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Speaker 1: Hey, welcome in. I'm Doug goli Man. You have downloaded,

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Speaker 1: subscribed it rated all all basketball, all the time. Now,

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Speaker 1: my guest this week is a mere Johnson. May pump

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Speaker 1: out another pot or two here as we're getting ready

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Speaker 1: for the quarantine Bubble basketball games Thursday, we'll see our

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Speaker 1: first kind of scrimmages from the bubble, which we should

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Speaker 1: be fascinating. It's a it's a nice little ramp up.

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Speaker 1: And remember, as of now and this is uh, this

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Speaker 1: is July. On the twenty we found out zero positive

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Speaker 1: bubble quarantine tests. So the bubble seems to be working.

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Speaker 1: Even though dudes had to be told a man, put

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Speaker 1: some put some put some shorts on. When you get

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Speaker 1: answer at the door. And there's the the the the

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Speaker 1: tip line that this what is it, the rat line,

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Speaker 1: the fake line, the snitch line. Regardless, it seems to

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Speaker 1: be working out for the NBA thus far. We gonna

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Speaker 1: have games yet, but for creeping closer and closer to him,

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Speaker 1: a bunch of things I want to get to. Amir

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Speaker 1: Johnson is our guest. A mirror is essentially the last

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Speaker 1: of the Mohicans, like the last guy to come straight

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Speaker 1: from high school to the pros and you know it's interesting. Um,

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Speaker 1: you'll be fascinating to hear about his trials, his tribulations,

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Speaker 1: Like end of the day, he made it, But would

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Speaker 1: he have been more ready, more refined, played more would

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Speaker 1: you have made more money had he gone to a year,

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Speaker 1: two years, three years of college playing at Louisville was

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Speaker 1: where he's supposed to go. Let's welcome in to Meir Johnson.

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Speaker 1: He's playing in the Five Tournament. This event is available

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Speaker 1: on pay per view, direct DVDIH and on demand off

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Speaker 1: your remote. The event has also been attracting the betting public.

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Speaker 1: We see bet online and others carrying lines on the games.

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Speaker 1: Live games you can bet on. That's right. Sports is

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Speaker 1: back and it starts with the Five Tournament. I want

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Speaker 1: to talk about all that. But first started high school. Okay,

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Speaker 1: you're high school superstar and you're in the era where

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Speaker 1: guys we're going straight from high school to the pros.

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Speaker 1: You were going to Louisville, Sein Sealed delivered what was

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Speaker 1: the process like of deciding, uh to be regularly the

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Speaker 1: last guy of that generation to be drafted straight in

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Speaker 1: the NBA. Well, yeah, you got my background now? Well, um,

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Speaker 1: after being in high school and seeing like the older

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Speaker 1: class in front of me, like starting watching Lebron and

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Speaker 1: oh three and oh four you had the White Howard

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Speaker 1: and those guys. And when our class came up, oh five,

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Speaker 1: we've seen a bunch of guys who out of high school.

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Speaker 1: So that by the time we came up, we were like,

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Speaker 1: you know, why not do that too? And um, I

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Speaker 1: remember at the McDonald's All American game. I think that

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Speaker 1: was like the game where everybody kind of showcase their

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Speaker 1: talent and we're able to um play in front of

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Speaker 1: the world and in scout, you know, and um, before

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Speaker 1: the game, we all decided like who was going to

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Speaker 1: coop gonna go really go to college. They want to

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Speaker 1: go to try to go to the pros, and you know,

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Speaker 1: guy said like I'm gonna college, Like now I'm gonna

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Speaker 1: try to make the pros and and um, it seemed

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Speaker 1: like that game where it was like the game where

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Speaker 1: you can showcase and actually come out of high school

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Speaker 1: and why not you know, yeah, I mean it's okay,

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Speaker 1: So on your on your team. On your Team was

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Speaker 1: by an Eaton who went to Oklahoma State, Monte Ellis

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Speaker 1: who went straight to the league. You Mario Chalmers went

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Speaker 1: to Kansas one national championship, went to eventually went to league.

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Speaker 1: Luke Zeller went to UM uh what notre Dame um

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Speaker 1: Mica Downs. He like he didn't do much at at

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Speaker 1: at KU. Julian Wright who went to Ku then to

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Speaker 1: the league? Uh C J Miles who went he went?

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Speaker 1: He went straight to the league. Didn't or do you

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Speaker 1: go to Texas for you? He went Texas for you?

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Speaker 1: Went straight to league? Okay, West rest of the league

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Speaker 1: was blue whale. It was I think Andre Blast would out.

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Speaker 1: Uh Tyler Hansburgh went to Carolina. Um, I think the

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Speaker 1: only guys my class was a blue jerie green Um

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Speaker 1: Hondrey Blatch myself. I believe uh Andrew by him, Andrew

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Speaker 1: buying him as well, and Andrew by him, Yes, sir,

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Speaker 1: I forgot about an he went right? So so what

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Speaker 1: was it? Okay, so you decide I'm gonna league, I'm

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Speaker 1: not gonna go play play for Louisville. What was then?

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Speaker 1: You could you could actually you could actually put your

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Speaker 1: name in the draft and if you didn't get drafted,

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Speaker 1: you can still go to college. So it was like

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Speaker 1: a win win. It was a win win for me.

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Speaker 1: So I was just like, why not you know what

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Speaker 1: I mean, why won't won't get Uh, why don't I try?

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Speaker 1: I see if I can make the league. If not,

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Speaker 1: you know, I do my thing in college. Did didn't

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Speaker 1: get drafted later, but I was luckily I was able

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Speaker 1: to get drafted. When you got drafted by the Pistons,

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Speaker 1: was there a thought, man, this is a mistake. No,

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Speaker 1: it was a dream come true. I mean, as a

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Speaker 1: young kid, I always wanted to play in the n

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Speaker 1: b A, and being from California, I was a Aker fan,

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Speaker 1: and um, Detroit just had beat my leggers. But um,

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Speaker 1: that all went out the water. As soon as I

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Speaker 1: got drafted to Detroit, I was super excited and happy

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Speaker 1: to uh be in the n b A. All right,

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Speaker 1: you show up, okay, and you show up in Detroit

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Speaker 1: second round draft pick? What what do you remember that

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Speaker 1: your first training camp? The first training camp was kind

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Speaker 1: of star struck to see all these guys that are

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Speaker 1: super Hold. I'm here, eight year old kid playing against

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Speaker 1: grown man. And I think the only thing I had

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Speaker 1: with me is I knew how to work, and I

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Speaker 1: basically listened and every anybody told me, and I had

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Speaker 1: that work ethic and and that's all I had with me.

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Speaker 1: I didn't um, I didn't know how to drive. I

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Speaker 1: was young. I had to learn how to get my license.

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Speaker 1: I was first out of high school. I had to

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Speaker 1: learn to to to take care of bills in my

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Speaker 1: own apartment, like the outside world was was a little

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Speaker 1: bit of challenge for me because I was so used

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Speaker 1: to just taking the bus everywhere and walking everywhere, you know,

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Speaker 1: living home with my mother, and I had to basically

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Speaker 1: be in this grown man world. Basically, I feel like

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Speaker 1: my first year was basically my college years of just money.

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Speaker 1: The process and um let alone. The learning how to

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Speaker 1: drive and learning how to drive in snow was what's

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Speaker 1: the difficult part for me. And I just kind of

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Speaker 1: figured everything out on the fly. Who is the coolest

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Speaker 1: to you of the older dudes, and everybody was was

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Speaker 1: kind of just took care of me. But I think

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Speaker 1: the most interesting was probably Rashid Wallace. I feel like

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Speaker 1: the way he just did stuff was just so intriguing,

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Speaker 1: Like it was just different from everybody else. Um. Like,

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Speaker 1: I remember one time he came he's the Kansas City

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Speaker 1: a chief, and he came to practice in a football

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Speaker 1: helmet because he was I think his team one man,

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Speaker 1: it was just he's just the interesting dude, man, funny dude.

