WEBVTT - Kings/Lakers Postgame Spaces 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:20.440 Mmmmmm for the statement like his post gifts so Dad's radio. Um, 0:00:20.440 --> 0:00:22.720 Oh my goodness, what in the world did we just watched? 0:00:22.800 --> 0:00:27.520 I am completely and totally exhausted, annoyed, yet not the 0:00:27.640 --> 0:00:32.600 least bit surprised. I remember tweeting in the middle of 0:00:32.840 --> 0:00:36.240 one of their last handful of games that this team 0:00:36.280 --> 0:00:40.360 has been trying so hard to tell us exactly what 0:00:40.560 --> 0:00:44.280 who they are and exactly what they're made of, um, 0:00:44.280 --> 0:00:47.400 this entire season, and all we've done, for the most 0:00:47.440 --> 0:00:50.960 part is make excuses for them and talk about all 0:00:51.000 --> 0:00:54.040 the things that are that have been working against them. 0:00:54.040 --> 0:00:57.400 And here they are tonight, not completely healthy, but a 0:00:57.480 --> 0:00:59.720 lot more healthy than they've been in a long time. 0:01:00.600 --> 0:01:03.440 And all of those same character traits that you saw 0:01:04.120 --> 0:01:07.399 when they when they were struggling, when they had good 0:01:07.440 --> 0:01:11.679 reasons to struggle, all those character flaws are still there. Um, 0:01:11.800 --> 0:01:14.600 And I think that that's not a coincidence. And uh, 0:01:15.240 --> 0:01:19.600 obviously Rogers is dealing with He's with some buddies. He's 0:01:19.640 --> 0:01:21.600 having the friends givingything tonight, so he's gonna hang out 0:01:21.600 --> 0:01:24.280 with us for a minute. But our good friend and 0:01:24.400 --> 0:01:29.440 they has agreed to help us all try to come 0:01:29.480 --> 0:01:31.840 to terms with what we've been seeing, and so I 0:01:31.880 --> 0:01:34.960 really really appreciate you guys. Roger, I suppose we should 0:01:34.959 --> 0:01:37.600 start with you first of all. Buddy, um, we're able 0:01:37.600 --> 0:01:40.640 to watch my much of that game. Where's your head 0:01:40.640 --> 0:01:44.520 at right now? Yeah? So I'm hosting a little friends 0:01:44.520 --> 0:01:47.440 giving here, and uh, I told them that the game 0:01:47.440 --> 0:01:49.600 would be over pretty soon. And we went to the 0:01:49.640 --> 0:01:53.160 first overtime, and then the second overtime, and then a 0:01:53.400 --> 0:01:57.320 third overtime. And it's super frustrating to watch this, um 0:01:57.320 --> 0:01:59.240 as you're trying to have a good time. I don't 0:01:59.240 --> 0:02:02.840 know what the hell was going on. We played the 0:02:02.840 --> 0:02:05.440 big line up again. We started DeAndre Jordan, which to 0:02:05.480 --> 0:02:08.640 me is insanity. This felt like another game where Frank 0:02:08.720 --> 0:02:11.760 Vogel just might be gone after this one. His first 0:02:11.760 --> 0:02:14.639 sub in the overtime, I believe was Avery Bradley Darren 0:02:15.600 --> 0:02:18.239 Darren Fox got whatever he wanted. I thought in the 0:02:18.360 --> 0:02:21.919 late game, just easy pick and rolls, little fade away jumpers. 0:02:22.240 --> 0:02:24.760 I thought, Buddy, Heels got to open a lot. I 0:02:24.760 --> 0:02:26.840 don't know. This was super frustrating and watch as you're 0:02:26.840 --> 0:02:28.919 trying to just have a good time with other people. 0:02:29.000 --> 0:02:32.040 But yeah, man, this is frustrating. We're just not a 0:02:32.040 --> 0:02:34.000 good team right now. It's a lot of jump shooting. 0:02:34.680 --> 0:02:37.640 We're playing way too slow. We went up twelve and 0:02:37.639 --> 0:02:39.720 then just continue to walk the ball up the floor. 0:02:40.040 --> 0:02:43.280 Russell Westbrook, Lebron a D just a lot of slow basketball, 0:02:43.320 --> 0:02:45.600 no sense of urgency, right and I feel like that's 0:02:45.600 --> 0:02:48.359 been the identity of this team. It's been just a 0:02:48.800 --> 0:02:50.760 no sense of originy type of team. And that's what 0:02:50.880 --> 0:02:53.160 I felt happened in the late came offense went up 0:02:53.200 --> 0:02:55.200 twelve and just started walking the ball up the floor. 0:02:55.639 --> 0:02:58.640 These these off the offense has just come to Lebron 0:02:58.720 --> 0:03:02.440 post ups a D. You post ups, no no offside 0:03:02.440 --> 0:03:04.880 actions there on the action we run as a little 0:03:04.880 --> 0:03:07.320 pin screen. But when you just throw us in the 0:03:07.400 --> 0:03:10.119 corner and you're running Lebron adies screen and roll, there's 0:03:10.160 --> 0:03:14.080 no space for them. That's what I thought really happened tonight. 0:03:14.160 --> 0:03:16.079 So I won't be on here too long. I appreciate 0:03:16.080 --> 0:03:18.720 youven A for coming up here. Jason will appreciate you 0:03:18.800 --> 0:03:20.840 holding it down, But I just want to come up 0:03:20.880 --> 0:03:23.480 and say those that those few things, because I thought 0:03:23.480 --> 0:03:26.560 that was super frustrating just watching the whole game kind 0:03:26.560 --> 0:03:29.280 of play out. You could tell that Sacramento never thought 0:03:29.280 --> 0:03:32.880 they were out of it. Um, Terris Halliburton, Buddy Heal, 0:03:33.000 --> 0:03:34.800 Darren Fox felt like they can get it whatever they 0:03:34.840 --> 0:03:37.480 want on the floor. That's why. That's what I felt. 0:03:37.480 --> 0:03:40.760 What happened in A in overtime and the fourth quarter. Yeah, 0:03:40.800 --> 0:03:43.040 I thought the theme of the game was settling UM, 0:03:43.120 --> 0:03:44.640 and this is what I wanted to kick to Uve 0:03:44.640 --> 0:03:47.000 and A just to get to get your thoughts, because, 0:03:47.080 --> 0:03:48.960 like you know, there's been a lot of talking about 0:03:48.960 --> 0:03:52.280 effort and focus with this group, right, and you know, 0:03:52.320 --> 0:03:55.600 effort and focus manifests in a bunch of different ways. 0:03:56.120 --> 0:03:59.520 And it's not just defense, and it's not just rebounding, 0:03:59.800 --> 0:04:02.680 and it's not just running the floor and transition. One 0:04:02.680 --> 0:04:06.400 of the biggest ways that effort will manifest itself is 0:04:06.960 --> 0:04:12.240 rim pressure, especially with this group, this particular core group 0:04:12.720 --> 0:04:17.080 of Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis and Lebron And we've made 0:04:17.160 --> 0:04:19.720 so many excuses for them based on spacing, and a 0:04:19.720 --> 0:04:22.080 lot of them have been legitimate, And to be clear, 0:04:22.800 --> 0:04:28.160 I do absolutely think that's starting DeAndre Jordan's factors in 0:04:28.200 --> 0:04:33.960 to that to setting the tone of settling. However, even 0:04:34.000 --> 0:04:37.040 when they did have the space to operate. I thought 0:04:37.720 --> 0:04:40.000 all three players, not really Russ, I'm gonna get I'm 0:04:40.000 --> 0:04:41.719 gonna let Russ off the hook here. But I thought, 0:04:41.800 --> 0:04:46.400 particularly a D and Braun, we're so so, so so 0:04:46.400 --> 0:04:51.440 so quick to settle instead of using the taking the 0:04:51.680 --> 0:04:55.000 energy that it takes, the effort that it takes to 0:04:55.240 --> 0:04:57.360 use your physical tools to beat your man to the 0:04:57.400 --> 0:05:00.440 basket even if it's not for you, and least just 0:05:00.480 --> 0:05:03.080 to collapse the defense, and to try to generate higher 0:05:03.080 --> 0:05:06.000 shot quality, um than they What was your impression of 0:05:06.480 --> 0:05:08.920 just the general rim pressure that we were getting from 0:05:09.000 --> 0:05:13.040 Lebron and a D or the lack there of. Yeah, So, 0:05:13.120 --> 0:05:14.880 before I answered the question, I was just gonna say, 0:05:15.680 --> 0:05:19.640 I'm not disappointed at the results of this game. And 0:05:19.920 --> 0:05:22.120 I think when I answer your question, it'll it'll explain 0:05:22.160 --> 0:05:26.200 why I'm not disappointed. Um So, I think what you 0:05:26.279 --> 0:05:30.320 mentioned about the spacing and DeAndre, like, that's obviously an issue, right, um, 0:05:30.360 --> 0:05:32.720 but this game was a game even when a D 0:05:32.839 --> 0:05:34.479 went to the five, or when they had one big 0:05:34.520 --> 0:05:36.599 man like Dwight, when Dwight was like the only big 0:05:36.640 --> 0:05:38.960 on the floor, there was a lot of moments where 0:05:38.960 --> 0:05:42.279 I thought, you know, like even Braun probably had some 0:05:42.320 --> 0:05:44.360 opportunities to just kind of go to the rim and 0:05:44.360 --> 0:05:48.600 and get himself easy buckets, and um, it wasn't there, 0:05:49.120 --> 0:05:51.160 you know, like it was a lot of settling for 0:05:51.240 --> 0:05:54.640 jump shots, like you said. And one of my concerns 0:05:54.680 --> 0:05:57.159 not concerns, but it's just like one of my observations 0:05:57.760 --> 0:05:59.800 has been that when we play a D at the 0:06:00.120 --> 0:06:02.600 you know, all the rage has been you know, our 0:06:02.839 --> 0:06:05.599 defense isn't very good, our rotations aren't very good. But 0:06:05.760 --> 0:06:09.320 it's been so surprising to see how much a D 0:06:09.480 --> 0:06:11.880 doesn't go to the rim when he's at the file. 0:06:12.400 --> 0:06:15.640 And if you watch these these three overtimes, and you 0:06:15.680 --> 0:06:18.000 watch every single time a D went to the rim, 0:06:18.080 --> 0:06:19.760 whether it was Russ running the pick and roll with 0:06:19.839 --> 0:06:21.800 him or if Braun running the pick and roll with him, 0:06:22.000 --> 0:06:24.719 what happened. It was usually a layup or it was 0:06:24.839 --> 0:06:28.160 like an and one opportunity or something like that. And 0:06:28.839 --> 0:06:31.560 it has been very, very fascinating, And you know, I 0:06:31.560 --> 0:06:34.320 have my own personal conspiracy theory, but it has been 0:06:34.320 --> 0:06:37.159 fascinating to see this team do the exact opposite of 0:06:37.200 --> 0:06:41.040 whatever the lineup that's on the floor is meant to do, 0:06:41.279 --> 0:06:43.560 you know, like you space the floor so now everybody 0:06:43.600 --> 0:06:45.480 should be attacking the rim, but then they all just 0:06:45.520 --> 0:06:48.160 start shooting jump shots, and then when the floor is packed, 0:06:48.360 --> 0:06:50.880 we're trying to attack the rim instead of just finding shooters. 0:06:51.240 --> 0:06:53.800 So I think I think if you look at rim 0:06:53.800 --> 0:06:57.000 pressure throughout the course of just this game alone and 0:06:57.040 --> 0:06:59.000 you see how the Lakers were kind of playing in 0:06:59.040 --> 0:07:01.600 the opposite direction of whatever that line it was, I 0:07:01.640 --> 0:07:04.720 think that should tell you something about just kind of 0:07:04.760 --> 0:07:07.080 where some of these players are at as it relates 0:07:07.080 --> 0:07:15.440 to whatever offense vote was running. Yeah, this last thing 0:07:15.480 --> 0:07:18.280 and I'll kind of go off here. Um, I was 0:07:18.320 --> 0:07:20.720 hoping they went to more Lebron Russ pick and roll late. 0:07:20.960 --> 0:07:23.400 I thought it was just way too much that Lebron 0:07:23.440 --> 0:07:25.360 a D pick and roll with Russ in the corner. 0:07:25.440 --> 0:07:28.600 There's just no space even when Lebron even when a 0:07:28.720 --> 0:07:30.320 D s at the five, you have Mellow at the 0:07:30.360 --> 0:07:33.120 four with Malik Monk, you throw Russ in the corner. 0:07:33.120 --> 0:07:36.040 There there's just no space. Um, there's they zoned right 0:07:36.120 --> 0:07:37.720 up and it just led to a lot of switching 0:07:37.800 --> 0:07:39.880 right you. They had a little bit of a Lebron 0:07:40.160 --> 0:07:42.640 a D pick and roll, the King switched that and 0:07:42.680 --> 0:07:45.640 you had Lebron attacking Marvin Bagley, which I think is 0:07:45.680 --> 0:07:47.680 a matchup he likes. But it led to a lot 0:07:47.720 --> 0:07:49.680 of just step back jumpers. He had a lot of 0:07:49.680 --> 0:07:52.560 faded way jumpers in the third quarter, in the fourth quarter. 0:07:53.000 --> 0:07:55.320 But I thought that was just bad process because eventually 0:07:55.360 --> 0:07:57.520 those shots didn't go a d as well, right, a 0:07:57.520 --> 0:07:59.840 lot of jobs, a lot of jabs type jumpers. And 0:08:00.000 --> 0:08:01.840 don't know if the offense was totally issue tonight, I 0:08:01.840 --> 0:08:05.080 thought defensively as well, Darren Fox again got to the rim. 0:08:05.120 --> 0:08:07.680 Halliburton got what he wanted. Buddy Hield was able to 0:08:08.240 --> 0:08:10.240 get free. He had a bad shooting night, but late 0:08:10.480 --> 0:08:12.800 I thought he got shots he wanted. There's just something 0:08:12.880 --> 0:08:15.760 missing here. And to me, like DeAndre Jordan played the 0:08:15.800 --> 0:08:19.800 first eight minutes of the of the game that went out, Yeah, 0:08:20.400 --> 0:08:23.000 I don't know how he got extend that. I was 0:08:23.120 --> 0:08:24.720 I was like, wait a second, it's past six minutes. 