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April 13, 2023 • 39 mins

Arnie Spanier and Aaron Torres discuss about Zion Williamson's comment about not being ready mentally for game time and talk shop on the playoff bound Los Angeles Lakers, and bring in NBA Analyst Mark Medina.

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the best of the Jason Smith
Show with Mike Carmen podcast. Be sure to catch us
live every weeknight from ten pm to two am Eastern
seven to eleven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find
your local station for The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Carmen at Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us
live every night on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.

(00:21):
This is the best of the Jason Smith Show with
Mike Harmen on Fox Sports Radio. Oh that is us.
Good evening, everybody. Aaron Torres already span you're in for
the guys tonight Jason Smith at his best friend Mike
Carmen right here on Fox Sports Radio. By the way,

(00:41):
we were broadcasting live from the tirerac dot Com studios
tirerac dot com. We'll help you get there in unmatched selection,
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should How you doing tonight, Taures, you know we might

(01:03):
have to call on our friends at tirerek dot com.
Hopefully you won't drive us off the road like he
did last night. But uh, but it's gonna be back
with you. How are you, how's life? What's new with
you in the last twenty four hours? Aren't he nothing? Well,
I just want to say right off the bat, we
apologize for Torres yesterday. Hopefully he'll do a better job
what I do now, Well, I don't know. I just

(01:24):
you know you. You brought your C plus game yesterday.
We're hoping you get in the B B minus range.
You know what I mean? My C plus game is
like the best show you've ever done so America. Actually
I got nothing but uh flowers and thank you was
an inappropriate for carrying the show last night. Let's see
you look at you. Lots going on. We got a

(01:45):
busy show today. Lot's happening today in the world of sports. Obviously,
we got a lot of basketball. We'll get to that.
One game just finished up the Bulls in Toronto, and
of course, but that was a big comeback. They were
down big time, like twenty points. They came back, So
we'll get to that a little bit. By the way,
did you have a chance to watch the Stephen A.
Smith's A cast today when they were doing the game

(02:07):
or what I did not? We talked about this yesterday
I'm not a fan of the alternative cast. I just
I like watching sports. I like turning on sports to
watch sports. And you know, listen, I give Stephen A.
Smith credit for the career that he's carved out for himself.
But in the same way that I don't care about,
you know, the Manning cast when I want to watch Bengals,

(02:28):
you know, Bengals Ravens on a Monday night, right, I
don't care about steven A. Smith during an NBA playoff game.
I you know, how did you like it? Did you
watch it? I did watch it, and I gotta tell you,
we we discussed it. We're like, how's this scoring to happen?
Is he just going to talk through the game? Um?
Somebody obviously didn't give him direction and the look. I
liked steven A So sounds like one of your shows.
But yeah, yeah, well, thank you, thank you. I like

(02:50):
steven A. But but I gotta tell you it was
just off the tracks. It's like he didn't know what
he was doing. At one point, he had a guest
I think it was Collins, and he's talking to Collins.
Did he asked him a question? And then three seconds
into his answer, he goes oh, did just see that?
He's laugh duck them asking ball, Oh my goodness. Then
him and Reddick were talking about it. They get back
to the college and he goes, so, tell me, what

(03:11):
did you think that. He goes, wait a minute, we
gotta go ahead, and we gotta go to a commercial break,
will come back. They come back and he goes, so
tell me, you don't even know. Then he started doing
the play by play, Stephen, he is doing well. Maybe
after that, I don't know, but he's doing the play
by he's bringing up the court he's three, oh, he
just missed that. And then every time there was a
big play, he go did you see that? Did just

(03:33):
see that? And he goes, yeah, I'm sitting next to you,
I can see it. I'm I'm watching the same game issue.
So I don't think he was really sure what he
should do play by play, or you know, if he
kept interrupting the guests that the guests didn't say three
words in about forty minutes because they kept either interrupting him,
or they went to a commercial. They went to like

(03:54):
four commercials at the end of the game because they
were getting calls so many time outs. So I just
thought it was too much. I especially in the last
five minutes of the game. I want everybody to be quiet, right, yeah,
I want to be quiet. I want to watch the
game exactly. And he's I know what the crazy part
is the part? No, No, he's talking to j J.

