Speaker 1: Welcome back to Unplugged. This episode is presented by DraftKings
Speaker 1: the Crowd of Drawers. Let's get on with the show
Speaker 1: because we've got a great guest today, one of the
Speaker 1: greatest in my opinion all around point guards. We've ever
Speaker 1: seen someone who should be getting the Hall of Fame
Speaker 1: phone call? How many more years you gotta wait? Night?
Speaker 1: He's ready, Okay, so the phone is open, NBA. Just
Speaker 1: so y'all know. Welcome to show. Rajon Rondo, appreciate that.
Speaker 1: I appreciate you stopping by. Man, you got a lot
Speaker 1: of great things going on. Congratulations at thirty nine, you
Speaker 1: just graduated from Kentucky late than never. I love that.
Speaker 1: Talk to me what was behind you going back and
Speaker 1: just what was that experience like, did you get a
Speaker 1: chance to go in class and be with some of
Speaker 1: the kids. What was it like?
Speaker 2: You know, like what you just mentioned, you know, at
Speaker 2: a tough time in my life, I had a lot
Speaker 2: of downtime and dropped my kids off of school. I
Speaker 2: had another five six hours to do nothing right. And
Speaker 2: shout out to my guy, Mike Stone, academic of Ayeshm University, Kentucky.
Speaker 2: He was there when I was back in college. He's
Speaker 2: still there and he always caught me every summer, Hey,
Speaker 2: come back, come back, come back. Nah, next year, next year.
Speaker 1: So down.
Speaker 2: When I retired, I was like, you know what, let
Speaker 2: me find purpose, a new reason for purpose and getting
Speaker 2: up every day, going to school, being around to young,
Speaker 2: young students. It was great for me. My family gave
Speaker 2: me motivation. I would drive an hour day to Lex
Speaker 2: and like I said, that time they would think I.
Speaker 1: Couldn't make it. The class was only five minutes away
Speaker 1: from me. I couldn't make it. You drove hour?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I drove out. I mean I love I love
Speaker 2: the drive. I'm a driver. Everybody know me, my family.
Speaker 2: One day, I'm a drive across the country. But I
Speaker 2: love to drive. And like I said, being on the road,
Speaker 2: it's an hour up the street, getting around the young energy,
Speaker 2: calling back, telling a wife like look, I love what
Speaker 2: I'm doing like this, this is what it means. And
Speaker 2: then like I said, this also getting my degree before
Speaker 2: my daughter, my kids graduated, that was also my extra motivation.
Speaker 1: Did the NBA pay for that because they did a window? Right? Yeah?
Speaker 1: Plain that. So there's a window when you retire of
Speaker 1: if you want to go back to school they'll pay.
Speaker 2: For it, right, correct, Yeah, there's I think it's like
Speaker 2: a four year gap, but they pay up to twenty
Speaker 2: thousand a year. And like I said, you got to
Speaker 2: keep a certain GPA, but other than that they'll pay
Speaker 2: for And also for me, I was fortunate the University
Speaker 2: Kentucky wanted to pay for it, so I had both options.
Speaker 1: They should have gave you that extra nil money your
Speaker 1: second season with the Bucks, I remember talking about going
Speaker 1: into the situation. We haven't talked since you've been in
Speaker 1: this This year, your role has increased a little bit.
Speaker 1: Explain what your role is and and and you know
Speaker 1: what you love about it. Obviously. I know your in
Speaker 1: goal is to be a head coach, and I feel
Speaker 1: like in the next two or three years that's going
Speaker 1: to happen. But what is your experience like this year
Speaker 1: sitting alongside someone we both know very well, Doc Rivers.
Speaker 2: That's my guy, you know, shout out to coach, one
Speaker 2: of my greatest mentors I've ever had in my life.
Speaker 2: He's always been real, uh you know, impactful my life,
Speaker 2: very honest with me and like I said, I always uplifting.
Speaker 2: So I told the story before, but again he came
Speaker 2: to my wedding a couple of years back and was like,
Speaker 2: you know, get your ass in Milwaukee. So ever since,
Speaker 2: I've been last year with the biggest difference from last
Speaker 2: year and this year is me being able to be
Speaker 2: on the bench. And last year, funny story, the first
Speaker 2: time I was on a bench UH against the Celtics
Speaker 2: after the game and Marie gets a call saying that
Speaker 2: we could have forfeited a game or lost the game
Speaker 2: because I was on the bench. They had an extra coach.
Speaker 2: Last year, my title was coaching the coaching consultant, and
Speaker 2: this year is more coaching assistant. So that's what I'm
Speaker 2: fortunate now this year being able to, you know, when
Speaker 2: I'm in and Waukee, be able to get on the
Speaker 2: bench and talk to the guys in game because me
Speaker 2: being in the back on the sideline, you know, I
Speaker 2: think it doesn't benefit anyone at all, you know, I mean,
Speaker 2: like I can help you after the game or before
Speaker 2: the game. But that was my greatest strength is being
Speaker 2: able to help my guys in live moments during the game.
Speaker 1: You've had a lot of guys before this opportunity that
Speaker 1: would reach out to you for mentorship in training, and
Speaker 1: I think there's a preconceived knock on this generation that
Speaker 1: they're hard to teach. They're hard to coach. We both coach,
Speaker 1: coach our children and coach kids younger than them. What
Speaker 1: is their openness and receptiveness been to you? You in
Speaker 1: their ear?
Speaker 2: Very humbling? I mean, so many young guys reach out
Speaker 2: and when I talk, you know, their eyes are big
Speaker 2: and wide. So it's like to have that type of
Speaker 2: respect from the young greats. Next generation is very humbling,
Speaker 2: and like I said, for me, it's only right, you know,
Speaker 2: it's only right for me to give the game back,
Speaker 2: you know, paying forward guys like you know, Kevin Garnett,
Speaker 2: you know, Paul Pierrice, my older vets. You know, that's
Speaker 2: what they did for me, you know. So it's what
Speaker 2: it's about, holding them, hold them accountable and giving it back.
