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Speaker 1: The volume. This is Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre.

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Speaker 2: What is up straight Firefam, It's me Jason McIntyre. Straight

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Speaker 2: Fire for Tuesday, August fifteenth, Your boys back from vacation,

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Speaker 2: a nice week off. Got in too late Sunday night

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Speaker 2: to record the podcast, so I decided we'll punt until today.

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Speaker 2: Hope everybody had a wonderful week. Yes, I read some

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Speaker 2: of your dms on the Gram. No, I did not

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Speaker 2: go on Twitter once all week, except when somebody sent

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Speaker 2: me a link to hey, here's some news, or look

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Speaker 2: at this Jets highlight or whatever it was. But good

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Speaker 2: to be off the grid and kind of unplugged. Although

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Speaker 2: I was on the Gram. You know, if you guys

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Speaker 2: follow me, you know I've got to do the gratuitous.

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Speaker 2: Here I am in the water, Here I am eating dinner,

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Speaker 2: all that nerdy stuff, and a little flex on the

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Speaker 2: tank top for rob of course, and the nine percent

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Speaker 2: female audience that I have on the IG. All that

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Speaker 2: being said, I did not watch any sports at all.

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Speaker 2: I missed Hard Knocks, but I caught up on it

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Speaker 2: quickly once I got back. It's good to be back.

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Speaker 2: I missed two Men's league basketball games. We won both

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Speaker 2: of them. We're now the number one seed heading into

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Speaker 2: the playoffs. That's exciting. I know you care deeply, but

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Speaker 2: let's get to what actually was a surprisingly big Monday

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Speaker 2: in sports. I don't know, James Harden calling out Darryl

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Speaker 2: Mory in China two days after Daryl Moury said we're

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Speaker 2: not trading him. He's good in Philly. That's a big story.

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Speaker 2: But I do want to start with Zeke in the NFL,

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Speaker 2: because obviously August is football time and Ezekiel Elliott, ladies

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Speaker 2: and gentlemen is off the table. Finally, Zeke Elliott to

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Speaker 2: the New England Patriots on a one year deal keyword

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Speaker 2: here up to six million dollars. Up to six million dollars,

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Speaker 2: And of course we quickly find out the base salary

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Speaker 2: is three million dollars for Ezekiel Elliott. And I know

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Speaker 2: you're saying, like, WHOA, that's a major haircut. So I

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Speaker 2: went and called up. According to over the cap, Zeke

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Speaker 2: Elliott last year was paid by the Cowboys twelve point

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Speaker 2: four million dollars. His salary got cut significantly by seventy

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Speaker 2: five percent eighty percent. The year before that nine point

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Speaker 2: six peck cash paid by the Cowboys the year before

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Speaker 2: that twenty twenty nineteen point eight million to Zeke. I know,

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Speaker 2: you guys don't really care about the running back market

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Speaker 2: just cratering, But for Zeke Ellen to be making three

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Speaker 2: and up to six with incentives, this might have to

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Speaker 2: be a wake up call for Zeke and any running

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Speaker 2: back who's like over the age of twenty six twenty seven,

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Speaker 2: like get paid while you can. I do wonder how

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Speaker 2: this will impact Jonathan Taylor and the Colts. Now, Jonathan Taylor,

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Speaker 2: I don't even think we got to talk about that,

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Speaker 2: did we. The Jim Ursay made some comments, and then

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Speaker 2: Taylor's like, bleep that Taylor went met the GM. Then

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Speaker 2: with the owner, the owner says more comments. Taylor's like,

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Speaker 2: I'm out of here and he's still on his rookie

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Speaker 2: deal and it's not looking pretty in Indy. I don't

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Speaker 2: know how they fix that tailor situation. But it's like,

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Speaker 2: when you see Zeke getting three million dollars base salary,

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Speaker 2: you gotta wonder what's going on at the running for

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Speaker 2: the running back that are still unemployed Kareem Hunt. Now,

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Speaker 2: the Patriots running back depth chart is interesting because they

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Speaker 2: currently have Romandre Stevenson, who is a bell cow. He's

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Speaker 2: a good back, as solid as it as you can get.

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Speaker 2: But the other guys according to the depth chart are

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Speaker 2: Time Montgomery and Pierre Strong. Thy Montgomery is like a

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Speaker 2: former receiver who was a valuable guy in fantasy football.

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Speaker 2: I don't even know if you could draft Zeke Elliott.

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Speaker 2: This is a guy in fantasy who was like an

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Speaker 2: early round pick, top ten pick, top five for a while.

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Speaker 2: I don't even know if you draft him in the

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Speaker 2: top like seven rounds. I mean maybe if you get Stevenson,

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Speaker 2: you handcuffed with with Zeke. But folks, look at this

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Speaker 2: depth chart for this Patriots like you're going into battle

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Speaker 2: with this Mac Jones, Romandre Stevenson, Zeke Elliott, Juju Smith, Schuster,

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Speaker 2: Devonte Parker, Kendrick Bourne, Hunter Henry, and Mike Kiseki. That

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Speaker 2: is as big a poo poo platter as we've seen

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Speaker 2: in two decades from the New England Patriots. Bill Belichick

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Speaker 2: has lost his damn mind. He is grasping at straws.

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Speaker 2: He went out a couple of years back and was like,

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Speaker 2: I'm getting Cam. I'm gonna resurrect Cam Newton did not

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Speaker 2: quite work out. A year later, they draft Mac Jones.

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Speaker 2: Sayonara cam Newton. Now they're just taking a flyer on

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Speaker 2: Zeke Elliott. Like, if you're Robert Kraft, sure you know

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Speaker 2: Jerry Jones because you guys are billionaire buddies and your

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Speaker 2: eighty year old dudes. I get that. The reality is

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Speaker 2: if you're taking Zeke Elliott here to be your backup

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Speaker 2: running back on the cheap, and you overpaid Juju Smith

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Speaker 2: Schuster and you grabbed Mike Kiseki who could not block

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Speaker 2: me coming off the edge, the New England Patriots right

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Speaker 2: now are in a world of hurt. Offensively. This is definitely,

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Speaker 2: unequivocally the worst team in the AFC East. And there's

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Speaker 2: a world where this is a six or seven win

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Speaker 2: team max in a stacked AFC. I don't think Zeke

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Speaker 2: Elliott moves the meter at all for this team. I

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Speaker 2: don't think he budgets the line for the season opener,

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Speaker 2: rob g I know people are gonna call me a hater.

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Speaker 2: It's crazy how far Zeke has fallen. But this acquisition

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Speaker 2: to me is like not significant at all for a

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Speaker 2: team like the Patriots.

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Speaker 1: Well it's super significant to me. And that's because as

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Speaker 1: you mentioned a few minutes ago. I am an avid

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Speaker 1: fantasy football player, and Ramandre Stevenson was gonna be one

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Speaker 1: of the guys I was going to target in draft.

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Speaker 1: I think you can get him, you know, after the

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Speaker 1: third or fourth round, you know, so that's a good

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Speaker 1: spot to get a running back for you going zero RB.

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Speaker 1: You know, maybe we'll do a fantasy segment here before

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Speaker 1: the seede started, getting Friend of the Show Matthew Berry

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Speaker 1: on again or something like that. But Ramondre Stevenson is

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Speaker 1: as good as explosive as he might be, and he

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Speaker 1: showed that last season. He's a very good running back.

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Speaker 1: He is not good at the goal line. Two of

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Speaker 1: twelve last year in running attempts at the goal line,

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Speaker 1: which is not good at all. And even though Ezekiel

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Speaker 1: Elliott had conservatively the worst season of his career, arguably

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Speaker 1: the worst season we've seen a starting running back have

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Speaker 1: in recent memory, he does score at the goal line.