0:08:24.720 --> 0:08:26.720 How did he how did you play more? Right? And 0:08:26.760 --> 0:08:30.080 we we yeah, And there's just some negative energy that 0:08:30.080 --> 0:08:32.920 comes with that. It's so counterintuitive to how Russ wants 0:08:32.960 --> 0:08:35.480 to play. He doesn't get in rhythm. There's no speed 0:08:35.520 --> 0:08:37.920 to him, there's no there's no juice right, and that's 0:08:37.920 --> 0:08:39.480 how Russ wants to play. And I thought that kind 0:08:39.480 --> 0:08:42.160 of set the tone for the game there, and when 0:08:42.640 --> 0:08:45.520 DeAndre and when you have DeAndre Jordans just playing those minutes, 0:08:45.640 --> 0:08:47.240 I thought I just set a tone for the energy 0:08:47.280 --> 0:08:48.960 of the game. But I don't know, man, his team 0:08:48.960 --> 0:08:51.200 needs to figure things out. Like I know Kendrick Nuns out, 0:08:51.240 --> 0:08:53.440 I know Trevor reads out, Austin Reaves is out. They 0:08:53.480 --> 0:08:55.240 got to figure out how they want to play because 0:08:55.240 --> 0:08:57.839 this up and down five basketball is just not gonna 0:08:57.880 --> 0:09:00.720 work again. They got that big winning indeed, Anna Lebron 0:09:00.760 --> 0:09:02.880 had a lot of step back jumpers late, but again 0:09:02.920 --> 0:09:05.440 it felt like the offense just devout to that. So 0:09:06.840 --> 0:09:09.440 this is a tough game, man. But I appreciate you guys. 0:09:09.600 --> 0:09:11.280 I'm a lot off here. I just want to say 0:09:11.320 --> 0:09:14.079 my two cents there, Jason. I appreciate you hosting is Bener. 0:09:14.080 --> 0:09:16.480 I appreciate you co hosting from me. I'm gonna get 0:09:16.520 --> 0:09:19.319 back to this friends giving. Appreciate everyone coming on listening 0:09:19.559 --> 0:09:24.720 uh to this one. I'm allowed off on this one, Juddy, 0:09:24.760 --> 0:09:27.640 and we will see you. We will see you on Sunday. 0:09:28.160 --> 0:09:31.000 Appreciate that I thought there was such an interesting dynamic 0:09:31.000 --> 0:09:34.320 and the different types of closing, right, and Lebron has 0:09:34.360 --> 0:09:37.840 been famous for for for both of these uh in 0:09:37.960 --> 0:09:40.920 large volume throughout his career. Like there's a difference between 0:09:41.559 --> 0:09:45.480 Lebron when he's closing as a guy who's running or 0:09:45.640 --> 0:09:49.559 spamming and action and making really high quality decisions out 0:09:49.559 --> 0:09:54.120 of it, and then the Lebron I'm just trying to 0:09:54.160 --> 0:09:57.640 eat the shot clock every single time, and then as 0:09:57.679 --> 0:09:59.439 soon as I get I'll just I'll call you get 0:09:59.440 --> 0:10:01.200 a switch on one of their big guys, and then 0:10:01.200 --> 0:10:02.760 I'm gonna run the clock down and I'm going to 0:10:02.880 --> 0:10:06.040 take some stupid you know, fade away or pull up three, 0:10:06.160 --> 0:10:09.720 you know, Like there's it's like aggressive closing versus passive closing, 0:10:09.760 --> 0:10:11.920 if that makes sense. And to your point the A, 0:10:12.080 --> 0:10:16.560 because this is the interesting part here, I I genuinely believe, 0:10:16.600 --> 0:10:19.640 and I'm assuming this is your conspiracy theory, but I 0:10:19.720 --> 0:10:23.040 genuinely believe that Lebron and A D are both capable 0:10:23.760 --> 0:10:26.920 of attacking the room more than they have been. And 0:10:27.840 --> 0:10:30.360 if you read A sorry, that's where if you read 0:10:30.440 --> 0:10:34.120 this tape and before, if you recorded this game and before, 0:10:34.200 --> 0:10:36.120 and let's say I hadn't watched this game. This is 0:10:36.160 --> 0:10:38.960 just my opinion. Like, if you recorded this game and 0:10:38.960 --> 0:10:41.320 you sent it to me, said, nay, before you watch 0:10:41.320 --> 0:10:43.280 this game, I want to tell you something. A D 0:10:43.400 --> 0:10:45.280 and Braun are trying to get Vogle fired. That's all. 0:10:45.320 --> 0:10:47.000 I want you to have your mind when you're watching 0:10:47.000 --> 0:10:49.920 this game before you watch it. If you watch this game, 0:10:49.960 --> 0:10:52.160 how can you not walk away from this game thinking 0:10:52.160 --> 0:10:54.079 to yourself that Braun and A D have checked out 0:10:54.080 --> 0:10:58.760 on genuinely. Yeah, Like, there's nothing about this game or 0:10:58.760 --> 0:11:00.720 the effort that they played with in this game that 0:11:00.800 --> 0:11:02.720 makes me like, I know they did some flashy stuff 0:11:02.760 --> 0:11:05.400 and once and stuff like that, but there's nothing in 0:11:05.400 --> 0:11:07.040 this game that makes me think that they're committed to 0:11:07.040 --> 0:11:10.480 playing under Frank Mobile this season. Nothing at all, absolutely not. Yeah, 0:11:10.520 --> 0:11:12.960 I'm on the same page with you. And it's funny 0:11:12.960 --> 0:11:16.840 because it's gonna be really annoying when this change does 0:11:16.920 --> 0:11:19.640 come down and then they both walk back in because 0:11:19.679 --> 0:11:22.280 this has not been Frank atall. Frank. Frank has not 0:11:22.320 --> 0:11:24.760 been perfect. As we've said so many times, Frank has 0:11:24.800 --> 0:11:29.080 not been perfect. However, a good a good portion of 0:11:29.120 --> 0:11:32.520 this is Lebron and A D in Cruise Control. Just chilling. 0:11:32.600 --> 0:11:35.760 They literally look like when the the D one level 0:11:35.880 --> 0:11:39.800 talent goes up to the wreck Jim to play pick up, 0:11:40.320 --> 0:11:43.920 and obviously he could get to the rim anytime he wants, 0:11:43.960 --> 0:11:46.200 but he's just taken stupid jump shots in fade Away, 0:11:46.200 --> 0:11:47.640 it's just because it's fun and he's not trying to 0:11:47.640 --> 0:11:49.079 get hurt, and he's just trying to get a sweat. 0:11:49.120 --> 0:11:51.240 And that's literally what it looks like when you're watching 0:11:51.280 --> 0:11:54.560 these guys. But I thought it was interesting because they 0:11:54.679 --> 0:11:56.920 got a huge lead at the start of the fourth 0:11:56.960 --> 0:12:00.640 quarter with a really interesting line up with Lebron and 0:12:00.720 --> 0:12:04.240 Dwight and then three shooters with Mellow and lak Monk 0:12:04.559 --> 0:12:07.120 and with Wayne Ellington, and then at the end of 0:12:07.160 --> 0:12:09.920 the game they got back into the game because of 0:12:10.000 --> 0:12:15.000 stagnant offense, a lot of bad shots and bad defense. 0:12:15.240 --> 0:12:17.840 Then you go to O T, same thing. Lebron actually 0:12:17.880 --> 0:12:22.160 makes a couple jump shots, they get up by seven, 0:12:22.600 --> 0:12:26.160 same thing goes back into that stagnant passive closing goes away. 0:12:26.200 --> 0:12:29.160 So then in double O T they go to Russ 0:12:30.120 --> 0:12:32.400 and Russ is at least running pick and roll with 0:12:32.440 --> 0:12:35.720 a D so they're starting to get downhill and uh, 0:12:35.760 --> 0:12:39.040 and there was one play where it broke down and 0:12:39.080 --> 0:12:41.840 he ended up in like the chaos and suing where 0:12:41.880 --> 0:12:43.959 he hit Lebron right under the basket for dunk. And 0:12:44.000 --> 0:12:45.240 then there was the other one where he hit a 0:12:45.360 --> 0:12:47.360 d for the layup and the foul. So they were 0:12:47.360 --> 0:12:51.360 getting better stuff. So then um, then at the end 0:12:51.400 --> 0:12:53.280 of o t when they're down, because I think they 0:12:53.280 --> 0:12:55.960 got down by three, Lebron gets the ball back in 0:12:56.040 --> 0:12:58.000 his hands and you could tell he's like, I'm not 0:12:58.040 --> 0:13:01.840 settling anymore, and back to times, back to back times, 0:13:01.840 --> 0:13:05.040 gets to the rim, it takes Alex lenn finishes and 0:13:05.160 --> 0:13:08.120 one with the left handed layup or the little floating 0:13:08.240 --> 0:13:11.400 or floater off the yeah, and then and then he 0:13:11.520 --> 0:13:13.760 drives on Marvin Bagley in the right corner and it's 0:13:13.800 --> 0:13:16.679 like you're literally watching the game, You're like, where is this? Then, 0:13:16.840 --> 0:13:20.360 like you literally have had those same matchups in this 0:13:20.440 --> 0:13:23.880 game and you've just been unwilling to do it. And 0:13:23.800 --> 0:13:26.040 and honestly, I thought it was a basketball god's kind 0:13:26.040 --> 0:13:27.560 of thing because the shot that he took at the 0:13:27.679 --> 0:13:29.880 end of it was either the first overtime or second overtime. 0:13:29.960 --> 0:13:32.080 That three from the top of the key at the buzzer, 0:13:32.880 --> 0:13:36.240 couldn't he He came about as close as you can 0:13:36.240 --> 0:13:38.320 come to making that shot without making it. It was 0:13:38.400 --> 0:13:40.880 dead on straight and he just left it a tiny 0:13:40.920 --> 0:13:42.840 bit short. But it's one of those things where it's like, no, dude, 0:13:43.000 --> 0:13:46.120 you're not getting that tonight. You don't get you don't 0:13:46.160 --> 0:13:50.240 get to be the hero after you just seem like 0:13:50.280 --> 0:13:52.079 he was okay with you? Is he like he was 0:13:52.120 --> 0:13:54.040 okay with being like in that position, like if it 0:13:54.080 --> 0:13:56.240 was a tie game, you know, like obviously we don't 0:13:56.280 --> 0:13:59.000 think that people game ahead like that, or bron games 0:13:59.040 --> 0:14:00.840 ahead that far and he just win the game. But 0:14:00.880 --> 0:14:03.160 it's just like, no, he lives for those kind of 0:14:03.160 --> 0:14:05.199 moments to to some degree, to be able to game 0:14:05.240 --> 0:14:07.839 winners um in front of a home crowd and stuff 0:14:07.880 --> 0:14:11.000 like that. But I just, you know, we we're talking 0:14:11.000 --> 0:14:14.439 about their offense and over time, but I'll be honest, 0:14:14.480 --> 0:14:17.199 they should not have even made it to the third overtime. 0:14:17.720 --> 0:14:20.720 They were giving, they were giving, but but they were giving. 0:14:20.720 --> 0:14:24.040 Buddy Healed like opened. So Sack was running like this 0:14:24.160 --> 0:14:26.840 three man weave with Alex Lenn Buddy Healed and Darren 0:14:26.880 --> 0:14:29.920 Fox trying to get like one of the three Lakers 0:14:29.960 --> 0:14:32.400 that was trying to defend it out of position, and 0:14:32.600 --> 0:14:34.680 the goal was to get Buddy healed the wide open three. 0:14:35.040 --> 0:14:38.280 So the play that I think Buddy ties the game up, 0:14:38.600 --> 0:14:40.800 I forgot which if it was the first overtime or 0:14:40.880 --> 0:14:45.480 second overtime. Um, Braun Buddies the time as Braun, and 0:14:45.520 --> 0:14:48.400 so Braun is on Buddy the entire time. But then 0:14:48.520 --> 0:14:52.160 like the final action of whatever set that they were running, 0:14:52.320 --> 0:14:54.760 like Braun just leaves Buddy just he doesn't even bother 0:14:54.840 --> 0:14:57.440 to get him, and Monk is on alex Lynn and 0:14:57.480 --> 0:14:59.960 then Braun just watch looks at the leak and Malik 0:15:00.080 --> 0:15:02.680 like trying to get past Alexland to defend that defend 0:15:02.720 --> 0:15:04.960 Buddy's three, and Buddy just drains it and just walks 0:15:05.000 --> 0:15:07.800 back to the other way. And I was in a 0:15:07.800 --> 0:15:09.520 group chat with somebody else, but I just messaged him. 0:15:09.520 --> 0:15:11.000 I was just like, oh, Bron just gave up on 0:15:11.040 --> 0:15:12.280 this play. He was just like, all right, I'm not 0:15:12.360 --> 0:15:14.680 chasing this guy anymore for the rest of this possession. 