1 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:19,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to the State of the Lakers podcast. Happy Friday, everyone. 2 00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:22,000 Speaker 1: Congrats on making it through this week. I hope you 3 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:24,040 Speaker 1: have big plans on the weekend to relax and blow 4 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: off some steam. By my count, we are one week 5 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:33,159 Speaker 1: from Tuesday will be the start of training camp, and 6 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:37,040 Speaker 1: two weeks from Sunday will be the lakers first preseason 7 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:40,839 Speaker 1: game against the Brooklyn Nets, which is categorically insane. I 8 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:44,240 Speaker 1: cannot believe it. Although I am very excited, I cannot 9 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:46,320 Speaker 1: believe it's right around the corner. How are you doing, ros, 10 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:50,199 Speaker 1: how's your week bend. I'm doing great. It's a beautiful Friday, 11 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:52,520 Speaker 1: and yeah, we're getting pretty close to here. That game 12 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:54,640 Speaker 1: is actually at twelve thirty PM. By the way, I 13 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:56,840 Speaker 1: don't know if anyone's actually checked the times. I'm a 14 00:00:56,840 --> 00:00:59,840 Speaker 1: weirdo and actually checked the time on that. It's twelve 15 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:02,720 Speaker 1: ald l a time on Sunday. So I'm sure the 16 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:05,480 Speaker 1: Lakers are excited about that. But uh yeah, excited to 17 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:07,440 Speaker 1: be here. Man, we're gonna get We're getting into this 18 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 1: pretty soon. So we're getting there. Yeah, and you know what, 19 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:12,800 Speaker 1: I think they'll be just fine playing at twelve thirty 20 00:01:12,880 --> 00:01:16,360 Speaker 1: considering all the of the players will probably play about 21 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:21,080 Speaker 1: ten minutes anyway. UM, So today we have kind of 22 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:25,399 Speaker 1: a special uh set up compared to our usual topics 23 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:28,240 Speaker 1: that we cover. We're going to briefly touch on this 24 00:01:28,319 --> 00:01:32,080 Speaker 1: report that came out yesterday about Rich Paul at the 25 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:35,480 Speaker 1: Combine three months ago that that may or may not 26 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:38,320 Speaker 1: shed some new light on the A D playing at 27 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:41,560 Speaker 1: the five situation. Um, we're gonna kind of parlay that 28 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:43,600 Speaker 1: into one of our mail bad questions that we had 29 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:48,720 Speaker 1: centering around the Lakers offense from last week. And then 30 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:51,120 Speaker 1: what we're gonna do is Roger and I are going 31 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:56,720 Speaker 1: to talk about our origin stories, both with basketball and 32 00:01:56,840 --> 00:01:58,600 Speaker 1: with the Lakers, just so you guys can get a 33 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:01,160 Speaker 1: little bit of a background on how we got to 34 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 1: where we are in terms of where we are as 35 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:05,960 Speaker 1: basketball fans and why we root for the things we 36 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:08,079 Speaker 1: root for and so on and so forth. We thought 37 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:11,080 Speaker 1: it'd just be fun. Um. You know, we've we really 38 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:13,120 Speaker 1: have enjoyed building this community with you guys, and I 39 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:15,840 Speaker 1: think it'd be fun uh to kind of uh drop 40 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:17,280 Speaker 1: the curtain a little bit and talk a little bit 41 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:19,079 Speaker 1: more about why we are the way that we are. 42 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:22,040 Speaker 1: I think that'd be fun Um. Anyway, let's start. You 43 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:25,800 Speaker 1: have the tweet up correct with the report. I'm gonna 44 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:30,200 Speaker 1: have Raj read the actual report from that that came across. 45 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:31,600 Speaker 1: I think it was yesterday, it might have been two 46 00:02:31,639 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 1: days ago, but it was from a gentleman who works 47 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:37,520 Speaker 1: at Bleacher Report, Fisher or I can't remember exactly what 48 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:39,960 Speaker 1: his name is. Maybe you can tell me. Yeah, from 49 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 1: Jake Fisher, who's been uh, who's had his name growing 50 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:46,600 Speaker 1: here as NBA insider to be honest throughout the whole summer. 51 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:49,600 Speaker 1: So he reportedly said that Rich Paul was going around 52 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:52,679 Speaker 1: the Chicago Combine um tell people that Lebron and a 53 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:55,640 Speaker 1: d will be moving to the four and five this season. 54 00:02:55,840 --> 00:02:57,919 Speaker 1: And I've been pretty clear on my thoughts on that. 55 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:00,360 Speaker 1: And again I was reading through the reply, is no 56 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:03,040 Speaker 1: one mentioned that Chicago Combine was, you know, like three 57 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:05,400 Speaker 1: months ago at the end of June. So a lot 58 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:08,359 Speaker 1: of stuff has happened since then. We've signed players, we've 59 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:11,560 Speaker 1: let players go, we've traded players since then. But you know, 60 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: it's fun to kind of read that Enrich Paul as 61 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:16,800 Speaker 1: like the whisperer going around telling people because what guess 62 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 1: what vocal is gonna move brought and a DA to 63 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:21,399 Speaker 1: the four and five, and I think that's all fun 64 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:23,720 Speaker 1: and great. I just again, I'm I've been pretty consistent 65 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:25,520 Speaker 1: with it. But let me get your thoughts for chasing. 66 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:27,880 Speaker 1: What do you think about that report? Does I like, 67 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:30,720 Speaker 1: improve your thoughts on it, on on thinking this will happen? 68 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:32,840 Speaker 1: Or is it just another thing that we have to 69 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:36,320 Speaker 1: wait and see? So new report, old information is definitely 70 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:40,160 Speaker 1: the way that we can categorize this. So to be clear, 71 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:43,280 Speaker 1: I have seen the writing on the wall, as have 72 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:46,280 Speaker 1: you in the last couple of months, in particular, basically 73 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:48,440 Speaker 1: the last two three weeks, a bunch of this information 74 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:52,200 Speaker 1: surrounding DeAndre Jordan's and just kind of the path away 75 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:54,680 Speaker 1: that this appears to be heading. Seems to be screaming 76 00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:56,760 Speaker 1: that a D is going to be starting at the 77 00:03:56,800 --> 00:03:59,360 Speaker 1: power forward. But I am going to stay strong. Now. 78 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:02,360 Speaker 1: This is something you and I have talked about at 79 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:05,320 Speaker 1: length over the last couple of weeks, so I understand 80 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:10,160 Speaker 1: why this is getting a little bit repetitive. However, I 81 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:12,560 Speaker 1: think there's you know, a dawned on me last week, 82 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:15,560 Speaker 1: and uh, it's something that I think it's glossed over 83 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:18,920 Speaker 1: in this debate. One of the most important reasons why, 84 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:21,720 Speaker 1: in my opinion, it's very important for a D to 85 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:25,200 Speaker 1: play the five is to free up minutes at the 86 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:28,600 Speaker 1: guard position. You know, one of my biggest concerns, and 87 00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:30,840 Speaker 1: it kind of reminds me of my last year playing 88 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:33,760 Speaker 1: in college. I I transferred from a junior college to 89 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:36,880 Speaker 1: a four year school that had just made it pretty 90 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:39,760 Speaker 1: far in the national tournament and had almost won their conference, 91 00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:42,880 Speaker 1: and they brought everybody back, and there was this moment 92 00:04:42,880 --> 00:04:45,520 Speaker 1: where we're all kind of in training camp and everyone's like, man, 93 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:47,039 Speaker 1: we got all this talent, we got all these guys, 94 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:48,480 Speaker 1: We got all these guys, and it's like, all of 95 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:50,279 Speaker 1: a sudden, you start trying to think about how guys 96 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:52,960 Speaker 1: are gonna play, and your your you come to this 97 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:55,840 Speaker 1: sudden realization You're like, wait, like, there's just not that 98 00:04:55,920 --> 00:04:59,440 Speaker 1: much opportunity on the court available to match up with 99 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:02,520 Speaker 1: the third team players we have here who are capable 100 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:06,760 Speaker 1: of playing. And then it becomes a situation with inconsistent minutes, 101 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:10,320 Speaker 1: and then it becomes a situation with guys struggling with confidence, 102 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:13,400 Speaker 1: and it starts to kind of percolate down the roster 103 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:17,039 Speaker 1: and cause some problems, and you know, It's a good 104 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:19,719 Speaker 1: problem to have. Our team was very good. We were 105 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:22,359 Speaker 1: we at the talent led to success on the court, 106 00:05:22,640 --> 00:05:27,120 Speaker 1: but it was stressful in and of the uh, the 107 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:30,240 Speaker 1: the little debates and the little uh you know, subsections 108 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:32,279 Speaker 1: of the team that you know, we're advocating for certain 109 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:33,800 Speaker 1: players to play and so on and so forth. It 110 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:36,320 Speaker 1: causes problems. And we saw that with the Lakers last 111 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:38,640 Speaker 1: year a little bit. You know, the there was the 112 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:41,440 Speaker 1: Marcusol faction. There was the Dennis shooters should come off 113 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:44,400 Speaker 1: the bench faction, there was the we need more Crusoe faction. 