May 13, 2025 • 36 mins
Former NFL offensive lineman and FOX Sports Radio Weekend host Ephraim Salaam is in for Rob, and he and Kelvin discuss the short and long-term ramifications of Jayson Tatum’s season-ending Achilles injury and debate whether Anthony Edwards has what it takes to be the Face of the NBA. Plus, Hidden Empire Film Group Deon Taylor swings by to discuss what he would do if he ran the Mavs, who he’s expecting to face off in the NBA Finals this season, why his film group is branching out into the world of sports in their latest venture (Hidden Empire Sports Collective) and much more! Finally, The Odd Couple Callers bring the heat in this week’s edition of Trash Talk.
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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
pm to ten pm Eastern four to seven Pacific on
Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for The Odd
Couple at Fox Sports 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.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Don Taylor, founder and CEO of Hitting the Empire Film Group,
is aphras man it gets a lot going on in
the entertainment world and also wants to chop it up
on some sports as well.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
Dion, what's up, bro?
Speaker 5 (00:40):
How you doing?
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Man?
Speaker 4 (00:41):
Hey? What's up? Gold Body? How you doing hey?
Speaker 5 (00:44):
Hamburger Body?
Speaker 4 (00:45):
How you doing?
Speaker 5 (00:46):
Im?
Speaker 4 (00:46):
Good?
Speaker 5 (00:46):
Man?
Speaker 4 (00:47):
Is this what y'all be doing around here? Well? D
I Man, it's good to have you on.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Man, Efral, I'm gonna let you kind of lead as
far as just tell us a little bit more about before.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
We get into that.
Speaker 6 (00:58):
Let me ask you this, d would you, if you're Dallas,
would you use the pick to take Cooper flag? Or
will you trade that pick and some other pieces to
get a Giannis?
Speaker 4 (01:09):
If you're a Nico, are you crazy? I'm just asking
a question.
Speaker 5 (01:16):
Cooper Flag Man. You I mean you you know, Cooper
Flag you you go, you go, fresh, young, untapped, no injuries.
You know you're you're starting to now you're looking to
reboot or restart your franchise, right, so, yeah, you gotta
go with this kid. Man. He's an anomaly. He's special,
And I mean it sounds good to get Yanni's. But
(01:38):
I mean, if you're, if you're you want that excitement, man,
I think you go with Cooper.
Speaker 6 (01:43):
Yeah, but what if you want to win now, because
you got about three years before Cooper can do anything,
and Nico may not last that long.
Speaker 4 (01:50):
Jess fy gm, I'm not sure about that, man.
Speaker 5 (01:54):
I mean, it looks like it looks like Cooper Flag
is in the position to be one of these rookies
that could actually impact the league.
Speaker 6 (02:03):
Right when he comes in, like Victor woman Yama.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
Because they haven't he hasn't been to the playoffs. Let
me do that, like like Paolo ben.
Speaker 6 (02:14):
Terhold stopped didn't stop having like Kay Cunningham, like with
the Dion Brandon Brandon Miller, Dion.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
See what he's doing is he's naming all these guys
who went to teams with nobody else on there.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
This was a different situation. He's have a if he's got.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Kyrie and ad Healthy and Gaffer and and Lively and
all these guys, well then they can compete. Man Wemby
was over there with with with who Tim walking through
that door?
Speaker 6 (02:42):
He got Chris Paul and and de Aaron Fox. Now yeah,
and he's out. Well there you go. Well, Dion, you
crell the correct answer. I was with you. I'm keeping flag.
Speaker 5 (02:52):
Yeah, I think you go with I think, I think,
I mean you. You can't go wrong with He's the one.
I think Cooper f What he is showing you is
he might be a generational talent. You cannot cannot under that.
Speaker 6 (03:05):
Okay, look let me I'm gonna ask him this. To
get into too the business part. Of course, you're the
founder and CEO of Hitting Empire Film Group.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
But this year you did something a little different. Uh.
Speaker 6 (03:19):
You tapped into your background as a former professional basketball
player and all of the professional athletes you're around, and
you created another, uh, another part of the Hidden Empire family,
which is the Hitting Empire Sports Collective. Tell us about
that and what you guys are trying to accomplish yeah.
Speaker 5 (03:41):
We Since since the beginning of me being a filmmaker,
uh director, writer, I have always focused on just being
around athletes, from originally having athletes get involved and help
me make the first movie I've ever made, to you
being the first person ever tap in and partner with
me on a film. We've always had this allegiance to athletes,
(04:06):
the Bobby Jackson's of the world and so many more
that just kind of jumped in and was like, yo,
I want to be a part of this. So when
time came for us to look at the sports side,
I was sitting there with a documentary around Floyd Mayweather.
I was working on a documentary with Peewee Kirkland, and
(04:27):
there were several interests around the NFL to do stuff
with us, and I said, man, this is like the
perfect lane for us to create a new brand that
not only focuses on sports, but also allows the athlete
to understand how to actually navigate the business of Hollywood.
So instead of you selling your rights, instead of you
(04:48):
going into Netflix and asking someone for permission to do
something around your life, we said, no, let's explain to
people how to do this independently, how an athlete could
actually grow their own independent side of you know, their life,
their market their brand that they're trying to create, and
we became the first, I believe, in the marketplace that
(05:09):
is doing that business. Now we have around fourteen documentaries,
around nine things that are in development. Three things are
actually getting ready to be released later this year. And
you know, we've wind our group, our net with the NFL.
We've been doing some amazing work with them and Tracy
Peerlman over there, who's absolutely and just amazing in every way.
(05:31):
And I think the business has the ability to grow
into the biggest sports IP brand in the country.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Well, I mean, you're doing a whole lot and you
tapped into something I think is something we've noticed maybe
the last ten fifteen years, where you have a lot
of athletes who want to be involved, they want to
have partnerships, they want equity, they want to tell their stories,
and social media has allowed this. We have the podcast
Boom where God said, I want to tell I want
to be able to talk about this is what do
(06:00):
you make of that kind of this resurgence or this
surge of athletes wanting to tell their story and own
their own things and really just kind of be a
part of the media. I mean, Draymond is pooping, doing
podcasts and doing TV while he's hooping.
Speaker 5 (06:15):
Yeah, Draymond. Draymon is is absolutely amazing in that way.
And I think Draymon is forward facing to be the
poster child to what this business is going to look like,
as well as Matt Barnes, you know, with all the
smoke and him and Jilani and and and Jack like
(06:36):
this is this is the future, and it's bigger than
just the athlete now, it's it is the future of
independent business as a whole. People are tired of asking
for permission from people that don't even understand the creative,
people that don't understand the culture. So the biggest thing
that has transpired now for sports is we're now talking
(06:57):
about global right. This is now an athlete that comes
from Chicago that plays on a certain team now in
the you know, in the NBA or the NFL, his
brand now works globally around the world. So it is
his job to take care of that brand, nurture that brand,
and make that brand and that vertical becomes something extremely special.
(07:18):
So the idea here is not very many of us
have had the information or the knowledge to explain how
to actually do the work. If you ask ninety nine
percent of people out here, filmmakers, writers, directors, athletes, Hey,
do you know how to make your own film? Make
your own documentary? Do you know what the first steps
would be for you to do that? It doesn't matter
(07:40):
that you have four hundred million dollars a one hundred
million dollars. Do you know that you could do that
for a fraction of the costs, get the wheel turning,
create your own world and then actually license these things
or get it to a position where you could sell
it for a certain amount of time and get it back.
They would all say no. So that's why I feel
like we're different. And also speaking the language, there's only
(08:00):
so far an agent can go with us. Coming from
the cultures and the places that we come from. It
takes a lot of energy to understand how to communicate
with someone that saying, man, how do I do it myself?
Agents don't know how to do that. So you got
to go find people that have actually done it, built it,
been successful at it, fell in their face, got back up,
(08:21):
so they can tell you the real information. That's what
we feel like we represent.
Speaker 6 (08:25):
Yeah, and you know, kudos to what you're doing over
there in that staff. You must have one heck of
a guy over there helping you run the sports side.
I mean, this guy must be on the forefront of
all of these things.
Speaker 5 (08:38):
Yeah you talk about Samir, No.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
That's what you want to do.
Speaker 5 (08:43):
No, no, no, Epram, The transition is real, man. What
you're talking about. What's great is you're a commodity man.
