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Speaker 1: This is Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre. Good morning, everybody,

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Speaker 1: What is up. It's me Jason McIntyre, Straight Fire for Wednesday,

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Speaker 1: March thirty one, and you can tell I'm excited. It's

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Speaker 1: a good day. Stayed up late last night with my

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Speaker 1: daughter watching you ce l A incredibly hold off the

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Speaker 1: number one seed Michigan Wolverines in a thrilling, bad basketball game.

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Speaker 1: It was an awful game. Before I just get into

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Speaker 1: the most of the podcast and we got some fun

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Speaker 1: stuff today. I just have to say Michigan did not

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Speaker 1: make a basket in the final five minutes. They missed

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Speaker 1: their last eight shots, four of them were layouts. I mean,

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Speaker 1: I can't recall a bad, good game like that. It was.

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Speaker 1: It was thrilling. We stayed up late, and of course

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Speaker 1: five years ago this time was on the East coast,

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Speaker 1: and I told my daughter, you're lucky we're not in

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Speaker 1: Pennsylvania anymore, because you're asked a little bit in bed

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Speaker 1: a long time ago. Since this is ending at about

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Speaker 1: midnight Eastern, but um, we have a phenomenal show today.

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Speaker 1: I do want to welcome all the new listeners. Listen.

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Speaker 1: The podcast has had a really good run the last

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Speaker 1: two weeks, a lot of new listeners A welcome in. Hello,

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Speaker 1: It's me Jason, and today we have a special guest.

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Speaker 1: Okay to the newbies. We have a theme on this

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Speaker 1: podcast where we like to find young and up and

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Speaker 1: coming people in sports media. I've actually had two comedians on,

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Speaker 1: one of them not so young. UM. And this guy

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Speaker 1: we have today is day Is. His name is Yo

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Speaker 1: Vaughan Boha. He's a twenty eight year old who covers

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Speaker 1: the Lakers for the Athletic. He's twenty eight years old.

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Speaker 1: He was working for ESPN covering the Lakers and Clippers

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Speaker 1: in college. He's got a great story, really intelligent guy.

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Speaker 1: We talked about Andre Drummond making his debut for the

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Speaker 1: Lakers tonight. You're gonna like it. We are bullish on

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Speaker 1: the Denver Nuggets, who one again last night. I am

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Speaker 1: extremely bullish on the Nuggets. Um. Also bullish on the

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Speaker 1: Sun's less bullish on the paper Clips. Those frauds lost

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Speaker 1: again last night. We'll get into all that coming up,

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Speaker 1: but first we gotta start with March madness. I do

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Speaker 1: want to say this, when I moved out to Los

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Speaker 1: Angeles and Okay to do TV for FS one do

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Speaker 1: the radio for Fox Sports Radio. I would drive to

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Speaker 1: the lot and the lot is very close to the

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Speaker 1: u c l A Westwood campus, and of course there's

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Speaker 1: some young guys on the lot who were producers on shows,

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Speaker 1: and even a guy Doug Gottlieb who comes over does

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Speaker 1: FS one. He would be like, yeah, let's go play

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Speaker 1: some pickup ball at u c l A. I was like, oh,

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Speaker 1: we could just roll up. They're like, now you gotta

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Speaker 1: um get this U c l A gym pass and

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Speaker 1: I was like, fine, you know, sure, I'll go hang

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Speaker 1: out on a college campus and play pick up basketball.

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Speaker 1: Why not? Um? And so I got the past. You

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Speaker 1: basically have to make some kind of donation and then

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Speaker 1: you get to u c l A gym card and

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Speaker 1: you go to the gym. And I gotta be honest.

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Speaker 1: I walked on campus and it was like, wow, this

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Speaker 1: is really a nice campus. And we go play pick

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Speaker 1: up all and it was fun. And I'll never forget

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Speaker 1: one time we played pick up all. The u c

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Speaker 1: l A. Chris Carter, former NFL player, comes and you know,

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Speaker 1: Chris Carter's got the loud voice. Everybody knows him. You know,

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Speaker 1: you walk into the gym there's I think there's four

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Speaker 1: courts stacked next to each other, and there's people waiting

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Speaker 1: on every court. It's annoying. It's college and you know,

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Speaker 1: nobody don't recognize me from TV. I'm not a big

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Speaker 1: enough name Chris Carter. People instantly, the college kids coming up. Yo,

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Speaker 1: c see what's up. People are fans. So we get

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Speaker 1: on the court. Thirty minute wait till I get on

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Speaker 1: and Chris Carter starts talking trash to college kids and

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Speaker 1: starts calling all these fouls. It was awesome. We want

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Speaker 1: our first game, lost our second, and then you wait

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Speaker 1: realize like a forty five minute wait, and at this

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Speaker 1: time it's rush hour. I gotta drive a long way home.

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Speaker 1: I'm like, I'm not waiting around so um. Anyway, that's

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Speaker 1: my story. I'm a fan of u c l A. Okay,

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Speaker 1: I've got I got a buddy who has season tickets.

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Speaker 1: He went to u c l A. He's one of

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Speaker 1: these boosters who flies on the plane with some of

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Speaker 1: the other boosters for the football team games. So I've sat,

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Speaker 1: you know, second row u c l A games, and

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Speaker 1: I liked the program. And I gotta say I didn't

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Speaker 1: see this coming. Okay, consider what U c l A

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Speaker 1: just did to get to the Final four. Okay lost

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Speaker 1: their final four games of the regular season. They get

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Speaker 1: to the play in game, they're trailing Michigan State by

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Speaker 1: sixteen points, come back and win. They need two overtime

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Speaker 1: games just to get to the Final four. All that

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Speaker 1: and in the game last night against Michigan. This is staggering.

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Speaker 1: Number one, no seniors on the u c l A roster,

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Speaker 1: not odd by the bright lights of the e lade

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Speaker 1: eight Okay zero points from their bench, and coming into

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Speaker 1: this season, not one player on u c l A

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Speaker 1: had one game of n c A tournament experience. It

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Speaker 1: seriously is crazy how you c l A pulled this off.

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Speaker 1: It was staggery. Their first time in the Final four

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Speaker 1: since Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook Darren Collison back in

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Speaker 1: two thousand and eight. They are the first team the

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Speaker 1: Bruins to go first four to the final four. Just

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Speaker 1: an incredible run. I don't know how you can't not

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Speaker 1: like this team. That being said, they're gonna get choked

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Speaker 1: out badly. Why Gonzaga. It is gonna be a blood bath.

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Speaker 1: I saw the line open at thirteen last night. I

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Speaker 1: popped it it went up to thirteen and a half.

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Speaker 1: I popped it again. I don't see them being able

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Speaker 1: to hang with Gonzaga now, Rob g I know you

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Speaker 1: watch Gonzaga open a can on USC and they just

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Speaker 1: dismembered them. It was ugly. Um like an idiot. I

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Speaker 1: had you USC getting nine points. It was seven nothing.

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Speaker 1: In like a heartbeat, I think USC had attempted one

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Speaker 1: shot and they were down seven nothing. I was like,

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Speaker 1: all right, this is over. So I in game bet

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Speaker 1: Gonzaga by sixteen and a half, which is a dumb bet,

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Speaker 1: but I need to chase because I knew us he

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Speaker 1: was a loser. That bet covered and Gonzaga is a machine.

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Speaker 1: Rob They're gonna murder U c l A. Right, Yeah,

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Speaker 1: you know I'm a U c l A fan two,

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Speaker 1: so you know I'm excited that they made this run.

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Speaker 1: You know, I already put on Twitter last night Johnny

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Speaker 1: jusing hashtag future Laker. He's he's in my heart forever

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Speaker 1: to ask you, does he remind you just because he's

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Speaker 1: an instant offense guy. They had what fifty points? I

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Speaker 1: think fifty one? He had twenty eight of them. He

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Speaker 1: got over half their points? Is he a little bit

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Speaker 1: Jordan Clarkson ish in that he gets the ball. He

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Speaker 1: just a professional scorer, like some people are assassins. I

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Speaker 1: like to consider myself a professional shooter from three point land.

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Speaker 1: Johnny Jus is just to score. He is going to

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Speaker 1: get the ball and get buckets. That's what he does. So, yeah,

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Speaker 1: you do think he's a future future NBA guy, right, Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I definitely think he'll be a rotational him be a guy. Um,

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Speaker 1: I don't think that clark mean, Clarkson is is a

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Speaker 1: fair comparison because of the scoring. But he's not as

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Speaker 1: athletic as Clarkson. But he's a much better shooter. You

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Speaker 1: know when Clarkson was coming out of college. How about

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Speaker 1: this that real quick before you go on using right played,

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Speaker 1: I would guess thirty six minutes. The box score doesn't

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Speaker 1: have it that. I'm looking at twenty eight points, zero assists,

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Speaker 1: and you get the ball in his hands like almost

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Speaker 1: every possession zero assists for Jus. Look, man, the hand

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Speaker 1: is for shooting, not passing. Okay, that you get paid

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Speaker 1: to score? Nick Young, what does he say? The tattoos

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Speaker 1: are only on the left arm because the right arm

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Speaker 1: for buckets. That's what he said. No. But like as

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Speaker 1: far as the U c l A Gonzaga matchup, I

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Speaker 1: also Thinknzaga is gonna roll um. But I will say this, Gonzaga,

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Speaker 1: whether they know it or not, is under more pressure,

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Speaker 1: I think than any college basketball team that I can remember.

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Speaker 1: I think maybe the most recent one would be fifteen

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Speaker 1: Kentucky where they were undefeated and lost in the Final four.

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Speaker 1: They lost to a veteran Wisconsin team, right Kaminsky and Decker.

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Speaker 1: And I think Jim Jackson's son was the point guard

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Speaker 1: on that team, not pent I need to check that,

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Speaker 1: but like that was a veteran Wisconsin team. Uh, you know,

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Speaker 1: Gonzaga playing this U c l A tea without a senior,

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Speaker 1: I don't know, Man, this is a tall order for

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Speaker 1: U c l A. No. I I agree. I fully

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Speaker 1: expect Nzaga to win. But what I'm saying is it's

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Speaker 1: not so much that they're undefeated, because we've seen you

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Speaker 1: know St. Joe's which state you know, go undefeated. It's

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Speaker 1: that they are destroying everybody that they play. And it

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Speaker 1: reminds me a lot of un l V in the

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Speaker 1: nineties when they were blowing everybody out. So when it

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Speaker 1: got to the final four, I think it lost the

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Speaker 1: duke that I from correct um and it got tight

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Speaker 1: and they didn't they didn't know how to perform. Now,

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Speaker 1: I don't think ZA is gonna have that problem because,

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Speaker 1: like you said, I think that they are much much

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Speaker 1: better team in the u c l A. But for

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Speaker 1: U c l A to go from the first four

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Speaker 1: to the final four and each game, I thought that

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Speaker 1: they were severely outmanned. I didn't think that they have

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Speaker 1: the talent to match up with any of the teams

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Speaker 1: that they beat. But they're just a tough, gritty team,

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Speaker 1: like they don't give up, they're they're they're in the mix,

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Speaker 1: fighting for everyone exactly. And if you watch that U

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Speaker 1: c l A game closely, it was eleven four Michigan

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Speaker 1: early and then Jus and caught fire scored twelve straight.

