WEBVTT - KJ Live - Dain Ervin 0:00:01.280 --> 0:00:10.320 This is kJ Live with Chris Johnson. All and Chris 0:00:10.440 --> 0:00:13.680 is having conversations with influencers in the sports world and 0:00:13.920 --> 0:00:20.360 entertainment in this trade. Now here's Chris Johnson. You're not 0:00:20.520 --> 0:00:23.800 tuned in the kJ Live. Today's guest on the show 0:00:24.040 --> 0:00:28.360 was a long time basketball scout working the most respected 0:00:28.520 --> 0:00:31.800 minds in the game, Dane Irth in the building. Dane 0:00:31.920 --> 0:00:34.160 was good, my man, Chris, what's going on with your family? 0:00:34.200 --> 0:00:37.639 How you been man? I've been good man. Um, well, 0:00:37.760 --> 0:00:39.920 let me let me stop lying. All right. So the 0:00:40.000 --> 0:00:42.400 last couple of weeks has been interesting for me. You know, 0:00:42.479 --> 0:00:45.800 my Bruins got kicked out the tourney. I'm out hand 0:00:45.800 --> 0:00:47.720 in l A. And the Lakers last night got the 0:00:47.720 --> 0:00:51.080 door shut on them for the playoffs. So it's a 0:00:51.120 --> 0:00:53.840 little disappointing, uh, just to say the least. Man, I 0:00:53.840 --> 0:00:55.440 don't know what type of spring is gonna be out 0:00:55.440 --> 0:00:57.560 here in l A. But I know we got good weather, 0:00:57.680 --> 0:00:59.880 so can't beat that. But but but no, this is 0:00:59.880 --> 0:01:01.600 a about you money. What's up with you? Man? What? What? 0:01:01.600 --> 0:01:03.200 What's that? What's all the tap for you? Man? What's she? 0:01:03.280 --> 0:01:06.840 But up too late? I'm well, um um, you know 0:01:06.920 --> 0:01:09.199 for those and It's funny because coming from the final 0:01:09.280 --> 0:01:14.240 four UM me working in the grassroom space previously, I 0:01:14.680 --> 0:01:18.600 realized I didn't uh let a lot know that I 0:01:18.600 --> 0:01:20.960 did make a transition to the to the pro level 0:01:21.520 --> 0:01:24.160 UM and I'm just not the announcement guy. I'm not 0:01:24.200 --> 0:01:26.319 the edit guy. I mean, I leave that for the kids. 0:01:26.760 --> 0:01:30.080 But those that knew, they know UM, and they knew 0:01:30.520 --> 0:01:32.600 UM and I just had to like kind of tell something. 0:01:32.600 --> 0:01:35.680 But it it was kind of refreshing to know I 0:01:35.720 --> 0:01:39.400 had coaches because I did do a great job and 0:01:39.560 --> 0:01:43.000 you know, disseminating information, getting out the right information to 0:01:43.040 --> 0:01:45.840 those guys, because like this upcoming weekend is the live 0:01:45.920 --> 0:01:50.080 period for a lot of grassroots kids, so coaches need 0:01:50.120 --> 0:01:51.960 to know where to go. And I did a good 0:01:52.040 --> 0:01:54.559 job of making sure and letting them know not only 0:01:54.560 --> 0:01:57.000 where to go across the country, but what you know, 0:01:57.080 --> 0:01:59.560 some of the premier kids in the state of Texas UM, 0:01:59.600 --> 0:02:02.080 as well as New York and California and other places 0:02:02.240 --> 0:02:04.680 who they needed to see. UM. I think I did 0:02:04.680 --> 0:02:06.720 a good job to say, you know, for my you know, 0:02:06.880 --> 0:02:09.800 close to ten years in the space and not sponsored 0:02:09.800 --> 0:02:11.679 by many of the machines, that I did a great 0:02:11.760 --> 0:02:15.080 job of covering the proper spaces, whether it was from 0:02:15.520 --> 0:02:18.440 Tino's and his pain Goes Brand to Ryan Silver, the 0:02:18.520 --> 0:02:21.000 West Coast League, I mean many of those. No, I 0:02:21.160 --> 0:02:23.639 covered the E y b L to even my home 0:02:23.720 --> 0:02:25.840 routs back in New York City. I always kept a 0:02:25.880 --> 0:02:28.639 good post um the mid Atlantic region with a lot 0:02:28.639 --> 0:02:31.840 of the w C w C w C A C 0:02:32.080 --> 0:02:35.000 kids um. I did a good job of doing that. 0:02:35.080 --> 0:02:37.520 So knowing that running across the coaches on