The fact that you went to the NFL, had an
amazing career, but then taught yourself how to write, and
then to become a on multiple successful TV shows. Now
look at you, writer on bel Air, on the podcast
(09:06):
our couple, working on a couple of movies. This is
what it is for us, and this is the only
way that we're gonna be able to create something that
we own. Otherwise, Man, we're doing the same thing that
every athlete then did for their whole career. Make a
bunch of money, got cool cars, got a couple of houses,
try to get into real estate. But at the same time,
(09:28):
we don't own nothing. So now it's like, how do
how do we break the curse? How do we break
the chang How do we create a world where we
get own some of those shows and own some of
these movies and sit on the front of bench with
with Jack Nicholson to watch the Lakers and never have
to work again.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Yeah, they call it mailbox money. We all trying to
get a little bit of that. You open the chain,
Oh there goes something you know that hate me. The
other day I got to be in the show loop. Yeah,
and I was playing a news anchor, which is what
I do, Diana. I'm a news anchor earlier my portion
of my day. And it's a random check just came
into man, I think because they use a snippet from
the last episode that I was on. I was like, oh, okay,
(10:06):
little mailbox money, and I'm mad at that real quick, Dion.
Before we go, we got Cleveland up eight against Indiana
in this series where Indiana is up three to one.
We got, of course the Warriors, We got the Knicks
and the Selfs going at it.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
Who do you like right now?
Speaker 3 (10:19):
Who if you if you kind of could close your
eyes and think of the NBA Finals, what are you thinking?
Speaker 5 (10:25):
Well, I mean, Cleveland shouldn't even came. They should have
just they should you know, you playing in the in
the gym and the other team don't show up. You're like, damn,
they didn't come like they should have did that the
the rest of it, man, I really feel like this
is the next year. I'm interested to watch Golden State
because I don't know what that was last night, but
(10:46):
I feel like there is a there's an energy in
that in that series where something magical could happen, where
that team could actually come back and beat them. I
just believe it because but I had the guess right
now who would be in the finals, I would have
to say it would be really dope to see uh Edwards,
(11:07):
you know, and Bruston Like that would be dope.
Speaker 4 (11:09):
That's a good finals.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
I think that the NBA would like that and they
finally say, thank god New York is back. Geez, only
the biggest market in America. All right, man, Di, I
will wish you are the best man. Follow them hoops
to film and also the real I H E F
G there on at Twitter and Instagram and all that
good stuff.
Speaker 4 (11:28):
Dan, I appreciate you, man, appreciate you man, thank.
Speaker 5 (11:30):
You and thank you, and none of those are on
my social media, but it's okay.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
It's at Dion Taylor, hold on, what am I what
am I looking at right now?
Speaker 6 (11:38):
And hitting Empire Film Group on Instagram. Hey man, Yeah,
they don't know, they don't know. I got you, I'm
looking at I got William D.
Speaker 4 (11:46):
Taylor.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
But it's just his name. You got some other ones
out there. Maybe it's you know, it's just they forgot
the close. He does have a clone. He got a
couple of clone accounts that to be popping up.
Speaker 5 (11:56):
Listen here, Burrito body.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Varro. Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd
Couple with Rob Parker and kelvin Washington weekdays at seven
pm Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and
the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
This is one of those things, Ephraim. We keep having
these conversations. It's been about a year or two now
because Lebron elder Statesman facing the league, however long you
want to say, it's been ten, fifteen, twenty, whatever year.
Steph Curry's been one of the faces of the league
as we know KD Russ, but now Russ is kind
of a role player, right. KD didn't even make the
playoffs and Lebron got exit early and Steph is injured.
(12:35):
So the conversation has been who's the next up? Is
it Wenby going to be the face of the league?
Speaker 4 (12:40):
Is it ant Man? Is it Durant?
Speaker 3 (12:43):
I mean Murra John Morant, who kind of was it
two years ago where he kind of thought, here it
is coming. He's exciting, he loves the camera. Just you
thought it might be his. I feel like Aunt kind
of said, let me let me get that abouty player.
Is it Jason Tatum?
Speaker 5 (12:57):
It's not.
Speaker 4 (12:58):
And so those are the conversations that we were having.
And I keep telling Rob.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
Rob gets offended because he'll grab his you know what
to a fan, him being ant or, and he'll say
something kind of crazy, and I keep telling him, sometimes
the person ends up being that who you didn't necessarily
see coming.
Speaker 4 (13:19):
And I use Alan Iverson.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
He wasn't as well articulated and well spoken as a
Jordan and well groomed and wore the nice suits. And
he was different. He was raw, he was authentic, He
was himself and that resonated with people. Michael Vick, you
know this. He wasn't the traditional g coll he sucks
the quarterback into the team and they're like, oh, brock
right on, he was yo.
Speaker 4 (13:38):
I got the corn Rows.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
And by the way, after party tonight we're gonna be
getting crunkd because this was the Crunk air in Atlanta,
you know, and he was different. He was the face
of the NFL for a handful of years, or at
least one of them. And I keep telling rob ant Man,
who says he doesn't want it, because I think he's
trying to run from the responsibility of trying to be
the perfect statesman. And while he's big as infects yourself,
it keeps working. And here's what Julius Randall, a veteran
(14:03):
this league, a pros pro, had to say about his
teammate who's younger than him.
Speaker 7 (14:07):
I mean this ad like, I mean, the brightest star
in the room, and not just from what he does
on the basketball court. Is his personality and how he
brings everybody together. You know, how he can communicate and
just light up a room, you know what I mean.
He has that in factor.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
And I think between his gameplay, which is fascinating. I mean,
he's fun to watch. He can shoot the three, so
I'm going crazy in the three ball. He'll dunk on
you mid range. You play defense, here's a big thing.
Once to play eighty two games Ephim. He has said
it man, I bank sitting down, No guy, I want
to play well. Also has a perfect bridge of I
(14:45):
want to annihilate my elders, but I respect my elders.
If you heard what he said last night, he said, man,
we respect this Chiefs as Steve Kirk coaching them. STEP's
over there, Jimmy Butler with their championship caliber team. He
has the perfect balance of I want to smoke you,
I also know and respect who you are. And I
just think he keeps finding himself in his position.
Speaker 4 (15:04):
Where you go. Man, he's just so likable. Beats the Lakers.
What does he do?
Speaker 3 (15:09):
Ephram walks around La You're walking around the street, dapping
people up, talking to back with people. I thought it
was Lakers in Fine they said, aunt man Batman, this
man Lakers. He's so likable, he's so authentic. He's a
great player. He wants to compete, and I just keep.
Speaker 4 (15:25):
Going it almost as his like.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
I know he don't want it, and I know this,
but dude, by being you, by being good, by being funny,
by being charming, by having great commercials, You're about to
be it, brother, where you want it or not. And
I just think he keeps trying to ignore it, and
it's sometimes in life even it's just is meant to be.
Speaker 6 (15:47):
So let me tell you this, what you gotta say,
there's a lose lose. If you walk up to a young, young,
sensational star and ask them the question, do are you
the due face of the league or do you want
to be the face of the league? You can't answer
that question in a way that it's going to resonate
(16:11):
either way. If you say yes, what comes with that?
So he thinks, thinks, but it's not even the pressure.
The pressure is going out there and playing and getting
your team to win a championship. That's the pressure. The
pressure of being that. All the other stuff comes with that.
But when you ask someone do you want to be
the face of the league or are you the new
(16:32):
face of the league, that's a crazy question to ask.
So what he was like was like, now, I'm not
worried about that. That's not me. I'm not because he
can't control that. That's not what he's doing. He knows
if he wins MVPs, if he wins championships, then it
comes with that. So any player, especially young players that
(16:56):
you ask, if you ask Lebron James, his third year
in league? Are you the face of the Are you
the new face of the league when there's a Kobe
and the Tim Duncan and a Shack and all of
that and iverson, He's how could he answer that question?
So anytime you ask these young up and coming stars
(17:16):
about that, it's not fair to them and their response
isn't going to make sense or resonate with everybody because
we feel like they should be a certain type of way.
We feel like they should be embracing that and yes
and stepping up. Look, they don't have to answer that
for them to become the face of the league. Their play,
(17:37):
they're winning, their abilities, all of those things make you
become the face of the league. The commercials help your
relatability on an international scale. All of that matters. And
for Anthony ant Man Edwards, I love him. I love
(17:57):
the way he plays because he doesn't want to be
your friend.
Speaker 4 (18:03):
He has a hit list.
Speaker 6 (18:05):
His Adidas commercial is him crossing out the old guard
and the previous the faces of the league. Now, he
didn't get a chance to play against Steph this whole series,
but he can cross him out to because he's they're
getting ready to possibly eliminate that team. He's taking on
the challenge. That's why I like him. He's not running
(18:28):
from it. He may run from that question because to me,
that question is ridiculous, but he's not running from the
responsibility of what that question is, and that's to go
out and dominate and get his team in a position
to win a championship. And that's what we're seeing him doing.
