July 11, 2025 • 40 mins
Jason Smith and Monse Bolanos debate if the Lakers will end up trading LeBron James. No decision on NCAA Tournament expansion yet. And Cooper Flagg passed the NBA eye test.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
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 Harmon at Fox Sports
Radio dot com, or stream us live every night on
the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR give this you're listening.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
To Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Anios.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Hello, Welcome in Side hour three the Jason Smith Show
with my bes friend Mike Harmon. He is out tonight,
Monsey Belangos. My second base friend is in true ass
man and not no Hobo night. No, it is a
no Hobo night, no hobo, and a no bathroom night
here at Fox Sports Radio as well.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
I'm about to go to Poyo Loco. I know it's
closer than going to the fifth floor.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
We walked into work tonight. All the bathrooms are unavailable,
Well mean unavailable? What do you mean the bathrooms are unavailable?
He used the bathrooms. I got to be like Rob Parker.
I gotta go back to a Poyo Loco after I
bought dinner there at three hours ago.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
At least you bought dinner about to walk in there.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
Oh yeah, well here's the thing.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Well, yeah, well you know what, And now I should
say this because here I got to thank Rob Parker
because he and I have this have this thing that
we talk about a lot. And I because he goes
to he and I both eat Ayloko, right, I love
ay Loko.
Speaker 5 (01:28):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
It's a it's a big it's a big chicken kind
of fast food. But the chicken is so good, Jerry.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
I love the chicken, Jerry.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
And it's a you know, kind of a fast food
Mexican restaurant.
Speaker 4 (01:38):
And it's about I don't.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Know, but.
Speaker 4 (01:42):
Fifty yards away. Yeah, yeah, not even block away.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
And Rob goes and gets something before the show and
comes brings it back to the studio, eats it, and
then before he leaves, you know, after a show is over,
he goes back and refills his drake because it's a
free refill play.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
And I said, Rob, you can't. I said, this is
why we have inflation, man.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Because you you're leaving and going back two hours later
just because you have the cup, You're going in to
get a refill. And he got he only said he goes,
I've found a law. Jason, I said, what do you mean.
I've found a law. It says it's not three hundred
feet from one. If you know, move three hundred feet
from where you are when you leave the restaurant, you
can go back in. I said, okay, goes, ask me
(02:24):
how long it is from right here to a boil?
Speaker 4 (02:26):
Look, I go, how long? Three hundred feet?
Speaker 3 (02:29):
No, I he made that up. He made that up, Monsie.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
Oh my goodness, of course he made that up.
Speaker 5 (02:35):
Jason.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
No.
Speaker 4 (02:36):
But here's the thing is, I went there to eat tonight,
so I have an up. So here's the thing. If
you need to use the bathroom.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
I'm gonna walk in with your car. I can give
you this cup. Please, get me a refill and go
go in refill. I actually go to the bathroom first, then.
Speaker 4 (02:49):
Get a refill.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Yeah, yes, although I'm not crazy about you bring it
into the bathroom. Yeah, there's okay. You'll figure smart.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
You'll figure out.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
So refill on the soda bathroom and come back. Then
when I need to go to the bao, I'll bring
this back, refill and come back.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
You look at us getting all this soda.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Sure you go, Rob Parker, thank you for that idea.
I didn't think i'd get to use that. Now I'm
gonna go back and say done, say Rob Parker, so
I can come back and get a refall. Oh, by
the way, what's a combo to the bathroom?
Speaker 4 (03:13):
Please? Thank you? One, two, three, four five, thank you?
Speaker 5 (03:15):
You're gonna be like is that that man that always
comes back three hours later, three.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Times a week? Yes, that is exactly him, ma'am.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
So really quick, a little bit more on the Lebron
story before we get to the NCAA tournament. Is that Look,
it's going to happen, right, There's so many bits of
evidence that are pointing to Lebron's unhappiness with the Lakers,
and and just the signs he wants to throw out there. Oh,
I'm wearing a welcome home hat all around Cleveland. Oh
it's not a message, it's my new company. Oh right,
(03:43):
because you knew that wearing a welcome home hat. I
didn't know there was going to start such a controversy.
Come on, Lebron, Like he thinks we're stupid, right, Like
he thinks we're stupid. Of course, wearing a welcome home
mat working out on the fourth of July at the Cavaliers, practicability,
not sending Deondre eight, and to welcome to the Lakers
text of itself, all these things, okay, but when they're
all together, you know he's not happy. And it's just
(04:05):
right now, it's it's an escalation of the game he's
playing with the Lakers. The Lakers want him to ask
for a trade. He wants the Lakers to say, we're
gonna trade you. They're all fed, they're fed there. The
Lakers are saying, we'll play this out. We are daring
you to ask for a trade. You opted in for
fifty two million dollars. That screws us from going out
and getting other players that we really want to put
around Luca. So now we're gonna wait, We're gonna dare
(04:26):
you to ask. We're gonna do so many things, just
dare you to say, Okay, okay, you guys win, trade
me away and trade me back to Cleveland, which is
where he's gonna want to go.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
And you know what the Lakers are gonna do, not
trade them to Cleveland.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Well, he's got the note trade. So he's him and
Bradley Beal. Well, Bradley Beal the only one.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
The Lakers still have a lot of leverage.
Speaker 5 (04:45):
They do have a lot of leverage because it's like, what,
what does a new ownership have loyalty wise to Lebron?
Speaker 4 (04:52):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (04:52):
No, they are not big fed zero right, So if
the Lakers wanted to play hardball, they absolutely can't. It's like, okay,
you want to trade, great, so we're gonna trade you
to the Knicks. Nicks have always been I feel like
a team that people are floating around that Lebron could
go to.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
Well, he's always wanted to play it.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
He's always wanted to, so that's one.
Speaker 5 (05:11):
You know, people want to float the Mavericks just for
funzies make a trade there, and uh, I feel like
the Lakers could do that. Once he says trade me, obviously,
I agree Cleveland is the only team, the only team
he could go to to kind of wrap up.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
His career because what have you done for me lately?
Speaker 5 (05:30):
When you think about Lebron, like the last couple of
years of his career, it's been underwhelming. You could even
argue going to the Lakers was not a great decision
for him. But if he goes back to Cleveland, even if,
like you said, even if he doesn't win it wraps
up the career and it leaves you with a positive
opinion of Lebron.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
If he goes somewhere else, then his thoughts he can't
do it.
Speaker 5 (05:57):
But if he's thinking that he could still be a
number one and that he can actually take a team
in the playoffs, like you said in the last hour,
if you missed it, you got to turn it into
the podcast. Like you said, he thinks that once you
get to the playoffs, it's him that's gonna drive you,
take you to the championship.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Then, like you, he's he has a.
Speaker 5 (06:16):
Misconception of what he's capable of doing in his age
right now.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
Yeah, and to think that, Okay, there's other out there's
other place from DeLand. Now, I think there's a reason
why what you're seeing is happening in Cleveland, right He's not. Oh,
I'm just in New York taking in Broadway plays, wearing
a welcome Home hat or wearing an I Love New
York shirt you can buy on the corner for like
two ninety nine.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
No, I've just.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Happened to be in New York. Why are you working
out at Madison Square Guard? And I've always loved Madison
Square Guard.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
It doesn't matter. Not there's a reason why.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
He's like, he wants, Okay, this is where you're gonna
send me, and this is where it's gonna work. And yes,
it does get difficult. He think it can't get difficult.
Just go to the NBA trade machine on ESPN and
try to put into Lebron James trade to Cleveland, and
you get rejected every single time.
Speaker 4 (06:59):
Right, Oh, it's not working, not working, not.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Where, he seriously, and they explain it to you too,
Like I love how in depth they get with why
the Lebron Okay, this trade won't work, right, Like Lebron
James traded for Evan Mobley won't work because okay, you
got to add a player here and do this now
the trades for Lebron. The Cavaliers are not going to
want to trade so many players away to get Lebron in.
They know they're gonna have to give something up and
(07:23):
to make it work, it's probably going to have to
be centered around potentially Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, something else.
But the Lakers would also give something else back. Dalton connect.
I'm sure they would wind up giving him bag. We'll
get you and Bronny and Dalton connect, so it would
be the Lakers get The Lakers would get a really
good player, right, and these are the guys that the
(07:45):
salaries are closest to make a match in Mobley and Garland,
but they would get stuff back. The Lakers have to
overpay a little bit to move on from Lebron, but
this can happen. It can also happen if you involve
a third team or a fourth team. And I'm sure
if Lebron is like, no, involve eighteen because I want
to be involved in the biggest trade ever. I don't
want KD and the seven team to be the most.
I want to be get ten teams involved. I want
(08:06):
ten teams involved.
Speaker 5 (08:07):
So you can add that to his list of accomplishments
in his argument, than j I was.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
Involved in the biggest trade ever. Make it happen, make
it out so you can do it. Yes, it's difficult,
but it's not impossible. The big question is going to be, Okay,
how badly do the Cavaliers.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
Want Lebron James right?
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Do they want him bad enough to say, okay, we're
okay with partying with Evan Moble, who's a terrific young player,
or potentially Garland and something else, a couple of pieces
out of their rotation, like how much do you think
you're close enough to him winning? And this is where
I'm sure Lebron is going to back channel the hell
out of this, and the Cavaliers have to sit back
and say, Okay, we had this rotation a year ago,
(08:48):
and it's not like we came one game shot, like
we lost in Game seven of the NBA Finals. We
got ushered out of the playoffs after a huge regular
season where the best team in the conference, with the
best offense, we got ushered out by the Pacers and
it wasn't even a competitive series really. So I think
if you're the Cavaliers, they're a little bit closer to
saying let's go for it with Lebron than they ever
(09:09):
would be, because if Lebron goes back there, it's not
gonna be a one.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
And done year.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Lebron clearly has more than one year left. I'm sure
he would get there, he would rip up his contract.
It would be a two year deal or a year
in an option, because he looks like he could probably
play at this kind of level for another two or
three years. I don't see him he's not at a
falling off the cliff part. He's still a top tennis
player in the league. Now he's someone that gets his
you know, he doesn't make his teammates better like he
(09:35):
used to, but he's someone that now doesn't need to.
He can just fit in and be the go to guy,
and his leadership and his experience will take the pressure
off of all of the younger players. He's gonna say,
I want a guy like Donovan Mitchell to be to
be the number one on this team. He can go
to a new destination and play that out and it
would work. He can't do what the Lakers because the
(09:56):
Lakers are saying, well, we're just basically demoting.
Speaker 4 (09:58):
You, right, but it's not even a demotion.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
He's just taking it that way.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Well, no, because it's no longer it's kind of demotion
because the team is no longer run around him. It's
run around Luca and we really don't care what you
have to say about things anyway.
Speaker 5 (10:11):
He should be like, yes, understandably, so Luka Danci is
twenty what four twenty five, Like it's like, yes, you
can look.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
At it as a demotion, when in reality, it's.