114 00:05:44,440 --> 00:05:46,960 Speaker 1: There were all these factions out there that kind of formed. 115 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:49,640 Speaker 1: And the same thing happens in the locker room as 116 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:52,480 Speaker 1: we saw with guys like Dennis and and Andre Drummond 117 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:54,359 Speaker 1: and the way they behaved on Instagram. This is a 118 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:58,080 Speaker 1: real thing that happens in the living organism that is 119 00:05:58,120 --> 00:06:01,280 Speaker 1: a basketball team, and just some thing is simple as 120 00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:06,480 Speaker 1: Anthony Davis moving to the center and opening up extra 121 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:09,520 Speaker 1: minutes at the guard position. For those guys to get 122 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:14,039 Speaker 1: consistent minutes can go a long way towards helping guys 123 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:17,400 Speaker 1: like Molik Monk and Kendrick Nunn and th Ht have 124 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:21,840 Speaker 1: better seasons and to actually hit their potential because they 125 00:06:21,839 --> 00:06:24,479 Speaker 1: get more consistent opportunity because they don't have to worry 126 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:27,480 Speaker 1: about having random Tuesday night games where they just get 127 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 1: d NP coach's decision, you know what I mean. And 128 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:31,840 Speaker 1: so that that's what I would be concerned about. And 129 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:35,039 Speaker 1: the one last little detail that makes me a little 130 00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:38,080 Speaker 1: bit more optimistic is if you were gonna pay or 131 00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:42,080 Speaker 1: play Anthony Davis primarily at the four, you'd need three 132 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:46,640 Speaker 1: centers because with especially with how old they are, you 133 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:49,120 Speaker 1: would want your two centers who are going to foot 134 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:51,280 Speaker 1: the bill, and then you would want someone who could 135 00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:53,400 Speaker 1: step in if one of them need to sit out 136 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:55,600 Speaker 1: a game. So that that's kind of where I'm at 137 00:06:55,640 --> 00:06:58,520 Speaker 1: with it. But does my rationale surrounding the rotation and 138 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:02,520 Speaker 1: like consistency with minutess makes sense to you? It does? Yeah, 139 00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:04,880 Speaker 1: Like I guess my encounter only to that is I 140 00:07:04,880 --> 00:07:07,000 Speaker 1: feel like those cars have to earn those minutes, like 141 00:07:07,080 --> 00:07:09,080 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. Like anyway, like in that rotation, 142 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:11,080 Speaker 1: I want whoever is the better player to be playing 143 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 1: um and opening up. I don't putting a d at 144 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:15,520 Speaker 1: center opens up some minutes for that, I feel like 145 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:18,680 Speaker 1: it opens up more wing minutes honestly, and again, like 146 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:22,160 Speaker 1: I get that he's not gonna play full time power forward, 147 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:25,400 Speaker 1: Like that's my annoyance for this conversation throughout the whole summer, 148 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:28,400 Speaker 1: and people want him to be a full time five here, 149 00:07:28,440 --> 00:07:30,600 Speaker 1: Like he's not gonna be a powerful or full time. 150 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:32,360 Speaker 1: He's not gonna be a center full time, and that's 151 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:34,120 Speaker 1: why you go out and get two centers. Yet I've 152 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:36,320 Speaker 1: been pretty consistent on this, like I feel like he's 153 00:07:36,320 --> 00:07:38,320 Speaker 1: gonna start at power forward and that's what we're gonna 154 00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:40,600 Speaker 1: see and everyone just needs to get ready for it. 155 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:43,120 Speaker 1: Um Again, I've talked about last time, how like his 156 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:45,160 Speaker 1: feelings on it have been pretty clear, right he has. 157 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:47,560 Speaker 1: He said like we've got mixed signals, but a D 158 00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:49,680 Speaker 1: has not given us mixed signals at all. He's told 159 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:53,280 Speaker 1: us exactly what what position he wants to play. So again, 160 00:07:53,320 --> 00:07:56,040 Speaker 1: like we've we've had a D for two years now, 161 00:07:56,200 --> 00:07:58,200 Speaker 1: is going into his third year. We have a title 162 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:00,640 Speaker 1: in one year, and still the conversations all the way 163 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:03,160 Speaker 1: back to will he plays center, and again, it does 164 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:05,240 Speaker 1: open things up, it does make an uglier game when 165 00:08:05,280 --> 00:08:07,680 Speaker 1: he's at power forward. There's all these things that come 166 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:09,480 Speaker 1: with it, but obviously it gives him some kind of 167 00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:11,560 Speaker 1: mental edge. And again Rich Paul going around being the 168 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:15,000 Speaker 1: whisper telling people three months ago that what Vogo is 169 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:17,960 Speaker 1: gonna do just doesn't doesn't push me in that direction 170 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:20,200 Speaker 1: too much. I feel like their actions tell me more. 171 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:24,760 Speaker 1: Bringing in DeAndre Jordan, bringing in Dwight Howard, giving away Marcusol, 172 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:27,640 Speaker 1: who I thought actually put a D at center on offense, 173 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:28,880 Speaker 1: you know what I mean, Like, that's what I thought 174 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:31,360 Speaker 1: Marcosol did. And he's off the team now. Um, and 175 00:08:31,440 --> 00:08:33,920 Speaker 1: you have Carmelo Anthony and so like it's just a 176 00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:36,160 Speaker 1: bunch of blood of forwards and but you have two 177 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:37,840 Speaker 1: centers on the team and I think they'll play. And 178 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:40,400 Speaker 1: we've gotten into DeAndre Jordan a lot. We've talked about 179 00:08:40,400 --> 00:08:44,160 Speaker 1: his skills, what he can do, his minimal role, specialized role, 180 00:08:44,240 --> 00:08:47,920 Speaker 1: and I think DeAndre Jordan starts that first three season 181 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:50,240 Speaker 1: game on Sunday, So we'll see if I'm wrong. But 182 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:52,679 Speaker 1: I just that that's where I'm at with this. But 183 00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:57,000 Speaker 1: let's clarify one detail here, because to be clear, they 184 00:08:57,000 --> 00:08:58,760 Speaker 1: did win the title the first year with a D 185 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:02,520 Speaker 1: starting at the four were and playing roughly sixty percent 186 00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:06,079 Speaker 1: of his regular season minutes at the four. The problem 187 00:09:06,160 --> 00:09:10,319 Speaker 1: is is this season he played nine of his minutes 188 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:14,200 Speaker 1: at the four, and the Lakers offense was very obvious 189 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:17,720 Speaker 1: and clearly stilted in the half court. They had no 190 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:21,240 Speaker 1: space to operate. It obviously affected him, It obviously affected 191 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:24,000 Speaker 1: everybody on the team. You and I have talked about 192 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:27,960 Speaker 1: this at length. There is extremely difficult for two of 193 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:31,760 Speaker 1: the most gifted offensive forwards in the history of basketball 194 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:34,959 Speaker 1: to struggle to score in NBA games. That that that 195 00:09:35,080 --> 00:09:37,880 Speaker 1: was a byproduct of what happened. So Anthony Davis had 196 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:41,000 Speaker 1: an opportunity to slam this door shut and be like, 197 00:09:41,240 --> 00:09:44,480 Speaker 1: I'm right, you guys are wrong. I should be playing 198 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:46,520 Speaker 1: at the four for half of my minutes. But he 199 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:49,800 Speaker 1: went so far in the other direction to making it 200 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:55,080 Speaker 1: so radicalized in this weird you know, no spacing vintage 201 00:09:55,120 --> 00:09:57,480 Speaker 1: for vintage fives, e d s at the four type 202 00:09:57,480 --> 00:10:00,480 Speaker 1: of offense that it led to an obvious bad result. 203 00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:03,000 Speaker 1: And that's the reason why people feel the way that 204 00:10:03,040 --> 00:10:06,920 Speaker 1: they feel now. To be clear, Anthony Davis went to 205 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:09,160 Speaker 1: the four in the playoffs or five in the playoffs, 206 00:10:09,640 --> 00:10:11,720 Speaker 1: and in the minutes where he was at the five. 207 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:14,000 Speaker 1: I tweeted this out a while back. The Lakers were 208 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:17,080 Speaker 1: something crazy like plus twenty two points per one hundred possessions, 209 00:10:17,120 --> 00:10:20,560 Speaker 1: and that's counting Game one where he was terrible. And 210 00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:22,679 Speaker 1: if you take that number out, it's even crazier. It's 211 00:10:22,679 --> 00:10:25,640 Speaker 1: like almost plus fifty per one hundred possessions. The Lakers 212 00:10:25,679 --> 00:10:29,280 Speaker 1: still absolutely pulverized people with a D at the five. 213 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:32,440 Speaker 1: But that's kind of the dramatic irony here is we 214 00:10:32,520 --> 00:10:35,280 Speaker 1: have all of this evidence that hey, this is the 215 00:10:35,280 --> 00:10:38,960 Speaker 1: best way for us to play, and for whatever reason 216 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:42,520 Speaker 1: this is, this is the direction that we continue to go. 217 00:10:42,679 --> 00:10:45,600 Speaker 1: So I mean, and again we've hashed us out at length, 218 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:47,360 Speaker 1: so we don't need to dive in into it any further. 