May 19, 2025 • 33 mins
Rob and Kelvin debate whether Nikola Jokic deserves the smoke for the Denver Nuggets getting bounced early from the postseason for the second consecutive season and argue whether the Pittsburgh Steelers are doing the right thing by waiting on Aaron Rodgers. Plus, NBA champion and FOX Sports Radio NBA analyst Antonio Daniels swings by to how Oklahoma City was able to slow down Jokic, why so many NBA players seem to have such a low opinion of Tyrese Haliburton, which teams have the upper-hand heading into the Conference Finals, and much more!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the best of the Odd Couple podcasts.
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Speaker 2 (00:22):
You're listening to the best of the Odd Couple.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Big Game seven Oklahoma City Thunder hosting the Denver Nuggets
and what would be it's deciding who's gonna go to
the Western Conference Finals, A big game everybody's watching. You
got the presumptive MVP SGA. You also have the could
have been MVP in Jokids and also former MVP in
Yokids going at it against their teams. But uh, I'm
(00:51):
gonna get straight to it, Rob, I'm gonna need some
of this smoke for Nicola Jokis. And Nikola Jokis is
the best player in the NBA, which is why this
is what comes with it. There is no way that
I was waking up on my Lord's Sunday thinking that
Alex Caruso would lock down Nikola Jokic, not for possession,
(01:15):
not for a quarter, not for a handful of plays,
but for eighty percent of the offensive possessions, Alex Caruso
was guarding the Kohla Jokic, and I think that absolutely
is disappointing. And the idea that he would only have
twenty points and in Game seven that was supposed to
be the quote check barbecue chicken. That's supposed to be
(01:37):
every time we get the ball, Jamal Murray, gimme the
rock because I'm about to file this little dude out
and then I'm a follout whoever comes up next. And
the idea that alex Caruso could guard him, front him,
post him, deflect balls from him. He had five tone
of us. He being Jokic was really really disappointed to me,
especially when you could gain considered this is an MVP
(01:59):
candidate annually, perennially, he won a bunch of them. This
is a guy we all deem as the best player
in the world. Well, when you're the best player in
the world, same type of smoke would come to Kobe,
the late Great Kobe come to Lebron, would come to
shaq If shaq If Shaquille O'Neal had PJ. Tucker garden
him really good defender, great energy, hard nos guy. But
(02:22):
if Shaq had PJ. Tucker garden him in a Game
seven and he had nine field goal attempts, it only
had twenty points and did not dominate that, we would
have all types of issues with him.
Speaker 4 (02:35):
If PJ.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Tucker was able to guard Tim Duncan in his prime,
we would have issues with that. So I thought in
a big game and at Game seven specifically, I'm talking
about Yokis because there's other things to have conversations about.
Watching that, I was blown away that him, his coach
and this team couldn't find a way for him to
be more effective. Download Now, credit Oklahoma City Thunder. They
(02:58):
swarmed him, they had great defense, they had a great
game plan coming in, so absolutely give credit to them.
But there's no way the best player in the world
in a game seven is supposed to get dominated by
a six foot five and that might be giving him
some Alex Caruso because again I go back to some
of the great bigs. If Akeem Olajuwan was getting fronted
and getting deed up by PJ. Tucker, there's no way
(03:22):
he would live that down. So again, he has to
get some of this smoke and I started to think,
man again again, I'm wondering people have had negative things
to say about the Anthony Davis and Lebron led run
with the Lakers, Right, oh.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
Man, they didn't do this, they didn't do that.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
And I'm looking at the Nuggets saying what they got
to They got a ring in a Western Conference finals appearance.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
That's it. And if you had the best player.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
Now we've saved for three, four five years, I'm expecting
a little bit more out of that. I'm expecting some
finals appearances. Maybe you don't win them all, but we
got to three, we won one, two, and I'm expecting
some more. So specifically for yo Kisch, that was a
disappointing performance for me. There are some things to talk
about with the team. There's some teams things that I
will dissect in a little bit, but specifically for Yokis
(04:13):
and you have to dominate. There's no way Caruso should
be guarding you. That's supposed to be easy money rocked
a little bit of them put the baby to sleep,
and that's supposed to be thirty eight points off the rim,
and I was shocked to see that. And credit Alex
Caruso for the way he played and ignited his team.
It was a plus I think plus forty five in
(04:33):
the plus minus something like that.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
Are you done? Oh no, that's just done with Jokis.
