July 1, 2024 • 40 mins
Chris and Rob discuss whether the Los Angeles Clippers made the right decision by letting Paul George walk for nothing, tell us how much pressure is on Joel Embiid now that he’s got a legitimate Big 3 in Philadelphia and debate whether LeBron James should be ridiculed for pulling the strings to ensure that Bronny made the NBA. Plus, The Athletic’s Anthony Slater swings by to discuss why the Golden State Warriors were comfortable with letting Thompson leave, how the fishbowl of Los Angeles may have swayed Thompson’s free agency decision, whether Steph Curry and Draymond Green tried to compel the front office to keep Klay, where the team goes from here now that the Big Three has finally broken up and much more!
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Episode Transcript
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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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Speaker 2 (00:22):
You're listening to the Best of the Odd Couple with
Chris Brusson and Ron Harker.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Let's talk Clippers ROB.
Speaker 4 (00:32):
Now they had a big three, one of the most
ballyhooed big threes or most decorated big threes in the league.
James Harden and MVP Kawhi Leonard, a two time champion,
and Paul George, who looks like he's on his way
(00:53):
to a Hall of Fame induction later you know when
he's done playing.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
And now it is no more.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
Paul George goes to the Philadelphia seventy six ers ROB
because he was seeking the four year max deal from
the Clippers. They were only willing to give him three
years same deal they gave Kawhi Leonard, which was three years,
one hundred and fifty two million, and Paul George got
(01:21):
more from Philly they gave him four years about two
hundred and twelve million, and so he now joins another
fills out another big three in Philadelphia. We'll get to
that later with Joe LMB and Tyrese Maxi. So, Rob,
what do you think of the decision that Paul George and.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
The Clippers in this instance made.
Speaker 5 (01:43):
Bravo to the Clippers, Bravo.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
I mean I told you before, I just couldn't do
it with Paul George. Once you made the commitment to Kawhi,
you could only keep one of those guys. You just
can't do it again. Really, yep. And I just think
the three years they offered them to thing that they
gave Kawhi, there was an opportunity for him sign and
he didn't want to be there. Obviously, he took more money,
and I'm not mad at him. If you want to
(02:07):
go to Philadelphia and go there and try to win
a championship there, that's fine. But if I'm the Clippers,
you can't let the can't let everybody run your organization.
You have perimeters, you have parameters, Chris that you want
to work inside of. They kept James Harden, but he
got two years seventy million dollars.
Speaker 5 (02:28):
Yep, and they had some of the players around. That's
a great deal.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
I mean, right like that, that's workable, right, that's workable.
They're not on a hook for James Harden for like
two hundred million dollars or something crazy. That's workable, and
you have a player of that ILK So once they
realize they could get hardened, you know what I mean,
and not have to break the bank to keep him around.
Speaker 5 (02:52):
I think I don't have an issue with it.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
I know people will look and I'm not trying to
say Paul George isn't a good player, Chris.
Speaker 5 (02:59):
He's a really good player.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Right, but that comes limits and expectations and and mostly
they've been disappointing. And I'm not blaming him only. It's
just been a lot with the organization. But I think
they had a number and if he wanted to stay
there and be a part of it, he could. This
is his hometown, they got the new arena. None of
(03:22):
that mattered to him. He just wanted to get cashed
out and so Philly came with more money. And that's
what free agency is all about. But I don't have
a problem with the I don't think Paul George being there,
not being there is going to be the difference of
them winning because the winning without him. Yeah, but I
mean they weren't winning with him, That's what I'm saying that.
But that's my point that they weren't going to win.
(03:44):
So so yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
I hear that the right for them at this moment
in time. And I think this is why you do
the James Harden deal.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Rob.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
It's about staying relevant, right. They're going into a new arena, a.
Speaker 5 (04:00):
Billion dollar.
Speaker 4 (04:02):
Tickets, but they want to make the playoffs. They got
a shot.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
You know. The West obviously is incredibly deep.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
I think there's really only two teams that are out
of it, and that's Utah and Portland. Everybody else is
gonna be fighting for a playoff spot and they'll be
one of those teams. But I feel you on that,
And I'll say this, I've said it.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Once, I'll say it again.
Speaker 5 (04:27):
Rob.
Speaker 4 (04:28):
To me, the mistake was keeping Kawhi. He's the guy
I would have let walk.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Now. I think he's better overall.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
You know, he's a better player than Paul George, but
he's also more they're both injury prone, but he's more
so than Paul George. And we've seen it rob the
last two years he played in the regular season they
managed him. It was like, Okay, here he is, he's ready,
(04:58):
and then come playoff time and he misses most of
the postseason. They've played eleven playoff games the last two years.
He's played four of them. And so that was the mistake.
I thought when they signed him last year, last season
and congrats to his representation, my goodness, they did a
great job. But I thought from that point on it
(05:19):
was like, man, I mean, you've signed locked up Kawhi.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
You kinda need to stay the course and be all in.
And I feel you.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
I think they'd be better with Paul George, but honestly,
maybe only slightly better. And so you bring back Harden.
You've got Kawhi. Derek Jones Junior is there, who we
know played with Dallas, helped them get to the finals.
They still have Ivika Zubot, so they have enough where
(05:49):
there's for Clippers fans, there's some hope that maybe they
make it to the playoffs. But with George, and I
agree with you, I don't think they would have won it.
But with Paul George, Kawhi and Harden, there was at
least a chance. I guess that if if for goodness sake,
(06:10):
they stayed healthy, that they'd have a chance to get
out of the West. And now that chance is gone. Like,
so now you know you're hoping for the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
Uh, and you're not. You're not making a run. I
don't care.
Speaker 4 (06:26):
This team right now is not making a run deep
in those playoffs.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
But you know they got a shot to make it.
Speaker 6 (06:32):
Rob.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
You know, there's talk also about Westbrook going to Denver,
about them trading Westbrook to Denver, and Joki wants so
that would be interesting, that would be wow. I liked
I like him off the bench there. I can't imagine
that they're going of starting Westbrook, but I'd like him
to bring his energy off the bench.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
For Paul George.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Rob.
Speaker 4 (06:56):
Look Philly, I uh, I understand the move.
Speaker 6 (07:02):
Rob.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
They sitting there with sixty million dollars and really no
one to give it to, so they go get Paul George.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
I think.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
I'm not picking Philly to win the East. I think
the pressure.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Is on Joe LMB.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
I mean, Robbie's had some good but he's had James
harden Am, Tyree's Maxey. Now he's got Tyre's Maxy and
Paul George MB needs to step up. But I just
right now, I think even in the East, Philly will
have a shot if healthy. I don't think they'll be
fully healthy. That doesn't mean MB might not play in
(07:40):
the playoffs, but it'll just mean he'll be banged up
and playing on one leg or whatever. But I still
like Boston better than Philly, and I like the Knicks
better than Philly because of their depth.
Speaker 5 (07:52):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
Yeah, I like the Knicks getting Michale Bridges.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
You know that happened last week while you were gone,
and their depth is is good. I know they hate
losing Isaiah Hartenstein, but I think they'll be okay. But
you know, on paper, I love Philly. But I just
Paul George kind of, to your point, is injury prone.
He missed the whole playoffs a couple of years ago,
(08:17):
and he's almost as injury prone as Kawhia is.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Yeah, it's a shame because he's a talented player and
if he could just stay healthy, Chris, but it just not.
It doesn't seem to be always the case, and you
can't count on him. And then he's had some duds
as well. I don't know. It's just he's he's as
you say, they need him to win. But but but
(08:43):
they weren't gonna win. So what's the difference. I mean,
that's really what it comes down to.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
Yeah, and I think, like I said, I think they
can still make the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Possibly without him.
Speaker 4 (08:53):
They might miss because they definitely are less talented than
they were, but Rob, they were exast and we're gonna
talk about them.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
And it's it's interesting because.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
The same thing that felled the Brooklyn Nets, who both
you and I liked, felled the Clippers. And I don't
I don't blame the Clippers for going out and clippers
everything that.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
They could do that was a great movie. They did
a great thing. They put together a tremendous team. If
that team could have just stayed healthy really for a
couple if they had a healthy run for three years,
they would have a championship.
Speaker 5 (09:29):
I don't they doubt it.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
They don't, I mean maybe not, but they would have
been right. They had a great shot. I mean, I
you know, you know they're gonna win it, But.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
I'm saying then, you know what I mean, like not
a one year shot. But if they stayed healthy for
three years they would have had a shot at it.
I think they would have won a championship.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
Really, the only year they had that legitimate chance was
twenty on the loss, and that was an odd situation
because of the bubble, but still they dropped. They were
up three to one on Denver, would have gotten the Lakers,
you know, in the in the Conference finals, but they
blew a three to one lead, which was terrible, and
(10:10):
neither Kawhi or Paul George showed.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Up in that game. Shouldn't have even got to a
game seven.
Speaker 4 (10:15):
But Kawhi was six for twenty two, George was four
for sixteens in games.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
Yeah, and that was that was their chance, it turned out.
