Speaker 1: Hey, welcome and do all ball. I'm Doug Gottlieb, your
Speaker 1: hosts with the most and uh, I'm so happy to
Speaker 1: be with you. Remember to download, to subscribe, and to
Speaker 1: rate this podcast as um. What we'll do this time
Speaker 1: is talk mostly pro hoops, college hoops. So many guys
Speaker 1: either declaring for the draft with an agent, without an agent.
Speaker 1: You do have certain players declaring for their schools, as
Speaker 1: we saw yesterday with Romeo Lankford is going to Indiana.
Speaker 1: Let me just kind of start there before we get
Speaker 1: to the pro hoops of the day. Obviously, Romeo Lankford
Speaker 1: staying home is big for Archie Miller. And the sense
Speaker 1: has always been at IU, if you can build a
Speaker 1: fence around the state, you're gonna be able to compete nationally.
Speaker 1: And you look at all the players that have even
Speaker 1: now playing collegiately or playing in the pros or played collegiately,
Speaker 1: they're going to the pros that are from the state.
Speaker 1: You're like, wow, how did they not go to IU? Now,
Speaker 1: Remember it's not like I you under Tom Crane didn't
Speaker 1: have talent. They had a plethora of um of talented players.
Speaker 1: I don't think he got fired because he wasn't recruiting well,
Speaker 1: although not recruiting as well in state sometimes can unseach
Speaker 1: you just as much as not recruiting well overall is
Speaker 1: I think really the problem was he went to four
Speaker 1: n c A tournaments when he was there for nine
Speaker 1: years or whatever that you know, he only got to
Speaker 1: the sweet six team, never got past it. I think
Speaker 1: there was a general sense they're bumping up into the ceiling,
Speaker 1: even though they had talented players, and they went out
Speaker 1: and got Archie, who had as or greater success at
Speaker 1: a place like Dayton, and so the even the layman
Speaker 1: can see, well, if you can do that at Dayton,
Speaker 1: why can't you do better at IU? And there are
Speaker 1: questions about Archie. I guess at I you, I don't
Speaker 1: know why. I think Archie's tremendous. He's an indefatigable recruiter.
Speaker 1: And he goes and gets his first big top hunter
Speaker 1: get in the state of Indiana, and now kind of
Speaker 1: they're often running this could be the this could be
Speaker 1: the guy who who changes them. It really could. My
Speaker 1: sense is that you look at the Big ten and
Speaker 1: you know, this was supposed to be a year that
Speaker 1: Michigan State could win the whole thing they did not
Speaker 1: couldn't figure out, couldn't make shots, Agin Syracuses Zone. Michigan
Speaker 1: obviously overachieved, or I think overachieved, but now they're losing
Speaker 1: Wagner to the NBA Draft. Ohio State overachieved, but you
Speaker 1: know they're losing Beta Cats up. I was kind of
Speaker 1: a mess, but I think they'll be better next year.
Speaker 1: But do I think I was suddenly going to leap
Speaker 1: frog everybody else in the league. Probably not. Um you
Speaker 1: look at some of the other powers in the league.
Speaker 1: Illinois down, having to completely restructure their roster, Minnesota massive injuries,
Speaker 1: but finally recruiting well in State, but you know, they
Speaker 1: haven't been able to sustain early season success under Richard Pettino.
Speaker 1: Like I just kind of Wisconsin was down, and we'll
Speaker 1: see what happens. If they get their full roster back,
Speaker 1: which they could have back good at back, could Wisconsin
Speaker 1: get back to the top of league. It's kind of
Speaker 1: fascinating to see what happens to Indiana because in very
Speaker 1: short order they became kind of an afterthought in the league.
Speaker 1: But I think Archie, you start getting a recruiting he'll
Speaker 1: do fine. I like the Archie higher when it was made.
Speaker 1: And this only some of this is confirmation bias, but
Speaker 1: getting Robo Langford confirms to me everything I thought about
Speaker 1: Archie Miller and Steve will play hard. Um, he's a
Speaker 1: little bit more evolved as an offensive coach than his brother.
Speaker 1: Teams play hard, you know, and fundamentally sound like his brother.
Speaker 1: And then it's just a matter if can you get
Speaker 1: good enough players and can you get the players to stay?
Speaker 1: So fascinating, it also interests always interesting to me these
Speaker 1: top hundred kids, that top fifty, top kids that side.
Speaker 1: It's like you're you realize you're getting them for one year,
Speaker 1: and so sometimes it's better to get the top hunter,
Speaker 1: top hunter fifty kid who's going to stay for the
Speaker 1: two to three to four, maybe even five years. Then
Speaker 1: it is that one kid who, but one player, can
Speaker 1: completely change your minium momentum and recruiting, especially in a
Speaker 1: state like Indiana, and completely change the momentum for the
Speaker 1: fan base. Oh, they're really doing something. And while there's
Speaker 1: a lot of pressure on the kid and the pressure
Speaker 1: on the program to elevate the kids so we can
Speaker 1: go to the NBA Draft, some of that's a good
Speaker 1: thing because if the kid has the talent and really
Speaker 1: buys in will be fine. Fine. I don't think you
Speaker 1: can win with all one and dones. But I also
Speaker 1: think it's really hard to win when you don't have
Speaker 1: good players. So it's got to be a mixture of
Speaker 1: the two. Let's get to the NBA a couple of
Speaker 1: spitfire thoughts. Let me start with Lebron James, who statistically
Speaker 1: has been unbelievable. I want people to understand two things. One,
Speaker 1: some of Lebron's dominance is by design from the other team. Right,
Speaker 1: you're going against Lebron, and I don't know what the
Speaker 1: best thing Lebron does. I would say some of it
Speaker 1: is the fact that when he's a downhill driver, he's
Speaker 1: almost unguardable. But a good portion of what makes Lebron
Speaker 1: special is that he's an incredible pastor. Right, So when
Speaker 1: you have this type of skill as a score and
Speaker 1: skill as a passer, and the size and athleticism that
Speaker 1: Lebron has and the versatility defensively, pretty great mix. So
Speaker 1: what you gotta do is you gotta make, honestly, somebody
Speaker 1: play left handed. But you want to make somebody only
Speaker 1: do one thing right, You either only make him a pastor,
Speaker 1: only make him a score, and I think, what what
Speaker 1: the Pacers found? You go back to the Warriors last year.
Speaker 1: Found what other teams have found is, you know, if
Speaker 1: we just make Lebron score thirty forty fifty a game,
Speaker 1: he can't do it. He won't be able to carry
Speaker 1: the team in the fourth quarter. It's something that as
Speaker 1: a human being, you run out of You run out
Speaker 1: of gas in the tank. And remember, though he's not
Speaker 1: nearly the defender he gets credit for, especially anymore, He's
Speaker 1: still will guard multiple positions and is put in position
Speaker 1: to have to make big plays defensively blocking shots. He
Speaker 1: obviously blocked the couple of big ones in this series.
Speaker 1: The point is that, go and look at the fourth
Speaker 1: quarter in Game seven, he only made two buckets. He
Speaker 1: took a couple of jump shots that he wasn't close on.
Speaker 1: He just looked exhausted out there. So I'm not saying
Speaker 1: Lebron stinks. Anybody who takes that is just silly when
Speaker 1: they say that. What I'm saying is that some of
Speaker 1: the scoring dominance is by design. You want him to score,
Speaker 1: you want to guard him single coverage, and you want
Speaker 1: to make him score thirty points, hoping that he just
Speaker 1: doesn't happen in the tank in the fourth quarter and
Speaker 1: that you're close and your go to score can make
Speaker 1: shots where's Lebron cannot. The other part is there is
Speaker 1: this narrative going that this is the worst roster he's
Speaker 1: played with since the O eight Finals team, and that's
Speaker 1: just silly. And Kevin Love and I don't think Kevin
Speaker 1: Love is a superstar, but he's definitely a star caliber player.
Speaker 1: Kevin Loves an All Star. Kevin Loves probably a Hall
Speaker 1: of Famer. So go back and look at two thousands,
Speaker 1: and Kevin Love is in his prime. So you can
Speaker 1: go and tell me that Kevin Love isn't good, and
Speaker 1: I would tell you that I think Kevin Love is
Speaker 1: really good. I think Kevin Love and the rest of
Speaker 1: this team is put in a position to which Lebron
Speaker 1: can only really play one way. They can't play ball movement,
Speaker 1: ball screen, rotate the basketball, they can't play that way
Speaker 1: at all. They have to play this way. Throw it
Speaker 1: to Lebron has them out the ball screening action, to
Speaker 1: which he can find shooters when they're open. Otherwise, if
Speaker 1: you help, if you double team, he'll pass your guy
Speaker 1: otherwise that then you just play him straight up and
Speaker 1: hope he misses. The point is that one of the
Speaker 1: reasons he's scoring so much is because of the design
Speaker 1: of the defense. The other reason is the design of
Speaker 1: the offense, and one of the reasons the rest of
Speaker 1: the team doesn't score very much and doesn't look as
Speaker 1: effective as maybe they would in other NBA systems. Some
Speaker 1: of is the design of the defense and some of
Speaker 1: it is the sign of the offense. I'm fascinating to
Speaker 1: see what happens with Toronto. Toronto does not have a
Speaker 1: quality matchup to throw it Lebron James. The teams that
Speaker 1: do are eventually the Celtics to the Celtics have you
Speaker 1: know you you go to next year, They'll have Jason Tatum,
Speaker 1: Jalen Brown, Gordon Hayward at least those three, maybe a
Speaker 1: little Al Horford to throw at him. And um the
Speaker 1: Golden State Warriors, who have Kevin Durant, they have Andrea Gadala,
Speaker 1: they have Sean Livingston, Um they have Draymond Green. They
Speaker 1: have four guys to which they can throw at him
Speaker 1: and say, hey, look we're gonna cut everybody else off
Speaker 1: and you're gonna have to make shot and have Clay
Speaker 1: Thompson as well, five guys that can legitimately guard Lebron James.