0:15:14.720 --> 0:15:16.320 So whoever makes it, if he makes it, he makes 0:15:16.360 --> 0:15:20.400 it whatever. But that mental process of doing that of 0:15:20.440 --> 0:15:22.040 like you know, like how he did close out on 0:15:22.040 --> 0:15:26.000 the alex Land three that tied up the game. Like 0:15:26.280 --> 0:15:28.320 I was just like, you know, we weren't doing that 0:15:28.440 --> 0:15:30.360 last game. We weren't doing that in the Indiana game. 0:15:30.640 --> 0:15:32.600 Like in the India game, he was very crisp and 0:15:32.600 --> 0:15:35.440 stuff like that with his rotations. Everybody was. But it's 0:15:35.480 --> 0:15:38.440 just like that last if he closes out on that shot, 0:15:38.480 --> 0:15:42.080 maybe Alexland doesn't make that three, or maybe he changes 0:15:43.320 --> 0:15:46.920 and yeah, and the Lakers win that game. You know, um, 0:15:47.160 --> 0:15:49.320 And the reason why I give if you give the contrast, 0:15:49.400 --> 0:15:52.040 you know that the dearon Fox, they left time run 0:15:52.040 --> 0:15:54.760 out right, how did that second overtime? If you watch 0:15:54.840 --> 0:15:57.000 that play, He's got Ross on him, and they've been 0:15:57.000 --> 0:16:00.240 trying to get Malik Daron Fox on Malik because Aaron 0:16:00.240 --> 0:16:02.440 could get that jumper off in a one on one. 0:16:02.920 --> 0:16:05.840 So Russ actually fights through the screen so that Deeron 0:16:05.920 --> 0:16:07.920 doesn't get you know, he doesn't get the matchup that 0:16:07.960 --> 0:16:09.800 he wants late in the game, and then you know 0:16:09.960 --> 0:16:12.200 that Fox has like a brain fart and passed it 0:16:12.240 --> 0:16:15.320 away and then time expires, be going and triple over time. 0:16:15.480 --> 0:16:18.080 But it's like that kind of small effort, you know 0:16:18.080 --> 0:16:21.320 what I mean? Like it's it's just not there, um, 0:16:21.880 --> 0:16:25.200 especially on the defensive end. Um. And it it looked 0:16:25.280 --> 0:16:30.480 everybody's been complaining about Ellington Malik Us playing Avery Bradley, like, 0:16:30.800 --> 0:16:33.960 you know, the guys that are not offensively inclined. But 0:16:34.120 --> 0:16:35.760 if Broun and a d aren't going to be engaged 0:16:35.800 --> 0:16:38.240 on the defensive end unless somebody's literally shooting the ball 0:16:38.440 --> 0:16:41.560 in their face, who, like, who else can you blame? 0:16:41.920 --> 0:16:44.800 You know? And that's just my opinion that I don't. 0:16:45.280 --> 0:16:46.840 I can't get mad at any I can't get mad 0:16:46.880 --> 0:16:49.400 at Malik for not being able to defend Daron Fox, 0:16:49.480 --> 0:16:51.160 because that's not what he should be in there for 0:16:51.520 --> 0:16:53.920 to begin with, you know, like we shouldn't be allowing 0:16:54.000 --> 0:16:56.160 him to get switched off of him so easily. But 0:16:56.760 --> 0:16:59.080 you know that that's what happened. I thought talk about 0:16:59.080 --> 0:17:02.000 it dictated all all the all the overtime, second and 0:17:02.000 --> 0:17:04.720 third Yeah, oh no, it kind of felt like this 0:17:04.920 --> 0:17:07.720 pseudo inevitable outcome in a weird way, even though the 0:17:07.760 --> 0:17:10.879 Lakers had several big leads late. Um. You know, so 0:17:11.119 --> 0:17:12.560 I do want to get away from the crunch time 0:17:12.600 --> 0:17:15.440 offense because we really need to hammer home this point 0:17:15.440 --> 0:17:18.000 with Lebron and a D because it's really bad. Um, 0:17:18.040 --> 0:17:21.280 just in the regular flow of the game offense, there 0:17:21.280 --> 0:17:24.560 are these two outcomes that we're seeing a lot that 0:17:24.640 --> 0:17:28.240 are indicative of this mentality that Lebron and a D 0:17:28.320 --> 0:17:33.399 are both lacking right now, because it foundationally starts with 0:17:33.440 --> 0:17:36.399 this concept that we think that Lebron and a D 0:17:37.000 --> 0:17:40.920 when they are engaged and healthy, are both top five players. 0:17:41.280 --> 0:17:44.840 That's that's the that's the secret sauce of this entire 0:17:45.320 --> 0:17:50.600 Lakers experiment, right. Um. But whether now some people outside 0:17:50.600 --> 0:17:52.879 of Laker circles might tell you Lebron's old a D 0:17:53.040 --> 0:17:57.720 actually uh, you know, shot uncharacteristically well in the bubble, 0:17:57.880 --> 0:18:01.720 So you know, the reality is, is there not that anymore? 0:18:02.160 --> 0:18:04.159 I would argue that the truth is probably somewhere in 0:18:04.160 --> 0:18:07.159 the middle. But I still think that when they're healthy 0:18:07.200 --> 0:18:11.520 and actually engaged in making a concerted effort to use 0:18:11.560 --> 0:18:14.680 their physical tools, that they are top five players. And 0:18:14.880 --> 0:18:18.000 the read that you see most commonly with the two 0:18:18.040 --> 0:18:20.239 of them that is such a dead ringer for this 0:18:20.320 --> 0:18:25.040 concept is Anthony Davis post up, jab step jump shot. 0:18:25.400 --> 0:18:28.120 It's you're seeing that You're seeing that now almost every 0:18:28.160 --> 0:18:30.960 single post up and then with Lebron, it's the high 0:18:30.960 --> 0:18:34.560 screening role. Okay, he went under, I'm taking a three, 0:18:34.600 --> 0:18:38.199 but it's not I'm taking a balance three right at 0:18:38.200 --> 0:18:41.159 the three point line. It's I'm taking a twenty seven 0:18:41.240 --> 0:18:44.560 ft or after where it's like, yeah, the dude went 0:18:44.640 --> 0:18:46.960 under the screen, Lebron, but you went under the screen 0:18:47.000 --> 0:18:50.120 because you ran it at feet you know, like there's 0:18:50.119 --> 0:18:53.000 a reason why you're open there, man like, and and 0:18:53.040 --> 0:18:56.720 that's the You've seen that with Lebron this entire season 0:18:57.080 --> 0:19:00.960 is just high volume three point shots, almost as like 0:19:01.000 --> 0:19:03.720 a punt, Like it's almost like he's hunting the possession, 0:19:03.800 --> 0:19:06.960 like this isn't gonna use any of my energy. This 0:19:07.040 --> 0:19:10.159 is gonna I'm already halfway back on defense. Let me 0:19:10.240 --> 0:19:12.560 just like if you could see them, they're all clustered 0:19:12.600 --> 0:19:14.800 at the top of the key too. But that that 0:19:14.960 --> 0:19:18.040 Lebron three when the defender goes under, you know from 0:19:18.040 --> 0:19:21.360 twenty seven ft top of the key is his dad giveaway. 0:19:21.400 --> 0:19:23.760 And with Anthony Davis it's the jab step jump shot. 0:19:23.760 --> 0:19:26.679 But it's you can tell without a shadow of a 0:19:26.760 --> 0:19:30.000 doubt that Lebron and a d are withholding some of 0:19:30.040 --> 0:19:32.400 their physical imprint on the game, and not just some, 0:19:32.680 --> 0:19:35.280 but a lot of their physical imprint on the game 0:19:35.320 --> 0:19:37.840 on both ends of the floor, both as rim pressuring 0:19:38.680 --> 0:19:43.600 offensive players and as hyper versatile defensive forwards that should, 0:19:43.680 --> 0:19:47.440 in theory be the cornerstone of the top five defense. 0:19:47.600 --> 0:19:50.160 And and so to your point, and it might be Frank, 0:19:50.280 --> 0:19:52.439 and we're not sure, and we'll find out, and we're 0:19:52.440 --> 0:19:55.960 gonna find out quickly, I think hopefully. But but whatever, 0:19:56.280 --> 0:19:59.560 they're not dialed in. Yeah, I was gonna say I 0:19:59.800 --> 0:20:01.560 told a couple of friends that Frank was gonna if 0:20:01.640 --> 0:20:04.320 I said that Frank would be let go before this 0:20:04.359 --> 0:20:06.840 game because of what happened on the road trip, um 0:20:06.880 --> 0:20:09.120 and then going down so big. So if I'm off 0:20:09.119 --> 0:20:12.119 by one game, if he gets let go after this game, um, 0:20:12.240 --> 0:20:16.080 which I think is very very possible for that to happen. Uh, 0:20:16.160 --> 0:20:18.800 I'm gonna call myself a profit because, like I feel 0:20:18.800 --> 0:20:20.600 like I saw this coming. I thought we see today. 0:20:20.640 --> 0:20:22.720 I thought they would hold off on Thanksgiving Day because 0:20:22.800 --> 0:20:24.439 I would be tacky, and then they would do it 0:20:24.480 --> 0:20:28.960 today Black Friday. Yeah, so let's talk about So you 0:20:29.000 --> 0:20:32.040 brought up something very interesting, right, Um, The idea that 0:20:32.119 --> 0:20:34.719 Lebron in an ad are holding back their talents, right, 0:20:34.800 --> 0:20:37.680 or holding back like sure, their full repertoire of of 0:20:37.720 --> 0:20:42.000 doing stuff. Um, for whatever reason that they're choosing to do. Um, 0:20:42.240 --> 0:20:44.879 let's let's split those two things. Split those two players 0:20:44.880 --> 0:20:47.239 apart for a second. Okay, because Bron Bron has been 0:20:47.280 --> 0:20:49.560 out for a certain amount of games obviously that I 0:20:49.600 --> 0:20:52.040 think that growing injury and stuff like that is still 0:20:52.080 --> 0:20:54.239 something he's trying to work himself through. Like in the 0:20:54.280 --> 0:20:56.200 first half of the game, I think he had a 0:20:56.240 --> 0:20:57.840 post up spin move or something like that, and then 0:20:57.840 --> 0:21:00.720 he grabbed his growing um and I saw Peop tweeting like, Oh, 0:21:00.760 --> 0:21:02.280 he's gonna get fine for that. I was just like, no, 0:21:02.320 --> 0:21:04.840 I think he's actually like like he may have tweaked 0:21:04.880 --> 0:21:06.520 his growing Like, I don't think he's like he's doing 0:21:06.520 --> 0:21:10.640 the celebration or something like that. But um, but let's 0:21:10.640 --> 0:21:13.600 talk about a D for a second. Okay. Um, When 0:21:13.680 --> 0:21:16.760 we added Russ to this team, I wrote this nice 0:21:16.800 --> 0:21:19.359 thousand word article with like gifts and all that sort 0:21:19.400 --> 0:21:21.760 of stuff, talking about how Russ's motor would be great 0:21:22.119 --> 0:21:25.560 for a guy like Anthony Davis because because he's always 0:21:25.600 --> 0:21:29.240 attacking the rim, it almost forces a d to happen 0:21:29.440 --> 0:21:32.480 like participate in that process with him, right, because eight 0:21:32.600 --> 0:21:35.280 is such a good finisher, and we've seen through stretches 0:21:35.320 --> 0:21:38.360 of certain games where they've been really really good when 0:21:38.359 --> 0:21:40.840 they're working with each other, like attacking the rim, picking 0:21:40.840 --> 0:21:44.040 their spots and stuff like that. But there have been 0:21:44.160 --> 0:21:47.840 way too many moments where eighties not like a partner 0:21:47.880 --> 0:21:51.640 in crime with him in those picking rolls, and so like, 0:21:51.720 --> 0:21:53.960 when I started seeing him sort of settled for jump shots, 0:21:54.000 --> 0:21:55.560 I was like, all right, that's fine, as long as 0:21:55.600 --> 0:21:57.200 eight is not trying to take these jump shots out 0:21:57.200 --> 0:21:59.879 of isolation, which he doesn't do very well to do 0:22:00.040 --> 0:22:01.560 out of the pick and roll, because Russ is gonna 0:22:01.560 --> 0:22:04.160 get you a wide open jumper anyways. Right, But then 0:22:04.240 --> 0:22:07.320 if you watch today's game, watch the pick and rolls 0:22:07.359 --> 0:22:10.240 that a D and Russ rant. There are some where 0:22:10.240 --> 0:22:12.639 a D is running with him. There are somewhere a 0:22:12.800 --> 0:22:16.040 D creates like the passing angle um for Russ to 0:22:16.280 --> 0:22:18.600 what's it called, like, uh, you know, for Russ to 0:22:18.640 --> 0:22:22.240 deliver pass them. And then the most the most fascinating 0:22:22.280 --> 0:22:24.919 ones um is probably not the adjective of other people use. 0:22:24.960 --> 0:22:27.679 They probably say it's frustrating, but there's ones where he 0:22:27.760 --> 0:22:30.800 delivers the screen and he just leaves the play like 0:22:30.840 --> 0:22:33.320 it's just Russ dribbling the ball with like a live dribble, 0:22:33.760 --> 0:22:36.960 waiting to see like all right, a d are you 0:22:36.960 --> 0:22:39.000 gonna are you gonna, you know, give me somebody to 0:22:39.000 --> 0:22:40.960 pass the ball? Are you gonna roll to the rim? 0:22:41.200 --> 0:22:42.840 Are you gonna pop out somewhere where I can give 0:22:42.840 --> 0:22:44.919 you the ball? Like you can watch Russ do it 0:22:44.960 --> 0:22:48.960 for one to two dribbles, like just waiting. And when 0:22:48.960 --> 0:22:51.679 point guards do stuff like that, that means that somebody 0:22:51.720 --> 0:22:55.240 abandoned whatever the play was supposed to be. Absolutely like that. 0:22:55.560 --> 0:22:59.879 That was the fresh off the bubble special was this 0:23:00.040 --> 0:23:03.600 screen and just exit the play? Yeah, yeah, and so 0:23:03.840 --> 0:23:06.159 and so you know, like the part that you know, 0:23:06.880 --> 0:23:08.399 I'm a big fan of Russ. I'm from l A, 0:23:08.480 --> 0:23:10.080 so like I always love like the LA guys and 0:23:10.119 --> 0:23:12.240 stuff I got, especially since they're playing for the Lakers. 