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Speaker 1: But everybody was so down to earth and cool. Like

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Speaker 1: I was a young kid and everything just kind of

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Speaker 1: helped me out. Um. You you kind of bounced around

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Speaker 1: high schools right, Um, and then ended up you know,

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Speaker 1: you had to sit your junior year and so you know,

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Speaker 1: he but you did all the AU stuff and he

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Speaker 1: played for at Exam at west Chester. But you know

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Speaker 1: anywhere you're gone, like you were a dude, right, So

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Speaker 1: what's that like though? To roll out? You're in the NBA,

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Speaker 1: but there were so many games you didn't play early on,

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Speaker 1: early on your career. What what what do you remember

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Speaker 1: about that part of the experience. Like I said, I

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Speaker 1: just knew how to work hard, you know. I mean,

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Speaker 1: even if I didn't get the opportunities I was looking for,

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Speaker 1: always was the first one to to step up and

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Speaker 1: work hard, do do things that other players wasn't willing

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Speaker 1: to do. And I feel like that just kept me

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Speaker 1: in the NBA and kept me, Um having such a

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Speaker 1: long career. I didn't mind. I didn't mind going down

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Speaker 1: to the D League playing for a few years. I

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Speaker 1: didn't mind come off the bench, and when I finally

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Speaker 1: got to start, you know, I tried kept that starting position.

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Speaker 1: It was it was a bunch of stuff I went through.

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Speaker 1: But like I said, all I had as a young

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Speaker 1: kid was I knew how I had to when I

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Speaker 1: touched the floor, I knew I was gonna work harder

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Speaker 1: than anybody else. You've been in the league, and then

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Speaker 1: you get sent and and you're like, what you're describing

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Speaker 1: in terms of of work ethic and not pouting, like

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Speaker 1: that seems like something mature far beyond your years. How

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Speaker 1: do you get sent to the D League? Like you're

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Speaker 1: dude who played in the league, and you know my

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Speaker 1: team cleaves and from a first round pick, he's in there.

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Speaker 1: Some other dudes are in there as well. What was

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Speaker 1: that experience? Like, I really it was great. Man. I

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Speaker 1: feel like, if you just love the game of basketball

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Speaker 1: and you just want to go out there and play,

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Speaker 1: and it proved that you can play into a high level,

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Speaker 1: why not go to the D League or G League

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Speaker 1: and um and play basketball. Because our our team at

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Speaker 1: the time was a championship team in respect, and I

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Speaker 1: didn't have an opportunity to play because you know, they

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Speaker 1: were going for another championship and I'm I actually asked, like, well, okay,

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Speaker 1: why don't I go down to the D League and

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Speaker 1: go out there and actually get some games into my belt.

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Speaker 1: So when I am ready to play at the championship level,

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Speaker 1: you guys to bring me up. And I did just that,

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Speaker 1: you know, Like I said, I didn't pout and about it.

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Speaker 1: You know, I just embraced it. I loved it. You know.

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Speaker 1: I got to play with some great guys. Like you said,

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Speaker 1: the team cleaves and all those guys. The fellow teammate

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Speaker 1: acts accurate at the time was down there with me

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Speaker 1: and we just enjoyed the grind. How did you adjust

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Speaker 1: when you're in swou Falls next year? That sounds a

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Speaker 1: dude from l A and swou Balls that that sounds

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Speaker 1: like an interesting experience. Yeah, it was. Honestly, it was

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Speaker 1: like a foreign country to me. You know, I didn't

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Speaker 1: know where I was. Um, everything was was white, snow

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Speaker 1: everywhere and huh. And like I said, I just I

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Speaker 1: just focused on the basketball part. Uh. Where were we

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Speaker 1: staying down there? I think we were staying at um

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Speaker 1: one of those western hotel Believe, I don't know where.

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Speaker 1: I can't remember. We're staying at but uh, it was

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Speaker 1: just it was just like that that's the city of

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Speaker 1: you going just actually just completely focused on basketball. And

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Speaker 1: that's what I did. You You get traded to the

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Speaker 1: Bucks and then events you land in Toronto, and that's

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Speaker 1: where your career really really took off, right, I mean

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Speaker 1: and if you try to go ahead, Yeah that Um.

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Speaker 1: Once I went to Detroit, I've learned basically how the

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Speaker 1: NBA life works. Uh, they taught me everything I leave.

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Speaker 1: So I got to Toronto. I felt like, Okay, now

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Speaker 1: I'm on my own. Like I had some great vest there,

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Speaker 1: but I felt like I've learned so much from the

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Speaker 1: different players I've had. It's time to basically take your

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Speaker 1: wings and fly and and that's where I probably had

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Speaker 1: my six year career there. That's where I probably had

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Speaker 1: some of the best years of my career. Um, playing

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Speaker 1: out there in Toronto. Yeah, what what is it like

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Speaker 1: to go like and you know your guys, you don't

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Speaker 1: you know, you don't make it unless you have super

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Speaker 1: self confidence. But you know, second round pick I guess

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Speaker 1: your first big deal was with the Pistons. The biggest

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Speaker 1: one was was was with the Raptors, Like, what's it

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Speaker 1: like emotionally to go you know, NBA, G D League,

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Speaker 1: D League trade around to sign one of those big

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Speaker 1: deals like your thirty four million dollar deal. What what

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Speaker 1: is that feeling like? Big times? I feel like for

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Speaker 1: the young guys, I feel like the NBA is all mental.

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Speaker 1: I mean because we we as young players, we've been

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Speaker 1: doing this all our life, like growing up playing basketball

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Speaker 1: and parks, um and gym's and and any anywhere possible.

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Speaker 1: We even make our own hooks up in the bedroom.

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Speaker 1: And and I feel like it's just so mental when

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Speaker 1: you when you play in front of crowds and and

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Speaker 1: and play with the A team and play against these stars.

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Speaker 1: You know what I mean, because we we definitely we

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Speaker 1: know how to play the game. And it's the mental part.

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Speaker 1: It's just you gotta just maintain. And I feel like

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Speaker 1: you just gotta think we're our starter from and um

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Speaker 1: no one that you can play with these these guys.

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Speaker 1: And once I got my uh my big paycheck, you know,

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Speaker 1: it was just like, wow, this is this is all

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Speaker 1: I've work for my entire life, and um and and

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Speaker 1: you just you just want to just thrive off that.

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Speaker 1: You just want to continue working and just to see

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Speaker 1: if you can just get get more and more. And

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Speaker 1: it was just, um, a big accomplishment for me when

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Speaker 1: you work well all these all the time, Like take

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Speaker 1: me back to shoe Falls you talked about it was

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Speaker 1: just all about basketball. You got a game that night.

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Speaker 1: Would you have a full workout earlier in the day

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Speaker 1: or were you just to show up, you know, hours

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Speaker 1: before and get a workout? What was your routine? Now?

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Speaker 1: I would have a full workout, you know. Um that

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Speaker 1: they had brought one of the assistant coaches down there

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Speaker 1: at the time named Ryan Hoover, and he would, uh,

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Speaker 1: he would wake up in the warning with me and

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Speaker 1: we would just get some shots up and work. You know.

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Speaker 1: So it was constantly work and right, who just just

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Speaker 1: you know Ryan? Who were like Ryan? Who are little

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Speaker 1: white dude from Notre Dame. Yeah you remember Ran Hover?

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Speaker 1: He was my teammate. I was a point guard. He

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Speaker 1: was he was a two two guard. He was a senior.

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Speaker 1: I was a freshman. I started Notre Dame my freshman year.

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Speaker 1: Who's my guy? Right? And I like that first of all,

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Speaker 1: that dude can hoop. That dude can he can really who?

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Speaker 1: He can really really shoot? And if you don't believe me.

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Speaker 1: Just ask him. He'll tell you about it, right Like

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Speaker 1: Rockford Illinois he could so so what so? Okay? So

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Speaker 1: in terms of your routine, because I find this fascinating,

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Speaker 1: dudes don't talk enough about what did when would you?

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Speaker 1: Were you? Did you get in the mindset of, hey,

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Speaker 1: I'm a pronown, I'm just gonna do what I do

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Speaker 1: well and focus on that. Or were you constantly in

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Speaker 1: season trying to expand your game? What was your foot

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Speaker 1: what's your philosophy? First of all, I worked within the

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Speaker 1: office for the team of of when I when I

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Speaker 1: know I could get my looks, you know, And it

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Speaker 1: was basically at the Elbowl, which was the office, and

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Speaker 1: I worked from the elbow at the time. And then

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Speaker 1: I would just work on some scale, just get a

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Speaker 1: bunch of shots. One thing I do wish in my

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Speaker 1: career is like I would have shot more threes because

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Speaker 1: the NBA has transition to the three point line, So

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Speaker 1: I wish I would have been that early on. But

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Speaker 1: now I would work on a bunch of shots. Drives

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Speaker 1: and post ups. Post ups are real big back back

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Speaker 1: in the NBA when I was playing, you know, just

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Speaker 1: different stuff, you know, and um in interesting. Interesting, like

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Speaker 1: when you're growing up, you're still in the era where

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Speaker 1: you know, when you're bigger than dudes, coaches would yell

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Speaker 1: you to get down the block and work on your game.

