June 28, 2025 • 50 mins
On this edition of The Best of the Week of the Doug Gottlieb Show:Doug breaks down game seven of the NBA Finals, how the Thunder won, and what it means.
Doug reacts to comments made by Aaron Rodgers earlier in the day when he said he thinks this next season with the Steelers will be his last.
Doug welcomes former NBA Champion Antonio Daniels onto the show to recap the Thunder's championship, talk about Cooper Flagg and all of the other headlines around the NBA.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Thanks for listening to the best of the Doug Gottlieb
Show podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday
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Doug Gottlieb Show Fox Sports Radio coming to you from
(00:25):
one coast and from the Midwest. Obviously, the boys are
happily enjoying a beautiful summer in southern California, whereas the
rest of US Midwest East Coast got the heat Dome.
Heat Dome still over the Midwest and it is hot
and sticky outside. Welcome in. This is the Doug Gotleib Show,
the the Ooklohom City Thunder or your NBA Champions and
(00:47):
Tyre's Haliburton towards Achilles ten Right. I mean, there's some
other stuff we can talk about, but that's really that's
kind of the show today. Rick Bucker is going to
join us twenty five after the hour. Kevin Urrant was
traded over the weekend, and I actually love Kevin Durant's
Kevin Durant's statement yesterday right, which is he and Kay
(01:12):
Adams caught up with KD. We'll play that for you
next hour. Ryan Hollins will be our guest, so mostly
an NBA show, NBA show today. I'm getting ready for
the NBA Draft, which is Wednesday night. It happens really
really quickly, and the thunder have a couple of picks.
I will caution you with the idea of like it's
(01:32):
a dynasty, dynasty it. Let's just here's the way I
think it should work. Okay, here's the way I think
it should work. It should work in a way in
which we go. You know, they're positioned to be competitive
at the top of the league for the next half
(01:55):
decade if things go right. There you go, it's positioned.
They're positioned to be competitive at the top of the
league for the next four or five years if things
go right. And to anyone who says, you know, listen,
a new salary cap, the new you know, the new
(02:17):
salary cap, it's a dynasty killer or they're the ones
best position. That sounds great, but we don't know, you know.
And again, you can go back historically, back when the
Boston Celtics. You know, back when the Boston Celtics had
(02:38):
the Len Bias draft pick. Len Bias was supposed to
be the guy who reinvigorated them after Bill Walton retired.
You know, Larry Bird was starting, he was his body
was starting to break down, right, Robert Parrish was getting old.
And then len Bias tragically died from a cocaine overdose
the night after the NBA draft, Like it's crazy. Lewis gosh,
(03:06):
what was his name? He played also for the Celtics.
Remember he was there. Reggie Lewis passed away heart issue.
He dies, right, So there have been teams. The Chicago
Cubs broke, you know, broke the curse, right, broke the
curse of the Billy Goat. They were supposed to be
a dynasty. And I can tell you because I had
(03:28):
a friend on that team, is like, we're never winning
another one again. These guys hate each other. They're also
young and full of ego, and they went on a
victory tour and it's never going to be the same.
It never has been. And I'd like to think that
these thunder are different. Right, they're young. They didn't even
(03:51):
know how to open the champagne bottles last night? How
great a story was that? Did you guys? Hear that?
Like the champagne bottles weren't popping, and they're like, well, guys,
you know you won the championship and like, somebody get
Caruso in here. We don't know how to pop champagne bottles.
What that's the greatest thing I've ever heard. But money
(04:13):
and fame and attention can change people. And I'll give
you an example. They can extend Chet Holmer in this summer,
give him a max extension if they want, you know,
on his rookie contract, would you I wouldn't. I lost
all confidence in his jump shot. And but he's got
(04:33):
some stuff to him. He's gonna you feel like he's
gonna get better, but you don't know. So if you
give him the max contract, god forbid, he gets hurt,
that changes things. Or if he loses his jump shot altogether.
He had a big one last night. Now what if
you don't give him the big contract? Does he hold
that against you? And he can't at some point can't
(04:55):
wait to get out of town, right, Everyone says they
just think, oh, they got everybody in the roster to
be back next year. Like, that's not the way it
works with men. Definitely doesn't work on that way. Women.
Men aren't much better. It's not like we're not Caddy.
We don't want more. You don't get to be an
NBA player but not want more. You're like, well, lou
Dort was undrafted, so he should that's great. It sounds
(05:18):
like he should just be, you know, fat girl, the
problem happy to be there. That's not the way the
world always works. You have super competitive men and they
want more and like, hey, I won my championship. Great
now I want to get rich. But they have positioned
themselves as well for this as anybody possibly could, and
(05:40):
they have draft picks. They're in a great shape. They're
opening a new arena in a couple of years, so
the franchise will continue to just make a ton of money.
But I harken back, you know, the head of iHeart,
and of course iHeart owns Fox Sports Radio. Stug Gotle
the show here on Fox Sports Video is the guy
(06:01):
that did the behind the scenes behind the music VH
one behind the music, which they need to bring those
back or do those Jase two you I don't watch
them now. I don't watch VH one. Now I don't
even know what exists. Does VH one still exist? I
have no idea. I'm guessing no, Sam, That's that feels
(06:21):
like a Sam question. Sam, Does VH one exist? Get
on the computer, crank a mistake, get on your old computer,
and uh type things in.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
I don't know either, Jason, VH one does exist?
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Okay, yes, okay? Do you guys remember behind the musics? Absolutely,
they were great. They were great, and it would all
be the same. Like there's a group of you know,
group of punk rockers from this you know, from the
San Fernando Valley, and they all got together and they
kicked the drummer out and they brought a new drummer
and he had a rad sound, and they released an
(06:57):
album and they just blew up. Next thing, you know,
they're playing in state and then you know, the bassist
had a terrible cocaine problem that the drummer slept with
the lead singer's wife, you know, and it just all
came apart and they all went to rehab. And now
they're trying to get the band back together and they're
releasing an album and no one's ever, never, ever heard
something again, Right, how'd I do? Guys? Is that about?
Speaker 4 (07:17):
Right?
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Is that about how it worked? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (07:19):
I'd say so.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Yeah, And most of the stories all start to say
and they all are like, man, they're just a bunch
of kids. Just play some music. And they got together
and they had this sound like wow, that's really cool,
Like what if I do this? And then what if
you do that? And I do this? And I was like,
oh my god. And then the recent album and then
they had this big song and then they built up
and then there's always this peak and then something goes
wrong because of ego or a lot of times it's drugs.
(07:42):
Let's be honest. But you know, pat Riley calls it
the disease of me. I think this is going to
be the most amazing And I do want to get
to Dan what you talked about on your show yesterday,
which is this is the worst champion of our lifetime
in terms of level of overall quality of basketball, level
(08:03):
of play. Right, you're not talking about them as people. Well,
I just want to make sure to can Yeah, I'm
not personally, you don't. That's nothing.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Comments about today's NBA.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
State of the NBA totally fair, Okay, again, I don't
know if I agree with it. I want to get
to it, but that's not the point. The point is
that let's not fall into that trap of going like,
all right, murder dynasty because pat Riley calls it the
disease of me and all it basically is, you know,
(08:34):
it's really hard to make in this world. I kind
of think it's even harder to have that same level
of hunger and do it again, right, same level of
hunger and do it again. You know, it's one of
the things that I'm I'm blown away by by so
many guys whose sons are really good players, and they
(08:59):
you know, I saw good friend of mine's, Raja Bell
and Raja's older son Dia signed with has just won
the Elite eleven okay, And I coached his younger son
in Au before I got this job. And he's a
stud too, a great kid. Now. Raja grew up with
(09:19):
very little and bounced around, played in every minor league
in different countries, and then made it and he became
like the Kobe Stopper. His kids, they've grown up in
affluence in Florida. He had this beautiful setup to work
out to play whatever, and I think in many ways,
it's harder to be the kid who has everything and
(09:40):
have the hunger and desire that matches up with the
kids who have nothing. Right. I mean, I got a
scholarship to college, and it wasn't the total motivation. But
my dad came to me, is like, look, dude, you
know Grandpa helped me out with your brother and sister.
I just you know, if you can't get a D
(10:02):
one scholarship, you're gonna have to go to a state school,
maybe a junior college, and we'll figure it out. And
I was like, bro, no chance, I'm hoping. I want
to get out. And I didn't grow up in the
I'm i gonna sit here and say I grew up
bullets whizzing. But it was lower middle lower middle class, Orange, California,
right next to Barrio Medina, and I made it. But
(10:25):
the point is that I do find myself really really
appreciating kids that grew up in actual affluence and make
it in a sport like basketball against the hunger and
desire people who have nothing. They don't have a pot
to pee in or a window to throw it out of.
And that's because it's really hard when everybody says, yes,
it's not that hard to work when everybody says no,
(10:47):
when people call you soft, when people think you're not
good enough, and that's what people thought with this Oklahoma
City team. Look, I don't like the flopping. I mean
the lou Dort flopp at the end of the first half.
It's a big play. It's a big play. I mean, ultimately,
Oklahoma City, especially without Tyre's Halliburton, it was going to
be hard. And I just I think there's a bunch
(11:07):
of different layers to last night's game which we can
get into, which was not particularly well portrayed or maybe analyzed.
I mean the TJ McConnell thing. He went on this
run where he scored like ten straight points. Meanwhile he
bookended it with like five turnovers, which so it doesn't
actually the ten points. It became a zero sum or
probably even a negative during that time in the third
(11:28):
quarter and they were all two pointers. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City's
making threes and then the turnovers. You can't turn the
ball over. That's why Olaoma City had so many more shots.
And sometimes basketball is just a game of who gets
more shots. How do you get more shots? You get
more possessions. How do you get more possessions? Offensive rebounds
and turnovers and steals, that's it. But I just I
(11:52):
want to be cautious over the Let's not undersell them.
I do think that Dan's underselling them a little bit,
and I'll get to why, but let's not over sell
them and go like, man, this is a dynasty. They
got all these pictures, they call all this money they
caught everybody back like, yeah, it sounds really really good,
but you come back next year and chet is supposed
to take another step, okay, but that other step that
(12:14):
means somebody else's growth is probably gonna be minimized. You know.