(04:15):
And he's like, Okay, what just happened there? I go,
what you're talking to him? You can't watch the game
at the same time. So, um, it was just it
was too much. It was just really too much Eron.
I didn't like it at all. To be honest with you,
you're a tough critic, man. I mean, you know, all
I'll say is, listen, you've told me many times about,
you know, your first experience hosting national radio. I think

(04:36):
it was what Christmas Eve, Christmas Day? Yeah, I was
gonna say, like nineteen forty seven or whatever. I don't
really know. The host was a guy named Mark Coni.
I don't know if you know him, A go ahead, yeah, yeah,
I know. Yeah. He won an award for having to
deal with you. I mean, all I'll say is it
was I think it was the first dual cast, right,
so you know, all all I'll say is, you know, one,

(04:59):
it's the first time that I think that they've done this.
But two, it does sound a little bit like what
my big gripe with these alternative cast is is I
get it. I get what they're intended to be. Um,
I have no problem with a second screen, Like, you know,
I'm down to try stuff new. But like I said,
you know, I it's funny. You know, I've tried to

(05:20):
watch the Manning Cast a few times because you know
how it is on social media. Oh, it's the greatest
thing ever. It's amazing how all the things that are
loved on social media like are actually the things that
nobody actually cares about in real life. Like remember Shark
Nato like that, Oh my god, this was the craziest
movie ever. And then you saw the ratings in like
eight thousand people watched it and they were all on
social media. So the point I'm trying to make is,

(05:41):
you know, the Manning Cast and the alternative cast listen.
I'm sure I was gonna say yea. But but let
me ask you, though, do they get good numbers or
is that just um? Do they get good numbers or
is it just the fact that so many people watch
Monday night football that there's gonna be some nat true runoff, right.
I mean, if they're doing twenty million people watching Monday

(06:03):
night football, then yeah, by default a million of them
are gonna watch, gonna watch, gonna watch the alternative cast.
So I agree with you. When you have so many people,
there's gonna be a natural spilloff. Sometimes people are gonna say,
I don't know, let me listen to what they have
to say, or watch five or ten minutes of it,
or you know, some people for good luck, like I
gotta get it off this chattel but we're getting the
killed or something. But you know, you put it on.

(06:25):
I don't know how much it really helps the ratings,
but I can see people testing it out during a
three hour football game, you know. Absolutely. By the way,
we just got a few tweets in Emporosis says that
next time we sub on a weeknight, you need to
introduce yourselves as Arnie Spanier and his best friend Aaron Torres.
How come you don't introduce me as your best friend?
Why not? Yeah? I know why I should do that. Yes,

(06:48):
I mean that, there's no doubt about it. And we
haven't done Saturdays together in a couple of years now,
It's been that long. As look how time just flies by.
You had hair really started. Now look at you. Oh
my goodness, now I actually have less gray hair than
I started with you. That's really weird. I don't know
how that works. My gray hair's gone away since you

(07:08):
quit Saturdays a few a few years ago. So that's great. Yeah, no, absolutely,
But anyway, that was my little uh my great on
stephen A. Smith cast. And obviously it's going to get better.
But you it's just so tough because you know, you're
in football. You know, how many scoring plays do you
really have? You got some big plays, but there's they're
going up and down the court and every time he's talking,

(07:31):
he's getting get erupted. He's like, oh, wait a minute,
you see that? Wait a minute, why did you see that?
You know, It's like me when I'm watching the game
with the Lakers game last night, that was That's what
the Lakers game. I'm screaming about it, Anthony Davis falling.
You're like, what's going on? What's going on? So but
they're doing this due out the game too, I know.
You know well, and I'll say too, like it's one
of those things where, like you said, the NBA and

(07:53):
basketball not the NBA. There's just a different rhythm to
the game. Like it was funny. I was talking to
a buddy about this the other day. Is like, you know,
on a busy college football Saturday, because you have play
you know, uh, you know, time between plays, you can
really toggle between two or three games on one screen.
You try to toggle between two or three NBA games
on a busy night, you can't do it because there's

(08:13):
so much action. And again, maybe that just shows that
while the alternative broadcast is a cool idea, maybe it
just doesn't make as much sense for basketball all right.
By the way, if you want to get in the
best way to get hold of us, of course the
social media. On Twitter, Aaron Underscore tour as I'm in
stinking genius one. You'd be easy on me today because
I'm not. I'll try. I'm not exactly did you realize

(08:35):
your Lakers stink? Is that what you realize? Oh? No,
I just I'm not feeling. No, I'm not feeling where
you're going. Well, no, no, I feel well, I'm one
hundred percent saw But it's crazy. I saw you dunking
in layup lines at the vermont Y MCA today, But
yet you're not you're not feeling one hundred percent like Arnie?
Is that what you're telling Arnie's not feeling like Arnie today?

