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Speaker 1: L dot com promo code hoop Welcome into the All

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Speaker 1: Ball podcast of your podcasts, Doug Got Lazy. Hey, by

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Speaker 1: the way, make sure you listen to the Doug Gotlab.

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Speaker 1: We do it live every day Monday, Friday, Breath this time,

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Speaker 1: three specifics. You can listen to it on any years

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Speaker 1: rest of radio stations on Serious XM channel eighty three.

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Speaker 1: You can also go to Fox Supports Radio dot com.

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Speaker 1: There's a myriad of way Doug Gotlin Show Daily. Follow

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Speaker 1: me on Twitter at Gotlange show Man. Do we have

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Speaker 1: a good pod for you? I mean we got a

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Speaker 1: lot for you. Um, let me quickly give you a

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Speaker 1: couple of things since the last we spoke. Obviously, Lebron

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Speaker 1: James now member of the Lakers, and I've told people

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Speaker 1: who listen on radio or on How Hurts Show, listen,

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Speaker 1: I don't love the plan. But one of the things

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Speaker 1: we never do, or we don't we do a terrible

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Speaker 1: job of in sports is we act like there's a

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Speaker 1: blank camp, right. Have you ever noticed that we're like, oh,

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Speaker 1: why did Lebron create the perfect team in l A,

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Speaker 1: you know, with like perfect shooters, and like that's not

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Speaker 1: how it works. If you want to come to l A,

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Speaker 1: Like all right, we got these young guys. We got

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Speaker 1: some cap space, we got Ull Dang's contract that we're

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Speaker 1: trying to either get rid of or smooth like. We

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Speaker 1: got some things working. We got some draft picks, but

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Speaker 1: they're not like a top five draft pick like this

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Speaker 1: is kind of what we got there. It's not a

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Speaker 1: blank canvas. Additionally, with the free agents that you can add,

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Speaker 1: it's like, well, I can't believe they didn't add more shooting. Okay, well,

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Speaker 1: who was available, Like who was available? They could They

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Speaker 1: couldn't pay you know, Trevor Reesa to bring him back,

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Speaker 1: and they have that kind of money, you know. So

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Speaker 1: they got Land Stevenson, not a big money deal. They

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Speaker 1: got Genrondo, which they probably paid him a little bit

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Speaker 1: more than eight million dollars, but it's only a one

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Speaker 1: year deal. Like, dude, getting guys for one year is

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Speaker 1: not easy, you know. Look, would I have gone with

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Speaker 1: JJ Reddick? Yeah, I would have gone with JJ Reddick

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Speaker 1: ahead of Contavious Caldwell Pope. The one issue though, with

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Speaker 1: with getting rid of Cantavious called Well Pope is that's

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Speaker 1: kind of a wink wink nod nod deal because he

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Speaker 1: too is wrapped by Rich Paul. So the end. This

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Speaker 1: is not Uh. Sports isn't played in a vacuum. There's

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Speaker 1: no blank canvas. The Lakers are doing the best they can.

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Speaker 1: The only thing I would have done differently was I

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Speaker 1: would at least engage with j J. Now, look, JJ

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Speaker 1: probably shows some loyalty to the seventies six years. They

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Speaker 1: also lost some of the other shooters to free agency.

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Speaker 1: But also like, look, they overpaid him from one year

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Speaker 1: to maintain cash base, so to take less. I think

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Speaker 1: he's making twelve million dollars is which what Cantavious called

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Speaker 1: well Pope was making. Um, you know, he might have

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Speaker 1: only taken that amount because he could still live in

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Speaker 1: Brooklyn and still make that that slept to Philadelphia for

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Speaker 1: games on game day not have to, and and like

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Speaker 1: a payback for overpaying him last year he made like

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Speaker 1: twenty three millions of months. Right, I'm crazy anyway, point being,

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Speaker 1: it's it's not just as easy as Okay, let's just

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Speaker 1: like pick dream guys and put him dream team. You

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Speaker 1: do the ast you can with what you got, from

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Speaker 1: what you can acquire who's on the market, and when

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Speaker 1: it's not. This is not a terrible roster. They're dependent

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Speaker 1: on if they remain with Brandon Ingram. They don't trade him,

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Speaker 1: branding him to improve as a shooter. He should. He's

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Speaker 1: twenty years old, Josh hard to improve? He should. Uh,

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Speaker 1: he's only going to a second year in the league.

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Speaker 1: How who's going to improve? He should? Lonzo Ball couldn't

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Speaker 1: get any worse as a shooter. The the idea is

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Speaker 1: all of those young guys, plus they added to female

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Speaker 1: high look and Moe Wagner. You couple that with the

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Speaker 1: veterans they have, and then here's the big thing. Look

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Speaker 1: at that roster. Tell me who their small ball five is.

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Speaker 1: I think it's Lebron James. When I hear people say

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Speaker 1: Lebron wants to play more from the post, they want

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Speaker 1: to play fast, and they want playmakers, my guess is

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Speaker 1: just guess and well educated guests, is this is a team.

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Speaker 1: Uh that's going to It's gonna be athletic, that's gonna challenge.

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Speaker 1: You depend upon their young players to get better if

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Speaker 1: they don't make a quiet letter tray. But Lebron James

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Speaker 1: will be their small ball five. I think he liked

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Speaker 1: being able to take plays off guarding Draymond Green, guarding

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Speaker 1: p J. Tucker. They'll be able to guard those. Every

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Speaker 1: team is trying to find their own Draymond Green. And

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Speaker 1: while Lebron James is still awesome, he can't play at

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Speaker 1: the same level defensively that he used to and he's

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Speaker 1: not going to be the same Let have the same

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Speaker 1: level explosiveness. Why not create a mismatch playing at center

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Speaker 1: as opposed to when they played him at four most

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Speaker 1: of the time point or four most of the time

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Speaker 1: in both Miami and in Cleveland. I think it's a

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Speaker 1: smart idea, and I think again, based upon what they have,

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Speaker 1: what they had maintained the cap space, and what they

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Speaker 1: want to ultimately be. I kind of like it. I

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Speaker 1: don't love it, but I like it and I get it,

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Speaker 1: and I do think it's smart for Lebron four point

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Speaker 1: oh to think, Look, my first step is going to

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Speaker 1: slow down. How could I maintain my level of dominance?

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Speaker 1: Play him at center, playmate center. He had a great

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Speaker 1: shop boxer and a great rebounder. But you mean to

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Speaker 1: tell me that he can't be a really good rebounder

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Speaker 1: playing center if you have rebounding Like, by the way,

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Speaker 1: one thing they really like about Lonzo Ball is a

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Speaker 1: really good rebounding card. Excellent rebunding, so it's it's not perfect,

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Speaker 1: but it wasn't a blank canvas that they started with.

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Speaker 1: So some of this Laker stuff does make a lot

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Speaker 1: of sense. And Houston keeps adding scoring pieces when the

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Speaker 1: reason they took the next step last year was their defense,

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Speaker 1: not because their scoring. All right, So then we have

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Speaker 1: um what Oklahoma City did. And obviously, look, having spent

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Speaker 1: time in Oklahoma City, having lived there, done national radio,

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Speaker 1: done radio there, and then I still do radio locally

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Speaker 1: in w w AS, I can only tell you that

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Speaker 1: I understand what it feels like to be Paul George,

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Speaker 1: to have a city wrapped their arms around you and

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Speaker 1: go like, hey man, you stay, we love you here,

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Speaker 1: and it is an easier pace of life than being

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Speaker 1: in Alli. What I'm blown away by, though, is that

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Speaker 1: Paul George didn't even have a meeting with the Lake, Like, look, dude,

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Speaker 1: you blew up the Indiana thing and granted your vision

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Speaker 1: of you didn't know Oklahoma City would fitchee. Didn't I

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Speaker 1: think you could. You would never have with a Russell

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Speaker 1: Westbrook there. But this is something that's funny to me

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Speaker 1: or interesting to me. Russell Westbrook was like his best

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Speaker 1: buddy right, they get done with the season. They're inseparable,

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Speaker 1: they're working out together, they're hanging out together. He let

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Speaker 1: his guard down. Hey, he see my family be part

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Speaker 1: of what I am. I want you that badly. I

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Speaker 1: follow Russell Westbrook on Instagram and I noticed he was

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Speaker 1: in San Diego last week with his brodies, his best friends.

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Speaker 1: This is after Paul George re up with the Oklahoma

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Speaker 1: City Thunder. No, it wasn't there Paul George. You know why,

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Speaker 1: because he's really not his best friend, he really and look,

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Speaker 1: I I give him a ton of credit. This was

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Speaker 1: a dude who really really really needed, really needed Paul

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Speaker 1: George to resign for his own uh, for his own reputation.

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Speaker 1: He did a great job of recruiting, and they did

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Speaker 1: such a good job that Paul George did not take

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Speaker 1: another visit. And so if you're listening to this and

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Speaker 1: you're a parent of a kid who's gonna be recruited,

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Speaker 1: you're gonna be recruited yourself. And college coach you're listening

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Speaker 1: to this, they know it so well. Never commit on

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Speaker 1: your first business. Doesn't mean you don't commit to the

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Speaker 1: school from your first visit, but go see other places.

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Speaker 1: Give a perspective, and for a guy who blew up

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Speaker 1: Indiana to go to l A to not even have

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Speaker 1: a meeting with the Lakers, it just doesn't strike me

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Speaker 1: as a guy who's really sharp or is really really

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Speaker 1: has great conviction in his decision that said Oklahma City

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Speaker 1: has to get rid of Carmelo Anthony not just for

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Speaker 1: the luxury tax, but because he's toxic. I don't and

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Speaker 1: it makes them a championship caliber team because you still

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Speaker 1: have the Andre Robertson can't shoot, and as good as

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Speaker 1: Steven Adams is, he's only really good, you know, ten

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Speaker 1: twelve feeting in that just shrinks the court around Russell Westbrook,

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Speaker 1: who's not a great three point shooter, needs space to drive,

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Speaker 1: and Paul George and you know whoever else they're gonna

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Speaker 1: even when they play small, the court seems shrunk in

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Speaker 1: Oklahoma City. Do I think it makes them competitive? Yes,

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Speaker 1: And really that's what their beliefs are. As the longer

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Speaker 1: Weeken State competitive in Oklahoma City, Eventually it'll come back

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Speaker 1: around us. Bolden State may implode or have injuries. You know,

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Speaker 1: we'll see if the Lakers might not be there yet.

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Speaker 1: The Spurs appeared to be aged Houston. I don't think

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Speaker 1: is better losing Ariza and losing and Bammute and potentially

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Speaker 1: adding Carmelo or adding Swaggy, whoever they add there is

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Speaker 1: gonna be more offensive where defensive. I do actually think

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Speaker 1: I believe that Oklahoma City is just gonna sit there

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Speaker 1: and they'll be the There'll be the stock horse. Everybody

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Speaker 1: else falls apart. We still have Paul George, we still

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Speaker 1: have Russell Westbrook. We got other guys that play very,

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Speaker 1: very good defense. We find enough shotmakers around them, we're

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Speaker 1: gonna be okay, that makes some sense. All. We have

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Speaker 1: a great podcast for you upcoming. Um, we're gonna take

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Speaker 1: into the world oft w n b A. You're going

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Speaker 1: to hear from David Griffin, who of course was the

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Speaker 1: general manager of Lebron's Cleveland Cavaliers. Wait to hear what

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Speaker 1: he says about the narrative that Kyrie Irving could not

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Speaker 1: win before Lebron got there. Pretty interesting. Um, and Joe

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Speaker 1: Varden will join us from Cleveland dot Com. He's got

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Speaker 1: some great insight into what was really like with Lebron.

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Speaker 1: Lebron is a Laker. It does change the NBA eliminates

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Speaker 1: Cleveland from playoff. Uh likelihood and definitely not a championship

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Speaker 1: caliber team. I don't think it's death to the East.

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Speaker 1: I think people are massively overreacting. I think Milwaukee is

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Speaker 1: gonna be really good. I think Boston is gonna be

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Speaker 1: obviously the clear favorite. You still have Toronto, um, you

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Speaker 1: still have Philadelphia. That those young teams are going to

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Speaker 1: get better. But you know, like, look, there's a strong

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Speaker 1: likelihood Boston, if they're at full strength, is every bit

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Speaker 1: as good as the Golden State Warriors. That's because the Warriors,

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Speaker 1: when you add Boogee Cousins, that changes who you are.

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Speaker 1: If Boogie plays major minutes, they're no longer a team

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Speaker 1: that can switch everything. They're no longer the Hampton five.

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Speaker 1: They may be more effective at times offensively, but that's

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Speaker 1: with a post player. He can shoot, he can stretch

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Speaker 1: you out, but it changes who they are defensively and

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Speaker 1: defensive where they shut off people. Before let's turn to

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Speaker 1: the w n B. A friend of mine, Nikki Collin, Uh,

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Speaker 1: do you got do? I do you know? I need

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Speaker 1: to do the official like Nicole Collins, the head coach

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Speaker 1: of the Atlanta Dream. She joins us here on the

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Speaker 1: All Ball Podcast how how do you want me to

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Speaker 1: address you, coach? Head coach NICKI? Nicole? What do you

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Speaker 1: want me to do? Definitely not Nicole. Come on, I

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Speaker 1: don't think I've nico on anything but my birth certificates.

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Speaker 1: So just yeah, lets let's drow with Nikki. Alright, fair,

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Speaker 1: fair enough, Private platte Bill joining us here on the

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Speaker 1: All Ball Podcast. Um for for the at the time

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Speaker 1: of this recording, you guys played an early game on

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Speaker 1: Wednesday and you're only dominated Elena Della Don's team that

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Speaker 1: you that's the best you guys have played all year? Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I would stay without question. I mean we had four

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Speaker 1: players with twenty points and five assists. This is how

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Speaker 1: many games have you played these early games where they

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Speaker 1: try and fill up the arena with camp kids? This

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Speaker 1: is what four or five on the year or three?

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Speaker 1: This is our fifth? Yeah, this is our fifth. We

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Speaker 1: had by far the most of any w NBA team,

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Speaker 1: So we got everybody's road road early game. So what's

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Speaker 1: what's that like in terms of preparation? You know, like,

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Speaker 1: did you guys, do you guys do a pregame meal?

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Speaker 1: Do you get them up at seven to kind of

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Speaker 1: get them up and around or do you let you

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Speaker 1: know they're growing, growing women? Do you let them you

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Speaker 1: know whenever they want to stagger into the arena, they

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Speaker 1: staggered in the arena. How do you have you worked it? Now?

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Speaker 1: We we were pretty consistent. Eleven not a horrible time

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Speaker 1: for us because it's our practice plot at home as well.

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Speaker 1: So in some ways, um, you know, we do end

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Speaker 1: up kind of getting them up, and we're more in

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Speaker 1: that between seven thirty and eight and we do a

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Speaker 1: breakfast and a short film session and sometimes we take

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Speaker 1: down a court to do baseline and sideline out of bounds,

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Speaker 1: and sometimes we just watched the video, but we kind

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Speaker 1: of go from there and give them enough time to

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Speaker 1: pack their backs and and get to the arena because

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Speaker 1: we want to be here two hours early to really

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Speaker 1: be in a routine. Nikki Collin joining us here on

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Speaker 1: the All Ball Podcast. Okay, so for people don't know

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Speaker 1: your background, started your career at Purdue as a player,

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Speaker 1: transferred to Marquette, a great career at Marquette, played overseas,

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Speaker 1: came back assistant. Let's make sure I get it all right? Right? Uh,

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Speaker 1: Colorado State and then two uh and then to Vandy

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Speaker 1: right and then yeah, for like a hot second, for

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Speaker 1: a hot second, then the Louisville, then Arkansas, then the

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Speaker 1: Florida Gulf Coast is an assistant, then the Connecticut son

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Speaker 1: and then this is this is your head coaching gig.