I think Caruso is gonna play hard no matter what
I do, I you know. And I think Jalen Williams
will continue to get more and more consistent, But I
don't know if he'll ever be a star as much
as a Robin or it. Does he like that role
or eventually does as much as Jala Wims is an
(12:36):
awesome dude, like I covered him with at Santa Claric.
Just an incredible guy. But there are times in which
now you go like, hey, you know, I don't want
Shade to be so balla dumb like I want. I
want to score thirty. And as much as we say, hey,
they're gonna always going to be the same guy because
they have great character, money, success, attention, all these things
(13:02):
can can change people. So I'm fascinated to see what
happens now from Okoma City Thunder. Okay, now let's get
to that discussion real quick, buyer, do you want to
make your case if you would, well, why this Oklahoma
City team? Again, I listened to it, but you know
(13:24):
I'm not our audience. Why is this the worst team? No,
we don't have to replay it. He's right here. Yeah,
why is this the worst team in your lifetime to
win an NBA.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
This is Yeah, this is not specific to Oklahoma City.
Even though it's specific to Oklahoma City. I said it
a month ago, and when we didn't know who was
going to win the NBA title at that time, and
it could have been a variety of teams. But when
we actually had this discussion on your show, which you
also disagreed with me then about it. My point was
(13:54):
I don't think that this specific Oklahoma City team would
match up to any of the Laker teams. Of the
two thousands or the Bulls teams of the nineties, and
when we would look at what we've got in recent history,
I think that the Raptors team of twenty nineteen is
better matched up with this Oklahoma City team. Again, at
(14:14):
the time, if they were to win it, and now
we can make that comparison, I think that the Warriors
team of twenty twenty two the Bucks of twenty twenty
one were better teams than this makeup of Oklahoma City,
which also is a reflection on what I think of
the league as an entire league. So while you'll say
(14:34):
they have the best record in the league, I actually
think that it's a watered down league than to what
those other teams had to go through in previous seasons.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
Okay, here's who I think they match up with. Okay,
the what was the first Warriors team? What year was
that the first.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
War twenty fifteen?
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Okay, twenty fifteen Warriors. Okay, let me paint the picture
for you. They had a breakthrough player who played differently
than other stars play. Is that a fair way again?
I know we can sit there and go steph. Okay,
so he played differently. Okay, they had a young number
(15:20):
two star guy who was you know, by the way,
you know, came out of Washington State who had yet
to be proven, and people thought he was good, but
he had limitations. In Clay Thompson, is that fair?
Speaker 3 (15:38):
Yes, for the sake of your argument, yes, I think
there's more to Clay, but yes, okay, But.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
Again, at at the time, time, at the time, at
the time, Clay was a very good defender and an
incredible shooter. Incredible shooter, but he was not considered a
Hall of Famer at the time. Then they had Draymond Green,
who provided them their toughness. He was an undersize, could
guard anybody guy who did everything but score. Right, He
(16:09):
was a second round pick who lost a bunch of
weight and made himself into this unbelievable weapon who could
dominate a game without scoring. Is that fair?
Speaker 3 (16:19):
Sure?
Speaker 1 (16:19):
Yes? Okay? And uh Now, then off the bench, they
had another team, a former like twenty a game guy
who had to remake himself into just the perfect role
player to go along with those guys. Right, they had
all these different pieces. Okay, again, I don't think Chet
(16:41):
Holmgren will have the impact of a of a Draymond Green.
But Chet the what Chet Holmgren they think ultimately can be.
Is this rare guy who's so long and agile enough
that he can defend all five positions while defending the rim.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
Yeah, that's the future. That's not twenty twenty five.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
I got it. I got it. But we're looking at
Draymond Green through a lens of today for what he was.
Speaker 3 (17:08):
Would you take Draymond that day or Chet now like
on this day Raymond? Yes, would you take Clay on
that day or would you take Jalen Williams today?
Speaker 1 (17:19):
You did Clay?
Speaker 3 (17:20):
You know you would?
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (17:21):
You would you take Steph then on that day in
twenty fifteen, then you would take Shay right now?
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (17:27):
And that's my point is And then if they run
off four championships and this is gonna be the worst
game bo getting hard champions.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
I got it, I got it. But remember, okay, what
happened with that team and why did they win? They
were playing that They're playing the Cleveland Cavaliers and Kyrie
Irving torp is knee in the first game and they
and they went to overtime a one. That's series still
went six. Okay, and if you remember that year, every
team they played their point guard missed at least two
(17:55):
of the games on the other team, right, they Damian
lit mistic couple.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
But I can get the argument and and and just
for time constraints, I think that you would have one
against the Bucks, and and and whatnot. But then to
your point of we're taking the bottom of the bottom.
And my whole point in this is that this is
what the NBA is now, I got it. And it's
gotten worse and worse and worse each year. So now
here we have an Oklahoma City team that barely got
(18:22):
past the fourth seed in the East, that needed their
best player to go down with the you know, torn
Achilles in Game seven to win the series. And that's
like it's an overall thing. It.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
I know, it took them seven games to beat the Nuggets,
and Aaron Gordon was hurt, Yes Nuggets. Nuggets had fired
their gentle manager and fired their coach and had no bench.
I get it. I get it. It's really interesting. I
didn't say it's a terrible take. I didn't. I'm not
going to sit here, and I know it's not personal.
I think it's interesting, and I do think that if
they go and win another championship, people are going to
say you're wrong, but you might not be wrong even
(18:57):
if you even if they win a championship later.
Speaker 3 (18:59):
On, because I think the twenty twenty sixth thunder would
be better than the twenty twenty five thunder.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
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Speaker 4 (19:18):
To the ball by top jump with Shay weaving his
way down the lane.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
So I said to Defender, lays it up and laser
and on what a maneuver by Jamon Williams. He played
the role with Ay and now plays the ground.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Go get it, Doug under fifty six the pace for
fifty one Time out Indiana.
Speaker 5 (19:35):
This is the best of the Done Dot lead show
on Fox Sports.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
Radio Friday Night. Just got paid Friday Night body Hony,
Hey there right, Doug Gottlieb Shutter on Fox Sports Radio.
So we're gonna catch up with Antonio Daniels in a second.
(20:03):
But you know, I never forget when I met Brad Stevens.
It was his first year as head coach at at Butler.
They beat Valpo at the Arc, which is where Valpo
plays their their games. And I didn't know Brad. You know,
I was fairly new to the business. But I had
known the previous coaches at Butler, Barry Collier, who went
(20:26):
on to be the athletic director at at the head
coach at Nebraska, and then now he's back as the
athletic director at Butler. But I was blown away by
the thought he put into so many things, and I
could make the argument NBA college he's the good coaches
we've ever had, and he kicked himself upstairs a couple
years ago. Well, they pulled off some moves last night,
(20:47):
like trading away, drew a holiday and seemed to position
themselves really really well. Prezingis has gone, Holidays gone, and
we'll see about what the additions are. All right, stuck
got them show here on Fox Sports Radio. That's the
voice of Dan Byrol. Let's talkome to Antonio Daniels. He
played thirteen years of the NBA. He's the analyst for
the Orleans Pelicans TV network, and he joins us. Now
(21:09):
we're just a couple of days removed from the Oklahoma
City Thunder winning the NBA Championship. Let's start with Let's
start with the injury, Tyr's Halburton's injury. We've seen a
lot of players far more so than normal feels like
de Jeon, Tay Burray, Torus Killes Tendon, He's in his
not yet in his prime. Same thing here, What do
you think is behind the rash of high level NBA
(21:33):
players tearing their achilles tennon?
Speaker 4 (21:35):
I wish I know. I don't even I don't feel
knowledged enough to give an explanation as to why. You know,
I've seen people talk about the pace is faster than
it's ever been, and you know, I've seen other people
talk about the fact that guys don't wear high top
tennis shoes anymore, you know. So it could be a
(21:57):
number of different things, and honestly, I don't. I have
no idea. I know even today, I still play at
fifty years old, and that's my one of my biggest fears.
And you see how much that can change the trajectory
of an organization like we saw Dame Lillard, we saw.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Kevin Durant.
Speaker 4 (22:20):
Kevin Durant, we saw Theresa Holliburton. You know, we saw
Jason Tatum. And now you look at that Boston team
now as opposed to the way that Boston team look
when Jason Tatum rushed his achilles. So it's a it's
a crazy injury, devastating injury. I wish I could tell you, Doug,
but I have no. I have no. I don't feel
(22:42):
knowledge enough to say the reason in rationale as to
why it's unfortunate.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Though it is unfortunate, but it's it's very, very honest.
Have you gotten a chance to see Cooper flag play?
Speaker 4 (22:55):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (22:56):
I think.
Speaker 4 (22:58):
I love them. I love them, and you know the
thing for me though, for me, I've come to realize
I can't put too much into college basketball. And I'm
saying that respectfully because it's a totally different game. Because
I can give you a few guys off the top
of my head right now and ask you, is this
(23:19):
the same guy you saw in college? And you'll tell
me no, Right, the talent hero that you see now,
is that the taler hero you saw in college? No,
Thesam's Harden you see now, is that dizams Harden you
saw in college? Right, the Devin Booker, the Devin Booker,
the Donovan Mitchell. Like, the thing is, guys get better
(23:39):
when they get to the league because it's open. So
a lot of times a guy skill set while he's
in college is somewhat boxed in. I feel like when
god get an opportunity to get to that next level,
then you can see a full array of who they
are on both sides of the basketball that I feel
(23:59):
in college you really don't get an opportunity to see it.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
Yep, yep, that is special.
Speaker 4 (24:06):
He's special.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
Though, What's what's the high end? What's the low end
in your mind for.
Speaker 4 (24:15):
A Cooper m Like, I don't know because what that
is is that that involves comparison and contrast. And like
for me, do I think he's generational. I think he
has the ability to be generational. I do I think
he has the skill set to be generational. I think
he has the confidence to be generational. Now, what changed
(24:37):
my whole thought process is when I watched him play
against the Olympic team. And again, you're gonna watch that
and say, well, maybe the guys on the Olympic team
weren't going, you know, like they were playing against France
in the gold medal game. But still, that young man
was seventeen years old. He was seventeen years old, not
(24:57):
yet a year removed from prom and he was out
there giving it to guys, given it to guys. That's
not an easy thing to do. But a lot of
this league is about getting drafted to the right place,
with the right teammates, in the right situation, with the
right coach. And I think at this particular point in
his career, I think Dallas is a great place for
(25:19):
him to get drafted.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
And I agree he doesn't have to you know, people
make it out of his offense and what he doesn't
have to carry the team. But you have Anthony Davis.
