WEBVTT - Robert Covington and Nik Stauskas Reflect on The Process 0:00:49.259 --> 0:00:51.779 I'm Tari's Mexi and you're listening to the seventy six 0:00:51.859 --> 0:00:53.419 Ers Insider's podcast. 0:00:53.699 --> 0:00:56.619 This podcast is part of the seventy six Ers podcast network, 0:00:56.659 --> 0:00:58.379 presented by Stern and Cohen Law. 0:00:58.299 --> 0:01:01.299 Search seventy six ers Insiders wherever you get your podcasts. 0:01:01.659 --> 0:01:04.419 Suffering an injury at work can cause physical pain, but 0:01:04.499 --> 0:01:07.659 also great uncertainty about your rights. You need to retain 0:01:07.699 --> 0:01:10.419 a worker's compensation law firm that is a winner like 0:01:10.499 --> 0:01:13.379 our sixers, a firm that gets some of the best settlements, 0:01:13.459 --> 0:01:15.539 but is also willing to go toe to toe with 0:01:15.659 --> 0:01:19.379 the insurance company. No settling on the cheap. This is Philly. 0:01:19.539 --> 0:01:21.939 We have grit and fight in us. Call the workers 0:01:22.019 --> 0:01:25.259 Compensation Law Firm of Stern and Cohen or visit their 0:01:25.299 --> 0:01:29.779 site Sterncohenlaw dot com. The consultation is free. Stern and 0:01:29.819 --> 0:01:32.539 Cohen are the official partners of the seventy six Ers. 0:01:32.819 --> 0:01:34.939 They'll go ring the insurance company's bell. 0:01:43.579 --> 0:01:47.899 Welcome. We have shared the court many times together as teammates, 0:01:47.899 --> 0:01:48.939 but this is our first. 0:01:48.779 --> 0:01:50.899 Time I'm doing a podcast together. 0:01:51.019 --> 0:01:54.819 Welcome on the seventy six Ers Insider podcast. 0:01:54.859 --> 0:01:55.819 It's good to have you here. 0:01:56.099 --> 0:01:57.939 Man, It's great to be here with you, my brother. 0:01:58.099 --> 0:01:59.979 It's been a while since we've really caught up. A 0:02:00.019 --> 0:02:03.499 lot has happened, so I'm looking forward to diving right in. 0:02:04.499 --> 0:02:07.019 How are things with you? How's your second stint around 0:02:07.059 --> 0:02:10.299 in Philly. You know it's been about five years since 0:02:10.339 --> 0:02:14.059 your last stint with this team. How are things different 0:02:14.099 --> 0:02:16.539 this time around, and how have you grown as a 0:02:16.579 --> 0:02:17.899 person and player? 0:02:18.099 --> 0:02:21.099 Well, of course much older, Like you said, five years, 0:02:21.339 --> 0:02:24.059 I'm a father now and you know a lot of 0:02:24.059 --> 0:02:26.819 my old friends are still here, so that pretty much 0:02:26.859 --> 0:02:29.819 hasn't changed. My transition has been great. It was pretty easy. 0:02:30.019 --> 0:02:32.859 You know for me, I didn't really have much to 0:02:32.979 --> 0:02:36.699 like really go and renew myself with. So, you know, 0:02:36.899 --> 0:02:40.099 just being back in this room, you know, fortunate that 0:02:40.299 --> 0:02:42.459 I've been hurt for a duration of this period, but 0:02:42.939 --> 0:02:44.299 you know I'll be back short enough. 0:02:44.339 --> 0:02:48.059 So when you kind of look back to your early days, 0:02:48.299 --> 0:02:51.099 you know, starting off in this league with this team, 0:02:51.659 --> 0:02:54.859 and now you see yourself you've been ten plus years 0:02:54.859 --> 0:02:57.219 in the NBA, I guess what do you think has 0:02:57.339 --> 0:03:01.099 changed about the league or the style of play over 0:03:01.139 --> 0:03:03.179 that course of the time, and what has helped you 0:03:03.699 --> 0:03:07.419 kind of adapt and make yourself so successful over that 0:03:07.459 --> 0:03:08.179 period of time. 0:03:08.339 --> 0:03:10.499 The way that the game has changes is being played 