Speaker 5 (10:23):
Like Lebron, it's the Lakers, and you can be here happy.
But you're making it. You're making it more complicated than
it needs to be. You know, he knew that they
were acquiring Luca. He was a part of that. He
got he gave the okay. So the minute he gave
the okay for Luca, what was he expecting.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
That it was still his team? No, you're no man.
Speaker 6 (10:43):
He's expecting to walk in and go yes. But I'm
Lebron James, and it's great. I'm Lebron James. You can
stay here, you can finish your career as a Laker.
But obviously Luca is the future. Like I don't know
why he's being so silly about it, but I'm like,
I'm looking at the Cavaliers roster.
Speaker 5 (10:57):
Yeah. No, it has to be something around Evan Mobley
because the Lakers need some sort of power forward.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Oh yeah, Mobley would fit great, but they would be
so the Lakers are so desperate they have to move
on from and to try to and I And the
thing is is that I don't know there's anybody that's
untouchable on the team outside of Luca. Because the Lakers
want to build around him. Is Austin Reeves the best
guy to build around Luca with. I mean maybe maybe
not so I think Austin Reeves is someone that Hey,
(11:26):
and of course he denied the contract extension this offseason,
you can make more next offseason. Lakers may say, well,
this is the last year with Austin Reeves. We can
maybe sweeten it with Austin Reeves in a deal for
this as well. So they want to build around and
I guarantee you they have their guys, like they know
the one or two guys that are gonna be the
one A or the one B that they're gonna go say, Okay,
(11:47):
we can make these trades to bring this in, but
we can't do it until we move on from Lebron.
So yeah, okay, is Darius Carland is great a fit?
Is Evan Mobley? No, especially with Darius Carland position he
plays and what's going But if they move other players
out and they're remaking this team around Luca, they'll do
that and in the rest of this offseason, and that's
what really jumpstart the trade season and potentially maybe everybody's
(12:10):
waiting for the Lakers to figure out Lebron James.
Speaker 4 (12:12):
But if you're looking at.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
The Lakers, there's only one guy on the roster that
that you then you're gonna keep that you're building, right,
and that's Luca. Everybody else is expendable to bring in
what you think you need to win based around Luca
being your franchise player for the next decade.
Speaker 5 (12:27):
So what if the Lakers are looking at their roster
right now and like you just said, Luca is the
only one that is the one they're not willing to
part ways with ever. Making all of these moves now
is kind of risky. It's like, don't you want to
see what DeAndre Ayton does? Because that's why I'm wondering
if they hold on to Lebron just to see how
it goes with DeAndre.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
Eight Well, here's the thing.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
I think Ayton is a guy that they that they
look at and said, all right, Ayton can come in
and work. But you saw him already say how excited
he is to play with Luca. He loves Luca. Look
the same draft class Luca Knee, someone like that. We
know he needs the big lawn warner, the lob guy
to go out the back. So DeAndre Ayton works for
the Lakers. Well, now it's a risk, but in theory
(13:09):
it could work whether you have Lebron or not. So
it's not like, Okay, so DeAndre Ayton's still going to
be that big there and they'll fit. They'll figure other
stuff out of the front court if they need to,
because they will. But like, this is not a move
that's made. Okay, our team is going to be this
year Luca and Lebron and Reeves and now Ayton comes
in like Eighton's a move that we made that for
Luca one hundred percent.
Speaker 5 (13:30):
But I guess what I'm saying is like, since it
is such a risk with with DeAndre Eaton, which I understand,
and I hear what you're saying, that I.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
Should work and it could could work.
Speaker 5 (13:37):
But if it doesn't and you hold Lebron, then you
can use Lebron to get a different player that you
weren't planning for once you realize that Ayton is not
like his personality isn't going to work here.
Speaker 4 (13:48):
Karl Anthony Town, Yes, yeah, Karl Anthony.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Town, perfectly. That's a perfect example.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
I'll throw it in nob as well or Bridges. Yeah,
I'll take Austin Reeves back again.
Speaker 4 (13:57):
I'm good. I'm good.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
Yeah, I'll make that trade I get I'll get in
the NBA trade machine and make what happen.
Speaker 5 (14:01):
So you would take DeAndre Ayton, Austin Reeves and Lebron
James and Lebron for Karl Anthony Towns and Micl Bridges.
Speaker 4 (14:11):
Uh yeah, I would do that.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
Sure, Yeah, I think you have to throw another one
in that I do.
Speaker 4 (14:15):
I do that.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
Now Ayton can't get traded because he just got signed.
But I but I would take that. I would do
You would take that?
Speaker 5 (14:21):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (14:21):
Sure?
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Yeah, you know what I'm saying, Like the Lakers might
want to wait and see see if what they have
envisioned is actually going to come to life.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
Yeah, okay, but Lebron's not a guy you're going to
trade at the deadline, right, Like Lebron is a guy
you're going to trade so you can plan out for
stuff for the year. Like Lebron's not Kadi where he's
going to walk in. All I need to do is
just give me the ball when you need to, and
I'm just going to be a scorer. Like Lebron needs
to handle the ball. He needs to be able to
score when he needs to, and he needs to be
able to play off the ball like you need time
(14:52):
to to integrate him into what your offensive philosophy is,
where as a guy like KD, he's just playing, go shoot,
go do your thing, like the KD with the rocket's
gonna be here. You go shoot it.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
Go ahead, here you go shoot, I'll.
Speaker 4 (15:05):
Pass it back to you. No, No, I'm good. I
passed to you. You're good.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
You're good. Fred Bavevliet's gonna say, I'm good. I'm cashing checks.
I passed to you. Go ahead, KD, You're all good.
Like it would take longer time, which is why the
Lebron trade now closer than we've ever been.
Speaker 5 (15:18):
I can just envision like KD throwing the ball to
the rocket at whatever rocket and the rocket just throws
it back.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
To yeah, like a potato, and you just envision no,
you you go, you go.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Yeah, like in teen Wolf when they just passed it
to Michael J. Fox as the wolf and they watch
them just dribble a rout and score.
Speaker 4 (15:33):
Here you go go ahead, go do it, go do it. KD.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
Good, good exit out about a Fresca exit, Monzie blagya.
All right, So great discussion on Lebron. I'm telling you
that's how close we are, That's how it can make
it happen. I've told you from the beginning, Lebron back
to Cleveland. Look where we are. But coming up next, No,
there's been no expansion for the NCAA tournament yet. We'll
(15:56):
tell you why it's gonna happen and what the best
tournament could possible. That's next right here, Jason Smith, Monzi
Belogno's Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 7 (16:18):
Hey what's up everybody? It's me three time pro bowler
LeVar Arrington and I couldn't be more excited to announce
a podcast called Up on Game?
Speaker 4 (16:27):
What is Up on Game?
Speaker 7 (16:28):
You ass along with my fellow pro bowler TJ. Huschman,
Zada and Super Bowl champion Yup. That's right, Plexico Burus.
You can only name a show with that type of
talent on it.
Speaker 5 (16:39):
Up on Game.
Speaker 7 (16:40):
We're going to be sharing our real life experiences loaded
with teachable moments. Listen to Up on Game with Me
LeVar Arrington, TJ. Hutschman, Zada, and Plexico Burrs on the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
From Fox Sports Radio, the Jason Smith Show with Mancia Bolanos,
and from Mike Harmon.
Speaker 4 (17:04):
It's a no Hobo week here on the show. No Hobo,
no Hobo, No Hobo Harmon.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Though I did text with him today, he is very
upset he missed lee Ilia Knight playing Omas lee Ilia
being Chicago guy and the big Rant day.
Speaker 4 (17:20):
He is very upset he missed. He missed lee Ilia,
very upset.
Speaker 5 (17:24):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
Now, look before we get into the NHR, we're gonna
get into Cooper Flag coming up in about twenty minutes.
His big NBA debut tonight. It did not disappoint. I
don't care that he missed a thousand shots. But the
Laker you know, Night one in Vegas for the Lakers
and Bronni and been playing against Dallas, the big Marque
game of the night. Uh, Bronny missing the game winning
(17:47):
shot in the final seconds of the game. He still
had a pretty good game overall, right, like I thought so.
And the thing to remember about Bronni is to have
realistic expectations, right, and that's what it's like. Obviously, is
Lebron's kid, and everybody who has an opinion of Bronnie
is like, oh, he's no good. He's not as good
as his dad's. No, of course he's not as good
(18:07):
as his dad. Of course that happens. But Bronni, to beast,
this is a huge year for him because what Bronni
needs to do is to be able to show that, hey,
I can be a rotation guy. I can be the
eighth guy, ninth guys when the second unit comes in,
I'm coming in and I can be real because look,
you can win championships with really good guys and your rotation. Right,
(18:28):
Like we talked about the Cavaliers having the best offense
in the NBA last year, they had nine guys that
could score coming right, you talk about the first four
off the bench of them. Now, that's not who Bronny's
gonna be. Bronni's going to be a guy, and honestly,
his ceiling is going to be. Hey, as a rotation guy,
he can score a little bit, he can defend a
little bit more, he can pass a little bit, he
(18:49):
can rebound a little bit. Someone who comes in that's
not gonna hurt the team that can hold the fort,
hold the lead, maybe expand on the lead by a
little bit. And that's really who Bronni is. And so
far the first couple of games, he's shown that, Yeah,
I can do that in limited minutes.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
Seah, I can do it.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
He's not gonna ever play twenty five thirty minutes a game.
Thirty five minutes a game, but this is a big year,
especially if Lebron winds up getting traded, because then all
of a sudden, your safety net has gone. But you
have to show that you can be that guy. And
I don't doubt that that's a guy Lebron. He can
be great basketball IQ, just someone who when you realize, okay,
that's what the ceiling is. That's what Bronni breaking into
(19:26):
the league is gonna be as a second round pick. Okay,
that's attainable for him. He can be that guy. And
if he has a good summer league, in a good preseason,
he will get a bigger role with the Lakers because
everything is open for the Lakers, right they saw, Hey,
it wasn't good enough last year. Some guys who were
getting minutes didn't work well enough, specially in the playoffs.
He wound up losing Bronni got a little bit of
minutes here and there, but if he shows growth, guess what,
(19:48):
he's gonna play more. He's gonna play more in the
first half, He's gonna play more in the or beginning
part of the fourth quarter, and he will be a
more regular part of the Lakers rotation. He can do that,
but he's got to show it now. It's gonna be
another year of okay, he's just not ready. He's gonna
be up and down with the G League. He's not
gonna play that much yet. We don't feel the need
to play him as much because Lebron is not someone
(20:08):
where cow towing to anymore. So he's got it. He
knows I have to stand on my own right now.
If I don't stand on my own right now, I'm
looking at the next team or somewhere else. Lakers are
gonna let me go and I play overseas, or I'm
gonna come back and be in the G League. Like
he know this is brown. He's tied, like he's gotta
do it now, and so far okay. In the summer league.
