September 25, 2023 • 50 mins
Doug is joined by former Suns, Magic and EuroLeague veteran Pat Burke to discuss transitioning back to Europe after his stint with the Magic, his experience with Steve Nash and the run and gun Suns, how he handled his surprise start if the 2007 Western Conference Semis against the Spurs, and how he would fix USA Basketball after a dismal World Cup showing.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Hey, what up. Welcoman. I'm Doug Gottlie.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
This is All Ball, and in this version of All
Ball we'll have the conclusion of my talk with Pat Burke.
Of course, Pat was the star center at Auburn and
in Spain Real Madrid, and of course Tauas for Remica,
and of course he played for the Ortlanta Magic. And
(00:30):
in this part we'll find out about how he became
a Phoenix Sun and what happened with that talented team
once they reached the playoffs and why they could never
get to the NBA finals.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
You remember there was.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
A notable suspension of a Mario Stotramount and Boris dil
and Pat was actually thrust into the lineup.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
What went wrong for him that game personally you'll find out.
Also we'll get his thoughts on USA basketball. How do
you fix USA basketball?
Speaker 2 (00:57):
So that because you know, we operated on this present well,
you know, if we just have the best players we
just had Lebron and KD and staff, we're gonna win.
But the countries we lost to didn't all have their
best players. So there is something one different about that
playing style, but also wrong with the way in which
we're kind of attacking this thing. We'll get pats thoughts
(01:17):
because he played and starred in Peeba style basketball, and
we'll figure out how we as Americans or American basketball
can adjust and be more successful more often, even if
we don't always have the best players in the world.
Even when we have the best players in the world,
it's not like.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
We've the redeem team.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
That was a close game, is a one possession game
late in the game against the against the Spaniards. So
here's part three with Pepper. What was it then like
to go back to Real. Now Real is one of
the biggest clubs in Europe, right, but you've been playing
in the NBA, so you're you're back making big money,
(01:56):
but you're in the ACB.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
You're in EuroLeague, very different. Well, was that experience like
the transition back?
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Uh? Well, I had one. I had one small jump
before that. I actually started that year when I left.
I went to Alana, Grand Canaria, and so I was
I was in the Spanish League, but I was, you know,
on an island just outside the coast of Africa, and
they had a coach there, Pedro Martinez, and he loved
his militant, robotic offense. Every day, we go through twenty
(02:26):
five minutes of going to the same place, and it
just it was just so boring, and so I just
remember that. It came to one point where I'm sitting
there in our apartment, my wife and I and with
our kids, and the cleaning lady says to me, She's like,
it's very strange. Oh no, no, I sorry. She says
it to my wife, Paige, it's very strange. You guys
(02:47):
are cleaning this apartment when you're about to be cut.
And Peyton's like, hey, Pat, come on into the living
room and I'm like what. So I go into the
living room and she's like, can you say that again?
And she repeats herself and I'm like, holy sh So
I called my agent and Lawren. The cleaning lady's in
here telling me that there must be some talk behind
the scenes because she's best friends with the GM's wife,
(03:10):
so she must have caught something at dinner. And now
all this is trickling out, so they didn't even know
that I I didn't even know that we knew what
was going on. So anyways, long story short, we're on
the last leg of the I should say, the end
of the first grouping of this European tournament. So we're
in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, after a dinner and we're moving on
(03:31):
to the next group of our European pool and the coach,
coach Pedro Martinez, he says, Pat, can I talk to you?
And so he takes me up to decide, said I
already know, coach, I'm cut, and he's like looking at me,
like what do you mean, and he's trying to pretend like, oh,
it's so innocent. I was like, oh, well, the cleaning
lady is friends with it, and she told us, and
he's like, I don't know anything about this, and I said,
(03:53):
it's okay, we're going to I'm want to work this
out anyways. And so anyways, my coach, I'm sorry. Warren
had actually worked out a deal already with Real Madrid,
so we were playing them in the next pool of
the European So I'm sitting there a week later from
being cut. I'm on Real Madrid and I'm warming up
against the team I was just on. And every time
(04:15):
my guys, like in Europe, you know, they do a
jog around the court. Well, you know, the other team
is on the baseline, stretching and every time. My guys,
I'm just joking around with it. I know, of course,
I know my guys on the other team more than
I know this new team that I'm on, So I'm
just joking around with them. And then right away the
coach like calls them all over and he was like,
don't look at him, don't listen to his jokes, don't
(04:38):
talk to him. And I'm sitting there like going, hey, guys,
you guys having a meeting without me, and they're just
came looking over and then my friend, my friends and
the team just kept looking over like Pat, please don't
do this. You're just making it worse on us. And
I was like, I have no connection to your team anymore.
I can do whatever I want to do on this
side of it. So I remember the real Madrid guys
well looking at me, like this guy be crazy, which
(05:01):
is a good thing.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
You do have to. They do have to. You want
guys to think you're a little bit crazy.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Yeah, Like I'm like this is me, you know, like
I was just on this team. Now I'm going to
show them because I'm gonna work even ten times harder
for Real Madrid now and I'm gonna show them so
we ended up beating their team. Moving on, anyways, that
year we go to the finals of that cup and
just we had a great year. And then of course
the next year I signed back and we win the
(05:25):
Spanish Championship and we win it over that first team,
Vittoria in Spain, which all the fans remember that I
left them, you know, in the preseason.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
So like they're to go to your brother's wedding.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Yeah, so their version of booing is whistling. So every
time they called my name or I score basket, they're
just whistling the whole time because they hate me.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Best thing to eat in Spain, h.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
I love the salads over there. They have a salad
over there with white asparagus. I don't know, it's got
to be a seasonal thing, but it's it's absolutely amazing.
Of course everyone talks about the tapas, those are good,
but I love the salad over there. How did it?
Speaker 1 (06:06):
I mean, what is life like with a siesta every day?
Speaker 3 (06:11):
We don't live that life? Oh well, I guess with
the two days. Yeah, it's very time consuming because you
build up anxiety if you don't get that nap in
between the two practices. And I can remember what. My
wife sometimes be like, hey, let's go to lunch, and
I'm like, I can't totally.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
I was just married when I was in Russia and
we're doing two backs a day, and like we're in
the middle of Russia and she's like, let's go shopping.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Let's I'm like, do you know how fucking tired I am. Yeah,
there's no way.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Well it makes me look back and go, wow. You know,
you have to be so selfish to be a successful
athlete because you have to worry completely about yourself, your body,
your nutrition, your mental health, all of it. And you know,
God blessed my wife for all those years of just
sitting there and like, you know, twilling her thumbs at
the house. Well, I'm taking a nap, but I was like,
(07:01):
I can't not get this nap in because it's so demanding.
You know, you're going through you know, strength training and
shooting and going through plays in the morning, and then
you know, you sit there and you eat as fast
as you can, you know, this nutritional meal so you
can get to bed, you know, in the middle of
the day to sleep for you know, an hour and
a half, two hours. Then you're back up doing it
(07:21):
all over again, and then you come in at night
and you got ice all over your knees, any injury
that you have, and you're just like I am so depleted,
and you know she's just sitting there like going, can
we do Can we watch a movie? I'm like, yeah,
if it's on that television.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
You know what was what do you remember about winning
the Spanish championship?
Speaker 3 (07:42):
First, it was being back in that Jim and that
coach that tried to shake my hand about leaving. So
every now and then I'd look over at it, I
just smile. We want it in a way where we
had Alberto Herreros was just a legend in the Spanish
league and I was getting to play with him that year.
It's just a phenomenal three point shooter. He made the
(08:03):
he was he already announced it was his last year,
so he made the game winning three in clutch time,
and then just collectively everybody just celebrating. I just think that,
you know, whenever it's all done and you've actually reached
the goal, that it was just this finality, like even
if we didn't agree with everybody on the team, like
(08:25):
it was just a great feel. Like Lewis Bullock was
on my team. But I remember at first, I was like,
you know, this guy is an all out green light shooter.
You could be running fast court down the floor for
an open dunk and he wouldn't pass the ball and
I would just start in the locker room like wanting
to fight him, you know. And I just remember at
the very end it was like, no matter what, we
did this together, you know, and you know, good luck,
(08:47):
God bless you for the rest of your career, you know,
And that was that was kind of it.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
How'd you make it back to playing in the States
and playing for the Suns.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
So Warren called me and he said, hey, Actually I
was playing for the Irish national team started the summer
and Warren told me, he said, hey, would you be
interested in coming back to the NBA. And I was like,
are you being serious? And he's like, yeah, because I
think I have a two year deal for you from
the Phoenix Suns. And at that time, you know, like
the Phoenix Suns are hot. This is you know, the
(09:18):
first MVP for Steve Nash. Everybody's going nuts about how
fast they're playing with under d'antoni's style. So when I
make it back or I'm signing the deal. I remember
I get off the phone and I'm with my Irish
National teammates and I was like, I just signed a
two year deal with Phoenix Sons and they were all like,
holy shit, that is awesome, you know, like that congratulations
(09:41):
like how you feel right now? And I'm like, I'm
a little It's kind of surreal because just going through
the NBA the first time was an experienced but now
going back, I'm like going, I'm going to handle this
differently now. I wanted to handle it differently. Of course
with family and friends as well, because anytime you're in
that sport, like any sport, like you're playing professionally, you're
(10:04):
telling the same stories eight times because people are calling
you like, you know, hey, what's this, Like what's my day?
To what's Steve Nash like? And the first thing, I
was like calling my dad to let him know, and
I was like, you know, it probably heard him at
the time, but I was like, Dad just wants you
to know it this time. I'm just going to request that.
There's gonna be times where I just don't want to
talk about it because it's just so much going over
(10:26):
all this information. I just want to be in the moment,
sharing the moment and just not having to relive it
over and over and over. And he was like, no,
I'm going to ask you, So what's what was it like?
So getting there, I remember when I went in to sign,
I'm signing with Brian Grant. Brian's Brian's my closest friend
(10:49):
from from that team. We talk a lot, but going
in and signing with him, it was funny because, uh,
you know when when I was playing with the Magic
in the preseason, he and I were playing against each other.
He was on the Heat and I had this move
in the in the lane where I was sitting there
and I was getting caught on three seconds and the
time the shott was going off, and I just shot
(11:10):
a shot and not even look at the hoop and
hit the glass backboard and went in. And during his
press conference, because he was one of the big players
for the Heat, they were like, uh, you know, what
do you think about the season, and they were they
were like, starting the season off, I think out of time,
like oh and four or some more than five. And
he's like, you know, when you have a when you
got a guy named Pat, He's like, no name or
(11:31):
somebody hitting a no look shot in the lane. You know,
it's it's bad news. And that was like in the paper.
And so then when I saw him when I'm signing
for the Suns and I brought up later, I was like,
do you remember saying this? And he was like, no,
we're just laughing about it. But the thing about the
Phoenix Suns is at that time with Steve Leander, Barbosa Boris,
(11:55):
it was it was it wasn't like the magic in
that we all got along so good. We all celebrated
outside the court, going to people's homes for you know whatever.
It was a barbecue, one of our kids birthdays, and
there was a there was a more of a collective,
you know, Eddie House, everybody, all the guys that were
on that team. Everybody got along and we all just
(12:18):
wanted to do our best and it was pretty cool.