Speaker 4 (10:23):
You didn't know it at the time, but that really
ride was their last chance to really you know, when
they were both healthy for the bulk of the season
and the playoffs. And yeah, it's really similar to Brooklyn
where you had a championship caliber roster but injuries.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Just year that Milwaukee won the championship. Chris, I mean,
that was that right there. Durant wins it. If his
foot's not on the line, the Bucks never went I mean,
it's it's unbelievable, and that was with the injuries.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
I was gonna say, Rob, if hard thinking about that
or Kyrie, remember they were back, were ones out, the
others out. If they were healthy, they would have won
a championship, that they would have beat Milwaukee them right right,
And Harden was on one leg you know at that
that when that series ended. So I agree with you,
(11:16):
and it's just, you know, it's unfortunate. And I tell
you what with the NBA this year, Rob, this upcoming season,
they really I hope and I'll probably start talking to
somebody about and see see what they're thinking.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
But they need to really keep an eye.
Speaker 4 (11:33):
On these injuries, Rob, and see if they have a
similar injury problem this year and these playoffs as they
had last year.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
They gonna have to try to you know, like they
have to do something.
Speaker 4 (11:47):
And I'm not saying I have the answer, but you
cannot have your playoffs determine. Were there always We've talked
about it before, Rob, there always have been injuries sometimes, right.
It defined this season and particularly these playoffs, it really did,
(12:09):
and you cannot have that happening for you know, extended years.
So uh yeah, the Clippers, Look, they they went for it.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
It didn't work.
Speaker 4 (12:22):
And it's interesting because now to Rob, they're kind of
in that in between space.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
Right, They're not gonna be horrible, They're not gonna be great.
Speaker 4 (12:30):
They might be good enough to get in the playoffs maybe,
or they might be, you know, bad enough just to
miss the playoffs but not get a high lottery pick.
So it's gonna be interesting to see. But I just
think they made the wrong decision. I would rather have
George than Kawhi not I Like I said, I think
Kawhi is a better player, but he's just more injury
(12:52):
prone and less dependable.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
So yeah, both are and Kawhi played all year, which
was weird, and then they got hurt in the play right.
Speaker 4 (13:01):
It's just like, I mean, you thought his body just
doesn't seem to be able to with stay at eighty
plus game.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Chris Brussard and Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the
iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 7 (13:19):
Hey, it's Ben, host of the Fifth Hour with Ben
Maller along with my trustee sidekick David Gascon. Would mean
a lot to have you join us on our weekly
auditory journey. You're ask what in God's name is the
Fifth Hour? I'll tell you it's a spin off of it.
Ben Maler show, a cult hit overnights on FSR. Why
should you listen? Picture if you will, a world where
we chat with captains of industry in media, sports, and
(13:41):
more every week explore some amazing facts about human nature
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your podcast.
Speaker 4 (13:52):
Our next guest does a great job covering the Warriors
for the Athletic We welcome in Anthony Slater.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Anthony, Welcome to the odd Couple. What's up?
Speaker 8 (14:01):
How are y'all doing?
Speaker 5 (14:02):
Doing great?
Speaker 3 (14:02):
We are great?
Speaker 2 (14:03):
Man?
Speaker 3 (14:03):
What a day? End of an era.
Speaker 4 (14:06):
What is the feeling up there in San Francisco and
Oakland now that Clay Thompson is gone?
Speaker 6 (14:14):
Well, the feeling in my house right now is that
you guys love talking to me. Though when that drama
pops around.
Speaker 5 (14:19):
In the Warriors, you know that, yes, it ain't just you.
Speaker 6 (14:24):
Let me tell you how are they feeling? This has
been accepted for probably a week, I would say, and
you know, my sources were telling me on the on
the Clay side, that this is a decision he's made
for a while now for several reasons. He may ask
me about some of them. I'm writing a big article
for the Athletics tomorrow that'll kind of like detail it
with more layers to it about how it actually got
(14:45):
to this point.
Speaker 8 (14:46):
But they've known for a little while.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Now, Clay, I mean, Ed offered him, what was it,
two years, forty eight million. He was offended by that,
but takes fifty million to go to Dallas for three years?
Does this probably got hurt or something. I mean, he
felt like they didn't want to pay him.
Speaker 6 (15:05):
The timing of that is relevant here. That was in
the preseason. He's coming off leading the NBA and you know,
made threes the season prior, they were better, they made
the playoffs. His market that was considered, you know, relatively
team friendly at the time.
Speaker 8 (15:19):
He obviously had a worst year of his market.
Speaker 6 (15:21):
The market in general was just colder to veteran free agents.
I think this time around, and that two for forty
eight has not been on the table for a long time.
It's not like he turned that down from the Warriors
a week ago or two weeks ago.
Speaker 8 (15:32):
They didn't make him any type of offer.
Speaker 4 (15:34):
Part, so there was no offer, Like because I saw
your tweet I think it was last week at some
point where you said there's no offer on the table.
So are you saying from the end of this season
they weren't offering him a contract.
Speaker 8 (15:48):
They weren't even nias I was really even talking that much.
To be honest, you.
Speaker 6 (15:52):
Know, you all we especially as somebody who's around and
all these figures, he kind of felt some important conversations
what happened to bring a reunion together. Almost didn't fully
believe that it would go this way. But uh yeah,
I mean part of why there's no offers because the
words has been trying all these various things, you know,
trying to get Paul George. They're kind of sniffing around
Lorie Marketing right now. They're they're trying to cut salary.
(16:13):
They had to deal with the Chris Paul guarantee, your
non guarantee on the thirty million, and they basically told Clay, hey,
you know, we'll get to you when you get when
we get to you. And that's part of the you
know issue here is it's like if you went to
your boss and kept asking hey, can we talk about
that race? Hey, can we talk about that raise? They
kept going, We'll do it later, and Clay essentially recently
decided we won't get to it because I'm not gonna
be here.
Speaker 5 (16:33):
So why did he not go to the Lakers?
Speaker 3 (16:35):
Is he is?
Speaker 1 (16:36):
He got a buggabull with them? His dad works for
the Lakers, dad has a history there. Well, does he
want to play with Lebron or is it strictly sales
tax or state income state income tax?
Speaker 8 (16:48):
Yeah, no, I don't. I don't know that.
Speaker 6 (16:51):
There's like one final reason why he did or didn't
go to the Lakers. He certainly thought about it. He
was deciding at the end between the Lakers and Mavericks.
And honestly, a team like this, any Sixers or even
the Magic probably could have gone him if they just said, hey,
here's like five years or one hundred, you know whatever million.
But when he was deciding between the Mavericks and Lakers,
I think how close Dallas feels compared.
Speaker 8 (17:13):
To the Lakers.
Speaker 6 (17:14):
Right, that was just in the finals. The Lakers don't
seem as close. And then and this is just me
more psychoanalyzing. I'm not saying I've heard this, but I
do think part of where things just went sour for
him over the last couple of years around the Warriors.
It's just a fish boulder in the constant criticism, the
headlines after everything. You guys on the radio, right, if anything,
(17:35):
Clay Tom.
Speaker 8 (17:38):
Say that, Well, I just think that he's at a
point of his career.
Speaker 6 (17:41):
He was unhappy last year. You know, it was just
not that it was a grumpy season for several reasons.
But I do think part of this decision. Again, this
is me more psychoanalyzing than telling you for sure this.
I just think getting away from the spotlight has a
little bit of an appeal. You know, if he's in
LA with Lebron his dad doing radio, like y'all are
still talking about him every day, that's probably gonna be
a little less of thatttened out.
Speaker 4 (18:01):
Let me ask you, of of course, Steph and Draymond,
how do you think they're reacting to this news.
Speaker 6 (18:08):
Well, look, they've they've been in on the like you know,
the Paul George Chase they were I should say that's
obviously over at this point. They're in communication, particularly Steph
with the front office.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
So it's not true that Steph pop champagne after Clay
said he was leaving.
Speaker 5 (18:22):
That's not true.
Speaker 6 (18:23):
No, no, And again, I'll have a little bit more
detail about this in my story tomorrow. So I don't
want to, like, you know, necessarily spoil it, you know,
I did, like I think it was voiced that it's over,
you know, and like not because of Steph certainly, And
and Steph I think, you know, they have gone to
(18:43):
the bat harder if they wanted him to, but just
seemed too too far gone.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
How close were.
Speaker 4 (18:49):
The three of them, you know, they were they were
the big three of the of the dynasty.
Speaker 6 (18:55):
Uh yeah, I mean, like you know, I think there's
a deep, deep level of respect and admiration with and
the three. They wouldn't necessarily, especially in the later years
as they all, you know, Draymond has several kids and
a wife. The Steff obviously just had his fourth kid,
Like there's several Like their lives is gone in different directions.
Speaker 8 (19:11):
Clay, you know, he's a voter.
Speaker 6 (19:13):
Like they don't necessarily hang out all the time off
the court, But I mean, they know how deeply connected
they are from a historic standpoint, right, And I think
there is even if they felt the inevitability, and even
felt it during times last season when it was kind
of going haywire. I think there's probably a level of
sadness that, you know, as it sinks in.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
Well, is there any chance that if Clay understood where
he fit in the constraints with money and said, Okay,
I made a ton of money here, won a lot
with these guys, it would be great to play my
whole career and go out with those guys. Was there
any of that, like some sentimental feeling that It's not
(19:53):
like the fifty million is going to change his life financially,
but it could have been a nice way to go
in together, you know what I mean, and go out
gracefully together.
