May 3, 2025 • 41 mins
On tonight’s edition of The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon, NBA insider Marc Stein joins the show to break down the NBA Playoffs, LeBron James, the upcoming Warriors-Rockets Game 7, and Greg Popovich’s move to the front office. Then, the guys react to Tigers outfielder Riley Greene making MLB history as the first player to hit two home runs in the ninth inning. They also revisit LeBron’s MCL injury in Game 6 and debate whether it’s legitimate or just playoff drama. All that and more in Hour 4 of The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon!
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Transcript
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 Foxsports Radio
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Speaker 2 (00:23):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with my best
friend Mike Harmon.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Well dressed, Cobo, you got.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Lebron's mcl injury. What are the Bucks gonna do now
with Giannis after getting knocked out of the playoffs in
the first round? Greg Popovich walking away as a head coach,
gonna be running things with the San Antonio Spurs, and
of course the Rockets and Warriors force Game seven. Nobody
better to talk to about all of these topics. Joining
(00:57):
us now on the Hotline. You can follow him on
Twitter at the Steinline, check him out on Substack, longtime
NBA Inside of Front of the Show, Mark stein Mark,
thanks for staying up late with this man, appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
I'm not sure though, that that Jason Smith promo there
was a lot of Jason Smith in that promo before
you guys came, before we started a segment. Man, I
don't know that that was a curveball. I wasn't expecting that.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
Sounds like Mark's saying there should be more Harmon in
that promo.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Yeah, you get, you get the cursory of my best friend,
Mike harm and.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
He's lucky item say that Jason Smith show with my
best friend Jalen Brunson. I mean, that's that's how I'm
feeling right now, Mark.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Gentlemen, Brunson is a monster, and it's just like, yeah,
I mean, you guys know where I live in the
city of Dallas, and like the Mavericks have had so
many rough and I'm talking rough draft day experiences and
they've never moved up in the lottery, not once in France.
I mean, there were years in the nineties when they
(02:03):
won eleven and thirteen games and slipped it far down
the lottery board as they mathematically could. But when they
hit on draft night ninth June twenty fourth, nineteen ninety eight,
they got Derknovitski and traded for Steve Nash and then
twenty years later, twenty eighteen drafts. They got Luka Doncic
and Jalen Brunson on the same night and now have
(02:27):
been either that is that is tough now. But your
guy Brunson, oh, he just that crosso. I mean, what
if he finished with a flourish man. He is, he is,
He's improved every year in the league. You got it.
He just the guy is a relentless worker, incredible confidence.
And you know, now they'll play the Celtics with the
(02:50):
pressure is off. Like I don't know if a Brunson
centric offense can work against the team with as many
weapons as the Celtics, but I guess we'll see if
the you know, the Celtics are clearly not at their healthiest,
so maybe that gives your knicks a chance.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
All right, And I'm with we said this all last night.
I have the last year, I felt so much pressure.
This year, no pressure.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
It's great. They just faced the pressure. They just faced
what Golden State is facing against Houston. They're playing a
Detroit team with a bunch of young guys who have
n't been on this stage. And I'm sure they thought
that they lost games six and they might have to
go back and finish this thing at home. The Pistons
were just absolutely resilient in this and really really did
(03:37):
well in the series and caused the Knicks a lot
of problems and brunts and saved them and now all
that weight is gone. But I mean, they're gonna need
more than playing with a lightness and freedom to beat
the defending champs. That's just it's a the Celtic. You know,
we're gonna have to say about the Celtics health, Like
(03:58):
all their guys seem to be carrying some kind of injury.
But I mean, when they're right, they are a dynamic
team at both ends and that's why they won it
all last year.
Speaker 5 (04:08):
There you go.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
All right, So we mentioned the the Rockets and Warriors.
We've been giving our flowers out to Fred van Vliet
over the course of the night. But I have the
question for Game seven, how do the Warriors solve Steven Adams.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
I mean, I know you're laughing, but like it's a
bit a legitm No.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
It's a legit issue. No, I mean you didn't you
didn't think we'd be asking this question, but yeah, this
is where we're at.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
But here's the thing. The Warriors, like the Lakers, are
super small and it has caused them serious problems because
Houston's gone to this double big lineup. But it's interconnected.
What Van Vliet is doing is the way he is
(04:54):
shooting the ball and the last three game seventeen to threes.
No Rocket I have ever made seventeen threes over a
three game stretch in the playoffs. Fred Van Vliet is
the first that's a franchise record over a three game stretch.
So like he his shoot his shot making, it enables
(05:15):
the Rockets to play a couple non shooters and you
see the problems that it's causing. I mean, they are
just they are man handling the much smaller Warriors, just
like the world. You know, I was there Wednesday night
in LA and Rudy Gobert turned into Moses Malone and
(05:35):
the Lakers were too small that hand and you saw
what happen. And this is going to be an I'm
not writing the Warriors off. I think this series has
reached the point that anything is possible, and the Warriors
Vets are just too accomplished for me to say they
cannot go to Houston and win a game, but to
(05:58):
have to turn around on a short notice against such
a younger team obviously does not. It's not good news.
And I coming into this series, I thought for the
Rockets playing Golden State, it's like going to it's going
to be like going to playoff University because they're playing
a team with so much experience and postseason no how
(06:21):
and the Rockets have learned real quick like they have.
They have been fantastic. I admitted I wrote them off
a three to one. I wrote them off, and they
they shot me and a lot of other people up.
They have responded brilliantly and have to be feeling tremendous
to get to go home and try to finish this
thing off.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
All right, Mark, Now you mentioned the Lakers, Mark Stein
with us Now, I know you just did your All
NBA podcast and one of the things you talked about
was Lebron's future with the Lakers. We get word today
that he had the sprained MCL might not have played
the for the next three weeks if the Lakers were
still alive. Is Lebron a Lake next year? What did
you guys talk about? Where do you see this?
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Yeah? Look, nobody can say with certainty today, but I
think it's much more likely than not. I mean, he
has a player option that exceeds fifty million. I mean,
I don't really foresee him turning that down to become
a free agent and take a much lesser salary somewhere else.
Is he really tradeable at age forty with a salary
(07:26):
that high? I mean, the questions are valid. We have
to ask him, and we want to ask him. I
can't give you the answer on May second, but rest assured,
it's a question that a lot of people are asking,
and it's going to keep coming up again. I think
it's more likely than not that he's still a Laker.
(07:47):
I mean, I think the only and again I shouldn't
even say certainty, because it's not like I know exactly
what Lebron is thinking. But I certainly expect him to
play next season. I don't think he's retiring. I think
we'll see him play for at least one more season.
And look, he's been very comfortable in LA. He's been
in LA as long as he's been anywhere at this point.
(08:08):
So but I think he also knows that you know,
this is Luca's team now. I mean, they made this
trade to build around Luka Nancic, and you know now
they're gonna that's what this summer is about. I mean,
this team is this team is super you know, they're
(08:33):
so small. They got to address the center situation. I
mean that that's that's obviously step number one.
Speaker 5 (08:39):
For the coach, for JJ Reddick.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
Obviously a lot of tactical moves in the playoffs, questioned
rotations or lack thereof. I mean, roster was incomplete. We
talked about the size mark, but overall, well, how do
you how do you grade his year one?
Speaker 3 (08:58):
I mean overall, you you know, he did very well.
I mean, his team won fifty games, they got a
number three seed. I mean for our first year head
coach walking into again. The scrutiny that the Lakers faces
is you know, certainly unique, and the noise is louder
when it's the Lakers and just about anywhere. I mean,
(09:18):
you can't just discount those things. But the decision to
you know, play his starting five the whole second half
in the game four defeat, the way he reacted to
some of the criticisms storming off the podium pregame. You're
hearing Reggie Miller say on the broadcast that you know,
(09:39):
he was edgy in their pregame meeting, like, I mean,
those those are you know, worrying things. But I mean
I think the Lakers are quite pleased with how Year
one went overall, and that you know, he'll only continue
to get better with the increased experience that he has.
(10:01):
But yeah, I mean, look, they're all placing the everyone
with the Lakers are facing the criticism right now because
the series just ended so bad. I mean they were
supposed to you know, they were the number three seed
and they were you know, you expected them to win
around two rounds. You know, could they get to the
conference finals to go out in five games? You know,
(10:23):
nobody is going to escape the heat right now in Lakerland.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Mark steined with us The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Carmon live from the Fox Sports Radio studios. All right,
so the heat in Lakerland. There's a lot of heat
in Milwaukee as well. After another first round exit. And
then forget about Tyre's Halliburton's dad trolling Giannis. What happens
with Giannis and the Bucks?
Speaker 3 (10:43):
Now, Mark, I mean, that is what every front office
in the league. I mean, that is their number one
question as well. And look the Bucks they have, they
have no control of a first round pick between now
and twenty thirty one. They're realistically not going to have
Damian Lillard all of next season. Like this team, they
(11:07):
don't really have a pathway to make the team better.
