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Speaker 1: This is Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre. Hello. Hello, it's

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Speaker 1: me Jason McIntyre. Straight Fire for Thursday, December tenth, Another

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Speaker 1: night with football on the Telly Can't wait. We will

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Speaker 1: do the best bet at the end of the podcast.

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Speaker 1: Um went one and one on Monday. I'm gonna give

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Speaker 1: you a crazy number just to wet your beak for

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Speaker 1: later in the podcast. Are you guys ready for this?

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Speaker 1: Prime time underdogs this NFL season? Twenty five and twelve

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Speaker 1: against the spread and twelve? That's ridiculous. If you've been

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Speaker 1: betting primetime underdogs and the Patriots are the dog tonight,

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Speaker 1: it's been profitable. I will save the best bet for

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Speaker 1: later in the podcast. Um. Coming up next, we have

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Speaker 1: a great interview with the one and only Chris Bussard.

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Speaker 1: We're kind of preview in the NBA a little early.

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Speaker 1: Plus the James Harden stuff is hot and I'm hot

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Speaker 1: on it. A lot of disagreement on Harden. Will get

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Speaker 1: to that with Brussar. Well, I'll go after Kyrie Irving.

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Speaker 1: He will defend Kyrie Irving because that's what he does. Um,

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Speaker 1: but it's a lot of fun. I've known Brussar for

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Speaker 1: a while. He did appear on the podcast too. I

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Speaker 1: think we previewed the Bubble playoffs maybe, um, I don't remember,

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Speaker 1: but um Brustar will stop by. I just wanted to

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Speaker 1: uh fire this one last thing before we get to

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Speaker 1: the Boussard interview. UM, my son and I have been

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Speaker 1: playing some two K. We got my team together, and

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Speaker 1: you guys know how I hype about we should we

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Speaker 1: should coach our kids in youth sports. That's so fun,

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Speaker 1: it's rewarding, it's anything you could imagine. You know, it

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Speaker 1: happens out there. Um No, I have not been ejected. Yes,

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Speaker 1: I've got an arguments with referees and other coaches. Um,

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Speaker 1: but cooler heads always prevail. Um. You know, I gotta

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Speaker 1: get my guy, Eddie House here on the podcast again,

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Speaker 1: and he's got to tell his story. Has been ejected

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Speaker 1: from a AU tournaments. He has twins who are like

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Speaker 1: I guess like young teenagers. Uh, and he's been like

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Speaker 1: thrown out of the gym. I'm not gonna go to

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Speaker 1: that level. But it is fun to coach your kids.

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Speaker 1: And I'll add this, it's fun to play video games

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Speaker 1: with your kids. I'm not talking about being obsessed. But

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Speaker 1: my son and I played some FIFA together and we

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Speaker 1: have my team on two K and um it's teaching

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Speaker 1: him like the history of players. You know. We have

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Speaker 1: Wilt Chamberlain and Roy Hibbert as our centers. Um, poor

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Speaker 1: Zingis is on our team and I start calling him

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Speaker 1: kp uh and the unicorn of my son just starts

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Speaker 1: picking that up and naturally starts saying and it's just

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Speaker 1: funny to hear. You know, a young guy, he's only

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Speaker 1: nine get knowledge of greats like a Mark Aguire, right,

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Speaker 1: we got a Galaxy, Oh, Paul Mark Acguire. And I'm

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Speaker 1: sure that sounds crazy to anybody who doesn't play video games. Um,

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Speaker 1: but Galaxy was like one of the best guys you

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Speaker 1: can get. And it's Mark Acguire, who my son would

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Speaker 1: have no context stuff, But in this game he's a monster,

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Speaker 1: you know. And we have a Donovan Mitchell Isaiah to

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Speaker 1: mus Um, Peja Stojakovic. We got Lebron of course. But

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Speaker 1: it's just a lot of fun to get together. Like

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Speaker 1: on Wednesday, my son won like a three on three

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Speaker 1: game and you get like you go to the vault

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Speaker 1: and you get a card and my daughter was there

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Speaker 1: and she's like, our good luck charm. Anytime we open

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Speaker 1: a pack, um, you know, you get like an awesome

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Speaker 1: card when she's there, and they got like a galaxy

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Speaker 1: O Paul. So I'm upstairs and I hear Dad and

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Speaker 1: they're screaming running up the stairs to tell me how

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Speaker 1: they opened a pack and they got a galaxy O Paul.

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Speaker 1: I think it was like Nate Robinson or something, and

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Speaker 1: they were just totally freaking out about how amazing it was.

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Speaker 1: And oh no, it was maybe a West unselled but

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Speaker 1: whoever it was, it was like so much excitement and

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Speaker 1: and guys, I gotta say, playing some video games with

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Speaker 1: your kids very very cool. All right, let's get to

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Speaker 1: our guest, Chris bruss Art. Jason likes to think he

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Speaker 1: knows everything when it comes to sports. I know what

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Speaker 1: sports stands want, but for everything he doesn't. He knows

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Speaker 1: a guy who does. Let's just say, I know a

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Speaker 1: guy who knows a guy who knows another guy. All right,

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Speaker 1: let's welcome into straight fire. A guy I've gotten to

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Speaker 1: know just a little bit over the years. He's been

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Speaker 1: quarantined in Jersey for a long time, so I haven't

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Speaker 1: seen him in like seven or eight months. But his

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Speaker 1: second trip to the podcast, the one and Only Chris Bruce. Sorry,

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Speaker 1: how you doing, Bruce? Start? I am great, man, how

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Speaker 1: are you? I'm trying to stay healthy out here in

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Speaker 1: l A. You know we're on lockdown, and hey man,

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Speaker 1: I'm just glad we got sports happening now. I know

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Speaker 1: college football has had a tough run, but we had

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Speaker 1: the NFL and the NBA's back here in less than

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Speaker 1: two weeks. Chris, I'll start with the obvious. Um, the

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Speaker 1: NBA bubble worked. What are we looking at here this

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Speaker 1: NBA season? They're starting quickly. Um, there's not gonna be

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Speaker 1: a bubble. Uh. If a player test positive, there's a

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Speaker 1: chance they could be out two to three weeks. Given

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Speaker 1: what we've seen with some other athletes coming back from

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Speaker 1: COVID and the slow turnaround. I'm just curious your overall

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Speaker 1: thoughts on the NBA and and what it's gonna look

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Speaker 1: like here in the first couple of months. Well, it's

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Speaker 1: going to be challenging, there's no doubt about it. Anytime

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Speaker 1: you don't have the bubble. We've seen it with the

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Speaker 1: other sports where there's college football, college basketball, the NFL.

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Speaker 1: If there's no bubble, there's going to be a struggle,

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Speaker 1: there is no doubt about it. And uh, but I

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Speaker 1: think the NBA is prepared for it. We all understand

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Speaker 1: that this is a new normal, at least you know,

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Speaker 1: for the next six months or so. Uh, and we'll

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Speaker 1: just have to deal with I think the NBA has

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Speaker 1: fully equipped to deal with those issues as they come. Uh.

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Speaker 1: Who knows. Will it turn out to be a point

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Speaker 1: where maybe all teams don't play the full seventy two games.

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Speaker 1: I don't know, um, but I think it will be

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Speaker 1: close enough to a real season to be legitimate. I

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Speaker 1: don't think it will be you know, just like the NFL.

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Speaker 1: I think it'll be a legitimate season. So no, I

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Speaker 1: don't hear any talk of asterix or anything like that. UM.

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Speaker 1: I think some of the things they've done, as far

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Speaker 1: as having teams played, you know, teams that are closer

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Speaker 1: to them so they don't have to travel as much.

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Speaker 1: Playing those teams, you know, a few times when you're

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Speaker 1: on the trip, I think all of that is good.

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Speaker 1: And UM, you know, you can't you couldn't put the

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Speaker 1: players in the bubble again because that was I mean,

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Speaker 1: what they did for those three months was great and

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Speaker 1: it was UM. There to be commended for it. But

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Speaker 1: you can't ask guys to be in that type of

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Speaker 1: situation away from their family for you know, six seven

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Speaker 1: straight months whatever it would be. So that really I

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Speaker 1: don't think was an option. I don't think the players

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Speaker 1: were gonna go for that anyway. All right, let's get

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Speaker 1: to what I think right now is the hottest story

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Speaker 1: in the NBA. Not be honest, waiting to sign the

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Speaker 1: super Max. Uh, it's James Harden, your boy in Houston.

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Speaker 1: He wants out. He decided to party with a little

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Speaker 1: baby instead of report to camp on time. Listen. I'm

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Speaker 1: firmly in the when a superstar wants out and it's

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Speaker 1: gonna get ugly as it already is. Uh, you just

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Speaker 1: get what you can. Um. I don't think the Nets

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Speaker 1: deal is that bad. Dinwoodie Lavert, Jared allen As are

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Speaker 1: good players. UM. A lot of people think that Ben

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Speaker 1: Simmons deal is better. Remains to be I don't think

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Speaker 1: there's a Ben Simmons deal. They're not Simmons, well right now,

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Speaker 1: they're not. My guess is Morey would say we're not

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Speaker 1: offering Simmons or m Bid will give you anything else

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Speaker 1: you want, right right and he tries to get hardened

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Speaker 1: on the chief. Let me, I'll just start with where

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Speaker 1: do you think harden Is plays his first NBA game

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Speaker 1: of the season. There. Maybe there would have been a

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Speaker 1: little more doubt had he not shown up yesterday for

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Speaker 1: training camp. And obviously he's going through COVID protocol. But

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Speaker 1: the Rockets are playing this right. He's got two full

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Speaker 1: years left on this deal before he can opt out,

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Speaker 1: so right now they have the leverage. You're right. Eventually,

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Speaker 1: if as time goes on, his leverage is going to grow.

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Speaker 1: But right now they have him locked up for two years.

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Speaker 1: If he wants to play basketball, he has to play

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Speaker 1: it in Houston, So why should they let him force

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Speaker 1: them into a deal that they're not ready to make. Look,

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Speaker 1: there's so many variables, Jason. With the Rockets themselves, and

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Speaker 1: I get it. I don't think they're gonna be very good.

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Speaker 1: But if i'm them, let's see like they're not in

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Speaker 1: rebuilding mode. They're trying to reload. And that doesn't mean

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Speaker 1: necessarily reload for a championship because they never got that

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Speaker 1: in the first place, but it means reload to contender status.

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Speaker 1: So they're looking at it as if John walk play

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Speaker 1: like he did before his injury, and we'll see if

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Speaker 1: that happens. He can be he can play well. Eric

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Speaker 1: Gordon's there um, Christian Wood a life. Obviously, you have

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Speaker 1: Bookie Cousins, who I'm I'm not a huge fan of,

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Speaker 1: but you know, if you play the right way, if

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Speaker 1: you're get him to play differently, maybe he can be

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Speaker 1: okay for you. And then you put Harden in there

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Speaker 1: and you're a pretty good playoff team perhaps, and that

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Speaker 1: that's how they're gonna look at it. So even if

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Speaker 1: Wall and Boogie and Gordon and these guys play well,

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Speaker 1: that can tell you more about what you want in

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Speaker 1: a trade from Martin because right now we know it's

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Speaker 1: a young talent, all NBA All UH Star caliber plus

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Speaker 1: some draft picks. But maybe if those guys show you that, hey,

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Speaker 1: they actually playing well, maybe it's two young talents or

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Speaker 1: two young veterans, you know, so things can change Brooklyn.

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Speaker 1: What if Kyrie gets hurt he's been injury from does

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Speaker 1: that that changes the dynamic in Brooklyn and maybe what

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Speaker 1: they're willing offered. What if Brooklyn plays tremendously and it

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Speaker 1: it goes Kadi and Kyrie worked perfectly the role players

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Speaker 1: spit in and they're thinking, I don't want to mess

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Speaker 1: this up and bring in James Hard. What if Ben

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Speaker 1: Simmons and Joe l emb don't play well under Doc

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Speaker 1: Rippers together, then Simmons may become available. So there there

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Speaker 1: is a long time the Golden State get involved. Look

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Speaker 1: the Clippers. If I'm the Clippers, I would be thinking

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Speaker 1: about Paul George for and maybe Lou Williams for James Hard.

