May 5, 2021 • 29 mins
Chris and Rob debate whether or not the suddenly slumping Brooklyn Nets are capable of winning an NBA championship without James Harden, tell us if Aaron Rodgers was wrong to compare the Green Bay Packers general manager to Jerry Krause, and discuss if it would be unfair of an NFL franchise to cut a player for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccination. Plus, the Odd Couple Crew debate the merits of a black Superman in this week's edition of Shop Talk.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Odd Couple podcasts.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday from seven
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(00:21):
s R. You're listening to the Best of the Odd
Couple with Chris Brush and Rod Harker. The Milwaukee Bucks
have beaten in Brooklyn Nets back to back games. Now,
this is Brooklyn light because it's Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving,
(00:41):
but no James Harden, so you gotta keep that in mind.
Here's what I got to say about it, Rob, I
picked the Nets before they got James Harden. I did
not pick them to win the championship. But once they
got James Harden, and obviously he was playing great, I
picked them to win it. I'm here to say right now,
(01:08):
and I assume right I mean, I assume James Harden
will play and play through the playoffs and play every
game and fun. Hopefully that's the case. If James Harden
is not healthy, the Brooklyn Nets cannot win the Championship.
Can't They might probably won't even win the East without
(01:30):
James Harden, but they can't win it all without James Harden.
With him, I got him. And here's the thing. James Harden, Rober.
You saw how great he was playing. He's a facilitator.
He was the one getting everybody the ball in the
right spot. And while Kevin Durad is awesome and historically great,
(01:54):
and Kyrie Irvy is awesome and I believe on his
way to the Hall of Fame, neither of them's a facilitator.
And that's their problem when they don't have Harden, rob
This isn't a prisoner of the moment. This isn't based
on these last two games. They're seven and eight with
those two without James Harden. They're seven and eight when
(02:14):
they have Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant playing, but no
James Harden. In fact, the nets as a whole or
nine and ten without James Harden, they're twenty seven and seven,
or they're they're around five hundred with James Harden, they're
twenty seven and seven with him. So I just think
(02:34):
that dude is critical. When you got that much talent,
you need somebody to get to get to spread the wealth,
get everybody the ball in the right place, and that
is James Harden. So he's got to be healthy for
them to win the championship. Yeah, I hear you, but
I'm not buying into that. I picked the nets before
(02:56):
the trade. I think, yes, we could take a look
at them and look at the regular season as we've
done before. James Harden has had spectacular regular seasons, but
not so much when it matters in bigger games. Kevin
Durant has been big time in big time games, and
Kyrie has also been a guy who's played well, so
(03:16):
the game changes. Milwaukee has had great regular seasons for
years now with Jannis, but things change when you get
in the postseason. So I'm not going to take a
look and say they can't win or because of what
they've done in the regular season. I look at those
guys as season vets who have been there in big moments,
big time, and I think that ultimately, sure, would the
(03:38):
road be easier with James Harden. Absolutely, Chris, I get
your point, but I'm not gonna write them off as
if they don't have those two don't have a shot
at winning in a playoff. I like their supporting cast.
I like what they've done all year long with players,
the stars in and out of games. And they want
(03:59):
out to ridicules clip uh you know, with with Hardened out,
with Katie out, with Harden out. No, I'm just saying yeah,
But but they were winning, they were winning recently before that.
I mean, they want a couple of big games even
though Harden wasn't playing. My point is that I'm not
going to write them off from from regular season play,
(04:21):
especially when the guy you're talking about, uh coming hasn't
performed greatly in the postseason. I'm not saying he's going
to be in a different role. He won't be the
league guy. So obviously things change. Would their road be easier, yes,
But but I like the team that they had put
together before, and obviously Hardens a piece of that. I
(04:42):
expect Harden to play. I think they're just gonna hold
them out as long as they can and just wait
for the season and it becomes an arms race. It
becomes who has enough firepower in this league and we'll see.
I believe the nets due and I like it. Like
I said, I like a lot of their supporting players
as well, who do you leave open? And it might
(05:04):
be it might be that they just have to outscore
you to win, and I'm gonna put my money on
the Nets. I'm still picking them. When those two first
teamed up, I tweeted out I thought the Clippers would
win the first year, and I thought the Nets would.
I love those two together. And even even if they
would have won these two games against Milwaukee, I'm not
(05:24):
so sure that anybody's gonna endorse them and say that
they're gonna win because Chris, they are trying to do
something that normally doesn't happen in the first year. So
I get that reservation. So I understand where you might
have reservations. But I'm gonna bet on Kyrie and I'm
gonna bet on k D in this situation. Yeah, and
the look we've talked about it. I mean, even with
(05:46):
Harden involved, they played seven games together, so that's there.
But I think the way he can facilitate and run
the offense, I'm I'm willing to give them even without
the time together, I'm willing to say they can win
it all because those three are so good. But the
(06:09):
thing about Kyrie and I see where I disagree is. Yeah,
Kyrie and Durant have had big moments in the playoffs,
but it's always been big moments when there was somebody
facilitating for him. Like Kyrie hit arguably the greatest shot
in NBA history, but Lebron James was the facilitator. Lebron
James ran the offense. Lebron James made sure everything was
(06:31):
clicking and working, and then Kyrie just had to make shots,
which is what he does. Is well, it's just about anybody,
but if he's got to run the show. We saw
what happened in Boston. They got beaten five by Milwaukee,
and Kyrie didn't have a great series nine points one
game fifteen points. The next games had big moments or
(06:54):
average twenty eight. Not is a league guy. He does
the league Vint running the offense. No, but he's the
best offense. Yeah, but he's not facilitating. He's not setting
Kyrie up. Try but he can't. He's that's not his strength. Yeah,
but that's strength. But the difference is when you talk
about that team is they had other pieces that they
(07:19):
gave up for hardened. So of course you can't say
I mean, of course you're gonna say that without hardened
because you gave up a bulk of your team, those
other pieces that they added, Blake Griffin, I mean that
that's I mean, that's water under the bridge. Now. Yeah,
but you can't look at the team. I'm talking about,
you can't look at the team without hardened. But if
you do, you're saying that. So you're saying if he does,
(07:40):
if he misses any games, they can't win. No, I
mean the entire thing. I mean, what are you saying? Yeah,
if he's out, I mean, obviously they can withstand him
if they're up three oh in a series and he
has to sit, fine, But I'm saying, and hope, I
don't think this is the case, right, I guess none
(08:00):
of us know. But if he's out, like if he
can't play in the playoffs, and Kevin Durand's hamstring injury
kept him out with six weeks. They thought it would
be two games. So Harden been out, came back, tried it,
had to sit out again. So yeah, I'm saying, if
he can't play in the playoffs, or maybe he's in
(08:22):
and out and and it's choppy and he's ten minutes,
he can play old, but he's got to come out now,
it's bothering him stuff like that. If he's not available,
generally they're gonna be they won't win it because they
need that. And Kevin Durand's had some tough moments too.
