1
00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:18,360
Speaker 1: Mmmm, Welcome to the State of the Lakers post game show.

2
00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:21,640
Speaker 1: Happy Friday night, everybody. I hope you're all having UM,

3
00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:25,040
Speaker 1: getting ready for a good, fun weekend. Lakers, sticking with

4
00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:29,360
Speaker 1: the theme, decided to have another super bizarre, super strange game.

5
00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:33,239
Speaker 1: Um My, guy raje is pulling a Draymond. He is

6
00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:38,199
Speaker 1: calling from the parking lot after the loss. Um he is.

7
00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:41,479
Speaker 1: He is making time for us after the game. He

8
00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:43,519
Speaker 1: was there in the buildings that he'll be able to

9
00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:46,879
Speaker 1: give us a little extra perspective on just how terrible

10
00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:51,920
Speaker 1: the effort was. UM. Quick context here. The Lakers, you know, obviously,

11
00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:57,040
Speaker 1: in addition to being down a bunch of bodies from injury,

12
00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:02,880
Speaker 1: also had just had a couple of really, really tough games. Um.

13
00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:06,880
Speaker 1: With Lebron out, it just takes so much more physically

14
00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:10,800
Speaker 1: from this team to be able to win. And obviously

15
00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:15,120
Speaker 1: with those two super competitive games with the overtimes, it's

16
00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:18,640
Speaker 1: not entirely uncommon for a team to come out flat

17
00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:21,600
Speaker 1: or to come out looking good but then to run

18
00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:26,240
Speaker 1: out of gas. Um. However, that was borderline a quick

19
00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:28,480
Speaker 1: job there in the second half. I thought there was

20
00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:32,760
Speaker 1: such a large chasm in effort between the two teams.

21
00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:38,160
Speaker 1: Our guy, uh Cranes, who's my favorite, Uh you know

22
00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:42,480
Speaker 1: statistical analysts that that covers d NBA right now. He

23
00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:45,600
Speaker 1: sent out a tweet a few games ago saying, like,

24
00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:49,400
Speaker 1: it's amazing how quick people are to blame effort for

25
00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:51,840
Speaker 1: the Lakers struggles, and that is true to a lot

26
00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:55,280
Speaker 1: of to a large extent because of their personnel shortcomings,

27
00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:58,160
Speaker 1: which we've talked about so much on the show, like, hey,

28
00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:02,680
Speaker 1: it's really hard to run hottern NBA defensive coverages without forwards,

29
00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:05,360
Speaker 1: Like that's it's not something you can play hard your

30
00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:07,600
Speaker 1: way through in a lot in a lot of ways. However,

31
00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:10,800
Speaker 1: I thought tonight it was just an effort thing, Like

32
00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:14,760
Speaker 1: tonight was one of those nights where the effort was

33
00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:19,919
Speaker 1: the primary driving force behind the wheels coming off. UM. So, rog,

34
00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:21,440
Speaker 1: what was it like there in the building? What was

35
00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:26,240
Speaker 1: what was your initial takeaway from um from just just

36
00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:30,560
Speaker 1: how bad things went there in the second half. Yeah, So,

37
00:02:30,639 --> 00:02:33,360
Speaker 1: like being at the game, being at being at Stable Center,

38
00:02:33,919 --> 00:02:36,000
Speaker 1: you can kind of feel all of the energy the

39
00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:38,360
Speaker 1: crowd trying to give the energy to the team, And

40
00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:41,720
Speaker 1: in the first half I thought it was working pretty well. Honestly,

41
00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:44,480
Speaker 1: Like I thought Russ was just having an okay floor game.

42
00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:46,920
Speaker 1: I thought A d was incredible, and I'm over here

43
00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:48,600
Speaker 1: in my seat like taking notes, you know, I'm like

44
00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:51,840
Speaker 1: call eight, you know, nice help there, switched on, switched off,

45
00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:54,560
Speaker 1: and Carl Anthony Towns and still switched on Edwards. And

46
00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:56,200
Speaker 1: then that third I went to go get a drink.

47
00:02:56,200 --> 00:02:57,919
Speaker 1: I went back in my seat, and that third quarter

48
00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:01,120
Speaker 1: it was just hell, like the whole and again like

49
00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:04,240
Speaker 1: not just to blame it all on effort, but like

50
00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:07,000
Speaker 1: you could definitely see the body language being up close

51
00:03:07,080 --> 00:03:09,760
Speaker 1: of all the players. Once like those open three started

52
00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:12,160
Speaker 1: to miss and then called Anthony Towns when kind of

53
00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:15,760
Speaker 1: berserk with his shooting, and the defense really dropped off again.

54
00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:17,600
Speaker 1: Like it's not all effort. I don't think you can

55
00:03:17,639 --> 00:03:21,320
Speaker 1: lose a third quarter forty to twelve and just blame

56
00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:23,519
Speaker 1: it all in effort, because at some point you're getting

57
00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:26,640
Speaker 1: your ass kick and there's something has to change there.

58
00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:29,560
Speaker 1: But Minnesota just kept pushing in. We just couldn't get

59
00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:32,639
Speaker 1: any stops. We got really lethargic. All those fighting over

60
00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:35,680
Speaker 1: ball stream stopped um. All that trying to fight through

61
00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:38,800
Speaker 1: and try to contain guards all stopped. Anthony Edwards got

62
00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:42,200
Speaker 1: wherever he wanted. It opened up shooters, Um Karl Anthony Towns,

63
00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:44,880
Speaker 1: like I said, started hitting. He was going one on

64
00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:46,360
Speaker 1: one and a d a lot, and I was fine

65
00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:48,520
Speaker 1: with that. In the first half and the second half

66
00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:50,440
Speaker 1: his jumper just started to go and you could tell

67
00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:54,320
Speaker 1: it excited them. I'm not sure, like at least in person,

68
00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:57,680
Speaker 1: just seeing Minnesota going on that run, it just felt

69
00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:01,400
Speaker 1: like they just couldn't. They just could not stop them

70
00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:04,440
Speaker 1: at all, no matter what happened. And then obviously effort

71
00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:06,480
Speaker 1: kind of went into that. We missed open shots. Carmelo

72
00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:09,520
Speaker 1: was super cold, his first kind of ice cold Staples game,

73
00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:11,320
Speaker 1: I guess. I know, just being in the building, you

74
00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:13,440
Speaker 1: could tell the fans get kind of tired of it.

75
00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:14,920
Speaker 1: There's a little bit of a booing there in the

76
00:04:14,960 --> 00:04:18,359
Speaker 1: third quarter, especially when the league got really league got

77
00:04:18,400 --> 00:04:20,839
Speaker 1: really big. But that was the most initial take. My

78
00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:23,159
Speaker 1: biggest take, I guess was being there and seeing all

79
00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:24,960
Speaker 1: the guys who are injured on the bench, you know,

80
00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:28,159
Speaker 1: seeing Lebron next to Thht, next to a reason, next

81
00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:31,479
Speaker 1: to none, and then Austin Reeves behind them looking like

82
00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:34,760
Speaker 1: assistant coach uh sitting on the back behind the players.

83
00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:36,720
Speaker 1: That was kind of the thing that kind of popped out.

84
00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:38,680
Speaker 1: How many players are out, But that's no excuse to

85
00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:41,720
Speaker 1: get you know, almost forty piece tonight by Minnesota. But

86
00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:44,080
Speaker 1: that was the takeaways being there, I guess being in

87
00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:46,560
Speaker 1: the building, Um, the fans were kind of tired of it.

88
00:04:46,600 --> 00:04:48,440
Speaker 1: They were tired of the energy in that third and

89
00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:51,719
Speaker 1: I thought you could really feel them. Uh the booze

90
00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:54,280
Speaker 1: weren't loud enough. There were definitely people starting to boom

91
00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:58,559
Speaker 1: that third, you know, fans. I was actually talking about

92
00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:02,599
Speaker 1: this with one of my friends on Twitter earlier today,

93
00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:06,800
Speaker 1: this idea that you know, the most unlikable trade in

94
00:05:06,839 --> 00:05:10,880
Speaker 1: all of sports is inconsistent effort, you know, like that's why,

95
00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:13,839
Speaker 1: that's why we always get naturally drawn to guys like

96
00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:17,280
Speaker 1: Austin Reeves or like Alex Caruso. It's you know, it's

97
00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:19,840
Speaker 1: not because they're the the white guy that can jump

98
00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:22,680
Speaker 1: a little bit. It's because they play really hard all

99
00:05:22,680 --> 00:05:26,200
Speaker 1: the time. It's the most likable trade in all of sports.

100
00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:29,320
Speaker 1: It's no same reason why Gary Payton Jr. Is Is

101
00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:33,360
Speaker 1: building such a cult following with Golden State fans. It's

102
00:05:33,440 --> 00:05:35,720
Speaker 1: this this guy checks in the game and you can

103
00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:38,719
Speaker 1: depend on him to just sell his soul on every

104
00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:41,000
Speaker 1: play to try to make something happen for his team.

105
00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:45,280
Speaker 1: And so I don't necessarily blame the fans for getting upset. Obviously,

106
00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:48,040
Speaker 1: I don't like the idea of booing necessarily, uh, in

107
00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:50,960
Speaker 1: the middle of a random regular season game. But you

108
00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:54,240
Speaker 1: know where I thought, where I thought things got off

109
00:05:54,279 --> 00:05:57,040
Speaker 1: the rail got off the rails has to do with

110
00:05:57,080 --> 00:06:00,760
Speaker 1: this concept of comfort in basketball. It's actually something that

111
00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:03,320
Speaker 1: I'm trying to sell it to the high school kids

112
00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:05,560
Speaker 1: and I'm coaching right now. This this idea that if

113
00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:09,000
Speaker 1: you from the opening tip in a game really really

114
00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:13,600
Speaker 1: apply ball pressure, like intense ball pressure, then even the

115
00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:16,920
Speaker 1: best of players in the world, even if they are

116
00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:19,719
Speaker 1: capable of getting to their spots and making some shots

117
00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:23,839
Speaker 1: here and there, they're gonna be largely uncomfortable during the game.

118
00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:28,159
Speaker 1: And uh, there's a reason why Karl Anthony Towns gets going.

119
00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:31,320
Speaker 1: It starts making a bunch of threes. And there's a

120
00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:34,800
Speaker 1: reason why D'angela Russell gets going and starts hitting. Every

121
00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:36,640
Speaker 1: time they go, you know, under a pick and roll

122
00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:38,839
Speaker 1: or get caught on the screen, it's because they get comfortable.

123
00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:42,599
Speaker 1: And when you allow good basketball players to be comfortable,

124
00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:45,520
Speaker 1: especially ones that are as talented as these guys are.

125
00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:49,080
Speaker 1: They're just going to get hot eventually. It's like guaranteed

126
00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:51,320
Speaker 1: to happen, you know, when you when you pull a

127
00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:54,720
Speaker 1: random Steph Curry game and you organize all the field

128
00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:57,800
Speaker 1: goal percentages from the highest the lowest, chances are if

129
00:06:57,800 --> 00:07:00,440
Speaker 1: you watch the tape, the ones where he's lower are

130
00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:01,880
Speaker 1: going to be the ones where the teams do a

131
00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:04,480
Speaker 1: better job of making him feel uncomfortable, and the ones

132
00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:05,960
Speaker 1: where he's higher are going to be the ones where

133
00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:08,960
Speaker 1: the teams didn't apply a lot of ball pressure, didn't

134
00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:11,720
Speaker 1: apply a lot of physical, you know, pressure off the

135
00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:15,440
Speaker 1: ball that to make him feel uncomfortable as the game

136
00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:17,480
Speaker 1: is progressing. And that's not just a Steph thing. That's

137
00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:20,120
Speaker 1: with every star, And I thought that's what happens to night.

138
00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:22,520
Speaker 1: And the reason why it got so out of hand

139
00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:25,840
Speaker 1: is on the other end of the floor, the Wolves

140
00:07:25,840 --> 00:07:29,679
Speaker 1: did a fantastic job applying ball pressure. Even Anthony Davis's

141
00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:32,360
Speaker 1: jump shots that he was taking were far more contested

142
00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:35,200
Speaker 1: than the ones Karl Anthony Towns was taken, which is

143
00:07:35,240 --> 00:07:37,440
Speaker 1: wild when you consider the gap between the two of

144
00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:41,400
Speaker 1: them as shooters. They were up in up in russ

145
00:07:41,400 --> 00:07:44,440
Speaker 1: you know, Pat Beverley was applying ball pressure as the

146
00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:47,160
Speaker 1: ball was being brought up the floor. You know, on

147
00:07:47,320 --> 00:07:50,000
Speaker 1: every catch they were bumping you off balance. There were

148
00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:53,480
Speaker 1: a bunch of players where Anthony Davis would start on

149
00:07:53,520 --> 00:07:55,240
Speaker 1: the block and come off of like a pin down

150
00:07:55,280 --> 00:07:57,000
Speaker 1: or something to try to catch at the elbow. And

151
00:07:57,320 --> 00:07:58,920
Speaker 1: when you would catch at the elbow, you'd have to

152
00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:01,040
Speaker 1: like extend to the ball and quick twist and get

153
00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:04,200
Speaker 1: his hips around to shield the defender, because the defenders

154
00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:06,960
Speaker 1: just right there, like right in his shorts, trying to

155
00:08:07,040 --> 00:08:10,080
Speaker 1: make him feel uncomfortable. And so you know, that sort

156
00:08:10,120 --> 00:08:13,680
Speaker 1: of thing I thought manifested in that third quarter to

157
00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:18,640
Speaker 1: the Lakers feeling deeply uncomfortable, which caused them to because

158
00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:21,040
Speaker 1: they were lazy and out of you know, because their

159
00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:24,240
Speaker 1: legs weren't there because they were fatigued from what's spent

160
00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:28,239
Speaker 1: a long week. They then resorted to settling for jump shots.

161
00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:30,800
Speaker 1: And that's that can't happen with that a D at

162
00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:32,600
Speaker 1: the five lineup, But the d s at the five

163
00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:36,200
Speaker 1: that needs to be a dribble drive attack type of offense.

164
00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:39,120
Speaker 1: And there just was no rim pressure there was none

165
00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:41,840
Speaker 1: of that because they were uncomfortable and because they were fatigued.

166
00:08:41,920 --> 00:08:43,840
Speaker 1: But I want to give Minnesota a lot of credit

167
00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:48,840
Speaker 1: because they simply outplayed the Lakers, particularly at the point

168
00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:51,600
Speaker 1: of attack anytime anybody had the ball, in terms of

169
00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:57,280
Speaker 1: just the level of discomfort they were afflicting on their opponent. Yeah,

170
00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:00,280
Speaker 1: Like in person, you can really tell Minnesota was super

171
00:09:00,280 --> 00:09:03,000
Speaker 1: physical to start this game, especially at the point of attack.

172
00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:07,200
Speaker 1: We started Wayne Ellington, another non ball handler, Avery Bradley

173
00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:09,440
Speaker 1: as well, right, not like a ball handler. Even Russ,

174
00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:12,280
Speaker 1: they made it difficult for him. They were super physical early.

175
00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:14,880
Speaker 1: I thought that's why we really couldn't score. It was

176
00:09:14,880 --> 00:09:17,280
Speaker 1: a super low scoring first quarter, I believe. I think

177
00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:19,560
Speaker 1: in the second quarter we picked it up a little bit.

178
00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:22,040
Speaker 1: But yeah, they did a great job there. But I mean,

179
00:09:22,120 --> 00:09:25,160
Speaker 1: like there's a difference between like what the other team

180
00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:28,480
Speaker 1: does and what you yourself can do to control it. Right, Like,

181
00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:31,320
Speaker 1: It's just that third quarter to me was more on

182
00:09:31,360 --> 00:09:34,160
Speaker 1: the Lakers and than what anything Minnesota was doing to me.

183
00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:36,520
Speaker 1: But yeah, you're right. To start that game, they did

184
00:09:36,520 --> 00:09:38,480
Speaker 1: a great job being physical. I thought a d gets

185
00:09:38,520 --> 00:09:40,920
Speaker 1: pushed out of his spots a lot um and they

186
00:09:40,920 --> 00:09:43,800
Speaker 1: did that again tonight. Towns was super physical down though.