Speaker 1: So give me an example. If I'm a young fella
Speaker 1: and I reach out to you, what I mean, what
Speaker 1: what do? What do you mean you're gonna do? Obviously
Speaker 1: we're gonna be on the court getting shots, We're gonna
Speaker 1: be watching film. Talk to us about what kind of
Speaker 1: stuff we would be doing. We're doing everything, you know.
Speaker 1: It depends on where you are on life. Like I said,
Speaker 1: I got a couple of.
Speaker 2: Kids that that's moved to Kentucky for our program. For
Speaker 2: me as a mentor, I want to know, teach those
Speaker 2: guys from all my mistakes and what I did great
Speaker 2: while I excel that and then how to technically be
Speaker 2: a pro.
Speaker 1: Someone who's made a big jump this year has been
Speaker 1: Ryan Rollins fourth year of the league, his really first,
Speaker 1: his first year of really finding his footing in this space.
Speaker 1: Someone who's averaging seventeen and and what six like five
Speaker 1: point five? Yeah, almost six assists a game, but also
Speaker 1: shooting fifty two percent and forty five from the three.
Speaker 1: Someone who's made an impact.
Speaker 2: Most improved player year, that's what you just described.
Speaker 1: It sound like put it, put it, put it out there.
Speaker 1: I mean he jumped from what six to sixteen? Right
Speaker 1: six to seventeen? Excuse me?
Speaker 3: And that was a two way player, got traded, Yeah,
Speaker 3: got waved.
Speaker 1: He was in the CP three Jordan Poole situation. But
Speaker 1: he's found his footing. Uh. And and I can just
Speaker 1: tell knowing that your role has increased this year, that's
Speaker 1: someone's ear you've been in absolutely taught to us about him.
Speaker 2: Uh, actually coming late here. They're actually in Cleveland, down
Speaker 2: and he reached out, was like, hey, jump on you
Speaker 2: know FaceTime for thirty minutes of gets some film man.
Speaker 2: So of course, uh, that's my role and that's what
Speaker 2: I wanted to do. And obviously working with you guys
Speaker 2: is easy. It's always easy coming here. So uh, watch
Speaker 2: a film with him, you know, not necessarily a daily base,
Speaker 2: but every three or four days we try to break
Speaker 2: down the game. And it's what I love about him
Speaker 2: as if lately he's been asking me like real questions,
Speaker 2: like you know, how do you manipulate a game? I
Speaker 2: don't want to watch one or tw clips. Let's actually
Speaker 2: watch a full game and you tell me what you're
Speaker 2: thinking during those times. So it's been fun teaching him
Speaker 2: that type.
Speaker 1: Of you know, what is it like when you see
Speaker 1: a younger kid's light bulb come on? Because again, we're
Speaker 1: both in the youth space right now, and we feel
Speaker 1: like this generation is the most skilled generation we've ever seen,
Speaker 1: but I feel like they lack game IQ strategy i
Speaker 1: Q and and and and sets and all that. So
Speaker 1: when you start seeing the light bulb come on from
Speaker 1: these guys, because again, it's it's all once they apply
Speaker 1: theirselfs it'll it'll.
Speaker 2: And I think that's due to lack of teaching. Teaching
Speaker 2: is and where it needs to be, all right, but
Speaker 2: how it makes me feel as exciting? You know, I
Speaker 2: get into it. I'm watching so much film right now,
Speaker 2: and it's ridiculous. Like I said, I'm watching films.
Speaker 1: And it's everything from because you got to watch the
Speaker 1: NBA film.
Speaker 2: Then I got my son and you got yourself, and
Speaker 2: then I got kids that play a different school. That's
Speaker 2: how you program watching their film is what I do.
Speaker 2: You know, appreciate my wife and family allow me to
Speaker 2: get away like that. But like I said, this is
Speaker 2: what I love to do. I love to teach and
Speaker 2: just learn the game. And at so many different levels,
Speaker 2: it's been fun and I feel like I'm really great
Speaker 2: at it.
Speaker 1: What have you got to see? And you've been blessed
Speaker 1: in your career to play with some of the greatest
Speaker 1: power forwards the game has ever seen? What have you
Speaker 1: got to see on a day end or when you're
Speaker 1: there from Jannis not just on the court, but also
Speaker 1: off the court in his his his support system with
Speaker 1: his brothers there and his family very close to the
Speaker 1: to the to the organization. What have you got to
Speaker 1: see us just kind of the man, the player, maybe
Speaker 1: some of the stuff we wouldn't get to see on
Speaker 1: it on a daily basis.
Speaker 2: He's a great teammate, you know. I think that's a
Speaker 2: lot of similarities with kevimcguarnt at how he was Guys
Speaker 2: like playing with him.
Speaker 1: Uh.
Speaker 2: He's extremely hard worker and he's open to criticism. You know,
Speaker 2: I think a lot of superstars. You know, I don't
Speaker 2: know everybody obviously, but you know, you hear the chatters
Speaker 2: out there as far as him not being able to
Speaker 2: be coachable and for guy like himself, I know, the
Speaker 2: difference between having his brother here this year versus last
Speaker 2: year is a big difference.
Speaker 1: Uh.
Speaker 2: He's a great human being and a great great a
Speaker 2: lot of great energy, great support for him.
Speaker 1: So his game, what do you feel like the next
Speaker 1: evolution in his game is over the last few years.
Speaker 1: I think he's toned down is his his three attempts.
Speaker 1: He's obviously been working on his jump shot. He's the
Speaker 1: best and one of the greatest of all time getting
Speaker 1: downhill and putting pressure on the rim. Where do you
Speaker 1: see as someone who really thinks and sees the game
Speaker 1: in for him? What's he having six assists this year? Yes,
Speaker 1: someone you feel like is the best peer passing big
Speaker 1: possibly in the game next to Jokic. What do you
Speaker 1: feel like the next step in his game? Is?