0:03:10.539 --> 0:03:15.299 much faster. It's a lot more threes, and it's kind 0:03:15.299 --> 0:03:18.859 of like positionless basketball, which is actually works in my 0:03:18.939 --> 0:03:21.139 favorite you know, coming into the league was one of 0:03:21.179 --> 0:03:23.539 the things that they kind of was like, you know, 0:03:23.579 --> 0:03:26.299 I didn't really have a position. But now that you know, 0:03:26.339 --> 0:03:28.819 ten plus years later, that's what the league is now, 0:03:28.859 --> 0:03:31.579 and you know it's only getting you know, much faster. 0:03:31.739 --> 0:03:34.459 So transition has been great for me. And you know, 0:03:34.499 --> 0:03:36.539 like I said, being that you know, we share the 0:03:36.699 --> 0:03:39.779 court many years ago, you know, many battles here in 0:03:39.779 --> 0:03:44.099 this arena, just to see like you know, our career 0:03:44.139 --> 0:03:46.899 has had, you know, shifted in different directions, but you know, 0:03:46.899 --> 0:03:49.659 we're still doing something that you know, we we actually 0:03:49.659 --> 0:03:52.859 talked about this when we were in you know, when 0:03:52.859 --> 0:03:54.859 we had our stint then about you know, what did 0:03:54.899 --> 0:03:55.779 you want to do afterwards? 0:03:55.819 --> 0:03:58.059 And you said, this is what you planned on doing 0:03:58.099 --> 0:03:58.779 and not look at. 0:03:58.779 --> 0:04:00.819 You that's true, just getting started. 0:04:00.899 --> 0:04:03.539 But you know, when I think back to those days, 0:04:04.139 --> 0:04:06.739 the process days, if that's what you want to call them. 0:04:07.099 --> 0:04:09.419 You know, one question that I wanted to ask you, 0:04:09.499 --> 0:04:13.859 a hypothetical if we took our twenty fifteen twenty sixteen 0:04:14.299 --> 0:04:17.179 team ten wins ten to seventy two, I might add, 0:04:18.299 --> 0:04:21.899 fully healthy, and we played a seven game series against 0:04:22.099 --> 0:04:25.979 this sixers team right now, would we win one game? 0:04:26.259 --> 0:04:26.739 Absolutely? 0:04:26.779 --> 0:04:27.819 And that's what I was saying too. 0:04:27.899 --> 0:04:30.419 I was saying I think we would sneak one win 0:04:30.979 --> 0:04:34.379 mainly because here's the thing. Teams used to take us 0:04:34.419 --> 0:04:37.779 super light, Like teams used to just not really play 0:04:37.859 --> 0:04:42.899 hard the first three quarters hard as ever, but we were grinding. 0:04:43.259 --> 0:04:45.179 Yeah, we lost a lot of games because we ran 0:04:45.179 --> 0:04:49.299 out of gas. Yeah that's literally how pretty much that 0:04:49.459 --> 0:04:51.659 is that we ran out of gas because you know, 0:04:51.659 --> 0:04:53.659 you put an emphasis on playing hard. A lot of 0:04:53.659 --> 0:04:55.459 teams going to take like you said, take us lightly, 0:04:56.139 --> 0:04:59.299 and we like just came up. It was a lot 0:04:59.299 --> 0:05:00.899 of games. It was just like we was right there. 0:05:00.899 --> 0:05:03.459 It's just a few errors you know that we did 0:05:03.499 --> 0:05:05.579 down the line. But like I said, we ran out 0:05:05.619 --> 0:05:06.219 of gas. 0:05:06.379 --> 0:05:08.179 Yeah. I try to tell people all the time, like 0:05:08.219 --> 0:05:11.419 we we weren't a great team, but the record, the 0:05:11.459 --> 0:05:15.339 ten and seventy two doesn't really it doesn't do us 0:05:15.459 --> 0:05:17.739 justice that we actually weren't that bad. And when you 0:05:17.739 --> 0:05:20.059 look at that roster. A lot of the guys have 0:05:20.139 --> 0:05:23.099 gone on to have very long, successful careers and are 0:05:23.139 --> 0:05:26.539 still playing like yourself, TJ. You know, like