219 00:10:47,440 --> 00:10:50,880 Speaker 1: But the reason why I think it's been a continued 220 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:53,880 Speaker 1: to be a topic of conversation when it could have 221 00:10:54,040 --> 00:10:57,640 Speaker 1: faded into the ether after the championship is because of 222 00:10:57,640 --> 00:11:00,760 Speaker 1: what happened last year. And so there there he does 223 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:02,840 Speaker 1: share some blame. Like if he would have just repeated 224 00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:05,320 Speaker 1: exactly what he did the previous year, no one would 225 00:11:05,320 --> 00:11:08,480 Speaker 1: have said anything, but they like, he literally almost never 226 00:11:08,559 --> 00:11:12,000 Speaker 1: played center in the regular season last year, so that 227 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:14,560 Speaker 1: that that was that was kind of the genesis of 228 00:11:14,640 --> 00:11:19,199 Speaker 1: this the resurgence of this debate, if that makes sense. Yeah, 229 00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:21,520 Speaker 1: for sure. And he wasn't himself at all last year. 230 00:11:21,559 --> 00:11:23,240 Speaker 1: And I don't know what to take of last year 231 00:11:23,240 --> 00:11:25,360 Speaker 1: at all. Um he played until February and it was 232 00:11:25,400 --> 00:11:27,440 Speaker 1: pretty much out, came back at the end of the season, 233 00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:29,800 Speaker 1: played a couple of games, Um, my power forward. I 234 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:31,679 Speaker 1: guess also it was a different type of center, right 235 00:11:31,720 --> 00:11:34,400 Speaker 1: we had Andre Drummond, uh, not a lot there at Montrose, 236 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:37,360 Speaker 1: Harold Marcosol and not guys who are really threats to 237 00:11:37,679 --> 00:11:39,680 Speaker 1: finish above the basket of the rim. And I guess 238 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:42,320 Speaker 1: that's where he would see. And I think he had 239 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:44,120 Speaker 1: a big part of building this team. And I think 240 00:11:44,160 --> 00:11:46,240 Speaker 1: they want to go back to that twenty nineteen two 241 00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:48,960 Speaker 1: lop thret style where you have Javail Dwight and him 242 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:51,200 Speaker 1: on the floor and then obviously when they closed games, 243 00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:53,880 Speaker 1: he'll close games at center. I still predict that in 244 00:11:53,920 --> 00:11:55,559 Speaker 1: the playoffs he went to the center. That's my thing 245 00:11:55,559 --> 00:11:57,800 Speaker 1: with this, Like in the playoffs he showed that he 246 00:11:57,840 --> 00:11:59,840 Speaker 1: would go to center. It's not like he's not going 247 00:11:59,880 --> 00:12:02,320 Speaker 1: to do it. We have a blueprint of what he 248 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:04,880 Speaker 1: has done in the playoffs to go to that position. 249 00:12:05,280 --> 00:12:07,880 Speaker 1: Obviously to himself, he feels like he can't do it 250 00:12:07,920 --> 00:12:10,160 Speaker 1: for a d two games. Whatever that is, I don't 251 00:12:10,160 --> 00:12:11,760 Speaker 1: know if we'll ever get the right answer to that. 252 00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:14,719 Speaker 1: Maybe it's bumps and bruises, Maybe it's you know, maybe 253 00:12:14,760 --> 00:12:16,360 Speaker 1: he doesn't want to, you know, be the only one 254 00:12:16,400 --> 00:12:18,360 Speaker 1: that has to rebound all this type of stuff, all 255 00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:20,560 Speaker 1: these type of responsibilities you have at the five, they 256 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:22,079 Speaker 1: are different at the four. Right at the four, he's 257 00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:23,719 Speaker 1: more of a rome or more of a like he 258 00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:25,920 Speaker 1: can kind of play this free safety. I don't know 259 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:27,679 Speaker 1: if that makes sense, if that's a football term, but 260 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:30,640 Speaker 1: he can play this like free safety um on defense. 261 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:32,800 Speaker 1: But on the five, he's the full time ring protector. 262 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:35,040 Speaker 1: He's the only guy back there. He's a full time rebounder. 263 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:37,440 Speaker 1: He's the on this team maybe with Russ and it 264 00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:39,319 Speaker 1: can help a little bit. But like he obviously feels 265 00:12:39,320 --> 00:12:41,320 Speaker 1: the type of way. So we're gonna know in like 266 00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:44,240 Speaker 1: a week and two days or something. Oh so if 267 00:12:44,240 --> 00:12:46,240 Speaker 1: he's we're gonna know pretty soon here. So we'll get 268 00:12:46,280 --> 00:12:48,880 Speaker 1: our answers to that. But I think it's been crazy 269 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:52,760 Speaker 1: that this is pretty much dominated after us the conversation 270 00:12:52,760 --> 00:12:54,480 Speaker 1: has been a D play at the five. Did you 271 00:12:54,520 --> 00:12:56,400 Speaker 1: see the photos of a D. By the way, did 272 00:12:56,440 --> 00:12:59,120 Speaker 1: you see the pictures of him? Yeah? I always have 273 00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:01,440 Speaker 1: a hard time to tell whether someone's really lost weight 274 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:03,839 Speaker 1: or not from photos, but I do see the genesis 275 00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:06,480 Speaker 1: of that opinion. Yet he looked he looked very thin. 276 00:13:06,679 --> 00:13:09,560 Speaker 1: He looked like really skinny, So it looked really interesting. 277 00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:11,920 Speaker 1: Looked like he lost a lot of weight, which just 278 00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:13,679 Speaker 1: showed where he was last year. But I thought that 279 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:15,920 Speaker 1: was interesting. He does look a lot skier, which will 280 00:13:15,920 --> 00:13:19,240 Speaker 1: support the idea that he's playing more power forward. And 281 00:13:19,520 --> 00:13:22,760 Speaker 1: I know you're right about that. Yeah, so we'll we'll see, 282 00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:25,320 Speaker 1: but we'll see in about a week and a half. Yeah. 283 00:13:25,360 --> 00:13:27,520 Speaker 1: And again we're not going to continue to talk circles 284 00:13:27,559 --> 00:13:29,600 Speaker 1: around this because we have at length. If you want 285 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:32,920 Speaker 1: to hear more about Jason and Roge talking about a 286 00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:35,360 Speaker 1: D at the four or five, feel free to listen 287 00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:38,840 Speaker 1: to any podcast we've ever recorded. So I did want 288 00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:40,560 Speaker 1: to say one other thing about a D really quick. 289 00:13:40,559 --> 00:13:43,160 Speaker 1: I just dawned on me as it pertains to his 290 00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:45,880 Speaker 1: injury history, because this is something that I've been particularly 291 00:13:45,920 --> 00:13:49,040 Speaker 1: hard on him on. If you remember earlier this summer, 292 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:52,960 Speaker 1: I said, you know, you need to get in Lebron's 293 00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:57,000 Speaker 1: ear and figure out what he's doing to maintain his body, 294 00:13:57,200 --> 00:14:01,839 Speaker 1: and replicate that because you're of ability is basically the 295 00:14:02,559 --> 00:14:06,800 Speaker 1: make or break factor for this team. And I don't 296 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:08,320 Speaker 1: know if you guys knew this, but just and in 297 00:14:08,360 --> 00:14:11,040 Speaker 1: the last couple of days, Blake Griffin went on JJ 298 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:14,280 Speaker 1: Reddick's podcast, and if you haven't had a chance to 299 00:14:14,320 --> 00:14:17,760 Speaker 1: listen to it yet, do so because it's very, very good. 300 00:14:18,400 --> 00:14:21,040 Speaker 1: And in addition to a lot of different stuff like 301 00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:25,560 Speaker 1: just how diligently Blake Griffin worked on his jump shot 302 00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:27,520 Speaker 1: starting from when he was a rookie to the point 303 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:29,920 Speaker 1: where JJ Reddick used to make fun of him because 304 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:33,600 Speaker 1: before every single game he would pantomime his jump shot 305 00:14:33,640 --> 00:14:35,760 Speaker 1: for him in front of a mirror by himself because 306 00:14:35,760 --> 00:14:37,440 Speaker 1: it was an operation that he had worked out with 307 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:40,000 Speaker 1: his shooting coach. And all of these different things, but 308 00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:43,080 Speaker 1: one of the big reveals from that podcast that I 309 00:14:43,160 --> 00:14:47,760 Speaker 1: noticed was Blake Griffin is like Lebron with the way 310 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:52,120 Speaker 1: he takes care of his body. He invests millions of 311 00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:56,880 Speaker 1: dollars in special equipment and in special treatments. He sleeps 312 00:14:56,920 --> 00:15:01,640 Speaker 1: in the the the hyperbaric chamber, he does the cry 313 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:05,080 Speaker 1: out therapies on his knees and stuff. And he kind 314 00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:07,160 Speaker 1: of shared a story about how I can't remember which 315 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:09,000 Speaker 1: injury it was, but it was after one of his 316 00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:12,480 Speaker 1: injuries where he kind of broke down crying because he 317 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:15,720 Speaker 1: was like, I do everything right. I do everything right, 318 00:15:15,800 --> 00:15:18,640 Speaker 1: and it happened to me anyway, and it kind of 319 00:15:18,760 --> 00:15:20,960 Speaker 1: was profound in the sense that, like it made me 320 00:15:21,040 --> 00:15:24,280 Speaker 1: feel like an asshole, you know, because I had been 321 00:15:24,320 --> 00:15:27,360 Speaker 1: so hard on Anthony Davison, and I've been fortunate in 322 00:15:27,440 --> 00:15:30,080 Speaker 1: my life to be mostly healthy, you know, for an athlete, 323 00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:33,880 Speaker 1: I did okay, and so I was insensitive to the 324 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:37,480 Speaker 1: fact that, you know, maybe Anthony Davis is doing everything right, 325 00:15:38,240 --> 00:15:41,200 Speaker 1: and maybe it's happening anyway. Now, Anthony Davis, if you're 326 00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:42,680 Speaker 1: eating like crap and you're not taking care of your 327 00:15:42,680 --> 00:15:44,560 Speaker 1: body and this is happening, and shame on you get 328 00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:47,440 Speaker 1: that figured out. But I'm gonna give him the benefit 329 00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:49,680 Speaker 1: of the doubt that he may or may not just 330 00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:52,680 Speaker 1: be a victim of some bad luck here. That makes sense. Yeah, yeah, 331 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:54,120 Speaker 1: for sure. If you look at his numbers, like he's 332 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:56,520 Speaker 1: played more than I think people think he has. I 333 00:15:56,560 --> 00:15:59,280 Speaker 1: mean last season obviously was another outlier here, but the 334 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:01,680 Speaker 1: previous he's and he played I think like seventy or 335 00:16:01,720 --> 00:16:04,520 Speaker 1: sixty seven games or something with the Pelicans every time, 336 00:16:04,520 --> 00:16:07,120 Speaker 1: and then he was set out Blake Griffin. We forget 337 00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:09,600 Speaker 1: that Blake Griffin missed his whole rookie year. I mean, 338 00:16:09,840 --> 00:16:12,240 Speaker 1: I'm sure that kind of impacts you how you treat 339 00:16:12,280 --> 00:16:14,120 Speaker 1: your body, right. I mean, it also probably gives you 340 00:16:14,160 --> 00:16:16,640 Speaker 1: a sense of like, uh, like you don't take things 341 00:16:16,640 --> 00:16:19,560 Speaker 1: for granted. I remember he was the number one pick preseason, 342 00:16:19,640 --> 00:16:21,960 Speaker 1: had these crazy dunks, and then like one preseason game 343 00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:25,120 Speaker 1: he got hurt missed the rest of the year. So, um, definitely, 344 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:27,880 Speaker 1: Blake Diffin. You don't get to where he has and 345 00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:30,400 Speaker 1: how long he's played in the league without protecting yourself, 346 00:16:30,400 --> 00:16:32,200 Speaker 1: objecting your body. So I'll definitely go listen to that. 347 00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:34,000 Speaker 1: I haven't heard that one yet. Yeah, And he actually 348 00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:35,760 Speaker 1: said he's like the way he's like. My last half 349 00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:37,480 Speaker 1: full approach was like, maybe I'd be out of the 350 00:16:37,560 --> 00:16:39,000 Speaker 1: league if I didn't take care of my body the 351 00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:41,840 Speaker 1: way that I do, given given the types of injuries 352 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:44,320 Speaker 1: that I've had. Um, anyway, so real quick, before we 353 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:48,160 Speaker 1: go into our last topic, we were gonna address one 354 00:16:48,200 --> 00:16:51,200 Speaker 1: of the mail bad questions that we missed from the 355 00:16:51,240 --> 00:16:54,680 Speaker 1: previous week, and it basically stated, where do you think 356 00:16:54,720 --> 00:16:57,720 Speaker 1: the Lakers are going to finish in the league in 357 00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:01,320 Speaker 1: offense this year? And so I'll start with you, Roger, 358 00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:05,960 Speaker 1: what is your prediction? Not you know, we're not gonna 359 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:09,639 Speaker 1: hyper analyze necessarily all the facets of the offense, but 360 00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:12,600 Speaker 1: just your prediction based on what you've seen this offseason 361 00:17:12,680 --> 00:17:15,720 Speaker 1: on how well the Laker offense will perform. Now, just 362 00:17:15,760 --> 00:17:19,320 Speaker 1: so you know, the first season with Lebron and a 363 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:23,639 Speaker 1: D they finished eleventh, and this past season with Lebron 364 00:17:23,720 --> 00:17:25,560 Speaker 1: and with Lebron and n A D being injured for 365 00:17:25,600 --> 00:17:29,760 Speaker 1: the most part, they finished twenty four. But just in general, 366 00:17:29,840 --> 00:17:33,040 Speaker 1: they've been bad offensively and particularly in the half court. 