I love his athleticism. I love him walking down the
streets of la talking about live in your accomplishments.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
Yeah, oh yeah, living what you're doing, and you know
what else too? What makes him it's just so compelling.
He tells a story of during the draft he could
be the number one pick and he goes and works
out with the Warriors and Steve Kerr. After the workout, goes, man,
I'm be honest with you. They had the number two pick.
They end up picking Weisman shows how much say no,
but they go, oh, we had a number one pick.
(19:12):
He said, I'm be honest with you, I wouldn't draft you.
And Aunt was like, he was like that was that
was a terrible workout, and they like, I gave him
all what you mean? He said, dude, I said with
Kevin Durant, Draymond Steph. I played with Jordan, I played
with him. I see what a real workout is. And
I'm telling you right now, young man, you're You're not there.
Here's why I love Ann. He told the story just
(19:32):
a week ago. He said that on the drive home,
me and my trainer, I said, we both said, you know,
instead of being you not man, he don't know nothing anyway.
I'm about to be the number one pick. I don't
got to listen to him.
Speaker 5 (19:42):
Who is he?
Speaker 4 (19:43):
He's just Steve Kerr. He said, we got to turn
it up. We got to turn it up.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
And I love that he is, like I said, embraces
the old guard. He tells you all the time. And
Lebron is one of the greatest of all time. I
love my favorite player. I'm honored to play against KAD,
but I want to trash KD. I want to destroy Katie.
I love that about him, and I just I love
that he is the perfect cool hip but has that
honor and respect for the game, for the history of it.
(20:09):
It's similar to Kobe similar Lebron were those greats. They
care about the game, they care about the history. He
wants to see the game elevate and he wants to
compete at a high level, and he'll hit you with
a little spider Man ant man in your face, Luca.
Speaker 4 (20:20):
He'll talk from Smack to Lebron and and and tackle
Lebron and ask you this.
Speaker 6 (20:24):
Yeah, you know how he was playing against Lebron and
how he was talking to KD last year. You think
he would have been able to do that to Kobe?
Speaker 4 (20:34):
Yes? No, I'll give you an example. Why. I'll give
you an example. Why say that? No Kyrie? No, no, no, no,
you think Kobe. Listen to what I'm telling you.
Speaker 6 (20:49):
When Lebron James was coming down on the court and
a man was forcibly pushing him, what happened after that?
Speaker 4 (21:00):
Nothing? Okay? If I thought you were talking a little more,
listen to what I'm saying.
Speaker 6 (21:05):
If you do that to a Kobe Bryant, if you
do that to a Michael Jordan, what happens immediately after that?
Speaker 4 (21:13):
Remember the song from Crime Up Knuck. If you buck
gorged Earth, that's the difference.
Speaker 6 (21:21):
Talk to any NBA player you want who played against
Jordan or who played against Kobe, and they don't let
you know if you step to them with that level
of aggression. They will personally, and there's nothing you can
do to stop them. I don't just personally take it
(21:43):
out on you.
Speaker 4 (21:44):
Lebron.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
One of the things that this is coming from. You know,
I'm one of his biggest fans, but he almost two measured,
you know two. I know you're trying to rob me up.
I know you're trying to get me out the game.
Maybe you pushed the butt. These two individuals used to
make up stories, yep. But Mike, yeah, they used to
make up story.
Speaker 4 (22:00):
Can't believe you said that by my mom, Hey, Mike
was Wait, what do you mean I used to make
the story? Okay?
Speaker 6 (22:04):
Bet So you take us a kid who's been in
the league three four years stepp into a Kobe and
a Lebron like Kobe and a Michael like that, physically
pushing them, taunting them, telling Katie, get your old butt
off the court.
Speaker 4 (22:19):
ME ask you this, fair lord.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
If he did that to circa last stretch of the Cavaliers,
which I think was the apex of Lebron's game.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
Some people think was the heat. I think it was
that Cavalier.
Speaker 3 (22:29):
I think he had finally full on Bruce Leroy got
the glow that the Celtics did it to him, right,
that's before Heatles. That's why he went right. So I'm
saying post he is knowing how to win. I'm saying
that like seven n Yes, I think he goes crazy
on them.
Speaker 6 (22:46):
Yeah, but even right now, if you did that to
a forty year old Kobe Bryant his last season, Kobe
is different. He's his approach was mania. He'll tell you that,
I like you, y'all ain't got to worry about getting
the pass. I'm about to We're good, hey, he told too,
I said about two feet away from him. Once he
was telling the story. It was actually pretty dope little thing.
(23:08):
Shot at Jamail Hill. She interviewed him.
Speaker 3 (23:11):
BT would have their you know how they have their
weekend here in LA and it was a thing called
Genius Speaks or something like that.
Speaker 4 (23:17):
And there was two.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
It was like it was amazing to sit there. The
first one was Kobe, the second one was Floyd Maywell.
The first one was Kobe, and it was first time
I've ever heard him tell the story. It was like
he was keeping it all the way real. This is
about twenty thirteen, it's fourteen or something like that.
Speaker 4 (23:32):
And he said the.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
Reason why I ain't gonna lie, I take bad shots
or some shots that were questionable or sajimabayak Coke.
Speaker 4 (23:39):
Derek Fisher was like literally white open. He was like
licking his fingers, swinging his hands. He said, because I'm
not gonna lie, I black out and you and I
were talking about this. Believe off the year he goes
back to eight nine, ten eleven year old Kobe in
Italy where he was the only black kid on the
court and they would make fun of him. Who are you?
He didn't know the language, and he said.
Speaker 3 (23:59):
Once I got the ball, this was my one time
because they weren't passing me, they ignore me or make
fun of me.
Speaker 4 (24:05):
So he said, I want to prove you. I'm gonna
show you.
Speaker 3 (24:08):
And he said so to this day, obviously then he
would say I have those moments where I have to
get it done.
Speaker 4 (24:14):
I have to prove it to you.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
I have to show said sometimes I just black out
and I go back to that met that I have
to get this done. I was like, there was I
thought that was. I never really heard him express that.
You know, it's because you think I can get I'm
the one that needs to do it. But not the
reasoning why. And so he has that maniacal approach where
he sees black and so I believe you that I agree.
Kobe would have been like, now is that I don't
(24:36):
see anything else tunnel vision and opened up something you can't.
I have to take your heart. Lebron is measured is well,
what's best for the team. I'm not gonna let this
person fluster me. I'm not gonna get a technical foul.
Let me just And it worked for him. You know,
I didn't get kicked out of games. My teamates still
believe in me. But I'm saying two different approaches. Kobe
(24:56):
was I have to get this done. Lebron was like,
I see what you're trying to do. Smarter than that.
I'm gonna stay in this game, get my team in it,
and I'm not gonna let you rob me up. And
I think those are two different approaches to how they operate.
But with that being said, man and man, another great game,
thirty points sixty one from him and Randall. And again
I've always said, I think he's as much as he's
(25:16):
trying to avoid it or just just be himself. He's
so likable, he's so talented, he keeps getting better. He
plays both ends of the court, and I just think
he and his commercials are hilarious, dynamic.
Speaker 4 (25:29):
Man, he's the next one you gotta finish.
Speaker 6 (25:31):
If he finishes the job right now, he will be
the next one, and you gotta finish it.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
Whether he likes it or not, is how I feel.
I know it's supposed to be win bey because he's
a unicorn. Yeah, when we gotta win, Man, you can't
be the face of the league. You're not winning anybody
trying to do that.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
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listen live.
Speaker 4 (25:55):
All right, man, ah Man.
Speaker 3 (25:57):
Obviously the biggest news coming out of last night's game,
and it is now confirmed as of today, Jason Tatum
is torn his achilles. Anybody, unfortunately who's seeing basketball, you know,
whether you played it on the streets or you see
it on we see it immediately. It's one of the
rare injuries where you see it and you know exactly
what happened, knew it right away.
Speaker 4 (26:16):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
When somebody doesn't look back like what just happened to
somebody kick me non contact and they fall on the
ground and can't you know exactly.
Speaker 5 (26:23):
What it was?
Speaker 6 (26:24):
You know what it is when you can see the
player know what it is. Yeah, And that's the biggest thing.
Like watching Jason Tatum's reaction, I was like, Oh, it's
you know, yeah, it's that. It's that once you can't
any other thing, not a calf strain, not an ankle,
(26:46):
not rolling your ankle, not.
Speaker 4 (26:47):
Any of that.
Speaker 6 (26:48):
You can still move your foot yep, when you're holding
it and you there's no flexion in it and you're
covering your face because you're not.