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Speaker 1: You've been assistant for a long time. You're a player

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Speaker 1: and a really good one. But to have your first

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Speaker 1: head coaching gig as in in the w n b A,

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Speaker 1: essentially the highest level women's basketball, what's that like for you? Yeah,

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Speaker 1: it's a little crazy. Um, you know, I I certainly

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Speaker 1: I've always said I didn't take the straightest line path

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Speaker 1: to where I'm at and kind of meandered along the

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Speaker 1: way and became a mom and you know, obviously the

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Speaker 1: spouse of someone who was established in his career in coaching,

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Speaker 1: and so you know, it certainly wasn't a straight line,

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Speaker 1: and I never had plans to necessarily be in the

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Speaker 1: w n b A. But when the opportunity presented itself

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Speaker 1: to work for Kurt Miller in Connecticut, who's you know,

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Speaker 1: a mentor to me and really one of my best friends,

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Speaker 1: you know, I just thought, Hey, if there's ever time

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Speaker 1: to do it, it's now, And uh kind of fell

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Speaker 1: in love with the League, and it really a lot

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Speaker 1: of it is my personality, my background and engineering. I

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Speaker 1: love the salary cap, I love free agency. Um. The

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Speaker 1: schedule is insane um for five months, but then I

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Speaker 1: get to be a state at home mom for seven

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Speaker 1: and and do some scouting from home, and so, you know,

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Speaker 1: just kind of a unique um system, but one that

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Speaker 1: I that I love. And you know, after two years

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Speaker 1: in Connecticut, just this opportunity came up. And I certainly

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Speaker 1: wasn't necessarily searching to become a head coach in the W.

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Speaker 1: It's just kind of happened pretty organically. And the more

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Speaker 1: I got to know the owners in the situation, um,

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Speaker 1: it felt really good. And so yeah, here I am

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Speaker 1: forty three first head coaching job. Yeah, well, listen, I

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Speaker 1: want you to do really, really well, because I remember

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Speaker 1: a couple of years ago calling different athletic directors going like, hey,

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Speaker 1: you gotta be nuts. This woman is awesome. She has

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Speaker 1: no baggage. You know, you need to hire her, and

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Speaker 1: like you're talking low mid major division one level, Like yeah,

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Speaker 1: I don't know. She hasn't been a head coach. I

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Speaker 1: don't know. And now you're a head coaching a really

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Speaker 1: good one and and putting you have to put together

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Speaker 1: an entire team in Atlanta like it is. I know

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Speaker 1: you're not the type of person that wants to give

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Speaker 1: the finger to people who at the Division one level

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Speaker 1: weren't weren't giving you a head coaching job, But I

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Speaker 1: do I like to be that person. Is that Okay? Yeah?

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Speaker 1: Absolutely well, And you know, things happen for a reason.

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Speaker 1: I'm a big believer in that. And and I know that,

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Speaker 1: you know, it was ironic because nine months after, you know,

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Speaker 1: I I couldn't get involved in some college head coaching

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Speaker 1: jobs that that I really thought I was earmarked for,

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Speaker 1: you know, ones that I thought fit my personality and

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Speaker 1: my family background and and my faith and those type

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Speaker 1: of things. You know, when when I couldn't get an

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Speaker 1: interview at a couple of places that I really thought

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Speaker 1: were good fits for me. Um, and then nine months

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Speaker 1: later to get offered a job at this level coaching

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Speaker 1: pros in the league where there's only twelve coaches. Um.

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Speaker 1: You know, it was It's crazy, you know, But sometimes

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Speaker 1: it's just the moment and the opportunity and the right

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Speaker 1: people and the right connections, and and that's that's what

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Speaker 1: this business is about. We all know, it's networking. You're

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Speaker 1: in the people business. But but being in the people business,

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Speaker 1: it's it's different coaching women as opposed to coaching girls.

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Speaker 1: What's the biggest adjustment in coaching women, women with families,

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Speaker 1: women relationships, different kinds of relationships, diverse relationships. What's that

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Speaker 1: like for you? Well, I think in general coaching pros, um,

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Speaker 1: you know, you you kind of take your mentor hat

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Speaker 1: off because you spend a lot of years in college,

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Speaker 1: you know, and your job as the mentor. Um, you know,

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Speaker 1: and and in some ways you get to the pro

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Speaker 1: level and it's about it's it's about organizing the pieces

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Speaker 1: and getting them to trust you. Um. You know, I'm

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Speaker 1: kind of who I am, and I'm I'm very much

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Speaker 1: a UM. I'm gonna love on them. I'm crazy, passionate,

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna high five and when they make a good play. UM,

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna question them when I'm frustrated. Um, but I

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Speaker 1: think they're gonna know what I'm thinking. And you know,

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Speaker 1: I try to be transparent and not play games. And

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Speaker 1: proses don't want you to play games, you know. They

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Speaker 1: they want to know the way it is. They want

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Speaker 1: they want feedback. Um, and uh, you know, so sometimes

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Speaker 1: it's simplifying. It's it's really simplifying with them. And and

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Speaker 1: the toughest part about moving from college to the pros

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Speaker 1: is really the lack of practice time. You know, the

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Speaker 1: games come fast and furious, and so it's a lot

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Speaker 1: of it's a lot of prep work behind the scenes

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Speaker 1: and then a lot of walk through and a lot

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Speaker 1: of teaching and a lot of simplifying and and uh so,

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Speaker 1: I mean, I love that about the pro game because

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Speaker 1: every possession matters and everybody's good. Um, but it's a

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Speaker 1: tough sometimes when you don't play well and you really

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Speaker 1: just want to get back out onto the practice court

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Speaker 1: and teach that. It's hard to do that. It's really

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Speaker 1: hard to do that at this level. But they learned

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Speaker 1: faster and they understand terminology. You're not teaching terminology for

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Speaker 1: the first time. Nikki Collins, the first year head coach

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Speaker 1: the Atlanta Dream there ten and nine on the season.

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Speaker 1: They just dominated the Washington Mystics. She's joining us here

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Speaker 1: in the All Ball podcast. Um, what about the use

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Speaker 1: of analytics in the women's pro game? I took you know,

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Speaker 1: I happened to to peer at your game and some

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Speaker 1: of the stats. I mean, you guys were for example,

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Speaker 1: this last game, you just wont to come out the

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Speaker 1: court because eleven eight teen from three, but only eighteen

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Speaker 1: threes to sixty eight shots. How does the how does

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Speaker 1: the word use of analytics used to the three point

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Speaker 1: shot at the highest level women's basketball? Heir to two

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Speaker 1: men at the highest level. Yeah, I think we're you know,

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Speaker 1: I I would say that I love the analytics, um,

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Speaker 1: but I also understand my own teams. And so while

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Speaker 1: you um want, I mean, we were efficient, so that

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Speaker 1: was important to me. I certainly think that we know

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Speaker 1: that you want to eliminate midrange shops and and shoot

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Speaker 1: layups and threes, and and I have challenged this team

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Speaker 1: to shoot more three and to trust the path and

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Speaker 1: make extra passes. Um. You know, we're a We're a

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Speaker 1: team that's usually more athletics than our opponents. So our

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Speaker 1: ability to get into the paint and finish and get

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Speaker 1: to the foul line. You know, as I as I've

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Speaker 1: taken over this organization, it's been about, Hey, I want

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Speaker 1: to do that, but I also want to get in

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Speaker 1: there and make the extra um and shoot threes. And

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Speaker 1: even if we're shooting from three. You know, we're gonna

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Speaker 1: understand our effective field bocal percentage and and so you

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Speaker 1: know you're not gonna look at the Atlanta Dreams UM

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Speaker 1: offensive numbers and be really impressed at this point because

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Speaker 1: I think it's the work and broad rest um and

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Speaker 1: it's about building your roster and getting them to understand

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Speaker 1: UM because they haven't typically played analytically here. But it's

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Speaker 1: it's huge. I mean, we're all um any edge that

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Speaker 1: you can have at this level. We don't sign long

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Speaker 1: term contracts. You know, I've got a two year contract.

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Speaker 1: I need to win UM and so I'm gonna trust

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Speaker 1: what the numbers tell me. But at the same time,

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Speaker 1: there's a there's a little bit of a I gotta

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Speaker 1: feel my team, and I don't want to take some

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Speaker 1: of my team's strength away to play the numbers games.

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Speaker 1: And that's the point guard. And you obviously seeing the

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Speaker 1: game UH differently than some people who can only look

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Speaker 1: at the spreadsheet and make their evaluation based upon the spreadsheet.

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Speaker 1: There's been a lot of discussion you mentioned contracts about

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Speaker 1: what women should make some of the players. The w

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Speaker 1: NBA said, hey, look, we're just under look what the

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Speaker 1: men are making. Look what we're we're making. There's a

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Speaker 1: huge disparity. Obviously without getting into the you know, all

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Speaker 1: the nuts and bolts of the TV contracts and the

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Speaker 1: arenas and and and then and the number of games. Uh,

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Speaker 1: what's what's your sense in terms of of salaries? And

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Speaker 1: keep in mind, obviously you and I and most people

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Speaker 1: listen to this podcast should understand that many of these

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Speaker 1: women make a lot more money in the regular season

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Speaker 1: or the other season playing overseas. Uh, there's just not

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Speaker 1: that kind of money playing in the w n b

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Speaker 1: A in a shortened season. But but should there be more?

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Speaker 1: Should there be a greater compensation for our best players? Well,

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Speaker 1: I think, um, you know, we're we're still a growing

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Speaker 1: league and we have to do what's right, um, to

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Speaker 1: be successful as a league. You know, we can't put

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Speaker 1: ourselves out of business by not being able to pay

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Speaker 1: the salaries. I certainly would love to see our best

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Speaker 1: players make more money. In fact, our minimum salaries I

425
00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:43,639
Speaker 1: would love to see get bumped up over time. A

426
00:21:43,680 --> 00:21:46,399
Speaker 1: lot of room for growth, you know. And so you know,

427
00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:48,959
Speaker 1: it's a matter of really getting into you know, from

428
00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:52,560
Speaker 1: a grassroots effort and getting business partners and corporate partnerships

429
00:21:53,119 --> 00:21:56,200
Speaker 1: and you know, people that can bring in fans and

430
00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:58,720
Speaker 1: can bring in a new fan base and can get

431
00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:02,680
Speaker 1: our brand out more people and diverse people. UM. So

432
00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:04,960
Speaker 1: that it comes back to the franchises, and when the

433
00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:08,520
Speaker 1: franchises are healthy and the league's healthy, you're gonna see

434
00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:10,719
Speaker 1: our players get paid more, you know. So I think

435
00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:12,919
Speaker 1: it comes down to a grassroots effort as we get

436
00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:16,320
Speaker 1: out into the community and build corporate partnerships, you know,

437
00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:20,840
Speaker 1: kind of in our own market. What what's the minimum salary? UM?

438
00:22:21,119 --> 00:22:25,400
Speaker 1: You know, the the VET minimum this year is UM.

439
00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:29,800
Speaker 1: You know our rookie contracts, you know, our our minimum

440
00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:33,720
Speaker 1: like if you haven't put in UM advanced years of service,

441
00:22:33,760 --> 00:22:36,680
Speaker 1: you know it's going to be low forties, so you know,

442
00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:39,159
Speaker 1: and then our max salaries are our max salaries are

443
00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:43,040
Speaker 1: like one fifteen this year. Really amazing. Twenty two years

444
00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:46,120
Speaker 1: the w NBA has been around, right Like, that's that's great.

445
00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:48,840
Speaker 1: That's when you were in college, did you like, did

446
00:22:48,920 --> 00:22:51,040
Speaker 1: you think this would would last this? Because there was

447
00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:54,240
Speaker 1: there was a time to which the running kind of

448
00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:57,960
Speaker 1: thought in the NBA in men's circles was hey, that's

449
00:22:58,000 --> 00:22:59,879
Speaker 1: just a tax right off. But now many of these

450
00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:04,399
Speaker 1: teams are are privately owned and seem to be self sufficient. Um,

451
00:23:04,840 --> 00:23:07,000
Speaker 1: it's kind of crazy. It's been around since ninety and

452
00:23:07,080 --> 00:23:09,720
Speaker 1: it is and it has not only sustained but become

453
00:23:09,760 --> 00:23:12,720
Speaker 1: more and more healthy of late. Is that fair? Yeah? Yeah,

454
00:23:12,800 --> 00:23:15,400
Speaker 1: and it's I mean, it's the most successful pro women's

455
00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:18,920
Speaker 1: UM league in the history you know, the history of

456
00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:22,040
Speaker 1: women's sports. And it hasn't always been perfect. And we've

457
00:23:22,119 --> 00:23:25,640
Speaker 1: certainly had expansion and and then had teems full their

458
00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:29,200
Speaker 1: teams move, um, you know, and we need to see growth,

459
00:23:29,280 --> 00:23:31,480
Speaker 1: We need to be in more markets, uh, you know,

460
00:23:31,800 --> 00:23:36,719
Speaker 1: and reach more people. But that the product is so good, Um,

461
00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:40,280
Speaker 1: the level of play is so high. Um. And you know,

462
00:23:40,359 --> 00:23:43,120
Speaker 1: I'm I'm I'm proud to be associated with it because

463
00:23:43,160 --> 00:23:45,399
Speaker 1: I do think we put a good product out on

464
00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:49,080
Speaker 1: the floor. You're also a huge basketball fan, uh. Once

465
00:23:49,119 --> 00:23:53,200
Speaker 1: your reaction kind of quickly to Lebron going to the Lakers. Um,

466
00:23:53,280 --> 00:23:56,000
Speaker 1: as somebody grew up watching all the old school NBA.

467
00:23:56,480 --> 00:23:59,280
Speaker 1: What are your thoughts on not just the Super Team

468
00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:02,359
Speaker 1: and Golden State, but Lebron leaving his hometown a second

469
00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:05,400
Speaker 1: time and going to l A. Yeah, I mean, I'm

470
00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:08,040
Speaker 1: obviously old school, And I mean I grew up a

471
00:24:08,119 --> 00:24:11,800
Speaker 1: Celtics fan and lived for those Celtic Laker rivalries, and

472
00:24:11,880 --> 00:24:15,040
Speaker 1: I just don't think you're gonna have those anymore. Um, So,

473
00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:17,960
Speaker 1: you know, the the oldie and me feels that way.

474
00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:21,600
Speaker 1: I certainly understand the way of the league, and it's

475
00:24:21,840 --> 00:24:25,000
Speaker 1: it's money and it's opportunity. And you know, you you

476
00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:28,600
Speaker 1: wouldn't tell anybody in any other profession, hey, don't don't

477
00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:30,960
Speaker 1: make a move it's better for your family or or

478
00:24:31,040 --> 00:24:34,720
Speaker 1: better for you personally or your goal. And so I

479
00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:36,479
Speaker 1: just think we need to understand that it's the way

480
00:24:36,560 --> 00:24:39,639
Speaker 1: it is. And and while you know, I don't, you know,

481
00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:42,320
Speaker 1: I don't want to picture Larry Bird in any uniform

482
00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:44,960
Speaker 1: other than a Celtics you know, uniform, or Magic in

483
00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:47,640
Speaker 1: any other uniform but a Laker uniform. I think we're

484
00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:51,080
Speaker 1: used to seeing people move teams and go, okay, well

485
00:24:51,119 --> 00:24:53,720
Speaker 1: that'll be fun. You know. Now the question is is

486
00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:57,040
Speaker 1: the league going to go to not having an Eastern

487
00:24:57,119 --> 00:24:59,800
Speaker 1: and Western conference, because now everybody's going, okay, the balance

488
00:24:59,800 --> 00:25:02,400
Speaker 1: of hours has been in the West, and now it's

489
00:25:02,480 --> 00:25:04,800
Speaker 1: really in the West, and so do we really want

490
00:25:05,240 --> 00:25:07,639
Speaker 1: it to be an Eastern Western Conference Championship or do

491
00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:09,760
Speaker 1: we want to see the two best teams in the championships?

492
00:25:10,080 --> 00:25:11,600
Speaker 1: And I think that w n b A made that

493
00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:14,119
Speaker 1: decision a few years ago and it's been good for

494
00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:16,920
Speaker 1: the league because it's it's it's We've ended up with

495
00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:19,920
Speaker 1: the two best teams in the championships, you know series,

496
00:25:19,960 --> 00:25:21,840
Speaker 1: which is I think healthy for our league to put

497
00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:23,840
Speaker 1: that product on TV at the end of the year. Yeah.

498
00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:27,000
Speaker 1: The problem with it, though, Nikki, is that you run

499
00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:30,000
Speaker 1: the risk of eliminating interest in the Eastern Seaboard, where

500
00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:32,800
Speaker 1: the greatest percentage of the TV viewers are. Right, Like,

501
00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:36,119
Speaker 1: it sounds good, um, but you you do run that

502
00:25:36,280 --> 00:25:39,720
Speaker 1: risk if you have If you have rockets and Warriors

503
00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:42,240
Speaker 1: have the country, especially a really important part of the

504
00:25:42,280 --> 00:25:44,280
Speaker 1: country is not going to care. And even if maybe

505
00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:46,359
Speaker 1: they don't belong there in the finals, the fact is

506
00:25:46,760 --> 00:25:49,000
Speaker 1: you need those eyes. Much like we talked about with

507
00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:50,600
Speaker 1: the w n v A, you need as many viewers

508
00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:53,480
Speaker 1: as possible in order to make ends meet. Yes, fair,

509
00:25:53,840 --> 00:25:55,600
Speaker 1: I just if you're I. I guess it all comes

510
00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:58,080
Speaker 1: down to are you just a are you an NBA

511
00:25:58,200 --> 00:26:00,480
Speaker 1: fan or are you a Boston Celtics And you know,

512
00:26:00,600 --> 00:26:03,880
Speaker 1: are you an NBA fan or you know Sixer fan?