Speaker 1: You're not gonna stop him, especially in this day and
Speaker 1: age in the NBA, but you're gonna throw them. Look
Speaker 1: at Toronto and though they do have arguably the best
Speaker 1: bench in the NBA, the fact is they don't have
Speaker 1: a perfect o g and a boy is is just
Speaker 1: a rookie. Like, he's not gonna shut down Lebron James.
Speaker 1: He won't get he'll get in the foul trouble before
Speaker 1: that happens. He has the body, but he doesn't have
Speaker 1: the game yet on offense to to make Lebron garden.
Speaker 1: So I still think the Calves can beat Toronto, but
Speaker 1: I think Toronto just and they only have one day
Speaker 1: off in between all these games. Toronto can, just like Indiana,
Speaker 1: can wear him out by making him score for to night,
Speaker 1: and that's what he's gonna have to do. I'm gonna
Speaker 1: have to score for to night. I wouldn't bet against
Speaker 1: Lebron because he has a mental game. He has the
Speaker 1: mental edge over the over the Raptors. But I do
Speaker 1: think there is the possibility that he just runs out
Speaker 1: of gas in Toronto because they have a DeMar Derozin
Speaker 1: who is a more refined player, more fine player than
Speaker 1: a victor Or Oladipo. I do think there's the possibility
Speaker 1: that that Toronto. I didn't think they can win this
Speaker 1: series going back two months ago. Now I think they can.
Speaker 1: I wouldn't pick them, but I think they can. And
Speaker 1: then you got out West where as of recording of this,
Speaker 1: Steph Curry is going to play tonight, and I think
Speaker 1: it's it's it's very very interesting. Draymond Green wasn't hitting
Speaker 1: shots in the regular season, struggled summ early on, was
Speaker 1: better in Game one versus the Pelicans. Igo Dollas shot
Speaker 1: a much higher number of threes in the postseason, played
Speaker 1: more mids in the postseason. You still have Livingston there,
Speaker 1: and you have some other young pieces. I'm a little
Speaker 1: concerned about the Warriors bench in the playoffs, in the
Speaker 1: in the in the Western Conference Finals against the Rockets,
Speaker 1: but I'm I'm less concerned if Steff is truly back,
Speaker 1: If Staff is truly back, and you have Staff, if
Speaker 1: k d if Clay, they just need Draymond to make
Speaker 1: shots to spread that floor out. Igu Dolla has hit
Speaker 1: a lot more shots, command a lot more respect. Those
Speaker 1: the two guys, only two guys you can help off.
Speaker 1: I'll be fasting to see how staff looks, how he plays,
Speaker 1: if they give him some kind of piecemeal it, or
Speaker 1: if they throw them into they throw him in the
Speaker 1: fiery place thirty five tonight. You know that he was
Speaker 1: ready to play a long time ago, and they were
Speaker 1: just being extra extra extra cautious before they did. So.
Speaker 1: That said, it does feel like a collision course with
Speaker 1: the Rockets. And I do still like the Warriors over
Speaker 1: the Rockets because the Rockets, though they'll win a game
Speaker 1: or two because they can just score all that well,
Speaker 1: I still think they're so beholding the three point shot
Speaker 1: and they're not. Though the stats would tell you they're
Speaker 1: a little bit better defensively than they actually are. There's
Speaker 1: some flaws or some holes and what they do defensively,
Speaker 1: I would I would still take the Warriors even sight
Speaker 1: unseen with with Steph Curry. And then you have the
Speaker 1: Oklahoma City thunder. What do you do? I think you
Speaker 1: gotta get rid of Karmento Anthony, which is easier said
Speaker 1: than done. Look, you can tell me what whatever you
Speaker 1: want about Phil Jackson how he mismanaged the New York
Speaker 1: Next you're probably right, But Phil Jackson, do you remember
Speaker 1: who he liked most in the NBA draft. He's the
Speaker 1: rookie who's tearing it up of the Boston Celtics. Like
Speaker 1: that's who he actually valued above anybody else in the
Speaker 1: NBA draft. And Phil Jackson wanted to try to get
Speaker 1: rid of Carmelo Anthony. And you're right if you say, hey,
Speaker 1: god live, you're an idiot. First, you're right for that.
Speaker 1: The second he he's the one who gave Melow a
Speaker 1: no trade clause. But I think given no Melo no
Speaker 1: trade clause was I mean, give you no trade clause.
Speaker 1: But if we ever need a move you, I think
Speaker 1: we both agree it's time to move you. But I
Speaker 1: look at Oklahoma City and and the reaction Melow had
Speaker 1: at the end of the season, which was basically, hey,
Speaker 1: they used me wrong, and I have more to offer
Speaker 1: than I was given. No, you don't. Carmelo Anthony is
Speaker 1: just patently self unaware. Mellow is a hummer too. Remember
Speaker 1: those h two big bulky cool when you kind of
Speaker 1: they were kind of cool looking, look like you were,
Speaker 1: you know, some like military dude. Like a tough guy. Yeah,
Speaker 1: but the truth is and H two guzzles too much gas,
Speaker 1: and H two it doesn't have a third row seats,
Speaker 1: and H two isn't as off road capable as some
Speaker 1: would lead you to believe. And H shoes are really
Speaker 1: early early two thousand's sort of vehicles everyone else has.
Speaker 1: You either go fuel efficient or you go the remade Escalade,
Speaker 1: the remade Lincoln Navigator, the remade Yukon, the remade Suburban
Speaker 1: Writer Infinity, like H two is kind of somewhere in
Speaker 1: the middle, and it uses more gas and has less
Speaker 1: room than all of the other SUVs, and it's just
Speaker 1: kind of not needed. It's just kind of a show
Speaker 1: piece that people have now to look like there's some
Speaker 1: kind of tough guy when really we think they're caught
Speaker 1: in the In two thousand three, that's what Carmelo Anthony
Speaker 1: this as a player, a right great midrange shooter, great
Speaker 1: post up guy, a great ball stopper. Can't guard any
Speaker 1: position that doesn't work. In two thousand eighteen, you'll be
Speaker 1: able to switch out to point cards. You gotta bail guards, centers,
Speaker 1: you gotta be able rebound, got bill shoot threes, all
Speaker 1: not strengths of who Carmelo Anthony is. So I would
Speaker 1: try and find a way to get rid of Carmelo.
Speaker 1: The problem is twenty million dollars. You're probably gonna have
Speaker 1: to buy him out. You just are. And then you
Speaker 1: have Paul George, who I think truth be Told enjoyed
Speaker 1: his experience playing in Oklahoma City, and I think truth
Speaker 1: be told. He likes Russell Westbrook the player, and sometimes
Speaker 1: it's fun to play with him. But eighty two games
Speaker 1: for five more years, you know, it's a hundred games
Speaker 1: a year. Probably passed on that one. The Thunder could
Speaker 1: go from three games to one with Kevin Durant, hell
Speaker 1: NBA Finals with Harden Durant, Russell Westbrook, OBAKA two Russell
Speaker 1: Westbrook and yet another new roster, and the question becomes,
Speaker 1: do they have another coach? If it's me, I double
Speaker 1: down on Billy Donovan. He now has the NBA and
Speaker 1: the playoff experience that he didn't have previously. He has
Speaker 1: sweat equity with Russell Westbrook, and Russell Westbrook is under
Speaker 1: contract for the foreseeable future. Double down on him, give
Speaker 1: him a couple more years. Tell Russell Westbrook, you guys
Speaker 1: need to work it out, work together, remake this roster,
Speaker 1: and Russell is gonna have to take better shots and
Speaker 1: play off the Balsom. That's the only way you make
Speaker 1: it work. I could tell you that Jayson Tatum is awesome,
Speaker 1: or that Terry Rogier is a surprise. I would also
Speaker 1: point this out with the Boston Celtics. Not enough people
Speaker 1: give credit to Al Horford, not just his efficiency, but
Speaker 1: his ability to guard multiple positions on defense. Yes, Brad
Speaker 1: Stevens is amazing, He's a witch. I don't know how
Speaker 1: he consistently wins now without his top two players, but
Speaker 1: I will tell you that a good portion of what's
Speaker 1: allowed the Celtics to be successful it was their acquisition
Speaker 1: of Al Horford, to which people thought they massively overpaid
Speaker 1: for him. And anybody who watches tape on the NBA
Speaker 1: is like, you know what, Al Horford's probably worth everybody, everybody.
Speaker 1: I don't think the Sixers are dead yet, but I
Speaker 1: do think this is big boy basketball and they're gonna
Speaker 1: have to learn the importance of defending every possession, not
Speaker 1: giving up some of the easy open shots. And I
Speaker 1: think the Rockets against the Jazz the perfect sign of
Speaker 1: what happens college or pro. When there's an upset before
Speaker 1: a big game or a big series, how have been
Speaker 1: the Thunder? The Jazz were better than the Thunder. All
Speaker 1: they got some calls, especially in that last game what
Speaker 1: looked like a foul on three point shop. But the
Speaker 1: Jazz were better in that series than the Thunder. But
Speaker 1: the Thunder were a tougher match. Happened more likely to
Speaker 1: take some games from the Houston Rockets. This is what
Speaker 1: happens when there's an upset in earlier series suddenly becomes
Speaker 1: a complete mismatch in the second round. Factor in Ricky
Speaker 1: Rubio not playing, and unless he plays, they can't be competitive.