Remember he's the one he gave up a three one
lead to the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference
(08:45):
Finals in twenty sixteen and he wasn't But I'm just
had moments too. Harden's had his moments too. I mean,
Kevin Durand was never in those three games they never won.
He's never Golden State Warriors of Steph Curry, Clay Thompson
and Draymond Green with him either, and he actually had
(09:06):
that team down and then his running mate Chris Paul
got hurt. So I'm I'm not trying to excuse Harden's
struggles because he's had a few, but it's not like
every time he gets in a big moment he wets
the band. That's all. I'm sad. Yeah, I just said,
because I'm saying Kyrie is wet the band too, and
so it's I'm just telling you, I'm expecting Kevin Durant
(09:29):
to be the Finals MVP when it's all said and done.
That's what I expect, so we'll see. Be sure to
catch live editions of The Odd Couple with Chris Brussar
then Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm Eastern four pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeart Radio app. Hey,
it's Ben, host of The Fifth Hour with Ben Maller
along with my trustee sidekick David Gascon. Would mean a
(09:50):
lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey.
You're asking one in God's name is the Fifth Hour?
I'll tell you it's a spin off of that. Ben Mallershaw,
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of industry in media, sports and more every week Explorer
some amazing facts about the human nature and more. Let's
(10:11):
to the Fifth Hour with Ben mallow on the iHeart
Radio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast.
We talked with Mike Heller and a good conversation with him.
Interesting that he said the fans up there in Green
Bay are on the side of the Packers. Now I
think it's a little bit well really see and I
(10:31):
think it's a little uh, what's the word. I'm looking
for um it's muted or it's not as strong as
it sounds when he qualifies it with but they want
him back, of course, you know what, like Aaron Rodgers, right,
that's a different like that they would take him back
(10:53):
in open arms if the Packards gave him a new
contract could right that The pushback from fans is not
troll in that he doesn't want to be in Green Bay,
you know what I mean? Like that's the that's what
makes you feel don't feel good about It's like, what's
wrong with us? On us? Come? You don't write you
don't want us? So at first the first reactor is,
what do you mean he doesn't want to be here?
(11:14):
You know what I'm saying. So, So I think that's
why fans at first react the way that they do.
Right right now, the story came out today, I believe
that Aaron Rodgers was referring to I mean, he clearly
has disdame for Brian Gudacoots, and he must feel like
(11:36):
Gudacoots basically is the one that drafted Jordan Love. It
doesn't seem like he blames Matt la Floor. They seem
to have a legitimately good relationship and obviously you know
they work well together. Um, I guess everything's okay with
Mark Murphy, but he seems to have it in for
Guda Coots. Rob and he apparently are reported Lee refers
(12:01):
to Gouda Coots as Jerry Krause uh in texting texts
with teammates overweight. I mean from the head shots, I guess.
I guess from the chest up pictures I've seen them,
Guda Coots, he looks like he might be in decent shape.
I have no idea round and I say that is it?
Is it? Because you know House was yeah, right, Krause
(12:24):
was round and sure they called him crumbs, right what
I mean? And they called him then they call him
crumbs something like yeah, but you know what I'm saying,
right right? Like like, but I don't think that you
don't you don't think that's why they're referring to him,
Is that right? What you think it's because he's breaking
up like Jordan didn't, Like, I don't. I don't think
(12:44):
that's what it is. I think he's just picking like
a general manager who uh like some people might not
have a lot of respect for despite them running like, oh,
you know, I think it has more to do with that.
I don't think it's about breaking up the team. Yeah,
I think it's I mean Jordan, It might be this
(13:04):
Jordan and those guys, like you said, they didn't have
a ton of respect for Crows. He said all the
time he was a baseball scout, that's what he was.
That's some that's some white privilege. He talked about that
last week. That's some white privilege right there, where you
can go from being a scout on the Chicago White
Sox to the GM of the Chicago Bulls. Well, but
that's because the owner, you know, the owner, Chris and
(13:27):
he just said, Okay, I know people too. Did Jerry
Krouse know anything about basketb I don't know, and he
did a good job, but look he had Michael Jordan,
I don't know. I guess he did do the trade,
which was great, he got robbing, but they didn't have
the respect for him. So I think that's part of it.
(13:47):
And also this may be an element to Rob Krause
wanted credit, right, he that was this whole thing. I
built this team. Everybody gives all the credit to Michael Jordan.
They call all the players I put around him to
jordanaires why I need to get my credit? And I look,
that's a human emotion, right, I get that, But you
(14:12):
have to be mature enough to understand that if you're
a GM, if you're a president, whatever, that's not what
it's about for you. Whether you may get credit, you
may not, but your job is to put the team together.