So I don't want to act like I have a
pipeline to Janie's innermost thoughts either, But you just I
mean around the league, the expectations certainly is He's not
gonna want to stay right, He's not going to he
wants to compete for championships. Janis himself has talked about
(11:31):
how much he wants to win another one. There just
doesn't you know, it doesn't look like the Bucks have
a pathway to being a contender anytime soon. But something
that you you also hear frequently when when the Bucks
come up is like they do not want to trade
him under any circumstances. Now, if he comes to them
(11:52):
and asks for it, they're going to have to make
a decision. But like, because I think, I think there
is a school of thought that says, shouldn't the Bucks
want to explore This's like, don't the Bucks sea they've
exhausted every avenue to try to put a winning team
around him shooting, they be the one initiating this, But
I just don't I don't get the sense that that's
(12:14):
the direction the Bucks want to go. Like if Yannis
doesn't pressure them to move him, I think they would
they would stick with it and just try, you know,
see what to be the best team that they could assemble.
But yeah, I mean, same thing, even more so than Lebron.
I mean, Yanni's future is going to be you know,
that is like discussion point number one league wide at
(12:36):
this point.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
Well, we have a lot of fun with photoshopping guys
in the new uniforms. Maybe it's a great move that
new basketball president of Basketball Operations in San Antonio, Greg
Popovich can do to bring Yannis to San Antonio.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
Well, look, if Janni's does become available, you know, it's
it's not a laughing matter. I mean, if ya. One
of the one of the amazing things for the Spurs
is they are they're just so well positioned to move forward.
And there's you know, this question about who would replace
pop It's been asked for years, like who wants to
(13:17):
step into the shoes of a coach who's won five
championships and been there for nearly thirty years? Like it
is it is that is a daunting ask that you know,
Mitch Johnson is now stepping into that role, but with
web Min Yama there, with the Aaron Fox there now,
with all the picks bashed that the Spurs have and
(13:38):
Statankastle just one rookie of the year this week, like
they they can any superstar who's available, whether that's Gianni's,
Kevin Durant, whoever you want to name. The Spurs will
have the ability to get in the trade mix for
any superstar who becomes available. So like they're not necessarily
(13:59):
done in improving their roster. And so I think, Greg, look,
it's it's it's a shock to the system. I mean
because he's been there since November of ninety six. I
mean it is you know, this would have been year
thirty had he come back, which is never gonna happen again.
We're just never going to see that in the NBA
A probably any major league sport. But so there is
(14:21):
there is a shock that the Spurs are going to
have to go negotiate and go through because this is
a dramatic change. Even though Mitch Johnson basically coached this
team for the entirety of this season, seventy six games,
almost the whole season. But Greg Popovitch will still have
a very loud voice in San Antonio. I think you
can you can bank.
Speaker 5 (14:40):
On that mark.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
Lastly, again, thirty years of this going on, I know
you've you've covered him a long time. If I said,
what's your favorite Greg Popovich story that you can tell
on the radio? What story would you tell? What story?
The hey, this sums up when I talk about Popovich.
This is a story.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
I mean there Honestly, we could do a whole show
with Pop stories because because they're that good and there
are are so many. But I mean, it really depends
on which direction you want to go. Like I mean,
I could give you a couple of stories of times
that I got popped, as we like to say in
the Sideline Reporter game. I think maybe my best I
(15:18):
don't know if that's my best one. But the one
that just comes to mind is don Nelson retaught was retiring.
He you know, he quit as mas coach in two
thousand and five. Don Nelson and Pop were incredibly close.
You know, Greg pop of his first NBA you know,
he he he had a stint with his spurs and
then he went to go be an assistant for Nelly
(15:39):
in Golden State, then went to San Antonio to be
GM and ultimately named himself as coach. But Nelly and
Pop were super close, and so there was there was
a party for Nelly in Dallas to kind of, you know,
kind of like honor his coaching career, and Pop was there,
and the room is filled with mass people including jordanvi
(16:00):
Ski and you know, other math players, and Pop just
got up and basically told the room, you guys are
all idiots, You're all roobs. If you think Don Nelson
is really retiring from coaching, you're the dumbest people I've
ever seen. And the room is just laughing uncontrollably and
with it. In less than two years, Nelly was back
(16:20):
in Golden State for one more stax beg Popovich new
Don Nelson very very very well.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
Oh he's on Twitter at the Steinline. That is at
the Steinline. Check him out on substack as well. And
again the podcast, it just went up a few moments ago.
He just finished the All NBA podcast. Check it out there.
It's on Mark's Twitter page at the style Line. Thanks
so much, as always, my friend, We'll talk to you
next week. Enjoy the games this weekend.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
All right, guys, be good to catching it up.
Speaker 5 (16:47):
Be good, Mark, thanks so much.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
You're rubes. You're all stupid if you think you're all.
Speaker 5 (16:52):
A bunch of dumbest taking this. What is pop?
Speaker 3 (16:55):
No?
Speaker 4 (16:55):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (16:56):
Whatever? Pop?
Speaker 3 (16:57):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (16:57):
Yeah? Oh hey, wait a minute? Pop? Was okay? Wait
a minute pop? Right? Oh boy? I had to think
about that. All right. Great visit from Mark Stein as
always again at the Steinline is all. NBA podcast is up.
Thoughts on Houston and Golden State, Jannis and the Bucks
and Greg Popovich as well. Coming up next, we got
more from the NBA. We got what could be Lebron's
(17:18):
last year in LA? Is that next year? And one
story basketball wise you gotta watch the f out for
that's next right here, Jason and Mike Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
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 1 (17:39):
Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with My best
friend Mike Harmon. Be sure to check out the Fox
Sports Radio YouTube channel. Just search Fox Sports Radio on YouTube.
You'll see a whole bunch of video highlights from our shows.
Be sure to subscribe so you never miss our very
best Fox Sports Radio videos on YouTube. And before we
get into Lebron James and what be his last year
(18:01):
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tire buying should be. Well, we could have gone with
(18:22):
Fred van Vliet Joey Tribiani from Friends Gotta Listen to
the whole show as good as he is, most underrated
player in the NBA. A big night forcing Game seven. However,
when you become the first person in the history of
Major League Baseball to it two home runs in the
ninth inning of the game, well you get to be
(18:42):
the play of the day.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
Great powers, this ball high the air rights tenter Field.
Speaker 5 (18:49):
Really great?
Speaker 3 (18:50):
Does it again?
Speaker 5 (18:53):
Two in the inning?
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Tigers Radio Network on the call, according to the Elias
Sports Bureau, and I'm sure the phenomenal researcher Sarah Langs
had this. Steve de Seger will have more of this.
I'm sure he is the first player in baseball history
to hit two home runs in the ninth inning of
a game. First Tigers player do it since Maglio Ordonias. Yeah,
(19:20):
let's go seven. See I remember when see I always
go back to what was it, Fernando Tatis? Right, two
grand slams in an inning? Oh goodness, eight RBI two
Grand slams, eight RB. I had it back then. I'm like,
it takes the Mets like a week to have that
kind of a total. He did it all on one any.
Speaker 4 (19:37):
But sitting in my closet, what do you have an
old Maglio or Donia's white Sox jersey? Do you really
is it worth anything?
Speaker 5 (19:46):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (19:47):
I'm sure to somebody. Oh worth it to me because
I was a big fan. No, I mean like, if
you put it on eBay, could you make like you know,
like what like would you make money on it?
Speaker 5 (19:56):
Or no? Oh yeah, why didn't pay anything for it?
It was gifted to me. Oh, so it's all profit
to me. But it is pretty cool.
Speaker 4 (20:04):
And then I have a gamer Travis after so, I
mean you talk about Randos.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Ooh wow, going through you must have a I can't
get over if I went to your house the stuff
I would see in your memorabilia room that you have.
It's like, look at all this random stuff. It's all
random people I've met over the course of the years,
where all of a sudden you're having a conversation in
(20:28):
seats and someone asked for your business card, and then
all of a sudden.
Speaker 4 (20:32):
You get a box and as a Travis after gamer
in it well text strangers.
Speaker 5 (20:36):
It's pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
What is that? That's the cigarette Votti Devot smoked after
the Lakers eliminated the Rockets in nineteen eighty seven. I
would encapsulate that and put that on a wall. What's that?
Speaker 4 (20:48):
That's a concert poster from this cool thing I got
to go overseas to do. What's that next to it?
The Vlotti Devots cigarette. It's all good. It's a museum
of my life.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Than to Mark Stide for stopping by and talking a
NBA with us. And look, coming off the the game
six win by the Rockets and and Fred van Vliet
having an incredible night, Look I get I expect the
Rockets to blow the doors off of the off of
the Warriors. They're just not the same. They've kind of
hit the wall. Steph's thumb is hurting him. This should
be Rockets in a blowout. But the other big drama
(21:22):
of the day revolves around Lebron James, where sources reported
that he suffered a sprained MCL in the fourth quarter
of Game five and would have been unavailable to the
Lakers for what probably would have been the next three
to five weeks, because that's the normal time frame for
a sprained MCL to heal. Now, well, that's the thing
(21:43):
is that it You know, I'm waiting for this to
be the Lakers announce this or somebody else in that.
But I was a little suspicious when I saw league
sources tell ESPN where it's like, okay, but still, this
is an MRI, right, this is an MRI. This is
where doctor could lose their jobs.
Speaker 4 (22:01):
Well, but unless a doctor gets in front of a
microphone and we verify that he's truly a doctor and
not like Joey Triviani doctor Drake Ramore getting in front
of a microphone.
Speaker 5 (22:13):
You gotta listen to the whole show.
Speaker 4 (22:15):
Uh that that just because it goes out through you know,
mcmanimon or whoever else.