Speaker 5 (20:28):
Yeah, it seems like his game is translating a little
bit better now with maybe a year under his bell
playing in the G League, because I what I saw
when I saw him, you know, covering Cooper Flagg today
playing defense on him.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
He had a nice step back against him. It looked good.
Speaker 5 (20:43):
There were moments where you're like, hey, he can be
a good role player. Are we thinking like like TJ McConnell,
like off the bench.
Speaker 4 (20:50):
Oh, I know about that. He's not gonna be instant offense.
TJ mcconnells.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
He before he gets tired after seventeen minutes, just can't
do it anymore.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
It's gonna be a couple of minutes.
Speaker 5 (21:00):
But like you said, he come off the bench, give
you a few couple of points, consistent points, play some defense.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
It's translating a little bit more and more.
Speaker 5 (21:08):
But yeah, Cooper Flagg was just shockingly already ready for
the NBA.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
That's what it looked like. Yeah at a.
Speaker 5 (21:16):
Nineteen year as a nineteen year old who looks like it,
just doesn't play like it. Ye, he definitely from top
to bottom, was competitive, was aggressive, had a nice dunk,
had a nice block, had a nice transition defense, did
to shoot the ball as well.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
But like you said, you don't care.
Speaker 5 (21:31):
I want you to be aggressive especially as your debut
Summer League, and we can't even you can even say
maybe a little bit of.
Speaker 3 (21:36):
Nerves, right, excitement that goes for anybody, for anybody.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
You know, you doing the show. That's the first time
with me.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Very nervous, very nervous. You were stilling stuff everywhere, no idea,
you were doing shots between segments. Some of it was tequila,
who was something else? Still the green stuff. You said,
oh you got to try the green stuff, Michel secret stuff.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
Stop Stop. But yeah, no, I I.
Speaker 5 (21:59):
Think Bronnie, you know, thinking about like Lebron and the
Lakers and Bronnie, it's like, yeah, maybe maybe Lebron leaving
the Lakers is exactly what Bronnie needs to continue a
career with the Lakers.
Speaker 4 (22:12):
Yeah, it's good to be Hey, it's sink or swim.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
You got you really at the show, got a show
and that's a huge time now for Bronnie.
Speaker 4 (22:18):
And he had a big highlight to hit a big
step back over the game. He's fine so far.
Speaker 3 (22:23):
He looked.
Speaker 5 (22:24):
He looked better than I thought I was gonna see
for for his matchup that they kept, you know, pinning
up against Cooper Flag.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Now we'll have more on flag coming up in a
few minutes, because I don't know if people understand just
how impressive he was tonight. But uh, no expansion yet
for the NCAA tournament, right, and we know we're going
to get an expansion in college football and college basketball.
Speaker 4 (22:44):
It's inevitable, right, We're gonna get it.
Speaker 1 (22:46):
The quote today out of the out of the meetings
was that, hey, everything is on the table to keep
the tournament at where we're at right now, to go
to seventy two teams, to go to seventy six teams,
all of that is on the table now. Eventually, what's
gonna happen is this before I get to my even
better idea, They're gonna go to seventy two. Right, It's
gonna happen because it's going to make and every person
(23:08):
you listen to is saying the same thing, and they're right.
It's all about Television's about television Televionah, of course it's
about television, right course, it is about television ratings, revenue,
and going to seventy two teams is going to allow
the nca Tournament to basically own the entire week only
with one night of no college basketball, which is that
Monday night right selection Sunday, no game Monday, and then
(23:31):
what happens on Tuesday Wednesday, an entire primetime window that
looks like what we see on Thursday and Friday.
Speaker 4 (23:40):
We would get we would.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
Get eight teams in the primetime window on Tuesday, eight
teams in the primetime window on Wednesday. It would just
start at seven o'clock or eight o'clock on the East Coast.
But that's basically what happens on Thursday and Friday. We
get the game starting at noon Eastern all the way through,
and then you get four late games right, four games
in the prime time window and later that's what we'll get,
and the NCAA can push that as it's the week
(24:05):
of the NCAA tournament and we have prime time programming
available to you four days out of five. Of course
that's gonna happen because of that. It makes sense. And
if they go to seventy two and it works, it'll
allow them to go to seventy six at some point.
If they go to seventy six and for some reason
it doesn't work, well I can't believe it's ever going.
But if it doesn't work, you can't really go back,
all right, we warning back seventy two, but go to
(24:25):
seventy two and then okay, if that works, well, why
not seventy six?
Speaker 4 (24:29):
Why why not get it?
Speaker 1 (24:30):
Why?
Speaker 3 (24:30):
Why why not?
Speaker 5 (24:31):
Head?
Speaker 4 (24:31):
Yeah, why not seventy seven and a half? Why not
do that?
Speaker 1 (24:35):
So it's gonna it's gonna happen. It will, they will,
they will figure things out. Right now, this is every
conference going, okay, how does this work? How does this
help me? How can I help my conference? How do
I help what I'm doing best? Everybody wants their piece
of the pie. If there's this talk about expansion, how
can help my conference the most? And maybe nothing comes
of it, and it's just we we wind up going
(24:55):
to seventy two teams. But that's kind of where things.
Speaker 4 (24:58):
Are right now.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
Everybody's gonna come around to the idea, which I'm sure
they will. There might be some holdouts, so we're gonna say, well,
maybe if you guarantee that it's going to be a
Power five conference to get an extra birth or whatever.
Everybody's trying to figure out what can I guse? Just
like politics, where hey we need this bill signed. All right,
well I want this in the bill, and you get
my yes.
Speaker 4 (25:15):
Vote right.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
We just saw the big beautiful bill thing you got.
You put this in, you got my vote, put this in,
you put this in, you put this in. So that's
kind of what's happening right now. Eventually, by the time
when when it comes down to it and it's got
to be, we sign on it. We'll get a seventy
two team tournament for this April. It will happen this April.
Speaker 4 (25:31):
We'll get it.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
Yeah, this April twenty twenty six, we'll be playing a
seventy two team NCAA tournament.
Speaker 5 (25:37):
I mean, it just seems like you're figuring it out
right now with the sixty eight team. You already want
to expand it. I know it's going in that direction.
I know that you're not wrong, but it's like you're
still if sixty eight is not enough, wasn't enough, seventy two.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Is not gonna be in?
Speaker 4 (25:54):
No, seventy six go to ninety six.
Speaker 5 (25:57):
It's every single time there's gonna be those teams that
are on the fringe of making it.
Speaker 3 (26:01):
Why not and why not add two more teams? Why
not add another one?
Speaker 5 (26:05):
It seems like they're growing too fast, too much, too fast,
you know, too much too fast, like Rachel Greene says
and friends.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
Too much, too fast, here's cannot it can backfire.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
I feel like here's where I fix everything, right, give
me the This is not my idea, this is this
is what I'd like to say. There's three hundred and
fifty three teams playing in college basketball in D one. Okay,
so just start the season. We know, maybe you figure
out a way.
Speaker 4 (26:33):
I don't.
Speaker 1 (26:33):
I don't know where the math works, but you know,
one plays three fifty three and the winner of that
game goes on right, and then two plays three fifty two,
and you play one game a week, and you go
from three fifty three, you have that. You have it again,
you have it again. You had a nice two months
tournament there. You play one game a week, and everybody's
happy one. Everybody makes it. Everybody's it. One through one
(26:55):
to fifty three.
Speaker 5 (26:57):
I mean, it almost seems like the right way to
go about sixty four.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
One, eight, and then two fifty six. So in two
fifty six then it gets a little bit too it,
so you'd have to have okay, okay, so you'd have
the playing games or everybody from two fifty seven okay, okay,
three or or maybe you have one hundred and fifty
team playing tournament to get to one versus two fifty six,
(27:21):
because then you can go one place two fifty six,
two place two fifty five, and then you go all
the way through until you get to the two teams
that are left.
Speaker 5 (27:27):
You know that meme of that later, I think if
she might be an actress the meme and it's like
all of this equations around as she's trying to figure
it out.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
That's how I feel right now, Okays, as you're giving
me this picture, I'm just like.
Speaker 5 (27:39):
Going through all of these math problems that I'm like,
I don't know if we're solving the.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
Issue here, Jason, I thought you were gonna solve it.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
No, here's really solve it. No, here's where I really
solved it. That's what you think about it. They think
about the Russell Crowe beautiful mind. They're Matt Damon, you've
lost me. Yeah, okay, you lost me. I have never
been a fan of the last few years, and maybe
it's because you know, my team doesn't make the tournament anymore,
but I've never been a fan of so many mid
major tournaments in the NCAA tournament because they just don't
(28:08):
play the schedule that the big power conferences do.
Speaker 4 (28:11):
They choked right in mid majors.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Yeah, it's great to think that that and any given Saturday,
Team X can beat Team Y. Right, but you still
play the regular season to earn your way into the tournament.
And I'm sorry, somebody who wins the Horizon League at
twenty six and three is not as good as the
eighth best team in the ACC. They would go to
the ACC and be seven games under five hundred, right,
So I'm never there's too much push to get the
(28:35):
mid major teams in. So what I do is this, Hey,
I think you're doing the wrong thing. We don't get
sixty eight.
Speaker 4 (28:40):
Here's what we do.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
We have two NCAA tournaments. Right, you have the top,
the elite NCAA tournament that's made up of the ACC,
the Big Twelve, the Big East, and the Big Ten. Right,
thirty two teams in that NCAA tournament. You take the
top eight teams. You can take eight teams from each
of those conferences, right, all the Power all the power conferences. Right,
you take thirty two teams and that's your tournament. Then
(29:04):
you have another tournament that's the Mid Major Tournament, and
you take the best thirty two teams from the Mid
Major tournament, the teams that win their conferences, and then
you take the rest of the mid major teams and
they play their own tournament, and you have two tournaments
going on at once. You don't need the one big
bloated all kinds of all these teams that know, you
have the Mid Major Tournament and you and you have
the Elite Tournament, and you have the top level, you
(29:25):
have the Power five, the Power four, Power five winner,
and then you have the Mid Major Tournament. And there's
two champions. Everybody gets a chance to think I can
win the NCAA Championship. If you're a mid major team,
it's not exciting just to get it.
Speaker 4 (29:37):
We can win.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Now, we're winning the second tournament. We're winning the we
were winning the FCS version of it. That's the FBS
tournament that the Power five conferences are playing. But have
two tournaments, and you're gonna make it more than thirty
two teams if you want to. I just you know,
the bloating thing. You can have some playing and have
more of that. That's fine if you want to do that,
but have two tournaments. You have the big Power Conference,
(29:58):
the Big the A level tur tournament, and then you
have the FCS the mid major tournament, and everybody wins,
and you have two winners. And we can debate, Ah,
Wichita State would have killed Duke?
Speaker 4 (30:09):
Are you kidding?
Speaker 1 (30:09):
Duke would have killed with your time? If you want
you have two tournaments. There you go. Problem solved. I
don't know if that solves the problem, Jason, here, it does.