Speaker 2: Oh, great question, you know, I think we challenge him
Speaker 2: every day on the staff. Is you know, just being
Speaker 2: a better communicator on defense, being able, like I said,
Speaker 2: for him being a veteran, a champion, he's seen all
Speaker 2: the defenses and all the offenses that pretty much they're
Speaker 2: all pretty much the same now, being a better communicator
Speaker 2: and putting guys on the right spot, especially with it,
Speaker 2: like I said, he's had, you know, new teammates the
Speaker 2: last couple of years. Injuries happens, you scoots out, So
Speaker 2: we got to put guys in certain roles and it's
Speaker 2: harder for him to adjust versus him being in the league
Speaker 2: for you know, twelve plus years and understanding like what
Speaker 2: the game is asking him and helping us a little
Speaker 2: bit more with that.
Speaker 1: When you're watching film, like what are you looking for
Speaker 1: that you feel like maybe the players aren't being out there.
Speaker 2: I can't give you the whole answer to that.
Speaker 1: Matt, but we don't want to unlock the secret everybody.
Speaker 2: It's crazy because to me now, like when I'm watching film,
Speaker 2: and obviously it's no no knock to you know, Doc
Speaker 2: or anything, it's like that, But when I'm watching film,
Speaker 2: I'm always like looking on how you know I could
Speaker 2: win the game in a sense of like if I
Speaker 2: would have made different coaching changes strategies, or if I
Speaker 2: would stayed with what where they actually work. So it's
Speaker 2: just fun being able to do that. And then also
Speaker 2: kudos to the staff. They're they're you know, they're not
Speaker 2: threatened to intimidated by me speaking out a voice in
Speaker 2: my opinion, Like and as a player, I went to
Speaker 2: a lot of teams where you know, coaches will be like, hey,
Speaker 2: we want you to be yourself, and then I wasn't
Speaker 2: how to be myself. So it's been very humble to
Speaker 2: kind of be work with the you know, the Milwaukee
Speaker 2: Buck staff. You know, they're great, great men. And I
Speaker 2: told Doc, if I ever get my shot, I'm gonna
Speaker 2: try to take everybody because like, you got guys that
Speaker 2: work really hard and they're great at what they do.
Speaker 1: So that's dope. What have you learned now about coaching
Speaker 1: that you maybe didn't have an appreciation or an understanding
Speaker 1: for now that you're more in a co have much
Speaker 1: time full time.
Speaker 2: How much time they put into the game plan and
Speaker 2: then for players to come out and like not execute
Speaker 2: the game plan. Like that's that's been like you understand
Speaker 2: that now the biggest chance like why like you know
Speaker 2: what I mean, It's like for me, it's like, man,
Speaker 2: we're all pros. You know most of some do don't have families,
Speaker 2: Like we have one job, like understand the game plan.
Speaker 2: Let's go into about it and make sure you understand
Speaker 2: the game plan period because I mean, like I said,
Speaker 2: the amount of time like for its like players don't
Speaker 2: know like coaches. You know, we play Cleveland night, coach
Speaker 2: will watched five games minimum and then know everything about
Speaker 2: it and started the next time. It's like and then we're
Speaker 2: telling you don't let this guy go right, and then
Speaker 2: you go back and watching him to night and he
Speaker 2: went right eight times just like either I mean, it's
Speaker 2: like what is it? What's the disconnect? That's that's make
Speaker 2: it makes sense. So that's I.
Speaker 1: Mean, it doesn't turn off as a coach. That's why
Speaker 1: I had some opportunities. When I finished, I'm just like nah,
Speaker 1: like I was the schedule of the player was wearing
Speaker 1: me down. Like I couldn't imagine, like not turn off,
Speaker 1: I'd be taken away from my kids.
Speaker 2: Just appreciate when the coach is telling you something, especially
Speaker 2: if he's putting in the work. You know, like we
Speaker 2: don't know what all, but like guys are working tirelessly
Speaker 2: hours of certain things that specifically that they are asked
Speaker 2: to be. You know, great that so dis appreciate it.
Speaker 1: Doc's been in your life for nearly twenty years. You know,
Speaker 1: it's documented when you guys at the beginning, you guys
Speaker 1: with butt has because of your competitiveness and and and
Speaker 1: both your levels of IQ coached you coached against you
Speaker 1: Now sitting on the bench with him, what is it
Speaker 1: about him that has allowed him to continue to do
Speaker 1: this Because he's taken a lot of heat, you know,
Speaker 1: some some fair, some unfair. Where do you think he
Speaker 1: kind of still finds the drive to to do this?
Speaker 2: I mean, this is who he is as a as
Speaker 2: a human being. You know, he's a great person. He
Speaker 2: loves to teach, you know, kind of like myself. I
Speaker 2: feel like I have a lot of similarities with coach,
Speaker 2: and you know he's an underdog. You know, he always
Speaker 2: wants to prove, you know, himself. And like I said,
Speaker 2: this overall he loves to help, you know, he loves
Speaker 2: helping people. Where he puts a lot of people on
Speaker 2: you know, he's I can't say, I can't say anything
Speaker 2: negative or you know, some shady city he's ever done
Speaker 2: in my life, like I said, other than when we
Speaker 2: got into a young but again I was a kid
Speaker 2: trying to figure out my role with my strength and
Speaker 2: on that team. So he's always been gumie and honest,
Speaker 2: you know, saying he has great people around him, shout
Speaker 2: out to a Marie, Uh, she's in her field. And
Speaker 2: so like I said, I you obviously know for me,
Speaker 2: he say, He's always been honest with me. And like
Speaker 2: I said, even then we have we have great moments
Speaker 2: on the court. As a coach player, it was always
Speaker 2: respect to where we were always trying to do the
Speaker 2: same thing, which was the greater good for the team.
Speaker 1: I mean we had our differences and and and definitely
Speaker 1: bumped heads and but at the same time there was
Speaker 1: still a respect I had for him because I appreciated
Speaker 1: the work he put in and one of the greatest
Speaker 1: communicators and and and and motivators. I've ever been here
Speaker 1: that part through this wall right here war and I
Speaker 1: appreciate it.
Speaker 2: Not to cut you off, but I want to say,
Speaker 2: like for me, like from start, from day one, even
Speaker 2: when I was working with him back in Boston with
Speaker 2: Thibodeaux and Lawrence Frank, like he always empowered his coaching staff.