513
00:26:04,040 --> 00:26:06,480
Speaker 1: You know, and obviously I've got no skin in the game,

514
00:26:06,600 --> 00:26:08,960
Speaker 1: so for me, just fun to watch the two best

515
00:26:09,280 --> 00:26:12,200
Speaker 1: teams compete for a championship. Now, there's no doubt that

516
00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:14,480
Speaker 1: you're gonna see those teams in the semifinals and are

517
00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:17,160
Speaker 1: you're gonna see him in the Western Conference finals? Um?

518
00:26:17,320 --> 00:26:19,119
Speaker 1: And then we're gonna all say the same thing that

519
00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:20,760
Speaker 1: you know, people said in the w n B a

520
00:26:20,880 --> 00:26:23,000
Speaker 1: few years ago. It's like, well, this is really the finals,

521
00:26:23,480 --> 00:26:25,440
Speaker 1: you know, because you see the two best teams playing

522
00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:27,920
Speaker 1: in the semifinals and then you see a sweep in

523
00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:30,560
Speaker 1: the in the championship series. You know. And I'm not

524
00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:33,440
Speaker 1: saying that's going to happen. The NBA is too good, um,

525
00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:36,440
Speaker 1: but you know, and maybe the Sixers, maybe the Celtics

526
00:26:36,680 --> 00:26:39,680
Speaker 1: are gonna be good enough to compete with the Lakers,

527
00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:41,879
Speaker 1: with the Golden State Wars with the Rockets, you know

528
00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:44,560
Speaker 1: whoever that is. But you know, the lead it's not

529
00:26:44,600 --> 00:26:46,760
Speaker 1: gonna be great for for the league in general. Fits

530
00:26:46,800 --> 00:26:49,399
Speaker 1: the four game sweep in the championship series. Jordan or

531
00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:56,960
Speaker 1: Lebron Jordan's I just I love Jordan's games. You know,

532
00:26:57,200 --> 00:27:00,760
Speaker 1: I have the utmost miss respect or Lebron and what

533
00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:04,240
Speaker 1: he's done in his his skill and his power and

534
00:27:04,320 --> 00:27:08,760
Speaker 1: his athleticism. I just I loved watching Jordan's play out

535
00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:11,040
Speaker 1: of the triangle and and you know kind of how

536
00:27:11,119 --> 00:27:13,520
Speaker 1: he played. Now, let's let's circle that back. I'm still

537
00:27:13,640 --> 00:27:15,760
Speaker 1: like more of a Larry Bird. You know, let's go

538
00:27:15,960 --> 00:27:18,720
Speaker 1: Bird Jordan. I'm going to say Bird. You know. You

539
00:27:18,760 --> 00:27:20,720
Speaker 1: know it's funny is I did this yesterday to a

540
00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:23,000
Speaker 1: buddy of mine and we were talking about we were

541
00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:25,200
Speaker 1: talking about Bird. I was actually it was a friend.

542
00:27:25,240 --> 00:27:29,680
Speaker 1: I was talking about rappers and what what rappers? What

543
00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:32,920
Speaker 1: basketball player? You know? Like yeah, yeah, yeah, okay. So

544
00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:35,480
Speaker 1: and I said, and we started talking about Bird, and

545
00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:39,560
Speaker 1: I said, Bird is essentially uh he's he's Eminem And

546
00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:42,160
Speaker 1: he's like, no, he didn't. Eminem's got an FU side

547
00:27:42,200 --> 00:27:45,359
Speaker 1: to him. I was like, you don't remember Bird, right like? Bird?

548
00:27:45,400 --> 00:27:48,080
Speaker 1: Absolutely Bird got his first coach fired in the NBA.

549
00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:51,920
Speaker 1: Bird absolutely had that that side to him. Um, you know,

550
00:27:52,280 --> 00:27:54,800
Speaker 1: the Celtics won twenty nine games the year before he

551
00:27:54,920 --> 00:27:56,879
Speaker 1: got there, and this is they weren't tanking, they were

552
00:27:56,920 --> 00:27:59,400
Speaker 1: just bad. They won sixty one games his first year.

553
00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:01,560
Speaker 1: They never one, I believe less than fifty games when

554
00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:04,920
Speaker 1: he was healthy. Like somehow in all our discussions about

555
00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:09,080
Speaker 1: Jordan and Lebron Bird and to a lesser extent, Magic

556
00:28:09,560 --> 00:28:11,320
Speaker 1: have kind of gotten caught up in the wash and

557
00:28:11,359 --> 00:28:15,760
Speaker 1: that people don't remember how incredible they were. Yeah, I

558
00:28:15,800 --> 00:28:22,840
Speaker 1: think we're old. I think, you know, then everyone wants

559
00:28:22,880 --> 00:28:25,879
Speaker 1: to talk about how the games changed. But you know,

560
00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:29,320
Speaker 1: he both you talk about Birds, you talk about Magic.

561
00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:31,680
Speaker 1: They were both on kind of super team, you know,

562
00:28:31,800 --> 00:28:35,399
Speaker 1: created naturally, not necessarily all through free agency, but you know,

563
00:28:35,560 --> 00:28:38,320
Speaker 1: they they certainly were the two best teams you know,

564
00:28:38,400 --> 00:28:40,720
Speaker 1: of the late eighties and and in mid day late

565
00:28:40,760 --> 00:28:44,239
Speaker 1: eighties and that stretch, and and so you know, they

566
00:28:44,360 --> 00:28:46,920
Speaker 1: just they dominated the game, and they dominated it with

567
00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:50,760
Speaker 1: the past. They dominated scoring, you know, they dominated with

568
00:28:50,880 --> 00:28:54,400
Speaker 1: their pace and their effort, and you know, so they

569
00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:56,280
Speaker 1: were just fun to watch, you know, and you just

570
00:28:56,520 --> 00:28:58,720
Speaker 1: you kind of loved one and hated the other, you know,

571
00:28:58,920 --> 00:29:01,840
Speaker 1: So that's what fun about it. You just kind of

572
00:29:01,960 --> 00:29:04,080
Speaker 1: had to love one and hate the other. And I

573
00:29:04,160 --> 00:29:06,360
Speaker 1: don't really feel like the NBA is like that now,

574
00:29:06,440 --> 00:29:08,680
Speaker 1: And maybe it's because of the move you know, but

575
00:29:08,760 --> 00:29:11,160
Speaker 1: it's kind of like, wow, I like watching Kevin Durant play,

576
00:29:11,280 --> 00:29:13,440
Speaker 1: but you know, there's there's there's no one I hate.

577
00:29:14,320 --> 00:29:16,920
Speaker 1: You know, there's just no like and and maybe maybe

578
00:29:16,960 --> 00:29:21,240
Speaker 1: people seems to me like you don't have that. I

579
00:29:21,320 --> 00:29:23,200
Speaker 1: can't watch Mellow and you know what, you know, the

580
00:29:23,280 --> 00:29:25,880
Speaker 1: other guy who's really good. I mean, he's incredibly talented.

581
00:29:25,960 --> 00:29:28,160
Speaker 1: I just can't want. I just not a fan James Harden.

582
00:29:28,680 --> 00:29:32,560
Speaker 1: I just it's between the lack of effort defensively and

583
00:29:32,680 --> 00:29:35,800
Speaker 1: then I just I hate the over dribbling. Just if

584
00:29:35,800 --> 00:29:38,000
Speaker 1: you're gonna go go but otherwise get rid of the ball.

585
00:29:38,240 --> 00:29:40,560
Speaker 1: I just I can't do it. I really struggle with that.

586
00:29:40,920 --> 00:29:42,959
Speaker 1: But yeah, you know that's the point guards in us.

587
00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:45,520
Speaker 1: So that's the you know, wanting to see them the

588
00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:48,520
Speaker 1: ball move more. But I agree, I mean, crazy talented,

589
00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:50,600
Speaker 1: you know, like we can we can all go wow,

590
00:29:50,680 --> 00:29:55,200
Speaker 1: he can really play. Um yeah, and you know, I

591
00:29:55,280 --> 00:30:00,360
Speaker 1: like watching lest Brick more than I like watching Carmelo. Um. Okay, first,

592
00:30:00,520 --> 00:30:05,360
Speaker 1: first park. You grew up playing hohopet oh gosh um

593
00:30:08,200 --> 00:30:11,040
Speaker 1: in flat cells. Ye, that's what we're gonna do this

594
00:30:11,080 --> 00:30:13,000
Speaker 1: whole summer. I'm going around. We're interviewing people for All

595
00:30:13,040 --> 00:30:15,720
Speaker 1: Balls and All Basketball podcast. I grew up playing You

596
00:30:15,800 --> 00:30:17,720
Speaker 1: grew up playing. I grew up playing basketball a couple

597
00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:19,760
Speaker 1: of places. One was Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley.

598
00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:21,800
Speaker 1: My dad would get me on like the first one,

599
00:30:21,960 --> 00:30:24,520
Speaker 1: the first wave of games. Get there like seven, they'd

600
00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:27,080
Speaker 1: start like seven thirty old men have to call game

601
00:30:27,200 --> 00:30:29,480
Speaker 1: like three three back and they give me like five bucks.

602
00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:30,800
Speaker 1: You're like, I'll come back and get you later. Five

603
00:30:30,840 --> 00:30:32,160
Speaker 1: bucks is to go across the street and get a

604
00:30:32,200 --> 00:30:35,000
Speaker 1: pizza and uh and a gatorade or or a coke

605
00:30:35,120 --> 00:30:38,640
Speaker 1: or something like that. You started playing basketball. We're in Platteville. Yeah,

606
00:30:38,800 --> 00:30:40,920
Speaker 1: not really at the park though, in my driveway, like

607
00:30:41,040 --> 00:30:42,920
Speaker 1: it was just it was just my dad and me.

608
00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:45,479
Speaker 1: You know. That's really how I started flying. I mean,

609
00:30:45,560 --> 00:30:47,480
Speaker 1: I I thought I was gonna be the next Chris

610
00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:50,640
Speaker 1: Evert and be a tennis player. And then moved to Platteville, Wisconsin,

611
00:30:50,720 --> 00:30:53,400
Speaker 1: and it wasn't exactly a country club kind of town,

612
00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:55,800
Speaker 1: and so you know, we just happened to have a

613
00:30:55,920 --> 00:30:58,080
Speaker 1: driveway with a hoop, and so it was just my

614
00:30:58,240 --> 00:31:01,040
Speaker 1: dad and me, you know. And then I started playing

615
00:31:01,080 --> 00:31:03,560
Speaker 1: in youth leagues and playing with the boys and sent

616
00:31:03,680 --> 00:31:06,360
Speaker 1: in sixth grade and started going to camps, and I

617
00:31:06,400 --> 00:31:08,120
Speaker 1: just went to the gym with my dad, you know,

618
00:31:08,240 --> 00:31:09,800
Speaker 1: and kind of fell in love with it that way.

619
00:31:09,880 --> 00:31:13,000
Speaker 1: I wasn't really a and didn't really play at the park,

620
00:31:13,120 --> 00:31:16,000
Speaker 1: you know. And then I learned as the older I got,

621
00:31:16,120 --> 00:31:19,080
Speaker 1: the more I jumped into pick up games at u

622
00:31:19,240 --> 00:31:22,640
Speaker 1: w Plattsville, and sometimes it was you know, I used

623
00:31:22,640 --> 00:31:24,160
Speaker 1: to play a lot of three on three with the

624
00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:29,040
Speaker 1: events baseball staff at u w Platlle and you know,

625
00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:30,680
Speaker 1: so that's that's kind of where I was. I could

626
00:31:30,760 --> 00:31:34,800
Speaker 1: jump into games there at the rec center, but flat

627
00:31:35,040 --> 00:31:41,520
Speaker 1: wasn't exactly a park. There's like one part that had

628
00:31:41,640 --> 00:31:43,920
Speaker 1: who put the chain nets, you know, but it kind

629
00:31:43,920 --> 00:31:46,600
Speaker 1: of wasn't the hot spot to play. I completely I

630
00:31:46,640 --> 00:31:48,760
Speaker 1: completely understand. I've been there for the Disney parade if

631
00:31:48,800 --> 00:31:53,560
Speaker 1: you remember. Um. Okay, so uh the coach that you

632
00:31:53,880 --> 00:31:58,400
Speaker 1: most try and emulate when you coach, Yeah, tom Zo's

633
00:31:58,600 --> 00:32:01,080
Speaker 1: I'm like a tom Zo just poole when it comes

634
00:32:01,160 --> 00:32:04,360
Speaker 1: to like the XS and O side of things. I

635
00:32:04,560 --> 00:32:07,920
Speaker 1: just you know, when I really took over UM as

636
00:32:07,960 --> 00:32:11,360
Speaker 1: a defensive coordinator, you know, when I was at Arkansas.

637
00:32:11,480 --> 00:32:15,040
Speaker 1: I just really studied a lot of his stuff, um,

638
00:32:15,840 --> 00:32:19,000
Speaker 1: really defensively, but then you know, learned to really watch

639
00:32:19,120 --> 00:32:21,560
Speaker 1: him offensively and see the pace that they played at.

640
00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:24,880
Speaker 1: That was always underrated because you would always talk about,

641
00:32:25,600 --> 00:32:27,600
Speaker 1: you know, how physical they were and what a great

642
00:32:27,640 --> 00:32:30,360
Speaker 1: rebounding team they were and how they played defense. But

643
00:32:31,080 --> 00:32:34,680
Speaker 1: they're really a good offensive face team as well. So

644
00:32:35,560 --> 00:32:38,160
Speaker 1: you know, I think it at it. That's the closest

645
00:32:38,200 --> 00:32:40,480
Speaker 1: I get to someone like that. And then obviously my

646
00:32:40,600 --> 00:32:43,360
Speaker 1: mentors are are people I've worked for. You know, there's

647
00:32:43,400 --> 00:32:46,880
Speaker 1: things I've taken from Carl Domesco, who's really spacing an

648
00:32:46,920 --> 00:32:50,160
Speaker 1: offensive genius I think at Florida Gulf Coast, you know,

649
00:32:50,240 --> 00:32:52,040
Speaker 1: and as a motion guy, and so we don't run

650
00:32:52,120 --> 00:32:55,320
Speaker 1: motion stuff, but we'll run principles out of you know,

651
00:32:55,880 --> 00:32:58,840
Speaker 1: situationally what what he liked to do and the spacing

652
00:32:58,880 --> 00:33:01,240
Speaker 1: on the floor. And you know, my husband was a

653
00:33:01,320 --> 00:33:03,680
Speaker 1: high ball screen guy, so I mean I understand the

654
00:33:03,720 --> 00:33:06,320
Speaker 1: ins and outs of the high ball screen. Uh. And

655
00:33:06,400 --> 00:33:08,720
Speaker 1: then Kurt Miller is an incredible coach that I worked with,

656
00:33:09,040 --> 00:33:12,080
Speaker 1: you know in Connecticut in terms of pace and tempo

657
00:33:12,200 --> 00:33:15,880
Speaker 1: and prep, and you know, I just believe that. You know,

658
00:33:15,920 --> 00:33:18,560
Speaker 1: I don't want anyone out work me. You know, at

659
00:33:18,600 --> 00:33:20,440
Speaker 1: the end of the day, we may get beat, but

660
00:33:20,520 --> 00:33:22,880
Speaker 1: it's not because my team is going to be unprepared. Um,

661
00:33:23,440 --> 00:33:25,640
Speaker 1: Becky Hammond is now in front of the bench instead

662
00:33:25,640 --> 00:33:27,880
Speaker 1: of behind the bench. There's a big push for her

663
00:33:27,920 --> 00:33:31,360
Speaker 1: to eventually get a get an NBA job. How challenging

664
00:33:31,440 --> 00:33:33,080
Speaker 1: do you think that would be? I mean you have

665
00:33:33,560 --> 00:33:36,960
Speaker 1: a similar background to her. How challenging would that be

666
00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:39,520
Speaker 1: for someone for a woman to be a head coach

667
00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:42,680
Speaker 1: in the NBA from your perspective, yeah, I mean you

668
00:33:42,760 --> 00:33:45,400
Speaker 1: might have a better perspective than me, you know, because

669
00:33:45,440 --> 00:33:47,680
Speaker 1: I've never coached men. Um, what I can tell you

670
00:33:47,720 --> 00:33:50,160
Speaker 1: about Becky is I think she can just coach x

671
00:33:50,200 --> 00:33:52,440
Speaker 1: as and ohs. And I think she's a good communicator.