But the one thing that did hurt in the preseason
is when we got there, you know, the idea of
seven seconds or less. Since I have an offensive set,
you had to be fast. You had to get down
the floor as fast as you could. You had to
make quick decisions. And I remember Mike D'Antoni said Hey, guys,
(12:40):
there are fourteen guys on this team was fourteen, and
he said seven of you guys are going to play,
and you're on the roster, like as far as like
getting in, and he goes, the other seven you're gonna
think I'm a motherfucker. And we're all so they're like,
that's fine. You know, we're all alpha males. We're all like, yeah,
I'm gonna be one of those seven. And then slowly, slowly,
(13:01):
you start to realize.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
The other seven.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
Yeah, all rightkay, I'm in the other seven. So we're
in the MF group. So then we would sit there
and we kind of just would console ourselves, like we
had this play on words. We would sit there. You're
either players or fans, so we said we're orphans. So
we would just sit there and we were orphans. So
every time the game would go on, we've been sitting
there and we cheer for the guys and all that,
and a lot of older got Jimmy Jackson was there,
(13:28):
and a lot of guys that they weren't accustomed to
playing that role, you know, they didn't like it. So
then when we go to practice, there was like forty
five minute practices like I'm coming from Europe. We have
two practices a day. I'm trying to tell guys about this,
and they're like, what what world are you in so
forty five minutes, Because you know, Sean Marion, Amari Stodemeyer,
(13:50):
Steve all those guys were getting their workouts during the game.
They're playing the whole game. So the ideal was, let's
go in here for forty five minutes. We're going to
walk through. If youve got to take some shots. At
the end, we're out. And then it became clear again
that these are grown ass men. I'll never forget. Like
we're in the We're in the beginning of the season
and Mike's coming in for like a you know, a
(14:10):
thirty forty five minute practice, and he goes through all
the starters through a walkthrough, and Brian Grant. Brian he's
on like a hundred million dollar deals. I think that
year he's making twenty five million. It's coming over from
the Lakers, and uh, Mike has everyone go through a
certain set you know whoever we were playing that night,
(14:30):
and then he's like, okay, we're good, come on, and
went to the middle and Brian wouldn't go to the middle.
He's on the outside. He's like, I haven't gone through
the set, coach, and Mike d'antoni's totally ignoring him, and
Brian's like, hey, I haven't gone through the fuck is
I don't know what the fuck we're doing tonight, and
d'antoni's like, here we go. Soun's on three and Steve's
like looking over at Brian. That's kind of like this
awkward moment where he's just like, come on, Brian, come
(14:50):
on here. He's like, no, Steve, I'm not going in there.
I can't play tonight because I have no idea what
the set is and we're all since it going. It
doesn't matter, Brian, we're not getting in, so just get
your and in this damn circle. And as we're sitting there,
we do one to three sons. Brian still saying something
and Mike d'antoni's going up the staircase out of the gym.
He's like, Coach, I don't know the plays. I'm like,
(15:12):
this is wild, like but nothing we was said. It
didn't turn into a Horse Grant situation. It was just
one of those things where it's like, Okay, you know,
there are guys here that do have a case that
you know, the leadership space inside of this team is
a little off on how it handles everyone who's not playing.
Speaker 4 (15:31):
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Speaker 1 (15:45):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
There are there are some that to this day saying
Steve Nash didn't deserve either of those MVPs.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
You lived it, you had a front row seat for
for for what do you think? Think?
Speaker 3 (16:00):
Uh, because I'm biased because I was there watching him
and you know, seeing what he was doing, you know,
for preparation, you know, going through every night with the
wins and all that. You know, I think, uh again,
as I'm tainted because I was there seeing what he
was doing. So when he wanted I was like, well deserved.
But then again, of course who was upward to Kobe
(16:22):
and the chemo?
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Yeah, ever, says Kobe. I mean.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
We had a great year as well. And uh, you
know again is whoever whatever they based it all on,
if the wins or where we went, you know, I
just think that it must have been a very difficult challenge.
But either one of the guys would have been of course,
uh somebody that would My.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Contention would be My contention would be like Shaw Mary
was a really good player, but playing with Steve Nash,
he was a great player, right, Marie Stottenmyer, very good
player with Steve Nash, great player.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
Kind of you go through and you know, if everyone
around you is having career hives.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
Part of it is pace of play, but a lot
of it is who's creating all this stuff? Again, I
don't know, And you know, people will always pick out
Steve's defense right small, and I think some of it
they look through the lens of today or the lack
of ultimate playoff success, and I just I just went now,
was that the year with the Spurs deal where you
(17:25):
guys beat the Spurs and then Amare and Diau got
suspended because they slammed Stephen the board?
Speaker 1 (17:36):
Was that? Was?
Speaker 2 (17:36):
That?
Speaker 3 (17:36):
Was that your year?
Speaker 1 (17:37):
That first year?
Speaker 3 (17:39):
That's the that's the second year, so that's the year. Yeah,
that's what the NBA came out with the rule if
you step over the line during any altercation, it's an
automatic you know, suspended the next game. So Robert rriy
Hip checks Steve into the timetable and he goes off
and then I remember standing up and I just look
(17:59):
over and I their two feet are over the line,
and I'm like, holy shit, now the only active center
that hasn't played a game in about four months is me.
So I'm sitting there like this is this is insane,
you know, like most people don't even know this. But
the beginning of that year, I worked so damn hard
(18:20):
in preseason, like everybody was coming up to me like great, unbelievable.
We go to the first game against the Lakers and
Mike d'antelli, for some reason, I don't even know why
I did, like we didn't have this type of relationship.
He brings me over to the side. He said, Pat,
I talked to you and he said you should be
starting for this team, right. I mean, this is crazy,
like no one would even think. I'm like looking at
(18:41):
him like my brows like what And he looks over
and he goes, but I can't play yet. He goes,
there's so much money invested in these guys, you know that.
And I just said to them, well, if anybody gets injured,
I'll be ready, and he's like okay. You know, it
was kind of like we settled in, like let's get
rid of the is Like, look, I'm good with that,
Like I'll be ready. So I'm I'm just every after
(19:03):
every practice, I'm running sprints. I'm never getting in, just
running sprints. I'm on the treadmill. I'm just doing everything
that I can. I'm in the weight room early, I'm
doing all my shots, taking practice very seriously. Got to
the point months and months and months and Steve Nash
is coming down the staircase and he's seeing me doing sprints.
He's like, I can't even look at you, you know,
like you're never getting in, but you're never giving up.
I'm like, I'm going to get on that floor.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
Man.
Speaker 3 (19:25):
Like four months into it, I was like I'm done.
I can't this is there's no way. So I stopped.
I stopped putting any extra cardio in. And then this happens,
and then the media comes up to me. After we
fly out of San Antonio, we're back at Phoenix and
the media comes up to me and there like hey,
you know, like they never talked to me, so like hey,
(19:45):
we're just wondering, you know, with with the ruling with
the two guys, you know, being taken out. You're the
only active center. You know, what have they said to you?
And I go full go everything. I said, they haven't.
They haven't talked to me in months. I don't even
say they don't even say hello to me in the
locker room. And they're like what and I'm like yeah,
(20:05):
They're like, uh, you want us to print this? I
was like, my NBA career is probably over anyways. I
said that's fine. So they're like, okay, So like, what
do you like? Who do you think is a better coach?
And I said, how many championships is Papa bit chef?
How many? How much rotation does Papavich put in with
less injury under ten or eleven guys rotation than Mike
D'Antoni every year, seven man rotation and all our guys
(20:28):
sitting there with back injuries, and like, you want us
to print this? And I was like, I'm fine with it.
So I start telling them all of this and they
print it. And the next day Warren calls me. He's like,
are you trying to get kicked out of the league?
And I was like, what does it matter? Yeah, because
he's just sitting there. He's like, why would you say this,
and I'm like, it's the truth, and it's it's the
(20:49):
truth of what's going on. And so then I remember,
like people were like give it a little hate, like
who is this guy? This guy doesn't even play. I'm like,
i's tell even about playing. The question was about coaching
and an understanding of like are you communicating as a leader.
And I know that d'antoni's a different coach now, it's
just in that moment in six oh seven. You know,
(21:09):
I don't think that he had those experiences of feedback
because most people don't want to talk about it. But
I'm like, you know, it's bullshit. You know, your seven
man rotation in seven second offense is only getting you
so far and you have to start thinking differently to
actually get to the next level.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
So what's it like now to look back on game six?
Speaker 3 (21:30):
Uh, that's not the is that see the last one
that we played? So I get in for about I
don't know, maybe a minute.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
Because I remember it was you guys took the lead
three games to two. Yeah, and then they got suspended
and then so you played a ton in game six,
and then I think as lost in game seven. You
lost six and seven I think.
Speaker 3 (21:51):
Yeah, Kurt, So Kurt Thomas started playing more of that
center role getting beefed up minutes. But I had a
lingering arm injury that I couldn't even raise my arm,
like over my head, and so I went it for
a little other's like this photo. It perfectly captivates. There's
like a rebound. I'm sitting there and I couldn't even
pick my arm up. The balls on the ground and
(22:14):
Tony Parker myself were like in a scrum trying to
get to it, and like that was it. It was
like the horn goes off and I get subbed out
and I was like, I can't even help the team.
So yeah, so I just looking back, you know, we
were so close. But then you also look at what's
his name that the referee that was placing wages on Yeah,
(22:35):
so he was That was one of the games because
I remember our coaching staff was just going nuts at
all the calls that he was calling, you know, like
in the first half, like it was just like there's
something going on.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
That's insane. Yeah, season's over then what.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
So then I come back. My wife and I were
expecting our third child, and uh, I get a call
from Golden State Warriors and they were like, hey, we'd
like for you to come out and try out for
the team. I'm like great. So I go out and
uh I'm good. Do their preseason in Hawaii and something
(23:16):
just doesn't feel right my body. I'm like, I know,
I know when I feel good and I don't and
there was something going on and uh so then don
Nelson calls me, like the last day before I've cut.
He brings me outside with a big cigar and the
practice facility. We're back in Golden State now and he's like, Burke,
I like you. He goes, but how do you think?
(23:37):
How do you think it's going? And I was like, well,
I haven't done shit. I look like shit and I
feel like shit. And he's like, yeah, that's about the
way I see it. Oh, and he goes, uh so,
what do you want to do? Do you want to
stay with us for the preseason or do you want
to And I said, you know, I think I want
to go see my doctors in uh in Phoenix and
he's like, okay, we'll have that done. He goes, hey,
(23:58):
I really enjoyed you being I said, coach, thank you
so much for the opportunity and just something was like
there was this heaviness in my gut. And so anyways,
I go in there and I have an appendectomy done
and then also have my gallbladder removed within a month,
and I'm like, man, my systems are just failing right now.
So then I call Warren. I said, hey, I'm going
(24:20):
to take some time off. You know, our baby's gonna
is due in early October. So I wait. And then
after our daughter, Harper is born, I call them up
and I said, okay, you know, put my name out there.
And then on Thanksgiving Day, I'm on a plane flying
to Russia to go play for a Kimky.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
What was your experience like landing in Russia?
Speaker 3 (24:42):
Oh my god, this I'm telling you it is the
wildest thing. So I fly over and make I make
the the worst decision of wearing jeans and like dress shoes.
I get there and they're like, okay, we got to
go through your medical tests. And I'm like, can I
go by the hotel and change. They're like, no, you're fine.
