Speaker 1: Hey, we welcome in. I'm Doug Goliban. You are listening
Speaker 1: to All Ball, All Basketball all the time. Quick note
Speaker 1: that as we get closer and closer to the NBA
Speaker 1: bubble um, we'll be having more and more of these
Speaker 1: on balls. We even have some emergency on balls after
Speaker 1: like the first Lakers Clipper games. So thanks for downloading.
Speaker 1: Tell a friend. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Um,
Speaker 1: you can go back through our archives. Last week we
Speaker 1: had Mark Turn he was awesome. This week we're gonna
Speaker 1: focus on two players allegedly set to join college basketball sometime.
Speaker 1: Amanti Bates, who by most people's estimation, is one of
Speaker 1: the best talents to ever play high school basketball. He's
Speaker 1: maybe two years, maybe a year out from playing in college.
Speaker 1: He said he doesn't want to play in college. He
Speaker 1: committed to Michigan State, and then UM and then mccare
Speaker 1: maker who was a Hunter recruit and just committed to
Speaker 1: an h b c U and get a chance to
Speaker 1: play potentially for historically black a college university. The problem
Speaker 1: is he might not actually play for that college university.
Speaker 1: What does it all mean. We'll get to that upcoming.
Speaker 1: I want to give you a couple of thoughts here
Speaker 1: on the NBA. I've heard comments Anthony Davis said, hey,
Speaker 1: we're better than ever, We're healthy, we should be the favorite.
Speaker 1: Um comes down to who's healthy and who wants it
Speaker 1: more and we want it bad, right, That's basically what
Speaker 1: he said. Here's the issue. They're not gonna have Avery Bradley.
Speaker 1: They might not have Dwight Howard. And though I like
Speaker 1: the j R. Smith addition, Jerry Smith could have been
Speaker 1: at it anyway, probably would have been at it anyway.
Speaker 1: The issue is their success directly of recent and their
Speaker 1: dominance in the league. They became the best team in
Speaker 1: the league over the five month of February. Do you
Speaker 1: know who else was playing great in February. You're right,
Speaker 1: Avery Bradley. They need him. He was a great on
Speaker 1: balld to ender. He can make shots and play without
Speaker 1: the basketball. Now Jr. Smith we think can make shots. Uh,
Speaker 1: he's not the same type of defender, but a decent,
Speaker 1: solid defensive player. He's just not the ball handler that
Speaker 1: Avery Bradley is. It hurts them he's not. There's a
Speaker 1: reason Jr. Smith was on the street and the reason
Speaker 1: Avery Bradley was a starter. Right, there's the two different players.
Speaker 1: So Bradley was coming into his own him staying home.
Speaker 1: But but the bigger thing is we do this thing
Speaker 1: in life, and maybe I do it because I'm I
Speaker 1: have some narcissistic tendencies where you look at things from
Speaker 1: only your perspective. So Anthony Davis is just looking at
Speaker 1: from his perspective. His perspective is we're healthy. Lebron's rested.
Speaker 1: Now he's had He was carrying a huge load. When
Speaker 1: he's right, when he's fresh, he's the best player in
Speaker 1: the league. That's Anthony Davis just played with him, and
Speaker 1: Anthony Davis probably thinks I was a little worn down.
Speaker 1: Now I'm fresh. The problem with it is so with
Speaker 1: the Clippers, and if you look at the Clippers and
Speaker 1: their issues, it was with cohesion. Well, now they get
Speaker 1: an additional training camp, they get more time around each other,
Speaker 1: then they get you know there uh early playoff games.
Speaker 1: They'll have more time and games together, so that any
Speaker 1: chemistry issues they previously had playing with Paul George and
Speaker 1: Kawhi Leonard. This is like another season and another off
Speaker 1: season and Kauai struggle to stay healthy. You would think
Speaker 1: you would think that all the time away, all the
Speaker 1: rehab work on his body. Kawhi Leonard should be back
Speaker 1: to prime Kawhi Leonard, which is closer to his athletic
Speaker 1: prime than Lebron James. So while I do think that
Speaker 1: the Lakers arrested fresh and if they can stay healthy,
Speaker 1: have a great chance, I think the Clippers benefit equally
Speaker 1: and maybe even more so if lou Williams gets on
Speaker 1: the plane and goes to Orlando and they have all
Speaker 1: their players, which I think is gonna happen. So I
Speaker 1: get the thought on the Lakers. I don't really understand
Speaker 1: what's happening in Brooklyn. Spencer didn't we need legit surgery.