Speaker 5 (22:22):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (22:23):
He seemed to move all right slower, but I thought
that was just because he was forty.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
Remember when they wanted to They were killing his character
off the Days of Our Lives because he complained about
the writing and he was supposed to fall down an
elevator shaft and he and he had lived it going
on going, anybody else want to get on the elevator?
What about you, doctor Wong? And he just shakes his
head and walks like his and then the one goes, Drake,
I love you, yeah, whatever, and he oh, man that
(22:54):
I love you, Drake whatever. Anybody else want to get
the elevator with me? Do you want to get in
the other? Uh? But look, no, I will take this
as this is that it's legitimate that Lebron this wasn't hey.
After we get eliminated, everybody wants to blame me and
I was hurt. And the play it comes off of
is that Dante DiVincenzo play. And clearly, look, Lebron has
(23:15):
flopped enough in his career that you're not going to
get the benefit of the doubt. Look, Nikola Jokic is
at that point right now or after years of MVPs,
it's ah, is he really flopping again? But this is
not really about the injury. Obviously Lebron will be okay
in the next few weeks. But the more time that
goes on in the last twenty four to forty eight
hours or so, the more I think, you know, unless
(23:37):
it's a big run to the Western Conference Finals or
the NBA Finals, next year is the last year for
Lebron in Los Angeles. Right. We talked about this a
couple hours ago on the show. We mentioned a little
bit last night that it just seems like that's the
way it's trending, right, that the Lakers after the Luca trade,
they seem to be much more actively moving towards a
(23:59):
poet Lebron era where it's built around Luca. Now, obviously
you're going to do that, right because Luca is twenty
five and Lebron is forty. But you know, well, you
just got Luca's got Lebron. They could play three four
more years, and clearly Lebron has another three four more
years in I look, the guy's this good at forty
a right, all Lebron detractors, again, the guy's doing at
forty with nobody else in any sport. He's dominating like
(24:21):
nobody else in any sport has ever done. At forty. Right,
he's better than Brady is when he was forty in
the NFL. This is how good Lebron is. But slowly
you are seeing Lebron who went from a position of
power where he ran everything with the Lakers. He and
Rich Paul and Anthony Davis, they ran everything right. They
got the free agents they wanted, They drafted the players
(24:42):
that Lebron wanted, whether it was Dalton connect or whether
it was Brony. And you know, clutch sports kind of
ran things for a bit. Oh you want KCP, KCP
is coming. But now with the Luca trade, Okay, what
are the Lakers doing? Yes, they make a big Bowl
trade for the next era in LA. Awesome. But now
lebron best friend and a guy that he helped control things,
(25:02):
Anthony Davis is gone. And you hear Lebron talk now,
and he doesn't talk about the Lake. He talks about, Hey,
what's next for Luca and his payday? He's got to
go get his I mean, I'm not gonna be around
much longer. It's almost like he gets that his influence
with the team is waning, and the team is starting
to take back control of it because all all the
(25:23):
things that they seem to be doing are gonna be
towards the era post Lebron. And if next year isn't
a great year where they succeed in the playoffs and
it's another year of getting knocked out in the first round,
guess what that's it for Lebron in La Right, he's
got the one year left, fifty million, he's gonna opt
into it. He's not gonna take less, he's not going anywhere.
He's gonna be a Laker. But next year is it,
(25:45):
And it's not even gonna be a conversation in a year.
If the Lakers underachieve, it's gonna be Okay, we're moving on,
and that fifty million a year we're paying Lebron, we're
gonna get somebody else, and it's gonna be a better
roster suited to building around what is hopefully an in
shape Luka Doncic and whatever he needs succeed. First thing
is gonna be a rim rocker, a guy that can
(26:06):
go up and down the floor, that Luca can run
his alley oop game with like that's what they need.
They try to get in the deadline and the and
the deal got uh mixed because of Mark Williams couldn't
past the physical. But you can just see and you
can sense that the Lakers and and and Lebron are
moving away from each other. And for the Lakers it's
we're seizing control of the team again. We're not letting
(26:27):
Lebron the GM make moves. We're doing what we want
to do. And Lebron sees it, he sees it. Okay,
My what I've done here, my my influence over the
organization has seen its zenith. Right, I've done the l
a thing. I came here and I started a production company,
and I've done what I wanted to do and and
and and done here in Los Angeles. My kids are
(26:48):
gonna be are gonna be gone, Like whether you know,
Brony's in the NBA and and and Bryce is gonna
be in college soon and so yeah, when the Lakers
say goodbye next year, it's gonna be, okay, one of
two destinations. Right, I'm gonna Hey, I'll just be a
kid from Akron again. And Cleveland's close to winning championships,
and hey, i can go and be with Donovan Mitchelin.
(27:10):
That great offense there in Cleveland helped them win a title,
and I can go out as kid from Akron with
one more championship, or I scratch that itch and go
play in Madison Square Garden for a year and I
get forty one nights of the low lights in the
playoffs and whatever it is a year or two like
those are the two destinations. And I know you brought
up earlier that potentially the Warriors, and I could see
that too, But I see that as a third possibility
(27:32):
outside of this. Now clearly, yes, in Golden State, he'd
be close to LA. If his family stays in Los Angeles.
You know you're getting too that those kinds of family decisions.
But from a basketball standpoint, yeah, it's really Cleveland, New York.
And I'll put I'll put Golden State thert. He's not
just gonna go anywhere. But if next year, if next
year is like this, like that's it. It's one more
(27:53):
year for Lebron in LA and then the last couple
of years he's playing someplace else.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
Fifty two million dollars player option, no trade clause going
into this year, certainly a lot of jocularity and chuckling
it up and taking shots at the front office and
everything else in his exit after the loss in this round,
so saying, hey, I can't talk about the center thing
(28:19):
because you know, Ad got shipped out the other with
the rescinded trade. Boy, that guy was awful healthy for
the final thirty games. You don't think they got cold feet. Yeah,
wanted to.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
Keep that pick.
Speaker 4 (28:30):
They decided he wasn't the answer because you know, they
were reading the message boards and maybe they you know,
we always got to bring it back to draft day
when you see a move. And then because he certainly
could have helped even in his quote diminished capacity, because
I think he was like thirty minutes a night for
a good chunk at the end of the season there.
But oh, that's to say for Lebron, you've got plenty
(28:53):
of opportunities. I mean, Cleveland, would you want him with
what they've built there? No, I mean you're gonna be
the fifth guy, Lebron.
Speaker 1 (29:03):
But if you're Cleveland that hasn't won a title, and okay,
maybe we're missing that some sort of leadership at the
end or whatever it is, Like if Cleveland goes doesn't
win this year, they're still at the top, but don't
win that. Okay, I can't see that. Yeah, okay, we'll
go get Lebron. Lebron can come back again, kid from Akron,
Kid from Akron. Or they say no and he says, hey,
(29:23):
I always wanted to play with the Knicks, and the Knicks,
who are not going to be coming off the title
this year, are gonna say okay, yeah, come on in,
come on in. Man, we got some guys. But dude, yeah,
you want to come play. Let's see what if the
lights uh bring you a little bit more uh uh,
a little bit more extra for the last year or
two of your career, you know, no, one hundred percent.
Speaker 5 (29:42):
I can only let that happen if Tibbs is still there.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
Oh man, hey, Lebron, we played. I can't even say
you play defense because we don't need Moore. You know,
just go out there whatever, Just go out there, go
go emulate what Cat's doing.
Speaker 4 (29:55):
If you see doing, he's just kind of running around
in circles and if people getting his then he's playing defense.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
Look and if you see something I can't I don't see,
then just you know, just tell the guys, it's fine.
What I do is I stand here with my arms folded,
and now my only job is to make sure Jalen
Brunson's in the game in the final three minutes. That's
all I really do anymore. Okay, but but I really,
I really look like I'm doing stuff with my arms folded.
But really it's just about making sure Jalen's in the game,
because I snow that up the other night, so I
want to make sure. Now it's become about Thibodeau. He's
(30:24):
not even the the he's losing his mind, mad Thibodeau anymore.
Speaker 4 (30:29):
He's got the the fatherly And you've done this move.
We've all done this move. We've had it done to
us when we were little, and now we've done.
Speaker 5 (30:35):
It to our children.
Speaker 4 (30:36):
Like I'm not mad, I'm disappointed. Look, just that you're
kind of saddened by whatever's transpired. Maybe it's a struggling
in a class, Maybe it's a fender bend or whatever.
Maybe they you know, they ate, you know, whatever you
had put aside for your meal. I mean, I don't
know whatever it is. Forgot to take the dog out
for a walk.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
So bad things happened, any of those things to where
you just have that look on your face, like really really,
that's what Timbs looks like whenever they do the ISO
shot anymore. It's like someone hugged the man. But get
ready for next year. That Lebron's lot, not his last
year in the league, his last year with LA talking
about Sacremento, Yeah, that's not happening. Let's find out what's
(31:20):
trending in the wide world of sports. From a guy
who's been called the Tom thibodeaua Fox Sports radio huh.
Sometimes he doesn't know whether or not Jalen Brunson's in
the game. Either.
Speaker 6 (31:29):
It's Steve to say, I thought you were just gonna
talk to me about my legendary defense. Okay, maybe we're
in the.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
Black sweatsuit you wear into work every night, or.