0:23:12.520 --> 0:23:16.320 But like, the thing that's been the most jarring thing, 0:23:16.760 --> 0:23:19.520 the most contrasting thing for me as a theme through 0:23:19.560 --> 0:23:22.760 this season, because we haven't seen enough Braun is if 0:23:22.760 --> 0:23:27.240 we talk about how much how the high motor Russ has, 0:23:27.240 --> 0:23:30.000 Like at some point you have to have a conversation 0:23:30.040 --> 0:23:33.080 about like the lack or or the selective motor that 0:23:33.160 --> 0:23:36.960 Ad has. Like at some point, we can't as as fans. 0:23:37.240 --> 0:23:39.320 I keep thinking to myself, like we can't and we 0:23:39.520 --> 0:23:40.800 can't just sit there and just be like, all right, 0:23:40.800 --> 0:23:42.440 it's cool if Ad he doesn't do anything for two 0:23:42.440 --> 0:23:44.879 to three two to three quarters or like two quarters 0:23:44.880 --> 0:23:46.520 of a game, or if he's on the floor for 0:23:46.560 --> 0:23:48.679 eight minutes and then he's just kind of you know, 0:23:48.840 --> 0:23:52.040 floating around and doing what he's doing. Like at that 0:23:52.080 --> 0:23:54.679 point once Russ starts panicking and doing stuff that you 0:23:54.680 --> 0:23:56.439 don't want him to do and everybody starts getting mad 0:23:56.480 --> 0:23:58.760 at his turnover, is just like who's gonna help him out? 0:23:58.960 --> 0:24:01.160 And and and the reason I know that's true where 0:24:01.240 --> 0:24:03.920 I think it I'm making sense, it is because look 0:24:03.920 --> 0:24:06.119 at how good Malik Monk is. Look next to Russ. Oh, 0:24:06.520 --> 0:24:08.640 he's got a partner in crime to play with him. 0:24:08.760 --> 0:24:12.240 And then you look at the trio today th ht 0:24:13.440 --> 0:24:17.960 Malik Monk and Russ. Those three guys were great like today, 0:24:18.119 --> 0:24:21.520 like defensively, offensively in transition. So if you are a 0:24:21.560 --> 0:24:23.840 partner in crime when it comes to this kind of play, 0:24:23.960 --> 0:24:26.520 then you can be successful. But if our two stars 0:24:26.520 --> 0:24:28.119 don't want to be you know, if they don't want 0:24:28.119 --> 0:24:31.280 to participate, then what can we do? And you know, 0:24:31.359 --> 0:24:35.000 and it's dirty work to ask him to scream and 0:24:35.119 --> 0:24:37.040 roll to the basket every time, because yeah, you're gonna 0:24:37.040 --> 0:24:41.080 bump into people, You're gonna you're gonna occasionally have a dude, 0:24:41.560 --> 0:24:43.119 you know, try to undercut you, and you might, you 0:24:43.160 --> 0:24:45.040 might fall, and you might have sit in these ugly 0:24:45.080 --> 0:24:47.440 plays here and there. That's that I get it. It's 0:24:47.440 --> 0:24:49.479 no different than it's like, hey, a D, I need 0:24:49.560 --> 0:24:52.480 you to play center, which means you might need to 0:24:52.560 --> 0:24:55.480 cover you know, more ground defending pick and rolls, and 0:24:55.520 --> 0:24:58.000 you might have to bang bodies with alex Lain more 0:24:58.040 --> 0:25:00.960 often instead of just offloading that respond this ability to Dwight. 0:25:01.320 --> 0:25:03.720 Same thing goes for Lebron. It's like, yeah, man, it's 0:25:03.720 --> 0:25:07.160 gonna be hard to ask you to be the guy 0:25:07.240 --> 0:25:09.959 who's the back line helper when a D is involved 0:25:10.000 --> 0:25:12.320 in his screening role because you're gonna have to cover 0:25:12.359 --> 0:25:14.080 this amount of ground. You're gonna have to communicate, you're 0:25:14.080 --> 0:25:15.760 gonna have to stay focused, you can't take as many 0:25:15.760 --> 0:25:17.960 possessions off and you know, we have all these people 0:25:18.000 --> 0:25:19.480 that come in and they always said the same thing. 0:25:19.480 --> 0:25:22.000 They go, it's, you know, it's too much to ask 0:25:22.080 --> 0:25:25.000 Lebron in his age, you know, thirty seven season to 0:25:25.200 --> 0:25:27.520 do this, this and this, And they'll say, you know, 0:25:27.680 --> 0:25:30.440 you know Anthony Davis, you know, if we haven't play 0:25:30.480 --> 0:25:33.040 center all season, he it's gonna be really hard on 0:25:33.080 --> 0:25:35.280 his body. And it's like, I hate to break it 0:25:35.280 --> 0:25:40.160 to you guys, but playing winning basketball is hard. It's hard. 0:25:41.080 --> 0:25:43.920 So we have to make a decision. Here are are 0:25:44.000 --> 0:25:46.800 we as you know, this team has to make a decision. 0:25:47.119 --> 0:25:50.200 Or do you want to take all of the dirty 0:25:50.240 --> 0:25:52.560 work away from Lebron in a d and make their 0:25:52.640 --> 0:25:56.400 jobs easy but the team sucks. Or do you want 0:25:56.400 --> 0:25:59.719 to try to be what Steph is doing with the Warriors, 0:26:00.320 --> 0:26:04.440 you know, engaging as a six three slight guard as 0:26:04.880 --> 0:26:07.680 who's in all defense conversation which may or may not 0:26:07.760 --> 0:26:12.000 be legitimate, But the point is is like around the league, 0:26:12.080 --> 0:26:14.520 when you look at these teams that are that are 0:26:14.600 --> 0:26:18.840 on that path, the straight and narrow path to contention, 0:26:19.400 --> 0:26:22.399 their stars are doing dirty work and and and what 0:26:22.520 --> 0:26:25.720 bothers me the most is like, go look at the Lakers. 0:26:26.600 --> 0:26:29.359 With the Lakers a D played a lot of center. 0:26:29.720 --> 0:26:33.080 He brought his motor night and then night out was significant. 0:26:33.080 --> 0:26:37.320 He was running significantly higher, same with Lebron and you 0:26:37.359 --> 0:26:41.760 know what their bodies held up that it did because 0:26:41.800 --> 0:26:43.480 at the end of the day, the dirty little secret 0:26:43.560 --> 0:26:45.960 is they probably got more wear and tear of bullshitting 0:26:46.000 --> 0:26:48.600 through tonight's game then they would have got if they 0:26:48.600 --> 0:26:50.560 would have focused up and gotten the job done into 0:26:50.640 --> 0:26:52.920 and a half quarters. And so I have a huge 0:26:53.000 --> 0:26:54.960 I have a huge problem with this idea of us 0:26:55.119 --> 0:26:58.320 babying Lebron in a D and acting like we can't 0:26:58.440 --> 0:27:02.600 ask them to be basketball players like all of the 0:27:02.640 --> 0:27:05.440 other top tier stars in the league are basketball players 0:27:05.560 --> 0:27:07.639 who have a job that they do on every possession. 0:27:07.920 --> 0:27:12.000 It blows my mind. So so, you know, like so far, 0:27:12.160 --> 0:27:14.040 like we we've been we've been talking a lot about 0:27:14.040 --> 0:27:15.640 like just broad in a D and just kind of 0:27:15.680 --> 0:27:17.639 they're the way that they've been in and out of 0:27:17.680 --> 0:27:20.560 sort of games, and this gaming a nice example of 0:27:20.560 --> 0:27:23.320 this kind of what they were doing, um to some degree, 0:27:23.680 --> 0:27:27.240 being being selected with their effort, whether it's offense or defense. UM. 0:27:27.359 --> 0:27:31.679 So one of the things I do want to say that, UM, 0:27:31.720 --> 0:27:35.440 because we mentioned vogo is that I think the league, 0:27:36.040 --> 0:27:39.600 um coaches around the league are adjusting too fast for 0:27:39.720 --> 0:27:43.600 him to be able to react to and like that 0:27:43.760 --> 0:27:47.200 over time, it was it was. There was no transition basketball. 0:27:47.240 --> 0:27:48.960 There's nothing like that. It was just slow it down. 0:27:49.400 --> 0:27:53.520 Everybody's walking the ball up for the possessions that were 0:27:53.520 --> 0:27:57.119 on there. And um, when he pulled, I want to 0:27:57.160 --> 0:28:01.160 say when he pulled, I think when he put Avery 0:28:01.160 --> 0:28:02.600 Bradley and I figure out what it was. But in 0:28:02.640 --> 0:28:06.920 like that third overtime, they basically, oh, sorry, when when 0:28:06.920 --> 0:28:09.640 Alex Lynn got pulled out the game because he fouled out, 0:28:09.800 --> 0:28:11.520 they put Tristan talksmen in the game, right And so 0:28:11.600 --> 0:28:14.240 Tristan was standing like in the corner right three like 0:28:14.840 --> 0:28:18.080 Alvin Gentry. All he did was he started instead of attacking, uh, 0:28:18.119 --> 0:28:20.399 you know, using Alex lend the space the floor and 0:28:20.400 --> 0:28:22.119 I have a D and drop coverage or whatever he 0:28:22.280 --> 0:28:25.600 whatever Vogel had him doing. Um like he just picked 0:28:25.600 --> 0:28:27.840 on Mellow. He just said, all right, whoever is Mellow, 0:28:27.840 --> 0:28:30.440 whoever Mellow is guarding, just coming screen and we'll put 0:28:30.480 --> 0:28:32.199 we'll put Mellow on an island. So it's just like 0:28:32.440 --> 0:28:34.879 and then we watched like three straight plays of Mellow 0:28:34.880 --> 0:28:38.000 get picked on before Frank actually like call the time 0:28:38.000 --> 0:28:39.920 out and subbed them out. By then it was already 0:28:39.920 --> 0:28:42.920 too late. But like that's an example of like what 0:28:43.240 --> 0:28:45.360 I'm trying to say, Like if you watch other coaches 0:28:45.400 --> 0:28:48.480 around the league, it's like one possession, Like you'll see 0:28:48.480 --> 0:28:50.880 Erik Spolson do like watch that happened once and he'll 0:28:50.920 --> 0:28:52.720 he'll call it time. I'll be like, Okay, we're changing 0:28:52.720 --> 0:28:54.240 the coverage right now because we're not gonna let this 0:28:54.320 --> 0:28:57.360 happen again like immediately the next play, because it forces 0:28:57.400 --> 0:29:00.960 the offense on the other end um to have to adjust. 0:29:01.280 --> 0:29:03.800 I don't think Frank's cut out for it, and all 0:29:03.840 --> 0:29:07.800 honestly he has. I think he has base coverages. He 0:29:07.880 --> 0:29:11.400 has like set game plans, and then he adjusts based 0:29:11.400 --> 0:29:13.440 on what the other teams do. And what we're watching 0:29:13.520 --> 0:29:15.440 is in the regular season, teams are just gonna throw 0:29:15.440 --> 0:29:18.120 the kitchen sink at the Lakers um if they can't 0:29:18.200 --> 0:29:20.680 score at all, those just turning into ice of basketball, 0:29:20.680 --> 0:29:22.520 and they'll find the worst defender on the floor and 0:29:22.560 --> 0:29:25.400 they'll just attack that guy. And that's nothing nothing to 0:29:25.440 --> 0:29:28.240 do with Mellow. Mellow is who he is again, like 0:29:28.480 --> 0:29:31.840 we as Laker fans, should not expect a thirty six 0:29:31.920 --> 0:29:34.680 year old Mellow or nine year nineteen Mellow to be 0:29:34.720 --> 0:29:37.600 a lockdown defender, you know, like that's that's not why 0:29:37.640 --> 0:29:40.040 we brought him here, um, and that's what we brought 0:29:40.080 --> 0:29:42.640 him in for. And I just I don't think he 0:29:42.680 --> 0:29:44.320 can keep up with it, you know that That's been 0:29:44.440 --> 0:29:48.120 my think this This roster has too many offensively inclined 0:29:48.160 --> 0:29:52.760 guys and he can't get to whatever, you know, equilibrium 0:29:52.760 --> 0:29:55.520 he needs to get to to be confident with his lineups. 0:29:55.520 --> 0:29:58.400 And you know that it is what it is. You know, 0:29:58.440 --> 0:30:00.200 like that you can't really make an excuse for It's 0:30:00.240 --> 0:30:02.800 just it may be too much for somebody to add. Yeah, 0:30:02.800 --> 0:30:05.480 you know, it's an interesting phenomenon because the Laker identity 0:30:05.520 --> 0:30:07.719 from the beginning has been a brute force identity. At 0:30:07.720 --> 0:30:10.680 the best person I've seen explained this is Mike Trudell 0:30:11.480 --> 0:30:14.760 on the Laker film or podcast. The idea that like, hey, 0:30:14.800 --> 0:30:18.080 you know, sets carry a certain amount of value. That 0:30:18.160 --> 0:30:21.560 value diminishes the closer you get to the end, because 0:30:21.720 --> 0:30:25.040 when you're against the highest level defenses that are likely 0:30:25.080 --> 0:30:27.160 going to be switching everything and that are likely going 0:30:27.200 --> 0:30:29.920 to know all of your actions, They're probably gonna be 0:30:29.920 --> 0:30:32.240 able to switch their way through anything, and it's gonna 0:30:32.240 --> 0:30:34.760 inevitably devolved into who can create an advantage in a 0:30:34.760 --> 0:30:37.000 one on one scenario? And do you really think of 0:30:37.040 --> 0:30:39.960 anybody better than Lebron and A D at that specific thing. 