187
00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:45,439
Speaker 1: I thought he had a great first quarter though. He

188
00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:49,000
Speaker 1: was running the floor, catching lobs um, you know, dominating

189
00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:52,040
Speaker 1: inside with the offensive rebounds. But like this offense where

190
00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:54,560
Speaker 1: we're just doing these trible handoffs, like it looks super

191
00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:57,480
Speaker 1: it looks even uglier in person, I just wish they

192
00:09:57,520 --> 00:10:00,280
Speaker 1: went straight russ a D pick and roll. To ask

193
00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:02,360
Speaker 1: you about rust because I thought tonight I looked at

194
00:10:02,360 --> 00:10:04,640
Speaker 1: his you know, his box score at halftime wasn't great.

195
00:10:04,679 --> 00:10:07,480
Speaker 1: It was like seven points I think three assists or

196
00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:09,360
Speaker 1: something like that. He got a lot of it in

197
00:10:09,400 --> 00:10:13,200
Speaker 1: garbage time tonight, which doesn't really afflict reflect his uh

198
00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:15,760
Speaker 1: his stats from from tonight, but just how did it

199
00:10:15,800 --> 00:10:17,680
Speaker 1: look on TV? I guess because in person, I thought

200
00:10:17,679 --> 00:10:20,800
Speaker 1: he was playing a pretty good, uh floor game, like

201
00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:23,240
Speaker 1: he wasn't forcing things. I think he took his first

202
00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:26,080
Speaker 1: three like with like six minutes left in the third,

203
00:10:26,120 --> 00:10:27,760
Speaker 1: if I'm correct, I think it was only like one

204
00:10:27,840 --> 00:10:30,000
Speaker 1: or two threes um, but they were all late in

205
00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:32,680
Speaker 1: the second half. I thought he was trying to find eighty,

206
00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:35,079
Speaker 1: trying to force it into him. They had nice actions

207
00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:36,960
Speaker 1: where they got Wayne Ellenking a bunch of looks. He

208
00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:39,160
Speaker 1: wasn't mind positive for tonight. I guess we can save

209
00:10:39,240 --> 00:10:41,280
Speaker 1: the positives for a little later. This is more of

210
00:10:41,280 --> 00:10:43,160
Speaker 1: a negative kind of game. But what you kind of

211
00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:45,320
Speaker 1: see from Russ because I feel like in that first

212
00:10:45,360 --> 00:10:47,559
Speaker 1: half I thought he was doing okay um and then

213
00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:49,200
Speaker 1: that third quarter he was a big part of the

214
00:10:49,679 --> 00:10:53,600
Speaker 1: just let's just stop caring anymore. After Minnesota I think

215
00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:57,000
Speaker 1: went up nine, and basically the Lakers just they decided

216
00:10:57,040 --> 00:10:59,120
Speaker 1: to pack it in as pretty much as a team,

217
00:10:59,160 --> 00:11:01,200
Speaker 1: as a group effort, the whole team kind of packed

218
00:11:01,200 --> 00:11:02,520
Speaker 1: it in. But what did you see from rest of night?

219
00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:04,880
Speaker 1: I thought Russ was fantastic. In the first half. He

220
00:11:04,960 --> 00:11:09,280
Speaker 1: did an outstanding job of applying rim pressure and creating

221
00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:11,960
Speaker 1: high qualitum shots, which is something that doesn't always show

222
00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:15,040
Speaker 1: up on the box score, especially when you have multiple

223
00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:17,600
Speaker 1: shooters on the floor and the defense will do a

224
00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:20,800
Speaker 1: good job of rotating on the first pass, but fall

225
00:11:20,840 --> 00:11:22,800
Speaker 1: apart on the second or third pass and you'll get

226
00:11:22,800 --> 00:11:24,640
Speaker 1: a good shot out of it. You know, This is

227
00:11:24,679 --> 00:11:27,680
Speaker 1: something that I talked a lot about in the last pod,

228
00:11:28,080 --> 00:11:31,840
Speaker 1: This idea that if you allow it Russ to play

229
00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:35,120
Speaker 1: in space to start the game with a D at

230
00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:39,000
Speaker 1: the five, he'll get a couple of easy baskets early

231
00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:42,040
Speaker 1: in the game that will give him the confidence to

232
00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:44,560
Speaker 1: channel that throughout the rest of the game. And he

233
00:11:44,559 --> 00:11:47,240
Speaker 1: really did for most of the first half, for really

234
00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:52,200
Speaker 1: the entire first half, he was especially after that first stretch,

235
00:11:52,240 --> 00:11:55,880
Speaker 1: after his first stint when he got in um in

236
00:11:56,000 --> 00:11:58,840
Speaker 1: the second quarter, he was doing an outstanding job of

237
00:11:58,960 --> 00:12:01,720
Speaker 1: just beating guys off the ribble and making that kickout

238
00:12:01,760 --> 00:12:03,560
Speaker 1: pass to whether it was baysed More on the wing

239
00:12:03,679 --> 00:12:05,680
Speaker 1: or whether it was Monk on the wing or whether

240
00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:07,880
Speaker 1: it was Mellow on the wing, and then those guys

241
00:12:07,960 --> 00:12:11,040
Speaker 1: would make simple little close out reads out of that,

242
00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:14,240
Speaker 1: and it all looked really good. But for whatever reason,

243
00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:17,559
Speaker 1: in the third quarter, he just wasn't getting to the rim.

244
00:12:17,600 --> 00:12:19,840
Speaker 1: And it's hard to say what caused that. I'd have

245
00:12:19,880 --> 00:12:22,680
Speaker 1: to go back and look at the film. Obviously, you

246
00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:27,080
Speaker 1: know our you know, a friend from La far Darius Oriano,

247
00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:29,840
Speaker 1: believes it's associated with fatigue and the fact that they've

248
00:12:29,840 --> 00:12:33,080
Speaker 1: had a long week and the fact that, um, you know,

249
00:12:33,160 --> 00:12:35,240
Speaker 1: when you have an older team like this, they're just

250
00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:37,360
Speaker 1: more susceptible to that kind of thing. But I think

251
00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:39,840
Speaker 1: it was a combination of both. Like you know, I

252
00:12:39,880 --> 00:12:43,440
Speaker 1: think you'd like to, in theory see that type of

253
00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:48,080
Speaker 1: fatigue manifest more in shots not following, because then at

254
00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:50,000
Speaker 1: least you can trust the process, Right, Like, if we're

255
00:12:50,080 --> 00:12:53,040
Speaker 1: running good stuff and we're driving and kicking and we

256
00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:55,600
Speaker 1: got good motion and we're kicking to shooters and they're

257
00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:58,320
Speaker 1: just missing shots, at least then you can say, hey,

258
00:12:58,520 --> 00:13:02,240
Speaker 1: we we we had good process. The results just weren't there.

259
00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:05,160
Speaker 1: But that same drivel penetration that was there in the

260
00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:08,280
Speaker 1: first half was not there in the second half. And

261
00:13:08,520 --> 00:13:10,920
Speaker 1: that's the best way to get out of a slump

262
00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:14,360
Speaker 1: or to get out of a bad run like that, right,

263
00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:16,640
Speaker 1: you know, I always talk about how when you're when

264
00:13:16,679 --> 00:13:18,920
Speaker 1: you're in adversity, you have to fall back on your habits,

265
00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:21,160
Speaker 1: right when when the other team has it going and

266
00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:24,120
Speaker 1: you don't, the only way to flip the script is

267
00:13:24,160 --> 00:13:27,000
Speaker 1: to fall back on good habits that you've established. So,

268
00:13:27,080 --> 00:13:29,680
Speaker 1: for instance, like I said earlier, if Karl Anthony Towns

269
00:13:29,679 --> 00:13:31,960
Speaker 1: has made a couple of threes in D'angela, Russell has

270
00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:33,600
Speaker 1: made a couple of threes, or Anthony Edwards has made

271
00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:36,120
Speaker 1: a couple of threes. All you can do, all you

272
00:13:36,160 --> 00:13:39,520
Speaker 1: can hope to to turn that tide is to make

273
00:13:39,559 --> 00:13:42,080
Speaker 1: them feel uncomfortable. They might make a couple more if

274
00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:45,080
Speaker 1: they're still hot, but if you continue to make them

275
00:13:45,120 --> 00:13:47,880
Speaker 1: feel uncomfortable and you continue to play solid defense, they

276
00:13:47,920 --> 00:13:50,760
Speaker 1: will start missing, because every player in the history of

277
00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:54,440
Speaker 1: basketball will eventually start missing if you play solid defense

278
00:13:54,480 --> 00:13:57,080
Speaker 1: on them. And then on the other end, same thing. Okay,

279
00:13:57,080 --> 00:13:58,840
Speaker 1: if you miss the three, that's fine. Did you have

280
00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:01,880
Speaker 1: good process? Was it just swinging around on the perimeter

281
00:14:02,240 --> 00:14:04,800
Speaker 1: and a guy just jacking the first time he had

282
00:14:04,840 --> 00:14:07,320
Speaker 1: an into breathing room or was it a paint touch.

283
00:14:07,679 --> 00:14:09,360
Speaker 1: Did you get the ball into the paint and they

284
00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:12,200
Speaker 1: kick it out. The difference between those two is, if

285
00:14:12,240 --> 00:14:15,840
Speaker 1: you're driving into the paint and kicking it out, chances

286
00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:18,120
Speaker 1: are the shooter is already squared up to the rim.

287
00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:20,600
Speaker 1: Chances are the shooter doesn't have to do anything weird

288
00:14:20,640 --> 00:14:23,000
Speaker 1: with his vision to find the rim because he's already

289
00:14:23,040 --> 00:14:25,880
Speaker 1: looking at the rim, And chances are he's balanced and

290
00:14:25,880 --> 00:14:28,560
Speaker 1: has his momentum moving towards the basket, and it's probably

291
00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:32,320
Speaker 1: a higher quality shot. That process just got so jacked

292
00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:35,400
Speaker 1: up in the second half, they let Minnesota stay comfortable,

293
00:14:35,680 --> 00:14:38,400
Speaker 1: and on the other end, they were not generating the

294
00:14:38,440 --> 00:14:41,120
Speaker 1: same quality shots that they were in the first half,

295
00:14:41,160 --> 00:14:44,720
Speaker 1: and a couple that with the effort falling off, and

296
00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:48,200
Speaker 1: what you have is a forty twelve quarter. But to

297
00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:52,240
Speaker 1: answer your question, Russ looked great, just like everyone looked great.

298
00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:54,800
Speaker 1: Anthony Davis was better than Carl Anthony Downs in the

299
00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:57,600
Speaker 1: first half, but in this but in the second half,

300
00:14:57,640 --> 00:15:01,120
Speaker 1: Carl Anthony Towns was many, many, many levels better than

301
00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:04,640
Speaker 1: Anthony Davis. And Russell Westperk completely fell apart and everybody

302
00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:07,320
Speaker 1: fell apart, and that's out went. So I mean, take

303
00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:09,960
Speaker 1: take from that what you want. It's a highly unusual

304
00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:12,680
Speaker 1: game in that respect, because there was some real good

305
00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:15,360
Speaker 1: in that first half. I thought the Lakers on several

306
00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:18,000
Speaker 1: different occasions had a chance to get it up to

307
00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:20,840
Speaker 1: double digits and they just couldn't make a couple of

308
00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:23,800
Speaker 1: plays here and there. But it's definitely a funky one

309
00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:27,840
Speaker 1: in that respect. Yeah, I mean, I don't want to

310
00:15:27,840 --> 00:15:30,760
Speaker 1: throw this whole game out as negative. Sometimes these third

311
00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:33,200
Speaker 1: quarters do happen. I don't like that it's kind of

312
00:15:33,200 --> 00:15:36,040
Speaker 1: become a theme a little bit like they had a okay,

313
00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:38,840
Speaker 1: see had a big run on us twice actually again

314
00:15:38,880 --> 00:15:42,240
Speaker 1: tonight against Minnesota. But I was like in my notes,

315
00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:44,600
Speaker 1: like the first play of the game where we scored

316
00:15:44,640 --> 00:15:46,480
Speaker 1: our first field goal was you know, they had an

317
00:15:46,520 --> 00:15:48,920
Speaker 1: a D. Russ pick and roll, and then since the

318
00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:50,800
Speaker 1: pain was empty, Russ was able to get to the

319
00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:52,840
Speaker 1: basket get a layup and then another one. I think

320
00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:54,840
Speaker 1: he had Dwight Howard on the floor with him as

321
00:15:54,880 --> 00:15:56,720
Speaker 1: the only big He got to the rim and got

322
00:15:56,720 --> 00:15:59,640
Speaker 1: a lay up, and he was he looked really comfortable

323
00:15:59,680 --> 00:16:01,640
Speaker 1: attack in the rim and that way, and that's why

324
00:16:01,680 --> 00:16:04,120
Speaker 1: we start eighty at the five to get him comfortable.

325
00:16:04,120 --> 00:16:06,640
Speaker 1: But like, I don't know, I'm kind of in between

326
00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:09,200
Speaker 1: this where like Russ has to play his game and

327
00:16:09,240 --> 00:16:13,040
Speaker 1: also we kind of need his counting stats with Lebron out,

328
00:16:13,080 --> 00:16:14,200
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. Like that's where I was

329
00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:16,800
Speaker 1: wrestling with during the game live. I looked up, I'm like,

330
00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:19,680
Speaker 1: we're playing really well. We're up five, but Russ has

331
00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:21,880
Speaker 1: like seven points, three assist And in my head, like

332
00:16:21,920 --> 00:16:23,440
Speaker 1: I thought we were playing well at half time, but

333
00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:26,080
Speaker 1: I was just thinking, like that's not sustainable for us

334
00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:27,880
Speaker 1: right now with the talent we have like he needs

335
00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:30,480
Speaker 1: to produce at a more at a higher level um

336
00:16:30,560 --> 00:16:33,000
Speaker 1: and that's kind of how the game went. He continued

337
00:16:33,040 --> 00:16:35,560
Speaker 1: to kind of stay at that seventy point kind of

338
00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:37,640
Speaker 1: it kind of stayed at that point level, and then

339
00:16:37,840 --> 00:16:40,080
Speaker 1: Minnesota went on and went on their run. We had

340
00:16:40,080 --> 00:16:42,600
Speaker 1: a super cold stretch and maybe you just throw that

341
00:16:42,640 --> 00:16:45,880
Speaker 1: third quarter out to fatigue, But it just happens too

342
00:16:45,960 --> 00:16:47,800
Speaker 1: often for me to just throw it out because they

343
00:16:47,800 --> 00:16:49,920
Speaker 1: played an overtime game a couple of days ago. Like

344
00:16:49,960 --> 00:16:53,000
Speaker 1: these offensive droughts happened way too often for me. And

345
00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:55,360
Speaker 1: maybe that's just a function of the offense. Maybe that's

346
00:16:55,400 --> 00:16:57,520
Speaker 1: a function of Lebron not playing our guards out. But

347
00:16:57,560 --> 00:17:00,400
Speaker 1: it is happening a little bit uh to often for

348
00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:03,360
Speaker 1: me to just just throw this as effort. But you know,

349
00:17:03,400 --> 00:17:05,840
Speaker 1: if the team's not caring, like it wasn't definitely a

350
00:17:05,880 --> 00:17:08,800
Speaker 1: combination of like the lineup, the team not caring, and

351
00:17:08,920 --> 00:17:11,880
Speaker 1: Minnesota getting hot. It was like a perfect storm. That's

352
00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:14,000
Speaker 1: not an excuse for them, it's just what I saw live,

353
00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:17,040
Speaker 1: and I saw the body language completely dropped there in

354
00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:19,280
Speaker 1: that in that third quarter, and some of the lineups

355
00:17:19,320 --> 00:17:23,000
Speaker 1: in that second half, like the rondo Westbrook um A

356
00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:25,800
Speaker 1: D and Dwight lineups were just head scratching to me,

357
00:17:26,440 --> 00:17:29,919
Speaker 1: maybe vocal just experimenting, but yeah, Like it's tough to

358
00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:32,160
Speaker 1: take from games like this, like if both of us

359
00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:35,639
Speaker 1: like to go back and rewatch games and the third quarter, Like,

360
00:17:35,680 --> 00:17:37,440
Speaker 1: I just don't know what you do with that kind

361
00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:39,240
Speaker 1: of that kind of film, you know what I mean?

362
00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:41,200
Speaker 1: Like do you just throw that out? Do you only

363
00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:43,359
Speaker 1: take the first half from here? Because they tried in

364
00:17:43,400 --> 00:17:45,320
Speaker 1: the first half, you know what I mean. Like it's tough.