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Speaker 1: That's one thing he does very very well. It's one

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Speaker 1: reason why even the most staunched Tony Pollard defenders would

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Speaker 1: say on Twitter and YouTube and all these social media

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Speaker 1: sites like, hey, Pauler's got to be the featured guy.

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Speaker 1: But when we get inside the goal line, it's got

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Speaker 1: to be Zeke because Zee can just find the end zone.

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Speaker 1: To your point, though, I will say that I think

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Speaker 1: Ezekiel Elliott is doing the right thing here. I know

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Speaker 1: that three million dollars with an incentive up to six

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Speaker 1: or whatever. I think it's four of the six, whatever

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Speaker 1: it is, doesn't seem like a whole heck of a lot,

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Speaker 1: doesn't seem like a great deal. But when you consider

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Speaker 1: how bad he was last season, him being able to

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Speaker 1: secure the bag, even if it's a small bag, securing

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Speaker 1: the bag before Dalvin Cook, before Kareem Hunt, before this

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Speaker 1: Jonathan Taylor situation gets resolved, I think is a shrewd

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Speaker 1: move by him. Last season, career lows and rushing attempts,

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Speaker 1: rushing yards, rushing average three point eight. And this is

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Speaker 1: what I mentioned. They could have been the worst regular

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Speaker 1: season running again running back that we've seen in recent memories,

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Speaker 1: because in factor that he was the starting running back.

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Speaker 1: He wasn't a backup, he wasn't a change base guy.

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Speaker 1: He was maybe not featured in terms of total carries,

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Speaker 1: but he was viewed as their starting running back. Finished

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Speaker 1: last in the NFL yards per carry three point eight,

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Speaker 1: last in tackles avoided at thirty two, and last in

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Speaker 1: percentage of runs that went over ten yards, which was

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Speaker 1: only seven point four percent. He was not good at all,

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Speaker 1: and credit to him for being self aware enough to realize, like, hey,

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Speaker 1: I'm not gonna get a double digit million dollar deal again.

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Speaker 1: My days as a starting balcoal running back are over.

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Speaker 1: What I can do, and I can do it as

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Speaker 1: good as anybody this side of Derrick Henry is. I

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Speaker 1: can pound the ball in short yardage, get into the

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Speaker 1: end zone, and I'm a very good in past protection.

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Speaker 1: Those things are highly valuable in the NFL. So kudos

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Speaker 1: to him for being self aware, taking what's available to him,

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Speaker 1: and not letting his ego get in the way of

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Speaker 1: him getting paid.

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Speaker 2: So, Rob, I don't want to act like a Zeke

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Speaker 2: Elliott hater. I don't want to act like he's totally washed.

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Speaker 2: But this just came to me. Zeke el had had

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Speaker 2: an awesome run in Dallas, just an epic career. He's

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Speaker 2: I'm well, I don't. I mean, I'm probably speaking out

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Speaker 2: of pocket, but on track to baby be a Hall

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Speaker 2: of Famer. I don't know. Hall of fame is real. Tough.

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Speaker 2: It's funny because my dad listen to the podcast. Sometimes

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Speaker 2: someone's like, you know, this NFL Hall of Fame is

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Speaker 2: very interesting. What are the criteria for the whole of fame?

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Speaker 2: And then you start looking around there really isn't anything,

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Speaker 2: and Hall of Fame is very nebulous. Some people get in,

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Speaker 2: others don't. But Rob, I gotta ask. I was just

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Speaker 2: thinking of Zeke Elliott and his Cowboys career, which is

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Speaker 2: clearly over, and I'm like, what was his What was

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Speaker 2: the memorable moment Zeke Elliott has had with the Cowboys?

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Speaker 2: And then you start thinking, Okay, well there, I don't

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Speaker 2: really think of one. I'm sure Cowboys Avenger are remember

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Speaker 2: that nine yard touchdown run, that tough one. Eh, the

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Speaker 2: celebrations jumping into the big red.

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Speaker 1: What was that Salvation Army, Salvation army.

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Speaker 2: Jumping into that the spoon feed me all that stuff,

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Speaker 2: you know, the half the crop shirt. That's so cool.

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Speaker 2: I actually think the most memorable Zeke Elliott highlight you

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Speaker 2: have to go back to college and remember his Ohio

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Speaker 2: State touchdown run against Alabama eighty five yards? Do you

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Speaker 2: remember that? Because I just pulled it up on YouTube.

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Speaker 2: Rop and he looks like, oh my gosh, you gotta

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Speaker 2: get this guy in the draft, or he is so

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Speaker 2: fast and tough, and I remember Alabama was awesome that

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Speaker 2: year and Zeke just I mean an unbelievable run. To me,

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Speaker 2: that's the most memorable Zeke Elliott touchdown play that I

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Speaker 2: can recall.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, that's fair. I mean, look, people get so recncy biased. Right, Well,

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Speaker 1: you remember recently from Zeke is he's he's slow, he's plotting.

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Speaker 1: He doesn't look like he's in the best shape, even

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Speaker 1: though he probably only weighs like ten pounds more than

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Speaker 1: when he first came in as a rookie, even maybe

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Speaker 1: even that. But to your point, at Ohio State, everybody

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Speaker 1: wanted him. There's a reason why people knowing Bat did

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Speaker 1: an I when the Dallas Cowboys took him in the

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Speaker 1: top five. And there's a reason why he led the

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Speaker 1: NFL in rush yards per game twenty sixteen, twenty seventeen,

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Speaker 1: twenty eighteen, led the league in rushing outright twenty sixteen,

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Speaker 1: twenty eighteen. He was phenomenal. But you know, the way

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Speaker 1: things are in the NFL, especially now, the shelf life

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Speaker 1: for running backs isn't long at all. There's always somebody cheaper, younger,

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Speaker 1: more explosive coming up behind you. So as soon as

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Speaker 1: the wheels start to go a little bit or in

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Speaker 1: this case a lot a bit, last year was just

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Speaker 1: the bad season, Like gonna say, it wasn't. But as

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Speaker 1: soon as that happens, your persona non grata and you're

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Speaker 1: kicked to the curb and now you're a punchline. And

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Speaker 1: so I know that what he is now is not

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Speaker 1: what he was before. I just hope that it doesn't

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Speaker 1: cloud people's judgment of him, because he was at one

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Speaker 1: point a fantastic running back.

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Speaker 2: Unbelievable. Quick note, Clarence Hill, who's been on the pod,

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Speaker 2: is reporting that this deal was on the table for

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Speaker 2: weeks and it is interesting. Rob again, this is just speculation.

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Speaker 2: I'll be conspiracy theory guy for a minute. Dallas played

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Speaker 2: a preseason game over the weekend. Their rookie backup running

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Speaker 2: back Deuce Vaughn looks spicy, hitting the hole, making people

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Speaker 2: miss spin cycle you look good. He's diminutive in aid's

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Speaker 2: a darren Sprolls type guy. I do wonder if in

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Speaker 2: the back of his mind Zeke was like, man, I

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Speaker 2: just I want to stay in Dallas. I would just

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Speaker 2: love to stay there, even if I gotta take less.

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Speaker 2: I don't want to have to uproot and move my fam.

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Speaker 2: I just don't want to do that. And I wonder

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Speaker 2: if Zeke thought, let me just let me just wait

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Speaker 2: one week of preseason, let's see what happens. And I

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Speaker 2: just wonder, Rob, and you can laugh, you can snicker

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Speaker 2: if him and his agent watch duce Van Popul like, Yo,

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Speaker 2: Dallas is off the table. We better sign a deal

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Speaker 2: before the Patriots go after Dalvin Cook or Kareem Hunt

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Speaker 2: and we just left here not making anything. Let's go

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Speaker 2: secure that bag, get that three mil and lock in

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Speaker 2: this season. I don't know, Rob, but it's two conspiracy

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Speaker 2: theorists or no. No.

