WEBVTT - Bonus Episode pt. 1 0:00:01.960 --> 0:00:05.640 The Dream Team Tapes Season two. Kobe, Lebron and the 0:00:05.680 --> 0:00:10.360 Redeem Team is a production of Diversion Podcasts in association 0:00:10.440 --> 0:00:26.960 with I Heart Radio Diversion Podcasts. The players selected for 0:00:27.040 --> 0:00:29.520 the honor of representing the United States in the two 0:00:29.560 --> 0:00:36.560 thousand and eight Beijing Olympic Games are Kobe Bryant. We 0:00:36.680 --> 0:00:38.440 look forward to this for a while, you know, to 0:00:38.479 --> 0:00:40.400 be in this position now here we don't represent our 0:00:40.880 --> 0:00:47.919 nice especially special Lebron James. We look for an opportunity 0:00:47.960 --> 0:00:49.640 of the the weekend on athlem I'm being the best in 0:00:49.640 --> 0:00:51.720 the world. I guess the Redeem Team is because it 0:00:51.880 --> 0:00:55.000 is right. We're the best team in the world. We're 0:00:55.000 --> 0:00:57.720 the best team in the world. We put Basketball America, 0:00:57.760 --> 0:01:16.200 Basketball wheels the beat. Which is that time? Hello and 0:01:16.200 --> 0:01:19.520 welcome to Kobe, Lebron and the Redeemed Team. I'm Jack McCallum. 0:01:19.560 --> 0:01:22.920 For ten weeks of this podcast, myself, co host j 0:01:23.120 --> 0:01:27.280 a Adande, and our technical wizard Mark Francis, who's from 0:01:27.280 --> 0:01:31.040 Australia and who kept wondering why don't we have more 0:01:31.080 --> 0:01:36.000 about Andrew Bogan in this podcast? Uh, we have taken 0:01:36.000 --> 0:01:38.640 it hard to the hoop. We have a showed the 0:01:38.760 --> 0:01:42.560 mid range jump shot. And now j a Adandhie we 0:01:42.600 --> 0:01:45.560 find ourselves in the bonus. What do you think of that? 0:01:45.920 --> 0:01:48.080 In the bonus? It sounds better than what the old 0:01:48.400 --> 0:01:50.720 Phoenix p Announced used to say in the penalty and 0:01:50.760 --> 0:01:53.800 the bonus sounds so much more rewarding, isn't it. It 0:01:53.920 --> 0:01:57.639 certainly does. And in podcast terms, in the bonus means 0:01:58.080 --> 0:02:00.720 you're doing extra work, but not exactly getting any more 0:02:00.720 --> 0:02:02.720 money for it. That's what in the bonus means in 0:02:02.760 --> 0:02:08.079 the podcast world. But fortunately I heart radio because they 0:02:08.080 --> 0:02:11.079 are so generous. Said to us, if you can find 0:02:11.200 --> 0:02:16.160 two interesting guests to join you on a panel, you 0:02:16.200 --> 0:02:18.720 will get an extra one hundred thousand dollars. They don't 0:02:18.760 --> 0:02:20.560 really know that yet, but I heard that was kind 0:02:20.560 --> 0:02:23.040 of a rumor. So tell us who is joining us 0:02:23.080 --> 0:02:27.480 today j a on this bonus episode? Two very interesting guests, 0:02:27.480 --> 0:02:30.480 so maybe they'll double our bonus pay here. But one 0:02:30.680 --> 0:02:33.720 both of them I worked with at ESPN in my days. 0:02:33.760 --> 0:02:38.440 There one Zach Low who I remember. Zack. Remember we 0:02:38.480 --> 0:02:42.480 recorded that that video feature thinking that the Warriors are 0:02:42.480 --> 0:02:45.840 about to wrap up the NBA Finals, only to discover 0:02:46.000 --> 0:02:49.560 while we're recording it that no Draymond Green was probably 0:02:49.600 --> 0:02:52.520 gonna get suspended as he was eventually for for Game five, 0:02:52.560 --> 0:02:54.239 and so we looked at the forus on that one. 0:02:55.800 --> 0:03:00.920 I vividly, vividly remember having a whole the s H 0:03:01.000 --> 0:03:03.280 I T moment during that is where the kids like, 0:03:03.280 --> 0:03:05.640 We're like, it's over, We're not coming back to Cleveland. 