been going on, the worst year of

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Speaker 5: tanking that we've ever seen. It's a little positive news

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Speaker 5: in some way for the legal though I'm sure there's

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Speaker 5: some people, including myself, it is like, do we really

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Speaker 5: need two more teams? Is there enough talent for two

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Speaker 5: more teams? We were saying years ago when they went

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Speaker 5: from when I started to cover the league, the Mavericks

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00:26:46,080 --> 00:26:49,360
Speaker 5: back you were there in Dallas in the late eighties.

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Speaker 5: Then in mid eighties there were twenty three teams. This

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Speaker 5: will take it to thirty two. So there can be

438
00:26:55,359 --> 00:26:57,960
Speaker 5: an argument made that whoa, whoa, whoa, maybe we should

439
00:26:57,960 --> 00:27:01,160
Speaker 5: be contracting teams. I used to write out that when

440
00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:04,639
Speaker 5: they were bringing in the teams, not necessarily the Minnesota phase.

441
00:27:04,680 --> 00:27:08,080
Speaker 5: But I remember, you know, they gave Charlotte back in four.

442
00:27:08,240 --> 00:27:11,040
Speaker 5: Bob Johnson was the only paid three hundred million dollars

443
00:27:11,520 --> 00:27:15,040
Speaker 5: for the Charlotte Bobcat in two thousand and four, and

444
00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:17,399
Speaker 5: we were like, why are they adding another team? You know,

445
00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:20,359
Speaker 5: what's the deal here? So you know, but but it

446
00:27:20,480 --> 00:27:23,720
Speaker 5: is interesting because now it seems to be he paid

447
00:27:23,760 --> 00:27:26,639
Speaker 5: three hundred million dollars Dan. Now the rumor is the

448
00:27:26,680 --> 00:27:28,639
Speaker 5: two teams coming in are to be going to the

449
00:27:28,760 --> 00:27:31,000
Speaker 5: entry pie is going to be like seven to ten billions.

450
00:27:32,640 --> 00:27:33,280
Speaker 2: It's insane.

451
00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:37,080
Speaker 5: And by the way, is anybody in Oklahoma? I mean,

452
00:27:38,680 --> 00:27:41,760
Speaker 5: it's crazy to think Oklahoma City is going to get

453
00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:45,199
Speaker 5: a share of a team that came in from the

454
00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:48,680
Speaker 5: town they used to be in but they left, right. Yeah,

455
00:27:49,080 --> 00:27:50,320
Speaker 5: that doesn't seem right, does it.

456
00:27:50,400 --> 00:27:53,119
Speaker 1: No, you're right about that, that's true. That does seem

457
00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:54,760
Speaker 1: to be a little bit honest.

458
00:27:54,760 --> 00:27:56,360
Speaker 5: It was approved by the league, so I guess they're

459
00:27:56,400 --> 00:27:59,080
Speaker 5: going to get their share. But you know, that's the

460
00:27:59,119 --> 00:28:01,680
Speaker 5: newsiest thing. And then you know, during this time in

461
00:28:01,680 --> 00:28:04,840
Speaker 5: the NCAA tournament, we all you know, I'm watching the

462
00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:07,679
Speaker 5: games where the top players are involved in terms of

463
00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:10,879
Speaker 5: the draft. So you know, I'm very interested in what

464
00:28:10,960 --> 00:28:14,560
Speaker 5: Darren Peterson did. I'm very interested in what Darius A.

465
00:28:14,640 --> 00:28:18,040
Speaker 5: Koff's going to do against Arizona. You still have got

466
00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:22,120
Speaker 5: Cam Boozer and Duke, so that's also kind of topical

467
00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:22,840
Speaker 5: in its own way.

468
00:28:22,880 --> 00:28:25,320
Speaker 1: There's no question, of course, what fans are rooting for

469
00:28:25,359 --> 00:28:29,520
Speaker 1: here from an expansion standpoint is they want Minnesota to

470
00:28:29,560 --> 00:28:32,840
Speaker 1: be the team that moves over to the Eastern Conference.

471
00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:36,720
Speaker 1: I keep hearing there on the short list, but there

472
00:28:36,760 --> 00:28:39,240
Speaker 1: may be a couple other teams that do that as well.

473
00:28:39,280 --> 00:28:43,720
Speaker 1: I don't even know how they begin to negotiate that

474
00:28:43,920 --> 00:28:46,640
Speaker 1: or make that decision. I think back in the David

475
00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:48,320
Speaker 1: Stern days, it probably would have been a vote of

476
00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:50,640
Speaker 1: one and it was said, I'm deciding this is what

477
00:28:50,640 --> 00:28:52,560
Speaker 1: we're going to do because I just think it's the best,

478
00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:55,960
Speaker 1: the best trade off, so to speak. It certainly would

479
00:28:56,040 --> 00:28:59,840
Speaker 1: make sense, given the number of teams not that far

480
00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:03,160
Speaker 1: way obviously flight wise, that are already in the East,

481
00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:06,760
Speaker 1: to put Minnesota in the east, and clearly with how

482
00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:10,200
Speaker 1: much deeper the West has tended to be, I don't

483
00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:12,800
Speaker 1: think there would be much objection from a rod In

484
00:29:12,880 --> 00:29:13,520
Speaker 1: company either.

485
00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:16,520
Speaker 5: Yeah, I don't you know, I don't know how it's

486
00:29:16,520 --> 00:29:19,000
Speaker 5: gonna work either. I know that I don't know if

487
00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:22,600
Speaker 5: it's still true. But I knew at one point New

488
00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:25,320
Speaker 5: Orleans people wanted that franchise.