Speaker 1: He's not gonna go. Kyrie is not gonna like nobody
Speaker 1: wants to go. But I think that part of it
Speaker 1: is this is about leadership. You know, Lebron leads wants
Speaker 1: to go, all but one guy goes. Kyrie Irving questions
Speaker 1: the league and whether they should do it. Kevin Durant
Speaker 1: doesn't want to play even though he's healthy, and nobody
Speaker 1: wants to go for Brooklyn. So look, do I think
Speaker 1: the Clippers are favorites. I still have questions about the
Speaker 1: Clippers outside of of Kauai. You know, their ability to
Speaker 1: take and make big shots in the playoffs. They don't
Speaker 1: seem to have as many guys. But then I have
Speaker 1: the same questions about the Lakers. Anthon Davis never done
Speaker 1: anything in the playoffs. J R. Has but is that's
Speaker 1: the guy you're counting on, right, Like we have our questions,
Speaker 1: Rondo hasn't done it in years. Um I love Cou's
Speaker 1: and I think that I think, I think the biggest
Speaker 1: question for the Lakers is this, If Kyle Kuzma is
Speaker 1: right physically, is right mentally, they could be a much
Speaker 1: better team because he had get to have really much
Speaker 1: of an impact or a positive impact on the season.
Speaker 1: When it stopped, it was everybody but Kuzma kind of
Speaker 1: playing it at at their top level. If Cou's is back,
Speaker 1: I would say the Lakers get back to being a favorite.
Speaker 1: But it's a big if, especially considering they just lacked
Speaker 1: the depth of guards and guys that create shots for others.
Speaker 1: Um I. I also I look at the Bucks and
Speaker 1: it's going to be very telling for that team, you know.
Speaker 1: And and the the thing about the Bucks which is
Speaker 1: fascinating to me, Chris Middleton says he didn't touch the
Speaker 1: ball for three months. I don't. I don't believe him.
Speaker 1: And if it's true, I think that's Uh, that's that's
Speaker 1: not good news. Now you could That doesn't mean you're
Speaker 1: not working out, but the development of your ball skills
Speaker 1: and getting it back in a month in ramp up time.
Speaker 1: Who that that is an uphill climb. I still think
Speaker 1: it's the Clippers. I still think it's the Lakers. Um.
Speaker 1: I'm intrigued to see what Houston looks like because when
Speaker 1: you don't have remember you don't have home games, but
Speaker 1: you also don't have road games, and they could be
Speaker 1: a matchup problem, most specifically for the Lakers, who don't
Speaker 1: have the the the number of perimeter players to guard
Speaker 1: them and could struggle with small ball if Houston could
Speaker 1: get hot. Uh. And I'm intrigued to see what Milwaukee
Speaker 1: looks like because you have a team that has not
Speaker 1: one big and they had a great home court. Them
Speaker 1: losing that home court seems like the most like the
Speaker 1: Lakers lose their home court and they were gonna play
Speaker 1: the Clippers and would be like a home game when
Speaker 1: they played the Clippers. But the Bucks, because of their youth,
Speaker 1: because of the energy, Milwaukee, the desire to keep honest
Speaker 1: and the desire to win a championship for the first
Speaker 1: time since Kareem was there. I think the Bucks lose
Speaker 1: the most and losing their home court, and we'll see
Speaker 1: if Chris Middleton really is that rusty. Let's get you
Speaker 1: to our guest for the day. Bryan Snow works seven Sports.
Speaker 1: He's a basketball recruiting analyst. He knows everything the insides
Speaker 1: and outs of the game from these guys when they're
Speaker 1: you know, fourteen, fifteen years old. He's awesome of this
Speaker 1: particular topic. He joins us Now on the All Ball
Speaker 1: podcast b Amani Bates how good. He's really damn good?
Speaker 1: And you know I wrote about this, Doug kind of
Speaker 1: one of the things that really separates him from other
Speaker 1: guys who have gotten the best since Lebron title, guys
Speaker 1: like O J. Mayo, Kyreek Evans is he's not this
Speaker 1: like overgrown, physically developed sixteen year old. He's actually got
Speaker 1: a lot of room for growth. And then he's also
Speaker 1: not this just freak athlete who you're hoping his skills
Speaker 1: catch up. He's super skilled, super smart, has an incredible
Speaker 1: work ethic, so he combines good physical tools with incredible intelligence.
Speaker 1: Incredible work ethic and skills that are off the charts
Speaker 1: and at six ft eight with you know, ball skills
Speaker 1: on the wing. I mean, he just does things that
Speaker 1: are so advanced for his age. It's it's really impressive.
Speaker 1: Um okay, So, uh, why Michigan State? You why did
Speaker 1: he choose Michigan State? I mean, quite honestly, they were
Speaker 1: recruiting him. I mean it's really that simple. His dad
Speaker 1: was getting all sorts of frustrated with the fact that
Speaker 1: his son wasn't being recruited. He was universally considered the
Speaker 1: best high school prospect and in this sport, and schools
Speaker 1: just weren't recruiting him because they all thought he'd go
Speaker 1: G League, G League select or overseas or or what.
Speaker 1: They just thought he wasn't going to college. And Amani
Speaker 1: himself has said he doesn't want to go to college.
