WEBVTT - Curry Hurt, Russ Off the Bench, and More!

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<v Speaker 1>You're tuned into Heat Check with Triste Quick.

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<v Speaker 2>On this episode of the Heat Check, we got some

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<v Speaker 2>breaking news out of Golden State, Baby and our dubs.

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<v Speaker 2>Our dubs have received a blow. It's not good Steph

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<v Speaker 2>Curry with a labrum injury to his shoulder. I get

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<v Speaker 2>into some soccer and the NBA as well. You'll have

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<v Speaker 2>to listen because it's kind of hard to describe. I

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<v Speaker 2>talk about Russell Westbrook's resurrection and how pretty much everyone

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<v Speaker 2>is avoiding talking about it because it doesn't fit the

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<v Speaker 2>narrative that they thought about him. We go into the

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<v Speaker 2>Charlotte Hornets and head coach Steve Clifford blowing the team

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<v Speaker 2>pretty much up, throwing them under the bus because I

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<v Speaker 2>don't know they stink at defense. And then we remember

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<v Speaker 2>one of the old school OG's Hall of Fame player

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<v Speaker 2>coach Paul Silas rest in peace hold out to Covernick.

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<v Speaker 2>So drop that beat before we start the podcast, just

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<v Speaker 2>to quick alert and FYI a PSA if you will.

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<v Speaker 2>My dnnis says I'm not wearing my visilin enough tisk tisk,

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<v Speaker 2>So I'm gonna wear it on the episode because when

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<v Speaker 2>I take it off, I forget to put it back in.

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<v Speaker 2>Then my teeth move. So if I say anything out

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<v Speaker 2>of pocket, or if I sound like I've got a

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<v Speaker 2>lisp like a fourteen year old boy, forgive me. So

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<v Speaker 2>let's move forward. Things are going from bad to worse

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<v Speaker 2>in Golden State. Our Dubs just keep taking blow after blow.

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<v Speaker 2>Hate to see that. I'm not talking about their horrible

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<v Speaker 2>road record either. They are two and thirteen currently on

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<v Speaker 2>the road this year, second worst in the NBA. Actually,

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<v Speaker 2>if you can believe it, never fear our Dubs. They

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<v Speaker 2>will come. Road defensive efficiency a shocking one eighteen point

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<v Speaker 2>eight that is bottom three in the league as well.

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<v Speaker 2>These Dubs, our Dubs can't seem to win outside of

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<v Speaker 2>the Chase Center. And now another blow. Steph Curry, the

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<v Speaker 2>man who has been pulling this team together on his

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<v Speaker 2>back MVP campaign level numbers out at least at least

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<v Speaker 2>is the critical component three weeks according to THEO this

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<v Speaker 2>is the bomb. This is the sound of the wosh

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<v Speaker 2>bomb Golden State. Steph Curry is expected to miss a

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<v Speaker 2>few weeks with his left shoulder injury. Sources tell that

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<v Speaker 2>was one of those invisiline moments. Sources tell ESPN Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.

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<v Speaker 2>Let's just say he is out three weeks. That's the

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<v Speaker 2>number that would put him on target for a Thursday

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<v Speaker 2>Night TNT game against the Phoenix Suns on jail Anuary tenth.

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<v Speaker 2>Between now and the earliest expected time, Let's go through

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<v Speaker 2>their next ten games, shall we. The Warriors start with

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<v Speaker 2>at Philadelphia, at Toronto, at New York, at Brooklyn, Memphis, Charlotte, Utah, Portland,

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<v Speaker 2>Atlanta and Detroit. Boy, that is a tough slog without

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<v Speaker 2>your primary score, and with Jordan Poole in a slump

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<v Speaker 2>and Andrew Wiggins facing his own set of injuries. Oh boy,

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<v Speaker 2>that team could be three and seven in its next

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<v Speaker 2>ten and that would not be a surprise. Three is seven.

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<v Speaker 2>That is a tough spot. Golden State fourteen and fifteen

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<v Speaker 2>right now at the moment, could be looking at a

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<v Speaker 2>two and eight stretch without staff. That will put them

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<v Speaker 2>squarely at sixteen and twenty three, which would be at

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<v Speaker 2>that particular moment on life support. Not saying that's forever,

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<v Speaker 2>but that is at least three weeks. There could be

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<v Speaker 2>more issues coming Labram issues if he needs to get surgery,

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<v Speaker 2>for example, on a torn labrum. That would be bad.

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<v Speaker 2>That would be one of those Steph breaks his hand,

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<v Speaker 2>Put yourself in a suitcase and go home kind of moment.

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<v Speaker 2>It's hard out here for us Dubs fans, just when

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<v Speaker 2>we think we're back, just when we think the dominance

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<v Speaker 2>continues and the dynasty just persists, sometimes it just happens

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<v Speaker 2>like that. But we will persevere, will we not? Remember?

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<v Speaker 2>The only time we go blooded or out is when

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<v Speaker 2>we're out, and when there is a cold, dead body.

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<v Speaker 2>Last time I checked, the Dubs are still alive and kicking.

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<v Speaker 2>Check back in in April. But if Steph is out

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<v Speaker 2>any longer, even I lifelong Dubs fan will start to

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<v Speaker 2>feel a little weary. People were slandering Russell Westbrook, weren't they.

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<v Speaker 2>They were saying some mean things. They were saying he

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<v Speaker 2>was gonna be waved. They were saying he was never

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<v Speaker 2>gonna play basketball ever again. They were saying so many jokes,

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<v Speaker 2>angry comments, slander libel. People said he would never come

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<v Speaker 2>off the bench. Everyone said, oh, if he does come

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<v Speaker 2>off the bench, he's not gonna be happy. He's gonna

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<v Speaker 2>fake an injury. Everyone said, oh, yeah, if he continues

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<v Speaker 2>to be off the bench, comes off the bench and

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<v Speaker 2>he's happy. He'll suck fair fair warning. What do they

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<v Speaker 2>say like a just for full disclosure? That was me

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<v Speaker 2>as well. I said that as well. Those comments, those predictions,

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<v Speaker 2>they were wrong, wrong and wrong, and I think that

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<v Speaker 2>needs to be discussed the media, NBA fans, we have

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<v Speaker 2>a narrative and no matter what happens, we stick to

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<v Speaker 2>that narrative. Right, we have struck out on Russ, and honestly,

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<v Speaker 2>like I liked Peak Russ, I did. I'm stoked that

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<v Speaker 2>Russ is having this re emergence. I am as he

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<v Speaker 2>as someone who gets considered to be a hater. I

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<v Speaker 2>like this version of Russ and it made me think,

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<v Speaker 2>why do we treat Russ like he's been posting things

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<v Speaker 2>that are anti Semitic on the internet. Why do we

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<v Speaker 2>treat Russ like he coughed on a microphone, gave the

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<v Speaker 2>entire NBA COVID and then started liking tweets from Elon

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<v Speaker 2>Musk about prosecuting Fauci being his name designation. Russ has

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<v Speaker 2>done nothing but ball. Even when he's stunk, all he

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<v Speaker 2>did was ball. He's coming off the bench for twenty

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<v Speaker 2>three games now, averaging twenty eight, fifteen, six and eight

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<v Speaker 2>twenty eight minutes, fifteen points, six rebounds, eight assists with

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<v Speaker 2>one and a half steals and blocks per game. That's ridiculous.