672
00:33:53,040 --> 00:33:57,120
Speaker 1: And I think when you're when when you have mature players, male, female,

673
00:33:57,520 --> 00:33:59,160
Speaker 1: you just want people around you that know what the

674
00:33:59,200 --> 00:34:01,960
Speaker 1: hell they're talking about out, you know, And so I

675
00:34:02,080 --> 00:34:04,840
Speaker 1: think you gain respect with your knowledge. And if you're

676
00:34:04,840 --> 00:34:07,520
Speaker 1: a good communicator, I think people pick up on that quickly.

677
00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:10,600
Speaker 1: If you care, people pick up on that quickly. So

678
00:34:10,960 --> 00:34:13,400
Speaker 1: she's obviously made a dent I've not heard, you know.

679
00:34:13,480 --> 00:34:16,120
Speaker 1: And certainly it's it's not like I would expect the

680
00:34:16,200 --> 00:34:19,000
Speaker 1: Spurs players to be running around and telling us all

681
00:34:19,080 --> 00:34:22,200
Speaker 1: the things that Becky's not good at. Um. But certainly

682
00:34:22,760 --> 00:34:25,560
Speaker 1: the respect that I've heard when they've been interviewed about

683
00:34:25,719 --> 00:34:29,239
Speaker 1: what how she communicates and what they think of her

684
00:34:29,920 --> 00:34:32,880
Speaker 1: is pretty cool. Um. And so I mean, I'd love

685
00:34:32,920 --> 00:34:35,239
Speaker 1: to see her break that glass feelings, you know. I

686
00:34:35,320 --> 00:34:37,839
Speaker 1: know she had an opportunity to come back and coach

687
00:34:37,920 --> 00:34:40,640
Speaker 1: women's college basketball at a really high level, and I

688
00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:43,480
Speaker 1: was so happy when she turned it down because I thought,

689
00:34:43,600 --> 00:34:45,400
Speaker 1: in some ways that would be the easy route for

690
00:34:45,520 --> 00:34:47,840
Speaker 1: and I think she has has the ability to do

691
00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:50,600
Speaker 1: something that nobody has done before, and so someone's going

692
00:34:50,640 --> 00:34:52,800
Speaker 1: to take a chance on her, you know. And I

693
00:34:52,960 --> 00:34:55,560
Speaker 1: just want to see her have an opportunity where she

694
00:34:55,640 --> 00:34:58,160
Speaker 1: can be successful, because the thing I know about first

695
00:34:58,239 --> 00:35:01,880
Speaker 1: opportunities and breaking last feelings is you we need her

696
00:35:01,920 --> 00:35:05,040
Speaker 1: to succeed. We as women need her to succeed because

697
00:35:05,120 --> 00:35:08,080
Speaker 1: when she succeeds, then it's then it's becomes so much

698
00:35:08,160 --> 00:35:11,200
Speaker 1: easier for the next owner, the next franchise to make

699
00:35:11,280 --> 00:35:14,560
Speaker 1: the same decisions, um, you know. And and and even

700
00:35:14,880 --> 00:35:19,040
Speaker 1: yesterday Christie tolliver Um the Washington Mystics, you know, one

701
00:35:19,080 --> 00:35:21,920
Speaker 1: of their best players sat on the bench at Summer

702
00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:24,839
Speaker 1: League for the Wizards, you know. And so I think

703
00:35:25,600 --> 00:35:27,960
Speaker 1: players from our league, you know, that that want to

704
00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:31,000
Speaker 1: go into coaching when they're done and have those opportunities

705
00:35:31,080 --> 00:35:33,600
Speaker 1: and be connected on that side. You know, it's good

706
00:35:33,640 --> 00:35:36,360
Speaker 1: for all of us because I don't think that, like

707
00:35:36,520 --> 00:35:38,200
Speaker 1: I look at it and say, I'm really happy doing

708
00:35:38,239 --> 00:35:40,080
Speaker 1: what I'm doing. I'm not sitting here saying I want

709
00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:42,879
Speaker 1: to coach in the n B a UM. But I'm

710
00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:45,840
Speaker 1: also not sitting here thinking I'm not capable of doing it,

711
00:35:46,080 --> 00:35:48,640
Speaker 1: because I absolutely think that I'm capable of doing it.

712
00:35:48,719 --> 00:35:51,600
Speaker 1: Like basketball is basketball, XS and o s are xs

713
00:35:51,640 --> 00:35:54,680
Speaker 1: and os communicating xs and os or it's just community.

714
00:35:54,719 --> 00:35:56,560
Speaker 1: It's good communication, and I think you have to have

715
00:35:56,680 --> 00:36:00,600
Speaker 1: good communication skills. Well, so far, so good, ten and nine,

716
00:36:00,800 --> 00:36:05,200
Speaker 1: dominating win over the UH over Washington. Congrats on the

717
00:36:05,239 --> 00:36:07,919
Speaker 1: wind and on the on the success, and most most

718
00:36:07,960 --> 00:36:10,800
Speaker 1: importantly on the family. Looks like everything's going good in

719
00:36:10,840 --> 00:36:12,759
Speaker 1: the a t L. Let's catch up soon off air.

720
00:36:12,840 --> 00:36:14,759
Speaker 1: In the meantime, I really appreciate you join us and

721
00:36:14,800 --> 00:36:18,600
Speaker 1: all Ball. Thanks for having me. It's been funny. You

722
00:36:18,680 --> 00:36:20,680
Speaker 1: can hear him on Saturdays on Deals and Dunks with

723
00:36:20,800 --> 00:36:25,520
Speaker 1: Joel Myers on Sirius xm NBA Radio. He's David Griffin.

724
00:36:25,560 --> 00:36:27,640
Speaker 1: He joins us here on the Doug Gotlip Show. When

725
00:36:27,640 --> 00:36:29,759
Speaker 1: did you know, David? When did you know he was

726
00:36:29,800 --> 00:36:33,960
Speaker 1: going to l A? You know, it's interesting. I don't

727
00:36:34,040 --> 00:36:36,000
Speaker 1: know if there's a moment where I knew he was

728
00:36:36,120 --> 00:36:39,520
Speaker 1: definitely going. I sort of assumed all season that it

729
00:36:39,640 --> 00:36:42,200
Speaker 1: was either l A or Cleveland. There was really not

730
00:36:42,320 --> 00:36:44,239
Speaker 1: another place that I thought was in the mix. But

731
00:36:44,400 --> 00:36:47,560
Speaker 1: in terms of like knowing the announcement was coming, I

732
00:36:47,680 --> 00:36:49,640
Speaker 1: certainly it wasn't in the know or part of that

733
00:36:49,800 --> 00:36:53,319
Speaker 1: decision making process, but it wasn't at all surprising. I mean,

734
00:36:53,760 --> 00:36:57,239
Speaker 1: going back to the David KCP signs last year in

735
00:36:57,440 --> 00:37:00,680
Speaker 1: l A, the one year big deal, a rich pall clients,

736
00:37:01,320 --> 00:37:05,000
Speaker 1: that certainly enables Los Angeles to build rapport with somebody

737
00:37:05,080 --> 00:37:08,400
Speaker 1: who could share with Lebron division, and I think it

738
00:37:08,520 --> 00:37:11,800
Speaker 1: was something that made sense looking at it over the

739
00:37:11,880 --> 00:37:14,279
Speaker 1: long haul. It may spense going back then that that's

740
00:37:14,320 --> 00:37:17,440
Speaker 1: when it started, So so you think maybe it started

741
00:37:17,960 --> 00:37:20,640
Speaker 1: because you know, nobody. He doesn't strike me as a

742
00:37:20,719 --> 00:37:23,839
Speaker 1: quick to stamp decision sort of guy, nor nor does

743
00:37:23,960 --> 00:37:27,960
Speaker 1: his crew. Um, it was was the beginning of the

744
00:37:28,080 --> 00:37:29,960
Speaker 1: end when they fired you, Like, when do you think

745
00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:33,440
Speaker 1: the beginning of the end really was? You know, it's funny,

746
00:37:33,480 --> 00:37:37,520
Speaker 1: It's certainly absolutely was not me. I think, you know,

747
00:37:37,600 --> 00:37:41,640
Speaker 1: the fact that Lebron was doing one year deal with

748
00:37:41,840 --> 00:37:45,840
Speaker 1: regularity there, to me was indicative at the time that

749
00:37:45,960 --> 00:37:47,840
Speaker 1: the writing was somewhat on the wall that there was

750
00:37:47,880 --> 00:37:51,000
Speaker 1: another step in mind for him eventually, that at some

751
00:37:51,239 --> 00:37:55,520
Speaker 1: point there was the next phase, because otherwise that if

752
00:37:55,600 --> 00:37:57,759
Speaker 1: you really were going to be in Cleveland forever, you

753
00:37:57,800 --> 00:38:00,080
Speaker 1: would have committed long term and made it so that

754
00:38:00,160 --> 00:38:02,839
Speaker 1: we could have built in a more mindful, sustainable way.

755
00:38:03,560 --> 00:38:06,160
Speaker 1: So the other shoe was always sort of going to drop,

756
00:38:06,800 --> 00:38:09,800
Speaker 1: and I always thought it was foreshadowing or fore voting.

757
00:38:09,880 --> 00:38:13,040
Speaker 1: I suppose when I was there that he was eventually

758
00:38:13,120 --> 00:38:16,160
Speaker 1: going to leave. I just didn't have any idea when

759
00:38:16,280 --> 00:38:19,680
Speaker 1: that would be. So I don't think my presence there

760
00:38:19,840 --> 00:38:22,960
Speaker 1: would have changed anything in terms of what the overall

761
00:38:23,160 --> 00:38:27,280
Speaker 1: game plan was, what mattered to his family, and more important,

762
00:38:27,320 --> 00:38:31,279
Speaker 1: what matters to him moving forward outside of basketball, I

763
00:38:31,360 --> 00:38:34,400
Speaker 1: think Maverick Carter has done a remarkable job with the

764
00:38:34,480 --> 00:38:37,560
Speaker 1: film production company that they have. They do some very

765
00:38:37,680 --> 00:38:40,560
Speaker 1: special things, and I think there was no better way

766
00:38:40,640 --> 00:38:43,440
Speaker 1: to announce your presence with authority in the movie making

767
00:38:43,520 --> 00:38:45,799
Speaker 1: industries and to do it in in l A. Yeah,

768
00:38:45,920 --> 00:38:48,520
Speaker 1: no question about it. David Griffin, who, of course you

769
00:38:48,600 --> 00:38:50,400
Speaker 1: can hear him on deals and dunks, on serious sex

770
00:38:50,480 --> 00:38:52,839
Speaker 1: time on Saturdays. Should you point out you weren't fired,

771
00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:55,600
Speaker 1: Your contract was not renewed. It was. It was technically

772
00:38:55,640 --> 00:38:58,400
Speaker 1: a mutual uh parting of ways. You don't want to

773
00:38:58,480 --> 00:39:02,600
Speaker 1: make it seem as otherwise. Um, Well, what was your

774
00:39:02,640 --> 00:39:05,400
Speaker 1: perception of his relationship with Kyrie? And I asked that

775
00:39:05,600 --> 00:39:08,839
Speaker 1: because there was recently a podcast in which a bunch

776
00:39:08,840 --> 00:39:11,120
Speaker 1: of guys who covered the Calves sat down, like, look,

777
00:39:11,160 --> 00:39:12,480
Speaker 1: it was until he was gone, and all of a

778
00:39:12,480 --> 00:39:15,040
Speaker 1: sudden we realized they really really didn't like each other.

779
00:39:15,440 --> 00:39:18,160
Speaker 1: What what when when you were there? What did you

780
00:39:18,239 --> 00:39:22,440
Speaker 1: think about those two? Well, it's really interesting to me

781
00:39:22,600 --> 00:39:25,279
Speaker 1: now that people want to put that narrative out there

782
00:39:25,360 --> 00:39:27,640
Speaker 1: with so much conviction. And I know those guys and

783
00:39:28,400 --> 00:39:30,600
Speaker 1: I think a lot of what they said was was

784
00:39:30,680 --> 00:39:33,640
Speaker 1: certainly based on things that would give you reason to

785
00:39:33,719 --> 00:39:37,120
Speaker 1: believe that, But ultimately, for me, I probably spent more

786
00:39:37,239 --> 00:39:39,680
Speaker 1: time with the team on the road than any GM

787
00:39:39,719 --> 00:39:42,200
Speaker 1: in the league, because when the only thing that mark

788
00:39:42,280 --> 00:39:46,440
Speaker 1: success is winning a chiefpionship, things like team relationships and

789
00:39:46,640 --> 00:39:51,040
Speaker 1: chemistry and camaraderie mattering measurably. So I always tried to

790
00:39:51,120 --> 00:39:53,440
Speaker 1: have my hand on the pulse of that. And I

791
00:39:53,560 --> 00:39:56,480
Speaker 1: think it's really hard for me to imagine that there

792
00:39:56,600 --> 00:39:59,040
Speaker 1: was true malice there when I would watch them on

793
00:39:59,160 --> 00:40:03,600
Speaker 1: the bus last biggling, like normal teammates do. They had frictions,

794
00:40:04,000 --> 00:40:07,279
Speaker 1: like all superstars have friction relative to who gets the

795
00:40:07,320 --> 00:40:09,919
Speaker 1: shot and who gets the opportunity at any given time.

796
00:40:10,040 --> 00:40:13,560
Speaker 1: That's that's not unusual, but it was always gone after

797
00:40:13,640 --> 00:40:16,600
Speaker 1: the moment had passed within a game. So I never

798
00:40:16,680 --> 00:40:20,560
Speaker 1: looked at them as is having a fractured relationship. What

799
00:40:20,680 --> 00:40:24,080
Speaker 1: I looked at was Kyrie having an inability in the

800
00:40:24,200 --> 00:40:27,680
Speaker 1: circumstance to really push his boundaries and learn how good

801
00:40:27,719 --> 00:40:29,719
Speaker 1: he could be. Because there's a point guard. To do that,

802
00:40:29,840 --> 00:40:32,759
Speaker 1: you have to have the ball, and I feel like

803
00:40:32,960 --> 00:40:35,440
Speaker 1: he was ever going to be the one that was

804
00:40:35,560 --> 00:40:40,360
Speaker 1: called upon to make plays all the time in the

805
00:40:40,440 --> 00:40:43,160
Speaker 1: setting that Lebron was in. And that's not that's not

806
00:40:43,280 --> 00:40:45,880
Speaker 1: because Lebron's card to play with. That's because he's the

807
00:40:45,960 --> 00:40:50,880
Speaker 1: single most efficient end game decision maker that has dictated

808
00:40:50,960 --> 00:40:54,320
Speaker 1: outcome the entire time he's been in the NBA, And

809
00:40:54,560 --> 00:40:56,799
Speaker 1: every team that wants to win the championship is gonna

810
00:40:56,880 --> 00:41:01,120
Speaker 1: give the most efficient guy the ball. So in Kyrie's case,

811
00:41:01,200 --> 00:41:03,160
Speaker 1: it made sense that he was gonna want a situation

812
00:41:03,320 --> 00:41:06,080
Speaker 1: eventually where he could be forced to be the man

813
00:41:06,200 --> 00:41:09,840
Speaker 1: and see if he was capable of delivering. It's interesting

814
00:41:09,920 --> 00:41:12,160
Speaker 1: because I David Griffin, our guest here in the Doug

815
00:41:12,200 --> 00:41:16,359
Speaker 1: Gottlip Show, my I do think that Kyrie at times

816
00:41:16,480 --> 00:41:19,560
Speaker 1: is unfairly characterized. You know, people talk about how bad

817
00:41:19,680 --> 00:41:22,879
Speaker 1: the Calves were before Lebron got there, and while that's fair,

818
00:41:23,880 --> 00:41:26,959
Speaker 1: you guys performed a roster overhaul, not just adding Kevin

819
00:41:27,000 --> 00:41:30,759
Speaker 1: Love but also adding other pieces, and they he was

820
00:41:30,920 --> 00:41:34,640
Speaker 1: finally healthy, they were finally maturing. They had had so

821
00:41:34,800 --> 00:41:38,640
Speaker 1: much turnover and turn and tu malt that no one

822
00:41:38,680 --> 00:41:42,759
Speaker 1: would have been successful, especially he played eight games in college. Um,

823
00:41:42,960 --> 00:41:46,319
Speaker 1: how fair is the characterization that Kyrie couldn't win at

824
00:41:46,320 --> 00:41:51,319
Speaker 1: all until and unless Lebron got there. Um, how how

825
00:41:51,440 --> 00:41:53,799
Speaker 1: fair the middle of telling you was in the middle

826
00:41:53,840 --> 00:41:59,160
Speaker 1: of so Kyrie was after playing eleven college games. He

827
00:41:59,320 --> 00:42:01,960
Speaker 1: was on a team that was ultimately trying to do

828
00:42:02,040 --> 00:42:05,200
Speaker 1: the same things Philadelphia later did. We were the process

829
00:42:05,400 --> 00:42:09,920
Speaker 1: without the rhetoric that let's let's start that again, Kyrie,

830
00:42:10,280 --> 00:42:14,480
Speaker 1: before Lebron, they were taking they were excuse me, trusting

831
00:42:14,560 --> 00:42:17,680
Speaker 1: the process without the rhetor right, that's what you said, Yeah,

832
00:42:17,800 --> 00:42:20,520
Speaker 1: I mean and and really what it was was the

833
00:42:20,680 --> 00:42:24,160
Speaker 1: idea was we were going to play towards free agency

834
00:42:24,280 --> 00:42:27,520
Speaker 1: in that year, and when I took over, look making

835
00:42:27,680 --> 00:42:31,000
Speaker 1: sure that Kyrie committed long terms of the organization was

836
00:42:31,080 --> 00:42:34,040
Speaker 1: the number one job. And as part of that, when

837
00:42:34,120 --> 00:42:36,319
Speaker 1: we met and talked about the future of the team,

838
00:42:36,600 --> 00:42:40,319
Speaker 1: we shared the idea of several free agent names with him.