489
00:29:25,320 --> 00:29:27,600
Speaker 2: That's true, that's right, And.

490
00:29:27,560 --> 00:29:30,560
Speaker 5: I'm sure there's probably people in Memphis, Memphis, yea, and

491
00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:33,680
Speaker 5: by and by the way, if I were the league,

492
00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:37,000
Speaker 5: I would take either Memphis or New Orleans and move

493
00:29:37,080 --> 00:29:38,960
Speaker 5: one of those teams to Las Vegas. Now, I know

494
00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:42,360
Speaker 5: you're giving up a ton of money. Answer yeah, But

495
00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:45,920
Speaker 5: but I mean, are either of those markets doing anything

496
00:29:45,960 --> 00:29:49,160
Speaker 5: of note? No, you know, and I don't think. I mean, yeah,

497
00:29:49,200 --> 00:29:51,360
Speaker 5: there'll be some hue and cry from the die hards

498
00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:54,040
Speaker 5: down there, but boy or over there, I should say,

499
00:29:54,080 --> 00:29:56,960
Speaker 5: But boy, I mean, yeah, we're gonna expand yet we're

500
00:29:56,960 --> 00:30:00,000
Speaker 5: gonna still have some pretty weak markets. But my favorite

501
00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:02,600
Speaker 5: comments on Twitter today when people are posing the question

502
00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:05,720
Speaker 5: you know what, what are the cities that really deserve

503
00:30:05,880 --> 00:30:09,120
Speaker 5: an NBA franchise? Few people from Sacramentos and you know,

504
00:30:09,200 --> 00:30:09,720
Speaker 5: we do.

505
00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:12,240
Speaker 2: Good line.

506
00:30:14,280 --> 00:30:20,160
Speaker 5: Those poor people, they've been waiting for a franchise for years.

507
00:30:20,240 --> 00:30:22,440
Speaker 2: They're a columnists who could retire on that line. So

508
00:30:22,560 --> 00:30:22,840
Speaker 2: that's it.

509
00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:24,200
Speaker 1: I can't I'm not going to have a line any

510
00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:26,320
Speaker 1: better than that. That's uh, that's very that's a very

511
00:30:26,360 --> 00:30:26,840
Speaker 1: good point.

512
00:30:27,640 --> 00:30:28,080
Speaker 2: By the way.

513
00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:32,560
Speaker 1: Did I see an headline yesterday that the salary cap

514
00:30:32,640 --> 00:30:33,400
Speaker 1: is actually going to go.

515
00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:34,280
Speaker 2: Down a little bit?

516
00:30:34,680 --> 00:30:35,800
Speaker 5: In going down?

517
00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:37,400
Speaker 2: And does that have to do more with some of

518
00:30:37,440 --> 00:30:40,000
Speaker 2: these regional TV deals? Is that what I'm hearing?

519
00:30:40,320 --> 00:30:43,600
Speaker 5: That's that's what everybody's saying. I mean, it's hard to

520
00:30:43,640 --> 00:30:48,200
Speaker 5: believe after they got a seventy six billion dollar national

521
00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:51,680
Speaker 5: TV deal with all the streaming involved in everything, that

522
00:30:51,720 --> 00:30:54,080
Speaker 5: the cap is going to go down. So but they

523
00:30:54,160 --> 00:30:56,520
Speaker 5: it was, you know, reported that it's because it's the

524
00:30:56,600 --> 00:31:00,080
Speaker 5: regional problems. Now I don't know, you know, it's and

525
00:31:00,640 --> 00:31:02,880
Speaker 5: I'm curious about that. In a way, I don't think

526
00:31:02,880 --> 00:31:06,600
Speaker 5: it's a sign that there's problems, although there's some problems

527
00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:09,720
Speaker 5: obviously with some regional telecasts, but it's not in the

528
00:31:09,760 --> 00:31:11,920
Speaker 5: market I'm me now, which is the Dallas market. I

529
00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:14,880
Speaker 5: don't think, uh, And I you know, they could be

530
00:31:14,920 --> 00:31:17,680
Speaker 5: in those markets that I brought up before, Memphis, New Orleans,

531
00:31:17,720 --> 00:31:19,600
Speaker 5: who knows, maybe even you know, I don't know what

532
00:31:19,800 --> 00:31:21,960
Speaker 5: Sacramento is doing. You know, I think it probably has

533
00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:23,920
Speaker 5: to do with the state of your franchise.

534
00:31:24,520 --> 00:31:26,680
Speaker 1: I one of the other big subjects, and you could

535
00:31:26,680 --> 00:31:30,640
Speaker 1: you hinted at it was the the ongoing tanking debate discussion.

536
00:31:31,760 --> 00:31:37,080
Speaker 1: There's another one that is kind of gaining momentum as well.

537
00:31:37,800 --> 00:31:39,880
Speaker 1: And I don't know if we touched on this or

538
00:31:39,920 --> 00:31:42,240
Speaker 1: not last time we talked, but there's some updates even

539
00:31:42,280 --> 00:31:47,880
Speaker 1: if we did, And that has to do with players,

540
00:31:47,880 --> 00:31:53,000
Speaker 1: some really good players having great seasons, perhaps being left

541
00:31:53,080 --> 00:31:58,360
Speaker 1: out of much of the postseason, you know, awards because

542
00:31:58,400 --> 00:32:01,640
Speaker 1: they're not going to meet these sixty five game threshold.