Speaker 8 (20:02):
I mean, that would have been the pull to go back.
Speaker 6 (20:04):
But you know, he opted for different reasons to kind
of uproot his life a little bit. It felt like
he needed to. And again, you can go back to
the injuries. I think this is a pivot point of
his career. He's twenty nine years old. He's really the
best player. In Game six of the Finals, he has
thirty points in the third quarter and he tears the
acl and then he tears the Achilles misses two and
a half seasons and really spent the last couple of
(20:24):
seasons trying to chase his former self, and there was
anguish within that. I think anybody even watching from the outside.
Speaker 8 (20:29):
Could see that. So I just think it's a little
bit of a search for something different.
Speaker 4 (20:33):
You mentioned Lowry Mark and then I man, I love
the fit with Golden State. If they can get him,
how realistic do you think the chances are of them
landing him?
Speaker 8 (20:45):
Yeah, they're in the chase. They're in the chase for sure.
Speaker 6 (20:49):
You know that's that's probably a better question for Danny Ainge,
but I don't go public right now and say exactly
what we'll get it done. But he seems to be
the fish where depending on who you talk to in
the league, like how we realistically is he available? It's
hard to know with Danny Ings, but that is certainly
on the Warriors radar.
Speaker 4 (21:06):
What do you think it would I mean, I know
you don't know exactly, but you know, I mean Kaminga
who I know they want to keep, but would he
have to be in some type of deal like that.
I'm sure they'll give up Wiggins if if they would
take him.
Speaker 8 (21:19):
Yeah, I mean, that's all what's kind of being sorted through.
Speaker 6 (21:22):
I think probably would appeals most to the Jazz would
be the picks package coming from the Warriors, especially because
if you get a Warriors pick later in this decade,
when Steph Curry might be gone, that could be a
very valuable pick. So that's probably more what you thought
might be looking for. If they hit the rebuild button,
if you're trading the Lorie marketing, you're hitting pretty big rebuilds.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
Me go here.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
So Jason Dumas, a buddy of mine from ninety five
to seven the Game, said on the radio today that
behind the scenes, Clay was equally as exhausting as Draymond,
and that Clay made the locker room uncomfortable. Was there
an experience as well there when you were around the team.
Speaker 5 (22:02):
Was that how you saw it?
Speaker 8 (22:04):
Uh?
Speaker 6 (22:05):
I mean, like again, Clay didn't get suspended, They didn't
do several things that I think probably have more of
a of an impact on uh, you know where the
last two seasons went, which were obviously disappointing from the
Warrior side. He you know, kind of grappled with his
career mortality the last few seasons and had grumbling moments,
and uh, certainly wasn't wasn't the easiest at times. But
(22:29):
I'm not gonna go as far as to kind of
back that statement up.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
I guess so well, he didn't make things uncomfortable, as
I was just saying he did not at times.
Speaker 6 (22:38):
I mean, certainly, look he got he got benched in
February and kind of you know, blew up a little
bit about it. You know, there were several other moments
where shot selection really the last two years has been
you know, really kind of a point of contention because
you know, his thirst to be Klay Thompson's though, right,
like twenty seven year old Klay Thompson, and they've had
to have like shot selection conversations with him a lot.
(22:58):
If you go back to his rehabs, they did not
like how the ACL rehab finished up because he.
Speaker 8 (23:04):
Was away from the facility when he tore his achilles, you.
Speaker 6 (23:07):
Know, which has been put out there and Clay's acknowledged
he screwed that up. But you know that led to
that second you know, season and a halfy also this,
so there's a lot of layers to it.
Speaker 4 (23:16):
Last thing, before you go, Anthony, there was a report
that the Warriors could have gotten Zach Levine for Chris
Paul or Andrew Wiggins.
Speaker 3 (23:27):
That to me, that would make sense that they.
Speaker 4 (23:29):
Want Levine, especially if you're just getting rid of Chris
Paul's contract. So what do your what do your what
are your uh, what's your reporting on that? Telling you
is that that doesn't seem to make sense to me?
Speaker 3 (23:41):
But what's your report?
Speaker 6 (23:43):
I mean, I don't know these like exacts like how
close that necessarily was, but from what I've been told,
it's I mean, Chris Paul is getting way regardless is
non guaranteed. So you almost in the equation, you could
take Chris Paul's contract out of it. From a Warrior's perspective,
you would really be talking about Andrew Wiggins making three
years in eighty four million or Zach Levine making three
years and one hundred and thirty eight million. And I
(24:04):
mean the Warriors calculation there is like Wiggins is still
a better deal. They're saying they're the same age, twenty
nine years old. They're obviously different players. Wiggans a better defender,
Levin a better score.
Speaker 8 (24:14):
Uh Wigans, But you know, I know he's had his he.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
Had a bad year.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
Yeah, you think he'll bounce back in because he's he
had played really well with the Warriors except for last year.
Speaker 6 (24:23):
Yeah, agreed, But you know he played seventy one games
last year and Zack Levine played twenty five because Zach
Levine comes with his own injury issues and that. So
I just think they just looked value at value at
the contract and decided Wiggins is still a better value.
Speaker 3 (24:36):
All right. That's Anthony Slater of the Athletics.
Speaker 4 (24:39):
So you got an article coming out tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
About this, so make sure you check it out.
Speaker 5 (24:44):
Make sure you ask quad that's forty dollars a month. No,
it's only a dollar. It's great.
Speaker 8 (24:49):
Yes, yeah, appreciate that, definitely, right out for it.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
Great stuff, man, keep up the great work.
Speaker 8 (24:56):
All right.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
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 iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to
listen live.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
Rob of course, was out on vacation.
Speaker 4 (25:13):
Last week when Bronnie James, the son of Lebron James,
was drafted with the fifty fifth pick of the NBA
Draft by the Lakers, and he will join his dad Robin.
I have said all along that Bronnie is going to
be a Laker, and he is.
Speaker 1 (25:33):
Rob.
Speaker 4 (25:33):
You haven't been able to share your thoughts on this show,
so go ahead.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
What are your thoughts?
Speaker 5 (25:38):
Chris? I want to make this very clear. This is
not anything to do with Bronnie. It doesn't I get it.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
It's his father trying to do rus ripe or help
his kid in any way.
Speaker 5 (25:52):
Can I don't have any kids, I never played the
professional sports.
Speaker 1 (25:56):
I get all that, but I must admit I think
this is the worst decision that's ever happened in professional sports.
And I'm dead serious when I say that, the.
Speaker 3 (26:09):
Worst by a team.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
Just you're all around everybody involved in this because it
changes what the essence of the game has always been,
which is about competition, and.
Speaker 5 (26:28):
We talk about all the.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
Time, right Mederic, Oh my god. Meritocracy right, meritocracy. Meritocracy,
I got it, Chris. This is what we've always talked
about and the reason why you have an NFL where
you have essentially ninety nine percent of the owners are
(26:52):
white and yet the league is seventy percent black. Meritocracy
is what allowed this to be the case. They didn't
go out and just fill their teams with people who
look like them, because they own the team and said
I don't care. I'm gonna do what I want to
do and no one can tell me because I own
(27:12):
the team. It was about the best people went out there,
played the game, and the people who deserve to get
jobs got jobs. I heard a lot of people throw
around nepotism, and there's plenty of nepotism, and I've been critical, yeah,
(27:33):
I plenty, and I've thrown outatist Chris it's wrong. We've
seen it, especially in the front office, but it ain't right.
But it ain't the same as what we've seen here.
As far as on the field. Someone would have to
show me on the field where some guy got his
(27:53):
son a spot on a team or some owner put
his nephew on out Just take the the last spot
on the roster. It doesn't matter. I want you to
be on the team because I own the team. And
that's the part I think when Lebron looks at his legacy,
(28:15):
that he'll be leaving this sport in a worse place
than when he got here. And what I mean is
he's opened up a Pandora's box now to where I
don't know how you tell people not to do what
he just did right his kid by all of the scouts,
not Rob Parker as a scout, all the scouts smaller guard, Chris.
(28:38):
He didn't have a great year in college. All the
things he might have made a team, might have been
able to be on a team as a non drafted
player and worked his way through and all that right
could ev But this was like, no, he's coming to
the Lakers, get out of the way, don't draft him.
This is all about Lebron making this happen. I remember
(29:01):
when Tim Tebow went down to Jacksonville. People were like,
what to play a position he had never played. He
was an older player. But Irban Meyer, oh that's my
next door neighbor. People weren't with it. People throw out
the Dallas Cowboys, Chris. It's filled with nepotism. He has
(29:23):
all of his kids in the front office. But I
could justify a family business where you're hiring people in
your family more so than I can on a team.
Speaker 5 (29:34):
Or on a become nepotism.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
No, and I'm not saying I'm against nepotism, but I'm
tar I'm against nepotism. What I'm saying is when you
play on the field, that is supposed.
Speaker 5 (29:47):
To be based on your merit, your ability and not.