Speaker 6 (31:39):
My constant smile.
Speaker 5 (31:40):
Yes.
Speaker 6 (31:43):
In the NBA Playoffs, Houston won at Golden State Tonight
one fifteen one OHO seven. Fred Van Vleet twenty nine points,
eight rebounds, eight assists. Game seven of this first round
series is Sunday night at Houston. Steph Curry tonight and
defeat twenty nine points, five turnovers. Jimmy Butler had twenty
seven points, eight assists, just one turnover. Saturday night, there
(32:04):
is a first round Game seven with the Clippers at
Denver in the NHL Playoffs, a Saturday night Game seven
with Colorado at Dallas, and then Sunday night Saint Louis
Is at Winnipeg. The Blues are still alive after getting
four straight goals in the second period to beat Winnipeg
five to two. In fact, Amazingly, Sportsnet in Canada says
this will be for the Winnipeg Jets their first game
(32:25):
seven at home since nineteen seventy seven in the WHA
Playoffs against the San Diego Mariners.
Speaker 1 (32:32):
Did Bobby Hall play in that game? I think it
might have.
Speaker 6 (32:35):
That is the correct league, Andre Lacroix, I'm sure was.
You know, Willy O'Ree played for the San Diego Mariners
back in the seventies. That's how long ago we're going people.
Scottie Scheffler leads by six strokes in Texas and second race.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
Wait six, will three really play? Wait? Wait wait wait yes,
wait wait okay, Bobby Hall did play on that team.
He was thirty nine. Bobby Hill about that.
Speaker 6 (32:57):
The Golden Jet?
Speaker 5 (32:58):
Yeah, absolutely, yeah, show.
Speaker 6 (33:01):
That's the only positive thing about the Jets. This weekend
and live golf, and it's on FS one right now
from South Korea. Bryson de'shambo is tied for the Leadies
threw eleven holes in his second round. Is only three
round events in live golf to Major League Baseball, and yes,
Detroit did it again to the Angels nine. Won the
final with eight runs in the top of the ninth.
(33:23):
They had outscored them eight nothing in the last couple
innings last night, so quite a back to back night.
Performed in fact, five home runs for the Tigers in
this game, the loss to closer Kenley Jansen. Riley Green
did in fact homer twice in the ninth and that's
a Major League first. The Angels have lost seven in
a row. San Francisco shut out Colorado for nothing. The
(33:43):
Rockies offense three for twenty eight. The record is six
and twenty six. The Mets won nine to three at
Saint Louis. Clay Holmes four and one got the win.
Cubs were up nine to nothing at Milwaukee in the
second inning, ten nothing Cubs the final Seattle one. It's
fifth straight thirteen to one that Texas. Brian wou four
and one got the win. Two more homers for cal Raley,
(34:04):
including a Grand Slamm. He has twelve home runs. The
Dodgers won their six straight two one at Atlanta. The Windy.
Oshinobu Yamamoto allowed one hit in his six scoreless innings
six strikeouts. Baltimore shutout Kansas City three nothing. Bobby went
Junior are the Royals zero for four. That ends his
twenty two game hit streak. The Yankees and Max Freed
shut out Tampa Bay three nothing, Freed six and Oh,
(34:25):
back to you.
Speaker 1 (34:27):
Steve Oh two seven game series for the Winnipeg Jets
in nineteen seventy seven. Yes, the San Diego Mariners and
the Quebec Nordeaks two seven game series on their way
to losing in the finals for the seventy seven AVCO
for the AVCO.
Speaker 6 (34:46):
Cup, which is what they played for whj But.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
The next year they beat the Whalers to win the
AVCO Cup. So good on the Jets. Whalers who became
the Hartford Whalers.
Speaker 6 (34:57):
Carolina Hurricanes eventually became Colorado Abs.
Speaker 1 (35:02):
Eventually Gordy Hull was Gordi Howe was playing for that
Bobby Helt. Gordy Howe was playing for the Wales. When
he's fifty one years old.
Speaker 6 (35:09):
He was with the Houston Arrows in that league as well. Yeah,
and his two sons on the same roaster.
Speaker 1 (35:16):
Yeah oh yeah, Mark and Marty. Yeah Mark, Mark was
the good one. Mark was I remember, Mark was a
good one.
Speaker 6 (35:21):
The other one was was Bronnie.
Speaker 1 (35:23):
Yeah yeah, wow off the top rope. The other one
was Brown. I want to say Mark Howe won a
couple of did he win did he win a Norris Trophy?
I want to say he won a Norris Trophy at
least one as best defense? I got you, I gotta
(35:46):
look that up, all right. Coming up next, we got
a couple of big NBA stories, A couple of big
basketball stories coming your way, one from the NBA and
one story you gotta watch the f out for. That's
next right here, Jason and Mike Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (36:00):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific. Looking for look to find FS one on
your television, go to Foxsports dot com for details FS one.
Speaker 3 (36:21):
Looking for the look at for a one.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon,
Extra Cockfight big, big double barrel of stories for you
to finish with.
Speaker 5 (36:36):
UH.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
You know, we talked a lot about Greg Popovich stepping
down as head coach of the Spurs today. Hasn't coached,
uh since earlier in last last season after suffering a stroke,
and look at the rigors of being a coach every
day or too much. He's going to run the Spurs,
but he is being replaced and you know for a
(36:58):
time and look, and I'm going back ten years now.
Ten years ago, I said, Okay, Becky Hammon is going
to take over as head coach when Greg Popovitch retires, Like,
this is what's happening. She was, She and Tim Duncan
were hired at the same time. But this was clearly, Hey,
they're gonna groom Becky Hammond to be the first female
(37:19):
head coach in NBA history. And she was there for
about a decade and then she left and now she's
you coach the Aces to two championships in her first
two years. So he's had like the career in the
WNBA and it was ten Look the proof is on
Twitter ten years ago, twenty fourteen, I said, this is
gonna happen. Sometimes your first tweets. Oh no, no, two
(37:41):
thousand and nine. My first tweet was about Tim Linseka
nearly pitching a no hitter. It was like a two
thousand and nine but like you're going back like ten
years for a prediction to see if it's true or not.
And and Becky Hammond got a lot of attention that
if you got a couple of analysts, uh, I said, ah,
Becky Hammid should be the next head coach. Obviously it's not.
Mitch Johnson gets the gig. Becky ham Is quoted a
(38:01):
big article on a couple of websites saying, I'm very
happy here in the WNBA. And why not. She's a legend,
she's forty eighth and coach wherever she wants. She's done
a great job. But really, ten years I had to
wait to see if this prediction was gonna come to
ten years Mike Harman, and it could have come true,
but it just didn't because she left. And honestly, I
(38:21):
probably think the way for her to become the head
coach was to stay with the Spurs for a while,
then go somewhere and coach and succeed and then come
back right like you know what, when you work someplace,
if you really want to do something really good, you
need to leave and come back because they're not gonna
promote you all the way up the chain, like hey,
let everybody know who you are. You go someplace else,
you make a name for yourself, and then you come back.
(38:43):
Like I always thought, that's what Becky Hammond needed to
do was spurs for a decade, go someplace else as
a head coach, win, and then come back. And that
was a great plan. But except you know, Pop is
retiring a little bit earlier than he thought because of
the stroke he suffered, and now he's not coaching anymore.
Speaker 4 (38:57):
Yeah, and and she she left him, and it's hard
to be that coach and waiting. That doesn't work out
all the time, either, whether it's a GM's moved on,
ownership changes, whatever.
Speaker 1 (39:07):
The case may be.
Speaker 4 (39:09):
That or you know, the apple you know falls and
there's somebody else new on the horizon here, right, And
you've got a guy in Johnson that's been there a decade,
very close to Wembin Yama guided them this entire year,
and they've got assets, they've got opportunity to grow. And
for Becky Hammond, I mean she's in a fantastic spot,
great roster obviously dominating there, so it worked out nicely.
(39:33):
But yeah, you had an opportunity, and we wait, we're
here still on the radio ten years later to see
how that prediction turned out.
Speaker 1 (39:40):
That's amazing, pretty great. Ten years, ten years. I had
to wait to see how it wigh.
Speaker 5 (39:45):
I did, so put that in the I was wrong column, so.
Speaker 1 (39:48):
That's okay, But that's okay, ten I was almost That
was pretty good. Ten years, ten years, man, ten years,
I had to wait for that prediction. But speaking of
the WNBA, ready for a big bull prediction. They started
watch from season tonight. Angel rees in the sky playing
back at LSU. She had a big night I think
fifteen and ten in the preseason, and the Aces had
a big night to welcoming Paige Becker's to the W
(40:10):
with a minus twenty five night for hers. They blow
out the Wings. But I'll tell you what, Caitlyn Clark
plays her first game on Sunday. If you think this
year is gonna be calmer in the W because okay,
they went through last year and the Caitlyn Clark jealousy
was off the hook, and everybody's gonna play nicer this year,
forget it, twenty twenty five is gonna make last year
look like a kid giving out candy. It's gonna be
(40:33):
even more insane and more bizarre, more Caitlin Clark hate,
more support, more jealousy. You thought last year was something?
Wait do you see this year?
Speaker 4 (40:42):
Wait to everybody saw Box Office with the hate, so
you know what, ratcheting up another level.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
Let's go get ready because it's it's gonna happen.