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Speaker 1: Because if he doesn't take over there, it's like, oh man,

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Speaker 1: this is you know, Michigan roles. And I'm just gonna

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Speaker 1: echo what you said. Gonzaga is used to beating people.

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Speaker 1: This is one of the craziest stats I can remember

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Speaker 1: in college basketball. Rob They've won twenty six straight games

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Speaker 1: by double digits. Twenty six straight games by double digits.

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Speaker 1: They have plitic close games since December, Like, what's gonna

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Speaker 1: happen if U c l A Is able to hang around?

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Speaker 1: Do they get tight? Kiss? Burt and sugs and Timmy.

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Speaker 1: By the way, I put this out on it her

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Speaker 1: and it did not get well received. Timmy the big fella,

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Speaker 1: he's like six ten. He's got the food mancho, which

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Speaker 1: I gotta be honest, I've tried to rock that and

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Speaker 1: the wife just nixes it every time. She's like, do

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Speaker 1: not even come to the dinner table with that? That

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Speaker 1: is unacceptable. The food Mancho, though, looks tough, So Timmy

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Speaker 1: looks tough. Did you see him going at Evan Mobley,

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Speaker 1: the possible number one pick of USC, I mean rob,

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Speaker 1: He went right at him, hit him with some up

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Speaker 1: and unders, a little shakes and drew. Timmy was celebrating

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Speaker 1: after every bucket he had thirteen points in like five minutes.

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Speaker 1: He was flexing. He did the like crowd thing. He

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Speaker 1: did the Jordan's shoulder shrug. I mean, I mean, I'm

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Speaker 1: kind of laughing, but I'm like, this guy has some moves.

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Speaker 1: Like I know people are freaked out when I said,

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Speaker 1: you know, his absolute ceiling, best case scenario and Drew Timmy.

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Speaker 1: He has a thousand lives, his best life ever. He

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Speaker 1: reminds me of Kevin McHale with some of his low

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Speaker 1: post moves. Now, Rob just fell out of his chair

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Speaker 1: because he wasn't even born with Kevin McHale was up

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Speaker 1: and undering some folks in the eighties. I have a

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Speaker 1: couple of years on Rob. Listen. Michale was a low post,

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Speaker 1: just automatic. He was a bucket in the on the block.

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Speaker 1: And that's how I see Drew Timmy would He's going

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Speaker 1: at a seven footer and without fear and scoring on him.

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Speaker 1: I'm like, this guy could he could play in the league.

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Speaker 1: I know he's a you know, a big white guy

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Speaker 1: in a bunch of people are always a white stiff. No, no,

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Speaker 1: this guy can play. He Frank Kaminski, you know, coming

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Speaker 1: out of Wisconsin, I thought he was gonna be better

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Speaker 1: than he is. I think Drew Timmy can be better

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Speaker 1: than Kaminsky, even though he's not a three point shooter.

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Speaker 1: You know, Timmy is a five. You know, can he

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Speaker 1: handle Carl Anthony Town on the block. I don't know,

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Speaker 1: but I know he's not gonna back down from him.

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Speaker 1: He's got a hell of a lot of offensive moves,

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Speaker 1: and he read on Drew Timmy rob g Well, I

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Speaker 1: think he's a very good college player. I'm not good

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Speaker 1: at projecting how guys are doing the NBA unless it's

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Speaker 1: the really, really upper echel on guys. So like Evan Mobley, yes,

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Speaker 1: K Cunningham no, but um Cody Riley from U C.

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Speaker 1: L A. Is not the same kind of defender as

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Speaker 1: the mobile guys. The mobile guys are thin, athletic shot blockers.

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Speaker 1: I think Riley can dunk, I'm not, but he's he's

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Speaker 1: a stout, physical defender. You're yeah, he's not gonna block

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Speaker 1: a ton of shots, but he're not going to back

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Speaker 1: him down either. That was the problem that Michigan had

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Speaker 1: last night is even though he got in felt trouble.

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Speaker 1: When he was in, they weren't moving him off that block.

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Speaker 1: They were shooting contested four footers. They just kept clanking

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Speaker 1: off the backboard. So I think that he'll do better

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Speaker 1: in that individual matchup than than the Mobiles did. But

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Speaker 1: you know, Gonzaga is a lot more than than Timmy.

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Speaker 1: You know, they get guys for days. I mean, listen, Riley.

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Speaker 1: I I joked that he's a fire rider he's probably

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Speaker 1: better more like a refrigerator. Um, he's not. He's difficult

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Speaker 1: to move, but he's just so foul prone. You know,

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Speaker 1: I wrote him my right up for Fox Sports. If

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Speaker 1: he gets in foul trouble U c l A has done.

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Speaker 1: He got in foul trouble U c l A one.

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Speaker 1: You know, I still don't know how they won this game.

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Speaker 1: It's it's unbelievable how they pulled off that victory. But

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Speaker 1: Gonzaga is gonna murder them. By the way, I just

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Speaker 1: checked again. The line is up to fourteen now for Gonzaga.

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Speaker 1: So if you missed it, this is a little risky

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Speaker 1: Ken palm. By the way, the analytics says Gonzaga by twelve,

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Speaker 1: the eye test says Gonzaga by a millie And UM,

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Speaker 1: I don't know, Houston Baylor. I guess we could weigh

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Speaker 1: in on that on Friday Show. I did bet it.

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Speaker 1: I don't want to give away my bet yet. Line

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Speaker 1: has not really budged. That's not that's gonna be more

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Speaker 1: of a rock fight, Houston Baylor. I think Gonzaga U

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Speaker 1: c l A will be kind of a train wreck. Um,

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Speaker 1: I I really don't see in scenario where u c

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Speaker 1: l A keeps his close outside of you know, Gonzaga

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Speaker 1: rolls up on the game and they're like, hey, we're

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Speaker 1: thirty and oh and as you said, Rob, there is

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Speaker 1: some pressure here to be the first undefeated team in

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Speaker 1: over forty years. I don't know, Rob, watching Gonzaga, I'll

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Speaker 1: wrap up on this. Do you think they are as

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Speaker 1: good as I don't know some of those like Duke

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Speaker 1: nineties teams U n l V team that was a juggernaut,

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Speaker 1: Kentucky thirty eight. No, Um, North Carolina has had some

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Speaker 1: monster teams. Just on the eye test, Does Gonzaga look

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Speaker 1: that good? No? Now, they they look great, And I'm

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Speaker 1: not gonna say that they look awesome. But this is

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Speaker 1: and you'll admit that, this is a very down year

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Speaker 1: in college basketball because of COVID. You know, a lot

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Speaker 1: of the top players are playing in the G League. Um.

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Speaker 1: You know, the blue Bloods had basically a gap year

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Speaker 1: where they decided not to participate this season, and so Gonzaga,

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Speaker 1: to their credit, they have a season in two team

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Speaker 1: and their five star that they got played like a

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Speaker 1: five star like some of the guys that Duke so.

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Speaker 1: But they already had a kind of a head start

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Speaker 1: to the season, and I actually think we probably talked

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Speaker 1: about a couple weeks a that this is, you know,

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Speaker 1: a crossroads for the blue Bloods, and I think Gonzaga

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Speaker 1: is now, especially the way they recruit. They don't normally

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Speaker 1: go with the five stars. They get the four stars

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Speaker 1: and build them up for a couple of years. They

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Speaker 1: get a couple of transfers, so I think they are

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Speaker 1: going to be the new model for college basketball. I

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Speaker 1: just don't think that they have the same top end

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Speaker 1: talent as some of the other teams back in the day.

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Speaker 1: One interesting note, and again there's a lot of college

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Speaker 1: hoops to the new listeners. We do college hoops in

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Speaker 1: March and that's about it, because that's all I'm allowed

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Speaker 1: to talk about. I do like the sport. I gamble

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Speaker 1: on it a lot um, but it's during football season,

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Speaker 1: so good luck. Quick note, remember when Friend for Sheila

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Speaker 1: last week, and if you guys missed that pot, I

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Speaker 1: suggest going back and listening to Friend for Silla talking

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Speaker 1: about college basketball and the blue blood struggling. He said,

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Speaker 1: transfers are the next wave. That's what people are gonna

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Speaker 1: target as the one and done. Elite guys go to

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Speaker 1: the G League or overseas. And you guys know, I'm

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Speaker 1: an owner of the minority owner of a basketball team

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Speaker 1: in Australia and that's the league. Had r J. Hampton

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Speaker 1: who's down in the Orlando Magic and LaMelo Ball who's

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Speaker 1: uh injured now on the Hornets, Like there are options

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Speaker 1: for the elite one and done, guys, right, So the

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Speaker 1: transfers are where it's at. Little news on Tuesday, Kellen Grady,

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Speaker 1: who's the greatest player at Davidson since Steph Curry. You

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Speaker 1: could are also say the only player at Davidson since

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Speaker 1: Steph Curry. He transferred to Kentucky. And now Rob this

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Speaker 1: was kind of buried. You know, there's a lot of

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Speaker 1: NFL rumors and you know the Justin Fields pro day

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Speaker 1: and Andre Drummond coming up, and like it's got buried,

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Speaker 1: but just file it away for next March. Kellen Grady,

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Speaker 1: this kid's incredible. He's a pro. I don't know why

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Speaker 1: he didn't come out ever a freshman year. I guess

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Speaker 1: he didn't get a high enough grade or whatever. He's

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Speaker 1: gonna be in the NBA. He's going to Kentucky. This

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Speaker 1: guy's a winner. This is where the Blue bloods are

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Speaker 1: going They're gonna be chasing the transfers because some of

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Speaker 1: the one had done kids. If you get a twenty

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Speaker 1: two year old, as you know, the kid from Oregon Duarte,

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Speaker 1: three years old playing against eighteen year olds, who's gonna

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Speaker 1: win that battle unless you're looking at you know, Anthony

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Speaker 1: Davis at eighteen, more often than not the twenty two

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Speaker 1: year old twenty three year old transfer. These veterans are

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Speaker 1: gonna win. And that's where the actions at all. Right,

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Speaker 1: without further ado, here we are with Yo Vaughan Buha,

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Speaker 1: who covers the Lakers for the Athletic. Fox Sports Radio

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Speaker 1: has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch

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Speaker 1: all of our shows at Fox sports Radio dot com

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Speaker 1: and within the I Heart Radio app search f s

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Speaker 1: R to listen live. Jason likes to think he knows

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

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Speaker 1: dance want, but for everything he doesn't. He knows a

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

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Speaker 1: who knows he knows another guy. All right, let's welcome

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Speaker 1: into straight fire a young writer who is big time

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Speaker 1: on the rise. You know, we like to identify guys

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Speaker 1: before they blow up. I think this guy already popped.