So I'm like all right. And it was like some
(25:03):
crazy like eighteen hour travel, you know, like two or
three flights. So when I get in there. There's like
this triangular box thing and this there's this big jury,
this big Russian woman, and she's she's trying to get
me to do some sort of lung capacity test and
she's just like barking Russian at me, like I'm like
(25:24):
breathing inside this big box. So then they put me
over and they hooked me up with the heart monitors,
get me on a treadmill, and I'm running in like
penny loafers and jeans with no shirt on. And then
finally when I'm done with that, I'm like, all right,
can I go to the hotel? Look like yeah, we're
gonna drop off your bags. We've got an away game
we're going to, and I'm like okay. So I get
(25:46):
to the away game and one of my teammates, Antonia Fotes,
is from Greece. He's on the team as well. So
I get over there. Oh, sorry, he's playing on the
other team. So I say hello to him and this
and the other, and then they give me my uniform
and they're like we're gonna be sued up tonight, and
I'm like, I'm going on no sleep, no food. I
just was on a treadmill. So Anyways, I go out
(26:09):
there and I'm warming up with the guys and I
don't play. But every time they call it time out,
I'm just sitting there. I can't keep my eyes open,
and I can see like all the other Russian guys
like looking over and laughing. They're like, this guy is
like so tired. So anyways, we ended up, but whatever
the conclusion of the game was. At the very end,
they're like, we're gonna bring you back to their hotel.
(26:30):
I think I slept like a day and a half
and then I wake up, and then of course I
go through all the introduction to the Russian League.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
I'll give you mine. So this was two thousand and one,
in January two thousand and one. So I was playing
like in the IBA in Solana, Kansas, and I got
to go home to Oklahoma to get my stuff. I
go to New York to get a a visa. So like,
(27:02):
I land in New York and I have to go
to the Russian Consulate get my visa. Then I fly
out from New York. I remember, this is like I
don't think I had a cell phone at the time.
This is like two thousand and one, right, I don't
think I had one, so.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
All I knew was that like we will, they'll like
my email from.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
My agent was like, they'll get you at the airport
in Moscow and take you to the other airport where
you fly to perm Russia. All right, So I land
in Moscow and you know again like you fly thirteen
hours and you just I don't know where I am.
And I remember having this gigantic basketball, like two big
Nike bags and stuff, and I don't know.
Speaker 1 (27:43):
What I'm looking for.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
And I saw a Russian writing and a basketball and
I was like, I hope that's my guy, you know,
and the feeling of of being so tired. So I
think sharon Meteva is the big airport. So you landed
shar Meteva and then you kind of go through Moscow
and then you go to one of the satellite airports
(28:05):
to fly and I remember like in and out of consciousness,
he takes me like he's like, you want to eat?
So I was like yeah, So we go into some
it's like smoke filled. They're drinking tea and he just
orders something as terrible. But the in and out of
I felt like I was like a drugged American spy
(28:26):
because I remember like bits and pieces of driving by
red Square, and I just felt like if he took
me into the middle of nowhere, killed me, took my shoes,
nobody's gonna know. Right then he takes me to another
airport and he gives me a ticket and all I
knew was that it had a number on it, and
I thought that was the gate, and so I'm just
like holding up to feel they pointed to me right
(28:48):
like no direction. And then I landed in perm and
now it's like five thirty in the morning, and there's
like ice knee high, you know, when we get off
the plane, and I was like, oh my god, and
just like you a.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
Land at five thirty.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
There was an interpreter and she's like, they would pick
you up at nine for practice.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
I was like, are you fucking kidding me?
Speaker 4 (29:10):
What?
Speaker 1 (29:12):
And then the team was on the road.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
So when I got there, I had two days by myself,
an assistant coach in a gym, and like, I remember,
I never forget this, and I do this dru with
kids today where they're like, he was like, you must
have made he was Lithuanian, and then you know they're
fucking crazy, right, So he's like, you must have made
twenty five threes, so I'm standing out by a three
point line.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
I shoot three, make it. I was like, I was like, yo, man,
you gotta throw it back.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
No, this is is conditioning, Like you had to make
it three run back and then he's like timing you
to see how long it takes.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Then you do a full court. I was like, this
is a different world, a different world. What was Was
there anything you liked about food in Russia? Anything you
took away that? No? No? No?
Speaker 2 (30:04):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (30:05):
Did you have a driver? Did you drive your own car?
Speaker 3 (30:06):
They gave me a driver, Sasha, I had a driver.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
I love the driver thing.
Speaker 3 (30:11):
Yeah, he's great. There was a they didn't want any
of us getting into any type of.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
Accident because what they would do is they know you're
an American, so they would crash into your car and
shake you down for money.
Speaker 1 (30:25):
I don't know if you know the story.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
Rusty LaRue was in Moscow when I was there. Yeah,
And in Moscow they have that middle line, middle lane,
and you have like a blue light.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
You can get in your car and.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
Drive down that middle lane and it's like government officials
and mafia guys whatever. And he kept getting pulled over,
and so he's like he was. He kept he said
it to the guys like on the team. He's like, yo, man, like,
how do I not get pulled over? They're like bisball hat?
Like what They're like, you know, don't wear a baseball hat.
(30:57):
He's like why, Like because they know you're not Russian. No,
we don't wear base Do you ever see a baseball head?
Speaker 1 (31:02):
Like, oh, they just pulled a guy over again his
baseball hat. But yeah, my driver was our driver was
like our best friend, O Legg was our was our driver. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
They just didn't want us to get into trouble with
the police. And we had a number of like you know,
we get stopped heading to practice and then Sasha would
get in. After talking to him, he's like uh and
he's doing this and I'm like what and he's like
fifty fifty whatever Ruble or hero whatever, like fifty bucks
and I'm like for what and he's like so I
hand it to him. And that must have happened a
(31:32):
dozen times.
Speaker 1 (31:33):
No question. You you played one more year after that, right.
Speaker 3 (31:37):
Yeah, we're playing in a Poland a Seko pro com.
That's when you know it's like you're just going down
and so at that point that was it was like
a paradigm shift. I always felt like I was like
the youngest guy. I always felt like I was at
that victoria moment, like you know, you're twenty one, you're
the youngest guy in the room, or one of the youngest.
(31:57):
At that point. Man, we had so many a Mayoramericans
on our team, and it was just a different generation.
These guys were coming in, They're talking about what they
wanted in life, and you know, if I, if I
had a conversation with them, sometimes I just felt like,
you know, whatever I was speaking about the world was misunderstood.
So I just knew, like, yeah, I'm getting to that
(32:18):
point where you know, I'm not jumping the same I
don't even have butterflies playing like before games anymore. So
I'm like, let me just get my ten rebounds, let
me get ten points. And just a great relationship with
my coach. He was a Lithuanian guy, was phenomenal. He'd say, uh,
pasecis so he played for the Lithuanian team. I played
(32:41):
against him earlier in my career and he talked to
my agent like he liked the way I played. So
I came in and he would just he'd sit there
that he tried to challenge me all the time in
front of the guys I was. I wasn't used to that,
but I always played back to him. So he'd be like, bet,
this is boughit. You know, I know everybody in town.
He's like, I know you didn't leave this club last
(33:03):
night till one am, and all the young guys will
be looking in the huddle like, oh my gosh, you
just got caught. I'd be like, coach, that's bullshit. I
didn't leave that club till three and give me the
eyes right, and he'd be like, you know, he's like,
we're gonna talk. I said, okay, And then like when
we go to places and you know, you're warming up,
you're doing high knees, you know, full court, and I'd
(33:26):
be going by him at half court and he'd be like, bet,
do you think you're crazier than me? And I go,
I don't know, and I got I go down the
other end and I come back.
Speaker 2 (33:35):
To him like, God, well you played for Thomasis Yeah, dude,
he was the other point guard when I was in Russia.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
Oh really, he's fucking nuts.
Speaker 3 (33:43):
Yeah, yeah, he is.
Speaker 1 (33:45):
I loved him, great dude, but fucking nuts.
Speaker 3 (33:48):
Yeah. So he would but he would say to be like,
you know, do you think you're crazier? And then I
go back the other side of the court, come back,
and I go, I don't know how crazy I am.
So he would just sit there and he would be
nodding all the time, and then like, I remember, my
family would come up over. It came over once for
Christmas and my stats started to drop, and he's like,
what's going on? And I said, I don't know. He's like,
I think your family needs to leave. Okay, but uh yeah,
(34:12):
he's uh he's out. I think he's out of coaching now.
But he was a lot of fun at the At
the end of the year, he wanted me to come back,
and I was like, twelve years, I think I'm done.
I said, I just don't know if I could do
this again.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
You know, it's funny, he.
Speaker 4 (34:28):
He uh.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
We used to have Sundays We're supposed to be off, right,
Sundays were our off day, and everybody would go down
to the gym and like hey, come come good leave,
come come come, shoot, come shoot, we get shots, we go,
we levet, we go to Sona Sona right, and like
everything these dudes did was at a level way above
(34:51):
what was called for. Right, and now I was splitting
time even as an American in Russia and with him,
and he was a good fucking player, we were stacked.
We run won the Russian league, won the won the
championship in the tournament as well, won our European We won.
We won all but one game and the only reason
we didn't win that one game was because none of
the other Vets played and I played with the young
(35:11):
guys against Sesca Like it was crazy anyway, But we
used to go and one of the assistants was like
a famous Baldis Komichas he had played on the ninety
two Russian team. But he's a Lithuanian. Obviously he's a fan.
So he was an assistant, and we had three other Lithuanians,
(35:31):
but check Thiss was one of them on the team,
and so you had the four Lithuanians.
Speaker 1 (35:34):
They were fucking nuts.
Speaker 2 (35:36):
See you go in on like a Sunday, You're like,
all right, I'm gonna get a quick lift, I'm gonna
get some shots up, I'm gonna get to the sauna.
Speaker 1 (35:42):
Let men get the fuck out of here, all right,
see go in like he'd like lift, like good, leave,
come come, we shoot.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
So the shooting would be like a competition, which is
cool because you get them up in a hurry or whatever.
Within the competition, we'd be like, let's play one on one,
let's play to it, let's five on five.
Speaker 1 (35:58):
Let's just a couple of games. Like we're playing for
like four hours.
Speaker 2 (36:01):
And I love playing, but like and I love playing basketball,
and I was frustrated shit at like like how we
did in Russia was we had like a third point
guard and we get up twenty points and like this
dude is playing. We're like what the fuck. But it's
because they wanted to play the Russians, right, And I'm
trying to put up stats, and.
Speaker 1 (36:18):
So you get done and you're like, fuck, I just
this was my day off.
Speaker 2 (36:22):
I just played four hours of basketball. All right, I'm
gonna go downstairs. I'm gonna get sauna.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
No.
Speaker 2 (36:28):
I was like I didn't want to do something like no, no,
come come, we all do together, team bunding, we go
do it. We go like okay, So I go in
there and and I don't know if you did this
in Poland or in Russia. Sauna right, then you jump
in the cold bunch. Yeah, then you go sauna and
then you jump the cold punch and it feels good.
Then they start they put honey on themselves, like just
(36:49):
some kind of honey, and you're like, all right, whatever
and uh and then like you get out of the
scene like the third time, and now like the vodka
starts and you're like, wait, what the fuck? And then
so you have a govaka and then the and then
I was just married and then like oh, then the
hookers come in at the end.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
They're like, yo, I'm out, I'm out. I'm good.
Speaker 2 (37:13):
I'm good because because my because my wife went a
time we were just married and she would like come
sometimes and come work out at the gym.
Speaker 1 (37:20):
When I was like, no, no, no, I get to
get the fuck out of here. This is gonna get
really bad. And hurry.
Speaker 2 (37:24):
Those guys everything they did they did extra like I
can't I don't know where that that well spring of
energy comes from.
Speaker 1 (37:30):
And I was pretty energetic, dude.
Speaker 3 (37:32):
They had the end of the Russian season, they got
us all together for some someplace in the mountains. There
was a cabin and they're like, you're really gonna like
this this hot, tough place. So I go into the
world's hottest room. There's fourteen of us in there, and
there's one old guy in there. He practically lives there.