Speaker 4 (27:00):
It's not the pain.
Speaker 6 (27:02):
My son was watching it with me, was oh my god,
he's in so much pain. I said, no, no, baby,
it's not the pain. It's the actual knowledge he knows.
It's a rap of what's what he's about to sacrifice,
what he's going to miss out on. That's where the
emotion comes from, not just for this series, but for
(27:25):
his career now. And I'm not saying he's not going
to make a recovery, but the chance of winning a
back to back championship is gone, a chance for him
being ready for next season.
Speaker 4 (27:39):
The team.
Speaker 6 (27:40):
We all know the team will look different next year
because they can't. They don't have they can't, they don't
have the money. Al Horford's gonna be gone. It's it's
a bunch of things that are gonna happen now, and
this is a catalyst to now different things are gonna
happen because now you're not gonna have them, at least
at least, and this is an early guestimation the All
(28:03):
Star Game at least. And so the tears in the
agony is there from him realizing, oh god, this is
now a journey and it has nothing to do with basketball.
Speaker 3 (28:18):
And you can always see specifically with this injury, there's
a look of disdain and a look of lost like
other ones. You mentioned ankle, and you know, anybody, if
you've ever rolled your ankle, that might be the worst pain. Yes,
a knee is more in the middle between the ankle
and the akises of pain. But you're like, it hurts,
but that achilles the initial pain. But then it's the man.
(28:41):
But you know what, it's not even pain with the achilles.
You feel something something pop audibly, people hear it. It's
not a pain thing.
Speaker 6 (28:50):
It's like you'll look back and like hey kids, having somebody,
the realization after you realize you're by yourself, there is
no content. After all of that, then you realize, oh no,
it's it's over. Yeah, not forever, but for now.
Speaker 3 (29:09):
And you mentioned something that I want to touch on
right now is the looking at Jason Tatum's injury and
just looking at how these things go.
Speaker 4 (29:17):
We all love hoops.
Speaker 3 (29:18):
If you're followed, if you're specifically NBA, you get these
magical windows. It ain't all sports in the NFL as well,
you get these magical windows where things can happen. You
have the you can change the directory of being a
All Star, penny All Star to a champion, from being
a champion to a two time, two a three time.
There's these little windows. I'll give you an example. If
(29:40):
Kevin Durant doesn't come to the Wars, maybe Steph at
the time is just a one time and now you
can say he went after But that's because of all
the winning and you grew with you. They might have
blew the thing up earlier if they don't win again.
So there are so many moments and I'm looking at
this now as this is why you don't play with
your food e from If you're the Celtics, the projected
(30:01):
everybody had you winning this series fairly easy. The Knicks
really struggled against the Pissons. You could argue the Pistons
outplay them, they just didn't out finish them. They didn't
know how to. They had to get the experience. This
is why you don't play with your food in any capacity.
When you have a chance to beat somebody, put your
foot on the throat and move on to the next round.
Because to me, you can't be up twenty points one time.
Speaker 4 (30:24):
I'll give you. It happens better multiple times at home.
And you lose these.
Speaker 3 (30:30):
Games because you lose the opportunity for guys to rest,
for guys to sit out fourth quarters, for guys to
prevent jury injuries.
Speaker 4 (30:37):
Because you maybe you sweep them, Boom, we're out. We're
onto the next round.
Speaker 3 (30:40):
And this is why when you get a chance and
you're supposed to be the better team, you're supposed to
be the rainning champs, you don't play around because now
you're in a situation where you have to win it all.
Speaker 4 (30:49):
Now they still have the talent. Just as far as
if I listed the roster, they.
Speaker 6 (30:53):
Were eight and two this year without right including a
playoff win, without Tatum getting the.
Speaker 4 (31:00):
Magic he was out. Yeah, they absolutely.
Speaker 3 (31:03):
Jalen Brown is currently the Finals, raigning Finals MVP and
a guy didn't get you twenty five thirty eighty night,
and you can argue is underperforming right now. And then
you got Porzingis, you got Drew Holliday, who he maybe
steps up more. Now we'd be forgetting they're so deep,
you forget how good Drew Holliday really is.
Speaker 4 (31:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (31:20):
The thing with Drew and watching this series, it was
like he got old in front of our faces. Like
watching him add to why, I think, well, of course,
and I know exactly what you're gonna say, but go ahead.
I think when you've been relegated to just being hey,
just be around the corner of the perimeter, just shoot
three like him with the bucks.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
And I know it's a couple few years back. He
can post up any smaller guard, your left.
Speaker 4 (31:44):
Hand, right hand.
Speaker 3 (31:45):
But when you've been and I think this is they
do a disadvantage to even Jason Tatum when you just
relegate him to shooting threes.
Speaker 4 (31:51):
He's so much better than that. He's way stronger than
he looks. He can post up.
Speaker 3 (31:55):
Great, but when you're just like, this is our offense
the way it's ran to me, it makes it easier
to defend shots by fall tonight you hit thirty five threes.
Speaker 4 (32:02):
What am I gonna do? But it makes it easier
to defend me A good point.
Speaker 6 (32:06):
And I also believe that the fact that he has
to chase Bronson, that's a whole game. You can see
it wearing on him in the second half. You can
see that because he's the primary and he's a tremendous
wing on ball defender, one of the best in the league.
But Jalen Bronson is so ball dominant in that Knicks offense.
(32:32):
You're going to have the ball eighty percent of the
time when he's on the court, and you defending that
someone who who can get any shot anywhere, is constantly
on the move. It just wears on your legs. That
just wears your point. That's a great and he so
I think it's everything we just mentioned. He is older, Yes,
(32:54):
they're not using him at his best compact. One of
the best things he did was he was just always
stronger than most guard cond of Sam Cassell, I put
you on my back, Yes, Chauncey Houston Billups do it
a lot.
Speaker 4 (33:02):
Just man.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
You know, hey, I'm Gary Payton. These are guys who
knew how to take advantage of the side and last point.
Speaking of Chauncey Billups, I think this is now where
they might be. The O four Detroit basketball Pistons a
bunch of Eastern Conference final appearances, one one ring. They
did get back to the finals, go to Game seven
(33:23):
versus Spurs and five that Piston team, but and that
was it, And it was like you'd wanted one more.
Speaker 6 (33:29):
Yeah, But I tell you the difference there is they
weren't looking to score any points on that Detroit team.
Speaker 4 (33:36):
It weren't either.
Speaker 6 (33:37):
They were like, the final score is gonna be seventy
to sixty three, right, That's where that's where we're living. Yeah,
what they did to the Lakers in that finals, I
still couldn't believe it. I'm like, nobody can score nobody,
But that was there. That's what they hung their head on.
Then they knew that they were gonna muck it up.
(33:57):
They were And I will say this, shout out to
the NBA, shout out to Adam Silver, shout out to
the referees for issuing in in these playoffs, a more
physical style of play man. It was so welcomed. My gosh,
it to me and to get back on the Celtics
and the Jason Tatum of it all their formula for winning.
(34:24):
It's not conducive when you're missing shots. If you can't
in the middle of missing forty four threes, say hey,
let's attack the high post, high to mid post.
Speaker 4 (34:41):
Let's get.
Speaker 6 (34:44):
Tatum drew Holiday in the post against Brunson. Let's do
let's run our action through the post opposed to from
the three point line. Let's not just rely on the
shot if it's not falling. The thing with shooters, and
they're all shooters, all five of them, they're all shooting everybody.
(35:06):
The thing with shooters is they always think their next
one is going in. But when you string that together
and step outside, and now we look at those first
two games, it's like.
Speaker 4 (35:15):
Well, dang, couldn't.
Speaker 6 (35:16):
Why wouldn't they just be like, hey, let's draw up
some things to get us closer to the basket.
Speaker 4 (35:21):
And I think that's the problem.
Speaker 6 (35:23):
If they're going to live and die by the three,
then in this series they're going to die by it
because the Knicks are not allowing them to get the
open looks. And in this past game, early on Derek
White in his first four three yep, right, because number
one on the first possession, their defense, their transition defense,
(35:44):
he was wide open.
Speaker 4 (35:45):
He hit that.
Speaker 6 (35:45):
When they came back, they swung the ball, swung the ball,
got it back to him, wide open. They got that one,
came back down again, he came back, step back, got
off the ball, got it back, hit that.
Speaker 4 (35:54):
He was open. Time out.
Speaker 6 (35:56):
Yep, Tims call the time out, and so what happens
is now it's like, we gotta make him earn this.
And they shot fairly well from the three point line
this past game. But not having Jason Tatum was carrying
the team. Oh my god, ye what forty two before
he went obviously, And so you're in a situation and
you still were down in that game.
