WEBVTT - EPISODE 9: Damian Lillard 0:00:03.400 --> 0:00:07.040 Welcome to this league, uncutting in the world of twenty 0:00:07.040 --> 0:00:11.080 four NBA news. Just dude, you lose Chris Shine did 0:00:11.200 --> 0:00:17.599 go time? Mark Stein did show time. Shuklaka Christine and 0:00:17.760 --> 0:00:21.840 Mark Stein. This link uncut, just underway and on fire. 0:00:22.400 --> 0:00:26.920 This should be a good one. Yes, this will be 0:00:27.000 --> 0:00:29.000 a good one. I know I say this all the time, 0:00:29.000 --> 0:00:30.680 but no, this this is a good one. Right here. 0:00:30.880 --> 0:00:33.199 I'm bringing on my guy. Y'all know who he is, man, 0:00:33.240 --> 0:00:36.280 I've been covering him his whole NBA career, his path 0:00:36.440 --> 0:00:41.720 from Weeber State to NBA Star, seven time NBA All Star. 0:00:42.440 --> 0:00:45.640 Here in Salt Lake City, Portland Trail Blazers All Star, 0:00:45.760 --> 0:00:48.680 Damian Lillard, Dame Man, thanks for coming on with me 0:00:48.960 --> 0:00:52.040 and Mark Stein on this league uncut man. How you feeling, brother? 0:00:52.400 --> 0:00:55.760 You know you in Salt Lake right now? What's going on? Burgess? 0:00:56.600 --> 0:01:00.040 Headed to practice? Headed to this All Star practice? The 0:01:00.080 --> 0:01:05.080 sprainer of my family just headed down. Man. It's baking 0:01:05.160 --> 0:01:08.480 my way through the weekend. Is this even more special? 0:01:08.720 --> 0:01:10.760 You know we were State is right not too far 0:01:10.880 --> 0:01:13.640 from from Salt Lake. Is this any more special than 0:01:13.760 --> 0:01:17.640 any other All Star appearances? I think it is just 0:01:17.760 --> 0:01:24.040 the warnest I feel like every other All Star Wars, 0:01:25.480 --> 0:01:28.480 I feel like the New Orleans short that you know 0:01:28.480 --> 0:01:31.240 it's on site of the city Atlanta. I think LA 0:01:31.360 --> 0:01:33.160 was probably the closest, but you know that it be 0:01:33.480 --> 0:01:36.440 from northern California. That's only tides I really had there. 0:01:36.560 --> 0:01:38.840 But the fact that I went to school here and 0:01:38.920 --> 0:01:41.800 lived here four years, you know, and I didn't moved 0:01:41.800 --> 0:01:44.880 around these parts, you know a lot, so a lot 0:01:44.880 --> 0:01:47.360 of familiar faces, a lot of you know, friends and 0:01:47.480 --> 0:01:51.320 the family that I may hear. So I think that 0:01:51.360 --> 0:01:54.520 makes it a little more special one with so many 0:01:54.600 --> 0:01:58.880 guards in the West, Like is there a point where 0:01:58.920 --> 0:02:01.279 you're worried that you might get xed out? Because obviously 0:02:01.320 --> 0:02:03.920 you guys are basically in the five hundred zone winning wise, 0:02:04.000 --> 0:02:06.640 Like how do you approach Like obviously you've been an 0:02:06.640 --> 0:02:09.840 All Star a zillion times before, but is it something 0:02:09.880 --> 0:02:14.400 that you stress over? I would say in the past 0:02:14.520 --> 0:02:18.720 more so, you know, being Hayes had those conversations like man, 0:02:19.400 --> 0:02:21.960 what it is looking like right now? Like our record 0:02:22.600 --> 0:02:24.800 versus other people's records and stuff like that. But I 0:02:24.840 --> 0:02:28.320 just think this time where I would say, these days, 0:02:28.360 --> 0:02:31.920 I don't really you know, stress or press about it 0:02:31.960 --> 0:02:36.480 as much, you know, like you said, I've made it 0:02:36.560 --> 0:02:41.440 quite a few times now. You know, you when you're younger, 0:02:41.440 --> 0:02:43.800 you want to be in the mix. You know, you 0:02:43.840 --> 0:02:45.560 want to be there and you want that experience, you 0:02:45.600 --> 0:02:49.079 want that acknowledgment. And I think the older you get, 0:02:49.160 --> 0:02:51.400 obviously it's still an honor and it's still a pleasure 0:02:51.400 --> 0:02:54.840 to to you know, to get