Speaker 1 (29:51):
And that's where someone would have to show me where
and owners have done this in the past, because I
can't find it. I can't find where they put somebody
on a team because they owned the team, or they
wanted to help out their kid.
Speaker 4 (30:05):
If if Teebo was essentially nepotism, No, but he didn't
make the team, but he got a tryout.
Speaker 1 (30:12):
But I'm talking about Andy Weed's kids, Bill Belichick's kids.
Did he put them on a team or to goes, Hey,
you gonna work your way up. We're getting broken in half.
I mean, they're not even remotely like Ron. Here's where
I mean I disagree with you overall.
Speaker 4 (30:27):
And there are players, it's not just front office and
coaching staff where we've seen this.
Speaker 3 (30:34):
The NASAs ant de Coompo think he's much of a player.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
Wait a minute, the dis Okay, but he who's who
drafted him?
Speaker 3 (30:46):
I don't know who drafted him.
Speaker 4 (30:47):
But he got a contract now with the Bucks because
Giannis is on the Buck.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
No, but the Knicks drafted him. And let me say this, Chris,
I'm glad you brought that up. That came after Giannie's
first year when he averaged six points and four rebounds,
So it wasn't as if he was a big star
and they knew it he was. Giannas would didn't even
blossom yet when the Knicks drafted his brother, so that
that's not where Gianni's got the team.
Speaker 5 (31:12):
No, but I'm talking about he was drafting.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
He was drafted originally by the Knicks after Giannis didn't
have a big year, so Jannis had no play. He
couldn't tell the Knicks to draft his brother. He averaged
six pointer his rookie year.
Speaker 3 (31:26):
It's possible that Brownie would have got drafted. Because here's
the thing. You don't believe that. I mean, I'm told
four teams were interested.
Speaker 4 (31:35):
I heard TYLERU wanted him with the Clippers, Minnesota had interest,
Toronto had interest, Phoenix only wanted him for Lebron. But
you know Phoenix had interest. So I'm told that one
of those teams could have drafted. Why was Rich Paul
calling around if it was like, man, please, we ain't
think about no Ronnie James. Why was Rich Paul calling
(31:57):
in texting team saying don't draft if there was no
chance he was gonna get drafted.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
The difference here is when you talk about those situations.
If this was Brownie James played at USC and somebody
wants to people take flyers Chris all the.
Speaker 5 (32:14):
Time and the second round on people.
Speaker 4 (32:18):
So how is this different? I mean, I get it
it's different because his dad. But I'm just saying, Broni
was the nineteenth ranked player Chris. He didn't hit Keny finished, Okay,
he was the nineteenth ranked player in his senior class,
you know, before he had the cardiac arrest. And I
do think the cardiacer rest impacted his season with USC,
(32:38):
which we know wasn't good. But he was like he
wasn't he made Obviously McDonald's All American.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
Some say that was because of Lebron. I don't know.
He was nineteenth ranked player in his class.
Speaker 4 (32:49):
So that's close to McDonald's All American anyway, and they're
different rankings. So that's my point, Like he is not, like,
like you said, an owner putting their son on the team.
Most owner's sons probably weren't close to being Division one
basket Michael.
Speaker 5 (33:06):
The Hornets, he had two sons, could have put one
of them.
Speaker 4 (33:08):
On, Yeah, but I mean maybe they weren't close to
as good as the NBA that could be.
Speaker 3 (33:14):
He don't have to be.
Speaker 4 (33:17):
It's arguable that Briani was in NBA process.
Speaker 3 (33:21):
He went to the No it was you. You saw
the reviews of him in Chicago.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
Her Scutu said that they didn't think that he was
in but he was player right.
Speaker 4 (33:33):
But you also heard other ones saying he shot it. Well,
he's more, he's a plus athlete. And Tom Haberstrow did
a story saying legacy players whose fathers played in the
league tend to over perform with their draft status. So
like Jalen Brunson has obviously been better than his draft status,
(33:57):
and that goes for a lot of players, And so
there were some neflix that's what happened with second round picks.
Some people like them think they're NBA players, some people don't.
I'm just just saying it ain't like Bronni was. Some
and a lot of guys that put up bad numbers
got drafted, whether they put them up in Europe or
whether they put him up in the NBA or you
(34:20):
know college maskwashers say Division one.
Speaker 1 (34:23):
The whole process feels bad, doesn't feel good. I feel
bad for Bronni from the standpoint of where people will
look at him. Where if this was on his own merrit, Chris,
and I'm saying on his own merit and anybody drafted
him and he worked his way through or whatever work
through it was, I think he would have had a
(34:43):
better situation or better chance without having people wear this
on him.
Speaker 5 (34:49):
That the only reason he's there is his dad. And
people aren't gonna say it.
Speaker 1 (34:54):
A lot of people aren't gonna say it publicly because
lebron still has power and there's a big name and
a lot of guys. But I talked to a lot
of former players who just to me said that this
doesn't feel right on the way that this was handled,
all the conversation about it, everybody knew I told you
this month ago that he was going to the Lakers.
(35:15):
There was no doubt in my mind at all how
this was going to play out. And that's the part
that that I'm talking about. When I look at the
down the road and the way we look at it.
Speaker 5 (35:29):
Did Bronni get in strictly and we don't?
Speaker 1 (35:32):
And you know your guess, you're guessing, I'm guessing you
think maybe it was just all on Bronnie and it
was all merited and there's nothing known about it.
Speaker 3 (35:40):
Definitely, nepotism played a role, There's no question about it.
Speaker 5 (35:44):
Okay, I'm not okay, But.
Speaker 4 (35:46):
My thing is, I don't want to hear the nepotism
card played when people and maybe you, like you said,
you said you've been critical, that's fine, but I don't
want to hear from people that haven't said anything out
the nepotism that is rampant in professional sports.
Speaker 3 (36:03):
Front office is a performance business as well.
Speaker 4 (36:07):
Coaching staff is a performance business as well, and if
they rob you know, the league and the NFL and
Major League Baseball, nepotism is rampant, rampant, and so I
don't want to hear when it's, oh, a player flex
his muscles, what are the owners?
Speaker 3 (36:27):
And the GM has been flexing their muscles left and right.
I disagree.
Speaker 4 (36:31):
Steve Belichick qualified to be a defensive coach with the Patriots.
Speaker 3 (36:37):
He's out of the league now, now he's coaching in college.
Speaker 1 (36:40):
The difference here is when we talk about earning a
spot on the roster and players knowing whether or not
someone truly belongs on a team. And that's the difference here,
And I'm with you, I said it before, and I've
said it before. Who's the coach I always talk about
with the Chiefs? Who is the gall player? I talk
(37:01):
about it. I'm Todd Haley Todd. I've said it a
million times because you've heard me on this show.
Speaker 3 (37:07):
That's an example.
Speaker 2 (37:08):
I know.
Speaker 4 (37:09):
Look, if y'all gonna cut out nepotism, then cut it out.
Speaker 5 (37:12):
And then yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
But but here's the other part is there is some
player who might have lost out on a job because
of Bronni and because of the nepotism.
Speaker 5 (37:22):
And and and and and when.
Speaker 1 (37:23):
It comes to the best player on the field, who
deserves that opportunity.
Speaker 5 (37:29):
I think this is where you open up.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
This this slippery slope, uh, this this this back door,
if you will. And that's the part that I'm saying,
could be the next step that Lebron has opened up.
Speaker 3 (37:43):
Remember bron He's not the first though Chris Smith heard of.
Speaker 4 (37:48):
Him play lay for the Knicks because j R.
Speaker 3 (37:52):
Smith was on the Knicks.
Speaker 4 (37:54):
Chris Smith didn't have a college career to speak of.
Played in Manhattan briefly, real briefly. That's doing the deservice
to the word briefly. Louisville briefly, briefly and was with
the Knicks. I mean, this has happened, and you can't
and I think you'll agree with me on this. You
can't say it's the worst thing ever, because we know
(38:16):
there was a league. There were the league's period, all
of them, NBA, NFL, major League Baseball. It was a
time when heck, this was all the league did. They
locked out black players that were qualified to play. I
mean in mass so you had half the league say
(38:38):
roughly that was there because not because it was a meritocracy.
It's only become a Maritisa's once they tore down the
doors of segregation.
Speaker 1 (38:49):
But that's a racism that was involved. Absolutely, Ever, were
not the worst thing ever, That was far worth the
decision here and this I just think long term could
have a bad effect and that this stuff starts to
happen down the road.
Speaker 4 (39:07):
Most players are gonna be able to do this. No
owner does your son, So what will an owner do?
Put put a guy on the roster. What do you
mean guy meaning what like I don't know, I nephew
put him?
Speaker 2 (39:20):
Why not?
Speaker 5 (39:21):
I'll put him on.
Speaker 4 (39:22):
That few play? I mean like Brownie James was a
maybe he the whole conference high school player.
Speaker 1 (39:28):
I mean, yeah, but he had a bad He had
a bad year at USC, and there was more than
one scout who didn't think that he was worthy of
a more than scouts that thought he was that didn't
think he was worthy. I mean, this is the I'm
just talking about. Guys who were played in the league
well I talked to are really surprised that the way
this whole thing played out.