0:03:05.680 --> 0:03:08.640 It's all what. And the other I've had pleasure of 0:03:08.919 --> 0:03:12.800 working games with on ESPN TV is Jeff Van Gundi 0:03:12.840 --> 0:03:16.320 And of course you hear him with his commentary during 0:03:16.400 --> 0:03:18.560 NBA games, and of course you remember him as a 0:03:18.560 --> 0:03:21.639 coach in the NBA with the New York Knicks in 0:03:21.680 --> 0:03:24.320 the Houston Rockets, and you might not know that he 0:03:24.400 --> 0:03:26.760 has a t ms A connection and that he has 0:03:26.800 --> 0:03:31.320 coached our World Cup qualifying teams UH quite well with 0:03:31.320 --> 0:03:34.240 with rosters that uh let's say we're not the redeemed 0:03:34.240 --> 0:03:37.800 team exactly and has successfully coached him and helped our 0:03:37.800 --> 0:03:43.960 squad UH reach the World Cup qualifying thanks to his efforts. Jeff, welcome, 0:03:43.960 --> 0:03:49.120 and I want to ask you the difference between international 0:03:49.120 --> 0:03:52.280 basketball and NBA basketball, how you had to adjust, how 0:03:52.280 --> 0:03:54.240 players had to adjust, and how you can give us 0:03:54.240 --> 0:03:56.400 a sense for what it was like for players such 0:03:56.400 --> 0:03:59.600 as the two thousand eight Olympic team to make that adjustment, Well, 0:03:59.680 --> 0:04:03.840 the thing you have to do is realize, UH, same sport, 0:04:03.960 --> 0:04:09.000 different game. The level of physicality is much different. Uh 0:04:09.160 --> 0:04:13.480 no illegal defense. The referees don't know you and don't 0:04:13.480 --> 0:04:17.040 care to know you. Um, you don't know why any 0:04:17.080 --> 0:04:19.359 call is made or not made. And one of the 0:04:19.400 --> 0:04:22.840 great things that Mike Sachowski told me early, he said, 0:04:22.880 --> 0:04:27.520 just don't argue anything because you're never gonna know why 0:04:27.560 --> 0:04:30.320 anything is called or not called. That had to be 0:04:30.400 --> 0:04:33.240 like a straight jack if you don't argue anything. No, 0:04:34.120 --> 0:04:38.240 it really was. And I think the other thing is, UM, 0:04:38.320 --> 0:04:42.680 when you're an outsider and it and you're watching a 0:04:42.839 --> 0:04:46.880 FIBA basketball, Olympic basketball, or even what we did, you 0:04:46.960 --> 0:04:49.720 have this idea that you know we should win every game. 0:04:49.760 --> 0:04:53.440 And frankly I had that naive thought like we have 0:04:53.520 --> 0:04:56.440 the better players, like we're gonna win every time it's 0:04:56.440 --> 0:04:59.520 not close, and if it is close, it's disappointment. When 0:04:59.520 --> 0:05:02.920 you get to that environment, you realize a forty minute 0:05:02.960 --> 0:05:08.839 game of the physicality is different playing against zones. UM. 0:05:08.880 --> 0:05:11.840 The players are outstanding, the coaches are even better than 0:05:11.880 --> 0:05:16.080 the players, and to get any win is usually a 0:05:16.120 --> 0:05:18.560 hard fought win. It gives you a renewed or gave 0:05:18.560 --> 0:05:24.760 me a renewed uh appreciation for how great our players 0:05:25.760 --> 0:05:30.040 are to overcome no continuity, very little practice time relative 0:05:30.080 --> 0:05:34.200 to the competition, and how good our coaches were to 0:05:34.480 --> 0:05:37.599 take on, you know, these huge pressures and come through 0:05:37.920 --> 0:05:41.279 time after time after time. Well who did you have? 0:05:41.440 --> 0:05:44.520 Who did you coach on those teams? Jeff? Because a 0:05:44.520 --> 0:05:48.760 lot of this international basketball goes on. It's like almost 0:05:48.760 --> 0:05:52.680 a secret society. You know, we understand the Olympics and everything, 0:05:52.720 --> 0:05:58.480 but every summer something is going on with USA basketball. 