(08:56):
Is I was gonna say, I don't feel like Arnie today,
but I think it's Artie's not really feel like Artie today.
I'm not. I'm not really sure what's wrong, but um no,
you know, he's We're talking about Zion, and Zion came
out and said that he feels fine physically, and you know,

(09:17):
he just doesn't want to play until Zion feels like Zion.
And then of course that opened up the Twitter sphirits
just everybody criticized him. I I know, our producer justin
sent a tweet that Ric Flair sent down, you know,
taking a shot at him, and there was a lot
of people saying, you know, you know, yeah, sometimes I

(09:37):
don't feel like myself either. Um but I go out
there and play. First of all, I don't even know
what to think. I don't even know what to say
about this. Is he's one hundred percent he's dunking into
lay up line? Is that what happened? That was justin
our our ace producer just sent us video of him
doing like reverse three sixty dunks, so you know he's

(09:58):
one hundred percent in the layup line, but god forbid
they You know he actually has to earn his paycheck
and play games. You know, well, what's going on? Do
we do we have an answer? Is it just? Is it?
Is it a mental thing? Is it? He just doesn't
feel it? Like he said, isn't Zion just doesn't feel
like Zion? I not even I'm not even sure. Did
somebody give him that answer. I don't know. I don't

(10:20):
know how to answer that. For the first time in
my life, you could ask you about any figured who
do you like, Miami or Dolls. I could be wrong,
but I like this that the other for this reason,
I don't know what to say. I don't know what
that means. Zion just is in Zion, But you're one
hundred percent there physically, you're dunking in the layup line.
Your team certainly could use you. You've missed a lot

(10:41):
of games. Um it should he be out there even
if it was supposing you want to send them out
there for five minutes so we could pick up like
three fouls or grab a couple of rebounds. An All
star and you're literally one game away from your season
being over, Like, can you give us six minutes off

(11:02):
the bench for fouls, no foules, Maybe a bucket or two,
maybe draw a few files. It's this, you know, Arnie.
I'll say this man is like every time we criticize
the NBA, all the NBA fan boys come out and oh,
you guys just don't like it because you're old and
out of touch, blah blah blah blah blah. I'll just say,
I think in a you know, a sport that is

(11:23):
slowly I think losing mainstream appeal. I'm sorry, it's the truth. Listen.
You know. College football playoff ratings are up. March Madness
ratings are up. Women's March Madness ratings are up. NFL
ratings are through the roof. NBA is all time lows
for the All Star Game, all time lows for the
playoffs last year, all time lows for the regular season,
and bottom line is this week was a microcosm of

(11:44):
an Arnie. I came on air on Saturday to do
my show less than twenty four hours after the Dallas
Mavericks had a chance to play themselves into the playoffs.
Arnie and they decided to sit everywhere like like my
whole thing and Jason's Jason Martin and I talked about
it last Saturday. Is I've been told that load management,
Like the reason we have to accept load management is
because everybody's gearing up for the playoffs. Now you have

(12:07):
teams actively trying to miss the playoffs to keep a
top ten pick, as if any end, as if these
high school you know, these college players are ready to
come in and compete right away. So you have that,
And then it's followed up by Zion literally saying I'm
one hundred percent, but I'm not playing. It's just, you know,
these guys and there's a lot of great talented players
in this league. But I also think that there's a

(12:29):
big core of superstar players that are and ownership and
management and whatever that are just completely out of touch
with the average consumer. Zion's the latest. Now wait a minute,
or now be honest here, and I'm being serious that
if you want to get a hold of us on Twitter,
you let me know. For out of bounds here. But
aren't we supposed to be sympathetic if it's let's say,

(12:50):
he isn't there mentally, you understand what I'm saying we're
very cognizant about mental health and stuff like that. Why
are we not aware? Why are we not we're sympathetic
towards Zion over something like this? Then, well because he
played twenty nine games and let's see how much he
got paid this year. Um, you know, I'm sympathetic. Listen.
First of all, you know, mental health doesn't preclude you

(13:14):
from doing a job, like my wife is a therapist
for clients still have to go to work. Um, you
know when they're going through personal battles and all that stuff.
And I'm I'm not being unsympathetic too, and I know
you're not being either, but like there is and like
the thing that I think always gets confused in this
conversation is that they and he talks about it all

(13:37):
the time. And it's by the way, we'll talk about
what Yannis said today later. Yannis never missed a game
because of you know, he you'll give us the quotes later.
But he had some very serious stuff to say. But
the point I'm trying to make is, you know what
I my stand, nobody's asking you to play if you're
not healthy, like if you can't walk, if you've had
the you have a hamstring injury. Like nobody's saying, play

(13:59):
through it if you're if you're not able to physically play,
But if you're able to physically play, you gotta give
us something. And I'll give you a good example really quick, Garney,
I'll toss it back to you. You You could say mental
health this, blah blah blah this, and that there is
a physical element to it too. He says he's one
hundred percent. Meanwhile, I see CJ. McCollum coming on the
court with a wrap around his right shooting hand, a

(14:20):
thumb injury that's going to require surgery whenever the New
Orleans Pelican season is done. You know, it's just I've
been a defender of Zion because I think, you know,
just the experience at Duke, he seemed like such a
great kid, by the way at Duke he wanted to
play when everyone was telling him to shut it down.
But this is a bad look in what has so