Canal and 0:02:37.520 --> 0:02:40.280 Bourbon Street and Man, I ain't gotta report, I was like, well, 0:02:40.440 --> 0:02:43.120 you know, I've moved on to another space, so and 0:02:43.160 --> 0:02:46.200 I'm enjoying the space, so I can't complain about that. 0:02:46.520 --> 0:02:50.679 And that's awesome. Man. So as we talk about scouting, man, 0:02:50.720 --> 0:02:53.560 and you've had your feet kind of rooted in that 0:02:53.960 --> 0:02:56.680 for for a large part of your career. I used 0:02:56.720 --> 0:02:59.440 to work for a technology company. Man. We had an iPad, 0:02:59.639 --> 0:03:03.280 I own app that used to digitize the scouting process. 0:03:03.320 --> 0:03:07.040 So he basically took like uh Excel sheet and you know, 0:03:07.160 --> 0:03:08.840 put it up to the cloud and you had a 0:03:09.200 --> 0:03:11.120 you know, an app on your phone you could like 0:03:11.160 --> 0:03:14.160 take text notes and you know, record voice memos and 0:03:14.240 --> 0:03:16.239 you know, keep track of shot charging things like that 0:03:16.840 --> 0:03:20.200 as a scout as as as somebody that is a 0:03:20.240 --> 0:03:22.480 talent evaluating. I don't like to say just scout because 0:03:22.520 --> 0:03:24.760 you're an evaluate of talent. Can you talk to me 0:03:25.240 --> 0:03:29.560 about how your process when you were in the game 0:03:29.639 --> 0:03:33.519 heavy had changed over the years from when you first 0:03:33.560 --> 0:03:37.440 got into game early on and and and the scouting 0:03:37.760 --> 0:03:41.080 was a little different to where you probably I'm sure 0:03:41.120 --> 0:03:43.360 you was always in the building and in every gym, 0:03:43.480 --> 0:03:46.960 but it feels like scouting evolved into something else. Can 0:03:47.000 --> 0:03:49.240 you talk Can you touch on that a little bit? Well? 0:03:49.400 --> 0:03:52.600 For sure. When I initially started, you know, I thought 0:03:52.600 --> 0:03:56.000 I had to pour all my thoughts into said individuals 0:03:56.280 --> 0:03:59.400 um current head coach And I want to shout at 0:03:59.400 --> 0:04:02.000 my Robbin there, who's now the current new head coach 0:04:02.040 --> 0:04:04.520 at s m u UM. He's been a close mentor 0:04:04.560 --> 0:04:07.040 of mind. And I remember doing one of my early 0:04:07.160 --> 0:04:09.920 reports and on one player, it's like a page and halt, 0:04:10.800 --> 0:04:13.160 and I sent it that like twelve noon, and he 0:04:13.240 --> 0:04:17.760 hit me back immediately like twelve eleven and said, nobody's 0:04:17.800 --> 0:04:21.120 gonna read all of this. So I had to learn 0:04:21.160 --> 0:04:23.880 early and often that I had to be concise. I 0:04:23.920 --> 0:04:26.080 had to be direct. I had to be colorful with 0:04:26.120 --> 0:04:28.960 my words because you needed your words to take up 0:04:29.400 --> 0:04:33.679 entire sentences. So instead of now this twenty one line 0:04:33.760 --> 0:04:36.640 breakdown of Chris Johnson, I had to break this down 0:04:36.720 --> 0:04:39.119 the four I had to get it down the three 0:04:39.680 --> 0:04:42.720 um small print, you know, things of that nature. So 0:04:42.800 --> 0:04:45.680 from that standpoint, I had to grow in that space. 0:04:45.960 --> 0:04:49.560 I do understand the popularity part um, when you talk 0:04:49.600 --> 0:04:54.720 about social media. Social media has infiltrated um scouting in 0:04:54.760 --> 0:04:56.719 some ways some people. Some people see it in a 0:04:56.720 --> 0:04:59.839 good way. But to the purest and I consider myself 0:05:00.040 --> 0:05:02.800 of the peers like myself, UM, it's it's had a 0:05:02.880 --> 0:05:05.560 lot of harm because I think with social media, you 0:05:05.600 --> 0:05:08.880 and I both know something can happen. I live Will Smith, 0:05:08.960 --> 0:05:12.200 Chris Rock and it's heard around the world in a 0:05:12.240 --> 0:05:15.680 matter of seconds. Um. Depending on the platform. When it 0:05:15.720 --> 0:05:18.479 comes