But you know how they look. I'm gonna tell you this,
this is when gms get credit, Chris, when you're theo
(14:35):
Epstein and the Red Sox went through on an eighty
five year drought and you're the GM and they win
the World Series, then you go to Chicago and the
one hundred year drought do do you know what I'm saying? Right? Like,
that's when people start to look. If Jerry Crofts would
have gone to another organization Chris and won five or
six championship without Michael Jordan, then people would would give
(14:58):
him as credit. But when you have like the greatest
player of all time? Do you see what I'm saying? Like? No,
you're absolutely right. Did David Griffin get credit? And that's
just not It doesn't work like that. You either have
to show that you can win in more than one place,
right or not have like the greatest player on the
(15:20):
planner on your team. I'm just one of the two
and you have to be cool with that. Rob G
is he here for the credit? And I'm not even
being funny. I mean we bring him on more than
most hosts will bring on their producer, right because we
we like, we love Rob G, and we cool he's
cool and we like. But if if we didn't bring
(15:40):
him on right, his job is not to be the star.
That's what Jerry Cross has under or and and Gooded Coops.
I think I think Aaron Rodgers thinks Rob Gooda Coops
wants some credit. I want to shine. That's what the
credit of what they haven't wanted anything since three? That
ain't that? What credit is that? Come on? No, I
(16:01):
hear you there, But I think, look, Aaron is obviously awesome.
He's not Michael Jordan. I think with Jerry Krause, he
winning can numb you. I think with the Patriots, oh
we got six, let's show what we can do without
Tom Brady the Bulls, Oh we got six, Let's show
what we can do without Michael Jordan. And that's not
(16:23):
how they should look at it, but that is how
they looked at it. Gudacun's obviously isn't in that class.
And all right, rob, let's move here. Interesting story, rob
g I want you to explain this about the Bills
general manager and what's going on with the vaccinations and
all of that. Right, So Brandon Bean is their general manager,
and you know that the Buffalo Bills famously a few
(16:45):
weeks ago said that they would require a vaccination to
attend their games, so they're very pro COVID nineteen vaccine
in Buffalo. Well, their general manager was in an interview
and they asked, hypothetically, would you cut an unvaccinated player
if it meant that you could in fact get more
(17:07):
practice time, more in person meetings, which is the incentive
the NFL is offered, right, and he said flat out yes,
I would, because that is an advantage. These meetings were
not as productive as before because you guys saw in
the field house we had three or four meetings going
on and sometimes you're talking over each other. But it
was the only way to pull it off and be
socially distanced. It would be an advantage then to cut
(17:29):
a player and fall into that umbrella. So I guess
the easy question, guys, is do you think that kind
of thing is fair going forward? The only thing I'm
gonna say is the only way I say it's fair
is if the work rules work for everybody. If the
work rules aren't the same for everybody, then know I'm
against it. If you say we need everybody in here.
(17:51):
If I'm running a restaurant, and I'm running and I
have a kitchen, and I'd say, in order to work
at this five star restaurant to Mason that that used
to be in Cincinnata, I think they closed down great food.
If if you want to work in a mason At,
you gotta be vaccinated, and then people have a right to,
you know, say they don't want to be vaccinated or
(18:12):
move on. But the star chef can say, well, I'm
not gonna get vaccinated, and you allow him to not
get vaccinated, and you get rid of somebody who's the
set up guy or who's setting up the salads or whatever.
That's not fair. It's either across the board for everybody,
or it's open for everybody. Well that's why I can't
(18:32):
work in pro sports. You're right, he could work in
a restaurant, your barbershop, although maybe you gotta Star Barber.
But you know, like those types of business is fine. Look,
if Josh Allen and Rogie didn't Josh Allen come out
and say he at least was questionable. He was questioning
whether or not he was gonna get He said out
of the Kyle Brandt podcast that he was unsure at
(18:55):
this point, this was last month, if he would get
the vaccine, right. So, you can't make that a blanket
statement when you're running a football team or a basketball team. Rob,
I don't know if Lebron's got in the shot. There
was a report that Dennis Shrewder, who appears to have
Kovie because he's out for two weeks, there's a report
(19:17):
I don't know if it's true or not, but that
he said he and Lebron are the only players on
the team that didn't get the shot. And Lebron certainly
has not endorsed getting the shot. I don't know if
he's taking it or not. But obviously I'm not cutting Lebron,
James Quinn, Cook Bye, you know, but Lebron, Josh Allen,
(19:39):
Stefane Diggs No, So to me, Rob, that's what this
is going to come down to. If there's a guy
that's a role player, a special teams guy. He can
be replaced, he's the fifty first man on the squad
or something like that, and he doesn't take it, he
doesn't get vaccinated. They may just that could be the
(20:00):
final strong. It's just like if that guy in that
position doesn't go to the voluntary workouts and somebody else
right behind him does go, they may say, you know what,
this guy wants it, he'll do whatever. If a situation
where a coach had had cancer or has some other issues,
or there are other players who have kids who have issues,
(20:22):
you know, where it's like, well, well we need to
figure out what we're gonna do here, because I can't
have a chance of this, you know what I mean,
being transmitted to my family. If there are people in
the locker room. I'm just saying, there's a lot of
issues that come about. But what if that guy's a
star running back, or that guy Stefan Diggs who has
I'm just hypothetical of course, where he has an issue
(20:45):
right and his quarterback saying I'm not getting it, but
I got a grandmother at home, or a mother at
home or somebody else. I think that I think it's
a slippery slope. It's to me. You know, I hear
your point. Yeah, I hear your point about a star
and a scrub, But but what if there's two stars
and one I'm saying, you know what I mean, Like
(21:06):
what I hear, Chris, Well, I think that I think
this is similar to how it is for every American
for the most part. It's not just about you, right,
you have to take other people into consideration. Like if
I didn't want to get I'm going to see my
parents this weekend for the first time since August because
(21:29):
I didn't want to be around them at their age
if they got it, No, because now I'm right, if
you don't want to put them at risk, absolutely, So
if I didn't get vaccinated, maybe I would be like,
you know what, I'm still not gonna go see them,
or I'm gonna say I'm gonna get vaccinated so I
can go see them. So I think it's a stick.