Speaker 5 (40:51):
Exit.
Speaker 1 (40:51):
How about a Fresca exit Twitter for Mike Im Jason
coming up next to Pike Show. This is 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 Foxsports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every night on the
iHeartRadio app by searching fsrles give.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with my best
friend Mike Harmon.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Well dressed, Cobo, you got.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Lebron's mcl injury. What are the Bucks gonna do now
with Giannis after getting knocked out of the playoffs in
the first round? Greg Popovich walking away as a head coach,
gonna be running things with the San Antonio Spurs, and
of course the Rockets and Warriors force Game seven. Nobody
better to talk to about all of these topics. Joining
(00:57):
us now on the Hotline. You can follow him on
Twitter at the Steinline, check him out on Substack, longtime
NBA Inside of Front of the Show, Mark stein Mark,
thanks for staying up late with this man, appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
I'm not sure though, that that Jason Smith promo there
was a lot of Jason Smith in that promo before
you guys came, before we started a segment. Man, I
don't know that that was a curveball. I wasn't expecting that.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
Sounds like Mark's saying there should be more Harmon in
that promo.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Yeah, you get, you get the cursory of my best friend,
Mike harm and.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
He's lucky item say that Jason Smith show with my
best friend Jalen Brunson. I mean, that's that's how I'm
feeling right now, Mark.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Gentlemen, Brunson is a monster, and it's just like, yeah,
I mean, you guys know where I live in the
city of Dallas, and like the Mavericks have had so
many rough and I'm talking rough draft day experiences and
they've never moved up in the lottery, not once in France.
I mean, there were years in the nineties when they
(02:03):
won eleven and thirteen games and slipped it far down
the lottery board as they mathematically could. But when they
hit on draft night ninth June twenty fourth, nineteen ninety eight,
they got Derknovitski and traded for Steve Nash and then
twenty years later, twenty eighteen drafts. They got Luka Doncic
and Jalen Brunson on the same night and now have
(02:27):
been either that is that is tough now. But your
guy Brunson, oh, he just that crosso. I mean, what
if he finished with a flourish man. He is, he is,
He's improved every year in the league. You got it.
He just the guy is a relentless worker, incredible confidence.
And you know, now they'll play the Celtics with the
(02:50):
pressure is off. Like I don't know if a Brunson
centric offense can work against the team with as many
weapons as the Celtics, but I guess we'll see if
the you know, the Celtics are clearly not at their healthiest,
so maybe that gives your knicks a chance.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
All right, And I'm with we said this all last night.
I have the last year, I felt so much pressure.
This year, no pressure.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
It's great. They just faced the pressure. They just faced
what Golden State is facing against Houston. They're playing a
Detroit team with a bunch of young guys who have
n't been on this stage. And I'm sure they thought
that they lost games six and they might have to
go back and finish this thing at home. The Pistons
were just absolutely resilient in this and really really did
(03:37):
well in the series and caused the Knicks a lot
of problems and brunts and saved them and now all
that weight is gone. But I mean, they're gonna need
more than playing with a lightness and freedom to beat
the defending champs. That's just it's a the Celtic. You know,
we're gonna have to say about the Celtics health, Like
(03:58):
all their guys seem to be carrying some kind of injury.
But I mean, when they're right, they are a dynamic
team at both ends and that's why they won it
all last year.
Speaker 5 (04:08):
There you go.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
All right, So we mentioned the the Rockets and Warriors.
We've been giving our flowers out to Fred van Vliet
over the course of the night. But I have the
question for Game seven, how do the Warriors solve Steven Adams.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
I mean, I know you're laughing, but like it's a
bit a legitm No.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
It's a legit issue. No, I mean you didn't you
didn't think we'd be asking this question, but yeah, this
is where we're at.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
But here's the thing. The Warriors, like the Lakers, are
super small and it has caused them serious problems because
Houston's gone to this double big lineup. But it's interconnected.
What Van Vliet is doing is the way he is
(04:54):
shooting the ball and the last three game seventeen to threes.
No Rocket I have ever made seventeen threes over a
three game stretch in the playoffs. Fred Van Vliet is
the first that's a franchise record over a three game stretch.
So like he his shoot his shot making, it enables
(05:15):
the Rockets to play a couple non shooters and you
see the problems that it's causing. I mean, they are
just they are man handling the much smaller Warriors, just
like the world. You know, I was there Wednesday night
in LA and Rudy Gobert turned into Moses Malone and
(05:35):
the Lakers were too small that hand and you saw
what happen. And this is going to be an I'm
not writing the Warriors off. I think this series has
reached the point that anything is possible, and the Warriors
Vets are just too accomplished for me to say they
cannot go to Houston and win a game, but to
(05:58):
have to turn around on a short notice against such
a younger team obviously does not. It's not good news.
And I coming into this series, I thought for the
Rockets playing Golden State, it's like going to it's going
to be like going to playoff University because they're playing
a team with so much experience and postseason no how
(06:21):
and the Rockets have learned real quick like they have.
They have been fantastic. I admitted I wrote them off
a three to one. I wrote them off, and they
they shot me and a lot of other people up.
They have responded brilliantly and have to be feeling tremendous
to get to go home and try to finish this
thing off.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
All right, Mark, Now you mentioned the Lakers, Mark Stein
with us Now, I know you just did your All
NBA podcast and one of the things you talked about
was Lebron's future with the Lakers. We get word today
that he had the sprained MCL might not have played
the for the next three weeks if the Lakers were
still alive. Is Lebron a Lake next year? What did
you guys talk about? Where do you see this?
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Yeah? Look, nobody can say with certainty today, but I
think it's much more likely than not. I mean, he
has a player option that exceeds fifty million. I mean,
I don't really foresee him turning that down to become
a free agent and take a much lesser salary somewhere else.
Is he really tradeable at age forty with a salary
(07:26):
that high? I mean, the questions are valid. We have
to ask him, and we want to ask him. I
can't give you the answer on May second, but rest assured,
it's a question that a lot of people are asking,
and it's going to keep coming up again. I think
it's more likely than not that he's still a Laker.
(07:47):
I mean, I think the only and again I shouldn't
even say certainty, because it's not like I know exactly
what Lebron is thinking. But I certainly expect him to
play next season. I don't think he's retiring. I think
we'll see him play for at least one more season.
And look, he's been very comfortable in LA. He's been
in LA as long as he's been anywhere at this point.
(08:08):
So but I think he also knows that you know,
this is Luca's team now. I mean, they made this
trade to build around Luka Nancic, and you know now
they're gonna that's what this summer is about. I mean,
this team is this team is super you know, they're
(08:33):
so small. They got to address the center situation. I
mean that that's that's obviously step number one.
Speaker 5 (08:39):
For the coach, for JJ Reddick.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
Obviously a lot of tactical moves in the playoffs, questioned
rotations or lack thereof. I mean, roster was incomplete. We
talked about the size mark, but overall, well, how do
you how do you grade his year one?
Speaker 3 (08:58):
I mean overall, you you know, he did very well.
I mean, his team won fifty games, they got a
number three seed. I mean for our first year head
coach walking into again. The scrutiny that the Lakers faces
is you know, certainly unique, and the noise is louder
when it's the Lakers and just about anywhere. I mean,
(09:18):
you can't just discount those things. But the decision to
you know, play his starting five the whole second half
in the game four defeat, the way he reacted to
some of the criticisms storming off the podium pregame. You're
hearing Reggie Miller say on the broadcast that you know,
(09:39):
he was edgy in their pregame meeting, like, I mean,
those those are you know, worrying things. But I mean
I think the Lakers are quite pleased with how Year
one went overall, and that you know, he'll only continue
to get better with the increased experience that he has.
(10:01):
But yeah, I mean, look, they're all placing the everyone
with the Lakers are facing the criticism right now because
the series just ended so bad. I mean they were
supposed to you know, they were the number three seed
and they were you know, you expected them to win
around two rounds. You know, could they get to the
conference finals to go out in five games? You know,
(10:23):
nobody is going to escape the heat right now in Lakerland.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Mark steined with us The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Carmon live from the Fox Sports Radio studios. All right,
so the heat in Lakerland. There's a lot of heat
in Milwaukee as well. After another first round exit. And
then forget about Tyre's Halliburton's dad trolling Giannis. What happens
with Giannis and the Bucks?
Speaker 3 (10:43):
Now, Mark, I mean, that is what every front office
in the league. I mean, that is their number one
question as well. And look the Bucks they have, they
have no control of a first round pick between now
and twenty thirty one. They're realistically not going to have
Damian Lillard all of next season. Like this team, they
(11:07):
don't really have a pathway to make the team better.
So I don't want to act like I have a
pipeline to Janie's innermost thoughts either, But you just I
mean around the league, the expectations certainly is He's not
gonna want to stay right, He's not going to he
wants to compete for championships. Janis himself has talked about
(11:31):
how much he wants to win another one. There just
doesn't you know, it doesn't look like the Bucks have
a pathway to being a contender anytime soon. But something
that you you also hear frequently when when the Bucks
come up is like they do not want to trade
him under any circumstances. Now, if he comes to them
(11:52):
and asks for it, they're going to have to make
a decision. But like, because I think, I think there
is a school of thought that says, shouldn't the Bucks
want to explore This's like, don't the Bucks sea they've
exhausted every avenue to try to put a winning team
around him shooting, they be the one initiating this, But
I just don't I don't get the sense that that's
(12:14):
the direction the Bucks want to go. Like if Yannis
doesn't pressure them to move him, I think they would
they would stick with it and just try, you know,
see what to be the best team that they could assemble.