Speaker 5 (30:17):
I just solved it because that just points that to
the fact that you don't need that second tournament's gonna work.
Speaker 3 (30:24):
Say something there, for sure, they will you answer that,
but it's not.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
You have those games on the on the opposite nights
of the NCAA tournament, and you have basketball on every
single night. Right, you could still have the thirty two
the thirty two team tournaments Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Saturday, Sunday. Meanwhile,
the other tournaments could be Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.
Speaker 5 (30:45):
You just said that you're not a fan of mid
major teams going into that big field, right, you would
be watching that tournament.
Speaker 4 (30:51):
Oh sure, I'm happy with the mid majors having their
own champions. You're I'm happy with.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
That, but it proves it's just proving whateveryone's saying that.
It's like the field is already too big.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
Watch them on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and then you have
the end. You have the bigger tournament play Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
Speaker 5 (31:05):
And then are you gonna have the winner of the
B tournament play the winner of the A tournament.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
At the end?
Speaker 1 (31:13):
Yeah, I think it's too early to do the whole
meshing of the super Bowl, the AFL NFL thing, but
I would maybe even play the B tournament first. Hey,
you have the spotlight to yourselves when your tournament finishes,
then the other one starts.
Speaker 5 (31:25):
I just say it puts an emphasis on the fact
that it's like, you guys are not good enough to
play against these guys.
Speaker 4 (31:32):
They shouldn't. They shouldn't. The mid major shouldn't be playing
against power five teams. They don't.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
It's not that they're not good enough, it's that they
don't play the schedule that everybody else does.
Speaker 4 (31:41):
I'm sorry, do you know off.
Speaker 5 (31:42):
The top of your head, like has a mid major
team won the NCAA tournament.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
Well, Butler went to back to back right to get
to that was the big thing that was back in
the mid two thousands. Okay, well they did, and that's
where the whole mid major thing exploded.
Speaker 4 (31:56):
Hey, Butler gets there twice. Let's let more.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
Mid major teams and mid majors have made the Final
four before they've done this, right, So, okay, I get it,
but it's still it doesn't It doesn't match like you're
talking about one game.
Speaker 4 (32:06):
Anybody can win, right, anybody can.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
Okay, but prove over the course of the season that
your resume is better, and especially now that anybody with
the transfer ways things go with transfer portal.
Speaker 4 (32:17):
Hey, any anybody who's.
Speaker 1 (32:18):
Playing in a small mid playing in a mid major
is going to get a big offer from a bigger
school and.
Speaker 4 (32:23):
They're gonna leave.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
So now the mid majors aren't going to be as good,
even as good as they were, because all the good
players are going to get a chance to jump. If
I'm a great player at McNee State and I play
really really well, yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:38):
Yeah yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
If I'm playing at Nique State, if I'm playing in Miami,
Ohio and I have a really great year. Hey guess
what Michigan or U C l A Is going to say, Hey, no, no,
we want you here. We got nil money for you,
come here and come play, And that's going to make
that that's gonna make the.
Speaker 4 (32:53):
The mid majors even weaker. So it makes it makes
more sense that, Hey, that.
Speaker 3 (32:57):
Have already.
Speaker 5 (32:59):
I don't know, I don't know if I'm fully on board,
but you're selling it. You're selling it more and.
Speaker 4 (33:04):
More a salesman, that's what I am. I got skills just.
Speaker 5 (33:07):
Because I feel like what they're trying to do is
not show right that there is this big divide between
the power schools and they don't want you to think that.
By doing that, you're showing that, yes, there's too many people,
there's too many teams in the NCAA tournament as it is.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
Exit, how about a Fresca exit. Monsei belong as we
are solving problems here on a Thursday night I heard
of and Monzi's going to solve the problem of Hey,
what's trending in the wide world of sports?
Speaker 4 (33:31):
You have the answer?
Speaker 3 (33:32):
I do? I do?
Speaker 5 (33:33):
All of the games have wrapped up in a baseball
it looks like the Padres held on to defeat the
Diamondbacks four to three.
Speaker 3 (33:40):
Rangers took down the Angels in La eleven.
Speaker 5 (33:42):
To four, and the A's walked it off against the
Braves five to four.
Speaker 3 (33:46):
But for the A's, not just did they win.
Speaker 5 (33:50):
Mason Miller, their pitcher, recorded the fastest pitch of this
season one hundred and four miles per hour. Fastest pitch
of the season goes to Mason Miller and the A's
win at five to four against the Braves in eleven innings.
The Cardinals took down the Nationals eight to one. The
Red Sox came back to defeat the Race four to three.
Boston has not won seven in a row. The Yankees
(34:12):
were down five runs. In fact, Seattle had a no hitter, specifically,
their pitcher, Brian Wu a no hitter going into the
eighth inning against the Yankees. Jode Chisholm Junior broke that
no hitter up and then it was all Yankees from
that point on.
Speaker 3 (34:25):
They come back.
Speaker 5 (34:26):
They win it six to five on a sack fly
from Aaron Judge. In the tenth inning, Reds blank the
Marlins six zero. The Orioles took both of their games
and their doubleheader against the Mets, and the Cubs had
an eight to one win over the Twins in the NBA.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
Okay, so he's giving more money.
Speaker 5 (34:42):
They have agreed on a five year MAX extension worth
two hundred and eighty seven million with Jalen Williams also
in the NBA, but Pelicans ford IRB Joneses agreed to
a three year, sixty eight million dollar extension with the
franchise and a foul news Chargers running back Najie Harris
Apparently he's the state a superficial eye injury during a
fireworks mishap on the fourth of July, but is fully
(35:04):
expected to be ready for the upcoming season of the
NFL and the Scottish Open is happening in golf. Scotti
Scheffler is three under Rory McElroy, two under Becepstraca Jake Knapp.
They share the lead at the Scottish Open of one
six hundred par overall. First round play rapped up back
to us.
Speaker 1 (35:22):
Thank you Monte Jess Coming up next. Cooper flags NBA debut. Yes,
he hoisted twenty one shots in thirty two minutes and
didn't make most of them. It doesn't matter. Wait did
we tell you how impressive he was tonight. That's next
right here, Jason Smith Monsey in for Mike Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific, Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (35:51):
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon. Moncey Bolango's in
for Harmon Tonight. Whew, and we watched the debut. It
isn't new, the debut of Cooper flag into the NBA
Tonight Summer League against the Lakers. They win by a bucket.
Not quite the ending that we thought we were gonna get.
(36:13):
Browny misses a shot that could have won the game
for the Lakers. But tonight Cooper Flagg's debut for the Mavericks.
Ten points in thirty two minutes, twenty one shots in
those thirty two minutes, five makes right, five for twenty one,
ten points, six rebounds for assists. Afterwards, Mavericks talked about
(36:36):
the winning plays that he made and here's Cooper Flagg
his debut. Okay, not a great night, you know, five
for twenty one from the floor. That doesn't matter.
Speaker 4 (36:44):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
If there was any question anybody had about Cooper Flag
coming into this, and my question was, Okay, is his
speed going to be up like the speed he plays
the game, is that going to run into any sort
of difficulty.
Speaker 4 (36:58):
Clearly wasn't the.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
Case tonight, right, So I was able to make plays
athletically get out. He was incredibly aggressive. I love the
fact that he took twenty one shots and you know
he missed. Okay, that happens, right, But he had some
really nice makes as well. He almost had an incredible
dunk that would have been the first posterization of his
NBA career. You watch him on the court tonight, and
sometimes it's just an eye test and I watch him
(37:21):
on the court and I go, yeah, that's the best
player on the court. Yeah, And there's no doubt in
my mind he is the number one option for the
Mavericks opening nights. Not going to be a case of
he's going to get into the league a little bit slow,
or maybe he's a complimentary player, maybe he's a Scottie Pippen.
You watch him on the court, just watch it, go Yep,
that's the best guy. He's the number one, especially with
(37:42):
Ad being a low post player and Kyrie Irving being
out for the first four months of the year. Most likely,
he's probably not going to come back to the end
of the year. A Cooper Flag is going to be
the guy from the jump with Dallas, He's gonna be
the guy. Hey, get the ball to him, get him
the shots. They want to excel rate his growth. At
the same time, he's going to be the number one
(38:04):
option on the Mavericks opening night and that's going to
be his NBA career. Just watching him tonight, you go, yeah,
he fits. He looks like he fits already. He already
is able to back down smaller, better defensive players and
turn around and get a jumper over them. All right,
you want to throw a bigger player at him, he's
going to go around them because he's got the speed
to do that. Like, he's going to be everything that
(38:24):
you expect. And I know they wanted to tamp down
expectations because.
Speaker 4 (38:27):
Well, all right, here he is. He's new in the game.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
He's only had one years, you know, nineteen eighteen, nineteen
years old. No, you could tell right away he's the
best guy on the floor. And that's how it's going
to be the opening night for the Mavericks.
Speaker 5 (38:38):
Yeah, you said it. Exactly right. He passed the eye
test immediately. His buckets weren't falling, his shot was not falling,
but in reality, you felt his presence on the floor.
The Lakers were winning a majority of the game until
the end, and it was really because of his defensive abilities.
He had a nice block off the transition with like
a minute to Goo that led to a Ryan yes
(39:01):
brother of the other and Nemhard from the Pacers. Ryan Emhard,
who then hit a three, ended up being the game
winning bucket, but that happened because of Cooper Flag's transition
defense that led to a block and he shot out
the ball and they got the win. So even though
his shot was not falling, you felt his presence. Like
you said, it didn't matter who was guarding in give
(39:22):
it up to Bronni because in the second quarter Bronny,
who was what like five inches shorter than him, was
guardian Cooper Flag and held his own.
Speaker 3 (39:30):
But Cooper Flag is obviously much much taller. But no,
he's he is ready for the NBA right now.
Speaker 5 (39:36):
And the fact that he played thirty plus minutes in
the Summer League, like, I like that. I liked everything
that I saw.
Speaker 1 (39:43):
Yeah, this is not we're gonna we're going to make
a decision. Okay, you'll play a handful of mats here.
It's been a big one. No, no, no, and just shoot
go shoot man.
Speaker 5 (39:55):
And then they went and again because of his transition
defense in that moment, because the Lakers were up the
whole pretty much the whole game by a few points
here and there, but they were up. And then at
the end, it was when Cooper Flag was like, oh,
there's one minute to go, I gotta do something. Let
me go block this right now.
Speaker 4 (40:09):
Yeah. I mean, there's so many ways he can have it.
Speaker 3 (40:11):
Can be effective.
Speaker 1 (40:12):
There's so many ways you can do it defensively, rebounding, passing,
being able to pad the pass, the pass he's going
to be able to complete across the court because of
his vision and his power, Like there's no reason to tamp.
Speaker 4 (40:23):
There's a reason why he was a number one.
Speaker 1 (40:25):
Overall pick for a reason, and he was the best
guy we've seen in a few years. He's transcendent. Then
he's the number one option on the Mavericks beginning opening night.
That's eighteen coming up next, a Tom Brady story.