there's so 0:05:26.579 --> 0:05:28.659 many guys that have gone on to just play long careers, 0:05:28.699 --> 0:05:31.019 and we were all so young. We were so young, 0:05:31.099 --> 0:05:33.859 so inexperienced. I was considered the VET on the team 0:05:33.899 --> 0:05:35.219 and that was that's scary year. 0:05:35.299 --> 0:05:37.179 That's very scary that you were the VET at that time. 0:05:37.459 --> 0:05:39.979 But you know, looking back at those days, to me, 0:05:40.219 --> 0:05:44.459 what sticks out was throughout all those losses and throughout 0:05:44.499 --> 0:05:47.699 some of the tough times, the friendships and bonds that 0:05:47.739 --> 0:05:50.019 we created because we were all in that same starting 0:05:50.019 --> 0:05:53.059 phase of our career. I think brought us together and 0:05:53.139 --> 0:05:56.139 allows us to kind of still be close with one 0:05:56.139 --> 0:05:59.739 another and share these memories in a lighthearted way, because 0:05:59.779 --> 0:06:01.899 it really was all good times. 0:06:01.979 --> 0:06:04.139 Even though we did we had a whole lot of 0:06:04.219 --> 0:06:04.779 good times. 0:06:04.939 --> 0:06:08.139 And no matter what people say that, how did y'all 0:06:08.179 --> 0:06:11.059 honestly get through the season, It was like we did it. 0:06:11.139 --> 0:06:13.139 Not only a great job, but the organization did a 0:06:13.139 --> 0:06:15.459 great job of like helping us navigate through it because 0:06:15.499 --> 0:06:17.739 it was tough. You know, losing that many games is 0:06:17.779 --> 0:06:20.579 definitely tough. But the fact that we were able to 0:06:20.619 --> 0:06:22.259 do other things. I don't know if you remember the 0:06:22.819 --> 0:06:24.099 presentations we used to have. 0:06:24.379 --> 0:06:27.019 Yeah, so you brought your snakes and I said, CoV 0:06:27.099 --> 0:06:30.059 I love you. Get those snakes away from you right now, 0:06:30.419 --> 0:06:31.339 get them away. 0:06:31.339 --> 0:06:35.379 And have the whole entire everyone in the organization and 0:06:35.459 --> 0:06:38.859 everything was just literally we had it in the beginning 0:06:39.219 --> 0:06:41.139 where everybody was up close, and next thing, you know, 0:06:41.259 --> 0:06:43.379 the whole entire organization was in the kitchen. 0:06:43.659 --> 0:06:45.739 I said, I'm not getting close to those. 0:06:46.139 --> 0:06:47.019 Yeah, that's crazy. 0:06:46.899 --> 0:06:50.739 My reptile, you know, of the expansion is ex planned 0:06:50.739 --> 0:06:51.219 it heavily. 0:06:51.539 --> 0:06:54.259 Really, how many what's the repertoire looking like? 0:06:54.299 --> 0:06:56.059 Now? We got like five of them? Ten of them 0:06:56.259 --> 0:06:58.699 or four? Man, that's too much for me. And they 0:06:58.699 --> 0:07:02.499 travel the worldwide with you. Huh every city I've been there. Wow, 0:07:03.179 --> 0:07:06.259 that's awesome. All right, Well, I'm going to try to 0:07:06.299 --> 0:07:09.499 take it maybe a little bit more, a little bit 0:07:09.499 --> 0:07:11.699 more lighthearted, and just fire off some questions to you. 0:07:12.619 --> 0:07:15.259 What was your welcome to the NBA moment when you 0:07:15.259 --> 0:07:16.819 look back at your career. 0:07:17.939 --> 0:07:18.179 Too? 0:07:18.739 --> 0:07:24.659 The game winner Dame Liard and the first time I played, 0:07:25.379 --> 0:07:27.739 you know, the first time I played against when I 0:07:27.779 --> 0:07:28.379 was in Houston. 0:07:28.619 --> 0:07:30.019 You think it was against Sacramento. 