Speaker 1: He he wants to go right to the NBA. Now,
Speaker 1: I don't personally. There's a whole lot that goes into
Speaker 1: that that's out of his control, obviously, including the NBA,
Speaker 1: c B A, And as of right now, really only
Speaker 1: one person wants to change that rule. And it's granted's
Speaker 1: the most important person in sad and silver. But you
Speaker 1: know there's not as nearly the momentum to change the
Speaker 1: one and done rule as there was maybe six months ago.
Speaker 1: Why do you think that is because of the G
Speaker 1: League selecting? Know? I think it's it's you talk to
Speaker 1: scouts in front office people. They don't want to be
Speaker 1: in high school gyms, correct, They want they want that
Speaker 1: year of college development where one they learned what you're
Speaker 1: like against other good, other good and developed players, and
Speaker 1: two they learn what you're like when you're away from home.
Speaker 1: Do you lose your mind and act of fool? Do
Speaker 1: you show responsibility? You know? How do you how do
Speaker 1: you react to everyday regimented things like you got to
Speaker 1: be in the weight room, you gotta How do you
Speaker 1: show up to practice? How do you show up to work?
Speaker 1: Do you show maturity? How do you respect your coaches?
Speaker 1: That's all very important to the NBA evaluation that you
Speaker 1: simply can't get in high school, so it gives them
Speaker 1: more certainty on what they're drafting. Listen, listen again, all
Speaker 1: your points I agree with, and I know that they're
Speaker 1: not just your points, their points of people that you
Speaker 1: know in the business that you've talked to, why though,
Speaker 1: this is weird. We we've gotten to this place, and
Speaker 1: maybe I have to be careful about living in the
Speaker 1: media realm and in the social media realm. But what
Speaker 1: you're saying is what I know to be my thoughts,
Speaker 1: but also the thoughts of lots of powerful NBA basketball
Speaker 1: people as well as the NBA p A and and said, like,
Speaker 1: those guys don't want more young guys in the league,
Speaker 1: like they just they don't. It doesn't make the league better.
Speaker 1: You need that year. You probably need two or three years,
Speaker 1: to be totally honest with you. But anyway, why though,
Speaker 1: do so many in our position? In your position in
Speaker 1: the media is different than my position, right, you're much
Speaker 1: more intrenched. But why are so many writers under the
Speaker 1: belief that the one and done is a bad thing
Speaker 1: and that they believe everybody wants to change it when
Speaker 1: that's not Why the disconnect, I guess is my question.
Speaker 1: It's it's tough for me to speak for other people. Um,
Speaker 1: I think that I do think in some respect they
Speaker 1: can see and they're correct and saying Adam Silver is
Speaker 1: the guy championing this, and he's the guy with the
Speaker 1: most power. But at the end of the day, he
Speaker 1: does work for what is it, thirty owners, thirty two owners, whatever, um,
Speaker 1: But he genuinely believes he wants because he believes just
Speaker 1: on principle, that the players are the product and they
Speaker 1: should be allowed to come to the NBA right away.
Speaker 1: So he's viewing it from that perspective. Scouts are viewing
Speaker 1: it from the we need to know what we're getting perspective,
Speaker 1: and then gms are looking at it from the well,
Speaker 1: our best value is when a guy is on a
Speaker 1: rookie dealt at a one and done, you know, his
Speaker 1: first year, we get some value out of him. But
Speaker 1: if he's coming right out of high school, that's two
Speaker 1: years of his rookie deal where we're not getting the
Speaker 1: value we're supposed to be getting, which makes team building hard.
Speaker 1: And so they they look at it from different perspective.
Speaker 1: And then of course, as you mentioned the n B
Speaker 1: a p A, they look at it from the respective
Speaker 1: that we don't want to lose our jobs, our job,
Speaker 1: you know, as the n B A p A. We
Speaker 1: want to protect who's in the players Association now. So
Speaker 1: I think right, I think right, just kind of missed that,
Speaker 1: And there is the belief and I dug I know
Speaker 1: you disagree, but I have this belief that players should
Speaker 1: be compensated in college. So it's like they're getting the
Speaker 1: wall end of the deal. And that plays mind games
Speaker 1: on yourself into thinking that this makes it all better
Speaker 1: by having them be able to go to the m
Speaker 1: B A right, and that okay, so so so that
Speaker 1: you have a great point, let's let's kind of go
Speaker 1: through it like the GM. I actually think the GMS,
Speaker 1: it's it. Look, they all get fired when they drafted
Speaker 1: high school kids. Because here's what happens. And you draft
Speaker 1: a high school kid, and you drafted a guy in
Speaker 1: the first round, and the owners like, we'll play him, right, Like, okay,
Speaker 1: well if we play them, we're not gonna win. Not
Speaker 1: on play him. Let's see what we got. So you
Speaker 1: play them, and you can't win. You can't win with
Speaker 1: an eighteen nine year old kids, You just can't. No
Speaker 1: one does right. And the first GM and the first
Speaker 1: head coach always get fired, always, always always go back,
Speaker 1: and look, they all get fired within two or three
Speaker 1: years of drafting those guys earlier. There, even the ones
Speaker 1: that became superstars, because they played them before they were
Speaker 1: really ready to help you win. And so your team
Speaker 1: is worse because of it, and people aren't really into
Speaker 1: the owners aren't really into the process of wait a second,
Speaker 1: he's gonna be good eventually, and you're playing him. Now
Speaker 1: you're losing. Why are you losing? Now? Okay? So, um,
Speaker 1: for the GM, if you draft a kid out of
Speaker 1: high school, you play in the first I think the
Speaker 1: first year is a total wash, total waste of time.