543
00:32:01,720 --> 00:32:03,560
Speaker 1: And the update to the story was I think it

544
00:32:03,600 --> 00:32:05,520
Speaker 1: was just within the last couple of days. The NBA

545
00:32:05,640 --> 00:32:09,280
Speaker 1: Players Union, they're getting in on it now and saying

546
00:32:10,600 --> 00:32:13,920
Speaker 1: this is this can't stand, especially as it's as it's

547
00:32:14,240 --> 00:32:18,040
Speaker 1: punishing Kate Cunningham given the significance of his injury.

548
00:32:18,760 --> 00:32:19,960
Speaker 2: But I do find it.

549
00:32:19,960 --> 00:32:23,560
Speaker 1: Mitch a bit rich when part of the complaint from

550
00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:27,080
Speaker 1: the union is, well, you know there's incentive bonuses. This

551
00:32:27,160 --> 00:32:31,840
Speaker 1: is costing our player's money. And it made me chuckle

552
00:32:31,840 --> 00:32:34,520
Speaker 1: because I'm thinking, in effect, what they seem to be

553
00:32:34,560 --> 00:32:38,440
Speaker 1: saying the Union is we weren't all that worried about

554
00:32:38,520 --> 00:32:42,240
Speaker 1: your money. It's a ticket buyer when you know you're

555
00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:44,719
Speaker 1: the best player you expected to see on a given night,

556
00:32:44,800 --> 00:32:47,600
Speaker 1: wasn't there. But now this is about our money and

557
00:32:47,640 --> 00:32:50,840
Speaker 1: now we are concerned about it. I still have zero

558
00:32:51,040 --> 00:32:56,040
Speaker 1: sympathy for that argument, given my belief that the rules

559
00:32:56,040 --> 00:32:58,720
Speaker 1: were put in place. The limits were put in place

560
00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:01,120
Speaker 1: because they they had to be, even if they're now

561
00:33:01,160 --> 00:33:04,880
Speaker 1: having unintended consequences exactly.

562
00:33:04,480 --> 00:33:07,120
Speaker 5: I mean go back to why the rules but in place.

563
00:33:07,240 --> 00:33:10,760
Speaker 5: The thing had gotten so bad with load management and

564
00:33:10,880 --> 00:33:14,680
Speaker 5: players taking games off that the league decided we have

565
00:33:14,800 --> 00:33:20,800
Speaker 5: to step in and set this basic floor, which is

566
00:33:21,120 --> 00:33:25,000
Speaker 5: just think about how ridiculous it is on its own

567
00:33:25,040 --> 00:33:28,080
Speaker 5: merits in a way that you're saying you got to

568
00:33:28,080 --> 00:33:31,040
Speaker 5: play at least sixty five games. Those of us who

569
00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:33,360
Speaker 5: have been around the league, and you know you had

570
00:33:33,360 --> 00:33:35,960
Speaker 5: to drag people off the court, not just Michael Jordan,

571
00:33:36,040 --> 00:33:39,760
Speaker 5: but you had to drag basically everybody off the court, yes,

572
00:33:39,760 --> 00:33:44,560
Speaker 5: for them to take a break. Now players are just hey,

573
00:33:44,960 --> 00:33:47,800
Speaker 5: I don't feel like playing, or they're hiding behind well,

574
00:33:47,840 --> 00:33:51,040
Speaker 5: the team's medical people say I can't play in the back.

575
00:33:51,120 --> 00:33:54,480
Speaker 5: It's the second game of back to back. And nobody

576
00:33:54,520 --> 00:33:57,800
Speaker 5: ever talked about the ripple effects with the fans, how

577
00:33:57,840 --> 00:34:01,080
Speaker 5: the fans are getting jobbed here. They're going screwed because

578
00:34:01,280 --> 00:34:03,520
Speaker 5: they're not seeing the top players the top of that.

579
00:34:03,640 --> 00:34:07,240
Speaker 5: And that's really why this whole thing started. When it

580
00:34:07,280 --> 00:34:09,600
Speaker 5: came in, I thought sixty five was nuts. I thought

581
00:34:09,600 --> 00:34:12,360
Speaker 5: it should have been seventy five. Well, how do you

582
00:34:12,400 --> 00:34:15,240
Speaker 5: pick sixty five to begin with? That's almost the quarter

583
00:34:15,320 --> 00:34:20,080
Speaker 5: of the season, which is ridiculous. So yeah, hey, unfortunately

584
00:34:20,080 --> 00:34:23,840
Speaker 5: for Kate Cunningham, that's the way it goes. I feel

585
00:34:23,840 --> 00:34:26,279
Speaker 5: bad for him, but too bad. I mean, you know,

586
00:34:26,840 --> 00:34:30,279
Speaker 5: part of being great and I know, I mean, look,

587
00:34:30,320 --> 00:34:31,880
Speaker 5: he took a knee to the back and he has

588
00:34:31,920 --> 00:34:34,120
Speaker 5: a collass long the part of being great is always

589
00:34:34,200 --> 00:34:38,640
Speaker 5: like your availability game in and game out, and other

590
00:34:38,760 --> 00:34:42,440
Speaker 5: superstars have missed significant time. Michael Jordan had a broken

591
00:34:42,520 --> 00:34:46,399
Speaker 5: foot early on and happened with you know, other great

592
00:34:46,440 --> 00:34:49,600
Speaker 5: players that sometimes they have to go on the shelf.