Speaker 1: And even with him, I don't think they'll be competitive
Speaker 1: with the Rockets. But let's welcome in a friend of
Speaker 1: the program, personal friend, Nick Right. The show which you
Speaker 1: should watch every morning East coast six thirty to nine
Speaker 1: thirty Eastern time, three thirty to six thirty West Coast time.
Speaker 1: Of course you can DVR. It also replays later on
Speaker 1: the day. The show is called First Things First. Um.
Speaker 1: You can also uh download the pod as well. He's
Speaker 1: Nick Right. He joins us on the Doug Gottlieb Show.
Speaker 1: I forgive me, I didn't hear your reaction to you
Speaker 1: Baker going number one overall? Was that the right call?
Speaker 1: I mean, it's it's a gut to your call, and
Speaker 1: I would have been able to make. I I understand
Speaker 1: if you're going for the guy with the highest upside
Speaker 1: of all the quarterbacks, if you're just trying to get
Speaker 1: the guy who has the best chance to be the
Speaker 1: very best of all the players, I understand it. I
Speaker 1: didn't think the Browns had the luxury of making that call.
Speaker 1: I thought they had to go with the safest call,
Speaker 1: the guy who had the least chance of flaming out.
Speaker 1: I think that likely was Sam Donald. I think Josh
Speaker 1: Rosen is the guy who's going to end up being
Speaker 1: the best player out of all of them. So I mean,
Speaker 1: I think I would have gone Donald, maybe Rosen. I
Speaker 1: thought Baker. The only guy that I know I wouldn't
Speaker 1: have taken was Josh Allen. I mean, I understand what
Speaker 1: the Browns did, but it also does feel like they
Speaker 1: have the opportunity to get the very best quarterback and
Speaker 1: the very best defensive player, and they might have ended
Speaker 1: up with the second or third ask quarterback and the
Speaker 1: second or third best defensive player. In the draft at
Speaker 1: one and four. Ye yep, because they're the Browns. And look,
Speaker 1: maybe they're smarter than the rest of us, right, maybe
Speaker 1: they know something we do not. We will see time
Speaker 1: will in fact tell all right, Nick right joins just
Speaker 1: on the Doug Gotlik Show. I guess, my, my, my
Speaker 1: question with Lebron is this, I don't know how he
Speaker 1: keeps it up, Like do I think sometimes guys use
Speaker 1: press conferences to code messages to the league, to the officials,
Speaker 1: to the other teams. Sure, but when he said he
Speaker 1: was exhausted, I believed him. Um. I just I don't
Speaker 1: know how much you can keep up completely carrying one
Speaker 1: team through the playoffs. And Nick, as you know, there's
Speaker 1: only one day off in between all these games with
Speaker 1: the Raptors. What are your thoughts on whether or not
Speaker 1: he can continue at this pace? Well, I mean, they're
Speaker 1: gonna beat the Raptors and he's going to continue to
Speaker 1: be absolutely unbelievable, if not unimpressive to I don't know,
Speaker 1: folks such as Doug Gottlieb who just has to mind
Speaker 1: the world. But wait, but wait, a lot of these
Speaker 1: records Lebron is said are because he's played a lot
Speaker 1: of basketball. Don't forget that part of it. But I
Speaker 1: digress slightly. I don't think he's going to do what
Speaker 1: he did in Round one in Round two, but I
Speaker 1: don't think he's going to need to. I think the
Speaker 1: Raptors are actually, while the Raptors are better than the Pacers,
Speaker 1: the Raptors are a much better matchup for the Calves
Speaker 1: than the Pacers were. We've seen that over the last
Speaker 1: few years, the regular season and the postseason. I also
Speaker 1: think Kevin Love doesn't have to be an All Star
Speaker 1: in the second round, but he's not going to play
Speaker 1: the worst two weeks of basketball of his career as
Speaker 1: he just played. He's not gonna shoot thirty And I
Speaker 1: think you have a pretty good idea who on the
Speaker 1: team right now you can play and you can't play
Speaker 1: like Jordan Clarkson does not need to see the court.
Speaker 1: Rodney Hood can be given a few chances, are a
Speaker 1: chance the beginning of the second quarter and every game,
Speaker 1: and if he once again looks like the moment is
Speaker 1: simply too big for him, then guess what. He can
Speaker 1: go to the bench like there's only seven, maybe eight
Speaker 1: guys who really feel like you can trust you'll roll
Speaker 1: roll with those guys. But I just I think I don't.
Speaker 1: I don't see how that. I don't see how that's sustainable. Like, look,
Speaker 1: I'm with you, I I there's no reason for me
Speaker 1: to buy into Toronto. None. None, And I like the
Speaker 1: rosan Um. I just I they have no one who
Speaker 1: can match up with Lebron. They are they're they're the
Speaker 1: way in which they're built is flawed for this one guy.
Speaker 1: And if you don't have anybody and guard the best
Speaker 1: player in the Eastern Conference and arguably the best players
Speaker 1: still in the game, then you have no you have
Speaker 1: you don't have. You're you're starting. You're starting at the
Speaker 1: game at a substantial disadvantage. Um, as opposed to the Warriors,
Speaker 1: who they lined up like their whole roster is comprised
Speaker 1: of guys who can at least try and stay in
Speaker 1: front of Lebron. Right, there's a difference in roster construction.
Speaker 1: That said, what you're suggesting by going to like seven
Speaker 1: or eight dudes, I don't, I don't see. They have
Speaker 1: older guy is as well, and they need to get
Speaker 1: something out of Rodney Hood. They need to get something
Speaker 1: out of Jordan Clarkston because they if nothing else they're younger,
Speaker 1: and so they're gonna have to chew up some minutes
Speaker 1: kind of like a like an innings either fourth or fifth, right, Like,
Speaker 1: I don't need you to be my ace, but it
Speaker 1: needs to get some good minutes out of you. Well, listen,
Speaker 1: I can't trust Jordan Clarkson. And I want to revisit
Speaker 1: something you said there in a second, but I can't listen.
Speaker 1: Jordan Clarkson's favorite play all year long has been this
Speaker 1: to get the ball in the back court, dribble eleven
Speaker 1: times right into a closely guarded, contested seventeen football away.
Speaker 1: Like he's unplayable, I he is, a's A. He's shockingly
Speaker 1: bad in the worst spots Rodney Hood. You would like
Speaker 1: to see something on him, But the reality is this
Speaker 1: last year with Utah in eleven games in the postseason
Speaker 1: in heavy minutes, thirty six percent from the floor from
Speaker 1: three this year around those same numbers, the moment's just
Speaker 1: been too big for him. Like, so you've got to
Speaker 1: find guys the moment's not too big for them. But
Speaker 1: you just and I just that you're totally correct on this.
Speaker 1: Nobody hasn't answer for Lebron right just like nobody has
Speaker 1: an answer for Kevin Durant. There's certain guys, nobody, but
Speaker 1: the Pacers at least listen. You throw Sad Young in
Speaker 1: him for ten minutes. You can throw Boyanovitch at him
Speaker 1: for ten minutes. It's oddly enough, Lance can actually be
Speaker 1: a pain in his butt, like the Raptors have nothing.
Speaker 1: O G O O G. Maybe for a little bit,
Speaker 1: but he's a rookie. He's you know what's gonna happen.
Speaker 1: He's gonna get in a foul trouble to sit down,
Speaker 1: and then they'll throw somebody else at him. But I'm
Speaker 1: still I'm still like, look, I'm just reasonably concerned because
Speaker 1: what what what the Pacers tried to do kind of worked.
Speaker 1: I mean like, look, he was too tired to make
Speaker 1: any shots. He made the two lamps in the fourth
Speaker 1: quarter in Game seven, but the but the Pacers were
Speaker 1: so the Pacers so inept offensively, it didn't matter, right.
Speaker 1: But this is this is by the way, and this
Speaker 1: is an argument we got in when we talked about
Speaker 1: the finals last year. This is one of the odd
Speaker 1: things because folks, when they're trying to poke holes in
Speaker 1: what is an impenetrable resume, they squint hard enough, they
Speaker 1: make themselves dizzy, and they go with illogical notes like
Speaker 1: guess what, Like when you score forty five, the official
Speaker 1: scorer doesn't care when those points were scored, Like when
Speaker 1: you when you score when you average forty two in victories,
Speaker 1: nobody cares that you were better in the first half
Speaker 1: than the second half because the points all count the same.
Speaker 1: And so I have two questions for you, because that's
Speaker 1: absolutely by the way, that's absolutely not true. Okay, that's
Speaker 1: that's if you simply go by the numbers, then you're accurate.
Speaker 1: If you go based upon anything we've ever judged in sports.
Speaker 1: It's what you do in the fourth quarter, what you do.
Speaker 1: And I would actually, I actually give Lebron more of
Speaker 1: a pass than many others would because in the past
Speaker 1: I respect the fact that, dude, when you got to
Speaker 1: score thirty five in the first three quarters, you two
Speaker 1: would be the most tiring thing you can you can
Speaker 1: do in basketball is try and score every time down
Speaker 1: the court. Okay. The second most tiring thing you can
Speaker 1: do is have to play defense on multi multiple positions
Speaker 1: every time down the court. Those are the two things
Speaker 1: we asked Lebron James to do. But but he's but
Speaker 1: he he didn't have it in the fourth quarter in
Speaker 1: several of these games. He didn't have it in the
Speaker 1: fourth quarter in the finals last year, and Kevin Durant did.
Speaker 1: And I think that's that's the game plan, and you
Speaker 1: have to wear him down because there isn't anybody else
Speaker 1: who can step up and carry them. And it has
Speaker 1: to be all Lebron. Doug. You you you've been making
Speaker 1: the case all year. He's not the best player in
Speaker 1: the world anymore, you said a second ago, you know,
Speaker 1: maybe arguably the best player in the world. Like you
Speaker 1: can fold that hand now, right, Like are you We
Speaker 1: all get things wrong? I said Calves in five. I
Speaker 1: had to hold that hand last year, Like you're off
Speaker 1: that now? Why why would that be because you witness
Speaker 1: is there? Doug? Doug? What even why would that be
Speaker 1: because you've been alive the last two weeks? Does that's why?