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Speaker 1: I mean he worked for Simmons at grant Land in college,

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Speaker 1: he was covering the Lakers for ESP. I mean, this

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Speaker 1: guy's done everything. His name is Yo von Buha, Yes

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Speaker 1: that's how you say it. He's with the athletic Yovan.

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Speaker 1: How are you, man, I'm doing well, man. Thank you

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Speaker 1: for having me on the podcast. Yeah, thanks for taking

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Speaker 1: the time. Now we gotta start with this. You were

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Speaker 1: a USC grad. Obviously USC an amazing tournament run. How

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Speaker 1: closely have you followed it? And uh, you're a lifelong

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Speaker 1: l A guy, right I am? I am. Um. Funny story.

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Speaker 1: I actually grew up a U C. L A fan,

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Speaker 1: but when it came to going to school, uh, it

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Speaker 1: was U s A doesn't have a journalism program, so um,

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Speaker 1: I had to switch allegiances. And I'm glad I made

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Speaker 1: that choice. There's a lot of young guys who listened

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Speaker 1: to this because I had started a website and I

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Speaker 1: sold in and I kind of got lucky and everybody

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Speaker 1: that's the most popular question I get over Instagram. D M, dude,

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Speaker 1: how do I get where you are? Like? And usually

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Speaker 1: the path is you go to college? Right, you write

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Speaker 1: for the school paper, maybe the local paper, and then

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Speaker 1: you have to go to basically parts unknown, you know, Dubuke, Iowa,

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Speaker 1: and and work at a small newspaper and work your

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Speaker 1: way up the ladder. Right, that's I'm sure you've heard

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Speaker 1: this story with a lot of people, right. I didn't

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Speaker 1: want to do that, Yovan, And I'm sure you didn't either,

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Speaker 1: being in l A a minute from Staples Center. So

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Speaker 1: how did you go around that? Because everybody wants to

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Speaker 1: come in the back door and rise up the ladder. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: so that's a really good question. I mean, I I

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Speaker 1: do think that. I don't know if it was intuition

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Speaker 1: or or what kind of led me to it, but

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Speaker 1: I just had a little bit of a mindset shift where,

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Speaker 1: you know, going to sc it felt like everyone was

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Speaker 1: doing the as you said, writing for the school paper,

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Speaker 1: you know, working for the school TV station, and you know,

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Speaker 1: there's no knock on that, right, Like it's a tried

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Speaker 1: and true formula and it's worked for so many people.

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Speaker 1: But for me, I've always been an NBA junkie since

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Speaker 1: I was eight, and it's just been like, I don't

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Speaker 1: even really consider myself a sports fan. I consider myself

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Speaker 1: an NBA fan and I'm on one of those types.

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Speaker 1: So for me, it was just laser focus on. I

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Speaker 1: wanted to cover the n b A. I wanted to

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Speaker 1: be you know, in an NBA city for college. So

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Speaker 1: when I was making that decision, ultimately it came down

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Speaker 1: to USC or Syracuse for me, And it was kind

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Speaker 1: of tough because I was like, look at Syracuse and

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Speaker 1: all the alumni that they've produced, right and just how

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Speaker 1: successful they've been. But for me, I'm from l A

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Speaker 1: as you mentioned, and staying home, being around family and friends,

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Speaker 1: but but also being next to Staples Center. Um, you know,

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Speaker 1: I didn't have a car in college until til later

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Speaker 1: in college, so I would take the bus to Staples

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Speaker 1: Center and um it was only a you know, two

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Speaker 1: mild commute. But um, for for me, it was a

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Speaker 1: lot of like sacrificing Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights, you know,

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Speaker 1: my my friends where you know, I wasn't a fraternity

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Speaker 1: so I had some fun in the beginning of my

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Speaker 1: college uh tenure, but really from like sophomore year on,

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Speaker 1: it was laser focus of you know, Thursday, Friday, Saturday,

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna be at Staples Center at a Laker game

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Speaker 1: or a Clipper game. So for me, I got my

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Speaker 1: start with Clipper Blog, which I don't know if you remember, Yes, true,

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Speaker 1: but it was basically, for for those who are unaware,

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Speaker 1: it was like ESPN's version of sp Nation. So I

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Speaker 1: got a break going into my sophomore year of college, uh,

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Speaker 1: just writing for them, and you know that that was

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Speaker 1: for free, that wasn't paid. But the bonus was the

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Speaker 1: creator of Clipper Blog and the owner of Clipper Blog

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Speaker 1: as Kevin Arnovitz, who's a accomplished NBA writer and editor

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Speaker 1: at ESPN. Um So having that connection allowed me to

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Speaker 1: start freelance writing for ESPN l A. Because at that

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Speaker 1: time that was right when the Clippers ended up getting

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Speaker 1: Chris Paul, so all of a sudden, there was all

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Speaker 1: this demand for Clipper content. So that kind of got

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Speaker 1: my foot in the door. Then around the same time,

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Speaker 1: I ended up interviewing and getting an internship at grant

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Speaker 1: Land right when it had just started, it was a

423
00:21:43,840 --> 00:21:46,119
Speaker 1: few months old. So so those two things at the

424
00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:48,359
Speaker 1: same time really kind of got things in motion for me.

425
00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:51,359
Speaker 1: Where um, I was basically like living at l A

426
00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:53,919
Speaker 1: Live and Staples Center, you know, and you were what

427
00:21:54,080 --> 00:21:57,600
Speaker 1: nineteen or twenty was eighteen at the time. I was

428
00:21:57,640 --> 00:22:00,359
Speaker 1: a young one, so um yeah, so I was, you know,

429
00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:02,199
Speaker 1: eight like you know, I think at the time I

430
00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:05,000
Speaker 1: was the youngest person writing for ESPN, you know in

431
00:22:05,040 --> 00:22:07,720
Speaker 1: the country. Um, so that that was a really great

432
00:22:07,720 --> 00:22:10,040
Speaker 1: experience for me, and I continue to freelance right for

433
00:22:10,080 --> 00:22:13,600
Speaker 1: them through school and again it was like, you know,

434
00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:15,720
Speaker 1: I I did a little bit at the TV station,

435
00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:18,200
Speaker 1: a little bit for for the newspaper my senior year,

436
00:22:18,240 --> 00:22:20,840
Speaker 1: but it was just, you know, why would I be

437
00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:23,000
Speaker 1: covering college sports when I want to be covering the

438
00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:25,359
Speaker 1: NBA and I have this opportunity. So I used that

439
00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:28,160
Speaker 1: to to get a job with Fox Sports coming out

440
00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:29,879
Speaker 1: of school. Was there a couple of years, and went

441
00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:31,959
Speaker 1: to ESPN for a couple of years, and now been

442
00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:34,840
Speaker 1: at the Athletic for almost three years. So I do

443
00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:36,800
Speaker 1: before we get to the Lakers, do were you a

444
00:22:36,800 --> 00:22:39,800
Speaker 1: big athlete grown up or like, what was the connection

445
00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:42,320
Speaker 1: to the NBA? What why do you like it so much? Yeah? So,

446
00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:45,440
Speaker 1: I mean I think growing up, Um, you know, as

447
00:22:46,280 --> 00:22:48,199
Speaker 1: a boy, you kind of feel that pressure to like

448
00:22:48,240 --> 00:22:50,760
Speaker 1: find your sport, right, So I had done some soccer

449
00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:53,600
Speaker 1: my my dad's Serbian, so you know, soccer is huge

450
00:22:54,160 --> 00:22:57,360
Speaker 1: uh in Serbia. UM. And then I done some karate

451
00:22:57,520 --> 00:23:01,560
Speaker 1: and skateboarding and I tried different things, but nothing really

452
00:23:01,640 --> 00:23:04,639
Speaker 1: was like my passion. And then, uh, just randomly at

453
00:23:04,680 --> 00:23:07,080
Speaker 1: school one day, someone invited me to play basketball and

454
00:23:07,200 --> 00:23:08,879
Speaker 1: I tried it and I fell in love with it.

455
00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:12,119
Speaker 1: And I am tall. I'm six five, so I've always

456
00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:13,920
Speaker 1: been like a bigger kid, so that was an advantage

457
00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:17,400
Speaker 1: for me, um playing basketball. But yeah, I played all

458
00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:21,280
Speaker 1: through uh you know, varsity senior year and UM did

459
00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:24,080
Speaker 1: did that whole thing, but it didn't play beyond that.

460
00:23:24,280 --> 00:23:26,800
Speaker 1: And that that was when I kind of shifted into journalism.

461
00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:28,840
Speaker 1: Was it was my senior year of like, okay, I'm

462
00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:31,440
Speaker 1: not making the NBA, I'm not playing I'm not playing

463
00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:34,040
Speaker 1: D one. Um. You know, maybe I could go play

464
00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:35,960
Speaker 1: like a small D three school or something, but that

465
00:23:35,960 --> 00:23:39,520
Speaker 1: that wasn't at that point. My My passion was analyzing

466
00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:41,720
Speaker 1: the game. And it's funny, I've gone back to my

467
00:23:41,800 --> 00:23:45,199
Speaker 1: childhood home and like actually found notebooks I had when

468
00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:48,239
Speaker 1: I was like eighte of like writing down stats and

469
00:23:48,240 --> 00:23:51,000
Speaker 1: like analyzing games. I was watching, like I've been doing

470
00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:53,439
Speaker 1: that since I was like eight nine. So, UM, I

471
00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:55,880
Speaker 1: think before even knowing that that was what I wanted

472
00:23:55,880 --> 00:23:58,320
Speaker 1: to do. And I'm just very fortunate I was able

473
00:23:58,359 --> 00:24:00,320
Speaker 1: to kind of figure that out. That's wild. Yeah, I

474
00:24:00,320 --> 00:24:02,919
Speaker 1: mean I similar vibe. I would do you know, you

475
00:24:02,960 --> 00:24:05,200
Speaker 1: had the nerve hoop on the on like the door

476
00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:08,800
Speaker 1: in the basement, and I would like write down the

477
00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:11,560
Speaker 1: actual teams. Okay, it's the Bucks against the Rockets, and

478
00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:13,520
Speaker 1: I was just playing by myself and I'd be like, uh,

479
00:24:13,560 --> 00:24:16,080
Speaker 1: there's two points four. But this was like the nineteen

480
00:24:16,200 --> 00:24:19,280
Speaker 1: like ninety Houston Rockets or whatever the old team was,

481
00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:22,199
Speaker 1: and I knew like every player And it sounds like

482
00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:23,880
Speaker 1: you were really really into it. But I gotta ask,

483
00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:25,800
Speaker 1: did you have a chance to play D three hoops

484
00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:28,600
Speaker 1: or at any point of game? Guy, I was that

485
00:24:28,640 --> 00:24:31,119
Speaker 1: I was not. Um, you know, I think it's probably

486
00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:33,800
Speaker 1: like I I had friends who played, and I think

487
00:24:33,800 --> 00:24:38,199
Speaker 1: it's yeah, like it just wasn't something I was interested, Like,

488
00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:40,320
Speaker 1: you know, I I didn't have you know, I didn't

489
00:24:40,359 --> 00:24:42,520
Speaker 1: have the best high school experience in terms of just