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Speaker 1: I mean, look, first off, shouts to du Vaughan short

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Speaker 1: Kings are back. Thank you. I appreciate you're putting off

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Speaker 1: for the rest of us, But no, I mean, like

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Speaker 1: you have to factor in everything when it comes to

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Speaker 1: the Dallas Cowboys. They just gave Zach Martin that that

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Speaker 1: that raise that got reported on Monday afternoon. He was

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Speaker 1: holding out and they gave him like a five million

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Speaker 1: dollar a year raise. And Jerry Jones been very vocable

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Speaker 1: wanting to pay Michael Parson, so it would I wouldn't

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Speaker 1: doubt that he had some kind of offer from Dallas

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Speaker 1: to return and do the same kind of role that

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Speaker 1: he's going to do in New England. Short yardage, blitz,

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Speaker 1: pick up, third down, that kind of stuff. I could

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Speaker 1: totally see that. What I don't see is any way

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Speaker 1: where Jerry Jones is like, yeah, I'll give you the

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Speaker 1: three four million base sally with the incentives at the six.

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Speaker 1: There's no way he was getting that deal in Dallas,

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Speaker 1: given who else they have to pay moving forward.

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Speaker 2: And if one running back move in the AFC East

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Speaker 2: was not enough, my New York Jets went and made

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Speaker 2: a splash grabbing Dalvin Cook, which has been expected for

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Speaker 2: over a week now. When I went on vacation, that's

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Speaker 2: when Cook was visiting the Jets. He ends up signing

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Speaker 2: with the Jets up to eight point six million dollars.

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Speaker 2: The details aren't as important to me on this one. Obviously,

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Speaker 2: I could make fun of the Patriots in their details.

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Speaker 2: There's a reason Cook gives the Jets now the best

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Speaker 2: skill position players in the AFC East. That is not

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Speaker 2: up for discussion. It's inarguable the Bills do not top

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Speaker 2: the Jets in any department except tight end. And even

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Speaker 2: if you want to agree with me, disagree with me

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Speaker 2: on Miami. I'll just point this out. So ESPN did

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Speaker 2: an interesting deep dive into the scale position players. Miami

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Speaker 2: had the third best receivers, but at tight end, Miami

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Speaker 2: was dead last, and Miami was twenty sixth in running back.

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Speaker 2: I'm just telling you. I know you guys don't love

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Speaker 2: the Jets tight ends. Jets came in at seventeen a

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Speaker 2: tight end, Jets at wide receiver, thirteenth. At running back

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Speaker 2: they were and this is just one data point ESPN

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Speaker 2: Scale position rankings, they were fourteen Dalvin Cook, Breesehall, Michael Carter.

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Speaker 2: That's definitely top ten. I mean Dalvin Cook by himself,

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Speaker 2: even if you don't think he's a top five running

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Speaker 2: back five top seven, like, okay, he's not Nick Chubb,

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Speaker 2: he's not quite Christian McCaffrey, and he's still really really good.

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Speaker 2: And Breis Hall was on his way to Rookie of

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Speaker 2: the Year. So the Jets are absolutely loaded. And listen,

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Speaker 2: I know I'm gonna sound silly, but you're talking about

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Speaker 2: the best skill position players in the AFC East top

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Speaker 2: five in the NFL for position players, skill position players.

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Speaker 2: They're right there with like the Niners, right there with

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Speaker 2: the Eagles, like the Jets are loaded everywhere. The only

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Speaker 2: way this goes sideways is if Aaron Rodgers has a

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Speaker 2: major injury or cannot stand up straight because the offensive

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Speaker 2: line just keeps getting him killed. But the coaches have

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Speaker 2: now had plenty of time to work with Rogers figure

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Speaker 2: out like, hey, skill position guys. Talk to Rogers. See

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Speaker 2: what he likes. He's hanging out with the team. He's

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Speaker 2: not like gallivanting, traveling around and going on ayahuasca trips

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Speaker 2: with his pals. He's locked in and they're filming hard knocks.

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Speaker 2: He seems as dialed in as anybody. He seems like

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Speaker 2: a different guy. So you tell me you got a

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Speaker 2: new Rogers. Let's say Breese Haall comes back after four games.

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Speaker 2: You got a wide receiver room that added added Alan

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Speaker 2: Lazard and mi Cole Hartman. You've got You've got gadget guys.

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Speaker 2: You can really open up the playbook with Rogers who

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Speaker 2: can actually throw downfield. It just comes down to the

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Speaker 2: offensive line. And I know you want to keep your

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Speaker 2: powder dry, I said this last week. You save some

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Speaker 2: money for when someone on the offensive line gets hurt

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Speaker 2: and you can go and overpay for some You know

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Speaker 2: Jonah Williams if you have to from Cincinnati, it sounds

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Speaker 2: like he's not even gonna it, doesn't even want to

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Speaker 2: play because he's a right tackle. The Jets are in

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Speaker 2: great shape, and this is gonna put an even bigger

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Speaker 2: target on the back of my favorite sports team. For

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Speaker 2: it used to be you know, the Warriors with Curry

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Speaker 2: and Durant unbelievable, and the Jets at that time were

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Speaker 2: really horrible. So it's totally standable. But the Jets are like,

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Speaker 2: that's my one team that I just shamelessly before. I know,

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Speaker 2: why do you like the Jets? Well, I was born

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Speaker 2: in New York. Why didn't you pick the Giants? Well,

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Speaker 2: the Giants have won Super Bowls that I'm not gonna

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Speaker 2: just pick a good team. You know. My twelve year

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Speaker 2: old son's like, oh, who's good the Chiefs. Yeah, that's

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Speaker 2: my team. Like, I'm not doing that. And then why

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Speaker 2: didn't you like the Washington at the time Redskins that's

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Speaker 2: where you grew up. Well, everybody liked them. I've never

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Speaker 2: been a follow the crowd guy. You guys know that

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Speaker 2: in my career, basically at everything, I just never followed

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Speaker 2: the masses and the Jets are my team. We had

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Speaker 2: a good run with Sanchez there for a couple of years.

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Speaker 2: You know what, I should get Sanchez on the podcast

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Speaker 2: next week. Start the hype train. How's Aaron Rodgers gonna

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Speaker 2: do with the media. How's this gonna work out? When

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Speaker 2: you got just an embarrassment of riches everywhere on this team,

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Speaker 2: this defensive line. I know they annihilated Carolina in the

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Speaker 2: preseason game whatever, but like it appears as if right

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Speaker 2: now Will McDonald he's gonna have to fight for playing

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Speaker 2: time early in the season. And he was a very

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Speaker 2: highly thought of pass rusher, fifteenth pick overall out of

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Speaker 2: Iowa State. Just a massive human being whose job is Hey,

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Speaker 2: Jermaine Johnson's kind of tired, Carl Lawson JFM. They're all tired.

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Speaker 2: Can you go get the quarterback? Will?

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Speaker 1: It's a fourth quarter?

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Speaker 2: Can we see some speed, some bend off the edge

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Speaker 2: like that's I mean, they they're so stacked and I

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Speaker 2: know this is the fan and me getting all excited,

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Speaker 2: but this is I mean, on offense, this is the

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Speaker 2: most dynamic the Jets will have been, probably since they

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Speaker 2: had Keyshawn Johnson and Wayne Corbett, probably since Altoon Wesley Walker,

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Speaker 2: Freeman mc neil. Yeah, I'm dating myself now. I sound old. Now,

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Speaker 2: I sound like Cowherd reciting nineteen seventies Cincinnati Reds baseball

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Speaker 2: players because I'm rattling off just Jets from the past,

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Speaker 2: because well, you're used to disappointment.

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Speaker 1: At any rate.