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<v Speaker 2>He had a seven game stretch where he shot fifty

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<v Speaker 2>percent or better from three from three people. He was

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<v Speaker 2>a brick layer, and all of a sudden, he's Steph

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<v Speaker 2>Curry when he comes off the bench. He's come back

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<v Speaker 2>to Earth, of course, because he's not really a great

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<v Speaker 2>three point shooter thirty one percent, but he's shooting better

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<v Speaker 2>than Trey Yung. How about that? Way ahead of where

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<v Speaker 2>he was as a starter. And guess what the best

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<v Speaker 2>thing is. He's happy, he's smiling, he's living in his hometown.

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<v Speaker 2>His family is in his hometown, his friends are there.

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<v Speaker 2>And that coincides, folks, with the Lakers actually being five

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<v Speaker 2>hundred with the real shot to make the play in tournament.

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<v Speaker 2>And who saw that coming? Who did you see it coming?

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<v Speaker 2>Because I didn't see that coming. And now Sam Ammick

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<v Speaker 2>is saying, but because of this very good play off

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<v Speaker 2>the bench, he's the leader in the clubhouse plus one

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<v Speaker 2>ninety to win six Man of the Year. Wait, excuse me.

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<v Speaker 2>The John Havlicek Award which quickly. They already gave the

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<v Speaker 2>MVP with Michael Jordan's face and body on it to

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<v Speaker 2>Jokic today. They made it, created it, shoved it down

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<v Speaker 2>our throats, and then gave it to him. Amazing. Darvin Haam,

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<v Speaker 2>of course, deserves credit for this Russell Westbrook adjustment. But

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<v Speaker 2>what's interesting is the Amex article sort of says, the

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<v Speaker 2>insiders believe that Russ is going to improve from here

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<v Speaker 2>moving forward, and we all love a redemption story unless

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<v Speaker 2>it's somebody that we already hated. Let's face facts, that's

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<v Speaker 2>what it is, right Like, you can't redeem yourself if

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<v Speaker 2>we've always hated you. And that's what's happening to Rust

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<v Speaker 2>right now. I don't understand it because I was never

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<v Speaker 2>a Russ hater, and then I was like, yeah, he

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<v Speaker 2>stinks right now he's making forty seven million dollars a year,

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<v Speaker 2>but like we treat him like villain, We treat him

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<v Speaker 2>like one of the worst humans on earth. We won't

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<v Speaker 2>give Russ any credit. Have you seen NBA today or

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<v Speaker 2>for take or NBA radio be like, hey, by the way,

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<v Speaker 2>Russ is on an absolute heater right now, responsible for

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<v Speaker 2>the Lakers winning No No because why we're treating him

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<v Speaker 2>like he went one hundred and fifty five miles per

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<v Speaker 2>hour in a thirty in a school zone on Mollie.

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<v Speaker 2>That's how we treat him. All he was doing was

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<v Speaker 2>playing hoops and wasn't in making bricking a lot of

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<v Speaker 2>shots hitting the side of the backboard. That's all he's

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<v Speaker 2>been doing. Damn. It's like the narratives. Once. Once those

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<v Speaker 2>narratives are over, we just pretend that they never existed,

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<v Speaker 2>and then we wait in the shadows and we hide

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<v Speaker 2>in the weeds until Russ starts playing bad again, and

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<v Speaker 2>then we're like, yop, we said it. Russ stinks. You

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<v Speaker 2>see it. Four games in a row, Oh for seventeen

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<v Speaker 2>fifteen turnovers like yo yo yo, yo yo. Twenty five

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<v Speaker 2>games now Russ has been balling. You wait to talk

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<v Speaker 2>about Russ for those five games. Media is fucked up, man,

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<v Speaker 2>The media is fucked up. I am happy for us.

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<v Speaker 2>He went from one of the biggest names MVP in

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<v Speaker 2>the NBA on a team that was sixth in the West,

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<v Speaker 2>first time ever that he wins the MVP. He's getting

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<v Speaker 2>triple double after triple double, just every damn night, he's

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<v Speaker 2>getting one and people are saying he's unemployable. Unemployable. We've

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<v Speaker 2>got people out here that you don't even know their

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<v Speaker 2>name with jobs in the NBA. We got Drew U

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<v Speaker 2>Banks out here getting minutes, no shade, Drew U Banks

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<v Speaker 2>ten day God, But like, are you serious? And now

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<v Speaker 2>he's a lock for the sixth Man of the year.

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<v Speaker 2>It's a cold game out here. It's a cold game.

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<v Speaker 2>It's a redemption arc. I am getting behind and if

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<v Speaker 2>you don't get behind it, it's because you never liked

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<v Speaker 2>Russ in the first place. I've been stunned by this development.

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<v Speaker 2>As a lifelong basketball fan, I think I'm in love

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<v Speaker 2>with soccer. I am never like soccer in my life

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<v Speaker 2>except for during World Cup time. But I think it

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<v Speaker 2>has stuck. I think the soccer bug is in my system,

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<v Speaker 2>and I think it's I think it's terminal. I do

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<v Speaker 2>because why it reminds me of hoops. It reminds me

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<v Speaker 2>of hoops. I've been watching the World Cup right like

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of people, and I'm not gonna pretend I'm

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<v Speaker 2>some kind of soccer guru, because I'm not. I like, no,

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<v Speaker 2>almost nothing. I don't know. I don't know what words mean.

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<v Speaker 2>I don't know what player positions are. All I know

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<v Speaker 2>is what my two basketball minded eyeball see, and I

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<v Speaker 2>love it. And I have loved this knockout stage. There's

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<v Speaker 2>just something about the passion and the pageantry that has

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<v Speaker 2>sucked me in. Never mind all the human rights abuses

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<v Speaker 2>and probably killing a journalist for making a statement about

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<v Speaker 2>you know, love is love. Who knows? We're gonna just

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<v Speaker 2>put that to us to the side for a second.

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<v Speaker 2>Rest in peace to Grant Wall in all seriousness, he

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<v Speaker 2>was not absolute awesome dude. But if you watch hoops carefully,

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<v Speaker 2>you can understand soccer pretty well as well. Right, It's

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<v Speaker 2>like the NBA. It's like spacing and flow and star

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<v Speaker 2>players star studs, just like the association. One of the

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<v Speaker 2>more astounding stats in the NBA. We've talked about this

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<v Speaker 2>before is that no team, no team has won a

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<v Speaker 2>championship without since the late nineteen seventies without a current

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<v Speaker 2>or former starting All Star on the team. Think about that.

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<v Speaker 2>That's crazy. If you don't have an All Star who

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<v Speaker 2>started in an All Star Game, either either last year

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<v Speaker 2>or in previous years, you are cooked. And that's pretty

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<v Speaker 2>much the same with soccer as well. Without a world

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<v Speaker 2>class goal scorer, bucket getter, striker. US men's national team

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<v Speaker 2>absolutely cooked. They have talent. But I could tell very quickly,

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<v Speaker 2>oh boy, this team with Christian policit they're not the one.

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<v Speaker 2>He's not the one. He's no cold blooded killer. He

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<v Speaker 2>doesn't want no smoke. He doesn't have it like that.

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<v Speaker 2>He doesn't even me, the rube that I am about soccer,

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<v Speaker 2>could tell, oh, no, we don't have what's this kid's name,

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<v Speaker 2>Memphis de Pay. We don't have a Memphis Depay. I

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<v Speaker 2>just learned about him and I was like, he's much

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<v Speaker 2>better than our best guy. Like you could just tell

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<v Speaker 2>that when we lost to Hall and it was very

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<v Speaker 2>clear he's very good. He's pretty good. No shade to

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<v Speaker 2>Christian Polisic, the darling of US men's soccer. Our standards

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<v Speaker 2>are much lower than the rest of the world in

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<v Speaker 2>terms of what we need in order to extend and

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<v Speaker 2>improve our game. But we don't have a Christian all Ronaldo.