You're right, it's a it's a that's an interesting question
(21:51):
you through out there day. If you got two stars,
am I right? If you got two stars on separate part,
separate sides, right, and and somebody's got a parent or
child or something, you know, and that was the thing
with Haskins right in Washington. Rob Rivera is a cancer survivor.
Chris right, he's out of the strip club. No mask tossing.
(22:14):
That had a lot to do with It wasn't just
old you're out here acting reckless, right, it was yeah,
Rob Rivera. Rob Rivera's health in question. Absolutely. Yeah. It's um,
you know these aren't. It's not a black and white situation,
and I think that's why the league has not Rob
(22:34):
come down with a blanket rule that everybody's got to
get vaccinated. But it's a it's you know, you just
got to try to do your homework. I'm not this.
Let me ask you this, Chris. Do you have two
locker rooms? You know? That's not if I had to,
I mean, they're obviously going to steal me in contact.
But let's face it, you went through a whole year,
(22:55):
a whole season last year where there was no vaccination
and some who still played, So you you could do that.
You know meetings, I mean you're still gonna meet in
some ways, you wouldn't be in the meeting person. I'm
saying no meet by zoom, but maybe you split the
locker room and vaccinated and non vaccinated, because if you
got two stars robbed, then you you do what you
(23:16):
got to do right, that might work. Fox Sports Radio
has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch
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Nobody Ain's never been a bob shop. You know that?
Ain't nobody? Isn't it? You would talk about whoever, whatever,
(23:37):
whatever you want to in the bolla. No, it's shop talk,
that's right. It is shop talk to Akaba Fox Sports
Radio say where we discuss something that happened outside of
the world of sports. And this week's topic. I don't
know if this is new, but it was new to
me because I just saw it today. Warner Brothers and
DC Comics are gonna be making a new Superman movie.
We don't know when it's gonna come out, but we
(23:58):
do know at least two the writer's gonna be well.
Today I read in the Hollywood Reporter that the plan
is to make it the very first cinematic incarnation of
Superman featuring a black actor. Superman will be black in
the next film. Here's the question, very easy. Do you
(24:20):
have a problem with there being a black Superman. We'll
start with you, Rob. No, Santa Claus was black at
my house, So why can't Superman be black? Right? Ros?
That's simple. It's a character. What racist. I'm just saying.
I Rob G's a millennial that thinks. And he's not alone,
(24:44):
but millennials think just talking about race, which is ridiculous.
We need to talk about race. I don't want to
be color blind. I recognize your race and I still
respect you in of you as a fellow human being.
Of course, let me say this and then you jump in.
(25:05):
It kills me about moviemaking. You know why, because somehow
they can make the Ten Commandments, which is said Egypt
and all white Egypsus should have been black, all white
in Egypt. I've been to Egypt and go look at
the skin color. Okay, I'm telling you, but that's acceptable
(25:27):
for clear patri to have white skin and be Elizabeth Taylor.
But the notion that you make another character and he's
black and there's something wrong with it, I just I
don't get it. I don't get it. Now, you're right
on the money, Rob, and all of the biblical care
Jesus was not white. His hair was Woolyn close to that, right,
(25:48):
So you're right, you're absolutely right. And people freak out
if you make Jesus. Oh they had to play with
a black Jesus and they're freaking out, you know. But
it's all right to have the white one, even though
we all know he wasn't white. So that that no,
I'm totally fine with it. And here's the thing too, Robuh,
it is good to be good. I know. Look, we
(26:09):
love the white Superman. Was cool. I left Superman, Superman, Batman, George,
remember right, Yes, so it's not you can have a
white one, an Asian one, a Mexican one for you know,
rob G and all see that's I'm waiting for the button.
But it'll be good for kids of all races to
(26:32):
see a black Superman because now you're seeing blacks in
authoritative positions, helpful, not right kinds of stuff. Right, But
rob G got beef, rob G, you don't like it.
I don't like it. I don't like it. And the
reason being, think of Aria. It'll be great for her
to see a Mexican wonder woman. Now they all know what.
(26:52):
I'll tell her this too, because the new or the
most recent Power Rangers. Excuse me, the most recent Aladdin movie,
which takes place send Arabia. The woman that they chose
to be Princess Jasmine was from London, and I didn't
like that either. No, that makes no sense. We have
source material that tells us Princess Jasmine is Arabian. Okay,
(27:15):
that's a real ain't no Superman versus fictions created Superman
made him white in the key of the fictional camera
Baker white. If they're gonna make John F. Kennedy black, okay,
I got a problem with that Superman fiction, right, I
would say nothing. There's nothing in the thing that said
(27:36):
that he was black. The Tom Hanks is one of
my favorite actors of all time. If they made him black, panther,
I'd have a problem with it. No, but yeah, but
that black is part of the name. He was black.
It wasn't super White Man. He wasn't that. He wasn't
he was super white Man black. Okay, Yes, I'm with you,
(27:57):
Christ super Man didn't we look man. What I'm saying
is the guy who created Superman, whoever the comic, when
did he say he was white? He remember? Right? What? No?
But I'm asking you because it's not a TV show
(28:18):
or a movie. It is a comic book in the No,
I know what I'm saying, but I understand that. But
my point is, and none of that does it say
he was white? They right? Look man, all I'm saying
is where you lit bring Alex? He's okay, Superman. You
got a problem. No, No, I have no problem. You
(28:38):
know why CB and Rob It has nothing to do
with race. For me, of course we got to be
more open and talk about CB. But to me, I
want the best actor. I don't want a firmative. I
want the best actor to play the role. And if
it is a black dude, I'm all for it. I
want a great movie. So why does he know? Like
so Rob, Gi, we gotta be a Superman. And the
other problem too, you know Chris is black in that
(28:59):
time Today ain't gonna work. Oh god,
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Odd Couple podcasts.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday from seven
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(00:21):
s R. You're listening to the Best of the Odd
Couple with Chris Brush and Rod Harker. The Milwaukee Bucks
have beaten in Brooklyn Nets back to back games. Now,
this is Brooklyn light because it's Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving,
(00:41):
but no James Harden, so you gotta keep that in mind.