I got more stuff for the Nuggets.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Okay, because you have a your memory is slight, Oh please, yeah,
your memory because your guy, you're king Lebron James, who
you think is the best player in the league. You
remember a guy named JJ Berea, Do you remember for sure?
And that's my point. He got the smoke. Oh, that's
exactly my point. Remember J Burrant. No, But but Lebron
(05:04):
averaged seventeen point eight points in that series. Okay, seventeen
point eight terrible? Okay, And here's the other thing too.
And you can talk about the joker all you want.
And what happened in that game. Obviously he got blown
out and they've lost two years in a row. In
Game sevens and all that he deserved, they lost. We're
gonna celebrate when they win or whatever. But what this
(05:24):
guy's been able to do without the supporting can He
don't have no Big Three, he doesn't have the he
doesn't even have another All Star. He doesn't even have
another No NBA player has ever won a championship without
another All Star nobody, And that doesn't get him a
pass for every series or every time they lose.
Speaker 4 (05:44):
But no, because because it's a fact when.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Somebody has never nobody's ever done it except for him,
I gotta look at him and say, he's gotta be
somewhat special in that other people haven't been.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
Able to accomplish this.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
That's all I'm saying is if you look at it
and you could say he's belly aching about thin the bench,
it you know that they stripped that championship team has
been stripped down where they lost three or four key
players from that bench and contributors to that championship. And
you could go look at just the Phoenix Suns, who
(06:20):
couldn't even make the playoffs with three top heavy players
at the top, but they don't have the rest of
the foundation. That's why their house collapse. You have to
have other players to go along with it. Game six,
you wouldn't have been saying that because he scored forty
two and forced to Game seven, Right, he can't lose
against seven.
Speaker 4 (06:41):
But I'm just saying, like, but.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
To be consistent, I called him out throughout this series, right,
But I'm just saying, but he did come up.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
And that's the conversation because this is.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Not just him though, is what I'm trying to say
to you, that you could have moments like this like
Lebron had and it didn't stop him from you thinking
that he's the all time greatest.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
Some people would look at you the greatest, He's the best.
Conversation for another day, but some people might think JJ
Brea what he got killed for it?
Speaker 3 (07:10):
Rob, don't make Nicole Steph Curry where you can never criticize,
but you can never say you're not talking about you.
I'm saying, people, Steph Curry got hit in the finals
to disappear.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
You know, this is one thing we agree on.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
I'm not saying that you can't catch, but it's hard
for me. I'm dead serious looking at that team and
looking at those two rosters, and you telling me that
the Nuggets should have won that game.
Speaker 4 (07:34):
No what, I'm glad that. That's what I'm trying to say,
have a game seven.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
You look at that, and I have a more than
capable Jamal Murray who is all star like and we
all know that, and I have the pieces around me,
and I have the best player in the world two
years in a row against the Star, the young upstarts
Anthony Edwards gets him in the game seven. The next year,
SGA gets him in the game set it.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
I'm saying, we would not cut anybody else that slack.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
No one's giving them. I don't know what slack. I
just I just think you're trying to pain him.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
I'm you're trying to paint him more for you know,
you're trying trying to paint him like he's not that good.
That's what it sounds like to me, Like you're trying
to like, I don't he gotta get the smoke or whatever.
Like Like, what I'm trying to say to you is, yes,
(08:28):
they lost. The last two years, a lot has gone on.
They fired the coach before the playoffs started. They don't
have all that players, you know, they don't have the
same uh players that they had. There's some other things
that are there, and you can put some of it
on him, and I'm not saying that you can't. But
when I look at this and I look at it,
I look at and say, what are the Denver Nuggets
(08:51):
doing as far as not giving this guy at least
another All Star? So that you don't waste his run
and that's but but but I'm not gonna sit here
and go the reason that they lost is because he
wasn't big time in that game.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
I'm giving him a big, big piece of that chunk
because I don't can't can't if he just went out
and just you know, hey, it was mister shots and
it just happened.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
You know, hey, everybody loses a game.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
And get that, Rob alex Caruso can't guard you, like seriously,
you have to be insulted that alex Carusoe not for
a few plays. I get that there were some picking
switches or a guy was in foul trouble they threw
him on a four minute alex Caruso guarded you effectively
very well. It might have been the best player on
the floor outside of SGA, and maybe he was the
(09:41):
most effective player on the floor.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
That can't happen.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
And what I'm saying is two years in a row,
the Game seven, the young upstart Anthony Edwards one year
last year and this year SGA they outplayed him and
they won. And he's the best player in the NBA universally.