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<v Speaker 2>We don't. We don't have a messy. We do not

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<v Speaker 2>we don't have a Harry Kane. Holland striker. Memphis to

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<v Speaker 2>Pay is probably my new favorite player, Like I loved

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<v Speaker 2>him and the US Hall went home obviously round of sixteen,

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<v Speaker 2>because that the jig was up when Polisic had the

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<v Speaker 2>opportunity to score five minutes into the game, pretty much

0:14:22.640 --> 0:14:28.080
<v Speaker 2>one on one and all of a sudden couldn't get

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<v Speaker 2>it out. There's no shade, no shade, but it was.

0:14:30.960 --> 0:14:34.320
<v Speaker 2>It was not something that a cold boy killer would

0:14:34.360 --> 0:14:37.680
<v Speaker 2>have done. And the US has never really had a

0:14:37.680 --> 0:14:41.040
<v Speaker 2>true killer since Landon Donovan. So they say, I don't

0:14:41.080 --> 0:14:43.160
<v Speaker 2>know a lot about land and Donovan, but I hear

0:14:43.200 --> 0:14:45.760
<v Speaker 2>he was a stone cold killer. And just like the

0:14:45.880 --> 0:14:49.440
<v Speaker 2>NBA contender needs a bucke getter, soccer team that wants

0:14:49.480 --> 0:14:52.200
<v Speaker 2>to move on needs a relentless finisher as well. So

0:14:52.280 --> 0:14:56.360
<v Speaker 2>all of this is a large setup to say I've

0:14:56.400 --> 0:15:01.280
<v Speaker 2>been thinking about star players in soccer and the expectations

0:15:01.320 --> 0:15:04.000
<v Speaker 2>put on them, and then the star players in basketball

0:15:04.160 --> 0:15:06.640
<v Speaker 2>and the expectations put on them. Right, So I was

0:15:06.640 --> 0:15:10.480
<v Speaker 2>thinking about Messi and all the expectations on him, Rinaldo

0:15:11.280 --> 0:15:13.960
<v Speaker 2>doing a little googling. Then that led me to the

0:15:14.040 --> 0:15:17.080
<v Speaker 2>rabbit hole that is Lebron James and all the expectations

0:15:17.080 --> 0:15:20.200
<v Speaker 2>put on him that he's surpassed time after Tom, which

0:15:20.240 --> 0:15:26.280
<v Speaker 2>got me thinking about Victor Wamanyama. I know it's a reach.

0:15:26.600 --> 0:15:30.320
<v Speaker 2>Let me explain. Probably like only a few players in

0:15:30.400 --> 0:15:33.360
<v Speaker 2>history have had as much expectations as Christiano Ronaldo. Right

0:15:34.840 --> 0:15:37.440
<v Speaker 2>since he burst on the scene as a teenager, people

0:15:37.440 --> 0:15:41.280
<v Speaker 2>were tabbing him as the next best thing, just like

0:15:41.440 --> 0:15:45.320
<v Speaker 2>Lebron the kid from Akron twenty years ago. This week,

0:15:45.320 --> 0:15:47.560
<v Speaker 2>as you know, Lebron burst on the scene on the

0:15:47.600 --> 0:15:51.000
<v Speaker 2>national stage with his first ESPN television game, leading Saint

0:15:51.040 --> 0:15:53.680
<v Speaker 2>Mary's to a win over the number one high school

0:15:53.680 --> 0:15:57.400
<v Speaker 2>team in the nation. As an aside, which is crazy,

0:15:57.640 --> 0:16:01.480
<v Speaker 2>think about this years ago to the day that was

0:16:01.560 --> 0:16:05.120
<v Speaker 2>Lebron's first high school game that was televised, and this

0:16:05.160 --> 0:16:10.960
<v Speaker 2>week as well, the same anniversary, Lebron James's kid played

0:16:11.000 --> 0:16:14.960
<v Speaker 2>against Carmelo's kid on ESPN in a high school game.

0:16:15.080 --> 0:16:19.680
<v Speaker 2>It's fucking nuts. That's fucking nuts. Anyway, moving on back

0:16:19.760 --> 0:16:23.640
<v Speaker 2>to Renaldo and Lebron. At aged eighteen, they were on

0:16:23.680 --> 0:16:26.960
<v Speaker 2>every magazine cover with the highest expectations that you could

0:16:27.000 --> 0:16:30.240
<v Speaker 2>put on any individual in the world, more famous than

0:16:30.280 --> 0:16:34.280
<v Speaker 2>anyone in sports. They became internationally famous before they could

0:16:34.600 --> 0:16:38.880
<v Speaker 2>legitimately drink in America. As an aside, Lebron James has

0:16:38.920 --> 0:16:42.479
<v Speaker 2>like almost a half a billion followers on Instagram. Ronaldo

0:16:42.600 --> 0:16:46.480
<v Speaker 2>I think has like three hundred million. Just crazy stuff, right,

0:16:46.960 --> 0:16:50.000
<v Speaker 2>And they both went out and did the incredible despite

0:16:50.000 --> 0:16:53.000
<v Speaker 2>the insane hype. They didn't just meet them. They didn't

0:16:53.000 --> 0:16:58.960
<v Speaker 2>just meet the expectations, they exceeded them soundly. Right, that's insane.

0:16:59.080 --> 0:17:01.560
<v Speaker 2>We had expectations that Lebron was going to be the

0:17:01.560 --> 0:17:05.240
<v Speaker 2>next Michael Jordan, right, the kid from Akron maybe was

0:17:05.280 --> 0:17:08.679
<v Speaker 2>gonna at seventeen enter the Draft before high school was

0:17:08.760 --> 0:17:10.280
<v Speaker 2>even over. That was what he was trying to do.

0:17:10.320 --> 0:17:11.919
<v Speaker 2>When I was in high school, I remember that he

0:17:11.960 --> 0:17:13.800
<v Speaker 2>was trying to break the rules and go his senior

0:17:13.920 --> 0:17:16.440
<v Speaker 2>year and we're like, oh my god, how good could

0:17:16.440 --> 0:17:18.720
<v Speaker 2>he be in order to do that? Blah blah blah,

0:17:18.760 --> 0:17:24.359
<v Speaker 2>And all of a sudden, from year one, it was instantaneously, Yes,

0:17:24.680 --> 0:17:27.840
<v Speaker 2>he's that guy. He is him. You can make the

0:17:27.840 --> 0:17:30.280
<v Speaker 2>Hall of Fame and still be a disappointment, and he

0:17:30.440 --> 0:17:34.800
<v Speaker 2>is obviously he's what thirty seven years old, almost thirty eight,

0:17:35.000 --> 0:17:40.359
<v Speaker 2>and he has continued continued to deliver when he should

0:17:40.400 --> 0:17:43.840
<v Speaker 2>be in an NBA old folks home, he should be

0:17:43.840 --> 0:17:47.360
<v Speaker 2>getting his NBA Aari peep card his NBA pension fund

0:17:47.480 --> 0:17:50.840
<v Speaker 2>right now, and he is continuing to be transcendent. Bron

0:17:50.920 --> 0:17:55.320
<v Speaker 2>is transcendent. Rinaldo transcendent, so is Messi, so is neymar

0:17:55.440 --> 0:17:59.440
<v Speaker 2>so is Imbape. Kobe Jordan rare enough to be known

0:17:59.480 --> 0:18:03.000
<v Speaker 2>by one name, right, which is what brings me to Victor.