Speaker 1: I don't I don't. I don't understand. Because Lebron is
Speaker 1: awesome against the Pacers, okay, and Kevin Durant is awesome
Speaker 1: against the Spurs. No, no, no, no, you can't use
Speaker 1: the same word there. You can't use those guys they
Speaker 1: you can't. Whatever Lebron was and Kevin Durant for they
Speaker 1: weren't the same thing, right, Like Kevin Durant around one
Speaker 1: of Lebron's around one, we're not at all similar. Like
Speaker 1: Kevin Durant was really really good the way superstars are.
Speaker 1: Lebron did something that only he and only he in
Speaker 1: the league right now, and he and one or two
Speaker 1: other guys in league history could have done this pass round.
Speaker 1: So like, don't let's not let's come on, you be
Speaker 1: be better and more fair than this. Don't act like
Speaker 1: they were the same in round one, because they weren't.
Speaker 1: Like it's a nice play on work. You're you're right,
Speaker 1: you're right. Kevin Durant one five of four of his
Speaker 1: five games. The Bron won four of his seven games.
Speaker 1: Like this is like, this is what you do. This
Speaker 1: is what you do. You go, you simply go based
Speaker 1: upon this, you're like, well, based upon the stats. That's cool.
Speaker 1: I watched the game. They're both the best players on
Speaker 1: the floor, and the difference is the difference is that
Speaker 1: Kevin Durant one has to come out because he has
Speaker 1: a better team, but he also plays more defense because
Speaker 1: whether one he's got more energy, or two he's younger.
Speaker 1: Like again, like you don't, you don't have to agree.
Speaker 1: My My point is simply, I also, who's the best
Speaker 1: basketball player alive? I would take Kevin Durrett. Oh no,
Speaker 1: you wouldn't. You just painted yourself into a corner. And
Speaker 1: so now you can't say anything else. Why who can
Speaker 1: own this one? Who don't truly believe that? You don't? Why?
Speaker 1: Why do I not believe that if you flip the
Speaker 1: two players. I'm just curious if you tell me this,
Speaker 1: Please tell me if at the beginning of these playoffs
Speaker 1: Durant and Lebron flop flip flop teams? Are the Warriors worst? No,
Speaker 1: they're probably the same. Are just the same? Are the
Speaker 1: Calves better? They're probably the same. Oh they're the same.
Speaker 1: Come on, dog, come on like and by the way,
Speaker 1: it's the best you can say, is they're the same. Yeah,
Speaker 1: they're they're they're they're both dominant ball handling superstars. Durant's
Speaker 1: a better shooter. Lebron James is a has A has
Speaker 1: is physically more dominant. Uh, Durant. Durant currently, I would
Speaker 1: say better at defending the rim, whereas you know Lebron
Speaker 1: James a better, a better pure rebounder than than a
Speaker 1: Kevin durant Is. But I mean, and I would say
Speaker 1: Lebron is a better past Lebron is a better pastor.
Speaker 1: You would you would give him that, you'd give the
Speaker 1: most that that's kind of you a one guy who
Speaker 1: is right now above average passer for the NBA compared
Speaker 1: to a guy who is one of the three greatest
Speaker 1: pastors in the history of the NBA. I guess my
Speaker 1: thing is, Nick, I don't understand why every argument has
Speaker 1: to tell into Lebron Leron James is great. I'm more
Speaker 1: interested in whether or not what he's doing is sustainable
Speaker 1: and will an inferior team, which all the teams in
Speaker 1: the Eastern Conference are inferior to a Lebron James lead team,
Speaker 1: we were in agree to that. Hold on, Hold on,
Speaker 1: how like this is the Busses Celtics don't have their
Speaker 1: three best players. The Philadelphias seventy six ers have dudes
Speaker 1: that have never played in the playoff games they're play
Speaker 1: in Toronto. This is the Toronto team that just had
Speaker 1: its best season in franchise history, is fully healthy one
Speaker 1: games that this thing because this is the Eastern Conference,
Speaker 1: Like where where would Toronto be in the Western Conference?
Speaker 1: Would you put him ahead of the Rockets? Hold on,
Speaker 1: would you put him ahead of the Rockets? Would you
Speaker 1: put him ahead of the Golden State Warriors? No? Hold on,
Speaker 1: wait a second, yeah, I like the what else? Oh wait,
Speaker 1: the three seed in the Westcot swept and the fourth
Speaker 1: season the Westcot beat Because outside of the Rockets is
Speaker 1: the Warriors. The West slightly over any of the ship
Speaker 1: but they're not the point I've done. The limb is
Speaker 1: the Cavs, Like this is what we do every year.
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, the Calves could get beat, The Calves
Speaker 1: could get beat, The Calves could get beat. And then
Speaker 1: when Lebron takes him to the finals, Oh, it doesn't
Speaker 1: count because the East was overrated, Like we we we
Speaker 1: know how this story gets told, like, oh wait, this
Speaker 1: is guys, they're vulnerable. Atlanta won sixty games, guys, this
Speaker 1: is this is Toronto's year. Guys, look at a Boston
Speaker 1: Isaiah Thomas are doing. And then when the Calves win
Speaker 1: the conference, it's like, oh, it doesn't count. The East
Speaker 1: is not very good. The East was overrated, Like come on,
Speaker 1: let's be fair here. But the reason that I went
Speaker 1: back to the question of who's better is because you,
Speaker 1: for reasons that I can't quite understand, you do these.
Speaker 1: You put yourself one of the best basketball minds I know,
Speaker 1: through these mental gymnastics to justify something that I don't
Speaker 1: think you fully believe, which is why I made I
Speaker 1: took the shot early, which about Lebron playing in all
Speaker 1: those games. I tweet out just an objective fact like, hey,
Speaker 1: here's where Lebron is now in the all time Playoff
Speaker 1: record book. And he, by the way, for some context
Speaker 1: of it, that means he has more, for example, assists
Speaker 1: than Jason Kidd, rebounds than Larry Bird, points, and steals
Speaker 1: than everyone. And you write on Twitter, well, actually, Larry
Speaker 1: Bird played in the hundred and sixty four playoff games
Speaker 1: and Lebron played in Good talk, get Nick right, which
Speaker 1: totally misses the point of longevity matters and availability matters,
Speaker 1: and you don't get credit for having your career cut
Speaker 1: short because you couldn't stay healthy. There's there's a there's
Speaker 1: a different part to it. You said they're there, would
Speaker 1: you say they're objective stats? It's not objective if you
Speaker 1: don't give the context of hey, they used to play
Speaker 1: three game first round series. Hey, they didn't switched to
Speaker 1: then they go three they then they switched it to
Speaker 1: five games series. There used to be less playoff games.
Speaker 1: In addition that he didn't take it like you can't
Speaker 1: Bird's career. They never played a three game series at
Speaker 1: like that. Yes they did, well, was it three game series?
Speaker 1: When when he when they swept the Chicago Bulls, which
Speaker 1: again there's another one three oh not three? Excuse me?
Speaker 1: A five game series which you could end in three games.
Speaker 1: So if you play fewer, if you play, you play
Speaker 1: fewer games. Excuse me, I misspoke. Uh, if you play,
Speaker 1: you play fewer games, you play fewer games and you play. Yes,
Speaker 1: longevity does matter, okay, but that's that's when you become
Speaker 1: a stat compiler. Right. If you say that he has
Speaker 1: more steals and Pippen like that sounds really impressive. But
Speaker 1: if I told you that Scottie Pippen played two two
Speaker 1: playoff games, it's a little bit less impressive. What are
Speaker 1: the average per game? So one of the things lebron
Speaker 1: Is has been able to do, which I do marvel at,
Speaker 1: is stay healthy. The problem with staying healthy and being
Speaker 1: in the league for fifteen years and playing on Olympic teams,
Speaker 1: with the exception of the last one. He didn't what
Speaker 1: is you're playing a ton of games? And we go
Speaker 1: back to by very first question, which is, dude, at
Speaker 1: some point he's gonna he's gonna run out of gas. No,
Speaker 1: I think it's against the Sixers, and I don't think,
Speaker 1: and I don't, I don't know. I don't think either.
Speaker 1: I don't. I started the show saying, I don't think
Speaker 1: the Sixers have the culture to really be here. I
Speaker 1: think that's what one last night for the Boston Celtics.
Speaker 1: It may well win them the series. I don't think
Speaker 1: any of these teams are particularly good in the East,
Speaker 1: based upon how they're comprised. But I do think that
Speaker 1: I think that Lebron healthy, and I also think that
Speaker 1: people are diminishing the calves. You're right, Kevin Love is
Speaker 1: better than how he played last series. Kevin Love is
Speaker 1: probably a Hall of Fame player at the end of
Speaker 1: the day, and he's in his prime. Like they have
Speaker 1: pretty good players round. It's not as bad as the
Speaker 1: o A Team eight team was miraculous to get them
Speaker 1: to the finals. So so I I look at it
Speaker 1: and I'm like, look, I think they're still better than
Speaker 1: all of these teams. But I think that all of
Speaker 1: these teams are going to make him score forty at night,
Speaker 1: and he's gonna do it, but he's gonna eventually running
Speaker 1: the gas because that's what happens when you're a human being.
Speaker 1: Just just real quick, because this is something people have
Speaker 1: been doing throughout this postseason, and I was I'm trying
Speaker 1: to get as many people on the record as possible.