They just resigned Daniel Gafford right like, they're gonna be
really good, so he doesn't have to go down. Yeah,
they have rim protection. He's going to be a four,
you know, at three four, I have to you know,
(25:41):
guard guards as well. But he can use his size
and his long arms to be super effective. I'm with
you on all that, all of it. Okay, So Oklahoma
City wins the championship, as we told people you cover
the Pelicans, you also do NBA rado.
Speaker 4 (26:01):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
You have people who will say this team is not
nearly as good as many the championship teams of yesteryear.
Speaker 4 (26:10):
What would your retort be, I mean, and I mean
this respectfully. Who cares like it doesn't? I mean, it
doesn't matter because they don't have to play those championship teams.
Like the thing is, people have a hard time dog
and this generation of basketball talk in a basketball culture
(26:32):
saying anybody that's playing today is the best fill in
the blank of all time.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
I don't think. I don't. I don't. I don't think
so telln't I disagree people think like I mean, Look,
there's there will always be a healthy debate over Lebron
and and Michael. Steph Curry is the greatest shooter of
all time? Right?
Speaker 4 (26:57):
Do you know how many people that have combated that.
You know, I'm talking about people that are on your network,
people that are on your network that I join weekly
that will say Steph Curry is not the greatest shooter
of all time?
Speaker 1 (27:11):
Who is?
Speaker 4 (27:12):
I've always said yes, I've always said I don't even
think that's debatable. I don't think it's debatable, but I'm
wrong because it's debatable because there are other people out
there that disagree.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
I think the point is and I had a great
discussion with somebody from the Bucks yesterday and we were
talking about whether or not you know, the Bucks uh
trade Giannis start over, and they were like, it's actually,
I don't want to say easier, but there's more parody
(27:48):
than ever. It's it's not that hard to put yourself
in the conference finals if you could have a really
good meat.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
In the East, well even in the West, Man.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
Bro the Warriors, the Warriors aren't Warriors aren't good anymore.
The Lakers aren't good anymore. The Nuggets have no bench,
and they were but well, I didn't get to the
caveat the caveat was you got to have, you know,
one of these star players. But you also, it's so
much of it's about health and luck, you know, with
than anything else.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
You know.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Do you think this this era of parody remains.
Speaker 4 (28:28):
I think it remains because the CBA, the way it's
constructed now, it's not really set up for teams to
have dynasty. You know. I've seen this CBA referred to
as the dynasty killer because if you look at the
way it's constructed. It's not set up for teams to
to have sustain long term success like we saw in
(28:50):
Golden State, like we saw in San Antonio, you know
some of the some of the dynasties that we've seen,
Like think about it Boston. Think about how Boston looked
entering this year, right entering this season, sure, right now,
how they mcnow how things change in a heartbeat because
(29:11):
of this new CBA. Well, I'm coperent that teams are
trying to stay under I'll push back on Oklahoma City.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
I'll only push back on you with the Warriors because
of this. One of the things that allowed the Warriors
to sustain their success longer was Steph Curry's second contract
wasn't us because because because he had all the ankle injuries,
he didn't have a huge sex he didn't have a
huge second contract.
Speaker 4 (29:35):
So but Doug, but Dub, the reason that this CBA
is even in play now is because of the Warriors.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
Right because they could go into that second tax and
still and still find ways they paid the tax and
still find a way to survive.
Speaker 4 (29:49):
Right Yeah, So it's it's like we look at Oklahoma
City right now, is what they did this year sustainable
for five years, six years?
Speaker 1 (30:02):
Uh, probably only because they're uniquely positioned because of all
those draft picks, right right.
Speaker 4 (30:07):
But the thing is, DoD Like, it's gonna come a
point like what people what I feel like gets lost
here when we have the discussions about business chemistry. I
feel like it's the most underrated and undervalued aspect in
the NBA.
Speaker 1 (30:21):
It's gonna come in in basketball, no question. In basketball,
agree with you.
Speaker 4 (30:24):
For sure, for sure. So it's gonna come a point
where teams come knocking for Lou Dorg and teams teams
come knocking for Aaron Wiggins, and teams come knocking for
Isaiah Joe And you know what the average Fano saying,
Oh man, you can find somebody to do what they do.
But what you're not taking into consideration is the chemistry
(30:45):
of the role, definition and understanding that these guys had
that led to an NBA championship. Because there are guys
outside of Jake kids Alexander and Jay Dubb and Ched Holmgern,
outside of Isaiah Hartstein and Altruzo that are going to
need to be taken care of financially.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
Yep, No, I mean Cruso is the perfect example, right,
and the Lakers didn't valued enough, but he was a gloup.
He was a glue piece when they won the COVID Championship.
Last thing, circling back to Antonio Dan is joining US
NBA Radio Plus. He's the color analyst for the New
Orleans Pelicans. He joins us in the Doug Gottlieb Show
(31:24):
on Fox Sports Radio. What percentage of people know the
NBA Draft went to two days?
Speaker 4 (31:31):
Well, I feel like a lot of people would know
simply because of last year's because it felt like it
would put off for Bronnie. That's what it felt like.
It felt like the only reason it went to two
days is because Bronnie James. People were looking to see
if and where Bronnie James would end up. I'm getting
interested to see how much traction it gets this year
on the second day when Bronnie James is not there.
Speaker 1 (31:54):
I mean, I don't think very much agrees, don't. I
just don't. I just don't. I think it's one of
those oh the NFL's do it, we gotta do it,
like yeah you no.
Speaker 5 (32:05):
No, no, no.
Speaker 4 (32:06):
I'm not a fan of it.
Speaker 1 (32:07):
I am not a fan of it mean, I am
not a fan.
Speaker 4 (32:10):
Of it at all.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
And look, I did, I did, I think twelve NBA drafts,
twelve NBA drafts on ESPN Radio, and then I did
a couple we did some stuff when I was at CBS,
And the second round does move fast and furious, and
you don't know who's going to wear because guys are
are actually traded before their draft and all the other stuff.
But to have a whole other day, I don't I
(32:31):
don't really get.
Speaker 4 (32:32):
I'll tell you what though, Doug, it's gonna be a
it seems like for what everything that we're hearing, it's
supposed to be a pretty busy night around the league.
Speaker 1 (32:40):
It will be a pretty big it will be a
pretty pretty big last thing. Kevin Garnett, Kevin Kevin Gartt,
Kevin Durant in Houston. How does that work?
Speaker 4 (32:50):
Well? You know, for me, I'm gonna be honest with you, Doug.
I love Kevin Durant. He's one of my favorite players
to watch play. I am just not on board with
teams going big game hunting anymore. Where's the last team
to win? Where's the last team where that paid off? Right?
Because if you look at the pieces that are needed
to win. It's guys like Isaiah Hartenstein. It's guys like
(33:13):
Alice Caruso. It's guys like Drew Holliday and guys like
Derek White, Guys like PJ. Tucker, Containious Cardwell Pope, you know,
Bruce Brown, these kind of guys.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
They didn't win the title, but Dallas did get to
the finals. Big I'm hunting going after Kyrie Irving to
add to Luca Well, you know what I know.
Speaker 4 (33:33):
But there's a draftic difference from getting to the finals
and winning the final.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
Right figure.
Speaker 4 (33:38):
There are more examples. There are more examples of team
going big game hunting that didn't work out as opposed
to the ones that went big game. Honey, they did, no.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
Question, He's Antonio Daniels. He does an awesome job. Don't
enjoy the draft to night. We'll talk soon and thanks
for being our guest.
Speaker 4 (33:52):
For sure, appreciation brother.
Speaker 5 (33:53):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation yet. Catch all of our shows at Fox
sports Radio dot Com and within the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
Booming Up America. Doug Gottlieb Show Fox Sports Radio coming
to you from Parts Unknown. Huh Parts Unknown? Got a
great show for you on a Tuesday, a victory parade Tuesday,
tens of peoples are lying the streets in Bricktown and
Oklahoma City to cheeran your champion, Oklahoma City Thunder. We'll
(34:29):
get to that coming up. We got a heck of
a show for you. I'll read parts of a heartfelt
message from when Tyre's Halliburton. Adam Figelstein's going to join us.
He's a college basketball insider. As we get ready for
tomorrow night's NBA Draft where it's the Cooper Flag Draft,
(34:51):
you also hear from O'Brian Scalabriney Scow, who's from my era,
of course, analyst with Nessen covering the Celtics. We'll get
his thoughts on Cooper Flag as we get ready to
watch him be the number one overall pick in the
draft and go to the Dallas Mavericks. It could be
my thoughts and with their scouts thoughts, and then we'll
(35:14):
discuss it with Adam Finkelstein. So got a lot to
get to. I do want to start with the story
of the day, which is also the story to jour
Aaron Rodgers. Well, he's not calling it a career officially,
but unofficially like, yeah, this is this is about it.
Here's Rogers earlier today, I with Pat McAfee talking about
(35:36):
this being his last season.
Speaker 6 (35:38):
Yeah, I'm pretty sure this is it. You know, that's
why we just did a one year deal. You know,
this was really about finishing with a lot of love
and fun and peace for the career that I've had.
I mean I've played twenty freaking years. Yeah, Like it's
been a long, long run. I've enjoyed it. And what
better place to finish than in one of the cornerstone
franchises of the NFL with Mike Tomlin and a great
(36:02):
group of leadership and great guys in the city that
you know expects expects.
Speaker 1 (36:07):
You to win. Here's Rogers talking about what his future
looks like in regards to I don't know television. He he,
he actually says, you know you won't see him anymore,
(36:28):
all right. We have a little trouble with that one.
Speaker 6 (36:31):
Looks it's six society, isn't it. It's a six society.
I lived in a public guy for twenty years. I
had public relationship. How did that work out?
Speaker 4 (36:38):
You know?
