June 4, 2025 • 41 mins
Jason Smith and Mike Harmon welcome in longtime Senior NBA Writer & Insider Marc Stein to preview the NBA Finals between the Thunder and Pacers. Plus, Marc’s take on who should be the next Knicks HC!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
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 Foxsports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every night on the
iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Give this you're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Hello, Welcome in side our three, The Jason Smith Show
with my best friend Mike Harmon.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Mucho hobo, don't.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Forget right after the show our podcast goes up. You
miss any of today's show, be sure to listen to
the podcast. Just search Jason Smith and Mike Harmon wherever
you get your podcasts from. Be sure to follow review
the podcast rate at five stars. Again, just search Jason
Smith and Mike Harmon wherever you get your podcasts. You'll
find today's show and the best of version posted right
after we get off the air.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
So today the Knicks fire tips by Tips.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
So I'm suckobye, No, I'm really not that unhappy.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
I'm not that unhappy. I'm really not You're okay with it?
Speaker 4 (01:12):
I mean you processed it the end, you had your
five stages of grief and you're done with it.
Speaker 5 (01:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (01:17):
Man, it's a lot of handwringing and.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
Outrage for some because of the job and the success
that the Knicks had. But what you were able to
do and accomplish this playoffs, does it carry over to
the next year, you don't start at that point. No, No,
I think folks are forgetting that part of the process
is that you have to go through the regular season
and get into the playoffs and have things go right again.
(01:43):
And trying to do that with Thibodeau and the approach
that had people wringing their hands and shouting from the
rooftops at the middle of this midpoint of the season
doesn't seem like a wise move in the process.
Speaker 7 (01:58):
No.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
No, I don't know if you know this. The NBA
is going to change a rule next year. The Knicks
get to start in the Eastern Conference Final.
Speaker 6 (02:04):
Okay, so that's that's not a jumping off point.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
All the games next year, the first eighty two.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Games beginning of the whatever playoffs, they're just warm up games,
and then we start with the Eastern Conference Finals.
Speaker 4 (02:14):
Yeah, you know, just trying to give folks the the
old primer to it, all of how this stuff actually
works because you know past performance. You see it in
your stock trading stuff, all the stuff you get in
your your mailbox, like, hey, we could look at these
returns and then in really small print, past performance not
indicative of future returns. Yeah, just because it's worked in
(02:36):
the past doesn't mean it's going to work again.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Now, look, I've had a We've had this from a
lot of different angles, and I got a brand new
one for you here for the Knicks firing tips, right,
it is the big story. It's gonna take us through
a lot and through the doldrums of what's going to
be a very non competitive Coloma City Thunder NBA title river. Okay, okay, okay,
I gotta put something out there where what can I do?
(03:05):
Because I need you to stop putting out in the atmosphere.
I'd rather you say that the Knicks are gonna get
Reggie Miller to be their head coach, and the Knicks
are gonna get Doc Rivers because Reggie Miller is not happening.
Doc Rivers. I can see a scenario in which that happens.
I can see where he gets fired and it's Doc
gets fired and then unbeknownst to anyone, Dolan brings in
rivers and hires and without telling anybody, Like I can
(03:27):
afford that happening. I can see that happening. He is family.
He's not family.
Speaker 5 (03:32):
No, he's not.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
He's not a good head coach. I don't want him
near my team. Stop saying that. But he's family. He's
a no no no, not no never stop never stopping.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
No, no, stop with that. I don't want that.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
I don't want to sing bring him home, like Hugh
Jackman from Ladies, bring him.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
He is he Docville Doc that would be his name, right, Yeah, exactly,
Vill Duck. Here's another hot take for you here. I
don't think the Knicks are as upset. The Knicks players
are as upset as you think they are at the
firing of TIBs right now. First you had the really
(04:15):
weird champagne toast of Julius Randall's wife put on social
media today. Obviously Randall gets shipped out of New York
and everybody's gonna blame.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
TIBs, right. Remember the bit last year when they.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Were playing the early season game or the preseason game
against the Tea Wolves and Devincenzo was barking at TIBs, saying,
but I can't finish, right, TIBs, but I can't finish
became a bit of a story. Obviously, two players that
played under him that got traded. He's not gonna be
They are not gonna be his favorite people. But when
you saw the reaction, you didn't. You didn't see a
lot of I hate this. This is ridiculous people on
(04:50):
social media. Brunson on social media, you had Josh Hart
right away post a very positive but goodbye emoticon to
TIBs right.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
You saw him. But I hate thank you. But I
don't think the Knicks players are as are as upset
as as you would think, especially the players. I don't think.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
Yeah they're still yeah, yeah, but they're good.
Speaker 6 (05:11):
But there's that clip of Brunson. I mean that was
right after the game.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Well, what's are gonna say? I'm glad you asked me. No,
Tibbs is terrible. He's awful.
Speaker 4 (05:20):
You know what if we if we'd been able to
close out that first game and he made this move
or that move, we'd still be no. Come on, he
was in the moment and he was still the coach
what's he gonna say.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Yeah, if we had a different guy, I would say, yeah,
we could have won that series.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Next, next question, next question. I mean, comeball.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Of course it's gonna say that, But I go, look,
Tibbs deserves a lot of credit when you look at
the team and the roster he inherited in twenty twenty,
and it's like, oh my goodness, but he got the Knicks.
Look at where he got the Knicks to and yeah,
I'm sorry, but there is that. You can sit here
and say, well, it doesn't matter. He's a really good coach. Yeah,
he has proven throughout his NBA career something that you
(05:58):
like to say all the time. He has proven and
he is an A to B head coach, right, every
tear has been Yeah, every team he's coach, including your team, Minnesota,
he has been an A to B head coach. Now
is he a B two C head coach? And the
Knicks clearly have the roster, they have the talent, and
so far they've not been And this collapse was so bad,
the loss was so bad. He got out coached in
(06:19):
the playoffs. Yeah, I can see exactly why the Knicks
are saying, yeah, maybe it's time for new leadership.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
We've had Tips for a long time.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Look, I said when Tims came in, it's only gonna
be a couple of years because he's someone that you
can only play him for a few years, because he
wears out his welcome right, the way he coaches, his
hardass attitude. He's someone that after a few years you're
looking to move on.
Speaker 7 (06:41):
Right.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
I'm surprised it lasted this long with him, but this
is how it went right. He took over a team
in twenty twenty. He built the team well. But now
you have everything you need. Right, if you need to
make a trade, you have a trade. Youill have a
couple of first round picks you can trade. You have
talent you could trade. When you're trading, you can take
money back. The Knicks have become a destined now for
the first time in twenty years. Like this is this
(07:04):
is something that with Tibbs, I don't think. While it
may be upsetting a little bit because it's new, after
the season, Nick's probably going, what's our direction? What are
we gonna do? We just lost the game and now
we're dealing with a new head coach. Like I get
that part of it, but that's natural, but I expected
more of a what are we doing? Brunson's mad, somebody
else's mad. I thought there would have been more of
(07:25):
that today if that was the reaction. That's why I
look at what happened today is more. Yeah, the Knicks,
well we got a new head coach, But is it real?
Are they all really that upset? Is it really that's
something that we can't get over that Tibbs was our
guy and I'm gonna I'm gonna go to the mat
Forum and I'm you know, I want out of here
if you're gonna fire Tibbs. No, I didn't see that look.
(07:46):
And again that's why it wasn't shocking to me when
it happened. We had talked about this for a week,
over a week that Tibbs could get fired, right, I
thought Karl Anthony Towns was the more likely guy to
to be to get kicked out of town because he
could bring more in a trade. Defensively, he doesn't work. Brunton,
of course, is going to play the majority of the minutes,
is a top five player in the league. You can't
(08:07):
have both of them out there defensively, But him and
TIB's getting fired. Those are the two big things, and
TIBs got fired. I was not surprised at it. I
don't think the Knicks for is surprised. And that's why
I don't think the questions to Jalen Brunson at the
end of the end of the end of the game,
do you think Tibbs is the guy WHOA lots of
times people don't ask that question unless they kind of
(08:29):
know something, unless they kind of think something is coming,
because that's a weird question to ask right after the
game in the postgame press conference. So sometimes when I
hear that question, go, oh, that's such a horrible question
to ask, I don't And sometimes it's oh, maybe somebody
knows something and they're throwing that out there about Tibbs
to see the answer because they know what's coming, right Like,
it wasn't that surprising. Wasn't surprising to me, And I
(08:50):
think it's a It's a change that is going to
wind up being fine for the Knicks and the players
will move on to the next head coach.
Speaker 6 (08:56):
That's been swirling in the background.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
I mean, we were talking about it at the end
of the regular season, and then certainly as the playoffs
developed and you wonder if a run to the Eastern
Conference Finals changes the thinking. But overall, it's the philosophical
part of all, right, what's the roster construction? How long
can you play in the style that Tibbs wants you
(09:18):
to play in? And even if players buy in to
a degree physically, there's only so much you can do.
Speaker 5 (09:25):
Right.
Speaker 4 (09:25):
We've talked about it a lot with Karl Anthony Towns.
He's a decade in the league. This isn't a second
or third year guy that you're saying, you know what,
with a little more work here, here, here, he's now
going to become an a plus defender and he's going
to close out on three point shooting big men and
all of that stuff that.
Speaker 6 (09:40):
No, it's not changing.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
Jalen Brunson is not suddenly going to sprout three inches
taller and become a better defender and fill the passing
lanes and all that other stuff that you watch defenders
work against him. Right, you're trying to do those matchups
and you're trying to figure out the best way to
run a squad. And I'm sure there were a lot
of fights over the course.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
Of the year.