picked. But you know, 0:02:54.880 --> 0:02:57.760 I just don't think it's as much of a stressor 0:02:58.080 --> 0:03:00.080 you know, once you get later in your career as 0:03:00.120 --> 0:03:02.000 it is in the beginning. So you know, now I'm 0:03:02.040 --> 0:03:04.799 not obviously you're gonna look around and be like, man, 0:03:04.880 --> 0:03:09.560 you know, you know what you do, look at what 0:03:09.639 --> 0:03:11.919 the chances are. But I wouldn't say I press over 0:03:11.960 --> 0:03:14.760 it at all. Start. Let me tell you this stun 0:03:15.320 --> 0:03:18.080 when Um he sat out last year. We most of 0:03:18.200 --> 0:03:20.840 last year he got he had his um surgery on 0:03:20.919 --> 0:03:24.880 his APTNOM and he was recovering, you know, working his 0:03:24.960 --> 0:03:28.120 way back, rehapping back, and he would send me clips 0:03:28.160 --> 0:03:31.040 of his workouts. You know, as he's progressing in each 0:03:31.080 --> 0:03:34.760 year he'll be like, Haynes, I'm getting there, Like I'm 0:03:34.760 --> 0:03:37.200 getting there. And I think I think a lot of 0:03:37.200 --> 0:03:42.600 people felt like he might be on the decline, you know, Dame, 0:03:42.760 --> 0:03:44.880 is his his body is breaking down. You know, more 0:03:44.920 --> 0:03:47.400 injuries are compelling now at this stage of his career. 0:03:48.080 --> 0:03:50.200 Is he gonna be able to return to form? He 0:03:50.280 --> 0:03:53.920 got that big new extension, a big max extension um 0:03:54.040 --> 0:03:57.120 last summer, and now you look at this season he's having. 0:03:57.120 --> 0:03:59.640 He had the most he had the sixty point game 0:03:59.720 --> 0:04:04.160 was the sufficient sixty point game in NBA history. And 0:04:04.560 --> 0:04:07.640 he's having the best year of his career right now 0:04:07.720 --> 0:04:12.000 statistically all across the board. Dame, are you surprising yourself? 0:04:12.360 --> 0:04:14.760 Like you knew you're gonna come back, but the level 0:04:14.800 --> 0:04:19.200 you're playing right now, Like, is there any surprise whatsoever? Honestly, 0:04:19.240 --> 0:04:24.000 I'm not surprised, because you know, I was, I was playing, 0:04:24.200 --> 0:04:26.679 I was having big years the last couple of years, 0:04:26.880 --> 0:04:30.159 Frank's last year when I just I had to have surgery. 0:04:31.240 --> 0:04:35.039 But once I realized, once I started to get healthy, 0:04:35.040 --> 0:04:38.920 and I realized how hurt I was, as I got 0:04:38.920 --> 0:04:42.760 back to at the bounce of my step and I 0:04:42.760 --> 0:04:45.200 could move more freely and I was more comfortable out there, 0:04:46.120 --> 0:04:48.520 I was like, you know, it's gonna be troubled out there. 0:04:49.160 --> 0:04:51.760 And I told you that before before the season started, 0:04:51.800 --> 0:04:53.760 and you thought I was just talking. No, I think 0:04:53.760 --> 0:05:00.520 you was talking, Yes you did. I was telling you 0:05:01.160 --> 0:05:03.440 Chris is exactly right. Then. In the media, that's how 0:05:03.480 --> 0:05:06.440 we think. How does the athlete block out thoughts like that? 0:05:06.480 --> 0:05:10.560 How do you block out doubt? Well, I think because 0:05:10.920 --> 0:05:14.240 as media, y'all don't feeling y'all just are you guys 0:05:14.240 --> 0:05:17.760 are just watching from the outside. So people that just 0:05:17.800 --> 0:05:19.560 say stuff, you know sometimes when they're trying to get 0:05:19.560 --> 0:05:22.320 what they're trying to convince you, y'all. And I just 0:05:22.360 --> 0:05:28.400 felt it once I started training, started getting back to 0:05:28.480 --> 0:05:30.520 full speed, I could just feel it in my step 0:05:30.520 --> 0:05:33.919 and I could feel it in having the time away 0:05:33.960 --> 0:05:37.240 from you know, I missed like ficking games, so just 0:05:37.360 --> 0:05:39.799 not having to travel as much, not having to demand 0:05:39.839 --> 0:05:43.080 of like having to perform and you know, have all 0:05:43.080 --> 0:05:45.720 these big performances to win games and stuff like that. 0:05:46.240 --> 0:05:50.760 You know, I was just kind of rested training during recovery. 