Speaker 1: I mean, the most ready guy, I guess was Kobe
Speaker 1: and they got to the playoffs and he was bad.
Speaker 1: But that's like the best and Kobe's a one in
Speaker 1: a million, whereas Kevin Garnett and other stars weren't. Actually,
Speaker 1: you know, Lebron, I guess would be the other one. Um, like,
Speaker 1: those are two of the greatest players in the history
Speaker 1: of the sport, right and and so so that's the
Speaker 1: first thing. So GMS, the first year is a waste,
Speaker 1: the second year is and after at and now all
Speaker 1: of a sudden you're starting to get into the where
Speaker 1: that do we know what we have? Thing? I think
Speaker 1: one of the big things that we're missing. And this
Speaker 1: is where I actually do think players are compensated, because
Speaker 1: I think they're compensated not just with getting into college
Speaker 1: they couldn't get into but while they're there, but they're
Speaker 1: also marketed. And I think what Adam Silver misses and
Speaker 1: what like his big swing and misses. And it's better
Speaker 1: for the league when they spend a year or two
Speaker 1: in college, frankly the longer, because all we do as
Speaker 1: broadcasters is promote these guys as something greater than And
Speaker 1: the Zion Williamson effect is the perfect example. Zion benefited
Speaker 1: from being a duke in terms of getting in shape
Speaker 1: becoming a better player, but the biggest benefit was to
Speaker 1: him as a in marketing. He became a superstar because
Speaker 1: you align him as a YouTube star with the biggest
Speaker 1: brand and the cleanest Again, I'm not telling you it
Speaker 1: actually is clean. And the current investigation to his recruiting
Speaker 1: may expose the ugly underbelly, but it's you combine those
Speaker 1: two superpowers and you put him. He only played a
Speaker 1: couple of n c A tournament games, he didn't play
Speaker 1: a full season, but look what it did to the
Speaker 1: marketing of him. Same thing for Kevin Durant. It's better
Speaker 1: for the league when the players a little bit mature,
Speaker 1: but also when they have a legit following once they
Speaker 1: from just a year of playing in those big made
Speaker 1: for TV events and in the n c A tournament. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and again, like I think I actually think it benefits
Speaker 1: the NBA. I certainly think of benefits college basketball to
Speaker 1: have these guys. I know some fans get into like,
Speaker 1: well I don't get to know them, and I'm like,
Speaker 1: you know what, you still like watching your team win
Speaker 1: more than you like getting to know the guy. So like,
Speaker 1: I don't see where anyone moves in the current situation now, Like,
Speaker 1: on principle, if you just asked me, on principle, like
Speaker 1: if if I was writing rules of what I think
Speaker 1: is right, I think they should have the right to
Speaker 1: go to the b A. However, if it's collectively bargained
Speaker 1: that they can't, I see no problem with that either,
Speaker 1: because that's how the industry works through collective bargaining. But
Speaker 1: I mean, there's just so much to it, especially in
Speaker 1: regards to a money. Just to bring it back to
Speaker 1: that for a second, like, you know, is he going
Speaker 1: to move up to and you know, try to play
Speaker 1: he would have to play two years in Michigan State
Speaker 1: because of the age, because he's actually correct age, he's
Speaker 1: not old. You know, two does he wait and see
Speaker 1: if the rule gets changed. I mean, there's just so
Speaker 1: much with the money in the NBA and what is
Speaker 1: best for him and his marketing that it's gonna be
Speaker 1: very unique to watch to see how the situation progresses
Speaker 1: over the next two years. It's going to be fascinating
Speaker 1: to see. And I think what's interesting is going to
Speaker 1: be how Michigan State recruits around him, right, because the
Speaker 1: words how he really feels well his dad and well
Speaker 1: his commitment help Michigan State build some dream recruiting class,
Speaker 1: much like Oklahoma State did around Kate Cunningham. Granted, no
Speaker 1: one at his level, but they've done very, very well
Speaker 1: and Kate ultimately showed up. Obviously, it helps his brother
Speaker 1: was on staff UM, you know, or will it actually
Speaker 1: be a detriment where no one actually believes he's coming,
Speaker 1: but they have to save her a spot for him
Speaker 1: over the next two years in case he does decide
Speaker 1: to come and play UM and it actually ends up
Speaker 1: being a detriment to them because everyone knows at the
Speaker 1: end of the day, he's going to figure out a
Speaker 1: way to get around the rule and not actually play
Speaker 1: in college. All right, let me let me get to
Speaker 1: the news of the moment, which is uh uh which
Speaker 1: we you know, like I think this is interesting. Mccore
Speaker 1: maker ends up committing to Howard. Now Howard's HBCU historically
Speaker 1: Black College. Um, and uh, it's it's interesting on a
Speaker 1: multitude of levels. He not only committed, but you know
Speaker 1: picked him ahead of U C. L A and Memphis
Speaker 1: and Kentucky. Uh. He's a kid that's well traveled, right going,
Speaker 1: you know modern, He went to Orange Lutheran and then
Speaker 1: he kind of bounced around. He's a top fifty kid. First,
Speaker 1: how good is mcermaker? You know, he's really good. Uh.