(14:40):
far been a very forgettable career. Now, I always said,
though by low Sell high, it might be a chance
for the Lakers if you think that Zion could turn
it around from that. That was my prediction a couple
of years ago that the Lakers would somehow get him,
and they could probably get him on the jeep. Now
you know what I mean? Well, and it well, you know,
it's it's an interesting question, right. I heard Jason McIntyre

(15:01):
and Colin talking about this today, is like if the
Pelicans just were like, I'm over this, I'd be curious
what you could get for Zion. He just signed a
max extension. He's gonna get me thirty three million dollars
next year and as much as forty four million through
the twenty twenty seven twenty twenty eight season. Arnie. That's
you know, I don't have the numbers in front of me,

(15:22):
but we're probably talking about close to two hundred million
dollars over the next six years that are guaranteed to him.
So it's a fascinating deal. But I think the underlining thing,
the underlying thing which I'm trying to get to, is
it's playoff time. Man. If you want to miss a
Tuesday in January because you're not one hundred percent, that's fine.

(15:42):
But your team needs you, your seasons on the line,
you gotta give them something. It's it's a it's a
bad look, Arnie, It's just a bad Bad Bad. Be
sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith Show
with Mike Harman weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeart Radio app.
He's Aaron Torres, I'm Arnie Spaniard and for the guys tonight,

(16:04):
Jason Smith at his best friend Mike Carmen right here
on Fox Sports Radio. Technically, Jason Smith filled in for
Caveno and Rich Caveno and Rich filled in for Dan Patrick.
Oh so technically you could say we're filling in for
Dan Patrick right now, I'm not. Yeah, three degrees of
radio separation, that's that's fair. Filling in for Dan Patrick, right, Yeah,

(16:28):
Aaron Torres, Arnie Spanier filling it for Dan Patrick here, Yeah,
that's what I'm talking about. Yeah, here on Fox Sports Radio.
There you go. That's big time now. Yeah. Yeah, they
told me that, you said yesterday. They won't let you
ever fill in for Dan You're like a vampire. They
only let you out at night. Yes, when the sun's up.
I'm not allowed to fill in. If I have to

(16:50):
do a show with another host, I'm not allowed to
be in the same studio as them because of in
studio student. No, what have we ever done to shoot? Remember,
gave me a big hug, and you thought I was
there to give you your coffee? Remember he thought was right? Well,
there is exceptions to the rules. The striking young intern
and then one one host almost threw you through a

(17:11):
window in Dallas. So yeah, they don't like me to
be in the room with any of the other host that.
I didn't know Jonas Knox worked in Dallas. I'm kidding.
Jonas is nice. Jonas would have messed you up if
you tried that with him. Oh, stop it, please. The
guy was gonna throw a window was a professional pitcher? Oh?
In Major League Baseball? Who was that? I don't want

(17:31):
to give his passic. You wouldn't know him. He gave
up like the tying home run the Bonds or something
like that the game or the breaking home run the Bonds.
Were you on the other side of Nolan Ryan slugging
a guy in the face? Was that you? I don't know?
That was Robin Venture? Never mind too, I confused. I
get the two. You confused all the time. So you're
just unbelievable, unbelievable. I gotta, I gotta, I gotta, you know,

(17:55):
an encyclopedic sports brains. So you know, he start talking
about getting punched in the face by a Rangers pitcher,
That's where my mind goes to. So I want to
get to the Lakers a little bit. Didn't have a
chance to get to an hour number one. Everybody was
talking about them, and I guess the big thing today
everybody was talking about all day today where they look
you to win or did Minnesota choke it away? And
I don't want to say it was a little bit

(18:16):
of both, but if I was going to pick one
or the other, Minnesota choked it away. We gave these
stats just today where I think Minnesota Mi's fourteen of
their last sixteen shots, they had eight turnovers. So in
twenty four possessions they either in twenty two of them
they either had a turnover or miss shot in twenty
two or the twenty four possessions, you're not gonna beat

(18:37):
anybody at the end of the game when it's close
doing stuff like that air and it wasn't even close.
You know, it was bad Anthony Edwards, especially when it
was at three of seventeen. He ended up shooting in
that game. Wow, So yeah, I mean, I think it
was you know, Minnesota can obviously play their way into
that main bracket, you know, playing I guess it would
be tomorrow night or whatever. You know, they'll they'll play

(18:59):
the winner of this New Orleans, this New Orleans. Okay,
see game. But to me, I think the story is
the Lakers. I really do think. You know, I Monday Tuesday,
as the Brackett was kind of unveiled, and you knew
they were gonna play in this playing game. He kind
of sat there and I heard all these people make
all these arguments for the path that they have. I

(19:20):
don't see them taking four of seven from Memphis, let alone,
having to do that then and then beat the Warriors
and then beat the Suns. I thought. I thought last
night showed how limited they are, and I think they're
gonna have to have a lot to go their way
just to beat Memphis, let alone, to make a real
run to the NBA finals. You know, there was a
lot of people that thought the Lakers, We're gonna make
a run either to the Western Conference Finals or the