0:07:30.579 --> 0:07:33.019 It was first time I scored my first NBA bucket, 0:07:33.379 --> 0:07:35.379 and I just remembered my vets just telling me, yo, 0:07:35.539 --> 0:07:37.179 if you don't stop passing the ball to us to 0:07:37.179 --> 0:07:37.819 shoot the ball. 0:07:39.099 --> 0:07:41.059 At least they were on your side trying to get you, 0:07:41.259 --> 0:07:42.939 trying to get you a bucket. It's always good when 0:07:42.939 --> 0:07:43.699 you get like that. 0:07:43.899 --> 0:07:47.059 And then, like I said, the second one was my 0:07:47.139 --> 0:07:51.499 rookieear as well, when game six they ain't literally hit 0:07:51.539 --> 0:07:55.419 that dagger three to say that that was an iconic 0:07:55.619 --> 0:07:58.299 kind when I'm in it was crazy. Is I go 0:07:58.339 --> 0:08:00.939 to Portland when I played for Portland, they have that 0:08:01.059 --> 0:08:03.939 picture up on the wall and you see me in 0:08:03.979 --> 0:08:05.019 the background, and I'm. 0:08:04.859 --> 0:08:08.539 Like this, you want to it's crazy. 0:08:08.619 --> 0:08:11.859 So I played in Portland and I went to Dame's 0:08:11.859 --> 0:08:15.139 house one time, and like he has this hallway when 0:08:15.179 --> 0:08:18.259 you first come into his house and it's like all 0:08:18.379 --> 0:08:21.819 of his like coldest NBA moments, and he's got a 0:08:21.819 --> 0:08:24.179 lot of them, and it's just like you walk down 0:08:24.179 --> 0:08:26.979 this long hallway and it's just like picture after picture 0:08:27.139 --> 0:08:28.219 after picture. 0:08:28.179 --> 0:08:29.179 And that's one of them. 0:08:29.619 --> 0:08:32.779 It's from the other baseline of him kind of going 0:08:32.859 --> 0:08:34.979 up for that shot and like everyone just on their feet. 0:08:35.139 --> 0:08:37.659 I walked down that hallway, I got goosebumps because I 0:08:37.699 --> 0:08:39.899 was like, Damn, this guy's really like he. 0:08:39.859 --> 0:08:43.179 Has that similar in his gym toom H Davis. Like 0:08:43.219 --> 0:08:45.819 I said, that was my two welcome to the NBA moments. 0:08:45.899 --> 0:08:48.619 All right, Well, speaking about you know, having some vets 0:08:48.619 --> 0:08:51.899 with you in Houston, you know, welcoming you to the NBA, 0:08:53.139 --> 0:08:55.819 would you care to share some of the craziest rookie 0:08:55.939 --> 0:09:01.019 duties you were responsible for in Houston? Who is your vet? 0:09:01.499 --> 0:09:06.699 I had a few vets, James Harden, Dwight Howard, Francisco Garcia, 0:09:07.499 --> 0:09:11.379 Patrick Beverley, Ronnie Brewer was trying to think of who else, 0:09:11.579 --> 0:09:12.459 Terrence Jones. 0:09:14.179 --> 0:09:15.939 These these were technically all my vets. 0:09:15.939 --> 0:09:17.859 So but the people that kicked it with the most 0:09:18.059 --> 0:09:23.379 was Francisco Garcia and Dwight. And so the craziest duty 0:09:23.419 --> 0:09:25.899 I used to have is with Francisco. I just had 0:09:25.899 --> 0:09:28.539 to meet him at his hookah bar every single day, 0:09:29.139 --> 0:09:30.419 like that was his thing. 0:09:30.939 --> 0:09:33.179 I had to meet him there and I didn't smog. 0:09:33.699 --> 0:09:34.659 He just did a company. 0:09:34.779 --> 0:09:35.659 He just needed a company. 0:09:35.699 --> 0:09:37.539 So we're just sitting there chopping it up, and like 0:09:37.579 --> 0:09:41.419 he's giving the ins and outs of like what we're 0:09:41.419 --> 0:09:44.219 walking into, like giving us, giving us games. So literally 0:09:44.219 --> 0:09:47.939 I just sit there. We just have conversations. And as 0:09:48.019 --> 0:09:51.579 time went on, like he just kept like teaching, kept teaching, 0:09:51.619 --> 0:09:55.699 kept teaching. My craziest rookie duty with d White was 0:09:55.939 --> 0:09:59.499 he used to have me carry a fifty five pound 0:09:59.539 --> 0:10:07.619 book back that was literally filled with iPads, computers, about 0:10:07.659 --> 0:10:13.259 fifty chargers charging wireless chargers, like it was a brick. 