593
00:34:49,640 --> 00:34:52,799
Speaker 5: But look, the great ones play. You know, you see

594
00:34:52,800 --> 00:34:55,640
Speaker 5: next Yer on their bios it's eighty two, eighty two,

595
00:34:55,640 --> 00:34:57,920
Speaker 5: eighty two, you know, the Karl Malons, John Stocks in

596
00:34:58,000 --> 00:35:01,040
Speaker 5: an example which is now play today, must say those

597
00:35:01,080 --> 00:35:04,040
Speaker 5: guys are nuts for playing all that, all those games

598
00:35:04,040 --> 00:35:06,680
Speaker 5: without missing you know, missing four games in nineteen years

599
00:35:06,760 --> 00:35:09,480
Speaker 5: or whatever. It's crazy, but that was the That was

600
00:35:09,520 --> 00:35:11,560
Speaker 5: one of the great things about these players, would say.

601
00:35:11,760 --> 00:35:14,480
Speaker 5: They were always you could always count on them, whether

602
00:35:14,600 --> 00:35:18,319
Speaker 5: you know, were home in Utah watching the Jazz come

603
00:35:18,360 --> 00:35:20,759
Speaker 5: in on the road Dan, they'd be playing and other

604
00:35:20,840 --> 00:35:23,640
Speaker 5: guys too. It wasn't just limited to them. So, yeah,

605
00:35:23,880 --> 00:35:26,200
Speaker 5: it's unfortunate for some of these guys who aren't gonna

606
00:35:26,600 --> 00:35:28,799
Speaker 5: make the sixty five games, But what are you going

607
00:35:28,840 --> 00:35:31,000
Speaker 5: to do? I mean, this is all a product of

608
00:35:31,040 --> 00:35:34,000
Speaker 5: the league had to do something rash yep to force

609
00:35:34,080 --> 00:35:34,920
Speaker 5: guys to play.

610
00:35:35,239 --> 00:35:39,680
Speaker 1: Yeah, and what you're indicating is that those players did

611
00:35:39,719 --> 00:35:42,759
Speaker 1: have respect for the ticket buyers money in a way

612
00:35:42,800 --> 00:35:46,680
Speaker 1: that that the union is now conveniently leaving that part

613
00:35:46,719 --> 00:35:48,640
Speaker 1: of it out when they're complaining about well, I got

614
00:35:48,680 --> 00:35:50,880
Speaker 1: we got big bonuses here, we got players are going

615
00:35:50,920 --> 00:35:53,319
Speaker 1: to miss out on an extra five million dollars here,

616
00:35:53,360 --> 00:35:54,439
Speaker 1: ten million dollars there.

617
00:35:54,680 --> 00:35:57,480
Speaker 2: Sorry, I can't feel that bad for them.

618
00:35:57,560 --> 00:35:59,680
Speaker 5: Right, And I mean I remember, I think it was

619
00:35:59,760 --> 00:36:05,200
Speaker 5: Covid Bryant who actually talked about he wanted to play

620
00:36:05,200 --> 00:36:07,280
Speaker 5: as much as he could, and he referenced how Michael

621
00:36:07,360 --> 00:36:09,960
Speaker 5: Jordan's yes had said at some point he wanted to

622
00:36:10,040 --> 00:36:12,239
Speaker 5: you know, I'm going to play as much as I

623
00:36:12,239 --> 00:36:15,080
Speaker 5: can every game if I can, because you know, they're

624
00:36:15,160 --> 00:36:17,640
Speaker 5: fans who come to see us, maybe in Chicago, maybe

625
00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:21,240
Speaker 5: on the road, who have never seen me play in person.

626
00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:23,400
Speaker 5: They can see me on TV, but it's different, and

627
00:36:23,480 --> 00:36:25,040
Speaker 5: I want to be able to do that. And so

628
00:36:25,840 --> 00:36:28,400
Speaker 5: it came to be Kobe had the Mamba mentality. And

629
00:36:28,400 --> 00:36:31,880
Speaker 5: when all these players talk about they love Kobe Bryant,

630
00:36:32,040 --> 00:36:35,480
Speaker 5: they never talk about the MoMA mentality when it comes

631
00:36:35,520 --> 00:36:39,759
Speaker 5: to playing game. That's the real Mamba mentality. I'm going

632
00:36:39,840 --> 00:36:42,560
Speaker 5: to be out there, game in and game out as

633
00:36:42,560 --> 00:36:45,319
Speaker 5: close to eighty two as I can, not just help

634
00:36:45,360 --> 00:36:48,359
Speaker 5: my team and help my team win, but also it's

635
00:36:48,400 --> 00:36:50,640
Speaker 5: a fan thing to respect for the fans and the

636
00:36:50,640 --> 00:36:53,359
Speaker 5: people putting out their harder money to watch me play.

637
00:36:53,480 --> 00:36:55,600
Speaker 1: Mitch Lawrence joining us NBA big knock er. You can

638
00:36:55,640 --> 00:36:58,360
Speaker 1: hear him on a serious X serious exam the NBA

639
00:36:58,520 --> 00:37:02,120
Speaker 1: channel early and often is they're the number one super

640
00:37:02,160 --> 00:37:07,600
Speaker 1: sub for that operation. Do you subscribe to one of

641
00:37:07,680 --> 00:37:11,880
Speaker 1: your teammates? Brian Geltzeiler's observations on this issue, because I

642
00:37:11,920 --> 00:37:14,239
Speaker 1: want to read you a couple tweets from him that

643
00:37:14,320 --> 00:37:16,279
Speaker 1: you might be familiar with with the audience might not.