365
00:17:45,680 --> 00:17:47,360
Speaker 1: Even when I'm there at the game, I'm like, oh,

366
00:17:47,359 --> 00:17:49,119
Speaker 1: we're down twelve, but this game is over. Like I

367
00:17:49,359 --> 00:17:51,640
Speaker 1: could just feel where the game was going. So that's

368
00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:53,280
Speaker 1: kind of how this one went. I guess. Yeah, I

369
00:17:53,320 --> 00:17:55,679
Speaker 1: would throw out the film too. I mean, you know,

370
00:17:56,080 --> 00:18:00,800
Speaker 1: what can you learn about strategy when there's not effort

371
00:18:01,480 --> 00:18:03,760
Speaker 1: behind it to support it, you know you know what

372
00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:07,080
Speaker 1: I mean? And you know you like to your point

373
00:18:07,119 --> 00:18:10,320
Speaker 1: about Russ and his aggression. I can't fault the guy

374
00:18:10,359 --> 00:18:14,720
Speaker 1: when I've been begging him all year to make basketball reads,

375
00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:17,919
Speaker 1: like real basketball reads, like reading the teens, and the

376
00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:21,800
Speaker 1: defense was collapsing when he would drive to the rim.

377
00:18:22,200 --> 00:18:24,240
Speaker 1: What I don't remember. And again, I'd have to go

378
00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:26,000
Speaker 1: back and look at the film, but I don't remember

379
00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:28,960
Speaker 1: a play or rush robe into the paint and passed

380
00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:31,280
Speaker 1: on a driving lane, or passed on an opportunity to

381
00:18:31,280 --> 00:18:33,760
Speaker 1: get all the way to the rim just to force

382
00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:35,520
Speaker 1: it to some shooter on the wing. He was just

383
00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:38,719
Speaker 1: making reads and that's that's all we that's all we

384
00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:40,439
Speaker 1: can ask him to do. But you did make a

385
00:18:40,480 --> 00:18:43,399
Speaker 1: really interesting point about their effort, because, like you said,

386
00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:46,320
Speaker 1: if this was a one off, if this was a

387
00:18:46,320 --> 00:18:50,919
Speaker 1: team that had consistent effort and for whatever reason it

388
00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:55,040
Speaker 1: just didn't materialize tonight, then you could fall back and say, hey,

389
00:18:55,240 --> 00:18:58,159
Speaker 1: you know, this is just one of those nights. But

390
00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:01,880
Speaker 1: as we've talked about, this team kind of has an identity,

391
00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:05,040
Speaker 1: and not the good kind. This team has an identity

392
00:19:05,119 --> 00:19:08,919
Speaker 1: in that they are inconsistent with their effort. They have

393
00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:12,200
Speaker 1: an identity in that they are inconsistent in their willingness

394
00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:15,919
Speaker 1: to do the dirty work, in their willingness to physically

395
00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:18,879
Speaker 1: put their imprint on the game. You know, like Anthony Davis,

396
00:19:18,920 --> 00:19:21,800
Speaker 1: it's like, you know, uh, He'll go through these five

397
00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:27,399
Speaker 1: ten minutes stretches where he's just absolutely manhandling everybody on

398
00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:30,320
Speaker 1: the floor and there's nothing anybody can do with them.

399
00:19:30,359 --> 00:19:32,160
Speaker 1: But then he'll go through a five minute stretch where

400
00:19:32,160 --> 00:19:34,400
Speaker 1: he's kind of just floating around, you know what I mean.

401
00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:37,800
Speaker 1: So when that happens in a pivotal moment, are we

402
00:19:37,840 --> 00:19:40,320
Speaker 1: going to sit there and say, you know, well, I

403
00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:42,480
Speaker 1: think Davis just had a bad five minute stretch, or

404
00:19:42,480 --> 00:19:44,159
Speaker 1: are you gonna sit there and say, like, this is

405
00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:45,960
Speaker 1: kind of like what he does? You know what I mean?

406
00:19:46,280 --> 00:19:49,040
Speaker 1: That's that That's that's what happens. What you know, the

407
00:19:49,320 --> 00:19:53,000
Speaker 1: best indicator of future performances past performance. So if I

408
00:19:53,080 --> 00:19:55,479
Speaker 1: told you that over the course of the next ten games,

409
00:19:55,760 --> 00:19:57,760
Speaker 1: the Lakers were going to have three games where they

410
00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:00,920
Speaker 1: brought absolutely trash effort and they lost to a team

411
00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:03,679
Speaker 1: they probably should have beat, would you be surprised or

412
00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:06,080
Speaker 1: would that just be more of what this team has

413
00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:08,439
Speaker 1: kind of established as who they are, you know what

414
00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:10,719
Speaker 1: I mean? And that's the that's the concerning part to me.

415
00:20:10,760 --> 00:20:13,000
Speaker 1: And that's you know, again, like we've talked about this

416
00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:15,280
Speaker 1: in a bunch of different ways or throughout the season,

417
00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:17,800
Speaker 1: like is it related to coaching and buy in? I

418
00:20:17,840 --> 00:20:20,119
Speaker 1: don't know. If you ask me gun to my head, Like,

419
00:20:20,359 --> 00:20:24,760
Speaker 1: do these players seem to be committed to doing the

420
00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:28,280
Speaker 1: job the way that they used to be under Frank

421
00:20:28,320 --> 00:20:31,720
Speaker 1: in the previous two seasons. No, they absolutely are not.

422
00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:34,440
Speaker 1: But I don't know if that's a coaching thing, or

423
00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:36,959
Speaker 1: if it's just a personnel thing, or if it's just

424
00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:40,680
Speaker 1: a These are the we mixed up with some different

425
00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:44,000
Speaker 1: different personalities in the locker room, and these personalities are

426
00:20:44,080 --> 00:20:46,879
Speaker 1: less consistent with their focus and effort. I don't know.

427
00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:50,560
Speaker 1: I genuinely don't know. Um. I can have a theory,

428
00:20:51,119 --> 00:20:53,880
Speaker 1: you know. My theory is that this group isn't bought

429
00:20:53,880 --> 00:20:57,000
Speaker 1: into Frank for whatever reason. But that's not founded on evidence.

430
00:20:57,480 --> 00:20:59,320
Speaker 1: That's just a theory, you know what I mean. So

431
00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:02,119
Speaker 1: it's hard to say. But but you're I'm glad you

432
00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:04,560
Speaker 1: pointed at that out rage because that's so important. Like this,

433
00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:08,960
Speaker 1: this is not Lakers happened to drop a couple of

434
00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:11,200
Speaker 1: games in a row around Christmas because they just kind

435
00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:12,560
Speaker 1: of were in a little bit of a funk. No,

436
00:21:12,760 --> 00:21:15,800
Speaker 1: this has been the story of the season for this team.

437
00:21:15,840 --> 00:21:17,760
Speaker 1: You know. The differences is when you do it to

438
00:21:17,800 --> 00:21:20,159
Speaker 1: Oklahoma City, you still have a chance to win at

439
00:21:20,160 --> 00:21:22,040
Speaker 1: the end and maybe you'll get lucky. But when you

440
00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:24,399
Speaker 1: do it against a team that's half decent, against a

441
00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:26,720
Speaker 1: team that has some all star level talent on the floor,

442
00:21:26,800 --> 00:21:30,040
Speaker 1: they will blow your freaking doors off. Man and and

443
00:21:30,040 --> 00:21:36,000
Speaker 1: and that's what happened. Yeah, in Minnesota's like they haven't

444
00:21:36,119 --> 00:21:38,560
Speaker 1: played well the last few games, but they're a real team.

445
00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:41,359
Speaker 1: Like they're a solid, you know, offensive lane, a team

446
00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:43,639
Speaker 1: that can really break you. And while I was watching

447
00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:45,399
Speaker 1: the game, I'm like, man, and again, I want to

448
00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:47,480
Speaker 1: give a D credit at least for the first half,

449
00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:50,640
Speaker 1: because I thought it was absolutely absurd. Um. Again, he's

450
00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:53,960
Speaker 1: surrounded by a lot of you know, below average guards.

451
00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:58,040
Speaker 1: Um when watching Rondo Ellington Monk all out that together

452
00:21:58,080 --> 00:21:59,520
Speaker 1: next to a D and he has to clean up

453
00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:01,560
Speaker 1: all of that. I don't know how fair that is,

454
00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:03,840
Speaker 1: like for him, I guess to do that all game

455
00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:06,960
Speaker 1: that that's really tiring, switching out helping here, you know,

456
00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:10,119
Speaker 1: blocking here, Um, a lot of like blocks at the

457
00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:13,480
Speaker 1: RAM while also switching out to Anthony Edwards. And we

458
00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:16,239
Speaker 1: just play a lot of like defensive a lot of

459
00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:19,440
Speaker 1: low out, low blow average defensive guards. And maybe that's

460
00:22:19,440 --> 00:22:21,240
Speaker 1: just what's gonna happen right now. Like I thought, Malik

461
00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:24,640
Speaker 1: Monk and Wayne Ellington, we're fine defensively in that first half,

462
00:22:25,119 --> 00:22:27,480
Speaker 1: but maybe just expecting that for a full game is

463
00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:31,119
Speaker 1: just not realistic. Also, a Monk was super cold today. Uh,

464
00:22:31,400 --> 00:22:32,880
Speaker 1: get a couple of shots go in, but I thought,

465
00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:35,320
Speaker 1: you know, missed a lot of open ones our guards

466
00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:38,719
Speaker 1: man in transition, Like if it's not Russ or Lebron

467
00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:42,960
Speaker 1: leading the break, it's just an absolute adventure even in person.

468
00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:46,879
Speaker 1: Some of the passes when Avery Bradley, Malik, Monk, Baysmore

469
00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:50,080
Speaker 1: trying to run transition, just a lot of wild stuff

470
00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:51,800
Speaker 1: with our guards And maybe that's just a factor of

471
00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:54,720
Speaker 1: getting our shot creators back against staring at th Ht

472
00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:57,000
Speaker 1: and Lebron on the bench. The whole game was kind

473
00:22:57,040 --> 00:22:59,800
Speaker 1: of sad watching us, you know, babble balls all out

474
00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:02,679
Speaker 1: all over the floor. But yeah, like I don't know,

475
00:23:02,720 --> 00:23:04,119
Speaker 1: like this team is not gonna be able to be

476
00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:06,959
Speaker 1: a top you know five defensive team. I think they

477
00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:09,240
Speaker 1: were going in the right direction. They were playing well,

478
00:23:09,800 --> 00:23:11,960
Speaker 1: and I was hoping that Miami game was something to

479
00:23:12,040 --> 00:23:13,520
Speaker 1: kind of build off of, and I thought that's what

480
00:23:13,600 --> 00:23:15,520
Speaker 1: that first half was. So if you want to throw

481
00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:17,760
Speaker 1: out the second half and if you want to just build,

482
00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:19,960
Speaker 1: and that's not how basketball works at all, obviously, But

483
00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:22,480
Speaker 1: if you just pilled from that Miami game to like

484
00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:25,280
Speaker 1: the first half of tonight, there's something there. But you

485
00:23:25,280 --> 00:23:27,320
Speaker 1: know this, the second halfs like, like you said, I've

486
00:23:27,359 --> 00:23:30,119
Speaker 1: just been happening too often where we just lay down,

487
00:23:30,240 --> 00:23:32,399
Speaker 1: Like I understand, we're out four or five guys. That

488
00:23:32,440 --> 00:23:34,600
Speaker 1: makes sense. That doesn't give you the right to be

489
00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:36,720
Speaker 1: forty piece five Minnesota, you know what I mean, Like

490
00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:39,000
Speaker 1: they were way too comfortable and there's got to be

491
00:23:39,119 --> 00:23:41,960
Speaker 1: some kind of competitiveness there that kicks in. And maybe

492
00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:44,480
Speaker 1: that's just a lack of that that's combined with the

493
00:23:44,560 --> 00:23:46,639
Speaker 1: lack of defensive identity, you know what I mean, Like

494
00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:50,160
Speaker 1: those two are kind of intertwined in a way. But yeah,

495
00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:51,800
Speaker 1: I feel like this is where we're gonna keep seeing. Man,

496
00:23:51,840 --> 00:24:01,760
Speaker 1: I think we play we play Chicago next. I think Okay, okay, yes,

497
00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:03,960
Speaker 1: the Spurs and Spurs and the president of the team

498
00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:06,119
Speaker 1: a good team. They're not, you know, they're not a

499
00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:07,840
Speaker 1: they might not make the playoffs, but they're just a

500
00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:10,159
Speaker 1: solid team that comes with the baseline level of effort

501
00:24:10,320 --> 00:24:12,040
Speaker 1: every game that you have to be ready for as well,

502
00:24:12,080 --> 00:24:14,119
Speaker 1: so like I don't know, like maybe this is just

503
00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:17,280
Speaker 1: what we're gonna get until the healthy guys comes back. Um,

504
00:24:17,400 --> 00:24:19,600
Speaker 1: but you know, there's no real word on when that is.

505
00:24:19,920 --> 00:24:22,000
Speaker 1: So that's why I'm kind of tired of just using

506
00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:24,240
Speaker 1: that as an excuse. And DeAndre jordan't even played tonight,

507
00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:28,320
Speaker 1: like the skate Coat didn't even play to night either,

508
00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:30,520
Speaker 1: so you can't even blame him for this. So this

509
00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:32,560
Speaker 1: is a yeah, this is just a trash effor in

510
00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:34,120
Speaker 1: the second half, and maybe that's all it is. Maybe

511
00:24:34,280 --> 00:24:37,280
Speaker 1: we're over analyzing that, but I don't think that's acceptable

512
00:24:37,359 --> 00:24:39,639
Speaker 1: with it. No, I I agree, I you know, I

513
00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:41,919
Speaker 1: like I said, I have no problem with the fans

514
00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:44,159
Speaker 1: booing when when you know they paid good money to

515
00:24:44,160 --> 00:24:46,199
Speaker 1: go see. Like I ad made a joke reminded me

516
00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:49,600
Speaker 1: of the Squid game scene where where he is in

517
00:24:49,720 --> 00:24:53,320
Speaker 1: that like subway station and the dudes like playing the

518
00:24:53,359 --> 00:24:55,600
Speaker 1: game with him, and he's like, he's like, I'll let

519
00:24:55,600 --> 00:24:57,159
Speaker 1: you play again if you let me hit you in

520
00:24:57,200 --> 00:24:58,960
Speaker 1: the face as hard as I can, and like the

521
00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:01,200
Speaker 1: dude just keep playing and the guy just keeps hitting

522
00:25:01,240 --> 00:25:03,639
Speaker 1: him in the face, and like when you're watching the scene,

523
00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:05,600
Speaker 1: it's kind of like a little uncomfortable, like you kind

524
00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:08,480
Speaker 1: of are waiting for the main character to kind of

525
00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:10,560
Speaker 1: flip out and just start, you know, beating the ship

526
00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:12,159
Speaker 1: out of the guy just because he's sick of the

527
00:25:12,160 --> 00:25:14,320
Speaker 1: sick of losing and sick of getting hit. But it

528
00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:16,440
Speaker 1: just doesn't happen, you know. And that's kind of the

529
00:25:16,480 --> 00:25:19,440
Speaker 1: way this game was. Like as it's like, okay, you're

530
00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:22,400
Speaker 1: you're up at halftime. Now you're downy. Now you're down

531
00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:26,399
Speaker 1: four can Now you're down seven, okay, Now you're down twelve. Okay,

532
00:25:26,400 --> 00:25:29,320
Speaker 1: now you're down twenty. Okay, now you're down thirty. Like okay,

533
00:25:29,359 --> 00:25:32,080
Speaker 1: at what point, at what point is someone going to

534
00:25:32,280 --> 00:25:34,760
Speaker 1: like get in the huddle and start screaming at people?

535
00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:38,240
Speaker 1: And like at what point is Russ just gonna get

536
00:25:38,240 --> 00:25:40,960
Speaker 1: an offensive foul by just barreling into the rim? Or

537
00:25:41,359 --> 00:25:43,960
Speaker 1: at what point is Anthony Davis gonna like throw someone

538
00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:45,840
Speaker 1: to the side to try to get an offensive rebound

539
00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:49,040
Speaker 1: or do something just to show some fight And that

540
00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:51,560
Speaker 1: fight just wasn't there tonight for whatever reason, you know.