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Speaker 1: And now absolutely right now it's like I had to.

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Speaker 1: I had to. Basically I had the game where I

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Speaker 1: would when I came to the NBA, I was like,

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Speaker 1: but two ten to fifteen, I had to put on

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Speaker 1: weight to guard guys like Shock, so that that was

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Speaker 1: like the NBA, like you had to guard the post,

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Speaker 1: like I had to guard Ben Wallace and Rashid Wallace

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Speaker 1: and practice in tourna mcdys and Kelvin Cato and Chris

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Speaker 1: Webber like I had to guard those guys that were

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Speaker 1: on the block. So I had the b lead put

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Speaker 1: on this way to guard those guys. And now your

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Speaker 1: guarden guys nowadays like Katie and Kyrie and and uh

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Speaker 1: all those guys that are verse until like that that

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Speaker 1: likes to shoot the three. So the NBA's definitely transitioned

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Speaker 1: big time to where when I've been in there. So

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Speaker 1: in two thousand and fifteen, you go to the Boston Celtics,

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Speaker 1: signed signed deal with the Boston Celtics. Brad Stevens your coach.

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Speaker 1: What was that? Like, Yes, great dude, man, um young

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Speaker 1: young coach. UM so in sync into into the basketball world,

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Speaker 1: like constantly stays up and watch this film. Can create

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Speaker 1: a play off the fly, Like we would be in

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Speaker 1: the game and he would see something they're doing another

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Speaker 1: team was doing defensively, He'll call a time out, draw

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Speaker 1: up the play to kind of break down their defense.

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Speaker 1: And I found that just amazing, Like you, when I

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Speaker 1: had so many different coaches, and different coaches are good

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Speaker 1: at certain things, Like you have coaches to just strictly

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Speaker 1: get a defense. Um, you got coaches that are good

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Speaker 1: at just talking to players, and you got coaches that

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Speaker 1: can actually, you know, draw plays and coach and brass.

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Speaker 1: Stevens was one of those coaches that could actually talked

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Speaker 1: to you and draw off a play for you to

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Speaker 1: break down their defense. And he was just a wizard,

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Speaker 1: you know. With that that that second year you guys

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Speaker 1: go these you guys go to the Eastern Conference finals.

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Speaker 1: That that's the year that Isaiah was unbelievable. Right, He's

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Speaker 1: at twenty nine game like the rest of the team

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Speaker 1: was just built on Like you guys just defended and

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Speaker 1: then kind of let him go into shot clocks and

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Speaker 1: he would just he would just go what what what

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Speaker 1: was that season? Like? Oh man, he was he was

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Speaker 1: out of his mind. You know. We uh we fed

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Speaker 1: off Isaiah. Um the team when I got there. They

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Speaker 1: had made the playoffs before I got there. They lost

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Speaker 1: to Cleveland in the first round, and we were just there.

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Speaker 1: They were basically trying to build on that, so they

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Speaker 1: brought me along for Toronto from Toronto and um, we're

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Speaker 1: basically looking to build to to to make it further

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Speaker 1: in the playoffs, and we did just that. You know

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Speaker 1: with the team we had um playing off of Isaiah

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Speaker 1: and then the coaching Cabrans Stevens. You know, we um

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Speaker 1: we we we all we almost got it there. You know,

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Speaker 1: we just fell short to Cleveland and a couple of

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Speaker 1: injuries we had when Isaiah got hurt. That kind of

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Speaker 1: when he came back and U and about his sister

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Speaker 1: when his sister's passing Rest in Peace, China. She passed,

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Speaker 1: and that was kind of a difficult stage for us

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Speaker 1: as a team. But um, what we accomplished there to

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Speaker 1: to to basically rebuilding the Celtics, I think we uh

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Speaker 1: we did a great job. What is it like to

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Speaker 1: guard lebron Um. You gotta be you gotta be strong.

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Speaker 1: You know you can't be We can't be soft guarding

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Speaker 1: Brown because he comes at you downhill a lot. In hell,

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Speaker 1: if he finds any weakness, he'll just overpower you. I

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Speaker 1: feel like I feel like you just gotta make him

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Speaker 1: go one way to the help. You have to have

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Speaker 1: help guard number can't. One on one is gonna be

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Speaker 1: tough and you have to guard him, send him to

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Speaker 1: the help. Whatever your defensive plan is that night against him,

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Speaker 1: you have to stick to it or else he'll he'll

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Speaker 1: tell your part. And if you if you do garden, well,

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Speaker 1: he'll he'll do just start passing it and give open guys.

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Speaker 1: So I think you have to be. You have to

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Speaker 1: be almost perfect with your game plan before the game,

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Speaker 1: and if if you mess that up, you know he'll

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Speaker 1: pick your part, especially in the playoffs, because the playoffs

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Speaker 1: is another different level for him. And that's just experience

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Speaker 1: of what I experienced or what I've seen. What's it

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Speaker 1: like to go to Durant. Durant very shifty, not as strong.

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Speaker 1: Um seven ft can shoot over you. He is um,

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Speaker 1: he is all around tough are because if you if

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Speaker 1: you pressure him, make him drive, he can get to

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Speaker 1: the basket. And and if you and if you shade off,

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Speaker 1: back off, he can shoot over you. So all I

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Speaker 1: would say is do your best to stand front of

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Speaker 1: him with the hand up. If you're strong, try to

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Speaker 1: use your strength on him, and um do your best

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Speaker 1: to contain them. Because he has the all around game,

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Speaker 1: especially just the years he has grown as a as

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Speaker 1: a player. You know, he has so much skills with

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Speaker 1: with seven foot and like I was watching something where

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Speaker 1: I think online where like players evolved like that. I

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Speaker 1: think the only like the two like power fours that

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Speaker 1: were shooting were like at the time where Chris Bosh

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Speaker 1: and Kevin Gartnett and then like the league is transformed

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Speaker 1: to all these stretched forwards and whatnot. And and right

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Speaker 1: now Katie is like ranked at the top right now

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Speaker 1: with just him being at the or five spot where

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Speaker 1: he can just take any big off the dribble or

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Speaker 1: shoot over him. So he's definitely a tough guard. Kawhi

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Speaker 1: leonard Is, I feel like he is like the wing

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Speaker 1: Tim Duncan type, doesn't doesn't doesn't really having a flashy game.

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Speaker 1: All he needs is is two dribbles, get to a spot,

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Speaker 1: and he can make a jump shot. Uh, you can

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Speaker 1: post up. He's a strong player too, can post up,

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Speaker 1: get to a spot. Um, I guess he is what

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Speaker 1: his name is, you know what they call him, like

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Speaker 1: the determined robot or whatever he calls or he basically

390
00:20:44,240 --> 00:20:47,840
Speaker 1: plays the game the right way and um again, can

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Speaker 1: take over a game, which uh, which is a superstar player.

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Speaker 1: And it's just just it's just what that's it as

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Speaker 1: simple as it. It is what it is. He can

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Speaker 1: can get to with any shot he wants. Well not

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Speaker 1: you don't have to. You don't have to do too

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Speaker 1: many crossovers. He's just a couple of dribbles and he'll

397
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Speaker 1: shoot over you. You know he has of course he

398
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Speaker 1: has those big hands, so he can he can palm

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Speaker 1: the ball and do what he wants. And it's uh,

400
00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:17,120
Speaker 1: he's a he's all around player, all right. What about

401
00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:24,280
Speaker 1: honest you're honestly Uh. He developed tremendously. Man. I remember

402
00:21:24,359 --> 00:21:27,760
Speaker 1: him as a young rook and um, he's one of

403
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Speaker 1: those guys that has a crazy work ethic of just

404
00:21:31,280 --> 00:21:33,600
Speaker 1: getting bigger and stronger, and like you know how you

405
00:21:33,680 --> 00:21:36,520
Speaker 1: know he he became one of the biggest strongest guys

406
00:21:36,560 --> 00:21:42,960
Speaker 1: in NBA. UM almost unstoppable and transition with this length

407
00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:47,480
Speaker 1: and the strength. UM, he's developing a great three point

408
00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:52,639
Speaker 1: shot man. He has that UM sky's a limit for him. UM.

409
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Speaker 1: I definitely believe he's he'll win the championship him eventually.

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Speaker 1: When you went to Philadelphia, you're brought in kind of

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Speaker 1: like in Boston, right, Like you're a culture everybody respects

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Speaker 1: you as a culture guy. You'll defend, you'll do little things.