0:10:14.619 --> 0:10:15.539 Used to carry that around. 0:10:15.619 --> 0:10:17.939 Then he used to have me like he used to 0:10:18.019 --> 0:10:21.099 take like these love ventures going to like reptile houses. 0:10:21.299 --> 0:10:25.779 Like that's when he's actually the one that first introduced 0:10:25.819 --> 0:10:27.059 me to snakes. 0:10:27.139 --> 0:10:29.739 So I was about to say, is that intro Okay? 0:10:30.739 --> 0:10:33.539 Now we know I had an interest in you know, reptiles, 0:10:33.539 --> 0:10:36.659 like you know, growing up from Steve Irwin. But he 0:10:36.819 --> 0:10:38.739 was like, all right, I'm gonna take you to this 0:10:38.739 --> 0:10:41.939 this this zoo that you know we came across, and 0:10:42.019 --> 0:10:43.859 you know, they have a lot of stuff. When I 0:10:43.859 --> 0:10:46.219 tell you they have a lot of exotic animals, they 0:10:46.219 --> 0:10:48.619 had a lot of exotic animals. And that's where like 0:10:49.099 --> 0:10:50.819 actually was like, all right, you know what, I might 0:10:50.819 --> 0:10:53.899 actually get me one, but they had ones that I 0:10:53.979 --> 0:10:56.259 did not want. They were full grown. 0:10:56.019 --> 0:10:59.259 Like I was like, yeah, I was like, y'all can't 0:10:59.379 --> 0:10:59.739 keep those. 0:10:59.939 --> 0:11:00.259 I want to. 0:11:00.299 --> 0:11:02.539 I want to get my own, like I can raise 0:11:02.579 --> 0:11:05.099 it that way, I can know the temperament of it. 0:11:05.219 --> 0:11:07.179 Because if you get a brand steak you don't know 0:11:07.179 --> 0:11:09.099 how to read it, that can be bad. 0:11:09.299 --> 0:11:13.019 Shout out to Dwight Howard for giving snakes a new 0:11:13.099 --> 0:11:15.139 a new home. You know, he put you on Now 0:11:15.179 --> 0:11:17.019 all of a sudden, you're you're a father to a 0:11:17.019 --> 0:11:17.739 bunch of snakes. 0:11:17.739 --> 0:11:20.099 I mean, and I still have the one that I 0:11:20.139 --> 0:11:21.419 have for my first. 0:11:21.219 --> 0:11:24.539 What's the life expectancy on those? On those things? 0:11:24.579 --> 0:11:26.059 Like twenty five years? 0:11:26.179 --> 0:11:28.539 Oh so you got you have some companions for quite 0:11:28.579 --> 0:11:30.459 some time, quite some time. All right? 0:11:30.499 --> 0:11:34.019 All right, we talk about Philly the city. 0:11:35.139 --> 0:11:39.699 What are you going with with favorite cheese steak Larry's Larry's. 0:11:40.299 --> 0:11:42.059 I always got a signature cheese steak. There. 0:11:42.179 --> 0:11:44.659 You do have a signature, it's the Robert Covington. See, 0:11:44.699 --> 0:11:45.899 I have not tried this yet. 0:11:45.939 --> 0:11:48.819 So to do is call up like yo do a 0:11:49.139 --> 0:11:51.259 cub Like he's like, yo, brother, how. 0:11:51.139 --> 0:11:51.579 Many you need? 0:11:51.819 --> 0:11:53.779 And so please tell us, like, what is the robbery 0:11:53.859 --> 0:11:54.259 coming in? 0:11:54.419 --> 0:11:58.819 Steak, mushroom American cheese? So simple? 0:11:59.619 --> 0:11:59.739 Uh. 0:11:59.939 --> 0:12:04.979 Then on the side, I have mayo, hot sauce and wrench, 0:12:05.099 --> 0:12:07.179 and I mixed the mayo and the hot sauce. 0:12:07.259 --> 0:12:09.619 Give me a little you know, spice kick. 0:12:09.499 --> 0:12:12.179 To the mayo sauce, and then I poured it across 0:12:12.219 --> 0:12:13.699 the top, and then I poured a wrench across. 0:12:13.939 --> 0:12:14.299 I like it. 0:12:14.339 --> 0:12:14.979 That's a good combo. 