541
00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:54,280
Speaker 1: And like again like as we're as we are talking

542
00:25:54,359 --> 00:25:58,320
Speaker 1: about these little miniature checkpoints throughout the season that kind

543
00:25:58,359 --> 00:26:01,879
Speaker 1: of reveal the mental makeup of the team. Uh, you know,

544
00:26:01,920 --> 00:26:04,640
Speaker 1: I'm not necessarily sure that this is a bad thing,

545
00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:07,719
Speaker 1: but it's certainly not a good thing. Certainly doesn't make

546
00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:10,280
Speaker 1: me feel more confident about what this team is made of.

547
00:26:10,720 --> 00:26:14,240
Speaker 1: Certainly doesn't make me feel like, you know, you know

548
00:26:14,359 --> 00:26:17,280
Speaker 1: that team. And again, we can't always compare them to

549
00:26:17,320 --> 00:26:19,360
Speaker 1: that because it's not fair because it's a different group

550
00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:22,439
Speaker 1: of guys. But like, there was a certain like a

551
00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:25,280
Speaker 1: certain amount of fight that that team had that that

552
00:26:25,359 --> 00:26:27,199
Speaker 1: made them so much fun to watch because if they

553
00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:29,960
Speaker 1: ever were down ten in a game, you always felt

554
00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:31,560
Speaker 1: like they were still in it. They we were down

555
00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:33,239
Speaker 1: fifteen in a game, you always felt like they were

556
00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:35,679
Speaker 1: still in it because they just always had these runs

557
00:26:35,680 --> 00:26:38,600
Speaker 1: in them where they would kick in the gear and

558
00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:41,280
Speaker 1: fight and fight and fight. Like I'll give you perfect example.

559
00:26:41,280 --> 00:26:44,840
Speaker 1: They went into Milwaukee that year and remember Janice shot

560
00:26:44,880 --> 00:26:47,560
Speaker 1: their eyes out and Middleton shot their eyes out in

561
00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:51,240
Speaker 1: the first quarter and they were down like and you

562
00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:53,360
Speaker 1: were like, this team is going to pack it in,

563
00:26:53,680 --> 00:26:55,760
Speaker 1: but they just didn't. They just battled the entire game

564
00:26:55,800 --> 00:26:58,040
Speaker 1: and I think they only lotted by like nine. Anthony

565
00:26:58,119 --> 00:27:01,399
Speaker 1: Davis like even though Janice was on fire. Anthony Davis

566
00:27:01,440 --> 00:27:04,000
Speaker 1: just kept going right at him every possession. I think

567
00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:06,320
Speaker 1: Anthony Davis finished with more than thirty in that game,

568
00:27:06,760 --> 00:27:08,440
Speaker 1: had a couple of plays where he took, be honest

569
00:27:08,560 --> 00:27:10,879
Speaker 1: right to the rim or defended him. Well, like it was,

570
00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:12,960
Speaker 1: it was just there. There was a certain fight, And

571
00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:15,720
Speaker 1: you know, I'm not saying this team is absolutely capable

572
00:27:16,280 --> 00:27:18,720
Speaker 1: of getting that back. It's just for whatever reason, it's

573
00:27:18,760 --> 00:27:21,720
Speaker 1: not there right now. And I don't really know what

574
00:27:21,800 --> 00:27:23,560
Speaker 1: to make of that. As far as the advanced metrics go,

575
00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:26,280
Speaker 1: you talked about are they gonna be a top five defense? Well,

576
00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:29,440
Speaker 1: first of all, we're nearing what we've already played twelve games.

577
00:27:29,600 --> 00:27:32,359
Speaker 1: We're entering into an area here where there's enough sample

578
00:27:32,440 --> 00:27:34,720
Speaker 1: size that it's gonna be really difficult for this team

579
00:27:34,760 --> 00:27:37,960
Speaker 1: to touch some of the elite teams in the league

580
00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:40,359
Speaker 1: in terms of their season long metrics. This is gonna

581
00:27:40,359 --> 00:27:41,840
Speaker 1: be one of those deals where we're gonna have to

582
00:27:42,359 --> 00:27:47,359
Speaker 1: specially measure their metrics when they actually have their guys available. Um,

583
00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:48,800
Speaker 1: you know what I mean, Because like they could get

584
00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:50,920
Speaker 1: everybody back and go on like a thirty game run

585
00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:52,400
Speaker 1: where they have all their guys and be a top

586
00:27:52,440 --> 00:27:56,840
Speaker 1: five defense. But it'll manifest as you know, ninth or

587
00:27:56,960 --> 00:28:00,040
Speaker 1: tenth on the season, you know, rankings, just because and

588
00:28:00,119 --> 00:28:02,920
Speaker 1: how much bad data they put in, Like getting your

589
00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:05,960
Speaker 1: ass beat at home by Minnesota by twenty, that's going

590
00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:08,400
Speaker 1: to throw off a bunch of data, you know, throw

591
00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:10,439
Speaker 1: off a bunch of data points for this season, you know.

592
00:28:10,560 --> 00:28:12,560
Speaker 1: So this is one of those things where we're gonna

593
00:28:12,600 --> 00:28:16,040
Speaker 1: have to be really careful as the season progressed. Is

594
00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:19,000
Speaker 1: when we're trying to project how good this team can be,

595
00:28:19,160 --> 00:28:20,840
Speaker 1: We're gonna have to be really careful to kind of

596
00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:25,800
Speaker 1: like find out what's throwaway data and what's not you know,

597
00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:28,639
Speaker 1: because a significant chunk of the season, Carmelo Anthony has

598
00:28:28,640 --> 00:28:30,840
Speaker 1: been their only power forward. So like what do you

599
00:28:30,880 --> 00:28:32,679
Speaker 1: what do you make of that? You know what I mean? Like,

600
00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:36,480
Speaker 1: that's just that's just tough. So, I mean, it is

601
00:28:36,480 --> 00:28:38,080
Speaker 1: what it is. But did you have any more thoughts

602
00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:39,800
Speaker 1: on this game? I thought we could take a minute

603
00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:41,960
Speaker 1: to chat about some of those topics we had talked

604
00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:46,480
Speaker 1: about earlier this week. Yeah, just the last thing I

605
00:28:46,520 --> 00:28:49,400
Speaker 1: guess um I wrote down here. Do you remember that,

606
00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:52,400
Speaker 1: like flagrant foul Carmelo had at the end of the

607
00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:54,880
Speaker 1: end of the first quarter. Do you remember that at

608
00:28:55,080 --> 00:28:58,280
Speaker 1: at I think someone was shooting from like the behind

609
00:28:58,280 --> 00:29:01,760
Speaker 1: the find behind half yes, es, yes, behind half court.

610
00:29:02,360 --> 00:29:04,400
Speaker 1: I thought that, I know, like that was early, but

611
00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:06,840
Speaker 1: I really thought that turned the game. Like just looking

612
00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:09,880
Speaker 1: at body language, Minnesota kind of felt like they were

613
00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:11,760
Speaker 1: so we were up nine. I believe it was like

614
00:29:12,160 --> 00:29:16,320
Speaker 1: s to seventeen, and Minnesota was kind of like feeling like, okay,

615
00:29:16,360 --> 00:29:17,920
Speaker 1: we could kind of get ran out of the building.

616
00:29:17,920 --> 00:29:19,840
Speaker 1: That was just my read on like how they were

617
00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:22,560
Speaker 1: playing and all that they like the Lakers were, you

618
00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:25,320
Speaker 1: know and super boosted up energy. And then that play

619
00:29:25,360 --> 00:29:28,440
Speaker 1: where Powal happened and it only cost us two points,

620
00:29:28,560 --> 00:29:30,280
Speaker 1: but I like rowing my notes like this could kind

621
00:29:30,280 --> 00:29:32,720
Speaker 1: of change the game here, and it did. The Minnesota

622
00:29:32,760 --> 00:29:34,280
Speaker 1: came out of the second quarter, they cut that they

623
00:29:34,280 --> 00:29:36,240
Speaker 1: went on I believe us so they had the two

624
00:29:36,280 --> 00:29:38,520
Speaker 1: points from the free throws and they went on another

625
00:29:38,560 --> 00:29:40,640
Speaker 1: like six oh run, I think to make it like

626
00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:45,280
Speaker 1: and I think they even took Yeah, they took the lead,

627
00:29:45,360 --> 00:29:47,320
Speaker 1: and I thought that really just killed the momentum. And

628
00:29:47,360 --> 00:29:49,480
Speaker 1: again I'm not blaming Mello for a loss, but I

629
00:29:49,480 --> 00:29:51,520
Speaker 1: just think like that was an interesting kind of turning point,

630
00:29:51,560 --> 00:29:53,400
Speaker 1: but I think that's enough. In the last thing on

631
00:29:53,400 --> 00:29:56,120
Speaker 1: this game, I thought Wayne Ellington had a good first half. Again,

632
00:29:56,240 --> 00:29:58,480
Speaker 1: like I thought he played well. I thought he kind

633
00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:01,120
Speaker 1: of busted up the zone. Minnesota went to his own

634
00:30:01,160 --> 00:30:03,400
Speaker 1: one possession and uh in that I think in the

635
00:30:03,480 --> 00:30:05,800
Speaker 1: first half, and Wayne Allington had three. That was my

636
00:30:05,800 --> 00:30:09,680
Speaker 1: only real positive from tonight was the Wayne Allington looks

637
00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:12,760
Speaker 1: like he's a legit shooter in Staples, which is which

638
00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:14,600
Speaker 1: is nice to see. But yeah, that that's pretty much

639
00:30:14,640 --> 00:30:16,280
Speaker 1: it from this game. Again. Yeah, that was That was

640
00:30:16,320 --> 00:30:18,520
Speaker 1: a huge momentum killer, that one. And then the weird

641
00:30:18,640 --> 00:30:20,960
Speaker 1: Rondo play where he just like him and a d

642
00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:22,840
Speaker 1: decided in the middle of a game to have a

643
00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:25,800
Speaker 1: conversation while walking the ball up accord and got it

644
00:30:25,920 --> 00:30:28,880
Speaker 1: and got an eight seconds Oh the app eight second.

645
00:30:28,920 --> 00:30:30,800
Speaker 1: I couldn't believe that. I don't even think that ended

646
00:30:30,880 --> 00:30:33,080
Speaker 1: up hurting them necessarily on the scoreboard except for the

647
00:30:33,080 --> 00:30:34,680
Speaker 1: loss of a possession. But it was just like a

648
00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:37,480
Speaker 1: weird like it was a weird like, Oh, we have

649
00:30:37,600 --> 00:30:39,640
Speaker 1: the lead now and and they're just gonna They're just

650
00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:41,440
Speaker 1: gonna let us run away with the game type of deal,

651
00:30:41,480 --> 00:30:44,320
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. Um, anyway, let's let's talk.

652
00:30:44,400 --> 00:30:46,520
Speaker 1: Let's talk about this Alex Cruizer. Think for a second,

653
00:30:46,520 --> 00:30:49,440
Speaker 1: because this is super fascinating. Man. You know, there was

654
00:30:49,640 --> 00:30:55,440
Speaker 1: a there was a debate that took place on Brian

655
00:30:55,520 --> 00:30:59,120
Speaker 1: Win or SPoD Um today. I think it might have

656
00:30:59,120 --> 00:31:01,960
Speaker 1: been today, might have been a different day, but they

657
00:31:02,040 --> 00:31:04,760
Speaker 1: were talking about they both kind of picked a side.

658
00:31:04,920 --> 00:31:07,800
Speaker 1: You know, Bontemps was strangely on the same side that

659
00:31:07,840 --> 00:31:10,600
Speaker 1: I'm on for once because that guy, that guy literally

660
00:31:10,640 --> 00:31:18,280
Speaker 1: drives me insane. But uh, basically I'm blanking at his name.

661
00:31:18,280 --> 00:31:23,200
Speaker 1: All of a sudden, David Bennaman, David Vanneman took took

662
00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:26,720
Speaker 1: the organization's position, and the way he pitched it basically

663
00:31:26,840 --> 00:31:29,240
Speaker 1: was like we had a number. The number in mind

664
00:31:29,320 --> 00:31:31,960
Speaker 1: was you know, two for fifteen or whatever, seven million

665
00:31:31,960 --> 00:31:34,800
Speaker 1: a year, and they weren't willing to go about that number.

666
00:31:34,840 --> 00:31:38,800
Speaker 1: Because of this larger vision of what they had and

667
00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:41,920
Speaker 1: the way that the way that they looked at it,

668
00:31:42,120 --> 00:31:44,960
Speaker 1: you know, they were able to, like as in terms

669
00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:47,920
Speaker 1: of just a simple cost value proposition, they were able

670
00:31:47,960 --> 00:31:50,800
Speaker 1: to replace a certain percentage of what Alex brought to

671
00:31:50,800 --> 00:31:53,960
Speaker 1: the table for by saving this amount of money. And

672
00:31:54,080 --> 00:31:56,920
Speaker 1: Bontam's you know, pointed out one fact that I thought

673
00:31:56,960 --> 00:31:59,480
Speaker 1: made a lot of sense that was super fascinating. You know,

674
00:31:59,680 --> 00:32:04,200
Speaker 1: the level exception doesn't make you immune to luxury attacks.

675
00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:07,000
Speaker 1: If you the mid level exception gives you the ability

676
00:32:07,040 --> 00:32:09,920
Speaker 1: to go over the salary cap to sign players that

677
00:32:09,960 --> 00:32:13,960
Speaker 1: are not currently on your roster. However, you're still on

678
00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:17,760
Speaker 1: the hook for any tax associated with that salary. And

679
00:32:17,800 --> 00:32:20,440
Speaker 1: basically what Bontam said was like, who's a better player,

680
00:32:20,480 --> 00:32:24,640
Speaker 1: Alex Caruso or Kendrick Nunn? And I think we would

681
00:32:24,640 --> 00:32:27,400
Speaker 1: all agree that. I think we would all agree that

682
00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:30,560
Speaker 1: Alex Cruso is clearly a better player. And you know,

683
00:32:30,640 --> 00:32:34,080
Speaker 1: for the difference between the eight or nine million or

684
00:32:34,160 --> 00:32:36,440
Speaker 1: nine or ten million or whatever that Chicago paid him

685
00:32:36,600 --> 00:32:39,640
Speaker 1: and the six million that they paid Kendrick Nunn, why

686
00:32:39,680 --> 00:32:42,200
Speaker 1: not just pay whatever that gap is and keep Alex

687
00:32:42,240 --> 00:32:45,400
Speaker 1: Crusoe instead. He's just a better player. He's if it's

688
00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:48,400
Speaker 1: a more important need for your roster. You're under the

689
00:32:48,440 --> 00:32:50,440
Speaker 1: impression that you're gonna get Molik Monk, You're under the

690
00:32:50,440 --> 00:32:53,040
Speaker 1: impression that you're gonna get Russell Westbrook, and you have

691
00:32:53,160 --> 00:32:56,920
Speaker 1: Lebron James and so there's just no need necessarily for

692
00:32:56,960 --> 00:33:00,000
Speaker 1: what that position brings. So why were you pinching pennies

693
00:33:00,040 --> 00:33:02,640
Speaker 1: on Alex Crusoe but willing to spend on Kendrick Dunn.

694
00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:05,360
Speaker 1: And you know what, I don't know, I can't I

695
00:33:05,400 --> 00:33:07,840
Speaker 1: can't answer that question for you. That that that is

696
00:33:07,840 --> 00:33:09,800
Speaker 1: a tough one to answer. And at the end of

697
00:33:09,840 --> 00:33:11,960
Speaker 1: the day, this is the same argument that I used

698
00:33:12,040 --> 00:33:14,680
Speaker 1: when when Kyle Lowry was on the table last year.

699
00:33:15,400 --> 00:33:22,520
Speaker 1: People greatly, greatly, greatly underestimate just how close the NBA

700
00:33:22,640 --> 00:33:26,479
Speaker 1: Championship is to swinging a different direction almost every season.

701
00:33:27,080 --> 00:33:29,520
Speaker 1: You know, we talked about Kevin Durant having a foot

702
00:33:29,560 --> 00:33:33,200
Speaker 1: on the line. That was the difference between Brooklyn beating Milwaukee, right,

703
00:33:33,960 --> 00:33:38,360
Speaker 1: we talked about, you know, honest knee be honests knee.

704
00:33:38,360 --> 00:33:43,040
Speaker 1: If that buckles instead of uh, you know, only partially buckling,

705
00:33:43,120 --> 00:33:45,080
Speaker 1: he misses the finals and the Sons win the title.