644
00:37:16,960 --> 00:37:20,560
Speaker 1: And he calls himself a proponent of the sixty five

645
00:37:20,600 --> 00:37:23,880
Speaker 1: game rule, but he says its existence while other teams

646
00:37:23,880 --> 00:37:27,200
Speaker 1: are holding star players out is very inconsistent and hypocritical.

647
00:37:27,640 --> 00:37:30,200
Speaker 1: Bottom line is that the players are being held to

648
00:37:30,280 --> 00:37:33,200
Speaker 1: rules that the league's owners are abusing to in this

649
00:37:33,280 --> 00:37:36,000
Speaker 1: case serve their own purposes.

650
00:37:36,280 --> 00:37:37,399
Speaker 2: Where does that fit in?

651
00:37:38,280 --> 00:37:41,160
Speaker 5: I don't get what that. I need a little bit

652
00:37:41,160 --> 00:37:43,840
Speaker 5: more elaboration. How is it being abused?

653
00:37:44,080 --> 00:37:48,880
Speaker 1: I guess he's saying that you're seeing owners basically decree

654
00:37:49,080 --> 00:37:54,520
Speaker 1: that players be held out when it is advantageous to

655
00:37:54,600 --> 00:37:58,839
Speaker 1: the tanking for them getting what they want, and that

656
00:37:59,040 --> 00:38:04,000
Speaker 1: they in that this manipulation is different than maybe going

657
00:38:04,040 --> 00:38:06,239
Speaker 1: back a few years before these rules are instituted, when

658
00:38:06,440 --> 00:38:09,879
Speaker 1: players themselves just sit out, I can take another day off.

659
00:38:09,880 --> 00:38:11,640
Speaker 1: What's the difference so that you know there's there's nobody

660
00:38:11,680 --> 00:38:15,360
Speaker 1: who's going to stop me. That it's a different motivation

661
00:38:15,560 --> 00:38:16,520
Speaker 1: here with the.

662
00:38:16,480 --> 00:38:17,160
Speaker 2: Same end, you know.

663
00:38:18,040 --> 00:38:20,840
Speaker 5: Yeah, so it's bleeding into this whole tanking. Well, you

664
00:38:20,880 --> 00:38:23,640
Speaker 5: could certainly there's so much tanking going on now that

665
00:38:23,760 --> 00:38:26,920
Speaker 5: you can certainly make that art. That's the problem too

666
00:38:27,440 --> 00:38:32,840
Speaker 5: that Adam Silver has to address is that they're you know,

667
00:38:33,360 --> 00:38:35,440
Speaker 5: weeks ago, we already knew the teams that were going

668
00:38:35,440 --> 00:38:37,879
Speaker 5: to make the playoffs. It wasn't I mean, usually that's

669
00:38:37,920 --> 00:38:42,840
Speaker 5: really determined in kind of you know, March or sometimes

670
00:38:42,840 --> 00:38:45,319
Speaker 5: as late as April. Yeah, but it seemed to be

671
00:38:45,480 --> 00:38:48,960
Speaker 5: determined even earlier. And there's so many teams that just

672
00:38:49,040 --> 00:38:51,960
Speaker 5: are just trying to play for the ping pong balls

673
00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:55,400
Speaker 5: and trying to get you know, everybody's just going crazy

674
00:38:55,400 --> 00:38:57,080
Speaker 5: about this is going to be the greatest drafts in

675
00:38:57,280 --> 00:39:01,640
Speaker 5: the Lebron Draft with Dwayne Wade and Carmelo Anthony and

676
00:39:02,520 --> 00:39:05,360
Speaker 5: dark o'millicic for all the stands in Detroit who remember

677
00:39:05,400 --> 00:39:10,200
Speaker 5: that Joe Dumar's Bible, but yeah, I mean you could, certainly,

678
00:39:11,480 --> 00:39:15,200
Speaker 5: you could. Certainly what gel Zeidler saying is you okay,

679
00:39:15,320 --> 00:39:18,400
Speaker 5: you could, you could go there with this. But the

680
00:39:18,440 --> 00:39:20,719
Speaker 5: big thing after this year is, you know, one of

681
00:39:20,719 --> 00:39:24,319
Speaker 5: the things about tanking, and I've heard it, I didn't

682
00:39:24,360 --> 00:39:26,080
Speaker 5: come up with it on my own, but I think

683
00:39:26,600 --> 00:39:30,600
Speaker 5: one of the solutions could be prohibiting teams from having

684
00:39:30,760 --> 00:39:32,600
Speaker 5: top five picks two years in a row.

685
00:39:34,600 --> 00:39:36,359
Speaker 2: I'd listen to something like that.

686
00:39:37,080 --> 00:39:40,839
Speaker 5: Force teams like, guys, we'll give you a year, but

687
00:39:40,920 --> 00:39:43,120
Speaker 5: then you can't do that. We're not You're not going

688
00:39:43,200 --> 00:39:45,120
Speaker 5: to get two top five picks in a row. You're

689
00:39:45,160 --> 00:39:47,239
Speaker 5: not going to do what Philly did with you know,

690
00:39:47,400 --> 00:39:51,800
Speaker 5: three four five years of the process. Something has to change,

691
00:39:52,280 --> 00:39:55,320
Speaker 5: and until it does, this is going to blake the

692
00:39:55,440 --> 00:39:58,000
Speaker 5: league going forward. I don't care how many teams they

693
00:39:58,000 --> 00:40:02,280
Speaker 5: expand to guys come in or were talents. You can't

694
00:40:02,320 --> 00:40:07,120
Speaker 5: have the bottom feeders being multiple teams that don't give

695
00:40:07,160 --> 00:40:12,800
Speaker 5: their fans hope starting like January first, that's not good.