Speaker 4 (10:03):
I mean, look at the number of minutes played again,
grinding through a regular season as if you were already
in a playoffs series, Like, it's not sustainable. It just
isn't You watch guys burn out? What do we always
joke about Joe kim now in Chicago and then with
your Nicks. He was a embodiment of a Tibbs player
(10:23):
because he tried hard. What did that get you for him?
A lot of money and a nice long career. But
was he a winner?
Speaker 5 (10:32):
Right?
Speaker 3 (10:32):
Did he win?
Speaker 7 (10:33):
No?
Speaker 3 (10:33):
He wont at the collegiate level I want. So if
you're looking to.
Speaker 4 (10:39):
Finish the job, it really does go back to the encapsulation.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
Of that A to B, B two C model.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
It's like, all right, you've established the base and you
got your fan base hungry for more, which is great.
Speaker 6 (10:52):
There's no apathy anymore because.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
Generally it's like, yeah, they're excitable to a point because
they know the ceiling is very low and they're about
to hit their head on it. Here was Hey, we're
taking over and the sky's the limit until that game
one collapse to where it becomes the reality check of
all right, let's pause, let's reset, and organizationally, you know,
folks are going after James Dolan, and he's done a
(11:17):
lot of dumb things now, a lot of dumb statements
and moves. This one makes sense, especially because you do
have a very deep roster of potential coaching replacements out there.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Yeah, and look, and and the other reason. Right, we
talked about the big reason, which we'll get into coming
up in a few minutes, a very simple reason why
Tims was fired. The other reason is this, right that
that I look, you want a Knicks fan to tell
you why these are happening, right, there's nobody better listened to. Well,
there's always nobody better listen to our show, but especially
moments like this where it's about our teams.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
Tims had a bad playoff.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
Right, You had the not getting Jalen Brunson in the
game against the Pistons in which they lost by three, Which,
how do you let all this time go and not
have your beat player on the court in the last
four minutes? Like that's ridiculously bad. He's completely out coached
against Rick Carlisle. Everything the Pacers wanted to do, TIBs
could not adjust to. There was no there wasn't even
(12:11):
any any sort of Hey, we're gonna try to combat
what they do it's we're gonna throw out there and
just do the same things, just try to do it better.
Right Game two, when Siakam comes out and has a
game of his career, they clearly weren't ready for anything
that the Pacers wanted to do with that. Rick Carlisle
coach circles around tips, but mainly it's this. The Knicks
biggest achilles heel that we saw in this series was
(12:33):
their defense, right was added, Their defense was no good
and Karl Anthony Townsend Brunson can't be on the court together. Okay,
TIBs came in being a defensive coach. His identity is
I'm gonna make my teams into being great defensive teams.
And that was the Nick's identity for a long time.
But now in a year they are hell and gone
(12:54):
from that identity. They're a great offensive team and the
defensive set they can't play defense at all. You have
to pay He just ran up and down the floor
on them. So if the reason you brought a coach
in is no lay for the certain identity and that
team no longer has that identity, is he really the
right guy? I mean, we're so think about that, Like
he was a defensive cut. The Knicks are horrible defensively, Okay,
(13:15):
So if he came in with that being his cachet
and that's what the team was, if they've gotten away
from it, it's probably time for somebody else. So you
want the other reason why Tis got fired?
Speaker 3 (13:25):
That was it?
Speaker 6 (13:26):
Somebody else?
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Somebody else, exit out by the Fresca exit swollen down
The Jason Smith Show with my best friend Mike Harmon.
Coming up next, NBA insider Mark Stein stops by. He
gives us his take on what happened with Tibbs and
the Knicks, who could be next for them, and who
he thinks is walking away with the Larry O'Brien Trophy
(13:49):
when we finally get to the NBA Finals on the
fourth of July. That's coming up next right here, Chasing
and Mike Fox Sports Radio. From searching online to asking
your friends and family, there's lots of ways to look
for jobs, but what if you had one team that
could help you find the right role. That's where Express
Employment Professionals comes in. Your local Express Employment Professionals office
(14:09):
is your one connection to endless job opportunities.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
With just one.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Application, they can help you find a job at a
company that fits your needs, So visit Expresspros dot com
and as always, Express.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
Never charges job seekers a fee.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
Express knows when companies are hiring, offers benefits and competitive pay,
and in just one interview, they're prepared to present you
to multiple companies that fit your needs. Go to expresspros
dot com to get started, find your nearest location, and
discover for yourself what it's like to have support in
your job search. You can also start your job search
through the Express Jobs app. Download it today, search Jobs,
apply and contact your local Express team. That's expresspros dot
(14:44):
com to start your job search today.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
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 3 (14:58):
Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
The Jason's Show with My best friend Mike Harmon, The
Knicks Fire Tom Thibodeau. We're getting ready for the NBA Finals.
We have a lot of stuff going on. Mets lead
the Dodgers five four in the eighth. Frostburg's trying to
make Doc rivers to the Knicks happen.
Speaker 8 (15:18):
Oh, what's happening?
Speaker 1 (15:19):
It's not it's not happening. It's not it's no no Stott, Stott,
stop Doc. I want Doc Rivers nowhere near my team.
Stop putting that out there.
Speaker 8 (15:28):
Next guest.
Speaker 1 (15:32):
Joining us down the hotline for all the big NBA reaction.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
Check them out on substack.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Longtime NBA insider friend of the show, Mark Stein, Mark,
what's happening?
Speaker 6 (15:41):
Man?
Speaker 3 (15:42):
Welcome back? How are you?
Speaker 5 (15:44):
The phone lines are busy, but I was worried about
you today with this Knicks news, so I said, I better,
I better, I better, I better answer the phone if
I get a call from the eight one to eight,
so I picked up.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
Well, I appreciate it.
Speaker 7 (16:01):
How are you?
Speaker 2 (16:02):
How are you?
Speaker 3 (16:03):
You know better than I thought. Well, let's listen.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
If you called me after the Eastern Conference Finals ended,
I would have given you a different answer. But look,
you know, here's the thing is that and we talked
about this earlier in the show. Sometimes some losses are
just so bad, and losing Game one in the series
and an all time NBA historic way, like I get
(16:26):
why the Knicks said, you know, we want to have
a clean Slaton start over because that loss was just
so bad. I mean, no one in the history of
the league had ever lost that way, and so I
kind of wasn't surprised by it. So even though this was, hey,
it was a shocking headline today, I wasn't really surprised
that they moved on from it.
Speaker 3 (16:42):
How are you when you heard when you heard the news.
Speaker 5 (16:44):
Look, you can't deny that it was a rocky season.
I mean it was not. The Knicks ended up with
a third seed. They ended up beating the defending champions
in the second round, but there was a lot of
tumult sandwiching the second round of the playoffs. Obviously the
Detroit series, the Knicks had their issues. The Indiana series,
(17:07):
as you said, was you know, a huge lost opportunity.
And during the regular season, I mean this team went
zero to ten against the Thunder, the Cavaliers, and the Celtics.
So there were plenty of issues during the season. But
I have to say I heard this from a number
of people around the league. When I you know, when
(17:29):
something like this happens, it's just text and phone calls
just fly all day. People want to talk about it.
When Jalen Brunson came out in such strong support of
Thibodeau after the Indie Series, I think that kind of
convinced a lot of people around the league that he
was going to survive and he was safe. But had
tipped to my guy, Ian Begley, my longtime former teammate.
(17:50):
He's now working for SNY and he reported that in
the exit interview since the Indie series, that James Dolan
was sitting in on some of these meetings, so that
that's unusual. It's a rare step, and you see the
abrupt result and the abrupt change. So there was people
it was one of those deals where I mean for
(18:12):
people on the floor shot you know, no, but there
was a fair amount of shock around the league today.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
I would say, so if this is, you know, part
of the genesis of how it went, because the other
thing we talked about earlier was that, yeah, I think
it's shocking for the Knicks, for the players, but I
don't think it's one of those hey, Tibbs is our guy,
I don't know what's going on here types of situation.
It's more, oh hey, yeah Tibbs, we owe a lot
(18:40):
to him. We got we got pretty far. But I
don't think the Knicks are so broken up about it that,
oh man, this is something that's gonna, you know, cause
more tumult in the organization.
Speaker 5 (18:49):
Well, here's the other thing. I mean, the main reactions
that I got when this happened was, you know, a
the you know what when it just comes out of nowhere.
Timing wise, it certainly surprised people. But then the other thing,
almost universally, the reaction when I talk to people from
other teams was well, surely the Knicks have their next
(19:10):
guy lined up. You know, whether you are a TIBs
fan or not, he is the runaway most successful coach
this franchise has had in the twenty first century. I mean,
they have not been this good for a long time.
So for them to move away from him, and then
(19:30):
knowing the relationship between Leon Rose and Tom Thibodeau, you
you know, it is natural to presumable they must know
the direction they're going. And look, maybe I guess it's
feasible that they're gonna surprise us. What all the initial
indications are that they don't have this super locked in
(19:50):
succession plan. I mean, you guys are making these these
jokes about Doc, but like that's saying nobody there isn't
a clear cut who's taking over name, and that adds
to the surprise here.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
Well, that's the beauty of it.
Speaker 4 (20:05):
Mark is like, we've been having some fun with the
lists from the betting sites and the online marketing do.
Speaker 5 (20:11):
Not bet NBA coaching highers, Okay please not no, no.
Speaker 4 (20:15):
No, no no, because it's fun, right, some of the
names mixed in there, and then you see, Hey, Rick
Brunson's got lower odds or I guess better odds than
someone like Rick.
Speaker 5 (20:27):
Rick Brunson will not be the head coach now. I
have a strong feeling he will stay on on the staff,
but I don't foresee him being the next head coach.
Speaker 4 (20:36):
But the most entertaining of all, though, Mark, is the
the campaign being waged by Meta World Peace.
Speaker 5 (20:44):
Hey, I love I love my guy Meta. I'm not
sure that he has a great chance of getting the
getting the job either, but I got a I got
a lot of love for Meta.