Speaker 2: And that's what I like, a lot of coaches don't
Speaker 2: do that. I played for a bunch obviously in my career,
Speaker 2: but like even now, fast forward to Milwaukee now, I
Speaker 2: mean Greg Buckner, Darbingham, Dave Yeager, like he allows all
Speaker 2: them to beat himself, like have a voice, and like
Speaker 2: I said, I love how we empowered him.
Speaker 1: Do you have a funny story that you could share
Speaker 1: about you and Doc button Heads early on?
Speaker 2: I don't know about I got so maybe the when
Speaker 2: I blew the TV up. We gotta fined twenty thousand
Speaker 2: with busting the TV.
Speaker 1: What happened? Talk to me about that?
Speaker 2: We were watching film and so.
Speaker 1: What year in the league is this for you?
Speaker 2: I forgot of maybe two thousand and nine, so it's
Speaker 2: probably year my third year or something. Like I said,
Speaker 2: we were playing Detroit Pistons and you know, I said,
Speaker 2: I've obviously I watched him the night before. So we
Speaker 2: come in and we're in the locker room. I think
Speaker 2: I'm across some shack Jermaine O'Neill, Kevin's down at in
Speaker 2: my right.
Speaker 1: By.
Speaker 2: I think I'm about Eddie House, like watching film boom
Speaker 2: watching film. We're talking about Chouncey buillets for some reason,
Speaker 2: and I think Chauncey didn't have a great game that
Speaker 2: particular game, but Rip was killing us off a floppy action.
Speaker 2: So I just knew. Because they're coming film, I like,
Speaker 2: it can't be me today. Here we go. We're going film.
Speaker 2: You know happened Chancey with? Like why is he shot?
Speaker 2: Even on there? In my head? Okay? Rondo, okay, cool?
Speaker 2: Right cool? Two three possessions later again, I'm like, hold on,
Speaker 2: I look, I'm looking across some shock looking at me
Speaker 2: like be cool. He's like, don't do it, and I'm exploding.
Speaker 2: I'm ready to go crazy. So I'm like, man, why
Speaker 2: are we here talking about me when Rip had like
Speaker 2: thirty two or something last night? You know what I mean.
Speaker 2: So that's what kind of pissed me off. And I'm like, man,
Speaker 2: fuck if I jump up boom, throw a water about
Speaker 2: TV TV explode Boom busted me and doctor immediately trying
Speaker 2: to go at it like they got it between us
Speaker 2: or whatever. They told me, get masked out, go take
Speaker 2: a walk. I'm shirt off. It's like thirty two degrees
Speaker 2: in Boston. I take a walk down the street, come
Speaker 2: back in, you know, I say, I gotta get my shit.
Speaker 2: I get out and what I love and respect the most.
Speaker 2: The one person that called me that night was Kevin
Speaker 2: Garnett and he was like, you was wrong. I was
Speaker 2: like what He's like, yeah, man, he was wrong. I
Speaker 2: was like, okay, cool, So like him holding me accountable
Speaker 2: like that, and like I said, because at that time,
Speaker 2: I'm like, man, fuck, am I wrong? When you know,
Speaker 2: it's like if you're pointing a finger at me and
Speaker 2: I'm not the problem, like call it, you know, color
Speaker 2: how it is? I called the spade of space. So
Speaker 2: that's what kind of made I was. That's why I
Speaker 2: was frustrating like that from that day. For like, we've
Speaker 2: always been tight ever since the same ship that happened
Speaker 2: with me.
Speaker 1: And I was literally telling the same ship Blake and
Speaker 1: DJF there were kind of bullshitting, but I took two shots,
Speaker 1: and he like went in on both my shots. When
Speaker 1: we played the Warriors, I'm like, what the fuck? What
Speaker 1: about the ship that Draymond and all these mothers? And
Speaker 1: I felt the same way, And and we told the story.
Speaker 1: We just had DJ is hit man, chill, bro man,
Speaker 1: just chill, and I got up and the whole the
Speaker 1: whole film set went like like what he about to do?
Speaker 1: Because I'm in the far corner with DJ and CP
Speaker 1: is over here by us, and I have to walk
Speaker 1: past Doc to go out. So I jump up and
Speaker 1: go around the chair, and I'm kind of like, I
Speaker 1: don't know what I'm gonna do, and I just look
Speaker 1: at him and I ended up walking out. Go watch
Speaker 1: the DJ episode when it drops. I don't want to
Speaker 1: boris with all that, but it's the same ship. Like
Speaker 1: I felt like he maybe he felt like he needed
Speaker 1: to come through me to get to them, or.
Speaker 2: I was too young in the game for that. Yeah,
Speaker 2: I felt like you got all the biggest over here,
Speaker 2: the Big three, like they got to eat that, especially
Speaker 2: when it was it was daytime to give me.
Speaker 1: That's exactly how my ship went down.
Speaker 2: You gotta get jamain O Neel up here. Too.
Speaker 1: We haven't had jail. We have we have we have
Speaker 1: had jail.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, he got a story. He came in with
Speaker 2: some tims on one day.
Speaker 1: But that's let's hear about it.
Speaker 2: I gotta hit him. Tell it if you wanted to
Speaker 2: fight Doc that day with some tis like he came
Speaker 2: to the gym like, man, Doc got, I probably got
Speaker 2: to have a lineup, man, I'm.
Speaker 1: Telling you, but but butting back down from none of them. Yeah,
Speaker 1: he'll get his ass. What I'll fucking with you got.
Speaker 1: The East is down a little bit this year, and
Speaker 1: that definitely obviously helps you guys a little bit. It's weird.
Speaker 1: I feel like as great as giannisis, he doesn't get
Speaker 1: the consistent love and respect he deserves on this greatness.