Speaker 3 (36:16):
That's that's the part I want people to not man
if he didn't go down with no, no, no, y'all
were down nine minutes left for the game.
Speaker 4 (36:23):
So don't don't. Let's not act like that.
Speaker 3 (36:24):
You know, you're still down, and then you had the
best closer in the game is on the knick side
of the ball with Jalen Brunson
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 Fox Sports 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.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Don Taylor, founder and CEO of Hitting the Empire Film Group,
is aphras man it gets a lot going on in
the entertainment world and also wants to chop it up
on some sports as well.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
Dion, what's up, bro?
Speaker 5 (00:40):
How you doing?
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Man?
Speaker 4 (00:41):
Hey? What's up? Gold Body? How you doing hey?
Speaker 5 (00:44):
Hamburger Body?
Speaker 4 (00:45):
How you doing?
Speaker 5 (00:46):
Im?
Speaker 4 (00:46):
Good?
Speaker 5 (00:46):
Man?
Speaker 4 (00:47):
Is this what y'all be doing around here? Well? D
I Man, it's good to have you on.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Man, Efral, I'm gonna let you kind of lead as
far as just tell us a little bit more about before.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
We get into that.
Speaker 6 (00:58):
Let me ask you this, d would you, if you're Dallas,
would you use the pick to take Cooper flag? Or
will you trade that pick and some other pieces to
get a Giannis?
Speaker 4 (01:09):
If you're a Nico, are you crazy? I'm just asking
a question.
Speaker 5 (01:16):
Cooper Flag Man. You I mean you you know, Cooper
Flag you you go, you go, fresh, young, untapped, no injuries.
You know you're you're starting to now you're looking to
reboot or restart your franchise, right, so, yeah, you gotta
go with this kid. Man. He's an anomaly. He's special,
And I mean it sounds good to get Yanni's. But
(01:38):
I mean, if you're, if you're you want that excitement, man,
I think you go with Cooper.
Speaker 6 (01:43):
Yeah, but what if you want to win now, because
you got about three years before Cooper can do anything,
and Nico may not last that long.
Speaker 4 (01:50):
Jess fy gm, I'm not sure about that, man.
Speaker 5 (01:54):
I mean, it looks like it looks like Cooper Flag
is in the position to be one of these rookies
that could actually impact the league.
Speaker 6 (02:03):
Right when he comes in, like Victor woman Yama.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
Because they haven't he hasn't been to the playoffs. Let
me do that, like like Paolo ben.
Speaker 6 (02:14):
Terhold stopped didn't stop having like Kay Cunningham, like with
the Dion Brandon Brandon Miller, Dion.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
See what he's doing is he's naming all these guys
who went to teams with nobody else on there.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
This was a different situation. He's have a if he's got.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Kyrie and ad Healthy and Gaffer and and Lively and
all these guys, well then they can compete. Man Wemby
was over there with with with who Tim walking through
that door?
Speaker 6 (02:42):
He got Chris Paul and and de Aaron Fox. Now yeah,
and he's out. Well there you go. Well, Dion, you
crell the correct answer. I was with you. I'm keeping flag.
Speaker 5 (02:52):
Yeah, I think you go with I think, I think,
I mean you. You can't go wrong with He's the one.
I think Cooper f What he is showing you is
he might be a generational talent. You cannot cannot under that.
Speaker 6 (03:05):
Okay, look let me I'm gonna ask him this. To
get into too the business part. Of course, you're the
founder and CEO of Hitting Empire Film Group.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
But this year you did something a little different. Uh.
Speaker 6 (03:19):
You tapped into your background as a former professional basketball
player and all of the professional athletes you're around, and
you created another, uh, another part of the Hidden Empire family,
which is the Hitting Empire Sports Collective. Tell us about
that and what you guys are trying to accomplish yeah.
Speaker 5 (03:41):
We Since since the beginning of me being a filmmaker,
uh director, writer, I have always focused on just being
around athletes, from originally having athletes get involved and help
me make the first movie I've ever made, to you
being the first person ever tap in and partner with
me on a film. We've always had this allegiance to athletes,
(04:06):
the Bobby Jackson's of the world and so many more
that just kind of jumped in and was like, yo,
I want to be a part of this. So when
time came for us to look at the sports side,
I was sitting there with a documentary around Floyd Mayweather.
I was working on a documentary with Peewee Kirkland, and
(04:27):
there were several interests around the NFL to do stuff
with us, and I said, man, this is like the
perfect lane for us to create a new brand that
not only focuses on sports, but also allows the athlete
to understand how to actually navigate the business of Hollywood.
So instead of you selling your rights, instead of you
(04:48):
going into Netflix and asking someone for permission to do
something around your life, we said, no, let's explain to
people how to do this independently, how an athlete could
actually grow their own independent side of you know, their life,
their market their brand that they're trying to create, and
we became the first, I believe, in the marketplace that
(05:09):
is doing that business. Now we have around fourteen documentaries,
around nine things that are in development. Three things are
actually getting ready to be released later this year. And
you know, we've wind our group, our net with the NFL.
We've been doing some amazing work with them and Tracy
Peerlman over there, who's absolutely and just amazing in every way.
(05:31):
And I think the business has the ability to grow
into the biggest sports IP brand in the country.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Well, I mean, you're doing a whole lot and you
tapped into something I think is something we've noticed maybe
the last ten fifteen years, where you have a lot
of athletes who want to be involved, they want to
have partnerships, they want equity, they want to tell their stories,
and social media has allowed this. We have the podcast
Boom where God said, I want to tell I want
to be able to talk about this is what do
(06:00):
you make of that kind of this resurgence or this
surge of athletes wanting to tell their story and own
their own things and really just kind of be a
part of the media. I mean, Draymond is pooping, doing
podcasts and doing TV while he's hooping.
Speaker 5 (06:15):
Yeah, Draymond. Draymon is is absolutely amazing in that way.
And I think Draymon is forward facing to be the
poster child to what this business is going to look like,
as well as Matt Barnes, you know, with all the
smoke and him and Jilani and and and Jack like
(06:36):
this is this is the future, and it's bigger than
just the athlete now, it's it is the future of
independent business as a whole. People are tired of asking
for permission from people that don't even understand the creative,
people that don't understand the culture. So the biggest thing
that has transpired now for sports is we're now talking
(06:57):
about global right. This is now an athlete that comes
from Chicago that plays on a certain team now in
the you know, in the NBA or the NFL, his
brand now works globally around the world. So it is
his job to take care of that brand, nurture that brand,
and make that brand and that vertical becomes something extremely special.
(07:18):
So the idea here is not very many of us
have had the information or the knowledge to explain how
to actually do the work. If you ask ninety nine
percent of people out here, filmmakers, writers, directors, athletes, Hey,
do you know how to make your own film? Make
your own documentary? Do you know what the first steps
would be for you to do that? It doesn't matter
(07:40):
that you have four hundred million dollars a one hundred
million dollars. Do you know that you could do that
for a fraction of the costs, get the wheel turning,
create your own world and then actually license these things
or get it to a position where you could sell
it for a certain amount of time and get it back.
They would all say no. So that's why I feel
like we're different. And also speaking the language, there's only
(08:00):
so far an agent can go with us. Coming from
the cultures and the places that we come from. It
takes a lot of energy to understand how to communicate
with someone that saying, man, how do I do it myself?
Agents don't know how to do that. So you got
to go find people that have actually done it, built it,
been successful at it, fell in their face, got back up,
(08:21):
so they can tell you the real information. That's what
we feel like we represent.
Speaker 6 (08:25):
Yeah, and you know, kudos to what you're doing over
there in that staff. You must have one heck of
a guy over there helping you run the sports side.
I mean, this guy must be on the forefront of
all of these things.
Speaker 5 (08:38):
Yeah you talk about Samir, No.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
That's what you want to do.
Speaker 5 (08:43):
No, no, no, Epram, The transition is real, man. What
you're talking about. What's great is you're a commodity man.
The fact that you went to the NFL, had an
amazing career, but then taught yourself how to write, and
then to become a on multiple successful TV shows. Now
look at you, writer on bel Air, on the podcast
(09:06):
our couple, working on a couple of movies. This is
what it is for us, and this is the only
way that we're gonna be able to create something that
we own. Otherwise, Man, we're doing the same thing that
every athlete then did for their whole career. Make a
bunch of money, got cool cars, got a couple of houses,
try to get into real estate. But at the same time,
(09:28):
we don't own nothing. So now it's like, how do
how do we break the curse? How do we break
the chang How do we create a world where we
get own some of those shows and own some of
these movies and sit on the front of bench with
with Jack Nicholson to watch the Lakers and never have
to work again.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Yeah, they call it mailbox money. We all trying to
get a little bit of that. You open the chain,
Oh there goes something you know that hate me. The
other day I got to be in the show loop. Yeah,
and I was playing a news anchor, which is what
I do, Diana. I'm a news anchor earlier my portion
of my day. And it's a random check just came
into man, I think because they use a snippet from
the last episode that I was on. I was like, oh, okay,
(10:06):
little mailbox money, and I'm mad at that real quick, Dion.