Here's what I got to say about it, Rob, I
picked the Nets before they got James Harden. I did
not pick them to win the championship. But once they
got James Harden, and obviously he was playing great, I
picked them to win it. I'm here to say right now,
(01:08):
and I assume right I mean, I assume James Harden
will play and play through the playoffs and play every
game and fun. Hopefully that's the case. If James Harden
is not healthy, the Brooklyn Nets cannot win the Championship.
Can't They might probably won't even win the East without
(01:30):
James Harden, but they can't win it all without James Harden.
With him, I got him. And here's the thing. James Harden, Rober.
You saw how great he was playing. He's a facilitator.
He was the one getting everybody the ball in the
right spot. And while Kevin Durad is awesome and historically great,
(01:54):
and Kyrie Irvy is awesome and I believe on his
way to the Hall of Fame, neither of them's a facilitator.
And that's their problem when they don't have Harden, rob
This isn't a prisoner of the moment. This isn't based
on these last two games. They're seven and eight with
those two without James Harden. They're seven and eight when
(02:14):
they have Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant playing, but no
James Harden. In fact, the nets as a whole or
nine and ten without James Harden, they're twenty seven and seven,
or they're they're around five hundred with James Harden, they're
twenty seven and seven with him. So I just think
(02:34):
that dude is critical. When you got that much talent,
you need somebody to get to get to spread the wealth,
get everybody the ball in the right place, and that
is James Harden. So he's got to be healthy for
them to win the championship. Yeah, I hear you, but
I'm not buying into that. I picked the nets before
(02:56):
the trade. I think, yes, we could take a look
at them and look at the regular season as we've
done before. James Harden has had spectacular regular seasons, but
not so much when it matters in bigger games. Kevin
Durant has been big time in big time games, and
Kyrie has also been a guy who's played well, so
(03:16):
the game changes. Milwaukee has had great regular seasons for
years now with Jannis, but things change when you get
in the postseason. So I'm not going to take a
look and say they can't win or because of what
they've done in the regular season. I look at those
guys as season vets who have been there in big moments,
big time, and I think that ultimately, sure, would the
(03:38):
road be easier with James Harden. Absolutely, Chris, I get
your point, but I'm not gonna write them off as
if they don't have those two don't have a shot
at winning in a playoff. I like their supporting cast.
I like what they've done all year long with players,
the stars in and out of games. And they want
(03:59):
out to ridicules clip uh you know, with with Hardened out,
with Katie out, with Harden out. No, I'm just saying yeah,
But but they were winning, they were winning recently before that.
I mean, they want a couple of big games even
though Harden wasn't playing. My point is that I'm not
going to write them off from from regular season play,
(04:21):
especially when the guy you're talking about, uh coming hasn't
performed greatly in the postseason. I'm not saying he's going
to be in a different role. He won't be the
league guy. So obviously things change. Would their road be easier, yes,
But but I like the team that they had put
together before, and obviously Hardens a piece of that. I
(04:42):
expect Harden to play. I think they're just gonna hold
them out as long as they can and just wait
for the season and it becomes an arms race. It
becomes who has enough firepower in this league and we'll see.
I believe the nets due and I like it. Like
I said, I like a lot of their supporting players
as well, who do you leave open? And it might
(05:04):
be it might be that they just have to outscore
you to win, and I'm gonna put my money on
the Nets. I'm still picking them. When those two first
teamed up, I tweeted out I thought the Clippers would
win the first year, and I thought the Nets would.
I love those two together. And even even if they
would have won these two games against Milwaukee, I'm not
(05:24):
so sure that anybody's gonna endorse them and say that
they're gonna win because Chris, they are trying to do
something that normally doesn't happen in the first year. So
I get that reservation. So I understand where you might
have reservations. But I'm gonna bet on Kyrie and I'm
gonna bet on k D in this situation. Yeah, and
the look we've talked about it. I mean, even with
(05:46):
Harden involved, they played seven games together, so that's there.
But I think the way he can facilitate and run
the offense, I'm I'm willing to give them even without
the time together, I'm willing to say they can win
it all because those three are so good. But the
(06:09):
thing about Kyrie and I see where I disagree is. Yeah,
Kyrie and Durant have had big moments in the playoffs,
but it's always been big moments when there was somebody
facilitating for him. Like Kyrie hit arguably the greatest shot
in NBA history, but Lebron James was the facilitator. Lebron
James ran the offense. Lebron James made sure everything was
(06:31):
clicking and working, and then Kyrie just had to make shots,
which is what he does. Is well, it's just about anybody,
but if he's got to run the show. We saw
what happened in Boston. They got beaten five by Milwaukee,
and Kyrie didn't have a great series nine points one
game fifteen points. The next games had big moments or
(06:54):
average twenty eight. Not is a league guy. He does
the league Vint running the offense. No, but he's the
best offense. Yeah, but he's not facilitating. He's not setting
Kyrie up. Try but he can't. He's that's not his strength. Yeah,
but that's strength. But the difference is when you talk
about that team is they had other pieces that they
(07:19):
gave up for hardened. So of course you can't say
I mean, of course you're gonna say that without hardened
because you gave up a bulk of your team, those
other pieces that they added, Blake Griffin, I mean that
that's I mean, that's water under the bridge. Now. Yeah,
but you can't look at the team. I'm talking about,
you can't look at the team without hardened. But if
you do, you're saying that. So you're saying if he does,
(07:40):
if he misses any games, they can't win. No, I
mean the entire thing. I mean, what are you saying? Yeah,
if he's out, I mean, obviously they can withstand him
if they're up three oh in a series and he
has to sit, fine, But I'm saying, and hope, I
don't think this is the case, right, I guess none
(08:00):
of us know. But if he's out, like if he
can't play in the playoffs, and Kevin Durand's hamstring injury
kept him out with six weeks. They thought it would
be two games. So Harden been out, came back, tried it,
had to sit out again. So yeah, I'm saying, if
he can't play in the playoffs, or maybe he's in
(08:22):
and out and and it's choppy and he's ten minutes,
he can play old, but he's got to come out now,
it's bothering him stuff like that. If he's not available,
generally they're gonna be they won't win it because they
need that. And Kevin Durand's had some tough moments too.