Speaker 1: I think you know, I think you guys are what
Speaker 1: two games above five hundred right now, seventh in the
Speaker 1: Eastern Conference. He's sitting at thirty three, eleven and six
Speaker 1: if I'm not mistaken. So right in the MVP mix,
Speaker 1: you guys, it looks like things are starting are what
Speaker 1: do you feel like with this team? As and I
Speaker 1: think you point out a very important piece his his
Speaker 1: obviously injuries are big, but his teammates keep rotating, He's
Speaker 1: getting new guys. How long to into you feel like
Speaker 1: you guys will At what point do you feel like
Speaker 1: it's it's going to start clicking for you guys.
Speaker 2: I think once we get healthy. You know, Scoot was
Speaker 2: a big blow to us earlier in the year in
Speaker 2: game one. You know, I starting point guard. So obviously
Speaker 2: that's why you see the jump from Ryan Rollins productive
Speaker 2: being producive of this year. So I mean, just haven't
Speaker 2: moving parts. TP just went down. So, like I said,
Speaker 2: there's our guys that we pretty much count on have
Speaker 2: been heindrid, which a lot of teams in the league
Speaker 2: had not excuse him. But at the same time, we
Speaker 2: just got to adapt a a team to find it,
Speaker 2: try to find ways to win games.
Speaker 1: The evolution of the point guard. Rick Pattino said, this
Speaker 1: will take a look at it real quick.
Speaker 4: There are no point guds anymore. I mean, if you
Speaker 4: find it, you'll probably describe him as a guy who
Speaker 4: can't shoot him what game. He's a combo scoring guard.
Speaker 4: I don't think he's looking for the assists. I think
Speaker 4: he's looking at squad and thank god he is so.
Speaker 4: And whether it's whether it's the champion. Who's the point
Speaker 4: cut in Utumba said, this is the team who's the
Speaker 4: point cut to the Knicks, the Lakers and Celtics, the
Speaker 4: champ World champions. Pointcut is is totally done in basketball.
Speaker 4: The days of John Stockton are long gone. There are
Speaker 4: no more point cuds. Chris Paul is probably the last one.
Speaker 4: So you got to play with everybody handling the basketball
Speaker 4: five out and just create good movement.
Speaker 1: When you hear that, what are your thoughts? I mean,
Speaker 1: you're the definition of a peer point. I want to
Speaker 1: make your teammates better first and do all the little
Speaker 1: things and then scoring when needed. We've seen an influx
Speaker 1: this year with like the Houston Rockets not starting to
Speaker 1: point guard Cooper flags start, Yeah Bucks, Dallas Phoenix teams
Speaker 1: that are good. I think obviously with the Houston uh
Speaker 1: and and and you know Dallas is riddle by injury.
Speaker 1: You guys are trying to figure it out. But thoughts,
Speaker 1: is that a true statement? Do you think you can
Speaker 1: win it without without someone who's really running the point
Speaker 1: these days?
Speaker 2: I think the thunder just did it, I believe, But
Speaker 2: for me, I think it's a level h the IQ
Speaker 2: of the team overall, and then a lot of teams
Speaker 2: don't have the IQ of the Thunder organization or like
Speaker 2: the Houston Rockets, you know with the Doku. I think.
Speaker 2: I think it's primarily with him, how he's allowing guys
Speaker 2: and how they're able to understand extoute the game plan
Speaker 2: because a lot of teams that I'm watching to see
Speaker 2: what I'm doing, I'm watching the films like they need
Speaker 2: a point guard. They need someone to you know, run
Speaker 2: the show and off even like the game win. I
Speaker 2: believe when the Thunder in Houston play, you know, you
Speaker 2: need a point guard. Like Ktan touched the ball, so
Speaker 2: I know if I'm in the game and Ktane touch
Speaker 2: the ball and eight possessions, like, you need a point guard.
Speaker 2: So it's like a coach can only do so much.
Speaker 2: You're managing so many different things, and a point guard
Speaker 2: is the extension of the coach on the floor. So
Speaker 2: it's like when you're not executing, when you don't when
Speaker 2: you come down and run two sets in a row
Speaker 2: and then the third time you try to go away
Speaker 2: from it. A point guard understands to win and where
Speaker 2: to get guts the ball.
Speaker 1: I think of Houston when I think of this because
Speaker 1: it's it's sing gooon and KD getting the ball out
Speaker 1: of their spots. They're great players and they're gonna make
Speaker 1: it happen, but to your point, knowing when to get
Speaker 1: them the ball in their spots to make them be
Speaker 1: the most effective. Although they're you know, they're one of
Speaker 1: the highest scoring dudes, but you see, lad in games,
Speaker 1: that's not necessarily either of their forte in their career,
Speaker 1: they usually had got to their spots and then that's
Speaker 1: when they're you know, some of the best in the world.
Speaker 1: So yeah, I definitely still feel it's important to have
Speaker 1: a point guard just for everything you said. But it'll
Speaker 1: be interesting to see, you know, to your point, not
Speaker 1: everybody as a high i Q and and understand the
Speaker 1: game the way those those Okay, see you guys have
Speaker 1: been able to buy in transitioning a little bit flag football. Guy,
Speaker 1: that's what you got there, slanging that pill. So what's
Speaker 1: going on? Uh, you know a lot of people don't
Speaker 1: know you loved football.
Speaker 2: Growing up and it was Okay, taught me everything I
Speaker 2: know as far as football in the game, Like, I
Speaker 2: always wanted to be ahead of the curve, whether it
Speaker 2: was him teaching me early on math problems or being
Speaker 2: on the football field being number one, so I always
Speaker 2: had an early love for it. I actually thought I
Speaker 2: was going pro on football in young grage. So to
Speaker 2: be able to go back and play flag fo ball
Speaker 2: the last This past summer has been fun, you know,
Speaker 2: football dreams. I call it going out on Sunday. But
Speaker 2: I had to stop playing because show to start hurt.
Speaker 1: You ain't had to work.
Speaker 2: Yeah for the work, and yeah, I'm gonna take some
Speaker 2: time off. You might catch me out here in twenty
Speaker 2: twenty eight Olympics.
Speaker 1: I was about to say, what if? What if they
Speaker 1: give you a Tommy John right now? And have you
Speaker 1: ready for twenty eight to be out there slanging that thing?