Speaker 6 (36:38):
I had had people leaking my home information and making
up stories that we bought a house together. People calling
them populazzi, people you know, posting personal life on the internet.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
Yeah, I actually I understand that. You know, you do
want some private See there's no place where you sign
up to play football that they say they're going to
follow you around and take pictures of you. And you're
on the beach and wonder why your new wife is
not on the beach. By the way, when you get married,
you don't have to spend other you just don't. Now,
(37:15):
some waking moments together would be good, but we also
don't know who she is or if she's traveling. And
he's kind of done with it, and he's like, look,
I'm out. It's not hard to be out of the
public eye. There are plenty of people who have disappeared
from the public eye. I just, you know, I think
he's fascinating.
Speaker 4 (37:35):
I do.
Speaker 1 (37:36):
He's made a fan in Jason Stewart because Jay Stu,
as he said, he wants on his tombstone searches for
whatever the opposite of BS is. And it does feel
like Aaron Rodgers, whether he's right or wrong in many
the things that he thinks. It's he's not trying to
(37:57):
be full of it is at least the now would
I would point out that most of the vaccine thing
and how he handled it and got himself in a
negative place in the public eye was because he was lying.
But regardless of which, I've known Aaron a little bit
(38:18):
and I do actually think he's just not He's just
never really enjoyed the attention of it, you know, it's
all the other things. And I actually think there's something
very relatable about that to me, Jason, in your years
with Jim Rome, right, there's a guy who's never really
been comfortable in the public eye either, And I wanted,
(38:45):
here's the easiest way to relate it. Okay, it's a
very different I hung out with Aaron Rodgers once in
the final four. It was when it was in Phoenix. Gosh,
when was that. That was was at North Carolina be Gonzaga,
I think in the championship game. We hung out after
the semi finals and he told me is twenty seventeen.
(39:09):
Yet he told me like before we went out, he
was like, hey, just so you know, every person that
comes up to me will put their hands on me,
will touch me. It was like, what do you mean, Like,
just watch it's the weirdest thing. I don't know what
it's about. And so we'd go to a We went
to a restaurant first. Then we went and you know,
(39:33):
the owner comes out to the restaurant and puts his
arm on Aaron's shoulder and he looks at me and
I didn't say anything. Wasn't rude in any way. The
waiter comes out and you know, several other waiters and
they're being really really nice. But every guy who comes
by and wants to meet him or introduce him puts
their hand because he's sitting on his shoulder. Then we
(39:54):
go to a concert and we're backstage at a concert
and same thing. Guys that come up and some just
like smack them, some touch them. Then we go to
a club late at night and literally every person comes
up and puts their hands on and no one is
like if one person does it, it's a little different.
(40:14):
You know, some people are close talkers or whatever, but
every person who engaged in a conversation or wanted to
put their hands on him. And I've always told people that, look,
I'm like a one thousandth of the people know me
who would know Aaron Rodgers. But there is when I
was in college, and even now, you go into a
(40:36):
place and everyone knows who you are, even if you're
new to that place, when you don't know who anybody is,
and then when you factor in again, I don't know
if you'd call it issues or suspicions, or people who
have done him wrong, or people who have fallen out
of his life. But when you're not a super trusting
(40:58):
person and you walk into it like Aaron Rodgers, every
room he walks into in the United States and in
some other places abroad, everyone knows who he is. Think
about that for a second. Everyone knows who he is,
you know, and the guy who doesn't know who he
(41:18):
is is called like an idiot. Right they come back
and there's a bunch of waiters back there. It's like,
you see who there was, Like I got no idea
who that is? To Aaron Rodgers, like I don't watch
I don't want soccer like you. No, No, he's a
football player, Like I don't know that. That guy's called
an idiot for not knowing. So it's a very strange
(41:38):
existence in life to be the you don't have to
introduce yourself, and with the knowledge of who you are,
many people carry with them the baggage of thinking they
know who you are, they know what you're about, and
they carry an opinion of you. Uh So, when he
calls it a career and he disappears, I think that's why.
(42:02):
I think he's trying to find a place where no
one knows who he is.
Speaker 4 (42:06):
Now.
Speaker 1 (42:07):
To me, I it does. It can be a lot. Again,
at a fraction of his level of startom, it can
be a lot, but it's kind of cool when people
know you are, it's still at the kind still kind
of cool. It can be a lot, you know, especially
when people say things or question things or whatever. But
(42:27):
if you're not built for it, or if you've been
scoring the relationships, or if you have some trust issues,
it can lead you to just want to disappear. And
it does explain a lot for why it took aim
a while to get to this point of playing for
the for the Steelers, why he does his darkness retreats,
(42:48):
why he does kind of odd, quirky things in comparison
to other NFL players that we think we know what
they do in the off season. And what's interesting about
it is through all the quirkiness and all the things
that people will say many of them negative about him.
When he's gone, he'll be missed, his will And it's
(43:09):
why I'm fascinated by this season. They play the green
Bay Packers. What is it October twenty sixth? Think about that,
Aaron Rodgers playing for the Steelers against the green Bay
Packers and Jordan Love Like in Pittsburgh, I wish it
was in Green Bay. The only thing any think of
wish it was in green Bay. But this is it's
(43:31):
it's honestly pretty cool. And there are this Jay Stu,
you and I got into the little discussion about people
who in politics. What's the what's the guy on Instagram
who wants to lob negativity towards us or especially towards you.
Speaker 2 (43:46):
It Sam john Boat Giants.
Speaker 1 (43:49):
John Boat Johns get on way too much oxygen, but
John Boat Giants And and the point that Jay stew
makes on the pod is that just because you agree
or just agree with one thing politically, should not align
you with that group all the time. You don't have to.
That's not the way it's supposed to work. You can
have varying opinion. As a matter of fact, that's actually
(44:11):
the beauty to the country.
Speaker 2 (44:14):
I think that's what makes America great to be honest, that's.
Speaker 1 (44:16):
What makes America great again. Wait wait, wait, Rebecca Lobo,
I'm not sure she were allowed to say that. Anyway,
I'm gonna I'm gonna weave like like Donald Trump weaves. Okay,
I'm gonna bring it back to my point, but not
drop an F bomb like he did earlier today.
Speaker 2 (44:33):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (44:35):
I just I think that Aaron Rodgers playing one last
season with the Pittsburgh Steelers and not asking for the
fanfare of a farewell tour and oh yeah, by the way,
he's got a chance to probably save Mike Tomlin or
(44:59):
Mike tom could be out too. I cannot think of
a better scenario for the entertainment alone and the interest
that I have in watching the Pittsburgh Steelers. They were
utterly and completely boring the past five years, right, big
Ben aged, then Big Ben retired or Big Ben tourists
(45:23):
elbow up. Then he came back and played and he
was okay, And then they did Kenny Pickett, and then
last year they had you know, two quarterbacks that weren't
particularly good. And now they have Aaron Rodgers and now
it's really interesting and he's like, by my last year,
And why would you say, and people will I'm sure
be critical of why don't you just say it's your
last year? Well, I don't know. If you win a
(45:43):
super Bowl and you really enjoy it, like, well, I
could do it again. I don't know as of now
last year, but you know, I don't know. If it's
really fun and I really like it and I'm really good,
I'll do it again. He just defies conventional wisdom on
a daily basis. And it's not my team, but he's
(46:08):
a great player, and I'm all for watching it. I'm
an interested party, and I will borrow from my good
friend Colin Coward, who says, hey, you don't have to
be great, just be interesting. And Aaron Rodgers interesting yes, yes, uh,
Jason Stewart.
Speaker 2 (46:24):
No, along those lines. Actually, when you say that he
will be missed, I think we're going to miss him
more than you're going to miss him. More than you
think you will. I'm gonna I'm going to show this
contrast to prove my point. Netflix announced their new season
of quarterback Kirk Cousins, Joe Burrow and Jared Goff. Like
(46:47):
I almost literally fell asleep before I got to the
end of golf. Those guys could not be less interesting.
I think that's a Peyton Manning production, right, Omaha productions.
They do the quarterback You're gonna be able to see
on Netflix how uninteresting unsophisticated quarterbacks are. They're very good
(47:07):
at what they do, and they have to be very
smart at what they do, but they're not very interesting people.
And then you put Aaron Rodgers doing three hours of
Joe Rogan and you'll have that contrast. We're never gonna
see this again, somebody playing the most popular position in
American sports, being as opinionated as he is and literally
(47:30):
not caring what you think.
Speaker 1 (47:33):
Yeah, gives zero f's not a single one. Yeah, I'm
all for it. You and I are aligning on this
right and you'll hear. I'm sure there's people that he's
upset along the way. There's people that have fallen off,
and I don't know his level of talent right now.
I do think that if we're gonna go, we're gonna
go Nerd Sports Talk. Last year, Aaron Rodgers first five
(47:58):
games look washed. In the season, he started to come
back and get his legs under him. Who knows, I
don't know if he could play anymore, maybe he stinks.
I would say that as a quarterback, especially one when
it's your last year and you've suffered through some tough injuries,
you know, I think the biggest challenges. No one wants
(48:18):
to get hit, But does he play like somebody who
doesn't want to get hit. I think that'd be fair.
I think that'd be fair. But what I know, not think.
Speaker 4 (48:27):
What I know.
Speaker 1 (48:29):
Is that we'll be watching and it's interesting. And yeah, again,
if he's peak Aaron Rodgers, he's also arguably the best
to ever do it when he's been right. Like, there's
some things Aaron Rodgers has done a football field they're
just insane, like the no look stuff that Pat Mahomes does.
(48:52):
And again I'm fully aware that on this very same
radio show me as the very same host has said,
we need to have a discussion that Pat Mahomes might
be the best to ever do it. And there's also
a discussion Aaron Rodgers has been the best to ever
do it for a while as well, So you factor
in that at least for a portion of time he
was the best. That portion of time is not that
(49:12):
long ago. He suffered through a groosme injury, he suffered
through breakups with teams, breakups with friends, breakups with girls.
He's told you this is my last go round. It's
with a very interesting team with a coach that everybody likes.
But it's not like they've been particularly good, although they
haven't been bad. And the excuse or the reason, whichever
(49:35):
side you want to come from, is we don't have
very good quarterback. I don't know he's a very good quarterback,
but he was once a great quarterback, and that once
was not that long ago. While we're searching for the
next face of the NBA or wondering, you know, how
to make the NBA's regular season more interesting, the NFL
(49:57):
is super interesting. And Aaron Rodgers is a big reason
why beg Rason one
Thanks for listening to the best of the Doug Gottlieb
Show podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday
three to five Eastern twelve two Pacific on Fox Sports Radio.