367 00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:35,600 Speaker 1: A lot of their offensive success over the last couple 368 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:38,160 Speaker 1: of years has been fueled by their defense and getting 369 00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:40,800 Speaker 1: out in transition. So that's kind of our starting point. 370 00:17:41,359 --> 00:17:43,960 Speaker 1: What do you expect for this season? Yeah, so last 371 00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:46,760 Speaker 1: year they were twenty four in offense and first in defense. 372 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:50,159 Speaker 1: Which offense is wild with a team that has Lebron 373 00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:52,679 Speaker 1: in it, No matter how many games you played or not. Um, 374 00:17:52,760 --> 00:17:54,639 Speaker 1: to me, I think we get an uptaking offense. I 375 00:17:54,680 --> 00:17:56,720 Speaker 1: see them as a top five offense. I think this 376 00:17:56,760 --> 00:17:58,720 Speaker 1: will be a really good offense. Honestly, even with the 377 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:02,000 Speaker 1: clunky fits, even with the centers playing minutes, I still 378 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:03,960 Speaker 1: think they're gonna run. I think it's gonna be hard 379 00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:06,840 Speaker 1: to stop and transition russ Ron a D running the floor. 380 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:08,440 Speaker 1: I just think they're gonna be a different type of 381 00:18:08,440 --> 00:18:10,440 Speaker 1: team to play every night. And uh, I think the 382 00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:11,879 Speaker 1: offense is gonna be good. I think there's gonna be 383 00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:13,840 Speaker 1: a drop in defense. We've talked about this, but the 384 00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:16,800 Speaker 1: uptick of offense, I totally see it. Um too too 385 00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:19,840 Speaker 1: few full time ball handlers now, the shooting that they've gotten, 386 00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:22,399 Speaker 1: the offense will figure itself out. Vocal is not this 387 00:18:22,520 --> 00:18:25,760 Speaker 1: like super excellent, all this crazy offensive type, but just 388 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:27,800 Speaker 1: having the ball handlers with it. I think we see 389 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:30,960 Speaker 1: a revamped a D this year as well again last 390 00:18:31,040 --> 00:18:32,639 Speaker 1: year twenty four. A lot of that to me is 391 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:35,640 Speaker 1: a D just walking through games through that first couple 392 00:18:35,640 --> 00:18:38,239 Speaker 1: of months as well. So I see uptacking offense. Man, 393 00:18:38,280 --> 00:18:39,879 Speaker 1: I think they can be a top five offense. And 394 00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:41,640 Speaker 1: I think they'll have to be UM. I don't think 395 00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:44,160 Speaker 1: they'll be as good a defense last year, even taking 396 00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:46,200 Speaker 1: out being number one. UM, if they can stay on 397 00:18:46,359 --> 00:18:48,240 Speaker 1: the top ten, I think that's gonna be a really 398 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:50,479 Speaker 1: freaking good team, UM if they can just keep that up. 399 00:18:50,480 --> 00:18:52,639 Speaker 1: But the offense will be fine to me. Yeah, so 400 00:18:52,760 --> 00:18:56,160 Speaker 1: we're on the same page here. I you know, I've 401 00:18:56,400 --> 00:19:00,400 Speaker 1: lost optimism in the team towards the end of last 402 00:19:00,400 --> 00:19:03,520 Speaker 1: season when Lebron's ankle was when he tried coming back 403 00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:06,240 Speaker 1: and he didn't wasn't able to, and then when Dennis 404 00:19:06,240 --> 00:19:09,720 Speaker 1: Shutter had the COVID suspension. But outside of that stretch, 405 00:19:10,200 --> 00:19:13,879 Speaker 1: I've been really optimistic about this formula just in general, 406 00:19:13,920 --> 00:19:17,439 Speaker 1: the Lebron a d formula and the the the weird 407 00:19:17,480 --> 00:19:21,320 Speaker 1: combination of like super elite high end offensive talent with 408 00:19:21,480 --> 00:19:25,719 Speaker 1: physically imposing players that translate to the playoffs. And I 409 00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:28,680 Speaker 1: am more optimistic right now at this point in time 410 00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:31,560 Speaker 1: than I was at any point in the previous two years, 411 00:19:31,560 --> 00:19:34,280 Speaker 1: which is crazy to think about because Lebron's older. UM. 412 00:19:34,320 --> 00:19:38,400 Speaker 1: But the primary reason behind that is I expect them 413 00:19:38,440 --> 00:19:41,720 Speaker 1: to defend well still. Now. The reason why I would 414 00:19:41,720 --> 00:19:44,560 Speaker 1: not say they're gonna be the number one offense is 415 00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:47,480 Speaker 1: because you have to address the obvious elephant in the room, 416 00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:50,400 Speaker 1: which is the way these numbers usually work. So, for instance, 417 00:19:50,600 --> 00:19:53,240 Speaker 1: you're gonna have a team like two years ago, the 418 00:19:53,400 --> 00:19:57,880 Speaker 1: Bradley Beal Washington Wizards that just put up insane offensive 419 00:19:57,960 --> 00:20:01,320 Speaker 1: numbers because they don't play any defense. So they they 420 00:20:01,359 --> 00:20:03,880 Speaker 1: they're gonna have a one a team or whatever offensive 421 00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:06,359 Speaker 1: rating just because they save all their energy for that 422 00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:08,199 Speaker 1: end of the floor. So you're gonna probably have one 423 00:20:08,320 --> 00:20:11,160 Speaker 1: or two teams along those lines, not to mention Brooklyn, 424 00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:14,239 Speaker 1: who's going to be just like a super steroided up 425 00:20:14,359 --> 00:20:16,840 Speaker 1: version of that type of that type of team. But 426 00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:18,840 Speaker 1: then in addition to that, the Lakers are going to 427 00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:23,480 Speaker 1: defend at a or you. So you have the Lakers defending, 428 00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:25,720 Speaker 1: which is gonna take energy away from the offensive ent, 429 00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:29,240 Speaker 1: but you also have the fact that they're spacing isn't 430 00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:31,680 Speaker 1: gonna quite be what you're gonna see from teams like 431 00:20:31,920 --> 00:20:34,719 Speaker 1: the Clippers, for instance. So I wouldn't be surprised if 432 00:20:34,720 --> 00:20:36,520 Speaker 1: you see like a team like the Clippers finished with 433 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:39,760 Speaker 1: a better offensive rating than the than the Lakers because 434 00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:44,400 Speaker 1: they lean so heavily into spacing, which will negatively affect 435 00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:47,119 Speaker 1: them on the defensive end, and it will negatively affect 436 00:20:47,119 --> 00:20:49,040 Speaker 1: them just in all the physical areas of the game 437 00:20:49,119 --> 00:20:53,000 Speaker 1: having to do with like rebounding and clutch time offense, 438 00:20:53,040 --> 00:20:55,640 Speaker 1: because teams start to wear down as their physically inferior 439 00:20:55,680 --> 00:20:58,560 Speaker 1: and that kind of thing. So it all adds up 440 00:20:58,560 --> 00:21:01,320 Speaker 1: to an equation that we're works for the Lakers, but 441 00:21:01,359 --> 00:21:04,399 Speaker 1: I expect them to finish somewhere in the three to 442 00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:06,920 Speaker 1: four range on defense and then somewhere in the six 443 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:11,200 Speaker 1: to seven range on offense, and then that will inherently 444 00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:14,119 Speaker 1: lead to them having somewhere in the top two or 445 00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:17,320 Speaker 1: three net ratings. Is what I what I expect from 446 00:21:17,359 --> 00:21:19,680 Speaker 1: this year. But the gist of it is like between 447 00:21:19,680 --> 00:21:21,920 Speaker 1: the A D splitting minutes at the four and five, 448 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:25,440 Speaker 1: hurting some of their spacing, and with all of the 449 00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:28,720 Speaker 1: defensive effort that they're gonna put in, it will have 450 00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:33,200 Speaker 1: some negative impact on their offense. However, Lebron James at 451 00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:36,320 Speaker 1: the helm of an offense with actual spacing, which they 452 00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:39,480 Speaker 1: should have some actual spacing this year which they didn't 453 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:42,240 Speaker 1: have in years past. That's just pretty much in NBA history, 454 00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:45,760 Speaker 1: an automatic equation that leads to a top five offense. 455 00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:50,720 Speaker 1: I've talked about this a lot, but before before nineteen so, 456 00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:56,160 Speaker 1: the year that Lebron pulled his groin. For ten consecutive seasons, 457 00:21:56,240 --> 00:21:59,639 Speaker 1: dating all the way back to Cleveland, Lebron James let 458 00:21:59,680 --> 00:22:02,080 Speaker 1: offense says, we're top six in the league for ten 459 00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:04,600 Speaker 1: consecutive seasons, and most of them were in the top 460 00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:06,960 Speaker 1: two or three. There was just one random outlier and 461 00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:08,840 Speaker 1: there I think it was one of the heat seasons 462 00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:12,640 Speaker 1: where they ended up six point. Being though this Lebron 463 00:22:12,880 --> 00:22:16,479 Speaker 1: with shooting has always led to high level offense, throwing 464 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:20,399 Speaker 1: Russ's motor, throwing Anthony Davis, throwing just a decent amount 465 00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:23,480 Speaker 1: of shooting. I think they'll still be very productive offensively. 