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Speaker 1: So there are a lot of opportunities out there that

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Speaker 1: may manifest themselves. So why rush now? Let me push

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Speaker 1: back against it. I believe Kyrie Irving had two years

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Speaker 1: left in Cleveland when he said trade me because he

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Speaker 1: knew Lebron was gonna be leaving. And say, what in

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Speaker 1: Lebron don't trade? Well, hold on, Kyrie Irving said, if

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Speaker 1: you don't trade me, my knees acting up, I'll go

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Speaker 1: get surgery and just sit out. So, I mean, I

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Speaker 1: think we've seen their players. There was Jimmy Butler, that

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Speaker 1: was Paul George. Any time Anthony Davis, anytime they want

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Speaker 1: to be traded, you deal them. Now. I get Harden

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Speaker 1: has two years left, but if you're an NBA team,

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Speaker 1: why would you give up a year from now three

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Speaker 1: picks for a guy you could just wait another year

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Speaker 1: and get for nothing. If I'm Brooklyn, you might not

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Speaker 1: be offered now. You may not have the money to

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Speaker 1: get him for nothing. You would have the draft picks,

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Speaker 1: and you pretty much have the same roster. The Nets

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Speaker 1: roster is not changing. I I just think the value

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Speaker 1: goes down every passing week or month that Harden isn't dealt.

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Speaker 1: And and again, I think this idea that the Rockets

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Speaker 1: could be a continer like Chris, we're talking about a

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Speaker 1: first year head coach, first time ever. I'm not saying

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Speaker 1: I don't think they were. So do you you think

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Speaker 1: they're a playoff team for sure? No? Not for sure.

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Speaker 1: I mean obviously there's a lot of uncertainty there, but

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Speaker 1: I think they you know, if Harden is there and

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Speaker 1: and Wall plays well, they could have they have a

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Speaker 1: shot for sure. Whatever. Yeah, I just this owner. You know,

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Speaker 1: Russell Westbrook played the whole card about hey he's a

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Speaker 1: Trump guy, get me out of here. Westbrook leaves Mike D'Antoni,

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Speaker 1: leaves Darryl More like everybody's gone. Harden knows, man, do

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Speaker 1: I want to do this and not make the playoffs.

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Speaker 1: I don't know. If I'm Harden, I'd be I'd definitely

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Speaker 1: be wanting to go anywhere, and I would I would

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Speaker 1: kind of stop my feet. Stars in this league run

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Speaker 1: the show. He's thirty two, Chris Um, you know this

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Speaker 1: idea that James Hardene has a lot of minutes, a

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Speaker 1: lot of playoff minutes, a lot of dribbles in. It's

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Speaker 1: a lot of miles on those tires. Is he gonna

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Speaker 1: be a great player at thirty four and two years?

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Speaker 1: I think, I think, okay, how about this James Harden.

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Speaker 1: James Harden also needs to look in the mirror. And

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Speaker 1: I like James Harden a lot. I think I voted

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Speaker 1: for m v PEN with Steph won his first m

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Speaker 1: v P. So he's an all time great player, but

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Speaker 1: he's had his chances. I mean, you did have gold

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Speaker 1: stay down for too. I understand Chris Paul got hurt,

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Speaker 1: but you did have him down and then you sent him.

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Speaker 1: That was your best team with Chris Paul, and you

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Speaker 1: send him out of town for Russell Westbrook. You've been

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Speaker 1: with Dwight Howard, you've been with Westbrook, You've been with Paul,

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Speaker 1: and it hasn't worked. And the way he you you

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Speaker 1: had Golden State without Kevin Durant and you didn't get

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Speaker 1: it done. So look in the mirror. The way he plays,

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Speaker 1: as great as he is, you're not winning a championship

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Speaker 1: that way. He has to He didn't adjust for Chris Paul,

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Speaker 1: He didn't adjust for Westbrook. You have to adjust. You're

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Speaker 1: not having just thirty four points a game and leading

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Speaker 1: the team to a championship. So I think he canna.

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Speaker 1: I don't think he could do that in Houston. Given me,

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Speaker 1: they gotta go short cast Eric Gordon to play John Walking,

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Speaker 1: played p J Tucker. Solid at what he does. You're

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Speaker 1: gonna have Bookie cousins. I mean John wasn't here that

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Speaker 1: he and do it with Chris Paul. And Brook just

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Speaker 1: said he's got the supporting cast, He's got the skills.

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Speaker 1: But will he do it after all these years of

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Speaker 1: enjoying the adulation that has come from being this individual

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Speaker 1: world within So again, we we don't know if there's

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Speaker 1: a playoff team, and all of a sudden, if hardens

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Speaker 1: down to twenty five points a game and more assists,

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Speaker 1: are they a playoff team? Probably still not, But he

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Speaker 1: can I think and again hear me out on this.

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Speaker 1: I think he could ad just if he went to Brooklyn,

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Speaker 1: he could look at Kevin Durant. Durant says, bro I

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Speaker 1: got two finals. I got listen, I want two rings.

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Speaker 1: Kyrie over here here the game winning shot in Game

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Speaker 1: seven of the finals, he's got a ring. I need

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Speaker 1: you to fall back and fall in line. We've won,

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Speaker 1: you haven't. I think that's where we could see the

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Speaker 1: next iteration. You think James Hart is gonna become the

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Speaker 1: third guy, Well, I don't think he would be Kevin

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Speaker 1: Love third guy or Chris Bosh third guy. But I

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Speaker 1: do believe he's not gonna be as nearly as ball

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Speaker 1: dominant in Brooklyn. Now, the crazy scenario is if the

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Speaker 1: Nets think Kyrie is too crazy with his we don't

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Speaker 1: even need a coach and taking shots at Lebron and

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Speaker 1: all this nonsense. If the Nets say, you know what,

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Speaker 1: let's just let's swap Kyrie out and bring in James Harden,

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Speaker 1: now that's again that's a nuclear scenario. I don't know

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Speaker 1: if that would happen. Um, I think that would be

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Speaker 1: even better for Harden. I don't think that's something they're

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Speaker 1: looking at right now. But look, that's why. Look, if

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Speaker 1: you have Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden, you

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Speaker 1: couldn't write that team off because the talent is just incredible,

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Speaker 1: but it is a chemistry experiment of the highest proportions,

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Speaker 1: and it could explode. Kyrie would be the third best player.

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Speaker 1: James Harden is better than Kyrie, as great as Kyrie.

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Speaker 1: We need I need to let that marinate. I had

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Speaker 1: not thought who's the best and and again it would

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Speaker 1: go through Kevin Durant. Obviously, I think the ball would

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Speaker 1: be more suited to be in Harden's hands in that

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Speaker 1: scenario then, right, But I don't think it's ice so

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Speaker 1: hardened he would have No, there's no question he's not

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Speaker 1: going to Brooklyn and playing like I think you just

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Speaker 1: led me to a good point. So Steve Nash was

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Speaker 1: like a special consultant with the Warriors on those great

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Speaker 1: teams with Durant, Steph and Clay, and the media tried

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Speaker 1: to make it a lot of whose team is it,

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Speaker 1: who's the star? Can it work? It worked fine in

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Speaker 1: Golden style, but that that was a totally different situation.

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Speaker 1: The way the way that Steph and Clay play is

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Speaker 1: completely different from the way Kyrie and Hardened play. They

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Speaker 1: moved without the ball. They are quick shootings, they don't

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Speaker 1: over dribble. For the most part. Um their offense was not,

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Speaker 1: you know, I mean that was the rub towards the

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Speaker 1: end was the durant who wanted to go there because

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Speaker 1: of the ball movement, the unselfishness. He ended up Onty

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Speaker 1: Moore ice so and that was where that's why he

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Speaker 1: almost lost to Houston, And that's where the rub came in.

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Speaker 1: Towards the end. He was like, forget all this egalitarian stuff,

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Speaker 1: give me the rock and let me go to work.

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Speaker 1: And that's not how Golden State plays. So that would

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Speaker 1: what they do. And you're right, Nash is there and

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Speaker 1: dance Tony's there. I I don't doubt that they might

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Speaker 1: try to get Knee and Kyrie to and and Harden

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Speaker 1: to play that way if he were there. But Ken,

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Speaker 1: I mean, it's hard gonna be moving off the ball

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Speaker 1: like that. I doubt it, you know. Okay, Well, Chris,

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Speaker 1: First of all, nice usage of egalitarian, first time that's

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Speaker 1: ever been dropped on the podcast. But at the same time, listen, hey, Kyrie,

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Speaker 1: what have you won without Lebron James, he won one

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Speaker 1: playoff series in your career. We're gonna do this. You're

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Speaker 1: going to listen, James Harden, what have you want in

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Speaker 1: your career? Nothing? Okay, going to do this. You need

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Speaker 1: to fall in line. I mean, if you want to

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Speaker 1: go to Sacramento, find but you're in Brooklyn. You wanted

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Speaker 1: to come here. This is what we're gonna do. This

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Speaker 1: is our formulative victor. You just say some layers. You

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Speaker 1: just said players run the lead, and now you turn

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Speaker 1: it around and saying Steve Nash and Mike D'Antoni gonna

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Speaker 1: when it comes to titles. Here's the deal. D'Antoni is

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Speaker 1: not big on confrontation. That's as great of a coach

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Speaker 1: as he is, and I think he's a future Hall

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Speaker 1: of famer. That's one of his shortcomings. So he ain't

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Speaker 1: about to sit down with him and confront him like that.

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Speaker 1: Kevin Durant is not that type of leader where he's

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Speaker 1: gonna be like, yo, this is how we're doing it.

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Speaker 1: That's one thing with Brooklyn, who's the lead. Kyrie is

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Speaker 1: the strongest personality. He's not the best player. This could

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Speaker 1: be a Brooklyn uh situation where it's just like the Clippers,

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Speaker 1: who's the leader in the huddle, who's speaking up, who's

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Speaker 1: fixing things when it goes awry? Because you know what

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Speaker 1: will who is that guy? Is that Kevin Durant. They

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Speaker 1: don't have a leader that was that Look Kyrie thing,

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Speaker 1: he's the leader, and he is the strongest personality, but

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Speaker 1: we haven't seen him lead a team to success, and

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Speaker 1: we've actually seen him destroyed teams like that. So that's

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Speaker 1: a problem. Durant's not gonna be I don't know if

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Speaker 1: he's gonna be strong enough to tell Kyrie something. He

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Speaker 1: wasn't strong enough to tell Westbrooks something. You know, get

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Speaker 1: me the rock, you know all that. And he was

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Speaker 1: a lot younger. He was like twenty five in Okay.

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Speaker 1: See he's down, a veteran. He's want to leave. Play

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Speaker 1: nine years in Oklahoma, all right, stop it, seventh, eighth,

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Speaker 1: ninth year. You gotta be strong enough. At that point,

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Speaker 1: he was one of the best players in the world.

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Speaker 1: And here's the thing. I'm not saying it's definitely gonna

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Speaker 1: be like the Clippers, but the situations are very similar.

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Speaker 1: The Clippers before Kauai and Paul George, what were they

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Speaker 1: the little Enginette could overachievers. We give a hundred and

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Speaker 1: fifty percent for forty eight straight minutes. We don't care

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Speaker 1: who gets the shine. We're all in this together, right.

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Speaker 1: It looked like hey dropped two stars in there. The

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Speaker 1: role players will fit around them. It'll be great. Same

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Speaker 1: thing in Brooklyn last year, Joe Harris, Spencer Din when

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Speaker 1: he cares the bird, Jared Allen, that's what they were, overachievers.

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Speaker 1: They played hard, they play together. Now if you drop

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Speaker 1: two stars in there, oh, it should be great. Not necessarily.