Remember he's the one he gave up a three one
lead to the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference
(08:45):
Finals in twenty sixteen and he wasn't But I'm just
had moments too. Harden's had his moments too. I mean,
Kevin Durand was never in those three games they never won.
He's never Golden State Warriors of Steph Curry, Clay Thompson
and Draymond Green with him either, and he actually had
(09:06):
that team down and then his running mate Chris Paul
got hurt. So I'm I'm not trying to excuse Harden's
struggles because he's had a few, but it's not like
every time he gets in a big moment he wets
the band. That's all. I'm sad. Yeah, I just said,
because I'm saying Kyrie is wet the band too, and
so it's I'm just telling you, I'm expecting Kevin Durant
(09:29):
to be the Finals MVP when it's all said and done.
That's what I expect, so we'll see. Be sure to
catch live editions of The Odd Couple with Chris Brussar
then Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm Eastern four pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeart Radio app. Hey,
it's Ben, host of The Fifth Hour with Ben Maller
along with my trustee sidekick David Gascon. Would mean a
(09:50):
lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey.
You're asking one in God's name is the Fifth Hour?
I'll tell you it's a spin off of that. Ben Mallershaw,
Colt hit Overnight an FSR. Why should you listen? Picture
if you will? A world will We chat with captains
of industry in media, sports and more every week Explorer
some amazing facts about the human nature and more. Let's
(10:11):
to the Fifth Hour with Ben mallow on the iHeart
Radio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast.
We talked with Mike Heller and a good conversation with him.
Interesting that he said the fans up there in Green
Bay are on the side of the Packers. Now I
think it's a little bit well really see and I
(10:31):
think it's a little uh, what's the word. I'm looking
for um it's muted or it's not as strong as
it sounds when he qualifies it with but they want
him back, of course, you know what, like Aaron Rodgers, right,
that's a different like that they would take him back
(10:53):
in open arms if the Packards gave him a new
contract could right that The pushback from fans is not
troll in that he doesn't want to be in Green Bay,
you know what I mean? Like that's the that's what
makes you feel don't feel good about It's like, what's
wrong with us? On us? Come? You don't write you
don't want us? So at first the first reactor is,
what do you mean he doesn't want to be here?
(11:14):
You know what I'm saying. So, So I think that's
why fans at first react the way that they do.
Right right now, the story came out today, I believe
that Aaron Rodgers was referring to I mean, he clearly
has disdame for Brian Gudacoots, and he must feel like
(11:36):
Gudacoots basically is the one that drafted Jordan Love. It
doesn't seem like he blames Matt la Floor. They seem
to have a legitimately good relationship and obviously you know
they work well together. Um, I guess everything's okay with
Mark Murphy, but he seems to have it in for
Guda Coots. Rob and he apparently are reported Lee refers
(12:01):
to Gouda Coots as Jerry Krause uh in texting texts
with teammates overweight. I mean from the head shots, I guess.
I guess from the chest up pictures I've seen them,
Guda Coots, he looks like he might be in decent shape.
I have no idea round and I say that is it?
Is it? Because you know House was yeah, right, Krause
(12:24):
was round and sure they called him crumbs, right what
I mean? And they called him then they call him
crumbs something like yeah, but you know what I'm saying,
right right? Like like, but I don't think that you
don't you don't think that's why they're referring to him,
Is that right? What you think it's because he's breaking
up like Jordan didn't, Like, I don't. I don't think
(12:44):
that's what it is. I think he's just picking like
a general manager who uh like some people might not
have a lot of respect for despite them running like, oh,
you know, I think it has more to do with that.
I don't think it's about breaking up the team. Yeah,
I think it's I mean Jordan, It might be this
(13:04):
Jordan and those guys, like you said, they didn't have
a ton of respect for Crows. He said all the
time he was a baseball scout, that's what he was.
That's some that's some white privilege. He talked about that
last week. That's some white privilege right there, where you
can go from being a scout on the Chicago White
Sox to the GM of the Chicago Bulls. Well, but
that's because the owner, you know, the owner, Chris and
(13:27):
he just said, Okay, I know people too. Did Jerry
Krouse know anything about basketb I don't know, and he
did a good job, but look he had Michael Jordan,
I don't know. I guess he did do the trade,
which was great, he got robbing, but they didn't have
the respect for him. So I think that's part of it.
(13:47):
And also this may be an element to Rob Krause
wanted credit, right, he that was this whole thing. I
built this team. Everybody gives all the credit to Michael Jordan.
They call all the players I put around him to
jordanaires why I need to get my credit? And I look,
that's a human emotion, right, I get that, But you
(14:12):
have to be mature enough to understand that if you're
a GM, if you're a president, whatever, that's not what
it's about for you. Whether you may get credit, you
may not, but your job is to put the team together.