to social media, if you get some of the 0:05:18.560 --> 0:05:21.960 giants in the space to tweet something, it can go 0:05:22.040 --> 0:05:24.560 around the world in a matter of seconds. So if 0:05:24.600 --> 0:05:27.320 you get someone who has a platform like a John Lucas, 0:05:27.600 --> 0:05:29.880 if you get someone on the media side like a 0:05:29.920 --> 0:05:34.760 Seth Uh, Seth Davis or Jeff Goodman, Um Jeff Borzello, 0:05:35.200 --> 0:05:42.080 Jason Jordan's Um, Eric metcalf Um. Stuff like that. It can, 0:05:42.120 --> 0:05:45.480 it can, It can get everywhere to every crevice that 0:05:45.520 --> 0:05:48.719 it needs to get too good or bad, and it 0:05:48.760 --> 0:05:52.280 stays on people because they can even people like yourself. 0:05:52.320 --> 0:05:55.080 You have your brother, he has a platform, Josiah, so 0:05:55.760 --> 0:05:59.760 you can say something and if it's not one accurate, 0:06:00.120 --> 0:06:02.400 people can see it for what it is. There's so 0:06:02.440 --> 0:06:05.560 many young guys that we know have gone viral on 0:06:05.600 --> 0:06:08.920 social media and in people's mind they think they can 0:06:09.000 --> 0:06:12.200 really play because they may have made a move and 0:06:12.200 --> 0:06:14.520 it A hundred thousand people have seen it, a half 0:06:14.520 --> 0:06:18.160 a million people have seen it. And people think popularity 0:06:18.279 --> 0:06:21.599 means you're good, and that's not the case, and you 0:06:21.600 --> 0:06:26.279 you just said something that is really defines the culture today. 0:06:26.400 --> 0:06:30.919 Popularity is what matters. Who they like is what matters. 0:06:30.960 --> 0:06:32.760 It doesn't It doesn't necessarily matter if you're good at 0:06:32.760 --> 0:06:35.200 what you do. It doesn't necessarily matter if you're an 0:06:35.279 --> 0:06:37.120 expert in your field. But if you are liked and 0:06:37.240 --> 0:06:39.560 you have the people behind you, they're rolling. Let me 0:06:39.600 --> 0:06:45.320 ask you this, when you miss on a player, say 0:06:45.320 --> 0:06:48.000 a guy you might you know, rate it a little low. 0:06:48.040 --> 0:06:51.560 I know Clint Parks are good buddy. Clint Parks is 0:06:51.760 --> 0:06:54.680 always talking about all the misses in the class that 0:06:54.720 --> 0:06:58.159 Kawhi letter came out with and who who who who 0:06:58.200 --> 0:07:01.040 people ranked and what the scoutings had. When you miss 0:07:01.520 --> 0:07:05.719 dave on a guy, do you do it like self evaluation? 0:07:05.880 --> 0:07:07.880 Do you not trip at all? Is it something to 0:07:07.920 --> 0:07:10.000 where you just kind of, you know, don't even think 0:07:10.040 --> 0:07:11.640 about it. Where is this something that you say, wait, 0:07:11.680 --> 0:07:13.880 why did I miss on him? And I need to 0:07:13.920 --> 0:07:17.160 sharpen up certain parts of my game so I don't 0:07:17.200 --> 0:07:19.960 miss on another one? Or does it even matter to you? Well, 0:07:20.080 --> 0:07:23.040 like they say, uh, pencils come with the racist for 0:07:23.080 --> 0:07:26.760 a reason. Um, you know, people make mistakes. Uh, just 0:07:26.920 --> 0:07:28.960 like even a mistake that I may I called the 0:07:29.040 --> 0:07:31.880 gentleman Eric Metcalf, which that was the running back from 0:07:31.880 --> 0:07:36.120 the Browns, when it's Myron metcalfs I correct that because 0:07:36.160 --> 0:07:41.280 Myron is I was thinking. I was thinking like that. 0:07:41.360 --> 0:07:43.360 I hope Myron gets a kick out of that. So 0:07:43.520 --> 0:07:46.480 my apologies because he does great work. But I was thinking, 0:07:46.520 --> 0:07:48.600 I've been doing football a couple of my guys, but 0:07:48.640 --> 0:07:51.600 no Myron Metcalf. And that's my point that you make mistakes. 