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Speaker 1: What happened with the Clippers were Kauai and Paul George

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Speaker 1: acted like Primadonnald's and that destroyed the chemistry. Katie and Kyrie,

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Speaker 1: even though they're clearly the best players, they cannot let

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Speaker 1: the chasm between them and the role players be too great,

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Speaker 1: so great that the other guys feel like they're not

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Speaker 1: really even a part of it. They don't like it.

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Speaker 1: The coulture has changed too much. It's too much about

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Speaker 1: those two running things. Jay, you know this. It would

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Speaker 1: be hard to play with your boss. You can't feel

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Speaker 1: like we They all understand stars are going to get

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Speaker 1: extra perks, but when the perks get outlandish and you

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Speaker 1: feel like the stars are the bosses. They're running everything.

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Speaker 1: It makes it challenge you. And so that's what they have.

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Speaker 1: Who got in this, Chris Brooklyn does get Let's say

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Speaker 1: they get hardened. It doesn't matter that Kyrie and Durant,

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Speaker 1: who you got in a series against the Milwaukee Bucks,

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Speaker 1: Janice Drew Holiday, Chris Middleton, I would have to take

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Speaker 1: Brooklyn in that. Yes, I would agree. I mean and

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Speaker 1: like I said, as much of a challenge as it

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Speaker 1: would be to play those guys together, you certainly can't

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Speaker 1: write them off because it's just so much talent that

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Speaker 1: if they do mesh well, it would be magical. But

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Speaker 1: we've seen look and they were a little older. I'll

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Speaker 1: give you that, or leaks later in their career. But Elijahwan,

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Speaker 1: Scottie Pippen and Charles Barkley didn't work. Elijah Pippen and

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Speaker 1: Drexel didn't work. And so it's not guaranteed. All right,

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Speaker 1: we will get to Janice at a moment. But I've

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Speaker 1: got a lot of notes here to preview this season.

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Speaker 1: A team I'm kind of fascinated by. I know this

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Speaker 1: is the star laden team. People are gonna roll their

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Speaker 1: eyes I want to ask about the Atlanta Hawks for

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Speaker 1: a moment, and I like what they did in the offseason. Chris,

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Speaker 1: I know you hear a lot of stuff out there.

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Speaker 1: I had heard something interesting that Trey Young was so

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Speaker 1: bald dominant that free agents did not want to go

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Speaker 1: play with him. On the surface, it looks attractive, Oh,

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Speaker 1: Trey young Man. This guy scored thirty a game. Look

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Speaker 1: at look at the highlight reel, but it was very

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna get mine, I'm gonna score. We're gonna lose

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Speaker 1: a lot of games. Almost a young Kyrie, a young

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Speaker 1: a young Harden. If you're not in ok See, but

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Speaker 1: Harden tight ball dominant. Then they go out and they

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Speaker 1: get free agents to go to Atlanta. I've got the

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Speaker 1: Hawks is maybe the sixth best team in the East.

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Speaker 1: Is that a little ambitious? It might be a tad ambitious? Uh,

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Speaker 1: if you you got them six. So let's let's go

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Speaker 1: through it. Brooklyn not in disorder, but Brooklyn's Philly Menace, Umwacke, Toronto, Boston, Miami.

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Speaker 1: Those five are definitely better than them, right right, I

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Speaker 1: don't have to be better, and Indiana would be. Can

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Speaker 1: Atlanta battle them? I agree with you and that. I

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Speaker 1: like what Atlanta did and it's doing. I love their

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Speaker 1: off season, um there you know they They've built it

421
00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:34,320
Speaker 1: very well there. Um So I'm expecting good things from them.

422
00:23:34,320 --> 00:23:38,320
Speaker 1: But I don't think they're guaranteed to make the playoffs. No, certainly,

423
00:23:38,359 --> 00:23:41,440
Speaker 1: I give him a shot. Six Uh, that would really

424
00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:44,280
Speaker 1: be impressive. I mean, and let's not forget Washington, which

425
00:23:44,320 --> 00:23:48,520
Speaker 1: I don't think it's a guarantee, but they're gonna be there. Hunt,

426
00:23:50,920 --> 00:23:53,520
Speaker 1: I gotta, I gotta look, maybe I missed something, but yeah,

427
00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:56,800
Speaker 1: you have missed Bradleyville and Russell Westbrook a playoffs fot.

428
00:23:56,880 --> 00:24:00,760
Speaker 1: I'm not saying, let's start if you want to go

429
00:24:00,760 --> 00:24:03,359
Speaker 1: to Washington. Find but does Bradley Beale asked for a

430
00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:05,640
Speaker 1: trade before or after the All Star Break? I mean,

431
00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:10,280
Speaker 1: that's that's like right now, Come on, Nobody likes playing

432
00:24:10,320 --> 00:24:14,760
Speaker 1: with Westbrook. You know this. Paul George actually went there

433
00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:18,439
Speaker 1: and then left a year later. Yeah, but he to

434
00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:23,720
Speaker 1: go home, but he chose them over the Lakers. Durant left,

435
00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:31,080
Speaker 1: players have left, James Harden, players have left or not

436
00:24:31,200 --> 00:24:35,080
Speaker 1: wanted to play with Lebron James. There's always players that

437
00:24:35,200 --> 00:24:38,600
Speaker 1: don't everybody every superstar has guys that don't want to

438
00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:41,720
Speaker 1: play with them, and so you can't just put that

439
00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:44,720
Speaker 1: on Westbrook. He's not the only place. I get it.

440
00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:47,400
Speaker 1: He's got major flaws. It would be difficult to play

441
00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:51,240
Speaker 1: with him. But let's not act like guys haven't left Lebron.

442
00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:54,920
Speaker 1: Guys haven't complained about playing with Lebron, Guys haven't left

443
00:24:54,960 --> 00:24:59,840
Speaker 1: these other other players a different story when let me ask,

444
00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:04,040
Speaker 1: saying with Chris Paul, Lebron's better. So, yeah, he won championship,

445
00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:06,720
Speaker 1: But I'm just saying, don't that's not fair to Westbrook

446
00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:09,200
Speaker 1: to act like he's the only star nobody wants to

447
00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:11,240
Speaker 1: play with. Okay, well you know what the else is

448
00:25:11,280 --> 00:25:13,719
Speaker 1: not fair. This is Bradley Beal's team and now Russell

449
00:25:13,720 --> 00:25:16,720
Speaker 1: Westbrook's coming in and the coach has a cozy relationship

450
00:25:16,760 --> 00:25:19,320
Speaker 1: with Westbrook. Good dating back to Okay, see, that's not

451
00:25:19,359 --> 00:25:21,800
Speaker 1: fair to Bradley Beale. Really, he stayed and signed here.

452
00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:27,600
Speaker 1: This is his team on Jason and I like Bradley Beal,

453
00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:31,160
Speaker 1: But how does that work out? What? What? What? What playoff?

454
00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:33,320
Speaker 1: Is it his fault? John Will slipped in the show

455
00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:36,880
Speaker 1: have you one? Since it's been in Bradley Beals team real.

456
00:25:36,920 --> 00:25:39,680
Speaker 1: Bradley Bals won more playoff series than Russell West with

457
00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:44,640
Speaker 1: John Wall, he hadn't done it by himself. I don't

458
00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:46,399
Speaker 1: know if john Wall was the best player on that team.

459
00:25:47,040 --> 00:25:50,680
Speaker 1: You all was, but I'm saying it wasn't you. This

460
00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:54,080
Speaker 1: Beal's team when they were winning playoff series right right?

461
00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:57,520
Speaker 1: It was? Which team is? If it's your team and

462
00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:00,440
Speaker 1: we don't make the playoffs, then I'm sorry you could

463
00:26:00,440 --> 00:26:03,160
Speaker 1: get taken from you. And I'm not saying it's gonna

464
00:26:03,160 --> 00:26:07,280
Speaker 1: be team, but it doesn't. And here's the other thing.

465
00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:12,720
Speaker 1: We make too much out of whose team isn't. Sometimes

466
00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:16,560
Speaker 1: sometimes it is somebody's team, but a team that is

467
00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:19,520
Speaker 1: gonna be fighting for dear life to make the playoffs.

468
00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:22,640
Speaker 1: I don't care whose team that is. Please you don't

469
00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:28,360
Speaker 1: deserve to be labeled as somebody. Well, I think because

470
00:26:28,760 --> 00:26:31,520
Speaker 1: if Bradley Beale fields man, this guy came in the

471
00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:34,920
Speaker 1: coaches in his corner, we're not winning anything. He's gonna

472
00:26:34,960 --> 00:26:38,000
Speaker 1: be stat padding and ball hogging, and we know he

473
00:26:38,040 --> 00:26:41,000
Speaker 1: hasn't won any damn think since he since Durant left him.

474
00:26:41,280 --> 00:26:47,560
Speaker 1: I don't want to play with this who Westbrook they

475
00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:49,480
Speaker 1: went to the champ they went to the NBA Finals,

476
00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:53,520
Speaker 1: they went to the Western Conference Finals. I mean, I

477
00:26:53,520 --> 00:26:56,480
Speaker 1: think Durant was the guy. I was the guy was

478
00:26:56,640 --> 00:26:59,080
Speaker 1: west Rook was an All Star too at that point

479
00:26:59,119 --> 00:27:07,880
Speaker 1: he was, So it was both of them. You know, Chris,

480
00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:10,440
Speaker 1: you know that that was not That was like, I'll

481
00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:14,040
Speaker 1: give you the Ran a better play. You get no

482
00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:17,600
Speaker 1: argument for me, but I see your biases and I'm

483
00:27:17,640 --> 00:27:20,600
Speaker 1: not gonna this is straight fire. So I'm gonna fit

484
00:27:20,800 --> 00:27:23,960
Speaker 1: fire at you. You're gonna sit here and take shots

485
00:27:24,320 --> 00:27:28,640
Speaker 1: at Russell Westbrook and and lift up in extran because

486
00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:31,000
Speaker 1: he d ms you every now and then. I'm not

487
00:27:31,160 --> 00:27:35,199
Speaker 1: having it. All right, Let's do one more team in

488
00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:38,600
Speaker 1: the East before we get to the real conference. UM.

489
00:27:38,640 --> 00:27:41,480
Speaker 1: I don't know, Chris. I kind of dig the Philadelphia

490
00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:44,760
Speaker 1: seventies sixers off season. I am bullish on Seth Curry.

491
00:27:45,400 --> 00:27:48,640
Speaker 1: I unlike everybody else on planet Earth, I don't think

492
00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:51,880
Speaker 1: Danny Green is the worst player in the NBA. I

493
00:27:51,920 --> 00:27:54,400
Speaker 1: think they could be good. Getting off Horford was just

494
00:27:54,640 --> 00:27:58,480
Speaker 1: a magic trick that Darryl Rary phenomenal. I think this

495
00:27:58,560 --> 00:28:02,080
Speaker 1: is again that East has We know Milwaukee Miami are

496
00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:06,120
Speaker 1: gonna be there Brooklyn, probably, Boston probably. I'm I think

497
00:28:06,160 --> 00:28:10,000
Speaker 1: a sleeper team if can figure it out. Maybe I'm

498
00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:12,160
Speaker 1: giving him too much credit. I think the Sixers could

499
00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:15,080
Speaker 1: get to the finals sleeper. I don't think we're asleep.

500
00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:19,080
Speaker 1: If anybody's sleeping on the Sixers, they might be out.