Speaker 1: He's unique in that he's six ten, but he doesn't
Speaker 1: really always play like a big man. Um. He tries
Speaker 1: to play on the wing a little bit more than
Speaker 1: I would like. But but he's talented. He's six foot
Speaker 1: Tenny can dribble, pass and shoot. He's a you know,
Speaker 1: he's he's not a great athlete, he's an okay athlete.
Speaker 1: But he's got good length and you know, he's stilled.
Speaker 1: He knows how to play. So he's a really talented
Speaker 1: player that is still working to put it all together.
Speaker 1: But he's a really talented player. How how big is
Speaker 1: this for the sport that he picked an HP Kenny
Speaker 1: Blakeney who But if anybody has paid attention, Um, Howard
Speaker 1: was terrible last year and Kenny's first year. Now, I'm
Speaker 1: not saying it's an easy job. Any of those jobs
Speaker 1: there's those are tough jobs. They won three games against
Speaker 1: Division one opponents three and uh he's going there. How
Speaker 1: how big is this for the sport in your mind?
Speaker 1: And for recruiting? Um? You, Oh, I don't think it's
Speaker 1: as big as some people do. I'll be honest, just
Speaker 1: because I hesitate to think that a lot of kids
Speaker 1: are going to follow this path. Now maybe they will,
Speaker 1: and if they do that that is a big game changer.
Speaker 1: But when you look at mccurr situation, it's just so unique.
Speaker 1: I mean, his guardian Ed Smith, who was Thawnmaker's guardian.
Speaker 1: And I don't think I'm breaking any news here. A
Speaker 1: lot of schools just aren't going to deal with the man.
Speaker 1: I mean they're just not so Like, I know Kentucky
Speaker 1: was on his list. Was Kentucky really recruiting him? Honestly,
Speaker 1: I don't think so. Um, did you see Like I've
Speaker 1: known McK cronan for fifteen years, like, is that kid
Speaker 1: gonna play for mc cronin. I don't know how that's
Speaker 1: gonna work, but maybe you feel what I really wanted.
Speaker 1: I'm not saying they don't. So by him going to
Speaker 1: Howard is first of all, I think he'll definitely be
Speaker 1: eligible at Howard, which which is a big part of this.
Speaker 1: But you still have the kids still wants to go
Speaker 1: to the NBA. ED still wants him to get paid.
Speaker 1: He did the same thing with Thawn. Thawn committed to
Speaker 1: thank than committed to a school or was planning to
Speaker 1: commit to a school, and then ultimately he went to
Speaker 1: the NBA. Um I think in Ed mind, the kids
Speaker 1: still going to go to the NBA. But this is
Speaker 1: kind of the backup plane. So there's this part of
Speaker 1: me that wonders, is this actually going to hurt the
Speaker 1: movement of HBCUs getting tough kids if he backs out
Speaker 1: at the last minute because he still is in the
Speaker 1: NBA draft process. Um, So I don't. I don't know.
Speaker 1: I still think there's so much left to it in
Speaker 1: terms of you know what, kids are going to seriously
Speaker 1: consider that option. What aren't mccerrmaker is not this kid who,
Speaker 1: like a lot of other kids hang out with and
Speaker 1: look up to. He's not you know, he's not a
Speaker 1: trailblazer in that regard. He's never been Mr. Popular on
Speaker 1: the circuit and stuff like that. So I don't know
Speaker 1: if he's the guy that that really would start a movement,
Speaker 1: But if it does, it will be interesting to watch.