839
00:42:40,400 --> 00:42:42,320
Speaker 1: These are the people that we would like to surround

840
00:42:42,360 --> 00:42:44,759
Speaker 1: you with. This would be similar to how we built

841
00:42:44,800 --> 00:42:47,960
Speaker 1: around Steve Nash and Phoenex. This is what we wanted

842
00:42:48,040 --> 00:42:51,120
Speaker 1: to look like. And Kyrie was very much a partner

843
00:42:51,200 --> 00:42:53,320
Speaker 1: in the process of going out and recruiting all of

844
00:42:53,400 --> 00:42:56,120
Speaker 1: the free agency that we're waiting on Lebron to make

845
00:42:56,160 --> 00:42:59,719
Speaker 1: his decision, and we never believed Lebron was coming back.

846
00:43:00,040 --> 00:43:03,480
Speaker 1: He did because we sort of anticipated he would take

847
00:43:03,520 --> 00:43:06,319
Speaker 1: the opportunity to watch from afar whether or not our

848
00:43:06,480 --> 00:43:09,439
Speaker 1: front office was able to deliver on anything we said

849
00:43:09,480 --> 00:43:12,520
Speaker 1: we would, And we were really blessed that he made

850
00:43:12,560 --> 00:43:15,359
Speaker 1: the decision to come home when he did and bought

851
00:43:15,440 --> 00:43:17,640
Speaker 1: into the vision we had of the way we would

852
00:43:17,680 --> 00:43:20,680
Speaker 1: build around him. But what happened as a result as

853
00:43:20,800 --> 00:43:24,880
Speaker 1: everybody that Kyrie recruited had to make decisions to go elsewhere,

854
00:43:25,600 --> 00:43:27,800
Speaker 1: and Kyrie went from being the number one guy on

855
00:43:27,880 --> 00:43:30,319
Speaker 1: a team that he helped recruit to being number two,

856
00:43:31,120 --> 00:43:35,120
Speaker 1: and so his experience changed virtually overnight from what he

857
00:43:35,320 --> 00:43:38,400
Speaker 1: spent the rest of the time believing was going to happen.

858
00:43:39,080 --> 00:43:42,040
Speaker 1: So he was put in the most unfair position of everyone,

859
00:43:42,760 --> 00:43:45,480
Speaker 1: and I thought dealt with it incredibly well and wanted

860
00:43:45,560 --> 00:43:47,920
Speaker 1: to win when it was all about the right things.

861
00:43:48,800 --> 00:43:51,440
Speaker 1: But you're talking about a kid who played eleven college games,

862
00:43:52,040 --> 00:43:54,600
Speaker 1: was on a team that was intentionally not winning games.

863
00:43:54,840 --> 00:43:57,840
Speaker 1: So the judgon for his ability to carry us the victory,

864
00:43:58,680 --> 00:44:03,080
Speaker 1: and that's just an unfair concept all the way around. Um,

865
00:44:03,719 --> 00:44:06,239
Speaker 1: what about the idea that that he wants to be

866
00:44:06,360 --> 00:44:08,479
Speaker 1: in New York. Do you believe that to be true?

867
00:44:09,560 --> 00:44:12,920
Speaker 1: I don't have any idea. He certainly never shared that

868
00:44:13,080 --> 00:44:15,920
Speaker 1: with me. You know, I think knowing what I know

869
00:44:16,160 --> 00:44:19,400
Speaker 1: about the situation and knowing that Brad Stevens was someone

870
00:44:19,480 --> 00:44:22,120
Speaker 1: that he very much believed in and had interest in

871
00:44:22,239 --> 00:44:25,920
Speaker 1: playing with, and seeing how much he appreciated the Boston

872
00:44:26,040 --> 00:44:29,319
Speaker 1: culture even when we would compete against them, and how

873
00:44:29,480 --> 00:44:33,520
Speaker 1: all about each other that team was, it would surprise

874
00:44:33,640 --> 00:44:36,359
Speaker 1: me if he wanted to leave there at all. If

875
00:44:36,400 --> 00:44:38,439
Speaker 1: he left there, I think you would think he would

876
00:44:38,480 --> 00:44:41,080
Speaker 1: go somewhere where he could go with another superstar that

877
00:44:41,160 --> 00:44:44,480
Speaker 1: he plays with the USA Basketball or that he's friendly with.

878
00:44:44,719 --> 00:44:47,920
Speaker 1: So I think that's become the most important thing now.

879
00:44:48,400 --> 00:44:50,719
Speaker 1: If you're going to tank and you're going to play

880
00:44:50,800 --> 00:44:53,759
Speaker 1: through free agency, do you need to give superstars a

881
00:44:53,880 --> 00:44:57,320
Speaker 1: template from which they can build the team they envisioned

882
00:44:57,400 --> 00:45:01,480
Speaker 1: playing with. Yeah. Look, my friends in Boston have said

883
00:45:02,320 --> 00:45:05,120
Speaker 1: the truth was with Cleveland. I know you weren't there then,

884
00:45:05,760 --> 00:45:08,359
Speaker 1: but with when with Cleveland he was traded, he wanted

885
00:45:08,360 --> 00:45:10,560
Speaker 1: to go to San Antonio or Boston like this, these

886
00:45:10,600 --> 00:45:13,440
Speaker 1: other teams he wanted to go somewhere with great culture,

887
00:45:13,640 --> 00:45:15,200
Speaker 1: where he felt like you could win, where it feel

888
00:45:15,200 --> 00:45:18,360
Speaker 1: like guys were professional, and he loves that part about Boston.

889
00:45:18,640 --> 00:45:21,360
Speaker 1: It doesn't mean they know that he'll never leave, but

890
00:45:21,480 --> 00:45:23,680
Speaker 1: they don't get any sort of sense that he's any

891
00:45:23,760 --> 00:45:26,400
Speaker 1: sort of unhappy, even if they were successful in the

892
00:45:26,400 --> 00:45:29,560
Speaker 1: playoffs without him. Yeah, no question. And I knew that

893
00:45:29,680 --> 00:45:32,600
Speaker 1: San Antonio or in Boston were places he wanted to

894
00:45:32,719 --> 00:45:37,280
Speaker 1: be um because once he's everything had broken out about

895
00:45:37,400 --> 00:45:40,960
Speaker 1: the trade and the desire to be traded. UM, I

896
00:45:41,320 --> 00:45:44,400
Speaker 1: knew sort of what those destinations were, and they were

897
00:45:44,440 --> 00:45:48,279
Speaker 1: all situations that were designed around culture and coach and

898
00:45:48,520 --> 00:45:53,279
Speaker 1: and frankly opportunity. And ironically, Gordon Hayward is one of

899
00:45:53,360 --> 00:45:56,600
Speaker 1: the players that he recruited the year Lebron came back.

900
00:45:56,680 --> 00:46:00,480
Speaker 1: Gordon was restricted at the time in Utaw and Utah

901
00:46:00,560 --> 00:46:03,399
Speaker 1: would have matched the deal, but Gordon and Kyrie wanted

902
00:46:03,440 --> 00:46:06,319
Speaker 1: to play together back then as well, So I can't

903
00:46:06,400 --> 00:46:09,879
Speaker 1: imagine he would leave unless something went terribly wrong. David

904
00:46:09,880 --> 00:46:12,440
Speaker 1: Griffin joining us, former general manager of the NBA. Of

905
00:46:12,480 --> 00:46:15,120
Speaker 1: course you can, um. You can listen to show deals

906
00:46:15,160 --> 00:46:19,040
Speaker 1: and dunks with Joel Myers on Sirius XM NBA Radio. So,

907
00:46:19,200 --> 00:46:22,040
Speaker 1: Lebron's in Los Angeles, what do you think of what

908
00:46:22,360 --> 00:46:25,520
Speaker 1: we what as of now, what seems to be the

909
00:46:25,680 --> 00:46:28,560
Speaker 1: Lakers plan, which is all right, we got some vets,

910
00:46:29,040 --> 00:46:32,480
Speaker 1: uh that that are hyper competitive guys that have had

911
00:46:32,560 --> 00:46:37,279
Speaker 1: some some turbulence in the past with Rondo, with um

912
00:46:38,200 --> 00:46:40,920
Speaker 1: with born Ready and with Javelle McGee, and then you

913
00:46:41,000 --> 00:46:43,319
Speaker 1: have the young guys and the idea that he's gonna

914
00:46:43,360 --> 00:46:46,080
Speaker 1: play more from the post. What do you think of

915
00:46:46,200 --> 00:46:49,279
Speaker 1: that as the way to build Lebron's new team in

916
00:46:49,440 --> 00:46:53,880
Speaker 1: l A Well, I think from a regular season standpoint,

917
00:46:53,920 --> 00:46:55,680
Speaker 1: it makes a lot of sense to me to bring

918
00:46:55,800 --> 00:46:59,239
Speaker 1: in a number of playmakers that know how to play.

919
00:46:59,640 --> 00:47:03,560
Speaker 1: If you could have really high basketball i Q. Ancillary playmakers,

920
00:47:04,160 --> 00:47:06,279
Speaker 1: somebody who can go get a shot and take the

921
00:47:06,360 --> 00:47:09,120
Speaker 1: burden off of Lebron during a regular season, it makes

922
00:47:09,160 --> 00:47:12,160
Speaker 1: a lot of sense. Where where I struggle is the

923
00:47:12,280 --> 00:47:15,280
Speaker 1: notion that they don't have a whole lot of floors

924
00:47:15,320 --> 00:47:18,880
Speaker 1: spacing around Lebron and in the playoffs, like I said earlier,

925
00:47:19,200 --> 00:47:23,320
Speaker 1: he's far and away the most efficient play terminator and

926
00:47:23,480 --> 00:47:27,000
Speaker 1: dictator of outcomes in the NBA. So when it's time

927
00:47:27,040 --> 00:47:30,000
Speaker 1: to win a playoff game, you're going to play slower

928
00:47:30,080 --> 00:47:32,399
Speaker 1: and more methodical. He's gonna have the ball and you're

929
00:47:32,400 --> 00:47:34,719
Speaker 1: gonna have to space the court around it. You're not

930
00:47:34,880 --> 00:47:37,719
Speaker 1: going to be getting stopped and running in the break

931
00:47:37,800 --> 00:47:40,400
Speaker 1: all the time and playing at a breaknet space because

932
00:47:40,440 --> 00:47:43,359
Speaker 1: you've seen every team that does that, Golden State being

933
00:47:43,400 --> 00:47:45,160
Speaker 1: the very best of all of them. When it comes

934
00:47:45,239 --> 00:47:48,680
Speaker 1: time to win games. They execute their way to excellence.

935
00:47:49,239 --> 00:47:52,560
Speaker 1: They're not sprinting their way to excellence. And you can't

936
00:47:52,640 --> 00:47:55,680
Speaker 1: execute around Lebron if you can't space the court. So

937
00:47:56,160 --> 00:47:59,280
Speaker 1: come playoff times when they're really trying to make a difference,

938
00:47:59,680 --> 00:48:02,040
Speaker 1: and and he could take you, me and any other

939
00:48:02,120 --> 00:48:04,360
Speaker 1: two people to the playoffs. I think in in in

940
00:48:04,440 --> 00:48:06,880
Speaker 1: a lot of likelihoods other than the fact that the

941
00:48:06,920 --> 00:48:11,200
Speaker 1: Western Conference is so incredibly good. I can see it

942
00:48:11,320 --> 00:48:13,600
Speaker 1: working in the regular season. I just wonder what it

943
00:48:13,640 --> 00:48:17,200
Speaker 1: looks like in the post season. Um, okay, help help

944
00:48:17,280 --> 00:48:20,400
Speaker 1: me out. If if you were in the Lakers front office,

945
00:48:21,280 --> 00:48:24,160
Speaker 1: and you know, look, they love Josh Hart, they love

946
00:48:24,280 --> 00:48:27,440
Speaker 1: Kyle Kuzma. I think they like Brandon ingram Um. But

947
00:48:27,640 --> 00:48:29,880
Speaker 1: they they're they're trying to build this core group of

948
00:48:30,000 --> 00:48:34,920
Speaker 1: young guys around Lebron and then have those competitive basketball

949
00:48:34,960 --> 00:48:37,160
Speaker 1: like Q veterans. And I'm sure eventually they'll add some

950
00:48:37,239 --> 00:48:39,480
Speaker 1: shooting as well, maybe not this year, maybe in the

951
00:48:39,520 --> 00:48:42,080
Speaker 1: next year, or maybe if they trade what's the proper

952
00:48:42,200 --> 00:48:47,920
Speaker 1: value for Kawhi Leonard before the season begins. It's almost

953
00:48:47,960 --> 00:48:50,080
Speaker 1: impossible for me to know that if I don't know

954
00:48:50,200 --> 00:48:53,960
Speaker 1: that Kawhi Leonards Telsey and I think that's why with

955
00:48:54,360 --> 00:48:57,359
Speaker 1: with Kauai being in San Antonio, an organization that has

956
00:48:57,400 --> 00:48:59,319
Speaker 1: been the best in our league over its twenty one

957
00:48:59,400 --> 00:49:02,640
Speaker 1: year period at ignoring the noise and acting only when

958
00:49:02,719 --> 00:49:06,040
Speaker 1: they choose to and for the right deal according to them,

959
00:49:06,120 --> 00:49:09,399
Speaker 1: and the price that they feel it something's worse. They're

960
00:49:09,440 --> 00:49:11,520
Speaker 1: not going to be nervous and they're not going to

961
00:49:11,600 --> 00:49:13,640
Speaker 1: go into the thought of, oh my god, well, if

962
00:49:13,680 --> 00:49:15,560
Speaker 1: so I shows up for training camp, what do we do.

963
00:49:16,880 --> 00:49:19,920
Speaker 1: They're gonna be fine. They're gonna continue and move along.