Speaker 4 (20:53):
Do you have any sense of where, where, what direction
they're looking at? I mean, obviously roster constructions part two
of all this phase, But do you have any any inkling?
Speaker 5 (21:04):
Well, look, I mean a slew of names, as you
guys said, are being thrown around. You know, Jay Wright
would be a natural candidate because obviously Brunson, Josh Hart
mckel bridges love Jay Wright.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
I mean, they won.
Speaker 5 (21:23):
National championships in college with him. But Jay Wright has
consistently said four years that he doesn't want to come
to the NBA. Now is that a set in stone
forever position? I don't know. I'm not close enough to
day write to know that. You know, I've covered him
a little bit with USA B, but you know I
(21:46):
did not cover his very successful college coaching career. Is
there anything there? I think we're going to have to
wait and see.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
Now.
Speaker 5 (21:54):
Johnny Bryant is someone who worked on Tom Thibodeau's staff
in New York. He's currently a finalist for the Sun's job.
Johnny Bryant and Jordan not both assistant coaches in Cleveland.
They are finalists for the Sun's job. That could be
we could learn the Sun's coach as early as tomorrow Wednesday. Now,
(22:16):
so an we don't know yet that Johnny Bryant would
be available, but let's play along and say he is.
Let's say that the Suns decide that they're going to
hire Jordan Nott and Johnny Bryant remains available. Are the
Knicks really going to turn to a first time head
coach when the first sentence of Leon Rose's statement explanation
(22:39):
to the public to explain this coaching change is winning
a championship is the absolute focus of this franchise. Do
you throw a first year head coach into a championship
or bus situation in probably the brightest spotlight there is
for a coach in this league?
Speaker 1 (23:00):
You know, you throw that out there, Mark, and let
me tell you my top three.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
Tell me what you think. Obviously Joe Rhightt would be there, right.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
Obviously, Jay Wright he would be he would he would
be the first guy the phone call I would make.
But the other two guys I honestly like the most
Mike Brown and I don't know that it might not
be time to give Sam Cassell that shot. I know
what you would be, hey, obviously long time up and
coming next great head coach potentially rather than have somebody
who's been around a while, like.
Speaker 3 (23:27):
Are gonna go for Monti Williams or someone like that.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
But Mike Brown, Sam Cassell, those be the two guys
outside of Jay Wright that really intrigued me.
Speaker 5 (23:36):
Well, look, both you know we talked about Jay Wright.
So let me focus on Mike Brown and Sam Cassell
both excellent coaches. But you know, Mike, like Tibbs, is
a defensive specialist. If you went away from Tibbs, you
could say the same thing about Mike Malone. Michael Malone
is also available. Now you know, these are all coaches
(23:57):
who are known as defense first coaches. If you're going
to go away from Tom Thibodeau, you would think that
offense is an element that you would be focusing on
for your new head coach. So that's why, I mean, again,
only the Knicks know where they really stand, and I'm
(24:19):
not going to purport to say that I've tapped into
their front office and know exactly what their next move
is on the coaching front. But I've mostly heard skepticism
when you've the names today, like when you hear Michael
Malone or Mike Brown or Taylor Jenkins, all very good
(24:40):
coaches who were dismissed during the season. I'm with you
on Sam Cassell. I'm surprised he didn't get consideration that
you know, Phoenix interviewed so many coaches. I'm not sure
why Sam wasn't involved there. I mean, he is long
overdue for a head coaching shot. And everywhere he's been
(25:01):
in this as an assistant, I always hear just what
a great connection he forges with players. It's going to
be very interesting to see where this thing goes, because again,
Tom Thibodeau, he has many supporters, he has many detractors.
But and I hope you guys, hope you if you
(25:23):
guys hear in the background there is massive thunder in
this region. As obviously they know in Oklahoma City with
the Pacers and all their trouble just getting to the
NBA Finals today, But we've got it here in Dallas too,
So you might hear some thunderous booms in the background
here as I'm as I'm blabbering. But it's gonna be
it's gonna be fascinating to see where the Knicks go
(25:45):
with this search because you know, again there's a lot
of pressure on them to you know, Tom Thibodeau is
a very very successful coach there, no matter whether you're
a fan or not. And so they got to get
this right. And you know, Leon Rose said it, I mean,
they've got to win a championship. The Knicks have not
won a championship for more than fifty years. That's that's
(26:08):
the every season goal for this franchise.
Speaker 4 (26:11):
Now we look at the roster side of things, is
Carl Anthony Towns back or do we see him shuffled?
And is it just Jalen Brunson and then he picks
his own eleven.
Speaker 5 (26:25):
It's too early to say. I know that's not the
answer you want, you know, I'm I mean Karl Anthony
Towns also commands such a high salary that in the event,
I mean, in the event the Knicks we're going to
turn around now and try to trade him, I'm not
sure completely sure what that market would look like. I mean,
(26:49):
Karl Anthony Towns is a dynamic center offensively, but you know,
the defensive issues are well chronicled and they certainly affect
did the Knicks in the playoffs?
Speaker 7 (27:03):
Right?
Speaker 5 (27:03):
Can you win a championship in the NBA with Towns
as you're five man? And if the answer is no,
can he be as as effective as he needs to
be offensively if you play him at the four next
to a big guy? And what does that do for
Brunson and the spacing all over the court otherwise? So,
I mean, the Knicks knew all this when they made
(27:24):
the trade and They're going to have to figure it out.
Speaker 1 (27:28):
Mark Steine with us, Jason Smith Mike Harmon, live from
the Fox Sports Radio studios. Okay, we get closer and
closer now of the NBA Finals. Last time we get
to talk to you before the finals begin. Your pick
is who and how many games?
Speaker 5 (27:41):
I went Thunder and six because I'm that high on
the Pacers. I think this is going to be a
tougher series and advertised. I mean, look, if you just
go through all the numbers from what the Thunder did
during the regular season, fifth thing should be a five
game series. I mean the Thunder they should win the championship.
(28:04):
I mean, they all the metrics that you can look
at for the way this season has unfolded, they should
win it all. But I think the Pacers. I think
the Pacers have been the most underrated team in the
league for a long time. And you know, I guess
(28:25):
you can't really be underrated anymore if you're in the
NBA Finals. But they are such overwhelming hunderdogs in the
series that I kind of think they're still in that
well and look Chapeau to Tyrese Halliburton, who I am
a I am an? I am a relentless grudge holder.
I can't let grudges go. It's one of my it's
(28:48):
one of my faults. But I love as a grudge holder.
I love I love the absolute mileage, the slight mileage
that Halliburton keeps getting out of this overrated thing. Because
you guys realize that when the Athletic did that story,
(29:08):
only ninety players were pulled. Thirteen guys name, thirteen nameless
players are the ones who said Halliburton is the most
overrated player in league. So it's only thirteen players in
a league with more than four hundred and fifty.
Speaker 7 (29:26):
And he has just used that and used.
Speaker 5 (29:29):
That, and Michael Jordan would be proud how much he has.
Speaker 7 (29:36):
Used this called the overrated I mean like it's I mean,
it was thirteen guys, what.
Speaker 6 (29:46):
Was a poll of ninety? Mark, so it statistically counts.
Speaker 5 (29:51):
It's a non story. And we keep talking about. I
guarantee you if they Steel Game one and Halliburton plays, well,
what do you I mean, you guys are gonna have
me on and you'll be saying, you'll be bringing it up.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
Yeah, he's on Twitter at the steinline. That is at
the steinline. Mark is always appreciated. We'll talk to you
as the NBA Finals unfold.
Speaker 5 (30:12):
Have a good one, all right, that sounds good.
Speaker 6 (30:14):
Thanks, Mark, be great.
Speaker 1 (30:15):
I love it because it is like this whole poll
that came out. You forget, this wasn't four hundred players
across the peak that were.
Speaker 7 (30:25):
Right.
Speaker 6 (30:25):
It was ninety.
Speaker 4 (30:26):
But again, as long as it's more than thirty, were
statistically relevant.
Speaker 6 (30:30):
Go back to your basic stats.
Speaker 4 (30:32):
So when folks started yelling about, oh, you know, take
a stats course, like yeah, greater than thirty, we can
talk about it as statistically relevant. The fact that they
only got one what one fifth of the players are thereabouts?
That that traversed the NBA. That doesn't matter. Exit out
by a Fresca exit swollen dome. Jason Smith Mike Harmon
(30:54):
live from the Fox Sports Radio studios.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
Time now to find out what's trending in the wide
world of sports. Man has been the Tyres Halliburton of
Fox Sports Radio because he was named most overrated on
air employee in a pole recently it's Steve de Sager.
Speaker 8 (31:10):
I think you have to be rated first to be overrated.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
But it was only a couple of people.
Speaker 8 (31:16):
It was just only a carcentage sure, yeah.
Speaker 9 (31:19):
NBA Finals start Thursday with Indiana at Oklahoma City and
then Game two is Sunday. By the way, the pacers
arrival in OKC for the Finals was delayed by weather
because there was a thunderstorm watch for OKC today and
a tornado warning and a flood watch, and the flight
was diverted to.
Speaker 8 (31:38):
Tulsa to refuel.
Speaker 9 (31:39):
By the way, last weekend, the clincher against the Knicks,
the Game six of the East Finals averaged over eight
million viewers on cable, making it the most watched game
of the NBA season so far. Previous high was on
Christmas Lakers Warriors got nearly eight million.
Speaker 8 (31:55):
Well, the Knicks got embarrassed in front of that many people.