I'm like, you can only stand there for like three minutes,
(37:54):
and you got to come out and get a breath
because it's like, I've never been in a room that's
hot in my life. This old guy's got a woolf
hat on, yes, and then he's he's got some sort
of like olive branch or something.
Speaker 1 (38:06):
So then they beat the ship up and they beat you,
they eat the crap, they.
Speaker 3 (38:09):
Open up your pores, and I'm sitting there watching this.
I'm like, this is incredible. And then when you go
outside next out to the snowy mountain, like beautiful landscape,
there's this huge barrel with the rope, you pull it
down and ice cold water hits you. But uh, it
was a great experience. But the same thing. Right at
the end, they're all like, hey, we gotta get vodka,
and I'm like, no, I'm not getting vodka, Like what
(38:31):
are you talking about.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
I'm out. I'm actually trying to feel better. Tomorrow. I
did not feel worse last thing.
Speaker 2 (38:37):
Okay, So USA basketball, as you point out early two thousands,
we've been through this before, right where they were kind
of a mess bust the World Championships in Indy, right,
kind of in a similar situation.
Speaker 1 (38:50):
And the answer this time is, well, Lebron's just gonna
get all the guys back.
Speaker 2 (38:55):
And that it may work, but it might not, right
because it's just such a different style of the sport.
The officiating is different, the I mean the officiating, the style,
the rules, it's all different. So if I put Pat Burke,
who is a great player in Phoeba style basketball, in
(39:15):
charge of comprising a roster American born players, how would
you build it?
Speaker 3 (39:21):
I think a lot of times in businesses you look
for a copy and paste. You're saying what's working. Like,
you know, we talked about the Yugoslavian coaching style was
very hot in two thousand. One of the biggest things,
and again is this is not to get too far
and too deep into this. I just got back from
Ireland and one of the things I recognized when I
was watching Irish athletes playing basketball is there's no you
(39:46):
don't have to coach them on energy. You don't have
to coach them on sportsmanship. They're they're listening to everything,
they're not yelling back at refs. And I started to think, like,
what the hell is creating? What's the very because I
you know, I just came out of an AAU tournament
in the States and there's parents yelling at kids, they're
yelling at the refs. The coach is like completely absent
(40:09):
to the idea that it's their platform that's creating any
type of transformation. Here's my kids in the beginning season,
and here's the end. It's not the kids to actually say,
it's they're not listening. It's your space to bring them over.
Like if you look at a nonprofit organization, they have
to go through metrics to get any type of grant
to say, how is your program creating transformation? And has
(40:30):
nothing to do with the kids. It's always the actual
content of anything that you're doing to bring them through.
That so long winded on that The first thing I'm
doing is I want to research what what is it
inside of every one of these teams, the Lithuanian team
(40:50):
or any of the teams that have had success here
in this last World Basketball tournament and to say what
what are those variables? Because what we're looking at is
the United States is a factory and it creates. And
one of the litmus tests is looking at our youth
and what they're going through and saying, this is what
(41:11):
we're producing. You know, a number of years ago a
large number of European kids were being drafted in the
first round and we're sitting there like going, oh, that
can't be. And I'm going we're not producing the same
people because we're not the same people today that we
were twenty years ago or thirty years ago. So if
I was to go in and start building a team,
(41:33):
I think there's more psychology that needs to be put
into this idea and understanding that it's the people that
have come from nothing. It's the people that have a
work mentality that's not questioned or unwavering that you start
to building with. Because I think when Sherzevsky and Colangelo
got together and they started to build the team, I
(41:53):
think the first person they build it from was was
somebody that wasn't a superstar. It was like, who can
we build around this person? I can't remember who that was.
It's like Shane Battier or something.
Speaker 1 (42:03):
It was like that.
Speaker 3 (42:03):
It was like that type of person. And I think
that just saying Lebron or someone you put. You put
fifteen alpha males into a room, There's there's someone there
that's gotta do the dirty work. There's someone there that's
got to And sometimes I think there's just too much ego,
and I think there's a lot of it.
Speaker 1 (42:20):
I think that Cotolia is and I think it's interesting
to bring up business. Right, this is the hey, we
we we did we you know Ford and the what
was it called the assembly line?
Speaker 2 (42:34):
Right?
Speaker 1 (42:34):
Like we invented all of that technology. Right? And then
who makes better cars? Right?
Speaker 2 (42:41):
Japan and Germany and maybe even South Korea now make
better cars because there's more attention to detail. I like
to I have a friend who's a who's a car dealer,
and he said, and I used to buy actors all
the time. And he was like, only by an actor
that's made in Japan. And I said why, He's said,
you know, do you go to a car dealership, you
(43:02):
go to an auto factory in Japan?
Speaker 1 (43:05):
Did you know they have no custodial service.
Speaker 2 (43:07):
I was like really, He's like no, you clean up
your own space, so you go to the exact same company,
an act your dealership in I think South Carolina.
Speaker 1 (43:15):
They have custodial service. And here's the difference.
Speaker 2 (43:18):
Everybody's station in Japan spotless. Everybody's station in South Carolina
fucking mess. Right, work really dependent upon the guy and
sores a. There's a care for the company, for the
culture of respect for your work. And I think in
all honesty, like, look, we teach basketball the wrong way.
You know, if you watch any of these workout videos,
(43:40):
all off the dribble, one on cone right, and they
have figured out, really through a lot of our coaches
coming over there, that that's not actually the most effective
way and they're at an athletic disadvantage, but they found
a way to create an advantage with skill, shooting, passing, toughness,
tactics right attacking the weaknesses. And I think it's going
(44:03):
to be fascinating to see, Like it ain't crazy to
think we can send Lebron and Kevin Durant and Steph
Curry over there and they still get beat.
Speaker 3 (44:11):
In twenty four Yeah, I totally agree. I think that
whenever we started, you know, if you look at you
know we're going over this idea of leadership and communication.
When we go to a playground, is it easier to
meet everybody on your team and ask them what their
strengths are and weaknesses and then start playing, or is
it easier to get the ball and go one on five,
(44:33):
which what we do, because nobody ever actually goes into
like what are more effective ways to actually build something
to where we can all collectively come together. And that's
where I think that we're missing somebody there. There's a
convenience in just picking something randomly and saying, oh, this
is the best and we can do this. It's not
going to work. Like there how many conversations had to
(44:54):
occur and how much family culture in the community must
have had those those There's people in Japan that they
are cleaning their area like they're not They're not sitting
there being told what to do and being like you
better do this. It's like there's a pride there and
I don't know what the difference is, but we're not
the same inside of our our cultures and our community.
(45:16):
Moore like, I did a lot of nonprofit work in
my town and it was eye opening. It was eye
opening to see how many people are looking to and
there's nothing wrong with this, Like I think that you
have to be able to sustain yourself before you can
actually help others. But how many people have no understanding
that they're financially okay, Like there are people that are
(45:37):
doing so bad. You're not in a bad what you
really really to recognize if you go to a third
world country, you see how bad others have it. But
if we go back to again at the copy and
paste model, I'm going to Lithuania and I'm going to
all these other countries and I'm sitting there and I'm going,
let's let's get a couple of them, because you know,
years ago, I think in Ireland when they were looking
(46:00):
to break through in boxing at that time, I think
it was Cuba or some other country had this great
methodology for training and Ireland knew that. Again is how
do we think of a caller we've never thought of before?
It's impossible, So they go and they got someone else.
And it's just an open minded approach. And I think
that America has become so close minded that we're like going, no,
(46:22):
I can't do this. I mean, look at even I
know I'm jumping around, but even when you look back
to when those I think it's like twenty four twenty fourth,
twenty four draft picks in the first round were international players.
The forums and all the places on social media started
(46:43):
complaining about, well, this is America, we should be taking
care of our guys, Like this is bullshit. It's like,
what are you talking about. We don't own nobody owns
the sport of basketball. And if someone's doing it at
a level that's so good, are you so closed minded?
Like it's do you think that the America is the
best because they're showing us now that there's so much
(47:03):
other things that you can develop that we're only focusing.
Like you said, we go to a cone, we're doing
ball handling stuff, and we think that we're we're getting ahead.
I mean, my whole thing is when I started at sixteen,
I knew that I was not going to actually become
a huge scorer. I was like, there are other positions
to do and other roles to take on, and if
I can do them, well there's a job for me.
Speaker 2 (47:24):
And that's you made a great a great life for yourself.
The most important goal you want to accomplish in the
next ten years, I.
Speaker 3 (47:35):
Say, continuing on Isaiah Thomas's quote is if people only
know me for basketball, then I've failed at life.
Speaker 1 (47:42):
And so.
Speaker 3 (47:44):
As I move forward into other things, like I want
people to know that, you know, it's like I move
with my spirit first of like wanting to help people,
wanting to help you, continuing to do that so that
I'm modeling that for my kids to see and my wife.
You know, I just I really with the sport of basketball.
But I think that you know, some people will say, oh,
you know, I'm all about basketball. Our life is more important.
(48:06):
But I think that there is a way of acting
that out and I'd look to do that as much
as I can.
Speaker 1 (48:12):
All the time.
Speaker 2 (48:13):
Pat Man, You've been amazing with your time and the
stories are incredible, and I want to have, like, let's
have another conversation here in a couple months in basketball
seating kicks off because your perspective is so unique because
you've lived it, you've experienced it, you understand it on
a level that so few can, and the ones that
have experienced it not all can articulate it in the
(48:35):
way that you can.
Speaker 1 (48:35):
So I really really appreciate your time. This has been awesome.
Speaker 3 (48:39):
I appreciate as well I've been a fan from Afar
and I remember when I was in college and we're
hearing your name and I remember watching you. So it's
just really cool to finally meet you and have this conversation.
I look forward to the next one.
Speaker 1 (48:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (48:50):
I was in Israel and I was watching you play
in Greece and we watch we watch euro League. We
were in the Coreatch Cup and we watch your league
and we watch you play, and I was like, dude,
that's Pat Burke, Like he's these and like the guys
in Israel are like, oh, he best, best sender.
Speaker 1 (49:06):
We need to get him for Mccabi Tel Aviv. He's
the best, He's the best. That's how they talk, you know,
they talk. He does, he does, he does the good stuff,
the good stuff.
Speaker 3 (49:15):
Anyway, Well, it's fun, I'll tell you. And that's the
last point too. I won't get too long, but it's
funny when Europeans recognize when people are doing stuff off
the ball, because everybody can do something on the ball,
but they're just like, hey, this guy puts in the
work on other areas and that's what we need.
Speaker 1 (49:34):
I was amazing.
Speaker 2 (49:35):
If you if you missed any part one, part two
of course you can go look in All Ball and
amazing storytelling a guy who's just so well rounded. And
I thought you got an honest perspective of the things
he did right, the things he did wrong, the people
he thought wronged him, and the people who he now is.
Speaker 1 (49:52):
Like, you know what, I was probably wrong in that one.
Speaker 2 (49:54):
I love of self reflection and just an interesting and
very successful man who has his own.
Speaker 1 (50:01):
Opinions on so many different topics.
Speaker 2 (50:04):
Thanks so much for listening and ryding. The Doug Gotlig
Show is daily three to five Eastern Time. There's the
in the Bonus podcast which follows it that's on the
iHeartRadio app at Fox Sports Radio, foxports Trade dot Com. Reminder,
don't forget to review this thing, don't forget to subscribe
right and if you want to send it to a
(50:25):
friend or tweet it out because you love some of
this content, feel free to do so. We will never
dissuade you from telling a friend about All Ball. Thanks
to Pat Burke, I'm Doug Gotlie.