964
00:49:20,120 --> 00:49:23,000
Speaker 1: And because of that, they'll have the opportunity if they

965
00:49:23,080 --> 00:49:25,840
Speaker 1: so desire, to have him play in training camp and

966
00:49:25,920 --> 00:49:28,719
Speaker 1: prove he's healthy. And that's when a God's Father like

967
00:49:28,920 --> 00:49:31,759
Speaker 1: packets gets put on your doorstep. No one's going to

968
00:49:31,840 --> 00:49:34,000
Speaker 1: give up the kind of asset value it would take

969
00:49:34,080 --> 00:49:38,840
Speaker 1: to get San Antonio to act in all likelihood unless

970
00:49:38,880 --> 00:49:42,399
Speaker 1: they know on equivocally Kauaia is healthy. So I think

971
00:49:42,440 --> 00:49:44,920
Speaker 1: this could play out over a very long period of

972
00:49:45,040 --> 00:49:47,399
Speaker 1: time because of that. And I don't think it makes

973
00:49:47,400 --> 00:49:50,080
Speaker 1: any difference what you think your packages at whatever team

974
00:49:50,120 --> 00:49:55,239
Speaker 1: you're at. The Rockets um the Rockets did not take

975
00:49:55,280 --> 00:49:58,120
Speaker 1: the bait, and they let Trevor Reasa walk, Lucas Shaw

976
00:49:58,160 --> 00:50:00,360
Speaker 1: and Bob mood taste back with the Clippers US a

977
00:50:00,480 --> 00:50:04,719
Speaker 1: year ago. They felt compelled to resign Chris Paul and

978
00:50:04,800 --> 00:50:07,320
Speaker 1: they gave him the Max and look, he's a terrific

979
00:50:07,400 --> 00:50:09,680
Speaker 1: player in a future Hall of Famer, but he does

980
00:50:09,760 --> 00:50:12,759
Speaker 1: break down and he's not getting younger. And now there's

981
00:50:12,800 --> 00:50:15,960
Speaker 1: talk of adding Carmelo Anthony. What's your reaction to the

982
00:50:16,040 --> 00:50:20,280
Speaker 1: moves that the Rockets have made this offseason? So, without

983
00:50:20,320 --> 00:50:23,239
Speaker 1: regard for the Rockets, I believe that every time you

984
00:50:23,520 --> 00:50:27,120
Speaker 1: change your group and every time you rework what you're doing,

985
00:50:27,960 --> 00:50:31,279
Speaker 1: you're getting further away from Golden State. Because the part

986
00:50:31,360 --> 00:50:34,520
Speaker 1: of this people don't understand is their nucleus has been

987
00:50:34,600 --> 00:50:38,200
Speaker 1: together now for a very long time. Clay Thompson, Steph Curry,

988
00:50:38,239 --> 00:50:41,160
Speaker 1: and Draymond Green are the core of that group, and

989
00:50:41,280 --> 00:50:43,360
Speaker 1: when they bring in the rest of the elite talent,

990
00:50:43,520 --> 00:50:46,720
Speaker 1: that takes them to an altogether different level. They're building

991
00:50:46,800 --> 00:50:51,160
Speaker 1: on a premise and an acceptance of selflessness there that's

992
00:50:51,200 --> 00:50:54,680
Speaker 1: totally unique. So Boogie Cousins is either going to go

993
00:50:54,840 --> 00:50:57,520
Speaker 1: along with the program or he's not going to be

994
00:50:57,640 --> 00:51:00,120
Speaker 1: a part of what they do. And they'll survive have

995
00:51:00,239 --> 00:51:05,240
Speaker 1: no matter what. So every time you change anything substantially,

996
00:51:05,840 --> 00:51:08,919
Speaker 1: you get further away from Golden State because they're doing

997
00:51:09,040 --> 00:51:12,279
Speaker 1: what they do better the next year. And so any

998
00:51:12,360 --> 00:51:14,560
Speaker 1: time you change, I don't like it. And I felt

999
00:51:14,600 --> 00:51:17,000
Speaker 1: like Houston was in a situation where they had that

1000
00:51:17,200 --> 00:51:20,680
Speaker 1: team beaten and they had found a formula for defending

1001
00:51:20,760 --> 00:51:23,239
Speaker 1: Golden State, and it was p J Tucker at the

1002
00:51:23,320 --> 00:51:28,160
Speaker 1: five a reason Bob Moute, c J and hardened together

1003
00:51:28,640 --> 00:51:32,040
Speaker 1: and that group was is good from a net rating standpoint.

1004
00:51:32,080 --> 00:51:36,319
Speaker 1: In the playoffs as any team, that lineup was special good,

1005
00:51:36,600 --> 00:51:39,319
Speaker 1: and it was in particular special good against the team

1006
00:51:39,360 --> 00:51:41,960
Speaker 1: you're trying to bet. So to lose the ability to

1007
00:51:42,040 --> 00:51:44,759
Speaker 1: put your best lineup on the floor. I don't care

1008
00:51:44,840 --> 00:51:47,600
Speaker 1: who you replace them with. I'm really concerned about that.

1009
00:51:48,000 --> 00:51:49,320
Speaker 1: Let let me get let me get back kind of

1010
00:51:49,400 --> 00:51:53,000
Speaker 1: quickly to Lebron and the Lakers. I look at their roster.

1011
00:51:53,520 --> 00:51:55,640
Speaker 1: I watched him play in the finals and take some

1012
00:51:55,760 --> 00:51:59,759
Speaker 1: plays off defensively guarding Draymond Green, and it dawned upon

1013
00:52:00,480 --> 00:52:02,719
Speaker 1: when they lose Julius Randal and they don't have a

1014
00:52:02,840 --> 00:52:06,520
Speaker 1: small ball five. That's gonna be Lebron's new role. That's

1015
00:52:06,520 --> 00:52:09,400
Speaker 1: a way in which, into his thirties he can always

1016
00:52:09,480 --> 00:52:12,040
Speaker 1: be the better player instead of matching up with with

1017
00:52:12,239 --> 00:52:14,800
Speaker 1: the the twos and the threes and I guess now fours,

1018
00:52:14,840 --> 00:52:17,320
Speaker 1: although there really aren't power forwards anymore in the NBA.

1019
00:52:18,440 --> 00:52:21,040
Speaker 1: Does that change your perception of what they're trying to

1020
00:52:21,160 --> 00:52:23,640
Speaker 1: do in l A If you can't think that he

1021
00:52:23,760 --> 00:52:28,040
Speaker 1: becomes their small ball five, sure, I mean, and the

1022
00:52:28,160 --> 00:52:31,919
Speaker 1: Cabs played Bron it's the five. It changes it only

1023
00:52:32,000 --> 00:52:34,920
Speaker 1: in so far as it helps me understand that you

1024
00:52:35,080 --> 00:52:38,719
Speaker 1: know where his real value ultimately will come. But it

1025
00:52:38,800 --> 00:52:40,800
Speaker 1: doesn't change the fact that the way the game is

1026
00:52:40,840 --> 00:52:44,360
Speaker 1: going to be played in all likelihood when he's overly

1027
00:52:45,120 --> 00:52:48,280
Speaker 1: engaged and effective it's still going to have fourth facing

1028
00:52:48,360 --> 00:52:50,920
Speaker 1: on the court. I don't care what position anybody plays

1029
00:52:51,400 --> 00:52:53,520
Speaker 1: if you play him off the ball. So it's interesting.

1030
00:52:53,880 --> 00:52:56,480
Speaker 1: When we were in Cleveland, his number one most efficient

1031
00:52:56,640 --> 00:53:00,160
Speaker 1: things was being a slasher from the weak side US

1032
00:53:00,160 --> 00:53:03,160
Speaker 1: in terms of by possession, that's what he was most

1033
00:53:03,200 --> 00:53:05,680
Speaker 1: efficient at. Well, that's great, but that means we need

1034
00:53:05,760 --> 00:53:08,600
Speaker 1: to trust somebody else to make decisions. And when it

1035
00:53:08,680 --> 00:53:11,680
Speaker 1: comes time to win meaningful games in the playoffs, coaches

1036
00:53:11,719 --> 00:53:15,080
Speaker 1: trust their best decision maker to make decisions. So you

1037
00:53:15,200 --> 00:53:18,040
Speaker 1: could say that that's Rondo, and that's fine, But once

1038
00:53:18,200 --> 00:53:20,400
Speaker 1: Lebron gets the ball, the defense is going to be

1039
00:53:20,600 --> 00:53:23,800
Speaker 1: very available because they're going to treat Rondo and JaVale

1040
00:53:23,840 --> 00:53:27,400
Speaker 1: McGee and Land Stevens then differently than they would treat shooters.

1041
00:53:27,880 --> 00:53:29,680
Speaker 1: So I just think it'll be interesting to see how

1042
00:53:29,760 --> 00:53:32,359
Speaker 1: they all spend the group. Certainly, the guys they signed

1043
00:53:32,360 --> 00:53:33,680
Speaker 1: are the only people that are going to be on

1044
00:53:33,760 --> 00:53:35,880
Speaker 1: the floor. And I happen to be of the mindset

1045
00:53:35,920 --> 00:53:38,440
Speaker 1: that Brandon Ingram hasn't even grown into his body yet,

1046
00:53:38,719 --> 00:53:40,439
Speaker 1: and if they were to get rid of him early,

1047
00:53:40,560 --> 00:53:42,719
Speaker 1: it would be a big mistake because you don't even

1048
00:53:42,760 --> 00:53:45,400
Speaker 1: know what he is yet, and I think he can

1049
00:53:45,480 --> 00:53:49,200
Speaker 1: be special good alongside Lebron and Rondo certainly, so they

1050
00:53:49,320 --> 00:53:53,080
Speaker 1: have pieces. It's just it's going to take time. Unfortunately

1051
00:53:53,160 --> 00:53:56,040
Speaker 1: for them, he gave them long enough to do it. Uh,

1052
00:53:56,239 --> 00:53:59,919
Speaker 1: Luke Walton, how difficult is his job? Oh man, He's

1053
00:54:00,000 --> 00:54:02,680
Speaker 1: the one who really got got hit the hardest by

1054
00:54:02,840 --> 00:54:07,360
Speaker 1: any decision to bring in really strong willed players. Now,

1055
00:54:07,520 --> 00:54:10,280
Speaker 1: Rondo and Lebron are both alpha's to a huge degree,

1056
00:54:10,360 --> 00:54:12,680
Speaker 1: and they'll work their issues out because they believe in

1057
00:54:12,760 --> 00:54:16,080
Speaker 1: each other. But from a coaching perspective, it's really hard

1058
00:54:16,160 --> 00:54:19,279
Speaker 1: when you have that much personality in the locker room,

1059
00:54:19,680 --> 00:54:22,560
Speaker 1: and getting buy in becomes tougher and tougher as you

1060
00:54:22,680 --> 00:54:25,879
Speaker 1: add more personalities to the room. So I think Luke

1061
00:54:25,960 --> 00:54:27,800
Speaker 1: has his work cut out for him. But if anybody

1062
00:54:27,840 --> 00:54:30,759
Speaker 1: can figure it out from a human perspective, he's the one.

1063
00:54:30,880 --> 00:54:33,560
Speaker 1: I think he's really got a chance to be special

1064
00:54:33,600 --> 00:54:35,000
Speaker 1: as the coach in the league. All right, let me

1065
00:54:35,080 --> 00:54:36,799
Speaker 1: let me ask you quickly, because you're in Vegas, David

1066
00:54:36,800 --> 00:54:41,719
Speaker 1: Griffin joining us rookie, that has been most disappointing to you,

1067
00:54:43,880 --> 00:54:48,319
Speaker 1: rookie in Vegas, this has been most disappointing. Um, I really,

1068
00:54:48,800 --> 00:54:51,080
Speaker 1: to be honestly, I don't think you can be disappointing here.

1069
00:54:51,719 --> 00:54:54,520
Speaker 1: I don't think it can be meaningful that you're disappointing here.

1070
00:54:54,760 --> 00:54:57,840
Speaker 1: Certainly everybody is disappointed and what Trey Young has produced,

1071
00:54:58,440 --> 00:55:00,840
Speaker 1: But Trey Young has these aim worts when you were

1072
00:55:00,920 --> 00:55:02,920
Speaker 1: drafting him and you knew it, and it was going

1073
00:55:03,000 --> 00:55:04,840
Speaker 1: to take time, and you're gonna need to build the

1074
00:55:04,920 --> 00:55:08,040
Speaker 1: varsity to support him, and the summer league team isn't

1075
00:55:08,080 --> 00:55:10,840
Speaker 1: going to support him, so you can't be surprised that

1076
00:55:10,960 --> 00:55:14,000
Speaker 1: he's struggling in the way he has. So, to be honest,

1077
00:55:14,040 --> 00:55:15,839
Speaker 1: whether it's hard for me to look at Summer League

1078
00:55:15,880 --> 00:55:19,520
Speaker 1: and say anyone's terribly disappointing for me, I looked at

1079
00:55:19,560 --> 00:55:21,840
Speaker 1: it from the standpoint of who in Summer League is

1080
00:55:21,880 --> 00:55:24,680
Speaker 1: getting to play the same role today that they will

1081
00:55:24,719 --> 00:55:27,120
Speaker 1: play on the varsity, and what do they look like

1082
00:55:27,360 --> 00:55:30,719
Speaker 1: doing it? So when I look at somebody like uh

1083
00:55:31,120 --> 00:55:33,759
Speaker 1: DeAndre Ayton, by way of example, in Phoenix, what he

1084
00:55:33,880 --> 00:55:36,560
Speaker 1: produces now will be meaningful because he's playing a very

1085
00:55:36,640 --> 00:55:39,640
Speaker 1: similar role. Uh And it's not always the case with

1086
00:55:39,760 --> 00:55:41,480
Speaker 1: a lot of teams, all right, So the opposite of

1087
00:55:41,560 --> 00:55:45,759
Speaker 1: it is, uh, is there anybody who, based upon role

1088
00:55:46,040 --> 00:55:49,840
Speaker 1: or based upon where they are right now, you're impressed

1089
00:55:50,320 --> 00:55:53,040
Speaker 1: in comparison to what you thought they would be when

1090
00:55:53,080 --> 00:55:58,360
Speaker 1: you saw him against better competition. Totality of the Orlando

1091
00:55:58,560 --> 00:56:00,480
Speaker 1: team is a lot of fun to why right now

1092
00:56:00,800 --> 00:56:03,959
Speaker 1: because Jonathan Isaac is healthy. You know, many many people

1093
00:56:04,040 --> 00:56:06,160
Speaker 1: thought last year that he had the most upside of

1094
00:56:06,239 --> 00:56:09,960
Speaker 1: anyone in that draft that includes Katum, that includes folks.

1095
00:56:10,440 --> 00:56:12,959
Speaker 1: He was just further away from it. But you're talking

1096
00:56:12,960 --> 00:56:16,359
Speaker 1: about a kid who's six eleven with incredible length, who

1097
00:56:16,400 --> 00:56:20,239
Speaker 1: can dribble, passing, shoot, who blocks shots, and you put

1098
00:56:20,360 --> 00:56:24,160
Speaker 1: him with Mo Bamba and all that length defensively, Obviously

1099
00:56:24,200 --> 00:56:26,879
Speaker 1: Aaron Gordon not playing in Summer League, but you can

1100
00:56:26,960 --> 00:56:29,839
Speaker 1: see very clearly the vision that Jeff Welman and John

1101
00:56:29,920 --> 00:56:33,399
Speaker 1: Hammond have. It's gonna be exactly what Milwaukee did. They're

1102
00:56:33,440 --> 00:56:36,560
Speaker 1: going to get incredible length and athleticism that they can

1103
00:56:36,719 --> 00:56:39,959
Speaker 1: just swallow you up defensively with, and then they're gonna

1104
00:56:40,000 --> 00:56:43,480
Speaker 1: hopefully sprinkle in the skill set guys that can dribble

1105
00:56:43,600 --> 00:56:47,520
Speaker 1: paths and shoot. But they've got length in athleticism in

1106
00:56:47,800 --> 00:56:50,399
Speaker 1: spades right now. And it's it's fun to watch great

1107
00:56:50,440 --> 00:56:52,560
Speaker 1: stuff from David Griffin. You can check out his show

1108
00:56:53,239 --> 00:56:56,360
Speaker 1: Deals and Dunks with Joel Meyers on sirius x M

1109
00:56:56,480 --> 00:56:59,040
Speaker 1: NBA Radio. All right, get back in there because this

1110
00:56:59,120 --> 00:57:02,400
Speaker 1: is San Antone Portland game is very close, pretty exciting,

1111
00:57:02,560 --> 00:57:05,399
Speaker 1: very well play. Appreciate you joining us, Thanks so much.

1112
00:57:05,480 --> 00:57:10,480
Speaker 1: Do people confuse initials and nicknames all the time. It's

1113
00:57:10,520 --> 00:57:14,840
Speaker 1: not the same thing. Initials are not nicknames. Joe Barton

1114
00:57:14,880 --> 00:57:17,600
Speaker 1: knows that he covers the Cavs for Cleveland dot Com.