466 00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:25,080 Speaker 1: I just don't think they can be at the top 467 00:22:25,119 --> 00:22:26,920 Speaker 1: of the league with some of the teams that literally 468 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:30,040 Speaker 1: sell their soul to score points at the at the 469 00:22:30,080 --> 00:22:33,720 Speaker 1: detriment of the team. Yeah, and and also throw in 470 00:22:33,800 --> 00:22:36,040 Speaker 1: a good second unit, right, throwing a good bench. Like 471 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:38,520 Speaker 1: when Lebron was on the floor, offensive was fine, to 472 00:22:38,560 --> 00:22:40,760 Speaker 1: be honest, it wasn't great, but like it wasn't twenty 473 00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:42,879 Speaker 1: four in the league. It's when Lebron goes off the 474 00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:46,080 Speaker 1: floor running lineups through Dennis Shrewder, you know, a d 475 00:22:46,240 --> 00:22:49,560 Speaker 1: as the offensive fulcrum. That's kind of where our offense 476 00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:51,480 Speaker 1: kind of really dipped. It gets kind of ugly. So 477 00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:54,080 Speaker 1: with Russ and a DA releading a second unit, our 478 00:22:54,119 --> 00:22:56,080 Speaker 1: offense should be better. It should be able to keep up, 479 00:22:56,320 --> 00:22:58,280 Speaker 1: and that net rating should be even better to me 480 00:22:58,359 --> 00:23:00,560 Speaker 1: this season, Um, I don't think you'll be like Utah 481 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:02,480 Speaker 1: level last year where they were like I think plus 482 00:23:02,480 --> 00:23:04,560 Speaker 1: thirteen or something like that, but you know, like something 483 00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:07,880 Speaker 1: like plus ten plus eleven just getting a better bench. Um, 484 00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:10,480 Speaker 1: how many times would like our bench coming and there'll 485 00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:13,760 Speaker 1: be like five minute five minutes of like no scoring droughts, 486 00:23:13,760 --> 00:23:16,440 Speaker 1: no field goals for like six minutes and stuff like that. Um, 487 00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:18,880 Speaker 1: really just kills offense. That's what drops your numbers down 488 00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:22,600 Speaker 1: from four to like top ten or eleven as if 489 00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:24,320 Speaker 1: you can kind of keep a good second unit there. 490 00:23:24,359 --> 00:23:26,840 Speaker 1: So I agree with you often should be better. Um, 491 00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:29,240 Speaker 1: I'm still waiting to see how the defense looks before 492 00:23:29,280 --> 00:23:31,520 Speaker 1: I kind of judge on what what number I give that, 493 00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:33,159 Speaker 1: But I think the office is gonna be fine with 494 00:23:33,280 --> 00:23:35,720 Speaker 1: a bunch of scores, a bunch of off the dribble guys, 495 00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:38,000 Speaker 1: a bunch of guys that can can get hot. We 496 00:23:38,119 --> 00:23:40,560 Speaker 1: kind of traded out our defensive kind of store warts, right, 497 00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:42,719 Speaker 1: Alex Cruzo went out the door, and we put in 498 00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:45,800 Speaker 1: like scores um to to replace that, and that should 499 00:23:45,800 --> 00:23:47,880 Speaker 1: give you more scoring. We should be able to score 500 00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:50,040 Speaker 1: more this year. And uh, hopefully we don't have to 501 00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:53,320 Speaker 1: watch these super ugly games where it's like ninety one 502 00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:57,240 Speaker 1: while other teams are have like one fifteen scoring nights. 503 00:23:57,240 --> 00:23:59,159 Speaker 1: So we'll see with that. But I agree with the 504 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:01,640 Speaker 1: offense should be better, should be fine. The stuff about 505 00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:04,359 Speaker 1: the non Lebron minutes is a really good point, and 506 00:24:04,480 --> 00:24:07,199 Speaker 1: you know, as it pertains to the net rating that 507 00:24:07,240 --> 00:24:11,200 Speaker 1: you brought up, like I, you know, I wouldn't predict 508 00:24:11,359 --> 00:24:13,959 Speaker 1: this because of all of the things that can go wrong, 509 00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:17,520 Speaker 1: but I wouldn't be the least bit shocked if the 510 00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:19,720 Speaker 1: Lakers came into the season and just started beating the 511 00:24:19,720 --> 00:24:23,400 Speaker 1: hell out of everybody, like I, like, you know, that's 512 00:24:23,480 --> 00:24:27,040 Speaker 1: kind of the way it was in and it kind 513 00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:29,560 Speaker 1: of is the you know, twenty one in six to 514 00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:33,840 Speaker 1: start last season, UM doesn't seem that impressive, you know, 515 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:36,840 Speaker 1: it's it's kind of like roughly a sixty four win pace. 516 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:40,120 Speaker 1: You know, the Lakers the previous season started twenty four 517 00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:42,320 Speaker 1: and three, so it's easy to be like it was 518 00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:46,199 Speaker 1: less impressive that was twenty one in six, but it 519 00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:49,320 Speaker 1: was the best record in the league, which is an 520 00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:52,320 Speaker 1: important detail, Like the Jazz didn't actually pass them until 521 00:24:52,359 --> 00:24:55,480 Speaker 1: after the injuries happened. They were six, which was the 522 00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:59,560 Speaker 1: best record in the league, and they were at the 523 00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:02,879 Speaker 1: time aim uh. They were the team that had the 524 00:25:02,960 --> 00:25:06,040 Speaker 1: least motivational advantage, meaning they were exhausted, they were burnt 525 00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:08,280 Speaker 1: out from the playoff run. They had all of those 526 00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:11,840 Speaker 1: reasons to fall back on in terms of not playing 527 00:25:11,840 --> 00:25:14,000 Speaker 1: as hard as they as they as they ended up 528 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:16,520 Speaker 1: doing so. And so from that same point, I would say, like, 529 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:20,600 Speaker 1: if you really break down the Lakers, they've been incredibly 530 00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:25,000 Speaker 1: dominant their first season, and then they started incredibly dominant, 531 00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:29,360 Speaker 1: and then there were some injuries, and so theoretically it's 532 00:25:29,440 --> 00:25:31,359 Speaker 1: it's very possible that they go into the season and 533 00:25:31,359 --> 00:25:33,280 Speaker 1: just start running over everybody. I hope they do. I 534 00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:35,359 Speaker 1: think that I think that would be the perfect tone 535 00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:38,640 Speaker 1: to set so that you come into a potential Brooklyn 536 00:25:38,680 --> 00:25:41,919 Speaker 1: Nets matchup with a ton of momentum and confidence, but anyway, 537 00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:43,439 Speaker 1: I think it'll be it'll be fun to see, But 538 00:25:43,480 --> 00:25:45,720 Speaker 1: we have about twenty minutes. I wanted to get to 539 00:25:45,720 --> 00:25:47,440 Speaker 1: this next topic. This was your idea, Roger, and I 540 00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:50,960 Speaker 1: think it's a really good one. So everybody has like 541 00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:54,280 Speaker 1: an individual relationship with the game of basketball with you know, 542 00:25:54,280 --> 00:25:57,440 Speaker 1: whether it's family or whether it's something that's more by happenstance, 543 00:25:57,520 --> 00:26:00,400 Speaker 1: and obviously that leads to the Lakers and one way 544 00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:03,080 Speaker 1: or another, uh if you're a Laker fan. So I 545 00:26:03,119 --> 00:26:05,600 Speaker 1: wanted to start with just kind of basketball in a 546 00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:08,560 Speaker 1: broad sense. So my first question for you, garage is 547 00:26:09,080 --> 00:26:11,800 Speaker 1: how did you encounter and fall in love with the 548 00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:16,040 Speaker 1: game of basketball? So shout out Mr Ricky Spanish, our 549 00:26:16,040 --> 00:26:18,760 Speaker 1: friend Ricky on Twitter. Um, he asked the Lakers orangin story. 550 00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:20,560 Speaker 1: And I thought this would be a good idea for 551 00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:22,120 Speaker 1: us because we I don't think we've we've kind of 552 00:26:22,320 --> 00:26:24,000 Speaker 1: talked about a little bit here and there in our 553 00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:26,400 Speaker 1: different kind of analysis, but we haven't really talked about 554 00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:27,680 Speaker 1: it full. So I thought this would be a good 555 00:26:27,720 --> 00:26:30,159 Speaker 1: idea for me. So like in my ivy, I have 556 00:26:30,320 --> 00:26:33,040 Speaker 1: me as a you know, as a kid playing basketball, 557 00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:34,960 Speaker 1: um as a kid, but like at that time, I 558 00:26:34,960 --> 00:26:37,359 Speaker 1: didn't really know what basketball was or I wasn't really 559 00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:39,399 Speaker 1: in jobs playing you as a kid because you know, 560 00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:41,360 Speaker 1: as a kid who play sports and stuff like that. 561 00:26:41,680 --> 00:26:43,639 Speaker 1: So I didn't really play it until I got to 562 00:26:43,720 --> 00:26:47,760 Speaker 1: high school around in ninth grade. Um. I went to 563 00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:51,280 Speaker 1: this small kind of school, um before I transferred, and uh, 564 00:26:51,320 --> 00:26:53,359 Speaker 1: they were like three fifty kids in the school. It's 565 00:26:53,359 --> 00:26:55,760 Speaker 1: a school in l A uh and uh, so I 566 00:26:55,800 --> 00:26:57,440 Speaker 1: was like, let me just try it for the basketball team. 567 00:26:57,480 --> 00:26:59,879 Speaker 1: There's not that many people here, you know that. I 568 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:01,560 Speaker 1: don't know how good they would be. And I was wrong. 569 00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:03,959 Speaker 1: There's a lot of really good players. Um. But like 570 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:06,159 Speaker 1: you know, I've made the team or whatever. And but 571 00:27:06,200 --> 00:27:08,199 Speaker 1: I knew nothing about basketball. So the coach was like, 572 00:27:08,680 --> 00:27:10,399 Speaker 1: do a screen and I was like, the only screen 573 00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:11,879 Speaker 1: I know is a green screen. Like I don't know 574 00:27:11,880 --> 00:27:15,520 Speaker 1: what the screen is. So like so I was definitely 575 00:27:15,640 --> 00:27:18,440 Speaker 1: not good. Um. But then like one of the seniors, um, 576 00:27:18,480 --> 00:27:21,639 Speaker 1: he came to me, He's like, I want you to 577 00:27:21,680 --> 00:27:25,640 Speaker 1: go home and watch Kobe. I was like, why would 578 00:27:25,640 --> 00:27:27,040 Speaker 1: I want to go watch Kobe? I don't I don't 579 00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:28,399 Speaker 1: want to be in the NBA, Like why would I 580 00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:29,760 Speaker 1: just go watch me said no, I want you to 581 00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:32,760 Speaker 1: go home, just watch Kobe. So I went home that 582 00:27:32,880 --> 00:27:34,320 Speaker 1: night and I watched and I fell in love with 583 00:27:34,359 --> 00:27:37,080 Speaker 1: the game right away. Um, since then, this was two 584 00:27:37,080 --> 00:27:39,720 Speaker 1: thousand and eight, I don't think I've missed a game 585 00:27:39,760 --> 00:27:42,200 Speaker 1: on purpose since then. So like since two thousand and eight, 586 00:27:42,560 --> 00:27:44,639 Speaker 1: since that guy told me, since I don't want to 587 00:27:44,640 --> 00:27:46,240 Speaker 1: put his name out there, but he told me to go, 588 00:27:46,359 --> 00:27:48,280 Speaker 1: um go watch Kobe. Since then, I just fell in 589 00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:49,920 Speaker 1: love with the game. I started playing more and more 590 00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:51,840 Speaker 1: and again you just fall in love with and both 591 00:27:51,920 --> 00:27:53,760 Speaker 1: of us. You don't watch it as much as us 592 00:27:53,760 --> 00:27:55,119 Speaker 1: and unless you fall in love with it. And it 593 00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:57,639 Speaker 1: was just something about it, the connection, the beauty of it. 594 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:00,240 Speaker 1: Um just connecting me. And it's just something that's aid 595 00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:03,639 Speaker 1: with uh till now. So that's kind of my story 596 00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:07,159 Speaker 1: on it. I started really late, Um, I really what 597 00:28:07,440 --> 00:28:09,600 Speaker 1: really like I annoys me as I wish I was 598 00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:11,439 Speaker 1: watching it in the Shock in Kobe years because that 599 00:28:11,440 --> 00:28:13,760 Speaker 1: seems like such a amazing time to be a fan. 600 00:28:13,800 --> 00:28:16,200 Speaker 1: But I missed all that. Um. I started with the 601 00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:18,399 Speaker 1: Kobe and Power years, but yeah, that's where I was 602 00:28:18,480 --> 00:28:20,200 Speaker 1: kind of starting. How about how about you men? Where 603 00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:22,560 Speaker 1: did you where did you find your entry into uh 604 00:28:22,720 --> 00:28:25,919 Speaker 1: leving basketball? So for starters, you know, in terms of 605 00:28:25,960 --> 00:28:29,080 Speaker 1: missing out on an era, um, there's a pros and 606 00:28:29,119 --> 00:28:31,439 Speaker 1: there's pros and concept because for starters, there's always going 607 00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:33,240 Speaker 1: to be another era. It's like this, it's like the 608 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:37,440 Speaker 1: Kobe pow years excuse me, and then the LEBRONI d years. 