0:30:40.440 --> 0:30:42.880 And so that's that, that's been their cop out, their 0:30:42.920 --> 0:30:47.160 excuse that they use um for their very rudimentary offensive 0:30:47.160 --> 0:30:50.640 concepts and the but the reality is is there's a 0:30:50.680 --> 0:30:52.800 there's a flip side to it, because yes, when we 0:30:52.840 --> 0:30:56.240 get to those moments, I feel comfortable that Lebron, A 0:30:56.320 --> 0:30:58.560 D and Ruts are going to be able to create 0:30:58.600 --> 0:31:01.920 advantages that as at as higher rate, if not a 0:31:02.000 --> 0:31:04.360 higher rate, than anybody in the league. That that goes 0:31:04.400 --> 0:31:06.840 without saying. But in the day to day dregs in 0:31:06.880 --> 0:31:11.800 the regular season, what we're seeing is you've got Lebron 0:31:12.560 --> 0:31:16.920 and Lebron and a D who has as jump shooters 0:31:16.960 --> 0:31:20.160 can be streaky. And then and then you've got Russ 0:31:20.240 --> 0:31:22.440 who's kind of like I like the way you describe 0:31:22.520 --> 0:31:24.400 him as an engine, like when he gets warmed up, 0:31:24.440 --> 0:31:26.840 that Russ has these stretches of the game where it's 0:31:26.880 --> 0:31:29.400 just drive after drive after drive, and just good stuff 0:31:29.440 --> 0:31:33.040 happens on every single one of them. The trick there 0:31:33.200 --> 0:31:36.840 is is we're not reaching the good. So when I 0:31:36.840 --> 0:31:39.640 say streaky, that means there's good and there's bad, but 0:31:39.680 --> 0:31:41.640 we're seeing a lot more bad than the good. And 0:31:41.680 --> 0:31:42.959 I think a lot of that has to do with 0:31:43.000 --> 0:31:46.160 the lack of easy opportunities to establish rhythm and to 0:31:46.320 --> 0:31:50.200 establish comfort having. This is my biggest problem with DJ 0:31:50.320 --> 0:31:52.400 being a starter. There's a half dozen problems with DJ 0:31:52.520 --> 0:31:55.560 being a starter, but the biggest problem is the way 0:31:55.560 --> 0:31:57.960 that it jinks up the offense to the point where 0:31:58.120 --> 0:32:01.320 every one of the three stars starts with two or 0:32:01.320 --> 0:32:03.640 three tough jump shots as their first shot attempts to 0:32:03.680 --> 0:32:08.680 the game, so they might make them sorry, I'll give you, 0:32:08.760 --> 0:32:11.040 I'll give you the perfect This is the This is 0:32:11.080 --> 0:32:13.480 the metaphor I like to use when when we play 0:32:13.520 --> 0:32:15.320 these DJ lineups at the beginning of the game and 0:32:15.320 --> 0:32:18.240 at the at the the beginning of the second half, 0:32:18.280 --> 0:32:20.240 it's like waking up in the morning, getting kicked in 0:32:20.240 --> 0:32:25.960 the balls and then starting it's literally what these games like? 0:32:26.080 --> 0:32:29.520 What these like? It's a tie game and we immediately 0:32:29.600 --> 0:32:32.240 go down six points, like within like three minutes of 0:32:32.280 --> 0:32:35.520 basketball through the seven points or some nonsense number, and 0:32:35.560 --> 0:32:38.440 it's just like every single time, it's just like I 0:32:39.120 --> 0:32:41.320 feel like liquor fans already know what's going to happen, 0:32:41.360 --> 0:32:43.160 like and as soon as the third quarter starts, are like, 0:32:43.160 --> 0:32:45.640 all right, let's wait to go down by like six seven, 0:32:45.800 --> 0:32:48.719 you know, to three points, to three possessions, and then 0:32:48.760 --> 0:32:50.280 Frank's and aft to pull them. And that's exactly what 0:32:50.360 --> 0:32:52.280 happened this game. It's just I don't know how many 0:32:52.280 --> 0:32:53.920 times we can get kicked in the balls, you know, 0:32:54.120 --> 0:32:56.840 before somebody has to make a change. So if Frank 0:32:56.920 --> 0:32:57.960 is not going to be the one that does it, 0:32:58.000 --> 0:33:00.200 that's why I think, you know, easy troll by run, 0:33:00.400 --> 0:33:03.120 you know. But it's it's a basic basketball concept, Like 0:33:03.320 --> 0:33:06.200 like for all of you out there who play consistent pickup, 0:33:06.240 --> 0:33:08.920 who's when you show up? Like each day kind of 0:33:09.000 --> 0:33:11.080 takes an identity. I have days when I go up 0:33:11.120 --> 0:33:12.880 there and my legs feel great and I'm living at 0:33:12.880 --> 0:33:14.960 the rim, and i have days when I go up 0:33:15.000 --> 0:33:16.600 there and I'm kind of just coasting around. My jump 0:33:16.640 --> 0:33:18.600 shot feels really good and I'm taking a lot of 0:33:18.680 --> 0:33:21.720 jump shots, and you you your day kind of is 0:33:21.800 --> 0:33:25.320 shaped by you know, how things go in the first 0:33:25.520 --> 0:33:28.520 few minutes that you're playing right, and then that kind 0:33:28.560 --> 0:33:31.000 of identity just shapes the rest of your debt. You know, 0:33:31.080 --> 0:33:32.480 you have a day where you're not giving a ship 0:33:32.560 --> 0:33:34.800 on defense. You have a day where you know, maybe 0:33:34.800 --> 0:33:36.960 you're with a good group of guys and everyone's playing hard, 0:33:37.000 --> 0:33:39.120 and so you're you're locked in and you're playing defense. 0:33:39.160 --> 0:33:42.720 Some of that stuff is translatable here, like if you 0:33:43.360 --> 0:33:46.880 make guys, if you set Lebron a D and Russ 0:33:47.000 --> 0:33:50.520 up early in the game to feel comfortable with advantages 0:33:51.200 --> 0:33:53.560 catching where it's not always against a set defense and 0:33:53.600 --> 0:33:57.240 a half court, but either with a defender closing out 0:33:57.280 --> 0:33:59.480 where they have an advantage, or in transition when the 0:33:59.520 --> 0:34:02.640 defense and set, or with space to where if you 0:34:02.720 --> 0:34:05.280 have a good matchup, you have the ability to make 0:34:05.360 --> 0:34:09.480 easy reads um after you beat your primary defender if 0:34:09.520 --> 0:34:12.600 they get enough of those early in the game. I'm 0:34:12.640 --> 0:34:15.800 a firm believer that it translates to the rest of 0:34:15.840 --> 0:34:19.160 the game. If Lebron is settling for jump shots early 0:34:19.239 --> 0:34:21.640 in the game, I don't think it's a coincidence that 0:34:21.719 --> 0:34:25.520 that becomes a theme throughout the game. You know, and ironically, 0:34:25.560 --> 0:34:27.520 that's almost become a theme for the season for him, 0:34:27.920 --> 0:34:29.279 which I think has a lot to do with the 0:34:29.400 --> 0:34:31.520 with these factors. Same goes for Anthony Davis. But the 0:34:31.600 --> 0:34:35.439 point being like some getting somebody in the door, whether 0:34:35.600 --> 0:34:38.680 whether it's a new coach or whether well, let's just 0:34:38.719 --> 0:34:40.520 put it this way, whether it's a new system or 0:34:40.640 --> 0:34:43.200 scheme that sets them up with easy shots, or a 0:34:43.400 --> 0:34:46.759 coach that puts them in a position where they are 0:34:46.880 --> 0:34:49.879 bought back into the season physically to the point where 0:34:49.920 --> 0:34:52.319 they're willing to put their physical imprints on the game. 0:34:52.440 --> 0:34:55.000 Speaking about Lebron and a d to the point where 0:34:55.040 --> 0:34:57.440 early in the game they're putting their head down and 0:34:57.480 --> 0:34:59.839 getting to the rim. More. I just think it would 0:35:00.120 --> 0:35:04.160 change the overall outlook for how these games go. And 0:35:04.280 --> 0:35:07.880 I know that seems confusing, and it's not. It's not 0:35:08.040 --> 0:35:11.400 a very you know, logical approach. But for those of 0:35:11.480 --> 0:35:13.840 you have played, you know what I'm talking about. You 0:35:13.920 --> 0:35:15.759 know there's there is such a thing as like the 0:35:16.000 --> 0:35:19.600 feel of a game and how you feel with the 0:35:19.719 --> 0:35:22.000 group that you're playing with, and whether or not you 0:35:22.080 --> 0:35:26.480 feel comfortable or you feel uncomfortable. And the bottom line is, 0:35:26.560 --> 0:35:29.040 as Frank has not put these guys in a position 0:35:29.440 --> 0:35:33.160 to where they feel comfortable in the offense. Yeah. Yeah, 0:35:33.200 --> 0:35:35.680 And I think the last phase of what I was 0:35:35.680 --> 0:35:37.600 talking to Roger about it like that, I think that 0:35:37.880 --> 0:35:40.920 what you're describing is the impast that Frank is, Like, 0:35:41.040 --> 0:35:42.759 this is the I I try to determine as like 0:35:42.800 --> 0:35:45.960 the identity crisis. Like, I think this is the identity 0:35:46.040 --> 0:35:49.160 crisis that Frank is trying to figure out, and he's 0:35:49.200 --> 0:35:53.400 losing that battle because he's the way he is. So 0:35:53.480 --> 0:35:55.279 this was this was my logic. Let me take a 0:35:55.320 --> 0:35:59.279 step back when I think Frank Vogel is being evaluated 0:35:59.320 --> 0:36:01.880 by the front of this this season based on his 0:36:01.960 --> 0:36:06.080 ability to optimize all the offensive players and the offense 0:36:06.200 --> 0:36:08.560 that's on this team. Right. I don't think there's any 0:36:08.600 --> 0:36:10.839 question from this front office that if you got him 0:36:10.920 --> 0:36:15.040 defensive minded players like Alex Caruso and KCP Couza, whoever, Like, 0:36:15.120 --> 0:36:17.240 if you got him guys like that, he could put together, 0:36:17.920 --> 0:36:19.640 you know, a top three I think he's the best 0:36:19.680 --> 0:36:22.040 defensive coaching basketball, and I thought he proved it round 0:36:22.080 --> 0:36:25.920 after round in the bubble. Yeah fair, um, But I 0:36:26.080 --> 0:36:30.120 think I think this front office this season, um with 0:36:30.640 --> 0:36:32.919 some guidance from Braun and buy and you know, because 0:36:33.600 --> 0:36:35.920 Rob Polinkas said over and over again, this is a 0:36:35.920 --> 0:36:38.000 partnership with Braun and a d. This is not me 0:36:38.160 --> 0:36:40.879 just doing stuff on my own and not running stuff 0:36:40.920 --> 0:36:43.920 by him. UM. So I think there was a conversation 0:36:44.000 --> 0:36:47.640 about making a more offensively in client roster um and 0:36:47.719 --> 0:36:50.520 then working on the defense as the season goes on, right, 0:36:51.000 --> 0:36:53.279 And I think that's why this roster has built the 0:36:53.320 --> 0:36:54.880 way that it is built. I think that's why they 0:36:54.960 --> 0:36:57.839 made the trade for Russ because they wanted another guy 0:36:57.920 --> 0:37:01.120 that wasn't just Braun, that could set up the other 0:37:01.200 --> 0:37:03.560 players and set up Braun at the same time. Because 0:37:03.560 --> 0:37:06.080 we've definitely seen that where west you know, Westbrook and 0:37:06.120 --> 0:37:09.200 Braun UM, that tandem has worked out really well, especially 0:37:09.200 --> 0:37:12.560 in transition and stuff like that. UM. And I think 0:37:13.360 --> 0:37:16.240 that's what the front office wants to do with this roster. 0:37:16.640 --> 0:37:20.600 But I think Frank is evaluating his roster based on 0:37:20.840 --> 0:37:23.920 what his who who's going to play defense for me, 0:37:24.320 --> 0:37:27.319 regardless of how good they are offensively, Like Malik Monk 0:37:27.480 --> 0:37:31.360 wasn't Like there's a subsection of Lakers Twitter or Lakers 0:37:31.480 --> 0:37:33.640 Nation that that Malik Monk was good enough to start 0:37:33.680 --> 0:37:35.839 from the jump, you know, but a lot of people 0:37:35.880 --> 0:37:39.040 were saying, look, he's not he's not quite there defensively 0:37:39.320 --> 0:37:41.040 to be able to do that. And here we are 0:37:41.080 --> 0:37:43.880 in game twenty one. But it's like, you know, like 0:37:44.040 --> 0:37:46.279 he's he's playing these minutes and he's doing a good 0:37:46.360 --> 0:37:47.839 He's not like he's doing a terrible job. He's doing 0:37:47.920 --> 0:37:51.080 like at least like a baseline job of trying to 0:37:51.120 --> 0:37:52.880 stay in front of guys and stuff like that when 0:37:52.960 --> 0:37:56.760 he isn't getting picked on. But that that in itself, 0:37:57.280 --> 0:38:00.040 the fact that they're measuring each other, they're measuring the 0:38:00.160 --> 0:38:03.880 roster on two completely different wavelengths. That is why I 0:38:03.960 --> 0:38:07.960 think there's an impast there's an identity crisis. And when 0:38:08.000 --> 0:38:09.799 we look at Frankie, we say, look, man, we gotta 0:38:09.880 --> 0:38:12.680 let you go because we need we can't have both. 0:38:13.200 --> 0:38:16.160 We can't have a bottom five defense and they bottom 0:38:16.200 --> 0:38:18.520 five offense, like this roster is good enough to have 0:38:18.600 --> 0:38:21.040 a much better offense than a bottom five offense. And 0:38:21.520 --> 0:38:23.719 I think that's ultimately why he'll let go. He'll be 0:38:23.800 --> 0:38:26.400 let go um, And I think that's just what this 0:38:26.480 --> 0:38:28.360 season is. That's why you keep seeing games like this 0:38:28.760 --> 0:38:31.719 and we're a five hundred team agree. I think I 0:38:31.760 --> 0:38:33.480 think the I think the harsh reality though, and I 0:38:33.520 --> 0:38:36.759 think you'd probably agree here, is that there's not, you know, 0:38:37.920 --> 0:38:40.479 some magic coaching fix for the offense in the sense 0:38:40.560 --> 0:38:44.040 that there's no actual candidate out there that represents a 0:38:44.920 --> 0:38:48.200 um you know, a clear philosophy that would fix this. 0:38:49.120 --> 0:38:52.000 UM My guess is what will end up happening if 0:38:52.080 --> 0:38:55.319 that does happen, is they'll stay in house and they'll 