Speaker 9 (31:58):
And then today the next fire coach after five years
in New York, speaking of embarrassing last summer, he signed
a three year contract extension that I believe kicks in
all right about now. Three WNBA games tonight eight no
Minnesota beat Phoenix, Indiana at homebeat Washington, Caitlin Clark still
out with a string quad Seattle got to come back
(32:19):
home win eighty three seventy seven over Dallas, which is
one and seven. Erika Gunbawala in the loss four baskets
in four quarters, but of course she kept shooting four
fifteen from the floor.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
There you go.
Speaker 8 (32:32):
In this defeat.
Speaker 9 (32:33):
US women's soccer won four nothing over Jamaica in an
exhibition in Saint Louis. Number two c Carlos Alcarez when
his quarterfinal at the French Open to Major League Baseball.
The Mets are holding on five to four over.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
Holding on right now, Reed Garrett, who has been the
best reliever in baseball this year, is imploding in this inning.
Speaker 8 (32:53):
It just struck out Freddy Freeman.
Speaker 1 (32:54):
So we do throw three pitches in the dirt and
a wild pitch, and it's what is happening.
Speaker 5 (33:00):
You know.
Speaker 9 (33:01):
Max Munsey homer in the first tonight off the Mets
starter Tyler McGill, who then retired sixteen of seventeen batters.
The Mets are holding on five to four in LA.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, second and third,
one out for LA. The Twins are now up nine
to three.
Speaker 8 (33:18):
At the A's in the top of the eighth.
Speaker 9 (33:20):
The A's have lost seven in a row and eighteen
of their last nineteen. Baltimore won five to one at
Seattle winning pitcher Tomayuki Sugano went seven strong innings. Seattle
first place in the AL West was a half game
over Houston. Houston won earlier three to nothing at Pittsburgh,
beating Paul Skeins and what a comeback for the Padres
at ten inning win at San Francisco three to two,
(33:41):
Manny Machado a two run single with two outs in
the ninth to tie. He went four for four. So
San Francisco's offense, now, this is sixteen straight games they've
scored four runs or less for the first time since
nineteen sixty five Yankees in Philadelphia each one. Cincinnati ended
Milwaukee's eight game winning streak four to two with a
(34:02):
run in the seventh and a run in the eighth,
and the Mets have just tagged out a runner near
home plate. It is still a five to four New
York advantage, two outs in the eighth.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
Back to you, Thank you, Steve O.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
The Jason Smiths are with Mike Carmon live from the
Fox Sports Radio studios to Askar Hernandez grounds to third.
Ronnie Mauricio makes the play, they get sho Heyo Tani
in a rundown. So now two outs the tying run
at third as the Dodgers continue to bat here in the.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
Bottom spectrum on the call there uh spectrum.
Speaker 1 (34:32):
Coming up next, we get into an NFL story of
a trade that was gonna happen, then it was dead,
and now it could be happening again, and it doesn't
change the fact that it's stupid for both teams.
Speaker 3 (34:44):
That's next right here, chasing to Mike Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (34:48):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific, Fox.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with My best friend Mike.
We'll have more on the big firing coming up in
about ten minutes. But I I you know, we're definitely
in that mode now of we're waiting for football. Like
you know, some teams are in their office'son OTAs and
it's great and some of the stuff, oh my god.
(35:17):
The highlight today of Travis Harner, which may want to
get to that tomorrow on the show, is just what.
Speaker 4 (35:21):
We got that we got who's completing passes at the
greatest rate.
Speaker 1 (35:26):
Yeah, I mean, we're finding everything out of out of
what's going on right now, but.
Speaker 3 (35:32):
Football right because because teams.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
Are in there, are in there, you know, in their
no helmet or no pads practices. You know, sometimes the
the media gets to see sometimes they don't all right,
and they're gonna go away in a few days and
then it's gonna be okay, the big month or so
of nothing until football, because we're in that waiting for
football span, which is why stories like this trade that
(35:55):
just doesn't make any sense keeps getting all kinds of attention.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
It was a week ago.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
That the story came out that the Dolphins were looking
to trade tight end John hu Smith to the Steelers.
And John who Smith's one of the best tight ends
in the NFL, one of those late bloomers, caught eighty
eight passes last year for the Dolphins, wants a new contract.
Potentially the Dolphins don't want to pay him, so they're
looking at maybe this is a trade to the Steelers.
(36:22):
And while we saw this come up, we're like, okay,
and we told you last week it.
Speaker 3 (36:27):
Was stupid because it doesn't make sense for either.
Speaker 1 (36:29):
It makes sense for the Dolphins if they're tanking because
they have nobody else to catch bad they have nor
the tight end that's ready to be a pass catching
tight end, and for the Steelers, it's what are you doing?
You don't have a quarterback yet, Wow, a lot.
Speaker 6 (36:41):
Of guys to catch the ball from the quarterback.
Speaker 1 (36:43):
You already have a starting tight end that you paid
a lot of money to in Pat fryer mouth, what
are you doing?
Speaker 7 (36:48):
Like?
Speaker 3 (36:48):
What? This doesn't make any sense? And then earlier.
Speaker 1 (36:52):
Today Adam Schefter has the report, Hey, the trade is
not happening.
Speaker 3 (36:55):
Okay, good, cooler heads prevailed because this is just stupid.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
No, no, no, Then late today, hey, trade could be
back on sides are talking again and this trade could happens.
Now back to where we're a week ago, where this
is just stupid, because really, the Dolphins in the year
have gone from up and coming fast team. Mike McDaniel
is on the is on the cusp of rewriting NFL
books as far as in offensive systems, and now it's
(37:19):
we're tanking because that's the only reason this makes sense
for them, as if they're tanking because you can't take
this guy who is a great weapon that you can't
replace and just say, yeah, we're moving on from because
we don't want to pay him. WHOA This tells me
you are tanking. And for the Steelers, again, you don't
have a quarterback. You know, Aaron Rodgers doesn't throw to
one tight end, let alone two tight ends.
Speaker 3 (37:39):
You're going to bring in the catch passes? Like what
what are you doing? What are the Steelers doing? Like
this makes no sense on so many levels.
Speaker 4 (37:46):
Yeah, the Dolphins side of it is to me, truly
the more and more fascinating for the Steelers, Like, all right,
you can acquire an asset that is, because of the
contract issue, a distressed property. You have a lot of
draft picks at your disposal for twenty twenty six if
that's what Miami's really looking to do, right, So here
problem solve because you don't have to do the cock
(38:06):
of Amy thing in the NBA of hey, let's make
the salaries matchup. Here's a couple of first round picks.
You feel good? Yeah, okay, good or third round or
whatever it is. I say first just because that's usually
the starting point and then we argue from there. But
say it's three draft picks over the course of the
twenty twenty six draft, and you play it out, promise
them some money, and move on.
Speaker 3 (38:27):
Okay.
Speaker 4 (38:27):
For the Steelers, it's another viable passing target for Rogers
or whoever else. Is there your point about Rogers and
you're utilizing the tight end. I mean, Tyler Conklin had
himself a nice year, he was fine. But for the
Dolphin side of it, it's just that much more fascinating
because they with the team on the cup.
Speaker 5 (38:46):
Right.
Speaker 4 (38:46):
The Patriots were imploding in the post Belichick and Brady
era or the final years of the Belichick era, I
guess to say it right where things have gone sideway
as you're hiring former defensive co ordinators as o c's
and and trying to fit uh square pegs into the
round hole and everything so that falls apart. The Jets
(39:08):
have been Sorry, sorry, buddy.
Speaker 3 (39:10):
The Jets good.
Speaker 6 (39:14):
Great.
Speaker 4 (39:15):
So you have an opportunity to really push forward, and
you have Hill, you have Wattle, you keep to upright,
and McDaniel's the guy everybody's determining to be the next
you know, genius, along with McVeigh, shanahan and the others
that have risen up now Kevin O'Connell and instead now
(39:36):
he just looks like he's gonna go and get the
tattoos removed, like he's Pete Davidson to become a character actor,
so like it's becoming a totally different different looks like, yeah, yeah,
let's get rid of the guy that was an eighty
eight catch guy. Tyreek Hill may or may not be
here because all of a sudden they're cleaning up all
the the language around him and maybe where he becomes
(39:58):
a trade target. Jalen Waddle has been reduced to being
just a guy. All you got is Devin ah Chan.
Anybody want to come get him to the age of
the running back, go get him while you're at it.
Speaker 3 (40:09):
Why not? Yeah? Why not?
Speaker 1 (40:10):
Right, you'll get to in a year from now. Everything
they're all gonna be gone. Man again, it only makes sense.
Well it's hurtfault. None of it makes sense for the
for the Steelers, no matter what. But that's that's the thing.
For the Dolphins is like it's not like they have
a glut on the roster. It's not like they have
you know, hey, if we we we do this, they
just potentially don't want to pay the guy, right, Like
(40:32):
I mean, like this is how does this make you
better for this year?
Speaker 3 (40:35):
It doesn't.
Speaker 1 (40:36):
It makes this year and you're not getting anything for
this year that's going to help you. It's gonna be
all we'll get a draft, but that's next April. We
had the draft. It happened. I watched it. It was great.
Speaker 3 (40:50):
This makes you nothing but worse for this year. And
again the Dolphins.
Speaker 1 (40:55):
Man, wow, hey, I'm not complaining because you know, it's
one one less team. I gotta worry about beating me,
you know, as much as they have the last few years.
Speaker 3 (41:02):
So I'm okay with it. But but it just still
just stuns me that this is what's going to.
Speaker 6 (41:05):
The current odds that McDaniel's the first coach fired.