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Speaker 2: Love to move for the Jets. Everybody, stay healthy and

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Speaker 2: let's go get a chip. All right. Let's pivot to

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Speaker 2: the NBA here, And usually don't talk about the NBA

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Speaker 2: in August, but given James Harden's colossal failures in the

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Speaker 2: postseason in his NBA career, I feel like the two

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Speaker 2: biggest James Harden moments I think both happened in August

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Speaker 2: and Rob you can check the date on this, but

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Speaker 2: I believe Harden was traded from OKC to Houston in

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Speaker 2: August way back. And I only remember this because it

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Speaker 2: was such a shock. They had just gone to the finals.

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Speaker 2: I'm pretty sure against the Heatles, Harden was like the

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Speaker 2: sixth man of the Year or whatever it was, and

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Speaker 2: out of the blue, there was no like hey, trade rumors,

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Speaker 2: Harden maybe trade nothing. It just hit like a comment

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Speaker 2: like whoa, And I was stunned James Harden traded to Houston,

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Speaker 2: Like wow, I'll never forget that. Like I don't remember

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Speaker 2: a ton of NBA trades. I remember that one Pau

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Speaker 2: Gasol going to the Lakers in one of the great heists. Ever,

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Speaker 2: there's some of the you're gonna not forget Chris Paul's

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Speaker 2: trade and then it getting overturned. You know, there's a

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Speaker 2: couple of big ones. That hard one was massive and

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Speaker 2: now comes arguably the second biggest hardened story in his career,

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Speaker 2: although you could say some of the you know, Strip

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Speaker 2: Club Dalliants's the jiggle joints like that may take precedence

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Speaker 2: over this. But Rob the Rockets came not sorry the Rockets,

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Speaker 2: the seventy six ers came out over the weekend and said, hey,

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Speaker 2: James Harden, trade talks are off. We're keeping him. He's

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Speaker 2: gonna show up in camp. Period and the story I

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Speaker 2: think that was Saturday, according to wojes or whoever reported

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Speaker 2: less than forty eight hours later, James Harden is in

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Speaker 2: China on a press tour a camp. I don't know

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Speaker 2: James Harden's big in China and decided to pick China,

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Speaker 2: where Daryl Morey obviously has a lot of enemies. But

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Speaker 2: given the tweet that he sent out, James Harden says,

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Speaker 2: Daryl Morey's a liar. I'll never play again. Let me repeat,

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Speaker 2: Darryl Moy's a liar. I'll never play there again. Strong

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Speaker 2: statement from Harden. Now there's no context, and the media

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Speaker 2: did not counter and be like, hey, what do you

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Speaker 2: mean he's a liar? What do you mean James Harden's

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Speaker 2: a liar? Can you provide what do you lie about?

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Speaker 2: When did he lie?

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Speaker 1: Like?

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Speaker 2: There's a lot going on there. When you call somebody

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Speaker 2: a liar like that, you know, you go yell fire

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Speaker 2: in a crowded theater. You got to back it up.

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Speaker 2: Is there a fire? I mean, you can't call somebody

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Speaker 2: a liar without it providing some context. So he did not.

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Speaker 2: But you know who provided context, And this is what's

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Speaker 2: so beautiful is a gentleman by the name of Kyrie Irving.

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Speaker 2: And I didn't see this because you know, I don't

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Speaker 2: ever read the comments on Twitter, but someone sent me this.

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Speaker 2: WOJE put out a tweet that said disgruntled Harden calls

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Speaker 2: Sixers pres Moory a liar, disgruntled Harden, not seventy six's

403
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Speaker 2: point guard or nbass leader disgruntled Harden. One of the

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Speaker 2: number one comment on Twitter is from this point guard

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Speaker 2: named Kyrie Irving. Is he disgruntled Adrian or is he

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Speaker 2: holding Daryl Morey accountable for his dishonesty and lack of

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Speaker 2: transparency throughout the contract negotiation process this summer? And there's

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Speaker 2: a lot there, Rob, I know, you know on this

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Speaker 2: podcast we've kind of gone after Kyrie a little me

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Speaker 2: sore more so than you. But the use of Adrian

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Speaker 2: is a little like almost movie ish, like is he disgruntled?

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Speaker 2: You know, like talking down to And I can see

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Speaker 2: where Kyrie's coming up with the disgruntled like it almost

414
00:22:45,880 --> 00:22:49,920
Speaker 2: feels like that was planted by the Sixers. Hey, he's angry,

415
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Speaker 2: call him that.

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Speaker 1: And it's just.

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Speaker 2: I don't feel like this is gonna end really well

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Speaker 2: for anyone here, Rob, and I think I'm waiting for

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Speaker 2: the next big shoe to drop. And we've talked about

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Speaker 2: this on the podcast. At some point, Joel Embiid is

421
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Speaker 2: gonna have to say I'm the MVP of this League.

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Speaker 2: This is a clown show. Harden, my guy, I love you.

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Speaker 2: Can you are you really gonna this is what you're doing? Darryl?

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Speaker 2: You screwed him over? Admit it? Can you guys kiss

425
00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:24,920
Speaker 2: and make up? Like we need you guys if we're

426
00:23:24,920 --> 00:23:29,120
Speaker 2: gonna get to the conference finals something. Joel embiid it's

427
00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:32,520
Speaker 2: been elusive for him, conference finals, Trey Young's been there.

428
00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:37,520
Speaker 2: Doesn't feel good if you're a Sixers fan today.

429
00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:40,320
Speaker 1: When I saw the headline and I saw the video,

430
00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:44,639
Speaker 1: you know, on Twitter early on Monday morning, it was

431
00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:46,680
Speaker 1: one of those situations, like you've seen those means where

432
00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:49,399
Speaker 1: it says the worst person you know just made a

433
00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:51,800
Speaker 1: great point, and it's like, how do you reconcile with that?

434
00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:55,560
Speaker 1: Like like James Harden has sabotaged now this will be

435
00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:57,720
Speaker 1: his third team in three seasons, you know, and we

436
00:23:57,720 --> 00:24:01,520
Speaker 1: can all remember the nutty professor, Professor clump fat suit

437
00:24:01,520 --> 00:24:02,919
Speaker 1: that he wore and Houston to get his way out

438
00:24:02,960 --> 00:24:05,240
Speaker 1: of town, where even DeMarcus Cousins, who had been there

439
00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:07,200
Speaker 1: for like two weeks, was like, yeah, this is bullshit.

440
00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:09,399
Speaker 1: Like the way he's talking and the way he's acting,

441
00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:12,680
Speaker 1: He's got to go, you know, he asked his way

442
00:24:12,680 --> 00:24:15,800
Speaker 1: out of Brooklyn, which leads to, you know, what would

443
00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:18,280
Speaker 1: have been the greatest Big three that never was with KD,

444
00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:20,080
Speaker 1: Kyrie and James Harden. We never actually got to see

445
00:24:20,119 --> 00:24:22,840
Speaker 1: him play because he left before it happened. And so

446
00:24:23,040 --> 00:24:25,399
Speaker 1: I don't ever really want to defend James Harden in

447
00:24:25,400 --> 00:24:30,159
Speaker 1: that regard, but him calling Darryl Moury a liar is

448
00:24:30,480 --> 00:24:34,119
Speaker 1: kind of accurate, right, Like, he takes a pay cut

449
00:24:34,160 --> 00:24:37,239
Speaker 1: after the twenty twenty two season and then resigns for

450
00:24:37,280 --> 00:24:40,280
Speaker 1: fifteen million dollars less than he could have, and the

451
00:24:40,359 --> 00:24:43,560
Speaker 1: assumption widely around the NBA and anyone who covers sports

452
00:24:43,680 --> 00:24:47,399
Speaker 1: was he took less now because they promised him a

453
00:24:47,520 --> 00:24:50,760
Speaker 1: max contract after the twenty twenty three season, he could

454
00:24:50,760 --> 00:24:53,800
Speaker 1: opt out and resign for the max. Obviously that didn't happen.