Speaker 1 (50:35):
This is All Ball
Hey, what up. Welcoman. I'm Doug Gottlie.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
This is All Ball, and in this version of All
Ball we'll have the conclusion of my talk with Pat Burke.
Of course, Pat was the star center at Auburn and
in Spain Real Madrid, and of course Tauas for Remica,
and of course he played for the Ortlanta Magic. And
(00:30):
in this part we'll find out about how he became
a Phoenix Sun and what happened with that talented team
once they reached the playoffs and why they could never
get to the NBA finals.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
You remember there was.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
A notable suspension of a Mario Stotramount and Boris dil
and Pat was actually thrust into the lineup.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
What went wrong for him that game personally you'll find out.
Also we'll get his thoughts on USA basketball. How do
you fix USA basketball?
Speaker 2 (00:57):
So that because you know, we operated on this present well,
you know, if we just have the best players we
just had Lebron and KD and staff, we're gonna win.
But the countries we lost to didn't all have their
best players. So there is something one different about that
playing style, but also wrong with the way in which
we're kind of attacking this thing. We'll get pats thoughts
(01:17):
because he played and starred in Peeba style basketball, and
we'll figure out how we as Americans or American basketball
can adjust and be more successful more often, even if
we don't always have the best players in the world.
Even when we have the best players in the world,
it's not like.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
We've the redeem team.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
That was a close game, is a one possession game
late in the game against the against the Spaniards. So
here's part three with Pepper. What was it then like
to go back to Real. Now Real is one of
the biggest clubs in Europe, right, but you've been playing
in the NBA, so you're you're back making big money,
(01:56):
but you're in the ACB.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
You're in EuroLeague, very different. Well, was that experience like
the transition back?
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Uh? Well, I had one. I had one small jump
before that. I actually started that year when I left.
I went to Alana, Grand Canaria, and so I was
I was in the Spanish League, but I was, you know,
on an island just outside the coast of Africa, and
they had a coach there, Pedro Martinez, and he loved
his militant, robotic offense. Every day, we go through twenty
(02:26):
five minutes of going to the same place, and it
just it was just so boring, and so I just
remember that. It came to one point where I'm sitting
there in our apartment, my wife and I and with
our kids, and the cleaning lady says to me, She's like,
it's very strange. Oh no, no, I sorry. She says
it to my wife, Paige, it's very strange. You guys
(02:47):
are cleaning this apartment when you're about to be cut.
And Peyton's like, hey, Pat, come on into the living
room and I'm like what. So I go into the
living room and she's like, can you say that again?
And she repeats herself and I'm like, holy sh So
I called my agent and Lawren. The cleaning lady's in
here telling me that there must be some talk behind
the scenes because she's best friends with the GM's wife,
(03:10):
so she must have caught something at dinner. And now
all this is trickling out, so they didn't even know
that I I didn't even know that we knew what
was going on. So anyways, long story short, we're on
the last leg of the I should say, the end
of the first grouping of this European tournament. So we're
in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, after a dinner and we're moving on
(03:31):
to the next group of our European pool and the coach,
coach Pedro Martinez, he says, Pat, can I talk to you?
And so he takes me up to decide, said I
already know, coach, I'm cut, and he's like looking at me,
like what do you mean, and he's trying to pretend like, oh,
it's so innocent. I was like, oh, well, the cleaning
lady is friends with it, and she told us, and
he's like, I don't know anything about this, and I said,
(03:53):
it's okay, we're going to I'm want to work this
out anyways. And so anyways, my coach, I'm sorry. Warren
had actually worked out a deal already with Real Madrid,
so we were playing them in the next pool of
the European So I'm sitting there a week later from
being cut. I'm on Real Madrid and I'm warming up
against the team I was just on. And every time
(04:15):
my guys, like in Europe, you know, they do a
jog around the court. Well, you know, the other team
is on the baseline, stretching and every time. My guys,
I'm just joking around with it. I know, of course,
I know my guys on the other team more than
I know this new team that I'm on, So I'm
just joking around with them. And then right away the
coach like calls them all over and he was like,
don't look at him, don't listen to his jokes, don't
(04:38):
talk to him. And I'm sitting there like going, hey, guys,
you guys having a meeting without me, and they're just
came looking over and then my friend, my friends and
the team just kept looking over like Pat, please don't
do this. You're just making it worse on us. And
I was like, I have no connection to your team anymore.
I can do whatever I want to do on this
side of it. So I remember the real Madrid guys
well looking at me, like this guy be crazy, which
(05:01):
is a good thing.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
You do have to. They do have to. You want
guys to think you're a little bit crazy.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Yeah, Like I'm like this is me, you know, like
I was just on this team. Now I'm going to
show them because I'm gonna work even ten times harder
for Real Madrid now and I'm gonna show them so
we ended up beating their team. Moving on, anyways, that
year we go to the finals of that cup and
just we had a great year. And then of course
the next year I signed back and we win the
(05:25):
Spanish Championship and we win it over that first team,
Vittoria in Spain, which all the fans remember that I
left them, you know, in the preseason.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
So like they're to go to your brother's wedding.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Yeah, so their version of booing is whistling. So every
time they called my name or I score basket, they're
just whistling the whole time because they hate me.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Best thing to eat in Spain, h.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
I love the salads over there. They have a salad
over there with white asparagus. I don't know, it's got
to be a seasonal thing, but it's it's absolutely amazing.
Of course everyone talks about the tapas, those are good,
but I love the salad over there. How did it?
Speaker 1 (06:06):
I mean, what is life like with a siesta every day?
Speaker 3 (06:11):
We don't live that life? Oh well, I guess with
the two days. Yeah, it's very time consuming because you
build up anxiety if you don't get that nap in
between the two practices. And I can remember what. My
wife sometimes be like, hey, let's go to lunch, and
I'm like, I can't totally.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
I was just married when I was in Russia and
we're doing two backs a day, and like we're in
the middle of Russia and she's like, let's go shopping.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Let's I'm like, do you know how fucking tired I am. Yeah,
there's no way.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Well it makes me look back and go, wow. You know,
you have to be so selfish to be a successful
athlete because you have to worry completely about yourself, your body,
your nutrition, your mental health, all of it. And you know,
God blessed my wife for all those years of just
sitting there and like, you know, twilling her thumbs at
the house. Well, I'm taking a nap, but I was like,
(07:01):
I can't not get this nap in because it's so demanding.
You know, you're going through you know, strength training and
shooting and going through plays in the morning, and then
you know, you sit there and you eat as fast
as you can, you know, this nutritional meal so you
can get to bed, you know, in the middle of
the day to sleep for you know, an hour and
a half, two hours. Then you're back up doing it
(07:21):
all over again, and then you come in at night
and you got ice all over your knees, any injury
that you have, and you're just like I am so depleted,
and you know she's just sitting there like going, can
we do Can we watch a movie? I'm like, yeah,
if it's on that television.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
You know what was what do you remember about winning
the Spanish championship?
Speaker 3 (07:42):
First, it was being back in that Jim and that
coach that tried to shake my hand about leaving. So
every now and then I'd look over at it, I
just smile. We want it in a way where we
had Alberto Herreros was just a legend in the Spanish
league and I was getting to play with him that year.
It's just a phenomenal three point shooter. He made the
(08:03):
he was he already announced it was his last year,
so he made the game winning three in clutch time,
and then just collectively everybody just celebrating. I just think that,
you know, whenever it's all done and you've actually reached
the goal, that it was just this finality, like even
if we didn't agree with everybody on the team, like
(08:25):
it was just a great feel. Like Lewis Bullock was
on my team. But I remember at first, I was like,
you know, this guy is an all out green light shooter.
You could be running fast court down the floor for
an open dunk and he wouldn't pass the ball and
I would just start in the locker room like wanting
to fight him, you know. And I just remember at
the very end it was like, no matter what, we
did this together, you know, and you know, good luck,
(08:47):
God bless you for the rest of your career, you know,
And that was that was kind of it.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
How'd you make it back to playing in the States
and playing for the Suns.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
So Warren called me and he said, hey, Actually I
was playing for the Irish national team started the summer
and Warren told me, he said, hey, would you be
interested in coming back to the NBA. And I was like,
are you being serious? And he's like, yeah, because I
think I have a two year deal for you from
the Phoenix Suns. And at that time, you know, like
the Phoenix Suns are hot. This is you know, the
(09:18):
first MVP for Steve Nash. Everybody's going nuts about how
fast they're playing with under d'antoni's style. So when I
make it back or I'm signing the deal. I remember
I get off the phone and I'm with my Irish
National teammates and I was like, I just signed a
two year deal with Phoenix Sons and they were all like,
holy shit, that is awesome, you know, like that congratulations
(09:41):
like how you feel right now? And I'm like, I'm
a little It's kind of surreal because just going through
the NBA the first time was an experienced but now
going back, I'm like going, I'm going to handle this
differently now. I wanted to handle it differently. Of course
with family and friends as well, because anytime you're in
that sport, like any sport, like you're playing professionally, you're
(10:04):
telling the same stories eight times because people are calling
you like, you know, hey, what's this, Like what's my day?
To what's Steve Nash like? And the first thing, I
was like calling my dad to let him know, and
I was like, you know, it probably heard him at
the time, but I was like, Dad just wants you
to know it this time. I'm just going to request that.
There's gonna be times where I just don't want to
talk about it because it's just so much going over
(10:26):
all this information. I just want to be in the moment,
sharing the moment and just not having to relive it
over and over and over. And he was like, no,
I'm going to ask you, So what's what was it like?
So getting there, I remember when I went in to sign,
I'm signing with Brian Grant. Brian's Brian's my closest friend
(10:49):
from from that team. We talk a lot, but going
in and signing with him, it was funny because, uh,
you know when when I was playing with the Magic
in the preseason, he and I were playing against each other.
He was on the Heat and I had this move
in the in the lane where I was sitting there
and I was getting caught on three seconds and the
time the shott was going off, and I just shot
(11:10):
a shot and not even look at the hoop and
hit the glass backboard and went in. And during his
press conference, because he was one of the big players
for the Heat, they were like, uh, you know, what
do you think about the season, and they were they
were like, starting the season off, I think out of time,
like oh and four or some more than five. And
he's like, you know, when you have a when you
got a guy named Pat, He's like, no name or
(11:31):
somebody hitting a no look shot in the lane. You know,
it's it's bad news. And that was like in the paper.
And so then when I saw him when I'm signing
for the Suns and I brought up later, I was like,
do you remember saying this? And he was like, no,
we're just laughing about it. But the thing about the
Phoenix Suns is at that time with Steve Leander, Barbosa Boris,
(11:55):
it was it was it wasn't like the magic in
that we all got along so good. We all celebrated
outside the court, going to people's homes for you know whatever.
It was a barbecue, one of our kids birthdays, and
there was a there was a more of a collective,
you know, Eddie House, everybody, all the guys that were
on that team. Everybody got along and we all just
(12:18):
wanted to do our best and it was pretty cool.