0:12:15.019 --> 0:12:16.619 I might have to try that myself. I have to, 0:12:17.219 --> 0:12:19.979 all right. So we move on from cheese steaks to dining. 0:12:20.219 --> 0:12:21.819 What's your number one restaurant in the city. 0:12:22.579 --> 0:12:26.619 Number one for me, and I haven't been unfortunately, is 0:12:26.819 --> 0:12:30.779 Del Frisco. It's always been Del frishk them cheese steak, 0:12:30.819 --> 0:12:32.379 air bro it's been my name. 0:12:32.419 --> 0:12:33.899 But we used to have our end of the season 0:12:34.179 --> 0:12:38.939 dinners there in the vault. Order some Hennessy lemonade. 0:12:39.499 --> 0:12:49.059 Call it a day, Call it a day. 0:12:50.819 --> 0:12:53.379 All right. I got some some rapid fire questions for you. 0:12:53.499 --> 0:12:57.899 It's gonna be tough, though. Start one bench, one cut one, okay, 0:12:58.019 --> 0:13:01.179 lebron Kobe, Michael Jordan, Mmm, you. 0:13:01.139 --> 0:13:06.779 Know I gotta go with Mike. Start of course, the hard. 0:13:06.979 --> 0:13:09.539 That's a tough one. Tough one. But I'm gonna have 0:13:09.539 --> 0:13:13.019 to bench Kobe cut Bron. 0:13:13.419 --> 0:13:17.539 Wow. Really, you know, either way you pick it. If 0:13:17.579 --> 0:13:20.579 someone's gonna someone's gonna be the limit the championships. Yeah, 0:13:20.619 --> 0:13:23.779 that's true, that's true. Got six five four? All right, 0:13:23.859 --> 0:13:29.379 if we're talking basketball superpowers, would you rather have twenty 0:13:29.459 --> 0:13:34.659 ten peak Lebron athleticism or would you rather have twenty 0:13:34.739 --> 0:13:36.899 sixteen Steph Curry shooting ability? 0:13:37.259 --> 0:13:41.139 Athleticism all day? You have the athleticism. I can shoot already. Yeah, 0:13:41.179 --> 0:13:43.499 you can shoot already. So you're gonna jump in at 0:13:43.539 --> 0:13:44.939 the gym like you need to. 0:13:44.939 --> 0:13:46.259 Get the ten to night is feeling a little bit 0:13:46.299 --> 0:13:48.859 better in the knees, get the you know, get. 0:13:48.699 --> 0:13:51.659 The Never had that or never had that experience of 0:13:51.699 --> 0:13:54.619 the bounce, So I would definitely take that athleticism. 0:13:54.819 --> 0:13:57.179 You were a little bouncy back in our early back 0:13:57.219 --> 0:13:59.619 in our early Philly days, you would catch people slipping 0:13:59.659 --> 0:14:00.619 every now and then lipping. 0:14:01.139 --> 0:14:01.779 I wouldn't try. 0:14:01.819 --> 0:14:04.059 I'm trying to look people as I literally hit the 0:14:04.419 --> 0:14:07.059 trampoline and just look down at people as I go 0:14:07.219 --> 0:14:10.579 like that. I have never had that. I think I've 0:14:10.619 --> 0:14:13.579 only had one, but it was like it was like 0:14:13.619 --> 0:14:14.819 a grim grazer. 0:14:14.899 --> 0:14:17.699 What's your What's what's been your biggest poster of your career? 0:14:18.339 --> 0:14:21.939 My biggest poster of my career would have to be 0:14:23.419 --> 0:14:26.099 I don't know, have. 0:14:26.139 --> 0:14:30.699 You been put on a poster, not body to body, 0:14:31.019 --> 0:14:33.619 not body to body, but you were there in the picture, there. 0:14:33.499 --> 0:14:35.339 In the picture a few times. You know, I like 0:14:35.379 --> 0:14:37.459 this wipe. I mean, try to get to people before 0:14:37.539 --> 0:14:38.019 they well. 0:14:38.059 --> 0:14:40.099 And you have the tough assignment of like you're going 0:14:40.179 --> 0:14:43.499 to be going up against Lebron Paul George, the wings 0:14:43.539 --> 0:14:46.539 that are six eight and bouncy, so you're put in 0:14:46.579 --> 0:14:47.939 a position where. 0:14:47.939 --> 0:14:50.099 If you get caught slipping a little bit, we'll see 0:14:50.099 --> 0:14:52.739 I'm gonna do the work to not get caught slipping rightly. 