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Speaker 1: You've been a part of championship caliber organizations. Right So, Um,

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Speaker 1: So you go to Philly and they got and they

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Speaker 1: have they have him bead. Uh what what what's he like?

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Speaker 1: Because because I've I've seen him Bead. I saw him

417
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Speaker 1: in college and I remember I walked into the gym

418
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Speaker 1: I was doing a Kansas game and Bill and Bill

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Speaker 1: self was like, this guy's a he's a Hall of famer.

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Speaker 1: And I was like, what he's like? He's a hall

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Speaker 1: of Famer and he's he's an unbelievably skilled guy. He's

422
00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:35,760
Speaker 1: also a huge goofball. What what was embiid like? I mean, definitely,

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Speaker 1: UM one of those guys that that could be a

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Speaker 1: Hall of Famer. Um I feel like he is one

425
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Speaker 1: of the only guys that actually will will will post

426
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Speaker 1: up on the block like a fig, a legitimate big

427
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Speaker 1: and I will post up on the block and can

428
00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:57,400
Speaker 1: get you a bucket at any time. Um, definitely a googleball.

429
00:22:57,760 --> 00:23:00,560
Speaker 1: He's still a young kid. Uh, fun to be around,

430
00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:05,400
Speaker 1: always cracking jokes. But he has a tremendous work ethic. Um,

431
00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:11,280
Speaker 1: he's strong, he's big, and uh he's one of those

432
00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:15,040
Speaker 1: transforming bigs not only can post up, can actually take

433
00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:19,080
Speaker 1: you out on the wing and do a couple of

434
00:23:19,160 --> 00:23:22,920
Speaker 1: moves to get to the basket, to do Euro steps. Man,

435
00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:26,439
Speaker 1: It's he's just he's unbelievable. Man. He's just constantly involved

436
00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:29,520
Speaker 1: in his game every year, just doing different stuff. Knock

437
00:23:29,560 --> 00:23:32,320
Speaker 1: down to three. I mean, what what more can you

438
00:23:32,400 --> 00:23:34,560
Speaker 1: ask for for for big? He keeps you all around

439
00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:37,639
Speaker 1: game and like you said, when you need a serious bucket,

440
00:23:38,320 --> 00:23:41,600
Speaker 1: put him on the block and he'll get you a bucket. Game.

441
00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:46,119
Speaker 1: Why won't Ben Simmons shoot the ball? Um? Like I

442
00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:50,480
Speaker 1: said before, you know of the NBA is all mental.

443
00:23:50,720 --> 00:23:52,840
Speaker 1: You know, it's just just confidence, you know, until he

444
00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:55,640
Speaker 1: feels he can shoot because he shoots in practice. Don't

445
00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:58,159
Speaker 1: get me wrong. He can shoot threes. Until he feels

446
00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:02,520
Speaker 1: confident enough to shoot the three ball in the game,

447
00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:05,040
Speaker 1: he'll do it, you know. And um, he's just he's

448
00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:07,239
Speaker 1: just constantly building that confidence. Whether he's been an All

449
00:24:07,280 --> 00:24:10,679
Speaker 1: Star with two years around, Um he's been a player

450
00:24:10,720 --> 00:24:12,720
Speaker 1: of the month of the year for the of the year.

451
00:24:12,840 --> 00:24:15,119
Speaker 1: You know, it's his confidence is just building up, getting

452
00:24:15,119 --> 00:24:16,720
Speaker 1: better and better. Like I said, he's a young player,

453
00:24:17,640 --> 00:24:20,040
Speaker 1: got claiming he'll be he's gonna mesty start shooting. I know,

454
00:24:20,080 --> 00:24:24,000
Speaker 1: he shot a couple of threes earlier this year, and um,

455
00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:26,600
Speaker 1: he eventually starts shoot him once. He just think that

456
00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:30,040
Speaker 1: confidence to shoot three. But um, right now he could

457
00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:32,560
Speaker 1: dominated don't really need to because he can get to

458
00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:36,080
Speaker 1: the besket anytime you want. Yeah. No, Look, I always

459
00:24:36,119 --> 00:24:38,440
Speaker 1: thought that he's like too smart, like he understands that

460
00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:41,680
Speaker 1: he's not ready yet or whatever, so he won't on Corkum.

461
00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:44,240
Speaker 1: But on some level, you almost have to. You almost

462
00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:46,560
Speaker 1: have to shoot him, Like look, you honest shoots him

463
00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:49,920
Speaker 1: and he's still not there yet, but you have to

464
00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:52,000
Speaker 1: do it in order to keep the defense. Honest. It's

465
00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:55,600
Speaker 1: it's a uh, it's it's a it's sometimes like you

466
00:24:55,720 --> 00:24:59,640
Speaker 1: think too much, and whereas he will, he will because

467
00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:01,840
Speaker 1: when we used to practice against them, we used to

468
00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:03,880
Speaker 1: on a purpose. We used to back all the way

469
00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:07,200
Speaker 1: down to to the middle of the key. So he

470
00:25:07,320 --> 00:25:09,280
Speaker 1: has to force you to me, he should knock him down.

471
00:25:09,520 --> 00:25:11,159
Speaker 1: And he used to win games like that when we

472
00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:14,159
Speaker 1: used to play five on five. So he has he

473
00:25:14,359 --> 00:25:15,920
Speaker 1: has the shot, you know, he just has to have

474
00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:17,679
Speaker 1: the confidence. And we used to just help him out

475
00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:19,680
Speaker 1: by just backing all the way off rom and practice

476
00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:22,359
Speaker 1: and just letting him shoot it. So it's just all

477
00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:24,959
Speaker 1: confidence with him. All right. So you're playing this um

478
00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:33,160
Speaker 1: three on three deal in Vegas, right, it is fun.

479
00:25:33,359 --> 00:25:38,919
Speaker 1: It's um, it's a it's for me. It's a good

480
00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:40,800
Speaker 1: way to stay in shape. You know, I've been working

481
00:25:40,880 --> 00:25:45,399
Speaker 1: out this whole time throughout throughout the year because I

482
00:25:45,440 --> 00:25:48,000
Speaker 1: haven't been picked up in and for me to just

483
00:25:48,119 --> 00:25:50,920
Speaker 1: kind of playing this, it's a it's a fun or

484
00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:54,399
Speaker 1: two to to to play. I haven't played organized basketball

485
00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:57,119
Speaker 1: since you know that that shot while we lost in

486
00:25:57,200 --> 00:26:02,040
Speaker 1: the playoffs, So it's a, UM, it's a fun tournament,

487
00:26:02,880 --> 00:26:06,159
Speaker 1: and uh, it's it's actually it gets real serious. You know.

488
00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:09,320
Speaker 1: I realized it was serious when the um when I

489
00:26:09,480 --> 00:26:12,560
Speaker 1: when I've seen they have bet online, offering wages and

490
00:26:12,640 --> 00:26:14,600
Speaker 1: all that, and I'm like, okay, people are really betting

491
00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:17,879
Speaker 1: on us, and um, gets it gets serious or at

492
00:26:17,920 --> 00:26:22,240
Speaker 1: least I'm taking it serious. And UM, it's this. It's

493
00:26:22,280 --> 00:26:26,399
Speaker 1: just a fun ordeal. Um, a way for me to

494
00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:29,600
Speaker 1: just keep staying in safe, keep working. And if you

495
00:26:29,640 --> 00:26:31,080
Speaker 1: want to, if you want to check check it out,

496
00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:34,000
Speaker 1: you can. You can check it out on direct TV

497
00:26:34,320 --> 00:26:37,879
Speaker 1: or on demand. And um, it's just a fun thing

498
00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:42,440
Speaker 1: for me to go play and they play some organized basketball. Yeah,

499
00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:45,280
Speaker 1: it's on pay per view. It's like if you want

500
00:26:45,320 --> 00:26:48,000
Speaker 1: to watch single games seventy bucks nine, if you want

501
00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:51,840
Speaker 1: to watch the entire tournament all former NBA guys and um,

502
00:26:52,040 --> 00:26:54,399
Speaker 1: like you said, you haven't played since that shot. Okay,

503
00:26:54,440 --> 00:26:57,600
Speaker 1: so take me to the what what was what was discussed?

504
00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:00,680
Speaker 1: What was discussed in the huddle before were before the

505
00:27:00,760 --> 00:27:08,960
Speaker 1: play where quite hit that incredible shot? Well, deny the passion. Um,

506
00:27:09,640 --> 00:27:14,440
Speaker 1: we're switching switching everything. Um, we know the shot clock

507
00:27:14,520 --> 00:27:17,680
Speaker 1: was low. Uh uh, the time was low, so we

508
00:27:17,760 --> 00:27:19,680
Speaker 1: weren't going to let no threes go off and no

509
00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:21,520
Speaker 1: shot go off. So we were doing our best to

510
00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:25,959
Speaker 1: before something at the basket with the contests and um,

511
00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:30,159
Speaker 1: as I see that shot over and over again. Man,

512
00:27:30,280 --> 00:27:33,440
Speaker 1: we we made the right play. We had the great contests.