Speaker 3 (41:11):
There you go, there's a hot take. Mike Harbett. We
get back to the biggest story of the day next
fo
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 Foxsports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every night on the
iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Give this you're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Hello, Welcome in side our three, The Jason Smith Show
with my best friend Mike Harmon.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Mucho hobo, don't.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Forget right after the show our podcast goes up. You
miss any of today's show, be sure to listen to
the podcast. Just search Jason Smith and Mike Harmon wherever
you get your podcasts from. Be sure to follow review
the podcast rate at five stars. Again, just search Jason
Smith and Mike Harmon wherever you get your podcasts. You'll
find today's show and the best of version posted right
after we get off the air.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
So today the Knicks fire tips by Tips.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
So I'm suckobye, No, I'm really not that unhappy.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
I'm not that unhappy. I'm really not You're okay with it?
Speaker 4 (01:12):
I mean you processed it the end, you had your
five stages of grief and you're done with it.
Speaker 5 (01:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (01:17):
Man, it's a lot of handwringing and.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
Outrage for some because of the job and the success
that the Knicks had. But what you were able to
do and accomplish this playoffs, does it carry over to
the next year, you don't start at that point. No, No,
I think folks are forgetting that part of the process
is that you have to go through the regular season
and get into the playoffs and have things go right again.
(01:43):
And trying to do that with Thibodeau and the approach
that had people wringing their hands and shouting from the
rooftops at the middle of this midpoint of the season
doesn't seem like a wise move in the process.
Speaker 7 (01:58):
No.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
No, I don't know if you know this. The NBA
is going to change a rule next year. The Knicks
get to start in the Eastern Conference Final.
Speaker 6 (02:04):
Okay, so that's that's not a jumping off point.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
All the games next year, the first eighty two.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Games beginning of the whatever playoffs, they're just warm up games,
and then we start with the Eastern Conference Finals.
Speaker 4 (02:14):
Yeah, you know, just trying to give folks the the
old primer to it, all of how this stuff actually
works because you know past performance. You see it in
your stock trading stuff, all the stuff you get in
your your mailbox, like, hey, we could look at these
returns and then in really small print, past performance not
indicative of future returns. Yeah, just because it's worked in
(02:36):
the past doesn't mean it's going to work again.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Now, look, I've had a We've had this from a
lot of different angles, and I got a brand new
one for you here for the Knicks firing tips, right,
it is the big story. It's gonna take us through
a lot and through the doldrums of what's going to
be a very non competitive Coloma City Thunder NBA title river. Okay, okay, okay,
I gotta put something out there where what can I do?
(03:05):
Because I need you to stop putting out in the atmosphere.
I'd rather you say that the Knicks are gonna get
Reggie Miller to be their head coach, and the Knicks
are gonna get Doc Rivers because Reggie Miller is not happening.
Doc Rivers. I can see a scenario in which that happens.
I can see where he gets fired and it's Doc
gets fired and then unbeknownst to anyone, Dolan brings in
rivers and hires and without telling anybody, Like I can
(03:27):
afford that happening. I can see that happening. He is family.
He's not family.
Speaker 5 (03:32):
No, he's not.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
He's not a good head coach. I don't want him
near my team. Stop saying that. But he's family. He's
a no no no, not no never stop never stopping.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
No, no, stop with that. I don't want that.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
I don't want to sing bring him home, like Hugh
Jackman from Ladies, bring him.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
He is he Docville Doc that would be his name, right, Yeah, exactly,
Vill Duck. Here's another hot take for you here. I
don't think the Knicks are as upset. The Knicks players
are as upset as you think they are at the
firing of TIBs right now. First you had the really
(04:15):
weird champagne toast of Julius Randall's wife put on social
media today. Obviously Randall gets shipped out of New York
and everybody's gonna blame.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
TIBs, right. Remember the bit last year when they.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Were playing the early season game or the preseason game
against the Tea Wolves and Devincenzo was barking at TIBs, saying,
but I can't finish, right, TIBs, but I can't finish
became a bit of a story. Obviously, two players that
played under him that got traded. He's not gonna be
They are not gonna be his favorite people. But when
you saw the reaction, you didn't. You didn't see a
lot of I hate this. This is ridiculous people on
(04:50):
social media. Brunson on social media, you had Josh Hart
right away post a very positive but goodbye emoticon to
TIBs right.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
You saw him. But I hate thank you. But I
don't think the Knicks players are as are as upset
as as you would think, especially the players. I don't think.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
Yeah they're still yeah, yeah, but they're good.
Speaker 6 (05:11):
But there's that clip of Brunson. I mean that was
right after the game.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Well, what's are gonna say? I'm glad you asked me. No,
Tibbs is terrible. He's awful.
Speaker 4 (05:20):
You know what if we if we'd been able to
close out that first game and he made this move
or that move, we'd still be no. Come on, he
was in the moment and he was still the coach
what's he gonna say.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Yeah, if we had a different guy, I would say, yeah,
we could have won that series.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Next, next question, next question. I mean, comeball.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Of course it's gonna say that, But I go, look,
Tibbs deserves a lot of credit when you look at
the team and the roster he inherited in twenty twenty,
and it's like, oh my goodness, but he got the Knicks.
Look at where he got the Knicks to and yeah,
I'm sorry, but there is that. You can sit here
and say, well, it doesn't matter. He's a really good coach. Yeah,
he has proven throughout his NBA career something that you
(05:58):
like to say all the time. He has proven and
he is an A to B head coach, right, every
tear has been Yeah, every team he's coach, including your team, Minnesota,
he has been an A to B head coach. Now
is he a B two C head coach? And the
Knicks clearly have the roster, they have the talent, and
so far they've not been And this collapse was so bad,
the loss was so bad. He got out coached in
(06:19):
the playoffs. Yeah, I can see exactly why the Knicks
are saying, yeah, maybe it's time for new leadership.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
We've had Tips for a long time.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Look, I said when Tims came in, it's only gonna
be a couple of years because he's someone that you
can only play him for a few years, because he
wears out his welcome right, the way he coaches, his
hardass attitude. He's someone that after a few years you're
looking to move on.
Speaker 7 (06:41):
Right.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
I'm surprised it lasted this long with him, but this
is how it went right. He took over a team
in twenty twenty. He built the team well. But now
you have everything you need. Right, if you need to
make a trade, you have a trade. Youill have a
couple of first round picks you can trade. You have
talent you could trade. When you're trading, you can take
money back. The Knicks have become a destined now for
the first time in twenty years. Like this is this
(07:04):
is something that with Tibbs, I don't think. While it
may be upsetting a little bit because it's new, after
the season, Nick's probably going, what's our direction? What are
we gonna do? We just lost the game and now
we're dealing with a new head coach. Like I get
that part of it, but that's natural, but I expected
more of a what are we doing? Brunson's mad, somebody
else's mad. I thought there would have been more of
(07:25):
that today if that was the reaction. That's why I
look at what happened today is more. Yeah, the Knicks,
well we got a new head coach, But is it real?
Are they all really that upset? Is it really that's
something that we can't get over that Tibbs was our
guy and I'm gonna I'm gonna go to the mat
Forum and I'm you know, I want out of here
if you're gonna fire Tibbs. No, I didn't see that look.
(07:46):
And again that's why it wasn't shocking to me when
it happened. We had talked about this for a week,
over a week that Tibbs could get fired, right, I
thought Karl Anthony Towns was the more likely guy to
to be to get kicked out of town because he
could bring more in a trade. Defensively, he doesn't work. Brunton,
of course, is going to play the majority of the minutes,
is a top five player in the league. You can't
(08:07):
have both of them out there defensively, But him and
TIB's getting fired. Those are the two big things, and
TIBs got fired. I was not surprised at it. I
don't think the Knicks for is surprised. And that's why
I don't think the questions to Jalen Brunson at the
end of the end of the end of the game,
do you think Tibbs is the guy WHOA lots of
times people don't ask that question unless they kind of
(08:29):
know something, unless they kind of think something is coming,
because that's a weird question to ask right after the
game in the postgame press conference. So sometimes when I
hear that question, go, oh, that's such a horrible question
to ask, I don't And sometimes it's oh, maybe somebody
knows something and they're throwing that out there about Tibbs
to see the answer because they know what's coming, right Like,
it wasn't that surprising. Wasn't surprising to me, And I
(08:50):
think it's a It's a change that is going to
wind up being fine for the Knicks and the players
will move on to the next head coach.
Speaker 6 (08:56):
That's been swirling in the background.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
I mean, we were talking about it at the end
of the regular season, and then certainly as the playoffs
developed and you wonder if a run to the Eastern
Conference Finals changes the thinking. But overall, it's the philosophical
part of all, right, what's the roster construction? How long
can you play in the style that Tibbs wants you
(09:18):
to play in? And even if players buy in to
a degree physically, there's only so much you can do.
Speaker 5 (09:25):
Right.
Speaker 4 (09:25):
We've talked about it a lot with Karl Anthony Towns.
He's a decade in the league. This isn't a second
or third year guy that you're saying, you know what,
with a little more work here, here, here, he's now
going to become an a plus defender and he's going
to close out on three point shooting big men and
all of that stuff that.
Speaker 6 (09:40):
No, it's not changing.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
Jalen Brunson is not suddenly going to sprout three inches
taller and become a better defender and fill the passing
lanes and all that other stuff that you watch defenders
work against him. Right, you're trying to do those matchups
and you're trying to figure out the best way to
run a squad. And I'm sure there were a lot
of fights over the course.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
Of the year.
Speaker 4 (10:03):
I mean, look at the number of minutes played again,
grinding through a regular season as if you were already
in a playoffs series, Like, it's not sustainable. It just
isn't You watch guys burn out? What do we always
joke about Joe kim now in Chicago and then with
your Nicks. He was a embodiment of a Tibbs player
(10:23):
because he tried hard. What did that get you for him?
A lot of money and a nice long career. But
was he a winner?
Speaker 5 (10:32):
Right?
Speaker 3 (10:32):
Did he win?
Speaker 7 (10:33):
No?
Speaker 3 (10:33):
He wont at the collegiate level I want. So if
you're looking to.