0:14:52.899 --> 0:14:55.459 Well, that's that's why you're still here ten years later 0:14:56.099 --> 0:14:58.139 with a job. And I'm sitting here on this side 0:14:58.619 --> 0:15:00.699 on the couch asking you the questions. 0:15:01.059 --> 0:15:05.179 Let me think we got we got another one ninety 0:15:05.219 --> 0:15:07.739 six Bulls twenty sixteen Warriors. 0:15:09.019 --> 0:15:09.939 Which one you going with? 0:15:10.019 --> 0:15:12.219 I gotta go Bulls, You go Bulls? Yeah? 0:15:12.219 --> 0:15:15.139 I got to Is that sixteen Warriors team the best 0:15:15.139 --> 0:15:17.779 team that you have played against? In your time in 0:15:17.779 --> 0:15:18.339 the NBA. 0:15:18.419 --> 0:15:21.019 Yes, Like I want to I want. 0:15:20.859 --> 0:15:22.379 To touch on that because I don't want to say 0:15:22.379 --> 0:15:25.179 that we ever were going into a game scared, but 0:15:25.299 --> 0:15:29.379 like people have to realize or people have to realize 0:15:29.739 --> 0:15:32.899 or back in twenty sixteen, we already weren't we We 0:15:32.939 --> 0:15:35.419 couldn't beat a lot of teams, but that was just 0:15:35.459 --> 0:15:37.059 what you had to be there for that time where 0:15:37.099 --> 0:15:38.379 it was just different, like. 0:15:38.459 --> 0:15:40.659 I'd go into the game and you walk into that. 0:15:40.899 --> 0:15:43.659 Remember when we walked into the ring that we was like, yo, 0:15:44.219 --> 0:15:44.819 do you feel it? 0:15:45.179 --> 0:15:45.739 Yeah? 0:15:46.499 --> 0:15:49.899 And the game wasn't even nowhere near like remotely close 0:15:49.939 --> 0:15:52.739 to starting. And then once it got to the game 0:15:53.539 --> 0:15:57.819 and the first three you heard the the arena like 0:15:58.019 --> 0:16:01.899 floor like shake, you heard you heard you heard the 0:16:01.979 --> 0:16:04.579 literally like the noise from like how loud it was. 0:16:04.619 --> 0:16:06.819 And that was before stephand Clay hit a three. 0:16:06.859 --> 0:16:08.259 Yet this is just I mean. 0:16:08.139 --> 0:16:10.739 It's just but when they hit the it was like 0:16:11.419 --> 0:16:13.419 and we look up, it was like, yo, this might 0:16:13.459 --> 0:16:16.219 get ugly, and this is before the game you started. 0:16:16.219 --> 0:16:16.739 You remember that. 0:16:17.139 --> 0:16:18.539 And then we ended up losing bad. 0:16:18.579 --> 0:16:21.019 And the way that the momentum and that building it 0:16:21.099 --> 0:16:24.499 went higher and higher and hire some point we couldn't 0:16:24.499 --> 0:16:26.339 even hear each other like we were talking. 0:16:26.379 --> 0:16:28.059 We could hear each other on the court. 0:16:28.299 --> 0:16:32.379 Yeah, that's crazy. I want to touch on something that's 0:16:32.419 --> 0:16:35.939 pretty crazy that most people maybe haven't had. So you 0:16:36.019 --> 0:16:40.499 went from having Elton Brand as a teammate to Elton 0:16:40.499 --> 0:16:44.779 Brand being the GM that traded for you and brought 0:16:44.779 --> 0:16:48.739 you back to Philly. How is that relationship and how 0:16:48.779 --> 0:16:52.499 have you kind of maintain your relationship with Eb over 0:16:52.539 --> 0:16:52.979 the years. 0:16:53.099 --> 0:16:57.139 EB has always been a good friend and like you said, 0:16:57.139 --> 0:16:58.739 he was a good mention to us back then. 0:16:59.699 --> 0:17:00.539 Just seeing him. 0:17:00.459 --> 0:17:03.659 Transition did a lot for us back then. He did 0:17:03.659 --> 0:17:07.019 a lot for us back then we transitioned to the 0:17:07.699 --> 0:17:10.179 role of you know, stepping. 