But the one thing that did hurt in the preseason
is when we got there, you know, the idea of
seven seconds or less. Since I have an offensive set,
you had to be fast. You had to get down
the floor as fast as you could. You had to
make quick decisions. And I remember Mike D'Antoni said Hey, guys,
(12:40):
there are fourteen guys on this team was fourteen, and
he said seven of you guys are going to play,
and you're on the roster, like as far as like
getting in, and he goes, the other seven you're gonna
think I'm a motherfucker. And we're all so they're like,
that's fine. You know, we're all alpha males. We're all like, yeah,
I'm gonna be one of those seven. And then slowly, slowly,
(13:01):
you start to realize.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
The other seven.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
Yeah, all rightkay, I'm in the other seven. So we're
in the MF group. So then we would sit there
and we kind of just would console ourselves, like we
had this play on words. We would sit there. You're
either players or fans, so we said we're orphans. So
we would just sit there and we were orphans. So
every time the game would go on, we've been sitting
there and we cheer for the guys and all that,
and a lot of older got Jimmy Jackson was there,
(13:28):
and a lot of guys that they weren't accustomed to
playing that role, you know, they didn't like it. So
then when we go to practice, there was like forty
five minute practices like I'm coming from Europe. We have
two practices a day. I'm trying to tell guys about this,
and they're like, what what world are you in so
forty five minutes, Because you know, Sean Marion, Amari Stodemeyer,
(13:50):
Steve all those guys were getting their workouts during the game.
They're playing the whole game. So the ideal was, let's
go in here for forty five minutes. We're going to
walk through. If youve got to take some shots. At
the end, we're out. And then it became clear again
that these are grown ass men. I'll never forget. Like
we're in the We're in the beginning of the season
and Mike's coming in for like a you know, a
(14:10):
thirty forty five minute practice, and he goes through all
the starters through a walkthrough, and Brian Grant. Brian he's
on like a hundred million dollar deals. I think that
year he's making twenty five million. It's coming over from
the Lakers, and uh, Mike has everyone go through a
certain set you know whoever we were playing that night,
(14:30):
and then he's like, okay, we're good, come on, and
went to the middle and Brian wouldn't go to the middle.
He's on the outside. He's like, I haven't gone through
the set, coach, and Mike d'antoni's totally ignoring him, and
Brian's like, hey, I haven't gone through the fuck is
I don't know what the fuck we're doing tonight, and
d'antoni's like, here we go. Soun's on three and Steve's
like looking over at Brian. That's kind of like this
awkward moment where he's just like, come on, Brian, come
(14:50):
on here. He's like, no, Steve, I'm not going in there.
I can't play tonight because I have no idea what
the set is and we're all since it going. It
doesn't matter, Brian, we're not getting in, so just get
your and in this damn circle. And as we're sitting there,
we do one to three sons. Brian still saying something
and Mike d'antoni's going up the staircase out of the gym.
He's like, Coach, I don't know the plays. I'm like,
(15:12):
this is wild, like but nothing we was said. It
didn't turn into a Horse Grant situation. It was just
one of those things where it's like, Okay, you know,
there are guys here that do have a case that
you know, the leadership space inside of this team is
a little off on how it handles everyone who's not playing.
Speaker 4 (15:31):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
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listen live.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
There are there are some that to this day saying
Steve Nash didn't deserve either of those MVPs.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
You lived it, you had a front row seat for
for for what do you think? Think?
Speaker 3 (16:00):
Uh, because I'm biased because I was there watching him
and you know, seeing what he was doing, you know,
for preparation, you know, going through every night with the
wins and all that. You know, I think, uh again,
as I'm tainted because I was there seeing what he
was doing. So when he wanted I was like, well deserved.
But then again, of course who was upward to Kobe
(16:22):
and the chemo?
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Yeah, ever, says Kobe. I mean.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
We had a great year as well. And uh, you
know again is whoever whatever they based it all on,
if the wins or where we went, you know, I
just think that it must have been a very difficult challenge.
But either one of the guys would have been of course,
uh somebody that would My.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Contention would be My contention would be like Shaw Mary
was a really good player, but playing with Steve Nash,
he was a great player, right, Marie Stottenmyer, very good
player with Steve Nash, great player.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
Kind of you go through and you know, if everyone
around you is having career hives.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
Part of it is pace of play, but a lot
of it is who's creating all this stuff? Again, I
don't know, And you know, people will always pick out
Steve's defense right small, and I think some of it
they look through the lens of today or the lack
of ultimate playoff success, and I just I just went now,
was that the year with the Spurs deal where you
(17:25):
guys beat the Spurs and then Amare and Diau got
suspended because they slammed Stephen the board?
Speaker 1 (17:36):
Was that? Was?
Speaker 2 (17:36):
That?
Speaker 3 (17:36):
Was that your year?
Speaker 1 (17:37):
That first year?
Speaker 3 (17:39):
That's the that's the second year, so that's the year. Yeah,
that's what the NBA came out with the rule if
you step over the line during any altercation, it's an
automatic you know, suspended the next game. So Robert rriy
Hip checks Steve into the timetable and he goes off
and then I remember standing up and I just look
(17:59):
over and I their two feet are over the line,
and I'm like, holy shit, now the only active center
that hasn't played a game in about four months is me.
So I'm sitting there like this is this is insane,
you know, like most people don't even know this. But
the beginning of that year, I worked so damn hard
(18:20):
in preseason, like everybody was coming up to me like great, unbelievable.
We go to the first game against the Lakers and
Mike d'antelli, for some reason, I don't even know why
I did, like we didn't have this type of relationship.
He brings me over to the side. He said, Pat,
I talked to you and he said you should be
starting for this team, right. I mean, this is crazy,
like no one would even think. I'm like looking at
(18:41):
him like my brows like what And he looks over
and he goes, but I can't play yet. He goes,
there's so much money invested in these guys, you know that.
And I just said to them, well, if anybody gets injured,
I'll be ready, and he's like okay. You know, it
was kind of like we settled in, like let's get
rid of the is Like, look, I'm good with that,
Like I'll be ready. So I'm I'm just every after
(19:03):
every practice, I'm running sprints. I'm never getting in, just
running sprints. I'm on the treadmill. I'm just doing everything
that I can. I'm in the weight room early, I'm
doing all my shots, taking practice very seriously. Got to
the point months and months and months and Steve Nash
is coming down the staircase and he's seeing me doing sprints.
He's like, I can't even look at you, you know,
like you're never getting in, but you're never giving up.
I'm like, I'm going to get on that floor.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
Man.
Speaker 3 (19:25):
Like four months into it, I was like I'm done.
I can't this is there's no way. So I stopped.
I stopped putting any extra cardio in. And then this happens,
and then the media comes up to me. After we
fly out of San Antonio, we're back at Phoenix and
the media comes up to me and there like hey,
you know, like they never talked to me, so like hey,
(19:45):
we're just wondering, you know, with with the ruling with
the two guys, you know, being taken out. You're the
only active center. You know, what have they said to you?
And I go full go everything. I said, they haven't.
They haven't talked to me in months. I don't even
say they don't even say hello to me in the
locker room. And they're like what and I'm like yeah,
(20:05):
They're like, uh, you want us to print this? I
was like, my NBA career is probably over anyways. I
said that's fine. So they're like, okay, So like, what
do you like? Who do you think is a better coach?
And I said, how many championships is Papa bit chef?
How many? How much rotation does Papavich put in with
less injury under ten or eleven guys rotation than Mike
D'Antoni every year, seven man rotation and all our guys
(20:28):
sitting there with back injuries, and like, you want us
to print this? And I was like, I'm fine with it.
So I start telling them all of this and they
print it. And the next day Warren calls me. He's like,
are you trying to get kicked out of the league?
And I was like, what does it matter? Yeah, because
he's just sitting there. He's like, why would you say this,
and I'm like, it's the truth, and it's it's the
(20:49):
truth of what's going on. And so then I remember,
like people were like give it a little hate, like
who is this guy? This guy doesn't even play. I'm like,
i's tell even about playing. The question was about coaching
and an understanding of like are you communicating as a leader.
And I know that d'antoni's a different coach now, it's
just in that moment in six oh seven. You know,
(21:09):
I don't think that he had those experiences of feedback
because most people don't want to talk about it. But
I'm like, you know, it's bullshit. You know, your seven
man rotation in seven second offense is only getting you
so far and you have to start thinking differently to
actually get to the next level.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
So what's it like now to look back on game six?
Speaker 3 (21:30):
Uh, that's not the is that see the last one
that we played? So I get in for about I
don't know, maybe a minute.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
Because I remember it was you guys took the lead
three games to two. Yeah, and then they got suspended
and then so you played a ton in game six,
and then I think as lost in game seven. You
lost six and seven I think.
Speaker 3 (21:51):
Yeah, Kurt, So Kurt Thomas started playing more of that
center role getting beefed up minutes. But I had a
lingering arm injury that I couldn't even raise my arm,
like over my head, and so I went it for
a little other's like this photo. It perfectly captivates. There's
like a rebound. I'm sitting there and I couldn't even
pick my arm up. The balls on the ground and
(22:14):
Tony Parker myself were like in a scrum trying to
get to it, and like that was it. It was
like the horn goes off and I get subbed out
and I was like, I can't even help the team.
So yeah, so I just looking back, you know, we
were so close. But then you also look at what's
his name that the referee that was placing wages on Yeah,
(22:35):
so he was That was one of the games because
I remember our coaching staff was just going nuts at
all the calls that he was calling, you know, like
in the first half, like it was just like there's
something going on.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
That's insane. Yeah, season's over then what.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
So then I come back. My wife and I were
expecting our third child, and uh, I get a call
from Golden State Warriors and they were like, hey, we'd
like for you to come out and try out for
the team. I'm like great. So I go out and
uh I'm good. Do their preseason in Hawaii and something
(23:16):
just doesn't feel right my body. I'm like, I know,
I know when I feel good and I don't and
there was something going on and uh so then don
Nelson calls me, like the last day before I've cut.
He brings me outside with a big cigar and the
practice facility. We're back in Golden State now and he's like, Burke,
I like you. He goes, but how do you think?
(23:37):
How do you think it's going? And I was like, well,
I haven't done shit. I look like shit and I
feel like shit. And he's like, yeah, that's about the
way I see it. Oh, and he goes, uh so,
what do you want to do? Do you want to
stay with us for the preseason or do you want
to And I said, you know, I think I want
to go see my doctors in uh in Phoenix and
he's like, okay, we'll have that done. He goes, hey,
(23:58):
I really enjoyed you being I said, coach, thank you
so much for the opportunity and just something was like
there was this heaviness in my gut. And so anyways,
I go in there and I have an appendectomy done
and then also have my gallbladder removed within a month,
and I'm like, man, my systems are just failing right now.
So then I call Warren. I said, hey, I'm going
(24:20):
to take some time off. You know, our baby's gonna
is due in early October. So I wait. And then
after our daughter, Harper is born, I call them up
and I said, okay, you know, put my name out there.
And then on Thanksgiving Day, I'm on a plane flying
to Russia to go play for a Kimky.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
What was your experience like landing in Russia?
Speaker 3 (24:42):
Oh my god, this I'm telling you it is the
wildest thing. So I fly over and make I make
the the worst decision of wearing jeans and like dress shoes.
I get there and they're like, okay, we got to
go through your medical tests. And I'm like, can I
go by the hotel and change. They're like, no, you're fine.