Speaker 4 (10:39):
Finish the job, it really does go back to the encapsulation.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
Of that A to B, B two C model.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
It's like, all right, you've established the base and you
got your fan base hungry for more, which is great.
Speaker 6 (10:52):
There's no apathy anymore because.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
Generally it's like, yeah, they're excitable to a point because
they know the ceiling is very low and they're about
to hit their head on it. Here was Hey, we're
taking over and the sky's the limit until that game
one collapse to where it becomes the reality check of
all right, let's pause, let's reset, and organizationally, you know,
folks are going after James Dolan, and he's done a
(11:17):
lot of dumb things now, a lot of dumb statements
and moves. This one makes sense, especially because you do
have a very deep roster of potential coaching replacements out there.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Yeah, and look, and and the other reason. Right, we
talked about the big reason, which we'll get into coming
up in a few minutes, a very simple reason why
Tims was fired. The other reason is this, right that
that I look, you want a Knicks fan to tell
you why these are happening, right, there's nobody better listened to. Well,
there's always nobody better listen to our show, but especially
moments like this where it's about our teams.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
Tims had a bad playoff.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
Right, You had the not getting Jalen Brunson in the
game against the Pistons in which they lost by three, Which,
how do you let all this time go and not
have your beat player on the court in the last
four minutes? Like that's ridiculously bad. He's completely out coached
against Rick Carlisle. Everything the Pacers wanted to do, TIBs
could not adjust to. There was no there wasn't even
(12:11):
any any sort of Hey, we're gonna try to combat
what they do it's we're gonna throw out there and
just do the same things, just try to do it better.
Right Game two, when Siakam comes out and has a
game of his career, they clearly weren't ready for anything
that the Pacers wanted to do with that. Rick Carlisle
coach circles around tips, but mainly it's this. The Knicks
biggest achilles heel that we saw in this series was
(12:33):
their defense, right was added, Their defense was no good
and Karl Anthony Townsend Brunson can't be on the court together. Okay,
TIBs came in being a defensive coach. His identity is
I'm gonna make my teams into being great defensive teams.
And that was the Nick's identity for a long time.
But now in a year they are hell and gone
(12:54):
from that identity. They're a great offensive team and the
defensive set they can't play defense at all. You have
to pay He just ran up and down the floor
on them. So if the reason you brought a coach
in is no lay for the certain identity and that
team no longer has that identity, is he really the
right guy? I mean, we're so think about that, Like
he was a defensive cut. The Knicks are horrible defensively, Okay,
(13:15):
So if he came in with that being his cachet
and that's what the team was, if they've gotten away
from it, it's probably time for somebody else. So you
want the other reason why Tis got fired?
Speaker 3 (13:25):
That was it?
Speaker 6 (13:26):
Somebody else?
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Somebody else, exit out by the Fresca exit swollen down
The Jason Smith Show with my best friend Mike Harmon.
Coming up next, NBA insider Mark Stein stops by. He
gives us his take on what happened with Tibbs and
the Knicks, who could be next for them, and who
he thinks is walking away with the Larry O'Brien Trophy
(13:49):
when we finally get to the NBA Finals on the
fourth of July. That's coming up next right here, Chasing
and Mike Fox Sports Radio. From searching online to asking
your friends and family, there's lots of ways to look
for jobs, but what if you had one team that
could help you find the right role. That's where Express
Employment Professionals comes in. Your local Express Employment Professionals office
(14:09):
is your one connection to endless job opportunities.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
With just one.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Application, they can help you find a job at a
company that fits your needs, So visit Expresspros dot com
and as always, Express.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
Never charges job seekers a fee.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
Express knows when companies are hiring, offers benefits and competitive pay,
and in just one interview, they're prepared to present you
to multiple companies that fit your needs. Go to expresspros
dot com to get started, find your nearest location, and
discover for yourself what it's like to have support in
your job search. You can also start your job search
through the Express Jobs app. Download it today, search Jobs,
apply and contact your local Express team. That's expresspros dot
(14:44):
com to start your job search today.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
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 3 (14:58):
Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
The Jason's Show with My best friend Mike Harmon, The
Knicks Fire Tom Thibodeau. We're getting ready for the NBA Finals.
We have a lot of stuff going on. Mets lead
the Dodgers five four in the eighth. Frostburg's trying to
make Doc rivers to the Knicks happen.
Speaker 8 (15:18):
Oh, what's happening?
Speaker 1 (15:19):
It's not it's not happening. It's not it's no no Stott, Stott,
stop Doc. I want Doc Rivers nowhere near my team.
Stop putting that out there.
Speaker 8 (15:28):
Next guest.
Speaker 1 (15:32):
Joining us down the hotline for all the big NBA reaction.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
Check them out on substack.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Longtime NBA insider friend of the show, Mark Stein, Mark,
what's happening?
Speaker 6 (15:41):
Man?
Speaker 3 (15:42):
Welcome back? How are you?
Speaker 5 (15:44):
The phone lines are busy, but I was worried about
you today with this Knicks news, so I said, I better,
I better, I better, I better answer the phone if
I get a call from the eight one to eight,
so I picked up.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
Well, I appreciate it.
Speaker 7 (16:01):
How are you?
Speaker 2 (16:02):
How are you?
Speaker 3 (16:03):
You know better than I thought. Well, let's listen.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
If you called me after the Eastern Conference Finals ended,
I would have given you a different answer. But look,
you know, here's the thing is that and we talked
about this earlier in the show. Sometimes some losses are
just so bad, and losing Game one in the series
and an all time NBA historic way, like I get
(16:26):
why the Knicks said, you know, we want to have
a clean Slaton start over because that loss was just
so bad. I mean, no one in the history of
the league had ever lost that way, and so I
kind of wasn't surprised by it. So even though this was, hey,
it was a shocking headline today, I wasn't really surprised
that they moved on from it.
Speaker 3 (16:42):
How are you when you heard when you heard the news.
Speaker 5 (16:44):
Look, you can't deny that it was a rocky season.
I mean it was not. The Knicks ended up with
a third seed. They ended up beating the defending champions
in the second round, but there was a lot of
tumult sandwiching the second round of the playoffs. Obviously the
Detroit series, the Knicks had their issues. The Indiana series,
(17:07):
as you said, was you know, a huge lost opportunity.
And during the regular season, I mean this team went
zero to ten against the Thunder, the Cavaliers, and the Celtics.
So there were plenty of issues during the season. But
I have to say I heard this from a number
of people around the league. When I you know, when
(17:29):
something like this happens, it's just text and phone calls
just fly all day. People want to talk about it.
When Jalen Brunson came out in such strong support of
Thibodeau after the Indie Series, I think that kind of
convinced a lot of people around the league that he
was going to survive and he was safe. But had
tipped to my guy, Ian Begley, my longtime former teammate.
(17:50):
He's now working for SNY and he reported that in
the exit interview since the Indie series, that James Dolan
was sitting in on some of these meetings, so that
that's unusual. It's a rare step, and you see the
abrupt result and the abrupt change. So there was people
it was one of those deals where I mean for
(18:12):
people on the floor shot you know, no, but there
was a fair amount of shock around the league today.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
I would say, so if this is, you know, part
of the genesis of how it went, because the other
thing we talked about earlier was that, yeah, I think
it's shocking for the Knicks, for the players, but I
don't think it's one of those hey, Tibbs is our guy,
I don't know what's going on here types of situation.
It's more, oh hey, yeah Tibbs, we owe a lot
(18:40):
to him. We got we got pretty far. But I
don't think the Knicks are so broken up about it that,
oh man, this is something that's gonna, you know, cause
more tumult in the organization.
Speaker 5 (18:49):
Well, here's the other thing. I mean, the main reactions
that I got when this happened was, you know, a
the you know what when it just comes out of nowhere.
Timing wise, it certainly surprised people. But then the other thing,
almost universally, the reaction when I talk to people from
other teams was well, surely the Knicks have their next
(19:10):
guy lined up. You know, whether you are a TIBs
fan or not, he is the runaway most successful coach
this franchise has had in the twenty first century. I mean,
they have not been this good for a long time.
So for them to move away from him, and then
(19:30):
knowing the relationship between Leon Rose and Tom Thibodeau, you
you know, it is natural to presumable they must know
the direction they're going. And look, maybe I guess it's
feasible that they're gonna surprise us. What all the initial
indications are that they don't have this super locked in
(19:50):
succession plan. I mean, you guys are making these these
jokes about Doc, but like that's saying nobody there isn't
a clear cut who's taking over name, and that adds
to the surprise here.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
Well, that's the beauty of it.
Speaker 4 (20:05):
Mark is like, we've been having some fun with the
lists from the betting sites and the online marketing do.
Speaker 5 (20:11):
Not bet NBA coaching highers, Okay please not no, no.
Speaker 4 (20:15):
No, no no, because it's fun, right, some of the
names mixed in there, and then you see, Hey, Rick
Brunson's got lower odds or I guess better odds than
someone like Rick.
Speaker 5 (20:27):
Rick Brunson will not be the head coach now. I
have a strong feeling he will stay on on the staff,
but I don't foresee him being the next head coach.
Speaker 4 (20:36):
But the most entertaining of all, though, Mark, is the
the campaign being waged by Meta World Peace.
Speaker 5 (20:44):
Hey, I love I love my guy Meta. I'm not
sure that he has a great chance of getting the
getting the job either, but I got a I got
a lot of love for Meta.
Speaker 4 (20:53):
Do you have any sense of where, where, what direction
they're looking at? I mean, obviously roster constructions part two
of all this phase, But do you have any any inkling?
Speaker 5 (21:04):
Well, look, I mean a slew of names, as you
guys said, are being thrown around. You know, Jay Wright
would be a natural candidate because obviously Brunson, Josh Hart
mckel bridges love Jay Wright.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
I mean, they won.