490
00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:45,159
Speaker 1: like you know, I didn't love my coaches. Uh just

491
00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:48,640
Speaker 1: leave it at that, and uh, um, so I think

492
00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:51,280
Speaker 1: I fell out of love of playing the game. But

493
00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:54,040
Speaker 1: the analyzing the game and watching the game was still there,

494
00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:56,199
Speaker 1: but but I stall the experience of you know, I

495
00:24:56,240 --> 00:24:58,680
Speaker 1: haven't played it at a college level or a professional level,

496
00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:01,399
Speaker 1: but I did play it at you know, varsity. We

497
00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:05,160
Speaker 1: made playoffs. Like you know, I played um against Anthony Brown,

498
00:25:05,200 --> 00:25:07,879
Speaker 1: who ended up playing on the Lakers. It was a

499
00:25:07,880 --> 00:25:12,280
Speaker 1: second round draft pick. So like again, like I H,

500
00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:14,320
Speaker 1: I think for me though, I've made up for the

501
00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:17,639
Speaker 1: lack that lack of professional experience and playing with with

502
00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:20,520
Speaker 1: just studying the game, studying stats and trying to know

503
00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:23,280
Speaker 1: as much as I can. Yeah. No, that's cool, man,

504
00:25:23,320 --> 00:25:26,200
Speaker 1: I love it. So you know you're covering the Lakers

505
00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:30,520
Speaker 1: and you've covered the Chris Paul Clippers. Um, I guess

506
00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:33,520
Speaker 1: you covered some of the end of Kobe maybe yeah, yeah,

507
00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:36,000
Speaker 1: I was, like I was at Kobe's final game. But

508
00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:39,840
Speaker 1: so now, I mean, now it's like Lebron and Anthony

509
00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:42,280
Speaker 1: Davis and were you in the bubble? I wasn't in

510
00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:44,440
Speaker 1: the bubble, so I was. I was covering the Clippers

511
00:25:44,440 --> 00:25:46,480
Speaker 1: at that time. So my first two years of the

512
00:25:46,560 --> 00:25:49,080
Speaker 1: athletic I covered the Clippers, and then in December I

513
00:25:49,119 --> 00:25:53,240
Speaker 1: got moved over to the Lakers beat not bad. Yeah, Lakers.

514
00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:56,480
Speaker 1: Uh so I'll say this, Yovan, right now, they're unwatchable.

515
00:25:56,520 --> 00:25:58,440
Speaker 1: Like you turn on the game, it's Kyle Kuzma, Jack

516
00:25:58,480 --> 00:26:01,479
Speaker 1: and bad shots and you know, Shooter trying to make

517
00:26:01,520 --> 00:26:05,199
Speaker 1: things happen. What's the latest on Anthony Davis. It's this,

518
00:26:05,359 --> 00:26:07,760
Speaker 1: you know, it's almost seems like a mystery. We don't

519
00:26:07,800 --> 00:26:10,200
Speaker 1: We're waiting and like there's nothing from the Lakers. Is

520
00:26:10,280 --> 00:26:14,000
Speaker 1: this by designer? So, I mean to your first point,

521
00:26:14,280 --> 00:26:18,560
Speaker 1: this is I think this last night against Orlando was

522
00:26:18,760 --> 00:26:21,879
Speaker 1: the least watchable game I've seen this season. It was

523
00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:24,400
Speaker 1: just I mean, yeah, I don't know if you caught

524
00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:26,680
Speaker 1: any of that game, but if you didn't, you're lucky

525
00:26:26,760 --> 00:26:28,399
Speaker 1: because that that was just an I soore that was

526
00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:30,919
Speaker 1: really bad. Um, you know, both teams. I mean they

527
00:26:30,960 --> 00:26:32,959
Speaker 1: didn't crack a hundred points, which like in the modern

528
00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:37,040
Speaker 1: game is is almost impossible to do. So um yeah,

529
00:26:37,080 --> 00:26:39,120
Speaker 1: I mean I think with a d You know, the

530
00:26:39,119 --> 00:26:41,160
Speaker 1: the update we got at the end of last week

531
00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:45,240
Speaker 1: is that he has started on court work. That is

532
00:26:45,320 --> 00:26:48,720
Speaker 1: very vague. Obviously, you know, that can mean just shooting,

533
00:26:49,040 --> 00:26:52,840
Speaker 1: that can mean like like it wasn't specified what type

534
00:26:52,840 --> 00:26:55,879
Speaker 1: of on court work. Now, they said he is progressing

535
00:26:56,280 --> 00:27:00,560
Speaker 1: and he's resumed on court activity. Um, you know my knowledge,

536
00:27:00,560 --> 00:27:02,920
Speaker 1: he's not doing five on five's or you know, he's

537
00:27:02,920 --> 00:27:06,159
Speaker 1: not at that you know, physical contact level. So you know,

538
00:27:06,160 --> 00:27:07,600
Speaker 1: if if I had to guess, I think he's out

539
00:27:07,640 --> 00:27:11,320
Speaker 1: at least two more weeks uh, and and potentially even

540
00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:14,120
Speaker 1: three uh. And I think it's a situation where they're

541
00:27:14,119 --> 00:27:16,680
Speaker 1: just being extra cautious. And I do think it's gonna

542
00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:21,040
Speaker 1: be interesting to see how Andre Drummond fits in and

543
00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:24,800
Speaker 1: what he can do in the short term, because this

544
00:27:24,840 --> 00:27:26,840
Speaker 1: is a guy who has been accustomed to being a

545
00:27:26,920 --> 00:27:29,520
Speaker 1: top two option on his team. Now his teams have

546
00:27:29,560 --> 00:27:32,200
Speaker 1: not had much success. He's only made the playoffs twice

547
00:27:32,200 --> 00:27:34,679
Speaker 1: in eight years. But he's a guy who, you know,

548
00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:38,320
Speaker 1: even this season basically averaging eighteen and thirteen. Like, he's

549
00:27:38,320 --> 00:27:40,199
Speaker 1: a guy who will put up numbers. So I do

550
00:27:40,320 --> 00:27:42,919
Speaker 1: wonder if maybe he's a shot in the arm for

551
00:27:43,040 --> 00:27:45,520
Speaker 1: the Lakers that that just gives them some energy. Uh.

552
00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:47,760
Speaker 1: They've been really struggling to rebound the ball. I was

553
00:27:47,800 --> 00:27:49,840
Speaker 1: just looking up the stats and and you know, since

554
00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:52,960
Speaker 1: eight went down their thirteenth and rebound percentage since Lebron

555
00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:55,480
Speaker 1: went down the twenty and they had been fourth in

556
00:27:55,520 --> 00:27:59,240
Speaker 1: rebound percentage before eighties injuries. So this is a dominant, big,

557
00:27:59,320 --> 00:28:02,040
Speaker 1: you know, rebounding team that has really struggled without their

558
00:28:02,040 --> 00:28:04,919
Speaker 1: two best players. So I think Drummond helps in that regard.

559
00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:07,280
Speaker 1: But but I think his ability to maybe stop the

560
00:28:07,320 --> 00:28:09,360
Speaker 1: bleeding a little bit is going to be vital here

561
00:28:09,400 --> 00:28:11,719
Speaker 1: because that you know, as you said, they're tumbling down

562
00:28:11,760 --> 00:28:14,440
Speaker 1: the standings. They have the worst offense in the NBA

563
00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:17,240
Speaker 1: since the Lebron and a D injuries, Like, it's really bad.

564
00:28:18,520 --> 00:28:21,520
Speaker 1: I didn't realize it was that bad. Worst. Um, So

565
00:28:22,119 --> 00:28:24,440
Speaker 1: if it, let's just estimate, and again I'm not gonna

566
00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:26,359
Speaker 1: hold you this, but two to three weeks for a

567
00:28:26,480 --> 00:28:30,399
Speaker 1: D sounds about right where are we on Lebron? That

568
00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:34,040
Speaker 1: that one's a mystery to um. I mean I mean

569
00:28:34,040 --> 00:28:35,359
Speaker 1: that that that that's the thing like if you if

570
00:28:35,400 --> 00:28:37,080
Speaker 1: you want to be a Lakers pessimist, that that's kind

571
00:28:37,080 --> 00:28:39,280
Speaker 1: of where you start. Is just we don't know the

572
00:28:39,280 --> 00:28:40,880
Speaker 1: status of Lebron and a D. We don't know how

573
00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:42,880
Speaker 1: long they're gonna be out, and we don't know how

574
00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:46,080
Speaker 1: long term these things are going to be because um,

575
00:28:46,120 --> 00:28:49,280
Speaker 1: you know, with with Lebron like uh, ankles are are

576
00:28:49,320 --> 00:28:51,200
Speaker 1: nothing to play with, and especially with with a thirty

577
00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:53,200
Speaker 1: six year old like you've got to be really careful

578
00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:55,680
Speaker 1: with that that that doesn't it's very easy to resprain

579
00:28:55,720 --> 00:28:57,520
Speaker 1: an ankle, and then with a d of course, the

580
00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:00,520
Speaker 1: calf and the achilles area, that's some thing you definitely

581
00:29:00,560 --> 00:29:02,040
Speaker 1: don't want to mess with. And you know, if that

582
00:29:02,160 --> 00:29:04,719
Speaker 1: ends up being a more serious injury, that's potentially a

583
00:29:04,720 --> 00:29:08,040
Speaker 1: career altering injury. So I think they're just being extra cautious.

584
00:29:08,240 --> 00:29:11,360
Speaker 1: I do think for the Lakers, um, you know, they

585
00:29:11,440 --> 00:29:14,560
Speaker 1: have a baseline level of confidence because they are the

586
00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:17,760
Speaker 1: defending champs that you know, if they end up being

587
00:29:17,760 --> 00:29:20,000
Speaker 1: the five or six seed, which I do think looks

588
00:29:20,080 --> 00:29:22,880
Speaker 1: likely at this point five or six, that that feels

589
00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:26,520
Speaker 1: kind of optimistic. I mean, we'll see, we'll see what,

590
00:29:26,560 --> 00:29:28,560
Speaker 1: We'll see how long these guys are out. Um. I mean,

591
00:29:28,720 --> 00:29:30,880
Speaker 1: they have that brutal seven game road trip coming up

592
00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:35,120
Speaker 1: where the Clippers and the nets and the heat and

593
00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:37,400
Speaker 1: even the Raptors. You know, now that they kept Kyle

594
00:29:37,480 --> 00:29:40,080
Speaker 1: Lowry or still a fights the team, Charlotte's not a

595
00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:42,760
Speaker 1: push over the Knicks like I mean they could go

596
00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:44,920
Speaker 1: one and six on that trip. I wouldn't be shocked.