0:05:50.800 --> 0:05:53.480 I was just I had all that time off. It 0:05:53.600 --> 0:05:56.120 was a mental break of physical brain. I was able 0:05:56.120 --> 0:05:57.640 to get all the way back healthy. So I just 0:05:57.760 --> 0:06:01.320 knew like I felt it. So I think that's that's 0:06:01.360 --> 0:06:03.719 something that you guys just can't. There's no way for 0:06:03.760 --> 0:06:07.159 you guys to feel that same way or two to 0:06:07.240 --> 0:06:10.160 have that same understanding, because it's you guys are just 0:06:10.160 --> 0:06:12.520 watching it. You know, y'all got to just take our 0:06:12.560 --> 0:06:15.200 word for it. You know a lot of times people 0:06:15.200 --> 0:06:19.720 are just just saying it, and it's not hard to 0:06:19.720 --> 0:06:22.760 tune that noise out. I think it's hard to tune 0:06:22.760 --> 0:06:25.719 it out because you sometimes you get anxious for the 0:06:25.800 --> 0:06:30.200 time to come for people to see, you know. But 0:06:30.400 --> 0:06:32.280 I mean, I wouldn't even say I tuned it out. 0:06:32.440 --> 0:06:37.840 I just, you know, documented I just recognize it what 0:06:37.880 --> 0:06:41.280 it is, and I also know that it's it's justified. 0:06:42.640 --> 0:06:44.920 It's justified, so I don't tune it out like it's 0:06:45.040 --> 0:06:48.800 just not possible. Um. You know, I just had more 0:06:48.880 --> 0:06:51.880 belief in what I felt, you know, but I felt 0:06:51.880 --> 0:06:56.080 it myself, you know, I just outweighed what the doubt was. 0:06:56.400 --> 0:06:58.440 It wasn't that I just didn't acknowledge it or didn't 0:06:58.440 --> 0:07:01.040 know that that it was possible reality, this is happening before, 0:07:01.960 --> 0:07:06.400 it'll happen more, you know. But in a specific situation, 0:07:07.800 --> 0:07:09.880 I didn't have a concern because of how I feel 0:07:09.960 --> 0:07:14.560 about big trades made across the League. Kevin Durant going 0:07:14.560 --> 0:07:17.200 to Phoenix, you know that was a blockbuster. You know, 0:07:17.280 --> 0:07:20.040 Kyrie going over to Dallas. The Western Conference is getting 0:07:20.080 --> 0:07:23.560 deeper and deeper. You guys made some moves, added motifs 0:07:23.560 --> 0:07:28.040 stable um, you added Cam Reddish Um. You know, obviously 0:07:28.080 --> 0:07:29.720 there's still some work that needs to be done to 0:07:29.760 --> 0:07:32.880 get you guys to where you want to be ultimately. 0:07:33.280 --> 0:07:36.040 But one guy I want to talk about, particularly the 0:07:36.080 --> 0:07:39.520 Gary Payton situation. I was caught off guard by that, 0:07:40.440 --> 0:07:43.800 you know, trading them back to Golden State. First of all, 0:07:43.840 --> 0:07:46.200 what was your thoughts, you know, him going to Golden State, 0:07:46.240 --> 0:07:49.560 how did you feel? And then ultimately the Gary Payton 0:07:49.920 --> 0:07:55.000 fiasco that it was Honestly, I wasn't even the word 0:07:54.720 --> 0:07:59.840 that that trade was gonna happen. We was actually sitting 0:08:00.120 --> 0:08:02.240 to each other on the training table when he went 0:08:02.360 --> 0:08:05.640 when he went into the meeting, and even then, you know, 0:08:05.760 --> 0:08:08.920 I didn't I didn't think, you know, I didn't think 0:08:08.920 --> 0:08:12.440 it was gonna really go down like like that. But 0:08:13.440 --> 0:08:15.560 you know, his time here, I just know that he 0:08:15.680 --> 0:08:18.000 was coming off the injury. He had the same surgery 0:08:18.000 --> 0:08:20.600 that I had, but he had a procedure prior to 0:08:20.680 --> 0:08:24.680 that so he had to. You know, anytime you got 0:08:24.680 --> 0:08:26.440 to go back in twice, you know, it's probably gonna 