0:38:55.360 --> 0:39:00.279 go with either Phil Handy or um Fizdale. And then 0:39:00.320 --> 0:39:02.520 what will happen is, and I can just kind of 0:39:02.560 --> 0:39:04.960 see this coming a mile away, what will happen is 0:39:05.000 --> 0:39:08.160 is they'll make the change. It'll be the big nuclear 0:39:08.200 --> 0:39:11.960 bomb that gets dropped on the season and Anthony Davis 0:39:12.040 --> 0:39:14.800 and Lebron will re engage, and then when they do, 0:39:15.160 --> 0:39:18.440 the offense will look better, but it will be primarily 0:39:18.560 --> 0:39:22.239 based on, ironically a frank concept which was which was 0:39:22.360 --> 0:39:26.040 paid too great, this idea, this idea that like, because 0:39:26.080 --> 0:39:29.000 when we when we see the Lakers look good offensively, 0:39:29.160 --> 0:39:32.160 it's a really basic concept. It's Lebron and a D 0:39:32.440 --> 0:39:35.719 putting their head down. Mainly with Lebron and Russ a 0:39:35.800 --> 0:39:37.720 D really hasn't had a stretch like this this season, 0:39:37.800 --> 0:39:41.160 and that goes to a whole other topic. But really 0:39:41.239 --> 0:39:44.239 it's Braun and Russ putting their heads down, getting into 0:39:44.280 --> 0:39:47.360 the paint in either finishing or spraying out to really 0:39:47.400 --> 0:39:50.080 good shooters because the Lakers now have really good shooting 0:39:50.120 --> 0:39:52.200 on the team. Um, you know they have they have 0:39:52.400 --> 0:39:55.799 three bona fide. Cannot leave them open shooters that are 0:39:55.840 --> 0:39:59.120 in their rotation. And so from that standpoint, you know, 0:39:59.360 --> 0:40:03.280 the offense kind of ebbs and flows based on rim pressure, 0:40:04.120 --> 0:40:06.840 and so you know, you can, you can you know 0:40:07.080 --> 0:40:10.080 talk about you know, scheme this, scheme that, coach this, 0:40:10.239 --> 0:40:12.360 coach that. But the reality is is when Lebron and 0:40:12.440 --> 0:40:16.359 a d re engage after the coaching change and they 0:40:16.440 --> 0:40:19.080 start pressuring the rim again, I think you're going to 0:40:19.160 --> 0:40:23.080 see this team take off offensively because because the reality 0:40:23.239 --> 0:40:25.600 is is like once that, once that ball gets rolling 0:40:25.640 --> 0:40:27.840 in that direction, they have the talent to be a 0:40:27.920 --> 0:40:32.239 top five offense. Yeah, no, I agree, and and um, 0:40:32.520 --> 0:40:35.440 you know, to change some of the energy of our conversation. 0:40:35.520 --> 0:40:38.080 But so so it doesn't seem so dreary. Um, there 0:40:38.280 --> 0:40:40.960 has been some good stuff that's happened, like even um 0:40:41.840 --> 0:40:44.839 in like the silver lining stuff that's happened since Braun 0:40:44.920 --> 0:40:47.480 has been sitting out. So you know, with us being 0:40:47.520 --> 0:40:50.520 so so shorthanded, you know, we've seen Austin Reaves kind 0:40:50.560 --> 0:40:52.360 of developed into like this role where he looks like 0:40:52.400 --> 0:40:55.640 you could be a real rotation player. UM. So that's 0:40:55.680 --> 0:40:58.719 been good. Um But I would say, like over the 0:40:58.800 --> 0:41:04.120 past couple of games and this game, especially um, the 0:41:04.400 --> 0:41:07.640 Russ and Malik tandem and then like the Russ Malik 0:41:07.760 --> 0:41:11.960 and Taylor Horton Tucker tandem has been slowly growing into 0:41:12.040 --> 0:41:15.680 something that like is a very interesting trio of players 0:41:15.760 --> 0:41:18.080 to watch because you have two guys who are uber 0:41:18.200 --> 0:41:21.320 rim attackers in Russ in th HT and then you 0:41:21.440 --> 0:41:23.640 have Malik Monk who can kind of score basically all 0:41:23.719 --> 0:41:26.400 three levels and he has like that irrational j R. 0:41:26.480 --> 0:41:29.239 Smith confidence, and so it's been really interesting to see 0:41:29.320 --> 0:41:31.399 how they compliment each other and who gets the ball. 0:41:31.520 --> 0:41:34.759 More Like this game, there was there was probably i 0:41:34.800 --> 0:41:36.600 want to say, in the second quarter there was a 0:41:37.520 --> 0:41:40.400 four possession or five possession sequence where Malik just ran 0:41:40.480 --> 0:41:42.719 the offense. He ran like two or three picking rolls 0:41:42.760 --> 0:41:45.239 with a d uh. They scored two like at least 0:41:45.239 --> 0:41:47.560 twice out of them. And then after they got a 0:41:47.640 --> 0:41:49.600 lead of like about six or seven points, like I 0:41:49.640 --> 0:41:51.839 think Malik had like two turnovers, and then they cut 0:41:51.880 --> 0:41:53.440 the lead to like four. So it's like, you know, 0:41:53.600 --> 0:41:55.360 having the right amount of balance and how much you 0:41:55.719 --> 0:41:58.080 haven't make the decisions and stuff like that. But Russe 0:41:58.200 --> 0:42:00.880 was on the floor too as well, like he was 0:42:00.920 --> 0:42:03.160 playing off ball. He wasn't getting in the way like 0:42:03.719 --> 0:42:06.600 so like there has been some good stuff that's happened. 0:42:06.640 --> 0:42:08.799 Like again, this was another game like the Cleveland game 0:42:09.040 --> 0:42:12.000 where you saw Russ working off of whatever Braun was doing. 0:42:12.160 --> 0:42:15.240 Rust cut. You know, teams load up. You know Rust's 0:42:15.280 --> 0:42:17.680 man goes to load up or double Braun. Rust immediately 0:42:17.719 --> 0:42:20.040 backcuts for La you know what I mean. Um, I 0:42:20.080 --> 0:42:21.919 think there was one where Rust cut and Braun missed 0:42:21.960 --> 0:42:25.000 him like right in front of the and then yeah, 0:42:25.200 --> 0:42:26.520 and that would have been you know that that would 0:42:26.520 --> 0:42:28.759 have been a momentum changing play too. But it's just 0:42:28.880 --> 0:42:32.120 like you're not. Um. I think going into the season, 0:42:32.160 --> 0:42:33.880 there was probably not a fan saying like, oh, how 0:42:33.920 --> 0:42:36.000 are you going to manage to keep Russ on the floor? 0:42:36.480 --> 0:42:38.239 Uh in the late game because he can't shoot the ball. 0:42:38.320 --> 0:42:40.920 And stuff like that. He's finding ways, you know, he's 0:42:40.920 --> 0:42:42.720 cutting to the rim. We saw that in the Detroit 0:42:42.800 --> 0:42:45.800 game and he set up Russ for cuts. Um and 0:42:45.960 --> 0:42:49.800 his rebounding like, um, you know a lot of people 0:42:50.040 --> 0:42:52.520 may have forgotten, but the guys that were grabbing the 0:42:52.600 --> 0:42:56.479 rebounds against Sibonis in the Indie game, it was Russ 0:42:56.560 --> 0:42:59.120 and Mellow like there. They didn't have a high advantage 0:42:59.200 --> 0:43:01.120 or size advantage. The guys that they were boxing out, 0:43:01.400 --> 0:43:04.919 they're just out. Yeah. Yeah, And he had a couple 0:43:04.960 --> 0:43:07.880 offensive rebounds at the end of you know, in over 0:43:07.960 --> 0:43:09.680 time to try and create some extra possessions for the 0:43:09.760 --> 0:43:14.640 Lakers too. Yeah. Yeah, And I'm sorry that was the 0:43:14.680 --> 0:43:17.080 other thing I was gonna say that trio is actually 0:43:17.080 --> 0:43:18.920 a pretty good it seems it feels like a good 0:43:18.960 --> 0:43:23.080 rebounding trio. Tucker and Malik will will crash the glass 0:43:23.120 --> 0:43:25.920 from their god guard spots to grab rebounds. So it's 0:43:25.960 --> 0:43:28.880 like there are some good things. Um. But you know, 0:43:29.160 --> 0:43:32.400 like I told Roger and anything, like the championship pieces 0:43:32.440 --> 0:43:34.839 are on the table, they're just so far apart from 0:43:34.880 --> 0:43:36.840 each other. We don't know what the whole picture looks like. 0:43:37.239 --> 0:43:38.880 And you can only look at it in pockets and 0:43:38.880 --> 0:43:41.360 stuff like that. But I do think you know that 0:43:41.560 --> 0:43:45.040 the effort, consistent effort at least um from from Braun 0:43:45.120 --> 0:43:47.920 and a D that that's a pretty big piece of 0:43:47.920 --> 0:43:50.479 the puzzet. It's the biggest piece. And it's the biggest piece, 0:43:50.560 --> 0:43:53.279 Like it's it's that joke that that Darius Soriano from 0:43:53.400 --> 0:43:55.920 Lafar always tells, like, you can't judge scheme without effort. 0:43:56.040 --> 0:43:59.120 It's just a it's it's a basic concept. And you know, 0:43:59.200 --> 0:44:00.840 I could even take that step further with all the 0:44:00.920 --> 0:44:02.960 role players, man, and I'm sure you'd agree with me here, 0:44:03.080 --> 0:44:06.719 Like how can I really really judge Malik Monk's defensive 0:44:06.880 --> 0:44:10.200 bit with this team projecting it to the playoffs? If 0:44:10.320 --> 0:44:13.319 Lebron and Nadi are bullshitting? How could like even as 0:44:13.400 --> 0:44:16.640 a backup backup center, which is what I envisioned, DeAndre 0:44:16.760 --> 0:44:19.839 Jordan's someone who would only play when a d has 0:44:19.920 --> 0:44:23.399 to rest, or when Dwight has to rest, And how 0:44:23.480 --> 0:44:26.320 can I really even judge how he's contributed to this 0:44:26.440 --> 0:44:30.520 group when he's playing alongside a starting lineup that has 0:44:30.680 --> 0:44:34.080 two alleged top five players that are b ssing their 0:44:34.120 --> 0:44:36.400 way through these games, Like it's not fair. It's not 0:44:36.520 --> 0:44:39.080 fair to judge them in that regard, and and and 0:44:39.280 --> 0:44:41.960 and and I'm just saying like, and for the record, 0:44:42.680 --> 0:44:45.600 I I think a lot of what we're seeing is real. 0:44:45.719 --> 0:44:47.880 Malik Monk is gonna have some defensive struggles. He's not 0:44:47.920 --> 0:44:50.600 gonna be capable of the same thing that that the 0:44:50.719 --> 0:44:53.000 guards that we had in previous iterations of this team 0:44:53.040 --> 0:44:56.360 could do. DeAndre Jordan is probably our worst drop coverage 0:44:56.400 --> 0:45:00.719 big that we've had since we've started this hut. The 0:45:00.800 --> 0:45:03.719 truth this is we're We're a bad drop team with 0:45:03.880 --> 0:45:07.000 a D and dwite. So so how can I how 0:45:07.080 --> 0:45:08.839 can I really get out here and be like, oh, 0:45:08.960 --> 0:45:11.879 you know, Dwight just just really bad signing. It's like, well, 0:45:12.360 --> 0:45:16.200 I we envisioned him as a third drop coverage center, 0:45:16.400 --> 0:45:20.439 and all of our drop coverages suck. And so from 0:45:20.640 --> 0:45:24.000 all I'm saying is like, none of this is easy 0:45:24.120 --> 0:45:28.880 to evaluate until Lebron and a D start carrying the 0:45:28.960 --> 0:45:31.520 way that Steph is caring right now, the way that 0:45:31.680 --> 0:45:34.680 Draymond is carrying right now, the way that Chris Paul 0:45:34.760 --> 0:45:36.600 is carrying right now, the way that any of these 0:45:36.680 --> 0:45:41.880 teams that are trending and hitting those championship checkpoints the 0:45:41.960 --> 0:45:45.239 way those teams are trending. Until until Lebron and a 0:45:45.400 --> 0:45:48.879 d start making a concerted effort to get that team 0:45:48.920 --> 0:45:51.440 on that track, we can't even really, like, if you 0:45:51.480 --> 0:45:53.359 were trying to plan for the trade deadline right now, 0:45:53.640 --> 0:45:57.000 how could you even how could you even conceptualize that 0:45:57.160 --> 0:46:00.319 with beyond seeing until you see what Lebron ind are 0:46:00.360 --> 0:46:03.879 capable of with this group, you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, yeah, 0:46:03.960 --> 0:46:07.000 That's that's why I think, you know, because there's always 0:46:07.320 --> 0:46:09.480 rumors whenever your teams are doing well and stuff like that, 0:46:09.600 --> 0:46:12.280 and obviously where the Lakers were, there's always some conversation 0:46:12.280 --> 0:46:15.040 about somebody getting traded at it trade. Even when we're 0:46:15.120 --> 0:46:18.600 winning championships, there's always a conversation about it. UM, So 0:46:19.239 --> 0:46:21.040 a lot of folks are probably looking in that direction 0:46:21.160 --> 0:46:23.360 that you know, there may be some personnelity changes, but 0:46:23.680 --> 0:46:26.520 I don't think personnelity changes are going to fix this team. 0:46:26.560 --> 0:46:28.919 Like it's it's going to have to happen. It's gonna 0:46:28.960 --> 0:46:31.120 have to be something significant, like you know, like the 0:46:31.960 --> 0:46:35.520 coach getting fired, um and being replaced by somebody that 0:46:35.600 --> 0:46:38.960 the players actually like. And I think, you know, I 0:46:40.000 --> 0:46:42.520 I would agree with you that there's no baseline for 0:46:42.640 --> 0:46:45.200 us to look at because that effort has been so 0:46:45.440 --> 0:46:47.919 there's no consistent efforts. So there's no consistent baseline. There's 0:46:47.960 --> 0:46:49.200 nothing that I can look at and say, Okay, at 0:46:49.280 --> 0:46:50.759 least I know we can do get Yeah, like when 0:46:50.800 --> 0:46:53.080 we try as hard as we possibly can that this thing, 0:46:53.360 --> 0:46:56.560 it doesn't work. Like we don't have any of that, right, 0:46:57.040 --> 0:47:01.719 but I will say that DJ DJ is there is 0:47:01.800 --> 0:47:05.800 no version. Look, okay, they started this game right, and 0:47:05.880 --> 0:47:08.840 they were scoring on their um the basket that was 0:47:08.880 --> 0:47:10.759 in front of their bench, right, so the bench has 0:47:10.840 --> 0:47:15.440 the leaguer bench has full view, okay, crystal clear view 0:47:16.160 --> 0:47:19.000 of what DeAndre is doing when the ball is coming 0:47:19.040 --> 0:47:23.400 in his direction and they're watching him basically turn passes 0:47:23.440 --> 0:47:27.000 that should be catching dunks into fifty fifty catches. Like 0:47:27.239 --> 0:47:29.040 it's it's almost like, you know, like a running back 0:47:29.080 --> 0:47:31.279 that can't catch a pitch or something like that from 0:47:31.960 --> 0:47:34.480 grab a handoff. That's how bad he's missing these. And 0:47:34.560 --> 0:47:37.000 it's just like the part that you know, I'm not 0:47:37.000 --> 0:47:39.120 gonna keep harping on, Frank, because I think we've we've 0:47:39.160 --> 0:47:43.800 done that enough. But it is crazy, crazy how many players. 