Before we go, we got Cleveland up eight against Indiana
in this series where Indiana is up three to one.
We got, of course the Warriors, We got the Knicks
and the Selfs going at it.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
Who do you like right now?
Speaker 3 (10:19):
Who if you if you kind of could close your
eyes and think of the NBA Finals, what are you thinking?
Speaker 5 (10:25):
Well, I mean, Cleveland shouldn't even came. They should have
just they should you know, you playing in the in
the gym and the other team don't show up. You're like, damn,
they didn't come like they should have did that the
the rest of it, man, I really feel like this
is the next year. I'm interested to watch Golden State
because I don't know what that was last night, but
(10:46):
I feel like there is a there's an energy in
that in that series where something magical could happen, where
that team could actually come back and beat them. I
just believe it because but I had the guess right
now who would be in the finals, I would have
to say it would be really dope to see uh Edwards,
(11:07):
you know, and Bruston Like that would be dope.
Speaker 4 (11:09):
That's a good finals.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
I think that the NBA would like that and they
finally say, thank god New York is back. Geez, only
the biggest market in America. All right, man, Di, I
will wish you are the best man. Follow them hoops
to film and also the real I H E F
G there on at Twitter and Instagram and all that
good stuff.
Speaker 4 (11:28):
Dan, I appreciate you, man, appreciate you man, thank.
Speaker 5 (11:30):
You and thank you, and none of those are on
my social media, but it's okay.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
It's at Dion Taylor, hold on, what am I what
am I looking at right now?
Speaker 6 (11:38):
And hitting Empire Film Group on Instagram. Hey man, Yeah,
they don't know, they don't know. I got you, I'm
looking at I got William D.
Speaker 4 (11:46):
Taylor.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
But it's just his name. You got some other ones
out there. Maybe it's you know, it's just they forgot
the close. He does have a clone. He got a
couple of clone accounts that to be popping up.
Speaker 5 (11:56):
Listen here, Burrito body.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Varro. Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd
Couple with Rob Parker and kelvin Washington weekdays at seven
pm Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and
the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
This is one of those things, Ephraim. We keep having
these conversations. It's been about a year or two now
because Lebron elder Statesman facing the league, however long you
want to say, it's been ten, fifteen, twenty, whatever year.
Steph Curry's been one of the faces of the league
as we know KD Russ, but now Russ is kind
of a role player, right. KD didn't even make the
playoffs and Lebron got exit early and Steph is injured.
(12:35):
So the conversation has been who's the next up? Is
it Wenby going to be the face of the league?
Speaker 4 (12:40):
Is it ant Man? Is it Durant?
Speaker 3 (12:43):
I mean Murra John Morant, who kind of was it
two years ago where he kind of thought, here it
is coming. He's exciting, he loves the camera. Just you
thought it might be his. I feel like Aunt kind
of said, let me let me get that abouty player.
Is it Jason Tatum?
Speaker 5 (12:57):
It's not.
Speaker 4 (12:58):
And so those are the conversations that we were having.
And I keep telling Rob.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
Rob gets offended because he'll grab his you know what
to a fan, him being ant or, and he'll say
something kind of crazy, and I keep telling him, sometimes
the person ends up being that who you didn't necessarily
see coming.
Speaker 4 (13:19):
And I use Alan Iverson.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
He wasn't as well articulated and well spoken as a
Jordan and well groomed and wore the nice suits. And
he was different. He was raw, he was authentic, He
was himself and that resonated with people. Michael Vick, you
know this. He wasn't the traditional g coll he sucks
the quarterback into the team and they're like, oh, brock
right on, he was yo.
Speaker 4 (13:38):
I got the corn Rows.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
And by the way, after party tonight we're gonna be
getting crunkd because this was the Crunk air in Atlanta,
you know, and he was different. He was the face
of the NFL for a handful of years, or at
least one of them. And I keep telling rob ant Man,
who says he doesn't want it, because I think he's
trying to run from the responsibility of trying to be
the perfect statesman. And while he's big as infects yourself,
it keeps working. And here's what Julius Randall, a veteran
(14:03):
this league, a pros pro, had to say about his
teammate who's younger than him.
Speaker 7 (14:07):
I mean this ad like, I mean, the brightest star
in the room, and not just from what he does
on the basketball court. Is his personality and how he
brings everybody together. You know, how he can communicate and
just light up a room, you know what I mean.
He has that in factor.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
And I think between his gameplay, which is fascinating. I mean,
he's fun to watch. He can shoot the three, so
I'm going crazy in the three ball. He'll dunk on
you mid range. You play defense, here's a big thing.
Once to play eighty two games Ephim. He has said
it man, I bank sitting down, No guy, I want
to play well. Also has a perfect bridge of I
(14:45):
want to annihilate my elders, but I respect my elders.
If you heard what he said last night, he said, man,
we respect this Chiefs as Steve Kirk coaching them. STEP's
over there, Jimmy Butler with their championship caliber team. He
has the perfect balance of I want to smoke you,
I also know and respect who you are. And I
just think he keeps finding himself in his position.
Speaker 4 (15:04):
Where you go. Man, he's just so likable. Beats the Lakers.
What does he do?
Speaker 3 (15:09):
Ephram walks around La You're walking around the street, dapping
people up, talking to back with people. I thought it
was Lakers in Fine they said, aunt man Batman, this
man Lakers. He's so likable, he's so authentic. He's a
great player. He wants to compete, and I just keep.
Speaker 4 (15:25):
Going it almost as his like.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
I know he don't want it, and I know this,
but dude, by being you, by being good, by being funny,
by being charming, by having great commercials, You're about to
be it, brother, where you want it or not. And
I just think he keeps trying to ignore it, and
it's sometimes in life even it's just is meant to be.
Speaker 6 (15:47):
So let me tell you this, what you gotta say,
there's a lose lose. If you walk up to a young, young,
sensational star and ask them the question, do are you
the due face of the league or do you want
to be the face of the league? You can't answer
that question in a way that it's going to resonate
(16:11):
either way. If you say yes, what comes with that?
So he thinks, thinks, but it's not even the pressure.
The pressure is going out there and playing and getting
your team to win a championship. That's the pressure. The
pressure of being that. All the other stuff comes with that.
But when you ask someone do you want to be
the face of the league or are you the new
(16:32):
face of the league, that's a crazy question to ask.
So what he was like was like, now, I'm not
worried about that. That's not me. I'm not because he
can't control that. That's not what he's doing. He knows
if he wins MVPs, if he wins championships, then it
comes with that. So any player, especially young players that
(16:56):
you ask, if you ask Lebron James, his third year
in league? Are you the face of the Are you
the new face of the league when there's a Kobe
and the Tim Duncan and a Shack and all of
that and iverson, He's how could he answer that question?
So anytime you ask these young up and coming stars
(17:16):
about that, it's not fair to them and their response
isn't going to make sense or resonate with everybody because
we feel like they should be a certain type of way.
We feel like they should be embracing that and yes
and stepping up. Look, they don't have to answer that
for them to become the face of the league. Their play,
(17:37):
they're winning, their abilities, all of those things make you
become the face of the league. The commercials help your
relatability on an international scale. All of that matters. And
for Anthony ant Man Edwards, I love him. I love
(17:57):
the way he plays because he doesn't want to be
your friend.
Speaker 4 (18:03):
He has a hit list.
Speaker 6 (18:05):
His Adidas commercial is him crossing out the old guard
and the previous the faces of the league. Now, he
didn't get a chance to play against Steph this whole series,
but he can cross him out to because he's they're
getting ready to possibly eliminate that team. He's taking on
the challenge. That's why I like him. He's not running
(18:28):
from it. He may run from that question because to me,
that question is ridiculous, but he's not running from the
responsibility of what that question is, and that's to go
out and dominate and get his team in a position
to win a championship. And that's what we're seeing him doing.
I love his athleticism. I love him walking down the
streets of la talking about live in your accomplishments.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
Yeah, oh yeah, living what you're doing, and you know
what else too? What makes him it's just so compelling.
He tells a story of during the draft he could
be the number one pick and he goes and works
out with the Warriors and Steve Kerr. After the workout, goes, man,
I'm be honest with you. They had the number two pick.