597
00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:48,160
Speaker 1: And that's after the loss of the Bucks on Wednesday. Yeah, So,

598
00:29:48,840 --> 00:29:50,440
Speaker 1: and we don't know if andre Joummond is playing. He

599
00:29:50,680 --> 00:29:53,600
Speaker 1: said that's still to be determined still because he hasn't

600
00:29:53,600 --> 00:29:56,240
Speaker 1: remember he hasn't played since February twelve, so he hasn't

601
00:29:56,240 --> 00:29:59,560
Speaker 1: played in almost in over forty days. Um, and especially

602
00:29:59,600 --> 00:30:01,800
Speaker 1: as a a seven foot or a heavier guy, you know,

603
00:30:01,840 --> 00:30:05,320
Speaker 1: he's a good to seventy to seventy five. Like being

604
00:30:05,320 --> 00:30:07,360
Speaker 1: out for a month and a half and then coming

605
00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:09,720
Speaker 1: back and playing right away, you know, you got you

606
00:30:09,800 --> 00:30:12,160
Speaker 1: kind of kind of ramp up for that. So I

607
00:30:12,200 --> 00:30:15,080
Speaker 1: think they are in a tough spot. But I still

608
00:30:15,120 --> 00:30:18,320
Speaker 1: come back to they've they have the best defense in

609
00:30:18,320 --> 00:30:21,360
Speaker 1: the NBA. They've maintained the best defense in the NBA

610
00:30:21,960 --> 00:30:25,200
Speaker 1: without a D and Lebron in a season long aspect.

611
00:30:25,400 --> 00:30:27,680
Speaker 1: I think they're like tenth or eleven without those guys.

612
00:30:28,040 --> 00:30:31,040
Speaker 1: But that to me is like, Okay, if if you

613
00:30:31,080 --> 00:30:33,280
Speaker 1: give me Lebron in a D in a playoff series

614
00:30:33,400 --> 00:30:35,959
Speaker 1: and you give me the best defense, I'm still probably

615
00:30:35,960 --> 00:30:38,960
Speaker 1: gonna pick that team. Now, we don't know what what

616
00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:40,280
Speaker 1: you know, if those guys are gonna be healthy or

617
00:30:40,320 --> 00:30:41,480
Speaker 1: what type of shape they're gonna be in. So that

618
00:30:41,440 --> 00:30:43,920
Speaker 1: that's where I think there's an unknown. But if you

619
00:30:43,960 --> 00:30:46,760
Speaker 1: are playing the long game here and just saying we're

620
00:30:46,760 --> 00:30:49,479
Speaker 1: gonna be extra cautious with these guys, we're confident that

621
00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:51,440
Speaker 1: we can at least be the sixth seed, you know,

622
00:30:51,880 --> 00:30:54,440
Speaker 1: maybe that's maybe that's the most realistic outcome is they

623
00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:55,920
Speaker 1: end up as like the sixth seed, but we got

624
00:30:55,920 --> 00:30:58,720
Speaker 1: to stay out of that seven to ten playing tournament

625
00:30:58,720 --> 00:31:00,920
Speaker 1: because that would be a disaster if they have to,

626
00:31:01,240 --> 00:31:03,840
Speaker 1: you know, playing that. But I think if if they

627
00:31:03,840 --> 00:31:06,959
Speaker 1: can just be cautious with those two, keep them healthy,

628
00:31:07,160 --> 00:31:08,840
Speaker 1: maybe get them some rests, like who know, like they

629
00:31:08,840 --> 00:31:11,640
Speaker 1: could actually come back maybe rejuvenated a little bit, especially

630
00:31:11,720 --> 00:31:15,000
Speaker 1: Lebron with the type of workload he's had. Um, you know,

631
00:31:15,080 --> 00:31:17,200
Speaker 1: even if you're the five or six seed, you're gonna

632
00:31:17,240 --> 00:31:19,040
Speaker 1: be favored in the first round, and then once you

633
00:31:19,040 --> 00:31:21,040
Speaker 1: get to the second round, it's kind of like I

634
00:31:21,360 --> 00:31:23,760
Speaker 1: just I think it's gonna matter maybe more in the

635
00:31:23,800 --> 00:31:26,000
Speaker 1: finals right where where um, we'll see some of the

636
00:31:26,040 --> 00:31:30,200
Speaker 1: accumulation of harder playoff path but I still like that.

637
00:31:30,240 --> 00:31:32,240
Speaker 1: I mean, maybe I'm delusional, maybe I'm I don't know,

638
00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:34,880
Speaker 1: but I still like Lebron and A D in a

639
00:31:34,920 --> 00:31:37,880
Speaker 1: playoff series against basically anybody. So I'll put on my

640
00:31:37,920 --> 00:31:40,880
Speaker 1: pessimistic hat here. I just looked this up. Anthony Davis

641
00:31:40,960 --> 00:31:44,640
Speaker 1: has played twenty three games this year. So last year

642
00:31:44,960 --> 00:31:47,200
Speaker 1: the Lakers won the title, and then they swapped out

643
00:31:47,200 --> 00:31:50,440
Speaker 1: a bunch of guys, So a DS basically played twenty

644
00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:55,800
Speaker 1: three games. I think with Shrouder, that soul mantras Harrald,

645
00:31:55,880 --> 00:31:57,320
Speaker 1: and it may even be less than that. I haven't

646
00:31:57,360 --> 00:31:59,160
Speaker 1: checked to see if they missed any games during that time.

647
00:31:59,840 --> 00:32:02,240
Speaker 1: And now you're you're working in Drummond a new center

648
00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:04,479
Speaker 1: who he hasn't played with, and he won't play with

649
00:32:04,680 --> 00:32:06,440
Speaker 1: until they're both on the floor. You know, at the

650
00:32:06,520 --> 00:32:09,200
Speaker 1: end of the season. That's a lot of new parts

651
00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:11,719
Speaker 1: you have on all of a sudden. I'm thinking, like, huh,

652
00:32:12,080 --> 00:32:14,280
Speaker 1: guys coming off injury, a lot of new parts who

653
00:32:14,280 --> 00:32:17,480
Speaker 1: haven't worked well together or haven't ever played together. There's

654
00:32:17,520 --> 00:32:20,479
Speaker 1: gonna be a learning curve here. Yeah. No, I mean,

655
00:32:20,560 --> 00:32:23,760
Speaker 1: I I think I think you're right. Um, I think

656
00:32:24,240 --> 00:32:27,600
Speaker 1: you know, like I do think that they have enough

657
00:32:27,640 --> 00:32:31,720
Speaker 1: of the championship infrastructure from last season where um, you

658
00:32:31,760 --> 00:32:35,520
Speaker 1: know Lebron and D of course, but Alex Crusoe, k CP,

659
00:32:36,480 --> 00:32:40,560
Speaker 1: UM th H T was there, Like they still have

660
00:32:40,840 --> 00:32:43,480
Speaker 1: some Markie Morris, like they still have some of those

661
00:32:43,480 --> 00:32:46,840
Speaker 1: guys where it's not like a completely brand new rotation. UM.

662
00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:49,520
Speaker 1: And you know, twenty three games is not a lot.

663
00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:53,400
Speaker 1: But I think again, I think it just comes down

664
00:32:53,480 --> 00:32:57,360
Speaker 1: to the overwhelming talent of um. You know, we know

665
00:32:57,480 --> 00:33:00,640
Speaker 1: Lebron's Lebron, but A D has had a ulatively down

666
00:33:00,640 --> 00:33:03,000
Speaker 1: season by his standards. But if he gets back to

667
00:33:03,040 --> 00:33:06,280
Speaker 1: that playoff a D that we saw in like I

668
00:33:06,280 --> 00:33:08,400
Speaker 1: thought there were stretches in the bubble that he was

669
00:33:08,440 --> 00:33:11,000
Speaker 1: better than Lebron, Like you know, I thought that, um,

670
00:33:11,320 --> 00:33:14,160
Speaker 1: if you know, I thought Lebron deserve finals MVP. But

671
00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:15,880
Speaker 1: if you're looking at like a playoff m v P

672
00:33:16,360 --> 00:33:18,160
Speaker 1: A D E, I think what was right there, like

673
00:33:18,240 --> 00:33:21,000
Speaker 1: you know, neck and neck with Lebrons. So it's gonna

674
00:33:21,040 --> 00:33:23,600
Speaker 1: depend on what version of him I think ultimately you get.

675
00:33:23,680 --> 00:33:26,400
Speaker 1: But I'm look, I'm with you. I think there is

676
00:33:26,440 --> 00:33:29,360
Speaker 1: some there's a reasonable level for concern. I think they're

677
00:33:29,360 --> 00:33:31,560
Speaker 1: gonna be a lower seed than this should have been

678
00:33:31,640 --> 00:33:34,360
Speaker 1: if healthy, they're gonna have a harder playoff path. And

679
00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:36,600
Speaker 1: to your point that there's a lack of continuity and

680
00:33:36,640 --> 00:33:39,560
Speaker 1: on court chemistry, that that's going to affect them, But

681
00:33:39,880 --> 00:33:41,480
Speaker 1: I think for them, it's just like you've got to

682
00:33:41,480 --> 00:33:43,840
Speaker 1: make the best of the situation. And um, I think

683
00:33:43,840 --> 00:33:47,160
Speaker 1: it's just gonna be figuring out. I'm fascinated by Drummond,

684
00:33:47,360 --> 00:33:49,520
Speaker 1: how he fits, what's his role, how much is he

685
00:33:49,560 --> 00:33:52,520
Speaker 1: gonna play? Um, because you have two guys in Marcus

686
00:33:52,520 --> 00:33:56,040
Speaker 1: sol Montrez Harrold, who we're expecting to play starter level minutes,

687
00:33:56,120 --> 00:33:57,840
Speaker 1: Like you know, those two guys were kind of expecting

688
00:33:57,840 --> 00:34:00,160
Speaker 1: to split that center spot, and now you're at and

689
00:34:00,480 --> 00:34:03,240
Speaker 1: a third guy who's gonna start I've been told he's

690
00:34:03,240 --> 00:34:06,040
Speaker 1: gonna start over Mark the soul and you're gonna probably

691
00:34:06,040 --> 00:34:10,560
Speaker 1: play thirty minutes a night. So Mark and or Trez

692
00:34:10,640 --> 00:34:13,239
Speaker 1: is gonna get squeezed and I'm interested to see how

693
00:34:13,360 --> 00:34:16,080
Speaker 1: that affects those guys. Would your guests now be that

694
00:34:16,160 --> 00:34:19,279
Speaker 1: it's going to be guessol right? Yeah? I think so. Um.

695
00:34:19,560 --> 00:34:22,719
Speaker 1: And I also reported this on The Athletic that I

696
00:34:22,800 --> 00:34:25,960
Speaker 1: was told, uh that they're not going to waive him,

697
00:34:26,080 --> 00:34:27,879
Speaker 1: you know, because that was that was the thought I had,

698
00:34:27,920 --> 00:34:30,920
Speaker 1: was like that. I mean, I mean, I think if

699
00:34:30,920 --> 00:34:33,120
Speaker 1: they had signed Drumming before the trade deadline, like there

700
00:34:33,120 --> 00:34:36,200
Speaker 1: would have been some maybe a push from Marker tres

701
00:34:36,239 --> 00:34:38,680
Speaker 1: to to try to get traded right, because I mean,

702
00:34:38,680 --> 00:34:41,359
Speaker 1: it doesn't really make sense for for you know, like

703
00:34:41,520 --> 00:34:44,279
Speaker 1: they now have this three headed center monster. And on

704
00:34:44,320 --> 00:34:47,319
Speaker 1: top of that, you know, remember in the postseason they

705
00:34:47,320 --> 00:34:50,160
Speaker 1: went away from Javail and Dwight Eight. He actually played

706
00:34:50,200 --> 00:34:52,879
Speaker 1: six of his minutes at the five in the postseason.