So all I'm saying is for him to be the
best player, saying, what do you say? So, I just said,
so for them, he's the reason that they've lost. The
lot to say he has to get the blame. Hello,
(10:08):
is this thing going? No, he is to blame because
he's the best. He's the reason that they lost, not
that his team isn't that good. He's the reason that
they love. But how is the team not there to
understand that? Because you're mixing it up as very nicole.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
So he's the reason that they lost. I just said,
he is a large boat. Jamal Murray has to give
you more.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
Your four players, who are the four cores from the
previous championship, gave you I believe forty seven points total,
including yo kids. That's terrible. That's trash and that can't happen.
And what I'm saying is, I know for any other
person who we call the best player in the world,
we hold them to a standard, and he cannot get
(10:47):
held to the same standard. Whoever was the best player
in the world for their period of time two years,
three years, five years, whatever, it was.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
The same smoke earlier.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
I've been listening to your show, so I don't Yeah,
you were sitting right here your buns were sitting right there,
or you might have been trying to climb up on his
dag on table with your crazy self, rob G?
Speaker 4 (11:06):
Did I not give your honest this same smoke? You're
too good? He wasn't listening to your show that you're
too good? Was you're too good to not be in
the conversation? Yeah, I remember him on the seven ten Days,
Thank you, rob G. Nobody remembers that.
Speaker 5 (11:21):
I remember because I kind of get a job there.
They're like, nah, man, we got enough.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
I know right over there by the way, ro rob G,
you made the right decision.
Speaker 4 (11:29):
I didn't make the decision. They made the decision, and
we're being honest about it. Who well, hey, I'm gonna
just say that Marcelous he didn't like it. I'm gonna
just say they missed out on you.
Speaker 6 (11:37):
Bro.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
Just all I'm gonna say you you you are you
are that guy.
Speaker 5 (11:41):
No, but Dub has been very consistent with his standards
for great players.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
If you're honest, I shouldn't be wondering is he gonna
make it to the second round? Is he gonna be this?
Or why is this team flounder? Because when I when
I see people who are the best for their period.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
So when Lebron didn't get in the couldn't even make
the play, he can gets smoke.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
He got smoked. He gets smoke because that's the standard.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
I just Aaron Judge is the best hitter in baseball,
maybe the best player, and when he sucks in the postseason,
Aaron Judge gets the smoke. If Mookie Bets and Freddie
Freeman go one for one hundred million, like they did
a couple of years back, they get the smoke.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
Rob, you know this.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
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 4 (12:30):
Antonio Daniels is our guest now.
Speaker 3 (12:34):
NBA Champions Series Sex m NBA Radio New Orleans Pelicans analysts,
and our guy, hardest working man in the business, a
d What's up, Bro?
Speaker 4 (12:42):
What's happening?
Speaker 6 (12:44):
Fellers? Look going on? What's going on?
Speaker 4 (12:47):
Well, you know what, put a button on this conversation.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
I was disappointed and has smoked with Nikola Jokics because
you're the best player in the world. We know this,
but just like any other best player who had their seeds.
You know they're time Lebron or Kobe or Shack or
Jorda whoever, if they've lost a couple of game sevens
in a row to the young pupps. Anthony Edward was
last year SGA this year and had Alex Carrill so
good on them. You know that's supposed to be barbecue chicking.
(13:13):
And I know they swarmed him, but come on, he's
supposed to perform better than that. If he went out
forty five points at what more do you want? I
was disappointing that performance, were you?
Speaker 6 (13:23):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (13:24):
Yes?
Speaker 6 (13:25):
And I mean that's definitely takes to say definitely disappointed.
Speaker 4 (13:29):
But that ain't the only reason they lost though, I
mean I didn't.
Speaker 6 (13:34):
It's not you can go to a lot.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
That's what I'm saying, Like, you gotta be fair yesday.
Speaker 6 (13:39):
I mean to be fair, I thought, And again the
thing I hate to do the next day is put
blame on someone for whatever. I'll give you two things
that sit out to me. First and foremost, I give
a ton of credit to Aaron Gordon. Were actually toughing
it out and going to.
Speaker 4 (13:57):
Play, right, he shouldn't even better.
Speaker 6 (13:59):
After you play after you played for five minutes, go ahead,
sit down. Because he became a liability. Yep, he became
a liability to his team. And I respect him so much.