0:18:03.680 --> 0:18:07.000
<v Speaker 2>We're already calling it brick for Vic right, tank for

0:18:07.119 --> 0:18:12.160
<v Speaker 2>Wambanyama eighteen years old, seven to four, already been called

0:18:12.280 --> 0:18:18.080
<v Speaker 2>the best NBA prospect in NBA history, better than Braun

0:18:18.640 --> 0:18:22.720
<v Speaker 2>Right now, the hype on Victor Wembaniana is higher than

0:18:22.920 --> 0:18:26.720
<v Speaker 2>Lebron James. Maybe it's social media, maybe it's the time

0:18:26.760 --> 0:18:28.680
<v Speaker 2>that we're in. Maybe it's the fact that Lebron James

0:18:28.760 --> 0:18:34.320
<v Speaker 2>delivered on that. But talk about insane expectations. No one

0:18:34.359 --> 0:18:37.280
<v Speaker 2>in Hoop since Lebron James, Ronaldo and Messi and soccer

0:18:37.640 --> 0:18:41.159
<v Speaker 2>have had that kind of weight on them. None before

0:18:41.240 --> 0:18:44.720
<v Speaker 2>playing a pro game. Victor Womaniana is playing pro in France.

0:18:44.760 --> 0:18:46.760
<v Speaker 2>But you know what I'm talking about this game right.

0:18:47.200 --> 0:18:50.600
<v Speaker 2>Tony Parker has seen this up close and personal. Parker

0:18:50.800 --> 0:18:53.720
<v Speaker 2>was born in Belgium, grew up in France, became an

0:18:53.760 --> 0:18:56.800
<v Speaker 2>All Star and an NBA champion in San Antonio. He's

0:18:56.840 --> 0:18:58.919
<v Speaker 2>known Victor since he burst on the scene, right, so

0:18:59.000 --> 0:19:02.639
<v Speaker 2>he said in a recent INNA this My advice to

0:19:02.720 --> 0:19:07.320
<v Speaker 2>Victor is to make sure he has his own expectations,

0:19:07.960 --> 0:19:10.800
<v Speaker 2>because it's impossible to please everyone. Everyone's gonna think, oh yeah,

0:19:10.840 --> 0:19:12.960
<v Speaker 2>you should play like this, Oh yeah, you should play

0:19:13.000 --> 0:19:17.280
<v Speaker 2>like Kevin Durant. Just be you, though, have your own expectations.

0:19:17.480 --> 0:19:19.879
<v Speaker 2>Very yoda, very yoda of Tony Parker. Don't you agree?

0:19:19.920 --> 0:19:25.040
<v Speaker 2>I do tremendous advice because while I just watched Messy

0:19:25.560 --> 0:19:29.440
<v Speaker 2>dribble through traffic hit his teammate with an absolute nasty

0:19:29.600 --> 0:19:33.399
<v Speaker 2>dime to give Argentina a goal against Croatias Croatia, And

0:19:33.440 --> 0:19:37.919
<v Speaker 2>I asked myself, how great does Victor Wanbayama have to

0:19:38.080 --> 0:19:44.119
<v Speaker 2>be in order to exceed those more than Lebron James expectations?

0:19:44.400 --> 0:19:45.720
<v Speaker 2>And the answer is, I think he has to be

0:19:45.720 --> 0:19:48.480
<v Speaker 2>the best player of all time. I think he has

0:19:48.480 --> 0:19:50.480
<v Speaker 2>to be the best player of our generation, at least

0:19:50.560 --> 0:19:54.000
<v Speaker 2>of his generation. The hype, I believe is that big.

0:19:55.600 --> 0:19:58.280
<v Speaker 2>And you could say like, oh yeah, yeah, Victor didn't

0:19:58.280 --> 0:20:00.760
<v Speaker 2>ask for this, just like Zions I didn't ask for

0:20:00.880 --> 0:20:02.720
<v Speaker 2>he was on the SI cover, he was supposed to

0:20:02.760 --> 0:20:05.359
<v Speaker 2>be the next Lebron James. He's not saying he's going

0:20:05.400 --> 0:20:09.239
<v Speaker 2>to be the greatest. He's not, but enough people as

0:20:09.280 --> 0:20:14.239
<v Speaker 2>a groundswell are saying it. Enough. People are filming his

0:20:14.440 --> 0:20:18.720
<v Speaker 2>pro games in France on ESPN. Who does that? They're

0:20:18.760 --> 0:20:22.800
<v Speaker 2>only filming his right, it's already fucking up the way

0:20:22.800 --> 0:20:27.560
<v Speaker 2>that we see him. Think pieces are dropping every single

0:20:27.600 --> 0:20:31.600
<v Speaker 2>week about him. They're following his every move. They're saying

0:20:31.600 --> 0:20:34.840
<v Speaker 2>he's going to change the game as we know it, transcendent.

0:20:35.160 --> 0:20:38.800
<v Speaker 2>They call him the unicorn because there's never been anyone

0:20:38.920 --> 0:20:44.520
<v Speaker 2>like them, except for maybe Ralph Sampson. Right, who can

0:20:44.560 --> 0:20:47.200
<v Speaker 2>live up? Can anyone live up to this hype that

0:20:47.280 --> 0:20:52.000
<v Speaker 2>Victor Wamanyama is having right now. Lebron did rinaldo? Did

0:20:52.359 --> 0:20:55.320
<v Speaker 2>un mess? He did? So? Parker had these final words

0:20:55.320 --> 0:20:58.200
<v Speaker 2>to say about Victor. I'm just always worried because people

0:20:58.240 --> 0:21:00.240
<v Speaker 2>are putting him so high. I know, he says he's

0:21:00.320 --> 0:21:03.600
<v Speaker 2>ready and he's ready to take on anything. But people,

0:21:04.320 --> 0:21:06.359
<v Speaker 2>when they put you up so high like this and

0:21:06.400 --> 0:21:09.640
<v Speaker 2>compare him to Lebron and Michael Jordan, it's almost unfair.

0:21:10.480 --> 0:21:13.240
<v Speaker 2>He should have just been hiding in obscurity, just entered

0:21:13.240 --> 0:21:15.480
<v Speaker 2>the draft. No one knows. I mean, we haven't seen

0:21:15.480 --> 0:21:17.960
<v Speaker 2>these seven footers come out of nowhere before. But it

0:21:18.000 --> 0:21:22.120
<v Speaker 2>was like someone discovered him and now he's it. Now

0:21:22.160 --> 0:21:24.080
<v Speaker 2>he is him, and that is the world that we

0:21:24.160 --> 0:21:26.400
<v Speaker 2>live in. It's very unfair. Fair or not, he's going

0:21:26.440 --> 0:21:28.200
<v Speaker 2>to be judged on whether or not he's better than

0:21:29.000 --> 0:21:33.280
<v Speaker 2>what Lebron James became with the expectations, better than Rudy Gobert,

0:21:33.480 --> 0:21:38.760
<v Speaker 2>better than Christabs porzingis, and is he some new variation

0:21:39.119 --> 0:21:41.399
<v Speaker 2>of the greatest player we've ever seen. He'll never be

0:21:41.440 --> 0:21:44.720
<v Speaker 2>compared to a guard, but he will be compared to

0:21:44.800 --> 0:21:48.399
<v Speaker 2>Kevin Durant because he's seven foot tall and he's skinny

0:21:48.400 --> 0:21:51.080
<v Speaker 2>as hell and he shoots threes. Think about Chet Holmgren,

0:21:51.160 --> 0:21:53.800
<v Speaker 2>same thing. Whether he ends up the next Lebron or

0:21:53.800 --> 0:21:56.480
<v Speaker 2>the next Ronaldo remains to be seen. But one thing

0:21:56.600 --> 0:22:00.199
<v Speaker 2>is for sure. Victor Wamanyama cannot be a bust. That

0:22:00.280 --> 0:22:02.200
<v Speaker 2>would be a very very bad thing for the NBA.