609 00:28:37,480 --> 00:28:39,840 Speaker 1: For the rest of our lives, we're gonna see dominant 610 00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:43,880 Speaker 1: stretches of historical basketball from teams and you know, you 611 00:28:43,880 --> 00:28:45,000 Speaker 1: know what you get to do is you get to 612 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:46,880 Speaker 1: go back and watch, like, you know, one of the 613 00:28:46,920 --> 00:28:49,600 Speaker 1: biggest joys for me because especially because like I I 614 00:28:49,680 --> 00:28:53,200 Speaker 1: share similar frame to Michael Jordan, about the same size, 615 00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:55,240 Speaker 1: and I've copied a lot of elements of his game. 616 00:28:55,640 --> 00:28:57,320 Speaker 1: You know how cool it was for me as a 617 00:28:57,400 --> 00:28:59,840 Speaker 1: kid who didn't get to watch mj when he was 618 00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:02,320 Speaker 1: laying because I was literally like seven years old when 619 00:29:02,360 --> 00:29:05,400 Speaker 1: he wanted sixth sixth title. Like, I get to go 620 00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:07,360 Speaker 1: back and watch all this film and it's like new 621 00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:10,000 Speaker 1: to me. It's like free basketball, you know, like it's 622 00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:13,680 Speaker 1: it's cool and and and you know, being the access 623 00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:15,960 Speaker 1: that we have to that stuff now is so cool, 624 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:18,200 Speaker 1: and you know, at the end of the day, like 625 00:29:18,520 --> 00:29:20,920 Speaker 1: you know, there's gonna be some kids some out there 626 00:29:20,960 --> 00:29:23,480 Speaker 1: one day that's gonna be watching an era of Lakers basketball, 627 00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:25,160 Speaker 1: being like, man, I wish I could have watched Lebron 628 00:29:25,200 --> 00:29:26,800 Speaker 1: and a d That had to have been awesome, you 629 00:29:26,800 --> 00:29:28,880 Speaker 1: know what I mean. So it's all it's all part 630 00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:33,120 Speaker 1: of the bigger vision anyway. Um, you know, you talked 631 00:29:33,120 --> 00:29:35,000 Speaker 1: about how we would never be able to watch as 632 00:29:35,080 --> 00:29:37,120 Speaker 1: much basketball as we do if we weren't addicted to it. 633 00:29:37,160 --> 00:29:39,120 Speaker 1: And it's funny because I was literally talking to my 634 00:29:39,320 --> 00:29:41,440 Speaker 1: buddy about that last night, who's a big football fan, 635 00:29:42,040 --> 00:29:43,720 Speaker 1: and I was like, yeah, you know, the NBA really 636 00:29:43,760 --> 00:29:46,080 Speaker 1: struggles from a lack of urgency. Like it's hard for 637 00:29:46,120 --> 00:29:50,240 Speaker 1: me to convince you, my buddy, to come watch a 638 00:29:50,280 --> 00:29:53,360 Speaker 1: regular season NBA game, because you're not going to feel 639 00:29:53,400 --> 00:29:55,840 Speaker 1: the same urgency coming off the screen as you do 640 00:29:55,920 --> 00:29:58,280 Speaker 1: from an NFL game. Because an NFL game, even though 641 00:29:58,280 --> 00:30:01,000 Speaker 1: they're not all win or go home type of scenarios, 642 00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:04,680 Speaker 1: they kind of carry some of that type of momentum 643 00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:07,200 Speaker 1: and there's an urgency that just it's hard to replicate. 644 00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:10,800 Speaker 1: So what gets me to enjoy a random second quarter 645 00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:14,920 Speaker 1: shift from Taylon Horton Tucker with DeAndre Jordan's on a 646 00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:18,240 Speaker 1: Tuesday in in Memphis. Is my love for the game 647 00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:20,040 Speaker 1: of basketball, and that and that that kind of is 648 00:30:20,080 --> 00:30:23,000 Speaker 1: what drives all of this and and and it comes 649 00:30:23,040 --> 00:30:25,000 Speaker 1: from somewhere. So for me, what was funny is I 650 00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:28,239 Speaker 1: grew up in a baseball and football family. My my 651 00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:30,920 Speaker 1: dad would put the d Backs game on every night, 652 00:30:31,120 --> 00:30:33,680 Speaker 1: you know, here in Tucson, and we were all big 653 00:30:33,800 --> 00:30:36,480 Speaker 1: Dallas Cowboy fans because all of my my my family 654 00:30:36,560 --> 00:30:39,400 Speaker 1: moved to Tucson from Dallas, and all of my extended 655 00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:43,680 Speaker 1: families in Dallas, and so lots of NFL, lots of baseball. 656 00:30:43,760 --> 00:30:46,120 Speaker 1: We I didn't really play football growing up, my brothers did. 657 00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:48,760 Speaker 1: I played little league baseball just like everyone else. And 658 00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:54,000 Speaker 1: what ended up happening was on a random Sunday, um, 659 00:30:54,360 --> 00:30:57,000 Speaker 1: we were hanging out on the couch and flicking channels 660 00:30:57,120 --> 00:31:02,400 Speaker 1: and there was game six of the it was game 661 00:31:02,440 --> 00:31:09,479 Speaker 1: seven actually two thousand six Pistons Calves, And what had 662 00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:12,280 Speaker 1: happened was the Pistons jumped up to oh and the 663 00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:15,400 Speaker 1: Calves won three games in a row. But unlike what 664 00:31:15,560 --> 00:31:19,640 Speaker 1: happened in two thousand seven, Lebron could not close the 665 00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:22,000 Speaker 1: deal in Game six and seven. It was his first 666 00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:26,400 Speaker 1: ever playoff run. But uh, and I remember Lebron played 667 00:31:26,480 --> 00:31:30,440 Speaker 1: terrible in this game in Game seven, and uh. But 668 00:31:30,560 --> 00:31:33,320 Speaker 1: it was like my first real exposure to basketball because 669 00:31:33,360 --> 00:31:36,960 Speaker 1: I didn't really watch basketball growing up because my family 670 00:31:37,040 --> 00:31:40,200 Speaker 1: just didn't really expose its exposed me to it, and 671 00:31:40,280 --> 00:31:42,880 Speaker 1: I got hooked, like right away. So from from that 672 00:31:42,920 --> 00:31:46,040 Speaker 1: moment on from the start in next season, I basically 673 00:31:46,080 --> 00:31:49,360 Speaker 1: started watching every single game Lebron played in, you know, 674 00:31:49,360 --> 00:31:51,280 Speaker 1: and I was a what what? I guess? I was 675 00:31:51,320 --> 00:31:53,760 Speaker 1: a fifteen year old kid who was like falling in 676 00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:57,400 Speaker 1: love with the game from scratch at age fifteen. And 677 00:31:57,440 --> 00:32:01,960 Speaker 1: I remember I remember watching you know, Lebron drive baseline 678 00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:04,959 Speaker 1: and take that crazy double pump dunk against the Dallas 679 00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:07,720 Speaker 1: Mavericks and then like running into the back of the 680 00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:09,600 Speaker 1: house and like grabbing my older brother and being like 681 00:32:09,600 --> 00:32:11,400 Speaker 1: you gotta come see this, and like bringing him into 682 00:32:11,400 --> 00:32:13,320 Speaker 1: the living room. And my whole family was so like 683 00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:15,640 Speaker 1: taken aback by it because none of them, none of 684 00:32:15,640 --> 00:32:18,680 Speaker 1: them cared about basketball. And then you double that with 685 00:32:19,520 --> 00:32:23,880 Speaker 1: me randomly growing to be six ft six when all 686 00:32:23,920 --> 00:32:26,960 Speaker 1: my brothers and Dad are like six ft and it 687 00:32:27,080 --> 00:32:28,640 Speaker 1: was just kind of like it was kind of like 688 00:32:28,680 --> 00:32:30,400 Speaker 1: it meant to be, you know, so to speak. And 689 00:32:30,760 --> 00:32:34,400 Speaker 1: I was lucky because my parents had a a basketball 690 00:32:34,440 --> 00:32:37,600 Speaker 1: hoop in the front yard and I didn't have anybody 691 00:32:37,640 --> 00:32:39,640 Speaker 1: to really play with, but I just worked on my shot, 692 00:32:39,800 --> 00:32:41,680 Speaker 1: and so it was funny is I was basically this 693 00:32:41,840 --> 00:32:49,720 Speaker 1: like six six, gangly like bandy, super unathletic, uh like nerdy, 694 00:32:49,840 --> 00:32:52,920 Speaker 1: skinny dude. But I could shoot. That was like my 695 00:32:52,920 --> 00:32:55,760 Speaker 1: my my skill that I could take home. Well, I 696 00:32:55,880 --> 00:33:00,160 Speaker 1: was a terrible, terrible, terrible high school player. Uh. Famously, 697 00:33:00,200 --> 00:33:04,920 Speaker 1: on senior Night my senior year, I didn't play and 698 00:33:05,040 --> 00:33:07,320 Speaker 1: all of the other seniors did and it was like 699 00:33:07,360 --> 00:33:10,480 Speaker 1: kind of a devastating moment for me. But in retrospect, 700 00:33:10,480 --> 00:33:12,920 Speaker 1: I look back and I don't blame the coach necessarily 701 00:33:12,960 --> 00:33:16,400 Speaker 1: because I was terrible, Like I was terribied. I still 702 00:33:16,400 --> 00:33:18,960 Speaker 1: remember one time in a JV game, dribbling to the 703 00:33:19,040 --> 00:33:21,320 Speaker 1: left in a half court set and the ball just 704 00:33:21,360 --> 00:33:23,760 Speaker 1: disappearing out of my hand, not because I got stolen 705 00:33:23,840 --> 00:33:26,360 Speaker 1: from but because I was such a bad ball handler 706 00:33:26,680 --> 00:33:28,720 Speaker 1: that I tried to dribble in the ball just like 707 00:33:28,760 --> 00:33:30,840 Speaker 1: air ball in my hand and went flying out of bounds, 708 00:33:30,840 --> 00:33:32,400 Speaker 1: and like then I got pulled from the game. And 709 00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:35,400 Speaker 1: so I was just a really really bad high school player. Well, 710 00:33:35,880 --> 00:33:38,280 Speaker 1: I the reason why I was bad because I was 711 00:33:38,360 --> 00:33:42,000 Speaker 1: I started late. I started when I was like fifteen. Well, um, 712 00:33:42,240 --> 00:33:45,240 Speaker 1: when I went to the University of Arizona, I just 713 00:33:45,240 --> 00:33:48,720 Speaker 1: started playing pick up every single day. And what basically 714 00:33:48,720 --> 00:33:51,560 Speaker 1: happened was is all of a sudden, I got used 715 00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:55,880 Speaker 1: to my body and I actually became a pretty freak athlete. 716 00:33:55,960 --> 00:33:58,080 Speaker 1: At the time, I was about two hundred and five 717 00:33:58,120 --> 00:34:01,480 Speaker 1: pounds and had about a forty in vertical so I 718 00:34:01,480 --> 00:34:04,520 Speaker 1: could get my elbows above the rim and so that 719 00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:08,440 Speaker 1: in combination with my shooting, made me a pretty decent player. 720 00:34:08,440 --> 00:34:10,520 Speaker 1: But I was still extremely flawed. I couldn't dribble, can 721 00:34:10,560 --> 00:34:13,080 Speaker 1: see the floor, couldn't do any of those things. Well, 722 00:34:13,239 --> 00:34:17,000 Speaker 1: after my second year of college, I walked in to 723 00:34:17,200 --> 00:34:22,400 Speaker 1: a to the community college, the local community college, and uh, 724 00:34:22,440 --> 00:34:25,120 Speaker 1: and I just started killing everybody. Uh in a in 725 00:34:25,160 --> 00:34:28,080 Speaker 1: an open gym, and the head coach wasn't even there. 726 00:34:29,200 --> 00:34:30,760 Speaker 1: So I go home and I go about my business. 