Find your local station for The Doug Gottlieb Show at
Foxsports Radio dot Com, or stream us live every day
on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR Booming of America.
Doug Gottlieb Show Fox Sports Radio coming to you from
(00:25):
one coast and from the Midwest. Obviously, the boys are
happily enjoying a beautiful summer in southern California, whereas the
rest of US Midwest East Coast got the heat Dome.
Heat Dome still over the Midwest and it is hot
and sticky outside. Welcome in. This is the Doug Gotleib Show,
the the Ooklohom City Thunder or your NBA Champions and
(00:47):
Tyre's Haliburton towards Achilles ten Right. I mean, there's some
other stuff we can talk about, but that's really that's
kind of the show today. Rick Bucker is going to
join us twenty five after the hour. Kevin Urrant was
traded over the weekend, and I actually love Kevin Durant's
Kevin Durant's statement yesterday right, which is he and Kay
(01:12):
Adams caught up with KD. We'll play that for you
next hour. Ryan Hollins will be our guest, so mostly
an NBA show, NBA show today. I'm getting ready for
the NBA Draft, which is Wednesday night. It happens really
really quickly, and the thunder have a couple of picks.
I will caution you with the idea of like it's
(01:32):
a dynasty, dynasty it. Let's just here's the way I
think it should work. Okay, here's the way I think
it should work. It should work in a way in
which we go. You know, they're positioned to be competitive
at the top of the league for the next half
(01:55):
decade if things go right. There you go, it's positioned.
They're positioned to be competitive at the top of the
league for the next four or five years if things
go right. And to anyone who says, you know, listen,
a new salary cap, the new you know, the new
(02:17):
salary cap, it's a dynasty killer or they're the ones
best position. That sounds great, but we don't know, you know.
And again, you can go back historically, back when the
Boston Celtics. You know, back when the Boston Celtics had
(02:38):
the Len Bias draft pick. Len Bias was supposed to
be the guy who reinvigorated them after Bill Walton retired.
You know, Larry Bird was starting, he was his body
was starting to break down, right, Robert Parrish was getting old.
And then len Bias tragically died from a cocaine overdose
the night after the NBA draft, Like it's crazy. Lewis gosh,
(03:06):
what was his name? He played also for the Celtics.
Remember he was there. Reggie Lewis passed away heart issue.
He dies, right, So there have been teams. The Chicago
Cubs broke, you know, broke the curse, right, broke the
curse of the Billy Goat. They were supposed to be
a dynasty. And I can tell you because I had
(03:28):
a friend on that team, is like, we're never winning
another one again. These guys hate each other. They're also
young and full of ego, and they went on a
victory tour and it's never going to be the same.
It never has been. And I'd like to think that
these thunder are different. Right, they're young. They didn't even
(03:51):
know how to open the champagne bottles last night? How
great a story was that? Did you guys? Hear that?
Like the champagne bottles weren't popping, and they're like, well, guys,
you know you won the championship and like, somebody get
Caruso in here. We don't know how to pop champagne bottles.
What that's the greatest thing I've ever heard. But money
(04:13):
and fame and attention can change people. And I'll give
you an example. They can extend Chet Holmer in this summer,
give him a max extension if they want, you know,
on his rookie contract, would you I wouldn't. I lost
all confidence in his jump shot. And but he's got
(04:33):
some stuff to him. He's gonna you feel like he's
gonna get better, but you don't know. So if you
give him the max contract, god forbid, he gets hurt,
that changes things. Or if he loses his jump shot altogether.
He had a big one last night. Now what if
you don't give him the big contract? Does he hold
that against you? And he can't at some point can't
(04:55):
wait to get out of town, right, Everyone says they
just think, oh, they got everybody in the roster to
be back next year. Like, that's not the way it
works with men. Definitely doesn't work on that way. Women.
Men aren't much better. It's not like we're not Caddy.
We don't want more. You don't get to be an
NBA player but not want more. You're like, well, lou
Dort was undrafted, so he should that's great. It sounds
(05:18):
like he should just be, you know, fat girl, the
problem happy to be there. That's not the way the
world always works. You have super competitive men and they
want more and like, hey, I won my championship. Great
now I want to get rich. But they have positioned
themselves as well for this as anybody possibly could, and
(05:40):
they have draft picks. They're in a great shape. They're
opening a new arena in a couple of years, so
the franchise will continue to just make a ton of money.
But I harken back, you know, the head of iHeart,
and of course iHeart owns Fox Sports Radio. Stug Gotle
the show here on Fox Sports Video is the guy
(06:01):
that did the behind the scenes behind the music VH
one behind the music, which they need to bring those
back or do those Jase two you I don't watch
them now. I don't watch VH one. Now I don't
even know what exists. Does VH one still exist? I
have no idea. I'm guessing no, Sam, That's that feels
(06:21):
like a Sam question. Sam, Does VH one exist? Get
on the computer, crank a mistake, get on your old computer,
and uh type things in.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
I don't know either, Jason, VH one does exist?
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Okay, yes, okay? Do you guys remember behind the musics? Absolutely,
they were great. They were great, and it would all
be the same. Like there's a group of you know,
group of punk rockers from this you know, from the
San Fernando Valley, and they all got together and they
kicked the drummer out and they brought a new drummer
and he had a rad sound, and they released an
(06:57):
album and they just blew up. Next thing, you know,
they're playing in state and then you know, the bassist
had a terrible cocaine problem that the drummer slept with
the lead singer's wife, you know, and it just all
came apart and they all went to rehab. And now
they're trying to get the band back together and they're
releasing an album and no one's ever, never, ever heard
something again, Right, how'd I do? Guys? Is that about?
Speaker 4 (07:17):
Right?
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Is that about how it worked? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (07:19):
I'd say so.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Yeah, And most of the stories all start to say
and they all are like, man, they're just a bunch
of kids. Just play some music. And they got together
and they had this sound like wow, that's really cool,
Like what if I do this? And then what if
you do that? And I do this? And I was like,
oh my god. And then the recent album and then
they had this big song and then they built up
and then there's always this peak and then something goes
wrong because of ego or a lot of times it's drugs.
(07:42):
Let's be honest. But you know, pat Riley calls it
the disease of me. I think this is going to
be the most amazing And I do want to get
to Dan what you talked about on your show yesterday,
which is this is the worst champion of our lifetime
in terms of level of overall quality of basketball, level
(08:03):
of play. Right, you're not talking about them as people. Well,
I just want to make sure to can Yeah, I'm
not personally, you don't. That's nothing.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Comments about today's NBA.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
State of the NBA totally fair, Okay, again, I don't
know if I agree with it. I want to get
to it, but that's not the point. The point is
that let's not fall into that trap of going like,
all right, murder dynasty because pat Riley calls it the
disease of me and all it basically is, you know,
(08:34):
it's really hard to make in this world. I kind
of think it's even harder to have that same level
of hunger and do it again, right, same level of
hunger and do it again. You know, it's one of
the things that I'm I'm blown away by by so
many guys whose sons are really good players, and they
(08:59):
you know, I saw good friend of mine's, Raja Bell
and Raja's older son Dia signed with has just won
the Elite eleven okay, And I coached his younger son
in Au before I got this job. And he's a
stud too, a great kid. Now. Raja grew up with
(09:19):
very little and bounced around, played in every minor league
in different countries, and then made it and he became
like the Kobe Stopper. His kids, they've grown up in
affluence in Florida. He had this beautiful setup to work
out to play whatever, and I think in many ways,
it's harder to be the kid who has everything and
(09:40):
have the hunger and desire that matches up with the
kids who have nothing. Right. I mean, I got a
scholarship to college, and it wasn't the total motivation. But
my dad came to me, is like, look, dude, you
know Grandpa helped me out with your brother and sister.
I just you know, if you can't get a D
(10:02):
one scholarship, you're gonna have to go to a state school,
maybe a junior college, and we'll figure it out. And
I was like, bro, no chance, I'm hoping. I want
to get out. And I didn't grow up in the
I'm i gonna sit here and say I grew up
bullets whizzing. But it was lower middle lower middle class, Orange, California,
right next to Barrio Medina, and I made it. But
(10:25):
the point is that I do find myself really really
appreciating kids that grew up in actual affluence and make
it in a sport like basketball against the hunger and
desire people who have nothing. They don't have a pot
to pee in or a window to throw it out of.
And that's because it's really hard when everybody says, yes,
it's not that hard to work when everybody says no,
(10:47):
when people call you soft, when people think you're not
good enough, and that's what people thought with this Oklahoma
City team. Look, I don't like the flopping. I mean
the lou Dort flopp at the end of the first half.
It's a big play. It's a big play. I mean, ultimately,
Oklahoma City, especially without Tyre's Halliburton, it was going to
be hard. And I just I think there's a bunch
(11:07):
of different layers to last night's game which we can
get into, which was not particularly well portrayed or maybe analyzed.
I mean the TJ McConnell thing. He went on this
run where he scored like ten straight points. Meanwhile he
bookended it with like five turnovers, which so it doesn't
actually the ten points. It became a zero sum or
probably even a negative during that time in the third
(11:28):
quarter and they were all two pointers. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City's
making threes and then the turnovers. You can't turn the
ball over. That's why Olaoma City had so many more shots.
And sometimes basketball is just a game of who gets
more shots. How do you get more shots? You get
more possessions. How do you get more possessions? Offensive rebounds
and turnovers and steals, that's it. But I just I
(11:52):
want to be cautious over the Let's not undersell them.
I do think that Dan's underselling them a little bit,
and I'll get to why, but let's not over sell
them and go like, man, this is a dynasty. They
got all these pictures, they call all this money they
caught everybody back like, yeah, it sounds really really good,
but you come back next year and chet is supposed
to take another step, okay, but that other step that
(12:14):
means somebody else's growth is probably gonna be minimized. You know.
I think Caruso is gonna play hard no matter what
I do, I you know. And I think Jalen Williams
will continue to get more and more consistent, But I
don't know if he'll ever be a star as much
as a Robin or it. Does he like that role
or eventually does as much as Jala Wims is an
(12:36):
awesome dude, like I covered him with at Santa Claric.