Speaker 5 (39:49):
And couldn't look at it.
Speaker 4 (39:50):
Never thought they had the juice to do this, had
the juice, and most players won't have to.
Speaker 3 (39:56):
But I just gave you. I mean j R. Smith,
how he got the Jews, I don't know.
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Odd Couple podcasts.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday from seven
pm to ten pm Eastern four to seven Pacific on
Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for The Odd
Couple at Foxsports Radio dot com, or stream us live
every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
You're listening to the Best of the Odd Couple with
Chris Brusson and Ron Harker.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Let's talk Clippers ROB.
Speaker 4 (00:32):
Now they had a big three, one of the most
ballyhooed big threes or most decorated big threes in the league.
James Harden and MVP Kawhi Leonard, a two time champion,
and Paul George, who looks like he's on his way
(00:53):
to a Hall of Fame induction later you know when
he's done playing.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
And now it is no more.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
Paul George goes to the Philadelphia seventy six ers ROB
because he was seeking the four year max deal from
the Clippers. They were only willing to give him three
years same deal they gave Kawhi Leonard, which was three years,
one hundred and fifty two million, and Paul George got
(01:21):
more from Philly they gave him four years about two
hundred and twelve million, and so he now joins another
fills out another big three in Philadelphia. We'll get to
that later with Joe LMB and Tyrese Maxi. So, Rob,
what do you think of the decision that Paul George and.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
The Clippers in this instance made.
Speaker 5 (01:43):
Bravo to the Clippers, Bravo.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
I mean I told you before, I just couldn't do
it with Paul George. Once you made the commitment to Kawhi,
you could only keep one of those guys. You just
can't do it again. Really, yep. And I just think
the three years they offered them to thing that they
gave Kawhi, there was an opportunity for him sign and
he didn't want to be there. Obviously, he took more money,
and I'm not mad at him. If you want to
(02:07):
go to Philadelphia and go there and try to win
a championship there, that's fine. But if I'm the Clippers,
you can't let the can't let everybody run your organization.
You have perimeters, you have parameters, Chris that you want
to work inside of. They kept James Harden, but he
got two years seventy million dollars.
Speaker 5 (02:28):
Yep, and they had some of the players around. That's
a great deal.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
I mean, right like that, that's workable, right, that's workable.
They're not on a hook for James Harden for like
two hundred million dollars or something crazy. That's workable, and
you have a player of that ILK So once they
realize they could get hardened, you know what I mean,
and not have to break the bank to keep him around.
Speaker 5 (02:52):
I think I don't have an issue with it.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
I know people will look and I'm not trying to
say Paul George isn't a good player, Chris.
Speaker 5 (02:59):
He's a really good player.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Right, but that comes limits and expectations and and mostly
they've been disappointing. And I'm not blaming him only. It's
just been a lot with the organization. But I think
they had a number and if he wanted to stay
there and be a part of it, he could. This
is his hometown, they got the new arena. None of
(03:22):
that mattered to him. He just wanted to get cashed
out and so Philly came with more money. And that's
what free agency is all about. But I don't have
a problem with the I don't think Paul George being there,
not being there is going to be the difference of
them winning because the winning without him. Yeah, but I
mean they weren't winning with him, That's what I'm saying that.
But that's my point that they weren't going to win.
(03:44):
So so yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
I hear that the right for them at this moment
in time. And I think this is why you do
the James Harden deal.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Rob.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
It's about staying relevant, right. They're going into a new arena, a.
Speaker 5 (04:00):
Billion dollar.
Speaker 4 (04:02):
Tickets, but they want to make the playoffs. They got
a shot.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
You know. The West obviously is incredibly deep.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
I think there's really only two teams that are out
of it, and that's Utah and Portland. Everybody else is
gonna be fighting for a playoff spot and they'll be
one of those teams. But I feel you on that,
And I'll say this, I've said it.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Once, I'll say it again.
Speaker 5 (04:27):
Rob.
Speaker 4 (04:28):
To me, the mistake was keeping Kawhi. He's the guy
I would have let walk.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Now. I think he's better overall.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
You know, he's a better player than Paul George, but
he's also more they're both injury prone, but he's more
so than Paul George. And we've seen it rob the
last two years he played in the regular season they
managed him. It was like, Okay, here he is, he's ready,
(04:58):
and then come playoff time and he misses most of
the postseason. They've played eleven playoff games the last two years.
He's played four of them. And so that was the mistake.
I thought when they signed him last year, last season
and congrats to his representation, my goodness, they did a
great job. But I thought from that point on it
(05:19):
was like, man, I mean, you've signed locked up Kawhi.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
You kinda need to stay the course and be all in.
And I feel you.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
I think they'd be better with Paul George, but honestly,
maybe only slightly better. And so you bring back Harden.
You've got Kawhi. Derek Jones Junior is there, who we
know played with Dallas, helped them get to the finals.
They still have Ivika Zubot, so they have enough where
(05:49):
there's for Clippers fans, there's some hope that maybe they
make it to the playoffs. But with George, and I
agree with you, I don't think they would have won it.
But with Paul George, Kawhi and Harden, there was at
least a chance. I guess that if if for goodness sake,
(06:10):
they stayed healthy, that they'd have a chance to get
out of the West. And now that chance is gone. Like,
so now you know you're hoping for the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
Uh, and you're not. You're not making a run. I
don't care.
Speaker 4 (06:26):
This team right now is not making a run deep
in those playoffs.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
But you know they got a shot to make it.
Speaker 6 (06:32):
Rob.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
You know, there's talk also about Westbrook going to Denver,
about them trading Westbrook to Denver, and Joki wants so
that would be interesting, that would be wow. I liked
I like him off the bench there. I can't imagine
that they're going of starting Westbrook, but I'd like him
to bring his energy off the bench.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
For Paul George.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Rob.
Speaker 4 (06:56):
Look Philly, I uh, I understand the move.
Speaker 6 (07:02):
Rob.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
They sitting there with sixty million dollars and really no
one to give it to, so they go get Paul George.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
I think.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
I'm not picking Philly to win the East. I think
the pressure.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Is on Joe LMB.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
I mean, Robbie's had some good but he's had James
harden Am, Tyree's Maxey. Now he's got Tyre's Maxy and
Paul George MB needs to step up. But I just
right now, I think even in the East, Philly will
have a shot if healthy. I don't think they'll be
fully healthy. That doesn't mean MB might not play in
(07:40):
the playoffs, but it'll just mean he'll be banged up
and playing on one leg or whatever. But I still
like Boston better than Philly, and I like the Knicks
better than Philly because of their depth.
Speaker 5 (07:52):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
Yeah, I like the Knicks getting Michale Bridges.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
You know that happened last week while you were gone,
and their depth is is good. I know they hate
losing Isaiah Hartenstein, but I think they'll be okay. But
you know, on paper, I love Philly. But I just
Paul George kind of, to your point, is injury prone.
He missed the whole playoffs a couple of years ago,
(08:17):
and he's almost as injury prone as Kawhia is.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Yeah, it's a shame because he's a talented player and
if he could just stay healthy, Chris, but it just not.
It doesn't seem to be always the case, and you
can't count on him. And then he's had some duds
as well. I don't know. It's just he's he's as
you say, they need him to win. But but but
(08:43):
they weren't gonna win. So what's the difference. I mean,
that's really what it comes down to.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
Yeah, and I think, like I said, I think they
can still make the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Possibly without him.
Speaker 4 (08:53):
They might miss because they definitely are less talented than
they were, but Rob, they were exast and we're gonna
talk about them.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
And it's it's interesting because.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
The same thing that felled the Brooklyn Nets, who both
you and I liked, felled the Clippers. And I don't
I don't blame the Clippers for going out and clippers
everything that.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
They could do that was a great movie. They did
a great thing. They put together a tremendous team. If
that team could have just stayed healthy really for a
couple if they had a healthy run for three years,
they would have a championship.
Speaker 5 (09:29):
I don't they doubt it.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
They don't, I mean maybe not, but they would have
been right. They had a great shot. I mean, I
you know, you know they're gonna win it, But.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
I'm saying then, you know what I mean, like not
a one year shot. But if they stayed healthy for
three years they would have had a shot at it.
I think they would have won a championship.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
Really, the only year they had that legitimate chance was
twenty on the loss, and that was an odd situation
because of the bubble, but still they dropped. They were
up three to one on Denver, would have gotten the Lakers,
you know, in the in the Conference finals, but they
blew a three to one lead, which was terrible, and
(10:10):
neither Kawhi or Paul George showed.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Up in that game. Shouldn't have even got to a
game seven.
Speaker 4 (10:15):
But Kawhi was six for twenty two, George was four
for sixteens in games.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
Yeah, and that was that was their chance, it turned out.
Speaker 4 (10:23):
You didn't know it at the time, but that really
ride was their last chance to really you know, when
they were both healthy for the bulk of the season
and the playoffs. And yeah, it's really similar to Brooklyn
where you had a championship caliber roster but injuries.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Just year that Milwaukee won the championship. Chris, I mean,
that was that right there. Durant wins it. If his
foot's not on the line, the Bucks never went I mean,
it's it's unbelievable, and that was with the injuries.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
I was gonna say, Rob, if hard thinking about that
or Kyrie, remember they were back, were ones out, the
others out. If they were healthy, they would have won
a championship, that they would have beat Milwaukee them right right,
And Harden was on one leg you know at that
that when that series ended. So I agree with you,
(11:16):
and it's just, you know, it's unfortunate. And I tell
you what with the NBA this year, Rob, this upcoming season,
they really I hope and I'll probably start talking to
somebody about and see see what they're thinking.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
But they need to really keep an eye.