501
00:28:19,840 --> 00:28:22,080
Speaker 1: They might be more than a sleep, because that might

502
00:28:22,119 --> 00:28:24,920
Speaker 1: be unconscious. Say. I mean, I can make a strong

503
00:28:25,240 --> 00:28:30,840
Speaker 1: argument that after Brooklyn, Philadelphia's got the best roster in

504
00:28:30,880 --> 00:28:34,399
Speaker 1: the East, at least the on paper. I mean, they

505
00:28:34,480 --> 00:28:36,960
Speaker 1: got your guy, Dwight Howard. I forgot about that, So yeah,

506
00:28:36,960 --> 00:28:40,840
Speaker 1: I agree with you. They have had a phenomenal off season,

507
00:28:40,960 --> 00:28:45,480
Speaker 1: absolutely phenomenal, and what I look and I've criticized Doc

508
00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:47,840
Speaker 1: for what he did with the Clippers. Obviously it wasn't

509
00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:52,480
Speaker 1: a great job, but Doc is a good coach. And

510
00:28:52,560 --> 00:28:56,640
Speaker 1: I think what I hope Doc does is focused on

511
00:28:57,240 --> 00:29:01,560
Speaker 1: embiid in the post, They're gonna they have something in

512
00:29:01,640 --> 00:29:04,760
Speaker 1: Joe l m b that hardly anybody else in the

513
00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:07,480
Speaker 1: NBA has, And that's a guy that can kill you

514
00:29:07,560 --> 00:29:10,560
Speaker 1: on the block. And if you don't doubling letting go

515
00:29:10,640 --> 00:29:14,160
Speaker 1: to work and crush people, and if you do doubling.

516
00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:18,360
Speaker 1: They now, as you said, have added the shooters and

517
00:29:18,480 --> 00:29:20,480
Speaker 1: they can kick it out to the shooters. They also

518
00:29:20,640 --> 00:29:24,840
Speaker 1: we've seen Doc talk about Ben Simmons. They're gonna use more,

519
00:29:24,840 --> 00:29:26,800
Speaker 1: having more in the pick and roll, which I like.

520
00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:30,400
Speaker 1: They're gonna obviously try to push it in transition, which

521
00:29:30,440 --> 00:29:34,080
Speaker 1: I like. They're going to have him moving, cutting, setting picks,

522
00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:37,320
Speaker 1: running off picks, all of that, which I like. You

523
00:29:37,400 --> 00:29:40,360
Speaker 1: can't let a guy like that that just be stationary

524
00:29:40,520 --> 00:29:43,520
Speaker 1: when he can't shoot. So I think that Doc's got

525
00:29:43,560 --> 00:29:46,320
Speaker 1: some good plans for this team. We'll see if they

526
00:29:46,320 --> 00:29:49,720
Speaker 1: come to fruition. But I'm with you. I actually think

527
00:29:49,720 --> 00:29:54,240
Speaker 1: Philadelphia has a very good shot at getting to the finals. So, um,

528
00:29:54,360 --> 00:29:56,240
Speaker 1: you get no argument from me there. They've had a

529
00:29:56,240 --> 00:29:59,320
Speaker 1: great off season all Chris, Let's go to the West. Uh,

530
00:29:59,440 --> 00:30:02,920
Speaker 1: let's dump with those fraudulent Clippers, the paper clips your

531
00:30:02,960 --> 00:30:05,120
Speaker 1: team to win the title. Last year, I rode with

532
00:30:05,120 --> 00:30:07,040
Speaker 1: the Lakers and I came out on top. I'm doing

533
00:30:07,040 --> 00:30:09,560
Speaker 1: a mini victory lap here and now it's done. Um.

534
00:30:10,120 --> 00:30:12,040
Speaker 1: I don't know if they got better, Chris. I did

535
00:30:12,040 --> 00:30:15,560
Speaker 1: like the Ibaka pick up, but the Mantrese Herald departure,

536
00:30:16,480 --> 00:30:18,840
Speaker 1: just spoke volumes to me about what that locker rooms

537
00:30:18,880 --> 00:30:24,320
Speaker 1: like and yeah, the whole Paul George taking shots at

538
00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:27,320
Speaker 1: Doc Rivers and Doc Rivers saying, you know what your

539
00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:29,320
Speaker 1: new coach, Tyler, he was sitting next to me on

540
00:30:29,360 --> 00:30:31,760
Speaker 1: the batch where we did not make adjustments Like that's

541
00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:34,440
Speaker 1: I don't I still I come into the season with

542
00:30:34,480 --> 00:30:37,640
Speaker 1: the Clippers. Yeah, I get it. Kauai awesome, Paul George,

543
00:30:37,680 --> 00:30:42,000
Speaker 1: really talented player who often fails in the postseason. Um, Chris,

544
00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:45,600
Speaker 1: what's different? Who's the leader on this team now? And

545
00:30:45,680 --> 00:30:48,920
Speaker 1: don't try to tell me it's Sergebaka or the Morris twin.

546
00:30:49,080 --> 00:30:51,200
Speaker 1: They don't really have a leader, and that's one of

547
00:30:51,240 --> 00:30:54,280
Speaker 1: their challenges. I mean, that's why the locker rooms fell

548
00:30:54,320 --> 00:30:58,440
Speaker 1: apart last year because you didn't have a leader as Kywee.

549
00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:02,400
Speaker 1: Kauai is obviously tremendous player, but he's not a leader.

550
00:31:02,880 --> 00:31:06,280
Speaker 1: And so I do Where I disagree with you, though,

551
00:31:06,480 --> 00:31:10,400
Speaker 1: is I think they did get better because Surgeon Baka.

552
00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:13,600
Speaker 1: I thought that was a tremendous acquisition. Now the Lakers

553
00:31:13,600 --> 00:31:15,920
Speaker 1: are the Faith, and I think the Lakers are better

554
00:31:15,920 --> 00:31:19,280
Speaker 1: because they got even better. But I do think the Clippers.

555
00:31:19,400 --> 00:31:21,440
Speaker 1: You know, if you if you think they're gonna roll

556
00:31:21,520 --> 00:31:24,360
Speaker 1: over the Clippers, I think you're sadly mistaken. I think

557
00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:26,960
Speaker 1: they'll beat them, but I think the Lakers better bring

558
00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:30,320
Speaker 1: their a game for the Clippers. But I think Surgeon

559
00:31:30,360 --> 00:31:35,000
Speaker 1: Baka's audition is huge because he's close with Kauai and

560
00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:38,000
Speaker 1: he can kind of bring out the quote unquote fund guy.

561
00:31:38,120 --> 00:31:41,960
Speaker 1: We saw all their interactions in Toronto, and I think

562
00:31:42,040 --> 00:31:45,840
Speaker 1: that will make Kauai a better That will improve his

563
00:31:45,920 --> 00:31:50,320
Speaker 1: relationship and connection to his other teammates. And Baka is

564
00:31:50,360 --> 00:31:52,280
Speaker 1: not only a friend of Kauai's, but he's a great

565
00:31:52,320 --> 00:31:55,120
Speaker 1: locker room guy. He's well respected, So I just think

566
00:31:55,160 --> 00:31:58,720
Speaker 1: he'll he'll bring a nice spirit into that locker room.

567
00:31:59,160 --> 00:32:01,360
Speaker 1: Luke Canard, I'm a gonna rave about it. But if

568
00:32:01,360 --> 00:32:03,720
Speaker 1: he stays healthy, which has been a problem for him,

569
00:32:03,760 --> 00:32:08,120
Speaker 1: that's a decent pickup. And obviously you got Marcus Morris back,

570
00:32:08,200 --> 00:32:11,000
Speaker 1: which I like. Um so I I and I think

571
00:32:11,080 --> 00:32:14,760
Speaker 1: Jason their biggest problem last year. And and you know,

572
00:32:14,880 --> 00:32:17,000
Speaker 1: for for all the criticism you want to hurl it,

573
00:32:17,120 --> 00:32:21,640
Speaker 1: Dock and all, that their biggest problem was that they

574
00:32:21,680 --> 00:32:25,760
Speaker 1: had in a sense of entitlement, and their two stars

575
00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:31,200
Speaker 1: acted like primadonnas. Now, I would think that the competitiveness

576
00:32:31,640 --> 00:32:36,440
Speaker 1: within Kauai and Paul George will trump their desire to

577
00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:39,880
Speaker 1: be treated like these super kings. All right, all of

578
00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:44,240
Speaker 1: them have been humble. Patrick Beverley was talking about it's

579
00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:46,800
Speaker 1: the next five years belong to me. How did that

580
00:32:46,880 --> 00:32:51,200
Speaker 1: work out? Going that Dame Dollar? You know, uh, Kawai

581
00:32:51,400 --> 00:32:54,360
Speaker 1: Leonard's got the King of l A commercials. You know,

582
00:32:54,680 --> 00:32:57,320
Speaker 1: all of those dudes were humbled. So now he should

583
00:32:57,360 --> 00:33:00,640
Speaker 1: be back to the lab and let's go after it.

584
00:33:00,720 --> 00:33:03,480
Speaker 1: Let's get after it and try to win this championship.

585
00:33:03,520 --> 00:33:07,560
Speaker 1: So I just think an attitude adjustment will occur, and

586
00:33:07,600 --> 00:33:10,480
Speaker 1: I think that that end and of itself will make

587
00:33:10,520 --> 00:33:13,480
Speaker 1: them a lot better with without tracks ships there. The

588
00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:18,840
Speaker 1: locker room should be better too. Jeez, okay, I let

589
00:33:18,840 --> 00:33:21,920
Speaker 1: that slide um before we come to the Lakers. Tres

590
00:33:21,960 --> 00:33:24,120
Speaker 1: will be fine without Treading the locker room. What like

591
00:33:24,160 --> 00:33:27,120
Speaker 1: Montres harold some bad locker room guy. Mean about two

592
00:33:27,160 --> 00:33:29,280
Speaker 1: years ago when it was Tread and Lou Williams and

593
00:33:29,280 --> 00:33:32,600
Speaker 1: they were pushing the Warriors with with Katie, it was like, oh, man,

594
00:33:32,640 --> 00:33:36,040
Speaker 1: looks the heart of these lions and now all of

595
00:33:36,040 --> 00:33:39,600
Speaker 1: a sudden pushing the No, I'm not. I never said

596
00:33:39,600 --> 00:33:41,720
Speaker 1: he was a bad locker room guy, but he was

597
00:33:41,800 --> 00:33:44,600
Speaker 1: a problem with last year with the Clippers, and so

598
00:33:44,840 --> 00:33:47,520
Speaker 1: was Lou and so was Patrick Beverley. It was those

599
00:33:47,600 --> 00:33:51,240
Speaker 1: three against they weren't They were budding against, bucking against

600
00:33:51,440 --> 00:33:54,000
Speaker 1: the whole Prema Donna system that had been set up

601
00:33:54,040 --> 00:33:56,400
Speaker 1: for Kauai and p G which I guess, so what's

602
00:33:56,400 --> 00:33:58,239
Speaker 1: wrong with that? Isn't that the right thing to do?

603
00:33:58,640 --> 00:34:03,320
Speaker 1: Here's my point. Tras wasn't having it. So the Clippers

604
00:34:03,360 --> 00:34:06,200
Speaker 1: feel like it's additioned by subtraction. When you don't have

605
00:34:06,240 --> 00:34:08,720
Speaker 1: a leader in your locker room to squelch that stuff,

606
00:34:08,920 --> 00:34:11,959
Speaker 1: it's a problem. I'm not blaming it on Tres. He'll

607
00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:14,440
Speaker 1: be fine with the Lakers, why because they got a

608
00:34:14,520 --> 00:34:19,719
Speaker 1: leader they got Wait wait, Chris, So you're saying that

609
00:34:19,840 --> 00:34:23,319
Speaker 1: Montres Harrold was pushing back against the favoritism to Paul

610
00:34:23,320 --> 00:34:26,839
Speaker 1: George and Kawhi Leonard right may Yes, mainly Paul George. Okay,

611
00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:29,480
Speaker 1: isn't that what you need to do? Why should you

612
00:34:29,560 --> 00:34:31,960
Speaker 1: let that crap slide? Now? With mantras going, it's like,

613
00:34:32,080 --> 00:34:34,200
Speaker 1: are we gonna have that again? Is that gonna be

614
00:34:34,239 --> 00:34:37,560
Speaker 1: as Tyler gonna change things? Yeah, I think Tyler will

615
00:34:37,680 --> 00:34:41,040
Speaker 1: change them. I don't think it will be as as

616
00:34:41,160 --> 00:34:43,560
Speaker 1: much of the super perks as they had last year.