707
00:34:53,160 --> 00:34:55,120
Speaker 1: So if you're if you're looking at it like eight

708
00:34:55,320 --> 00:34:57,399
Speaker 1: is gonna play a chunk of his minutes at the five.

709
00:34:57,719 --> 00:34:59,879
Speaker 1: You have Drummond who has to play. I mean, he's

710
00:34:59,880 --> 00:35:02,160
Speaker 1: a two time All Star, like still in his prime.

711
00:35:02,400 --> 00:35:04,319
Speaker 1: He has to play a certain amount of time. Where

712
00:35:04,320 --> 00:35:06,800
Speaker 1: are you finding these minutes from Montres, Harrold and Marcus

713
00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:10,000
Speaker 1: soul So I think it's a fascinating challenge that uh,

714
00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:11,840
Speaker 1: Frank vogel And is coaching staffer. You're gonna have to

715
00:35:11,880 --> 00:35:16,160
Speaker 1: figure out um all right, in terms of opponents, you know,

716
00:35:16,600 --> 00:35:19,960
Speaker 1: I'm more scared right now of Utah. I'm sorry of

717
00:35:20,080 --> 00:35:24,719
Speaker 1: Denver than I am Utah and Phoenix. Is that crazy? Um,

718
00:35:24,840 --> 00:35:28,439
Speaker 1: I think you can make that case. I actually think

719
00:35:28,880 --> 00:35:31,080
Speaker 1: Utah to me is is the least scary of of

720
00:35:31,160 --> 00:35:33,560
Speaker 1: the right and they're the number and they're gonna be

721
00:35:33,560 --> 00:35:35,960
Speaker 1: the number one seed. So so if the Lakers get

722
00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:38,560
Speaker 1: in that playoff play in game, it's not the end

723
00:35:38,560 --> 00:35:40,279
Speaker 1: of the world because then they would end up the

724
00:35:40,320 --> 00:35:44,680
Speaker 1: eight seed and play Utah. Yeah, I mean I think, uh,

725
00:35:44,960 --> 00:35:47,280
Speaker 1: I mean, well, it depends. Uh. I forgot the exact

726
00:35:47,360 --> 00:35:50,080
Speaker 1: rules of the plan because I wasn't expecting the Lakers

727
00:35:50,080 --> 00:35:52,240
Speaker 1: to be in it, but maybe maybe I should brush

728
00:35:52,280 --> 00:35:54,560
Speaker 1: up on this. But but I do think it depends

729
00:35:54,560 --> 00:35:57,160
Speaker 1: on you know, what it's like if seven place ten,

730
00:35:57,239 --> 00:35:59,799
Speaker 1: eight places nine, and then the two winners play each other,

731
00:36:00,080 --> 00:36:02,080
Speaker 1: and that winner is the seventh seed, and then the

732
00:36:02,120 --> 00:36:04,160
Speaker 1: losers the eight seeds. So I do think if they

733
00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:05,960
Speaker 1: get in the planned tournament, they'll probably end up being

734
00:36:05,960 --> 00:36:08,120
Speaker 1: the seventh seed. I have a hard time believing they're

735
00:36:08,160 --> 00:36:10,759
Speaker 1: gonna be any lower than seven, right, Okay, it would

736
00:36:10,760 --> 00:36:13,880
Speaker 1: take a disaster for them to like miss the playoffs, um,

737
00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:15,960
Speaker 1: which would be a crazy like you know, that would

738
00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:18,480
Speaker 1: be awful. So so that would set up an opponent

739
00:36:18,480 --> 00:36:21,200
Speaker 1: of likely Phoenix. I haven't looked at the schedules, but

740
00:36:21,360 --> 00:36:25,480
Speaker 1: probably Phoenix or the Clippers. How do you think they personally?

741
00:36:25,560 --> 00:36:26,840
Speaker 1: What We'll get to the Clippers in a sect, But

742
00:36:26,840 --> 00:36:28,680
Speaker 1: how do you think they match up with the Phoenix Suns.

743
00:36:28,760 --> 00:36:31,880
Speaker 1: You know, we know Chris Paul's there. Devin Bookers is difficult,

744
00:36:31,880 --> 00:36:37,279
Speaker 1: but I mean DeAndre eighton Bridges is okay on the wing.

745
00:36:38,080 --> 00:36:40,520
Speaker 1: I don't, I don't, I don't know. I'm assuming that

746
00:36:40,880 --> 00:36:44,560
Speaker 1: Lebron and a d have considerable advantages there over their opponent. Yeah,

747
00:36:44,760 --> 00:36:48,000
Speaker 1: I think that the front court advantage for the Lakers

748
00:36:48,040 --> 00:36:51,000
Speaker 1: would be decisive in that series and probably be what

749
00:36:51,040 --> 00:36:55,680
Speaker 1: tilts it. I will say, Um, I think Devin Booker

750
00:36:55,840 --> 00:36:57,880
Speaker 1: is a big matchup problem for them. You know, I

751
00:36:57,880 --> 00:37:00,719
Speaker 1: don't think they have a great because even like I think,

752
00:37:00,719 --> 00:37:03,160
Speaker 1: when when you play the bigger Wings, the Kauai is

753
00:37:03,360 --> 00:37:06,600
Speaker 1: the honest is the Kevin Durants. That's where you're gonna

754
00:37:06,640 --> 00:37:09,840
Speaker 1: see Lebron take some of those guys or even Anthony Davis.

755
00:37:09,840 --> 00:37:11,799
Speaker 1: You know, when they've played the Clippers the last couple

756
00:37:11,800 --> 00:37:14,359
Speaker 1: of times, they've put Anthony Davis on Kauai and he's

757
00:37:14,400 --> 00:37:16,279
Speaker 1: done a decent job on him, so I think you'll

758
00:37:16,320 --> 00:37:18,520
Speaker 1: see that. But Devin Booker is too quick, you know,

759
00:37:18,600 --> 00:37:20,839
Speaker 1: he's too quick for Lebron and a D You're gonna

760
00:37:20,840 --> 00:37:24,280
Speaker 1: have to put uh Contavious Calabo Pope or Alex Caruso

761
00:37:24,600 --> 00:37:28,719
Speaker 1: or Dennis Schroeder. And I like Devin Booker's odds in

762
00:37:28,760 --> 00:37:31,279
Speaker 1: those matchups, right, So that's not I don't think that's

763
00:37:31,400 --> 00:37:33,839
Speaker 1: enough to swing a series, but I do think it's

764
00:37:33,960 --> 00:37:36,440
Speaker 1: enough to maybe get a game or two in a series. Um.

765
00:37:36,719 --> 00:37:38,719
Speaker 1: And I think the thing with Phoenix that that you

766
00:37:38,760 --> 00:37:41,239
Speaker 1: know is actually gonna be a similar problem for the

767
00:37:41,320 --> 00:37:44,840
Speaker 1: Lakers if they face Utah or Phoenix is they do

768
00:37:44,920 --> 00:37:47,200
Speaker 1: take a lot of threes. And I think if you

769
00:37:47,280 --> 00:37:50,040
Speaker 1: look at some of the Lakers losses this season, the

770
00:37:50,080 --> 00:37:52,880
Speaker 1: Lakers are very low volume three point shooting team, in

771
00:37:52,960 --> 00:37:54,920
Speaker 1: part because they are so good at getting you know,

772
00:37:54,960 --> 00:37:57,560
Speaker 1: they live in the paint that they're among the league

773
00:37:57,600 --> 00:37:59,120
Speaker 1: leaders and points in the paint. They get to the

774
00:37:59,120 --> 00:38:01,520
Speaker 1: free throw line a lot, but they don't have those

775
00:38:01,600 --> 00:38:03,760
Speaker 1: knockdown shooters and they don't take a lot of threes.

776
00:38:04,080 --> 00:38:05,360
Speaker 1: And I think if you you see some of the

777
00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:08,200
Speaker 1: formula for beating the Lakers. This season, it's been a

778
00:38:08,200 --> 00:38:11,799
Speaker 1: wide disparity in three point attempts and makes and and

779
00:38:11,840 --> 00:38:14,640
Speaker 1: Phoenix is one of those teams that can hit fifteen

780
00:38:14,680 --> 00:38:16,800
Speaker 1: to twenty threes in a given night. And if the

781
00:38:16,880 --> 00:38:20,080
Speaker 1: Lakers are only getting seven, eight, nine threes and Phoenix

782
00:38:20,080 --> 00:38:22,719
Speaker 1: is hitting twenty, that's a big gap that even if

783
00:38:22,719 --> 00:38:25,439
Speaker 1: you have that advantage inside, you might still lose the game.

784
00:38:25,560 --> 00:38:28,800
Speaker 1: So I do think teams like Phoenix and Utah would

785
00:38:28,840 --> 00:38:30,840
Speaker 1: give me a little bit of a scare for the Lakers,

786
00:38:30,880 --> 00:38:32,279
Speaker 1: just because I don't think they can keep up with

787
00:38:32,280 --> 00:38:35,600
Speaker 1: their shooting, and we've seen how important shooting is. But ultimately,

788
00:38:35,600 --> 00:38:38,120
Speaker 1: I think the front corn advantage is decisive for the Lakers,

789
00:38:38,160 --> 00:38:40,280
Speaker 1: and I would still probably pick them in like six

790
00:38:40,320 --> 00:38:43,239
Speaker 1: games over feeling okay, what and then what about Lakers Utah?