0:22:03.000 --> 0:22:05.520
<v Speaker 2>Nobody wants to be dark. Oh, nobody wants to be

0:22:05.600 --> 0:22:11.440
<v Speaker 2>Freddie Adou and God forbid he's like Greg Odin or

0:22:12.119 --> 0:22:31.120
<v Speaker 2>Sam Bouie. That would just be a goddamn shame. Charlotte

0:22:31.119 --> 0:22:35.080
<v Speaker 2>Hornets have slid under the radar. When you're a bad

0:22:35.160 --> 0:22:37.520
<v Speaker 2>team and everyone knows you're gonna be bad, and then

0:22:37.560 --> 0:22:44.280
<v Speaker 2>you are bad, it's like your inadequacies, your mediocrity even worse,

0:22:44.400 --> 0:22:46.760
<v Speaker 2>like the train wreck that is your team, it just

0:22:47.040 --> 0:22:51.440
<v Speaker 2>goes completely unnoticed, doesn't it. They have slid under the radar.

0:22:51.520 --> 0:22:54.320
<v Speaker 2>I think for too long. No one in the NBA

0:22:54.760 --> 0:22:57.680
<v Speaker 2>right now is playing worse defense than the Charlotte Hornets,

0:22:57.680 --> 0:23:01.200
<v Speaker 2>No one. They just they're giving up like one hundred

0:23:01.200 --> 0:23:03.480
<v Speaker 2>and seventeen points per game, one hundred and seventeen point

0:23:03.520 --> 0:23:06.359
<v Speaker 2>seven per game, that is twenty seventh in the NBA.

0:23:06.520 --> 0:23:09.359
<v Speaker 2>They are twenty eighth in the NBA in rebounds allowed,

0:23:09.800 --> 0:23:13.840
<v Speaker 2>twenty fourth in the NBA and assists allowed, twenty fourth

0:23:13.920 --> 0:23:17.320
<v Speaker 2>in the NBA. In opponent field goal percentage, I mean,

0:23:17.320 --> 0:23:19.399
<v Speaker 2>there's not a defensive metric that they do well. If

0:23:19.440 --> 0:23:23.159
<v Speaker 2>you could find one, uh and tell me, let me know.

0:23:23.280 --> 0:23:25.840
<v Speaker 2>They're basically in the bottom quarter in every single category.

0:23:26.640 --> 0:23:29.000
<v Speaker 2>And this is coming off of a season where their

0:23:29.000 --> 0:23:32.480
<v Speaker 2>head coach was fired because they finished twenty seventh in

0:23:32.520 --> 0:23:34.560
<v Speaker 2>the NBA in points given up With you guessed it

0:23:34.880 --> 0:23:38.520
<v Speaker 2>same exact amount, one hundred and seventeen point one points

0:23:38.560 --> 0:23:43.480
<v Speaker 2>per game. So actually are worse this year. They fired

0:23:43.480 --> 0:23:46.879
<v Speaker 2>my man, James Brago Broad and Steve Clifford, and they

0:23:46.920 --> 0:23:51.879
<v Speaker 2>are statistically worse defensively than they were last year. So

0:23:52.040 --> 0:23:54.720
<v Speaker 2>I took a lot of flak because I said that

0:23:54.760 --> 0:23:57.919
<v Speaker 2>the Charlotte Hornets could be the worst team in sports.

0:23:58.240 --> 0:24:01.359
<v Speaker 2>Maybe that's not true, Okay, James Dolan exists, no shade

0:24:01.359 --> 0:24:03.320
<v Speaker 2>to James Dolan. Loved James Dolan, love your work, love

0:24:03.320 --> 0:24:06.600
<v Speaker 2>your music, want to be at MSG. So we're good

0:24:06.600 --> 0:24:10.280
<v Speaker 2>on that. You might say that Dan Snyder is worse,

0:24:10.520 --> 0:24:14.960
<v Speaker 2>totally fair. You might say that Homie from the Suns,

0:24:15.240 --> 0:24:19.280
<v Speaker 2>Robert Sarver, was worse. Okay, but all we know is

0:24:19.320 --> 0:24:22.399
<v Speaker 2>that they're in the dregs, all of them. Michael Jordan

0:24:22.480 --> 0:24:27.160
<v Speaker 2>is in the dregs. But Steve Clifford, new coach Steve Clifford,

0:24:27.160 --> 0:24:29.440
<v Speaker 2>but actually old coach Steve Clifford, because he was a

0:24:29.480 --> 0:24:32.800
<v Speaker 2>head coach there once before, has had enough of the

0:24:32.880 --> 0:24:36.640
<v Speaker 2>Charlotte Hornets bullshit. What did he do? He just destroyed him,

0:24:37.160 --> 0:24:39.520
<v Speaker 2>not just destroyed him on the internet, not just destroyed

0:24:39.600 --> 0:24:41.840
<v Speaker 2>him in private. He decided he was going to do

0:24:41.840 --> 0:24:46.160
<v Speaker 2>a full dress down on video. Yes he did. Last

0:24:46.200 --> 0:24:48.879
<v Speaker 2>night is what happened. Charlotte Hornets went to OT against

0:24:48.880 --> 0:24:54.679
<v Speaker 2>the Pistons, a team without Kid Cunningham. And let me

0:24:54.720 --> 0:24:57.000
<v Speaker 2>remind you he's out for the year now. We should

0:24:57.000 --> 0:24:59.159
<v Speaker 2>probably mention that because last episode we didn't know. In

0:24:59.200 --> 0:25:02.040
<v Speaker 2>fifteen minutes after the episode got recorded, it was announced.

0:25:02.480 --> 0:25:04.080
<v Speaker 2>I hate to see it. That's just life in the

0:25:04.200 --> 0:25:09.960
<v Speaker 2>NBA circles, right, And this was Lamello's return after a

0:25:10.119 --> 0:25:14.320
<v Speaker 2>month on the aisle. Lamo ball fouls out with twenty

0:25:14.400 --> 0:25:18.200
<v Speaker 2>nine point six seconds remaining in regulation and the Hornets crater.

0:25:19.000 --> 0:25:24.439
<v Speaker 2>They lost one forty one thirty four in OT and

0:25:24.520 --> 0:25:29.399
<v Speaker 2>Steve Clifford, I tell you what, he was big mad.

0:25:29.640 --> 0:25:32.399
<v Speaker 2>This is what he did in his postgame presser, pretty

0:25:32.440 --> 0:25:34.280
<v Speaker 2>much blowing up the bridge.

0:25:34.680 --> 0:25:37.520
<v Speaker 1>Until we care about something besides how many points we score,

0:25:37.520 --> 0:25:40.239
<v Speaker 1>we're not gonna win much. Can't play like that. I mean,

0:25:40.280 --> 0:25:44.439
<v Speaker 1>we scored. Our offense was good. That's five of the

0:25:44.480 --> 0:25:46.919
<v Speaker 1>last seven games. We've been pretty good on offense. We

0:25:46.960 --> 0:25:50.320
<v Speaker 1>are playing no defense, not one guy. There's not a

0:25:50.359 --> 0:25:51.240
<v Speaker 1>bright spot.