He's one of my favorite players in the league because
of his story, him losing his brother and taking in
his brother's kids, all of that. Like, I love him
as a person. But in Game seven, you have to
(14:21):
understand sometimes you have to save players from themselves. And
yesterday you did your job by going out and starting
and toughing it out for the first five minutes. Oh
Denver got off to a great start. Now you can
go a hand and sit down. You gotta trust Peyton Watson,
you gotta trust Julian straw the You have to trust
some of the other guys on that bitch. He became
(14:41):
a liability one number two to start of the second quarter,
sitting the Kola Jokics, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter at
the same time. Crazy to start the second quarter. Man, Listen,
that was a turning point in the game to me.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
So what what do they do now? Because I've been hard.
Speaker 6 (14:59):
On Crede Michael Porter? What there are certain teams right
now that are that are that are stuck because if
you look at a team like Milwaukee, if you look
at a team like Phoenix, you know, do you hear
all that talks about trading Kevin Durant, Milwaukee trading Giannis
because they don't have Timberg, doesn't have they don't have
(15:23):
financial flexibility moving forward, They don't have really really good
talented young players, and they don't test ever excuse me, assets,
Brad assets. So the only thing that they can do
for financial freedom and moving forward is to to put
Michael Porter Jr. On the trading block, maybe get something
(15:44):
back in return.
Speaker 4 (15:45):
What happened? Did he forget he knew how to play
basketball other than shoot threes?
Speaker 3 (15:49):
What happens when guys just become relegated to something like that,
Like he's actually a quality players, but all he thinks
he can shoot up his spot up threes.
Speaker 6 (15:57):
Well, I mean that in that offense, and that offense
that was a lot again, that's who he was. He
gave Nicola Yoki space. But here's the thing about about
that team. You can go back now and look and
see why Calvin Booth and Michael Malone ended up butting
his Because what Calvin Booth wanted, he wanted Julian Strautherer
(16:20):
and Zeek Nazi and Pickett and those guys to play
during the season. So that way, when you got to
this point in the season, those guys were seasoned and
ready to go right. And Michael, I mean and Malone.
Coach Malone, he didn't. But the thing is coach Malone
didn't have Bruce Brown, he didn't have Depth Green, he
(16:41):
didn't have to take the as Carwell Pole.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
So I don't understand those are big those are big
pieces to their championship team. You just mentioned three guys
like That's what I'm trying to say, is like, like,
those are three major pieces that are.
Speaker 4 (16:53):
No longer in Denver's That's.
Speaker 6 (16:55):
Why you need to You need to give those young
players minutes. And it's very, very difficult to do two
things at the same time. To try and win a
championship and to develop. That's hard to do.
Speaker 4 (17:07):
Let me ask you this. I want to go to
the Knicks and Pacers.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
Last year, the Pacers beat them in seven games at
Madison Square Garden. I do know Knicks were banged up
by the time they got there. So I'm not trying
to act like it's a fore going conclusion, but I
think people have overlooked the Pacers for I mean, this
is two years in a row to Eastern Conference Finals.
Speaker 6 (17:25):
I'm guilty.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
We all are we all are?
Speaker 1 (17:27):
We all are coming in They weren't afterthought, Antonio, you
know what I mean, coming into the playoffs and tell
me about the Pacers and why why can't they not
make it to the championship.
Speaker 4 (17:40):
They can what they can.
Speaker 6 (17:42):
If you can make it to the Eastern Conference Finals,
you can make it, you can win the NBA. You
can make it, no question because with the Pacers, for me,
it becomes a war of retriction, right. They get up
and down the floor similar to Oklahoma City. They run
on makes missus turnovers, bad shots gives. The Pacers are
like live ball turnovers. I tell you the big thing
(18:03):
that I'm watching with this particular series in general, it's
one thing that I'm watching. I'm watching how they allow
Nim Hart and Nie Smith to guard Jalen Brunton because
you know what, Jalen Brunt is really good at that.
Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland don't do fail. He sales
right right. Some people call it unethical hooping. For me,
(18:25):
I think it's the game within the game. So for
me in Game one, which is Wednesday, I am going
to pay attention on how physical do they allow Nim
Hart and Nie Smith to be with Jalen Brunton. That
could be the difference in the series.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
Now, I want to say this about Tyre's Halliburton, who
was voted the most overrated player by the players, and Antony,
you're in this media business and you know this, and
I've always had issues. I don't think players can always
be honest when they have skin in the game.
Speaker 4 (18:56):
I really don't.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Because we saw when the league allowed players to vote
for the All Star Game, one hundred and thirty players
didn't vote for Lebron James, over one hundred didn't vote
for Kevin Durant.