Speaker 1: Right now, if you had to pick one team, you
Speaker 1: only get one one team to come out of the East,
Speaker 1: I will pick Cleveland right now. The one team you
Speaker 1: would pick to come out of the East is who Cleveland.
Speaker 1: It's just like Kansas in the Big Twelve or or
Speaker 1: I'm so confused. You just said you thought they would
Speaker 1: get beat by Philly, but you're picking the Cleveland your team, Yes,
Speaker 1: because I think Cleveland is I think Cleveland is knows
Speaker 1: how to win a game. Seven knows how to win
Speaker 1: important games when the seven Sixers don't. Again, my maybe
Speaker 1: it's my fear is that Lebron you can only go
Speaker 1: back to the well so many times to find this
Speaker 1: amount of energy, and I just I fear that he
Speaker 1: loses to an inferior team. But if you make me pick,
Speaker 1: I'm gonna put my salary on one team. I'm taking
Speaker 1: Lebron and the Calves. Okay, the only way Here's Here's
Speaker 1: one of the things is you always you act like
Speaker 1: I think Lebron stinks or that I think. I don't.
Speaker 1: I just I don't think he's Jordan's. I think he's
Speaker 1: the closest thing to Jordan we've seen. You don't even
Speaker 1: think he's Bird. No, no, no no, I think Bird gets
Speaker 1: diminished because of the back and because of the era
Speaker 1: in which he played, in which Jordan you surped them,
Speaker 1: and Magic kind of you surped him because Magic was
Speaker 1: probably surrounded by better talent and didn't break down as early,
Speaker 1: even though Magic screw was. And those three are the
Speaker 1: three of the Mount Rushmore. And you put Lebron up
Speaker 1: there with him in modern basketball in my opinion. But
Speaker 1: here's the thing, man, You can you you you you
Speaker 1: can say, oh, you act like I ate Lebron. I don't.
Speaker 1: I don't et Lebron. I don't act like ate Lebron.
Speaker 1: I act like and I am accurate in you rastically,
Speaker 1: and I think intentionally under rate him like you can
Speaker 1: we you and I can go to Capital Grill and
Speaker 1: have a two and a half hour in her and
Speaker 1: if we walk out of it and I'm like, hey,
Speaker 1: how was it, man, You're like, you know, it's pretty good.
Speaker 1: It's pretty good. Like you, you can appreciate it and
Speaker 1: enjoy it while wildly underrating it when you when when
Speaker 1: when you like constantly try to try to make the
Speaker 1: let me try to find the exact words here, when
Speaker 1: you constantly try to explain how, oh, actually, well, actually
Speaker 1: having more steals than anyone in the history of the
Speaker 1: NBA playoffs, here's why that's not as impressive as you think.
Speaker 1: You're bothered by You're bothered by that. No, I just
Speaker 1: think it's intellectually dishonest. I don't. I think he's actually
Speaker 1: dishonest to to to list out stats that say he's
Speaker 1: a better read. That that makes people and not you,
Speaker 1: but that makes people really go, he's a better rebatter
Speaker 1: than the bird, better defensive than pipping, he's better than
Speaker 1: you know, he's he's better score than anybody's been in
Speaker 1: the history of the NBA. It's like, yeah, well he's
Speaker 1: played more games. That's the that's the Derek Jeter, Like
Speaker 1: look at what Like Derek Peter has more opportunities? Where
Speaker 1: are you doing again? Like the Derek Jeter Like okay, man,
Speaker 1: Like it's fine, and you're still you're still as we
Speaker 1: sit here on May one, two thousand and eighteen, making
Speaker 1: the argument that someone right now, forget this historic context
Speaker 1: of it, that Kevin Durant is better than him. You're
Speaker 1: the only person You're one of two people I know
Speaker 1: that publicly makes that argument. I'm shocked you want to
Speaker 1: do it, like it's it's baffling to me, but more
Speaker 1: power to you. Like you're you're you're going with the
Speaker 1: guy as the best player in the world, who is
Speaker 1: not we are not at all certain is the best
Speaker 1: player on his own team. Like that's fine, who's not
Speaker 1: certain he's the best? He's he he might get he'll
Speaker 1: probably get second in Defensive Player of the year. No, no,
Speaker 1: what hunh Durant because Bobart will be first and then
Speaker 1: beat will be second. And I don't think play I
Speaker 1: would say he's I would guess he'll be second defensive
Speaker 1: Player of the year, even you say's third. Kevin Durant
Speaker 1: has taken a mass CIVI leap in his and how
Speaker 1: he's valued at the defensive end. He was the better
Speaker 1: player for the first two months of the year. I
Speaker 1: think that that narrative got set for a bit and
Speaker 1: then it fell off slightly. And I think he would
Speaker 1: tell you the same and by the way I would,
Speaker 1: I would wager any amount of money you would like
Speaker 1: that he finishes outside of the top two, and I
Speaker 1: would wait her a significant amount of money he finishes
Speaker 1: outside of the top three in defensive Player of the Year.
Speaker 1: But that's not to But that's now I guess I'm
Speaker 1: parsing somewhat. He was very, very good defensively this year.
Speaker 1: He was worth at everything on offense than Lebron. Everything
Speaker 1: go by, okay, Like you live here a world based
Speaker 1: on stats, and on stats, do you think that he's
Speaker 1: Lebron is a better shooter than Kevin Durant. Nobody, nobody
Speaker 1: on Earth thinks that he that. I don't think Lebron
Speaker 1: is a better shooter than Kevin Durant. I just don't.
Speaker 1: This is something that that you do that I don't.
Speaker 1: I don't break down who's like if if I'm asked
Speaker 1: who's the a shooter in the world, then I'll answer
Speaker 1: that question. I care about score. I care about scoring,
Speaker 1: so I care out scoring, and I care about efficiency
Speaker 1: like I do not care if you were to say that,
Speaker 1: like when we when we evaluate golfers, right, if someone
Speaker 1: were to ask you specifically, who's the best long putter,
Speaker 1: like then not the guy with the longest putter, but
Speaker 1: who can make the longest putter, then I'll answer that question.
Speaker 1: But if you want to ask me who's the best
Speaker 1: at getting the ball in the cup, I don't care
Speaker 1: if one guy has a bunch of tap ins because
Speaker 1: his iron play is so good, Like I don't penalize
Speaker 1: Lebron because he can get the ball to the rim.
Speaker 1: And by the way, as as a three point shooter
Speaker 1: this year, he's one of the best he's been. Now
Speaker 1: and I said everything offensively, let me let me rephrase that.
Speaker 1: Kevin Durant is obviously clearly a better free throw shooter
Speaker 1: than Lebron James, and he is a better shooter than
Speaker 1: Lebron James, but he's not a better scorer than Lebron.
Speaker 1: That that's what I would, I would I would disagree
Speaker 1: with you. Now. I think part of that is to
Speaker 1: construct of the team in which he's in and and look,
Speaker 1: will agreed to disagree on on that note, Look, I
Speaker 1: gotta run. We will continue this at some point it
Speaker 1: won't be as simply Lebron based discussion. He still didn't
Speaker 1: tell like so you think he he will hold up
Speaker 1: despite this load that he's carrying. I think they'll be
Speaker 1: the Raptors in five or fewer Dames and sixers, sixers. Listen,
Speaker 1: they're gonna go to the NBA finals. They're gonna go
Speaker 1: to the NBA Finals. I think that I think that
Speaker 1: they are drawing, nearly drawing dead against Golden State. I think,
Speaker 1: oddly enough, if it's Houston, they there are some interesting
Speaker 1: things they can do against Houston, but they will be
Speaker 1: an enormous underdog against Golden State. Good stuff, thanks Nick.
Speaker 1: Eric Gordon joins us on the Doug Gottlin Show on
Speaker 1: Fox Sports Radio, Erica. How are you? Oh, everything's good.
Speaker 1: How are you going? I'm really really well. Hey, I
Speaker 1: want to ask you quickly. This is and I'm sure
Speaker 1: you weren't prepared for this. I'll give you a second
Speaker 1: because I remember when you committed to playing in college.
Speaker 1: I remember how big a thing it was. Did you
Speaker 1: did you see? Uh? Do you see what happened with
Speaker 1: Romeo Langford committing to Indiana yesterday. How it's kind of
Speaker 1: a circus and a show. You remember back when you
Speaker 1: originally committed because you were you were going to Illinois
Speaker 1: and then you change your mind and went to Indiana, right, Yeah, yeah, yeah, mon, Yeah,
Speaker 1: my situation was a little different. But yeah, I did
Speaker 1: hear was a home you know, and we're definitely excited
Speaker 1: to see him. Uh yeah, No, it's gonna be interesting
Speaker 1: to see. It seems like a change in Indiana basketball,
Speaker 1: trying to get it back to getting those in state guys. Uh,
Speaker 1: you know that that's that's the big thing. Right If
Speaker 1: I you can build a fence and keep everybody in
Speaker 1: state at home, you got a chance to beat anybody,
Speaker 1: isn't it. Oh, no question, there'll be you know, a
Speaker 1: championship caliber team. The talent is they just to go
Speaker 1: to you and uh, you know, you only see some
Speaker 1: many kids from the Indianna leave and they are very
Speaker 1: successful elsewhere. So uh, for sure, they gotta keep you
Speaker 1: guys in state. When when you guys acquired Chris Paul,
Speaker 1: what did you what did you what did you honestly
Speaker 1: think when you guys moved to go get Chris Paul. Well,
Speaker 1: really it was really based off our office. When Chris
Speaker 1: Paul came, I knew it it was gonna work because
Speaker 1: he's a playmaker. You know. It's not like you're just
Speaker 1: bringing in a guy who's just who's just another score.