0:07:51.920 --> 0:07:54.400 It's your job, though, to go back and correct it. 0:07:54.680 --> 0:07:57.720 And I think when we talk popularity, we talked scouting 0:07:57.960 --> 0:08:01.000 and especially a lot of the vehicles, like the websites, 0:08:01.040 --> 0:08:04.080 whether it's you know your rivals, you sevens, go back 0:08:04.120 --> 0:08:06.440 to scout, you go back to hoop scoop. I think 0:08:06.480 --> 0:08:09.080 that's something that they did not like to do. They 0:08:09.120 --> 0:08:12.520 did not like to show that they were uh normal, 0:08:13.000 --> 0:08:15.600 that they couldn't make mistakes. That you may jump out 0:08:15.600 --> 0:08:17.800 there and you may rank a kid out of particular slot, 0:08:18.440 --> 0:08:21.080 and you would rather keep said kid and said spot 0:08:21.320 --> 0:08:23.480 to make sure that you came across as if you 0:08:23.520 --> 0:08:25.760 were right. And then the moment he got off your 0:08:25.800 --> 0:08:28.000 clock and say college or even if they got to 0:08:28.040 --> 0:08:30.440 the pro level, they weren't that good, you'll be quick 0:08:30.480 --> 0:08:32.120 to say, well he was good at my level. No, 0:08:32.240 --> 0:08:34.920 he was never good to begin with. He was never 0:08:34.920 --> 0:08:37.320 good to begin with. So I think, like to I 0:08:37.400 --> 0:08:38.760 give you one of my missus, and I don't. I 0:08:38.760 --> 0:08:40.880 don't think it's a miss because when I look at 0:08:41.120 --> 0:08:45.600 the reference points that I went from, my reference points 0:08:45.640 --> 0:08:48.000 showed that it wasn't going to be the superstar that 0:08:48.120 --> 0:08:50.800 he was. And it is it's Luca Dottor. I think 0:08:50.840 --> 0:08:54.360 with Luca, you've seen so many European bigs come over 0:08:54.480 --> 0:08:57.440 have success. Um, you had to share point guards that 0:08:57.480 --> 0:09:01.000 have had success, but we never saw a win come 0:09:01.080 --> 0:09:04.560 over and have this type of dominance and success early. 0:09:05.400 --> 0:09:08.400 And it was going back to guys like a Haydu 0:09:08.480 --> 0:09:11.200 Turgalou or some other guys that you say, well, he 0:09:11.280 --> 0:09:13.040 may be like that, But I don't think a lot 0:09:13.120 --> 0:09:17.040 of people saw Luca being what he is now because 0:09:17.040 --> 0:09:18.800 we didn't know he was going to have the freedoms 0:09:19.040 --> 0:09:21.560 and the opportunity to do what he's doing. How much 0:09:21.640 --> 0:09:24.480 weight when you're evaluating Luca, how much weight did you 0:09:24.520 --> 0:09:27.080 put into the fact that he was playing in the 0:09:27.160 --> 0:09:30.959 a CB since he was fifteen, sixteen or whatever, real Madrid, 0:09:31.280 --> 0:09:34.600 high level European basketball at an early age, because you 0:09:34.600 --> 0:09:36.280 know how it is with those guys. It's like you 0:09:36.280 --> 0:09:38.959 see him in soccer. You see that once fifteen year 0:09:38.960 --> 0:09:41.560 old on the first team dog, you know he's nice. 0:09:42.120 --> 0:09:45.199 I just wondered, like, when you saw the competition level 0:09:45.600 --> 0:09:49.920 and his production day, what made what didn't you necessarily 0:09:50.120 --> 0:09:52.680 weren't you sold on? So I looked at the league, 0:09:52.720 --> 0:09:56.839 though I looked at what the NBA had, and not 0:09:56.920 --> 0:10:00.720 for nothing, guys are aging guys were in JR. I 0:10:00.760 --> 0:10:03.600 don't think I weighed that properly because I'm looking at 0:10:03.679 --> 0:10:07.439 he's coming into a league with Kauai Lebron or George 0:10:07.520 --> 0:10:11.120 Kevin Durant in my mind, and I'm thinking solely small forward. 