0:05:58.600 --> 0:06:01.200 So just briefly, who did you have and where were 0:06:01.240 --> 0:06:03.640 you playing? So we did it over a course of 0:06:05.240 --> 0:06:09.039 three years. The most important person I had was a 0:06:09.080 --> 0:06:12.120 guy no one listening to the podcast will know, but 0:06:12.200 --> 0:06:15.480 his name was Shaan Ford. We've actually gave some shout 0:06:15.480 --> 0:06:18.400 outs to Sean because he's the man. You know, he's 0:06:18.400 --> 0:06:20.240 been a big part of the podcast. He is the 0:06:20.279 --> 0:06:25.320 most valuable. He is a singular most valuable person in 0:06:25.520 --> 0:06:32.040 USA basketball. And if I ever was I came into 0:06:32.080 --> 0:06:35.480 billions of dollars and I purchased a team, he would 0:06:35.480 --> 0:06:38.039 be my first hire. He would run my team. I 0:06:38.080 --> 0:06:40.120 want him to write a book, Jeff, I wanted that 0:06:40.279 --> 0:06:43.000 he's got that guy's got a book in him that 0:06:43.080 --> 0:06:46.480 would that would be a bestseller. Well, he would be 0:06:46.600 --> 0:06:48.440 have to be. He's part of the mafia, though he's 0:06:48.440 --> 0:06:51.760 not telling real stories. That's the but. But I'm gonna 0:06:51.760 --> 0:06:54.280 say so. I had him, which made everything easier. And 0:06:54.279 --> 0:06:56.680 then we had a bunch of G League guys. One 0:06:57.160 --> 0:06:59.360 summer the best team we had. We had a bunch 0:06:59.440 --> 0:07:03.719 of fringe NBA guys are best player uh Is, Derek 0:07:03.760 --> 0:07:07.599 Whitety starts for San Antonio. We had Frank Mason that year, 0:07:07.640 --> 0:07:09.560 but we had for the core of it, we had 0:07:09.640 --> 0:07:12.880 G League players and they were an ever evolving roster. 0:07:13.040 --> 0:07:16.720 And the thing guys that like when I was coaching 0:07:16.760 --> 0:07:20.000 the Rockets, um the G League was used as a 0:07:20.000 --> 0:07:22.640 form of punishment. If you don't do what I say, 0:07:22.880 --> 0:07:25.040 I'm sending you to Laredo to the G League and 0:07:25.080 --> 0:07:28.320 you re never may never make it back. Right now, 0:07:28.480 --> 0:07:32.240 the G League is used so well, and I have 0:07:32.400 --> 0:07:35.680 such appreciation for how good these guys are at their job. 0:07:36.480 --> 0:07:39.920 But because they're not, you know, they're right on the cusp. 0:07:39.960 --> 0:07:43.240 They could have all been on a roster, but because 0:07:43.280 --> 0:07:49.280 they're not. The financial differences between the last NBA player 0:07:49.320 --> 0:07:52.600 and the best G League player is so stark that 0:07:53.680 --> 0:07:56.520 you know, it was just so interesting. And I love 0:07:56.600 --> 0:08:00.800 these guys. I have such great appreciation for their talents, 0:08:00.800 --> 0:08:03.760 their perseverance, but most of all for who they are 0:08:03.760 --> 0:08:06.400 as people. I just I couldn't have had a better 0:08:06.440 --> 0:08:11.200 experience coaching for those three years. Um and No, like 0:08:11.240 --> 0:08:13.320 you said, Jack, no one knew the games were going 0:08:13.360 --> 0:08:18.000 on except us, and we cared deeply. Yeah, that's great. 0:08:18.000 --> 0:08:20.520 I'm sending you to Laredo, by the way, sends sounding 0:08:20.520 --> 0:08:24.080 a great country song, don't I'm sending you to Laredo. 0:08:24.320 --> 0:08:26.920 You know, in contrast to the G League, we're gonna 0:08:26.920 --> 0:08:30.280 ask Mark Francis to play. Uh, We're gonna ask him 0:08:30.320 --> 0:08:32.640 to play a tape. Here it's Mike Showski because one 0:08:32.640 --> 0:08:34.560 of the things we love to do on podcast and 0:08:34.600 --> 0:08:39.760 all of talk radio quote is too rehash hopeless hypotheticals, 0:08:40.480 --> 0:08:43.400 and uh, this is what we're gonna do now, Mark, 0:08:43.520 --> 0:08:49.520 fire up. Mike Saski talking about comparing the Dream Team 0:08:49.720 --> 0:08:53.120 of two and the Redeemed Team that J and I 0:08:53.160 --> 0:08:57.120 have been talking about for ten episodes, the condition of 0:08:57.120 --> 0:09:02.240 the Dream Team in two and of the Redeemed Team 0:09:02.240 --> 0:09:06.160 an opportunity to win just because of what was happening 0:09:06.160 --> 0:09:10.600 with Magic, where he's back and he was done. He 0:09:10.760 --> 0:09:14.480 was he was done and at the level that he 0:09:14.679 --> 0:09:19.079 wanted to play. Stockton was hurt. So you know, if 0:09:19.080 --> 0:09:21.720 they're all in their prime, there's