Speaker 4 (11:33):
On these injuries, Rob, and see if they have a
similar injury problem this year and these playoffs as they
had last year.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
They gonna have to try to you know, like they
have to do something.
Speaker 4 (11:47):
And I'm not saying I have the answer, but you
cannot have your playoffs determine. Were there always We've talked
about it before, Rob, there always have been injuries sometimes, right.
It defined this season and particularly these playoffs, it really did,
(12:09):
and you cannot have that happening for you know, extended years.
So uh yeah, the Clippers, Look, they they went for it.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
It didn't work.
Speaker 4 (12:22):
And it's interesting because now to Rob, they're kind of
in that in between space.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
Right, They're not gonna be horrible, They're not gonna be great.
Speaker 4 (12:30):
They might be good enough to get in the playoffs maybe,
or they might be, you know, bad enough just to
miss the playoffs but not get a high lottery pick.
So it's gonna be interesting to see. But I just
think they made the wrong decision. I would rather have
George than Kawhi not I Like I said, I think
Kawhi is a better player, but he's just more injury
(12:52):
prone and less dependable.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
So yeah, both are and Kawhi played all year, which
was weird, and then they got hurt in the play right.
Speaker 4 (13:01):
It's just like, I mean, you thought his body just
doesn't seem to be able to with stay at eighty
plus game.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Chris Brussard and Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the
iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 7 (13:19):
Hey, it's Ben, host of the Fifth Hour with Ben
Maller along with my trustee sidekick David Gascon. Would mean
a lot to have you join us on our weekly
auditory journey. You're ask what in God's name is the
Fifth Hour? I'll tell you it's a spin off of it.
Ben Maler show, a cult hit overnights on FSR. Why
should you listen? Picture if you will, a world where
we chat with captains of industry in media, sports, and
(13:41):
more every week explore some amazing facts about human nature
and more. Listen to The Fifth Hour with Ben Maller
on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get
your podcast.
Speaker 4 (13:52):
Our next guest does a great job covering the Warriors
for the Athletic We welcome in Anthony Slater.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Anthony, Welcome to the odd Couple. What's up?
Speaker 8 (14:01):
How are y'all doing?
Speaker 5 (14:02):
Doing great?
Speaker 3 (14:02):
We are great?
Speaker 2 (14:03):
Man?
Speaker 3 (14:03):
What a day? End of an era.
Speaker 4 (14:06):
What is the feeling up there in San Francisco and
Oakland now that Clay Thompson is gone?
Speaker 6 (14:14):
Well, the feeling in my house right now is that
you guys love talking to me. Though when that drama
pops around.
Speaker 5 (14:19):
In the Warriors, you know that, yes, it ain't just you.
Speaker 6 (14:24):
Let me tell you how are they feeling? This has
been accepted for probably a week, I would say, and
you know, my sources were telling me on the on
the Clay side, that this is a decision he's made
for a while now for several reasons. He may ask
me about some of them. I'm writing a big article
for the Athletics tomorrow that'll kind of like detail it
with more layers to it about how it actually got
(14:45):
to this point.
Speaker 8 (14:46):
But they've known for a little while.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Now, Clay, I mean, Ed offered him, what was it,
two years, forty eight million. He was offended by that,
but takes fifty million to go to Dallas for three years?
Does this probably got hurt or something. I mean, he
felt like they didn't want to pay him.
Speaker 6 (15:05):
The timing of that is relevant here. That was in
the preseason. He's coming off leading the NBA and you know,
made threes the season prior, they were better, they made
the playoffs. His market that was considered, you know, relatively
team friendly at the time.
Speaker 8 (15:19):
He obviously had a worst year of his market.
Speaker 6 (15:21):
The market in general was just colder to veteran free agents.
I think this time around, and that two for forty
eight has not been on the table for a long time.
It's not like he turned that down from the Warriors
a week ago or two weeks ago.
Speaker 8 (15:32):
They didn't make him any type of offer.
Speaker 4 (15:34):
Part, so there was no offer, Like because I saw
your tweet I think it was last week at some
point where you said there's no offer on the table.
So are you saying from the end of this season
they weren't offering him a contract.
Speaker 8 (15:48):
They weren't even nias I was really even talking that much.
To be honest, you.
Speaker 6 (15:52):
Know, you all we especially as somebody who's around and
all these figures, he kind of felt some important conversations
what happened to bring a reunion together. Almost didn't fully
believe that it would go this way. But uh yeah,
I mean part of why there's no offers because the
words has been trying all these various things, you know,
trying to get Paul George. They're kind of sniffing around
Lorie Marketing right now. They're they're trying to cut salary.
(16:13):
They had to deal with the Chris Paul guarantee, your
non guarantee on the thirty million, and they basically told Clay, hey,
you know, we'll get to you when you get when
we get to you. And that's part of the you
know issue here is it's like if you went to
your boss and kept asking hey, can we talk about
that race? Hey, can we talk about that raise? They
kept going, We'll do it later, and Clay essentially recently
decided we won't get to it because I'm not gonna
be here.
Speaker 5 (16:33):
So why did he not go to the Lakers?
Speaker 3 (16:35):
Is he is?
Speaker 1 (16:36):
He got a buggabull with them? His dad works for
the Lakers, dad has a history there. Well, does he
want to play with Lebron or is it strictly sales
tax or state income state income tax?
Speaker 8 (16:48):
Yeah, no, I don't. I don't know that.
Speaker 6 (16:51):
There's like one final reason why he did or didn't
go to the Lakers. He certainly thought about it. He
was deciding at the end between the Lakers and Mavericks.
And honestly, a team like this, any Sixers or even
the Magic probably could have gone him if they just said, hey,
here's like five years or one hundred, you know whatever million.
But when he was deciding between the Mavericks and Lakers,
I think how close Dallas feels compared.
Speaker 8 (17:13):
To the Lakers.
Speaker 6 (17:14):
Right, that was just in the finals. The Lakers don't
seem as close. And then and this is just me
more psychoanalyzing. I'm not saying I've heard this, but I
do think part of where things just went sour for
him over the last couple of years around the Warriors.
It's just a fish boulder in the constant criticism, the
headlines after everything. You guys on the radio, right, if anything,
(17:35):
Clay Tom.
Speaker 8 (17:38):
Say that, Well, I just think that he's at a
point of his career.
Speaker 6 (17:41):
He was unhappy last year. You know, it was just
not that it was a grumpy season for several reasons.
But I do think part of this decision. Again, this
is me more psychoanalyzing than telling you for sure this.
I just think getting away from the spotlight has a
little bit of an appeal. You know, if he's in
LA with Lebron his dad doing radio, like y'all are
still talking about him every day, that's probably gonna be
a little less of thatttened out.
Speaker 4 (18:01):
Let me ask you, of of course, Steph and Draymond,
how do you think they're reacting to this news.
Speaker 6 (18:08):
Well, look, they've they've been in on the like you know,
the Paul George Chase they were I should say that's
obviously over at this point. They're in communication, particularly Steph
with the front office.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
So it's not true that Steph pop champagne after Clay
said he was leaving.
Speaker 5 (18:22):
That's not true.
Speaker 6 (18:23):
No, no, And again, I'll have a little bit more
detail about this in my story tomorrow. So I don't
want to, like, you know, necessarily spoil it, you know,
I did, like I think it was voiced that it's over,
you know, and like not because of Steph certainly, And
and Steph I think, you know, they have gone to
(18:43):
the bat harder if they wanted him to, but just
seemed too too far gone.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
How close were.
Speaker 4 (18:49):
The three of them, you know, they were they were
the big three of the of the dynasty.
Speaker 6 (18:55):
Uh yeah, I mean, like you know, I think there's
a deep, deep level of respect and admiration with and
the three. They wouldn't necessarily, especially in the later years
as they all, you know, Draymond has several kids and
a wife. The Steff obviously just had his fourth kid,
Like there's several Like their lives is gone in different directions.
Speaker 8 (19:11):
Clay, you know, he's a voter.
Speaker 6 (19:13):
Like they don't necessarily hang out all the time off
the court, But I mean, they know how deeply connected
they are from a historic standpoint, right, And I think
there is even if they felt the inevitability, and even
felt it during times last season when it was kind
of going haywire. I think there's probably a level of
sadness that, you know, as it sinks in.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
Well, is there any chance that if Clay understood where
he fit in the constraints with money and said, Okay,
I made a ton of money here, won a lot
with these guys, it would be great to play my
whole career and go out with those guys. Was there
any of that, like some sentimental feeling that It's not
(19:53):
like the fifty million is going to change his life financially,
but it could have been a nice way to go
in together, you know what I mean, and go out
gracefully together.
Speaker 8 (20:02):
I mean, that would have been the pull to go back.