727 00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:32,239 Speaker 1: For me, it was just a run. I had heard Hey, 728 00:34:32,280 --> 00:34:33,719 Speaker 1: they're having open gym at PM. I used to go 729 00:34:33,840 --> 00:34:36,360 Speaker 1: check it out. I'm like okay, And so then all 730 00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:37,640 Speaker 1: of a sudden, I get a phone call from this 731 00:34:37,680 --> 00:34:39,759 Speaker 1: guy and he's the head coach of the team. He 732 00:34:39,840 --> 00:34:43,560 Speaker 1: wasn't there, and he goes like, hey, like, can you 733 00:34:43,960 --> 00:34:46,040 Speaker 1: come back to our open gym today? And I was 734 00:34:46,040 --> 00:34:48,919 Speaker 1: like sure. So I went back to the open gym 735 00:34:49,280 --> 00:34:52,400 Speaker 1: um the next day and killed everybody again, and he 736 00:34:52,440 --> 00:34:54,960 Speaker 1: offered me a scholarship on the spot. So what was 737 00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:59,600 Speaker 1: funny was like I had never played organized basketball basically, 738 00:35:00,040 --> 00:35:03,160 Speaker 1: and I was just like a twenty year old kid 739 00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:05,440 Speaker 1: who who could jump out of the gym and could 740 00:35:05,440 --> 00:35:08,600 Speaker 1: shoot threes. And the guy basically envisioned turning me into 741 00:35:08,600 --> 00:35:11,799 Speaker 1: like a stretch five basically. And so then I I 742 00:35:11,880 --> 00:35:15,440 Speaker 1: went to uh T Pima that year and I average 743 00:35:15,440 --> 00:35:16,920 Speaker 1: like sixteen points a game. I had a really good 744 00:35:16,960 --> 00:35:19,400 Speaker 1: scoring season, but the team was terrible. I ended up 745 00:35:19,440 --> 00:35:22,520 Speaker 1: transferring up to Utah, played a year junior college up 746 00:35:22,560 --> 00:35:24,520 Speaker 1: there in Utah, and then I finished at Arizona Christian 747 00:35:24,600 --> 00:35:27,399 Speaker 1: University in Phoenix. Eligibility was my big problem, even though 748 00:35:27,400 --> 00:35:29,880 Speaker 1: it was all conference. My second year in uh IN 749 00:35:29,880 --> 00:35:33,279 Speaker 1: in JV or excuse me, and um, junior college. I 750 00:35:33,880 --> 00:35:35,879 Speaker 1: no Division one would touch me because at that point 751 00:35:35,960 --> 00:35:38,480 Speaker 1: I only had one year of eligibility left and no 752 00:35:38,520 --> 00:35:40,799 Speaker 1: one thought they could integrate me into a Division one 753 00:35:40,840 --> 00:35:43,600 Speaker 1: program in one year. Um. But then next thing you know, 754 00:35:43,640 --> 00:35:46,799 Speaker 1: I was twenty three years old and uh, and all 755 00:35:46,800 --> 00:35:50,239 Speaker 1: out of eligibility and then you're done. And I I 756 00:35:50,280 --> 00:35:52,880 Speaker 1: tried to play professionally overseas, but I didn't really have 757 00:35:52,880 --> 00:35:54,719 Speaker 1: any connections. And to be honest, I wasn't that good 758 00:35:54,719 --> 00:35:57,280 Speaker 1: back then. I was still not a very good ball handler. 759 00:35:57,640 --> 00:35:59,280 Speaker 1: And I could shoot the ball, and I could defend, 760 00:35:59,280 --> 00:36:01,920 Speaker 1: and I could and I could jump, but I couldn't 761 00:36:01,960 --> 00:36:04,839 Speaker 1: really do all the in between things. And it's funny 762 00:36:04,880 --> 00:36:06,440 Speaker 1: because people always ask me now, They'll be like, why 763 00:36:06,480 --> 00:36:08,120 Speaker 1: don't you playing overseas? W weren't you doing this? And 764 00:36:08,120 --> 00:36:10,120 Speaker 1: it's like, I didn't really get good until I was 765 00:36:10,160 --> 00:36:14,560 Speaker 1: like twenty six. So like from that standpoint, by the 766 00:36:14,560 --> 00:36:16,480 Speaker 1: time I got to this point where I could dribble 767 00:36:16,480 --> 00:36:19,000 Speaker 1: and do all those other things, it was too late. Um, 768 00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:20,279 Speaker 1: But I'm at peace with it right now. I just 769 00:36:20,320 --> 00:36:23,200 Speaker 1: played for fun, and Uh, as far as the Lakers 770 00:36:23,280 --> 00:36:26,800 Speaker 1: element goes, it's really simple. I grew up in Tucson, Arizona. 771 00:36:26,920 --> 00:36:29,000 Speaker 1: We don't have a professional sports team there. It's a 772 00:36:29,040 --> 00:36:32,239 Speaker 1: college town. Heck, I didn't even follow the NBA growing up. 773 00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:34,279 Speaker 1: Lebron is the one who got me to fall in 774 00:36:34,280 --> 00:36:36,959 Speaker 1: love with the game of basketball, and I always knew 775 00:36:36,960 --> 00:36:39,040 Speaker 1: I wanted to cover the league. And so if you 776 00:36:39,120 --> 00:36:41,880 Speaker 1: look in the archives, you'll find articles of me writing 777 00:36:41,880 --> 00:36:44,520 Speaker 1: for a website called King James Gospel, which was the 778 00:36:45,280 --> 00:36:50,480 Speaker 1: fans sided uh Cleveland Cavaliers website and uh and I wrote, 779 00:36:50,560 --> 00:36:53,600 Speaker 1: you know, for a season for them, and then I 780 00:36:53,680 --> 00:36:57,160 Speaker 1: also wrote about some college basketball stuff for the uv A. 781 00:36:57,680 --> 00:36:59,880 Speaker 1: And then when Lebron went to the Lakers, I just 782 00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:01,799 Speaker 1: on of continued to do the same thing that I've 783 00:37:01,800 --> 00:37:04,839 Speaker 1: always been doing and in a weird way. Man. And 784 00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:06,279 Speaker 1: I mean this from the bottom of my heart. I'm 785 00:37:06,320 --> 00:37:08,520 Speaker 1: not just saying this. I've kind of just fallen in 786 00:37:08,560 --> 00:37:11,600 Speaker 1: love with this culture of this team. And you know, 787 00:37:12,239 --> 00:37:16,480 Speaker 1: my fanhood for the Lakers extends far beyond Lebron because 788 00:37:16,480 --> 00:37:18,359 Speaker 1: as much as I love Lebron and what he's done 789 00:37:18,360 --> 00:37:20,200 Speaker 1: for me in terms of falling in love with the 790 00:37:20,200 --> 00:37:22,640 Speaker 1: game and just rooting for him for all these years. 791 00:37:23,320 --> 00:37:26,400 Speaker 1: I love Frank Vogel and I love the culture that 792 00:37:26,480 --> 00:37:29,400 Speaker 1: he's instilled. I don't agree with everything Rob's done, but 793 00:37:29,440 --> 00:37:31,080 Speaker 1: I think Rob has done a really nice job. I've 794 00:37:31,080 --> 00:37:32,839 Speaker 1: fallen in love with the young players that have come 795 00:37:32,880 --> 00:37:37,400 Speaker 1: through this program. I love the culture that centers around defense, 796 00:37:37,560 --> 00:37:41,000 Speaker 1: and we're going to outwork everybody and physically beat everybody 797 00:37:41,040 --> 00:37:43,279 Speaker 1: to a pulpe. And so it's been cool. It's been 798 00:37:43,280 --> 00:37:46,000 Speaker 1: cool in the sense that, like you know, it'll be 799 00:37:46,040 --> 00:37:49,680 Speaker 1: so easy for me to continue to support and cover 800 00:37:49,800 --> 00:37:54,279 Speaker 1: this franchise after Lebron is gone, because I've almost organically 801 00:37:54,440 --> 00:37:58,200 Speaker 1: kind of adopted the franchise in terms of of rooting 802 00:37:58,239 --> 00:38:00,080 Speaker 1: for them, and it's and it's been really cool to 803 00:38:00,640 --> 00:38:02,520 Speaker 1: become a part of this and quite frankly, and I 804 00:38:02,560 --> 00:38:05,279 Speaker 1: mean this, I think you in particular for this and 805 00:38:05,360 --> 00:38:07,920 Speaker 1: so many others, like the Laker fan base has just 806 00:38:07,960 --> 00:38:11,160 Speaker 1: accepted me with open arms, and I sincerely appreciate that 807 00:38:11,480 --> 00:38:14,399 Speaker 1: and I look forward to the future. It's gonna be fun. Yeah, well, 808 00:38:14,400 --> 00:38:15,960 Speaker 1: and it's kind of cool because we both come at 809 00:38:16,160 --> 00:38:18,040 Speaker 1: from different sides. You've played at a higher level than 810 00:38:18,080 --> 00:38:19,880 Speaker 1: I did. Um I played a little bit, but like 811 00:38:19,960 --> 00:38:22,319 Speaker 1: we both love the game, and we're not always righting 812 00:38:22,400 --> 00:38:23,600 Speaker 1: what we say, you know what I mean, But we 813 00:38:23,640 --> 00:38:25,879 Speaker 1: do come at it from like an open mind, from 814 00:38:25,920 --> 00:38:27,920 Speaker 1: like a love of basketball. Take So that's where we 815 00:38:28,239 --> 00:38:30,719 Speaker 1: start at our analysis or whatever we talk about. We 816 00:38:30,800 --> 00:38:32,040 Speaker 1: come at it from the love of the game. And 817 00:38:32,040 --> 00:38:34,080 Speaker 1: I think that shows too. I think I saw I 818 00:38:34,120 --> 00:38:36,560 Speaker 1: think I remember when you started just tweeting about the Lakers. 819 00:38:36,560 --> 00:38:38,080 Speaker 1: I could just tell like it was from the love 820 00:38:38,120 --> 00:38:40,240 Speaker 1: of the game and you knew how you were talking about. 821 00:38:40,320 --> 00:38:42,480 Speaker 1: But yeah, it's cool to see where it's grown and 822 00:38:42,480 --> 00:38:44,799 Speaker 1: all that and and where it's going. I think it's 823 00:38:44,800 --> 00:38:47,000 Speaker 1: gonna be great. We're gonna keep growing here. But yeah, 824 00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:49,239 Speaker 1: it's been awesome to see the support as well that 825 00:38:49,239 --> 00:38:51,600 Speaker 1: that we've gotten from from all the people. It's just 826 00:38:51,600 --> 00:38:54,040 Speaker 1: cool to see everyone's kind of stories. Like I always believe, 827 00:38:54,040 --> 00:38:56,440 Speaker 1: everyone has like a everyone has a way that they 828 00:38:56,440 --> 00:38:58,279 Speaker 1: see the game right, no one, no two people kind 829 00:38:58,280 --> 00:39:00,640 Speaker 1: of see it the exact same. Everyone has ease of 830 00:39:00,719 --> 00:39:02,879 Speaker 1: views on it, everyone has their principles that they come 831 00:39:02,880 --> 00:39:05,120 Speaker 1: off with everything how they see it, and everyone's kind 832 00:39:05,120 --> 00:39:07,160 Speaker 1: of opinion can matter. Here. We're just two people who 833 00:39:07,400 --> 00:39:09,319 Speaker 1: talk basketball, you know what, I mean, and we're open 834 00:39:09,360 --> 00:39:12,120 Speaker 1: with it. We talked basketball with anyone, so it's pretty 835 00:39:12,120 --> 00:39:15,160 Speaker 1: awesome and hearing kind of where we started is pretty cool. Um, 836 00:39:15,239 --> 00:39:18,640 Speaker 1: do you remember your first your first organized game? Do 837 00:39:18,680 --> 00:39:21,759 Speaker 1: you remember that? I remember I was so nervous, and 838 00:39:21,800 --> 00:39:24,080 Speaker 1: I remember like one of the people telling me, like, 839 00:39:24,280 --> 00:39:26,400 Speaker 1: you'll be super nervous, and then once you get in 840 00:39:26,440 --> 00:39:29,200 Speaker 1: the game, your mind has like a crazy ability to 841 00:39:29,320 --> 00:39:31,839 Speaker 1: just like focused on the game. And he was totally right. 842 00:39:31,880 --> 00:39:33,719 Speaker 1: I was crazy nervous. Right when you get in the 843 00:39:33,719 --> 00:39:35,520 Speaker 1: game that you kind of are able to just focus 844 00:39:35,560 --> 00:39:38,040 Speaker 1: on like what's going on. You don't really hear anyone 845 00:39:38,160 --> 00:39:40,239 Speaker 1: on the crowd or anything. Do you remember like your 846 00:39:40,280 --> 00:39:41,880 Speaker 1: first game? Wanted to ask you that because I think 847 00:39:41,880 --> 00:39:43,799 Speaker 1: it's it's it's fascinating when I when I asked other 848 00:39:43,840 --> 00:39:47,840 Speaker 1: people like their first ever organized organized game. Yeah, so 849 00:39:47,880 --> 00:39:51,680 Speaker 1: I actually vividly remember it. So the uh I played 850 00:39:51,719 --> 00:39:53,600 Speaker 1: in high school, but I was never in the rotation, 851 00:39:53,680 --> 00:39:55,640 Speaker 1: so like I went through practices and stuff, but if 852 00:39:55,640 --> 00:39:57,000 Speaker 1: I ever got into the game, it's because we were 853 00:39:57,040 --> 00:39:59,839 Speaker 1: up thirty five and it didn't really count. So mine 854 00:39:59,880 --> 00:40:02,680 Speaker 1: for game that where I played organized basketball, where I 855 00:40:02,719 --> 00:40:04,719 Speaker 1: was in the in the rotation was when I was 856 00:40:04,800 --> 00:40:09,080 Speaker 1: in junior college and I was the starting center quote unquote, 857 00:40:09,520 --> 00:40:10,840 Speaker 1: but I wasn't really a center. I was like a 858 00:40:10,840 --> 00:40:12,880 Speaker 1: stretch four basically, and there was just a lack of 859 00:40:12,920 --> 00:40:14,960 Speaker 1: size on that particular team. Our team wasn't very good, 860 00:40:15,480 --> 00:40:17,360 Speaker 1: but we were on the road at South Mountain College, 861 00:40:17,360 --> 00:40:20,560 Speaker 1: which is in which is in Phoenix, and I remember 862 00:40:20,640 --> 00:40:22,840 Speaker 1: in the layup lines again at this point I I 863 00:40:23,200 --> 00:40:26,359 Speaker 1: I broke my foot the following off season and put 864 00:40:26,360 --> 00:40:27,920 Speaker 1: on a bunch of muscles, so I went from like 865 00:40:27,920 --> 00:40:30,960 Speaker 1: two oh five to and it made me a better player, 866 00:40:31,000 --> 00:40:34,239 Speaker 1: but I became less vertically athletic. When I was at 867 00:40:34,280 --> 00:40:36,919 Speaker 1: this point before this game, when I was my first 868 00:40:37,000 --> 00:40:40,880 Speaker 1: year of junior college, I was light and like incredibly bouncy, 869 00:40:40,920 --> 00:40:45,480 Speaker 1: and I remember going through layup lines so juiced up 870 00:40:45,480 --> 00:40:48,960 Speaker 1: on adrenaline that like I was like