513
00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:35,240
Speaker 1: And it was crazy because when I was on the

514
00:27:35,880 --> 00:27:40,040
Speaker 1: bench watching and it was such a great deal we had,

515
00:27:40,520 --> 00:27:42,320
Speaker 1: like I knew the switches and I knew the contest.

516
00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:44,440
Speaker 1: I turned my back and I'm like, okay, that shot

517
00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:48,000
Speaker 1: is off because we're all over that, and all I

518
00:27:48,119 --> 00:27:50,480
Speaker 1: heard was the crowd cheering, and I turned around, like

519
00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:54,480
Speaker 1: what happened? And I've seen the replay, made the shots,

520
00:27:54,520 --> 00:27:56,320
Speaker 1: So I didn't even see the four shot go in

521
00:27:56,480 --> 00:27:59,119
Speaker 1: until I saw the replay, and I'm like, wow, we

522
00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:01,760
Speaker 1: played great defense on that. We did what we said

523
00:28:01,800 --> 00:28:04,120
Speaker 1: we were going to do in the huddle, and uh,

524
00:28:04,320 --> 00:28:08,280
Speaker 1: he just made a tough shot, man, one of the

525
00:28:08,480 --> 00:28:11,959
Speaker 1: uh one of the best shots I've seen live. Well

526
00:28:11,960 --> 00:28:13,359
Speaker 1: I could say I didn't see it live, but I've

527
00:28:13,359 --> 00:28:17,359
Speaker 1: seen you actually there and you didn't. You didn't see it.

528
00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:19,119
Speaker 1: What's what's crazy. There's a bunch of things that are

529
00:28:19,119 --> 00:28:22,879
Speaker 1: crazy about it, right, Like one, it's R and B right,

530
00:28:22,920 --> 00:28:25,440
Speaker 1: so and now look, you don't want him to get

531
00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:27,680
Speaker 1: to quiet, to get to his right hand. But I've

532
00:28:27,840 --> 00:28:30,119
Speaker 1: never seen a shot hit the front rim twice, the

533
00:28:30,160 --> 00:28:32,679
Speaker 1: back room twice and then go in like that's got

534
00:28:32,800 --> 00:28:35,840
Speaker 1: to be the softest softest room I've ever seen it

535
00:28:36,240 --> 00:28:38,760
Speaker 1: over seven foot it. Man, he has so much air

536
00:28:38,880 --> 00:28:42,320
Speaker 1: on the shot. I don't know he uh, but I

537
00:28:42,440 --> 00:28:45,160
Speaker 1: think he where he works on that, man. So that's

538
00:28:45,240 --> 00:28:48,400
Speaker 1: just one of those great players doing the fundamentals he

539
00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:52,920
Speaker 1: works on, and he just made uh unbelievable shot. Man.

540
00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:56,840
Speaker 1: I believe, honestly, I believe if we would have won that,

541
00:28:57,000 --> 00:28:59,720
Speaker 1: if we have won that game, wouldn't won that. Seriously,

542
00:28:59,760 --> 00:29:02,400
Speaker 1: We're went off to win a championship. I believe that

543
00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:08,160
Speaker 1: this day. But like the playoffs is tough, The playoffs

544
00:29:08,320 --> 00:29:09,960
Speaker 1: is tough. You know, I've been in a bunch of them,

545
00:29:10,120 --> 00:29:12,840
Speaker 1: and it's a it's a different level. And you always

546
00:29:13,400 --> 00:29:17,880
Speaker 1: I always see in players eyes like what what separates

547
00:29:17,920 --> 00:29:22,080
Speaker 1: the players from the rest. And you can tell man

548
00:29:22,200 --> 00:29:26,959
Speaker 1: like Lebron and d Wade unbelievable playoff mode, unbelievable when

549
00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:31,280
Speaker 1: they get they playoff mold wh why is the same?

550
00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:34,400
Speaker 1: It's it's and and that's the perfect I have friends

551
00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:36,040
Speaker 1: that coach in the NBA and they always say like,

552
00:29:36,120 --> 00:29:40,000
Speaker 1: look this league sometimes you just great defense, but just

553
00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:42,800
Speaker 1: guys that just makes a great shot, right like that,

554
00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:45,560
Speaker 1: the guys are so good you can play almost like

555
00:29:45,680 --> 00:29:49,320
Speaker 1: perfect defense, and guys you're just they're they're so good

556
00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:53,400
Speaker 1: they make those shots, whereas at any other level of basketball. Yeah,

557
00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:56,120
Speaker 1: you know the saying I'm pretty sure you heard you know,

558
00:29:56,480 --> 00:29:59,800
Speaker 1: great better offense. Yeah, that's that's what that's the that's

559
00:29:59,840 --> 00:30:03,680
Speaker 1: the that's the expression. Um where were you when when

560
00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:11,520
Speaker 1: you heard Kobe died? Um? I first heard it. I

561
00:30:11,640 --> 00:30:16,840
Speaker 1: was at my house in Vegas, and um, as I've

562
00:30:16,840 --> 00:30:20,560
Speaker 1: seen it on on social media, and like you know,

563
00:30:20,720 --> 00:30:23,800
Speaker 1: social media is always, you know, lying about stuff. So

564
00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:27,160
Speaker 1: I didn't I didn't paid on mine, and then I

565
00:30:27,240 --> 00:30:31,320
Speaker 1: started getting text messages and so I'm looking like, yeah,

566
00:30:31,360 --> 00:30:33,520
Speaker 1: I've seen it, but you know, I didn't believe that's true.

567
00:30:33,600 --> 00:30:35,760
Speaker 1: So like, okay, I went on my day late back down,

568
00:30:37,600 --> 00:30:41,000
Speaker 1: and then I cut on the TV and I'm like, okay,

569
00:30:41,040 --> 00:30:45,160
Speaker 1: wait a minute. If it's this, there's three times in

570
00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:50,160
Speaker 1: the day. This can't be real. And then um, and

571
00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:52,600
Speaker 1: then I found out. I kept watching TV and then

572
00:30:52,640 --> 00:30:54,560
Speaker 1: I just shut it down and then I just folded. Man.

573
00:30:54,600 --> 00:30:59,360
Speaker 1: I folded in the couch. Did move day was ruined

574
00:30:59,400 --> 00:31:01,800
Speaker 1: and I just uh just slept and slept it off

575
00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:07,080
Speaker 1: and uh it was it was heartbreaking, man, it was

576
00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:11,040
Speaker 1: heart breaking. Still is still is. I can't believe it

577
00:31:12,200 --> 00:31:17,080
Speaker 1: when you think of Kobe, what do you think, um,

578
00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:24,480
Speaker 1: one of the one of the greatest players in NBA history,

579
00:31:25,160 --> 00:31:34,200
Speaker 1: UM great mentor great father, um great man. Um just

580
00:31:34,440 --> 00:31:38,400
Speaker 1: just uh, you know, he's just one of those guys

581
00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:41,960
Speaker 1: that that's that did everything right so in the in

582
00:31:42,040 --> 00:31:45,680
Speaker 1: the public eye, and uh, you just you just hate

583
00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:49,360
Speaker 1: tape to have a tragedy. Don't like that, especially for

584
00:31:49,440 --> 00:31:55,400
Speaker 1: the MPIG world because it touched everybody. Yeah, I'm just

585
00:31:55,480 --> 00:31:59,479
Speaker 1: so happy say go again, sit again. No, it's it's

586
00:31:59,520 --> 00:32:02,400
Speaker 1: really interest steam because he's a couple of years younger

587
00:32:02,440 --> 00:32:04,000
Speaker 1: than me and I got we got to be friends,

588
00:32:04,880 --> 00:32:08,080
Speaker 1: uh a couple of years before he died. And um,

589
00:32:08,880 --> 00:32:11,840
Speaker 1: but to watch like his own kind of personal evolution,

590
00:32:12,720 --> 00:32:15,080
Speaker 1: I think maybe it's the most fascinating part, right because

591
00:32:15,080 --> 00:32:17,320
Speaker 1: when when he got to the league, you know, here

592
00:32:17,360 --> 00:32:21,200
Speaker 1: he is in l A and he he clearly wanted

593
00:32:21,240 --> 00:32:23,560
Speaker 1: to be Jordan's right, Like he talked like Mike, he

594
00:32:23,680 --> 00:32:26,640
Speaker 1: walked like Mike. He wanted his patterns game after Mike,

595
00:32:26,880 --> 00:32:28,680
Speaker 1: Like he was like, I'm gonna be the next Mike,

596
00:32:28,840 --> 00:32:30,800
Speaker 1: and he had that, but it wasn't. And then he

597
00:32:30,840 --> 00:32:32,760
Speaker 1: went through like a Then he went through kind of

598
00:32:32,800 --> 00:32:34,680
Speaker 1: where he was he's trying to be a little hood,

599
00:32:34,840 --> 00:32:37,000
Speaker 1: which he's not really. He wasn't really, but he was.