But yeah, I mean, same thing, even more so than Lebron.
I mean, Yanni's future is going to be you know,
that is like discussion point number one league wide at
(12:36):
this point.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
Well, we have a lot of fun with photoshopping guys
in the new uniforms. Maybe it's a great move that
new basketball president of Basketball Operations in San Antonio, Greg
Popovich can do to bring Yannis to San Antonio.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
Well, look, if Janni's does become available, you know, it's
it's not a laughing matter. I mean, if ya. One
of the one of the amazing things for the Spurs
is they are they're just so well positioned to move forward.
And there's you know, this question about who would replace
pop It's been asked for years, like who wants to
(13:17):
step into the shoes of a coach who's won five
championships and been there for nearly thirty years? Like it
is it is that is a daunting ask that you know,
Mitch Johnson is now stepping into that role, but with
web Min Yama there, with the Aaron Fox there now,
with all the picks bashed that the Spurs have and
(13:38):
Statankastle just one rookie of the year this week, like
they they can any superstar who's available, whether that's Gianni's,
Kevin Durant, whoever you want to name. The Spurs will
have the ability to get in the trade mix for
any superstar who becomes available. So like they're not necessarily
(13:59):
done in improving their roster. And so I think, Greg, look,
it's it's it's a shock to the system. I mean
because he's been there since November of ninety six. I
mean it is you know, this would have been year
thirty had he come back, which is never gonna happen again.
We're just never going to see that in the NBA
A probably any major league sport. But so there is
(14:21):
there is a shock that the Spurs are going to
have to go negotiate and go through because this is
a dramatic change. Even though Mitch Johnson basically coached this
team for the entirety of this season, seventy six games,
almost the whole season. But Greg Popovitch will still have
a very loud voice in San Antonio. I think you
can you can bank.
Speaker 5 (14:40):
On that mark.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
Lastly, again, thirty years of this going on, I know
you've you've covered him a long time. If I said,
what's your favorite Greg Popovich story that you can tell
on the radio? What story would you tell? What story?
The hey, this sums up when I talk about Popovich.
This is a story.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
I mean there Honestly, we could do a whole show
with Pop stories because because they're that good and there
are are so many. But I mean, it really depends
on which direction you want to go. Like I mean,
I could give you a couple of stories of times
that I got popped, as we like to say in
the Sideline Reporter game. I think maybe my best I
(15:18):
don't know if that's my best one. But the one
that just comes to mind is don Nelson retaught was retiring.
He you know, he quit as mas coach in two
thousand and five. Don Nelson and Pop were incredibly close.
You know, Greg pop of his first NBA you know,
he he he had a stint with his spurs and
then he went to go be an assistant for Nelly
(15:39):
in Golden State, then went to San Antonio to be
GM and ultimately named himself as coach. But Nelly and
Pop were super close, and so there was there was
a party for Nelly in Dallas to kind of, you know,
kind of like honor his coaching career, and Pop was there,
and the room is filled with mass people including jordanvi
(16:00):
Ski and you know, other math players, and Pop just
got up and basically told the room, you guys are
all idiots, You're all roobs. If you think Don Nelson
is really retiring from coaching, you're the dumbest people I've
ever seen. And the room is just laughing uncontrollably and
with it. In less than two years, Nelly was back
(16:20):
in Golden State for one more stax beg Popovich new
Don Nelson very very very well.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
Oh he's on Twitter at the Steinline. That is at
the Steinline. Check him out on substack as well. And
again the podcast, it just went up a few moments ago.
He just finished the All NBA podcast. Check it out there.
It's on Mark's Twitter page at the style Line. Thanks
so much, as always, my friend, We'll talk to you
next week. Enjoy the games this weekend.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
All right, guys, be good to catching it up.
Speaker 5 (16:47):
Be good, Mark, thanks so much.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
You're rubes. You're all stupid if you think you're all.
Speaker 5 (16:52):
A bunch of dumbest taking this. What is pop?
Speaker 3 (16:55):
No?
Speaker 4 (16:55):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (16:56):
Whatever? Pop?
Speaker 3 (16:57):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (16:57):
Yeah? Oh hey, wait a minute? Pop? Was okay? Wait
a minute pop? Right? Oh boy? I had to think
about that. All right. Great visit from Mark Stein as
always again at the Steinline is all. NBA podcast is up.
Thoughts on Houston and Golden State, Jannis and the Bucks
and Greg Popovich as well. Coming up next, we got
more from the NBA. We got what could be Lebron's
(17:18):
last year in LA? Is that next year? And one
story basketball wise you gotta watch the f out for
that's next right here, Jason and Mike Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
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 1 (17:39):
Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with My best
friend Mike Harmon. Be sure to check out the Fox
Sports Radio YouTube channel. Just search Fox Sports Radio on YouTube.
You'll see a whole bunch of video highlights from our shows.
Be sure to subscribe so you never miss our very
best Fox Sports Radio videos on YouTube. And before we
get into Lebron James and what be his last year
(18:01):
in Los Angeles, time now for the tire Iraq Play
of the Day. For over forty years, tire i Rack's
been helping customers find the right tires for how, what
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tire buying should be. Well, we could have gone with
(18:22):
Fred van Vliet Joey Tribiani from Friends Gotta Listen to
the whole show as good as he is, most underrated
player in the NBA. A big night forcing Game seven. However,
when you become the first person in the history of
Major League Baseball to it two home runs in the
ninth inning of the game, well you get to be
(18:42):
the play of the day.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
Great powers, this ball high the air rights tenter Field.
Speaker 5 (18:49):
Really great?
Speaker 3 (18:50):
Does it again?
Speaker 5 (18:53):
Two in the inning?
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Tigers Radio Network on the call, according to the Elias
Sports Bureau, and I'm sure the phenomenal researcher Sarah Langs
had this. Steve de Seger will have more of this.
I'm sure he is the first player in baseball history
to hit two home runs in the ninth inning of
a game. First Tigers player do it since Maglio Ordonias. Yeah,
(19:20):
let's go seven. See I remember when see I always
go back to what was it, Fernando Tatis? Right, two
grand slams in an inning? Oh goodness, eight RBI two
Grand slams, eight RB. I had it back then. I'm like,
it takes the Mets like a week to have that
kind of a total. He did it all on one any.
Speaker 4 (19:37):
But sitting in my closet, what do you have an
old Maglio or Donia's white Sox jersey? Do you really
is it worth anything?
Speaker 5 (19:46):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (19:47):
I'm sure to somebody. Oh worth it to me because
I was a big fan. No, I mean like, if
you put it on eBay, could you make like you know,
like what like would you make money on it?
Speaker 5 (19:56):
Or no? Oh yeah, why didn't pay anything for it?
It was gifted to me. Oh, so it's all profit
to me. But it is pretty cool.
Speaker 4 (20:04):
And then I have a gamer Travis after so, I
mean you talk about Randos.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Ooh wow, going through you must have a I can't
get over if I went to your house the stuff
I would see in your memorabilia room that you have.
It's like, look at all this random stuff. It's all
random people I've met over the course of the years,
where all of a sudden you're having a conversation in
(20:28):
seats and someone asked for your business card, and then
all of a sudden.
Speaker 4 (20:32):
You get a box and as a Travis after gamer
in it well text strangers.
Speaker 5 (20:36):
It's pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
What is that? That's the cigarette Votti Devot smoked after
the Lakers eliminated the Rockets in nineteen eighty seven. I
would encapsulate that and put that on a wall. What's that?
Speaker 4 (20:48):
That's a concert poster from this cool thing I got
to go overseas to do. What's that next to it?
The Vlotti Devots cigarette. It's all good. It's a museum
of my life.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Than to Mark Stide for stopping by and talking a
NBA with us. And look, coming off the the game
six win by the Rockets and and Fred van Vliet
having an incredible night, Look I get I expect the
Rockets to blow the doors off of the off of
the Warriors. They're just not the same. They've kind of
hit the wall. Steph's thumb is hurting him. This should
be Rockets in a blowout. But the other big drama
(21:22):
of the day revolves around Lebron James, where sources reported
that he suffered a sprained MCL in the fourth quarter
of Game five and would have been unavailable to the
Lakers for what probably would have been the next three
to five weeks, because that's the normal time frame for
a sprained MCL to heal. Now, well, that's the thing
(21:43):
is that it You know, I'm waiting for this to
be the Lakers announce this or somebody else in that.
But I was a little suspicious when I saw league
sources tell ESPN where it's like, okay, but still, this
is an MRI, right, this is an MRI. This is
where doctor could lose their jobs.
Speaker 4 (22:01):
Well, but unless a doctor gets in front of a
microphone and we verify that he's truly a doctor and
not like Joey Triviani doctor Drake Ramore getting in front
of a microphone.
Speaker 5 (22:13):
You gotta listen to the whole show.
Speaker 4 (22:15):
Uh that that just because it goes out through you know,
mcmanimon or whoever else.
Speaker 5 (22:22):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (22:23):
He seemed to move all right slower, but I thought
that was just because he was forty.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
Remember when they wanted to They were killing his character
off the Days of Our Lives because he complained about
the writing and he was supposed to fall down an
elevator shaft and he and he had lived it going
on going, anybody else want to get on the elevator?