706
00:33:45,480 --> 00:33:48,840
Speaker 1: You know, even in the NBA Finals, the in game

707
00:33:48,960 --> 00:33:52,040
Speaker 1: four of that series, game five of that series, but

708
00:33:52,200 --> 00:33:54,120
Speaker 1: it was Game four, Game four, Sons are up to

709
00:33:54,280 --> 00:33:57,400
Speaker 1: one then one point lead late in the game, and

710
00:33:57,560 --> 00:34:00,000
Speaker 1: you know, a couple of a couple of big shots,

711
00:33:59,840 --> 00:34:02,960
Speaker 1: a couple of key defensive stops, and all of a sudden,

712
00:34:03,040 --> 00:34:06,680
Speaker 1: you're you're tied series tied to two instead of three one.

713
00:34:06,800 --> 00:34:09,520
Speaker 1: Or Toronto when they're about to fall down three oh

714
00:34:09,520 --> 00:34:12,640
Speaker 1: to the Bucks in two thousand nineteen and they steal

715
00:34:12,680 --> 00:34:14,600
Speaker 1: a crazy game in Game three and it ends up

716
00:34:14,600 --> 00:34:16,880
Speaker 1: turning the series. It's one of those things where you

717
00:34:16,920 --> 00:34:19,279
Speaker 1: have to you have to understand that these margins are

718
00:34:19,320 --> 00:34:23,439
Speaker 1: extremely tight. The difference between winning and losing is so

719
00:34:23,560 --> 00:34:26,839
Speaker 1: small in so many cases, and so it's so so

720
00:34:26,960 --> 00:34:32,520
Speaker 1: dumb to pinch pennies when it could be the difference

721
00:34:32,520 --> 00:34:35,560
Speaker 1: between you winning and losing. Alex Cruiser may not seem

722
00:34:35,640 --> 00:34:37,600
Speaker 1: like that good of a player relative to all of

723
00:34:37,640 --> 00:34:40,200
Speaker 1: the talent on the roster, but he could very well

724
00:34:40,239 --> 00:34:42,920
Speaker 1: be the difference between winning in the first or winning

725
00:34:42,960 --> 00:34:45,680
Speaker 1: the title and losing in the second round to a

726
00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:48,759
Speaker 1: really really good Phoenix Suns team or really really good

727
00:34:48,760 --> 00:34:51,439
Speaker 1: Golden State Warriors team. That's how close these margins are,

728
00:34:51,760 --> 00:34:54,359
Speaker 1: and so that's why I had a problem with that

729
00:34:54,680 --> 00:35:01,239
Speaker 1: philosophy from ownership. Yeah, I mean, this is a bad

730
00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:03,160
Speaker 1: night to talk about Alex Crusa, you know, I mean,

731
00:35:03,200 --> 00:35:06,319
Speaker 1: probably the worst night to talk about Alex Cruso. Look, man,

732
00:35:06,360 --> 00:35:08,400
Speaker 1: Like I know people say get over it, but I

733
00:35:08,400 --> 00:35:10,560
Speaker 1: mean there was new information that was brought out. He

734
00:35:11,160 --> 00:35:13,320
Speaker 1: went to the Bulls, got a contract, went back to

735
00:35:13,360 --> 00:35:16,640
Speaker 1: the Lakers, and look, I'm not here to tell anyone's money,

736
00:35:16,680 --> 00:35:18,040
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. I don't know how much

737
00:35:18,040 --> 00:35:20,560
Speaker 1: the luxury tax would have cost. I'm not really into

738
00:35:20,880 --> 00:35:23,080
Speaker 1: I'm not good at the salary having all that stuff.

739
00:35:23,320 --> 00:35:26,320
Speaker 1: But I just think, like title windows is not where

740
00:35:26,360 --> 00:35:29,200
Speaker 1: you It's not where you try to save, you know

741
00:35:29,239 --> 00:35:30,960
Speaker 1: what I mean, Like we are in a full on

742
00:35:31,120 --> 00:35:34,320
Speaker 1: title window and you try to say like trying to

743
00:35:34,360 --> 00:35:36,640
Speaker 1: save money in that time, like just really doesn't make

744
00:35:36,680 --> 00:35:39,319
Speaker 1: sense to me. And you said that Alex Cruso might

745
00:35:39,360 --> 00:35:42,520
Speaker 1: not look like a great player, but he was to us,

746
00:35:42,600 --> 00:35:45,280
Speaker 1: like in house he started Game six of the finals

747
00:35:45,280 --> 00:35:48,000
Speaker 1: like this, obviously they know what his talent is. And

748
00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:50,600
Speaker 1: I have a hard time believe believing Lebron James and

749
00:35:50,680 --> 00:35:52,680
Speaker 1: A d don't see it. And maybe you know it

750
00:35:52,760 --> 00:35:55,760
Speaker 1: was kind of a separation between you know, front office

751
00:35:55,800 --> 00:35:58,440
Speaker 1: and players. I really don't know. I don't know what

752
00:35:58,560 --> 00:36:00,960
Speaker 1: happened there, but there was death, only a mistake like

753
00:36:01,040 --> 00:36:02,680
Speaker 1: Alex Cruising to me is one of the best guard

754
00:36:02,680 --> 00:36:04,920
Speaker 1: defenders in the league, and he's been one for a

755
00:36:04,960 --> 00:36:06,920
Speaker 1: long time, and he was in all of our closing

756
00:36:06,960 --> 00:36:10,600
Speaker 1: lineups on our title teams. Like that, There's no they

757
00:36:10,760 --> 00:36:12,680
Speaker 1: there was no secret for who he was. And my

758
00:36:12,719 --> 00:36:14,680
Speaker 1: biggest issue with this, I guess if you're gonna let

759
00:36:14,680 --> 00:36:18,080
Speaker 1: me just go out here like the like look crediting,

760
00:36:18,200 --> 00:36:21,160
Speaker 1: like like we always talked about crediting and organization for

761
00:36:21,200 --> 00:36:23,560
Speaker 1: a player's success is kind of an unfair way to

762
00:36:23,600 --> 00:36:25,520
Speaker 1: look at it, right, Like that's not really the way

763
00:36:25,640 --> 00:36:28,040
Speaker 1: like people always do that. They're like, oh, Julius Royn,

764
00:36:28,080 --> 00:36:29,600
Speaker 1: he went to the Knicks and now he's a superstar

765
00:36:29,840 --> 00:36:31,600
Speaker 1: created the Knicks, like juwis Ryno put in a ship

766
00:36:31,600 --> 00:36:33,440
Speaker 1: ton of work to get to where he is. I

767
00:36:33,520 --> 00:36:35,480
Speaker 1: was cruised up putting a ship ton of work to

768
00:36:35,560 --> 00:36:37,879
Speaker 1: become the guard defender. He is putting a ship ton

769
00:36:37,920 --> 00:36:40,400
Speaker 1: of film film. Where putting ship ton of you know all,

770
00:36:40,680 --> 00:36:42,919
Speaker 1: being in the gym to make himself a really good

771
00:36:42,920 --> 00:36:45,680
Speaker 1: offensive player to go on to the defense. The Lakers

772
00:36:45,680 --> 00:36:47,839
Speaker 1: did like the hard work though, you know, like they

773
00:36:47,840 --> 00:36:50,279
Speaker 1: found him in the G League, developed him a couple

774
00:36:50,320 --> 00:36:53,040
Speaker 1: of years. He becomes a starter, he becomes really good,

775
00:36:53,080 --> 00:36:55,440
Speaker 1: He becomes one of the most connective players with your

776
00:36:55,480 --> 00:36:58,680
Speaker 1: superstars ad Lebron and Caruso. Plus minuses are through the

777
00:36:58,680 --> 00:37:01,279
Speaker 1: freaking roof, like like they still are. You can go

778
00:37:01,280 --> 00:37:03,680
Speaker 1: back and look at those numbers. Um, those numbers are

779
00:37:03,680 --> 00:37:05,279
Speaker 1: through the through the roof. So you've got him, You

780
00:37:05,320 --> 00:37:08,080
Speaker 1: developed him, you you create you not create him, but

781
00:37:08,120 --> 00:37:11,120
Speaker 1: like you found a gem there and he came to you,

782
00:37:11,200 --> 00:37:13,240
Speaker 1: and he even came and said, look, I'll take a discount,

783
00:37:13,440 --> 00:37:15,319
Speaker 1: and the Lakers still said no. And that's just something

784
00:37:15,400 --> 00:37:17,239
Speaker 1: we have to accept. But that's kind of my issue

785
00:37:17,280 --> 00:37:19,000
Speaker 1: here is, like you they did so much of the

786
00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:21,960
Speaker 1: hard work. Lakers scouting department has hit on so many players,

787
00:37:22,320 --> 00:37:25,759
Speaker 1: but Crusoe heards more because it's like, not only one,

788
00:37:25,840 --> 00:37:27,759
Speaker 1: but he won at the highest level and you prove

789
00:37:27,800 --> 00:37:29,480
Speaker 1: he can play at the highest levels, you know what

790
00:37:29,520 --> 00:37:31,600
Speaker 1: I mean next to the next to your core that

791
00:37:31,640 --> 00:37:33,640
Speaker 1: you're building around. You can still go trade for us

792
00:37:33,719 --> 00:37:36,360
Speaker 1: Westbrook do all that stuff, but you know your core

793
00:37:36,440 --> 00:37:38,759
Speaker 1: kind of players, Like as a fan, which you root

794
00:37:38,800 --> 00:37:41,600
Speaker 1: for because we are still fans here. Um, what you

795
00:37:41,719 --> 00:37:43,319
Speaker 1: root for you want to root for players that kind

796
00:37:43,320 --> 00:37:44,920
Speaker 1: of started on your team, right, that's just kind of

797
00:37:44,920 --> 00:37:48,560
Speaker 1: how it goes. And Crusoe started from the bottom for

798
00:37:48,840 --> 00:37:51,120
Speaker 1: lack of a better term, and kind of raised himself

799
00:37:51,200 --> 00:37:54,200
Speaker 1: up to become a starter on a damn championship team.

800
00:37:54,280 --> 00:37:56,319
Speaker 1: And you know, he took a little less money the

801
00:37:56,360 --> 00:37:58,200
Speaker 1: first year, but like now, is this time to pay

802
00:37:58,320 --> 00:38:00,200
Speaker 1: to get to paid? I don't know. It's a bad

803
00:38:00,320 --> 00:38:02,239
Speaker 1: night to talk about this, I guess, but that's my

804
00:38:02,280 --> 00:38:03,839
Speaker 1: biggest easy here. They did the hard work. You find

805
00:38:03,920 --> 00:38:05,840
Speaker 1: him the ge League, develop him, you get him to

806
00:38:05,840 --> 00:38:07,960
Speaker 1: the point where he's not only a good player, he's

807
00:38:07,960 --> 00:38:11,200
Speaker 1: a freaking winning player that impacts winning at a super

808
00:38:11,280 --> 00:38:13,760
Speaker 1: high level. And he just walks out the door for nothing,

809
00:38:13,840 --> 00:38:15,920
Speaker 1: like you just walked out the door. You replaced him

810
00:38:15,960 --> 00:38:17,360
Speaker 1: with some really good players like Kendrick Now was a

811
00:38:17,400 --> 00:38:19,600
Speaker 1: good player. We have to see him play. Um th

812
00:38:19,800 --> 00:38:21,680
Speaker 1: HD was the guy they said was the one on one,

813
00:38:21,760 --> 00:38:24,920
Speaker 1: one for one replacement. I don't think that was necessary really,

814
00:38:24,960 --> 00:38:27,440
Speaker 1: but that's what people say happened. We still need to

815
00:38:27,440 --> 00:38:29,640
Speaker 1: see th HD. Maybe he makes his leap, but the

816
00:38:29,640 --> 00:38:33,640
Speaker 1: cruisal thing definitely is frustrating. So yeah, sorry if that's rambling.

817
00:38:33,680 --> 00:38:36,560
Speaker 1: For no, you're fine, man, It's it's like you're it's

818
00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:39,799
Speaker 1: the it's the reality of the situation, you know. And

819
00:38:39,800 --> 00:38:43,240
Speaker 1: and when when the team you know, I think Genie

820
00:38:43,280 --> 00:38:47,040
Speaker 1: and all these people were banking on the Lakers attacking

821
00:38:47,040 --> 00:38:50,319
Speaker 1: the season early on with their week schedule and them

822
00:38:50,400 --> 00:38:55,000
Speaker 1: sitting at ten into you know, uh, nine and three

823
00:38:55,120 --> 00:38:58,080
Speaker 1: something like that right now, where they would just be

824
00:38:58,080 --> 00:39:00,239
Speaker 1: able to point to all the critics and get like, look,

825
00:39:00,239 --> 00:39:02,640
Speaker 1: you're like, Alex is doing great in Chicago. That's fine,

826
00:39:02,640 --> 00:39:05,720
Speaker 1: but we're doing great too. But that's not what happened.

827
00:39:05,920 --> 00:39:09,200
Speaker 1: You're sitting at seven and six and you've lost the

828
00:39:09,200 --> 00:39:13,120
Speaker 1: Oklahoma City Thunder twice. You just got absolutely destroyed at

829
00:39:13,120 --> 00:39:15,880
Speaker 1: home by the Minnesota Timberwolves, and you look like a

830
00:39:15,880 --> 00:39:19,360
Speaker 1: team that has no identity, particularly on the defensive end

831
00:39:19,400 --> 00:39:22,680
Speaker 1: of the floor and particularly with your effort. So how

832
00:39:22,719 --> 00:39:25,640
Speaker 1: do you not expect the fan base to look at

833
00:39:25,680 --> 00:39:29,879
Speaker 1: what's happening in Chicago where, yeah, it's not all Alex crew,

834
00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:32,680
Speaker 1: So it's a lot of talent. Lonzo Ball is partially

835
00:39:32,800 --> 00:39:36,040
Speaker 1: to blame for the turnaround there. Uh, you know, JAMARDA.

836
00:39:36,160 --> 00:39:40,680
Speaker 1: Rosen is partially to credit for it. But we see

837
00:39:40,719 --> 00:39:43,920
Speaker 1: Alex Cruso in Chicago on a team that suddenly has

838
00:39:43,920 --> 00:39:47,919
Speaker 1: a defensive identity, that suddenly has this liveliness to them

839
00:39:47,960 --> 00:39:51,640
Speaker 1: that was missing in previous seasons. And we remember that

840
00:39:51,719 --> 00:39:55,279
Speaker 1: same effect from Alex when he was here. And so

841
00:39:55,360 --> 00:39:58,160
Speaker 1: we're looking at a seven and six team that looks

842
00:39:58,200 --> 00:40:01,040
Speaker 1: like it could desperately use itself some Alex crew. So

843
00:40:01,960 --> 00:40:05,040
Speaker 1: and so that's that That's where Jeanie screwed up here,

844
00:40:05,800 --> 00:40:09,839
Speaker 1: is she miscalculated the fact that you know, if you

845
00:40:09,960 --> 00:40:13,640
Speaker 1: when you are cheap, when you hoard your money in

846
00:40:13,680 --> 00:40:18,520
Speaker 1: this regard, and the team doesn't perform with the expectations

847
00:40:18,520 --> 00:40:22,320
Speaker 1: that they had, then you open yourself up to criticism.