But you know how they look. I'm gonna tell you this,
this is when gms get credit, Chris, when you're theo
(14:35):
Epstein and the Red Sox went through on an eighty
five year drought and you're the GM and they win
the World Series, then you go to Chicago and the
one hundred year drought do do you know what I'm saying? Right? Like,
that's when people start to look. If Jerry Crofts would
have gone to another organization Chris and won five or
six championship without Michael Jordan, then people would would give
(14:58):
him as credit. But when you have like the greatest
player of all time? Do you see what I'm saying? Like? No,
you're absolutely right. Did David Griffin get credit? And that's
just not It doesn't work like that. You either have
to show that you can win in more than one place,
right or not have like the greatest player on the
(15:20):
planner on your team. I'm just one of the two
and you have to be cool with that. Rob G
is he here for the credit? And I'm not even
being funny. I mean we bring him on more than
most hosts will bring on their producer, right because we
we like, we love Rob G, and we cool he's
cool and we like. But if if we didn't bring
(15:40):
him on right, his job is not to be the star.
That's what Jerry Cross has under or and and Gooded Coops.
I think I think Aaron Rodgers thinks Rob Gooda Coops
wants some credit. I want to shine. That's what the
credit of what they haven't wanted anything since three? That
ain't that? What credit is that? Come on? No, I
(16:01):
hear you there, But I think, look, Aaron is obviously awesome.
He's not Michael Jordan. I think with Jerry Krause, he
winning can numb you. I think with the Patriots, oh
we got six, let's show what we can do without
Tom Brady the Bulls, Oh we got six, Let's show
what we can do without Michael Jordan. And that's not
(16:23):
how they should look at it, but that is how
they looked at it. Gudacun's obviously isn't in that class.
And all right, rob, let's move here. Interesting story, rob
g I want you to explain this about the Bills
general manager and what's going on with the vaccinations and
all of that. Right, So Brandon Bean is their general manager,
and you know that the Buffalo Bills famously a few
(16:45):
weeks ago said that they would require a vaccination to
attend their games, so they're very pro COVID nineteen vaccine
in Buffalo. Well, their general manager was in an interview
and they asked, hypothetically, would you cut an unvaccinated player
if it meant that you could in fact get more
(17:07):
practice time, more in person meetings, which is the incentive
the NFL is offered, right, and he said flat out yes,
I would, because that is an advantage. These meetings were
not as productive as before because you guys saw in
the field house we had three or four meetings going
on and sometimes you're talking over each other. But it
was the only way to pull it off and be
socially distanced. It would be an advantage then to cut
(17:29):
a player and fall into that umbrella. So I guess
the easy question, guys, is do you think that kind
of thing is fair going forward? The only thing I'm
gonna say is the only way I say it's fair
is if the work rules work for everybody. If the
work rules aren't the same for everybody, then know I'm
against it. If you say we need everybody in here.
(17:51):
If I'm running a restaurant, and I'm running and I
have a kitchen, and I'd say, in order to work
at this five star restaurant to Mason that that used
to be in Cincinnata, I think they closed down great food.
If if you want to work in a mason At,
you gotta be vaccinated, and then people have a right to,
you know, say they don't want to be vaccinated or
(18:12):
move on. But the star chef can say, well, I'm
not gonna get vaccinated, and you allow him to not
get vaccinated, and you get rid of somebody who's the
set up guy or who's setting up the salads or whatever.
That's not fair. It's either across the board for everybody,
or it's open for everybody. Well that's why I can't
(18:32):
work in pro sports. You're right, he could work in
a restaurant, your barbershop, although maybe you gotta Star Barber.
But you know, like those types of business is fine. Look,
if Josh Allen and Rogie didn't Josh Allen come out
and say he at least was questionable. He was questioning
whether or not he was gonna get He said out
of the Kyle Brandt podcast that he was unsure at
(18:55):
this point, this was last month, if he would get
the vaccine, right. So, you can't make that a blanket
statement when you're running a football team or a basketball team. Rob,
I don't know if Lebron's got in the shot. There
was a report that Dennis Shrewder, who appears to have
Kovie because he's out for two weeks, there's a report
(19:17):
I don't know if it's true or not, but that
he said he and Lebron are the only players on
the team that didn't get the shot. And Lebron certainly
has not endorsed getting the shot. I don't know if
he's taking it or not. But obviously I'm not cutting Lebron,
James Quinn, Cook Bye, you know, but Lebron, Josh Allen,
(19:39):
Stefane Diggs No, So to me, Rob, that's what this
is going to come down to. If there's a guy
that's a role player, a special teams guy. He can
be replaced, he's the fifty first man on the squad
or something like that, and he doesn't take it, he
doesn't get vaccinated. They may just that could be the
(20:00):
final strong. It's just like if that guy in that
position doesn't go to the voluntary workouts and somebody else
right behind him does go, they may say, you know what,
this guy wants it, he'll do whatever. If a situation
where a coach had had cancer or has some other issues,
or there are other players who have kids who have issues,
(20:22):
you know, where it's like, well, well we need to
figure out what we're gonna do here, because I can't
have a chance of this, you know what I mean,
being transmitted to my family. If there are people in
the locker room. I'm just saying, there's a lot of
issues that come about. But what if that guy's a
star running back, or that guy Stefan Diggs who has
I'm just hypothetical of course, where he has an issue
(20:45):
right and his quarterback saying I'm not getting it, but
I got a grandmother at home, or a mother at
home or somebody else. I think that I think it's
a slippery slope. It's to me. You know, I hear
your point. Yeah, I hear your point about a star
and a scrub, But but what if there's two stars
and one I'm saying, you know what I mean, Like
(21:06):
what I hear, Chris, Well, I think that I think
this is similar to how it is for every American
for the most part. It's not just about you, right,
you have to take other people into consideration. Like if
I didn't want to get I'm going to see my
parents this weekend for the first time since August because
(21:29):
I didn't want to be around them at their age
if they got it, No, because now I'm right, if
you don't want to put them at risk, absolutely, So
if I didn't get vaccinated, maybe I would be like,
you know what, I'm still not gonna go see them,
or I'm gonna say I'm gonna get vaccinated so I
can go see them. So I think it's a stick.