Speaker 5: Nah?
Speaker 2: But hopefully I'm a head coaching somewhere by twenty twenty eight.
Speaker 2: But like I said, I can't do it all. But
Speaker 2: I said, I do like to keep my options opening.
Speaker 2: And I love, like I said, just exploring the things.
Speaker 1: Did any did the NFL NFL flag hit you up
Speaker 1: or anybody hit you up when they kind of saw
Speaker 1: that as I did. Oh?
Speaker 2: Really, I got I got the text message bout it.
Speaker 2: We could go about possibly being Olympics twenty twenty eight,
Speaker 2: really trying out.
Speaker 1: That's what They're gonna give you a chance.
Speaker 2: They asked me, was I available in June July? I
Speaker 2: think of twenty six next year, So we'll see if
Speaker 2: I if I take that. If I don't, I don't
Speaker 2: have a call from you know, anybody in I'm.
Speaker 1: Gonna bring a camera myself out there, huh and just
Speaker 1: follow you around.
Speaker 2: If one's here, then ones I think in Atlanta. So
Speaker 2: I'm gonna be here with me man in the camera.
Speaker 2: We're gonna we're gonna document that ship we all. Fatherhood
Speaker 2: obviously a huge part of your life. I mean, you
Speaker 2: play a father to a lot of kids that aren't chores.
Speaker 2: You know, the way you mentor and love and and
Speaker 2: and want to give back. But you do have three babies,
Speaker 2: right and one four.
Speaker 1: A son who I know and got a chance to see,
Speaker 1: a daughter who just is in college right now from volleyball.
Speaker 1: Talk to us about fatherhood and and and your DNA
Speaker 1: being passed to your kids. What has been like to
Speaker 1: kind of coach dad mentor there's a there's a tough
Speaker 1: balance and not our kids hearing too much of our voice.
Speaker 1: What is all that have you navigated this space.
Speaker 2: It's been amazing. That's to start with my daughter. She's
Speaker 2: she's my oldest. Have an older stepson as well as
Speaker 2: he's younger, but my daughter right she's abama now, and
Speaker 2: like I said, coming into the season, I expect you
Speaker 2: and play. You know, we joke and laugh about it,
Speaker 2: like her playing her watching her player at Kiva to
Speaker 2: the AU program, you know, six months before the season start.
Speaker 2: I'm like, you know, got we got work to do.
Speaker 2: And so for me being able to see her now
Speaker 2: fast forward, I think I just start her play two
Speaker 2: days ago when her last home opening season games this year,
Speaker 2: I mean, she I damned their crowd watching them play.
Speaker 2: The way she's controlling the game from her perspective, you know,
Speaker 2: in her volleyball world, she's like the point right out
Speaker 2: there on the floor and being able to call certain
Speaker 2: sets out or telling you know, her hitters middle left
Speaker 2: or line. It's been fun, you know, and like said
Speaker 2: humble at the same time, because she reminds me so
Speaker 2: much of myself being able to because she's five six
Speaker 2: on a good day. You know, these girls out here
Speaker 2: six five, super athletic, and like I said, she's find
Speaker 2: her way to make impact on the game. So it's
Speaker 2: been really fun teaching her and her calling me, asked
Speaker 2: me about the game, and she she said something to coach,
Speaker 2: you know, me putting my coaching hat over his dad
Speaker 2: had knowing like, nah, this isn't a good time to
Speaker 2: say something, or you know, go about it this way.
Speaker 2: Just like being there for her this particular time in
Speaker 2: my life, it has been the most amazing feeling like
Speaker 2: we're as tight as ever. And then my son, he's
Speaker 2: in eighth grade now playing varsity basketball this year, so
Speaker 2: it's a big jump for him. He should be starting
Speaker 2: and just like I said, watching him grow through the
Speaker 2: growing pains and it's teaching him to give Hi as
Speaker 2: much the game as possible. So it's been a humbling.
Speaker 1: Let's talk about the balance with your son, because I
Speaker 1: try to find a balance with my son. Obviously you
Speaker 1: coach your son in the summertime or assistant coach, but
Speaker 1: you know, very hands on talk to people that may
Speaker 1: not understand what your point of view because it's very
Speaker 1: similar to mine is as far as not being the
Speaker 1: dominating voice constantly because we always have to be dad right,
Speaker 1: and then coaches walking next because sometimes we want to
Speaker 1: ring these little motherfuckers next because they listening. But talk
Speaker 1: about like the balance of not them having to hear
Speaker 1: our mouth too much.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I think I'm I think you got
Speaker 2: obviously ask him, But I think I'm doing to health
Speaker 2: a job of when I first started coaching them to
Speaker 2: now to where I'm kind of, you know, maybe the
Speaker 2: fourth or fifth option in the sense of what he's hearing,
Speaker 2: you know, on the court, off the court, I got
Speaker 2: a great group of men around him that's able to
Speaker 2: tell them the same messages that I want to relate
Speaker 2: to them. And again, we're dad, so we can't always
Speaker 2: be that voice because he's like I don't want to
Speaker 2: hear it. I want to turn off. And at times
Speaker 2: I just need you to be that like basketball, like
Speaker 2: let's just go and have a good time father son,
Speaker 2: and let's talk about other things in life. So for me,
Speaker 2: I'm trying to do continue to do a great job
Speaker 2: at it. Uh you know at times, you know, I've
Speaker 2: been to therapy with him, you know, they trying to
Speaker 2: figure out how to be a better father when you
Speaker 2: get that balance right and wrong, and like I said,
Speaker 2: just keep growing and then sharing my experiences with guys
Speaker 2: that have sons himself, you know, asking questions. You know
Speaker 2: Jaylen Bronston's dad, I mean know Jaylen Bronson. You know.
Speaker 2: So it's just you know, it's been been fun and
Speaker 2: just learning.
Speaker 1: I do a lot of ship on Instagram. Myes be
Speaker 1: the first to tell you where all fine clips of
Speaker 1: players saying what I've been telling them, and I send
Speaker 1: it to him. You do that ship all the time,
Speaker 1: all day.