848
00:40:22,560 --> 00:40:24,960
Speaker 1: And that's what happened here. And I'm glad you pointed

849
00:40:24,960 --> 00:40:27,400
Speaker 1: out all that stuff about just how good Alex is,

850
00:40:27,480 --> 00:40:30,400
Speaker 1: because there's a reason why he started Game six of

851
00:40:30,440 --> 00:40:34,600
Speaker 1: the two NBA finals. It's because when you really factor

852
00:40:34,640 --> 00:40:37,439
Speaker 1: in what needs to be done to win basketball games

853
00:40:37,440 --> 00:40:41,120
Speaker 1: at the highest level, Alex checks all the boxes. You know,

854
00:40:41,120 --> 00:40:44,319
Speaker 1: if you're going to complain about one thing, it's the

855
00:40:44,360 --> 00:40:47,880
Speaker 1: fact that he's not a super great spot up shooter,

856
00:40:48,640 --> 00:40:52,399
Speaker 1: but he does everything else so incredibly well that every

857
00:40:52,440 --> 00:40:55,560
Speaker 1: time on the floor that scale tips in his favor

858
00:40:55,840 --> 00:40:57,520
Speaker 1: and in the favor of the team he's playing for,

859
00:40:58,120 --> 00:41:00,719
Speaker 1: which is why he's a plus minus hero, which is

860
00:41:00,760 --> 00:41:02,880
Speaker 1: why the best line up, the best two man lineup

861
00:41:02,920 --> 00:41:05,160
Speaker 1: for the Lakers of the last two seasons, was Lebron

862
00:41:05,200 --> 00:41:08,920
Speaker 1: and Alex Cruzo. It's it is a he was a

863
00:41:08,920 --> 00:41:12,040
Speaker 1: absolutely amazing fit here, and then when you factor in

864
00:41:12,040 --> 00:41:13,680
Speaker 1: what you just talked about having to do with the

865
00:41:13,680 --> 00:41:17,040
Speaker 1: fact that he's home grown, the fact that he represents

866
00:41:17,040 --> 00:41:21,200
Speaker 1: a win for our front office and our scouting department,

867
00:41:21,800 --> 00:41:24,960
Speaker 1: it's even more disappointing because it's like it'd be like

868
00:41:25,040 --> 00:41:29,040
Speaker 1: if you were a really fancy teaching hospital and you

869
00:41:29,120 --> 00:41:32,320
Speaker 1: picked up this awesome graduate from Harvard who was the

870
00:41:32,360 --> 00:41:34,680
Speaker 1: top of their class, and you trained them their residency,

871
00:41:34,719 --> 00:41:36,359
Speaker 1: and then you got cheap on them when they were

872
00:41:36,480 --> 00:41:38,319
Speaker 1: when it came time for them to apply for a job,

873
00:41:38,600 --> 00:41:41,040
Speaker 1: and you lost them to another hospital. It's like, Okay,

874
00:41:41,040 --> 00:41:43,120
Speaker 1: then why did you invest all this time and energy

875
00:41:43,400 --> 00:41:46,520
Speaker 1: in training them? Why did you invest all of this

876
00:41:46,680 --> 00:41:50,000
Speaker 1: into helping Alex Crusoe get to where they are? And

877
00:41:50,040 --> 00:41:52,160
Speaker 1: to your point to Alex deserves a lot of credit.

878
00:41:52,160 --> 00:41:54,880
Speaker 1: It is not a you know, there are even the

879
00:41:54,880 --> 00:41:59,240
Speaker 1: greatest organizations in basketball struggle sometimes to convert supreme talents

880
00:41:59,239 --> 00:42:01,920
Speaker 1: into productive basketball players. I mean, look at the raptors

881
00:42:01,920 --> 00:42:05,160
Speaker 1: of Stanley Johnson for instance. So obviously Alex deserves a

882
00:42:05,160 --> 00:42:08,279
Speaker 1: lot of credit for this as well. But there there's

883
00:42:08,280 --> 00:42:11,840
Speaker 1: a good amount of this that reflects a front office

884
00:42:11,880 --> 00:42:16,080
Speaker 1: that that was cheap and now they're losing, and it

885
00:42:16,080 --> 00:42:18,280
Speaker 1: looks like the reason why they're losing is they're lacking

886
00:42:18,320 --> 00:42:22,720
Speaker 1: in certain uh you know, intangible characteristics on the team,

887
00:42:22,920 --> 00:42:26,400
Speaker 1: and Alex addresses does Also, the team doesn't have anybody

888
00:42:26,440 --> 00:42:28,560
Speaker 1: over six five that's really strong and physical and can

889
00:42:28,600 --> 00:42:33,839
Speaker 1: defend their position outside of Anthony Davis. So uh, where

890
00:42:33,880 --> 00:42:36,600
Speaker 1: would Alex Cruiser fit in there? Alex Cruso would be

891
00:42:36,640 --> 00:42:39,640
Speaker 1: a better power forward, you know, than than many of

892
00:42:39,680 --> 00:42:42,120
Speaker 1: the guys that they're having to are not power forward

893
00:42:42,120 --> 00:42:44,200
Speaker 1: but on the wing, than many of the guys that

894
00:42:44,200 --> 00:42:46,719
Speaker 1: they're forced to play right now. And so so it

895
00:42:46,760 --> 00:42:48,440
Speaker 1: is frustrating, but it is what it is. I mean,

896
00:42:48,480 --> 00:42:50,359
Speaker 1: we all got to move on. But to your point,

897
00:42:50,440 --> 00:42:53,799
Speaker 1: there was new information that came out and that yeah,

898
00:42:53,880 --> 00:42:56,239
Speaker 1: that's that's the whole reason they discussed exactly and and

899
00:42:56,600 --> 00:43:01,359
Speaker 1: you know, don't don't don't post bail for for for

900
00:43:01,440 --> 00:43:04,680
Speaker 1: rich people. That's just stupid, like especially in a situation

901
00:43:04,719 --> 00:43:07,279
Speaker 1: like this. But the reality of the situation is as

902
00:43:07,360 --> 00:43:09,840
Speaker 1: Genie Bus and the Bus family are doing just fine.

903
00:43:10,600 --> 00:43:12,960
Speaker 1: I've sure, I've done some research through just picking the

904
00:43:13,000 --> 00:43:15,719
Speaker 1: brains of some people that I know who know more

905
00:43:15,719 --> 00:43:20,040
Speaker 1: than me, and there is there is a contingency set

906
00:43:20,080 --> 00:43:22,319
Speaker 1: up for this team when they have to pay huge

907
00:43:22,400 --> 00:43:25,160
Speaker 1: luxury tax bills. There's a way for them to come

908
00:43:25,239 --> 00:43:27,400
Speaker 1: up with the cash. There's a way for them to

909
00:43:27,480 --> 00:43:30,680
Speaker 1: disperse that. There's a way for them to be able

910
00:43:30,680 --> 00:43:33,640
Speaker 1: to afford it and to make up forward in years

911
00:43:33,640 --> 00:43:36,600
Speaker 1: where they don't pay the tax. Don't let anybody tell

912
00:43:36,640 --> 00:43:40,520
Speaker 1: you that they're physically incapable of of making that payment,

913
00:43:40,520 --> 00:43:43,680
Speaker 1: because they absolutely are. They could pay a hundred billion

914
00:43:43,760 --> 00:43:46,360
Speaker 1: more than they're paying right now. They couldn't do a

915
00:43:46,440 --> 00:43:49,480
Speaker 1: year in and year out, of course, but they there

916
00:43:49,560 --> 00:43:53,600
Speaker 1: are contingencies set up to allow this ownership group to

917
00:43:53,680 --> 00:43:55,960
Speaker 1: be able to shell out the cash to keep players

918
00:43:56,680 --> 00:43:59,719
Speaker 1: entitle windows like this, and they simply chose not to,

919
00:44:00,719 --> 00:44:03,960
Speaker 1: and so that that that, in my opinion, leaves them

920
00:44:03,960 --> 00:44:08,719
Speaker 1: open to criticism. Yeah, and I'm not there to like

921
00:44:09,000 --> 00:44:11,440
Speaker 1: call you know, Genie Chap, but I'm like I'm not

922
00:44:11,560 --> 00:44:13,480
Speaker 1: there at that point, you know what i mean, Like

923
00:44:14,320 --> 00:44:16,000
Speaker 1: I just can't get there. I just feel like it

924
00:44:16,040 --> 00:44:20,000
Speaker 1: was a misplaced you know, thought that they could just

925
00:44:20,040 --> 00:44:22,879
Speaker 1: replace what Alex does. And I can't really just blame

926
00:44:22,960 --> 00:44:25,480
Speaker 1: Genie on that. She's not the president of basketball operations

927
00:44:25,520 --> 00:44:27,960
Speaker 1: like Rob Blinkuez, Like they made the decision to go

928
00:44:28,000 --> 00:44:30,680
Speaker 1: into this new team and look, the roster has flipped

929
00:44:30,880 --> 00:44:33,160
Speaker 1: for the last two years, um, and this may just

930
00:44:33,280 --> 00:44:36,480
Speaker 1: have been another consequence of that. Like I'm not there yet.

931
00:44:36,480 --> 00:44:37,840
Speaker 1: I just think it was I think it was the

932
00:44:37,840 --> 00:44:39,759
Speaker 1: wrong decision, But I'm not there to like call the

933
00:44:39,760 --> 00:44:41,879
Speaker 1: whole organization and cheap, Like I don't think you go

934
00:44:42,200 --> 00:44:45,239
Speaker 1: trade for Russell Westbrook and and and cut corners on

935
00:44:45,280 --> 00:44:46,920
Speaker 1: the side, Like I think that those two, Like I

936
00:44:46,960 --> 00:44:50,600
Speaker 1: can separate Alice Crusoe not on this team and like

937
00:44:50,680 --> 00:44:52,879
Speaker 1: why we should have signed him? And also this team

938
00:44:52,960 --> 00:44:56,120
Speaker 1: is just bad right now, Like I separate those two things,

939
00:44:56,160 --> 00:44:58,600
Speaker 1: Like I'm not like drawing Crusoe on this team, you

940
00:44:58,600 --> 00:45:00,080
Speaker 1: know what I mean, Like, I feel like that is

941
00:45:00,120 --> 00:45:02,200
Speaker 1: just a wrong decision. As a whole, like would he

942
00:45:02,200 --> 00:45:03,839
Speaker 1: help this team? Yeah, But I feel like those are

943
00:45:03,880 --> 00:45:06,120
Speaker 1: two separate kind of issues. They're like, I feel like

944
00:45:06,120 --> 00:45:08,120
Speaker 1: he should just came back anyway, whether or not you

945
00:45:08,160 --> 00:45:10,400
Speaker 1: thought he fit the identity of this team, but they

946
00:45:10,400 --> 00:45:13,040
Speaker 1: obviously didn't. And I'm choosing to believe the head over

947
00:45:13,080 --> 00:45:14,920
Speaker 1: the fact that they just didn't want to pay out

948
00:45:14,960 --> 00:45:16,880
Speaker 1: Screws at all, because it felt very clear that he

949
00:45:16,960 --> 00:45:20,080
Speaker 1: was just not in their plans, which because of the

950
00:45:20,120 --> 00:45:22,560
Speaker 1: offer that was given at least that's what Carusoe kind

951
00:45:22,560 --> 00:45:24,880
Speaker 1: of said on on the on the JJ Reddick podcast.

952
00:45:25,400 --> 00:45:28,840
Speaker 1: The offer was so low that it was completely negligible

953
00:45:28,920 --> 00:45:31,279
Speaker 1: for him. Um, so obviously I think he just was

954
00:45:31,320 --> 00:45:33,319
Speaker 1: not in their plans and that's just something we have

955
00:45:33,360 --> 00:45:35,400
Speaker 1: to accept. It is what it is. And and to

956
00:45:35,480 --> 00:45:38,720
Speaker 1: your point, had some things gone differently to start the season,

957
00:45:39,280 --> 00:45:42,600
Speaker 1: then I don't think people would be complaining. But they didn't,

958
00:45:42,960 --> 00:45:44,759
Speaker 1: and so this is the shoes that they're in, you

959
00:45:44,760 --> 00:45:46,920
Speaker 1: know what I mean, That's just the reality of the situation.

960
00:45:47,000 --> 00:45:49,040
Speaker 1: No different than the Frank thing. Frank is not on

961
00:45:49,080 --> 00:45:51,480
Speaker 1: the hot seat if they because the team would be

962
00:45:51,480 --> 00:45:54,760
Speaker 1: competing and winning. But there's talk surrounding his job security

963
00:45:54,960 --> 00:45:57,600
Speaker 1: simply because the team is not performing, you know, to

964
00:45:57,680 --> 00:46:00,480
Speaker 1: their preseason expectations. So we gotta we gotta ten more

965
00:46:00,480 --> 00:46:02,760
Speaker 1: minutes here. And I wanted to touch on one other

966
00:46:02,840 --> 00:46:04,640
Speaker 1: kind of league wide topic with you, just because we

967
00:46:04,680 --> 00:46:06,799
Speaker 1: haven't had a chance to on the pod UH in

968
00:46:06,840 --> 00:46:10,920
Speaker 1: the last few weeks. So there has been There was

969
00:46:11,000 --> 00:46:14,839
Speaker 1: kind of like two extremes in this regard, so the UM.

970
00:46:15,320 --> 00:46:18,760
Speaker 1: Last year, we just had this outrageous offensive season. UM.

971
00:46:18,840 --> 00:46:20,520
Speaker 1: To give you an idea, for the most part, throughout

972
00:46:20,560 --> 00:46:24,239
Speaker 1: NBA history, offensive ratings have hovered somewhere between hundred and

973
00:46:24,239 --> 00:46:26,319
Speaker 1: five points per one hundre possessions and a hundred and

974
00:46:26,320 --> 00:46:31,279
Speaker 1: ten per hunter possessions, depending on the UH, you know,

975
00:46:31,360 --> 00:46:33,560
Speaker 1: depending on the year, depending on how physical the rests

976
00:46:33,560 --> 00:46:35,680
Speaker 1: allowed the game to be. And then last year got crazy,

977
00:46:35,760 --> 00:46:37,560
Speaker 1: got up to like a hundred and twelve, and so

978
00:46:37,600 --> 00:46:39,759
Speaker 1: then you had all these people, these like you know,

979
00:46:40,760 --> 00:46:43,239
Speaker 1: older NBA fans that were obsessed with their era and

980
00:46:43,360 --> 00:46:46,880
Speaker 1: everything that about their era, who were like this is bs,

981
00:46:46,960 --> 00:46:50,600
Speaker 1: this is the steroid era of of of the NBA,

982
00:46:50,640 --> 00:46:52,560
Speaker 1: blah blah blah blah. And then they make these rule

983
00:46:52,640 --> 00:46:56,200
Speaker 1: changes and offensive ratings plummet. I think I think we're

984
00:46:56,239 --> 00:46:58,040
Speaker 1: hovering right around like one oh seven, one oh a

985
00:46:58,320 --> 00:47:00,800
Speaker 1: right now and a bun two guys who used to

986
00:47:00,800 --> 00:47:04,480
Speaker 1: be efficient scores are suddenly struggling to score. And so

987
00:47:04,560 --> 00:47:06,400
Speaker 1: now you're seeing all the same guys come out and

988
00:47:06,440 --> 00:47:09,520
Speaker 1: say like, ah, this is the most skilled era in

989
00:47:09,680 --> 00:47:13,360
Speaker 1: NBA history. Look at them now they can't score, you know,

990
00:47:13,400 --> 00:47:15,439
Speaker 1: And it's kind of like turned into this whole thing

991
00:47:15,480 --> 00:47:18,000
Speaker 1: which almost all the discussion around this kind of thing

992
00:47:18,200 --> 00:47:21,520
Speaker 1: is intellectual dishonesty, and it's and it's kind of frustrating.

993
00:47:21,840 --> 00:47:23,440
Speaker 1: But I guess we can start with you Rush. So

994
00:47:23,440 --> 00:47:27,319
Speaker 1: my question for you is this, do you agree with

995
00:47:27,440 --> 00:47:31,320
Speaker 1: me that the that there that, regardless of what is

996
00:47:31,360 --> 00:47:33,800
Speaker 1: happening with the rules and regardless of what is happening

997
00:47:33,880 --> 00:47:37,600
Speaker 1: with the stats, that the league right now is more

998
00:47:37,680 --> 00:47:41,520
Speaker 1: skilled than it ever has been in the history of

999
00:47:41,600 --> 00:47:47,759
Speaker 1: the league. Oh yeah, absolutely, I think that was pretty clear.

1000
00:47:47,760 --> 00:47:50,120
Speaker 1: I mean you can just look at every team you

1001
00:47:50,200 --> 00:47:52,440
Speaker 1: go one by one, there's stars, and every team that

1002
00:47:53,280 --> 00:47:55,720
Speaker 1: don't even get the attention, I think that they should.

1003
00:47:55,760 --> 00:47:58,200
Speaker 1: Like you can even go on Sacramento. I think Jaren

1004
00:47:58,239 --> 00:48:01,319
Speaker 1: Fox is just an insane guard, and he just he's

1005
00:48:01,360 --> 00:48:04,080
Speaker 1: probably on the lower end of like star star young

1006
00:48:04,080 --> 00:48:06,359
Speaker 1: guards with like John Moran and with Daunches and all

1007
00:48:06,400 --> 00:48:08,799
Speaker 1: those players. Like. I think players are even coming into

1008
00:48:08,840 --> 00:48:12,000
Speaker 1: the league even more skilled than they ever have Like

1009
00:48:12,040 --> 00:48:15,439
Speaker 1: they're ready to play right away, Like John Rand rookie year,

1010
00:48:15,480 --> 00:48:18,400
Speaker 1: it was probably like a star already walking into the league.