Just an incredible guy. But there are times in which
now you go like, hey, you know, I don't want
Shade to be so balla dumb like I want. I
want to score thirty. And as much as we say, hey,
they're gonna always going to be the same guy because
they have great character, money, success, attention, all these things
(13:02):
can can change people. So I'm fascinated to see what
happens now from Okoma City Thunder. Okay, now let's get
to that discussion real quick, buyer, do you want to
make your case if you would, well, why this Oklahoma
City team? Again, I listened to it, but you know
(13:24):
I'm not our audience. Why is this the worst team? No,
we don't have to replay it. He's right here. Yeah,
why is this the worst team in your lifetime to
win an NBA.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
This is Yeah, this is not specific to Oklahoma City.
Even though it's specific to Oklahoma City. I said it
a month ago, and when we didn't know who was
going to win the NBA title at that time, and
it could have been a variety of teams. But when
we actually had this discussion on your show, which you
also disagreed with me then about it. My point was
(13:54):
I don't think that this specific Oklahoma City team would
match up to any of the Laker teams. Of the
two thousands or the Bulls teams of the nineties, and
when we would look at what we've got in recent history,
I think that the Raptors team of twenty nineteen is
better matched up with this Oklahoma City team. Again, at
(14:14):
the time, if they were to win it, and now
we can make that comparison, I think that the Warriors
team of twenty twenty two the Bucks of twenty twenty
one were better teams than this makeup of Oklahoma City,
which also is a reflection on what I think of
the league as an entire league. So while you'll say
(14:34):
they have the best record in the league, I actually
think that it's a watered down league than to what
those other teams had to go through in previous seasons.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
Okay, here's who I think they match up with. Okay,
the what was the first Warriors team? What year was
that the first.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
War twenty fifteen?
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Okay, twenty fifteen Warriors. Okay, let me paint the picture
for you. They had a breakthrough player who played differently
than other stars play. Is that a fair way again?
I know we can sit there and go steph. Okay,
so he played differently. Okay, they had a young number
(15:20):
two star guy who was you know, by the way,
you know, came out of Washington State who had yet
to be proven, and people thought he was good, but
he had limitations. In Clay Thompson, is that fair?
Speaker 3 (15:38):
Yes, for the sake of your argument, yes, I think
there's more to Clay, but yes, okay, But.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
Again, at at the time, time, at the time, at
the time, Clay was a very good defender and an
incredible shooter. Incredible shooter, but he was not considered a
Hall of Famer at the time. Then they had Draymond Green,
who provided them their toughness. He was an undersize, could
guard anybody guy who did everything but score. Right, He
(16:09):
was a second round pick who lost a bunch of
weight and made himself into this unbelievable weapon who could
dominate a game without scoring. Is that fair?
Speaker 3 (16:19):
Sure?
Speaker 1 (16:19):
Yes? Okay? And uh Now, then off the bench, they
had another team, a former like twenty a game guy
who had to remake himself into just the perfect role
player to go along with those guys. Right, they had
all these different pieces. Okay, again, I don't think Chet
(16:41):
Holmgren will have the impact of a of a Draymond Green.
But Chet the what Chet Holmgren they think ultimately can be.
Is this rare guy who's so long and agile enough
that he can defend all five positions while defending the rim.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
Yeah, that's the future. That's not twenty twenty five.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
I got it. I got it. But we're looking at
Draymond Green through a lens of today for what he was.
Speaker 3 (17:08):
Would you take Draymond that day or Chet now like
on this day Raymond? Yes, would you take Clay on
that day or would you take Jalen Williams today?
Speaker 1 (17:19):
You did Clay?
Speaker 3 (17:20):
You know you would?
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (17:21):
You would you take Steph then on that day in
twenty fifteen, then you would take Shay right now?
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (17:27):
And that's my point is And then if they run
off four championships and this is gonna be the worst
game bo getting hard champions.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
I got it, I got it. But remember, okay, what
happened with that team and why did they win? They
were playing that They're playing the Cleveland Cavaliers and Kyrie
Irving torp is knee in the first game and they
and they went to overtime a one. That's series still
went six. Okay, and if you remember that year, every
team they played their point guard missed at least two
(17:55):
of the games on the other team, right, they Damian
lit mistic couple.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
But I can get the argument and and and just
for time constraints, I think that you would have one
against the Bucks, and and and whatnot. But then to
your point of we're taking the bottom of the bottom.
And my whole point in this is that this is
what the NBA is now, I got it. And it's
gotten worse and worse and worse each year. So now
here we have an Oklahoma City team that barely got
(18:22):
past the fourth seed in the East, that needed their
best player to go down with the you know, torn
Achilles in Game seven to win the series. And that's
like it's an overall thing. It.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
I know, it took them seven games to beat the Nuggets,
and Aaron Gordon was hurt, Yes Nuggets. Nuggets had fired
their gentle manager and fired their coach and had no bench.
I get it. I get it. It's really interesting. I
didn't say it's a terrible take. I didn't. I'm not
going to sit here, and I know it's not personal.
I think it's interesting, and I do think that if
they go and win another championship, people are going to
say you're wrong, but you might not be wrong even
(18:57):
if you even if they win a championship later.
Speaker 3 (18:59):
On, because I think the twenty twenty sixth thunder would
be better than the twenty twenty five thunder.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
For over forty years, Tyrak has been helping customers find
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Speaker 4 (19:18):
To the ball by top jump with Shay weaving his
way down the lane.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
So I said to Defender, lays it up and laser
and on what a maneuver by Jamon Williams. He played
the role with Ay and now plays the ground.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Go get it, Doug under fifty six the pace for
fifty one Time out Indiana.
Speaker 5 (19:35):
This is the best of the Done Dot lead show
on Fox Sports.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
Radio Friday Night. Just got paid Friday Night body Hony,
Hey there right, Doug Gottlieb Shutter on Fox Sports Radio.
So we're gonna catch up with Antonio Daniels in a second.
(20:03):
But you know, I never forget when I met Brad Stevens.
It was his first year as head coach at at Butler.
They beat Valpo at the Arc, which is where Valpo
plays their their games. And I didn't know Brad. You know,
I was fairly new to the business. But I had
known the previous coaches at Butler, Barry Collier, who went
(20:26):
on to be the athletic director at at the head
coach at Nebraska, and then now he's back as the
athletic director at Butler. But I was blown away by
the thought he put into so many things, and I
could make the argument NBA college he's the good coaches
we've ever had, and he kicked himself upstairs a couple
years ago. Well, they pulled off some moves last night,
(20:47):
like trading away, drew a holiday and seemed to position
themselves really really well. Prezingis has gone, Holidays gone, and
we'll see about what the additions are. All right, stuck
got them show here on Fox Sports Radio. That's the
voice of Dan Byrol. Let's talkome to Antonio Daniels. He
played thirteen years of the NBA. He's the analyst for
the Orleans Pelicans TV network, and he joins us. Now
(21:09):
we're just a couple of days removed from the Oklahoma
City Thunder winning the NBA Championship. Let's start with Let's
start with the injury, Tyr's Halburton's injury. We've seen a
lot of players far more so than normal feels like
de Jeon, Tay Burray, Torus Killes Tendon, He's in his
not yet in his prime. Same thing here, What do
you think is behind the rash of high level NBA
(21:33):
players tearing their achilles tennon?
Speaker 4 (21:35):
I wish I know. I don't even I don't feel
knowledged enough to give an explanation as to why. You know,
I've seen people talk about the pace is faster than
it's ever been, and you know, I've seen other people
talk about the fact that guys don't wear high top
tennis shoes anymore, you know. So it could be a
(21:57):
number of different things, and honestly, I don't. I have
no idea. I know even today, I still play at
fifty years old, and that's my one of my biggest fears.
And you see how much that can change the trajectory
of an organization like we saw Dame Lillard, we saw.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Kevin Durant.
Speaker 4 (22:20):
Kevin Durant, we saw Theresa Holliburton. You know, we saw
Jason Tatum. And now you look at that Boston team
now as opposed to the way that Boston team look
when Jason Tatum rushed his achilles. So it's a it's
a crazy injury, devastating injury. I wish I could tell you, Doug,
but I have no. I have no. I don't feel
(22:42):
knowledge enough to say the reason in rationale as to
why it's unfortunate.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Though it is unfortunate, but it's it's very, very honest.
Have you gotten a chance to see Cooper flag play?
Speaker 4 (22:55):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (22:56):
I think.
Speaker 4 (22:58):
I love them. I love them, and you know the
thing for me though, for me, I've come to realize
I can't put too much into college basketball. And I'm
saying that respectfully because it's a totally different game. Because
I can give you a few guys off the top
of my head right now and ask you, is this
(23:19):
the same guy you saw in college? And you'll tell
me no, Right, the talent hero that you see now,
is that the taler hero you saw in college? No,
Thesam's Harden you see now, is that dizams Harden you
saw in college? Right, the Devin Booker, the Devin Booker,
the Donovan Mitchell. Like, the thing is, guys get better
(23:39):
when they get to the league because it's open. So
a lot of times a guy skill set while he's
in college is somewhat boxed in. I feel like when
god get an opportunity to get to that next level,
then you can see a full array of who they
are on both sides of the basketball that I feel
(23:59):
in college you really don't get an opportunity to see it.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
Yep, yep, that is special.
Speaker 4 (24:06):
He's special.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
Though, What's what's the high end? What's the low end
in your mind for.
Speaker 4 (24:15):
A Cooper m Like, I don't know because what that
is is that that involves comparison and contrast. And like
for me, do I think he's generational. I think he
has the ability to be generational. I do I think
he has the skill set to be generational. I think
he has the confidence to be generational. Now, what changed
(24:37):
my whole thought process is when I watched him play
against the Olympic team. And again, you're gonna watch that
and say, well, maybe the guys on the Olympic team
weren't going, you know, like they were playing against France
in the gold medal game. But still, that young man
was seventeen years old. He was seventeen years old, not
(24:57):
yet a year removed from prom and he was out
there giving it to guys, given it to guys. That's
not an easy thing to do. But a lot of
this league is about getting drafted to the right place,
with the right teammates, in the right situation, with the
right coach. And I think at this particular point in
his career, I think Dallas is a great place for
(25:19):
him to get drafted.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
And I agree he doesn't have to you know, people
make it out of his offense and what he doesn't
have to carry the team. But you have Anthony Davis.