They end up picking Weisman shows how much say no,
but they go, oh, we had a number one pick.
(19:12):
He said, I'm be honest with you, I wouldn't draft you.
And Aunt was like, he was like that was that
was a terrible workout, and they like, I gave him
all what you mean? He said, dude, I said with
Kevin Durant, Draymond Steph. I played with Jordan, I played
with him. I see what a real workout is. And
I'm telling you right now, young man, you're You're not there.
Here's why I love Ann. He told the story just
(19:32):
a week ago. He said that on the drive home,
me and my trainer, I said, we both said, you know,
instead of being you not man, he don't know nothing anyway.
I'm about to be the number one pick. I don't
got to listen to him.
Speaker 5 (19:42):
Who is he?
Speaker 4 (19:43):
He's just Steve Kerr. He said, we got to turn
it up. We got to turn it up.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
And I love that he is, like I said, embraces
the old guard. He tells you all the time. And
Lebron is one of the greatest of all time. I
love my favorite player. I'm honored to play against KAD,
but I want to trash KD. I want to destroy Katie.
I love that about him, and I just I love
that he is the perfect cool hip but has that
honor and respect for the game, for the history of it.
(20:09):
It's similar to Kobe similar Lebron were those greats. They
care about the game, they care about the history. He
wants to see the game elevate and he wants to
compete at a high level, and he'll hit you with
a little spider Man ant man in your face, Luca.
Speaker 4 (20:20):
He'll talk from Smack to Lebron and and and tackle
Lebron and ask you this.
Speaker 6 (20:24):
Yeah, you know how he was playing against Lebron and
how he was talking to KD last year. You think
he would have been able to do that to Kobe?
Speaker 4 (20:34):
Yes? No, I'll give you an example. Why. I'll give
you an example. Why say that? No Kyrie? No, no, no, no,
you think Kobe. Listen to what I'm telling you.
Speaker 6 (20:49):
When Lebron James was coming down on the court and
a man was forcibly pushing him, what happened after that?
Speaker 4 (21:00):
Nothing? Okay? If I thought you were talking a little more,
listen to what I'm saying.
Speaker 6 (21:05):
If you do that to a Kobe Bryant, if you
do that to a Michael Jordan, what happens immediately after that?
Speaker 4 (21:13):
Remember the song from Crime Up Knuck. If you buck
gorged Earth, that's the difference.
Speaker 6 (21:21):
Talk to any NBA player you want who played against
Jordan or who played against Kobe, and they don't let
you know if you step to them with that level
of aggression. They will personally, and there's nothing you can
do to stop them. I don't just personally take it
(21:43):
out on you.
Speaker 4 (21:44):
Lebron.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
One of the things that this is coming from. You know,
I'm one of his biggest fans, but he almost two measured,
you know two. I know you're trying to rob me up.
I know you're trying to get me out the game.
Maybe you pushed the butt. These two individuals used to
make up stories, yep. But Mike, yeah, they used to
make up story.
Speaker 4 (22:00):
Can't believe you said that by my mom, Hey, Mike
was Wait, what do you mean I used to make
the story? Okay?
Speaker 6 (22:04):
Bet So you take us a kid who's been in
the league three four years stepp into a Kobe and
a Lebron like Kobe and a Michael like that, physically
pushing them, taunting them, telling Katie, get your old butt
off the court.
Speaker 4 (22:19):
ME ask you this, fair lord.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
If he did that to circa last stretch of the Cavaliers,
which I think was the apex of Lebron's game.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
Some people think was the heat. I think it was
that Cavalier.
Speaker 3 (22:29):
I think he had finally full on Bruce Leroy got
the glow that the Celtics did it to him, right,
that's before Heatles. That's why he went right. So I'm
saying post he is knowing how to win. I'm saying
that like seven n Yes, I think he goes crazy
on them.
Speaker 6 (22:46):
Yeah, but even right now, if you did that to
a forty year old Kobe Bryant his last season, Kobe
is different. He's his approach was mania. He'll tell you that,
I like you, y'all ain't got to worry about getting
the pass. I'm about to We're good, hey, he told too,
I said about two feet away from him. Once he
was telling the story. It was actually pretty dope little thing.
(23:08):
Shot at Jamail Hill. She interviewed him.
Speaker 3 (23:11):
BT would have their you know how they have their
weekend here in LA and it was a thing called
Genius Speaks or something like that.
Speaker 4 (23:17):
And there was two.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
It was like it was amazing to sit there. The
first one was Kobe, the second one was Floyd Maywell.
The first one was Kobe, and it was first time
I've ever heard him tell the story. It was like
he was keeping it all the way real. This is
about twenty thirteen, it's fourteen or something like that.
Speaker 4 (23:32):
And he said the.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
Reason why I ain't gonna lie, I take bad shots
or some shots that were questionable or sajimabayak Coke.
Speaker 4 (23:39):
Derek Fisher was like literally white open. He was like
licking his fingers, swinging his hands. He said, because I'm
not gonna lie, I black out and you and I
were talking about this. Believe off the year he goes
back to eight nine, ten eleven year old Kobe in
Italy where he was the only black kid on the
court and they would make fun of him. Who are you?
He didn't know the language, and he said.
Speaker 3 (23:59):
Once I got the ball, this was my one time
because they weren't passing me, they ignore me or make
fun of me.
Speaker 4 (24:05):
So he said, I want to prove you. I'm gonna
show you.
Speaker 3 (24:08):
And he said so to this day, obviously then he
would say I have those moments where I have to
get it done.
Speaker 4 (24:14):
I have to prove it to you.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
I have to show said sometimes I just black out
and I go back to that met that I have
to get this done. I was like, there was I
thought that was. I never really heard him express that.
You know, it's because you think I can get I'm
the one that needs to do it. But not the
reasoning why. And so he has that maniacal approach where
he sees black and so I believe you that I agree.
Kobe would have been like, now is that I don't
(24:36):
see anything else tunnel vision and opened up something you can't.
I have to take your heart. Lebron is measured is well,
what's best for the team. I'm not gonna let this
person fluster me. I'm not gonna get a technical foul.
Let me just And it worked for him. You know,
I didn't get kicked out of games. My teamates still
believe in me. But I'm saying two different approaches. Kobe
(24:56):
was I have to get this done. Lebron was like,
I see what you're trying to do. Smarter than that.
I'm gonna stay in this game, get my team in it,
and I'm not gonna let you rob me up. And
I think those are two different approaches to how they operate.
But with that being said, man and man, another great game,
thirty points sixty one from him and Randall. And again
I've always said, I think he's as much as he's
(25:16):
trying to avoid it or just just be himself. He's
so likable, he's so talented, he keeps getting better. He
plays both ends of the court, and I just think
he and his commercials are hilarious, dynamic.
Speaker 4 (25:29):
Man, he's the next one you gotta finish.
Speaker 6 (25:31):
If he finishes the job right now, he will be
the next one, and you gotta finish it.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
Whether he likes it or not, is how I feel.
I know it's supposed to be win bey because he's
a unicorn. Yeah, when we gotta win, Man, you can't
be the face of the league. You're not winning anybody
trying to do that.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
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listen live.
Speaker 4 (25:55):
All right, man, ah Man.
Speaker 3 (25:57):
Obviously the biggest news coming out of last night's game,
and it is now confirmed as of today, Jason Tatum
is torn his achilles. Anybody, unfortunately who's seeing basketball, you know,
whether you played it on the streets or you see
it on we see it immediately. It's one of the
rare injuries where you see it and you know exactly
what happened, knew it right away.
Speaker 4 (26:16):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
When somebody doesn't look back like what just happened to
somebody kick me non contact and they fall on the
ground and can't you know exactly.
Speaker 5 (26:23):
What it was?
Speaker 6 (26:24):
You know what it is when you can see the
player know what it is. Yeah, And that's the biggest thing.
Like watching Jason Tatum's reaction, I was like, Oh, it's
you know, yeah, it's that. It's that once you can't
any other thing, not a calf strain, not an ankle,
(26:46):
not rolling your ankle, not.
Speaker 4 (26:47):
Any of that.
Speaker 6 (26:48):
You can still move your foot yep, when you're holding
it and you there's no flexion in it and you're
covering your face because you're not.
Speaker 4 (27:00):
It's not the pain.
Speaker 6 (27:02):
My son was watching it with me, was oh my god,
he's in so much pain. I said, no, no, baby,
it's not the pain. It's the actual knowledge he knows.
It's a rap of what's what he's about to sacrifice,
what he's going to miss out on. That's where the
emotion comes from, not just for this series, but for
(27:25):
his career now. And I'm not saying he's not going
to make a recovery, but the chance of winning a
back to back championship is gone, a chance for him
being ready for next season.