Speaker 2: I mean, the great body says it, Stuff says says it,
Speaker 2: m J says it, and his whole Instagram, his DM
Speaker 2: is flooded of those.
Speaker 1: I sitt it right to our group chat. Fuck it.
Speaker 1: You gonna see my ship when I want you to
Speaker 1: see the same thing.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean there's the time, like I said, because
Speaker 2: I'm like, we're all saying the same thing. We just
Speaker 2: obviously want the best for you. Like these are the
Speaker 2: guys that are saying the exact same thing. Say please listening.
Speaker 1: You guys were fortunate enough to be able to be
Speaker 1: accepted to Junior e YBL. Congratulations. Uh that is that
Speaker 1: it ain'ty people to understand. Man, it's a real politick
Speaker 1: and situation.
Speaker 2: We've been on we search about four years now.
Speaker 1: But congratulations junior E Y B L H this summer
Speaker 1: and then damn he's off the high school after that.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: But then well this summer is he's going into high school.
Speaker 2: It's something he's going. Yeah, but we were killed it though.
Speaker 2: This summer ain't hold. We locked in too, and we
Speaker 2: want all the smoke. Yeah, let's get it.
Speaker 1: I love it. Ye, yes, sir, before we get out
Speaker 1: of here. You know, obviously us being former pros and
Speaker 1: our kids striving. Did you get a chance to see
Speaker 1: Sha door uh at all? Yesterday? I didn't. In the
Speaker 1: second half. I felt like they put him in a
Speaker 1: in a trick bag somewhat. But you know, no reps
Speaker 1: with the first unit at all, even though he was
Speaker 1: a second string or third whatever they want to call him,
Speaker 1: made some solid those made some mistakes, had some balls
Speaker 1: that his team should have hit, his guys should have caught.
Speaker 1: But I just think overall, for him to be able
Speaker 1: to get out there, it's been real interesting over there.
Speaker 1: It's just like it's almost like you hate to say it,
Speaker 1: but I think the writings on the walls, there's some
Speaker 1: weird energy over there with him not being able to
Speaker 1: get an opportunity to get on the field. What are
Speaker 1: your thoughts on that.
Speaker 2: I just feel Cream rise to the top, you know
Speaker 2: what I mean. And like I said, whatever they throw
Speaker 2: at him, whatever he's doing. Like I said, he has
Speaker 2: a great role mods ahead of him and he just
Speaker 2: got to stay the course, continue to be a humble kid,
Speaker 2: get his head down and keep working because he's going
Speaker 2: to get the opportunity and when he does, and everybody's
Speaker 2: gonna eat their work.
Speaker 1: So gotta be ready, plain and simple. Last, but not least.
Speaker 1: I opened the show with it, and I'm gonna close
Speaker 1: with it. Two time NBA Champ, four time All Star,
Speaker 1: four time All Defense, it's a three time assist Champ,
Speaker 1: all NBA All Rookie. When I list off your accolades
Speaker 1: and your impact on the game of basketball, tell me
Speaker 1: what the Hall of Fame would mean to you.
Speaker 2: You know, to me, I'm already in a hall of fame.
Speaker 2: This is the wildest shit that's ever Like my experience
Speaker 2: in life is the reaction to people like when they
Speaker 2: see me, Like everywhere I go for the last you know,
Speaker 2: eighteen years, it's been damn there. Every night I could
Speaker 2: cry because of how people receive me. It's like from
Speaker 2: babies to adults to kids, it's like and they just
Speaker 2: want to say what's up. I mean even when I
Speaker 2: played I'm in the club, I'm I'm in the streets.
Speaker 2: I mean, it's like everybody from every all genres of
Speaker 2: life go to do biases people everywhere I go. Last
Speaker 2: fifteen twenty years of my life have like always been
Speaker 2: amazed to like being my presence. So for me, like
Speaker 2: if I die tomorrow, I said, that's the best feeling
Speaker 2: I can ever have. It's how I'm able to impact
Speaker 2: other people because me growing up, I never really looked
Speaker 2: at people in a sense, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2: I didn't really It wasn't fanatic or I didn't really
Speaker 2: watch sports growing up. I was just a kid outside
Speaker 2: being a kid. So how people react to me the
Speaker 2: way they do, you know, I'm already a hall of fame.
Speaker 1: That's beautiful. I remember that. It brings me back when
Speaker 1: I first met you, Bro. I think you were still
Speaker 1: in high school when you came and fuck with vib
Speaker 1: that summer. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, I've seen you around
Speaker 1: team time. He was out in Sack all summer, just
Speaker 1: a little skinny kid that had games.
Speaker 2: I just needed to understood what I can you know
Speaker 2: attain working?
Speaker 1: You know? Was what I knew that Mike was a
Speaker 1: workerholic too.
Speaker 2: I had a cold, a sack of cribs doing this,
Speaker 2: get right to the gym. That was this it was,
Speaker 2: but he had the whole family in the cult to
Speaker 2: sack Man. I was like, you know what this is,
Speaker 2: This is what I want to do. Shout out to Mike.
Speaker 1: Yeah, definitely, shout out to Mike. They play UCLA tomorrow
Speaker 1: in l a uh sack state state. Now. I think
Speaker 1: they got it. And I actually got a ticket to
Speaker 1: because I gotta leave because I got I got tickets
Speaker 1: for ticket and Paul because Mike kid me up and
Speaker 1: said they wanted to go see Mike u c l A.
Speaker 1: But I got to go to New York tonight, so
Speaker 1: I gotta of course.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's light in there.
Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, man, We appreciate you. Best of luck obviously
Speaker 1: moving forward. People don't know what I mean. We're working
Speaker 1: with some stuff behind the scenes. You're a friend of
Speaker 1: the program, part of the programs. Man, Good luck with
Speaker 1: everything and keep being great bro like man, Yeah. Shout
Speaker 1: out my brother from Stoner Sports sixty for the weekly
Speaker 1: sixty second Stoner Recap this week they're highlighting our guests,
Speaker 1: Rajon Rondo.