1115
00:57:17,720 --> 00:57:20,760
Speaker 1: It's got some great insight on Lebron James. He joins

1116
00:57:20,840 --> 00:57:23,120
Speaker 1: us now on the Doug Gtlic Show. U, there's a

1117
00:57:23,240 --> 00:57:26,600
Speaker 1: three hour podcast out there that here's how good it

1118
00:57:26,720 --> 00:57:29,800
Speaker 1: is show. I was having dinner last night in southern

1119
00:57:29,920 --> 00:57:33,480
Speaker 1: in in Los Angeles with a friend who lives in

1120
00:57:33,840 --> 00:57:35,560
Speaker 1: near the area where Lebron lives, and he's like, have

1121
00:57:35,640 --> 00:57:38,680
Speaker 1: you downloaded the podcast with bardon those guys? I was like,

1122
00:57:39,080 --> 00:57:40,640
Speaker 1: I've heard some of it. We have it at works

1123
00:57:40,640 --> 00:57:43,320
Speaker 1: like No, No, three hours. It's all really really good

1124
00:57:43,400 --> 00:57:45,440
Speaker 1: for people who want to get ahold of it? How

1125
00:57:45,480 --> 00:57:51,400
Speaker 1: do they do so? Wow? Um, well there's actually two

1126
00:57:51,480 --> 00:57:54,320
Speaker 1: of them. Uh that my colleagues and I had had done.

1127
00:57:54,880 --> 00:57:59,520
Speaker 1: One was with Howard beck Um the Full which was

1128
00:58:00,160 --> 00:58:02,800
Speaker 1: uh in between games one and two of the finals,

1129
00:58:02,880 --> 00:58:05,440
Speaker 1: And that's a lot more about just what it was

1130
00:58:05,560 --> 00:58:08,880
Speaker 1: like for four years to kind of live together and

1131
00:58:09,000 --> 00:58:13,120
Speaker 1: live through the Lebron phenomenon um, and we had a

1132
00:58:13,160 --> 00:58:15,120
Speaker 1: lot of fun with that. We also drank three bottles

1133
00:58:15,160 --> 00:58:17,520
Speaker 1: of wine while we were doing it, which was fun.

1134
00:58:17,800 --> 00:58:22,000
Speaker 1: And then UM, the new one is uh AT it

1135
00:58:22,120 --> 00:58:25,320
Speaker 1: actually actually through a local radio station N point three

1136
00:58:25,520 --> 00:58:31,040
Speaker 1: FM in Cleveland. There there iPods or their podcast channel,

1137
00:58:31,680 --> 00:58:35,240
Speaker 1: and that is where we kind of um peel the

1138
00:58:35,640 --> 00:58:39,600
Speaker 1: a couple of layers back into what happened in Cleveland

1139
00:58:39,680 --> 00:58:43,280
Speaker 1: and what happened with Lebron and Lebron and Kyrie and

1140
00:58:43,440 --> 00:58:47,760
Speaker 1: and David Bladd and tylu and Dan Gilbert and just

1141
00:58:47,840 --> 00:58:50,040
Speaker 1: kind of on down the line. But so you kind

1142
00:58:50,080 --> 00:58:53,920
Speaker 1: of get that same player of um sort of the

1143
00:58:54,880 --> 00:58:57,640
Speaker 1: I don't know, just the camaraderie that we had built

1144
00:58:58,080 --> 00:59:01,680
Speaker 1: uh two four years together covering the team. We were

1145
00:59:01,720 --> 00:59:03,720
Speaker 1: the three guys that stayed on the beat the whole

1146
00:59:03,760 --> 00:59:07,040
Speaker 1: time and traveled the country with Lebron and those guys

1147
00:59:07,120 --> 00:59:10,640
Speaker 1: and um, you know obviously really got to know him

1148
00:59:10,680 --> 00:59:13,400
Speaker 1: and know each other in a really good way. Um,

1149
00:59:14,240 --> 00:59:16,320
Speaker 1: some of some of what I've heard, I can't tell

1150
00:59:16,320 --> 00:59:18,480
Speaker 1: you've consumed all of it, But some of what I've

1151
00:59:18,520 --> 00:59:23,760
Speaker 1: heard paints the picture of Lebron um as a as

1152
00:59:23,800 --> 00:59:27,920
Speaker 1: a little bit one very very smart, of cunning impact,

1153
00:59:28,320 --> 00:59:32,800
Speaker 1: but at times can be petulant, spoiled, can throw fits all.

1154
00:59:32,920 --> 00:59:35,920
Speaker 1: Sometimes though he does things for a purpose, Like how

1155
00:59:35,960 --> 00:59:38,800
Speaker 1: would you how would you characterize to the person who

1156
00:59:39,160 --> 00:59:43,600
Speaker 1: hasn't seen the real Lebron how would you characterize Lebron

1157
00:59:43,760 --> 00:59:47,280
Speaker 1: James as a teammate throughout those four years? Yeah, I

1158
00:59:47,320 --> 00:59:50,800
Speaker 1: mean it's a really it's uh, it's a complex picture

1159
00:59:51,240 --> 00:59:55,000
Speaker 1: when it comes to Lebron um as a as a

1160
00:59:56,120 --> 00:59:59,840
Speaker 1: a superstar athlete to work with. From my perspective, I

1161
01:00:00,040 --> 01:00:03,800
Speaker 1: could not possibly have been treated better. Um. You know,

1162
01:00:03,920 --> 01:00:07,760
Speaker 1: I've worked and I've covered politics, I've covered sports, um

1163
01:00:08,320 --> 01:00:12,840
Speaker 1: and and Lebron was my certainly my favorite um subject

1164
01:00:12,960 --> 01:00:15,640
Speaker 1: to cover and to work with in my entire career.

1165
01:00:15,680 --> 01:00:20,280
Speaker 1: There's no doubt about that as a teammate, he was

1166
01:00:20,480 --> 01:00:25,440
Speaker 1: probably his at his best as a teammate when he

1167
01:00:25,600 --> 01:00:33,640
Speaker 1: had older players on the team that that he respected.

1168
01:00:33,680 --> 01:00:37,120
Speaker 1: In a certain kind of way. Um, he he needed

1169
01:00:37,200 --> 01:00:43,320
Speaker 1: to rely on those guys to create the right loose,

1170
01:00:43,720 --> 01:00:49,360
Speaker 1: comfortable atmosphere in the locker room and away from the court. Um.

1171
01:00:49,680 --> 01:00:52,760
Speaker 1: You know, guys like Channing fry And and Richard Jefferson

1172
01:00:53,080 --> 01:00:57,280
Speaker 1: and James Jones. Um, they could bring some levity to

1173
01:00:57,400 --> 01:01:01,920
Speaker 1: the situation and they could kind of invite everybody from

1174
01:01:01,960 --> 01:01:05,040
Speaker 1: the team from all corners of locker room out, you know,

1175
01:01:05,160 --> 01:01:08,080
Speaker 1: to dinner and and to to two people's houses. And

1176
01:01:08,280 --> 01:01:11,080
Speaker 1: you know, they they they would invite themselves to Kevin

1177
01:01:11,160 --> 01:01:15,560
Speaker 1: Love's house and have the whole team come over, Lebron included.

1178
01:01:15,680 --> 01:01:18,200
Speaker 1: And you know, after a while they started going to

1179
01:01:18,240 --> 01:01:20,760
Speaker 1: the Indians games, when the Indians went to the World

1180
01:01:20,840 --> 01:01:24,200
Speaker 1: Series and and those kinds of things. That's when Lebron

1181
01:01:24,880 --> 01:01:28,640
Speaker 1: was at his best. Um as a teammate, he was

1182
01:01:28,800 --> 01:01:32,400
Speaker 1: very hard on Kyrie, uh and at times Kyrie and

1183
01:01:32,840 --> 01:01:36,400
Speaker 1: totally deserved it. There's no There's no question about that.

1184
01:01:36,520 --> 01:01:42,560
Speaker 1: That's another longer discussion. UM, this year is a teammate Lebron.

1185
01:01:44,200 --> 01:01:47,800
Speaker 1: It's it's it's hard because I think it's a teammate.

1186
01:01:47,960 --> 01:01:51,360
Speaker 1: He really struggled this year. Um, he struggled throughout the

1187
01:01:51,480 --> 01:01:55,840
Speaker 1: year he was uncomfortable, which this is gonna sound so crazy,

1188
01:01:56,560 --> 01:01:59,840
Speaker 1: but he he had kind of lost his way as

1189
01:02:00,040 --> 01:02:05,200
Speaker 1: the um kind of alpha leader of the team when

1190
01:02:05,640 --> 01:02:11,320
Speaker 1: Dwyane Wade came on and and Isaiah Thomas and Jay

1191
01:02:11,400 --> 01:02:14,280
Speaker 1: Crowder and Derrick Rose, like, these are guys that are

1192
01:02:15,120 --> 01:02:19,000
Speaker 1: established veterans that can't really be talked to in a

1193
01:02:19,120 --> 01:02:22,160
Speaker 1: certain way. And Lebron, of course was clearly the best player,

1194
01:02:22,200 --> 01:02:24,560
Speaker 1: and it was clearly his team, but he had kind

1195
01:02:24,560 --> 01:02:29,320
Speaker 1: of gotten away from just kind of really like enforcing

1196
01:02:29,440 --> 01:02:32,400
Speaker 1: his will as to how this was gonna go. And

1197
01:02:32,480 --> 01:02:35,240
Speaker 1: then when all those guys got traded, like literally all

1198
01:02:35,280 --> 01:02:39,439
Speaker 1: of them, um, he he tried to reassume that role.

1199
01:02:40,320 --> 01:02:42,720
Speaker 1: But these guys that he said they brought in three

1200
01:02:42,720 --> 01:02:44,960
Speaker 1: of them were young twenty five years old, and and

1201
01:02:45,120 --> 01:02:48,400
Speaker 1: one was was George Hill, who had known from playing

1202
01:02:48,440 --> 01:02:52,160
Speaker 1: against the playoffs, but he just didn't um, he didn't

1203
01:02:52,200 --> 01:02:55,320
Speaker 1: really know the other guys in a way, and and

1204
01:02:55,400 --> 01:02:59,080
Speaker 1: it it just become too much of a task to

1205
01:02:59,200 --> 01:03:01,760
Speaker 1: try to bring this together in the two months they

1206
01:03:01,800 --> 01:03:05,439
Speaker 1: had before the playoffs started. So what Lebron end up doing,

1207
01:03:05,840 --> 01:03:09,080
Speaker 1: um by and large, was taking it upon himself, and

1208
01:03:09,920 --> 01:03:13,640
Speaker 1: the Calves set up their team so that regardless of

1209
01:03:13,880 --> 01:03:16,040
Speaker 1: who was on the floor or what, what what, the

1210
01:03:16,120 --> 01:03:20,520
Speaker 1: other talent was everything, literally every last little thing was

1211
01:03:20,560 --> 01:03:24,080
Speaker 1: going to go through Lebron. And Lebron was incredible. He

1212
01:03:24,200 --> 01:03:27,440
Speaker 1: was sensational and and and carried this team back to

1213
01:03:27,600 --> 01:03:29,360
Speaker 1: the finals when no one thought they could make it.

1214
01:03:30,280 --> 01:03:36,480
Speaker 1: And but but the Lebron, the teammate had long been

1215
01:03:36,560 --> 01:03:39,120
Speaker 1: von by the time that had rolled around Jill Barton

1216
01:03:39,160 --> 01:03:41,400
Speaker 1: from Cleveland dot Com joining us Doug Gotli show, why

1217
01:03:41,520 --> 01:03:45,920
Speaker 1: was he so hard on Kyrie? Well, um, I mean

1218
01:03:46,000 --> 01:03:50,000
Speaker 1: he's Lebron put words to it himself way at the beginning,

1219
01:03:50,120 --> 01:03:53,200
Speaker 1: early in that first season together when he talked about

1220
01:03:53,240 --> 01:03:55,720
Speaker 1: bad habits and and the truth of the matter is

1221
01:03:55,920 --> 01:04:00,080
Speaker 1: that Kyrie had shown to be an incredible ton on,

1222
01:04:00,360 --> 01:04:04,880
Speaker 1: brilliant offensive player, killer, all those things. But play on

1223
01:04:04,920 --> 01:04:07,960
Speaker 1: a bad Calves team, you know, I mean pretty much

1224
01:04:08,440 --> 01:04:11,360
Speaker 1: maybe with the exception of the Stepian years, um, the

1225
01:04:11,480 --> 01:04:15,520
Speaker 1: worst Calves team in in franchise history, that was Kyrie's team.

1226
01:04:16,080 --> 01:04:18,919
Speaker 1: And so he had developed on a bad habit things

1227
01:04:18,960 --> 01:04:21,800
Speaker 1: that you just don't do to play winning basketball. And

1228
01:04:21,920 --> 01:04:26,520
Speaker 1: Lebron knew that he needed to kind of to cleanse

1229
01:04:26,720 --> 01:04:30,920
Speaker 1: Kyrie of that, but he also kind of overstepped in

1230
01:04:30,960 --> 01:04:33,800
Speaker 1: a way that there wasn't enough respect I think paid

1231
01:04:33,880 --> 01:04:37,880
Speaker 1: to just how good of a player Kyrie was. And

1232
01:04:38,040 --> 01:04:41,240
Speaker 1: this this lasted a long time. I mean, this lasted

1233
01:04:41,360 --> 01:04:46,800
Speaker 1: well into the year. Uh not quite but almost up

1234
01:04:46,880 --> 01:04:49,720
Speaker 1: to the to where to where Kyrie, you know, knocked

1235
01:04:49,760 --> 01:04:52,600
Speaker 1: down that the game winner in game seven. I mean

1236
01:04:53,400 --> 01:04:58,480
Speaker 1: Lebron would publicly, um, praise him, praise Kyrie and talk

1237
01:04:58,520 --> 01:05:00,760
Speaker 1: about how he's a he's a future m v P

1238
01:05:01,080 --> 01:05:05,280
Speaker 1: and all those things. But he also like almost akin

1239
01:05:05,360 --> 01:05:07,280
Speaker 1: to like mild hazing, Like he would just kind of

1240
01:05:07,320 --> 01:05:09,640
Speaker 1: haze him and and just kind of speak about him

1241
01:05:09,680 --> 01:05:12,520
Speaker 1: and to him in a certain way. Um that that

1242
01:05:12,680 --> 01:05:15,680
Speaker 1: roughs Kyrie the wrong way. And then also Kyrie and

1243
01:05:15,760 --> 01:05:20,520
Speaker 1: this is just totally i mean a warped view. Kyrie

1244
01:05:20,640 --> 01:05:24,240
Speaker 1: resented how much power and sway Lebron had in the organization,

1245
01:05:24,480 --> 01:05:28,120
Speaker 1: like basically totally disregarding that you were talking about arguably

1246
01:05:28,200 --> 01:05:30,880
Speaker 1: the greatest player we've ever had, certainly the greatest player

1247
01:05:30,920 --> 01:05:34,320
Speaker 1: in Cleveland. Um, you know, four time m v P,

1248
01:05:35,040 --> 01:05:38,600
Speaker 1: two time champion before that. Uh and and he just

1249
01:05:38,800 --> 01:05:41,520
Speaker 1: he didn't like it. He didn't like that reporters ran

1250
01:05:41,600 --> 01:05:47,240
Speaker 1: the Lebron when something happened politically that that required some comments. Um,

1251
01:05:47,480 --> 01:05:50,640
Speaker 1: he didn't like how much he didn't like this. Lebron's

1252
01:05:50,680 --> 01:05:53,720
Speaker 1: friends were hired for jobs in the organization and and

1253
01:05:54,040 --> 01:05:57,280
Speaker 1: on down the line. So this is something that that

1254
01:05:57,480 --> 01:06:01,880
Speaker 1: festered over their time together. And in the meantime, they

1255
01:06:02,280 --> 01:06:05,200
Speaker 1: produced the single greatest comeback in the NBA Finals history

1256
01:06:05,880 --> 01:06:09,360
Speaker 1: and gave a town something that that no one born

1257
01:06:09,400 --> 01:06:13,840
Speaker 1: after four I had ever seen periods Joe Barton joining

1258
01:06:13,920 --> 01:06:18,040
Speaker 1: us from Cleveland dot Com. Um, the a lot has

1259
01:06:18,080 --> 01:06:20,840
Speaker 1: been made of of Dan Gilbert, of the fact that

1260
01:06:21,480 --> 01:06:25,960
Speaker 1: they that Lebron could never get over the letter that

1261
01:06:26,240 --> 01:06:29,160
Speaker 1: Dan Gilbert, you know, wanted to make decisions, wanted his

1262
01:06:29,280 --> 01:06:32,600
Speaker 1: team back. What's the reality to who Dan Gilbert was