no question that the 0:09:21.840 --> 0:09:26.840 Dream Team is there. That the Redeemed Team, we were 0:09:26.880 --> 0:09:29.920 all talented at that time. You know, they were not sick. 0:09:30.240 --> 0:09:34.240 They would have given them, yeah, a run run for 0:09:34.280 --> 0:09:37.480 their money. I think, Zack, you were just starting I 0:09:37.520 --> 0:09:40.880 think we had this conversation before back in Believe me, 0:09:40.920 --> 0:09:43.640 I know everybody's saying McCallum eventually has to turn the 0:09:43.640 --> 0:09:46.560 conversation to the Dream Team. But as I say, we 0:09:46.679 --> 0:09:50.160 like these hopeless hypotheticals, and J and I have going 0:09:50.280 --> 0:09:54.559 through in these ten weeks exactly how good this Redeemed 0:09:54.600 --> 0:09:57.480 team was and even the team that followed it in 0:09:57.520 --> 0:10:00.240 two thousand and twelve. But Zack, you were just kind 0:10:00.240 --> 0:10:02.920 of starting to really follow the game, I believe ninety 0:10:03.600 --> 0:10:07.000 two around there. So your memories of the Dream Team 0:10:07.080 --> 0:10:10.360 and do you think that these guys uh could give 0:10:10.400 --> 0:10:12.520 them a run for their money. Yeah, I was fifteen 0:10:13.000 --> 0:10:15.040 in the summer of ninety two, so I was coming. 0:10:15.080 --> 0:10:16.840 I have followed the league my whole life. My dad 0:10:16.880 --> 0:10:19.880 was a huge is it was a huge NBA fan. 0:10:19.960 --> 0:10:21.800 But that, you know, your teenage years, that's when you 0:10:22.080 --> 0:10:24.240 really come of age as a sports fan. That's why 0:10:24.320 --> 0:10:25.920 you know, Jay and I have talked about this, That's 0:10:25.920 --> 0:10:29.600 why Michael will always be like as much a god 0:10:29.679 --> 0:10:32.040 to me, as like in a way that Lebron will 0:10:32.120 --> 0:10:35.120 will never be. And that's not just anything bad about Lebron, 0:10:35.240 --> 0:10:36.680 is just how old that was at the time. So yeah, 0:10:36.720 --> 0:10:41.000 the Dream Team is is you almost don't remember what 0:10:41.280 --> 0:10:45.160 as a fan of that age, you almost don't remember. 0:10:45.160 --> 0:10:49.040 Like I remember that Larry Bird could barely play, could 0:10:49.040 --> 0:10:51.280 barely move. I know that Magic was coming off to 0:10:51.559 --> 0:10:53.880 the HIV and all that, But in my head, there's 0:10:53.880 --> 0:10:56.800 still Larry at Magic. There's still like when I think 0:10:56.840 --> 0:10:58.680 of the Dream Team, I'm like, oh, it's Larry and Magic. 0:10:58.679 --> 0:11:01.560 They were out there just you know with people. Um, yeah, 0:11:01.559 --> 0:11:03.760 of course the Redeem Team could give the Dream Team 0:11:03.760 --> 0:11:05.640 a game. But if you have Lebron James on your 0:11:05.640 --> 0:11:08.720 team with all these other dudes, like you played. You 0:11:09.040 --> 0:11:11.400 put the Redeem Team into all their prime and most 0:11:11.400 --> 0:11:13.000 of them were in their prime, and the Dream Team 0:11:13.000 --> 0:11:14.640 all on their prime. The Dream Team and their prime 0:11:14.720 --> 0:11:17.160 is going to be favored and we'll win. Like if 0:11:17.200 --> 0:11:19.560 you had to play a hundred games, I probably guess 0:11:19.600 --> 0:11:23.160 the Dream Team would win seventy. I don't know, but 0:11:23.200 --> 0:11:25.800 like Redeem Team is gonna get some games. And in zact, 0:11:25.800 --> 0:11:28.880 you know, we think about you and I because we're 0:11:28.880 --> 0:11:31.120 a little bit we're younger than Michael, so we were 0:11:31.320 --> 0:11:33.800 in part are enamored with the myth of Michael, but 0:11:33.840 --> 0:11:36.480 we've also seen the reality of Michael. And Jeff. You 0:11:36.520 --> 0:11:40.280 went against Michael in full fury, full Michael mo You 0:11:40.320 --> 0:11:43.720 saw it up close. And that's the thing is, I 0:11:43.760 --> 0:11:46.920 just can't imagine if they're in a series that a 0:11:47.000 --> 0:11:49.640 team with Michael Jordan, even with an aging bird and 0:11:49.679 --> 0:11:52.120 an aging magic I just can't imagine the team with 0:11:52.200 --> 0:11:57.400 Michael Jordan's is gonna lose. Yeah. You know, obviously great, 0:11:57.440 --> 0:12:01.440 all time, all time, all time great and great competitor, 0:12:02.080 --> 0:12:05.560 but I think you know the difference, uh, one of 0:12:05.559 --> 0:12:09.040 the differences. Twenty six years later, the competition that the 0:12:09.080 --> 0:12:13.000 Redeemed Team faced was so much better, as was the coaching. 