Speaker 6: Hey, real talk, Raision Rondo, one of the most underrated
Speaker 6: point guards of all time.
Speaker 1: That boy do was a ball fake DMI. Where the
Speaker 1: hell you going, Andrew?
Speaker 6: This is the Stoners sixty persented by Unplugged, the most
Speaker 6: litman and in sports.
Speaker 1: Look at the die.
Speaker 6: You can't tell me the name Raison Rondo.
Speaker 1: Don't sound like a magician.
Speaker 6: Hit that boy, Jesus Shuttle's worth writing this shot?
Speaker 1: Pocket no loose.
Speaker 5: You want to talk about a real competitor. That's what
Speaker 5: dope was. Rondo was taking on all challenges colitenically. He
Speaker 5: was guarding prime pron He was in the bubble, walkle
Speaker 5: picking dude's up full court, taking cookies neath those bullshit
Speaker 5: with the rock like that my boy in the bubble.
Speaker 5: All we can do is who PAVs Kyrie? Wasn't nobody
Speaker 5: stopping him? A Rondo just in his pockets. We all
Speaker 5: remember this play. Let me just tell you, ain't nobody
Speaker 5: want the ball more than Rayson Rondo. I ain't never
Speaker 5: seen nobody go this hard. Rondo, who like somebody was
Speaker 5: trying to take food off his plate. Look at this
Speaker 5: crazy shit he cut his own man's off from Garden.
Speaker 5: KD No I got him, came on the line and
Speaker 5: this meet you know, KD goes straight to a spot
Speaker 5: and post up like it was sweet, And let me
Speaker 5: tell you right now, with Rondo, it was never sweet.
Speaker 5: And he did this on every team he played for.
Speaker 6: Appreciate y'all tapping in with the Stoners sixty raison Rondo
Speaker 6: editions and if you ain't subscribed to all the smoke,
Speaker 6: you better go do that right now.
Speaker 1: NBA sentail has been a revelation on NBA Twitter in
Speaker 1: the recent times, baiting not only NBA fans, but quite
Speaker 1: a bit of credible media outlets as well into believing
Speaker 1: Outlander's headlines related to the league. Today, we have a
Speaker 1: new segment where the production team has put together some
Speaker 1: real NBA reports mixed with some sentail reports, and it's
Speaker 1: my job to see if I can smell the bullshit.
Speaker 3: So we got real or sent tell Draymond Green just
Speaker 3: named his top five Warrior teammates of all time. Got
Speaker 3: Steph Curry, Clay Thompson, Jarrett Jack, Buddy Healed, and David Lee.
Speaker 3: Is that real or cintel?
Speaker 1: I think that's Cintil it's real report. Raymond himself, Really,
Speaker 1: I thought I would have heard about it.
Speaker 3: That was the NBA and NBC posted an Instagram reel
Speaker 3: where he gave his top five teammates.
Speaker 1: That's oh we got that's the top five. Oh for
Speaker 1: one for one, all right, let's go.
Speaker 3: Nico Harrison reportedly attempted to trade Cooper flag shortly before
Speaker 3: his dismissal from the Mavericks.
Speaker 1: Ain't no fucking away. He can keep fucking up like this.
Speaker 2: Uh cintil, cintel Yes, for one of two.
Speaker 1: Now they might have tried to kill bro so there's
Speaker 1: no way he was going to pull that off.
Speaker 2: Would have been raps.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 3: LaMelo Ball reportedly scared the Timberwolves away during the draft
Speaker 3: process when he said he wanted to be the president
Speaker 3: of the United States after he retired.
Speaker 1: Would that scare him? I think this is bullsh I
Speaker 1: think this is centail facts day. Really, yes, and it's scared.
Speaker 1: It's it's scared.
Speaker 3: Him that this is a real report that came out
Speaker 3: a couple of days ago you talked about on the
Speaker 3: Live because that was the same draft as an Brandon
Speaker 3: Pajemski says he had the talent to be the quote
Speaker 3: white version of sho Hey Otani if he had chosen
Speaker 3: baseball as his.
Speaker 1: Career path, I'm saying bullshit. I'm still saying bullshit.
Speaker 3: Yeah, he threw out a first pitch not too long ago,
Speaker 3: eighty six miles an hour.
Speaker 1: I believe he was not a super athlete. But saying
Speaker 1: that you have the town to be OCHANI, I'm calling bullshit.
Speaker 3: Big Baller Brand is reportedly preparing a super max shoe
Speaker 3: offer for Stephen Curry.
Speaker 1: I hope, no, this is Cintel.
Speaker 2: Here we go, this is in Intel. That was Intel,
Speaker 2: all right, here we go.
Speaker 3: Ronnie James reportedly walked past the Bucks locker room during
Speaker 3: their last and told Giannis, quote lace him up, it's
Speaker 3: going to be a long night.
Speaker 1: Nah, he better not. That's a sentil. Are you for sure? Yes?
Speaker 2: And that's what we got.
Speaker 1: That's it. How good?
Speaker 3: How good do you think you are at?
Speaker 2: What's your what's your ready?
Speaker 1: Yeah? I don't. I mean, I think I could have
Speaker 1: been one higher if I would have, like realistic, did
Speaker 1: the Porjensky thing, because I think that's just out of
Speaker 1: the blue, and I don't see why you guys would
Speaker 1: have made that up. But the fact that he said,
Speaker 1: if he would have stuck with it, I had to
Speaker 1: just call bullshit even though I was wrong. I want
Speaker 1: to send love and condolences to an Oakland legend, John Beem,
Speaker 1: whose life was taken this past week. A pillar in
Speaker 1: the community, a coach, a mentor, a father, there's so many,
Speaker 1: was tragically struck down and lost his life. So I
Speaker 1: just wanted to take a second to send some love
Speaker 1: to the city of Oakland, his family, and make God
Speaker 1: rest his soul. That's a wrap froun plug. You can
Speaker 1: catch us on all the Smoke Productions YouTube and the
Speaker 1: DraftKings Network. See y'all next week.