0:10:11.640 --> 0:10:14.240 I'm not thinking they were gonna allow him to be 0:10:14.320 --> 0:10:16.920 as versatile as he was. I'm thinking you're gonna have 0:10:16.920 --> 0:10:18.880 to get in the pot with those guys and mix 0:10:18.920 --> 0:10:21.280 it up with them. But low and behold. That's what 0:10:21.360 --> 0:10:24.520 I did get wrong, And probably I did not weigh 0:10:24.640 --> 0:10:26.920 enough of the league that he was in. And I'm 0:10:26.920 --> 0:10:29.520 sure you were familiar with it to understand, Nah, this 0:10:29.520 --> 0:10:32.080 this would be equivalent to a blue blood league of 0:10:32.200 --> 0:10:36.440 high level college basketball. This may translate. So I didn't 0:10:36.480 --> 0:10:38.440 look at that because you're talking about we were coming 0:10:38.440 --> 0:10:40.720 out of ra with so many guys that we saw 0:10:41.040 --> 0:10:43.880 that were drafted overseas. They were drafted in the top five, 0:10:44.040 --> 0:10:47.400 ten first round and never came over you know, New 0:10:47.480 --> 0:10:50.160 York City to this day, and I know it's it's 0:10:50.160 --> 0:10:52.600 a piece of round tests, you know, metal world piece 0:10:52.679 --> 0:10:56.520 that it's still didn't in his heart that his beloved 0:10:56.559 --> 0:10:59.680 knicks were right there, and they took Frederick White's who 0:10:59.760 --> 0:11:04.319 you know, never came over, never came over. So like 0:11:04.400 --> 0:11:07.079 in in the in the Luca case, when you saw 0:11:07.800 --> 0:11:10.359 the management at the time, who had a very personal 0:11:11.080 --> 0:11:16.679 relationship um with his family in Sacramento pass on him, 0:11:16.760 --> 0:11:19.280 I'm like, oh, well, he can't be that good, like 0:11:19.400 --> 0:11:23.200 y'all known this for so long to not that. That's 0:11:23.280 --> 0:11:26.719 like you and I knowing Jason Crow and we know 0:11:27.120 --> 0:11:30.439 his son is coming up, and we're like, no, we're 0:11:30.480 --> 0:11:35.520 not gonna take j We're gonna take Bill Gates. It's like, 0:11:35.559 --> 0:11:40.240 what exactly you get what I'm saying. And then it's 0:11:40.280 --> 0:11:43.600 like then we see, you know j C too come up, 0:11:43.640 --> 0:11:46.800 and it's like, whoa wait a minute, well Chris, why 0:11:46.800 --> 0:11:49.160 didn't you take him there? Why y'all known his dad? 0:11:49.880 --> 0:11:53.640 Why didn't you take him? WF man? And then we're 0:11:53.679 --> 0:11:57.680 out of a job though unemployed because we didn't take 0:11:57.760 --> 0:12:00.560 Jake too. So in situations like that that I think 0:12:00.760 --> 0:12:04.079 led to the perception for somebody like Luca and and 0:12:04.120 --> 0:12:06.720 you know, hence people I have no no at that time, 0:12:06.720 --> 0:12:08.720 I wasn't in a pro space. But if you would 0:12:08.720 --> 0:12:12.640 have asked me my projection on him, Um, I would 0:12:12.679 --> 0:12:14.640 have got that wrong. I definitely would have got that root. 0:12:15.400 --> 0:12:19.760 Let me actually this currently do the way you guys 0:12:20.080 --> 0:12:24.920 look at Europeans, you know, ball players, European stars, wings 0:12:25.160 --> 0:12:28.800 in particular, has it changed with the success of Luca? 0:12:29.080 --> 0:12:31.640 I think so. I think I think now the blueprint 0:12:31.679 --> 0:12:34.000 if if Europeans want to get it right, and I 0:12:34.040 --> 0:12:35.960 think it's the same way in America. You just send 0:12:36.000 --> 0:12:39.240 them the same route. So if they're young enough to 0:12:39.360 --> 0:12:42.600 get into that level of European player what you mentioned, 0:12:42.920 --> 0:12:45.199 and they're having success, I think that's gonna be a 0:12:45.520 --> 0:12:48.280 good indicator for people to say, nah, he might be 0:12:48.360 --> 0:12:51.120 one of the ones like such and such camean troup, 0:12:51.240 --> 0:12:53.920 such and such Caman troup. So when you have a pattern, 0:12:54.679 --> 0:12:56.760 it's it's no different than Again, we talked about the 0:12:56.800 --> 0:12:59.920 past of of bigs in college basketball, that when you 0:13:00.120 --> 0:13:02.800 went through George Town and you saw what Patrick did, 0:13:03.040 --> 0:13:05.600 you saw what Zoe did, you saw what the Kimba did. 0:13:05.840 --> 0:13:09.080 That gives Boom boom jay shot, that gives Don Read 0:13:09.120 --> 0:13:11.760 the shot, that gives the high White the shot. So 