0:08:26.440 --> 0:08:28.720 be a little bit longer of the process because you 0:08:28.800 --> 0:08:30.840 already got scar tissue built up in there and then 0:08:31.160 --> 0:08:34.640 you know, having another surgery. So I feel like, you know, 0:08:34.679 --> 0:08:36.760 the team was patient. You know, it was a lot 0:08:36.760 --> 0:08:39.319 of time went by before he before he actually uh 0:08:40.040 --> 0:08:42.760 before he played, and it was you know, me and 0:08:42.880 --> 0:08:45.200 him but joke about it, you know, when he was 0:08:45.240 --> 0:08:47.760 gonna play. Stuff like that, And I've been on him 0:08:47.800 --> 0:08:50.720 a long time obviously, but once he got back on 0:08:50.760 --> 0:08:55.040 the floor, I think his presence was it's like obvious, 0:08:55.120 --> 0:08:57.760 you know what he brought to a team. He knew 0:08:57.800 --> 0:09:00.040 that he was bringing something different to our team with 0:09:00.120 --> 0:09:05.840 his field, with his his ability defensively is toughness, and 0:09:05.920 --> 0:09:07.960 I thought he, you know, he was showing us that. 0:09:08.120 --> 0:09:10.000 But you know, obviously, when you've missed that, many games 0:09:10.040 --> 0:09:12.679 don't take time, and then you know, the trade happens, 0:09:13.600 --> 0:09:19.080 all these things come out out performing staff, all of 0:09:19.080 --> 0:09:22.600 those things, And I honestly don't know the exact dynamic 0:09:22.800 --> 0:09:25.360 that it was because I just you know, you just 0:09:25.400 --> 0:09:30.600 assume that they're giving him a playing and he's or 0:09:30.640 --> 0:09:33.480 whatever that playing is. But what I do know, so 0:09:33.480 --> 0:09:35.600 it was a lot of a lot of stuff that 0:09:35.640 --> 0:09:39.280 I did see that I don't I don't see that 0:09:39.360 --> 0:09:42.320 happening though. I think Jeff Parton, who's the head of 0:09:42.320 --> 0:09:46.280 our our performance staff, has been around a long time. 0:09:46.720 --> 0:09:49.520 I've been around on my own career. He's always been 0:09:49.559 --> 0:09:52.960 on point, even you know, when he dealt with my surgery, 0:09:52.960 --> 0:09:55.360 when he's dealt with all of my injuries, He's always 0:09:55.360 --> 0:09:58.640 been on point and had the best interest of the player. 0:09:59.480 --> 0:10:01.880 Like I said, I don't really go all the four details, 0:10:03.880 --> 0:10:07.120 but you know, obviously it was a major disconnecting, a 0:10:07.200 --> 0:10:11.120 lot of miscommunications that happened. But obviously with it being 0:10:11.160 --> 0:10:16.040 looked into, we've seen running backs come out. You know, 0:10:16.200 --> 0:10:20.079 Gary is still dealing with some pain and with stress, 0:10:20.440 --> 0:10:22.760 which is something that's possible when you come up with 0:10:22.800 --> 0:10:25.720 surgery and you start playing get back out there. You 0:10:25.720 --> 0:10:28.480 don't know what can happen. But I just hope that 0:10:28.520 --> 0:10:30.439 he gets healthy. And I didn't want to see him 0:10:30.480 --> 0:10:32.200 go back to go to State because I know he 0:10:32.320 --> 0:10:34.080 makes it feel better. So I didn't want to see 0:10:34.080 --> 0:10:37.160 that happen. In all my years covering League, I kind 0:10:37.160 --> 0:10:39.960 of feel like the Achilles is the most dreaded injury 0:10:40.120 --> 0:10:42.640 that a basketball player can suffer. But how high up 0:10:42.679 --> 0:10:45.760 there is a core injury that requires surgery that has 0:10:45.800 --> 0:10:49.040 to be not good. I don't think it's anywhere near 0:10:49.080 --> 0:10:53.000 the Achilles because the core injury is it does like 0:10:54.720 --> 0:10:57.160 it takes a lot away from you when when you're 0:10:57.160 --> 0:10:59.000 playing with it. So the whole time and I was 0:10:59.040 --> 0:11:02.040 playing with it's like I can feel myself kind able 0:11:02.040 --> 0:11:06.280 to play at like a fast pace and