0:12:13.559 --> 0:12:19.000 And I think sometimes because it's a more congenial period 0:12:19.040 --> 0:12:21.880 of time, like Lebron James is much more congenial, Like 0:12:22.400 --> 0:12:25.320 he tweets to everybody after they make a good shot 0:12:25.360 --> 0:12:28.680 in a game, like he's just different than Jordan's. But 0:12:28.920 --> 0:12:35.760 I think sometimes we we marginalize that, like his competitiveness, 0:12:35.800 --> 0:12:38.680 because he's so so he's just so kind, you know, 0:12:38.800 --> 0:12:42.520 Jordan's even if he lived in two Day's um, you 0:12:42.559 --> 0:12:47.760 know Arrow, he wouldn't be tweeting, Hey, good shot, Luca, 0:12:47.960 --> 0:12:50.240 Like he just wouldn't have done that in my mind, Like, 0:12:50.360 --> 0:12:53.760 I don't see that. So but I think sometimes like 0:12:54.040 --> 0:12:57.960 to go along with Zack to think that a team 0:12:58.240 --> 0:13:07.640 led by Aid and uh James couldn't beat any team 0:13:07.800 --> 0:13:13.800 you know, I don't know, yeah, Like it's that's like preposterous. 0:13:13.840 --> 0:13:16.400 Of course they could, and they had to face much 0:13:16.440 --> 0:13:20.200 better competition along the way. Well to coaches point, though, 0:13:20.280 --> 0:13:23.120 that's like what you were saying before to about I 0:13:23.120 --> 0:13:25.520 don't remember what exactly what we're talking about. But the 0:13:25.600 --> 0:13:29.880 Redeemed team name itself has always made me feel a 0:13:29.920 --> 0:13:33.040 little funny, because what do they need to be redeemed 0:13:33.080 --> 0:13:37.960 for like Argentina was amazing, like like like the team 0:13:38.040 --> 0:13:39.959 the team that won in two thousand fourth, and that's 0:13:40.000 --> 0:13:42.920 an all time great international teams. This idea that there 0:13:43.000 --> 0:13:45.559 was like a shame in the in the US not 0:13:45.720 --> 0:13:48.080 winning like maybe in the eighties and nineties that would 0:13:48.120 --> 0:13:49.920 have been the case. But you know, the idea that 0:13:50.200 --> 0:13:53.000 I understand that there were some personality conflicts and some 0:13:53.080 --> 0:13:55.559 ugliness in the way that team USA lost in two 0:13:55.600 --> 0:13:58.600 thousand two, two thousand four, two thousand six, But they didn't. 0:13:58.600 --> 0:14:00.440 It's not like they lost to a bunch of oakesters. 0:14:00.440 --> 0:14:02.079 They lost to like a hall of fame, a group 0:14:02.080 --> 0:14:04.560 of Hall of Fame caliber guys. Basically, Yeah, well I 0:14:04.600 --> 0:14:07.199 was I would cover those games and oh four and 0:14:07.360 --> 0:14:10.200 uh J and I have talked about this on an episode, 0:14:10.240 --> 0:14:13.200 and there was a real um and there was a 0:14:13.200 --> 0:14:15.400 lot of factors into it. We're not going to rehash them, 0:14:15.760 --> 0:14:18.760 but there was a real hatred of that team, and 0:14:18.800 --> 0:14:22.240 there was a lot of racism and a lot of 0:14:22.320 --> 0:14:25.120 expectations pulled into it. And at that point, Zack, in 0:14:25.120 --> 0:14:28.240 two thousand four, we understood it who was covering it, 0:14:28.560 --> 0:14:32.200 but the world in general did not understand Manu Ginobli, 0:14:32.440 --> 0:14:35.080 who the hell is he? You know, well, he's probably 0:14:35.120 --> 0:14:38.280 the best player in the Olympics, you know, so, uh 0:14:38.600 --> 0:14:41.600 it was different and also the one of the interesting 