455
00:24:53,800 --> 00:24:55,800
Speaker 1: According to multiple reports, all they offered him was a

456
00:24:55,800 --> 00:24:58,320
Speaker 1: two year deal and the second year was a team option.

457
00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:03,280
Speaker 1: So that's one. And then Daryl Moriy doubles down. This

458
00:25:03,359 --> 00:25:06,440
Speaker 1: past summer, James Harden opts into his deal instead of

459
00:25:06,560 --> 00:25:08,480
Speaker 1: going to free agency because he knows that he can't

460
00:25:08,480 --> 00:25:10,159
Speaker 1: get the money that he's looking for in free agency.

461
00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:11,560
Speaker 1: The only team that really had that kind of cap

462
00:25:11,560 --> 00:25:14,639
Speaker 1: space that was interested was Houston, and according to everyone

463
00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:16,400
Speaker 1: out there, as soon as he may Hudoka got the job.

464
00:25:16,440 --> 00:25:19,600
Speaker 1: He's like, nah, we're not signing James Harden. Like that's

465
00:25:19,600 --> 00:25:22,040
Speaker 1: a zero, We're not doing that. So he says, I'm

466
00:25:22,040 --> 00:25:24,399
Speaker 1: going to opt in so I can facilitate a trade,

467
00:25:24,520 --> 00:25:29,440
Speaker 1: and they don't trade him. So on one hand, yes,

468
00:25:29,600 --> 00:25:32,239
Speaker 1: James Harden is a jerk who kind of deserves all

469
00:25:32,280 --> 00:25:35,280
Speaker 1: this bad stuff that's happening to him. On the other hand,

470
00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:39,800
Speaker 1: everything he's saying about Darryl Moury appears to be accurate.

471
00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:42,520
Speaker 1: People don't even remember. Back in twenty twenty, Chris Paul

472
00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:45,120
Speaker 1: went on the record DESPN and said, yeah, Daryl Mory

473
00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:46,919
Speaker 1: lied to me about trading me to Oklahoma City. He

474
00:25:46,920 --> 00:25:49,399
Speaker 1: told me two days before, we are absolutely not trading you.

475
00:25:49,760 --> 00:25:51,400
Speaker 1: So then when he got an alert on his phone

476
00:25:51,400 --> 00:25:53,560
Speaker 1: that he had been traded, he was shocked because he

477
00:25:53,600 --> 00:25:55,919
Speaker 1: had just talked to the GM a couple of days before.

478
00:25:56,280 --> 00:26:00,560
Speaker 1: So Daryl Moury is as shrewd as he is brilliant

479
00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:04,520
Speaker 1: and as conniving as you know, the next shisty guy

480
00:26:04,520 --> 00:26:08,720
Speaker 1: on the around the corner So are they both wrong

481
00:26:08,760 --> 00:26:11,080
Speaker 1: in this issue? Is that possible where both guys are

482
00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:13,280
Speaker 1: just wrong in this situation?

483
00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:20,359
Speaker 2: That's probably how it's shaking out. I would agree with you.

484
00:26:20,400 --> 00:26:26,960
Speaker 2: It's never just one person, it's both sides. But if

485
00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:31,080
Speaker 2: if Maury said we will give you that deal, and

486
00:26:31,119 --> 00:26:34,000
Speaker 2: then the season goes on, Harden leads the league in assists,

487
00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:37,080
Speaker 2: and then Maury says, yeah, we're not giving you that deal,

488
00:26:39,359 --> 00:26:41,639
Speaker 2: like Maury's more in the wrong than Harden. It's not

489
00:26:41,680 --> 00:26:44,600
Speaker 2: like Harden didn't hold up his end of the bargain.

490
00:26:44,600 --> 00:26:46,440
Speaker 2: He played well. I just he won two games for

491
00:26:46,520 --> 00:26:49,600
Speaker 2: them against Boston kind of invisible in the others. But

492
00:26:52,320 --> 00:26:56,480
Speaker 2: why are we trusting exit? Why would Harden trust executives

493
00:26:56,840 --> 00:27:00,199
Speaker 2: to make these wink wink nudge nudge deals. Hey, do

494
00:27:00,280 --> 00:27:02,480
Speaker 2: this now and I'll give you this later. Get it

495
00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:09,400
Speaker 2: in writing now. I'm sure illegal exactly. So I mean,

496
00:27:09,560 --> 00:27:12,160
Speaker 2: I'm sure Harden and moriy are like dancing a fine

497
00:27:12,200 --> 00:27:14,520
Speaker 2: line here about what they can go public with because

498
00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:16,760
Speaker 2: guess what somebody's gonna get in trouble if they have

499
00:27:16,840 --> 00:27:19,520
Speaker 2: to go public, and then the Sixers will probably get

500
00:27:19,520 --> 00:27:24,760
Speaker 2: doc lottery picks. I don't know, man, You also mentioned

501
00:27:24,800 --> 00:27:28,040
Speaker 2: the Houston thing. How much do you think it hurt

502
00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:33,480
Speaker 2: James that the Rockets needed a point guard, they needed

503
00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:37,200
Speaker 2: to spend money, and they went out like immediately gave

504
00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:40,719
Speaker 2: it to Fred VanVleet. That had to sting a little bit.

505
00:27:40,760 --> 00:27:45,480
Speaker 2: That was like his spot, Houston, that's his city, his pictures,

506
00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:47,760
Speaker 2: like hanging in gentlemen's clubs.

507
00:27:47,760 --> 00:27:50,280
Speaker 1: No, it's the jersey. It's an actual hanging jersey from

508
00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:51,200
Speaker 1: the rafters. It's great.

509
00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:52,040
Speaker 2: Oh that's real.

510
00:27:52,119 --> 00:27:53,880
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's real. It's a real story. I know people

511
00:27:53,880 --> 00:27:55,720
Speaker 1: who have been to those establishments and they said, you

512
00:27:55,800 --> 00:28:00,240
Speaker 1: can see the hanging from Rob Parker take pictures when

513
00:28:00,240 --> 00:28:01,959
Speaker 1: he was in there. He said he has not been

514
00:28:02,040 --> 00:28:05,200
Speaker 1: there yet, but that's on his bucket list of establishments

515
00:28:05,200 --> 00:28:05,600
Speaker 1: to visit.

516
00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:09,879
Speaker 2: You look at the landing spots for Harden, like who's

517
00:28:09,880 --> 00:28:13,200
Speaker 2: paying him? And so I don't know how this is resolved.

518
00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:15,159
Speaker 2: Then again, I didn't know how the Sequon Barkley thing

519
00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:19,399
Speaker 2: would get resolved. Saquon Barklay totally different human being than James.

520
00:28:19,400 --> 00:28:22,239
Speaker 2: Harden was like, yeah, just give me a little bit

521
00:28:22,240 --> 00:28:25,960
Speaker 2: more money now and it's a done deal. Like Harden

522
00:28:26,040 --> 00:28:29,520
Speaker 2: seems like he's probably wearing out his welcome. You know

523
00:28:29,560 --> 00:28:34,560
Speaker 2: how you mentioned earlier that Zeke was awesome in his

524
00:28:34,600 --> 00:28:38,400
Speaker 2: prime and at the end, you know, it's like Willie

525
00:28:38,400 --> 00:28:41,000
Speaker 2: Mays playing with the Mets and running around clueless in

526
00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:43,560
Speaker 2: the outfield, like not knowing what was going on, Like

527
00:28:44,080 --> 00:28:47,440
Speaker 2: are you gonna remember that or you gonna remember his prime?