Speaker 6 (20:04):
But you know, he opted for different reasons to kind
of uproot his life a little bit. It felt like
he needed to. And again, you can go back to
the injuries. I think this is a pivot point of
his career. He's twenty nine years old. He's really the
best player. In Game six of the Finals, he has
thirty points in the third quarter and he tears the
acl and then he tears the Achilles misses two and
a half seasons and really spent the last couple of
(20:24):
seasons trying to chase his former self, and there was
anguish within that. I think anybody even watching from the outside.
Speaker 8 (20:29):
Could see that. So I just think it's a little
bit of a search for something different.
Speaker 4 (20:33):
You mentioned Lowry Mark and then I man, I love
the fit with Golden State. If they can get him,
how realistic do you think the chances are of them
landing him?
Speaker 8 (20:45):
Yeah, they're in the chase. They're in the chase for sure.
Speaker 6 (20:49):
You know that's that's probably a better question for Danny Ainge,
but I don't go public right now and say exactly
what we'll get it done. But he seems to be
the fish where depending on who you talk to in
the league, like how we realistically is he available? It's
hard to know with Danny Ings, but that is certainly
on the Warriors radar.
Speaker 4 (21:06):
What do you think it would I mean, I know
you don't know exactly, but you know, I mean Kaminga
who I know they want to keep, but would he
have to be in some type of deal like that.
I'm sure they'll give up Wiggins if if they would
take him.
Speaker 8 (21:19):
Yeah, I mean, that's all what's kind of being sorted through.
Speaker 6 (21:22):
I think probably would appeals most to the Jazz would
be the picks package coming from the Warriors, especially because
if you get a Warriors pick later in this decade,
when Steph Curry might be gone, that could be a
very valuable pick. So that's probably more what you thought
might be looking for. If they hit the rebuild button,
if you're trading the Lorie marketing, you're hitting pretty big rebuilds.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
Me go here.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
So Jason Dumas, a buddy of mine from ninety five
to seven the Game, said on the radio today that
behind the scenes, Clay was equally as exhausting as Draymond,
and that Clay made the locker room uncomfortable. Was there
an experience as well there when you were around the team.
Speaker 5 (22:02):
Was that how you saw it?
Speaker 8 (22:04):
Uh?
Speaker 6 (22:05):
I mean, like again, Clay didn't get suspended, They didn't
do several things that I think probably have more of
a of an impact on uh, you know where the
last two seasons went, which were obviously disappointing from the
Warrior side. He you know, kind of grappled with his
career mortality the last few seasons and had grumbling moments,
and uh, certainly wasn't wasn't the easiest at times. But
(22:29):
I'm not gonna go as far as to kind of
back that statement up.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
I guess so well, he didn't make things uncomfortable, as
I was just saying he did not at times.
Speaker 6 (22:38):
I mean, certainly, look he got he got benched in
February and kind of you know, blew up a little
bit about it. You know, there were several other moments
where shot selection really the last two years has been
you know, really kind of a point of contention because
you know, his thirst to be Klay Thompson's though, right,
like twenty seven year old Klay Thompson, and they've had
to have like shot selection conversations with him a lot.
(22:58):
If you go back to his rehabs, they did not
like how the ACL rehab finished up because he.
Speaker 8 (23:04):
Was away from the facility when he tore his achilles, you.
Speaker 6 (23:07):
Know, which has been put out there and Clay's acknowledged
he screwed that up. But you know that led to
that second you know, season and a halfy also this,
so there's a lot of layers to it.
Speaker 4 (23:16):
Last thing, before you go, Anthony, there was a report
that the Warriors could have gotten Zach Levine for Chris
Paul or Andrew Wiggins.
Speaker 3 (23:27):
That to me, that would make sense that they.
Speaker 4 (23:29):
Want Levine, especially if you're just getting rid of Chris
Paul's contract. So what do your what do your what
are your uh, what's your reporting on that? Telling you
is that that doesn't seem to make sense to me?
Speaker 3 (23:41):
But what's your report?
Speaker 6 (23:43):
I mean, I don't know these like exacts like how
close that necessarily was, but from what I've been told,
it's I mean, Chris Paul is getting way regardless is
non guaranteed. So you almost in the equation, you could
take Chris Paul's contract out of it. From a Warrior's perspective,
you would really be talking about Andrew Wiggins making three
years in eighty four million or Zach Levine making three
years and one hundred and thirty eight million. And I
(24:04):
mean the Warriors calculation there is like Wiggins is still
a better deal. They're saying they're the same age, twenty
nine years old. They're obviously different players. Wiggans a better defender,
Levin a better score.
Speaker 8 (24:14):
Uh Wigans, But you know, I know he's had his he.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
Had a bad year.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
Yeah, you think he'll bounce back in because he's he
had played really well with the Warriors except for last year.
Speaker 6 (24:23):
Yeah, agreed, But you know he played seventy one games
last year and Zack Levine played twenty five because Zach
Levine comes with his own injury issues and that. So
I just think they just looked value at value at
the contract and decided Wiggins is still a better value.
Speaker 3 (24:36):
All right. That's Anthony Slater of the Athletics.
Speaker 4 (24:39):
So you got an article coming out tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
About this, so make sure you check it out.
Speaker 5 (24:44):
Make sure you ask quad that's forty dollars a month. No,
it's only a dollar. It's great.
Speaker 8 (24:49):
Yes, yeah, appreciate that, definitely, right out for it.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
Great stuff, man, keep up the great work.
Speaker 8 (24:56):
All right.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
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 iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to
listen live.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
Rob of course, was out on vacation.
Speaker 4 (25:13):
Last week when Bronnie James, the son of Lebron James,
was drafted with the fifty fifth pick of the NBA
Draft by the Lakers, and he will join his dad Robin.
I have said all along that Bronnie is going to
be a Laker, and he is.
Speaker 1 (25:33):
Rob.
Speaker 4 (25:33):
You haven't been able to share your thoughts on this show,
so go ahead.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
What are your thoughts?
Speaker 5 (25:38):
Chris? I want to make this very clear. This is
not anything to do with Bronnie. It doesn't I get it.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
It's his father trying to do rus ripe or help
his kid in any way.
Speaker 5 (25:52):
Can I don't have any kids, I never played the
professional sports.
Speaker 1 (25:56):
I get all that, but I must admit I think
this is the worst decision that's ever happened in professional sports.
And I'm dead serious when I say that, the.
Speaker 3 (26:09):
Worst by a team.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
Just you're all around everybody involved in this because it
changes what the essence of the game has always been,
which is about competition, and.
Speaker 5 (26:28):
We talk about all the.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
Time, right Mederic, Oh my god. Meritocracy right, meritocracy. Meritocracy,
I got it, Chris. This is what we've always talked
about and the reason why you have an NFL where
you have essentially ninety nine percent of the owners are
(26:52):
white and yet the league is seventy percent black. Meritocracy
is what allowed this to be the case. They didn't
go out and just fill their teams with people who
look like them, because they own the team and said
I don't care. I'm gonna do what I want to
do and no one can tell me because I own
(27:12):
the team. It was about the best people went out there,
played the game, and the people who deserve to get
jobs got jobs. I heard a lot of people throw
around nepotism, and there's plenty of nepotism, and I've been critical, yeah,
(27:33):
I plenty, and I've thrown outatist Chris it's wrong. We've
seen it, especially in the front office, but it ain't right.
But it ain't the same as what we've seen here.
As far as on the field. Someone would have to
show me on the field where some guy got his
(27:53):
son a spot on a team or some owner put
his nephew on out Just take the the last spot
on the roster. It doesn't matter. I want you to
be on the team because I own the team. And
that's the part I think when Lebron looks at his legacy,
(28:15):
that he'll be leaving this sport in a worse place
than when he got here. And what I mean is
he's opened up a Pandora's box now to where I
don't know how you tell people not to do what
he just did right his kid by all of the scouts,
not Rob Parker as a scout, all the scouts smaller guard, Chris.
(28:38):
He didn't have a great year in college. All the
things he might have made a team, might have been
able to be on a team as a non drafted
player and worked his way through and all that right
could ev But this was like, no, he's coming to
the Lakers, get out of the way, don't draft him.
This is all about Lebron making this happen. I remember
(29:01):
when Tim Tebow went down to Jacksonville. People were like,
what to play a position he had never played. He
was an older player. But Irban Meyer, oh that's my
next door neighbor. People weren't with it. People throw out
the Dallas Cowboys, Chris. It's filled with nepotism. He has
(29:23):
all of his kids in the front office. But I
could justify a family business where you're hiring people in
your family more so than I can on a team.
Speaker 5 (29:34):
Or on a become nepotism.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
No, and I'm not saying I'm against nepotism, but I'm
tar I'm against nepotism. What I'm saying is when you
play on the field, that is supposed.
Speaker 5 (29:47):
To be based on your merit, your ability and not.
Speaker 1 (29:51):
And that's where someone would have to show me where
and owners have done this in the past, because I
can't find it. I can't find where they put somebody
on a team because they owned the team, or they
wanted to help out their kid.
Speaker 4 (30:05):
If if Teebo was essentially nepotism, No, but he didn't
make the team, but he got a tryout.