stop or 0:11:06.679 --> 0:11:10.520 be moving fast and change direction or jump or shoot 0:11:10.520 --> 0:11:12.240 a pull up three on the time, you know, it 0:11:12.320 --> 0:11:17.080 was just tough to like brace and to just kind 0:11:17.080 --> 0:11:20.400 of control my body, uh in ways that I can't 0:11:20.440 --> 0:11:23.320 down so I just fitn't doing it, or like at 0:11:23.320 --> 0:11:25.920 the end of the first quarter, you know, it would 0:11:25.960 --> 0:11:28.560 get really irritated and I would just have so much 0:11:28.559 --> 0:11:32.079 stiffness assortness that it would be like once I come 0:11:32.080 --> 0:11:33.880 out of the game and I sit down, I'm on 0:11:33.880 --> 0:11:35.319 the bench for a while, I would be like, man, 0:11:35.320 --> 0:11:36.880 I don't know if I can I don't know if 0:11:36.880 --> 0:11:38.319 I can go back out there and move it getting 0:11:38.360 --> 0:11:39.920 you know, like I could just tell it's gonna be 0:11:40.000 --> 0:11:42.719 a bad night as far as like my comfort. But 0:11:42.920 --> 0:11:45.920 I think the surgery I went to do the vain 0:11:46.040 --> 0:11:51.040 guy doctor Meyers, and feeling and uh getting back from 0:11:51.040 --> 0:11:53.760 the surgery wasn't process. You know, it was like the 0:11:53.800 --> 0:11:56.240 first month and they have two months, was like, man, 0:11:56.280 --> 0:11:59.520 am I getting anywhere? And then you know that next 0:11:59.520 --> 0:12:01.599 couple of weeks seems like a lot of progress, but 0:12:01.760 --> 0:12:05.079 you gotta uh stay on top of it. You know, 0:12:05.240 --> 0:12:07.800 you came having the slimmage in that process getting back 0:12:07.800 --> 0:12:10.040 and I didn't. And then once I got back and 0:12:10.280 --> 0:12:14.240 was as good as new. So um, when you're dealing 0:12:14.240 --> 0:12:15.640 with it, it is a tough one to deal with, 0:12:15.800 --> 0:12:18.760 But once you come back from it in process the 0:12:18.840 --> 0:12:21.480 right way, I don't think it's even great here and 0:12:21.559 --> 0:12:25.680 it gives your team is sitting in twelfth place right 0:12:25.720 --> 0:12:29.280 now again, like I said, other teams got better. Where's 0:12:29.320 --> 0:12:32.360 your state at as far as like you on board 0:12:32.360 --> 0:12:34.640 with the plan and what you guys plan to do 0:12:34.880 --> 0:12:37.559 moving forward, especially in this offseason. Where are you at? 0:12:38.800 --> 0:12:41.560 Oh as far as where we stay right now? Understandings? 0:12:41.880 --> 0:12:44.640 You know, I can only control what I can control. 0:12:45.280 --> 0:12:47.640 You know what I doing before and what type of 0:12:47.679 --> 0:12:49.680 attitude has been talent, he and I have what you know, 0:12:49.720 --> 0:12:54.720 how I operate to that stuff. So uh, you know, 0:12:54.760 --> 0:12:57.680 I'm going to enjoy this this the next two days 0:12:57.679 --> 0:13:01.800 and All Star and then Sunday when I get you know, 0:13:01.800 --> 0:13:04.440 I'm gonna strapped back in and get ready to try 0:13:04.480 --> 0:13:08.720 to push that line and try to make it happen. Uh. 0:13:09.960 --> 0:13:11.720 And as you know, we're so tight in the West 0:13:11.800 --> 0:13:13.079 right now, you can win three in their own. A 0:13:13.080 --> 0:13:15.120 couple of teams loose two out of three, and you 0:13:15.160 --> 0:13:17.320 know you don't finn play. So you know, as bad 0:13:17.320 --> 0:13:20.960 as a place sounds, you know, it's more about you know, 0:13:20.960 --> 0:13:22.760 if we do end up going on a run and 0:13:22.840 --> 0:13:24.959 end that poor fifth place, like all right, do we 0:13:25.440 --> 0:13:27.920 what is it gonna look like in the postseason? Can 0:13:27.960 --> 0:13:30.200 we actually compad And that's the most important thing to 0:13:30.280 --> 0:13:33.320 be So I'm gonna handle it how I always ended 0:13:33.480 --> 0:13:37.559 the soldier, ugush the line, make it happen, you