600
00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:40,440
Speaker 1: He was trying. And then by the end, you're like,

601
00:32:40,680 --> 00:32:43,440
Speaker 1: holy craft, this guy is brilliant, right, and he became

602
00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:47,040
Speaker 1: this mentor to so many people. He had he had,

603
00:32:47,320 --> 00:32:50,360
Speaker 1: you know, his enterprise as well, but he became kind

604
00:32:50,400 --> 00:32:54,040
Speaker 1: of just just this brilliant dude who who got who

605
00:32:54,280 --> 00:32:57,240
Speaker 1: understood so many things about business, about you know, the

606
00:32:57,320 --> 00:33:01,200
Speaker 1: realness of basketball, and there wasn't any of the the bs,

607
00:33:01,320 --> 00:33:05,360
Speaker 1: Like this guy was just a brilliant man who understood

608
00:33:05,360 --> 00:33:07,960
Speaker 1: how to relate to different levels of people, how to

609
00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:10,600
Speaker 1: speak to NBA stars obviously carried with him in an

610
00:33:10,680 --> 00:33:13,520
Speaker 1: incredible amount of respect from NBA stars. But then you know,

611
00:33:14,160 --> 00:33:16,920
Speaker 1: he developed his business enterprise and like he just was.

612
00:33:17,360 --> 00:33:20,320
Speaker 1: It was really interesting to watch a guy kind of

613
00:33:20,800 --> 00:33:23,120
Speaker 1: change and evolved and grow up. And that's and maybe

614
00:33:23,160 --> 00:33:25,480
Speaker 1: it's because of l A and maybe it's because he

615
00:33:25,720 --> 00:33:27,880
Speaker 1: was so good and so popular, or maybe it's just

616
00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:30,960
Speaker 1: because of of the era where we did have the

617
00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:34,160
Speaker 1: ability to watch him grow and evolve. But yeah, he became.

618
00:33:35,160 --> 00:33:37,920
Speaker 1: He went through these different times and tribulations or whatever,

619
00:33:38,240 --> 00:33:40,040
Speaker 1: like you know, he wanted out the Lakers. He he

620
00:33:40,160 --> 00:33:41,800
Speaker 1: had some you know, the one off, he had the

621
00:33:41,840 --> 00:33:43,920
Speaker 1: off the court thing in Colorado. Like he went through

622
00:33:43,920 --> 00:33:46,160
Speaker 1: all these different things, but it was all very very

623
00:33:46,200 --> 00:33:48,640
Speaker 1: public and then kind of came out the other side

624
00:33:48,800 --> 00:33:52,840
Speaker 1: as a guy where like sixty points in his last game, right, like,

625
00:33:52,920 --> 00:33:55,960
Speaker 1: who does that this? She was crazy sixty in his

626
00:33:56,040 --> 00:34:00,600
Speaker 1: last game. I think that everything that you said just

627
00:34:00,920 --> 00:34:03,760
Speaker 1: just folds upon his his work ethic man, his um

628
00:34:04,840 --> 00:34:09,560
Speaker 1: disability to to to work, and it's just unmatched. Man.

629
00:34:09,840 --> 00:34:13,320
Speaker 1: He does stuff that that that I was here about

630
00:34:13,560 --> 00:34:17,800
Speaker 1: that that I've just never heard like players doing just

631
00:34:17,960 --> 00:34:20,480
Speaker 1: what it came in basketball, and I think it's transferred

632
00:34:20,600 --> 00:34:24,759
Speaker 1: his way of living. Like it's worth that like when

633
00:34:24,800 --> 00:34:29,120
Speaker 1: his wife said, he said he came late one day

634
00:34:29,160 --> 00:34:33,200
Speaker 1: to pick up his daughter and the next time he

635
00:34:33,480 --> 00:34:36,560
Speaker 1: came like three or four hours earlier, and he said

636
00:34:36,600 --> 00:34:38,160
Speaker 1: he was never pick up this out of late, Like

637
00:34:38,280 --> 00:34:43,480
Speaker 1: it's his mind. It's just trained to just be be

638
00:34:43,719 --> 00:34:48,920
Speaker 1: better every day and us just something that's look up to,

639
00:34:49,680 --> 00:34:52,279
Speaker 1: like like as players, you said, okay, well what would

640
00:34:52,320 --> 00:34:55,400
Speaker 1: Kobe do with Kobe Lake shot? So Kobe will go

641
00:34:55,520 --> 00:34:58,080
Speaker 1: and get shots up before the meeting him. And that

642
00:34:58,320 --> 00:35:01,160
Speaker 1: was just his way of in his mindset, and it

643
00:35:01,320 --> 00:35:05,759
Speaker 1: just transferred into all of all of us. And if

644
00:35:05,840 --> 00:35:08,120
Speaker 1: you could do one thing differently from you in your career,

645
00:35:08,200 --> 00:35:12,320
Speaker 1: what would it be. I always said I would have

646
00:35:12,440 --> 00:35:19,040
Speaker 1: loved to shoot more threes, Like I felt like, I

647
00:35:19,160 --> 00:35:22,719
Speaker 1: felt like that is set me back right now from

648
00:35:22,800 --> 00:35:25,560
Speaker 1: being in the NBA today. Because at the end of

649
00:35:25,680 --> 00:35:30,560
Speaker 1: my season with Philly last year, Brett Brown he said

650
00:35:30,600 --> 00:35:32,560
Speaker 1: to me, this is my Brett Brown. Boys. You know

651
00:35:32,719 --> 00:35:35,360
Speaker 1: what a you know, we we love we love what

652
00:35:35,440 --> 00:35:37,840
Speaker 1: you do. You're bringing energy on the court, you rebound,

653
00:35:37,880 --> 00:35:41,480
Speaker 1: your hustle. But but we want to go with Michael

654
00:35:41,600 --> 00:35:44,399
Speaker 1: Scala because he shoots, he shoots better with the three,

655
00:35:44,440 --> 00:35:46,719
Speaker 1: and he spaces the floor better. And I was like, coach,

656
00:35:47,560 --> 00:35:50,000
Speaker 1: there's no way I'm a little Michael Scala would work

657
00:35:50,080 --> 00:35:52,719
Speaker 1: me on the floor. No, no disrespect with Mike. You know,

658
00:35:52,800 --> 00:35:54,279
Speaker 1: Mike is a great player, but I was like, he's

659
00:35:54,320 --> 00:35:56,480
Speaker 1: not gonna work me. He's like me, know, he just

660
00:35:56,600 --> 00:35:58,920
Speaker 1: fits better. You know what? The three point lanes for

661
00:35:58,960 --> 00:36:04,400
Speaker 1: sentis wise in the NBA again, it transformed into a

662
00:36:04,520 --> 00:36:07,880
Speaker 1: three point league, and everybody's looking at status. If I

663
00:36:08,400 --> 00:36:10,760
Speaker 1: as a coaching standpoint, if you look at my body

664
00:36:10,760 --> 00:36:14,480
Speaker 1: of work career, I was always the hustle guy getting

665
00:36:14,480 --> 00:36:17,600
Speaker 1: the rebounds, uh, scoring points that way, and then that's

666
00:36:17,640 --> 00:36:19,439
Speaker 1: what got me paid. So I was just so used

667
00:36:19,480 --> 00:36:22,640
Speaker 1: to doing that. And now I got a space to

668
00:36:22,680 --> 00:36:25,920
Speaker 1: florce threes. And as much as I've been working on threes,

669
00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:28,160
Speaker 1: and I developed a shot now, but nobody kind of

670
00:36:28,960 --> 00:36:30,839
Speaker 1: I could see that throughout my career. Okay, this guy

671
00:36:30,880 --> 00:36:33,239
Speaker 1: does three. So I wish I would have just been