1263
01:06:32,720 --> 01:06:37,120
Speaker 1: in this entire story. Well, that's a great question. And UM,

1264
01:06:37,720 --> 01:06:40,560
Speaker 1: you know, I try every chance, I guess that to

1265
01:06:40,640 --> 01:06:45,400
Speaker 1: kind of set this this straight. Like the whatever animosity

1266
01:06:46,200 --> 01:06:49,760
Speaker 1: or whatever ill will that there is or was between

1267
01:06:49,920 --> 01:06:54,560
Speaker 1: Dan and Lebron in these in this second four years together,

1268
01:06:56,160 --> 01:07:00,400
Speaker 1: I call it overblown, um, because it's portrayed though there

1269
01:07:00,440 --> 01:07:03,880
Speaker 1: was a falling out like, oh, you know, Lebron is

1270
01:07:04,000 --> 01:07:06,240
Speaker 1: just so furious with Dan or so fed up with

1271
01:07:06,400 --> 01:07:08,600
Speaker 1: Dan or whatever the case may be, and that that

1272
01:07:08,760 --> 01:07:13,800
Speaker 1: just wasn't true. They they um, they agreed to kind

1273
01:07:13,800 --> 01:07:16,120
Speaker 1: of move past what had happened in the past, but

1274
01:07:16,240 --> 01:07:19,520
Speaker 1: they didn't say they didn't shake hands and say okay,

1275
01:07:19,600 --> 01:07:22,200
Speaker 1: let's be friends like that. They didn't have a personal

1276
01:07:22,280 --> 01:07:25,560
Speaker 1: relationship when Lebron came back. Lebron did not come back

1277
01:07:25,640 --> 01:07:30,040
Speaker 1: because of Dans Um and and and I think said

1278
01:07:30,120 --> 01:07:34,440
Speaker 1: Lebron's actually telling truth when uh he said that Rachel

1279
01:07:34,920 --> 01:07:37,880
Speaker 1: at the start of the finals, like, I haven't working

1280
01:07:37,920 --> 01:07:41,320
Speaker 1: relationship with Dan. I mean, they didn't have any personal

1281
01:07:41,400 --> 01:07:46,680
Speaker 1: relationship ever. Um. But you know, Dan for the most part, uh,

1282
01:07:46,840 --> 01:07:49,000
Speaker 1: spent a ton of money and did what he said

1283
01:07:49,040 --> 01:07:51,840
Speaker 1: he would do, which is fund the team that was

1284
01:07:52,000 --> 01:07:55,600
Speaker 1: capable of of of winning. Um. And Lebron did what

1285
01:07:56,000 --> 01:07:57,680
Speaker 1: he said he would do, which would come here and

1286
01:07:57,960 --> 01:08:03,640
Speaker 1: and and get that team in the finals and and wins. So. UM,

1287
01:08:04,760 --> 01:08:07,720
Speaker 1: if if Dan and Lebron like had had reached some

1288
01:08:07,960 --> 01:08:11,840
Speaker 1: kind of like new level of trust and friendships, maybe

1289
01:08:11,960 --> 01:08:15,240
Speaker 1: le Bron would have remained in Cleveland. Maybe, But I

1290
01:08:15,800 --> 01:08:17,640
Speaker 1: just think this is a lot has a lot more

1291
01:08:17,680 --> 01:08:20,920
Speaker 1: to do about what Lebron wanted for himself and his

1292
01:08:21,040 --> 01:08:24,280
Speaker 1: family and kind of how he wanted to write his

1293
01:08:24,439 --> 01:08:28,240
Speaker 1: last chapter. And part of that, Doug is he he

1294
01:08:28,439 --> 01:08:31,000
Speaker 1: wanted to play for the Lakers like he has always

1295
01:08:31,040 --> 01:08:33,760
Speaker 1: thought it would be really cool to play under that

1296
01:08:34,040 --> 01:08:37,240
Speaker 1: under that Moniker And and now he he's got the

1297
01:08:37,320 --> 01:08:40,479
Speaker 1: chance to do it work. And and here's why I asked,

1298
01:08:40,640 --> 01:08:44,240
Speaker 1: because I agree with you. You know, he had Channing Fry,

1299
01:08:44,640 --> 01:08:47,760
Speaker 1: He had some of these these great teammates who um,

1300
01:08:48,240 --> 01:08:51,040
Speaker 1: they respected him but didn't take everything too seriously and

1301
01:08:51,520 --> 01:08:53,960
Speaker 1: and kind of understood. But and even though I think

1302
01:08:54,000 --> 01:08:58,799
Speaker 1: he respects Rondo and probably likes the grittiness and toughness

1303
01:08:58,880 --> 01:09:01,240
Speaker 1: of Lands and know these guys that that need to

1304
01:09:01,280 --> 01:09:04,559
Speaker 1: play well, that need to fit in. Even JaVale McGhee

1305
01:09:04,600 --> 01:09:06,920
Speaker 1: has seen JaVale McGee might be the only guy who

1306
01:09:07,000 --> 01:09:10,080
Speaker 1: could have a good time and be a veteran. Then

1307
01:09:10,160 --> 01:09:11,880
Speaker 1: you have all these other young guys who he might

1308
01:09:12,000 --> 01:09:13,960
Speaker 1: like their talent, but the man, they're really young and

1309
01:09:14,000 --> 01:09:17,160
Speaker 1: they might revere him, but that doesn't mean uh, they

1310
01:09:17,800 --> 01:09:20,519
Speaker 1: can be their best selves playing with him based upon

1311
01:09:20,960 --> 01:09:24,439
Speaker 1: what they currently have how they're currently structuring it. Do

1312
01:09:24,600 --> 01:09:28,960
Speaker 1: you think it will work well? Do I think they're

1313
01:09:28,960 --> 01:09:33,000
Speaker 1: going to beat the Warriors this year? Uh? No, almost

1314
01:09:33,040 --> 01:09:35,479
Speaker 1: no matter what I mean. Now, the Warriors would need

1315
01:09:36,200 --> 01:09:39,120
Speaker 1: two devastating injuries to kind of bring them back to

1316
01:09:39,240 --> 01:09:43,559
Speaker 1: the pack instead of just the requisite one with five

1317
01:09:43,600 --> 01:09:45,960
Speaker 1: all stars over there. But I think this is a

1318
01:09:46,000 --> 01:09:49,920
Speaker 1: bigger christhetic. This is a bigger discussion to um. We

1319
01:09:50,040 --> 01:09:52,640
Speaker 1: were talking out here. I'm at the Summer League, and

1320
01:09:52,800 --> 01:09:54,760
Speaker 1: we were talking with some of the Lakers writers and

1321
01:09:54,880 --> 01:09:56,640
Speaker 1: I won't name names because they got to work with

1322
01:09:56,680 --> 01:10:00,040
Speaker 1: that team now, but they were questioned like, oh, you know,

1323
01:10:00,320 --> 01:10:02,800
Speaker 1: are the are the Lakers right now? Are they even better?

1324
01:10:02,880 --> 01:10:04,760
Speaker 1: They better than the Rockets, or they're better than the

1325
01:10:04,880 --> 01:10:06,880
Speaker 1: Pelican And they kind of name like three or four

1326
01:10:06,960 --> 01:10:10,640
Speaker 1: teens other than the Warriors, and uh and Jason and

1327
01:10:10,760 --> 01:10:12,679
Speaker 1: Floyd and I you know that two of the guys

1328
01:10:12,720 --> 01:10:15,040
Speaker 1: that have watched Lebron do this for the last four

1329
01:10:15,160 --> 01:10:18,639
Speaker 1: years just just laughing at us, like, you cannot bet

1330
01:10:18,760 --> 01:10:22,840
Speaker 1: against Lebron unless it's the Warriors who have an untrustended

1331
01:10:22,960 --> 01:10:26,280
Speaker 1: level of talent. You can't bet against him at any

1332
01:10:26,360 --> 01:10:30,320
Speaker 1: point because he's that good. So yes, I think it

1333
01:10:30,479 --> 01:10:33,240
Speaker 1: can work. However, uh and I'll try to get to

1334
01:10:33,439 --> 01:10:36,320
Speaker 1: the point because I can't. We need to remember that

1335
01:10:36,520 --> 01:10:39,280
Speaker 1: in January this year, the Calves were trending in a

1336
01:10:39,400 --> 01:10:42,000
Speaker 1: way that they would not have made the playoffs. They

1337
01:10:42,040 --> 01:10:45,800
Speaker 1: were six and thirteen at one point, and they had

1338
01:10:45,880 --> 01:10:49,439
Speaker 1: all these names and it just wasn't working. And Lebron

1339
01:10:49,600 --> 01:10:51,320
Speaker 1: was in the locker room and they could not win.

1340
01:10:52,160 --> 01:10:55,519
Speaker 1: UM And so I am fascinated. You know this, like

1341
01:10:55,680 --> 01:10:59,000
Speaker 1: Lebron may have to change change a little bit kind

1342
01:10:59,000 --> 01:11:02,600
Speaker 1: of how he approached things away from before, just to

1343
01:11:02,720 --> 01:11:05,439
Speaker 1: make some of these guys feel a little bit better

1344
01:11:06,040 --> 01:11:09,000
Speaker 1: about things and try to kind of build that build up,

1345
01:11:09,280 --> 01:11:11,920
Speaker 1: you know, the team and the camaraderie component of this

1346
01:11:12,080 --> 01:11:14,640
Speaker 1: that it that it takes to be successful. So I

1347
01:11:14,720 --> 01:11:17,120
Speaker 1: think I think I think it will work. But I

1348
01:11:17,240 --> 01:11:20,759
Speaker 1: do absolutely recognize account it's gonna it's going to be amazing.

1349
01:11:20,880 --> 01:11:24,720
Speaker 1: What about what about the Calves? UM? I like their

1350
01:11:24,760 --> 01:11:28,679
Speaker 1: point guard, and I do think Kevin Love. It's gonna

1351
01:11:28,680 --> 01:11:31,800
Speaker 1: be interesting what they do with Kevin Love. What do

1352
01:11:31,840 --> 01:11:34,400
Speaker 1: you think the process they go through is do they tank?

1353
01:11:34,680 --> 01:11:36,720
Speaker 1: Is that is that the plan? How do they plan

1354
01:11:36,800 --> 01:11:40,680
Speaker 1: to rebuild this thing. Well, so, I mean, you know,

1355
01:11:40,840 --> 01:11:45,080
Speaker 1: we've taken like a tire iron to them over this. Uh,

1356
01:11:45,320 --> 01:11:49,000
Speaker 1: just just searching for every nooks and cranny, every pressure point.

1357
01:11:49,479 --> 01:11:51,800
Speaker 1: Are you going to tank? Just because that's kind of

1358
01:11:52,520 --> 01:11:56,000
Speaker 1: you know, that's that's the common knowledge, that is the

1359
01:11:56,080 --> 01:11:57,880
Speaker 1: right word. But that's like the opinion out there, like

1360
01:11:58,200 --> 01:12:01,519
Speaker 1: you lost Lebron, you have no chants, you have to tank, um.

1361
01:12:01,720 --> 01:12:05,040
Speaker 1: And they instead, including like the guys behind the scenes,

1362
01:12:05,120 --> 01:12:08,680
Speaker 1: they insist that that is not immediately the plan. Um.

1363
01:12:09,240 --> 01:12:13,800
Speaker 1: They feel like their talent is underrated. Um. And they

1364
01:12:13,920 --> 01:12:16,640
Speaker 1: feel like the guys that they brought in, as it

1365
01:12:16,760 --> 01:12:20,240
Speaker 1: turned out, weren't great fits to play under the kind

1366
01:12:20,280 --> 01:12:23,719
Speaker 1: of pressure that it takes the play with Lebron, who's

1367
01:12:23,920 --> 01:12:26,360
Speaker 1: trying to go to a fourth final and and expect

1368
01:12:26,439 --> 01:12:29,120
Speaker 1: so much without time to gel. And they just think

1369
01:12:29,880 --> 01:12:33,760
Speaker 1: that those guys on their own, UM, aren't going that

1370
01:12:33,960 --> 01:12:37,559
Speaker 1: that that there's that there's potential there. They also think,

1371
01:12:38,200 --> 01:12:40,200
Speaker 1: and maybe this is part of it, is market wise

1372
01:12:40,320 --> 01:12:43,439
Speaker 1: that you don't just trade Kevin just trade him, UM.

1373
01:12:43,720 --> 01:12:46,280
Speaker 1: You need to get like you need to get the

1374
01:12:46,400 --> 01:12:48,840
Speaker 1: right pieces for him, and the market might not be

1375
01:12:49,000 --> 01:12:52,000
Speaker 1: there for him now. So they're they're really there. There

1376
01:12:52,240 --> 01:12:55,439
Speaker 1: is a very viable case to be made to bring

1377
01:12:55,560 --> 01:12:59,360
Speaker 1: this team back, bring Kevin back, um, and and see

1378
01:12:59,400 --> 01:13:02,439
Speaker 1: how it goes. You know, uh, the East is gonna

1379
01:13:02,479 --> 01:13:05,760
Speaker 1: be weak. Um, there's two playoff spots that you know,

1380
01:13:05,880 --> 01:13:10,360
Speaker 1: you think that might be there. And you know the

1381
01:13:10,439 --> 01:13:12,200
Speaker 1: rest of the league doesn't think that Calves are gonna,

1382
01:13:13,120 --> 01:13:15,160
Speaker 1: you know, be a candidate for him, but right now,

1383
01:13:15,240 --> 01:13:17,920
Speaker 1: the Calves kind of do and and there's no harm

1384
01:13:18,120 --> 01:13:20,679
Speaker 1: in trying it. And if and if things go awry,

1385
01:13:21,560 --> 01:13:25,080
Speaker 1: then you trade Kevin at the deadline, and and you know,

1386
01:13:25,200 --> 01:13:28,000
Speaker 1: you look for picks and those kinds of things and

1387
01:13:28,080 --> 01:13:30,920
Speaker 1: you start to start to rebuilt. Then but if if

1388
01:13:31,000 --> 01:13:34,600
Speaker 1: it works, Doug, um, what a story for Dan and

1389
01:13:34,720 --> 01:13:37,280
Speaker 1: what a story for Kevin. And the thing they've been

1390
01:13:37,320 --> 01:13:42,360
Speaker 1: saying is, you know, these rebuilds are not guaranteed to work, Like, yeah,

1391
01:13:42,840 --> 01:13:45,280
Speaker 1: the Sixers are a heck of a story after just

1392
01:13:45,920 --> 01:13:49,720
Speaker 1: five awful, terrible, horrendous years. And oh, by the way,

1393
01:13:49,760 --> 01:13:52,479
Speaker 1: if they don't trade for Kawhi Leonards, they're probably not

1394
01:13:52,520 --> 01:13:54,880
Speaker 1: get into the finals anyway. I mean, like that's how

1395
01:13:54,960 --> 01:13:57,599
Speaker 1: hard it is. And and you know, and like, look,

1396
01:13:57,640 --> 01:14:00,439
Speaker 1: they're they're betting on bead to stay healthy. They're betting

1397
01:14:00,439 --> 01:14:04,080
Speaker 1: on Ben Simmons, the developer, jump shot so and and

1398
01:14:04,160 --> 01:14:06,960
Speaker 1: look that's the best. At the Milwaukee Bucks, they tanked

1399
01:14:07,000 --> 01:14:08,920
Speaker 1: and they got a great player out of it, but

1400
01:14:09,080 --> 01:14:10,720
Speaker 1: they were you know, they still were out of the

1401
01:14:10,760 --> 01:14:12,599
Speaker 1: first round of the playoffs. I mean still, it doesn't

1402
01:14:12,880 --> 01:14:15,080
Speaker 1: it doesn't. It doesn't always work. It's a it's a

1403
01:14:15,160 --> 01:14:19,640
Speaker 1: great point. Download those podcasts. It's incredible conversation. Enjoy the

1404
01:14:19,680 --> 01:14:24,000
Speaker 1: summer league, and uh, we'll talk soon, Joe, great stuff, man. Okay,

1405
01:14:24,040 --> 01:14:27,800
Speaker 1: thanks for having me. Douck Joe Barden, Cleveland dot Com.

1406
01:14:31,240 --> 01:14:33,320
Speaker 1: All right, that's been all ball. I hope you've enjoyed it.

1407
01:14:33,400 --> 01:14:36,760
Speaker 1: Make sure you tell a friend, download drive and rate.

1408
01:14:37,040 --> 01:14:38,800
Speaker 1: I hope you enjoyed it. God