So I'm like all right. And it was like some
(25:03):
crazy like eighteen hour travel, you know, like two or
three flights. So when I get in there. There's like
this triangular box thing and this there's this big jury,
this big Russian woman, and she's she's trying to get
me to do some sort of lung capacity test and
she's just like barking Russian at me, like I'm like
(25:24):
breathing inside this big box. So then they put me
over and they hooked me up with the heart monitors,
get me on a treadmill, and I'm running in like
penny loafers and jeans with no shirt on. And then
finally when I'm done with that, I'm like, all right,
can I go to the hotel? Look like yeah, we're
gonna drop off your bags. We've got an away game
we're going to, and I'm like okay. So I get
(25:46):
to the away game and one of my teammates, Antonia Fotes,
is from Greece. He's on the team as well. So
I get over there. Oh, sorry, he's playing on the
other team. So I say hello to him and this
and the other, and then they give me my uniform
and they're like we're gonna be sued up tonight, and
I'm like, I'm going on no sleep, no food. I
just was on a treadmill. So Anyways, I go out
(26:09):
there and I'm warming up with the guys and I
don't play. But every time they call it time out,
I'm just sitting there. I can't keep my eyes open,
and I can see like all the other Russian guys
like looking over and laughing. They're like, this guy is
like so tired. So anyways, we ended up, but whatever
the conclusion of the game was. At the very end,
they're like, we're gonna bring you back to their hotel.
(26:30):
I think I slept like a day and a half
and then I wake up, and then of course I
go through all the introduction to the Russian League.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
I'll give you mine. So this was two thousand and one,
in January two thousand and one. So I was playing
like in the IBA in Solana, Kansas, and I got
to go home to Oklahoma to get my stuff. I
go to New York to get a a visa. So like,
(27:02):
I land in New York and I have to go
to the Russian Consulate get my visa. Then I fly
out from New York. I remember, this is like I
don't think I had a cell phone at the time.
This is like two thousand and one, right, I don't
think I had one, so.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
All I knew was that like we will, they'll like
my email from.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
My agent was like, they'll get you at the airport
in Moscow and take you to the other airport where
you fly to perm Russia. All right, So I land
in Moscow and you know again like you fly thirteen
hours and you just I don't know where I am.
And I remember having this gigantic basketball, like two big
Nike bags and stuff, and I don't know.
Speaker 1 (27:43):
What I'm looking for.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
And I saw a Russian writing and a basketball and
I was like, I hope that's my guy, you know,
and the feeling of of being so tired. So I
think sharon Meteva is the big airport. So you landed
shar Meteva and then you kind of go through Moscow
and then you go to one of the satellite airports
(28:05):
to fly and I remember like in and out of consciousness,
he takes me like he's like, you want to eat?
So I was like yeah, So we go into some
it's like smoke filled. They're drinking tea and he just
orders something as terrible. But the in and out of
I felt like I was like a drugged American spy
(28:26):
because I remember like bits and pieces of driving by
red Square, and I just felt like if he took
me into the middle of nowhere, killed me, took my shoes,
nobody's gonna know. Right then he takes me to another
airport and he gives me a ticket and all I
knew was that it had a number on it, and
I thought that was the gate, and so I'm just
like holding up to feel they pointed to me right
(28:48):
like no direction. And then I landed in perm and
now it's like five thirty in the morning, and there's
like ice knee high, you know, when we get off
the plane, and I was like, oh my god, and
just like you a.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
Land at five thirty.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
There was an interpreter and she's like, they would pick
you up at nine for practice.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
I was like, are you fucking kidding me?
Speaker 4 (29:10):
What?
Speaker 1 (29:12):
And then the team was on the road.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
So when I got there, I had two days by myself,
an assistant coach in a gym, and like, I remember,
I never forget this, and I do this dru with
kids today where they're like, he was like, you must
have made he was Lithuanian, and then you know they're
fucking crazy, right, So he's like, you must have made
twenty five threes, so I'm standing out by a three
point line.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
I shoot three, make it. I was like, I was like, yo, man,
you gotta throw it back.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
No, this is is conditioning, Like you had to make
it three run back and then he's like timing you
to see how long it takes.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Then you do a full court. I was like, this
is a different world, a different world. What was Was
there anything you liked about food in Russia? Anything you
took away that? No? No? No?
Speaker 2 (30:04):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (30:05):
Did you have a driver? Did you drive your own car?
Speaker 3 (30:06):
They gave me a driver, Sasha, I had a driver.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
I love the driver thing.
Speaker 3 (30:11):
Yeah, he's great. There was a they didn't want any
of us getting into any type of.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
Accident because what they would do is they know you're
an American, so they would crash into your car and
shake you down for money.
Speaker 1 (30:25):
I don't know if you know the story.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
Rusty LaRue was in Moscow when I was there. Yeah,
And in Moscow they have that middle line, middle lane,
and you have like a blue light.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
You can get in your car and.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
Drive down that middle lane and it's like government officials
and mafia guys whatever. And he kept getting pulled over,
and so he's like he was. He kept he said
it to the guys like on the team. He's like, yo, man, like,
how do I not get pulled over? They're like bisball hat?
Like what They're like, you know, don't wear a baseball hat.
(30:57):
He's like why, Like because they know you're not Russian. No,
we don't wear base Do you ever see a baseball head?
Speaker 1 (31:02):
Like, oh, they just pulled a guy over again his
baseball hat. But yeah, my driver was our driver was
like our best friend, O Legg was our was our driver. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
They just didn't want us to get into trouble with
the police. And we had a number of like you know,
we get stopped heading to practice and then Sasha would
get in. After talking to him, he's like uh and
he's doing this and I'm like what and he's like
fifty fifty whatever Ruble or hero whatever, like fifty bucks
and I'm like for what and he's like so I
hand it to him. And that must have happened a
(31:32):
dozen times.
Speaker 1 (31:33):
No question. You you played one more year after that, right.
Speaker 3 (31:37):
Yeah, we're playing in a Poland a Seko pro com.
That's when you know it's like you're just going down
and so at that point that was it was like
a paradigm shift. I always felt like I was like
the youngest guy. I always felt like I was at
that victoria moment, like you know, you're twenty one, you're
the youngest guy in the room, or one of the youngest.
(31:57):
At that point. Man, we had so many a Mayoramericans
on our team, and it was just a different generation.
These guys were coming in, They're talking about what they
wanted in life, and you know, if I, if I
had a conversation with them, sometimes I just felt like,
you know, whatever I was speaking about the world was misunderstood.
So I just knew, like, yeah, I'm getting to that
(32:18):
point where you know, I'm not jumping the same I
don't even have butterflies playing like before games anymore. So
I'm like, let me just get my ten rebounds, let
me get ten points. And just a great relationship with
my coach. He was a Lithuanian guy, was phenomenal. He'd say, uh,
pasecis so he played for the Lithuanian team. I played
(32:41):
against him earlier in my career and he talked to
my agent like he liked the way I played. So
I came in and he would just he'd sit there
that he tried to challenge me all the time in
front of the guys I was. I wasn't used to that,
but I always played back to him. So he'd be like, bet,
this is boughit. You know, I know everybody in town.
He's like, I know you didn't leave this club last
(33:03):
night till one am, and all the young guys will
be looking in the huddle like, oh my gosh, you
just got caught. I'd be like, coach, that's bullshit. I
didn't leave that club till three and give me the
eyes right, and he'd be like, you know, he's like,
we're gonna talk. I said, okay, And then like when
we go to places and you know, you're warming up,
you're doing high knees, you know, full court, and I'd
(33:26):
be going by him at half court and he'd be like, bet,
do you think you're crazier than me? And I go,
I don't know, and I got I go down the
other end and I come back.
Speaker 2 (33:35):
To him like, God, well you played for Thomasis Yeah, dude,
he was the other point guard when I was in Russia.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
Oh really, he's fucking nuts.
Speaker 3 (33:43):
Yeah, yeah, he is.
Speaker 1 (33:45):
I loved him, great dude, but fucking nuts.
Speaker 3 (33:48):
Yeah. So he would but he would say to be like,
you know, do you think you're crazier? And then I
go back the other side of the court, come back,
and I go, I don't know how crazy I am.
So he would just sit there and he would be
nodding all the time, and then like, I remember, my
family would come up over. It came over once for
Christmas and my stats started to drop, and he's like,
what's going on? And I said, I don't know. He's like,
I think your family needs to leave. Okay, but uh yeah,
(34:12):
he's uh he's out. I think he's out of coaching now.
But he was a lot of fun at the At
the end of the year, he wanted me to come back,
and I was like, twelve years, I think I'm done.
I said, I just don't know if I could do
this again.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
You know, it's funny, he.
Speaker 4 (34:28):
He uh.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
We used to have Sundays We're supposed to be off, right,
Sundays were our off day, and everybody would go down
to the gym and like hey, come come good leave,
come come come, shoot, come shoot, we get shots, we go,
we levet, we go to Sona Sona right, and like
everything these dudes did was at a level way above
(34:51):
what was called for. Right, and now I was splitting
time even as an American in Russia and with him,
and he was a good fucking player, we were stacked.
We run won the Russian league, won the won the
championship in the tournament as well, won our European We won.
We won all but one game and the only reason
we didn't win that one game was because none of
the other Vets played and I played with the young
(35:11):
guys against Sesca Like it was crazy anyway, But we
used to go and one of the assistants was like
a famous Baldis Komichas he had played on the ninety
two Russian team. But he's a Lithuanian. Obviously he's a fan.
So he was an assistant, and we had three other Lithuanians,
(35:31):
but check Thiss was one of them on the team,
and so you had the four Lithuanians.
Speaker 1 (35:34):
They were fucking nuts.
Speaker 2 (35:36):
See you go in on like a Sunday, You're like,
all right, I'm gonna get a quick lift, I'm gonna
get some shots up, I'm gonna get to the sauna.
Speaker 1 (35:42):
Let men get the fuck out of here, all right,
see go in like he'd like lift, like good, leave,
come come, we shoot.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
So the shooting would be like a competition, which is
cool because you get them up in a hurry or whatever.
Within the competition, we'd be like, let's play one on one,
let's play to it, let's five on five.
Speaker 1 (35:58):
Let's just a couple of games. Like we're playing for
like four hours.
Speaker 2 (36:01):
And I love playing, but like and I love playing basketball,
and I was frustrated shit at like like how we
did in Russia was we had like a third point
guard and we get up twenty points and like this
dude is playing. We're like what the fuck. But it's
because they wanted to play the Russians, right, And I'm
trying to put up stats, and.
Speaker 1 (36:18):
So you get done and you're like, fuck, I just
this was my day off.
Speaker 2 (36:22):
I just played four hours of basketball. All right, I'm
gonna go downstairs. I'm gonna get sauna.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
No.
Speaker 2 (36:28):
I was like I didn't want to do something like no, no,
come come, we all do together, team bunding, we go
do it. We go like okay, So I go in
there and and I don't know if you did this
in Poland or in Russia. Sauna right, then you jump
in the cold bunch. Yeah, then you go sauna and
then you jump the cold punch and it feels good.
Then they start they put honey on themselves, like just
(36:49):
some kind of honey, and you're like, all right, whatever
and uh and then like you get out of the
scene like the third time, and now like the vodka
starts and you're like, wait, what the fuck? And then
so you have a govaka and then the and then
I was just married and then like oh, then the
hookers come in at the end.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
They're like, yo, I'm out, I'm out. I'm good.
Speaker 2 (37:13):
I'm good because because my because my wife went a
time we were just married and she would like come
sometimes and come work out at the gym.
Speaker 1 (37:20):
When I was like, no, no, no, I get to
get the fuck out of here. This is gonna get
really bad. And hurry.
Speaker 2 (37:24):
Those guys everything they did they did extra like I
can't I don't know where that that well spring of
energy comes from.
Speaker 1 (37:30):
And I was pretty energetic, dude.
Speaker 3 (37:32):
They had the end of the Russian season, they got
us all together for some someplace in the mountains. There
was a cabin and they're like, you're really gonna like
this this hot, tough place. So I go into the
world's hottest room. There's fourteen of us in there, and
there's one old guy in there. He practically lives there.