Speaker 4 (40:38):
I never thought we'd do. Fox
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
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 Harmon at Fox Sports
Radio dot com, or stream us live every night on
the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR give this you're listening.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
To Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Anios.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Hello, Welcome in Side hour three the Jason Smith Show
with my bes friend Mike Harmon. He is out tonight,
Monsey Belangos. My second base friend is in true ass
man and not no Hobo night. No, it is a
no Hobo night, no hobo, and a no bathroom night
here at Fox Sports Radio as well.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
I'm about to go to Poyo Loco. I know it's
closer than going to the fifth floor.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
We walked into work tonight. All the bathrooms are unavailable,
Well mean unavailable? What do you mean the bathrooms are unavailable?
He used the bathrooms. I got to be like Rob Parker.
I gotta go back to a Poyo Loco after I
bought dinner there at three hours ago.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
At least you bought dinner about to walk in there.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
Oh yeah, well here's the thing.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Well, yeah, well you know what, And now I should
say this because here I got to thank Rob Parker
because he and I have this have this thing that
we talk about a lot. And I because he goes
to he and I both eat Ayloko, right, I love
ay Loko.
Speaker 5 (01:28):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
It's a it's a big it's a big chicken kind
of fast food. But the chicken is so good, Jerry.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
I love the chicken, Jerry.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
And it's a you know, kind of a fast food
Mexican restaurant.
Speaker 4 (01:38):
And it's about I don't.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Know, but.
Speaker 4 (01:42):
Fifty yards away. Yeah, yeah, not even block away.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
And Rob goes and gets something before the show and
comes brings it back to the studio, eats it, and
then before he leaves, you know, after a show is over,
he goes back and refills his drake because it's a
free refill play.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
And I said, Rob, you can't. I said, this is
why we have inflation, man.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Because you you're leaving and going back two hours later
just because you have the cup, You're going in to
get a refill. And he got he only said he goes,
I've found a law. Jason, I said, what do you mean.
I've found a law. It says it's not three hundred
feet from one. If you know, move three hundred feet
from where you are when you leave the restaurant, you
can go back in. I said, okay, goes, ask me
(02:24):
how long it is from right here to a boil?
Speaker 4 (02:26):
Look, I go, how long? Three hundred feet?
Speaker 3 (02:29):
No, I he made that up. He made that up, Monsie.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
Oh my goodness, of course he made that up.
Speaker 5 (02:35):
Jason.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
No.
Speaker 4 (02:36):
But here's the thing is, I went there to eat tonight,
so I have an up. So here's the thing. If
you need to use the bathroom.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
I'm gonna walk in with your car. I can give
you this cup. Please, get me a refill and go
go in refill. I actually go to the bathroom first, then.
Speaker 4 (02:49):
Get a refill.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Yeah, yes, although I'm not crazy about you bring it
into the bathroom. Yeah, there's okay. You'll figure smart.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
You'll figure out.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
So refill on the soda bathroom and come back. Then
when I need to go to the bao, I'll bring
this back, refill and come back.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
You look at us getting all this soda.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Sure you go, Rob Parker, thank you for that idea.
I didn't think i'd get to use that. Now I'm
gonna go back and say done, say Rob Parker, so
I can come back and get a refall. Oh, by
the way, what's a combo to the bathroom?
Speaker 4 (03:13):
Please? Thank you? One, two, three, four five, thank you?
Speaker 5 (03:15):
You're gonna be like is that that man that always
comes back three hours later, three.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Times a week? Yes, that is exactly him, ma'am.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
So really quick, a little bit more on the Lebron
story before we get to the NCAA tournament. Is that Look,
it's going to happen, right, There's so many bits of
evidence that are pointing to Lebron's unhappiness with the Lakers,
and and just the signs he wants to throw out there. Oh,
I'm wearing a welcome home hat all around Cleveland. Oh
it's not a message, it's my new company. Oh right,
(03:43):
because you knew that wearing a welcome home hat. I
didn't know there was going to start such a controversy.
Come on, Lebron, Like he thinks we're stupid, right, Like
he thinks we're stupid. Of course, wearing a welcome home
mat working out on the fourth of July at the Cavaliers, practicability,
not sending Deondre eight, and to welcome to the Lakers
text of itself, all these things, okay, but when they're
all together, you know he's not happy. And it's just
(04:05):
right now, it's it's an escalation of the game he's
playing with the Lakers. The Lakers want him to ask
for a trade. He wants the Lakers to say, we're
gonna trade you. They're all fed, they're fed there. The
Lakers are saying, we'll play this out. We are daring
you to ask for a trade. You opted in for
fifty two million dollars. That screws us from going out
and getting other players that we really want to put
around Luca. So now we're gonna wait, We're gonna dare
(04:26):
you to ask. We're gonna do so many things, just
dare you to say, Okay, okay, you guys win, trade
me away and trade me back to Cleveland, which is
where he's gonna want to go.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
And you know what the Lakers are gonna do, not
trade them to Cleveland.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Well, he's got the note trade. So he's him and
Bradley Beal. Well, Bradley Beal the only one.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
The Lakers still have a lot of leverage.
Speaker 5 (04:45):
They do have a lot of leverage because it's like, what,
what does a new ownership have loyalty wise to Lebron?
Speaker 4 (04:52):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (04:52):
No, they are not big fed zero right, So if
the Lakers wanted to play hardball, they absolutely can't. It's like, okay,
you want to trade, great, so we're gonna trade you
to the Knicks. Nicks have always been I feel like
a team that people are floating around that Lebron could
go to.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
Well, he's always wanted to play it.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
He's always wanted to, so that's one.
Speaker 5 (05:11):
You know, people want to float the Mavericks just for
funzies make a trade there, and uh, I feel like
the Lakers could do that. Once he says trade me, obviously,
I agree Cleveland is the only team, the only team
he could go to to kind of wrap up.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
His career because what have you done for me lately?
Speaker 5 (05:30):
When you think about Lebron, like the last couple of
years of his career, it's been underwhelming. You could even
argue going to the Lakers was not a great decision
for him. But if he goes back to Cleveland, even if,
like you said, even if he doesn't win it wraps
up the career and it leaves you with a positive
opinion of Lebron.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
If he goes somewhere else, then his thoughts he can't
do it.
Speaker 5 (05:57):
But if he's thinking that he could still be a
number one and that he can actually take a team
in the playoffs, like you said in the last hour,
if you missed it, you got to turn it into
the podcast. Like you said, he thinks that once you
get to the playoffs, it's him that's gonna drive you,
take you to the championship.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Then, like you, he's he has a.
Speaker 5 (06:16):
Misconception of what he's capable of doing in his age
right now.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
Yeah, and to think that, Okay, there's other out there's
other place from DeLand. Now, I think there's a reason
why what you're seeing is happening in Cleveland, right He's not. Oh,
I'm just in New York taking in Broadway plays, wearing
a welcome Home hat or wearing an I Love New
York shirt you can buy on the corner for like
two ninety nine.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
No, I've just.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Happened to be in New York. Why are you working
out at Madison Square Guard? And I've always loved Madison
Square Guard.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
It doesn't matter. Not there's a reason why.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
He's like, he wants, Okay, this is where you're gonna
send me, and this is where it's gonna work. And yes,
it does get difficult. He think it can't get difficult.
Just go to the NBA trade machine on ESPN and
try to put into Lebron James trade to Cleveland, and
you get rejected every single time.
Speaker 4 (06:59):
Right, Oh, it's not working, not working, not.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Where, he seriously, and they explain it to you too,
Like I love how in depth they get with why
the Lebron Okay, this trade won't work, right, Like Lebron
James traded for Evan Mobley won't work because okay, you
got to add a player here and do this now
the trades for Lebron. The Cavaliers are not going to
want to trade so many players away to get Lebron in.
They know they're gonna have to give something up and
(07:23):
to make it work, it's probably going to have to
be centered around potentially Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, something else.
But the Lakers would also give something else back. Dalton connect.
I'm sure they would wind up giving him bag. We'll
get you and Bronny and Dalton connect, so it would
be the Lakers get The Lakers would get a really
good player, right, and these are the guys that the
(07:45):
salaries are closest to make a match in Mobley and Garland,
but they would get stuff back. The Lakers have to
overpay a little bit to move on from Lebron, but
this can happen. It can also happen if you involve
a third team or a fourth team. And I'm sure
if Lebron is like, no, involve eighteen because I want
to be involved in the biggest trade ever. I don't
want KD and the seven team to be the most.
I want to be get ten teams involved. I want
(08:06):
ten teams involved.
Speaker 5 (08:07):
So you can add that to his list of accomplishments
in his argument, than j I was.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
Involved in the biggest trade ever. Make it happen, make
it out so you can do it. Yes, it's difficult,
but it's not impossible. The big question is going to be, Okay,
how badly do the Cavaliers.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
Want Lebron James right?
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Do they want him bad enough to say, okay, we're
okay with partying with Evan Moble, who's a terrific young player,
or potentially Garland and something else, a couple of pieces
out of their rotation, like how much do you think
you're close enough to him winning? And this is where
I'm sure Lebron is going to back channel the hell
out of this, and the Cavaliers have to sit back
and say, Okay, we had this rotation a year ago,
(08:48):
and it's not like we came one game shot, like
we lost in Game seven of the NBA Finals. We
got ushered out of the playoffs after a huge regular
season where the best team in the conference, with the
best offense, we got ushered out by the Pacers and
it wasn't even a competitive series really. So I think
if you're the Cavaliers, they're a little bit closer to
saying let's go for it with Lebron than they ever
(09:09):
would be, because if Lebron goes back there, it's not
gonna be a one.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
And done year.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Lebron clearly has more than one year left. I'm sure
he would get there, he would rip up his contract.
It would be a two year deal or a year
in an option, because he looks like he could probably
play at this kind of level for another two or
three years. I don't see him he's not at a
falling off the cliff part. He's still a top tennis
player in the league. Now he's someone that gets his
you know, he doesn't make his teammates better like he
(09:35):
used to, but he's someone that now doesn't need to.
He can just fit in and be the go to guy,
and his leadership and his experience will take the pressure
off of all of the younger players. He's gonna say,
I want a guy like Donovan Mitchell to be to
be the number one on this team. He can go
to a new destination and play that out and it
would work. He can't do what the Lakers because the
(09:56):
Lakers are saying, well, we're just basically demoting.
Speaker 4 (09:58):
You, right, but it's not even a demotion.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
He's just taking it that way.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Well, no, because it's no longer it's kind of demotion
because the team is no longer run around him. It's
run around Luca and we really don't care what you
have to say about things anyway.
Speaker 5 (10:11):
He should be like, yes, understandably, so Luka Danci is
twenty what four twenty five, Like it's like, yes, you
can look.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
At it as a demotion, when in reality, it's.
Speaker 5 (10:23):
Like Lebron, it's the Lakers, and you can be here happy.