617
00:34:43,800 --> 00:34:46,600
Speaker 1: And to be honest, Kawaii and Paul George shouldn't want that.

618
00:34:47,200 --> 00:34:49,879
Speaker 1: They should be coming closer to the team rather than

619
00:34:50,280 --> 00:34:53,040
Speaker 1: being more individuals. Now again, they're gonna get perks because

620
00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:56,120
Speaker 1: they're the stars. But it doesn't have to be so

621
00:34:56,120 --> 00:34:59,720
Speaker 1: so different, you know, it doesn't. There's a limit to that.

622
00:34:59,719 --> 00:35:01,960
Speaker 1: That's all right, all right, let's move on in the West.

623
00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:05,319
Speaker 1: Chris So the team that knocked out the Clippers, Denver

624
00:35:05,400 --> 00:35:08,799
Speaker 1: Nuggets getting a lot of love this offseason. Um, they

625
00:35:08,840 --> 00:35:11,040
Speaker 1: did lose a few couple couple of guys, key guys

626
00:35:11,040 --> 00:35:13,960
Speaker 1: in the rotation. And I start, look, I'm doing, you know,

627
00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:17,160
Speaker 1: previews on for myself here and handicapping for the gambling

628
00:35:17,480 --> 00:35:19,560
Speaker 1: of the Nuggets, and I look back at that series

629
00:35:19,560 --> 00:35:22,600
Speaker 1: against the Jazz. Okay, uh, First of all, I got

630
00:35:22,640 --> 00:35:25,280
Speaker 1: lucky to win that series, and then in the final game,

631
00:35:25,320 --> 00:35:27,600
Speaker 1: Mike Conley's game winning shot. I know you've seen this

632
00:35:27,640 --> 00:35:31,279
Speaker 1: a million times. It's halfway down, the trajectory of the

633
00:35:31,320 --> 00:35:35,040
Speaker 1: Denver Nuggets changes so much because that shot misses, then

634
00:35:35,040 --> 00:35:37,839
Speaker 1: the Nuggets of course come back. I don't want to

635
00:35:37,920 --> 00:35:41,960
Speaker 1: use the word lucky, but last year I said, I

636
00:35:42,040 --> 00:35:44,760
Speaker 1: don't want to use it. Their run last year had

637
00:35:45,000 --> 00:35:48,880
Speaker 1: an element of well, we were very, very, very fortunate.

638
00:35:49,280 --> 00:35:50,839
Speaker 1: And I look at this team and it's like, we're

639
00:35:50,880 --> 00:35:53,680
Speaker 1: not trading Michael Porter Jr. Because of his potential. I mean,

640
00:35:53,680 --> 00:35:56,480
Speaker 1: the guy has no clue what to do defensively. I

641
00:35:56,600 --> 00:36:00,720
Speaker 1: almost think they're a little overvalued going in to this season.

642
00:36:00,800 --> 00:36:05,279
Speaker 1: Chris talk me off the legend, Well, they're a very

643
00:36:05,280 --> 00:36:07,920
Speaker 1: good team. When you beat the Clippers in the playoffs

644
00:36:07,960 --> 00:36:10,759
Speaker 1: and you come back from three one, people are going

645
00:36:10,840 --> 00:36:13,640
Speaker 1: to get to the conference finals. People are gonna think,

646
00:36:13,680 --> 00:36:16,040
Speaker 1: you know, and you and your stars are all young,

647
00:36:17,040 --> 00:36:19,600
Speaker 1: all young. Okay, wait, hold on, let me ask one

648
00:36:19,600 --> 00:36:22,880
Speaker 1: more like you. But do do I that Gooper series

649
00:36:24,120 --> 00:36:27,400
Speaker 1: the Clippers series say more about the Nuggets or the Clippers,

650
00:36:27,440 --> 00:36:29,480
Speaker 1: because I don't think it said that much about the Nuggets,

651
00:36:29,480 --> 00:36:31,880
Speaker 1: who trailed three one and we're down at halftime of

652
00:36:31,960 --> 00:36:36,160
Speaker 1: every other game and the Clippers just folded. Um, it's

653
00:36:36,200 --> 00:36:38,879
Speaker 1: saying more about the Clippers. But I'm not gonna take

654
00:36:38,880 --> 00:36:41,200
Speaker 1: anything away from the Nuggets. They had to They could

655
00:36:41,200 --> 00:36:43,960
Speaker 1: have easily mailed it in and they didn't, so they

656
00:36:44,080 --> 00:36:46,240
Speaker 1: got hard. I'm with you in that. Look, the Lakers

657
00:36:46,239 --> 00:36:50,080
Speaker 1: are the best, the Clippers are second best, and then

658
00:36:50,160 --> 00:36:53,600
Speaker 1: Denver's third. Now they Golden States banged up without Clay,

659
00:36:53,719 --> 00:36:56,480
Speaker 1: So if that's that's where they are, I think they're

660
00:36:56,520 --> 00:36:59,720
Speaker 1: definitely better than Utah. You're right, that was a close series.

661
00:36:59,760 --> 00:37:03,800
Speaker 1: I've Utah had chances to win it. Are they better

662
00:37:04,360 --> 00:37:11,320
Speaker 1: than the Dallas Mavericks? I think so that's quite Dallas

663
00:37:11,360 --> 00:37:15,680
Speaker 1: gonna be. Dallas is tough. KP is always a question

664
00:37:15,719 --> 00:37:18,000
Speaker 1: mark because of his health. Yeah, I mean it's been

665
00:37:18,040 --> 00:37:20,799
Speaker 1: that way his entire career. So but I hear you.

666
00:37:20,840 --> 00:37:25,640
Speaker 1: I like Dallas. Look, I think Denver, Utah, Dallas are

667
00:37:25,680 --> 00:37:28,080
Speaker 1: all kinds of that second batch. And and do you

668
00:37:28,080 --> 00:37:32,880
Speaker 1: want to throw Portland's in there. Possibly that's that second

669
00:37:33,080 --> 00:37:36,480
Speaker 1: group behind the Lakers and the Clippers. So let me

670
00:37:36,520 --> 00:37:39,440
Speaker 1: ask you this about the Nuggets. So they lose uh,

671
00:37:39,600 --> 00:37:41,799
Speaker 1: one of the Plumbly brothers, which is not huge, but

672
00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:46,000
Speaker 1: it's size and depth behind your kitchen bigger. Jeremy ghat

673
00:37:46,239 --> 00:37:49,560
Speaker 1: Jeremy Grant. I was gonna say, like, it's people don't

674
00:37:49,640 --> 00:37:52,799
Speaker 1: understand how valuable this guy is on the wing. He's

675
00:37:52,840 --> 00:37:56,600
Speaker 1: their best perimeter defender. They're now replacing him in a

676
00:37:56,719 --> 00:38:00,360
Speaker 1: conference where Lucas on the wing. Okay, lab onn is

677
00:38:00,400 --> 00:38:03,680
Speaker 1: on the wing. Okay, uh Kauai Paul George like the

678
00:38:03,680 --> 00:38:06,520
Speaker 1: wing is key and now they enter Michael Porter Jr.

679
00:38:06,680 --> 00:38:10,400
Speaker 1: And Chris We love his offensive potential. Real talk, he

680
00:38:10,520 --> 00:38:13,080
Speaker 1: has no idea what to do defensively. I don't know

681
00:38:13,120 --> 00:38:17,040
Speaker 1: if he's capable of grasping it. Um Will Barton is

682
00:38:17,080 --> 00:38:20,440
Speaker 1: gonna be nice coming back healthy, But that that that

683
00:38:20,560 --> 00:38:24,360
Speaker 1: Jeremy Grant loss is big. Uh. In fairness to Michael

684
00:38:24,520 --> 00:38:27,200
Speaker 1: Porter Junior. Not many young guys have a clue defense.

685
00:38:27,520 --> 00:38:29,399
Speaker 1: Lebron didn't have a clue when he first came into

686
00:38:29,400 --> 00:38:33,160
Speaker 1: the league defensively, and really so it takes guys a

687
00:38:33,160 --> 00:38:35,320
Speaker 1: while to get pick it up when that end of

688
00:38:35,360 --> 00:38:38,560
Speaker 1: the floor. Now he may not want to do and

689
00:38:38,600 --> 00:38:41,200
Speaker 1: I'm not saying he's going to become a very good defender,

690
00:38:41,480 --> 00:38:43,759
Speaker 1: but they're gonna have to make it. Like, look, if

691
00:38:43,840 --> 00:38:45,839
Speaker 1: you want to be on the floor, you're gonna have

692
00:38:45,880 --> 00:38:48,000
Speaker 1: to defend because you're right, Jeremy Grant As I said,

693
00:38:48,040 --> 00:38:51,920
Speaker 1: that's a big loss. Jamichael Green helps Jamichael green Is.

694
00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:53,879
Speaker 1: I like him as a player for what he does,

695
00:38:54,480 --> 00:38:59,760
Speaker 1: but yeah, that is a loss. Um. But look, Michael

696
00:38:59,760 --> 00:39:02,120
Speaker 1: pord to Jr. I'm not There's no way I would

697
00:39:02,160 --> 00:39:05,240
Speaker 1: have gave him up just yet. Let that dude develop

698
00:39:05,400 --> 00:39:10,359
Speaker 1: and maybe he becomes your third star, or maybe he's

699
00:39:10,480 --> 00:39:13,959
Speaker 1: trade bait for something else. But he's got big time

700
00:39:14,040 --> 00:39:17,160
Speaker 1: potential and so you have to let that blossom before

701
00:39:17,200 --> 00:39:19,879
Speaker 1: you move more from me, all right, Chris, I thought

702
00:39:19,920 --> 00:39:22,040
Speaker 1: we'd save the best for last. It's time to talk

703
00:39:22,080 --> 00:39:25,560
Speaker 1: about the Lakers and the greatest player in NBA history,

704
00:39:25,640 --> 00:39:28,000
Speaker 1: Lebron James. I said I would crown him greatest if

705
00:39:28,040 --> 00:39:30,760
Speaker 1: he won the Bubble. Uh. He's now won three titles

706
00:39:30,800 --> 00:39:34,440
Speaker 1: with three different franchises. Anywhere he goes, he's got the

707
00:39:34,520 --> 00:39:38,600
Speaker 1: mightas touch. Um. I'm in awe, I mean complete awe

708
00:39:38,640 --> 00:39:42,160
Speaker 1: of what Lebron James has accomplished, going from cover of

709
00:39:42,160 --> 00:39:46,520
Speaker 1: Sports Illustrated as a teenager, um, never getting in trouble

710
00:39:46,560 --> 00:39:49,000
Speaker 1: with the law, what he's done off the court, and

711
00:39:49,080 --> 00:39:51,879
Speaker 1: now just winning championships wherever he goes, I'm blown away

712
00:39:51,880 --> 00:39:56,880
Speaker 1: by Lebron. James, I get us. Go ahead, I've got

713
00:39:56,960 --> 00:39:59,000
Speaker 1: I've gassed up. Lebron. Speak about him first, and then

714
00:39:59,000 --> 00:40:00,960
Speaker 1: we'll get to the only thing I'm gonna push back on.

715
00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:04,399
Speaker 1: As you said, never getting in trouble with the law,

716
00:40:05,120 --> 00:40:09,000
Speaker 1: as if that's an expectation. I mean, well, okay, let

717
00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:14,759
Speaker 1: me come, let me allow me to quantify. I'm usual that.