0:25:51.080 --> 0:25:55.440
<v Speaker 2>Not a bright spot, not one bright spot on defense.

0:25:55.600 --> 0:26:00.240
<v Speaker 2>Not one. That is damning, is it not? When when

0:26:00.240 --> 0:26:04.119
<v Speaker 2>someone says this whole team stinks, and I mean every

0:26:04.200 --> 0:26:07.000
<v Speaker 2>single player, there is not one good player. Like, so

0:26:07.080 --> 0:26:10.119
<v Speaker 2>if you reside on this team, you should know you stink.

0:26:10.200 --> 0:26:12.879
<v Speaker 1>Keep going, pick and roll stuff, all stuff that was good.

0:26:13.680 --> 0:26:15.920
<v Speaker 1>I think we're as high as like twelfth or thirteenth

0:26:16.000 --> 0:26:19.000
<v Speaker 1>in defense about ten games ago, and we're right back

0:26:19.040 --> 0:26:21.080
<v Speaker 1>to where we started, a ground zero. All we want

0:26:21.119 --> 0:26:23.040
<v Speaker 1>to be is let's try to outscore the other teams.

0:26:23.119 --> 0:26:23.880
<v Speaker 1>Doesn't work in the.

0:26:24.080 --> 0:26:27.200
<v Speaker 2>Pause in this game really fast and watching this video

0:26:27.520 --> 0:26:32.960
<v Speaker 2>they shot fifty one threes. Are you serious? They went

0:26:33.160 --> 0:26:38.720
<v Speaker 2>seventeen for fifty one from three. Wow, that's insane.

0:26:38.760 --> 0:26:43.000
<v Speaker 1>Keep GOINGBA unless you're well, actually never works. Okay, So

0:26:44.160 --> 0:26:47.919
<v Speaker 1>what I just told them this is either you build

0:26:47.960 --> 0:26:50.399
<v Speaker 1>a game that will actually work at the end of

0:26:50.400 --> 0:26:52.560
<v Speaker 1>the year when you play the important games, or you don't.

0:26:52.680 --> 0:26:55.560
<v Speaker 1>That's it. That's what the NBA is all about. Okay.

0:26:55.680 --> 0:26:57.719
<v Speaker 1>It's not that we don't have the talent to do it.

0:26:58.160 --> 0:27:01.159
<v Speaker 1>All we care about is scoring. And if you're going

0:27:01.200 --> 0:27:02.960
<v Speaker 1>to try to play like that, you better have like

0:27:03.040 --> 0:27:05.760
<v Speaker 1>five all stars. We don't have that kind of talent.

0:27:06.359 --> 0:27:08.600
<v Speaker 1>So it's not something that will work.

0:27:08.680 --> 0:27:10.840
<v Speaker 2>Did you just say you better have five All Stars?

0:27:10.880 --> 0:27:14.160
<v Speaker 2>Was that a ricochet shot at the Warriors? Warriors play

0:27:14.200 --> 0:27:16.320
<v Speaker 2>some defense now normally not this year work.

0:27:16.440 --> 0:27:18.520
<v Speaker 1>We're either going to decide to get back to playing

0:27:18.600 --> 0:27:22.000
<v Speaker 1>with a defensive effort. It's not that we're not trying

0:27:22.000 --> 0:27:25.920
<v Speaker 1>to win as we go about it all wrong? Okay,

0:27:26.040 --> 0:27:28.600
<v Speaker 1>I mean watch team after team, right, there's always a

0:27:28.640 --> 0:27:31.040
<v Speaker 1>team every year that they get there and what happens.

0:27:31.080 --> 0:27:34.040
<v Speaker 1>They get drilled because they don't have a game. They

0:27:34.080 --> 0:27:36.199
<v Speaker 1>don't have the right kind of game. You can't just

0:27:36.320 --> 0:27:39.560
<v Speaker 1>outscore people in the NBA. You can't. You can't, and

0:27:39.600 --> 0:27:42.000
<v Speaker 1>you can't decide that you're not going to do the

0:27:42.080 --> 0:27:45.600
<v Speaker 1>things that take effort, like rebounding or getting loose balls

0:27:45.680 --> 0:27:47.760
<v Speaker 1>or putting your body in front of the ball. You can't.

0:27:48.080 --> 0:27:50.400
<v Speaker 1>It just doesn't work that way. And that's what we're

0:27:50.400 --> 0:27:51.440
<v Speaker 1>trying to do right now.

0:27:51.640 --> 0:27:57.000
<v Speaker 2>All right, that was a two minute dressed down. The

0:27:57.080 --> 0:28:01.840
<v Speaker 2>question though, that I have is like where has Steve

0:28:01.920 --> 0:28:06.440
<v Speaker 2>Clifford been? You know, like where was he last year?

0:28:08.359 --> 0:28:12.159
<v Speaker 2>Where did what was he doing when the Charlotte Ornets

0:28:12.200 --> 0:28:15.399
<v Speaker 2>gave up one hundred and seventeen point one points per game?

0:28:17.000 --> 0:28:20.280
<v Speaker 2>What did he think was gonna happen? Did he think

0:28:20.280 --> 0:28:22.720
<v Speaker 2>what he was gonna when he took the job, Like, Yeah,

0:28:22.720 --> 0:28:26.720
<v Speaker 2>I'm gonna turn Kelly Ubra into Dennis Robmin What Like?

0:28:28.119 --> 0:28:31.080
<v Speaker 2>Who who told him it was gonna be any different?

0:28:31.119 --> 0:28:33.600
<v Speaker 2>This is this is how they are. This is their

0:28:33.840 --> 0:28:37.800
<v Speaker 2>entire moo. We put up buckets, we show fifty one

0:28:37.840 --> 0:28:40.240
<v Speaker 2>to threes per game. We don't get back on defense.

0:28:40.520 --> 0:28:44.080
<v Speaker 2>We yell at the ref. LaMelo is, legit the only

0:28:44.160 --> 0:28:47.680
<v Speaker 2>player that has any interest in playing defense at all.

0:28:48.240 --> 0:28:50.920
<v Speaker 2>LaMelo says, Oh, yeah, we gotta lock in on defense

0:28:50.960 --> 0:28:53.640
<v Speaker 2>and figure that out. As soon as we do, we

0:28:53.680 --> 0:28:58.520
<v Speaker 2>will turn this thing around. LaMelo ball defensive rating, I'm

0:28:58.560 --> 0:29:03.600
<v Speaker 2>pretty sure is not commensurate with his desire to play defense.

0:29:03.680 --> 0:29:08.080
<v Speaker 2>One hundred and fourteen point three defensive rating for LaMelo Ball.

0:29:08.520 --> 0:29:13.440
<v Speaker 2>So I want to be a supermodel, but you know what,

0:29:13.600 --> 0:29:17.200
<v Speaker 2>I'm five to five. So it's just not happening for

0:29:17.240 --> 0:29:20.320
<v Speaker 2>your girl. And that's what's happening for the Charlotte Hornets.