But you're making it. You're making it more complicated than
it needs to be. You know, he knew that they
were acquiring Luca. He was a part of that. He
got he gave the okay. So the minute he gave
the okay for Luca, what was he expecting.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
That it was still his team? No, you're no man.
Speaker 6 (10:43):
He's expecting to walk in and go yes. But I'm
Lebron James, and it's great. I'm Lebron James. You can
stay here, you can finish your career as a Laker.
But obviously Luca is the future. Like I don't know
why he's being so silly about it, but I'm like,
I'm looking at the Cavaliers roster.
Speaker 5 (10:57):
Yeah. No, it has to be something around Evan Mobley
because the Lakers need some sort of power forward.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Oh yeah, Mobley would fit great, but they would be
so the Lakers are so desperate they have to move
on from and to try to and I And the
thing is is that I don't know there's anybody that's
untouchable on the team outside of Luca. Because the Lakers
want to build around him. Is Austin Reeves the best
guy to build around Luca with. I mean maybe maybe
not so I think Austin Reeves is someone that Hey,
(11:26):
and of course he denied the contract extension this offseason,
you can make more next offseason. Lakers may say, well,
this is the last year with Austin Reeves. We can
maybe sweeten it with Austin Reeves in a deal for
this as well. So they want to build around and
I guarantee you they have their guys, like they know
the one or two guys that are gonna be the
one A or the one B that they're gonna go say, Okay,
(11:47):
we can make these trades to bring this in, but
we can't do it until we move on from Lebron.
So yeah, okay, is Darius Carland is great a fit?
Is Evan Mobley? No, especially with Darius Carland position he
plays and what's going But if they move other players
out and they're remaking this team around Luca, they'll do
that and in the rest of this offseason, and that's
what really jumpstart the trade season and potentially maybe everybody's
(12:10):
waiting for the Lakers to figure out Lebron James.
Speaker 4 (12:12):
But if you're looking at.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
The Lakers, there's only one guy on the roster that
that you then you're gonna keep that you're building, right,
and that's Luca. Everybody else is expendable to bring in
what you think you need to win based around Luca
being your franchise player for the next decade.
Speaker 5 (12:27):
So what if the Lakers are looking at their roster
right now and like you just said, Luca is the
only one that is the one they're not willing to
part ways with ever. Making all of these moves now
is kind of risky. It's like, don't you want to
see what DeAndre Ayton does? Because that's why I'm wondering
if they hold on to Lebron just to see how
it goes with DeAndre.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
Eight Well, here's the thing.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
I think Ayton is a guy that they that they
look at and said, all right, Ayton can come in
and work. But you saw him already say how excited
he is to play with Luca. He loves Luca. Look
the same draft class Luca Knee, someone like that. We
know he needs the big lawn warner, the lob guy
to go out the back. So DeAndre Ayton works for
the Lakers. Well, now it's a risk, but in theory
(13:09):
it could work whether you have Lebron or not. So
it's not like, Okay, so DeAndre Ayton's still going to
be that big there and they'll fit. They'll figure other
stuff out of the front court if they need to,
because they will. But like, this is not a move
that's made. Okay, our team is going to be this
year Luca and Lebron and Reeves and now Ayton comes
in like Eighton's a move that we made that for
Luca one hundred percent.
Speaker 5 (13:30):
But I guess what I'm saying is like, since it
is such a risk with with DeAndre Eaton, which I understand,
and I hear what you're saying, that I.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
Should work and it could could work.
Speaker 5 (13:37):
But if it doesn't and you hold Lebron, then you
can use Lebron to get a different player that you
weren't planning for once you realize that Ayton is not
like his personality isn't going to work here.
Speaker 4 (13:48):
Karl Anthony Town, Yes, yeah, Karl Anthony.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Town, perfectly. That's a perfect example.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
I'll throw it in nob as well or Bridges. Yeah,
I'll take Austin Reeves back again.
Speaker 4 (13:57):
I'm good. I'm good.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
Yeah, I'll make that trade I get I'll get in
the NBA trade machine and make what happen.
Speaker 5 (14:01):
So you would take DeAndre Ayton, Austin Reeves and Lebron
James and Lebron for Karl Anthony Towns and Micl Bridges.
Speaker 4 (14:11):
Uh yeah, I would do that.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
Sure, Yeah, I think you have to throw another one
in that I do.
Speaker 4 (14:15):
I do that.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
Now Ayton can't get traded because he just got signed.
But I but I would take that. I would do
You would take that?
Speaker 5 (14:21):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (14:21):
Sure?
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Yeah, you know what I'm saying, Like the Lakers might
want to wait and see see if what they have
envisioned is actually going to come to life.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
Yeah, okay, but Lebron's not a guy you're going to
trade at the deadline, right, Like Lebron is a guy
you're going to trade so you can plan out for
stuff for the year. Like Lebron's not Kadi where he's
going to walk in. All I need to do is
just give me the ball when you need to, and
I'm just going to be a scorer. Like Lebron needs
to handle the ball. He needs to be able to
score when he needs to, and he needs to be
able to play off the ball like you need time
(14:52):
to to integrate him into what your offensive philosophy is,
where as a guy like KD, he's just playing, go shoot,
go do your thing, like the KD with the rocket's
gonna be here. You go shoot it.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
Go ahead, here you go shoot, I'll.
Speaker 4 (15:05):
Pass it back to you. No, No, I'm good. I
passed to you. You're good.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
You're good. Fred Bavevliet's gonna say, I'm good. I'm cashing checks.
I passed to you. Go ahead, KD, You're all good.
Like it would take longer time, which is why the
Lebron trade now closer than we've ever been.
Speaker 5 (15:18):
I can just envision like KD throwing the ball to
the rocket at whatever rocket and the rocket just throws
it back.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
To yeah, like a potato, and you just envision no,
you you go, you go.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Yeah, like in teen Wolf when they just passed it
to Michael J. Fox as the wolf and they watch
them just dribble a rout and score.
Speaker 4 (15:33):
Here you go go ahead, go do it, go do it. KD.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
Good, good exit out about a Fresca exit, Monzie blagya.
All right, So great discussion on Lebron. I'm telling you
that's how close we are, That's how it can make
it happen. I've told you from the beginning, Lebron back
to Cleveland. Look where we are. But coming up next, No,
there's been no expansion for the NCAA tournament yet. We'll
(15:56):
tell you why it's gonna happen and what the best
tournament could possible. That's next right here, Jason Smith, Monzi
Belogno's Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 7 (16:18):
Hey what's up everybody? It's me three time pro bowler
LeVar Arrington and I couldn't be more excited to announce
a podcast called Up on Game?
Speaker 4 (16:27):
What is Up on Game?
Speaker 7 (16:28):
You ass along with my fellow pro bowler TJ. Huschman,
Zada and Super Bowl champion Yup. That's right, Plexico Burus.
You can only name a show with that type of
talent on it.
Speaker 5 (16:39):
Up on Game.
Speaker 7 (16:40):
We're going to be sharing our real life experiences loaded
with teachable moments. Listen to Up on Game with Me
LeVar Arrington, TJ. Hutschman, Zada, and Plexico Burrs on the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
From Fox Sports Radio, the Jason Smith Show with Mancia Bolanos,
and from Mike Harmon.
Speaker 4 (17:04):
It's a no Hobo week here on the show. No Hobo,
no Hobo, No Hobo Harmon.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Though I did text with him today, he is very
upset he missed lee Ilia Knight playing Omas lee Ilia
being Chicago guy and the big Rant day.
Speaker 4 (17:20):
He is very upset he missed. He missed lee Ilia,
very upset.
Speaker 5 (17:24):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
Now, look before we get into the NHR, we're gonna
get into Cooper Flag coming up in about twenty minutes.
His big NBA debut tonight. It did not disappoint. I
don't care that he missed a thousand shots. But the
Laker you know, Night one in Vegas for the Lakers
and Bronni and been playing against Dallas, the big Marque
game of the night. Uh, Bronny missing the game winning
(17:47):
shot in the final seconds of the game. He still
had a pretty good game overall, right, like I thought so.
And the thing to remember about Bronni is to have
realistic expectations, right, and that's what it's like. Obviously, is
Lebron's kid, and everybody who has an opinion of Bronnie
is like, oh, he's no good. He's not as good
as his dad's. No, of course he's not as good
(18:07):
as his dad. Of course that happens. But Bronni, to beast,
this is a huge year for him because what Bronni
needs to do is to be able to show that, hey,
I can be a rotation guy. I can be the
eighth guy, ninth guys when the second unit comes in,
I'm coming in and I can be real because look,
you can win championships with really good guys and your rotation. Right,
(18:28):
Like we talked about the Cavaliers having the best offense
in the NBA last year, they had nine guys that
could score coming right, you talk about the first four
off the bench of them. Now, that's not who Bronny's
gonna be. Bronni's going to be a guy, and honestly,
his ceiling is going to be. Hey, as a rotation guy,
he can score a little bit, he can defend a
little bit more, he can pass a little bit, he
(18:49):
can rebound a little bit. Someone who comes in that's
not gonna hurt the team that can hold the fort,
hold the lead, maybe expand on the lead by a
little bit. And that's really who Bronni is. And so
far the first couple of games, he's shown that, Yeah,
I can do that in limited minutes.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
Seah, I can do it.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
He's not gonna ever play twenty five thirty minutes a game.
Thirty five minutes a game, but this is a big year,
especially if Lebron winds up getting traded, because then all
of a sudden, your safety net has gone. But you
have to show that you can be that guy. And
I don't doubt that that's a guy Lebron. He can
be great basketball IQ, just someone who when you realize, okay,
that's what the ceiling is. That's what Bronni breaking into
(19:26):
the league is gonna be as a second round pick. Okay,
that's attainable for him. He can be that guy. And
if he has a good summer league, in a good preseason,
he will get a bigger role with the Lakers because
everything is open for the Lakers, right they saw, Hey,
it wasn't good enough last year. Some guys who were
getting minutes didn't work well enough, specially in the playoffs.
He wound up losing Bronni got a little bit of
minutes here and there, but if he shows growth, guess what,
(19:48):
he's gonna play more. He's gonna play more in the
first half, He's gonna play more in the or beginning
part of the fourth quarter, and he will be a
more regular part of the Lakers rotation. He can do that,
but he's got to show it now. It's gonna be
another year of okay, he's just not ready. He's gonna
be up and down with the G League. He's not
gonna play that much yet. We don't feel the need
to play him as much because Lebron is not someone
(20:08):
where cow towing to anymore. So he's got it. He
knows I have to stand on my own right now.
If I don't stand on my own right now, I'm
looking at the next team or somewhere else. Lakers are
gonna let me go and I play overseas, or I'm
gonna come back and be in the G League. Like
he know this is brown. He's tied, like he's gotta
do it now, and so far okay. In the summer league.
Speaker 5 (20:28):
Yeah, it seems like his game is translating a little
bit better now with maybe a year under his bell
playing in the G League, because I what I saw
when I saw him, you know, covering Cooper Flagg today
playing defense on him.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
He had a nice step back against him. It looked good.