528
00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:51,360
Speaker 2: Because it wasn't long ago that I think Katino Mobley

529
00:28:51,360 --> 00:28:53,080
Speaker 2: came on here. And I remember this because I believe

530
00:28:53,080 --> 00:28:54,720
Speaker 2: we were recording when my family was on a ski

531
00:28:54,760 --> 00:28:56,560
Speaker 2: trip and I was not skiing, but I was like

532
00:28:56,600 --> 00:28:59,959
Speaker 2: in the cabin or whatever, and Katino Mobley said, James

533
00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:02,960
Speaker 2: Harden is as good of a score as Michael Jordan.

534
00:29:03,600 --> 00:29:07,120
Speaker 2: I'm almost certain he said that, And I was like, really,

535
00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:09,000
Speaker 2: And this was when Harden was like doing his side

536
00:29:09,040 --> 00:29:11,880
Speaker 2: step and all this untouchable stuff where he would get

537
00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:14,000
Speaker 2: fouled every time in the lane. He was averaging like

538
00:29:14,040 --> 00:29:18,040
Speaker 2: thirty five a game and rob it was just it

539
00:29:18,080 --> 00:29:20,080
Speaker 2: was one of those like wow, that Harden was like

540
00:29:20,160 --> 00:29:24,479
Speaker 2: near the top of the league, and now the Sixers

541
00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:27,120
Speaker 2: don't want to pay him, there's no market for him,

542
00:29:27,680 --> 00:29:30,520
Speaker 2: and it's ending really quickly and it's kind of getting ugly.

543
00:29:30,560 --> 00:29:33,160
Speaker 2: How many how many trade requests is he have in

544
00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:36,920
Speaker 2: like the last three years, at least three Houston get

545
00:29:36,960 --> 00:29:38,880
Speaker 2: me out of here, Brooklyn get me out of here,

546
00:29:38,920 --> 00:29:42,880
Speaker 2: and now Houston or now Philly. It's like, I don't know, man,

547
00:29:42,960 --> 00:29:45,560
Speaker 2: it's disappointing. I feel bad for Harden because you're right

548
00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:48,560
Speaker 2: in his prime. The beer could go. He could get

549
00:29:48,560 --> 00:29:51,040
Speaker 2: you some buckets, not winning you in not winning for

550
00:29:51,080 --> 00:29:53,720
Speaker 2: you in June because he's not getting to June, but

551
00:29:53,920 --> 00:29:59,080
Speaker 2: really good October through April. May.

552
00:30:00,920 --> 00:30:03,680
Speaker 1: Yeah, And that's why I could see why certain teams

553
00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:06,280
Speaker 1: the Sixers a look a bad example because they don't

554
00:30:06,280 --> 00:30:08,600
Speaker 1: win in the playoffs anyways. But if you are a

555
00:30:08,680 --> 00:30:11,160
Speaker 1: team I hate to you know it, bring it this way.

556
00:30:11,200 --> 00:30:13,000
Speaker 1: But like the Lakers, where you say, hey, we just

557
00:30:13,040 --> 00:30:14,960
Speaker 1: need to get to the playoffs because Lebron is old,

558
00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:17,560
Speaker 1: let's not waste him in the regular season. We need

559
00:30:17,600 --> 00:30:21,720
Speaker 1: him healthy income June, April, Man June. James Harden theoretically,

560
00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:23,440
Speaker 1: I'm not saying they would do it, but theoretically is

561
00:30:23,480 --> 00:30:26,880
Speaker 1: like the perfect innings eater in the regular season. He

562
00:30:26,920 --> 00:30:30,520
Speaker 1: can be the folkrum of your offense, which he basically

563
00:30:30,560 --> 00:30:32,720
Speaker 1: was in Philadelphia led the league in assist he was

564
00:30:32,720 --> 00:30:36,720
Speaker 1: setting up Joel Embiid. He had one of the great

565
00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:40,760
Speaker 1: underappreciated seasons we've seen in recent memory, but because he's

566
00:30:40,840 --> 00:30:45,120
Speaker 1: terrible in the postseason, nobody ever remembers it. And if

567
00:30:45,160 --> 00:30:49,960
Speaker 1: you can get to a team where they have a

568
00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:52,080
Speaker 1: guy in place who's gonna get you to the promise,

569
00:30:52,080 --> 00:30:53,600
Speaker 1: which why I thought the Clippers was such a good

570
00:30:53,640 --> 00:30:57,600
Speaker 1: match for him, because assuming Cage excuse me, Paul George

571
00:30:57,600 --> 00:31:00,520
Speaker 1: and Kawhi Leonard do their load match in the regular

572
00:31:00,560 --> 00:31:03,280
Speaker 1: season and they're healthy for the playoffs, they're set up

573
00:31:03,280 --> 00:31:06,080
Speaker 1: pretty well. If James Harden is in the picture, that

574
00:31:06,080 --> 00:31:09,280
Speaker 1: doesn't look like it's gonna happen anymore unless this, you know,

575
00:31:09,560 --> 00:31:13,480
Speaker 1: most recent public tantrum pushes Daryl Moore to make that deal.

576
00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:15,719
Speaker 1: But I don't see him doing that at this point, right.

577
00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:18,840
Speaker 2: It's interesting. I didn't even realize this, but you just

578
00:31:18,880 --> 00:31:21,320
Speaker 2: mentioned that he had a sneaky good season thirty eight

579
00:31:21,320 --> 00:31:24,000
Speaker 2: percent from three, which was a career best on that

580
00:31:24,120 --> 00:31:28,080
Speaker 2: volume of shots. Seven to three is a game. I

581
00:31:28,120 --> 00:31:31,240
Speaker 2: guess the problem is he only averaged twenty one a game,

582
00:31:31,600 --> 00:31:33,240
Speaker 2: and that's what he's been in the last two years

583
00:31:33,520 --> 00:31:36,040
Speaker 2: when as recently as four years ago, he was thirty

584
00:31:36,120 --> 00:31:39,320
Speaker 2: four points a game, thirty six, but his shooting was

585
00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:41,280
Speaker 2: better this year. I guess it helps to play with Jeorgan.

586
00:31:41,320 --> 00:31:41,800
Speaker 1: He was good.

587
00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:43,080
Speaker 2: He just thirty eight.

588
00:31:43,240 --> 00:31:45,920
Speaker 1: Yeah, he just went to full James Harden in the playoffs.

589
00:31:45,920 --> 00:31:48,280
Speaker 1: And that's you know, unfortunately that it also.

590
00:31:48,080 --> 00:31:51,720
Speaker 2: Comes with it. In that year he averaged thirty four

591
00:31:51,760 --> 00:31:53,720
Speaker 2: a game. When he was unstoppable, he was getting in

592
00:31:53,720 --> 00:31:55,840
Speaker 2: the line ten times a game. Now that's down to

593
00:31:55,920 --> 00:32:00,480
Speaker 2: six times a game. Still a good player, but yeah,

594
00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:04,680
Speaker 2: I don't know. Morey clearly feels emboldened to announce something

595
00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:07,120
Speaker 2: like that on a Saturday, knowing it's gonna take off

596
00:32:07,120 --> 00:32:11,280
Speaker 2: Harden and he's not gonna do that Clippers deal. I

597
00:32:11,320 --> 00:32:14,720
Speaker 2: don't know, man, It just it feels like we're the

598
00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:17,400
Speaker 2: stalemate and the big loser here is Joel embiid Joel

599
00:32:17,440 --> 00:32:19,160
Speaker 2: and BID's gonna show up a camp. He's gonna look

600
00:32:19,160 --> 00:32:22,400
Speaker 2: around and be like, all right, Maxie, let's go, all right,

601
00:32:22,400 --> 00:32:25,840
Speaker 2: Tobias Harris, let's go, you know, and without James Harden.