know, 0:13:37.679 --> 0:13:39.720 the close out of the season. And then you know, 0:13:39.760 --> 0:13:42.520 when it comes to what what what our vision is 0:13:42.520 --> 0:13:46.479 as an organization, as a team, I can definitely understand 0:13:46.559 --> 0:13:48.680 you know, what we want to do, what we're trying 0:13:48.720 --> 0:13:52.720 to do, just a matter of you know, actually execute 0:13:52.760 --> 0:13:55.560 that plan and uh being able to get things done 0:13:55.559 --> 0:13:58.920 in a way where we come back and it's like, Okay, 0:13:59.240 --> 0:14:01.880 we got a chance to truly give people a championship 0:14:01.920 --> 0:14:06.920 within So I understand it now was just time to 0:14:07.400 --> 0:14:10.800 make it have the I think, you know, that's just 0:14:10.840 --> 0:14:14.840 what it's time. I consider myself a basketball romantic. I 0:14:14.920 --> 0:14:19.520 always love the idea of players who stay with one team. 0:14:20.040 --> 0:14:22.720 You know, I always said, you know, living in Dallas 0:14:22.720 --> 0:14:26.240 and covering Durk Navitski's whole career, he won one championship, 0:14:26.280 --> 0:14:29.600 but I on my scorecard, you know, staying with one team, 0:14:29.600 --> 0:14:32.040 I kind of consider that like a championship of its own. 0:14:32.080 --> 0:14:35.000 I think, you know, Kobe and Duncan felt the same way. 0:14:35.080 --> 0:14:37.480 Reggie Miller and John Stockton are guys who didn't win 0:14:37.480 --> 0:14:40.920 a championship, but you know, nineteen and eighteen years with 0:14:41.040 --> 0:14:43.600 one team. But like, it just strikes me as the 0:14:43.600 --> 0:14:45.880 way the game has changed, people are always urging you 0:14:45.920 --> 0:14:49.400 to leave. It's just different. I feel like ten years 0:14:49.440 --> 0:14:52.800 ago everybody would have said stay, stay, stay, but now 0:14:52.800 --> 0:14:55.080 it's like dangn get out of there. How do you 0:14:55.200 --> 0:15:02.520 view the discussion of your career like that? I think 0:15:02.640 --> 0:15:06.080 I think it's just because of the the way the 0:15:06.120 --> 0:15:10.240 game has changed. I think it's become much more common, 0:15:10.440 --> 0:15:13.880 just like, oh, you need a ring, you know. I 0:15:13.920 --> 0:15:16.120 think it's about the outside pressure of you need to ring. 0:15:16.200 --> 0:15:20.440 You gotta win a championship. You know, it's tough out here. 0:15:20.600 --> 0:15:25.720 You know, it's tough right down, especially with the access 0:15:25.760 --> 0:15:29.040 we will have to us through social media. How often 0:15:29.080 --> 0:15:32.760 you know, to discussed every little thing on TV. So 0:15:32.800 --> 0:15:36.600 it just comes with a lot of a lot of heat. 0:15:36.680 --> 0:15:38.640 You know, we're under a microscope as far as you 0:15:38.720 --> 0:15:41.360 know what other people think of it. So I think 0:15:41.400 --> 0:15:44.280 that leads guys to feeling like I gotta do what 0:15:44.320 --> 0:15:48.440 I gotta do win the power of the player. I 0:15:48.520 --> 0:15:51.720 just feel like, you know, I love the organization I 0:15:51.800 --> 0:15:54.880 played for. They haven't won the championships in seventy seven. 0:15:55.480 --> 0:15:57.200 I want to bring one. I want to bring one 0:15:57.280 --> 0:16:01.680 back here. I think people are just they just love 0:16:01.760 --> 0:16:05.760 discussing what I should do, because you know, one of 0:16:05.760 --> 0:16:09.120 the only one of the few guys that have laboring teams. 