What about you, doctor Wong? And he just shakes his
head and walks like his and then the one goes, Drake,
I love you, yeah, whatever, and he oh, man that
(22:54):
I love you, Drake whatever. Anybody else want to get
the elevator with me? Do you want to get in
the other? Uh? But look, no, I will take this
as this is that it's legitimate that Lebron this wasn't hey.
After we get eliminated, everybody wants to blame me and
I was hurt. And the play it comes off of
is that Dante DiVincenzo play. And clearly, look, Lebron has
(23:15):
flopped enough in his career that you're not going to
get the benefit of the doubt. Look, Nikola Jokic is
at that point right now or after years of MVPs,
it's ah, is he really flopping again? But this is
not really about the injury. Obviously Lebron will be okay
in the next few weeks. But the more time that
goes on in the last twenty four to forty eight
hours or so, the more I think, you know, unless
(23:37):
it's a big run to the Western Conference Finals or
the NBA Finals, next year is the last year for
Lebron in Los Angeles. Right. We talked about this a
couple hours ago on the show. We mentioned a little
bit last night that it just seems like that's the
way it's trending, right, that the Lakers after the Luca trade,
they seem to be much more actively moving towards a
(23:59):
poet Lebron era where it's built around Luca. Now, obviously
you're going to do that, right because Luca is twenty
five and Lebron is forty. But you know, well, you
just got Luca's got Lebron. They could play three four
more years, and clearly Lebron has another three four more
years in I look, the guy's this good at forty
a right, all Lebron detractors, again, the guy's doing at
forty with nobody else in any sport. He's dominating like
(24:21):
nobody else in any sport has ever done. At forty. Right,
he's better than Brady is when he was forty in
the NFL. This is how good Lebron is. But slowly
you are seeing Lebron who went from a position of
power where he ran everything with the Lakers. He and
Rich Paul and Anthony Davis, they ran everything right. They
got the free agents they wanted, They drafted the players
(24:42):
that Lebron wanted, whether it was Dalton connect or whether
it was Brony. And you know, clutch sports kind of
ran things for a bit. Oh you want KCP, KCP
is coming. But now with the Luca trade, Okay, what
are the Lakers doing? Yes, they make a big Bowl
trade for the next era in LA. Awesome. But now
lebron best friend and a guy that he helped control things,
(25:02):
Anthony Davis is gone. And you hear Lebron talk now,
and he doesn't talk about the Lake. He talks about, Hey,
what's next for Luca and his payday? He's got to
go get his I mean, I'm not gonna be around
much longer. It's almost like he gets that his influence
with the team is waning, and the team is starting
to take back control of it because all all the
(25:23):
things that they seem to be doing are gonna be
towards the era post Lebron. And if next year isn't
a great year where they succeed in the playoffs and
it's another year of getting knocked out in the first round,
guess what that's it for Lebron in La Right, he's
got the one year left, fifty million, he's gonna opt
into it. He's not gonna take less, he's not going anywhere.
He's gonna be a Laker. But next year is it,
(25:45):
And it's not even gonna be a conversation in a year.
If the Lakers underachieve, it's gonna be Okay, we're moving on,
and that fifty million a year we're paying Lebron, we're
gonna get somebody else, and it's gonna be a better
roster suited to building around what is hopefully an in
shape Luka Doncic and whatever he needs succeed. First thing
is gonna be a rim rocker, a guy that can
(26:06):
go up and down the floor, that Luca can run
his alley oop game with like that's what they need.
They try to get in the deadline and the and
the deal got uh mixed because of Mark Williams couldn't
past the physical. But you can just see and you
can sense that the Lakers and and and Lebron are
moving away from each other. And for the Lakers it's
we're seizing control of the team again. We're not letting
(26:27):
Lebron the GM make moves. We're doing what we want
to do. And Lebron sees it, he sees it. Okay,
My what I've done here, my my influence over the
organization has seen its zenith. Right, I've done the l
a thing. I came here and I started a production company,
and I've done what I wanted to do and and
and and done here in Los Angeles. My kids are
(26:48):
gonna be are gonna be gone, Like whether you know,
Brony's in the NBA and and and Bryce is gonna
be in college soon and so yeah, when the Lakers
say goodbye next year, it's gonna be, okay, one of
two destinations. Right, I'm gonna Hey, I'll just be a
kid from Akron again. And Cleveland's close to winning championships,
and hey, i can go and be with Donovan Mitchelin.
(27:10):
That great offense there in Cleveland helped them win a title,
and I can go out as kid from Akron with
one more championship, or I scratch that itch and go
play in Madison Square Garden for a year and I
get forty one nights of the low lights in the
playoffs and whatever it is a year or two like
those are the two destinations. And I know you brought
up earlier that potentially the Warriors, and I could see
that too, But I see that as a third possibility
(27:32):
outside of this. Now clearly, yes, in Golden State, he'd
be close to LA. If his family stays in Los Angeles.
You know you're getting too that those kinds of family decisions.
But from a basketball standpoint, yeah, it's really Cleveland, New York.
And I'll put I'll put Golden State thert. He's not
just gonna go anywhere. But if next year, if next
year is like this, like that's it. It's one more
(27:53):
year for Lebron in LA and then the last couple
of years he's playing someplace else.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
Fifty two million dollars player option, no trade clause going
into this year, certainly a lot of jocularity and chuckling
it up and taking shots at the front office and
everything else in his exit after the loss in this round,
so saying, hey, I can't talk about the center thing
(28:19):
because you know, Ad got shipped out the other with
the rescinded trade. Boy, that guy was awful healthy for
the final thirty games. You don't think they got cold feet. Yeah,
wanted to.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
Keep that pick.
Speaker 4 (28:30):
They decided he wasn't the answer because you know, they
were reading the message boards and maybe they you know,
we always got to bring it back to draft day
when you see a move. And then because he certainly
could have helped even in his quote diminished capacity, because
I think he was like thirty minutes a night for
a good chunk at the end of the season there.
But oh, that's to say for Lebron, you've got plenty
(28:53):
of opportunities. I mean, Cleveland, would you want him with
what they've built there? No, I mean you're gonna be
the fifth guy, Lebron.
Speaker 1 (29:03):
But if you're Cleveland that hasn't won a title, and okay,
maybe we're missing that some sort of leadership at the
end or whatever it is, Like if Cleveland goes doesn't
win this year, they're still at the top, but don't
win that. Okay, I can't see that. Yeah, okay, we'll
go get Lebron. Lebron can come back again, kid from Akron,
Kid from Akron. Or they say no and he says, hey,
(29:23):
I always wanted to play with the Knicks, and the Knicks,
who are not going to be coming off the title
this year, are gonna say okay, yeah, come on in,
come on in. Man, we got some guys. But dude, yeah,
you want to come play. Let's see what if the
lights uh bring you a little bit more uh uh,
a little bit more extra for the last year or
two of your career, you know, no, one hundred percent.
Speaker 5 (29:42):
I can only let that happen if Tibbs is still there.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
Oh man, hey, Lebron, we played. I can't even say
you play defense because we don't need Moore. You know,
just go out there whatever, Just go out there, go
go emulate what Cat's doing.
Speaker 4 (29:55):
If you see doing, he's just kind of running around
in circles and if people getting his then he's playing defense.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
Look and if you see something I can't I don't see,
then just you know, just tell the guys, it's fine.
What I do is I stand here with my arms folded,
and now my only job is to make sure Jalen
Brunson's in the game in the final three minutes. That's
all I really do anymore. Okay, but but I really,
I really look like I'm doing stuff with my arms folded.
But really it's just about making sure Jalen's in the game,
because I snow that up the other night, so I
want to make sure. Now it's become about Thibodeau. He's
(30:24):
not even the the he's losing his mind, mad Thibodeau anymore.
Speaker 4 (30:29):
He's got the the fatherly And you've done this move.
We've all done this move. We've had it done to
us when we were little, and now we've done.
Speaker 5 (30:35):
It to our children.
Speaker 4 (30:36):
Like I'm not mad, I'm disappointed. Look, just that you're
kind of saddened by whatever's transpired. Maybe it's a struggling
in a class, Maybe it's a fender bend or whatever.
Maybe they you know, they ate, you know, whatever you
had put aside for your meal. I mean, I don't
know whatever it is. Forgot to take the dog out
for a walk.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
So bad things happened, any of those things to where
you just have that look on your face, like really really,
that's what Timbs looks like whenever they do the ISO
shot anymore. It's like someone hugged the man. But get
ready for next year. That Lebron's lot, not his last
year in the league, his last year with LA talking
about Sacremento, Yeah, that's not happening. Let's find out what's
(31:20):
trending in the wide world of sports. From a guy
who's been called the Tom thibodeaua Fox Sports radio huh.
Sometimes he doesn't know whether or not Jalen Brunson's in
the game. Either.
Speaker 6 (31:29):
It's Steve to say, I thought you were just gonna
talk to me about my legendary defense. Okay, maybe we're
in the.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
Black sweatsuit you wear into work every night, or.
Speaker 6 (31:39):
My constant smile.
Speaker 5 (31:40):
Yes.