Speaker 4 (27:39):
The team.
Speaker 6 (27:40):
We all know the team will look different next year
because they can't. They don't have they can't, they don't
have the money. Al Horford's gonna be gone. It's it's
a bunch of things that are gonna happen now, and
this is a catalyst to now different things are gonna
happen because now you're not gonna have them, at least
at least, and this is an early guestimation the All
(28:03):
Star Game at least. And so the tears in the
agony is there from him realizing, oh god, this is
now a journey and it has nothing to do with basketball.
Speaker 3 (28:18):
And you can always see specifically with this injury, there's
a look of disdain and a look of lost like
other ones. You mentioned ankle, and you know, anybody, if
you've ever rolled your ankle, that might be the worst pain. Yes,
a knee is more in the middle between the ankle
and the akises of pain. But you're like, it hurts,
but that achilles the initial pain. But then it's the man.
(28:41):
But you know what, it's not even pain with the achilles.
You feel something something pop audibly, people hear it. It's
not a pain thing.
Speaker 6 (28:50):
It's like you'll look back and like hey kids, having somebody,
the realization after you realize you're by yourself, there is
no content. After all of that, then you realize, oh no,
it's it's over. Yeah, not forever, but for now.
Speaker 3 (29:09):
And you mentioned something that I want to touch on
right now is the looking at Jason Tatum's injury and
just looking at how these things go.
Speaker 4 (29:17):
We all love hoops.
Speaker 3 (29:18):
If you're followed, if you're specifically NBA, you get these
magical windows. It ain't all sports in the NFL as well,
you get these magical windows where things can happen. You
have the you can change the directory of being a
All Star, penny All Star to a champion, from being
a champion to a two time, two a three time.
There's these little windows. I'll give you an example. If
(29:40):
Kevin Durant doesn't come to the Wars, maybe Steph at
the time is just a one time and now you
can say he went after But that's because of all
the winning and you grew with you. They might have
blew the thing up earlier if they don't win again.
So there are so many moments and I'm looking at
this now as this is why you don't play with
your food e from If you're the Celtics, the projected
(30:01):
everybody had you winning this series fairly easy. The Knicks
really struggled against the Pissons. You could argue the Pistons
outplay them, they just didn't out finish them. They didn't
know how to. They had to get the experience. This
is why you don't play with your food in any capacity.
When you have a chance to beat somebody, put your
foot on the throat and move on to the next round.
Because to me, you can't be up twenty points one time.
Speaker 4 (30:24):
I'll give you. It happens better multiple times at home.
And you lose these.
Speaker 3 (30:30):
Games because you lose the opportunity for guys to rest,
for guys to sit out fourth quarters, for guys to
prevent jury injuries.
Speaker 4 (30:37):
Because you maybe you sweep them, Boom, we're out. We're
onto the next round.
Speaker 3 (30:40):
And this is why when you get a chance and
you're supposed to be the better team, you're supposed to
be the rainning champs, you don't play around because now
you're in a situation where you have to win it all.
Speaker 4 (30:49):
Now they still have the talent. Just as far as
if I listed the roster, they.
Speaker 6 (30:53):
Were eight and two this year without right including a
playoff win, without Tatum getting the.
Speaker 4 (31:00):
Magic he was out. Yeah, they absolutely.
Speaker 3 (31:03):
Jalen Brown is currently the Finals, raigning Finals MVP and
a guy didn't get you twenty five thirty eighty night,
and you can argue is underperforming right now. And then
you got Porzingis, you got Drew Holliday, who he maybe
steps up more. Now we'd be forgetting they're so deep,
you forget how good Drew Holliday really is.
Speaker 4 (31:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (31:20):
The thing with Drew and watching this series, it was
like he got old in front of our faces. Like
watching him add to why, I think, well, of course,
and I know exactly what you're gonna say, but go ahead.
I think when you've been relegated to just being hey,
just be around the corner of the perimeter, just shoot
three like him with the bucks.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
And I know it's a couple few years back. He
can post up any smaller guard, your left.
Speaker 4 (31:44):
Hand, right hand.
Speaker 3 (31:45):
But when you've been and I think this is they
do a disadvantage to even Jason Tatum when you just
relegate him to shooting threes.
Speaker 4 (31:51):
He's so much better than that. He's way stronger than
he looks. He can post up.
Speaker 3 (31:55):
Great, but when you're just like, this is our offense
the way it's ran to me, it makes it easier
to defend shots by fall tonight you hit thirty five threes.
Speaker 4 (32:02):
What am I gonna do? But it makes it easier
to defend me A good point.
Speaker 6 (32:06):
And I also believe that the fact that he has
to chase Bronson, that's a whole game. You can see
it wearing on him in the second half. You can
see that because he's the primary and he's a tremendous
wing on ball defender, one of the best in the league.
But Jalen Bronson is so ball dominant in that Knicks offense.
(32:32):
You're going to have the ball eighty percent of the
time when he's on the court, and you defending that
someone who who can get any shot anywhere, is constantly
on the move. It just wears on your legs. That
just wears your point. That's a great and he so
I think it's everything we just mentioned. He is older, Yes,
(32:54):
they're not using him at his best compact. One of
the best things he did was he was just always
stronger than most guard cond of Sam Cassell, I put
you on my back, Yes, Chauncey Houston Billups do it
a lot.
Speaker 4 (33:02):
Just man.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
You know, hey, I'm Gary Payton. These are guys who
knew how to take advantage of the side and last point.
Speaking of Chauncey Billups, I think this is now where
they might be. The O four Detroit basketball Pistons a
bunch of Eastern Conference final appearances, one one ring. They
did get back to the finals, go to Game seven
(33:23):
versus Spurs and five that Piston team, but and that
was it, And it was like you'd wanted one more.
Speaker 6 (33:29):
Yeah, But I tell you the difference there is they
weren't looking to score any points on that Detroit team.
Speaker 4 (33:36):
It weren't either.
Speaker 6 (33:37):
They were like, the final score is gonna be seventy
to sixty three, right, That's where that's where we're living. Yeah,
what they did to the Lakers in that finals, I
still couldn't believe it. I'm like, nobody can score nobody,
But that was there. That's what they hung their head on.
Then they knew that they were gonna muck it up.
(33:57):
They were And I will say this, shout out to
the NBA, shout out to Adam Silver, shout out to
the referees for issuing in in these playoffs, a more
physical style of play man. It was so welcomed. My gosh,
it to me and to get back on the Celtics
and the Jason Tatum of it all their formula for winning.
(34:24):
It's not conducive when you're missing shots. If you can't
in the middle of missing forty four threes, say hey,
let's attack the high post, high to mid post.
Speaker 4 (34:41):
Let's get.
Speaker 6 (34:44):
Tatum drew Holiday in the post against Brunson. Let's do
let's run our action through the post opposed to from
the three point line. Let's not just rely on the
shot if it's not falling. The thing with shooters, and
they're all shooters, all five of them, they're all shooting everybody.
(35:06):
The thing with shooters is they always think their next
one is going in. But when you string that together
and step outside, and now we look at those first
two games, it's like.
Speaker 4 (35:15):
Well, dang, couldn't.
Speaker 6 (35:16):
Why wouldn't they just be like, hey, let's draw up
some things to get us closer to the basket.
Speaker 4 (35:21):
And I think that's the problem.
Speaker 6 (35:23):
If they're going to live and die by the three,
then in this series they're going to die by it
because the Knicks are not allowing them to get the
open looks. And in this past game, early on Derek
White in his first four three yep, right, because number
one on the first possession, their defense, their transition defense,
(35:44):
he was wide open.
Speaker 4 (35:45):
He hit that.
Speaker 6 (35:45):
When they came back, they swung the ball, swung the ball,
got it back to him, wide open. They got that one,
came back down again, he came back, step back, got
off the ball, got it back, hit that.
Speaker 4 (35:54):
He was open. Time out.
Speaker 6 (35:56):
Yep, Tims call the time out, and so what happens
is now it's like, we gotta make him earn this.
And they shot fairly well from the three point line
this past game. But not having Jason Tatum was carrying
the team. Oh my god, ye what forty two before
he went obviously, And so you're in a situation and
you still were down in that game.
Speaker 3 (36:16):
That's that's the part I want people to not man
if he didn't go down with no, no, no, y'all
were down nine minutes left for the game.
Speaker 4 (36:23):
So don't don't. Let's not act like that.
Speaker 3 (36:24):
You know, you're still down, and then you had the
best closer in the game is on the knick side
of the ball with Jalen Brunson
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