602
00:32:26,200 --> 00:32:27,720
Speaker 2: I don't know, Robert, they even a top four seed

603
00:32:27,760 --> 00:32:31,440
Speaker 2: in the East. Let's assume Dame. I don't know, what

604
00:32:31,480 --> 00:32:32,960
Speaker 2: do we assume with him. Let's just say he stays

605
00:32:32,960 --> 00:32:35,960
Speaker 2: in Portland. Is Philly without hard and top four and

606
00:32:35,960 --> 00:32:36,520
Speaker 2: the East.

607
00:32:37,760 --> 00:32:42,160
Speaker 1: In the regular season maybe regular season, but they are.

608
00:32:42,120 --> 00:32:44,560
Speaker 2: First, not better than Boston or Milwaukee.

609
00:32:44,640 --> 00:32:46,520
Speaker 1: But the thing is that they are one of those

610
00:32:46,600 --> 00:32:48,840
Speaker 1: teams that always plays well in the regular season. That's

611
00:32:48,880 --> 00:32:49,280
Speaker 1: just okay.

612
00:32:49,680 --> 00:32:53,800
Speaker 2: But now you remove twenty one points lead assists, right,

613
00:32:54,320 --> 00:32:56,920
Speaker 2: less of margin for error with embiid, Like Embiad's got

614
00:32:57,000 --> 00:32:59,680
Speaker 2: to play more. He can't be taking random nights off

615
00:32:59,720 --> 00:33:01,400
Speaker 2: when you don't have James Harden to carry the load.

616
00:33:02,120 --> 00:33:06,840
Speaker 2: Like I don't think Maxi's there yet, Rob, I don't

617
00:33:06,880 --> 00:33:09,880
Speaker 2: even know there's a top six. Okay, let me just

618
00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:12,840
Speaker 2: let me that rattle off. So Boston's clearly better, Milwaukee's

619
00:33:12,840 --> 00:33:16,440
Speaker 2: clearly better. I can't say the Heat for now because

620
00:33:16,440 --> 00:33:19,200
Speaker 2: they lost their starting back court and they're looking different.

621
00:33:19,200 --> 00:33:21,840
Speaker 2: Although Tyler Hero dropped like forty five in one of

622
00:33:21,880 --> 00:33:28,320
Speaker 2: those pro am summer league games. You see that. Yeah, yeah, yeah,

623
00:33:28,480 --> 00:33:32,600
Speaker 2: So Boston's better, Milwaukee's better. I would take the Knicks in.

624
00:33:32,560 --> 00:33:35,120
Speaker 1: The regular season, yeah, for sure, in the regular season.

625
00:33:35,600 --> 00:33:40,040
Speaker 2: So so so now we're I think Cleveland with Spider Mitchell, who,

626
00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:42,400
Speaker 2: by the way, is cooking guys cheez. Are you watching

627
00:33:42,440 --> 00:33:46,000
Speaker 2: these Instagram videos or hypnotic Donovan Mitchell goes to New

628
00:33:46,080 --> 00:33:50,880
Speaker 2: York playing in that Chris Brickley or game. Yeah, and

629
00:33:50,920 --> 00:33:56,800
Speaker 2: he's just unstoppable. I mean yeah. So that's four teams, Boston, Milwaukee, Cleveland,

630
00:33:56,880 --> 00:33:59,600
Speaker 2: New York. You know I'm bullish on Atlanta, so I'm

631
00:33:59,640 --> 00:34:01,800
Speaker 2: just gonna shove them in there, despite what you say.

632
00:34:02,320 --> 00:34:04,840
Speaker 2: And I think Philly is now sixth in the East

633
00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:07,160
Speaker 2: without James Harden And are they winning around in the

634
00:34:07,160 --> 00:34:10,720
Speaker 2: playoffs with Adham? We'll see tbd.

635
00:34:11,080 --> 00:34:13,880
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I could see them over performing in

636
00:34:13,920 --> 00:34:17,000
Speaker 1: the regular season and getting like a four seed but

637
00:34:17,239 --> 00:34:19,520
Speaker 1: getting bounced in the first round without you.

638
00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:21,239
Speaker 2: I mean, McK nurse is it is an upgrade over

639
00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:24,759
Speaker 2: Doc Rivers, So I think we would agree there. But yeah,

640
00:34:24,800 --> 00:34:27,759
Speaker 2: like without James Harden, this team's just not very good.

641
00:34:28,480 --> 00:34:30,279
Speaker 2: I can't believe we milk like twenty minutes out of

642
00:34:30,280 --> 00:34:31,200
Speaker 2: an NBA topic.

643
00:34:31,719 --> 00:34:36,040
Speaker 1: Rob, It's so easy, that's so easy, talking, bast So.

644
00:34:36,040 --> 00:34:39,359
Speaker 2: What else did I miss during my break? Anything with Dame?

645
00:34:40,200 --> 00:34:42,960
Speaker 1: Nothing yet from Dame. But you know what's funny that

646
00:34:42,960 --> 00:34:44,839
Speaker 1: I saw on Monday before we wrap it up. I

647
00:34:44,880 --> 00:34:48,680
Speaker 1: saw a lot of Miami heat culture people on social media,

648
00:34:48,880 --> 00:34:52,080
Speaker 1: you know, both famous in the media and just fans

649
00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:55,959
Speaker 1: on in you know, on social media saying, see, Dame,

650
00:34:56,320 --> 00:34:58,360
Speaker 1: this is how you do it. James Harden knows how

651
00:34:58,400 --> 00:35:00,359
Speaker 1: to get out of situations and its so will you're

652
00:35:00,400 --> 00:35:02,560
Speaker 1: willing to go to this level and publicly call out

653
00:35:02,600 --> 00:35:05,520
Speaker 1: the front office. You're never getting traded to Miami, so

654
00:35:05,560 --> 00:35:07,640
Speaker 1: they want him to go full James Harden to get

655
00:35:07,640 --> 00:35:08,440
Speaker 1: traded to Miami.

656
00:35:09,680 --> 00:35:11,160
Speaker 2: I don't think this is working for Hard.

657
00:35:11,560 --> 00:35:14,320
Speaker 1: I don't know, but it is an interesting tactic. It

658
00:35:14,360 --> 00:35:15,399
Speaker 1: seems to work out for him, at.

659
00:35:15,400 --> 00:35:17,719
Speaker 2: Least it's bold. I can't remember the last time a

660
00:35:17,760 --> 00:35:21,600
Speaker 2: player called a GMO straight up liar in public. Now,

661
00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:24,359
Speaker 2: let me ask you a media insidery stuff only the

662
00:35:24,440 --> 00:35:30,480
Speaker 2: only the t one listeners care and Paul p is

663
00:35:30,520 --> 00:35:35,040
Speaker 2: and Paul the video was credited to Shams. Did you

664
00:35:35,040 --> 00:35:36,640
Speaker 2: see that right?

665
00:35:36,960 --> 00:35:38,120
Speaker 1: Well there's more than one video.

666
00:35:41,320 --> 00:35:45,400
Speaker 2: Oh. I got the idea that Shams was along for

667
00:35:45,480 --> 00:35:48,480
Speaker 2: the ride on this James Harden thing, like he's traveling

668
00:35:48,480 --> 00:35:50,640
Speaker 2: with Harden and his crew. Do you do you get

669
00:35:50,640 --> 00:35:51,240
Speaker 2: that impression?

670
00:35:51,440 --> 00:35:54,359
Speaker 1: It's possible. It's totally possible. I mean, you know how

671
00:35:54,360 --> 00:35:57,600
Speaker 1: this thing works, like I do. Most of your favorite

672
00:35:57,600 --> 00:36:00,759
Speaker 1: insiders in any sport, they they don't, you know, know

673
00:36:00,920 --> 00:36:04,160
Speaker 1: any more than anybody else. It's there tied in with

674
00:36:04,239 --> 00:36:06,680
Speaker 1: the agents, with the managers, and that's how they get

675
00:36:06,680 --> 00:36:09,400
Speaker 1: their information before everybody else does. Like I've seen the

676
00:36:09,440 --> 00:36:13,080
Speaker 1: text change when teams break news or agents break news.