0:29:20.400 --> 0:29:23.959
<v Speaker 2>You don't have the personnel to play defense. You have

0:29:24.160 --> 0:29:27.640
<v Speaker 2>what we call chuckleheads on your roster, and many of them,

0:29:28.280 --> 0:29:30.680
<v Speaker 2>and you don't have a ton of length and athleticism

0:29:30.760 --> 0:29:34.720
<v Speaker 2>to make up for it on the back end. This

0:29:34.880 --> 0:29:36.640
<v Speaker 2>is like, this is what we've been saying about Charlotte

0:29:36.640 --> 0:29:39.440
<v Speaker 2>for three years. I don't even know why Steve Clifford

0:29:39.960 --> 0:29:42.920
<v Speaker 2>is ranting about this. This is something we just kind

0:29:42.920 --> 0:29:46.960
<v Speaker 2>of all know. The Hornets now seven and twenty one

0:29:47.640 --> 0:29:50.880
<v Speaker 2>worse than the Pistons, meaning currently the Charlotte Hornets have

0:29:50.920 --> 0:29:54.160
<v Speaker 2>the worst record in the NBA, and the Charlotte Observer

0:29:54.240 --> 0:29:56.000
<v Speaker 2>noted that the main reason that they are this bad

0:29:56.160 --> 0:30:01.240
<v Speaker 2>is this. Staying in front of the guy with the ball,

0:30:03.960 --> 0:30:11.040
<v Speaker 2>one of the most basic defensive principles, seems foreign to Charlotte.

0:30:11.640 --> 0:30:16.000
<v Speaker 2>Running back on defense to prevent the easy layup another

0:30:16.200 --> 0:30:24.600
<v Speaker 2>concept seemingly hasn't been introduced. Folks, this is crazy. This

0:30:24.760 --> 0:30:29.640
<v Speaker 2>is so insane, but like absolutely bonker stuff that we

0:30:29.720 --> 0:30:33.400
<v Speaker 2>have to talk about. This the issue. There's no way

0:30:33.400 --> 0:30:36.760
<v Speaker 2>to fix this, Like how do you get a guy

0:30:36.960 --> 0:30:39.920
<v Speaker 2>or a team to buy into defense and just all

0:30:40.000 --> 0:30:43.040
<v Speaker 2>of a sudden start strapping players, Like how do you

0:30:43.040 --> 0:30:46.080
<v Speaker 2>get Terry Rozier to stop being like, yeah, I'm gonna cook.

0:30:46.520 --> 0:30:48.320
<v Speaker 2>How do you stop Kelly Ubre from being like, yeah,

0:30:48.360 --> 0:30:51.920
<v Speaker 2>I cook, I'm a chucker. What I'm gonna play defense.

0:30:52.040 --> 0:30:54.760
<v Speaker 2>Portland's probably the best example, and let's be honest, they're

0:30:54.760 --> 0:31:00.000
<v Speaker 2>not like some juggernaut. For many years, the Portland Trailblazers

0:31:00.080 --> 0:31:04.520
<v Speaker 2>worth thirtieth in defensive rating. They had to blow up

0:31:04.520 --> 0:31:07.240
<v Speaker 2>their fucking roster to do it, too. They had to

0:31:07.280 --> 0:31:11.000
<v Speaker 2>get new guys. Jeremy Grant, Josh Hart, Gary Payton the

0:31:11.040 --> 0:31:13.120
<v Speaker 2>second he's not back yet, but he will be there.

0:31:14.280 --> 0:31:16.479
<v Speaker 2>Niciir little had to get more time. You had to

0:31:16.520 --> 0:31:19.960
<v Speaker 2>move CJ. McCollum. That was an absolute sieve on defense.

0:31:20.200 --> 0:31:22.120
<v Speaker 2>You had to figure out a way to get guys

0:31:22.160 --> 0:31:25.360
<v Speaker 2>to protect Dame Lillard, who's an absolute sieve on defense.

0:31:25.520 --> 0:31:28.920
<v Speaker 2>No shade Dame Lillard, Love you, Dame Lillard. That's prett

0:31:28.960 --> 0:31:31.200
<v Speaker 2>much Charlott's teacher, is it not? Blow it all up?

0:31:31.240 --> 0:31:33.680
<v Speaker 2>Get rid of everyone, get rid of everyone but Lamello

0:31:33.760 --> 0:31:37.080
<v Speaker 2>Ball and protect him with guys who are wings who

0:31:37.120 --> 0:31:40.240
<v Speaker 2>can defend. Figure it out. You're a team that's gonna

0:31:40.240 --> 0:31:42.120
<v Speaker 2>be in the lottery. I don't know. Maybe they'll get

0:31:42.160 --> 0:31:45.680
<v Speaker 2>Victor Wambiniama, which would be a goddamn shame. Clifford ended

0:31:45.680 --> 0:31:49.280
<v Speaker 2>his presser by saying all we want to be is

0:31:49.760 --> 0:31:53.080
<v Speaker 2>let's outscore the other team. That doesn't work in the

0:31:53.200 --> 0:31:56.960
<v Speaker 2>NBA never works. A more true, true statement never been said.

0:31:57.960 --> 0:32:00.680
<v Speaker 2>He might have explained why he's going to be out

0:32:00.680 --> 0:32:04.840
<v Speaker 2>of a job sooner than later. Because if you're allowing

0:32:05.120 --> 0:32:09.920
<v Speaker 2>what like eleven uncontested layups per game to be made,

0:32:10.040 --> 0:32:12.480
<v Speaker 2>I think that's what it is. I mean, you, sir,

0:32:13.200 --> 0:32:17.160
<v Speaker 2>are not doing the very basics of your job. Paul

0:32:17.240 --> 0:32:22.240
<v Speaker 2>Silas an absolute bucket, Hall of Famer father of Rockets

0:32:22.320 --> 0:32:27.400
<v Speaker 2>coach Stephen Silas has passed away. He's passed away this week,

0:32:27.560 --> 0:32:31.600
<v Speaker 2>the age of seventy nine, a little too young. There's

0:32:31.600 --> 0:32:34.720
<v Speaker 2>been a bunch of great restrospectives out there, think pieces

0:32:35.200 --> 0:32:39.600
<v Speaker 2>google him because Silas was an absolute bucket as a player,

0:32:40.000 --> 0:32:43.640
<v Speaker 2>definitely deserving of the Hall of Fame. But for me,

0:32:43.800 --> 0:32:48.080
<v Speaker 2>the thing that's the most interesting about mister Silas is

0:32:48.560 --> 0:32:51.800
<v Speaker 2>he was a cold ass motherfucker. He was stone cold.

0:32:52.200 --> 0:32:57.520
<v Speaker 2>He took shit from absolutely nobody, no one, and I

0:32:57.600 --> 0:33:01.400
<v Speaker 2>could not love it more of old people that don't

0:33:01.400 --> 0:33:04.720
<v Speaker 2>take shit like I love them, like hard rock old

0:33:04.760 --> 0:33:08.000
<v Speaker 2>folks that's like yo, I will I will beat the

0:33:08.080 --> 0:33:11.200
<v Speaker 2>shit out of you. If you wreck on me, that's him.

0:33:11.480 --> 0:33:16.760
<v Speaker 2>There are endless anecdotes about Silas's warm nature, but underneath

0:33:16.800 --> 0:33:20.959
<v Speaker 2>him stone col killer Maurice Lucas said the first time

0:33:21.040 --> 0:33:23.480
<v Speaker 2>he played against Silas as a player, He's like, yeah,

0:33:23.520 --> 0:33:25.680
<v Speaker 2>I line up beside Silas at the start of the game.

0:33:25.760 --> 0:33:28.320
<v Speaker 2>He barely speaks to me. The ref tosses the ball

0:33:28.400 --> 0:33:31.800
<v Speaker 2>up and Silas elbows me in the face, knocks me out.