Speaker 1 (30:12):
But I'm talking about Andy Weed's kids, Bill Belichick's kids.
Did he put them on a team or to goes, Hey,
you gonna work your way up. We're getting broken in half.
I mean, they're not even remotely like Ron. Here's where
I mean I disagree with you overall.
Speaker 4 (30:27):
And there are players, it's not just front office and
coaching staff where we've seen this.
Speaker 3 (30:34):
The NASAs ant de Coompo think he's much of a player.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
Wait a minute, the dis Okay, but he who's who
drafted him?
Speaker 3 (30:46):
I don't know who drafted him.
Speaker 4 (30:47):
But he got a contract now with the Bucks because
Giannis is on the Buck.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
No, but the Knicks drafted him. And let me say this, Chris,
I'm glad you brought that up. That came after Giannie's
first year when he averaged six points and four rebounds,
So it wasn't as if he was a big star
and they knew it he was. Giannas would didn't even
blossom yet when the Knicks drafted his brother, so that
that's not where Gianni's got the team.
Speaker 5 (31:12):
No, but I'm talking about he was drafting.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
He was drafted originally by the Knicks after Giannis didn't
have a big year, so Jannis had no play. He
couldn't tell the Knicks to draft his brother. He averaged
six pointer his rookie year.
Speaker 3 (31:26):
It's possible that Brownie would have got drafted. Because here's
the thing. You don't believe that. I mean, I'm told
four teams were interested.
Speaker 4 (31:35):
I heard TYLERU wanted him with the Clippers, Minnesota had interest,
Toronto had interest, Phoenix only wanted him for Lebron. But
you know Phoenix had interest. So I'm told that one
of those teams could have drafted. Why was Rich Paul
calling around if it was like, man, please, we ain't
think about no Ronnie James. Why was Rich Paul calling
(31:57):
in texting team saying don't draft if there was no
chance he was gonna get drafted.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
The difference here is when you talk about those situations.
If this was Brownie James played at USC and somebody
wants to people take flyers Chris all the.
Speaker 5 (32:14):
Time and the second round on people.
Speaker 4 (32:18):
So how is this different? I mean, I get it
it's different because his dad. But I'm just saying, Broni
was the nineteenth ranked player Chris. He didn't hit Keny finished, Okay,
he was the nineteenth ranked player in his senior class,
you know, before he had the cardiac arrest. And I
do think the cardiacer rest impacted his season with USC,
(32:38):
which we know wasn't good. But he was like he
wasn't he made Obviously McDonald's All American.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
Some say that was because of Lebron. I don't know.
He was nineteenth ranked player in his class.
Speaker 4 (32:49):
So that's close to McDonald's All American anyway, and they're
different rankings. So that's my point, Like he is not, like,
like you said, an owner putting their son on the team.
Most owner's sons probably weren't close to being Division one
basket Michael.
Speaker 5 (33:06):
The Hornets, he had two sons, could have put one
of them.
Speaker 4 (33:08):
On, Yeah, but I mean maybe they weren't close to
as good as the NBA that could be.
Speaker 3 (33:14):
He don't have to be.
Speaker 4 (33:17):
It's arguable that Briani was in NBA process.
Speaker 3 (33:21):
He went to the No it was you. You saw
the reviews of him in Chicago.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
Her Scutu said that they didn't think that he was
in but he was player right.
Speaker 4 (33:33):
But you also heard other ones saying he shot it. Well,
he's more, he's a plus athlete. And Tom Haberstrow did
a story saying legacy players whose fathers played in the
league tend to over perform with their draft status. So
like Jalen Brunson has obviously been better than his draft status,
(33:57):
and that goes for a lot of players, And so
there were some neflix that's what happened with second round picks.
Some people like them think they're NBA players, some people don't.
I'm just just saying it ain't like Bronni was. Some
and a lot of guys that put up bad numbers
got drafted, whether they put them up in Europe or
whether they put him up in the NBA or you
(34:20):
know college maskwashers say Division one.
Speaker 1 (34:23):
The whole process feels bad, doesn't feel good. I feel
bad for Bronni from the standpoint of where people will
look at him. Where if this was on his own merrit, Chris,
and I'm saying on his own merit and anybody drafted
him and he worked his way through or whatever work
through it was, I think he would have had a
(34:43):
better situation or better chance without having people wear this
on him.
Speaker 5 (34:49):
That the only reason he's there is his dad. And
people aren't gonna say it.
Speaker 1 (34:54):
A lot of people aren't gonna say it publicly because
lebron still has power and there's a big name and
a lot of guys. But I talked to a lot
of former players who just to me said that this
doesn't feel right on the way that this was handled,
all the conversation about it, everybody knew I told you
this month ago that he was going to the Lakers.
(35:15):
There was no doubt in my mind at all how
this was going to play out. And that's the part
that that I'm talking about. When I look at the
down the road and the way we look at it.
Speaker 5 (35:29):
Did Bronni get in strictly and we don't?
Speaker 1 (35:32):
And you know your guess, you're guessing, I'm guessing you
think maybe it was just all on Bronnie and it
was all merited and there's nothing known about it.
Speaker 3 (35:40):
Definitely, nepotism played a role, There's no question about it.
Speaker 5 (35:44):
Okay, I'm not okay, But.
Speaker 4 (35:46):
My thing is, I don't want to hear the nepotism
card played when people and maybe you, like you said,
you said you've been critical, that's fine, but I don't
want to hear from people that haven't said anything out
the nepotism that is rampant in professional sports.
Speaker 3 (36:03):
Front office is a performance business as well.
Speaker 4 (36:07):
Coaching staff is a performance business as well, and if
they rob you know, the league and the NFL and
Major League Baseball, nepotism is rampant, rampant, and so I
don't want to hear when it's, oh, a player flex
his muscles, what are the owners?
Speaker 3 (36:27):
And the GM has been flexing their muscles left and right.
I disagree.
Speaker 4 (36:31):
Steve Belichick qualified to be a defensive coach with the Patriots.
Speaker 3 (36:37):
He's out of the league now, now he's coaching in college.
Speaker 1 (36:40):
The difference here is when we talk about earning a
spot on the roster and players knowing whether or not
someone truly belongs on a team. And that's the difference here,
And I'm with you, I said it before, and I've
said it before. Who's the coach I always talk about
with the Chiefs? Who is the gall player? I talk
(37:01):
about it. I'm Todd Haley Todd. I've said it a
million times because you've heard me on this show.
Speaker 3 (37:07):
That's an example.
Speaker 2 (37:08):
I know.
Speaker 4 (37:09):
Look, if y'all gonna cut out nepotism, then cut it out.
Speaker 5 (37:12):
And then yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
But but here's the other part is there is some
player who might have lost out on a job because
of Bronni and because of the nepotism.
Speaker 5 (37:22):
And and and and and when.
Speaker 1 (37:23):
It comes to the best player on the field, who
deserves that opportunity.
Speaker 5 (37:29):
I think this is where you open up.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
This this slippery slope, uh, this this this back door,
if you will. And that's the part that I'm saying,
could be the next step that Lebron has opened up.
Speaker 3 (37:43):
Remember bron He's not the first though Chris Smith heard of.
Speaker 4 (37:48):
Him play lay for the Knicks because j R.
Speaker 3 (37:52):
Smith was on the Knicks.
Speaker 4 (37:54):
Chris Smith didn't have a college career to speak of.
Played in Manhattan briefly, real briefly. That's doing the deservice
to the word briefly. Louisville briefly, briefly and was with
the Knicks. I mean, this has happened, and you can't
and I think you'll agree with me on this. You
can't say it's the worst thing ever, because we know
(38:16):
there was a league. There were the league's period, all
of them, NBA, NFL, major League Baseball. It was a
time when heck, this was all the league did. They
locked out black players that were qualified to play. I
mean in mass so you had half the league say
(38:38):
roughly that was there because not because it was a meritocracy.
It's only become a Maritisa's once they tore down the
doors of segregation.
Speaker 1 (38:49):
But that's a racism that was involved. Absolutely, Ever, were
not the worst thing ever, That was far worth the
decision here and this I just think long term could
have a bad effect and that this stuff starts to
happen down the road.
Speaker 4 (39:07):
Most players are gonna be able to do this. No
owner does your son, So what will an owner do?
Put put a guy on the roster. What do you
mean guy meaning what like I don't know, I nephew
put him?
Speaker 2 (39:20):
Why not?
Speaker 5 (39:21):
I'll put him on.
Speaker 4 (39:22):
That few play? I mean like Brownie James was a
maybe he the whole conference high school player.
Speaker 1 (39:28):
I mean, yeah, but he had a bad He had
a bad year at USC, and there was more than
one scout who didn't think that he was worthy of
a more than scouts that thought he was that didn't
think he was worthy. I mean, this is the I'm
just talking about. Guys who were played in the league
well I talked to are really surprised that the way
this whole thing played out.
Speaker 5 (39:49):
And couldn't look at it.
Speaker 4 (39:50):
Never thought they had the juice to do this, had
the juice, and most players won't have to.
Speaker 3 (39:56):
But I just gave you. I mean j R. Smith,
how he got the Jews, I don't know.
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