791
00:38:43,680 --> 00:38:47,040
Speaker 1: That was a little trickier because Utah has Rudy Gobert right,

792
00:38:47,320 --> 00:38:50,359
Speaker 1: who is probably the favorite for defensive played a year. Um,

793
00:38:50,719 --> 00:38:53,080
Speaker 1: I think it's become an underrated offensive player. Like I

794
00:38:53,080 --> 00:38:56,200
Speaker 1: think people just talk about him like this roller and

795
00:38:56,360 --> 00:38:58,719
Speaker 1: an offensive rebounder, but like he has a little you know,

796
00:38:58,840 --> 00:39:01,520
Speaker 1: he has a hook shot, he's seven too. It's hard

797
00:39:01,560 --> 00:39:03,359
Speaker 1: to defend him inside, so I think he could cause

798
00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:07,200
Speaker 1: some problems. But ultimately I just look at them and

799
00:39:07,360 --> 00:39:09,560
Speaker 1: I think, you know, I think Mitchell will cause some

800
00:39:09,600 --> 00:39:11,879
Speaker 1: similar problems to Booker. I think Booker is a better

801
00:39:11,880 --> 00:39:16,000
Speaker 1: shooter than than Mitchell, but I do think, um, the

802
00:39:16,040 --> 00:39:18,640
Speaker 1: defense is an issue where if you actually, I mean

803
00:39:18,719 --> 00:39:21,520
Speaker 1: if you look at their actual rotation, like Gobert is

804
00:39:21,560 --> 00:39:25,880
Speaker 1: holding everything up himself, and we've seen um, you know,

805
00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:29,359
Speaker 1: teams attack them like like Houston in recent years, just

806
00:39:29,400 --> 00:39:32,960
Speaker 1: going super small and and really stretching out Gilbert, and

807
00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:36,320
Speaker 1: I think with Anthony Davis at the five, the Lakers

808
00:39:36,320 --> 00:39:38,040
Speaker 1: can do that, right like that, That's kind of the

809
00:39:38,040 --> 00:39:40,759
Speaker 1: the versatility of Anthony Davis at the five is you

810
00:39:40,800 --> 00:39:44,319
Speaker 1: can play you know, inside or outside with him, and

811
00:39:44,360 --> 00:39:46,799
Speaker 1: if he's taken threes and jumpers, he has to be

812
00:39:46,880 --> 00:39:49,120
Speaker 1: making them. But I think they could stretch out Gilbert

813
00:39:49,440 --> 00:39:52,799
Speaker 1: and almost force Utah's hand into potentially adjusting. So um,

814
00:39:53,120 --> 00:39:55,759
Speaker 1: I think ultimately, uh, you know, Utah is a little

815
00:39:55,800 --> 00:39:57,799
Speaker 1: small in the perimeter. I don't think they quite have

816
00:39:57,960 --> 00:40:00,759
Speaker 1: elite perimeter defense. So I think Lebron and a d

817
00:40:00,880 --> 00:40:02,760
Speaker 1: are gonna have their way in that series as well.

818
00:40:03,160 --> 00:40:06,160
Speaker 1: Boogdanovitch or Ingles don't really scare you. But this is

819
00:40:06,160 --> 00:40:08,719
Speaker 1: another three point heavy team. Yeah, I mean that's where

820
00:40:08,719 --> 00:40:11,239
Speaker 1: That's where I think the Lakers will probably lose like

821
00:40:11,400 --> 00:40:14,760
Speaker 1: one game in each series against these elite shooting teams

822
00:40:14,760 --> 00:40:17,080
Speaker 1: where they just get out shot and can't keep up,

823
00:40:17,480 --> 00:40:19,560
Speaker 1: which brings us to the team will wrap up with

824
00:40:19,960 --> 00:40:23,479
Speaker 1: the Clippers. I personally, I'm not a buyer in this team.

825
00:40:23,480 --> 00:40:27,680
Speaker 1: They they listen, you covered them closely. Why do I

826
00:40:27,760 --> 00:40:31,720
Speaker 1: keep saying there's a whiff of fraudulence here, Yovan. No leader,

827
00:40:31,760 --> 00:40:36,280
Speaker 1: no rim protection, no point guard. The clutch stats remain bad.

828
00:40:36,360 --> 00:40:38,479
Speaker 1: I mean you we said it over a month ago,

829
00:40:39,080 --> 00:40:41,360
Speaker 1: small sample size. We'll guess what. They're still terrible in

830
00:40:41,400 --> 00:40:44,600
Speaker 1: the clutch, Like the numbers bearing out the defensively, they're

831
00:40:44,719 --> 00:40:47,160
Speaker 1: very bad when it matters. And I know they have

832
00:40:47,160 --> 00:40:49,960
Speaker 1: a good point differential, and you know you've got people

833
00:40:50,000 --> 00:40:52,400
Speaker 1: gassing up Tylu for Coach of the Year. But I

834
00:40:52,440 --> 00:40:54,960
Speaker 1: don't know, Yovana might being too negative on them? Are you?

835
00:40:54,960 --> 00:40:58,200
Speaker 1: You're telling me you're not a gen Rondo fan. I like,

836
00:40:58,480 --> 00:41:00,759
Speaker 1: I like playoff Rondo, but to expect to got to

837
00:41:00,800 --> 00:41:03,160
Speaker 1: come in and be your your leader in the huddle

838
00:41:03,200 --> 00:41:05,040
Speaker 1: in the playoffs when he's been there for like eight minutes.

839
00:41:05,520 --> 00:41:08,879
Speaker 1: You know, I'm with you, Like I I think that,

840
00:41:09,080 --> 00:41:13,200
Speaker 1: Um I've I mean, I said it. You know, we

841
00:41:13,440 --> 00:41:16,359
Speaker 1: spoke what a few weeks ago on your radio show,

842
00:41:16,360 --> 00:41:19,600
Speaker 1: and UM, I still said then that I think that

843
00:41:19,680 --> 00:41:24,759
Speaker 1: the Clippers are the biggest threat. Um, I'll I guess

844
00:41:24,800 --> 00:41:28,319
Speaker 1: I'll maintain that. I mean, I do think to a

845
00:41:28,440 --> 00:41:32,200
Speaker 1: kind of our our earlier discussion, like Denver is really

846
00:41:32,280 --> 00:41:35,840
Speaker 1: interesting to me, And I think Aaron Gordon can replicate

847
00:41:35,960 --> 00:41:38,720
Speaker 1: a lot of what Jeremy Grant gave them, and probably

848
00:41:38,880 --> 00:41:41,839
Speaker 1: even at a higher level because now we're looking at

849
00:41:41,840 --> 00:41:43,920
Speaker 1: Grant differently with what he's doing in Detroit. But he

850
00:41:43,960 --> 00:41:46,239
Speaker 1: was not doing that in Denver, and he was not

851
00:41:46,239 --> 00:41:48,760
Speaker 1: doing that make his shots. He wasn't quite offensively against

852
00:41:48,760 --> 00:41:51,680
Speaker 1: the Clippers. Yeah, and and he was good defensively against Kauai,

853
00:41:51,840 --> 00:41:54,120
Speaker 1: but he was not helping them offensively in that series.

854
00:41:54,160 --> 00:41:55,880
Speaker 1: So I think Eric Gordon could provide some of that

855
00:41:55,960 --> 00:41:58,799
Speaker 1: defense with the cutting and the scoring and pick and

856
00:41:58,840 --> 00:42:01,520
Speaker 1: roll stuff. So I like Denver a lot more now.

857
00:42:01,880 --> 00:42:05,040
Speaker 1: But as far as the Clippers. Um, I still think

858
00:42:05,040 --> 00:42:08,560
Speaker 1: it just comes down to they have Kauai, who I

859
00:42:08,920 --> 00:42:12,480
Speaker 1: believe in. You know, I still think that at his peak. Uh,

860
00:42:12,520 --> 00:42:14,560
Speaker 1: you know, we're not far removed from what he did

861
00:42:14,560 --> 00:42:18,279
Speaker 1: in Toronto. I thought last postseason, Uh, he ended up

862
00:42:18,280 --> 00:42:20,279
Speaker 1: just running out of gas because he was having to

863
00:42:20,320 --> 00:42:22,440
Speaker 1: do so much for the Clippers, and that could be

864
00:42:22,440 --> 00:42:24,560
Speaker 1: an issue again. You know what we'll see kind of

865
00:42:24,640 --> 00:42:26,600
Speaker 1: like you know, Paul George was very up and down

866
00:42:26,640 --> 00:42:28,920
Speaker 1: in the postseason, and if he does that again and

867
00:42:28,960 --> 00:42:31,640
Speaker 1: it's all on Kauai, you know, the Clippers are gonna

868
00:42:31,680 --> 00:42:34,120
Speaker 1: run into a similar wall. But I thought quite a

869
00:42:34,120 --> 00:42:36,480
Speaker 1: really good postseason up until those last few games of

870
00:42:36,520 --> 00:42:38,840
Speaker 1: the Denver series. Uh. Paul George, as I said, was

871
00:42:38,920 --> 00:42:41,359
Speaker 1: up and down, had some really high moments, obviously had

872
00:42:41,400 --> 00:42:43,839
Speaker 1: some really low moments hitting the side of the backboard. Um.

873
00:42:43,920 --> 00:42:46,959
Speaker 1: But uh, like I think I do like the rest

874
00:42:47,000 --> 00:42:50,359
Speaker 1: of the Like. I think Sergei Baka is probably a

875
00:42:50,400 --> 00:42:53,600
Speaker 1: better playoff player than in Montrez Harold. I think it's

876
00:42:53,600 --> 00:42:57,640
Speaker 1: a game translates more. Um, I look at Rondo. I

877
00:42:57,960 --> 00:43:00,520
Speaker 1: think playoff Rondo is more like like Luke Williams has

878
00:43:00,600 --> 00:43:03,359
Speaker 1: quietly been pretty awful in the playoffs for the last

879
00:43:03,400 --> 00:43:06,520
Speaker 1: few years, and aside from that Warrior series in twenty nineteen,

880
00:43:06,719 --> 00:43:08,960
Speaker 1: if you look at his playoff numbers, like his dip

881
00:43:09,000 --> 00:43:12,319
Speaker 1: in field goal percentage is like eight every postseason, so

882
00:43:12,440 --> 00:43:14,840
Speaker 1: Lou is really sneakily. And then that's not even to

883
00:43:14,880 --> 00:43:17,319
Speaker 1: mention his defense where teams will target him defensively. So

884
00:43:17,600 --> 00:43:21,080
Speaker 1: Lou has quietly been like a very detrimental playoff player. Um.

885
00:43:21,440 --> 00:43:23,600
Speaker 1: And then you know, I think a big thing for

886
00:43:23,640 --> 00:43:26,040
Speaker 1: them is Pat Beverley's health. Like you see the record

887
00:43:26,120 --> 00:43:27,839
Speaker 1: with Pat Beverley without I don't know if you want

888
00:43:27,880 --> 00:43:30,120
Speaker 1: to rely on that, right, but they are a much

889
00:43:30,160 --> 00:43:33,480
Speaker 1: better team with Pat Beverley, um Nick Patum or wait

890
00:43:33,520 --> 00:43:36,239
Speaker 1: hold on, is it just that Reggie Jackson is that bad?

891
00:43:36,480 --> 00:43:38,359
Speaker 1: Might be that and that's where Rondo helps though, right,

892
00:43:38,400 --> 00:43:41,560
Speaker 1: So I do think they I think they have the

893
00:43:41,960 --> 00:43:44,399
Speaker 1: I'll put it this way, like I think they're they're

894
00:43:44,600 --> 00:43:49,080
Speaker 1: variants is probably higher than Utah, Denver and Phoenix, where

895
00:43:49,440 --> 00:43:51,640
Speaker 1: like Utah, Denver and Phoenix are probably gonna be at

896
00:43:51,680 --> 00:43:53,879
Speaker 1: like a seven or an eight for the most part,

897
00:43:54,080 --> 00:43:56,719
Speaker 1: where the Clippers, like they might give you a five performance,

898
00:43:56,760 --> 00:43:59,080
Speaker 1: but they could also give you a nine or nine

899
00:43:59,120 --> 00:44:01,120
Speaker 1: and a half. I think they're ceiling is higher, like

900
00:44:01,160 --> 00:44:04,440
Speaker 1: the Clippers at their best. You know this is I

901
00:44:04,480 --> 00:44:06,080
Speaker 1: think the Clippers are their best, are better than those

902
00:44:06,080 --> 00:44:08,000
Speaker 1: three teams. Like if if everyone's playing at their ceiling,

903
00:44:08,200 --> 00:44:10,040
Speaker 1: I think the Clippers ceiling is higher because they have

904
00:44:10,160 --> 00:44:13,239
Speaker 1: Kawai and PG. Now can they get there consistently? Can

905
00:44:13,280 --> 00:44:15,720
Speaker 1: they get there four times in a in a playoff series?