0:33:32.680 --> 0:33:37.400
<v Speaker 2>That established how I would eventually play. Woo ooh, that's

0:33:37.400 --> 0:33:41.760
<v Speaker 2>like hockey out there. The demeanor also carries over to

0:33:41.760 --> 0:33:45.280
<v Speaker 2>the coaching career, which I think is amazing. According to reports,

0:33:45.640 --> 0:33:49.120
<v Speaker 2>Silas once benched Eric Snow when he didn't come off

0:33:49.160 --> 0:33:51.600
<v Speaker 2>the court fast enough, which is an amazing reason to

0:33:51.680 --> 0:33:55.360
<v Speaker 2>bench a player, and then he banishes him to the

0:33:55.360 --> 0:33:58.960
<v Speaker 2>locker room. Here's another good one. While coaching the Calves,

0:33:59.280 --> 0:34:03.080
<v Speaker 2>Silas gets in to it with forward Ira Nuby, a

0:34:03.080 --> 0:34:05.160
<v Speaker 2>former Hawk he wanted to play against his old team

0:34:05.160 --> 0:34:07.280
<v Speaker 2>in Atlanta, but did not see the court at all.

0:34:08.520 --> 0:34:11.440
<v Speaker 2>Paul Sillis was like, absolutely not so Newby comes after

0:34:11.520 --> 0:34:17.160
<v Speaker 2>Silas right, and the altercation ends with Silas chasing Newby

0:34:17.360 --> 0:34:22.239
<v Speaker 2>down the hall while screaming at nuby that he was

0:34:22.280 --> 0:34:28.360
<v Speaker 2>a hip hop motherfucker finally the best one. Talking about Charlotte.

0:34:28.440 --> 0:34:31.680
<v Speaker 2>He was coaching Charlotte in twenty twelve, so he gets

0:34:31.680 --> 0:34:35.279
<v Speaker 2>into it with Bobcats player there the Bobcats at the time,

0:34:35.600 --> 0:34:41.400
<v Speaker 2>Ty Thomas pins this dude up against a locker. Why

0:34:42.719 --> 0:34:45.000
<v Speaker 2>what did he do? It was sogregeous, you might ask.

0:34:45.400 --> 0:34:49.600
<v Speaker 2>He was too friendly to the opposing team after a loss.

0:34:50.120 --> 0:34:54.040
<v Speaker 2>Did I mention Silas was sixty eight at the time.

0:34:55.960 --> 0:35:00.279
<v Speaker 2>Do you know how cold and mean and ruthless to

0:35:00.360 --> 0:35:04.239
<v Speaker 2>be to pin a young man up that you are

0:35:04.280 --> 0:35:09.640
<v Speaker 2>coaching up against a locker at sixty eight years old

0:35:09.960 --> 0:35:16.000
<v Speaker 2>for something just kind of normal about the NBA? Insane.

0:35:16.160 --> 0:35:20.600
<v Speaker 2>Another time, while coaching in Charlotte, seven foot center Disagona

0:35:20.719 --> 0:35:25.600
<v Speaker 2>d'op dropped the N word in practice, Silas immediately stopped practice.

0:35:26.080 --> 0:35:29.160
<v Speaker 2>And remember Diop is from West Senegal or Senegal in

0:35:29.160 --> 0:35:32.799
<v Speaker 2>West Africa. Excuse me, so English was like his second language,

0:35:33.080 --> 0:35:35.880
<v Speaker 2>and he says, I used the N word when I

0:35:35.920 --> 0:35:38.439
<v Speaker 2>was at school at Oak Hill Academy, but I didn't

0:35:38.480 --> 0:35:40.719
<v Speaker 2>really know the meaning behind it. And Coach Silence went

0:35:40.760 --> 0:35:42.800
<v Speaker 2>on to tell me the history the ugliness of the

0:35:42.840 --> 0:35:46.719
<v Speaker 2>word and how it affected him while growing up. Big

0:35:46.760 --> 0:35:50.600
<v Speaker 2>shout out to Paul Silas. What a what an interesting

0:35:50.640 --> 0:35:54.239
<v Speaker 2>collection of anecdotes. And what I loved about all the anecdotes,

0:35:54.560 --> 0:35:59.720
<v Speaker 2>Nubie Thomas d'opp They all loved him. They weren't wrecking

0:35:59.760 --> 0:36:02.680
<v Speaker 2>his name when they told these stories. They were friendly

0:36:02.719 --> 0:36:05.400
<v Speaker 2>with him, They were tight with him. They said he

0:36:05.600 --> 0:36:08.400
<v Speaker 2>Knubi said, he's one of the coaches I treasure and

0:36:08.440 --> 0:36:12.600
<v Speaker 2>I appreciate playing for the most. The guy who called

0:36:12.680 --> 0:36:14.640
<v Speaker 2>him the hip hop motherfucker and chased him down the hall.

0:36:14.719 --> 0:36:18.399
<v Speaker 2>That's like one of his favorite coaches. Like, imagine being

0:36:18.480 --> 0:36:21.319
<v Speaker 2>chased by an irate coach and it's like, yeah, that's

0:36:21.320 --> 0:36:23.400
<v Speaker 2>the best coach I've ever played for. He must have

0:36:23.480 --> 0:36:26.760
<v Speaker 2>been awesome and other ways. His legacy lives on. Following

0:36:26.760 --> 0:36:31.360
<v Speaker 2>the Rocket's recent victory over the Suns, Manni Williams embraced

0:36:31.400 --> 0:36:34.040
<v Speaker 2>Steven Silas, which, by the way, you had to know

0:36:34.080 --> 0:36:35.960
<v Speaker 2>that the Rockets were gonna win that game. He had

0:36:36.040 --> 0:36:39.600
<v Speaker 2>just come back from a one game bereavement leave and

0:36:39.680 --> 0:36:42.680
<v Speaker 2>on the verge of breaking down. MANI held his embrace

0:36:43.040 --> 0:36:47.719
<v Speaker 2>and Silas just melted into his arms. Nothing would have

0:36:47.719 --> 0:36:50.960
<v Speaker 2>made Paul Silas more proud of Mani and Steven than that,

0:36:51.120 --> 0:36:55.000
<v Speaker 2>So rip to an NBA legend. That is all the

0:36:55.040 --> 0:36:56.560
<v Speaker 2>time that we have for The Heat Check will be

0:36:56.600 --> 0:37:00.480
<v Speaker 2>back Monday night, so Tuesday morning with an all new episodes.

0:37:00.719 --> 0:37:03.319
<v Speaker 2>Check out the feed for past episodes and past many

0:37:03.360 --> 0:37:06.719
<v Speaker 2>episodes for pretty much dropping every day follow the Heat Check.

0:37:06.760 --> 0:37:10.440
<v Speaker 2>We are full swing right now. The NBA is hot, hot, hot,

0:37:10.719 --> 0:37:13.560
<v Speaker 2>Do not forget to download, please subscribe, Please tell your friends,

0:37:14.040 --> 0:37:16.840
<v Speaker 2>every single one of them, every single NBA fan. The

0:37:17.000 --> 0:37:19.560
<v Speaker 2>NFL season is coming to a close, so it is

0:37:19.600 --> 0:37:21.319
<v Speaker 2>time for you to get up on the NBA and

0:37:21.440 --> 0:37:23.440
<v Speaker 2>follow us at social ad, at this heat Check, and

0:37:23.480 --> 0:37:26.640
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0:37:27.080 --> 0:37:27.680
<v Speaker 2>Knuckle ahead,