0:14:41.640 --> 0:14:45.480 things about this team, I'm sure Jeff remembers this was 0:14:45.520 --> 0:14:48.120 that after they got together, they still didn't have Kobe, 0:14:48.800 --> 0:14:53.000 but they lost to Greece in two thousand six in 0:14:53.040 --> 0:14:55.760 the World Championships and you know, got pick and rolled 0:14:56.240 --> 0:14:59.320 to death and it looked like another Oh my god, 0:14:59.440 --> 0:15:02.520 even with Shashevsky, We're not going to be able to 0:15:02.840 --> 0:15:05.720 uh to pull this off. I never We never could 0:15:05.720 --> 0:15:09.000 find out Jay, could we who gave them the name 0:15:09.040 --> 0:15:11.480 of the redeem Team. We kept looking and I, you 0:15:11.480 --> 0:15:14.920 know what just sort of started appearing, you know, somewhere. 0:15:15.600 --> 0:15:17.640 I will say that they all bonded to it and 0:15:17.680 --> 0:15:21.120 grabbed onto it really quickly. We've gotten so bad at nicknames. 0:15:21.120 --> 0:15:24.680 That's one of the only few good either group nicknames 0:15:24.760 --> 0:15:27.920 or individual nicknames that we've had in the twenty one century. 0:15:27.920 --> 0:15:31.560 And I blame us. Jeff, You're excluded from this, but 0:15:31.600 --> 0:15:35.360 the sports ride this here, Jack, Zack, myself, we're all 0:15:35.400 --> 0:15:38.440 part of this group that has just dropped the ball 0:15:38.440 --> 0:15:41.040 when it comes to bestowing nicknames on people, or we 0:15:41.160 --> 0:15:44.200 let them bestow nicknames on themselves. But like D. D. 0:15:44.360 --> 0:15:47.080 Wade is not a nickname, k D is not a nickname. 0:15:47.400 --> 0:15:50.160 Black Mamba is a nickname self bestowed, but it is 0:15:50.200 --> 0:15:53.080 a nickname. Flash Brothers to me is the best one. 0:15:55.240 --> 0:15:57.120 But I'm gonna go back to what Jack was talking 0:15:57.160 --> 0:16:00.200 about the two thousand and six game. I think that 0:16:00.360 --> 0:16:06.120 was the singular, UH biggest UH game. If you hear 0:16:06.160 --> 0:16:11.320 Mike Sachowski in private talk about UH an awakening of 0:16:12.080 --> 0:16:16.000 you know, our pick and roll defense. Um, you know 0:16:16.400 --> 0:16:18.720 these guys I can't even say the big strong kid 0:16:18.760 --> 0:16:21.560 from Greece's name, but like he's in the middle of 0:16:21.560 --> 0:16:24.440 the paint with no elevation and he's just bruising. I 0:16:24.600 --> 0:16:29.600 coached Spinola's uh you know, so I knew what a 0:16:29.640 --> 0:16:34.240 competitor he was. But you know, now you look at 0:16:34.280 --> 0:16:37.480 Greece and now you're saying, well, you know, uh, Janis 0:16:37.520 --> 0:16:40.680 and his brothers and you know, um they have other 0:16:40.760 --> 0:16:44.080 guys and so now you know, but back then you 0:16:44.120 --> 0:16:47.760 didn't know. And um, you know, I just think it 0:16:47.800 --> 0:16:53.000 was an awakening for everybody with USA basketball that really 0:16:53.040 --> 0:16:57.280 has spurred them on to such great success, and I 0:16:57.320 --> 0:17:00.080 think you know, it happened again for us in the 0:17:00.120 --> 0:17:02.600 World Cup. You know, we were injured a little bit, 0:17:03.440 --> 0:17:06.680 um we didn't necessarily play as well as we could 0:17:06.680 --> 0:17:11.479 have hoped against France. But like it's it's it's not 0:17:11.560 --> 0:17:13.760 gonna be easy. Like I don't even I don't care 0:17:13.800 --> 0:17:16.359 if we bring everybody that we want to next time 0:17:16.720 --> 0:17:19.840 in the Olympics, there will be a game of struggle 0:17:20.080 --> 0:17:23.720 at least one And I think as a country, as 0:17:23.720 --> 0:17:27.560 a basketball community, not only should we expect it, but 0:17:28.040 --> 0:17:29.800 that's what makes it fun. If you if you have 0:17:29.880 --> 0:17:32.760 no doubt that you're gonna win, what fun is the competition. 