0:47:43.920 --> 0:47:46.400 Go anybody, go, if you want to torture yourself a 0:47:46.480 --> 0:47:48.360 little bit more and you're into that kind of stuff, 0:47:48.640 --> 0:47:52.239 go watch the first quarter and watch how many possessions 0:47:52.560 --> 0:47:55.040 where DeAndre either you know, he got bumped on the 0:47:55.080 --> 0:47:56.800 box out and he wasn't able to get the rebound, 0:47:57.120 --> 0:47:58.840 or the ball went to him and he got shipped. 0:47:58.880 --> 0:48:01.480 And then watch what he does after that. There are 0:48:01.719 --> 0:48:04.839 so many possessions at the beginning of the game, um 0:48:05.160 --> 0:48:08.160 where he just doesn't run back and he just throws 0:48:08.200 --> 0:48:10.320 his hands up in the air and he's whining and 0:48:10.440 --> 0:48:12.880 complaining like like a kid who didn't get his allowance 0:48:12.920 --> 0:48:16.560 for the week. And it's it's a five on four 0:48:17.200 --> 0:48:19.920 and I don't care whether we're playing the Kings or 0:48:20.200 --> 0:48:22.759 the Lakers. Are lucky they didn't go down by double 0:48:22.800 --> 0:48:24.560 digits at the end of the first quarter because the 0:48:24.640 --> 0:48:26.880 King couldn't make a wide open three, like we were 0:48:26.920 --> 0:48:30.520 fortunate that they couldn't make shots. But you can't do that. 0:48:30.840 --> 0:48:34.000 You can't have four to five possessions in a quarter 0:48:34.480 --> 0:48:37.120 or or even you know, close to six and seven 0:48:38.000 --> 0:48:41.359 possessions where you're playing five on four basketball because your 0:48:41.360 --> 0:48:44.800 centers pouting about not getting a call like it's not possible. 0:48:45.080 --> 0:48:46.520 You're not going to win a game by doing that, 0:48:47.080 --> 0:48:50.160 and teams I think today, um, I thought I saw 0:48:50.239 --> 0:48:53.279 it in the playoff series against the Sons. I think 0:48:53.360 --> 0:48:56.840 teams have gone in with the game plan against the Lakers, 0:48:57.000 --> 0:49:00.399 specifically Frank Rogos Lakers, and said, look, we're not even 0:49:00.400 --> 0:49:01.839 gonna try to go to the rim. We're not gonna 0:49:01.880 --> 0:49:03.520 bother because we know that we can't shoot over to 0:49:03.640 --> 0:49:05.799 seven footers. So we're just gonna find the open create 0:49:05.880 --> 0:49:07.840 the open three. And when these five on fours and 0:49:07.920 --> 0:49:10.240 just take open to this are trying it to shootout 0:49:10.719 --> 0:49:13.279 and they're getting their asses kicked, you know, like that 0:49:13.520 --> 0:49:16.160 that's what's happening to the Lakers every single time. Um 0:49:16.320 --> 0:49:18.800 to get lazy on defense and then all of a sudden, 0:49:19.080 --> 0:49:20.759 you know, the team hit three threes in a row, 0:49:20.800 --> 0:49:23.600 and now whatever lead that we had is gone. So 0:49:24.960 --> 0:49:27.000 that's that's that's the best the best way I can 0:49:27.360 --> 0:49:29.760 there was. I actually thought about you earlier tonight because 0:49:29.800 --> 0:49:31.719 you've been on You've been one of the people that's 0:49:31.760 --> 0:49:33.920 been on this. You know, there there are a bunch 0:49:34.000 --> 0:49:37.759 of problems with the DJ lineups. There's you know, the 0:49:38.000 --> 0:49:41.839 offensive spacing problems that we've discussed because he doesn't even 0:49:41.880 --> 0:49:45.879 offer vertical spacing because like you said, he's got stone hands. Um, 0:49:46.160 --> 0:49:50.080 there's the uh, you know, the defensive part of it, 0:49:50.280 --> 0:49:53.360 like how how bad our drop coverages look in general, 0:49:53.520 --> 0:49:55.359 or any time you ask him to cover any sort 0:49:55.400 --> 0:49:59.520 of ground. There's a defensive rebounding problem for whatever reason, 0:50:00.000 --> 0:50:02.720 and DeAndre Jordan's on the floor, we just cannot secure 0:50:02.760 --> 0:50:04.319 a rebound, like I saw a staff the other day, 0:50:04.360 --> 0:50:06.880 Like more than one out of every three opponent misses 0:50:07.080 --> 0:50:10.680 our offensive rebounded against DJ, like which which would rank 0:50:10.800 --> 0:50:12.840 last in the league. Like, there's all these problems, but 0:50:13.200 --> 0:50:15.239 one of the big ones that you've been on all 0:50:15.280 --> 0:50:18.160 season is overall foot speed and the way that it 0:50:18.239 --> 0:50:21.240 hurts you in transition. And there was actually a play 0:50:21.400 --> 0:50:26.040 in tonight's game where uh it turned into a five 0:50:26.160 --> 0:50:30.680 on two um because DJ botched. I can't remember the 0:50:30.760 --> 0:50:33.759 exact circumstances of the play, but Lebron tried to make 0:50:33.800 --> 0:50:37.359 a play for DJ and it got botched. Okay, after 0:50:37.480 --> 0:50:41.440 it got botched, Lebron and DJ both were like, like 0:50:41.640 --> 0:50:45.120 DJ obviously just slow. Lebron obviously pouted And then a 0:50:45.320 --> 0:50:48.000 D is also slow, Like that's what we've talked about 0:50:48.040 --> 0:50:50.719 on this pot a lot a D. What makes a 0:50:50.800 --> 0:50:54.360 D is super duperstars definitely not straight line speed. That's 0:50:54.440 --> 0:50:58.280 not his his supreme talent. And so all of a sudden, 0:50:58.360 --> 0:51:01.440 like I literally screenshot it's the screen shot because all 0:51:01.640 --> 0:51:05.040 five Kings Jerseys or south of the three point line. 0:51:05.080 --> 0:51:07.680 So they were literally all the way on the other 0:51:07.960 --> 0:51:12.320 the far forth of the court with Avery Bradley and 0:51:12.560 --> 0:51:15.160 uh In Russell Westbrook trying to play two on five 0:51:15.239 --> 0:51:18.680 defense and they had all three of those Lakers had 0:51:18.760 --> 0:51:22.040 not even crossed half court. I'm not even kidding. It's 0:51:22.080 --> 0:51:25.720 like they are so slow in terms of their overall 0:51:25.840 --> 0:51:29.360 foot speed with that lineup, it is untenable. Yeah, what 0:51:29.440 --> 0:51:31.960 what do you what do you think? Just just humor 0:51:32.040 --> 0:51:33.480 me for a second. What do you think? What do 0:51:33.520 --> 0:51:35.440 you think Frank Mobile is probably telling these guys, like 0:51:35.480 --> 0:51:37.239 when when they pull up the film and they see 0:51:37.280 --> 0:51:39.200 that there's a five on two, what do you think 0:51:39.239 --> 0:51:41.000 he's saying? It's like, hey, guys, we just gotta be better. 0:51:41.200 --> 0:51:46.880 Like the film sessions have to be total ship shows. 0:51:46.960 --> 0:51:49.520 They have to be because there has to be private 0:51:49.600 --> 0:51:52.960 conversation among the coaching staff. That's like, well, we can't 0:51:53.000 --> 0:51:55.320 show them all the plays. Like if we show that 0:51:56.400 --> 0:52:01.040 they screwed up on all the place, how do we do? Yeah, 0:52:01.040 --> 0:52:04.320 because that's that's the part. You know. Like earlier this season, 0:52:04.360 --> 0:52:06.600 we were you know, Laker fans are upset that you know, 0:52:06.760 --> 0:52:10.480 like Mellow didn't look good, um defensively and he was 0:52:10.600 --> 0:52:12.520 putting an effort to some degree, and the link mount 0:52:12.600 --> 0:52:14.600 you know, and same thing with Russ, Like all these 0:52:14.719 --> 0:52:16.840 role players kept getting like their effort picked apart and 0:52:16.840 --> 0:52:18.680 stuff like that. And I was sitting there and I 0:52:18.760 --> 0:52:20.200 was just like, yeah, you know, some of this is fair, 0:52:20.400 --> 0:52:23.560 Like some of these guys should be, you know, um 0:52:24.320 --> 0:52:26.720 better on the defensive end, on the effort and stuff 0:52:26.719 --> 0:52:29.000 like that when they're not asked to carry the offensive load. 0:52:29.400 --> 0:52:31.120 But then like some of those guys have improved, you know, 0:52:31.239 --> 0:52:34.400 like Mellow has gotten a better like to the baseline 0:52:34.400 --> 0:52:36.880 where he's not like a complete see right, Like if 0:52:36.920 --> 0:52:39.719 he's not if he's defending a guy who's the same 0:52:39.840 --> 0:52:42.040 size as him, you know, the same kind of speed 0:52:42.160 --> 0:52:45.200 and as him and stuff like that, he's okay, he's not. 0:52:45.239 --> 0:52:50.080 He's not terrible. Yeah, Malik and even Russ they've all 0:52:50.120 --> 0:52:52.520 gotten better. But it's just like, I just keep thinking 0:52:52.560 --> 0:52:54.239 about myself. It's just like, how how do you when 0:52:54.280 --> 0:52:56.480 you see a d just kind of chill out on 0:52:56.600 --> 0:52:58.680 the offensive ent and not do anything, you know what 0:52:58.680 --> 0:53:00.719 I mean? And then just watch this guys have to 0:53:00.800 --> 0:53:03.719 do everything by themselves. Or you see Braun not run 0:53:03.840 --> 0:53:06.360 back like I would. I can't imagine Frank saying anything. 0:53:06.360 --> 0:53:08.960 He probably just fast forwards right through that possession because 0:53:08.960 --> 0:53:10.480 he knows that he doesn't want to bring it up 0:53:10.719 --> 0:53:14.080 and um, but you know that's my thing, Like, I'm 0:53:14.120 --> 0:53:15.480 sure people are going to stay at the end of 0:53:15.560 --> 0:53:17.920 this game, Like Frank has got to go because look 0:53:17.960 --> 0:53:19.440 at the offense that they're running at the end of 0:53:19.440 --> 0:53:22.719 the game. But if Braun wants to run post upos 0:53:23.280 --> 0:53:26.800 because he's getting Terence Davis a small guy, um or 0:53:26.880 --> 0:53:31.000 Daron Fox a small guy and Sacramento isn't switching, Frank's 0:53:31.040 --> 0:53:34.600 not going to be able to override Lebron like and 0:53:34.760 --> 0:53:36.279 so it's like, how can I get mad at Frank 0:53:36.360 --> 0:53:37.920 for something like that? And they're like, oh, maybe we 0:53:37.920 --> 0:53:40.000 should run in with Russ a little bit more. Russ 0:53:40.040 --> 0:53:43.480 isn't going to override Lebron because we've been screaming, don't 0:53:43.520 --> 0:53:46.040 get in Lebron's way, you know, the entire time. And 0:53:46.680 --> 0:53:51.279 so it's just Frank. You know. Obviously we talked about 0:53:51.320 --> 0:53:53.880 how he looked, evaluates this roster and and gives a minutes, 0:53:53.920 --> 0:53:56.160 distributes mints and stuff. I got how the front office 0:53:56.239 --> 0:53:58.080 is doing it. I think the other thing that Frank 0:53:58.120 --> 0:54:00.879 has had some difficulty with um, which is something I've 0:54:00.920 --> 0:54:04.200 always praised, like a guy like uh Rik Spoelstra and 0:54:04.600 --> 0:54:08.320 Tylu because he intimately um that he he has a 0:54:08.360 --> 0:54:11.399 difficulty navigating the nature of his players. Like I don't 0:54:11.400 --> 0:54:14.320 think he looks at Anthony Davis when he's playing and 0:54:14.400 --> 0:54:17.120 when we're all screaming wise Anthony Davis being so passive, 0:54:17.360 --> 0:54:19.560 I don't think Frank does that. Like I don't think 0:54:19.600 --> 0:54:20.920 he goes, okay, you know what, maybe I need to 0:54:21.000 --> 0:54:23.040 change it up because Anthony is being really passive right 0:54:23.080 --> 0:54:25.320 now no matter what I