0:13:11.920 --> 0:13:15.640 I think when it comes to the European style of evaluation. Um. 0:13:15.720 --> 0:13:17.640 And if they're smart and you know, golf a bid, 0:13:17.640 --> 0:13:21.040 there's no issues there, no war, you know, conflicts for 0:13:21.040 --> 0:13:24.080 for players that if they can go those routes, um, 0:13:24.120 --> 0:13:26.960 it's gonna help. It's gonna help solidify kind of those 0:13:27.000 --> 0:13:30.400 paths for players. Absolutely, and I think that that path 0:13:31.040 --> 0:13:32.840 over the course of the last decade, and show man, 0:13:32.840 --> 0:13:35.520 it's been pretty solid. Man, it's been some some real 0:13:35.559 --> 0:13:39.600 solid draft picks. The the all the top guys right 0:13:39.640 --> 0:13:42.680 now in the league. As far as the VP voting 0:13:43.160 --> 0:13:47.360 or from foreigners, uh, the league is definitely on the 0:13:47.440 --> 0:13:52.520 international uh tip. Right now, I want to talk about 0:13:52.559 --> 0:13:57.600 a specific question about your opinion on the G League 0:13:57.720 --> 0:14:01.720 versus the n C Double A. As we saw last year, 0:14:02.040 --> 0:14:04.679 several players decided to rock with the G League on 0:14:04.760 --> 0:14:06.800 the development tip. A lot of those guys where five 0:14:06.840 --> 0:14:09.000 stars could have played possibly college. You know, I was 0:14:09.040 --> 0:14:11.200 reading online. There's there's a lot of back and forth 0:14:11.320 --> 0:14:14.280 right now and a little bit of a debate about 0:14:14.360 --> 0:14:17.480 whether or not the n C Double A experience and 0:14:17.520 --> 0:14:21.600 the exposure game from college basketball, the friendships, the the 0:14:21.760 --> 0:14:25.360 long lifelong he's just loyalty to your institution is just 0:14:25.400 --> 0:14:28.120 such a such so valuable in this world. Do you 0:14:28.160 --> 0:14:33.640 feel like that today's ball player when given the choice, 0:14:34.600 --> 0:14:36.640 and I'm not gonna ask what do you think they 0:14:36.640 --> 0:14:39.720 should do? But what do you feel like the G 0:14:40.000 --> 0:14:45.880 League is a is a viable option to improve, developed 0:14:46.000 --> 0:14:49.960 and get to the league versus college. So let's let's 0:14:49.960 --> 0:14:55.400 make no mistake. I think for the masses, uh, in 0:14:56.040 --> 0:14:59.840 a macro sense, there's no better situation than college basketball. 0:14:59.880 --> 0:15:02.600 I think you the question probably be flipped to you 0:15:02.720 --> 0:15:06.520 because you being a national champion, and it will never 0:15:06.560 --> 0:15:09.160 be forgotten for a group of guys that were on 0:15:09.200 --> 0:15:13.560 your team, that experience. You can never replace that. I 0:15:13.640 --> 0:15:15.840 do think on the flip though, when you talk on 0:15:15.880 --> 0:15:20.920 the micro side of things, for individuals, um, if if 0:15:20.960 --> 0:15:26.120 you're that talent, it is a way. UM, it's a 0:15:26.120 --> 0:15:29.560 way that that you can't replace. I want to say 0:15:29.640 --> 0:15:32.400 the last six drafts, I want to say, there've been 0:15:32.480 --> 0:15:36.320 individuals who and they didn't go to college, UM, and 0:15:36.400 --> 0:15:39.480 yet they were still drafted in some capacity. UM. You 0:15:39.560 --> 0:15:42.560 had guys like Darius Bazo, you had guys like Robinson 0:15:43.080 --> 0:15:46.480 Um from the Manual Moodiers to the Terrence Ferguson, many 0:15:46.520 --> 0:15:50.119 of those guys. Clearly, if the talent is there, um, 0:15:50.240 --> 0:15:53.000 you will still be recognized, you can still be selected. 