taking off from 871 00:40:48,960 --> 00:40:51,880 Speaker 1: the semi circle and just like lightly feathered, like not 872 00:40:51,880 --> 00:40:54,239 Speaker 1: not even getting a technical, but just dropping the ball 873 00:40:54,280 --> 00:40:56,520 Speaker 1: through the net, you know. And and I run over 874 00:40:56,520 --> 00:40:59,960 Speaker 1: to the bench and my assistant coach, his name was 875 00:41:00,040 --> 00:41:01,239 Speaker 1: Chris Claus, and he comes up to me and he 876 00:41:01,239 --> 00:41:02,759 Speaker 1: goes like, hey, Jason, do we need to change your 877 00:41:02,760 --> 00:41:04,520 Speaker 1: shorts because he was just making fun of me because 878 00:41:04,520 --> 00:41:07,279 Speaker 1: of how excited I was. And uh, and I'm like, 879 00:41:07,320 --> 00:41:09,960 Speaker 1: no, no no, no, I'm good, I'm good. I'm good. So again, 880 00:41:10,000 --> 00:41:12,520 Speaker 1: you're right. You get into the game and what actually 881 00:41:12,600 --> 00:41:14,960 Speaker 1: takes over is your job. When you have a job 882 00:41:15,040 --> 00:41:17,960 Speaker 1: to focus on, if you have specific responsibilities, you don't 883 00:41:17,960 --> 00:41:21,040 Speaker 1: have time to get psyched out by what's happening around you. Now, 884 00:41:21,080 --> 00:41:24,320 Speaker 1: what was funny was is I did score zero points 885 00:41:24,320 --> 00:41:27,799 Speaker 1: in the first half of that game, and it completely 886 00:41:27,800 --> 00:41:30,359 Speaker 1: I was completely psyched out, just running around a little 887 00:41:30,400 --> 00:41:34,480 Speaker 1: bit disheveled, a little bit overhyped up. And the second half, 888 00:41:35,480 --> 00:41:37,279 Speaker 1: the team we were playing was playing a one three one, 889 00:41:37,280 --> 00:41:38,560 Speaker 1: and if you know anything about a one three one, 890 00:41:38,560 --> 00:41:40,640 Speaker 1: there's only one man on the back side. So one 891 00:41:40,640 --> 00:41:42,560 Speaker 1: of the most common ways to attack on one three 892 00:41:42,560 --> 00:41:44,400 Speaker 1: one is to swing the ball over to the other 893 00:41:44,440 --> 00:41:47,160 Speaker 1: side and backcut from the opposite corner. There's usually going 894 00:41:47,239 --> 00:41:50,000 Speaker 1: to be an open lob there. So I saw it 895 00:41:50,120 --> 00:41:52,840 Speaker 1: coming and I saw the opportunity there, went up to 896 00:41:52,880 --> 00:41:55,160 Speaker 1: the guard. I'm like, hey, I think if I cut 897 00:41:55,160 --> 00:41:57,040 Speaker 1: back door here, I think we have an opportunity for 898 00:41:57,080 --> 00:42:01,080 Speaker 1: an alley. So uh. A couple of minutes into the 899 00:42:01,120 --> 00:42:03,200 Speaker 1: second half, I cut back door on the back side 900 00:42:03,239 --> 00:42:05,560 Speaker 1: of the one three one dude throws just an absolutely 901 00:42:05,560 --> 00:42:09,439 Speaker 1: perfect pass and I dunk it, and it was like 902 00:42:09,640 --> 00:42:11,719 Speaker 1: it was literally like the way of the world got 903 00:42:11,760 --> 00:42:14,760 Speaker 1: lifted off my shoulders because the fact that my first 904 00:42:14,800 --> 00:42:18,080 Speaker 1: basket was a highlight play made it so that I 905 00:42:18,120 --> 00:42:22,880 Speaker 1: felt confident. And then we ran. Our offense was centered 906 00:42:22,920 --> 00:42:25,719 Speaker 1: around me at the top of the key, working out 907 00:42:25,719 --> 00:42:27,560 Speaker 1: of a triple threat position because I knew I couldn't 908 00:42:27,640 --> 00:42:29,600 Speaker 1: ribble super well, so I worked out of a triple 909 00:42:29,640 --> 00:42:31,920 Speaker 1: threat position, and then they would just put shooters around me, 910 00:42:32,480 --> 00:42:34,440 Speaker 1: and I just started getting the ball from the top 911 00:42:34,440 --> 00:42:36,560 Speaker 1: of the key and just scoring almost every time I 912 00:42:36,560 --> 00:42:38,799 Speaker 1: had the ball, and so I ended up finishing with 913 00:42:38,920 --> 00:42:43,480 Speaker 1: seventeen points in the second half, and then um, the 914 00:42:43,600 --> 00:42:45,839 Speaker 1: next time I played that same team, I had thirty one. 915 00:42:46,400 --> 00:42:49,400 Speaker 1: But like the the the like once I had that 916 00:42:49,520 --> 00:42:51,920 Speaker 1: first dunk, like the way of the world got lifted 917 00:42:51,920 --> 00:42:53,920 Speaker 1: off my shoulders and I felt like a million bucks 918 00:42:53,960 --> 00:42:55,399 Speaker 1: and then I kind of just took off from there. 919 00:42:55,640 --> 00:42:57,520 Speaker 1: But it's crazy how you get You get nervous, and 920 00:42:58,080 --> 00:43:01,239 Speaker 1: you know, basketball game are weird there. So you can 921 00:43:01,280 --> 00:43:03,560 Speaker 1: remember this from when you were playing, Like they're so 922 00:43:03,680 --> 00:43:06,560 Speaker 1: chaotic and like half the time, like the ball go 923 00:43:06,600 --> 00:43:08,279 Speaker 1: in the hoop, and because you're in the rotation or 924 00:43:08,320 --> 00:43:10,279 Speaker 1: you're running from the screen or something, you won't even 925 00:43:10,320 --> 00:43:11,560 Speaker 1: see the ball go through the hoop. All of a sudden, 926 00:43:11,560 --> 00:43:13,520 Speaker 1: you'll just see someone's inbounding and you're like, oh, I 927 00:43:13,560 --> 00:43:15,200 Speaker 1: gotta run the floor, go this way, you know, like 928 00:43:15,200 --> 00:43:18,719 Speaker 1: it it can be very chaotic, And the biggest thing 929 00:43:18,719 --> 00:43:20,719 Speaker 1: that happens after you get a few reps under your 930 00:43:20,760 --> 00:43:22,640 Speaker 1: belt is things start to slow down a little bit 931 00:43:22,640 --> 00:43:24,520 Speaker 1: and you start to actually be aware of what's happening 932 00:43:24,520 --> 00:43:26,719 Speaker 1: around you, you know what I mean. Yeah, that's right, 933 00:43:26,719 --> 00:43:28,480 Speaker 1: and that's how it works. And pickup as well, you 934 00:43:28,480 --> 00:43:30,239 Speaker 1: play a bunch of pickup, you kind of slow down, 935 00:43:30,440 --> 00:43:32,920 Speaker 1: kind of understand your game. Um as well. I remember 936 00:43:32,960 --> 00:43:34,919 Speaker 1: like it was like a home came coming game, I think. 937 00:43:35,160 --> 00:43:36,880 Speaker 1: And again I wasn't in the rotation either. I was 938 00:43:36,920 --> 00:43:38,719 Speaker 1: just kind of a player on the end of the bench, 939 00:43:38,760 --> 00:43:40,680 Speaker 1: but I was in there. And then, uh, I thought 940 00:43:40,680 --> 00:43:42,319 Speaker 1: I was playing well. I thought I was doing you know, 941 00:43:42,520 --> 00:43:43,800 Speaker 1: I thought I was doing good. Like I thought I 942 00:43:43,840 --> 00:43:46,240 Speaker 1: was playing defense in the coach like he like motions 943 00:43:46,320 --> 00:43:48,479 Speaker 1: me to come over to him. He's like, calm down, 944 00:43:49,400 --> 00:43:51,880 Speaker 1: you know, like his hands like this, He's like calmdaw. 945 00:43:52,160 --> 00:43:53,840 Speaker 1: I was like, oh no, I'm okay. He's like, I 946 00:43:53,880 --> 00:43:55,839 Speaker 1: just slow down. I was like all right. So yeah, 947 00:43:55,840 --> 00:43:57,560 Speaker 1: it's just it's just funny to kind of think back 948 00:43:57,600 --> 00:43:59,799 Speaker 1: and yeah, like I don't know, like I used to 949 00:43:59,800 --> 00:44:01,759 Speaker 1: watch wrestling as well, and I kind of got out 950 00:44:01,760 --> 00:44:04,360 Speaker 1: of watching wrestling when I was a kid. But I 951 00:44:04,360 --> 00:44:06,680 Speaker 1: feel like basketball my love for a very long time. 952 00:44:06,760 --> 00:44:08,319 Speaker 1: So I feel like I'm in love forever. So it's 953 00:44:08,360 --> 00:44:10,200 Speaker 1: kind of cool seeing both of us kind of where 954 00:44:10,200 --> 00:44:12,680 Speaker 1: it's going, and uh, our love for the game kind 955 00:44:12,680 --> 00:44:14,880 Speaker 1: of shows and what we talked about in our work 956 00:44:14,960 --> 00:44:17,080 Speaker 1: or and whatever we post. So I hope that kind 957 00:44:17,080 --> 00:44:19,399 Speaker 1: of comes off to everyone as well. For sure. Yeah, 958 00:44:19,600 --> 00:44:21,560 Speaker 1: if there if there's there's no doubt that you can 959 00:44:21,600 --> 00:44:24,040 Speaker 1: count on the fact that we we get we give 960 00:44:24,040 --> 00:44:25,880 Speaker 1: a ship for lack of a better term, and we 961 00:44:25,880 --> 00:44:27,720 Speaker 1: we will watch the film. Like but you and I 962 00:44:27,800 --> 00:44:31,560 Speaker 1: almost almost every regular season game that happens this season, 963 00:44:31,600 --> 00:44:34,480 Speaker 1: you and I will watch twice in all likelihood. Um, 964 00:44:34,520 --> 00:44:37,279 Speaker 1: you know we are going to uh. You know, there 965 00:44:37,280 --> 00:44:39,080 Speaker 1: will be times when we talk about stuff around the 966 00:44:39,120 --> 00:44:41,319 Speaker 1: league where you and I are doing some pontificating on 967 00:44:41,560 --> 00:44:43,920 Speaker 1: little bits of evidence because we haven't watched as much 968 00:44:44,000 --> 00:44:46,200 Speaker 1: as some of the local fans have. But when it 969 00:44:46,200 --> 00:44:47,919 Speaker 1: comes to the Lakers, you can count on the fact 970 00:44:48,080 --> 00:44:50,400 Speaker 1: that we've dug into the numbers, we've dug into the film, 971 00:44:50,560 --> 00:44:53,000 Speaker 1: and we care. And the last thing I'll say is like, 972 00:44:53,040 --> 00:44:57,120 Speaker 1: you know, when I talk about, you know, my playing experience, 973 00:44:57,680 --> 00:44:59,560 Speaker 1: and you I know you feel this way, and I 974 00:44:59,600 --> 00:45:01,520 Speaker 1: know you on staying that, but I want to emphasize 975 00:45:01,520 --> 00:45:04,200 Speaker 1: it to all all of our listeners. It never comes 976 00:45:04,280 --> 00:45:07,319 Speaker 1: from a place of a superiority complex. I don't think 977 00:45:07,320 --> 00:45:09,400 Speaker 1: I'm an NBA player. I don't think I'm close to 978 00:45:09,440 --> 00:45:13,279 Speaker 1: an NBA player. I love the game of basketball, and 979 00:45:13,280 --> 00:45:14,799 Speaker 1: I know I played at a pretty high level. But 980 00:45:14,840 --> 00:45:17,160 Speaker 1: to me, that's just part of my story. It's not 981 00:45:17,440 --> 00:45:20,080 Speaker 1: something that differentiates me. It's not something that makes me 982 00:45:20,160 --> 00:45:23,480 Speaker 1: more intelligent with basketball. I don't think that I have 983 00:45:23,520 --> 00:45:26,080 Speaker 1: a better analysis than you. All it is for me 984 00:45:26,200 --> 00:45:29,520 Speaker 1: is it's my personal story in my personal angle, and 985 00:45:29,640 --> 00:45:32,319 Speaker 1: it's part of the way I see the game. It's 986 00:45:32,360 --> 00:45:35,480 Speaker 1: just unique to me. I will never ever, you know, 987 00:45:35,680 --> 00:45:37,920 Speaker 1: use that as some sort of thing to try to 988 00:45:37,960 --> 00:45:40,879 Speaker 1: put some sort of gap between me and a fan 989 00:45:41,000 --> 00:45:42,759 Speaker 1: or me and someone else. That's just not the way 990 00:45:42,760 --> 00:45:44,719 Speaker 1: that I see it. And I hope people understand that. 991 00:45:44,800 --> 00:45:47,160 Speaker 1: And and you know, when I do talk about this stuff, 992 00:45:47,200 --> 00:45:49,279 Speaker 1: if a lot of times it's just me reminiscenting, you know, 993 00:45:49,440 --> 00:45:52,680 Speaker 1: on the glory day, so to speaking. But but uh, 994 00:45:52,719 --> 00:45:56,160 Speaker 1: but yeah, I'm really really excited to see, um, you know, 995 00:45:57,040 --> 00:45:58,920 Speaker 1: how much more this can grow this year, because it's 996 00:45:58,960 --> 00:46:03,040 Speaker 1: already grown several times over since you and I started. Yeah, yeah, 997 00:46:03,040 --> 00:46:05,040 Speaker 1: I'm excited to do that. Um. And yeah, we're gonna 998 00:46:05,080 --> 00:46:06,880 Speaker 1: get going here pretty soon. We have like two weeks. 999 00:46:07,160 --> 00:46:08,840 Speaker 1: But I hope everyone kind of enjoyed that. I like 1000 00:46:09,080 --> 00:46:11,000 Speaker 1: to know, like where we come from from this, Like 1001 00:46:11,040 --> 00:46:14,120 Speaker 1: where are kind of beliefs kind of come from on 1002 00:46:14,160 --> 00:46:16,960 Speaker 1: this and everyone everyone has their own obviously, everyone sees 1003 00:46:17,000 --> 00:46:18,480 Speaker 1: the game their own way, and that's just kind of 1004 00:46:18,480 --> 00:46:20,040 Speaker 1: where we come from and how we see it. And 1005 00:46:20,040 --> 00:46:23,240 Speaker 1: then it kind of um creates how we see, um everything, 1006 00:46:23,280 --> 00:46:26,600 Speaker 1: how we see life and basketball. So UM, I think 1007 00:46:26,640 --> 00:46:28,719 Speaker 1: I think this is just interesting for for us again 1008 00:46:28,719 --> 00:46:31,040 Speaker 1: into that and have the have the listeners know that 1009 00:46:31,239 --> 00:46:33,839 Speaker 1: for sure, exactly. All right, guys, we're gonna we're gonna 1010 00:46:33,840 --> 00:46:36,200 Speaker 1: get out of here and get to work for the 1011 00:46:36,200 --> 00:46:38,640 Speaker 1: rest of the day. But we appreciate your supports. Sincerely. 1012 00:46:38,640 --> 00:46:41,040 Speaker 1: I will be putting this on our podcast feed shortly 1013 00:46:41,080 --> 00:46:43,160 Speaker 1: and we will see you guys next week and Roger 1014 00:46:43,200 --> 00:46:45,040 Speaker 1: we'll talk, but we'll probably end up doing some sort 1015 00:46:45,080 --> 00:46:48,879 Speaker 1: of more comprehensive season preview here in the next year. Alright, brother, 1016 00:46:48,920 --> 00:46:51,239 Speaker 1: have a good day. We'll see you guys later. Appreciate it. 1017 00:46:51,239 --> 00:46:51,800 Speaker 1: Thanks everyone,