(19:41):
NBA Finals. Will this change people's mind because of the
game yesterday, or will they just say, hey, it's just
one game. They gutted it out. I'm staying on course,
and they're still gonna go ahead and make it runs.
I still think people are are taking the Lakers to
get to the finals of the Western Conference or finals
of the NBA. I just I think last night. The

(20:01):
thing about last night you gotta remember is, you know,
everything went pretty well. Anthony Davis was on the floor.
I know, you know D'Angel Russell didn't have his best game,
but you know, Anthony Davis was healthy. He was on
the floor. Lebron James had thirty points and they needed
overtime to survive the Minnesota Timberwolves. And so again, I
just look at this team, and you know, I get
that they were good down the stretch, but let's not

(20:23):
forget who they played down the stretch. We talked about
this last night final. Few weeks they had two wins
against the Jazz, they had to win against the Rockets,
they had to win against the Bulls, they had to
win against those te Wolves. So you sit there and say, like,
I get that the win loss record was pretty good,
was very good. Excuse me after the All Star break,
but you know, the level of not the All Star Break,
the trade deadline, but the level of competition is going

(20:45):
to step up there. Obviously, probably every series they play
going forward, they're gonna have to win some games on
the road. They're gonna start on the road, they won't
have home court advantage. I just think it's a tough, tough,
tough ask for this group to continue to have success.
I was gonna say I think this is the last
go around for the Lakers. I'll amend that. I think
there's the last go around for Lebron. And I'm talking
about winning an NBA championship because you know, the things

(21:09):
are kind of just settling in the place. We talk
about the perfect store. You know how they're gonna go
again and get Memphis. How you know Golden State. Yeah,
they're a good team, but they're gonna have their hands
full with Sacramento. There are some hurdles to get on by.
I don't know how long this is going to continue
for the Lakers and for Lebron, especially as he gets
up up there in age. How many games do you

(21:31):
think Lebron's gonna go ahead and make in the regular
season next year? How many is Anthony Davis do be
lucky to get half a season out of each of
them at forty one the fifty games out there, it's
only going to continue to get worse. This might be
the last chance for Lebron to to win a championship.
Otherwise he's gonna have to go to like some super
team and do it that way. If he's going to

(21:53):
leave the Lakers and want to play with his son,
what do you think, Well, and you think about the
other teams too, write like Phoenix, they'll be able to
figure they'll be able to figure out how to fill
out that bench over the course of this offseason to
kind of supplement Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. You know,
we'll see the Clippers. Obviously right now I don't have
Paul George, although obviously they wouldn't play the Clippers and

(22:15):
the Suns. The Warriors are gonna find pieces to fill
in alongside those veterans as they get older. So I
just bring it up to say that. I bring it
up to say that when I look at this Lakers team,
I don't disagree. By the way, the Grizzlies, we talked
about this last night. This is now their fourth straight
playoff appearance. Like they're gonna get those reps that they

(22:35):
need in the playoffs when it matters most. So I
just look at the Lakers, and I actually do tend
to agree with you, Arnie Is. I don't believe they
can make a run. But I also do believe a
healthy Anthony Davis, a healthy Lebron James on the back
end of his thirties, this is probably as good as
it gets for them, oh man. And people don't see
that yet. Look at the numbers that the Lebron's putting
up this year, almost dirty points a game. I mean,

(22:57):
it's insane that he's able to go in do that.
He's still in great shape. I don't want to cut
his career short, though, but you know, it's tough to
go ahead and get through and win an NBA championship,
and the teams are gonna go ahead, and you know,
these Memphis teams and the Pelicans are really gonna get
better as time goes on and as they get more
NBA play of experience. Yeah, Denver, Yo, Kitchen Murray are

(23:18):
still pretty young. Murray again, you know, I mean he's
you know, probably a year and a half removed from
that injury, so that one's a little bit different. But again, no,
I'm with you, and I think this is I do
think there's something too this is the last best shot
and the other thing too, like even Lebron. Like, listen, man,
you know, I can be critical of some things with Lebron,

(23:40):
you know whatever, but he's still an incredible player. But
he played in fifty four games this year, so you know,
you look at his situation is how much can he
play at this level and for how many games during
a regular season. So this is all just a long
winded way of me saying I'm agreeing with you, Arnie
is Listen. I give them credit for rallying when they

(24:02):
needed to. The group that they put together after the
All Star Break was obviously a much improved group. But
I don't think just having, you know, four or five
years ago, having Lebron was enough. I just don't think
that's the case anymore. I don't think it's gonna get
any easier going forward. Now. I want to get to
Dylan Brooks Sin seems like he's in the news a
lot lately. They were talking about who do you want

(24:24):
to play next? He goes, I wouldn't mind playing Lebron
in a seven game series. The legacy is there first
time back in the playoffs, knocking out right away it
tests us good. They've got good pieces of good players.
That'll be a good first round matchup for us. Is
that a shot against Lebron would be we wouldn't mind
knocking about in the first series back at all that

(24:46):
first series back there? Is he just talking to the
truth that there's a lot of respects say that they
are a good team and they'd be a good test
for us. I heard that, you know, I mean I
think there was certainly some some little digs in there,
but it wasn't you know, Dylan Brooks knows what he's saying,
and he knows how to talk trash um and uh,
I wasn't like overly like, oh my god, Lebron, that's bulletin.