672
00:36:33,480 --> 00:36:37,359
Speaker 1: shooting threes a little bit my career. And I didn't

673
00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:40,319
Speaker 1: get to shoot threes. Probably I shot him a little

674
00:36:40,360 --> 00:36:42,120
Speaker 1: bit in Toronto, but when I got to Boston and

675
00:36:42,440 --> 00:36:46,560
Speaker 1: the brass feating offense, I shot a lot more threes,

676
00:36:46,600 --> 00:36:48,800
Speaker 1: and I wish I would have did that. That's what

677
00:36:48,880 --> 00:36:52,759
Speaker 1: I wish I could have do. How do you how

678
00:36:52,880 --> 00:36:55,439
Speaker 1: how do you get yourself going? Now? Like you said,

679
00:36:55,560 --> 00:36:57,880
Speaker 1: like this is playing the three on three dealing in

680
00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:02,120
Speaker 1: Vegas first organized ball you played since last year? How

681
00:37:02,400 --> 00:37:04,080
Speaker 1: hard is that for because you've always kind of been

682
00:37:04,160 --> 00:37:06,680
Speaker 1: part of a team. Now you you still want to play,

683
00:37:06,719 --> 00:37:08,200
Speaker 1: you still want to be in the league. How do

684
00:37:08,239 --> 00:37:11,719
Speaker 1: you get yourself up and work every day? Well? I

685
00:37:12,040 --> 00:37:15,759
Speaker 1: still have that mentality. Um, Like I said, I think

686
00:37:15,800 --> 00:37:17,640
Speaker 1: of the guys before me. I think of Kobe and

687
00:37:18,680 --> 00:37:21,000
Speaker 1: how I've I've came up to make it in the Namba,

688
00:37:21,120 --> 00:37:23,319
Speaker 1: and I just keep that same mindset, like how did

689
00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:27,400
Speaker 1: I get here today? What did I do? And like, Okay,

690
00:37:27,520 --> 00:37:29,120
Speaker 1: well this is what I was doing. I was in

691
00:37:29,200 --> 00:37:31,600
Speaker 1: the gym early. I was in the gym. I was

692
00:37:31,719 --> 00:37:33,960
Speaker 1: working out three or four times a day, and I

693
00:37:34,120 --> 00:37:35,640
Speaker 1: just kind of stick to it. That's what I know.

694
00:37:36,120 --> 00:37:39,640
Speaker 1: I know how to work, and um, I continue that

695
00:37:39,800 --> 00:37:43,200
Speaker 1: and especially if it is it's definitely important to keep

696
00:37:43,280 --> 00:37:45,440
Speaker 1: up with yourself at this time with everything going on

697
00:37:45,719 --> 00:37:48,719
Speaker 1: with the COVID. So I just make sure I stay

698
00:37:48,719 --> 00:37:52,160
Speaker 1: in shape, I keep up with my health and when

699
00:37:52,200 --> 00:37:56,400
Speaker 1: the call comes, you know, um you just as I'm ready,

700
00:37:57,120 --> 00:37:59,520
Speaker 1: you know, I just gotta I just gotta stay ready.

701
00:37:59,520 --> 00:38:04,279
Speaker 1: I'm pretty sure every uh every vet that that's been

702
00:38:04,360 --> 00:38:06,719
Speaker 1: through this this ordeal that I'm going through that's been

703
00:38:06,760 --> 00:38:09,080
Speaker 1: out the league, it's probably been through the same stages

704
00:38:09,440 --> 00:38:12,760
Speaker 1: of making their way back in. I'm staying in shape

705
00:38:12,920 --> 00:38:18,680
Speaker 1: against Jamal Crawford, Carmelo, Anthony Grs Smith. Um, you just

706
00:38:18,760 --> 00:38:21,759
Speaker 1: gotta stay ready, just to keep that mindset of uh

707
00:38:23,200 --> 00:38:25,360
Speaker 1: when they need when they need a good vet on

708
00:38:25,440 --> 00:38:30,359
Speaker 1: the championship team, they'll call you favorite hotel you stayed

709
00:38:30,400 --> 00:38:35,560
Speaker 1: out on the road in the NBA. Favorite hotel. Let's see,

710
00:38:36,360 --> 00:38:43,840
Speaker 1: there is a lot. Um, well, you you can't. You

711
00:38:43,920 --> 00:38:47,440
Speaker 1: can't beat Miami, you know. Um, the rids of Miami

712
00:38:47,640 --> 00:38:49,600
Speaker 1: is nice because you got the weather, You've got the pool.

713
00:38:50,600 --> 00:38:53,520
Speaker 1: You know, that's always a go to you know. Um,

714
00:38:54,160 --> 00:38:55,800
Speaker 1: you know what I really like? That's kind of like

715
00:38:55,960 --> 00:38:59,160
Speaker 1: hid and I like, uh, what do you do? We

716
00:38:59,320 --> 00:39:03,440
Speaker 1: call the toll in Chicago the Peninsula. That's it. That's it.

717
00:39:03,719 --> 00:39:05,279
Speaker 1: I have a friend, one of my friends, like, have

718
00:39:05,320 --> 00:39:06,840
Speaker 1: you ever been in Peninsula and shot? He's like no,

719
00:39:06,960 --> 00:39:09,000
Speaker 1: He's like, it's literally the nicest hotel I've ever been to.

720
00:39:10,239 --> 00:39:14,560
Speaker 1: I never want a hotel, beautiful hotel. I think Chicago

721
00:39:14,680 --> 00:39:19,440
Speaker 1: has one of the best guylines and it was a

722
00:39:19,560 --> 00:39:23,120
Speaker 1: it was a nice hotel, but um, you can't you

723
00:39:23,200 --> 00:39:26,160
Speaker 1: can't beat the cities with like this good weather, Like

724
00:39:26,239 --> 00:39:28,440
Speaker 1: can you make that the West coast trip you go

725
00:39:28,560 --> 00:39:31,279
Speaker 1: to like the West coast, we finally playing East Coast

726
00:39:31,320 --> 00:39:32,920
Speaker 1: and you get a bunch of snow the whole time,

727
00:39:32,960 --> 00:39:34,440
Speaker 1: and you go to east the West coast, you get

728
00:39:34,480 --> 00:39:40,480
Speaker 1: some sun, Like Okay, here's the sun. So can you

729
00:39:40,520 --> 00:39:43,040
Speaker 1: believe though that like here you are the Lakers and

730
00:39:43,080 --> 00:39:46,200
Speaker 1: Clippers are finally good and you haven't gotten that call

731
00:39:46,560 --> 00:39:48,759
Speaker 1: that's gotta be how how like, that's that's the call

732
00:39:48,800 --> 00:39:51,000
Speaker 1: you want, right, Purple and gold, That's that's that's got

733
00:39:51,120 --> 00:39:55,880
Speaker 1: to be the call. I mean, I don't. I mean

734
00:39:56,000 --> 00:39:59,799
Speaker 1: my whole career, I've always played for East Coast team,

735
00:40:00,080 --> 00:40:02,400
Speaker 1: never played for any West Coast team. Man, it'll just

736
00:40:02,480 --> 00:40:06,160
Speaker 1: be awesome if I could play one time to my hometown. Man,

737
00:40:06,239 --> 00:40:07,960
Speaker 1: that will be beautiful. I know my family will be

738
00:40:08,000 --> 00:40:11,640
Speaker 1: going crazy, like because they're all Laker fans, Like, Yeah,

739
00:40:13,120 --> 00:40:16,040
Speaker 1: who's who's who's the one dude who didn't make it?

740
00:40:16,160 --> 00:40:19,240
Speaker 1: Your most surprised didn't make it? Like my generation, shake Cotton,

741
00:40:19,280 --> 00:40:20,960
Speaker 1: he's a little younger than he's a little older than you.

742
00:40:21,719 --> 00:40:24,440
Speaker 1: Who's who's the guy who you're most surprised didn't make

743
00:40:24,520 --> 00:40:28,800
Speaker 1: it whereas you did, and some document didn't. He have

744
00:40:28,880 --> 00:40:34,520
Speaker 1: a documentary, yeah, just recently, I think. Yeah, man Child,

745
00:40:34,800 --> 00:40:36,640
Speaker 1: You know, I didn't even know about him until I

746
00:40:36,719 --> 00:40:39,080
Speaker 1: watched the documentary, and that dude was unbelievable. Man. Now

747
00:40:39,160 --> 00:40:44,520
Speaker 1: he was nice. He was he was nice. He was unbelievable.