718
00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:17,239
Speaker 1: I mean no, no, I said that wrong. Let me

719
00:40:17,280 --> 00:40:19,960
Speaker 1: say that again, just so people don't miss here. Lebron,

720
00:40:21,000 --> 00:40:22,920
Speaker 1: when you're one of these guys who gets on the

721
00:40:23,000 --> 00:40:26,440
Speaker 1: cover and gets major adulation as a high school teenager,

722
00:40:26,520 --> 00:40:29,200
Speaker 1: it goes to your head. We've seen tons and tons

723
00:40:29,239 --> 00:40:33,760
Speaker 1: of superstar athletes, white, black, whatever, race fall off because

724
00:40:33,920 --> 00:40:36,880
Speaker 1: of the fame it gets to them. It happens. He's

725
00:40:37,120 --> 00:40:40,600
Speaker 1: never had that, Chris. For me, that is incredible. We've

726
00:40:40,640 --> 00:40:44,280
Speaker 1: seen tons of guys, whether it's addicted to pills, booze, whatever.

727
00:40:45,200 --> 00:40:47,240
Speaker 1: Lebron has been able to avoid all that. And that's

728
00:40:47,360 --> 00:40:50,560
Speaker 1: what I meant to say. It's very rare that you

729
00:40:50,640 --> 00:40:53,759
Speaker 1: see a guy that is viewed as a prodigy at

730
00:40:53,800 --> 00:40:57,400
Speaker 1: such a young age fulfill his potential. There was another

731
00:40:57,480 --> 00:41:00,520
Speaker 1: kid a few years after Lebron or the cover of

732
00:41:00,560 --> 00:41:04,600
Speaker 1: sports Fuciration. I think the title was the next Lebron Demitrius.

733
00:41:05,520 --> 00:41:08,279
Speaker 1: I think it was Demetrius from California, but he was

734
00:41:08,320 --> 00:41:12,319
Speaker 1: sixteen and beasting and killing everybody and he never you know,

735
00:41:12,520 --> 00:41:14,520
Speaker 1: he actually had a nice high school career. I think

736
00:41:14,520 --> 00:41:16,960
Speaker 1: he made All State and everything, but obviously didn't become

737
00:41:17,600 --> 00:41:20,520
Speaker 1: an NBA player and it was viewed as a failure.

738
00:41:20,920 --> 00:41:22,880
Speaker 1: So there. I mean, how much did we hear about

739
00:41:22,880 --> 00:41:25,960
Speaker 1: O J. Mayo when he was in high school? Um

740
00:41:26,719 --> 00:41:30,600
Speaker 1: derrek character. I mean, there are so many guys that

741
00:41:30,640 --> 00:41:35,839
Speaker 1: are praised as high school uh Shaye Cotton. I could

742
00:41:35,880 --> 00:41:39,640
Speaker 1: go on in on Cot right, and very few live

743
00:41:39,760 --> 00:41:43,120
Speaker 1: up to it. So Lebron deserves a ton of credit.

744
00:41:43,120 --> 00:41:46,120
Speaker 1: I mean, obviously for everything he's done, but also to

745
00:41:46,239 --> 00:41:50,000
Speaker 1: be able to have that pressure on your shoulders from

746
00:41:50,040 --> 00:41:53,040
Speaker 1: the time you're sixteen years old, to live up to

747
00:41:53,160 --> 00:41:57,759
Speaker 1: it and really surpassed the expectations. I'm with you instruments.

748
00:41:57,800 --> 00:42:00,880
Speaker 1: I I don't have him ahead of Michael Jorge, but

749
00:42:01,360 --> 00:42:06,160
Speaker 1: what he's done. You will never hear me criticize the

750
00:42:06,239 --> 00:42:09,799
Speaker 1: greatness of Lebron James because he truly. I think you've

751
00:42:09,800 --> 00:42:13,880
Speaker 1: surpassed everyone else except m And where I differ, I

752
00:42:13,920 --> 00:42:17,600
Speaker 1: will give you this where I differ from most that

753
00:42:17,640 --> 00:42:20,919
Speaker 1: are in the m J camp. And and I don't

754
00:42:20,920 --> 00:42:23,520
Speaker 1: know if he'll he can pass m J. But I

755
00:42:23,680 --> 00:42:27,799
Speaker 1: leave the door open. Some are like, there's there's no

756
00:42:27,840 --> 00:42:29,960
Speaker 1: way he'll never pass it. I'll leave the door open.

757
00:42:30,040 --> 00:42:32,560
Speaker 1: Let's see what he does these next few years, you know,

758
00:42:32,719 --> 00:42:35,200
Speaker 1: I mean, does he three P? Does he? You know?

759
00:42:35,480 --> 00:42:39,040
Speaker 1: What is he? How old is Lebron this month? Oh

760
00:42:39,080 --> 00:42:42,359
Speaker 1: my gosh. And now we're expecting, continuing to expect this

761
00:42:42,440 --> 00:42:45,000
Speaker 1: guy to contend for titles and thirty six is beyond me.

762
00:42:45,080 --> 00:42:47,480
Speaker 1: But I'm curious about I mean, you do I'll start

763
00:42:47,480 --> 00:42:50,120
Speaker 1: with I'll start with a negative. I'll start with a negative.

764
00:42:50,120 --> 00:42:51,799
Speaker 1: And not a lot of people are saying this, but

765
00:42:51,880 --> 00:42:53,600
Speaker 1: this is what I've done. This is what's got me

766
00:42:53,600 --> 00:42:57,960
Speaker 1: where I am running, counterintuitive to the masses everybody, universally.

767
00:42:58,000 --> 00:43:00,680
Speaker 1: Chris says, the Lakers got better in off season, and

768
00:43:00,719 --> 00:43:03,360
Speaker 1: I like what they did. I just want to point

769
00:43:03,360 --> 00:43:08,800
Speaker 1: out they lost very good defenders on what was an

770
00:43:08,840 --> 00:43:16,600
Speaker 1: awesome defensive team. Okay, Rondo, playoff Rondo, awesome defender, Dwight Howard,

771
00:43:16,719 --> 00:43:22,080
Speaker 1: great good defender on the wing, and they replaced them

772
00:43:22,200 --> 00:43:26,840
Speaker 1: primarily with two guys Chris not known for much defense. Okay,

773
00:43:27,080 --> 00:43:29,640
Speaker 1: Shrewder not a defender. He could get some steels here

774
00:43:29,640 --> 00:43:31,799
Speaker 1: and there, but he's not a good defender. And if

775
00:43:31,800 --> 00:43:34,840
Speaker 1: you look at the numbers, Montres Harrold not a good defender.

776
00:43:35,160 --> 00:43:37,680
Speaker 1: The only pushback is the Lakers are probably gonna go

777
00:43:37,760 --> 00:43:39,480
Speaker 1: from I think they were a top three or four

778
00:43:39,480 --> 00:43:42,040
Speaker 1: team defensively in the league last year. They were number

779
00:43:42,080 --> 00:43:44,000
Speaker 1: one at one point. They're not going to be a

780
00:43:44,040 --> 00:43:47,080
Speaker 1: top five team. They might drop to like maybe lower

781
00:43:47,120 --> 00:43:50,759
Speaker 1: part of the top ten, maybe even beyond that as

782
00:43:50,800 --> 00:43:54,080
Speaker 1: a defensive unit. Your thoughts on that. Marc Gasol is

783
00:43:54,120 --> 00:43:58,840
Speaker 1: a is a good defender. Wesley Mathews is a good defender,

784
00:43:59,480 --> 00:44:02,920
Speaker 1: so he's he's brought into play that Danny Green role.

785
00:44:03,120 --> 00:44:04,839
Speaker 1: Now I'm not I'm not saying it'll start. I think

786
00:44:04,840 --> 00:44:08,319
Speaker 1: Shrewder's gonna start, but Wesley Matthew, you know, so they

787
00:44:08,360 --> 00:44:10,479
Speaker 1: those are two defenders right there. I think the only

788
00:44:10,480 --> 00:44:14,400
Speaker 1: thing they lost is athleticism at the rim. Rondo is

789
00:44:14,440 --> 00:44:17,319
Speaker 1: not a great defender at this point anymore. Now he's

790
00:44:17,360 --> 00:44:20,440
Speaker 1: playoff Rondo. Don't give me that's tremendous, But he's not

791
00:44:20,520 --> 00:44:24,040
Speaker 1: like a great defender anymore. Um, what they lost was

792
00:44:24,080 --> 00:44:27,719
Speaker 1: the athleticism of Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee at the rim.

793
00:44:28,120 --> 00:44:32,839
Speaker 1: That's it. Marcosol's basketball i Q is very high. He's

794
00:44:32,840 --> 00:44:37,480
Speaker 1: a stretch five to you know. Obviously, Harrold brings energy,

795
00:44:37,600 --> 00:44:41,080
Speaker 1: and it's all about effort and team defense. And they're

796
00:44:41,120 --> 00:44:44,319
Speaker 1: gonna have a great team defensive scheme, and then you've

797
00:44:44,320 --> 00:44:47,520
Speaker 1: got a few really nice individual defenders. So I think

798
00:44:47,520 --> 00:44:51,120
Speaker 1: they'll be fine defensively. Um, and again, I think they

799
00:44:51,160 --> 00:44:56,719
Speaker 1: got much reader, Anthony Davis, come on, let let me

800
00:44:56,920 --> 00:44:59,680
Speaker 1: allow me to push back. Marcus Sulters thirties six in

801
00:44:59,760 --> 00:45:04,840
Speaker 1: g An, you were eating Western, right, marcasoul is not

802
00:45:04,880 --> 00:45:08,800
Speaker 1: going to be confused anytime. So with what Lebron's physical

803
00:45:09,280 --> 00:45:12,120
Speaker 1: statue is, I just again, I still think this is

804
00:45:12,160 --> 00:45:14,279
Speaker 1: the team to beat. I have them winning the championship.

805
00:45:14,719 --> 00:45:18,360
Speaker 1: I just think they lost a little bit defensive. I

806
00:45:18,400 --> 00:45:21,080
Speaker 1: still think they have the best roster in the league, still,

807
00:45:21,160 --> 00:45:25,080
Speaker 1: no doubt. I mean, Alex Caruso, who's probably a six

808
00:45:25,120 --> 00:45:28,600
Speaker 1: seven eight guy on most teams, is probably the Lakers

809
00:45:28,600 --> 00:45:31,600
Speaker 1: like tenth or eleventh best player. And I'm not gassing

810
00:45:31,640 --> 00:45:34,040
Speaker 1: up Caruso. You know how instrumental he can be. But

811
00:45:34,160 --> 00:45:37,040
Speaker 1: this is just a Lakers team that for whatever I mean,

812
00:45:37,280 --> 00:45:40,200
Speaker 1: people want to play with the best. I didn't see

813
00:45:40,200 --> 00:45:42,960
Speaker 1: free agents flocking to play at the end of their

814
00:45:43,000 --> 00:45:45,480
Speaker 1: career with Kawhi Leonard, did you. I didn't see anybody

815
00:45:45,480 --> 00:45:48,840
Speaker 1: going to the Clippers, did you? Danny Green wanted to

816
00:45:48,840 --> 00:45:53,560
Speaker 1: go to the Clippers last year. Uh, Kawa is not

817
00:45:53,600 --> 00:45:55,319
Speaker 1: as good as Lebron James. You know what I mean,

818
00:45:55,320 --> 00:45:58,920
Speaker 1: He's not that that level that I'm doing people putting

819
00:45:59,000 --> 00:46:01,000
Speaker 1: his name in the same sense ten says Lebron. Well,

820
00:46:01,000 --> 00:46:03,319
Speaker 1: at this point, now, at this point in there, you think,

821
00:46:03,680 --> 00:46:05,359
Speaker 1: hold on, hold on, now, I'm getting worked up. You

822
00:46:05,360 --> 00:46:08,880
Speaker 1: think Lebron's blowing a three one lead against the Denver Nuggets.

823
00:46:09,200 --> 00:46:11,920
Speaker 1: I mean that, listen, Chris. I can watch that YouTube

824
00:46:12,280 --> 00:46:16,320
Speaker 1: a game seven Nuggets Clippers, and it's an embarrassment for Kawaila.