They just resigned Daniel Gafford right like, they're gonna be
really good, so he doesn't have to go down. Yeah,
they have rim protection. He's going to be a four,
you know, at three four, I have to you know,
(25:41):
guard guards as well. But he can use his size
and his long arms to be super effective. I'm with
you on all that, all of it. Okay, So Oklahoma
City wins the championship, as we told people you cover
the Pelicans, you also do NBA rado.
Speaker 4 (26:01):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
You have people who will say this team is not
nearly as good as many the championship teams of yesteryear.
Speaker 4 (26:10):
What would your retort be, I mean, and I mean
this respectfully. Who cares like it doesn't? I mean, it
doesn't matter because they don't have to play those championship teams.
Like the thing is, people have a hard time dog
and this generation of basketball talk in a basketball culture
(26:32):
saying anybody that's playing today is the best fill in
the blank of all time.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
I don't think. I don't. I don't. I don't think
so telln't I disagree people think like I mean, Look,
there's there will always be a healthy debate over Lebron
and and Michael. Steph Curry is the greatest shooter of
all time? Right?
Speaker 4 (26:57):
Do you know how many people that have combated that.
You know, I'm talking about people that are on your network,
people that are on your network that I join weekly
that will say Steph Curry is not the greatest shooter
of all time?
Speaker 1 (27:11):
Who is?
Speaker 4 (27:12):
I've always said yes, I've always said I don't even
think that's debatable. I don't think it's debatable, but I'm
wrong because it's debatable because there are other people out
there that disagree.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
I think the point is and I had a great
discussion with somebody from the Bucks yesterday and we were
talking about whether or not you know, the Bucks uh
trade Giannis start over, and they were like, it's actually,
I don't want to say easier, but there's more parody
(27:48):
than ever. It's it's not that hard to put yourself
in the conference finals if you could have a really
good meat.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
In the East, well even in the West, Man.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
Bro the Warriors, the Warriors aren't Warriors aren't good anymore.
The Lakers aren't good anymore. The Nuggets have no bench,
and they were but well, I didn't get to the
caveat the caveat was you got to have, you know,
one of these star players. But you also, it's so
much of it's about health and luck, you know, with
than anything else.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
You know.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Do you think this this era of parody remains.
Speaker 4 (28:28):
I think it remains because the CBA, the way it's
constructed now, it's not really set up for teams to
have dynasty. You know. I've seen this CBA referred to
as the dynasty killer because if you look at the
way it's constructed. It's not set up for teams to
to have sustain long term success like we saw in
(28:50):
Golden State, like we saw in San Antonio, you know
some of the some of the dynasties that we've seen,
Like think about it Boston. Think about how Boston looked
entering this year, right entering this season, sure, right now,
how they mcnow how things change in a heartbeat because
(29:11):
of this new CBA. Well, I'm coperent that teams are
trying to stay under I'll push back on Oklahoma City.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
I'll only push back on you with the Warriors because
of this. One of the things that allowed the Warriors
to sustain their success longer was Steph Curry's second contract
wasn't us because because because he had all the ankle injuries,
he didn't have a huge sex he didn't have a
huge second contract.
Speaker 4 (29:35):
So but Doug, but Dub, the reason that this CBA
is even in play now is because of the Warriors.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
Right because they could go into that second tax and
still and still find ways they paid the tax and
still find a way to survive.
Speaker 4 (29:49):
Right Yeah, So it's it's like we look at Oklahoma
City right now, is what they did this year sustainable
for five years, six years?
Speaker 1 (30:02):
Uh, probably only because they're uniquely positioned because of all
those draft picks, right right.
Speaker 4 (30:07):
But the thing is, DoD Like, it's gonna come a
point like what people what I feel like gets lost
here when we have the discussions about business chemistry. I
feel like it's the most underrated and undervalued aspect in
the NBA.
Speaker 1 (30:21):
It's gonna come in in basketball, no question. In basketball,
agree with you.
Speaker 4 (30:24):
For sure, for sure. So it's gonna come a point
where teams come knocking for Lou Dorg and teams teams
come knocking for Aaron Wiggins, and teams come knocking for
Isaiah Joe And you know what the average Fano saying,
Oh man, you can find somebody to do what they do.
But what you're not taking into consideration is the chemistry
(30:45):
of the role, definition and understanding that these guys had
that led to an NBA championship. Because there are guys
outside of Jake kids Alexander and Jay Dubb and Ched Holmgern,
outside of Isaiah Hartstein and Altruzo that are going to
need to be taken care of financially.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
Yep, No, I mean Cruso is the perfect example, right,
and the Lakers didn't valued enough, but he was a gloup.
He was a glue piece when they won the COVID Championship.
Last thing, circling back to Antonio Dan is joining US
NBA Radio Plus. He's the color analyst for the New
Orleans Pelicans. He joins us in the Doug Gottlieb Show
(31:24):
on Fox Sports Radio. What percentage of people know the
NBA Draft went to two days?
Speaker 4 (31:31):
Well, I feel like a lot of people would know
simply because of last year's because it felt like it
would put off for Bronnie. That's what it felt like.
It felt like the only reason it went to two
days is because Bronnie James. People were looking to see
if and where Bronnie James would end up. I'm getting
interested to see how much traction it gets this year
on the second day when Bronnie James is not there.
Speaker 1 (31:54):
I mean, I don't think very much agrees, don't. I
just don't. I just don't. I think it's one of
those oh the NFL's do it, we gotta do it,
like yeah you no.
Speaker 5 (32:05):
No, no, no.
Speaker 4 (32:06):
I'm not a fan of it.
Speaker 1 (32:07):
I am not a fan of it mean, I am
not a fan.
Speaker 4 (32:10):
Of it at all.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
And look, I did, I did, I think twelve NBA drafts,
twelve NBA drafts on ESPN Radio, and then I did
a couple we did some stuff when I was at CBS,
And the second round does move fast and furious, and
you don't know who's going to wear because guys are
are actually traded before their draft and all the other stuff.
But to have a whole other day, I don't I
(32:31):
don't really get.
Speaker 4 (32:32):
I'll tell you what though, Doug, it's gonna be a
it seems like for what everything that we're hearing, it's
supposed to be a pretty busy night around the league.
Speaker 1 (32:40):
It will be a pretty big it will be a
pretty pretty big last thing. Kevin Garnett, Kevin Kevin Gartt,
Kevin Durant in Houston. How does that work?
Speaker 4 (32:50):
Well? You know, for me, I'm gonna be honest with you, Doug.
I love Kevin Durant. He's one of my favorite players
to watch play. I am just not on board with
teams going big game hunting anymore. Where's the last team
to win? Where's the last team where that paid off? Right?
Because if you look at the pieces that are needed
to win. It's guys like Isaiah Hartenstein. It's guys like
(33:13):
Alice Caruso. It's guys like Drew Holliday and guys like
Derek White, Guys like PJ. Tucker, Containious Cardwell Pope, you know,
Bruce Brown, these kind of guys.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
They didn't win the title, but Dallas did get to
the finals. Big I'm hunting going after Kyrie Irving to
add to Luca Well, you know what I know.
Speaker 4 (33:33):
But there's a draftic difference from getting to the finals
and winning the final.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
Right figure.
Speaker 4 (33:38):
There are more examples. There are more examples of team
going big game hunting that didn't work out as opposed
to the ones that went big game. Honey, they did, no.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
Question, He's Antonio Daniels. He does an awesome job. Don't
enjoy the draft to night. We'll talk soon and thanks
for being our guest.
Speaker 4 (33:52):
For sure, appreciation brother.
Speaker 5 (33:53):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation yet. Catch all of our shows at Fox
sports Radio dot Com and within the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
Booming Up America. Doug Gottlieb Show Fox Sports Radio coming
to you from Parts Unknown. Huh Parts Unknown? Got a
great show for you on a Tuesday, a victory parade Tuesday,
tens of peoples are lying the streets in Bricktown and
Oklahoma City to cheeran your champion, Oklahoma City Thunder. We'll
(34:29):
get to that coming up. We got a heck of
a show for you. I'll read parts of a heartfelt
message from when Tyre's Halliburton. Adam Figelstein's going to join us.
He's a college basketball insider. As we get ready for
tomorrow night's NBA Draft where it's the Cooper Flag Draft,
(34:51):
you also hear from O'Brian Scalabriney Scow, who's from my era,
of course, analyst with Nessen covering the Celtics. We'll get
his thoughts on Cooper Flag as we get ready to
watch him be the number one overall pick in the
draft and go to the Dallas Mavericks. It could be
my thoughts and with their scouts thoughts, and then we'll
(35:14):
discuss it with Adam Finkelstein. So got a lot to
get to. I do want to start with the story
of the day, which is also the story to jour
Aaron Rodgers. Well, he's not calling it a career officially,
but unofficially like, yeah, this is this is about it.
Here's Rogers earlier today, I with Pat McAfee talking about
(35:36):
this being his last season.
Speaker 6 (35:38):
Yeah, I'm pretty sure this is it. You know, that's
why we just did a one year deal. You know,
this was really about finishing with a lot of love
and fun and peace for the career that I've had.
I mean I've played twenty freaking years. Yeah, Like it's
been a long, long run. I've enjoyed it. And what
better place to finish than in one of the cornerstone
franchises of the NFL with Mike Tomlin and a great
(36:02):
group of leadership and great guys in the city that
you know expects expects.
Speaker 1 (36:07):
You to win. Here's Rogers talking about what his future
looks like in regards to I don't know television. He he,
he actually says, you know you won't see him anymore,
(36:28):
all right. We have a little trouble with that one.
Speaker 6 (36:31):
Looks it's six society, isn't it. It's a six society.
I lived in a public guy for twenty years. I
had public relationship. How did that work out?
Speaker 4 (36:38):
You know?