0:16:10.720 --> 0:16:12.680 I think, honestly, I think a lot of people just 0:16:12.720 --> 0:16:15.640 love to to see things just get mixed up. You know. 0:16:15.680 --> 0:16:19.080 They love the drama and you know, then once it 0:16:19.120 --> 0:16:20.920 happened and they die off of it, and then it's 0:16:20.960 --> 0:16:23.360 like on to the next thing. But I just understand 0:16:23.400 --> 0:16:27.840 that nobody, nobody's gonna have to walk in my shoes 0:16:27.920 --> 0:16:30.520 or live with any of the consequences or anything. You know. 0:16:31.080 --> 0:16:33.880 I never let that way into any decision or phil 0:16:33.920 --> 0:16:36.160 about it. You know, it does get irritated sometimes it's 0:16:36.200 --> 0:16:39.200 like what's the big deal? You know what I mean, 0:16:39.320 --> 0:16:41.720 Like everybody's telling me what I need to do and 0:16:41.840 --> 0:16:45.000 what I should do, as if they actually care, you 0:16:45.000 --> 0:16:46.600 know what I mean, they say it from a placement, 0:16:46.720 --> 0:16:49.520 if they actually care, when I know they don't, you 0:16:49.520 --> 0:16:52.280 know what I'm saying. It's just like it's just funny. 0:16:52.840 --> 0:16:55.200 How long did it take you to feel about Portland 0:16:55.280 --> 0:16:59.920 the way you can do? So that we restinct? You know, 0:17:00.000 --> 0:17:03.320 we play all the big sky Country School, Montana, Montana State, 0:17:04.119 --> 0:17:06.600 Idahole State, you know, so we was always in these 0:17:06.680 --> 0:17:10.439 like small bad town you know what I mean, Like 0:17:11.240 --> 0:17:14.000 and then we played Portland State. So like when we 0:17:14.040 --> 0:17:16.120 were coming to Portland State, like that was the city 0:17:16.160 --> 0:17:21.560 we all I was looking forward to going to your conference. Yeah, 0:17:21.680 --> 0:17:24.520 it was like downtown, they had stores we could just 0:17:24.600 --> 0:17:28.560 kind of move around restaurant and stuff like that. So, uh, 0:17:29.840 --> 0:17:32.040 that was when I first started to like Portland and 0:17:32.119 --> 0:17:34.080 my two best rooms out of high school they also 0:17:34.160 --> 0:17:37.439 went to college in Portland, so I always liked it, 0:17:39.080 --> 0:17:41.080 you know, they liked it, so it was, you know, 0:17:41.080 --> 0:17:43.879 it kind of was a match making ever close to 0:17:43.920 --> 0:17:55.359 home too. Jane, I've never I've never told you this. 0:17:55.560 --> 0:17:57.800 I want to see if you confirm it and see 0:17:57.840 --> 0:18:02.720 if you could provide details. So a couple of years ago, Dane, 0:18:03.200 --> 0:18:07.200 I was talking to Kevin Gardnett and he told me 0:18:07.320 --> 0:18:09.399 he reached out to you, and I think this was 0:18:09.440 --> 0:18:12.560 at the point when you were considering what you were 0:18:12.560 --> 0:18:14.320 going to do with your future a few years ago. 0:18:14.640 --> 0:18:17.040 But it was after we lost the Nuggets in the playoffs, 0:18:17.320 --> 0:18:19.640 so it was that summer. It was that summer. So 0:18:20.400 --> 0:18:22.520 I asked him, I asked him for details, and he 0:18:22.640 --> 0:18:25.920 was like, asked your man, Dane, what was about? Tell us, Dave, 0:18:26.240 --> 0:18:29.479 what was that conversation? Like Kevin Gardnett talking to you 0:18:29.520 --> 0:18:31.359 and this is when you lost that series of Denver 0:18:31.400 --> 0:18:35.159 and then you were kind of questioning your future. I 0:18:35.160 --> 0:18:37.359 mean he called me or he texted me and he 0:18:37.400 --> 0:18:39.000 was like, give me a call when you get a 0:18:39.080 --> 0:18:43.320 chance this ticket. I was like, all right, so, uh, 0:18:44.000 --> 0:18:48.000 I'm tired him. And he was like, he was like, man, 0:18:48.080 --> 0:18:50.680 I know how you feel. I've been. I've been where 0:18:50.720 --> 0:18:54.600 you at Minnesota. I loved playing there. I wanted to 0:18:54.600 --> 0:18:58.840 win it, and you know my heart was in it. 0:18:58.920 --> 0:19:01.960 But you know, here here and get draining. You know, 0:19:02.040 --> 0:19:03.840 it could be tough. You know, That's all you know. 0:19:05.000 --> 0:19:08.960 And he was like, you know, once I decided I 0:19:09.000 --> 0:19:13.920 was gonna go to Boston, I got there. We had 0:19:14.480 --> 0:19:19.639 Rando all peers Bray, you know, he started just running 0:19:19.640 --> 0:19:22.080 down and he just started talking about how less stressful 0:19:22.119 --> 0:19:25.760 it was, how the bonds they had, you know, how 0:19:25.800 --> 0:19:28.680 together they were, and it was just a different experience. 