Speaker 1: I mean, there's no question about that. I think people
Speaker 1: forget in the seventies, and again this is second and
Speaker 1: information my dad, my late father told me, which he's like, Look,
Speaker 1: in the nineteen seventies, there was a movement um in
Speaker 1: basketball to the best black players to go play in
Speaker 1: the Ivy League. James Brown, who of course the broadcast
Speaker 1: for CBS, was a great player at Harvard UM and
Speaker 1: they had other great players at Harvard. That that movement
Speaker 1: kind of obviously slowly died off once when when the
Speaker 1: n c A tournament expanded and UM and the Ivy League,
Speaker 1: you know, clearly chose to not use its resources towards sports,
Speaker 1: that thing died off kind of quickly. But he's like,
Speaker 1: there was a five year There was five years there
Speaker 1: where between. You know, Columbia recruited New York City kids
Speaker 1: and and Harvard and uh UM and and Penn really
Speaker 1: you know, they had they all had some of the
Speaker 1: some of the top if they didn't really top Hunter,
Speaker 1: but some of the top kids from the East Coast
Speaker 1: would go there. I guess the the big one would
Speaker 1: be Mikey Williams. And he's only a freshman going to
Speaker 1: be a sophomore. He's old, which means he could be
Speaker 1: draft eligible or he could, you know, he could you know,
Speaker 1: go to the G League select team after his junior
Speaker 1: year and then potentially go to the NBA. Like Mikey
Speaker 1: Williams is the one that that changes the things, right, Yeah,
Speaker 1: if Mikey does it, that's a little bit different. You know,
Speaker 1: a lot of he's friends with a lot of kids.
Speaker 1: A lot of kids really like Mikey. You know, they
Speaker 1: know about him, they look up to him. He's not
Speaker 1: this like random kid who's kind of been in Canada
Speaker 1: and then been at every other high school and is
Speaker 1: you know, transferred five different times who no one really
Speaker 1: got got to know. So you know, that's where it's
Speaker 1: like a kid like Mike Williams. It's a whole different
Speaker 1: beast than mckermaker. Also, like Mikey, you like, he's theoretically
Speaker 1: at least not already declared for the NBA Draft and
Speaker 1: had made those intentions known at the beginning. You know.
Speaker 1: That's the thing with McKerr is, like he's been telling
Speaker 1: people and Ed Smith's been telling people, like, you know,
Speaker 1: he's going to the NBA. They because technically, and without
Speaker 1: getting into the minutia of it, like if he were
Speaker 1: quote unquote American born, he wouldn't be draft eligible because
Speaker 1: he's not a year removed from high school, but they
Speaker 1: applied based on him being Canadian, I guess, or he's
Speaker 1: from Australia. You know. It's it's the whole big thing
Speaker 1: where they basically like they did with Phonemaker, where they
Speaker 1: found a loophole to get him draft eligible a year earlier,
Speaker 1: and they did that with mccurr as well. So it's
Speaker 1: just every situation is different. Mikey as a kid, and
Speaker 1: it's not just limited to a kid like Mike Williams,
Speaker 1: but he's mentioned it publicly so it's easy to say
Speaker 1: his name. But a kid like Mike Williams just has
Speaker 1: a whole different impact than a kid like mccermake. Um okay, uh,
Speaker 1: last thing, um the duke thing with Zion Williamson like,
Speaker 1: I still like, Okay, so we've had um first, like
Speaker 1: Oklahoma State got just crushed with the a uh probation
Speaker 1: or whatever taking them out of the tournament for the
Speaker 1: one year they have Kay Cunningham and the people I
Speaker 1: talked to you like, look, do they have real grounds
Speaker 1: for appeal? Sure, but the idea that the n c A,
Speaker 1: who just put these new kind of policies into effect,
Speaker 1: is going to go like now we'll change our mind
Speaker 1: doesn't seem likely. So we haven't. They had one level
Speaker 1: one violation whereas Kansas is five. And then you have
Speaker 1: the Duke thing. What does this end up looking like?
Speaker 1: In your opinion, you've been around this like your entire
Speaker 1: professional life. What do you think this ends up looking
Speaker 1: like for college basketball? If in fact we have a
Speaker 1: season this year? Um? So that's a really good question. First,
Speaker 1: you know, and we got the wedding. I forget which
Speaker 1: acronym or whatever is that the uses for their new
Speaker 1: independent review board. But you know, so we've never seen
Speaker 1: how quickly or how not quickly that that's gonna work.
Speaker 1: So would kansas Is case even be resolved this year?
Speaker 1: I don't no. The thing with cancers that is tricky?
Speaker 1: Is the n c A kind of went over T. J.
Speaker 1: Gath Nola's, who was an Adidas representative, went over his
Speaker 1: transcript of his court report and basically said, well, we
Speaker 1: like this sentence, but we don't like this one. We
Speaker 1: think he was lying here, but oh he was this sentence, Yeah,
Speaker 1: that sounds like the truth up, we don't like this one,
Speaker 1: and kind of picked and choose. I don't know how
Speaker 1: that's really gonna hold out. It seems like if you're
Speaker 1: gonna take testimony as fact, you have to take the
Speaker 1: entire testimony as fact, and they really didn't do that.