Speaker 5 (20:43):
There were moments where you're like, hey, he can be
a good role player. Are we thinking like like TJ McConnell,
like off the bench.
Speaker 4 (20:50):
Oh, I know about that. He's not gonna be instant offense.
TJ mcconnells.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
He before he gets tired after seventeen minutes, just can't
do it anymore.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
It's gonna be a couple of minutes.
Speaker 5 (21:00):
But like you said, he come off the bench, give
you a few couple of points, consistent points, play some defense.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
It's translating a little bit more and more.
Speaker 5 (21:08):
But yeah, Cooper Flagg was just shockingly already ready for
the NBA.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
That's what it looked like. Yeah at a.
Speaker 5 (21:16):
Nineteen year as a nineteen year old who looks like it,
just doesn't play like it. Ye, he definitely from top
to bottom, was competitive, was aggressive, had a nice dunk,
had a nice block, had a nice transition defense, did
to shoot the ball as well.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
But like you said, you don't care.
Speaker 5 (21:31):
I want you to be aggressive especially as your debut
Summer League, and we can't even you can even say
maybe a little bit of.
Speaker 3 (21:36):
Nerves, right, excitement that goes for anybody, for anybody.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
You know, you doing the show. That's the first time
with me.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Very nervous, very nervous. You were stilling stuff everywhere, no idea,
you were doing shots between segments. Some of it was tequila,
who was something else? Still the green stuff. You said,
oh you got to try the green stuff, Michel secret stuff.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
Stop Stop. But yeah, no, I I.
Speaker 5 (21:59):
Think Bronnie, you know, thinking about like Lebron and the
Lakers and Bronnie, it's like, yeah, maybe maybe Lebron leaving
the Lakers is exactly what Bronnie needs to continue a
career with the Lakers.
Speaker 4 (22:12):
Yeah, it's good to be Hey, it's sink or swim.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
You got you really at the show, got a show
and that's a huge time now for Bronnie.
Speaker 4 (22:18):
And he had a big highlight to hit a big
step back over the game. He's fine so far.
Speaker 3 (22:23):
He looked.
Speaker 5 (22:24):
He looked better than I thought I was gonna see
for for his matchup that they kept, you know, pinning
up against Cooper Flag.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Now we'll have more on flag coming up in a
few minutes, because I don't know if people understand just
how impressive he was tonight. But uh, no expansion yet
for the NCAA tournament, right, and we know we're going
to get an expansion in college football and college basketball.
Speaker 4 (22:44):
It's inevitable, right, We're gonna get it.
Speaker 1 (22:46):
The quote today out of the out of the meetings
was that, hey, everything is on the table to keep
the tournament at where we're at right now, to go
to seventy two teams, to go to seventy six teams,
all of that is on the table now. Eventually, what's
gonna happen is this before I get to my even
better idea, They're gonna go to seventy two. Right, It's
gonna happen because it's going to make and every person
(23:08):
you listen to is saying the same thing, and they're right.
It's all about Television's about television Televionah, of course it's
about television, right course, it is about television ratings, revenue,
and going to seventy two teams is going to allow
the nca Tournament to basically own the entire week only
with one night of no college basketball, which is that
Monday night right selection Sunday, no game Monday, and then
(23:31):
what happens on Tuesday Wednesday, an entire primetime window that
looks like what we see on Thursday and Friday.
Speaker 4 (23:40):
We would get we would.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
Get eight teams in the primetime window on Tuesday, eight
teams in the primetime window on Wednesday. It would just
start at seven o'clock or eight o'clock on the East Coast.
But that's basically what happens on Thursday and Friday. We
get the game starting at noon Eastern all the way through,
and then you get four late games right, four games
in the prime time window and later that's what we'll get,
and the NCAA can push that as it's the week
(24:05):
of the NCAA tournament and we have prime time programming
available to you four days out of five. Of course
that's gonna happen because of that. It makes sense. And
if they go to seventy two and it works, it'll
allow them to go to seventy six at some point.
If they go to seventy six and for some reason
it doesn't work, well I can't believe it's ever going.
But if it doesn't work, you can't really go back,
all right, we warning back seventy two, but go to
(24:25):
seventy two and then okay, if that works, well, why
not seventy six?
Speaker 4 (24:29):
Why why not get it?
Speaker 1 (24:30):
Why?
Speaker 3 (24:30):
Why why not?
Speaker 5 (24:31):
Head?
Speaker 4 (24:31):
Yeah, why not seventy seven and a half? Why not
do that?
Speaker 1 (24:35):
So it's gonna it's gonna happen. It will, they will,
they will figure things out. Right now, this is every
conference going, okay, how does this work? How does this
help me? How can I help my conference? How do
I help what I'm doing best? Everybody wants their piece
of the pie. If there's this talk about expansion, how
can help my conference the most? And maybe nothing comes
of it, and it's just we we wind up going
(24:55):
to seventy two teams. But that's kind of where things.
Speaker 4 (24:58):
Are right now.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
Everybody's gonna come around to the idea, which I'm sure
they will. There might be some holdouts, so we're gonna say, well,
maybe if you guarantee that it's going to be a
Power five conference to get an extra birth or whatever.
Everybody's trying to figure out what can I guse? Just
like politics, where hey we need this bill signed. All right,
well I want this in the bill, and you get
my yes.
Speaker 4 (25:15):
Vote right.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
We just saw the big beautiful bill thing you got.
You put this in, you got my vote, put this in,
you put this in, you put this in. So that's
kind of what's happening right now. Eventually, by the time
when when it comes down to it and it's got
to be, we sign on it. We'll get a seventy
two team tournament for this April. It will happen this April.
Speaker 4 (25:31):
We'll get it.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
Yeah, this April twenty twenty six, we'll be playing a
seventy two team NCAA tournament.
Speaker 5 (25:37):
I mean, it just seems like you're figuring it out
right now with the sixty eight team. You already want
to expand it. I know it's going in that direction.
I know that you're not wrong, but it's like you're
still if sixty eight is not enough, wasn't enough, seventy two.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Is not gonna be in?
Speaker 4 (25:54):
No, seventy six go to ninety six.
Speaker 5 (25:57):
It's every single time there's gonna be those teams that
are on the fringe of making it.
Speaker 3 (26:01):
Why not and why not add two more teams? Why
not add another one?
Speaker 5 (26:05):
It seems like they're growing too fast, too much, too fast,
you know, too much too fast, like Rachel Greene says
and friends.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
Too much, too fast, here's cannot it can backfire.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
I feel like here's where I fix everything, right, give
me the This is not my idea, this is this
is what I'd like to say. There's three hundred and
fifty three teams playing in college basketball in D one. Okay,
so just start the season. We know, maybe you figure
out a way.
Speaker 4 (26:33):
I don't.
Speaker 1 (26:33):
I don't know where the math works, but you know,
one plays three fifty three and the winner of that
game goes on right, and then two plays three fifty two,
and you play one game a week, and you go
from three fifty three, you have that. You have it again,
you have it again. You had a nice two months
tournament there. You play one game a week, and everybody's
happy one. Everybody makes it. Everybody's it. One through one
(26:55):
to fifty three.
Speaker 5 (26:57):
I mean, it almost seems like the right way to
go about sixty four.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
One, eight, and then two fifty six. So in two
fifty six then it gets a little bit too it,
so you'd have to have okay, okay, so you'd have
the playing games or everybody from two fifty seven okay, okay,
three or or maybe you have one hundred and fifty
team playing tournament to get to one versus two fifty six,
(27:21):
because then you can go one place two fifty six,
two place two fifty five, and then you go all
the way through until you get to the two teams
that are left.
Speaker 5 (27:27):
You know that meme of that later, I think if
she might be an actress the meme and it's like
all of this equations around as she's trying to figure
it out.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
That's how I feel right now, Okays, as you're giving
me this picture, I'm just like.
Speaker 5 (27:39):
Going through all of these math problems that I'm like,
I don't know if we're solving the.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
Issue here, Jason, I thought you were gonna solve it.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
No, here's really solve it. No, here's where I really
solved it. That's what you think about it. They think
about the Russell Crowe beautiful mind. They're Matt Damon, you've
lost me. Yeah, okay, you lost me. I have never
been a fan of the last few years, and maybe
it's because you know, my team doesn't make the tournament anymore,
but I've never been a fan of so many mid
major tournaments in the NCAA tournament because they just don't
(28:08):
play the schedule that the big power conferences do.
Speaker 4 (28:11):
They choked right in mid majors.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Yeah, it's great to think that that and any given Saturday,
Team X can beat Team Y. Right, but you still
play the regular season to earn your way into the tournament.
And I'm sorry, somebody who wins the Horizon League at
twenty six and three is not as good as the
eighth best team in the ACC. They would go to
the ACC and be seven games under five hundred, right,
So I'm never there's too much push to get the
(28:35):
mid major teams in. So what I do is this, Hey,
I think you're doing the wrong thing. We don't get
sixty eight.
Speaker 4 (28:40):
Here's what we do.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
We have two NCAA tournaments. Right, you have the top,
the elite NCAA tournament that's made up of the ACC,
the Big Twelve, the Big East, and the Big Ten. Right,
thirty two teams in that NCAA tournament. You take the
top eight teams. You can take eight teams from each
of those conferences, right, all the Power all the power conferences. Right,
you take thirty two teams and that's your tournament. Then
(29:04):
you have another tournament that's the Mid Major Tournament, and
you take the best thirty two teams from the Mid
Major tournament, the teams that win their conferences, and then
you take the rest of the mid major teams and
they play their own tournament, and you have two tournaments
going on at once. You don't need the one big
bloated all kinds of all these teams that know, you
have the Mid Major Tournament and you and you have
the Elite Tournament, and you have the top level, you
(29:25):
have the Power five, the Power four, Power five winner,
and then you have the Mid Major Tournament. And there's
two champions. Everybody gets a chance to think I can
win the NCAA Championship. If you're a mid major team,
it's not exciting just to get it.
Speaker 4 (29:37):
We can win.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Now, we're winning the second tournament. We're winning the we
were winning the FCS version of it. That's the FBS
tournament that the Power five conferences are playing. But have
two tournaments, and you're gonna make it more than thirty
two teams if you want to. I just you know,
the bloating thing. You can have some playing and have
more of that. That's fine if you want to do that,
but have two tournaments. You have the big Power Conference,
(29:58):
the Big the A level tur tournament, and then you
have the FCS the mid major tournament, and everybody wins,
and you have two winners. And we can debate, Ah,
Wichita State would have killed Duke?
Speaker 4 (30:09):
Are you kidding?
Speaker 1 (30:09):
Duke would have killed with your time? If you want
you have two tournaments. There you go. Problem solved. I
don't know if that solves the problem, Jason, here, it does.
Speaker 5 (30:17):
I just solved it because that just points that to
the fact that you don't need that second tournament's gonna work.