Speaker 1: He's he's a pointmaker. He's he's uh, you know, he's
Speaker 1: he's naturally a past first point guard and he comes
Speaker 1: here and uh plays a little bit more, you know,
Speaker 1: shooting guard. But it involves his game because now he's
Speaker 1: a horphan, just a pastor. Yeah, but he's also a
Speaker 1: guy that can dominate the ball, right, Mike D'Antonio, you're
Speaker 1: the ball mover, a ball stopper, and you know everything
Speaker 1: you guys have done in the past has been off
Speaker 1: of James Harden. Was there any thought in your mind, like, man,
Speaker 1: I don't know if this is gonna work two guys
Speaker 1: that like the ball in their hands in our offense. No,
Speaker 1: not necessarily, because the Antoni system is you have to
Speaker 1: you have to make plays a little quicker than normal
Speaker 1: because we had we played to happen for floors space.
Speaker 1: So if you just don't make if you don't make
Speaker 1: the quick opportunity happened, and uh, then all you're gonna
Speaker 1: do is just hurt yourself and hurt the team. So
Speaker 1: it's I think it's naturally fitted for for them to
Speaker 1: really make good play making skills really quickly. Uh. There's
Speaker 1: been a lot of talk about your team's defense. Obviously
Speaker 1: numbers are are are pretty good. Um, how how has
Speaker 1: this the team evolved defensively from when you first got
Speaker 1: there to now the unit that we've seen so far
Speaker 1: in the playoffs. Uh, I like our defense. I think
Speaker 1: our defense has been really feeling our offense. I really
Speaker 1: feel like we have any really hit all cylinders on office,
Speaker 1: uh throughout this playoffs like we did during the season.
Speaker 1: And uh, but you know, we switch a lot everybody's
Speaker 1: we take away a lot of things that other teams do.
Speaker 1: And uh, I really haven't been like I really like
Speaker 1: how this has been this whole this whole playoff. You
Speaker 1: mentioned your your offense has and gotta go one big
Speaker 1: reason why you weren't hitting shots. And you know, I'm like, look,
Speaker 1: you shoot you in the regular season, only so far
Speaker 1: in the playoffs you couldn't make it, couldn't make a bucket.
Speaker 1: What's is there something you're gonna change that, you're gonna do.
Speaker 1: I mean, what what's going on with your jump shot? Well,
Speaker 1: it's not really what's going on with my jump shot?
Speaker 1: Is that just uh teams are just trying to take
Speaker 1: away a lot you know. Um, the only way I'll
Speaker 1: be able to get that chance was, you know, half
Speaker 1: the ball of my hands willing to be able to
Speaker 1: create a little bit more because when when I'm in
Speaker 1: the game, these guys are just not leaving me from
Speaker 1: three points. So there's just more like the nine me
Speaker 1: and uh and too, you know. Uh, So I just
Speaker 1: kind of figure out ways. But as long as we're winning,
Speaker 1: that's the main thing, because you can't let a lot
Speaker 1: of stuff get to you. You you you mentioned that
Speaker 1: they're hugging up on three point shooters, right, making you
Speaker 1: guys try and take tok too. It is kind of
Speaker 1: making James Harden, you know, trying you know, beat him
Speaker 1: by himself. It's a little bit of what the Pacers
Speaker 1: have tried to do to lebron On, right, which is,
Speaker 1: you know, take away those three take away all the
Speaker 1: what you do best, and make one guy care you
Speaker 1: so that he gets tired in the fourth quarters. That
Speaker 1: a little bit of the game plan. Is there any
Speaker 1: similarity there between how they're playing the broad and how
Speaker 1: people are trying to guard Harden, Well, every team is different,
Speaker 1: but in this series, that's what it seems, that's what
Speaker 1: Keith was doing. You know, they're not letting there trying
Speaker 1: to not force uh, letting this play a lot of
Speaker 1: you know, take a lot of threes and everything they
Speaker 1: wanted inside to compare. So it's said, you know, you know,
Speaker 1: he's serious. Is going to be different for everybody. But
Speaker 1: as long as we you know, he continue to win
Speaker 1: and went at a good you know, we went at
Speaker 1: a good uh you know, have a good lead on teams,
Speaker 1: then I'll take that. I'll take that chance. Yeah, obviously
Speaker 1: you guys dominated one Tini. They didn't have Rubio that
Speaker 1: they didn't feel like they were really competitive in that game.
Speaker 1: You mentioned Golbert um is it. I think most people
Speaker 1: talk about how good he is to fending at the rim,
Speaker 1: but I would say it's also that for a guy
Speaker 1: that big and that long, it's that he can actually
Speaker 1: cover some out in the perimeter. What makes him such
Speaker 1: an effective defender. It's hard, it's hard for us Eric
Speaker 1: to see when we're watching on TV. Other than in
Speaker 1: blocking shots at the rim, you're trying to go at him.
Speaker 1: He gets the switch on you. What makes Rudy Gobert
Speaker 1: such such a great defender? Uh, he's tough when you're
Speaker 1: going into the basket because he's always alternating shots and
Speaker 1: he also blocked shots too. But what we want to
Speaker 1: we want to get him out in there for all
Speaker 1: the perimeter, so we could, you know, you know, get
Speaker 1: it better, get a better shot at him as far
Speaker 1: as you know, maybe should take it three, maybe driving
Speaker 1: to the basket where someone else could help him as
Speaker 1: we're driving to the basket. So we always want to
Speaker 1: create a mismatch. Eric Gordon joining us on the Doug
Speaker 1: Gotlip Show. How much do you pay attention to what
Speaker 1: the Warriors are doing? Not as much? But you know
Speaker 1: the Warriors they play the same way all the time,
Speaker 1: so you know they I don't really see to do
Speaker 1: any anything different. I just mean, do you do you
Speaker 1: watch that steps coming back tonight? Do you watch how
Speaker 1: they are planned? You watch those games? Or are you
Speaker 1: two locked in what you're doing. I don't know. I'm
Speaker 1: a fan of the game, so I'm gonna watch other
Speaker 1: teams and uh, but for sure, I'm focusing on what
Speaker 1: we're doing. That's no, I'm not saying you're not I'm
Speaker 1: not saying you're going home. You're like, I'm not paying
Speaker 1: any attention to this. How much I was? How much
Speaker 1: do game plans vary from game one to get like,
Speaker 1: because huge, Utah's got to make some sort of adjustment, right,
Speaker 1: if their plan was to make hard and beat him, well,
Speaker 1: that plan didn't work. He had forty eight and seven
Speaker 1: and he did so pretty efficiently, seven and twelve from
Speaker 1: three point range. How much do game plans vary from
Speaker 1: game to game in the playoffs? Yeah, based on what
Speaker 1: they what we see them doing the first quarter. You know,
Speaker 1: it's either, you know, our point guards or our playmakers
Speaker 1: are either going to score a lot of points and
Speaker 1: create a lot of assists or or or we're gonna
Speaker 1: get a lot of threes of where they're gonna be
Speaker 1: helping a lot. So it's uh, but every game that
Speaker 1: we played them so far, because against Utah they've always
Speaker 1: try to take away or three, so you know, they're
Speaker 1: pretty I'm pretty sure they might stick to what they're doing. Yeah,
Speaker 1: So do you take a step back even further to
Speaker 1: space it out even you know, even more so, like
Speaker 1: if they're gonna hug up on you, don't you just
Speaker 1: continue to to space and almost get higher out on
Speaker 1: the floor and it becomes even more open inside the lane.
Speaker 1: Well sometimes well some yeah, we're gonna keep the sports
Speaker 1: floor space, that's no question. But you know it doesn't
Speaker 1: even if I take a step back there, they're still
Speaker 1: gonna stay with stick with me. So they're just creating
Speaker 1: one on one situations where go there at the rim
Speaker 1: where our guards are going down. Here Eric Gordon joining
Speaker 1: us in the Doug Outler Show. And it fascinating how
Speaker 1: much basketball has changed since like you were coming up right,
Speaker 1: remember like you're coming out of high school Indianapolis, and
Speaker 1: even back then, people like, man, you gotta go on
Speaker 1: one on one mid range game, mid range game, right,
Speaker 1: you got to move without the basketball. Yeah, you guys
Speaker 1: do move without the basketball. But a lot of it's
Speaker 1: just pace in space, you know, find your spots, you know,
Speaker 1: relocate based upon penetration, and everything is at the rim.
Speaker 1: Like it's it's kind of crazy that when you were
Speaker 1: a kid, I'm sure people like don't get outside the
Speaker 1: three point line, get in there and show a midrange
Speaker 1: pull up, and now that's considered the worst shot in basketball. Yeah,
Speaker 1: for sure, because everybody's getting taller and longer. So that
Speaker 1: two point shot is uh, it's it's easier. It's an
Speaker 1: easier contested shot. Now it seems like so the best
Speaker 1: way to go is uh, you know, be able to
Speaker 1: knock down threes and be able to take it to
Speaker 1: the basket. And and as you can see, everybody's gonna
Speaker 1: have to have the complete package. Uh here here soon
Speaker 1: where I mean one through five because this year in
Speaker 1: the sea, centers that are tall and lanky and that
Speaker 1: are that will bring the ball maybe down the floor.