825
00:46:16,440 --> 00:46:18,480
Speaker 1: It is such an indictment the way he played like

826
00:46:18,480 --> 00:46:21,840
Speaker 1: a gutless dog in that game, season on the line,

827
00:46:22,120 --> 00:46:26,280
Speaker 1: and you just showed nothing. Lebron would never ever fold

828
00:46:26,640 --> 00:46:28,279
Speaker 1: in a series like that ever in his career, not

829
00:46:28,360 --> 00:46:32,200
Speaker 1: at thirty five, would never do it. I don't know what,

830
00:46:32,200 --> 00:46:34,120
Speaker 1: are you gonna bring up the Celtics. What about Dallas?

831
00:46:36,280 --> 00:46:40,520
Speaker 1: He didn't. He just had an awful series and they

832
00:46:40,560 --> 00:46:44,600
Speaker 1: never he that was the worst series of his career,

833
00:46:44,719 --> 00:46:47,719
Speaker 1: but he never that cost him to Look, I'm not

834
00:46:47,760 --> 00:46:50,840
Speaker 1: gonna rip Lebron right now for that, because obviously he's overcoming.

835
00:46:51,239 --> 00:46:54,400
Speaker 1: But my point is what you just said about Kauai

836
00:46:54,600 --> 00:46:57,680
Speaker 1: you know who. I can say that about Lebron against Dallas.

837
00:46:57,840 --> 00:47:03,760
Speaker 1: I can say that about Magic Johnson Johnson in nineteen

838
00:47:03,880 --> 00:47:11,160
Speaker 1: eighty three, Tragic Johnson. That's against the Celtics. I can

839
00:47:11,239 --> 00:47:16,160
Speaker 1: say he's look, there's not playing well and there are

840
00:47:16,280 --> 00:47:21,520
Speaker 1: making uncharacteristic mistakes because it looked like the moment was

841
00:47:21,560 --> 00:47:23,040
Speaker 1: too big. This is the best point guard in the

842
00:47:23,080 --> 00:47:27,400
Speaker 1: history of the NBA, and he, you know, was dribbled

843
00:47:27,440 --> 00:47:31,320
Speaker 1: out the clock. That's that's a that's that's not the Celtics.

844
00:47:31,320 --> 00:47:34,400
Speaker 1: Didn't do that, that's him. I can say that about

845
00:47:34,400 --> 00:47:42,000
Speaker 1: the legendary Isaiah Thomas against Boston in about everybody except

846
00:47:42,440 --> 00:47:48,920
Speaker 1: Michael Jordan's come on, no no, no, no, no, no oh.

847
00:47:49,000 --> 00:47:52,200
Speaker 1: The Orlando Magic ghating his pocket pick by Donald Royal

848
00:47:52,640 --> 00:47:55,839
Speaker 1: at the end of the game months after he was done. Now,

849
00:47:56,760 --> 00:47:58,920
Speaker 1: and that's what I don't get. I don't like how

850
00:47:58,920 --> 00:48:02,480
Speaker 1: people will make any excuse for you just come back

851
00:48:02,560 --> 00:48:07,400
Speaker 1: to a nation. Yeah. Look, Lebron James had an absolute

852
00:48:07,560 --> 00:48:11,040
Speaker 1: meltdown for one and a half games against the Dallas Mavericks.

853
00:48:11,239 --> 00:48:13,040
Speaker 1: Actually it was four and a half. It was for

854
00:48:13,320 --> 00:48:16,120
Speaker 1: they lost in six, It was for three games. Were

855
00:48:16,160 --> 00:48:19,719
Speaker 1: the last games four or five and six? Well they

856
00:48:19,880 --> 00:48:22,440
Speaker 1: let one of those. I have to go back and

857
00:48:22,480 --> 00:48:27,839
Speaker 1: look exactly, But you can't compare to collapse, Chris. They

858
00:48:27,840 --> 00:48:31,680
Speaker 1: were up three one collapse. All I did was just

859
00:48:32,360 --> 00:48:39,280
Speaker 1: correct your revisionist. Oh you did, look Lebron James, Obviously

860
00:48:39,320 --> 00:48:41,880
Speaker 1: it is. It is not only he's historically better than

861
00:48:41,960 --> 00:48:44,600
Speaker 1: Kauai and he's the best player in the world right now,

862
00:48:45,040 --> 00:48:48,480
Speaker 1: but Kauai Leonard is a top three player in this league,

863
00:48:48,719 --> 00:48:51,680
Speaker 1: and that puts him in the same sentence. I don't

864
00:48:51,719 --> 00:48:53,839
Speaker 1: think Kawai Leonard is a top three player in the league.

865
00:48:53,840 --> 00:48:56,320
Speaker 1: Give me your top five players in the NBA heading

866
00:48:56,320 --> 00:49:08,480
Speaker 1: into this season, Chris, lebron Ka, Kauai Ah, Anthony Davis

867
00:49:08,520 --> 00:49:11,560
Speaker 1: on the Anthony, probably Anthony Davis. I'll give you this

868
00:49:11,600 --> 00:49:13,640
Speaker 1: hot take that you can meritate on this and go

869
00:49:13,760 --> 00:49:15,640
Speaker 1: use it on the odd couple and people will yell

870
00:49:15,680 --> 00:49:19,080
Speaker 1: at you. Luca don Chech heading into this season, is

871
00:49:19,120 --> 00:49:23,000
Speaker 1: a better basketball player than Kauahi Leonard. Luka don che

872
00:49:23,280 --> 00:49:28,440
Speaker 1: does more for his raises the talent level of everybody

873
00:49:28,480 --> 00:49:36,719
Speaker 1: around him. Why hasn't one defense and play? Luca has

874
00:49:36,800 --> 00:49:40,640
Speaker 1: him in every other category. He's a better scorer, he's

875
00:49:40,680 --> 00:49:44,160
Speaker 1: a better passer, he's a better rebounder. I would take

876
00:49:44,239 --> 00:49:47,840
Speaker 1: heading into this season Luka don Che over Kawai Leonard.

877
00:49:47,880 --> 00:49:51,200
Speaker 1: I don't think that has a more versatile or varied

878
00:49:51,280 --> 00:49:53,880
Speaker 1: skill set. Look, I love Lucas. I'm not gonna hate

879
00:49:54,320 --> 00:49:56,440
Speaker 1: or Luca, but I wouldn't put him a head of

880
00:49:56,480 --> 00:50:01,200
Speaker 1: Kawhi Leonard at this point. Maybe you'll jump up there.

881
00:50:01,239 --> 00:50:04,720
Speaker 1: This year we'll see the NBA put Luca opposite Lebron

882
00:50:04,800 --> 00:50:07,959
Speaker 1: on Christmas. The NBA knows Lucas got next. They want

883
00:50:08,040 --> 00:50:11,560
Speaker 1: a lot Zion to have next. Uh, you will get

884
00:50:11,640 --> 00:50:15,760
Speaker 1: no hate from me on Luca. I'm nicknamed him Luca Legend.

885
00:50:15,840 --> 00:50:18,080
Speaker 1: I said he's the new age Larry Bird. I mean,

886
00:50:18,280 --> 00:50:20,439
Speaker 1: I love you. I know you're a triple double guy.

887
00:50:21,080 --> 00:50:25,720
Speaker 1: Kauai had one last year, Luca had seventeen. Let the NBA. Okay,

888
00:50:25,880 --> 00:50:33,040
Speaker 1: did you love? I just said all right, And I

889
00:50:33,080 --> 00:50:36,880
Speaker 1: said that because you're like You're like most people. You

890
00:50:36,960 --> 00:50:41,640
Speaker 1: have different standards for different guys. I'm objective. I'm not

891
00:50:41,680 --> 00:50:45,320
Speaker 1: gonna phrase Westbrook for one thing and hate on Luca

892
00:50:45,400 --> 00:50:48,359
Speaker 1: for the same thing or praise you know, I keep

893
00:50:48,400 --> 00:50:52,000
Speaker 1: it real. He is. Chris Brussardi's on The Odd Couple

894
00:50:52,080 --> 00:50:55,520
Speaker 1: every day with Rob Parker. He's stitching clown suits left

895
00:50:55,560 --> 00:50:58,600
Speaker 1: and right on Parker. Uh, you know, keep up the

896
00:50:58,640 --> 00:51:00,759
Speaker 1: good work on the show, Chris. Everybody likes you on

897
00:51:00,880 --> 00:51:03,680
Speaker 1: FS one, your New York Times career. Chris and I

898
00:51:03,840 --> 00:51:07,560
Speaker 1: go back, way back. I'll say this. I met a

899
00:51:07,600 --> 00:51:09,600
Speaker 1: lot of pretty cool people in FS one, and we

900
00:51:09,719 --> 00:51:11,680
Speaker 1: both had you know, there's been some jerks in there.

901
00:51:11,680 --> 00:51:14,400
Speaker 1: We know every everybody has that at their job. Um,

902
00:51:14,440 --> 00:51:16,880
Speaker 1: and we started one of the good guys, you know. Um,

903
00:51:16,960 --> 00:51:19,319
Speaker 1: he's a nice guy. I like him. Good to call

904
00:51:19,360 --> 00:51:22,040
Speaker 1: him my friend. Chris continued success. Happy holidays to you

905
00:51:22,080 --> 00:51:25,440
Speaker 1: and your family. Thank you, brother. Always enjoyed being on

906
00:51:25,560 --> 00:51:28,080
Speaker 1: straight Fire. I'm sorry. I took you so hard on you.

907
00:51:28,560 --> 00:51:31,480
Speaker 1: I've meant to take it easy and let you dominate

908
00:51:31,560 --> 00:51:35,120
Speaker 1: the conversation, but I just couldn't. But my bad. Next

909
00:51:35,160 --> 00:51:37,719
Speaker 1: time I'll let you. You know this. This felt like

910
00:51:37,840 --> 00:51:41,279
Speaker 1: not down ja again. And obviously I was Jake Paul

911
00:51:41,400 --> 00:51:45,640
Speaker 1: and you were Nate Robinson. Um, No, you know you,

912
00:51:45,760 --> 00:51:48,719
Speaker 1: my boy. I love you, man, and happy holidays that

913
00:51:48,840 --> 00:51:51,160
Speaker 1: you and your family, and keep up the great work.

914
00:51:53,040 --> 00:51:55,840
Speaker 1: The only thing better than sitting on your couch watching

915
00:51:55,880 --> 00:52:00,040
Speaker 1: the gag he's making money while he's doing here to

916
00:52:00,040 --> 00:52:04,680
Speaker 1: see your best bet good stuff from a man Brussory.

917
00:52:04,680 --> 00:52:06,920
Speaker 1: He could go for hours and we literally can go

918
00:52:06,960 --> 00:52:09,920
Speaker 1: back and forth four hours if time permitted, but alas

919
00:52:10,360 --> 00:52:12,200
Speaker 1: it does not. Let's get back to the NFL and

920
00:52:12,320 --> 00:52:16,920
Speaker 1: the best bet one and one on Monday Night Football. Um,

921
00:52:17,000 --> 00:52:21,720
Speaker 1: we hit on Tuesday, so we're now forty four and one. Listen,

922
00:52:21,719 --> 00:52:23,960
Speaker 1: the record has taken some hits here in the last

923
00:52:24,000 --> 00:52:25,799
Speaker 1: couple of weeks, but we were on fire early. We'll

924
00:52:25,840 --> 00:52:29,200
Speaker 1: catch fire again. It happens. This is life, ebbs and flows.

925
00:52:29,239 --> 00:52:34,080
Speaker 1: It's ever all amazing. Nothing is Um here's what I

926
00:52:34,080 --> 00:52:36,719
Speaker 1: think is amazing. My pick for Thursday Night Football. It

927
00:52:36,960 --> 00:52:40,279
Speaker 1: is not aside. I know that's gonna surprise you. It's

928
00:52:40,320 --> 00:52:43,200
Speaker 1: a total on the game, and I'm gonna take the under.

929
00:52:43,320 --> 00:52:47,640
Speaker 1: I'm taking under Rams Patriots. I think it's a great bet.