Speaker 1: Um So, I'll be really interested on that front, just
Speaker 1: to see how that goes. The Duke thing, I don't
Speaker 1: think that's ever going to see the light of day.
Speaker 1: I just I don't think Zion is gonna have to testify.
Speaker 1: I don't think anyone's gonna have to talk about his
Speaker 1: time at Duke. So I don't think that will ever
Speaker 1: see the light of day. Um So, I think Duke
Speaker 1: will be fine in that regard. Now, whether they did
Speaker 1: or didn't do that, I personally do not know. But
Speaker 1: you know, like, I just don't think it will ever
Speaker 1: be a matter of public record n C. I really
Speaker 1: won't have anything to go on. So if we have
Speaker 1: a season, I would think, Duke's fine. Kansas, we have
Speaker 1: no idea because we don't know how quickly the board's
Speaker 1: gonna work. Then the Oklahoma State thing was like they
Speaker 1: were trying to make this like statement and it just
Speaker 1: doesn't make sense. No, it doesn't. It doesn't make sense
Speaker 1: at all, right, I mean the you have to take
Speaker 1: so many leaps, right, Well, Mike Boyton was on staff
Speaker 1: when this took place. Yeah, but he was like the
Speaker 1: third assistant. Well he kept he kept the assistant in question, Okay,
Speaker 1: but he's not alleged to have known or have any
Speaker 1: sort of influence on it. And they didn't actually get that.
Speaker 1: It didn't. It doesn't. It doesn't seem to hold up.
Speaker 1: But I agree with you. Once you can't say we
Speaker 1: had this independent board and we're going to empower them.
Speaker 1: You empower them, and then the first big decision they
Speaker 1: make say, no, that was too we're gonna you know,
Speaker 1: we we think it was too tough. Like that's I
Speaker 1: think Oklahoma State gets caught up in really really bad timing.
Speaker 1: I really think that's what ends up happening. It would
Speaker 1: seem that way. What I can't figure out is it's
Speaker 1: all been about like head coach control. And I'm not
Speaker 1: trying to throw anybody under the bus, but the head
Speaker 1: coach at the time was Bred Underwood, and nothing's happened
Speaker 1: to in nor nor anything brought up. It's like, well,
Speaker 1: what why is Mike Boyden's name brought up in Brad Underwood?
Speaker 1: That's what That's the point I can't like even like
Speaker 1: grasp in my mind. And it's not that I think
Speaker 1: or want Brad to get in trouble, because you know,
Speaker 1: just genuinely at the human being, I don't feel that way.
Speaker 1: But it's like, why is Mike paying for someone else's sin?
Speaker 1: And right? And why is Oklahoma State? I guess why
Speaker 1: is Oklahoma State paying for somebody else's sins? But yeah,
Speaker 1: make more more my why why is Mike? Yeah, it's
Speaker 1: I it's very confusing. It's very confusing, and I'm I'm
Speaker 1: willing to believe that with with the with the level
Speaker 1: of investigation that they were able to have that if
Speaker 1: Underwood didn't really know about all that was going on, right,
Speaker 1: And I think that's it's it's generally believed that you know,
Speaker 1: obviously the exception is built up because he's on the
Speaker 1: phone with these guys. But unless there's phone calls with
Speaker 1: with bred Underwood, like, I'm willing to believe that Bred
Speaker 1: Unwards like, get it done and let me know what
Speaker 1: I need to do. Get done, right, that's what That's
Speaker 1: what you tell a guy who's out the recruit, get
Speaker 1: it done and let me know. Um, maybe he's not
Speaker 1: privy to those conversations, but I'm with you. Then why
Speaker 1: is Mike Boyden, who's like two steps removed from it
Speaker 1: now suffering the consequences from something that he had no
Speaker 1: idea about that that actually existed. That doesn't make sense
Speaker 1: to me. I don't know. Yeah, I just failed to
Speaker 1: find the like I'm I'm I'm more concerned with the
Speaker 1: process than the actual result. And this was a flawed process.