696
00:40:12,960 --> 00:40:15,040
Speaker 1: We still have a few games left, as you know,

697
00:40:15,080 --> 00:40:18,239
Speaker 1: in the in the regular season, so I won't hold

698
00:40:18,280 --> 00:40:21,000
Speaker 1: you to this as we actually get to the playoffs.

699
00:40:21,040 --> 00:40:25,759
Speaker 1: But if you were forced to pick who will make

700
00:40:25,800 --> 00:40:28,040
Speaker 1: the NBA Finals this year today?

701
00:40:28,320 --> 00:40:30,319
Speaker 2: As of today, where are you going?

702
00:40:30,360 --> 00:40:36,120
Speaker 5: Glahoma City in Boston? Interesting, Well, Oklahoma City just got

703
00:40:36,120 --> 00:40:39,600
Speaker 5: that Jalen Williams and All NBA performer is what twenty

704
00:40:39,600 --> 00:40:42,120
Speaker 5: six out of twenty eight games there. Finally, I think

705
00:40:42,200 --> 00:40:46,320
Speaker 5: tonight in Boston will be the eighth time their starting

706
00:40:46,360 --> 00:40:49,480
Speaker 5: lineup will be together all year, seventh or eighth. So

707
00:40:49,600 --> 00:40:53,520
Speaker 5: basically they've been depleted, but now everybody's back and they're

708
00:40:53,600 --> 00:40:57,200
Speaker 5: already basically on a pace they should win. Right now,

709
00:40:57,200 --> 00:40:58,560
Speaker 5: they're fifty seven and fifteen.

710
00:40:58,680 --> 00:40:59,719
Speaker 2: Yes, it's crazy to.

711
00:41:00,680 --> 00:41:04,000
Speaker 5: Fifteen, but it's good that San Antonio is kind of

712
00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:07,320
Speaker 5: on their heels. So I still think they're going to

713
00:41:07,360 --> 00:41:10,839
Speaker 5: come out of the West. Between what I just said

714
00:41:10,880 --> 00:41:13,520
Speaker 5: in terms of their roughs, the fact they won last year,

715
00:41:13,880 --> 00:41:16,839
Speaker 5: the fact that SCA is playing an MVP level, they've

716
00:41:16,880 --> 00:41:19,600
Speaker 5: got all the answers even though it's a brutal conference,

717
00:41:19,640 --> 00:41:21,160
Speaker 5: and that they're gonna have it. It's gonna be a

718
00:41:21,160 --> 00:41:24,799
Speaker 5: tough playoff run and Boston, I know, people are you

719
00:41:24,840 --> 00:41:27,560
Speaker 5: know what's wrong with their offense? Now that Jason Tavis

720
00:41:27,640 --> 00:41:29,480
Speaker 5: back at six and two in their last day and

721
00:41:29,520 --> 00:41:33,239
Speaker 5: he's screwing up things, which is absolutely absurd. But when

722
00:41:33,239 --> 00:41:37,520
Speaker 5: you think about him coming back, they still have games

723
00:41:37,560 --> 00:41:41,680
Speaker 5: to play. If they're rolling by the playoffs. I picked

724
00:41:41,719 --> 00:41:46,359
Speaker 5: them over Detroit with the Cade Cunningham problem. They also

725
00:41:46,400 --> 00:41:47,680
Speaker 5: have the problem, but I don't know if they have

726
00:41:47,760 --> 00:41:50,439
Speaker 5: enough scoring in the playoffs. Yeah, I picked them over

727
00:41:50,480 --> 00:41:52,680
Speaker 5: the Knicks because the Knicks are two up and down

728
00:41:52,719 --> 00:41:54,840
Speaker 5: and inconsistent. I don't know Mike Brown is going to

729
00:41:54,880 --> 00:41:56,799
Speaker 5: be in its first playoff go round in New York.

730
00:41:57,280 --> 00:42:01,480
Speaker 5: And Cleveland is a defensive liability, which we knew when

731
00:42:01,480 --> 00:42:04,680
Speaker 5: they got hardened, and they're gonna have to out score

732
00:42:04,719 --> 00:42:07,600
Speaker 5: people in the playoffs. And Kenny Atkinson is, you know,

733
00:42:07,640 --> 00:42:10,160
Speaker 5: going public with we can't win this way, but that's

734
00:42:10,200 --> 00:42:12,239
Speaker 5: the way they're going to have to win. You know,

735
00:42:12,280 --> 00:42:14,440
Speaker 5: you got to play to your team straints, even though

736
00:42:14,440 --> 00:42:17,000
Speaker 5: they have the defensive player of the year and then Mobley,

737
00:42:17,400 --> 00:42:19,320
Speaker 5: your stint is not defense. It's gonna have to be

738
00:42:19,360 --> 00:42:21,719
Speaker 5: outscoring people that'll catch up with them. That's why I

739
00:42:21,800 --> 00:42:22,640
Speaker 5: like Lost in the Kneast.

740
00:42:24,120 --> 00:42:27,880
Speaker 1: It makes sense. I can't really argue with either of those.

741
00:42:28,280 --> 00:42:31,800
Speaker 1: Let me ask you a Wolves question because right now.