930
00:52:47,680 --> 00:52:51,640
Speaker 1: It's a very smart bet. Um. Personally, I do like

931
00:52:51,760 --> 00:52:55,000
Speaker 1: the Rams in this spot, but my gut is telling

932
00:52:55,040 --> 00:52:58,680
Speaker 1: me that, Um, something's gonna happen with the Patriots and

933
00:52:58,680 --> 00:53:00,279
Speaker 1: they're gonna be able to keep it close. A couple

934
00:53:00,280 --> 00:53:03,120
Speaker 1: of things to note here. Number one, prime time underdogs

935
00:53:03,239 --> 00:53:06,440
Speaker 1: twenty five and twelve against the spread this year and

936
00:53:06,480 --> 00:53:09,560
Speaker 1: twelves I've seen underdogs are crushing it under the lights

937
00:53:09,560 --> 00:53:13,319
Speaker 1: at prime time. Why is that? Um, Maybe there's no

938
00:53:13,360 --> 00:53:16,680
Speaker 1: home field advantage. Maybe some of the lines are inflated

939
00:53:16,680 --> 00:53:19,759
Speaker 1: because the sports books know everybody's gonna bet on the

940
00:53:19,800 --> 00:53:23,640
Speaker 1: favorite in prime time. UM, but that trend is not

941
00:53:23,719 --> 00:53:26,560
Speaker 1: predicative of what's going to happen. I can tell you

942
00:53:26,640 --> 00:53:30,000
Speaker 1: how I think this game is gonna go. Um, and

943
00:53:30,040 --> 00:53:33,760
Speaker 1: I think I've pretty much got this one down pat. Okay,

944
00:53:33,800 --> 00:53:35,440
Speaker 1: First of all, you guys know how when you go

945
00:53:35,480 --> 00:53:38,719
Speaker 1: to Vegas, like the first night is always the awesome night.

946
00:53:38,760 --> 00:53:42,200
Speaker 1: You're so amped to get there. You go hard and

947
00:53:42,719 --> 00:53:45,040
Speaker 1: it's an epic night, and then the second nights, oh man,

948
00:53:45,080 --> 00:53:46,840
Speaker 1: you're recovering, but it's still good because you're excited to

949
00:53:46,880 --> 00:53:48,719
Speaker 1: be in Vegas. The third night, it's it. That's it.

950
00:53:48,800 --> 00:53:50,879
Speaker 1: You're done. You've got nothing left in the tank. You're

951
00:53:50,920 --> 00:53:53,440
Speaker 1: half ascidate. Your eyes are closing at like eleven o'clock.

952
00:53:54,760 --> 00:53:58,280
Speaker 1: I feel like the Patriots trip to the West Coast.

953
00:53:58,760 --> 00:54:02,399
Speaker 1: That Chargers game was the first night of Vegas. Then

954
00:54:02,440 --> 00:54:04,560
Speaker 1: they had to stay at u c L a unfamiliar

955
00:54:04,600 --> 00:54:09,800
Speaker 1: surroundings all week practice game on Thursday against a Rams

956
00:54:09,840 --> 00:54:12,560
Speaker 1: team that is really good, and I think there's an

957
00:54:12,600 --> 00:54:17,040
Speaker 1: opportunity to in game bet on the Rams. If it's

958
00:54:17,040 --> 00:54:20,920
Speaker 1: at halftime and the Rams are winning, I will double

959
00:54:21,000 --> 00:54:23,920
Speaker 1: down on the Rams. Sean McVeigh. One of the great

960
00:54:24,000 --> 00:54:28,200
Speaker 1: stats you will hear about the Rams this season. McVeigh

961
00:54:28,320 --> 00:54:31,160
Speaker 1: is thirty four and oh when leading at halftime in

962
00:54:31,160 --> 00:54:33,719
Speaker 1: his career. I mean, there's nobody better right now at

963
00:54:33,760 --> 00:54:37,000
Speaker 1: saulting away of victory and clinging to a lead and

964
00:54:37,160 --> 00:54:40,920
Speaker 1: finishing strong. Um Compound that with the fact that the

965
00:54:40,960 --> 00:54:44,920
Speaker 1: Patriots have no passing offense whatsoever. Sure, they hung forty

966
00:54:44,920 --> 00:54:46,600
Speaker 1: five on the Chargers with a lot of that with

967
00:54:46,680 --> 00:54:50,520
Speaker 1: special teams, Cam Newton had sixty nine passing yards. Now,

968
00:54:50,520 --> 00:54:53,360
Speaker 1: I know what you could say, Hey Belichick did not

969
00:54:53,400 --> 00:54:55,520
Speaker 1: want to put anything else on video for the Rams. Well,

970
00:54:55,680 --> 00:54:59,560
Speaker 1: it doesn't matter who cares. There's no no real threats

971
00:54:59,600 --> 00:55:01,600
Speaker 1: that the that the Rams have to worry about here.

972
00:55:02,000 --> 00:55:05,440
Speaker 1: Jalen Ramsey is the lockdown corner who really locked up

973
00:55:05,480 --> 00:55:07,640
Speaker 1: DeAndre Hopkins last week. A few weeks back it was

974
00:55:07,719 --> 00:55:11,200
Speaker 1: DK Metcalf. I mean, Ramsey might be this year the

975
00:55:11,239 --> 00:55:14,000
Speaker 1: best cornerback in the NFL. He's certainly in the top five,

976
00:55:14,080 --> 00:55:16,360
Speaker 1: no doubt about that. And what do you do do

977
00:55:16,400 --> 00:55:18,719
Speaker 1: you just take away a side of the field? If

978
00:55:18,800 --> 00:55:22,240
Speaker 1: Cam Newton favors one side, do you just take away

979
00:55:22,239 --> 00:55:25,040
Speaker 1: that side with Jalen Ramsey and totally eliminated and say

980
00:55:25,040 --> 00:55:26,880
Speaker 1: we're gonna make you work the other half of the field.

981
00:55:26,880 --> 00:55:28,920
Speaker 1: That's what the Jets used to do with Darrell Reeves.

982
00:55:29,360 --> 00:55:31,600
Speaker 1: He would just wipe out half the field. Dion Sanders

983
00:55:31,600 --> 00:55:35,960
Speaker 1: same deal. Um, So if Ramsey can do that, this

984
00:55:36,040 --> 00:55:38,640
Speaker 1: is a Rams secondary that's really nasty. They had a

985
00:55:38,640 --> 00:55:43,000
Speaker 1: good pick six of Kyler Murray last week. Um, I

986
00:55:43,040 --> 00:55:45,279
Speaker 1: think Cam Newton is gonna be in some trouble here. Uh,

987
00:55:45,320 --> 00:55:48,200
Speaker 1: this is a RAMS team overall that kind of feels

988
00:55:48,239 --> 00:55:50,520
Speaker 1: like a sleeping giant. I know, early on I was

989
00:55:50,560 --> 00:55:52,560
Speaker 1: a doubter because they beat up on bad teams like

990
00:55:52,600 --> 00:55:55,960
Speaker 1: the Giants and Washington and Dallas and Philly. All those

991
00:55:56,000 --> 00:55:57,960
Speaker 1: teams are proven to be crap. And that was even

992
00:55:58,000 --> 00:56:00,600
Speaker 1: when Doak was there and the Eagle. You know, we're

993
00:56:00,600 --> 00:56:04,960
Speaker 1: still not awful. Um. But what I've liked is in

994
00:56:05,040 --> 00:56:07,680
Speaker 1: their last their last three losses, two of them to

995
00:56:07,719 --> 00:56:12,440
Speaker 1: San Francisco. Okay, we know Shanahan simply has mcveigh's number.

996
00:56:12,719 --> 00:56:16,400
Speaker 1: Shanahan's defense always seems to roll, and the defense is

997
00:56:16,480 --> 00:56:20,680
Speaker 1: super prepared. It's almost like Shanahan knows what McVeigh is

998
00:56:20,680 --> 00:56:23,000
Speaker 1: gonna do and it's just simply better at it. The

999
00:56:23,040 --> 00:56:25,160
Speaker 1: other loss was to Miami, and that was a tricky

1000
00:56:25,200 --> 00:56:27,359
Speaker 1: loss because it was another trip to the East coast

1001
00:56:27,440 --> 00:56:30,360
Speaker 1: I think at the time. Um, they went east for Philly,

1002
00:56:30,440 --> 00:56:33,240
Speaker 1: then they had to fly home, went back east to Buffalo. Lost,

1003
00:56:33,640 --> 00:56:36,319
Speaker 1: then they had to come back east to Washington. Then

1004
00:56:36,360 --> 00:56:38,400
Speaker 1: they had to come back east to Miami, and they

1005
00:56:38,400 --> 00:56:42,239
Speaker 1: were super flat. Um, they pressured golf. He had four

1006
00:56:42,239 --> 00:56:45,040
Speaker 1: turnovers and a half. It was just an uncharacteristic performance.

1007
00:56:45,520 --> 00:56:48,200
Speaker 1: Can New England pressure golf, Well, we saw they were

1008
00:56:48,239 --> 00:56:50,160
Speaker 1: able to do that in the Super Bowl two years ago.

1009
00:56:50,719 --> 00:56:55,400
Speaker 1: Um Brian Flores is now the head coach of Miami

1010
00:56:55,440 --> 00:56:58,440
Speaker 1: and that he was the one who led that Miami defense.

1011
00:56:58,560 --> 00:57:00,959
Speaker 1: Remember it's heavy on the zero O blitz. I think

1012
00:57:01,640 --> 00:57:04,520
Speaker 1: that the Patriots will probably try that. The thing is

1013
00:57:05,160 --> 00:57:07,600
Speaker 1: that defense just has not been very good this year.

1014
00:57:07,600 --> 00:57:09,359
Speaker 1: And you can say they just shut the Chargers out.

1015
00:57:09,360 --> 00:57:12,640
Speaker 1: Remember it ain't all about what just happened last week.

1016
00:57:12,920 --> 00:57:16,320
Speaker 1: Body of work matters. Okay, last week it was Belichick

1017
00:57:16,360 --> 00:57:20,160
Speaker 1: against a rookie quarterback. He is historically dominated and confused

1018
00:57:20,240 --> 00:57:22,800
Speaker 1: rookie quarterbacks. I'm also going to say the name Anthony

1019
00:57:22,880 --> 00:57:26,680
Speaker 1: Lynn and I'm gonna leave it at that. Okay, McVeigh, Belichick.

1020
00:57:27,240 --> 00:57:29,000
Speaker 1: I think this is a great game. I think it's

1021
00:57:29,040 --> 00:57:32,800
Speaker 1: a low scoring game. If I had to lean, I

1022
00:57:32,840 --> 00:57:35,439
Speaker 1: think the Rams pull this out somewhere in the line

1023
00:57:35,480 --> 00:57:41,600
Speaker 1: of seventeen to nine thirteen. I am betting uh A

1024
00:57:42,080 --> 00:57:44,720
Speaker 1: the under under forty five. It looks like forty are

1025
00:57:44,760 --> 00:57:49,600
Speaker 1: gonna be gone pretty much early this morning, and I

1026
00:57:49,640 --> 00:57:51,960
Speaker 1: think I'll look at halftime and if the Rams are

1027
00:57:52,000 --> 00:57:54,400
Speaker 1: in front, I will um, I will add to my bet,

1028
00:57:54,640 --> 00:57:56,560
Speaker 1: but for the purposes of best bet, we're just doing

1029
00:57:56,600 --> 00:57:59,920
Speaker 1: one and I will take Rams Patriots under. I leave

1030
00:58:00,000 --> 00:58:02,320
Speaker 1: me to the Rams covering here because everybody and their

1031
00:58:02,320 --> 00:58:05,280
Speaker 1: moms on the Patriots. UM. I don't like to follow

1032
00:58:05,280 --> 00:58:08,560
Speaker 1: the crowd. Uh. Everybody, enjoy the game. We'll talk to

1033
00:58:08,600 --> 00:58:09,400
Speaker 1: you Friday.