(25:10):
That's you're real right there, Like Dylan Brooks is gonna
talk is trash. You can like him not like him.
But I didn't think it was anything that egregious. I
heard that audio earlier today, So no, I didn't think
it was anything that bad either. I mean, he certainly
could have made it a lot worse. He could have
poured it on. He could have really made a head
and made sure that Lebron was gonna get mad and
make bulletin board material. Let me ask you a question. Yeah,

(25:31):
do you think, and this has been a conversation all
year long, do you think the Grizzlies in general talk
too much for a team that really hasn't won anything. Well,
they they talk a lot of smack. Why you think
it's but that's why it goes out in the NBA
now anyway, right that that's what happened in the NBA.
It's all a bunch of smack talking. Whether you've won
or you've not won out there, that really doesn't make

(25:52):
a difference. Yeah, but you haven't. I have any like
fundamental issue with it. But it is a conversation, right,
I mean, you know, Best Playoff runs to the second
round last year, and they did give the Warriors some trouble.
But I just bring it up to say, like, you know,
I think there are a lot of people that are
kind of like dude, at some point, you guys got
to put your money where your mouth is, you know.
I mean obviously, you know, Jah had his off the

(26:13):
court issues, but then beyond that, you know, there was
the dust up with Shannon Sharp on the sidelines at Staples.
You know, Crypto Arena excuse me a few weeks ago,
so you know, I think it's a conversation like like,
do they talk too much for a team that hasn't
won anything? It doesn't bother me, but I know that
a lot of people are starting the patience is starting
to worthin with him. Right a couple of things right
now in New Orleans sixty nine and sixty six over, okay,

(26:36):
see nine minutes left in the third, So it looks
like that it's gonna be a good one. And also,
by the way, I'm gonna spend less than ten seconds
on this because I don't want to get fired. But
the rays of twelve and oh, how long until we
start talking about them and we start paying attention twenty
and oh thirty at all eighty one and all one
hundred and sixty two and oh and how long? Because

(26:57):
if this was like the NBA and somebody started twelve
and we go, wow, look at that crazy, it's unbelievable.
Is it a big deal? Or no? Who's not talking
about him? Monsey just led the hour by to thanks
for not listening to Monsey's I heard twelve and oh Now,
but as you're watching Monsey's SVU instead of listening to
the updates. Is it a big deal to you though,
are you? Are you like checking the scores every day

(27:19):
now or what? You know? I'm kind of just monitoring
it to see. I mean, you know, it's it's opening
we you know, opening two weeks of the MLB season.
I don't think it's time to uh any parades or anything,
but um, I think it's pretty cool. And obviously, look, man,
it continues to be cool because of everything that the
Rays have to you know, everything that that they have

(27:41):
working against them. You know, it's been talked about, it's
been documented. Should they even be in um, should they
even be in Tampa Bay? Is it time for them
to move? All that good stuff they're gonna move. I
really think once the contracts up there, they're gone. And
you know, they talked about splitting half the year in
Tampa half the year in Montreal. I think they're all
eventually moved to Montreal. I think the A's end up

(28:03):
going to Oakland. And there's a story today, um that
excuse me. The A's end up going to Las Vegas
and then they're trying to figure out what to do
with the expansion team. Do they go to Nashville, Portland
or Salt Lake City when it's all said and done,
I think those are the three front runners. Do we
need expansion teams in Major League Baseball? Um? If they
want the big money for that day? Yeah, well yes, no,

(28:26):
I was gonna say that's that's the argument for the NBA, right,
is that it's you know, a couple hundred million in
all the owners pockets if they add teams. Be sure
to catch live editions of The Jason Smith Show with
Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven pm Pacific.
Let's get right to our guest, joinycaust Now, Fox Sports
Radios NBA Insider get a little bit into the Lakers

(28:49):
and some of the other series out there. It's Mark Medina.
How you doing, Mark, I'm doing well. I'm watching the
final seconds of this Oklahoma City New Orleans game. Here
looks like the Pelicans are going to go to the
free for a line. Uh, but we'll see or the thunder.
I mean, it's been a good one. It's been an
absolute good one. I've enjoyed it. The four games we've

(29:09):
had or the you know, these playing games have all
been enjoyable. They've been They've been pretty fun to watch
so far. Yeah. Look, I was at the Lakers Timberwolves game,
and you know, I think it was a lot of
basketball that wasn't quite poetic. There was, you know, a
feeling of their playing in mud. But I think that
from a fan standpoint, there's sometimes beautiful to watch because

(29:31):
there's all that tension and being the building. You know,
Laker fans really tried to galvanize together, and even given
the facts of the playing game, it felt like it
was the biggest atmosphere I've witnessed, you know, for quite
a while, just knowing that they've gone through some some
playoff route and you know, when they did win the title,
it was in the bubble when there are no fans there.