0:15:53.320 --> 0:15:56.280 So but I just don't think that route is at 0:15:56.320 --> 0:16:00.160 a macro level yet. It is not for everybody. I 0:16:00.200 --> 0:16:03.400 think when it gets to that, you know, everyone keeps 0:16:03.480 --> 0:16:05.560 mentioning how the rules will go back to change and 0:16:05.560 --> 0:16:07.640 then allowing guys to go out of high school. But 0:16:07.640 --> 0:16:09.440 I don't. I just don't think we're very yet. But 0:16:09.600 --> 0:16:13.640 is it is it good for the select few? Of course? Well, 0:16:13.800 --> 0:16:16.480 and I think that's where to be honest, it probably 0:16:16.480 --> 0:16:20.000 should stay because it's not for everybody. So when you 0:16:20.040 --> 0:16:23.840 see selective individuals do it, um, that's one thing. But 0:16:23.920 --> 0:16:26.960 to open it up like as if everyone can do it, no, 0:16:27.280 --> 0:16:31.560 that's that's not realistic. Yeah, I think people are operating 0:16:31.720 --> 0:16:34.440 with the sense of disillusionment and they talk about the 0:16:34.520 --> 0:16:36.800 G League and they don't have any idea about the 0:16:36.800 --> 0:16:40.200 competition level, and then they could somehow easy because it's 0:16:40.200 --> 0:16:44.240 a minor league. I played in the c B a UH, 0:16:44.240 --> 0:16:46.320 which was the precursor to the G League. For those 0:16:46.320 --> 0:16:48.160 out there, they don't know, and I'll tell you what 0:16:48.200 --> 0:16:50.480 I mean. It was night and night out man. It 0:16:50.520 --> 0:16:53.480 was high level competition. Guys are hungry. Guys are trying 0:16:53.480 --> 0:16:55.800 to you know, earn a living as men in the 0:16:55.880 --> 0:16:58.160 G League, in the c BA, places like this. So 0:16:58.720 --> 0:17:02.440 for those youngsters Jaden Hardy and these other guys that 0:17:02.480 --> 0:17:05.280 were with the G League at night, they undoubtably they 0:17:05.320 --> 0:17:09.040 got great. First of all, they got great tutelage under 0:17:09.040 --> 0:17:13.119 guys like Jason Hart, Poo Jetter and that staff that 0:17:13.160 --> 0:17:16.680 they hired. Second of all, the competition factor. I don't 0:17:16.720 --> 0:17:21.120 think enough is given enough credence is given to when 0:17:21.400 --> 0:17:25.320 young men play against grown men. So when you have 0:17:25.400 --> 0:17:27.679 a teenager that has to suit it up against something 0:17:27.720 --> 0:17:31.639 dude that's twenty seven grown man strength, couple of kids 0:17:31.720 --> 0:17:34.080 you know a job and you know how to you know, 0:17:34.119 --> 0:17:37.200 but but just planning for something, playing to put food 0:17:37.200 --> 0:17:39.760 on it. It's a difference in compete against high school 0:17:39.840 --> 0:17:44.080 kids in college. I was gonna say with with your example, 0:17:44.320 --> 0:17:46.720 when you went through the cb A, that was after 0:17:46.840 --> 0:17:50.800 four years of college, correct, correct, So imagine you cutting 0:17:50.840 --> 0:17:53.280 that in half. Let's say you left U c l 0:17:53.320 --> 0:17:56.560 A as a souphamore having to compete against those same guys. 0:17:56.840 --> 0:17:58.399 I think when you left U c l A with 0:17:58.480 --> 0:18:01.520 all your experience in the national title. It helped you 0:18:01.640 --> 0:18:04.600 face those men. What makes it even more difficult, I 0:18:04.680 --> 0:18:08.840 think people are not really uh weighing. Is you're talking 0:18:08.880 --> 0:18:10.960 my kids trying to come out of high school or 0:18:11.040 --> 0:18:13.600 one year out of college, two years out of college. 0:18:13.800 --> 0:18:16.560 You're not fully equipped, and you're telling this guy to 0:18:16.600 --> 0:18:19.200 go compete against that guy who got a baby mama, 0:18:19.440 --> 0:18:22.359 a wife on the side, a couple of poles, like 0:18:22.520 --> 0:18:27.240 it's it's tough. It's really tough, Like, come on, man, 0:18:27.520 --> 0:18:30.040 it's a different monkey on your back. Man, it's it's 0:18:30.080 --> 0:18:33.760 a different hunger that you're the A. You're the A. 0:18:34.000 --> 0:18:37.840 You guy, You're coming from the Johnson legendary family. Everything 0:18:37.840 --> 0:18:40.800 that was given to you. You never fought for your 0:18:40.880 --> 0:18:42.920 dad if you came up in this religious call it 