Speaker 1: Because if you have a flawed process, fundamentally, you're gonna
Speaker 1: get okay, last last thing and then and then we
Speaker 1: both got to run. Okay. Um, let's say the Warriors
Speaker 1: have the first pick. If you're gonna pick one guy
Speaker 1: in this NBA draft, who is it for me? I'm
Speaker 1: always trying to pick the player because I'm not worried
Speaker 1: about position fit as much. And you know, like my
Speaker 1: current roster, to me, if you get the best player ultimately,
Speaker 1: that's going to help you win more games because in
Speaker 1: the NBA you can make trades and everything, and I
Speaker 1: personally think the best players Anthony Edwards James Wiseman being
Speaker 1: a center and not shooting threes, I can't take him
Speaker 1: number one. LaMelo Ball. He has a lot of hype
Speaker 1: from places that benefit him to get hype, and like
Speaker 1: they just gloss over the fact that he shot like
Speaker 1: from three and have like one good game. So I
Speaker 1: can't get with that either. Not to mention he's never
Speaker 1: dominated at any level, not in Australia, not in high school. Like,
Speaker 1: that's gonna be a tough sell for me. So I'm
Speaker 1: going with Anthony Edwards. He's a beast. The only thing
Speaker 1: people can pick a part was he didn't shoot well
Speaker 1: at Georgia, which was not a good team. But plenty
Speaker 1: of guys have not shot well in their first year
Speaker 1: in college basketball. If you watch them shoot, they'll become
Speaker 1: good shooters. Great stuff, Brian, great stuff. Thank you so
Speaker 1: much for joining us and giving us your perspective. Thanks
Speaker 1: be sure to catch the live edition of The Doug
Speaker 1: Gottlieb Show weekdays at three pm Easter noon Pacific. All right, look,
Speaker 1: my my general takeaway is this. I think when players
Speaker 1: commit to playing in college, it's a good thing. And
Speaker 1: I am like anybody, I've always wondered. I've always wondered, like,
Speaker 1: are there going to be you know, five of the
Speaker 1: top high school basketball players in the country to get
Speaker 1: together and say, let's go play for Howard, you know,
Speaker 1: let's go play for Hampton, Let's go play for Norfolk State.
Speaker 1: Now the the issue becomes one, Uh, do you have
Speaker 1: not just the coaching because Blake is playing good enough,
Speaker 1: but the resources. Do you have the resources to support them?
Speaker 1: So their bodies changed, their games changed, like really as
Speaker 1: far as crowds and that that stuff does become overrated. Um,
Speaker 1: And is mckerrmaker a big enough name to demand uh,
Speaker 1: ESPN and Fox CBS put them on TV? Probably not,
Speaker 1: But m Mikey Williams would Mike Williams wood And that's
Speaker 1: the part. That's the point where the tipping point. Until
Speaker 1: then it's all talk. Personally, I think it's awesome and
Speaker 1: I think it would be awesome if guys went to
Speaker 1: the Ivy League they like they used to in the
Speaker 1: nineteen seventies. UM. Because the truth is, at least by
Speaker 1: my estimation, the greatest way to elevate yourself, your family,
Speaker 1: your race is through education and the people that you're around.
Speaker 1: And some of the champions of black businesses go to Morehouse,
Speaker 1: go to go to Hampton, UH, go to go to
Speaker 1: Norfolk State. UM. But to this point we have not
Speaker 1: seen any sort of influx. And the question becomes through
Speaker 1: some of these NBA players, or some alumni or just
Speaker 1: some very successful black businessmen, decide we're going to invest
Speaker 1: in these per grams, get them the best facilities and
Speaker 1: strength coaches and practice facilities. Because when you do, then
Speaker 1: you can really be at at the same starting gate
Speaker 1: as the rest of Division one college basketball Division one
Speaker 1: college football. Until then you've got a massive uphill climb,
Speaker 1: and you're asking a player to make a leap of
Speaker 1: faith and an amount of sacrifice that many aren't willing
Speaker 1: to make, even if only four six months and a
Speaker 1: one and done, or for for several years. UM. But
Speaker 1: I think it could be a great thing. I think
Speaker 1: the Ivy League could be a great thing because the
Speaker 1: truth is that the facilities are. Facilities are generally overrated.
Speaker 1: Nobody became a great player because of facilities. They didn't.
Speaker 1: You became a great player because you had natural born talent.
Speaker 1: You've gotten a gym, you worked in your game, you
Speaker 1: had good coaching, you worked in your game some more,
Speaker 1: and you played in games, and you worked and worked
Speaker 1: and worked and got better. Watch film, and you can
Speaker 1: do that anywhere anywhere. But we we do all get
Speaker 1: caught up in chasing the shiny stuff I do. And
Speaker 1: sometimes the shiny stuff is a reno or a practice facility,
Speaker 1: or the best shoes and best gear and TV but
Speaker 1: games on TV. That doesn't determine whether or not you
Speaker 1: play in the NBA. They find you wherever you are.
Speaker 1: So we'll see if mccerr maaker or if Mikey Williams,
Speaker 1: if that changes the landscape of things. It could, and
Speaker 1: if it does, we're all better because of it. But
Speaker 1: if not, it's just a one off story. And McKerr
Speaker 1: maaker was simply chasing headlines and he ends up declaring
Speaker 1: for the NBA going to the G League, and we
Speaker 1: forget about that this ever happened, and there is no
Speaker 1: movement or pushed towards hbc US. But it does ask
Speaker 1: the question why hasn't this happened already and when is
Speaker 1: it legitimately going to become a thing. Not yet, but
Speaker 1: we're close. I'm Doug Gottlieb. This is all ball