742
00:42:32,000 --> 00:42:34,880
Speaker 1: You know, it's very fluid between the four, five, and

743
00:42:34,960 --> 00:42:39,400
Speaker 1: six right there, there's very little daylight between those teams.

744
00:42:39,400 --> 00:42:42,319
Speaker 1: In fact, the Wolves are hosting Houston tonight. Wolves are

745
00:42:42,320 --> 00:42:45,040
Speaker 1: forty four and twenty eight. Houston is forty three and

746
00:42:45,080 --> 00:42:47,720
Speaker 1: twenty eight. So Minnesota is for the moment in the five.

747
00:42:48,040 --> 00:42:50,399
Speaker 1: Let's say Minnesota ends up in the six, which they've

748
00:42:50,400 --> 00:42:53,439
Speaker 1: been at for a while, and the Lakers stay at three.

749
00:42:55,200 --> 00:42:59,359
Speaker 1: That here, the reaction from folks is fine, Yeah, we're

750
00:42:59,400 --> 00:43:00,080
Speaker 1: fine with that.

751
00:43:00,080 --> 00:43:01,400
Speaker 2: That we know how to play the Lakers.

752
00:43:01,400 --> 00:43:03,960
Speaker 1: We saw nobody picked us to win a year ago

753
00:43:04,000 --> 00:43:07,080
Speaker 1: and they dominated the Lakers. But then I've heard other

754
00:43:07,120 --> 00:43:11,200
Speaker 1: people say, well, these Lakers, they may not have enough

755
00:43:11,200 --> 00:43:13,880
Speaker 1: to win it, but they might be a different team

756
00:43:13,920 --> 00:43:15,319
Speaker 1: than the Wolves played a year ago.

757
00:43:15,760 --> 00:43:17,440
Speaker 2: Do you trust the Lakers.

758
00:43:17,000 --> 00:43:21,080
Speaker 1: Anymore than last year to be a formidable threat even

759
00:43:21,320 --> 00:43:22,880
Speaker 1: in the first round against the Wolves or what do

760
00:43:22,920 --> 00:43:24,080
Speaker 1: you make of them?

761
00:43:25,040 --> 00:43:30,400
Speaker 5: Well, it's interesting because the Lakers in the last two weeks,

762
00:43:30,600 --> 00:43:34,160
Speaker 5: a couple of months or whatever, they've been a little

763
00:43:34,200 --> 00:43:38,239
Speaker 5: bit more serious about their defense. Eighton has been more

764
00:43:38,239 --> 00:43:41,560
Speaker 5: of a factor at that end, as as Marcus Smart.

765
00:43:41,800 --> 00:43:45,640
Speaker 5: So that makes them a little different. I know, they

766
00:43:45,640 --> 00:43:49,000
Speaker 5: got bludgeoned by the Wolves last year. Size wise, that's

767
00:43:49,000 --> 00:43:53,600
Speaker 5: still gonna happen again. The fact that Lebron is accepting

768
00:43:53,880 --> 00:43:59,000
Speaker 5: of his number three role is not surprising to me.

769
00:43:59,160 --> 00:44:01,040
Speaker 5: I think he basically he knows he has to do it,

770
00:44:01,040 --> 00:44:02,840
Speaker 5: and he's forty one years old and he can't be

771
00:44:03,040 --> 00:44:06,759
Speaker 5: one or two anymore. But they seem to have, you know,

772
00:44:06,880 --> 00:44:10,640
Speaker 5: been more successful there. Luca with the rest ever since

773
00:44:10,640 --> 00:44:13,360
Speaker 5: he got his fifteenth T which turns into the sixteenth

774
00:44:13,440 --> 00:44:15,839
Speaker 5: and of course you have to rescind it because Luca

775
00:44:15,920 --> 00:44:21,359
Speaker 5: Dodgers League to suspend him for a game. He has

776
00:44:21,560 --> 00:44:25,400
Speaker 5: turned it off. He's totally shut up. So that's working

777
00:44:25,440 --> 00:44:29,120
Speaker 5: for the big time. And they seem to they you know,

778
00:44:29,160 --> 00:44:32,080
Speaker 5: they won that crazy game against Denver at home. Yeah,

779
00:44:32,560 --> 00:44:35,120
Speaker 5: two weeks ago. They kind of caught fire. So they

780
00:44:35,160 --> 00:44:38,240
Speaker 5: are a different team than last year. Whether that carries

781
00:44:38,280 --> 00:44:42,200
Speaker 5: through in the playoffs, I don't know. I think they

782
00:44:42,200 --> 00:44:46,160
Speaker 5: don't want to see Minnesota. I think they want to

783
00:44:46,200 --> 00:44:50,120
Speaker 5: see Houston, probably true of any team, and I would

784
00:44:50,160 --> 00:44:54,840
Speaker 5: think if you're Minnesota or Denver, Houston's the team you

785
00:44:54,880 --> 00:44:57,400
Speaker 5: want to see. They are not, you know, they're not

786
00:44:57,440 --> 00:45:00,640
Speaker 5: a good defensive team. They lacked leaders, and that was

787
00:45:00,640 --> 00:45:03,760
Speaker 5: a knock against Kevin Durant Brooklyn. He's not a leader,

788
00:45:05,600 --> 00:45:08,560
Speaker 5: not as good as Leal. Let's say other leaders, and

789
00:45:09,440 --> 00:45:13,400
Speaker 5: they're they're defensive train wreck. Now Denver is too, But

790
00:45:13,480 --> 00:45:16,400
Speaker 5: I think one of those teams is gonna find And

791
00:45:16,440 --> 00:45:18,839
Speaker 5: I could be wrong, but I'll say, if you're one

792
00:45:18,840 --> 00:45:23,360
Speaker 5: of those teams, Denver, La or Minnesota, Houston is the

793
00:45:23,400 --> 00:45:24,400
Speaker 5: team you want to see.