677
00:36:13,360 --> 00:36:15,920
Speaker 1: They have like an order of guys that they text first.

678
00:36:16,480 --> 00:36:18,359
Speaker 1: They wait like thirty seconds to a minute, and then

679
00:36:18,360 --> 00:36:20,160
Speaker 1: they text a bunch of other guys after. Like it's

680
00:36:20,200 --> 00:36:24,080
Speaker 1: not like you know, so and so knows more information

681
00:36:24,120 --> 00:36:26,880
Speaker 1: than anybody else. It's that they have these relationships so

682
00:36:26,920 --> 00:36:29,480
Speaker 1: that they get the information first and then it goes

683
00:36:29,520 --> 00:36:32,120
Speaker 1: down in a tiar system. That's all so.

684
00:36:32,520 --> 00:36:35,360
Speaker 2: And again, I've been out of like the media reporting

685
00:36:35,400 --> 00:36:39,239
Speaker 2: business for a while now, probably eight years, but the

686
00:36:39,280 --> 00:36:43,360
Speaker 2: best way to know what was happening would be just

687
00:36:43,400 --> 00:36:46,640
Speaker 2: to constantly check in with guys and spitball, right, and

688
00:36:46,680 --> 00:36:50,120
Speaker 2: you're just guessing it stuff. I read this awesome piece

689
00:36:50,200 --> 00:36:55,440
Speaker 2: on an awesome quote on vacation about guessing and how

690
00:36:55,480 --> 00:36:58,920
Speaker 2: it's like that's all we're all doing all the time.

691
00:36:59,080 --> 00:37:01,880
Speaker 2: In life, we're just guessing and it gets you more creative.

692
00:37:02,239 --> 00:37:07,000
Speaker 2: So if you're texting league executives, players coaches and you're

693
00:37:07,040 --> 00:37:10,440
Speaker 2: just guessing and stuff, not necessarily like who's better or

694
00:37:10,440 --> 00:37:16,680
Speaker 2: who's gonna win, but ideas and thoughts about stuff, that's

695
00:37:16,719 --> 00:37:19,000
Speaker 2: how you can dig in and maybe people are a

696
00:37:19,040 --> 00:37:22,759
Speaker 2: little more revelatory. I remember going to the combine, Rob,

697
00:37:23,200 --> 00:37:26,080
Speaker 2: and I would just guess it, like, man, that guy

698
00:37:26,080 --> 00:37:27,640
Speaker 2: would be a good fit. And oh, by the way,

699
00:37:27,680 --> 00:37:31,840
Speaker 2: this coach coach this guy in college two years ago,

700
00:37:32,600 --> 00:37:35,400
Speaker 2: and you know, like a third, fourth round. You just

701
00:37:35,440 --> 00:37:38,600
Speaker 2: spitball stuff like that, and you could get the idea

702
00:37:38,600 --> 00:37:41,600
Speaker 2: of what may happen down the road. Now, you might

703
00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:43,120
Speaker 2: not be the first guy they're going to text on that,

704
00:37:43,160 --> 00:37:46,759
Speaker 2: but you can allude to that guess earlier. And the

705
00:37:46,840 --> 00:37:50,840
Speaker 2: thing with the NFL is so many people are afraid

706
00:37:51,160 --> 00:37:54,280
Speaker 2: to go against the shield and the big names, risking

707
00:37:54,320 --> 00:37:59,200
Speaker 2: getting cutting off access. In the NBA, there really isn't

708
00:37:59,239 --> 00:38:01,719
Speaker 2: that fear nobody he's shutting you down from anything. Everybody's

709
00:38:01,719 --> 00:38:04,400
Speaker 2: got loose lips because everybody wants to pump up their

710
00:38:04,400 --> 00:38:07,440
Speaker 2: own brand through the reporters. Hey, Rob, let me give

711
00:38:07,440 --> 00:38:09,680
Speaker 2: you this colonel, and then two weeks later, Rob books

712
00:38:09,760 --> 00:38:11,480
Speaker 2: you as a guest on a podcast or radio show.

713
00:38:11,480 --> 00:38:15,120
Speaker 2: You know, like, I'm not saying that happened, but Rob,

714
00:38:15,160 --> 00:38:18,200
Speaker 2: you know how it works, and it's just interesting to me.

715
00:38:19,560 --> 00:38:22,040
Speaker 2: I can't recall time I've ever seen a video that

716
00:38:22,200 --> 00:38:25,120
Speaker 2: says shams on it and it's James Harden and China,

717
00:38:25,120 --> 00:38:27,680
Speaker 2: And I'm like, how does even if they send in

718
00:38:27,800 --> 00:38:30,120
Speaker 2: that video, that's not his video, they just send it

719
00:38:30,160 --> 00:38:33,000
Speaker 2: to him someone else's. Now, if he took the video,

720
00:38:34,160 --> 00:38:36,680
Speaker 2: that's a different story. Now, if he knew that was coming,

721
00:38:37,760 --> 00:38:39,600
Speaker 2: that's another story.

722
00:38:40,680 --> 00:38:44,239
Speaker 1: Yeah, that that is your your third eyes wide open

723
00:38:44,320 --> 00:38:45,680
Speaker 1: right now. And I know people my thing a little

724
00:38:45,680 --> 00:38:49,319
Speaker 1: bit conspiracy theorist, but you are probably more right than

725
00:38:49,360 --> 00:38:51,400
Speaker 1: you are wrong about that whole spiel.

726
00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:54,319
Speaker 2: Your guess where Harden ends up.

727
00:38:55,520 --> 00:38:58,800
Speaker 1: I think he ultimately ends up with the Clippers. Hmm.

728
00:38:59,120 --> 00:39:03,000
Speaker 2: I'll say he is not on an he's not in

729
00:39:03,040 --> 00:39:06,040
Speaker 2: an NBA jersey, not playing on the first night of

730
00:39:06,480 --> 00:39:09,439
Speaker 2: the season. I think it'll just be holding out, that's

731
00:39:09,440 --> 00:39:12,799
Speaker 2: my guess, unless it be could convince him. I mean

732
00:39:12,840 --> 00:39:14,760
Speaker 2: they were hanging out that white party in the Hamptons,

733
00:39:14,760 --> 00:39:16,919
Speaker 2: weren't they They were it was hard not there.

734
00:39:16,960 --> 00:39:18,840
Speaker 1: Well, no, they were at another party. I think that

735
00:39:18,920 --> 00:39:21,200
Speaker 1: hard and miss missed an you know, they were at

736
00:39:21,200 --> 00:39:22,719
Speaker 1: the White Party, but hard and missed like a wedding

737
00:39:22,840 --> 00:39:23,520
Speaker 1: or something like that.

738
00:39:24,440 --> 00:39:27,760
Speaker 2: No, that's right. Embiide had a wedding yea, and Harden

739
00:39:27,840 --> 00:39:30,160
Speaker 2: was there, and it's like, oh, where's Harden? Anyways? All right,

740
00:39:30,200 --> 00:39:33,160
Speaker 2: that's a long, long welcome back from Vacation Podcast. We

741
00:39:33,239 --> 00:39:35,719
Speaker 2: got two great guests coming up back to back the

742
00:39:35,760 --> 00:39:38,280
Speaker 2: next couple of days. You're gonna love it. Fantasy gambling,

743
00:39:38,400 --> 00:39:39,760
Speaker 2: all that. Talk to you tomorrow.