Speaker 6 (36:38):
I had had people leaking my home information and making
up stories that we bought a house together. People calling
them populazzi, people you know, posting personal life on the internet.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
Yeah, I actually I understand that. You know, you do
want some private See there's no place where you sign
up to play football that they say they're going to
follow you around and take pictures of you. And you're
on the beach and wonder why your new wife is
not on the beach. By the way, when you get married,
you don't have to spend other you just don't. Now,
(37:15):
some waking moments together would be good, but we also
don't know who she is or if she's traveling. And
he's kind of done with it, and he's like, look,
I'm out. It's not hard to be out of the
public eye. There are plenty of people who have disappeared
from the public eye. I just, you know, I think
he's fascinating.
Speaker 4 (37:35):
I do.
Speaker 1 (37:36):
He's made a fan in Jason Stewart because Jay Stu,
as he said, he wants on his tombstone searches for
whatever the opposite of BS is. And it does feel
like Aaron Rodgers, whether he's right or wrong in many
the things that he thinks. It's he's not trying to
(37:57):
be full of it is at least the now would
I would point out that most of the vaccine thing
and how he handled it and got himself in a
negative place in the public eye was because he was lying.
But regardless of which, I've known Aaron a little bit
(38:18):
and I do actually think he's just not He's just
never really enjoyed the attention of it, you know, it's
all the other things. And I actually think there's something
very relatable about that to me, Jason, in your years
with Jim Rome, right, there's a guy who's never really
been comfortable in the public eye either, And I wanted,
(38:45):
here's the easiest way to relate it. Okay, it's a
very different I hung out with Aaron Rodgers once in
the final four. It was when it was in Phoenix. Gosh,
when was that. That was was at North Carolina be Gonzaga,
I think in the championship game. We hung out after
the semi finals and he told me is twenty seventeen.
(39:09):
Yet he told me like before we went out, he
was like, hey, just so you know, every person that
comes up to me will put their hands on me,
will touch me. It was like, what do you mean, Like,
just watch it's the weirdest thing. I don't know what
it's about. And so we'd go to a We went
to a restaurant first. Then we went and you know,
(39:33):
the owner comes out to the restaurant and puts his
arm on Aaron's shoulder and he looks at me and
I didn't say anything. Wasn't rude in any way. The
waiter comes out and you know, several other waiters and
they're being really really nice. But every guy who comes
by and wants to meet him or introduce him puts
their hand because he's sitting on his shoulder. Then we
(39:54):
go to a concert and we're backstage at a concert
and same thing. Guys that come up and some just
like smack them, some touch them. Then we go to
a club late at night and literally every person comes
up and puts their hands on and no one is
like if one person does it, it's a little different.
(40:14):
You know, some people are close talkers or whatever, but
every person who engaged in a conversation or wanted to
put their hands on him. And I've always told people that, look,
I'm like a one thousandth of the people know me
who would know Aaron Rodgers. But there is when I
was in college, and even now, you go into a
(40:36):
place and everyone knows who you are, even if you're
new to that place, when you don't know who anybody is,
and then when you factor in again, I don't know
if you'd call it issues or suspicions, or people who
have done him wrong, or people who have fallen out
of his life. But when you're not a super trusting
(40:58):
person and you walk into it like Aaron Rodgers, every
room he walks into in the United States and in
some other places abroad, everyone knows who he is. Think
about that for a second. Everyone knows who he is,
you know, and the guy who doesn't know who he
(41:18):
is is called like an idiot. Right they come back
and there's a bunch of waiters back there. It's like,
you see who there was, Like I got no idea
who that is? To Aaron Rodgers, like I don't watch
I don't want soccer like you. No, No, he's a
football player, Like I don't know that. That guy's called
an idiot for not knowing. So it's a very strange
(41:38):
existence in life to be the you don't have to
introduce yourself, and with the knowledge of who you are,
many people carry with them the baggage of thinking they
know who you are, they know what you're about, and
they carry an opinion of you. Uh So, when he
calls it a career and he disappears, I think that's why.
(42:02):
I think he's trying to find a place where no
one knows who he is.
Speaker 4 (42:06):
Now.
Speaker 1 (42:07):
To me, I it does. It can be a lot. Again,
at a fraction of his level of startom, it can
be a lot, but it's kind of cool when people
know you are, it's still at the kind still kind
of cool. It can be a lot, you know, especially
when people say things or question things or whatever. But
(42:27):
if you're not built for it, or if you've been
scoring the relationships, or if you have some trust issues,
it can lead you to just want to disappear. And
it does explain a lot for why it took aim
a while to get to this point of playing for
the for the Steelers, why he does his darkness retreats,
(42:48):
why he does kind of odd, quirky things in comparison
to other NFL players that we think we know what
they do in the off season. And what's interesting about
it is through all the quirkiness and all the things
that people will say many of them negative about him.
When he's gone, he'll be missed, his will And it's
(43:09):
why I'm fascinated by this season. They play the green
Bay Packers. What is it October twenty sixth? Think about that,
Aaron Rodgers playing for the Steelers against the green Bay
Packers and Jordan Love Like in Pittsburgh, I wish it
was in Green Bay. The only thing any think of
wish it was in green Bay. But this is it's
(43:31):
it's honestly pretty cool. And there are this Jay Stu,
you and I got into the little discussion about people
who in politics. What's the what's the guy on Instagram
who wants to lob negativity towards us or especially towards you.
Speaker 2 (43:46):
It Sam john Boat Giants.
Speaker 1 (43:49):
John Boat Johns get on way too much oxygen, but
John Boat Giants And and the point that Jay stew
makes on the pod is that just because you agree
or just agree with one thing politically, should not align
you with that group all the time. You don't have to.
That's not the way it's supposed to work. You can
have varying opinion. As a matter of fact, that's actually
(44:11):
the beauty to the country.
Speaker 2 (44:14):
I think that's what makes America great to be honest, that's.
Speaker 1 (44:16):
What makes America great again. Wait wait, wait, Rebecca Lobo,
I'm not sure she were allowed to say that. Anyway,
I'm gonna I'm gonna weave like like Donald Trump weaves. Okay,
I'm gonna bring it back to my point, but not
drop an F bomb like he did earlier today.
Speaker 2 (44:33):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (44:35):
I just I think that Aaron Rodgers playing one last
season with the Pittsburgh Steelers and not asking for the
fanfare of a farewell tour and oh yeah, by the way,
he's got a chance to probably save Mike Tomlin or
(44:59):
Mike tom could be out too. I cannot think of
a better scenario for the entertainment alone and the interest
that I have in watching the Pittsburgh Steelers. They were
utterly and completely boring the past five years, right, big
Ben aged, then Big Ben retired or Big Ben tourists
(45:23):
elbow up. Then he came back and played and he
was okay, And then they did Kenny Pickett, and then
last year they had you know, two quarterbacks that weren't
particularly good. And now they have Aaron Rodgers and now
it's really interesting and he's like, by my last year,
And why would you say, and people will I'm sure
be critical of why don't you just say it's your
last year? Well, I don't know. If you win a
(45:43):
super Bowl and you really enjoy it, like, well, I
could do it again. I don't know as of now
last year, but you know, I don't know. If it's
really fun and I really like it and I'm really good,
I'll do it again. He just defies conventional wisdom on
a daily basis. And it's not my team, but he's
(46:08):
a great player, and I'm all for watching it. I'm
an interested party, and I will borrow from my good
friend Colin Coward, who says, hey, you don't have to
be great, just be interesting. And Aaron Rodgers interesting yes, yes, uh,
Jason Stewart.
Speaker 2 (46:24):
No, along those lines. Actually, when you say that he
will be missed, I think we're going to miss him
more than you're going to miss him. More than you
think you will. I'm gonna I'm going to show this
contrast to prove my point. Netflix announced their new season
of quarterback Kirk Cousins, Joe Burrow and Jared Goff. Like
(46:47):
I almost literally fell asleep before I got to the
end of golf. Those guys could not be less interesting.
I think that's a Peyton Manning production, right, Omaha productions.
They do the quarterback You're gonna be able to see
on Netflix how uninteresting unsophisticated quarterbacks are. They're very good
(47:07):
at what they do, and they have to be very
smart at what they do, but they're not very interesting people.
And then you put Aaron Rodgers doing three hours of
Joe Rogan and you'll have that contrast. We're never gonna
see this again, somebody playing the most popular position in
American sports, being as opinionated as he is and literally
(47:30):
not caring what you think.
Speaker 1 (47:33):
Yeah, gives zero f's not a single one. Yeah, I'm
all for it. You and I are aligning on this
right and you'll hear. I'm sure there's people that he's
upset along the way. There's people that have fallen off,
and I don't know his level of talent right now.
I do think that if we're gonna go, we're gonna
go Nerd Sports Talk. Last year, Aaron Rodgers first five
(47:58):
games look washed. In the season, he started to come
back and get his legs under him. Who knows, I
don't know if he could play anymore, maybe he stinks.
I would say that as a quarterback, especially one when
it's your last year and you've suffered through some tough injuries,
you know, I think the biggest challenges. No one wants
(48:18):
to get hit, But does he play like somebody who
doesn't want to get hit. I think that'd be fair.
I think that'd be fair. But what I know, not think.
Speaker 4 (48:27):
What I know.
Speaker 1 (48:29):
Is that we'll be watching and it's interesting. And yeah, again,
if he's peak Aaron Rodgers, he's also arguably the best
to ever do it when he's been right. Like, there's
some things Aaron Rodgers has done a football field they're
just insane, like the no look stuff that Pat Mahomes does.
(48:52):
And again I'm fully aware that on this very same
radio show me as the very same host has said,
we need to have a discussion that Pat Mahomes might
be the best to ever do it. And there's also
a discussion Aaron Rodgers has been the best to ever
do it for a while as well, So you factor
in that at least for a portion of time he
was the best. That portion of time is not that
(49:12):
long ago. He suffered through a groosme injury, he suffered
through breakups with teams, breakups with friends, breakups with girls.
He's told you this is my last go round. It's
with a very interesting team with a coach that everybody likes.
But it's not like they've been particularly good, although they
haven't been bad. And the excuse or the reason, whichever
(49:35):
side you want to come from, is we don't have
very good quarterback. I don't know he's a very good quarterback,
but he was once a great quarterback, and that once
was not that long ago. While we're searching for the
next face of the NBA or wondering, you know, how
to make the NBA's regular season more interesting, the NFL
(49:57):
is super interesting. And Aaron Rodgers is a big reason
why beg Rason one
Host
Doug Gottlieb
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