call, Like, he's not running 0:54:25.360 --> 0:54:27.319 with Russ. So let me let me play A guy 0:54:27.840 --> 0:54:30.080 will run with Russ. So then that way, you know, 0:54:30.160 --> 0:54:32.839 I mean, like our offense gets a little bit better, 0:54:33.160 --> 0:54:35.600 or you know, there's more defensive effort or Anthony's not 0:54:35.680 --> 0:54:38.600 coming to crash the glass after boxing out or something 0:54:38.640 --> 0:54:39.960 like that. So let me let me play a guy 0:54:40.360 --> 0:54:41.840 some of that. We don't have the people to do it. 0:54:41.920 --> 0:54:45.000 But that's like, that's important, you know, those small and 0:54:45.080 --> 0:54:48.520 tangible things that are not counting stats have to matter, 0:54:48.840 --> 0:54:51.240 effort has to matter. And I think maybe he's missing, 0:54:51.680 --> 0:54:55.560 Um he has some difficulty gauging that, uh and working 0:54:55.600 --> 0:54:59.279 around it. So that that's that's there. There are there's 0:54:59.320 --> 0:55:03.040 some good stuff that malak thht Russ. This is another 0:55:03.080 --> 0:55:06.200 great rust game. He kept his turnovers down pretty significantly, 0:55:06.239 --> 0:55:09.560 like he's been really really good the past like two weeks. Um, 0:55:10.360 --> 0:55:11.960 we just need our starts to kind of you know, 0:55:12.440 --> 0:55:15.080 decide when they want to participate and stuff again. So 0:55:15.600 --> 0:55:17.560 I think it'll happen once Frank has gone. I do 0:55:17.680 --> 0:55:21.520 think we're headed in that direction because um basketball with 0:55:21.719 --> 0:55:25.480 with these three guys, Uh, it's I would say, it's 0:55:26.440 --> 0:55:29.160 you know, below expectations. Oh my goodness, that would be 0:55:29.239 --> 0:55:32.359 the very kindest way you could put it there. Um, 0:55:32.640 --> 0:55:34.680 you know, this is the last thing I'm gonna say, 0:55:34.719 --> 0:55:37.600 and then I want you to respond, and then we'll 0:55:37.600 --> 0:55:39.279 get out of here and we'll call it tonight. Um, 0:55:39.719 --> 0:55:44.120 so when Frank goes, which feels kind of inevitable, but 0:55:44.160 --> 0:55:46.799 I guess we'll find out. You know, I've been one 0:55:46.840 --> 0:55:49.719 of the people advocating for that. I'm not alone, but 0:55:50.080 --> 0:55:53.000 I do feel like it's important to drive home this 0:55:53.239 --> 0:55:57.400 final point. The main reason why I think he should 0:55:57.440 --> 0:56:01.239 be gone is lebron A D's buy. To me, that's 0:56:01.320 --> 0:56:03.520 literally that I could. I can even make a case 0:56:03.560 --> 0:56:05.800 that that's the only real reason, because the truth is 0:56:05.920 --> 0:56:10.480 is there is there is good that comes with Frank 0:56:10.600 --> 0:56:12.600 that outweighs some of his bad. He is he is 0:56:12.640 --> 0:56:15.600 he in Overski's offensively yes, is he did? Like like 0:56:15.760 --> 0:56:20.560 you said, does he struggle to see the the personality 0:56:20.680 --> 0:56:23.600 of his players in the way it's playing out on 0:56:23.680 --> 0:56:26.360 the floor, and how he can try to counter that 0:56:26.560 --> 0:56:29.839 by making things easier for them in those specific areas. Yeah, 0:56:29.880 --> 0:56:32.640 you're absolutely right about that. However, he also brings so 0:56:32.760 --> 0:56:36.320 much to the table defensively. Um, he does preach effort 0:56:36.360 --> 0:56:38.359 in focus, and he does preach all the right things, 0:56:39.440 --> 0:56:44.680 And I genuinely think he probably is, you know, a 0:56:44.760 --> 0:56:47.960 coach who's deserving of this opportunity to coach this team 0:56:48.000 --> 0:56:51.319 through the end of the season. But that said, it's 0:56:51.600 --> 0:56:54.560 really this simple. To me, Lebron and maybe appeared to 0:56:54.640 --> 0:56:57.320 not want him, so therefore he has to go. And 0:56:57.440 --> 0:57:00.480 I know that seems crazy, but this team isn't going 0:57:00.560 --> 0:57:04.200 anywhere unless lebrono A D are are carrying the way 0:57:04.239 --> 0:57:06.120 they did two years ago, for two seasons ago, I 0:57:06.120 --> 0:57:09.960 should say, And it appears to me that the only 0:57:10.040 --> 0:57:11.960 way to kick start that is to fire the coach, 0:57:12.480 --> 0:57:15.640 and that's not fair to Frank. I hope that on 0:57:15.719 --> 0:57:18.400 the day he's fired, that myself and everyone else goes 0:57:18.440 --> 0:57:21.000 out there and sings his praises because they deserve to 0:57:21.040 --> 0:57:23.760 be some because the truth of the matter is he 0:57:24.280 --> 0:57:27.720 he has not put forth a fire able job here. 0:57:28.560 --> 0:57:32.000 What what what? What has it happened here? Is urgency 0:57:32.120 --> 0:57:36.600 requires that he's fired. The urgency and therefore the lack, 0:57:38.040 --> 0:57:39.960 I should say, the lack of urgency that we're seen 0:57:40.000 --> 0:57:43.360 from Lebron and a D has presented urgency with the 0:57:43.440 --> 0:57:47.520 coaching situation because it's the only available option to try 0:57:47.640 --> 0:57:49.760 to kick them, like you said, kick them the balls 0:57:49.760 --> 0:57:52.240 and try to get them going. So that's that's kind 0:57:52.240 --> 0:57:54.760 of where I'm at with it. Yeah, yeah, no, I'm 0:57:55.200 --> 0:57:56.800 in agree with you. I don't think it's a fair 0:57:56.920 --> 0:57:59.080 situation that Frank is in, but that's just this is 0:57:59.240 --> 0:58:01.680 sort of the nature or just kind of how the NBA. 0:58:02.400 --> 0:58:05.240 If you're superstars, superstars don't buy into the coach that 0:58:05.480 --> 0:58:09.040 that they have, regardless of whatever the previous accolades are. 0:58:09.480 --> 0:58:12.800 You have to make a change and being having that 0:58:12.920 --> 0:58:15.560 malleability or you know that flexibility in the front office 0:58:16.040 --> 0:58:18.560 is important. UM. You know, I don't know what direction 0:58:18.560 --> 0:58:21.080 the Lakers going if they do move Frank, but I 0:58:21.200 --> 0:58:25.160 do think that it will result in a more engaged UM, 0:58:25.920 --> 0:58:28.360 a more engaged Lebron and a D. And I do 0:58:28.560 --> 0:58:32.080 think that one of those metrics, specifically the offensive rating metric, 0:58:32.720 --> 0:58:34.920 will start moving in the direction that it should move in. 0:58:35.400 --> 0:58:37.320 UM And I think that's what these guys want. I 0:58:37.840 --> 0:58:40.280 honestly think A D and Braun want to spend the 0:58:40.320 --> 0:58:46.000 regular season, UM, not grinding every single game defensively. UM. 0:58:47.000 --> 0:58:48.400 You know, when they were saying that A D and 0:58:48.520 --> 0:58:50.600 Braun We're going to play the four and five, I 0:58:50.760 --> 0:58:53.280 was excited, but at the same time, I thought to myself, 0:58:53.320 --> 0:58:55.040 I was just like, are they really going to play defense? 0:58:55.240 --> 0:58:57.800 Like for the thirty five minutes at four and five 0:58:57.800 --> 0:59:00.520 because that's a lot of work um us in general, 0:59:00.560 --> 0:59:02.200 and that's why there's so many role players that played 0:59:02.200 --> 0:59:06.160 that spot. But they defended so well the previous two seasons. 0:59:06.280 --> 0:59:10.040 That's the part that's hard for me to like contextualize here, 0:59:10.200 --> 0:59:12.640 you know what I mean, Yeah, it could be. It 0:59:12.680 --> 0:59:14.920 could be just because the last season. You know, um, 0:59:15.680 --> 0:59:19.880 because I will say this, I think playing defense in 0:59:19.960 --> 0:59:23.800 the NBA is much more taxing on the body than 0:59:24.000 --> 0:59:28.600 probably fans realize. Um. You know, Crusoe would get all 0:59:28.720 --> 0:59:30.880 kinds of small injuries, like we've seen eight get hit 0:59:30.880 --> 0:59:32.560 in the face, like at least once a game now 0:59:32.880 --> 0:59:34.760 from an elbow from like a big man just trying 0:59:34.760 --> 0:59:37.520 to stop him from blocking one of his ships, or 0:59:37.600 --> 0:59:40.200 from a small guard doing it. So there are all 0:59:40.280 --> 0:59:42.880 kinds of small injuries that happened. Like people of people 0:59:42.920 --> 0:59:44.880 are like, yeah, we should play Bron. Not not that 0:59:45.000 --> 0:59:47.400 I'm completely the screen, but like people like, yeah, Bron 0:59:47.440 --> 0:59:50.920 should played more five. It's like, okay, if Bron starts 0:59:51.400 --> 0:59:55.080 contesting these junk these layoffs, you know, with verticality, all 0:59:55.160 --> 0:59:56.840 it's going to take is one guy to me him 0:59:57.560 --> 0:59:59.800 righting and writing in his growing area or his midsection 0:59:59.840 --> 1:00:01.680 and he's going to be out for like three weeks again. 1:00:02.160 --> 1:00:04.800 And just today a do you want to go block? 1:00:05.200 --> 1:00:07.080 Who was it? Marvin Bagley? And he got a need 1:00:07.200 --> 1:00:09.560 right in the growing like they called the defensive foul 1:00:09.640 --> 1:00:12.360 on But you know what I mean, Like it's just like, um, 1:00:13.320 --> 1:00:15.840 defense takes a lot out of you because you're always 1:00:15.880 --> 1:00:18.000 constantly throwing your body in harm's away to try to 1:00:18.040 --> 1:00:20.760 present to prevent you know, an offensive player for scoring. 1:00:21.040 --> 1:00:23.400 And I don't think it's reasonable to expect those two 1:00:23.440 --> 1:00:26.520 guys to do that. Um, so really really quil really quick. 1:00:26.560 --> 1:00:28.440 Not to cut you out, but this is I think 1:00:28.480 --> 1:00:30.240 there has to be happy medium here because, like I 1:00:30.320 --> 1:00:33.200 said earlier, yes, if you're stars aren't willing to do 1:00:33.280 --> 1:00:35.400 any dirty work, you're signing up to be a bad team. 1:00:35.560 --> 1:00:39.360 So there has to be a happy medium in there somewhere. Yeah, yeah, 1:00:39.520 --> 1:00:43.400 I agree, um And yeah, before I went on a tangent, 1:00:44.080 --> 1:00:45.680 I agree with you, man. I I just don't I 1:00:45.680 --> 1:00:47.520 don't know. I don't think it's frank, I don't think 1:00:47.520 --> 1:00:51.200 it's a coach like this. Everything about this team, um, 1:00:52.000 --> 1:00:55.240 from specifically our stars, makes me think that they're not 1:00:55.320 --> 1:00:57.320 committed to this coach and putting in the kind of 1:00:57.400 --> 1:01:00.480 effort that they need to with this coach. UM, and 1:01:01.400 --> 1:01:04.560 it's unfair. I agree. Um, there have been some really 1:01:04.600 --> 1:01:06.680 really good things that we've learned about this team, really 1:01:06.720 --> 1:01:09.840 really good things that we've seen out of this team, um, 1:01:10.560 --> 1:01:12.880 in small, short segments. But I don't think all the 1:01:12.920 --> 1:01:16.240 pieces will come together until there's a different person kind 1:01:16.240 --> 1:01:19.200 of manning the wheel, because player buying matters. It's a 1:01:19.200 --> 1:01:21.720 player's lead. That's just how it works. So you know, 1:01:22.040 --> 1:01:25.960 I'm a watch every single game and and not have 1:01:26.280 --> 1:01:29.360 extremely eye expectations because we can go up by twenty five. 1:01:29.480 --> 1:01:31.479 But I've already seen this below one of those leads. 1:01:32.280 --> 1:01:34.040 You know, Well, it's you know, it's it's a roller 1:01:34.080 --> 1:01:36.439 coaster season, but you know, you just you just gotta 1:01:36.440 --> 1:01:38.280 go through it. Yeah. That that that's what makes the 1:01:38.360 --> 1:01:41.760 team right, is all right? Everybody? I think I'm looking 1:01:41.840 --> 1:01:45.960 at twelve am here in Tucson, and I still have 1:01:46.040 --> 1:01:47.920 to get all this uploaded to the podcast speed, So 1:01:47.920 --> 1:01:50.120 I think we're gonna call it tonight. But I sincerely 1:01:50.160 --> 1:01:52.720 appreciate you taking the time to have coming and coming 1:01:52.760 --> 1:01:55.040 Forage tonight. Everyone who tuned in to listen. Thank you 1:01:55.080 --> 1:01:57.040 guys so much for your support. As always, this is 1:01:57.040 --> 1:01:59.360 gonna air on Dash Radio tomorrow morning at seven am 1:01:59.480 --> 1:02:01.880 pacifics and your time. It will be on our podcast 1:02:01.960 --> 1:02:05.000 feed here in about twenty minutes. Again, thank you as 1:02:05.000 --> 1:02:06.680 always for you guys and support. We will be back 1:02:06.800 --> 1:02:10.040 for this Sunday night game which I believe is an 1:02:10.120 --> 1:02:12.880 eight pm start, but I can't remember. Um. Either way, 1:02:12.920 --> 1:02:15.200 we'll be back on Sunday night. Thank you guys as usual, 1:02:15.280 --> 1:02:16.400 and we will see you in a couple of days.