Speaker 6 (31:43):
In the NBA Playoffs, Houston won at Golden State Tonight
one fifteen one OHO seven. Fred Van Vleet twenty nine points,
eight rebounds, eight assists. Game seven of this first round
series is Sunday night at Houston. Steph Curry tonight and
defeat twenty nine points, five turnovers. Jimmy Butler had twenty
seven points, eight assists, just one turnover. Saturday night, there
(32:04):
is a first round Game seven with the Clippers at
Denver in the NHL Playoffs, a Saturday night Game seven
with Colorado at Dallas, and then Sunday night Saint Louis
Is at Winnipeg. The Blues are still alive after getting
four straight goals in the second period to beat Winnipeg
five to two. In fact, Amazingly, Sportsnet in Canada says
this will be for the Winnipeg Jets their first game
(32:25):
seven at home since nineteen seventy seven in the WHA
Playoffs against the San Diego Mariners.
Speaker 1 (32:32):
Did Bobby Hall play in that game? I think it
might have.
Speaker 6 (32:35):
That is the correct league, Andre Lacroix, I'm sure was.
You know, Willy O'Ree played for the San Diego Mariners
back in the seventies. That's how long ago we're going people.
Scottie Scheffler leads by six strokes in Texas and second race.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
Wait six, will three really play? Wait? Wait wait wait yes,
wait wait okay, Bobby Hall did play on that team.
He was thirty nine. Bobby Hill about that.
Speaker 6 (32:57):
The Golden Jet?
Speaker 5 (32:58):
Yeah, absolutely, yeah, show.
Speaker 6 (33:01):
That's the only positive thing about the Jets. This weekend
and live golf, and it's on FS one right now
from South Korea. Bryson de'shambo is tied for the Leadies
threw eleven holes in his second round. Is only three
round events in live golf to Major League Baseball, and yes,
Detroit did it again to the Angels nine. Won the
final with eight runs in the top of the ninth.
(33:23):
They had outscored them eight nothing in the last couple
innings last night, so quite a back to back night.
Performed in fact, five home runs for the Tigers in
this game, the loss to closer Kenley Jansen. Riley Green
did in fact homer twice in the ninth and that's
a Major League first. The Angels have lost seven in
a row. San Francisco shut out Colorado for nothing. The
(33:43):
Rockies offense three for twenty eight. The record is six
and twenty six. The Mets won nine to three at
Saint Louis. Clay Holmes four and one got the win.
Cubs were up nine to nothing at Milwaukee in the
second inning, ten nothing Cubs the final Seattle one. It's
fifth straight thirteen to one that Texas. Brian wou four
and one got the win. Two more homers for cal Raley,
(34:04):
including a Grand Slamm. He has twelve home runs. The
Dodgers won their six straight two one at Atlanta. The Windy.
Oshinobu Yamamoto allowed one hit in his six scoreless innings
six strikeouts. Baltimore shutout Kansas City three nothing. Bobby went
Junior are the Royals zero for four. That ends his
twenty two game hit streak. The Yankees and Max Freed
shut out Tampa Bay three nothing, Freed six and Oh,
(34:25):
back to you.
Speaker 1 (34:27):
Steve Oh two seven game series for the Winnipeg Jets
in nineteen seventy seven. Yes, the San Diego Mariners and
the Quebec Nordeaks two seven game series on their way
to losing in the finals for the seventy seven AVCO
for the AVCO.
Speaker 6 (34:46):
Cup, which is what they played for whj But.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
The next year they beat the Whalers to win the
AVCO Cup. So good on the Jets. Whalers who became
the Hartford Whalers.
Speaker 6 (34:57):
Carolina Hurricanes eventually became Colorado Abs.
Speaker 1 (35:02):
Eventually Gordy Hull was Gordi Howe was playing for that
Bobby Helt. Gordy Howe was playing for the Wales. When
he's fifty one years old.
Speaker 6 (35:09):
He was with the Houston Arrows in that league as well. Yeah,
and his two sons on the same roaster.
Speaker 1 (35:16):
Yeah oh yeah, Mark and Marty. Yeah Mark, Mark was
the good one. Mark was I remember, Mark was a
good one.
Speaker 6 (35:21):
The other one was was Bronnie.
Speaker 1 (35:23):
Yeah yeah, wow off the top rope. The other one
was Brown. I want to say Mark Howe won a
couple of did he win did he win a Norris Trophy?
I want to say he won a Norris Trophy at
least one as best defense? I got you, I gotta
(35:46):
look that up, all right. Coming up next, we got
a couple of big NBA stories, A couple of big
basketball stories coming your way, one from the NBA and
one story you gotta watch the f out for. That's
next right here, Jason and Mike Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (36:00):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific. Looking for look to find FS one on
your television, go to Foxsports dot com for details FS one.
Speaker 3 (36:21):
Looking for the look at for a one.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon,
Extra Cockfight big, big double barrel of stories for you
to finish with.
Speaker 5 (36:36):
UH.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
You know, we talked a lot about Greg Popovich stepping
down as head coach of the Spurs today. Hasn't coached,
uh since earlier in last last season after suffering a stroke,
and look at the rigors of being a coach every
day or too much. He's going to run the Spurs,
but he is being replaced and you know for a
(36:58):
time and look, and I'm going back ten years now.
Ten years ago, I said, Okay, Becky Hammon is going
to take over as head coach when Greg Popovitch retires, Like,
this is what's happening. She was, She and Tim Duncan
were hired at the same time. But this was clearly, Hey,
they're gonna groom Becky Hammond to be the first female
(37:19):
head coach in NBA history. And she was there for
about a decade and then she left and now she's
you coach the Aces to two championships in her first
two years. So he's had like the career in the
WNBA and it was ten Look the proof is on
Twitter ten years ago, twenty fourteen, I said, this is
gonna happen. Sometimes your first tweets. Oh no, no, two
(37:41):
thousand and nine. My first tweet was about Tim Linseka
nearly pitching a no hitter. It was like a two
thousand and nine but like you're going back like ten
years for a prediction to see if it's true or not.
And and Becky Hammond got a lot of attention that
if you got a couple of analysts, uh, I said, ah,
Becky Hammid should be the next head coach. Obviously it's not.
Mitch Johnson gets the gig. Becky ham Is quoted a
(38:01):
big article on a couple of websites saying, I'm very
happy here in the WNBA. And why not. She's a legend,
she's forty eighth and coach wherever she wants. She's done
a great job. But really, ten years I had to
wait to see if this prediction was gonna come to
ten years Mike Harman, and it could have come true,
but it just didn't because she left. And honestly, I
(38:21):
probably think the way for her to become the head
coach was to stay with the Spurs for a while,
then go somewhere and coach and succeed and then come
back right like you know what, when you work someplace,
if you really want to do something really good, you
need to leave and come back because they're not gonna
promote you all the way up the chain, like hey,
let everybody know who you are. You go someplace else,
you make a name for yourself, and then you come back.
(38:43):
Like I always thought, that's what Becky Hammond needed to
do was spurs for a decade, go someplace else as
a head coach, win, and then come back. And that
was a great plan. But except you know, Pop is
retiring a little bit earlier than he thought because of
the stroke he suffered, and now he's not coaching anymore.
Speaker 4 (38:57):
Yeah, and and she she left him, and it's hard
to be that coach and waiting. That doesn't work out
all the time, either, whether it's a GM's moved on,
ownership changes, whatever.
Speaker 1 (39:07):
The case may be.
Speaker 4 (39:09):
That or you know, the apple you know falls and
there's somebody else new on the horizon here, right, And
you've got a guy in Johnson that's been there a decade,
very close to Wembin Yama guided them this entire year,
and they've got assets, they've got opportunity to grow. And
for Becky Hammond, I mean she's in a fantastic spot,
great roster obviously dominating there, so it worked out nicely.
(39:33):
But yeah, you had an opportunity, and we wait, we're
here still on the radio ten years later to see
how that prediction turned out.
Speaker 1 (39:40):
That's amazing, pretty great. Ten years, ten years. I had
to wait to see how it wigh.
Speaker 5 (39:45):
I did, so put that in the I was wrong column, so.
Speaker 1 (39:48):
That's okay, But that's okay, ten I was almost That
was pretty good. Ten years, ten years, man, ten years,
I had to wait for that prediction. But speaking of
the WNBA, ready for a big bull prediction. They started
watch from season tonight. Angel rees in the sky playing
back at LSU. She had a big night I think
fifteen and ten in the preseason, and the Aces had
a big night to welcoming Paige Becker's to the W
(40:10):
with a minus twenty five night for hers. They blow
out the Wings. But I'll tell you what, Caitlyn Clark
plays her first game on Sunday. If you think this
year is gonna be calmer in the W because okay,
they went through last year and the Caitlyn Clark jealousy
was off the hook, and everybody's gonna play nicer this year,
forget it, twenty twenty five is gonna make last year
look like a kid giving out candy. It's gonna be
(40:33):
even more insane and more bizarre, more Caitlin Clark hate,
more support, more jealousy. You thought last year was something?
Wait do you see this year?
Speaker 4 (40:42):
Wait to everybody saw Box Office with the hate, so
you know what, ratcheting up another level.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
Let's go get ready because it's it's gonna happen.
Speaker 5 (40:51):
Exit.
Speaker 1 (40:51):
How about a Fresca exit Twitter for Mike Im Jason
coming up next to Pike Show. This is Fox
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Mike Harmon
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