1011
00:48:18,400 --> 00:48:20,839
Speaker 1: Like a lot of these players coming in are way

1012
00:48:20,880 --> 00:48:24,000
Speaker 1: more ready to contribute than I think they've ever have been.

1013
00:48:24,800 --> 00:48:28,160
Speaker 1: The game moves forward right. I think every player now

1014
00:48:28,280 --> 00:48:31,799
Speaker 1: learns from learns from everyone from the past, and I

1015
00:48:31,800 --> 00:48:35,000
Speaker 1: think that's why players now are definitely more skilled. And look,

1016
00:48:35,320 --> 00:48:38,200
Speaker 1: the game is definitely more offensive driven, and I can

1017
00:48:38,280 --> 00:48:40,680
Speaker 1: and I feel like the league definitely wants to tilt

1018
00:48:40,760 --> 00:48:42,719
Speaker 1: that back a little bit with the new rules and

1019
00:48:42,880 --> 00:48:45,920
Speaker 1: with all the you know, nonfoul calls. But most definitely

1020
00:48:45,960 --> 00:48:48,239
Speaker 1: I think the league is actually in great hands. I

1021
00:48:48,239 --> 00:48:51,760
Speaker 1: think the product is in great hands. The game looks

1022
00:48:52,160 --> 00:48:54,680
Speaker 1: even better this year with all the new rules. Definitely

1023
00:48:54,719 --> 00:48:57,360
Speaker 1: think players are more skilled today. I didn't actually didn't

1024
00:48:57,400 --> 00:49:00,279
Speaker 1: like think that was too much of a debate. I

1025
00:49:00,320 --> 00:49:02,319
Speaker 1: know some old heads do definitely think that the game

1026
00:49:02,360 --> 00:49:04,560
Speaker 1: was I guess more tougher back then, But I don't

1027
00:49:04,560 --> 00:49:06,360
Speaker 1: think you can argue now. I mean, look at the

1028
00:49:06,760 --> 00:49:09,200
Speaker 1: just even look at the three point percentages. Look at

1029
00:49:09,440 --> 00:49:12,279
Speaker 1: the shots that players are taking now at just a

1030
00:49:12,360 --> 00:49:16,160
Speaker 1: ridiculous difficulty um shots that are accepted now as like

1031
00:49:16,239 --> 00:49:20,160
Speaker 1: just that back then, weren't you know these like sidestep, dribble,

1032
00:49:20,239 --> 00:49:22,600
Speaker 1: fade away threes are now like just normal practice for

1033
00:49:22,640 --> 00:49:25,279
Speaker 1: a lot of players in the league. Uh, not just step,

1034
00:49:25,360 --> 00:49:28,040
Speaker 1: but like just regular players take those shots regularly that

1035
00:49:28,040 --> 00:49:30,080
Speaker 1: you just didn't see before. So I guess that's my

1036
00:49:30,120 --> 00:49:32,000
Speaker 1: take on it. I think the league is definitely more

1037
00:49:32,040 --> 00:49:34,680
Speaker 1: skilled if the game is better now. I think that's

1038
00:49:34,719 --> 00:49:37,560
Speaker 1: a conversation that you know, two people can have. But

1039
00:49:37,560 --> 00:49:39,880
Speaker 1: I definitely think players are more skills. So I think

1040
00:49:39,920 --> 00:49:43,279
Speaker 1: the driving force between the animosity on this topic has

1041
00:49:43,320 --> 00:49:47,880
Speaker 1: to do with the fact that the people associate Like

1042
00:49:47,920 --> 00:49:52,680
Speaker 1: if I say Kyrie Irving is the most skilled, you know,

1043
00:49:52,920 --> 00:49:55,520
Speaker 1: offensive player that I've seen, you know you're going to

1044
00:49:55,600 --> 00:49:58,600
Speaker 1: have people that will be deeply offended that you're not

1045
00:49:58,760 --> 00:50:01,480
Speaker 1: factoring in somebody from an altar from a different era.

1046
00:50:01,680 --> 00:50:05,239
Speaker 1: That's that to me is foolishness, because every player has

1047
00:50:05,239 --> 00:50:08,439
Speaker 1: to be you know, graded on the curve. That has

1048
00:50:08,480 --> 00:50:11,800
Speaker 1: to do with what their circumstances were. So for instance,

1049
00:50:11,840 --> 00:50:15,239
Speaker 1: like you know, even with longevity, it's hard to wait

1050
00:50:15,320 --> 00:50:18,680
Speaker 1: the longevity of current players against the longevity of players

1051
00:50:18,719 --> 00:50:20,560
Speaker 1: in the eighties when they just didn't have the same

1052
00:50:21,040 --> 00:50:23,160
Speaker 1: level of sports medicine. If you had an A C.

1053
00:50:23,440 --> 00:50:27,000
Speaker 1: L tear in the seventies, that surgeon doesn't have the

1054
00:50:27,000 --> 00:50:29,480
Speaker 1: capability of rebuilding your knee the same way that they

1055
00:50:29,520 --> 00:50:32,520
Speaker 1: do today today. An A C. L tear is nothing

1056
00:50:32,600 --> 00:50:35,160
Speaker 1: but a year and a half off. When you come back,

1057
00:50:35,320 --> 00:50:37,920
Speaker 1: you are absolutely every bit as explosive as you were

1058
00:50:37,920 --> 00:50:40,120
Speaker 1: when you left. I mean, hell, we just saw Kevin

1059
00:50:40,200 --> 00:50:43,120
Speaker 1: Durant like the world on fire to start the season

1060
00:50:43,360 --> 00:50:45,680
Speaker 1: after tearing his achilles, and that used to be a

1061
00:50:45,719 --> 00:50:49,480
Speaker 1: death sentence even just five six years ago with Kobe,

1062
00:50:49,560 --> 00:50:52,400
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. And so so much of

1063
00:50:52,440 --> 00:50:54,160
Speaker 1: this is like we have two grade people on the

1064
00:50:54,200 --> 00:50:56,600
Speaker 1: curve of where they're at. When I say that people

1065
00:50:56,640 --> 00:50:59,480
Speaker 1: are more skilled now than they've ever been, that's not

1066
00:50:59,640 --> 00:51:03,440
Speaker 1: a shot at former players. That's just, to me, the

1067
00:51:03,560 --> 00:51:08,760
Speaker 1: natural progression of the way this industry works. Myself. Realtor

1068
00:51:08,960 --> 00:51:14,080
Speaker 1: Jason from Tucson, Arizona has moves offensive moves in my

1069
00:51:14,239 --> 00:51:16,719
Speaker 1: game as a basketball player that did not exist on

1070
00:51:16,800 --> 00:51:19,560
Speaker 1: the court ten years ago. Things like you're talking about

1071
00:51:19,600 --> 00:51:21,920
Speaker 1: side step three, step back three is one, like fade aways,

1072
00:51:21,920 --> 00:51:26,000
Speaker 1: things along those lines that just that literally came from

1073
00:51:26,680 --> 00:51:31,960
Speaker 1: players ten years ago experimenting and identifying a new way

1074
00:51:32,000 --> 00:51:36,439
Speaker 1: to gain an advantage and using that to improve their game,

1075
00:51:36,560 --> 00:51:39,480
Speaker 1: and then people copying them. No different than Kevin Durant

1076
00:51:39,520 --> 00:51:42,640
Speaker 1: copying Dirk or even Lebron over the course of the

1077
00:51:42,680 --> 00:51:45,560
Speaker 1: last stretch of his career is you know, added things

1078
00:51:45,600 --> 00:51:48,320
Speaker 1: to his game that have unlicked, like like his turnaround,

1079
00:51:48,320 --> 00:51:50,799
Speaker 1: fade away, things that things that he didn't used to take,

1080
00:51:50,880 --> 00:51:53,759
Speaker 1: things that you never would see. Um, you know, a

1081
00:51:53,760 --> 00:51:56,799
Speaker 1: player that big take the way that he takes him

1082
00:51:56,840 --> 00:51:59,320
Speaker 1: you see, you'd see super athletic shooting guards take that

1083
00:51:59,400 --> 00:52:01,960
Speaker 1: kind of shot. But like every everyone is kind of

1084
00:52:02,320 --> 00:52:06,280
Speaker 1: slowly in but but surely just constructing their game based

1085
00:52:06,320 --> 00:52:09,879
Speaker 1: on the whatever is available, whatever intel is available, whatever

1086
00:52:09,920 --> 00:52:12,400
Speaker 1: is available to them at the time. You know, like

1087
00:52:12,440 --> 00:52:15,000
Speaker 1: that Steph Curry in two thousand fifteen and two thousand

1088
00:52:15,040 --> 00:52:17,640
Speaker 1: sixteen was a lesser player than he is today. In

1089
00:52:17,680 --> 00:52:20,000
Speaker 1: my opinion, but he was so far ahead of the

1090
00:52:20,040 --> 00:52:24,480
Speaker 1: curve relative to his surroundings with his shooting that it

1091
00:52:24,600 --> 00:52:28,640
Speaker 1: literally broke the game. The defensive coverages weren't even set

1092
00:52:28,680 --> 00:52:30,879
Speaker 1: up to be able to handle him. And so that

1093
00:52:30,880 --> 00:52:32,239
Speaker 1: that's the way I look at it, is like if

1094
00:52:32,280 --> 00:52:35,040
Speaker 1: you you can only be judged relative to what your

1095
00:52:35,080 --> 00:52:37,560
Speaker 1: time was, you know, like and and from that regard

1096
00:52:38,000 --> 00:52:40,799
Speaker 1: me saying that the league is more skilled now is

1097
00:52:40,880 --> 00:52:44,120
Speaker 1: just an indicator of natural progression and it's not a

1098
00:52:44,280 --> 00:52:47,040
Speaker 1: shot at former players. And it goes both ways in

1099
00:52:47,120 --> 00:52:48,800
Speaker 1: terms of the offensive ratings. And this is what I

1100
00:52:48,840 --> 00:52:53,799
Speaker 1: always tell people, Like in theory, if hand checking got

1101
00:52:54,280 --> 00:52:57,960
Speaker 1: you know, outlawed, and you were never allowed to contest

1102
00:52:57,960 --> 00:53:00,560
Speaker 1: at three point shot without committing a foul, and you

1103
00:53:00,560 --> 00:53:03,400
Speaker 1: were allowed to touch guys off ball, and everybody and

1104
00:53:03,440 --> 00:53:05,279
Speaker 1: their brother was just free to do whatever the hell

1105
00:53:05,280 --> 00:53:08,839
Speaker 1: they wanted on offense, and defenses were completely handcuffed, and

1106
00:53:08,960 --> 00:53:12,280
Speaker 1: guys were as skilled as they are today. In theory,

1107
00:53:12,520 --> 00:53:16,120
Speaker 1: teams would average a hundred seventy points a gain, right

1108
00:53:16,560 --> 00:53:20,319
Speaker 1: because because they were averaging in the hundreds previous to this,

1109
00:53:20,400 --> 00:53:23,120
Speaker 1: but before all these changes. So you have to also

1110
00:53:23,200 --> 00:53:26,279
Speaker 1: factor in that defense has improved over the course of time,

1111
00:53:26,920 --> 00:53:31,279
Speaker 1: not just in versatility and athleticism, because we went from

1112
00:53:31,360 --> 00:53:34,239
Speaker 1: having two lumbering bigs on the floor at every time too.

1113
00:53:34,719 --> 00:53:37,080
Speaker 1: Now the vast majority of centers in the league are

1114
00:53:37,120 --> 00:53:42,080
Speaker 1: a leaner and less like muscular, but more athletic, and

1115
00:53:42,080 --> 00:53:44,680
Speaker 1: they're more like rim running bigs that stretched the floor,

1116
00:53:44,800 --> 00:53:47,640
Speaker 1: that are more mobile and capable of covering space on

1117
00:53:47,680 --> 00:53:51,759
Speaker 1: the perimeter. And we've ditched the Paul Millsap types of

1118
00:53:51,760 --> 00:53:55,360
Speaker 1: the world for the you know, the freak athlete type

1119
00:53:55,360 --> 00:54:01,040
Speaker 1: of power forward you know, uh athlete long can switch

1120
00:54:01,040 --> 00:54:03,880
Speaker 1: onto guards, that type of thing. Just in general, the

1121
00:54:05,520 --> 00:54:10,279
Speaker 1: defenses have transformed to be able to counter all of

1122
00:54:10,320 --> 00:54:13,440
Speaker 1: the things that offenses due today. And that's that to

1123
00:54:13,480 --> 00:54:15,560
Speaker 1: me is super fascinating. Like you, we we talked about

1124
00:54:15,560 --> 00:54:17,120
Speaker 1: it all the time, you and me. Just a little

1125
00:54:17,280 --> 00:54:20,160
Speaker 1: little details of defense that Frank Vogel has used over

1126
00:54:20,200 --> 00:54:22,959
Speaker 1: the last couple of years to try to slow teams down,

1127
00:54:23,080 --> 00:54:27,000
Speaker 1: like the sophistication and the rotations pre switching to try

1128
00:54:27,000 --> 00:54:30,359
Speaker 1: to stop from attacking Trey Young. You'll see teams pre

1129
00:54:30,520 --> 00:54:33,319
Speaker 1: switch the switch before the switch that stops Trey Young

1130
00:54:33,320 --> 00:54:36,759
Speaker 1: from being attacked or you know, all these all these

1131
00:54:36,760 --> 00:54:40,960
Speaker 1: little wrinkles that these teams like, everybody's constantly trying to

1132
00:54:40,960 --> 00:54:43,760
Speaker 1: gain an advantage, and that's just the way the industry works,

1133
00:54:43,800 --> 00:54:46,760
Speaker 1: you know. And in terms of you know, Larry Bird

1134
00:54:46,840 --> 00:54:49,760
Speaker 1: to me is like the guy who invented the computer,

1135
00:54:50,719 --> 00:54:54,480
Speaker 1: and the guy who invented the computer is immortal. He

1136
00:54:55,640 --> 00:54:59,480
Speaker 1: changed the industry. But computers are a lot better now,

1137
00:55:00,040 --> 00:55:01,919
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. That doesn't That's not an

1138
00:55:01,920 --> 00:55:04,279
Speaker 1: insult to Larry Bird. That's not an insult to the

1139
00:55:04,280 --> 00:55:06,759
Speaker 1: guy who invented the computer. It's like, if anything, we

1140
00:55:06,920 --> 00:55:09,400
Speaker 1: depend on him because none of this would have happened

1141
00:55:09,440 --> 00:55:12,080
Speaker 1: without him. And maybe that's a bad comparison, and maybe

1142
00:55:12,120 --> 00:55:14,520
Speaker 1: maybe that's the wrong way to put this, but the

1143
00:55:14,560 --> 00:55:17,440
Speaker 1: way I look at it is like it is, I

1144
00:55:17,440 --> 00:55:19,799
Speaker 1: would I would hope that twenty years from now, the

1145
00:55:19,840 --> 00:55:22,279
Speaker 1: game has advanced even so far that people look back

1146
00:55:22,280 --> 00:55:25,560
Speaker 1: at Lebron and go like, hold on, like that that

1147
00:55:25,560 --> 00:55:27,560
Speaker 1: that guy was the best player in the league. Are

1148
00:55:27,600 --> 00:55:31,160
Speaker 1: you serious? Like what about this dude? Who's Kevin Durant

1149
00:55:31,160 --> 00:55:35,080
Speaker 1: mixed with John maraat kicks with mixed with Lebron James

1150
00:55:35,080 --> 00:55:38,239
Speaker 1: mixed with Luca like, God, God knows what the best

1151
00:55:38,280 --> 00:55:40,239
Speaker 1: players in the league is gonna look like in twenty years.

1152
00:55:40,280 --> 00:55:44,160
Speaker 1: It's probably gonna be absurd, you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah,

1153
00:55:44,200 --> 00:55:46,640
Speaker 1: for sure. And people always developing. And that's what I

1154
00:55:46,680 --> 00:55:48,919
Speaker 1: meant by people are coming into the league even more

1155
00:55:48,920 --> 00:55:52,799
Speaker 1: developed than ever. I think players practiced definitely now. You know,

1156
00:55:53,200 --> 00:55:56,919
Speaker 1: nowadays people are training from like nine nine years old

1157
00:55:56,960 --> 00:56:00,600
Speaker 1: and super professional training program ms. You know, I don't

1158
00:56:00,600 --> 00:56:03,279
Speaker 1: think that existed before. I look at Luca has been

1159
00:56:03,320 --> 00:56:05,560
Speaker 1: hooping since like fifteen, but he knew he was gonna

1160
00:56:05,560 --> 00:56:08,040
Speaker 1: be a professional, so like his training was different. He

1161
00:56:08,120 --> 00:56:11,400
Speaker 1: walks into the league basically a superstar already. Like you

1162
00:56:11,440 --> 00:56:13,359
Speaker 1: just look at these players. You have all these six

1163
00:56:13,400 --> 00:56:16,120
Speaker 1: ten guys who now can dribble, you know, step back

1164
00:56:16,160 --> 00:56:19,480
Speaker 1: threes and the stuff that just didn't exist back then.