0:18:42.920 --> 0:18:45.240 because I don't think you and your family get enough 0:18:45.359 --> 0:18:47.600 of their medals and trophies, because I don't give out 0:18:47.840 --> 0:18:50.520 flowers and and all that to men, but um with 0:18:50.640 --> 0:18:54.560 no disrespect, like your family is legendary. If your dad 0:18:54.640 --> 0:18:57.600 was coming up now, you would have your own AU team. 0:18:58.040 --> 0:18:59.840 You feel what I'm saying. So, what are the chances 0:18:59.880 --> 0:19:02.639 that you and your brothers, to be honest, would afford 0:19:02.640 --> 0:19:07.080 for anything against other than against each other who's getting 0:19:07.080 --> 0:19:10.000 the card. But you never had to compete or whatever 0:19:10.000 --> 0:19:11.960 it may have you. And that's to set up unfortunately 0:19:11.960 --> 0:19:14.719 now and a lot of grassroom situations. So when you 0:19:14.760 --> 0:19:17.919 put that mindset on a kid and then now you 0:19:17.960 --> 0:19:20.560 take him out of that and thrust him in the world. 0:19:20.800 --> 0:19:23.959 When you play against that guy who we got student loans, 0:19:24.640 --> 0:19:26.399 you know what I'm saying, he got a couple of kids. Like, 0:19:26.720 --> 0:19:30.399 it's a different fight, and it's almost unfair because again 0:19:30.440 --> 0:19:33.639 he's not equipped enough. He didn't go through enough to 0:19:33.680 --> 0:19:36.560 be able to compete with this man. And it's it's 0:19:36.600 --> 0:19:39.800 it's it's a slanted business from the store. Fox Sports 0:19:39.920 --> 0:19:42.520 Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. 0:19:42.840 --> 0:19:45.760 Catch all of our shows at Fox sports Radio dot 0:19:45.800 --> 0:19:48.840 com and within the I Heart Radio app search f 0:19:49.160 --> 0:19:53.800 s R to listen live. Yeah, it is, but I 0:19:53.920 --> 0:19:56.680 really see the value of it. I was on the 0:19:56.760 --> 0:20:01.360 j B eight tour with LaVar Ball when he put 0:20:01.400 --> 0:20:04.160 together that league. You know, Facebook kind of bake rolled 0:20:04.160 --> 0:20:07.119 in and we traveled around the country man and played 0:20:07.160 --> 0:20:11.520 games city to city in arenas, uh forty eight minute games. 0:20:11.960 --> 0:20:14.919 You know. Melo Ball was obviously the major attraction, but 0:20:15.400 --> 0:20:18.119 Lavarre used that as a vehicle for his development. And 0:20:18.440 --> 0:20:21.400 that's what I why I always gave LaVar ball such 0:20:21.440 --> 0:20:23.800 a ton of credit is because he always had the 0:20:23.880 --> 0:20:27.120 balls growing up playing against grown, grown dudes or old 0:20:27.280 --> 0:20:30.480 or older dudes. They always played up LaMelo as you 0:20:30.520 --> 0:20:33.080 probably remember twelve third team cherry picker. You remember the 0:20:33.080 --> 0:20:35.760 whole deal and just kill you know what kind of 0:20:35.760 --> 0:20:38.000 offense is that back then? But then he turns out 0:20:38.000 --> 0:20:40.280 to be, you know, probably the rookie of the year. 0:20:40.320 --> 0:20:42.760 I think that that in terms of development, is one 0:20:42.800 --> 0:20:45.159 of the most is It's an overlooked aspect, and I 0:20:45.160 --> 0:20:47.760 think we need to figure out a system to create 0:20:47.840 --> 0:20:51.920 those matchups more for for for when youth they're playing basketball. 0:20:51.960 --> 0:20:55.000 So like when you start, you know, second, third, fourth, 0:20:55.040 --> 0:20:56.920 fifth grader, I feel like you got to be playing 0:20:56.920 --> 0:20:59.359 against you know, six seventh graders? Are you gotta be 0:20:59.400 --> 0:21:02.919 playing up from jump? And that brings me to a 0:21:02.960 --> 0:21:05.600 developmental question as far as the United States, what do 0:21:05.640 --> 0:21:10.160 you think is the single most important peace to developing 0:21:10.800 --> 0:21:13.720 the next generation of ball players so that the US 0:21:13.920 --> 0:21:17.800