0:17:09.859 --> 0:17:11.779 Into the GM and then I get traded off of that. 0:17:12.419 --> 0:17:16.219 But it's always been like a respect level there, you know, 0:17:16.259 --> 0:17:18.059 coming back, you know, he's like, yeah, we're gonna do 0:17:18.059 --> 0:17:20.579 it right this time. Like, you know, it's unfortunate that 0:17:20.619 --> 0:17:23.379 things happened the way it happened, but you know that's 0:17:23.419 --> 0:17:25.539 all in the past. Like we're here now, let's let's 0:17:25.619 --> 0:17:27.379 we're gonna we're gonna try, We're gonna make amends to 0:17:27.419 --> 0:17:29.779 this because you know, it's we need we need you, 0:17:29.939 --> 0:17:33.299 And it was like, Okay, I understand, I'm here, Like 0:17:34.099 --> 0:17:35.579 that's what it is, that's it's about. 0:17:35.819 --> 0:17:38.459 And and you're someone who's been around long enough where 0:17:39.059 --> 0:17:41.739 the first time you get traded it feels very personal 0:17:41.779 --> 0:17:46.539 and it sometimes feels like a backstab. And after you've 0:17:46.779 --> 0:17:48.699 had a long enough career and you've been through some 0:17:48.779 --> 0:17:51.219 tras and stuff, you you do start to realize that 0:17:51.419 --> 0:17:55.859 it really, very rarely is personal. It is all business, yeah, 0:17:55.859 --> 0:17:58.099 at the end of the day. But it's hard to take. 0:17:58.339 --> 0:18:00.219 It's hard to kind of like take a step back 0:18:00.259 --> 0:18:03.339 and look at it that way, because you know, you 0:18:03.619 --> 0:18:05.379 got your family and there's so much going on and 0:18:05.459 --> 0:18:06.139 moving and. 0:18:06.099 --> 0:18:08.899 So it was back then in that time, I did 0:18:08.939 --> 0:18:11.419 feel like it was very personal, and I had like 0:18:11.499 --> 0:18:15.939 a little small like animosity for a little minute. But 0:18:15.979 --> 0:18:19.459 then as I got traded more, I understood that it's 0:18:19.459 --> 0:18:21.259 the nature of the business and you can't really hold 0:18:21.299 --> 0:18:23.539 a grudge, and you know, I let it go. Like 0:18:23.539 --> 0:18:25.459 I said, I understand that they did something that what 0:18:25.579 --> 0:18:28.619 was in the best they felt for the organization, and you. 0:18:28.539 --> 0:18:30.499 Know, I'm not mad about it anymore. 0:18:30.819 --> 0:18:32.699 Like back then, it was just that was my first 0:18:32.699 --> 0:18:35.139 time for it happening, so of course it's like you 0:18:35.179 --> 0:18:37.059 don't know how to process all of that. 0:18:37.499 --> 0:18:40.899 It's like dang. But as your time goes on, like you. 0:18:40.899 --> 0:18:43.379 Know, understand it's the nature of the business and there's 0:18:43.459 --> 0:18:46.819 never no person like you build personal relationships and that's 0:18:46.859 --> 0:18:49.459 not going to turnish what, you know, the decision that 0:18:49.579 --> 0:18:51.819 sport like hard decisions that they have to make for 0:18:51.939 --> 0:18:54.059 the organization because at the end of the day, that's 0:18:54.059 --> 0:18:55.859 what they have to operate, and they have to think 0:18:55.859 --> 0:18:57.819 about what's best for an organization, and they're going to 0:18:57.859 --> 0:19:00.539 do what they what's best for them, and you know 0:19:00.619 --> 0:19:02.539 they're going to put try to put themselves in the 0:19:02.579 --> 0:19:05.339 best position. So the way that you handle it, you know, 0:19:05.419 --> 0:19:07.619 moving forward, you know, like I said, that's when I 0:19:07.659 --> 0:19:09.899 was younger, younger at that time, that was you know, 0:19:09.979 --> 0:19:10.659 twenty eighteen. 0:19:10.899 --> 0:19:13.219 You know, it's six years later, so you know, you 0:19:13.259 --> 0:19:14.139