Speaker 3 (30:24):
Say something there, for sure, they will you answer that,
but it's not.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
You have those games on the on the opposite nights
of the NCAA tournament, and you have basketball on every
single night. Right, you could still have the thirty two
the thirty two team tournaments Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Saturday, Sunday. Meanwhile,
the other tournaments could be Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.
Speaker 5 (30:45):
You just said that you're not a fan of mid
major teams going into that big field, right, you would
be watching that tournament.
Speaker 4 (30:51):
Oh sure, I'm happy with the mid majors having their
own champions. You're I'm happy with.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
That, but it proves it's just proving whateveryone's saying that.
It's like the field is already too big.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
Watch them on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and then you have
the end. You have the bigger tournament play Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
Speaker 5 (31:05):
And then are you gonna have the winner of the
B tournament play the winner of the A tournament.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
At the end?
Speaker 1 (31:13):
Yeah, I think it's too early to do the whole
meshing of the super Bowl, the AFL NFL thing, but
I would maybe even play the B tournament first. Hey,
you have the spotlight to yourselves when your tournament finishes,
then the other one starts.
Speaker 5 (31:25):
I just say it puts an emphasis on the fact
that it's like, you guys are not good enough to
play against these guys.
Speaker 4 (31:32):
They shouldn't. They shouldn't. The mid major shouldn't be playing
against power five teams. They don't.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
It's not that they're not good enough, it's that they
don't play the schedule that everybody else does.
Speaker 4 (31:41):
I'm sorry, do you know off.
Speaker 5 (31:42):
The top of your head, like has a mid major
team won the NCAA tournament.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
Well, Butler went to back to back right to get
to that was the big thing that was back in
the mid two thousands. Okay, well they did, and that's
where the whole mid major thing exploded.
Speaker 4 (31:56):
Hey, Butler gets there twice. Let's let more.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
Mid major teams and mid majors have made the Final
four before they've done this, right, So, okay, I get it,
but it's still it doesn't It doesn't match like you're
talking about one game.
Speaker 4 (32:06):
Anybody can win, right, anybody can.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
Okay, but prove over the course of the season that
your resume is better, and especially now that anybody with
the transfer ways things go with transfer portal.
Speaker 4 (32:17):
Hey, any anybody who's.
Speaker 1 (32:18):
Playing in a small mid playing in a mid major
is going to get a big offer from a bigger
school and.
Speaker 4 (32:23):
They're gonna leave.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
So now the mid majors aren't going to be as good,
even as good as they were, because all the good
players are going to get a chance to jump. If
I'm a great player at McNee State and I play
really really well, yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:38):
Yeah yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
If I'm playing at Nique State, if I'm playing in Miami,
Ohio and I have a really great year. Hey guess
what Michigan or U C l A Is going to say, Hey, no, no,
we want you here. We got nil money for you,
come here and come play, And that's going to make
that that's gonna make the.
Speaker 4 (32:53):
The mid majors even weaker. So it makes it makes
more sense that, Hey, that.
Speaker 3 (32:57):
Have already.
Speaker 5 (32:59):
I don't know, I don't know if I'm fully on board,
but you're selling it. You're selling it more and.
Speaker 4 (33:04):
More a salesman, that's what I am. I got skills just.
Speaker 5 (33:07):
Because I feel like what they're trying to do is
not show right that there is this big divide between
the power schools and they don't want you to think that.
By doing that, you're showing that, yes, there's too many people,
there's too many teams in the NCAA tournament as it is.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
Exit, how about a Fresca exit. Monsei belong as we
are solving problems here on a Thursday night I heard
of and Monzi's going to solve the problem of Hey,
what's trending in the wide world of sports?
Speaker 4 (33:31):
You have the answer?
Speaker 3 (33:32):
I do? I do?
Speaker 5 (33:33):
All of the games have wrapped up in a baseball
it looks like the Padres held on to defeat the
Diamondbacks four to three.
Speaker 3 (33:40):
Rangers took down the Angels in La eleven.
Speaker 5 (33:42):
To four, and the A's walked it off against the
Braves five to four.
Speaker 3 (33:46):
But for the A's, not just did they win.
Speaker 5 (33:50):
Mason Miller, their pitcher, recorded the fastest pitch of this
season one hundred and four miles per hour. Fastest pitch
of the season goes to Mason Miller and the A's
win at five to four against the Braves in eleven innings.
The Cardinals took down the Nationals eight to one. The
Red Sox came back to defeat the Race four to three.
Boston has not won seven in a row. The Yankees
(34:12):
were down five runs. In fact, Seattle had a no hitter, specifically,
their pitcher, Brian Wu a no hitter going into the
eighth inning against the Yankees. Jode Chisholm Junior broke that
no hitter up and then it was all Yankees from
that point on.
Speaker 3 (34:25):
They come back.
Speaker 5 (34:26):
They win it six to five on a sack fly
from Aaron Judge. In the tenth inning, Reds blank the
Marlins six zero. The Orioles took both of their games
and their doubleheader against the Mets, and the Cubs had
an eight to one win over the Twins in the NBA.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
Okay, so he's giving more money.
Speaker 5 (34:42):
They have agreed on a five year MAX extension worth
two hundred and eighty seven million with Jalen Williams also
in the NBA, but Pelicans ford IRB Joneses agreed to
a three year, sixty eight million dollar extension with the
franchise and a foul news Chargers running back Najie Harris
Apparently he's the state a superficial eye injury during a
fireworks mishap on the fourth of July, but is fully
(35:04):
expected to be ready for the upcoming season of the
NFL and the Scottish Open is happening in golf. Scotti
Scheffler is three under Rory McElroy, two under Becepstraca Jake Knapp.
They share the lead at the Scottish Open of one
six hundred par overall. First round play rapped up back
to us.
Speaker 1 (35:22):
Thank you Monte Jess Coming up next. Cooper flags NBA debut. Yes,
he hoisted twenty one shots in thirty two minutes and
didn't make most of them. It doesn't matter. Wait did
we tell you how impressive he was tonight. That's next
right here, Jason Smith Monsey in for Mike Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific, Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (35:51):
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon. Moncey Bolango's in
for Harmon Tonight. Whew, and we watched the debut. It
isn't new, the debut of Cooper flag into the NBA
Tonight Summer League against the Lakers. They win by a bucket.
Not quite the ending that we thought we were gonna get.
(36:13):
Browny misses a shot that could have won the game
for the Lakers. But tonight Cooper Flagg's debut for the Mavericks.
Ten points in thirty two minutes, twenty one shots in
those thirty two minutes, five makes right, five for twenty one,
ten points, six rebounds for assists. Afterwards, Mavericks talked about
(36:36):
the winning plays that he made and here's Cooper Flagg
his debut. Okay, not a great night, you know, five
for twenty one from the floor. That doesn't matter.
Speaker 4 (36:44):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
If there was any question anybody had about Cooper Flag
coming into this, and my question was, Okay, is his
speed going to be up like the speed he plays
the game, is that going to run into any sort
of difficulty.
Speaker 4 (36:58):
Clearly wasn't the.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
Case tonight, right, So I was able to make plays
athletically get out. He was incredibly aggressive. I love the
fact that he took twenty one shots and you know
he missed. Okay, that happens, right, But he had some
really nice makes as well. He almost had an incredible
dunk that would have been the first posterization of his
NBA career. You watch him on the court tonight, and
sometimes it's just an eye test and I watch him
(37:21):
on the court and I go, yeah, that's the best
player on the court. Yeah, And there's no doubt in
my mind he is the number one option for the
Mavericks opening nights. Not going to be a case of
he's going to get into the league a little bit slow,
or maybe he's a complimentary player, maybe he's a Scottie Pippen.
You watch him on the court, just watch it, go Yep,
that's the best guy. He's the number one, especially with
(37:42):
Ad being a low post player and Kyrie Irving being
out for the first four months of the year. Most likely,
he's probably not going to come back to the end
of the year. A Cooper Flag is going to be
the guy from the jump with Dallas, He's gonna be
the guy. Hey, get the ball to him, get him
the shots. They want to excel rate his growth. At
the same time, he's going to be the number one
(38:04):
option on the Mavericks opening night and that's going to
be his NBA career. Just watching him tonight, you go, yeah,
he fits. He looks like he fits already. He already
is able to back down smaller, better defensive players and
turn around and get a jumper over them. All right,
you want to throw a bigger player at him, he's
going to go around them because he's got the speed
to do that. Like, he's going to be everything that
(38:24):
you expect. And I know they wanted to tamp down
expectations because.
Speaker 4 (38:27):
Well, all right, here he is. He's new in the game.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
He's only had one years, you know, nineteen eighteen, nineteen
years old. No, you could tell right away he's the
best guy on the floor. And that's how it's going
to be the opening night for the Mavericks.
Speaker 5 (38:38):
Yeah, you said it. Exactly right. He passed the eye
test immediately. His buckets weren't falling, his shot was not falling,
but in reality, you felt his presence on the floor.
The Lakers were winning a majority of the game until
the end, and it was really because of his defensive abilities.
He had a nice block off the transition with like
a minute to Goo that led to a Ryan yes
(39:01):
brother of the other and Nemhard from the Pacers. Ryan Emhard,
who then hit a three, ended up being the game
winning bucket, but that happened because of Cooper Flag's transition
defense that led to a block and he shot out
the ball and they got the win. So even though
his shot was not falling, you felt his presence. Like
you said, it didn't matter who was guarding in give
(39:22):
it up to Bronni because in the second quarter Bronny,
who was what like five inches shorter than him, was
guardian Cooper Flag and held his own.
Speaker 3 (39:30):
But Cooper Flag is obviously much much taller. But no,
he's he is ready for the NBA right now.
Speaker 5 (39:36):
And the fact that he played thirty plus minutes in
the Summer League, like, I like that. I liked everything
that I saw.
Speaker 1 (39:43):
Yeah, this is not we're gonna we're going to make
a decision. Okay, you'll play a handful of mats here.
It's been a big one. No, no, no, and just shoot
go shoot man.
Speaker 5 (39:55):
And then they went and again because of his transition
defense in that moment, because the Lakers were up the
whole pretty much the whole game by a few points
here and there, but they were up. And then at
the end, it was when Cooper Flag was like, oh,
there's one minute to go, I gotta do something. Let
me go block this right now.
Speaker 4 (40:09):
Yeah. I mean, there's so many ways he can have it.
Speaker 3 (40:11):
Can be effective.
Speaker 1 (40:12):
There's so many ways you can do it defensively, rebounding, passing,
being able to pad the pass, the pass he's going
to be able to complete across the court because of
his vision and his power, Like there's no reason to tamp.
Speaker 4 (40:23):
There's a reason why he was a number one.
Speaker 1 (40:25):
Overall pick for a reason, and he was the best
guy we've seen in a few years. He's transcendent. Then
he's the number one option on the Mavericks beginning opening night.
That's eighteen coming up next, a Tom Brady story.
Speaker 4 (40:38):
I never thought we'd do. Fox
Hosts And Creators
Jason Smith
Mike Harmon
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