906
00:44:16,120 --> 00:44:19,399
Speaker 1: That is tbd um. But to me, I will take

907
00:44:19,440 --> 00:44:22,799
Speaker 1: the higher ceiling and ultimately say, I think that they're

908
00:44:22,920 --> 00:44:24,759
Speaker 1: probably the biggest threat to the Lakers, but they could

909
00:44:24,760 --> 00:44:26,680
Speaker 1: easily lose in round one or round two and I

910
00:44:26,719 --> 00:44:29,560
Speaker 1: wouldn't be shocked. So yeah, you know, there's a lot

911
00:44:29,560 --> 00:44:31,680
Speaker 1: of outcomes for for the Clippers. I think this postseason.

912
00:44:32,040 --> 00:44:34,360
Speaker 1: Let me just I don't want to end on a downer,

913
00:44:34,560 --> 00:44:37,759
Speaker 1: but yo, Van, you know, Lebron has been in l

914
00:44:37,800 --> 00:44:39,759
Speaker 1: A for three years now. He got hurt the first

915
00:44:39,840 --> 00:44:42,680
Speaker 1: year and then he won a title. They had like

916
00:44:42,680 --> 00:44:46,040
Speaker 1: a four month break, and now he's hurt again and

917
00:44:46,160 --> 00:44:49,960
Speaker 1: he is thirty six. Just being a realist, Okay, we're

918
00:44:49,960 --> 00:44:54,120
Speaker 1: seeing Blake Griffin got you know, buy out market LaMarcus Aldredge.

919
00:44:54,120 --> 00:44:56,839
Speaker 1: You could pick them up for whatever chump change. These

920
00:44:56,840 --> 00:45:00,560
Speaker 1: are former All Stars in their thirties, younger than Lebron done.

921
00:45:00,680 --> 00:45:03,360
Speaker 1: I mean they're relegated to ten minutes at game. Guys,

922
00:45:04,239 --> 00:45:09,480
Speaker 1: how much longer if Pete Lebron can we realistically expect? Realistically? Yovan?

923
00:45:10,880 --> 00:45:15,000
Speaker 1: It's it's it's crazy because like I don't know, they

924
00:45:15,040 --> 00:45:17,080
Speaker 1: think about like four years ago, if someone asked you that,

925
00:45:17,120 --> 00:45:20,919
Speaker 1: what would you have said? Probably another year? Two? I mean, hell,

926
00:45:21,080 --> 00:45:23,640
Speaker 1: three months ago he maybe not three two months ago,

927
00:45:24,120 --> 00:45:27,160
Speaker 1: Lebron might have been the MVP leader with embat And

928
00:45:27,200 --> 00:45:29,480
Speaker 1: now it's like, well, how much longer do we have

929
00:45:29,560 --> 00:45:32,160
Speaker 1: with this guy? I mean I even wrote it, uh,

930
00:45:32,320 --> 00:45:34,719
Speaker 1: I actually I'm out of jist. I wrote it the

931
00:45:34,800 --> 00:45:38,000
Speaker 1: day before he got injured against Atlanta. I wrote a call.

932
00:45:38,080 --> 00:45:41,239
Speaker 1: I'm saying I still think Lebron um, like, you know,

933
00:45:41,440 --> 00:45:43,600
Speaker 1: I think he had lost his standing in the MVP race.

934
00:45:43,640 --> 00:45:45,680
Speaker 1: And then coming out of the All Star break they started,

935
00:45:45,719 --> 00:45:48,319
Speaker 1: they won their first four games. He put up two

936
00:45:48,320 --> 00:45:51,960
Speaker 1: triple doubles. Uh. He in his other one like a

937
00:45:51,960 --> 00:45:54,640
Speaker 1: forty point game or thirty five or whatever, and I

938
00:45:54,680 --> 00:45:56,359
Speaker 1: was like, this dude's like coming out of the gate,

939
00:45:56,520 --> 00:45:58,480
Speaker 1: and he even said it in his first trust He

940
00:45:58,560 --> 00:46:00,560
Speaker 1: was like, you know, I'm dialing it up my gear.

941
00:46:00,560 --> 00:46:02,560
Speaker 1: I'm going to gear four. I'm gonna go to gear five,

942
00:46:02,640 --> 00:46:04,799
Speaker 1: six seven, you know for the playoffs. So I was like,

943
00:46:05,000 --> 00:46:06,920
Speaker 1: this dude's coming out of the gate hot and and

944
00:46:07,080 --> 00:46:09,440
Speaker 1: is really amping up his play and the Lakers are

945
00:46:09,440 --> 00:46:11,160
Speaker 1: winning now without a d which that they hadn't been

946
00:46:11,200 --> 00:46:13,319
Speaker 1: at first. So I was like, he's back to being

947
00:46:13,320 --> 00:46:15,120
Speaker 1: the m v P. And then now here we already

948
00:46:15,160 --> 00:46:18,520
Speaker 1: he gets injured and probably lost the award. But I

949
00:46:18,800 --> 00:46:22,920
Speaker 1: would guess, I don't know to like, probably two more

950
00:46:23,040 --> 00:46:26,279
Speaker 1: years at a I know it's crazy, I would say

951
00:46:26,280 --> 00:46:29,240
Speaker 1: two more years at an elite level, and then maybe

952
00:46:29,239 --> 00:46:32,520
Speaker 1: that third year is when we start to finally see

953
00:46:32,520 --> 00:46:34,400
Speaker 1: the decline like at thirty. Like I just have a

954
00:46:34,440 --> 00:46:39,080
Speaker 1: hard time seeing thirty nine year old Lebron. Now, now

955
00:46:39,120 --> 00:46:41,360
Speaker 1: somebody out there is listening, he's like, oh, well, Tom Brady,

956
00:46:41,920 --> 00:46:43,880
Speaker 1: he's not falling off. He just wanted Super Bowl. But

957
00:46:44,160 --> 00:46:47,319
Speaker 1: it's different. Man does not to play defense. Yeah, Tom

958
00:46:47,360 --> 00:46:49,359
Speaker 1: Brady is barely on the field. Come on, I mean,

959
00:46:49,440 --> 00:46:51,680
Speaker 1: Lebron's gotta guard the best guy. You just talked about

960
00:46:51,840 --> 00:46:55,000
Speaker 1: Lebron's get guard Kauai and Paul George and then he's

961
00:46:55,000 --> 00:46:58,160
Speaker 1: got a running offense. Yeah, I don't know. I'm trying

962
00:46:58,160 --> 00:47:00,759
Speaker 1: not to be, but yeah, I will it. To your point, though,

963
00:47:01,200 --> 00:47:03,760
Speaker 1: he has gotten injured to the last three seasons, and

964
00:47:03,880 --> 00:47:06,799
Speaker 1: this is a guy that's been basically a cyborg for

965
00:47:06,880 --> 00:47:09,040
Speaker 1: his entire career, where you know, he's only missed over

966
00:47:09,080 --> 00:47:11,080
Speaker 1: ten games in a season twice. This is now going

967
00:47:11,120 --> 00:47:14,479
Speaker 1: to be the third time. And you know, so maybe

968
00:47:14,480 --> 00:47:18,239
Speaker 1: there is some vulnerability there, right, and a little bit

969
00:47:18,440 --> 00:47:20,640
Speaker 1: like you gotta think at at thirty six. But even

970
00:47:20,640 --> 00:47:23,080
Speaker 1: then I thought it was crazy that I'm sure you

971
00:47:23,080 --> 00:47:25,320
Speaker 1: saw the play, but you know, I was sitting diagonally.

972
00:47:25,840 --> 00:47:29,520
Speaker 1: I see um Solomon Hill fall into his leg and

973
00:47:29,600 --> 00:47:31,239
Speaker 1: I didn't see it was his ankle. I just saw

974
00:47:31,320 --> 00:47:33,520
Speaker 1: him fall and hold his leg and I was like, oh,

975
00:47:33,520 --> 00:47:35,319
Speaker 1: he just tore up his knee, like he's he's done,

976
00:47:35,360 --> 00:47:38,120
Speaker 1: He's done for this. Then he gets up, ties his shoes,

977
00:47:38,160 --> 00:47:41,080
Speaker 1: comes back in, hits a three game, gets his double

978
00:47:41,160 --> 00:47:45,600
Speaker 1: digit scoring streak, keeps that going, and then comes out.

979
00:47:45,680 --> 00:47:48,319
Speaker 1: But I mean, we've seen that so many Like I've

980
00:47:48,320 --> 00:47:50,279
Speaker 1: seen that three or four times already this season. Where

981
00:47:50,320 --> 00:47:53,160
Speaker 1: do you think Lebron suffers an injury. He just ties

982
00:47:53,160 --> 00:47:55,280
Speaker 1: his shoe a little tighter, comes back out and keeps playing.

983
00:47:55,600 --> 00:47:58,399
Speaker 1: So even now, like it's just you know, it's it's

984
00:47:58,400 --> 00:48:00,839
Speaker 1: a right ankle sprain. He's I think they're just being

985
00:48:00,840 --> 00:48:02,960
Speaker 1: cautious with him, and I feel like a d and

986
00:48:03,040 --> 00:48:07,520
Speaker 1: Lebron will probably be back uh by like late April, right,

987
00:48:07,600 --> 00:48:10,520
Speaker 1: so mid to late April, so like three more weeks. Yeah,

988
00:48:10,760 --> 00:48:12,640
Speaker 1: I think for three or four more weeks we will

989
00:48:12,640 --> 00:48:15,400
Speaker 1: see both of them back. Um, and I could be

990
00:48:15,440 --> 00:48:17,680
Speaker 1: wrong on that, but uh, if that's the case, then

991
00:48:17,719 --> 00:48:19,640
Speaker 1: that gives them a good three week ramp up to

992
00:48:19,719 --> 00:48:23,080
Speaker 1: the playoffs. And and that isn't ideal, but the Lakers

993
00:48:23,120 --> 00:48:24,520
Speaker 1: are just gon to make the best of it. Yeah,

994
00:48:24,680 --> 00:48:29,280
Speaker 1: and they probably will win the title. Covers the Lakers

995
00:48:29,280 --> 00:48:31,400
Speaker 1: for the Athletic Congrats on all your success, man, I

996
00:48:31,480 --> 00:48:32,919
Speaker 1: appreciate it. Man, Thank you so much.