Speaker 1: You know, guys like Jonice or Durant. You're gonna just
Speaker 1: see a whole bunch more guys that size handling the
Speaker 1: ball and even garden guards sometimes. So it's you gotta
Speaker 1: have a complete package. Now, who's the tougher cover, Lebron
Speaker 1: or Kevin Durant for you personally? M both of them
Speaker 1: are different, but um, how so because Durant, because Durant
Speaker 1: is tall and he can shoot too, so I it's
Speaker 1: it's tough. And Lebron is stronger. He's gonna use his
Speaker 1: power and he has size on a lot of people too,
Speaker 1: So I don't know. It's tough, but if you if
Speaker 1: I had it, Durant is very tough. Yeah, he's got
Speaker 1: he's got. He's got a greater kind of arsenal of
Speaker 1: scoring scoring options whereas Lebron. Lebron can score, but also
Speaker 1: he a little bit more of a passer, right, I mean,
Speaker 1: and and Lebron also settled. Sometimes I'll just get tired
Speaker 1: and settled for a jump shot, which you kind of
Speaker 1: feel like you won. He would have goes in you
Speaker 1: feel like you kind of won, as opposed to when
Speaker 1: Durant shoots, you feel like you didn't win. And sometimes
Speaker 1: you could be there with Durant, he just jumps up
Speaker 1: and shoots over you because he's so tall exactly now
Speaker 1: that's he's almost he's like seven feet tall and he
Speaker 1: just shoots at will. So it's tough. Eric Gordon joining us,
Speaker 1: Do you guys want to be you want to be
Speaker 1: considered the favorite or the underdog in the series against
Speaker 1: the Warriors? Well, um, I don't. I don't see really
Speaker 1: see how we can be the favorites because you know
Speaker 1: the Warriors, they have been to the final spur four times,
Speaker 1: in a row. And uh, but I would like to,
Speaker 1: you know, have our chance at them next series. If
Speaker 1: we it's you know, if we could just continue to
Speaker 1: play well, I would love it. And uh, you know,
Speaker 1: I mean there's just no way that you can have
Speaker 1: us as the favorites. But um, we'll see what happens. Uh.
Speaker 1: You tall the toughest place to play the league, it's
Speaker 1: one of them. That's I definitely would say that's always
Speaker 1: been one of the toughest places. All watch out for
Speaker 1: guys with their cell phones trying to capture all the
Speaker 1: different images and shove them in your face. We know
Speaker 1: Russ is not a fan, not a fan at all.
Speaker 1: That j Thanks so much for joining us. We appreciate
Speaker 1: to be our guest. Best of luck inst the Jazz.
Speaker 1: Thanks appreciate it all right, Eric Gordon joining us in
Speaker 1: the Doug Gotlin Show. Let's talk to NBA who Chris
Speaker 1: Busarry joined us. He's the NBA inside of a Fox
Speaker 1: Sports one you can hear on Fox Sports. Trading the
Speaker 1: Weekends is a great show six nine pm Eastern Time
Speaker 1: with Rob Parker. Chris, Here's what I said about the
Speaker 1: Celtics and the seventies sixers and and you can feel free,
Speaker 1: as you always are, free to disagree with me if
Speaker 1: you if you'd like um. They both have reloaded, rebuilt,
Speaker 1: remade themselves, but in different ways. Much like one has
Speaker 1: um has read one a house, the other one straped
Speaker 1: it and started all over. And what happens when you
Speaker 1: rebuild a house is you still have the character of
Speaker 1: the house. And I bring that up because what the
Speaker 1: Celtics did was they tried to establish a winning culture
Speaker 1: first and then slowly acquired players through the draft and
Speaker 1: then eventually via free agency in trades, uh to have
Speaker 1: you know, NBA All Star level talent. Whereas the seventies
Speaker 1: sixers they were they were trying to lose games, so
Speaker 1: you couldn't really establish any sort of culture. And they
Speaker 1: got the players first, and now we're trying to establish
Speaker 1: culture on the fly. And that's why this though the
Speaker 1: Celtics don't currently have their top three players, they're still
Speaker 1: probably a better team because they have a better culture
Speaker 1: that's ingrained in them over several years. Fair. Wow, you
Speaker 1: said a lot, but yeah, I think a lot of
Speaker 1: it makes sense. That's why, you know, when you talk
Speaker 1: to executives around the league about tanking, what the word
Speaker 1: that you hear is just what you use. Culture, and
Speaker 1: a lot of teams just don't want to bring that
Speaker 1: quote unquote culture into their building. They don't want a
Speaker 1: losing culture where we everybody knows we're trying to love
Speaker 1: and to be honest. Players don't even want to Like
Speaker 1: when Philly was doing that, three agents didn't want to
Speaker 1: go there. You know. Jelil Okaford. Now granted he didn't
Speaker 1: turn out to be a very good player, but he
Speaker 1: didn't want to be drafted by the Sixes because of
Speaker 1: that losing culture. So what you say is definitely correct
Speaker 1: on many levels. I still think Philadelphia can get out
Speaker 1: of it. Um. I think the players that they have
Speaker 1: not granted and bid was there for it. Um. Simmons
Speaker 1: really wasn't. Uh, Dario Sary was there for some of it,
Speaker 1: but he was. You know, both of those guys MBTN
Speaker 1: Sarge or NBA was hurt. Um. You know Bell and Nellie, Ilya, Sulva, Reddick,
Speaker 1: they weren't there for it. Brett Brown was, but I
Speaker 1: think he's proven to be a good, solid coach. I
Speaker 1: don't think this is gonna hold them back. I just
Speaker 1: think Boston has Brad Stevens is phenomenal, and look, I
Speaker 1: think they'd be certainly better with Kyrie Irving, no question,
Speaker 1: but I'm not sure how much better. Like I think
Speaker 1: it's almost that like that guy can just put in
Speaker 1: whoever he has and they're incredibly productive. I'm picking Philadelphia
Speaker 1: to win the series, but I would not be shocked
Speaker 1: or surprised in the least bit if Boston wins it
Speaker 1: because they just played so hard. They execute well, they
Speaker 1: play smart, and they do have some talented athletes. They
Speaker 1: don't really have stars, um yet, but they have enough
Speaker 1: talent to make it work in a week Eastern conference. Um. Okay,
Speaker 1: help me out here. Uh. I actually believe Lebron James
Speaker 1: when he said he was tired, did you. I think
Speaker 1: he was speaking in the moment like he was tired
Speaker 1: that moment. He was tired, you know, he wanted to
Speaker 1: go home and get some rest. I don't believe he
Speaker 1: was saying, uh that he's you know, he's really not
Speaker 1: gonna be at his best in this Raptors series. Look,
Speaker 1: I think Lebron sometimes does like to ratchet up the
Speaker 1: degree of difficulty, you know, and make it seem like
Speaker 1: he's going over an even bigger obstacle than he is,
Speaker 1: so I expect him to be fine. I don't really
Speaker 1: think fatigue has gone really be a factor in this series.
Speaker 1: That's interesting because I do. Um. Look, I think that
Speaker 1: there's no good matchup that the Raptors have to guard him.
Speaker 1: They just don't, and ultimately that becomes their undoing. But
Speaker 1: if you look at the Pacers, like the game plan
Speaker 1: is pretty pretty simple. They want a single cover him,
Speaker 1: make Lebron's score as much as he could buy himself,
Speaker 1: make him really work to get his own shot, and
Speaker 1: not let him facilitate, hoping that in the fourth quarter
Speaker 1: he'd running the gas. And many times that worked. They
Speaker 1: just didn't have enough offense on their end. Yeah, I
Speaker 1: mean that's the thing. The Pacers couldn't produce a lot
Speaker 1: of office. Um, they did do a good job. You know.
Speaker 1: Stephen Jackson is up here this week at Fox that
Speaker 1: we've been on some shows together, and he he did
Speaker 1: not like the Pacers strategy. He thought that they should
Speaker 1: have doubled Lebron, got the ball out of his hands
Speaker 1: and made everybody else beat you. And obviously those guys
Speaker 1: didn't produce. But I I think that's easier, said than done.
Speaker 1: I mean, Lebron has always gotten his throughout his fifteen
Speaker 1: year career, so he's gonna put thirty something on you
Speaker 1: regardless of how you defend him. But to your point,
Speaker 1: even if you don't like didn't like the defensive strategy,
Speaker 1: that wasn't the problem for the Papers. The problem was
Speaker 1: that they couldn't score. Now, Toronto is a team that
Speaker 1: can score, and they are a better defensive team than Indiana.
Speaker 1: So on paper, there are a lot of reasons to
Speaker 1: like the Raptors, But I just don't think that their
Speaker 1: stars are close enough to Lebron James where they're going
Speaker 1: to be able to beat him. I think I think
Speaker 1: the CAVN gonna winning in six I think they will
Speaker 1: have a little less trouble with the Raptors than they
Speaker 1: had with the Pacers. Christopher start joining us in the
Speaker 1: Doug Gotlip Show Fox Sports Radio. That's interesting. I I
Speaker 1: think there it's a bad matchup for the Raptors. I
Speaker 1: just think ultimately Lebron gets worn down. Um, so you
Speaker 1: you you've picking picking the Raptors. No, I think I
Speaker 1: think there's a chance he loses maybe to the Sixers
Speaker 1: in the next series. Even though I think if if, if,
Speaker 1: if all things were equal, they would beat the Sixers more.
Speaker 1: You know, they beat the Sixers four times in seven.
Speaker 1: I just think ultimately he even though the Sixers aren't
Speaker 1: as good, um, and they don't have the degree worn down. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I like he went seven games, then you're gonna go
Speaker 1: You're gonna go six in this thing. Like the Raptors
Speaker 1: are gonna beat him once or twice. And you know,
Speaker 1: I feel like the Sixers will beat him a couple
Speaker 1: of times. And look, if you watch games seven, fourth quarter,
Speaker 1: he didn't have much use in the tank. No. Look,
Speaker 1: you make a good point, and they're gonna be times
Speaker 1: where he has to defend the best player you know, Um,
Speaker 1: and that's gonna wear him down. Not I don't think
Speaker 1: it'll bite them this series, but I do agree with
Speaker 1: you that over the course of these playoffs it could
Speaker 1: become a factor. Like maybe it happens in the conference finals. Um.