Speaker 5 (21:23):
National championships in college with him. But Jay Wright has
consistently said four years that he doesn't want to come
to the NBA. Now is that a set in stone
forever position? I don't know. I'm not close enough to
day write to know that. You know, I've covered him
a little bit with USA B, but you know I
(21:46):
did not cover his very successful college coaching career. Is
there anything there? I think we're going to have to
wait and see.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
Now.
Speaker 5 (21:54):
Johnny Bryant is someone who worked on Tom Thibodeau's staff
in New York. He's currently a finalist for the Sun's job.
Johnny Bryant and Jordan not both assistant coaches in Cleveland.
They are finalists for the Sun's job. That could be
we could learn the Sun's coach as early as tomorrow Wednesday. Now,
(22:16):
so an we don't know yet that Johnny Bryant would
be available, but let's play along and say he is.
Let's say that the Suns decide that they're going to
hire Jordan Nott and Johnny Bryant remains available. Are the
Knicks really going to turn to a first time head
coach when the first sentence of Leon Rose's statement explanation
(22:39):
to the public to explain this coaching change is winning
a championship is the absolute focus of this franchise. Do
you throw a first year head coach into a championship
or bus situation in probably the brightest spotlight there is
for a coach in this league?
Speaker 1 (23:00):
You know, you throw that out there, Mark, and let
me tell you my top three.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
Tell me what you think. Obviously Joe Rhightt would be there, right.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
Obviously, Jay Wright he would be he would he would
be the first guy the phone call I would make.
But the other two guys I honestly like the most
Mike Brown and I don't know that it might not
be time to give Sam Cassell that shot. I know
what you would be, hey, obviously long time up and
coming next great head coach potentially rather than have somebody
who's been around a while, like.
Speaker 3 (23:27):
Are gonna go for Monti Williams or someone like that.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
But Mike Brown, Sam Cassell, those be the two guys
outside of Jay Wright that really intrigued me.
Speaker 5 (23:36):
Well, look, both you know we talked about Jay Wright.
So let me focus on Mike Brown and Sam Cassell
both excellent coaches. But you know, Mike, like Tibbs, is
a defensive specialist. If you went away from Tibbs, you
could say the same thing about Mike Malone. Michael Malone
is also available. Now you know, these are all coaches
(23:57):
who are known as defense first coaches. If you're going
to go away from Tom Thibodeau, you would think that
offense is an element that you would be focusing on
for your new head coach. So that's why, I mean, again,
only the Knicks know where they really stand, and I'm
(24:19):
not going to purport to say that I've tapped into
their front office and know exactly what their next move
is on the coaching front. But I've mostly heard skepticism
when you've the names today, like when you hear Michael
Malone or Mike Brown or Taylor Jenkins, all very good
(24:40):
coaches who were dismissed during the season. I'm with you
on Sam Cassell. I'm surprised he didn't get consideration that
you know, Phoenix interviewed so many coaches. I'm not sure
why Sam wasn't involved there. I mean, he is long
overdue for a head coaching shot. And everywhere he's been
(25:01):
in this as an assistant, I always hear just what
a great connection he forges with players. It's going to
be very interesting to see where this thing goes, because again,
Tom Thibodeau, he has many supporters, he has many detractors.
But and I hope you guys, hope you if you
(25:23):
guys hear in the background there is massive thunder in
this region. As obviously they know in Oklahoma City with
the Pacers and all their trouble just getting to the
NBA Finals today, But we've got it here in Dallas too,
So you might hear some thunderous booms in the background
here as I'm as I'm blabbering. But it's gonna be
it's gonna be fascinating to see where the Knicks go
(25:45):
with this search because you know, again there's a lot
of pressure on them to you know, Tom Thibodeau is
a very very successful coach there, no matter whether you're
a fan or not. And so they got to get
this right. And you know, Leon Rose said it, I mean,
they've got to win a championship. The Knicks have not
won a championship for more than fifty years. That's that's
(26:08):
the every season goal for this franchise.
Speaker 4 (26:11):
Now we look at the roster side of things, is
Carl Anthony Towns back or do we see him shuffled?
And is it just Jalen Brunson and then he picks
his own eleven.
Speaker 5 (26:25):
It's too early to say. I know that's not the
answer you want, you know, I'm I mean Karl Anthony
Towns also commands such a high salary that in the event,
I mean, in the event the Knicks we're going to
turn around now and try to trade him, I'm not
sure completely sure what that market would look like. I mean,
(26:49):
Karl Anthony Towns is a dynamic center offensively, but you know,
the defensive issues are well chronicled and they certainly affect
did the Knicks in the playoffs?
Speaker 7 (27:03):
Right?
Speaker 5 (27:03):
Can you win a championship in the NBA with Towns
as you're five man? And if the answer is no,
can he be as as effective as he needs to
be offensively if you play him at the four next
to a big guy? And what does that do for
Brunson and the spacing all over the court otherwise? So,
I mean, the Knicks knew all this when they made
(27:24):
the trade and They're going to have to figure it out.
Speaker 1 (27:28):
Mark Steine with us, Jason Smith Mike Harmon, live from
the Fox Sports Radio studios. Okay, we get closer and
closer now of the NBA Finals. Last time we get
to talk to you before the finals begin. Your pick
is who and how many games?
Speaker 5 (27:41):
I went Thunder and six because I'm that high on
the Pacers. I think this is going to be a
tougher series and advertised. I mean, look, if you just
go through all the numbers from what the Thunder did
during the regular season, fifth thing should be a five
game series. I mean the Thunder they should win the championship.
(28:04):
I mean, they all the metrics that you can look
at for the way this season has unfolded, they should
win it all. But I think the Pacers. I think
the Pacers have been the most underrated team in the
league for a long time. And you know, I guess
(28:25):
you can't really be underrated anymore if you're in the
NBA Finals. But they are such overwhelming hunderdogs in the
series that I kind of think they're still in that
well and look Chapeau to Tyrese Halliburton, who I am
a I am an? I am a relentless grudge holder.
I can't let grudges go. It's one of my it's
(28:48):
one of my faults. But I love as a grudge holder.
I love I love the absolute mileage, the slight mileage
that Halliburton keeps getting out of this overrated thing. Because
you guys realize that when the Athletic did that story,
(29:08):
only ninety players were pulled. Thirteen guys name, thirteen nameless
players are the ones who said Halliburton is the most
overrated player in league. So it's only thirteen players in
a league with more than four hundred and fifty.
Speaker 7 (29:26):
And he has just used that and used.
Speaker 5 (29:29):
That, and Michael Jordan would be proud how much he has.
Speaker 7 (29:36):
Used this called the overrated I mean like it's I mean,
it was thirteen guys, what.
Speaker 6 (29:46):
Was a poll of ninety? Mark, so it statistically counts.
Speaker 5 (29:51):
It's a non story. And we keep talking about. I
guarantee you if they Steel Game one and Halliburton plays, well,
what do you I mean, you guys are gonna have
me on and you'll be saying, you'll be bringing it up.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
Yeah, he's on Twitter at the steinline. That is at
the steinline. Mark is always appreciated. We'll talk to you
as the NBA Finals unfold.
Speaker 5 (30:12):
Have a good one, all right, that sounds good.
Speaker 6 (30:14):
Thanks, Mark, be great.
Speaker 1 (30:15):
I love it because it is like this whole poll
that came out. You forget, this wasn't four hundred players
across the peak that were.
Speaker 7 (30:25):
Right.
Speaker 6 (30:25):
It was ninety.
Speaker 4 (30:26):
But again, as long as it's more than thirty, were
statistically relevant.
Speaker 6 (30:30):
Go back to your basic stats.
Speaker 4 (30:32):
So when folks started yelling about, oh, you know, take
a stats course, like yeah, greater than thirty, we can
talk about it as statistically relevant. The fact that they
only got one what one fifth of the players are thereabouts?
That that traversed the NBA. That doesn't matter. Exit out
by a Fresca exit swollen dome. Jason Smith Mike Harmon
(30:54):
live from the Fox Sports Radio studios.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
Time now to find out what's trending in the wide
world of sports. Man has been the Tyres Halliburton of
Fox Sports Radio because he was named most overrated on
air employee in a pole recently it's Steve de Sager.
Speaker 8 (31:10):
I think you have to be rated first to be overrated.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
But it was only a couple of people.
Speaker 8 (31:16):
It was just only a carcentage sure, yeah.
Speaker 9 (31:19):
NBA Finals start Thursday with Indiana at Oklahoma City and
then Game two is Sunday. By the way, the pacers
arrival in OKC for the Finals was delayed by weather
because there was a thunderstorm watch for OKC today and
a tornado warning and a flood watch, and the flight
was diverted to.
Speaker 8 (31:38):
Tulsa to refuel.
Speaker 9 (31:39):
By the way, last weekend, the clincher against the Knicks,
the Game six of the East Finals averaged over eight
million viewers on cable, making it the most watched game
of the NBA season so far. Previous high was on
Christmas Lakers Warriors got nearly eight million.
Speaker 8 (31:55):
Well, the Knicks got embarrassed in front of that many people.
Speaker 9 (31:58):
And then today the next fire coach after five years
in New York, speaking of embarrassing last summer, he signed
a three year contract extension that I believe kicks in
all right about now. Three WNBA games tonight eight no
Minnesota beat Phoenix, Indiana at homebeat Washington, Caitlin Clark still
out with a string quad Seattle got to come back
(32:19):
home win eighty three seventy seven over Dallas, which is
one and seven. Erika Gunbawala in the loss four baskets
in four quarters, but of course she kept shooting four
fifteen from the floor.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
There you go.
Speaker 8 (32:32):
In this defeat.
Speaker 9 (32:33):
US women's soccer won four nothing over Jamaica in an
exhibition in Saint Louis. Number two c Carlos Alcarez when
his quarterfinal at the French Open to Major League Baseball.