748
00:40:45,040 --> 00:40:51,240
Speaker 1: Who's the of your of your age? He's not my age,

749
00:40:51,520 --> 00:40:55,680
Speaker 1: but um, when I was in high school, we went

750
00:40:55,760 --> 00:40:59,920
Speaker 1: to watching some of his games. Was was the Angelo

751
00:41:00,280 --> 00:41:03,720
Speaker 1: Dianzelo Collins? I believe? How about this one? He lived

752
00:41:03,840 --> 00:41:08,440
Speaker 1: and he lived at my parents house. Really? Yeah, he

753
00:41:08,480 --> 00:41:10,040
Speaker 1: went to my high school. He got in trouble because

754
00:41:10,040 --> 00:41:12,279
Speaker 1: he gotta fight bad fight in my high school. And

755
00:41:12,360 --> 00:41:16,279
Speaker 1: that's kind of what began kind of a so so

756
00:41:16,719 --> 00:41:21,759
Speaker 1: dominant man. And I remember watching him like the McDonald's

757
00:41:21,880 --> 00:41:24,880
Speaker 1: one of these ast the games and killing everybody and

758
00:41:25,080 --> 00:41:27,800
Speaker 1: he just couldn't get over over the hume. There's another

759
00:41:27,880 --> 00:41:30,440
Speaker 1: one to another guy that went to Fairfax. Let me

760
00:41:30,680 --> 00:41:33,480
Speaker 1: think of his name. I think he got hurt Evan Um.

761
00:41:35,080 --> 00:41:41,520
Speaker 1: Evan Burns. Evan Burns was another one. Man. He uh,

762
00:41:41,800 --> 00:41:44,000
Speaker 1: I used to go to the games and the Fairfax

763
00:41:44,080 --> 00:41:46,360
Speaker 1: and on Westchester was like the rivals, and he was

764
00:41:46,400 --> 00:41:48,880
Speaker 1: going up against Trevor Reis and all those guys. He

765
00:41:49,040 --> 00:41:52,560
Speaker 1: was another guy that the made it well you did,

766
00:41:53,120 --> 00:41:55,560
Speaker 1: and hopefully you'll make it back again. I cannot tell

767
00:41:55,560 --> 00:41:57,200
Speaker 1: you how much I appreciate your time and how much

768
00:41:57,360 --> 00:41:59,880
Speaker 1: I respect your work ethic and all you've done, all

769
00:42:00,040 --> 00:42:02,239
Speaker 1: accomplished in the sport. Thanks so much for joining me.

770
00:42:03,680 --> 00:42:06,239
Speaker 1: Thank you so much, and again, tune in to the

771
00:42:06,320 --> 00:42:10,799
Speaker 1: tournament again direct TV on demand. You can take me out.

772
00:42:11,920 --> 00:42:16,640
Speaker 1: I'll be playing hard. Thanks sir, all right, thank you.

773
00:42:18,520 --> 00:42:21,360
Speaker 1: What an interesting guy, right, and a great perspective and

774
00:42:21,440 --> 00:42:26,080
Speaker 1: a guy who does have an amazing work ethic, and

775
00:42:26,880 --> 00:42:28,960
Speaker 1: you know, as a guy who he bounced around like

776
00:42:29,040 --> 00:42:31,880
Speaker 1: four different high schools. He when he transferred from Bourmon

777
00:42:32,000 --> 00:42:34,759
Speaker 1: Day to play for edizame A Westchester, he missed his

778
00:42:34,800 --> 00:42:38,520
Speaker 1: whole junior year, but he was widely respected as the

779
00:42:38,600 --> 00:42:40,759
Speaker 1: best player in the state of California. There's some really

780
00:42:40,800 --> 00:42:44,520
Speaker 1: good players in his graduating class. And he went straight

781
00:42:44,560 --> 00:42:46,680
Speaker 1: to the pros and you know, kind of got buried

782
00:42:46,760 --> 00:42:48,960
Speaker 1: for a couple of years. And while he's had some

783
00:42:49,120 --> 00:42:52,719
Speaker 1: success and did have some rather sizeable contracts, he was,

784
00:42:53,040 --> 00:42:55,040
Speaker 1: He's never been close to the best player on his

785
00:42:55,239 --> 00:42:57,800
Speaker 1: on his team, which is part of the discussion with

786
00:42:57,960 --> 00:43:01,120
Speaker 1: going to college, which is you do have to learn

787
00:43:01,200 --> 00:43:03,799
Speaker 1: to dominate at your level. Now, I don't know how

788
00:43:03,880 --> 00:43:06,200
Speaker 1: he had been used had he gone and played at Louisville.

789
00:43:06,920 --> 00:43:08,239
Speaker 1: I don't know if you would have put on as

790
00:43:08,320 --> 00:43:11,279
Speaker 1: much weight and and become really kind of a tenacious

791
00:43:11,360 --> 00:43:14,279
Speaker 1: defensive player. Stop. But that's one of the things that

792
00:43:14,440 --> 00:43:18,160
Speaker 1: happens is if you get to the league and you

793
00:43:18,600 --> 00:43:22,239
Speaker 1: can't you don't stick right away. You gotta figure out,

794
00:43:22,239 --> 00:43:24,239
Speaker 1: all right, what is the role that I can play

795
00:43:24,280 --> 00:43:26,920
Speaker 1: in order to stay in the league, which, God bless him.

796
00:43:26,920 --> 00:43:28,720
Speaker 1: I mean, look, you at some point you just decide

797
00:43:28,800 --> 00:43:30,319
Speaker 1: this is who I am, this is who I'm going

798
00:43:30,360 --> 00:43:32,400
Speaker 1: to be. But for a guy who was one of

799
00:43:32,480 --> 00:43:35,120
Speaker 1: the top five top ten high school players in America

800
00:43:35,480 --> 00:43:38,239
Speaker 1: to then become a role player throughout his entire NBA life,

801
00:43:39,040 --> 00:43:43,120
Speaker 1: that kind of speaks to when you skip that, you

802
00:43:43,239 --> 00:43:47,320
Speaker 1: skip college. You know, you go to college, you dominate

803
00:43:47,400 --> 00:43:49,640
Speaker 1: for a year, you dominate for two years. Now you

804
00:43:49,680 --> 00:43:51,080
Speaker 1: go to the NBA. You're a little bit older, a

805
00:43:51,080 --> 00:43:53,760
Speaker 1: little bit more mature, and by the time things clicked

806
00:43:53,800 --> 00:43:56,640
Speaker 1: for him the NBA. They would have been clicking out

807
00:43:56,719 --> 00:43:59,120
Speaker 1: of college. Would he have been set back a couple

808
00:43:59,120 --> 00:44:01,600
Speaker 1: of years in terms of the free agency money, sure,

809
00:44:01,920 --> 00:44:04,360
Speaker 1: but he never really landed the huge free agency money anyway.

810
00:44:06,600 --> 00:44:10,319
Speaker 1: So I am a I think college is it's as

811
00:44:10,360 --> 00:44:12,759
Speaker 1: close to perfect you're gonna get. I think the G

812
00:44:12,960 --> 00:44:17,000
Speaker 1: League flawed because you are playing against older dudes, you

813
00:44:17,080 --> 00:44:19,880
Speaker 1: are playing against more talented dudes. You're you're you're missing

814
00:44:20,040 --> 00:44:24,600
Speaker 1: playing in college. You're missing the first time away from home.

815
00:44:24,640 --> 00:44:26,600
Speaker 1: But you don't really have to worry about money. You

816
00:44:26,640 --> 00:44:28,160
Speaker 1: don't have to be an adult, as he was talking

817
00:44:28,160 --> 00:44:31,279
Speaker 1: about kind of an adult lifestyle. I think all that

818
00:44:31,320 --> 00:44:34,200
Speaker 1: stuff is important to live on your own, to go

819
00:44:34,320 --> 00:44:36,839
Speaker 1: away from home, to learn about being part of a team,

820
00:44:36,880 --> 00:44:40,239
Speaker 1: but also to dominate your around your age group, which

821
00:44:40,239 --> 00:44:41,640
Speaker 1: you're not gonna do when you get to the NBA.

822
00:44:41,800 --> 00:44:44,239
Speaker 1: With the exception of you know, Lebron James, who's a

823
00:44:44,280 --> 00:44:48,800
Speaker 1: freak of nature, once in a generation player. So I

824
00:44:48,920 --> 00:44:51,480
Speaker 1: loved having a mirror on. I really appreciate him joining us,

825
00:44:51,719 --> 00:44:54,080
Speaker 1: And thank you so much for listening. I'm Doug Gottlieb

826
00:44:54,160 --> 00:44:55,239
Speaker 1: and this is all ball