(29:53):
So yeah, a lot of compelling drama. Say the least mark, obviously,
is this Pelicans game comes down to the wire. Um.
You know, Zion was in the news today said essentially
I'm one hundred percent, but I'm not playing anyway, Like,
what what do you make of Zion's comments, because I
just thought they looked really bad, especially by the way,

(30:15):
with some pregame video of him doing some dunks in
the layup lines and stuff. Well, a head. Look, give
you a quick store score. Thunder up one nineteen to
one eighteen two point eight seconds left, brandon ingram HiT's
a huge three. But yeah, he was found there. Yeah
he's gone for But to answer you a question about Zion,

(30:35):
it doesn't sound great. But for my understanding, it's the
Pelican's medical staff that's making this call. So um, you know,
even if it was up to Zion wouldn't really matter.
But I think that the really thing that's disconcerting here.
It's not just the injury history, but the fact that
the Pelicans say it's not a direct correlation, meaning that

(30:57):
it wasn't like his pass injuries weren't fully healed and
therefore his body was overly compensating. But at the same time,
that creates even more concerns because even if the Pelicans
are doing all the right things, even if Zion's improving
his training regiment, improving his diet, is conditioning all those

(31:17):
things and being disciplined with his movement, that might not
be enough. And I think it's too early to say
the Pelicans shouldn't have extend him last summer, they should
trade him, because I think it's one of those things. Well,
the chartiff could significantly worse. But I think moving forward,
they can't hinge or assume that Zion's ever going to

(31:37):
be fully healthy for a season. So as a result,
they really can't mess up any other roster decision, and
they have to find a way somehow that they have
a definitive number two around him so that you know
they're not just scratching clawing the play in tournament. They're
actually making a deep playoff push. Mark. I know you
said it was the best atmosphere you've seen in a long,

(31:58):
long time. Us back the Lakers hit the three, Shooter
hits the three from the corner, and then take us
to what it was like when Anthony Davis files with
point one second left and they're gonna go to the
line for three. It must have been just crazy there. Yeah. Well,
I mean I wrote about about how the fan reaction
it was like the soundtrack of the game. Dennis Schroder

(32:19):
hitting this huge three. Everyone thinks it's a game winner.
Schroeder's flexing, Lebron James is flexing, The crowd is going crazy,
stopping their feet, clapp and right to throw the confetti.
And then when Adi makes that bad decision, with not
being disciplined to disclose out Mike Conley. There was just
a collective groan and gasp and sigh throwing a few

(32:39):
access flatives there. And it's just wild because only a
few weeks ago, Anthony and Davis committed a similar cardinal
sin where he found Maxi Kleiber with the Dallas Mavericks
on a close out and you know, they wound up
winning the game there. So I think to the Lakers credit,
they didn't allow the emotions for that mistake to carry

(33:01):
into overtime. Eighty owned up to the mistake. Everyone's like, hey,
we got five minutes left, lets just move on. But
I think moving forward, why you don't discount the Lakers
resiliency and in a recent strong play, the margin for
error for those kind of plays in the playoffs, the
deeper you go, it's gonna catch it up to you.
So Anthony Davis's got to be disciplined. The Lakers got

(33:24):
to be disciplined. There is one thing to come back
fifteen points down against the Minnesota Timberwolves team that was
out without Rudy Gobert's and McDaniels and car Anthony Town's
being in foul trouble, but to do that against the
Memphis Grizzlies in a seven game series on their home
floor for a lot easier said than done. All Right, Mark,
I'm gonna ask the question that everybody wants to know,

(33:44):
who do you like in the West? Because Arnie and
I were on last night during the Lakers game, and
we sort of can make the argument that the Lakers
can make a run because you know that the Suns
don't have very much depth and Paul George isn't But like,
who do you actually think is actually going to come
out of the West? You know what, I don't have

(34:05):
a favorite. It's almost like the opposite of one job
Mourant was saying, we're fine in the West. It seems
like everyone's in trouble in the West. Right There is
no clear cut favorite, and I think that going in
to this series, I'm favoring the teams that are in
the middle of the pack because theoretically they're healthier than
they were in this season, and that explained why they