Speaker 1: You know when he had to carry this load when
Speaker 1: it first in Cleveland, you know, he was a lot younger,
Speaker 1: and he had a lot more energy, and for him
Speaker 1: to do this at this stage in his career, even
Speaker 1: though he plays smarter and probably can salvage some energy,
Speaker 1: a lot better than he used to. Yeah, I could
Speaker 1: see it taken a toll. That's why it is imperative
Speaker 1: that first Kevin Love, I mean, he's got to step
Speaker 1: up and play much better. Uh. And then I know
Speaker 1: their hope is just that some of these young kids,
Speaker 1: and none of them have done it, Clauson could. They
Speaker 1: have looked far worse than the playoffs, and they did
Speaker 1: in the regular season, and they're gonna they're gonna have
Speaker 1: to have those guys step up and play better if
Speaker 1: they want to get to the conference to the finals.
Speaker 1: It's interesting because when that trade was made the first
Speaker 1: couple of games, everybody said how much better they are
Speaker 1: and was like, look, these guys haven't played in real
Speaker 1: basketball games. It's completely differently, completely different, and something that's
Speaker 1: been exposed that they haven't played in real important basketball
Speaker 1: games and everything they do gets micromanaged. The minutes get tight,
Speaker 1: and people, have you scouted better? The game is more
Speaker 1: physical and and they've been exposed as being immature in
Speaker 1: the in the landscape of playoffs. After that, Yeah, that's
Speaker 1: the thing. I mean, they were fined in the regular
Speaker 1: season even though they had their their poor moments as
Speaker 1: a team with the new guys. But let's look at it.
Speaker 1: Larry Nance Jr. Who he has, He's been okay for
Speaker 1: what he does. Clarkson, they're coming off the bench for
Speaker 1: a bad Western Conference team, you know, riding hood there.
Speaker 1: The reason you saw let him go because he's so
Speaker 1: up and down and you know, those are the guys
Speaker 1: that we're gonna supposed to ride in with the Calvary
Speaker 1: and saved the calv Um. I thought theoretically it could
Speaker 1: work because they had a lot more energy and youth
Speaker 1: and athleticism, so they were they should have been able
Speaker 1: to be better defender. But to your point is telling.
Speaker 1: I mean, look at what t Lou went with in
Speaker 1: Game seven. He went with the guys that had been there,
Speaker 1: even though j R. Is I mean, he's the biggest
Speaker 1: see saw in the league in terms of consistency. But
Speaker 1: that's who Tyler went with and it got it done
Speaker 1: for him. Uh. You know, I expected to work this
Speaker 1: series as well. But the next one, to your point,
Speaker 1: is where it could haunt him. But look, I think Boston.
Speaker 1: It could be Boston that they're facing in the conference finals.
Speaker 1: They play Boston, I couldn't. I mean, that would be
Speaker 1: an all time upset at Boston beats them with that. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and that's an interest. That's a great like. They to me,
Speaker 1: they just don't have enough talent without Kyrie Um and
Speaker 1: maybe even without Hayward too to beat Lebron because he's
Speaker 1: not only talented but smart. Him is an envied or
Speaker 1: smart but maybe not smart enough at this stage of
Speaker 1: their career. A couple of quick ones. Steph is gonna
Speaker 1: play tonight. They say, no minutes restriction, They're gonna start him.
Speaker 1: I think they'll start him. You know, you bring out
Speaker 1: a player like that, you usually start him. Um. I
Speaker 1: think it's good. If the doctors have said that, look
Speaker 1: he's just ready in game two, is he's gonna be
Speaker 1: from game three? I play him because you know this, Look,
Speaker 1: I know he's gonna fit in swimmingly, uh seamlessly. It
Speaker 1: is that I don't really be a problem, but there
Speaker 1: still is an adjustment period. I don't care who the
Speaker 1: player is and what the system is. And if I'm
Speaker 1: going to say I don't want to be adjusted against Houston.
Speaker 1: I want to get through those adjustments, that that assimilation again.
Speaker 1: But the next three or four games, whatever it takes
Speaker 1: to get rid of New Orleans and then we're rolling
Speaker 1: on all cylinders when we face Houston in the conference final.
Speaker 1: Ye I tend to agree with you on that one. Um.
Speaker 1: Any have you heard anything early on what the what
Speaker 1: the Thunder are gonna try and do well? I mean,
Speaker 1: I think George is out of there. I think if
Speaker 1: I'm the Thunder, I think Carmelo Anthony's comments were a
Speaker 1: blessing in this guy. And I would have met with
Speaker 1: him last night and been like, look, we want you
Speaker 1: to come off the bench and just hope that he says, well,
Speaker 1: I'm gonna opt out, because I mean, Mellow is first
Speaker 1: ballot Hall of Famer in my opinion, but at this
Speaker 1: stage of his career, he's got to realize what he
Speaker 1: is and what he is not. And there's no way
Speaker 1: he's getting that type of money on the market, open market, um,
Speaker 1: And there's nowhere he's going to go to play the
Speaker 1: old role that he used to play as the old Mellow.
Speaker 1: So where's he going? So I don't think he's gonna
Speaker 1: opt out. I think he put his foot in his
Speaker 1: mouth and he's gonna look bad because he's gonna opt
Speaker 1: into that deal. I don't try to get a buy out.
Speaker 1: Maybe get that, but you know, look, okay, see is
Speaker 1: in a different place now, and they're not going to
Speaker 1: win a championship. They're not gonna compete for a championship
Speaker 1: for the foreseeable future. They've got one superb player who
Speaker 1: is a you know, a great spectacular show, and they're
Speaker 1: gonna sell out the arenas because people are gonna want
Speaker 1: to see him. They feel he's been loyal to that
Speaker 1: city and they can hope to make the playoffs every year.
Speaker 1: But that's really where they're at now. Like the building
Speaker 1: around him, I think there's two ways to build around western.
Speaker 1: One you just get a super duper star like Kevin
Speaker 1: Durant and maybe you've got enough talent to win a championship.
Speaker 1: They came close even though they didn't do it. Or
Speaker 1: you built around him like Alan Iverson, like they didn't
Speaker 1: Philly with the grinders three in d guys for today's game.
Speaker 1: But you need a superior coach to do that. Uh,
Speaker 1: And I don't know that that could win in today's
Speaker 1: NBA anyway, But I don't think Billy Donovan is the
Speaker 1: coach for that. And you know that's a lot of rebuilding.
Speaker 1: So I think that's I think they'll go that ladder route.
Speaker 1: Um when when George leaves and if Mellow is bought
Speaker 1: out or whatever, Uh, they'll put grinders and three in
Speaker 1: D guys around him. But unless they get rid of Donovan,
Speaker 1: I don't think Donald will be to maximize that type
Speaker 1: of the only other thing to do is to would
Speaker 1: be to double down on Donovan and let him coach
Speaker 1: coach because I feel like he's not coaching Westbrook. Whether
Speaker 1: it's out of fear or whatever, but like you know,
Speaker 1: you feel like if there see I agree with you.
Speaker 1: Not now Scotty Brooke didn't either. Um, I don't know
Speaker 1: who will. I don't think. I don't think it's that
Speaker 1: the front office or somebody is saying Donovan can't like
Speaker 1: you don't touch Westbrook. I just don't know that he
Speaker 1: has the I don't want to question his heart, but
Speaker 1: I just don't think he's gonna say anything the Westbrook.
Speaker 1: There's a Quaiet Leonard story out there. ESPN has it. UM.
Speaker 1: I read into it, and it doesn't feel like the
Speaker 1: Spurs have any problem with Kauai. It's more the people
Speaker 1: around Kauai. What's it likely he returns to San Antonio
Speaker 1: if they offered their their best shot is offering him
Speaker 1: that super Max right away, because I'm cold. He it's
Speaker 1: not like he's dying to get out of San Antonio.
Speaker 1: Kauai is baffled and bothered by the fact that the
Speaker 1: Spurs have you know, he They're like, we've never seen
Speaker 1: them go at a player like this. You know, the
Speaker 1: comments about his group, Uh, Tony Parker, um, you know
Speaker 1: if some people think my new um, you know, the
Speaker 1: anonymous sources and stories talking about tension because Kauai's camp like,
Speaker 1: wait a minute, We've been fully transparent with the Spurs.
Speaker 1: They knew we were getting the second opinion. They were
Speaker 1: on board with it. They knew Kauai was gonna be
Speaker 1: in New York working out. They were on board with it.
Speaker 1: They sent trainers to New York to work out with them.
Speaker 1: They were on board with that. When we're with them,
Speaker 1: their furrings. But when we you know, then we see
Speaker 1: these stories or we see these comments, and we're saying,
Speaker 1: what's going on, there's a bit of like disingenuous this
Speaker 1: there that Kauai's camp feel like they see and there
Speaker 1: will have to be some smoothing over. Uh. It can
Speaker 1: be done like it better be done with the super
Speaker 1: Max offer if it's not done with a super Max offer,
Speaker 1: and I think it's gonna be tough for san Antonio
Speaker 1: to make it work. But I believe, and from this
Speaker 1: one talking to people close to this situation, that Kauai
Speaker 1: will give them a chance, um if they come with
Speaker 1: the right money and you know, if if they say
Speaker 1: the right things. But he's a bit bothered by the
Speaker 1: way things have happened because he feels like they've taken
Speaker 1: a shot at he when he's hurt and he never
Speaker 1: saw him do that with any other players. Great tough
Speaker 1: and Christoper Sorry. Check him out this Sunday sixty nine
Speaker 1: Eastern Time with Rob Parker and of course telling all
Speaker 1: his work on Fox Sports One step. Thanks for joining
Speaker 1: us man. All right, that's the latest version of All Ball.
Speaker 1: Don't forget to download, subscribe, and rate our podcast. I'm
Speaker 1: dog Got