0:17:32.840 --> 0:17:36.520 I think it's gonna be awesome. And uh, Gregg Popovich 0:17:36.600 --> 0:17:38.680 is the right guy to try to bring us home. 0:17:39.280 --> 0:17:41.280 We'll think about the last World was it the last 0:17:41.320 --> 0:17:44.800 World Championship? Or two? A guy they all like Jack said, 0:17:44.840 --> 0:17:46.560 they all get mixed up to me. But it was 0:17:46.560 --> 0:17:50.760 supposed to be this showdown between Serbia and Team USA 0:17:50.880 --> 0:17:53.760 because Serbia is loaded now. And Serbia's coach even said 0:17:53.800 --> 0:17:55.760 something like well if we I think he was a 0:17:55.760 --> 0:17:58.200 little bit mistranslated, but something like, well if they meet 0:17:58.280 --> 0:18:00.679 us in the gold medal game. Make God help them 0:18:00.760 --> 0:18:03.200 or something, and then they both lost in the quarterfinals 0:18:03.240 --> 0:18:05.800 because the competition is so good. Well, you know, And 0:18:06.119 --> 0:18:08.159 so I was doing the scouting over there, and I 0:18:08.200 --> 0:18:12.800 was at the Serbia argent Argentina game, and Serbia is loaded. 0:18:13.040 --> 0:18:15.800 Yokich comes off the bench. That's how crazy it is. 0:18:15.840 --> 0:18:18.560 They have like this roster full of centers, and I 0:18:18.560 --> 0:18:20.520 don't know why they play them as little as they do, 0:18:20.600 --> 0:18:26.119 but whatever, Um and Argentina, with Composo and Scola and 0:18:26.320 --> 0:18:29.600 Deck and all these guys, they just carved him up. 0:18:30.000 --> 0:18:35.000 And you know, unfortunately for us, UM, you know, we 0:18:35.000 --> 0:18:40.960 we struggled with France, Gobert and and Feigner and those guys. 0:18:41.000 --> 0:18:43.920 But and then we played Serbia. Think about us. We 0:18:43.920 --> 0:18:45.920 were down at the end of the first quarter and 0:18:45.920 --> 0:18:47.639 I was a back to back and we were in 0:18:47.680 --> 0:18:53.240 the constellation. We were down thirty one six or something 0:18:53.359 --> 0:18:55.760 at the end of one or in that and like, 0:18:55.840 --> 0:18:57.400 we came back and it was a very close, hard 0:18:57.400 --> 0:19:00.800 fought game at the end. But I'm telling you, there's 0:19:00.840 --> 0:19:04.320 a lot of people out there that in one forty 0:19:04.359 --> 0:19:08.600 minute game on a neutral court with referees who don't 0:19:08.600 --> 0:19:12.200 know our names, nor do they want to. It's it's 0:19:12.200 --> 0:19:14.480 gonna be hard. And also, I guys, think about it. 0:19:14.520 --> 0:19:17.240 To both of your points, Let's say Nikola Yokich wins 0:19:17.280 --> 0:19:19.000 the m v P this year. You know it's John 0:19:19.080 --> 0:19:21.040 Candid to do so. That would be back to back 0:19:21.680 --> 0:19:23.760 foreign born players who are the m v P is 0:19:23.800 --> 0:19:27.239 going back to to Janice from the previous two. Uh 0:19:27.400 --> 0:19:29.720 Rudy Colbert could very easily be the Defensive Player of 0:19:29.760 --> 0:19:32.160 the Year, Luca don Chich the Rookie of the Year 0:19:32.160 --> 0:19:33.840 from a couple of years ago. I'm sure there's an 0:19:33.920 --> 0:19:37.720 m VP at some point in his future. And so 0:19:37.800 --> 0:19:41.280 since Lebron is probably done with his team USA days, 0:19:42.359 --> 0:19:44.680 we can't just assume that the USA is going to 0:19:44.760 --> 0:19:46.760 have the best player on the court if they play 0:19:46.760 --> 0:19:48.640 against some of these teams anymore. I mean it used 0:19:48.680 --> 0:19:51.520 to be a given, and now, given the way the 0:19:51.560 --> 0:19:54.359 talent is distributed around the globe, it's just not a 0:19:54.400 --> 0:19:56.960 given that the American players will either be the best 0:19:56.960 --> 0:19:59.320 team or will have the best player on the court. Well, 0:19:59.359 --> 0:20:02.160 and you to go to that point, you don't even 0:20:02.240 --> 0:20:05.520 know who's going to be available because the season goes 0:20:05.560 --> 0:20:09.560 to mid July or late July and the seat the 0:20:10.119 --> 0:20:16.199 Olympics start with of July, whatever it may