I'm like, you can only stand there for like three minutes,
(37:54):
and you got to come out and get a breath
because it's like, I've never been in a room that's
hot in my life. This old guy's got a woolf
hat on, yes, and then he's he's got some sort
of like olive branch or something.
Speaker 1 (38:06):
So then they beat the ship up and they beat you,
they eat the crap, they.
Speaker 3 (38:09):
Open up your pores, and I'm sitting there watching this.
I'm like, this is incredible. And then when you go
outside next out to the snowy mountain, like beautiful landscape,
there's this huge barrel with the rope, you pull it
down and ice cold water hits you. But uh, it
was a great experience. But the same thing. Right at
the end, they're all like, hey, we gotta get vodka,
and I'm like, no, I'm not getting vodka, Like what
(38:31):
are you talking about.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
I'm out. I'm actually trying to feel better. Tomorrow. I
did not feel worse last thing.
Speaker 2 (38:37):
Okay, So USA basketball, as you point out early two thousands,
we've been through this before, right where they were kind
of a mess bust the World Championships in Indy, right,
kind of in a similar situation.
Speaker 1 (38:50):
And the answer this time is, well, Lebron's just gonna
get all the guys back.
Speaker 2 (38:55):
And that it may work, but it might not, right
because it's just such a different style of the sport.
The officiating is different, the I mean the officiating, the style,
the rules, it's all different. So if I put Pat Burke,
who is a great player in Phoeba style basketball, in
(39:15):
charge of comprising a roster American born players, how would
you build it?
Speaker 3 (39:21):
I think a lot of times in businesses you look
for a copy and paste. You're saying what's working. Like,
you know, we talked about the Yugoslavian coaching style was
very hot in two thousand. One of the biggest things,
and again is this is not to get too far
and too deep into this. I just got back from
Ireland and one of the things I recognized when I
was watching Irish athletes playing basketball is there's no you
(39:46):
don't have to coach them on energy. You don't have
to coach them on sportsmanship. They're they're listening to everything,
they're not yelling back at refs. And I started to think, like,
what the hell is creating? What's the very because I
you know, I just came out of an AAU tournament
in the States and there's parents yelling at kids, they're
yelling at the refs. The coach is like completely absent
(40:09):
to the idea that it's their platform that's creating any
type of transformation. Here's my kids in the beginning season,
and here's the end. It's not the kids to actually say,
it's they're not listening. It's your space to bring them over.
Like if you look at a nonprofit organization, they have
to go through metrics to get any type of grant
to say, how is your program creating transformation? And has
(40:30):
nothing to do with the kids. It's always the actual
content of anything that you're doing to bring them through.
That so long winded on that The first thing I'm
doing is I want to research what what is it
inside of every one of these teams, the Lithuanian team
(40:50):
or any of the teams that have had success here
in this last World Basketball tournament and to say what
what are those variables? Because what we're looking at is
the United States is a factory and it creates. And
one of the litmus tests is looking at our youth
and what they're going through and saying, this is what
(41:11):
we're producing. You know, a number of years ago a
large number of European kids were being drafted in the
first round and we're sitting there like going, oh, that
can't be. And I'm going we're not producing the same
people because we're not the same people today that we
were twenty years ago or thirty years ago. So if
I was to go in and start building a team,
(41:33):
I think there's more psychology that needs to be put
into this idea and understanding that it's the people that
have come from nothing. It's the people that have a
work mentality that's not questioned or unwavering that you start
to building with. Because I think when Sherzevsky and Colangelo
got together and they started to build the team, I
(41:53):
think the first person they build it from was was
somebody that wasn't a superstar. It was like, who can
we build around this person? I can't remember who that was.
It's like Shane Battier or something.
Speaker 1 (42:03):
It was like that.
Speaker 3 (42:03):
It was like that type of person. And I think
that just saying Lebron or someone you put. You put
fifteen alpha males into a room, There's there's someone there
that's gotta do the dirty work. There's someone there that's
got to And sometimes I think there's just too much ego,
and I think there's a lot of it.
Speaker 1 (42:20):
I think that Cotolia is and I think it's interesting
to bring up business. Right, this is the hey, we
we we did we you know Ford and the what
was it called the assembly line?
Speaker 2 (42:34):
Right?
Speaker 1 (42:34):
Like we invented all of that technology. Right? And then
who makes better cars? Right?
Speaker 2 (42:41):
Japan and Germany and maybe even South Korea now make
better cars because there's more attention to detail. I like
to I have a friend who's a who's a car dealer,
and he said, and I used to buy actors all
the time. And he was like, only by an actor
that's made in Japan. And I said why, He's said,
you know, do you go to a car dealership, you
(43:02):
go to an auto factory in Japan?
Speaker 1 (43:05):
Did you know they have no custodial service.
Speaker 2 (43:07):
I was like really, He's like no, you clean up
your own space, so you go to the exact same company,
an act your dealership in I think South Carolina.
Speaker 1 (43:15):
They have custodial service. And here's the difference.
Speaker 2 (43:18):
Everybody's station in Japan spotless. Everybody's station in South Carolina
fucking mess. Right, work really dependent upon the guy and
sores a. There's a care for the company, for the
culture of respect for your work. And I think in
all honesty, like, look, we teach basketball the wrong way.
You know, if you watch any of these workout videos,
(43:40):
all off the dribble, one on cone right, and they
have figured out, really through a lot of our coaches
coming over there, that that's not actually the most effective
way and they're at an athletic disadvantage, but they found
a way to create an advantage with skill, shooting, passing, toughness,
tactics right attacking the weaknesses. And I think it's going
(44:03):
to be fascinating to see, Like it ain't crazy to
think we can send Lebron and Kevin Durant and Steph
Curry over there and they still get beat.
Speaker 3 (44:11):
In twenty four Yeah, I totally agree. I think that
whenever we started, you know, if you look at you
know we're going over this idea of leadership and communication.
When we go to a playground, is it easier to
meet everybody on your team and ask them what their
strengths are and weaknesses and then start playing, or is
it easier to get the ball and go one on five,
(44:33):
which what we do, because nobody ever actually goes into
like what are more effective ways to actually build something
to where we can all collectively come together. And that's
where I think that we're missing somebody there. There's a
convenience in just picking something randomly and saying, oh, this
is the best and we can do this. It's not
going to work. Like there how many conversations had to
(44:54):
occur and how much family culture in the community must
have had those those There's people in Japan that they
are cleaning their area like they're not They're not sitting
there being told what to do and being like you
better do this. It's like there's a pride there and
I don't know what the difference is, but we're not
the same inside of our our cultures and our community.
(45:16):
Moore like, I did a lot of nonprofit work in
my town and it was eye opening. It was eye
opening to see how many people are looking to and
there's nothing wrong with this, Like I think that you
have to be able to sustain yourself before you can
actually help others. But how many people have no understanding
that they're financially okay, Like there are people that are
(45:37):
doing so bad. You're not in a bad what you
really really to recognize if you go to a third
world country, you see how bad others have it. But
if we go back to again at the copy and
paste model, I'm going to Lithuania and I'm going to
all these other countries and I'm sitting there and I'm going,
let's let's get a couple of them, because you know,
years ago, I think in Ireland when they were looking
(46:00):
to break through in boxing at that time, I think
it was Cuba or some other country had this great
methodology for training and Ireland knew that. Again is how
do we think of a caller we've never thought of before?
It's impossible, So they go and they got someone else.
And it's just an open minded approach. And I think
that America has become so close minded that we're like going, no,
(46:22):
I can't do this. I mean, look at even I
know I'm jumping around, but even when you look back
to when those I think it's like twenty four twenty fourth,
twenty four draft picks in the first round were international players.
The forums and all the places on social media started
(46:43):
complaining about, well, this is America, we should be taking
care of our guys, Like this is bullshit. It's like,
what are you talking about. We don't own nobody owns
the sport of basketball. And if someone's doing it at
a level that's so good, are you so closed minded?
Like it's do you think that the America is the
best because they're showing us now that there's so much
(47:03):
other things that you can develop that we're only focusing.
Like you said, we go to a cone, we're doing
ball handling stuff, and we think that we're we're getting ahead.
I mean, my whole thing is when I started at sixteen,
I knew that I was not going to actually become
a huge scorer. I was like, there are other positions
to do and other roles to take on, and if
I can do them, well there's a job for me.
Speaker 2 (47:24):
And that's you made a great a great life for yourself.
The most important goal you want to accomplish in the
next ten years, I.
Speaker 3 (47:35):
Say, continuing on Isaiah Thomas's quote is if people only
know me for basketball, then I've failed at life.
Speaker 1 (47:42):
And so.
Speaker 3 (47:44):
As I move forward into other things, like I want
people to know that, you know, it's like I move
with my spirit first of like wanting to help people,
wanting to help you, continuing to do that so that
I'm modeling that for my kids to see and my wife.
You know, I just I really with the sport of basketball.
But I think that you know, some people will say, oh,
you know, I'm all about basketball. Our life is more important.
(48:06):
But I think that there is a way of acting
that out and I'd look to do that as much
as I can.
Speaker 1 (48:12):
All the time.
Speaker 2 (48:13):
Pat Man, You've been amazing with your time and the
stories are incredible, and I want to have, like, let's
have another conversation here in a couple months in basketball
seating kicks off because your perspective is so unique because
you've lived it, you've experienced it, you understand it on
a level that so few can, and the ones that
have experienced it not all can articulate it in the
(48:35):
way that you can.
Speaker 1 (48:35):
So I really really appreciate your time. This has been awesome.
Speaker 3 (48:39):
I appreciate as well I've been a fan from Afar
and I remember when I was in college and we're
hearing your name and I remember watching you. So it's
just really cool to finally meet you and have this conversation.
I look forward to the next one.
Speaker 1 (48:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (48:50):
I was in Israel and I was watching you play
in Greece and we watch we watch euro League. We
were in the Coreatch Cup and we watch your league
and we watch you play, and I was like, dude,
that's Pat Burke, Like he's these and like the guys
in Israel are like, oh, he best, best sender.
Speaker 1 (49:06):
We need to get him for Mccabi Tel Aviv. He's
the best, He's the best. That's how they talk, you know,
they talk. He does, he does, he does the good stuff,
the good stuff.
Speaker 3 (49:15):
Anyway, Well, it's fun, I'll tell you. And that's the
last point too. I won't get too long, but it's
funny when Europeans recognize when people are doing stuff off
the ball, because everybody can do something on the ball,
but they're just like, hey, this guy puts in the
work on other areas and that's what we need.
Speaker 1 (49:34):
I was amazing.
Speaker 2 (49:35):
If you if you missed any part one, part two
of course you can go look in All Ball and
amazing storytelling a guy who's just so well rounded. And
I thought you got an honest perspective of the things
he did right, the things he did wrong, the people
he thought wronged him, and the people who he now is.
Speaker 1 (49:52):
Like, you know what, I was probably wrong in that one.
Speaker 2 (49:54):
I love of self reflection and just an interesting and
very successful man who has his own.
Speaker 1 (50:01):
Opinions on so many different topics.
Speaker 2 (50:04):
Thanks so much for listening and ryding. The Doug Gotlig
Show is daily three to five Eastern Time. There's the
in the Bonus podcast which follows it that's on the
iHeartRadio app at Fox Sports Radio, foxports Trade dot Com. Reminder,
don't forget to review this thing, don't forget to subscribe
right and if you want to send it to a
(50:25):
friend or tweet it out because you love some of
this content, feel free to do so. We will never
dissuade you from telling a friend about All Ball. Thanks
to Pat Burke, I'm Doug Gotlie.
Speaker 1 (50:35):
This is All Ball
Host
Doug Gottlieb
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