(34:26):
were in the middle of the pack, and they have
the most talents. They look at the Phoenix Suns with
Chris Paul Covn, Durant, Devin Booker DeAndre and the Lakers
Lebron James, Anthony Davis, the Clippers Kawhi Leonards. It's a
question mark and Paul George's availability, So I'm getting shots
up today a practice, but there's an expectation he at
least won't play at the beginning of the series. And
then the Warriors, Andrew Wiggins is finally back, He's expected

(34:48):
to play. They still got Steph Curry, Clay Thompson, Traymond Green.
But I think the captivating thing for news teams is
that maybe they're getting healthy at the right time, but
the disconcerting thing is maybe injuries pop up once again
for them. And so that's where the top of the teams,
like the Kings, like the Nuggets, like the Grizzlies, they're

(35:10):
still in the mix because they've been at the top
of the standings, partly because they've been a lot healthier
this season. Mark, do you feel like this is the
last goal round for Lebron Like this year, this right
now is the last chance to win a championship, because
I mean, with a D, you know they're not going
to play a full season next year. They you know,
do they really have a third you feel like this
may be the last goal round for them. You know, yeah,

(35:33):
it's a fair question. I mean, he never discounts something
like that because Lebron James twentieth season. But I don't
think that the Lakers are looking to like break up
the team or anything like that, or even you know,
if they keep Lebron trading ad or trying to get
a different supporting cast. I think that even with a
first round exit, they're looking through the pragmatical lens that

(35:54):
keeping this core, including the trade deadline editions, is probably
the best recipe for success next season, and they would
still have a window to win a title, but it's
not guaranteed. I mean, it's the injury component, it's the
fact that the Western Conference landscape's always evolving, always moving.
But I think that's going to give them the best
chance to win a title. And I think that that

(36:17):
goes for the same really with the Clippers. I mean,
I know that ever since they got Paul George and
Kawhi Leonard, it's thinking, you know what, they should be
winning a championship. But because of the fact that the
West is wide open, Paul George is hurt. You know,
I've been told that the Clippers aren't necessarily thinking as
championship or bus. These guys are still in their prime.

(36:37):
As much as Steve Baumer wants to win a title
before they leave Crypto dot Com Arena after next season,
I don't think that they're going to make any fundamental
changes either. So that being said, there is a window
here because it's really anyone's up for grabs, and you
never know when that window might be shut. Mark, I know,

(36:58):
you know, okay, see, maybe he isn't a national story,
but how impressed are you? And how bright is the
future for this organization that you know has a young
star in Shi Gilji Alexander. They lost a lottery pick,
a literal top two pick in Chet home Grin, and
I you know, correct me if I'm wrong, But I
still believe they basically have a million picks lined up

(37:18):
here Like it feels like they are miles ahead of
schedule right now, especially given the Homegrin injuries. That fair
to say, oh, without a doubt, because Homegron's expected to
come back and next season healthy, Shakilji Alexander's a star,
and the a million picks that you estimate, you're not
that far off. It's fifteen first round picks, but it
may as well feel like a million. That's really the

(37:40):
currency here in today's NBA, especially for a small market
team like the Thunder who don't necessarily always have the
mechanisms to get free agents and the draft. Drafting those
draft picks, you can either you know, obviously, use it
in the draft and develop guys from within, or stock
pile those picks together to make a huge trade. I
think the thing about Shai Gilji Alexander that's interesting. I

(38:02):
was talking to an opposing team's executive about, Hey, who's
on your MVP, etc. And I was thinking, is going
to be some order of Nicola Yokich and Joel Embing,
the Jannis the Kumpo. This executive actually chose Shay Giljis
Alexander in third place in place of Janis, And I asked, Hey,
what why? And they were just so gung ho about

(38:22):
Shai gil Alexander's talent, this competitiveness, how much of a
culture changer he is for the team. And he was
looking at the lens of you know, some basketball evaluators,
whether it's GMS or coaches or media members based these
awards about hey, how much they help a team win, right,

(38:43):
and this case, hey, well they're not at the top
of the sands or it's just a playing team. But
this executive said, look, you removed Shake Gili Alexander. They're
not competing a play in tournament. They're at the bottom
of the standings or with the San Antonio and Spurs
and the Houston Rockets trying to get another draft pick here.
That's how out fundamentally different. Shay Gildas, Alexander makes the

(39:04):
Thunder team. So the future is bright and they have
this rare combination of this you know, treasure chest of
traff picks, but also a Trevor chest of young talent
that's going to be destined to be great already on
the roster. Mark Medina, Mark always a pleasure of my friend.
We appreciate you stopping on buy. And obviously things are

(39:24):
just getting going. NBA playoffs are going to be in
full swing this weekend, so you're gonna be a pretty
busy guy, right, I'll be already full forty eight. Let's
go
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