0:19:28.720 --> 0:19:29.960 And he was like, I didn't know what I was 0:19:30.000 --> 0:19:32.200 missing out on, you know, I just I only knew 0:19:32.200 --> 0:19:35.320 what I knew. And he was like he wished he 0:19:35.359 --> 0:19:39.119 had done it sooner. I wish I had done that 0:19:38.920 --> 0:19:41.520 that sooner because it was a better experience than I 0:19:41.520 --> 0:19:47.679 actually won the championship, which I respect. I saw that. 0:19:47.800 --> 0:19:50.159 I saw that hap him in real time because I 0:19:50.200 --> 0:19:53.680 was following the big heavy during his time in Minnesota, 0:19:53.480 --> 0:19:57.680 and you know, really to Boston, but I just feel 0:19:57.720 --> 0:20:01.720 like to eat his own. I do think, I do think, 0:20:01.880 --> 0:20:04.760 you know, my situation is very similar. It is, but 0:20:06.720 --> 0:20:12.360 like I said, everybody's everybody's actual situation is different. In general. Though, 0:20:12.400 --> 0:20:14.760 how helpful is it just to be able to talk 0:20:14.800 --> 0:20:18.000 to guys on the outside We can't really identify with 0:20:18.040 --> 0:20:20.359 a lot of these things. You know, how many people 0:20:20.440 --> 0:20:22.720 like Garnett would you say that you talk about your 0:20:23.480 --> 0:20:26.920 just your career with not many. I've been in the 0:20:27.080 --> 0:20:28.840 eleven here and so I know a lot of people, 0:20:28.960 --> 0:20:31.439 but I don't really know a lot of people. But 0:20:31.640 --> 0:20:33.920 as far as talking just talking like you know, these 0:20:33.960 --> 0:20:36.520 types of conversations, you know that I spoke to him 0:20:36.560 --> 0:20:40.360 about it. You know, other than that, it'll be like, 0:20:41.320 --> 0:20:45.560 oh Williams being him, were talking all the time, mellow 0:20:46.760 --> 0:20:48.920 Tina Thompson. You know, it'd be people like that. I 0:20:48.960 --> 0:20:52.160 ain't just parted to anybody. You actually lead me into 0:20:52.160 --> 0:20:54.000 one of the other questions. About a month ago, I 0:20:54.119 --> 0:20:56.760 was fortunate to sit down with Steph who is turning 0:20:56.800 --> 0:20:58.760 thirty five in March, and like, I like, I had 0:20:58.760 --> 0:21:02.359 to look up your Yeah, I had to look up 0:21:02.400 --> 0:21:04.119 your age, and I was like, how is Dann thirty 0:21:04.119 --> 0:21:06.919 two already, like I just I can't, I can't believe it. 0:21:07.000 --> 0:21:09.399 But I asked him the same question. You know, I 0:21:09.440 --> 0:21:12.320 think at thirty two we can say it without insulting 0:21:12.320 --> 0:21:14.520 you that you're you're somewhat of an old head. Now 0:21:14.560 --> 0:21:17.359 you just said it yourself. You've been around for eleven years. 0:21:17.800 --> 0:21:19.800 Do you like do you like that? Do you like 0:21:20.000 --> 0:21:22.800 having more of the I've seen it all or I've 0:21:22.840 --> 0:21:24.639 seen a lot of it at this point in my 0:21:24.720 --> 0:21:29.320 career and being able to mentor guys and coach up 0:21:29.320 --> 0:21:33.200 guys because you've been around more than a decade. I mean, 0:21:33.280 --> 0:21:35.680 I always look at myself like a young I'll always 0:21:35.720 --> 0:21:38.199 look at myself like I'm wanted the young players, like 0:21:38.240 --> 0:21:42.040 one of up and coming players. Last night, I was 0:21:43.440 --> 0:21:47.919 leaving like an all star function. I saw tyres Manxi 0:21:48.000 --> 0:21:49.720 and he liked shook my hand and he was like, well, 0:21:50.520 --> 0:21:56.080 what's up, Oge? You good? And I was like, oh gee, 0:21:58.480 --> 0:22:01.320 But I think it's a It is good to just 0:22:02.080 --> 0:22:05.280