1165
00:56:19,600 --> 00:56:21,839
Speaker 1: So I agree with you, the game always moves forward.

1166
00:56:21,880 --> 00:56:24,239
Speaker 1: We'll see what comes next. I think like guys like

1167
00:56:24,360 --> 00:56:26,799
Speaker 1: kde Lebron are kind of one on one, one of one,

1168
00:56:26,920 --> 00:56:29,160
Speaker 1: kind of in that way where you know, they kind

1169
00:56:29,200 --> 00:56:31,040
Speaker 1: of changed the game. Katie, I think is the best

1170
00:56:31,080 --> 00:56:33,800
Speaker 1: score ever. To me, Lebron is probably one of the

1171
00:56:33,840 --> 00:56:37,080
Speaker 1: best players ever in terms of playmate, mixing playmaking with

1172
00:56:37,160 --> 00:56:39,920
Speaker 1: just being with a control of defense, manipulated defense, and

1173
00:56:40,080 --> 00:56:41,880
Speaker 1: people get better as they come in the league. And

1174
00:56:41,920 --> 00:56:44,960
Speaker 1: I think that's just I just that's how I see

1175
00:56:45,000 --> 00:56:46,880
Speaker 1: the game. It moves forward every year. I feel like

1176
00:56:46,920 --> 00:56:49,280
Speaker 1: players are better at a younger age. Now, their primes

1177
00:56:49,360 --> 00:56:51,399
Speaker 1: last a lot longer. You don't have to wait till

1178
00:56:51,400 --> 00:56:54,600
Speaker 1: the players like four for them to have m v

1179
00:56:54,680 --> 00:56:57,799
Speaker 1: P type of impact. We're getting that at like one

1180
00:56:57,840 --> 00:57:00,120
Speaker 1: with a lot of players. It's insane. The league is

1181
00:57:00,160 --> 00:57:03,400
Speaker 1: moving at a insane town level. And the amount of

1182
00:57:03,480 --> 00:57:05,919
Speaker 1: teams is still like there's only thirty teams, which means

1183
00:57:05,920 --> 00:57:08,600
Speaker 1: the talent pool is still only like four fifty guys.

1184
00:57:08,640 --> 00:57:10,680
Speaker 1: And the talent pool is just growing more and more

1185
00:57:11,360 --> 00:57:13,920
Speaker 1: to where only sixty guys get drafted, and then you know,

1186
00:57:13,960 --> 00:57:16,280
Speaker 1: you have a bunch of undrafted guys that come to league.

1187
00:57:16,320 --> 00:57:18,560
Speaker 1: But the talent pool just keeps growing, and I think

1188
00:57:18,600 --> 00:57:20,240
Speaker 1: that's a great thing for the game. Yeah. I mean,

1189
00:57:20,640 --> 00:57:23,520
Speaker 1: like Nicola Yoka just starting to look like a bona

1190
00:57:23,560 --> 00:57:27,240
Speaker 1: fide top tier superstar. And my guess is that when

1191
00:57:27,280 --> 00:57:30,600
Speaker 1: Lebron comes back from his abdominant injury, he's gonna look

1192
00:57:30,600 --> 00:57:33,280
Speaker 1: like a bona fide top tier superstar, because that's what

1193
00:57:33,320 --> 00:57:36,000
Speaker 1: he looked like against Cleveland and against Houston. So the

1194
00:57:36,000 --> 00:57:38,560
Speaker 1: truth of the matter is like we've got Yogis, Lebron,

1195
00:57:38,960 --> 00:57:45,200
Speaker 1: Kevin Durant, Joannice, Steph Curry, and we have Kauai you know,

1196
00:57:45,360 --> 00:57:48,120
Speaker 1: who will eventually come back and we know when he's capable, Like,

1197
00:57:48,280 --> 00:57:51,680
Speaker 1: but when if we ever had this many like top

1198
00:57:51,760 --> 00:57:55,560
Speaker 1: tier you know, like ultra super duper duper stars, you

1199
00:57:55,600 --> 00:57:57,560
Speaker 1: know what I mean. And it's just it's it's it's

1200
00:57:57,560 --> 00:58:01,000
Speaker 1: to me, it's just I think it's as an NBA fan,

1201
00:58:01,440 --> 00:58:04,800
Speaker 1: it's weird to be so resistant to the growth of

1202
00:58:04,840 --> 00:58:06,800
Speaker 1: the game, you know what I mean, Like it makes

1203
00:58:06,800 --> 00:58:09,560
Speaker 1: way more sense to me to complain about something to

1204
00:58:09,600 --> 00:58:11,720
Speaker 1: have to having to do with the flow of the game,

1205
00:58:11,760 --> 00:58:16,160
Speaker 1: like officiating and reviews, and you know, the commentators being

1206
00:58:16,240 --> 00:58:19,200
Speaker 1: so negative and being so preachy, like those kinds of

1207
00:58:19,240 --> 00:58:22,000
Speaker 1: things that that those are the things that disrupt the

1208
00:58:22,000 --> 00:58:24,360
Speaker 1: game that we love. Those are the things that deserve

1209
00:58:24,480 --> 00:58:27,240
Speaker 1: to be called out and criticized for so many reasons.

1210
00:58:27,240 --> 00:58:32,280
Speaker 1: But doing it like attacking the players themselves for their

1211
00:58:32,400 --> 00:58:35,240
Speaker 1: little personal touch that they're putting on the game, like

1212
00:58:35,280 --> 00:58:37,640
Speaker 1: listening to Charles Barkley, This is where I could brought

1213
00:58:37,680 --> 00:58:40,840
Speaker 1: this up. I should have clarified from the beginning. This

1214
00:58:41,040 --> 00:58:44,480
Speaker 1: has to do with Charles Barkley's podcast appearance. Um, you know,

1215
00:58:44,520 --> 00:58:47,080
Speaker 1: with THATI Gonzalez and with Kevin Durant on the etc. S.

1216
00:58:47,520 --> 00:58:50,440
Speaker 1: You know, there was a lot of good in the podcast,

1217
00:58:50,480 --> 00:58:53,160
Speaker 1: to be clear, So I'm not trying to undercut that.

1218
00:58:53,440 --> 00:58:56,200
Speaker 1: And char Charles I genuinely like him and a lot

1219
00:58:56,280 --> 00:58:58,680
Speaker 1: of the things that he has to say. However, in

1220
00:58:58,720 --> 00:59:03,800
Speaker 1: this case, the way his general disdain for the way

1221
00:59:03,840 --> 00:59:07,200
Speaker 1: guys play basketball now is kind of infuriating to me.

1222
00:59:07,800 --> 00:59:09,880
Speaker 1: And you know, they're there. I was happy Kevin during

1223
00:59:10,000 --> 00:59:11,680
Speaker 1: kind of called him out on on one thing, like,

1224
00:59:11,920 --> 00:59:15,520
Speaker 1: you know, because at one point Barkley is like, you know, like,

1225
00:59:15,760 --> 00:59:18,080
Speaker 1: well why do you guys keep shooting them threes? You know,

1226
00:59:18,200 --> 00:59:20,400
Speaker 1: and like and Kevin Durant's like, you know, sometimes that's

1227
00:59:20,440 --> 00:59:22,880
Speaker 1: what the defense has given you. Like if I drive

1228
00:59:22,920 --> 00:59:25,320
Speaker 1: to the basket and they take away the paint for

1229
00:59:25,400 --> 00:59:27,200
Speaker 1: me and I kick it out to a really good shooter,

1230
00:59:27,240 --> 00:59:29,200
Speaker 1: I don't care if we've missed six in a row.

1231
00:59:29,600 --> 00:59:32,320
Speaker 1: If it's a good shot, that's what we take. That's

1232
00:59:32,320 --> 00:59:35,360
Speaker 1: how we play basketball today. That's our personal touch that

1233
00:59:35,440 --> 00:59:37,479
Speaker 1: we've put on the game. It's a driving kick game

1234
00:59:37,760 --> 00:59:39,919
Speaker 1: because the floor is more space. It's not the same

1235
00:59:39,960 --> 00:59:43,760
Speaker 1: as it was in your era. And that's okay. And

1236
00:59:43,800 --> 00:59:46,120
Speaker 1: you know, and I hope, I hope to god if

1237
00:59:46,160 --> 00:59:48,600
Speaker 1: if ten years from now the league changes again and

1238
00:59:48,640 --> 00:59:51,520
Speaker 1: I become Mr. I'm on my ports preaching about how

1239
00:59:51,600 --> 00:59:53,640
Speaker 1: much these players suck. I hope you guys all come

1240
00:59:53,680 --> 00:59:55,640
Speaker 1: for me, you know, like I hope you do, because

1241
00:59:55,640 --> 00:59:58,520
Speaker 1: it's it's just not fair. But you know, I think

1242
00:59:58,520 --> 01:00:02,200
Speaker 1: it's awesome. I I guys, like, I literally, I literally

1243
01:00:02,240 --> 01:00:04,040
Speaker 1: was coming back from the pandemic and I was I

1244
01:00:04,080 --> 01:00:06,280
Speaker 1: was twenty pounds overweight. I was trying to drop all

1245
01:00:06,280 --> 01:00:08,360
Speaker 1: this weight. I was trying to get back into basketball shape,

1246
01:00:08,760 --> 01:00:11,160
Speaker 1: and my my knee was killing me. I was having

1247
01:00:11,200 --> 01:00:13,640
Speaker 1: horrible tendonitis and it was really causing me to hit

1248
01:00:13,680 --> 01:00:16,480
Speaker 1: a wall and I wasn't moving as well as I

1249
01:00:16,520 --> 01:00:19,120
Speaker 1: wanted to, and I was really really frustrated. And then

1250
01:00:19,240 --> 01:00:22,280
Speaker 1: some guy on on Twitter who's fifty years old, who

1251
01:00:22,640 --> 01:00:26,240
Speaker 1: is still dunking, like sends me this brand new program

1252
01:00:26,280 --> 01:00:30,840
Speaker 1: this like, uh, knee knee kind of like uh reconstruction,

1253
01:00:31,240 --> 01:00:34,880
Speaker 1: you know, like exercise program to strengthen your patela. I've

1254
01:00:34,880 --> 01:00:37,040
Speaker 1: been doing that thing for six weeks and I'm jumping

1255
01:00:37,080 --> 01:00:39,040
Speaker 1: better than I have since I was in junior college.

1256
01:00:39,360 --> 01:00:41,959
Speaker 1: Like it's insane. Like I literally I'm like, I feel

1257
01:00:41,960 --> 01:00:44,360
Speaker 1: like I've got like the secret to life. I just

1258
01:00:44,360 --> 01:00:46,200
Speaker 1: want to every time I see somebody, I just want

1259
01:00:46,200 --> 01:00:47,880
Speaker 1: to be like, is your knee hurting? Let me show

1260
01:00:47,920 --> 01:00:51,280
Speaker 1: you something, Like it's it's crazy and it's like, I

1261
01:00:51,400 --> 01:00:53,040
Speaker 1: just these are the kinds of things that we have

1262
01:00:53,120 --> 01:00:55,040
Speaker 1: access to now, and I think that's so cool. I

1263
01:00:55,080 --> 01:00:57,640
Speaker 1: think that's awesome. Like the guy who invented this program

1264
01:00:57,800 --> 01:01:01,920
Speaker 1: has it replaced me? Literally has an is artificial and

1265
01:01:02,000 --> 01:01:04,960
Speaker 1: the dude can dunk and and it's and it's because

1266
01:01:05,000 --> 01:01:07,560
Speaker 1: of technology that we have Just knowledge is not even

1267
01:01:07,600 --> 01:01:10,200
Speaker 1: tech in this case, it's knowledge. We just learned through

1268
01:01:10,240 --> 01:01:13,120
Speaker 1: trial and error as human beings, how to be better

1269
01:01:13,160 --> 01:01:16,160
Speaker 1: at what we do. And I think that that's so cool.

1270
01:01:16,280 --> 01:01:18,160
Speaker 1: And I hate that people poop poo on that all

1271
01:01:18,160 --> 01:01:19,840
Speaker 1: the time. It's just it drives it drives me nuts.

1272
01:01:19,880 --> 01:01:22,600
Speaker 1: I feel like it's such a negative attitude to have

1273
01:01:22,680 --> 01:01:27,360
Speaker 1: about things anyway, I'm off myselfbox. Now you're good, You're

1274
01:01:27,400 --> 01:01:29,800
Speaker 1: you're right, Like we're at we're telling you age things

1275
01:01:29,880 --> 01:01:32,560
Speaker 1: keep advancing, Players come back from injuries a lot sooner,

1276
01:01:33,240 --> 01:01:35,520
Speaker 1: like with Charles Brockley, And even Shack has his stick

1277
01:01:35,600 --> 01:01:37,760
Speaker 1: as well, right Like he likes to have the center

1278
01:01:37,880 --> 01:01:39,640
Speaker 1: be the you know, go out and get thirty and

1279
01:01:39,680 --> 01:01:42,400
Speaker 1: fifteen like he did every night. And Charles Brockley has

1280
01:01:42,400 --> 01:01:44,600
Speaker 1: his way of viewing the game, and you know, sometimes

1281
01:01:44,600 --> 01:01:46,840
Speaker 1: it does feel like it gets old. He does have

1282
01:01:46,880 --> 01:01:49,840
Speaker 1: his own kind of opinions and stuff like that. But yeah,

1283
01:01:49,960 --> 01:01:52,160
Speaker 1: like you're right, the games moving forward and we have

1284
01:01:52,200 --> 01:01:54,760
Speaker 1: a lot more things that we have access to. We're

1285
01:01:54,800 --> 01:01:57,360
Speaker 1: lucky that players come back a lot quicker now, you know.

1286
01:01:57,400 --> 01:01:59,480
Speaker 1: We're lucky that there's a lot of injuries that aren't

1287
01:01:59,720 --> 01:02:02,800
Speaker 1: you know, career ending anymore. And you're it's super cool

1288
01:02:02,840 --> 01:02:06,200
Speaker 1: and hopefully the Lakers kind of can kind of be

1289
01:02:06,280 --> 01:02:08,560
Speaker 1: a part of that as well, part of that movement

1290
01:02:08,600 --> 01:02:11,720
Speaker 1: towards all this brand new stuff that we're kind of

1291
01:02:11,720 --> 01:02:15,600
Speaker 1: getting into, uh, while the NBA moves forward as well. Yep,

1292
01:02:15,680 --> 01:02:18,200
Speaker 1: I agree, everybody, Thanks for coming to hang out tonight.

1293
01:02:18,240 --> 01:02:20,040
Speaker 1: We sincerely. Appreciate it. I know it's Friday. I know

1294
01:02:20,080 --> 01:02:22,720
Speaker 1: you're all very busy. UM. I hope you all have

1295
01:02:22,800 --> 01:02:25,400
Speaker 1: an awesome weekend, and I hope that on Sunday the

1296
01:02:25,480 --> 01:02:28,560
Speaker 1: Lakers come with a little bit more fight and this

1297
01:02:28,600 --> 01:02:31,800
Speaker 1: team needs Lebron back desperately. I hope he's right around

1298
01:02:31,840 --> 01:02:35,960
Speaker 1: the corner. UM. This is gonna air on dash Radio. Actually,

1299
01:02:35,960 --> 01:02:37,920
Speaker 1: this one will not air on dash Radio because our

1300
01:02:37,960 --> 01:02:40,560
Speaker 1: Sunday show will, so that might be better because we

1301
01:02:40,560 --> 01:02:42,920
Speaker 1: were all piste off to night anyway, but this will

1302
01:02:42,960 --> 01:02:45,880
Speaker 1: be on our podcast feed. UM be here in about

1303
01:02:45,880 --> 01:02:49,360
Speaker 1: an hour, and as always, we appreciate your guys support

1304
01:02:49,360 --> 01:02:50,600
Speaker 1: and we will see you in a couple of days.

1305
01:02:52,040 --> 01:03:18,400
Speaker 1: Appreciate it. Thanks everyone,