be. So 0:20:16.320 --> 0:20:19.480 you may not you know, you may be going with 0:20:19.560 --> 0:20:21.840 some guys who are in the finals who never practice 0:20:23.240 --> 0:20:26.280 with the Olympic team. I mean, this is unprecedented. What's 0:20:26.280 --> 0:20:28.199 gonna be tried to pull off. Either you're going to 0:20:28.200 --> 0:20:31.320 take people that aren't in the final round or the 0:20:31.320 --> 0:20:34.840 final two rounds of the NBA playoffs and and get 0:20:34.960 --> 0:20:38.040 more practice time or to get maybe a little bit 0:20:38.080 --> 0:20:41.040 better player. Now, this could impact other teams as well, right, 0:20:41.080 --> 0:20:45.800 I mean, um, it's gonna be very interesting roster decisions 0:20:46.520 --> 0:20:52.000 that Jerry Colangelo, Sean Ford, Gregg Popovich have. Um, but 0:20:52.600 --> 0:20:55.240 like you said, it's not a given. It's not a given. 0:20:55.680 --> 0:20:58.080 And to your point that it could impact lots of 0:20:58.080 --> 0:21:00.480 other teams because the NBA sou internet so now, but 0:21:00.680 --> 0:21:03.879 they're great point you made earlier is we typically, to 0:21:03.920 --> 0:21:06.679 you as a typically has been at a continuity and 0:21:06.800 --> 0:21:10.000 chemistry disadvantage against some of the better international teams. Guys 0:21:10.000 --> 0:21:12.320 that girl are playing together played with club teams. They 0:21:12.320 --> 0:21:14.639 play every summer, and we tend to throw these teams together. 0:21:14.920 --> 0:21:17.560 Maybe that's exacerbated this summer, But I mean, that's that's 0:21:17.600 --> 0:21:20.560 something that we've had to overcome in all these competitions. 0:21:21.119 --> 0:21:23.040 All right, that was a big thing for the Redeem Team. 0:21:23.080 --> 0:21:24.960 But we're gonna take a break for a minute and 0:21:24.960 --> 0:21:39.280 we'll be right back with Kobe, Lebron and the Redeem Team. So, 0:21:39.400 --> 0:21:42.919 speaking of Kobe and Lebron, one of the things we 0:21:43.040 --> 0:21:47.360 became kind of fascinated with during this podcast was Kobe 0:21:47.520 --> 0:21:52.680 wasn't Lebron and d Wade and Chris Bosh and Melo 0:21:52.720 --> 0:21:56.439 Carmelo Anthony they kind of signed this little contract in 0:21:56.560 --> 0:21:59.320 two thousand five that they would be around for three years. 0:22:00.200 --> 0:22:01.800 Kobe didn't really do that. He was kind of in 0:22:01.840 --> 0:22:05.840 and out and he finally shows up in two thousand seven. 0:22:06.480 --> 0:22:09.200 And it really became fascinating to me when we kind 0:22:09.200 --> 0:22:12.639 of ask most of the people j and not everybody 0:22:12.800 --> 0:22:17.280 and about who if you have time is running down, 0:22:18.280 --> 0:22:20.520 you're down by one or you're ahead, you gotta win 0:22:20.560 --> 0:22:23.920 the game. Lebron is out there and Kobe is out there, 0:22:24.280 --> 0:22:26.199 who are you going to give the ball to? And 0:22:26.320 --> 0:22:30.679 here is what Mark Francis is gonna dial up Chris 0:22:30.720 --> 0:22:34.119 Bosh talking about it right now, Kobe and get out 0:22:34.160 --> 0:22:39.800 the way. You know, I've never uh, just to ask 0:22:39.840 --> 0:22:43.439 my own philosophy, you know, I've never I never wants 0:22:43.440 --> 0:22:46.680 to make the game more complicated, um than it needs 0:22:46.680 --> 0:22:51.640 to be in that situation. You know, I just feel that, Um, 0:22:51.760 --> 0:22:55.080 that's what he's always done. That's what Kobe does. So 0:22:56.680 --> 0:22:59.800 that was Chris Bosh's answer. That was most people's and 0:23:00.080 --> 0:23:04.280 Sir j A except for Jason Kidd, who tied himself 0:23:04.320 --> 0:23:07.880 into some you know, rhetorical not trying to exactly. I 0:23:07.920 --> 0:23:09.840 think he wanted to say I'd give it to Lebron, 0:23:10.400 --> 0:23:12.760 but then he thought, oh shit, I don't know whether 0:23:12.800 --> 0:23:15.520 I want to say that. So Zach Low, I don't 0:23:15.520 --> 0:23:17.720