The Mets are holding on five to four over.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
Holding on right now, Reed Garrett, who has been the
best reliever in baseball this year, is imploding in this inning.
Speaker 8 (32:53):
It just struck out Freddy Freeman.
Speaker 1 (32:54):
So we do throw three pitches in the dirt and
a wild pitch, and it's what is happening.
Speaker 5 (33:00):
You know.
Speaker 9 (33:01):
Max Munsey homer in the first tonight off the Mets
starter Tyler McGill, who then retired sixteen of seventeen batters.
The Mets are holding on five to four in LA.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, second and third,
one out for LA. The Twins are now up nine
to three.
Speaker 8 (33:18):
At the A's in the top of the eighth.
Speaker 9 (33:20):
The A's have lost seven in a row and eighteen
of their last nineteen. Baltimore won five to one at
Seattle winning pitcher Tomayuki Sugano went seven strong innings. Seattle
first place in the AL West was a half game
over Houston. Houston won earlier three to nothing at Pittsburgh,
beating Paul Skeins and what a comeback for the Padres
at ten inning win at San Francisco three to two,
(33:41):
Manny Machado a two run single with two outs in
the ninth to tie. He went four for four. So
San Francisco's offense, now, this is sixteen straight games they've
scored four runs or less for the first time since
nineteen sixty five Yankees in Philadelphia each one. Cincinnati ended
Milwaukee's eight game winning streak four to two with a
(34:02):
run in the seventh and a run in the eighth,
and the Mets have just tagged out a runner near
home plate. It is still a five to four New
York advantage, two outs in the eighth.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
Back to you, Thank you, Steve O.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
The Jason Smiths are with Mike Carmon live from the
Fox Sports Radio studios to Askar Hernandez grounds to third.
Ronnie Mauricio makes the play, they get sho Heyo Tani
in a rundown. So now two outs the tying run
at third as the Dodgers continue to bat here in the.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
Bottom spectrum on the call there uh spectrum.
Speaker 1 (34:32):
Coming up next, we get into an NFL story of
a trade that was gonna happen, then it was dead,
and now it could be happening again, and it doesn't
change the fact that it's stupid for both teams.
Speaker 3 (34:44):
That's next right here, chasing to Mike Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (34:48):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific, Fox.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with My best friend Mike.
We'll have more on the big firing coming up in
about ten minutes. But I I you know, we're definitely
in that mode now of we're waiting for football. Like
you know, some teams are in their office'son OTAs and
it's great and some of the stuff, oh my god.
(35:17):
The highlight today of Travis Harner, which may want to
get to that tomorrow on the show, is just what.
Speaker 4 (35:21):
We got that we got who's completing passes at the
greatest rate.
Speaker 1 (35:26):
Yeah, I mean, we're finding everything out of out of
what's going on right now, but.
Speaker 3 (35:32):
Football right because because teams.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
Are in there, are in there, you know, in their
no helmet or no pads practices. You know, sometimes the
the media gets to see sometimes they don't all right,
and they're gonna go away in a few days and
then it's gonna be okay, the big month or so
of nothing until football, because we're in that waiting for
football span, which is why stories like this trade that
(35:55):
just doesn't make any sense keeps getting all kinds of attention.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
It was a week ago.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
That the story came out that the Dolphins were looking
to trade tight end John hu Smith to the Steelers.
And John who Smith's one of the best tight ends
in the NFL, one of those late bloomers, caught eighty
eight passes last year for the Dolphins, wants a new contract.
Potentially the Dolphins don't want to pay him, so they're
looking at maybe this is a trade to the Steelers.
(36:22):
And while we saw this come up, we're like, okay,
and we told you last week it.
Speaker 3 (36:27):
Was stupid because it doesn't make sense for either.
Speaker 1 (36:29):
It makes sense for the Dolphins if they're tanking because
they have nobody else to catch bad they have nor
the tight end that's ready to be a pass catching
tight end, and for the Steelers, it's what are you doing?
You don't have a quarterback yet, Wow, a lot.
Speaker 6 (36:41):
Of guys to catch the ball from the quarterback.
Speaker 1 (36:43):
You already have a starting tight end that you paid
a lot of money to in Pat fryer mouth, what
are you doing?
Speaker 7 (36:48):
Like?
Speaker 3 (36:48):
What? This doesn't make any sense? And then earlier.
Speaker 1 (36:52):
Today Adam Schefter has the report, Hey, the trade is
not happening.
Speaker 3 (36:55):
Okay, good, cooler heads prevailed because this is just stupid.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
No, no, no, Then late today, hey, trade could be
back on sides are talking again and this trade could happens.
Now back to where we're a week ago, where this
is just stupid, because really, the Dolphins in the year
have gone from up and coming fast team. Mike McDaniel
is on the is on the cusp of rewriting NFL
books as far as in offensive systems, and now it's
(37:19):
we're tanking because that's the only reason this makes sense
for them, as if they're tanking because you can't take
this guy who is a great weapon that you can't
replace and just say, yeah, we're moving on from because
we don't want to pay him. WHOA This tells me
you are tanking. And for the Steelers, again, you don't
have a quarterback. You know, Aaron Rodgers doesn't throw to
one tight end, let alone two tight ends.
Speaker 3 (37:39):
You're going to bring in the catch passes? Like what
what are you doing? What are the Steelers doing? Like
this makes no sense on so many levels.
Speaker 4 (37:46):
Yeah, the Dolphins side of it is to me, truly
the more and more fascinating for the Steelers, Like, all right,
you can acquire an asset that is, because of the
contract issue, a distressed property. You have a lot of
draft picks at your disposal for twenty twenty six if
that's what Miami's really looking to do, right, So here
problem solve because you don't have to do the cock
(38:06):
of Amy thing in the NBA of hey, let's make
the salaries matchup. Here's a couple of first round picks.
You feel good? Yeah, okay, good or third round or
whatever it is. I say first just because that's usually
the starting point and then we argue from there. But
say it's three draft picks over the course of the
twenty twenty six draft, and you play it out, promise
them some money, and move on.
Speaker 3 (38:27):
Okay.
Speaker 4 (38:27):
For the Steelers, it's another viable passing target for Rogers
or whoever else. Is there your point about Rogers and
you're utilizing the tight end. I mean, Tyler Conklin had
himself a nice year, he was fine. But for the
Dolphin side of it, it's just that much more fascinating
because they with the team on the cup.
Speaker 5 (38:46):
Right.
Speaker 4 (38:46):
The Patriots were imploding in the post Belichick and Brady
era or the final years of the Belichick era, I
guess to say it right where things have gone sideway
as you're hiring former defensive co ordinators as o c's
and and trying to fit uh square pegs into the
round hole and everything so that falls apart. The Jets
(39:08):
have been Sorry, sorry, buddy.
Speaker 3 (39:10):
The Jets good.
Speaker 6 (39:14):
Great.
Speaker 4 (39:15):
So you have an opportunity to really push forward, and
you have Hill, you have Wattle, you keep to upright,
and McDaniel's the guy everybody's determining to be the next
you know, genius, along with McVeigh, shanahan and the others
that have risen up now Kevin O'Connell and instead now
(39:36):
he just looks like he's gonna go and get the
tattoos removed, like he's Pete Davidson to become a character actor,
so like it's becoming a totally different different looks like, yeah, yeah,
let's get rid of the guy that was an eighty
eight catch guy. Tyreek Hill may or may not be
here because all of a sudden they're cleaning up all
the the language around him and maybe where he becomes
(39:58):
a trade target. Jalen Waddle has been reduced to being
just a guy. All you got is Devin ah Chan.
Anybody want to come get him to the age of
the running back, go get him while you're at it.
Speaker 3 (40:09):
Why not? Yeah? Why not?
Speaker 1 (40:10):
Right, you'll get to in a year from now. Everything
they're all gonna be gone. Man again, it only makes sense.
Well it's hurtfault. None of it makes sense for the
for the Steelers, no matter what. But that's that's the thing.
For the Dolphins is like it's not like they have
a glut on the roster. It's not like they have
you know, hey, if we we we do this, they
just potentially don't want to pay the guy, right, Like
(40:32):
I mean, like this is how does this make you
better for this year?
Speaker 3 (40:35):
It doesn't.
Speaker 1 (40:36):
It makes this year and you're not getting anything for
this year that's going to help you. It's gonna be
all we'll get a draft, but that's next April. We
had the draft. It happened. I watched it. It was great.
Speaker 3 (40:50):
This makes you nothing but worse for this year. And
again the Dolphins.
Speaker 1 (40:55):
Man, wow, hey, I'm not complaining because you know, it's
one one less team. I gotta worry about beating me,
you know, as much as they have the last few years.
Speaker 3 (41:02):
So I'm okay with it. But but it just still
just stuns me that this is what's going to.
Speaker 6 (41:05):
The current odds that McDaniel's the first coach fired.
Speaker 3 (41:11):
There you go, there's a hot take. Mike Harbett. We
get back to the biggest story of the day next
fo
Hosts And Creators
Jason Smith
Mike Harmon
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
True Crime Tonight
If you eat, sleep, and breathe true crime, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT is serving up your nightly fix. Five nights a week, KT STUDIOS & iHEART RADIO invite listeners to pull up a seat for an unfiltered look at the biggest cases making headlines, celebrity scandals, and the trials everyone is watching. With a mix of expert analysis, hot takes, and listener call-ins, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT goes beyond the headlines to uncover the twists, turns, and unanswered questions that keep us all obsessed—because, at TRUE CRIME TONIGHT, there’s a seat for everyone. Whether breaking down crime scene forensics, scrutinizing serial killers, or debating the most binge-worthy true crime docs, True Crime Tonight is the fresh, fast-paced, and slightly addictive home for true crime lovers.