You're right, it's a it's a that's an interesting question
(21:51):
you through out there day. If you got two stars,
am I right? If you got two stars on separate part,
separate sides, right, and and somebody's got a parent or
child or something, you know, and that was the thing
with Haskins right in Washington. Rob Rivera is a cancer survivor.
Chris right, he's out of the strip club. No mask tossing.
(22:14):
That had a lot to do with It wasn't just
old you're out here acting reckless, right, it was yeah,
Rob Rivera. Rob Rivera's health in question. Absolutely. Yeah. It's um,
you know these aren't. It's not a black and white situation,
and I think that's why the league has not Rob
(22:34):
come down with a blanket rule that everybody's got to
get vaccinated. But it's a it's you know, you just
got to try to do your homework. I'm not this.
Let me ask you this, Chris. Do you have two
locker rooms? You know? That's not if I had to,
I mean, they're obviously going to steal me in contact.
But let's face it, you went through a whole year,
(22:55):
a whole season last year where there was no vaccination
and some who still played, So you you could do that.
You know meetings, I mean you're still gonna meet in
some ways, you wouldn't be in the meeting person. I'm
saying no meet by zoom, but maybe you split the
locker room and vaccinated and non vaccinated, because if you
got two stars robbed, then you you do what you
(23:16):
got to do right, that might work. Fox Sports Radio
has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch
all of our shows at Foxsports Radio dot com and
within the iHeart Radio app. Search f SR to listen live.
Nobody Ain's never been a bob shop. You know that?
Ain't nobody? Isn't it? You would talk about whoever, whatever,
(23:37):
whatever you want to in the bolla. No, it's shop talk,
that's right. It is shop talk to Akaba Fox Sports
Radio say where we discuss something that happened outside of
the world of sports. And this week's topic. I don't
know if this is new, but it was new to
me because I just saw it today. Warner Brothers and
DC Comics are gonna be making a new Superman movie.
We don't know when it's gonna come out, but we
(23:58):
do know at least two the writer's gonna be well.
Today I read in the Hollywood Reporter that the plan
is to make it the very first cinematic incarnation of
Superman featuring a black actor. Superman will be black in
the next film. Here's the question, very easy. Do you
(24:20):
have a problem with there being a black Superman. We'll
start with you, Rob. No, Santa Claus was black at
my house, So why can't Superman be black? Right? Ros?
That's simple. It's a character. What racist. I'm just saying.
I Rob G's a millennial that thinks. And he's not alone,
(24:44):
but millennials think just talking about race, which is ridiculous.
We need to talk about race. I don't want to
be color blind. I recognize your race and I still
respect you in of you as a fellow human being.
Of course, let me say this and then you jump in.
(25:05):
It kills me about moviemaking. You know why, because somehow
they can make the Ten Commandments, which is said Egypt
and all white Egypsus should have been black, all white
in Egypt. I've been to Egypt and go look at
the skin color. Okay, I'm telling you, but that's acceptable
(25:27):
for clear patri to have white skin and be Elizabeth Taylor.
But the notion that you make another character and he's
black and there's something wrong with it, I just I
don't get it. I don't get it. Now, you're right
on the money, Rob, and all of the biblical care
Jesus was not white. His hair was Woolyn close to that, right,
(25:48):
So you're right, you're absolutely right. And people freak out
if you make Jesus. Oh they had to play with
a black Jesus and they're freaking out, you know. But
it's all right to have the white one, even though
we all know he wasn't white. So that that no,
I'm totally fine with it. And here's the thing too, Robuh,
it is good to be good. I know. Look, we
(26:09):
love the white Superman. Was cool. I left Superman, Superman, Batman, George,
remember right, Yes, so it's not you can have a
white one, an Asian one, a Mexican one for you know,
rob G and all see that's I'm waiting for the button.
But it'll be good for kids of all races to
(26:32):
see a black Superman because now you're seeing blacks in
authoritative positions, helpful, not right kinds of stuff. Right, But
rob G got beef, rob G, you don't like it.
I don't like it. I don't like it. And the
reason being, think of Aria. It'll be great for her
to see a Mexican wonder woman. Now they all know what.
(26:52):
I'll tell her this too, because the new or the
most recent Power Rangers. Excuse me, the most recent Aladdin movie,
which takes place send Arabia. The woman that they chose
to be Princess Jasmine was from London, and I didn't
like that either. No, that makes no sense. We have
source material that tells us Princess Jasmine is Arabian. Okay,
(27:15):
that's a real ain't no Superman versus fictions created Superman
made him white in the key of the fictional camera
Baker white. If they're gonna make John F. Kennedy black, okay,
I got a problem with that Superman fiction, right, I
would say nothing. There's nothing in the thing that said
(27:36):
that he was black. The Tom Hanks is one of
my favorite actors of all time. If they made him black, panther,
I'd have a problem with it. No, but yeah, but
that black is part of the name. He was black.
It wasn't super White Man. He wasn't that. He wasn't
he was super white Man black. Okay, Yes, I'm with you,
(27:57):
Christ super Man didn't we look man. What I'm saying
is the guy who created Superman, whoever the comic, when
did he say he was white? He remember? Right? What? No?
But I'm asking you because it's not a TV show
(28:18):
or a movie. It is a comic book in the No,
I know what I'm saying, but I understand that. But
my point is, and none of that does it say
he was white? They right? Look man, all I'm saying
is where you lit bring Alex? He's okay, Superman. You
got a problem. No, No, I have no problem. You
(28:38):
know why CB and Rob It has nothing to do
with race. For me, of course we got to be
more open and talk about CB. But to me, I
want the best actor. I don't want a firmative. I
want the best actor to play the role. And if
it is a black dude, I'm all for it. I
want a great movie. So why does he know? Like
so Rob, Gi, we gotta be a Superman. And the
other problem too, you know Chris is black in that
(28:59):
time Today ain't gonna work. Oh god,
Hosts And Creators
kelvin washington
Rob Parker
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Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.