794
00:45:24,440 --> 00:45:25,400
Speaker 2: I think you're a playoffs.

795
00:45:25,480 --> 00:45:27,640
Speaker 5: The other teams, you know that's gonna be rougher.

796
00:45:27,760 --> 00:45:29,759
Speaker 2: Yeah, I I tend to agree with that as I

797
00:45:29,760 --> 00:45:30,120
Speaker 2: I do.

798
00:45:30,600 --> 00:45:32,960
Speaker 1: I still would like the Wolves chances against the Lakers,

799
00:45:33,040 --> 00:45:35,359
Speaker 1: but I've tried to point out to people there are

800
00:45:35,400 --> 00:45:37,640
Speaker 1: some differences here. Now. That doesn't mean they're gonna win

801
00:45:37,640 --> 00:45:40,000
Speaker 1: the title, but there is some stuff to pay attention

802
00:45:40,080 --> 00:45:42,120
Speaker 1: to this year. The assumption that was because because it

803
00:45:42,160 --> 00:45:44,560
Speaker 1: was easy last year that it would be again, I

804
00:45:44,600 --> 00:45:47,040
Speaker 1: don't know, but I yeah, I would. I would rather

805
00:45:47,280 --> 00:45:50,200
Speaker 1: right now, regardless, I'd rather play play Houston early.

806
00:45:50,080 --> 00:45:52,520
Speaker 5: At least, and to pylon Houston a little bit more.

807
00:45:53,160 --> 00:45:55,480
Speaker 5: They you know, they're still looking for a point guard.

808
00:45:55,520 --> 00:45:59,200
Speaker 5: They never address that. Ran fleet that was a big loss,

809
00:45:59,760 --> 00:46:02,120
Speaker 5: you know. Email And in terms of the leadership email,

810
00:46:02,200 --> 00:46:04,680
Speaker 5: Doka goes public and criticizes the team all the time.

811
00:46:04,680 --> 00:46:06,480
Speaker 5: If you had a big time leader in the locker room,

812
00:46:06,520 --> 00:46:07,359
Speaker 5: he willn't have to do that.

813
00:46:07,440 --> 00:46:10,319
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's one hundred true. Uh. We'll be in touch

814
00:46:10,360 --> 00:46:12,520
Speaker 2: as we as we as we get really close.

815
00:46:12,760 --> 00:46:14,719
Speaker 1: As you know, we're not that far off now, but

816
00:46:14,760 --> 00:46:16,680
Speaker 1: once we got matchups set and so forth, we'll be

817
00:46:16,920 --> 00:46:18,640
Speaker 1: we'll be into When when's the next time you're on

818
00:46:19,040 --> 00:46:23,160
Speaker 1: serious xm.

819
00:46:21,760 --> 00:46:26,239
Speaker 5: Oh SCALABREENI told me on the air, he said, I'm

820
00:46:26,239 --> 00:46:28,200
Speaker 5: going to tell you what Tom Thibodau always told me.

821
00:46:28,600 --> 00:46:29,240
Speaker 5: Stay ready.

822
00:46:31,520 --> 00:46:38,080
Speaker 2: Yeah that's well, that's ready. An inspiring message from from Scal, isn't.

823
00:46:37,840 --> 00:46:41,319
Speaker 5: It with with me? In terms of Thibodeau, there's not

824
00:46:41,360 --> 00:46:42,960
Speaker 5: a minutes problem.

825
00:46:44,680 --> 00:46:47,640
Speaker 2: That's very very true. Be well, my friend, we'll talk soon.

826
00:46:47,640 --> 00:46:50,640
Speaker 5: Appreciate your thanks, Dan, than to you later.

827
00:46:50,760 --> 00:46:51,320
Speaker 2: Absolutely.

828
00:46:51,400 --> 00:46:55,440
Speaker 1: Mitch Lawrence a longtime NBA writer in Dallas, where he

829
00:46:55,480 --> 00:46:58,680
Speaker 1: was a teammate of mine back in another century. He

830
00:46:58,719 --> 00:47:01,160
Speaker 1: went on to write out of New York as well.

831
00:47:01,440 --> 00:47:05,000
Speaker 1: Has covered the NBA literally for decades and now is

832
00:47:05,080 --> 00:47:09,440
Speaker 1: doing more broadcasting than writing. He has gone over to

833
00:47:09,520 --> 00:47:12,319
Speaker 1: the dark side, like so many of us. We have

834
00:47:12,400 --> 00:47:14,719
Speaker 1: the top of the hour pause. By the way, we

835
00:47:14,760 --> 00:47:16,600
Speaker 1: will be doing the Top five at five, I hope,

836
00:47:17,000 --> 00:47:20,400
Speaker 1: but Blake Moore is prepared for that. We got John

837
00:47:20,440 --> 00:47:24,120
Speaker 1: Bream to talk music in about a half hour. We've

838
00:47:24,160 --> 00:47:28,319
Speaker 1: got Kessler to join at five thirty. Carrying the water

839
00:47:28,400 --> 00:47:30,920
Speaker 1: or the vikings, I'm sure. Regarding our efforts to bring

840
00:47:31,320 --> 00:47:33,440
Speaker 1: the National Football League Draft to Minnesota,