Speaker 6 (19:10):
That's not because it's.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
Because then, That's what I'm saying, when you have skin
in the game, because you know, it's hard to really
you gotta be removed from it.
Speaker 4 (19:18):
You can't have any skin in the game. You can't
be and there's a lot of that. We've even seen.
Speaker 6 (19:22):
We've even seen people that are removed from it. Even
some of the people that are removed us. They have
actors to grind too.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
We saw Paul Pierce not have Lebron James in his
top ten. You could be an analyst all you want.
And if I'm gonna, if you're gonna have any credibility
and say he's not in the top ten.
Speaker 4 (19:37):
Of players of all time, how can I listen to you?
And I'm just being honest.
Speaker 6 (19:41):
We heard who was it? Markis Morris say that nicolea.
Jokic wasn't top whatever, right?
Speaker 1 (19:47):
I mean, I mean, like like when you hear that stuff.
So my point is about Halliburn, whether they like him
or not. I saw this guy make two game winning
shots in in less than a week and Steph Curry
still he hasn't made.
Speaker 4 (20:00):
One in fifteen years.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
I mean, like, how can you look at that guy
and I think that he's a really overrated I'm not
saying he's superstar.
Speaker 6 (20:08):
I'll say this, Rob, I think they don't like overrated exactly.
I always took overrated as most hated.
Speaker 4 (20:17):
Okay, I.
Speaker 6 (20:19):
Never thought I never thought overrated ment like the dude
couldn't play. I thought always took overrated as like you
think about it last year is Rudy Gobert yep. I
always took overrated as Okay, this is the guy for
whatever reason that his peers don't like him. Maybe they
don't like the front running, maybe they don't like all
(20:40):
of the the extracurricular stuff. I never I never took
that as well. You know what, man, people think Terry's
Halliburton can't play. Look, he was a part of the
Olympic team. We know that's not true. We know that's
not true. Always took that as most hated, as opposed
to overrated.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
I wonder how much of it has also to do
it overpaid where people go that guy for that. But
I think that matters because it is usually guys who
end up getting max deals who then they go, he got.
Speaker 4 (21:09):
That money, Tyree's Oyler Burton got all that man.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
He And I think that pairs with it as well,
where they're mad that like that guy got that money.
And I think that that plays a role in.
Speaker 4 (21:18):
It real quick.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
So going back to uh, this this thunder and now
we have the Timberwolves, two stars Sga and Edwards.
Speaker 4 (21:28):
Who are you looking at? Who is it kind of
matter the most too in this series?
Speaker 6 (21:32):
For me, I don't think it has anything to do
with the stars. I think it's you know, we don
always talk about thousand fights and for me, I'm picking
Oklahoma City. And the reason I'm picking Oklahoma City because
okay See will turn you over and Minnesota will turn
it over.
Speaker 4 (21:48):
That's true.
Speaker 6 (21:48):
I am more concerned with Minnesota's offensive discipline versus okay
See's point of attack defense. One thing Minnesota has struggled
with for as long as I can remember is taking
care of that basketball. You know what OKAC does. They
seats off turnovers. No team better in the league at
(22:09):
turning you over and then converting turnovers. So again, OKAC
will turn you over in Minnesota will turn it over.
I don't think it's about stars. SDA is going to
show up, Anthony Edward's going to show up. They're going
to be the stars that they are. I just struggle
sometimes trusting Minnesota's offensive discipline.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
Yeah, I mean they have those four or five six
minute stretches where they keep turning the ball of you
like what's going on, man? Like control the rock and
they don't do that. All right, So there you have OKAC.
Did you pick the East?
Speaker 4 (22:39):
Did you actually give us coming out there?
Speaker 6 (22:42):
I astutely picked Binga's I would love to see how
this series is going to be officiated first, but I
picked the I picked the Knicks. So I picked the
Knicks because I think that Jalen Brunton is going to
be the best player in the series.
Speaker 4 (22:55):
Who's the league one? Real quick?
Speaker 1 (22:57):
If the league had their knicks, they want the Knicks.
They wanted to the biggest TV mark.
Speaker 6 (23:01):
I think the league will want the Nicks in the
and the Timberwolves, Julius Random and deep Intindo and you know,
going back to Madison Square Garden, Anthony Edwards and Madison
Square Garden.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
If you if you were in the league office and
you got to make it your way, but might okay,
C might have something to say about they might.
Speaker 4 (23:19):
But I was talking about it, yeah, talk about that earlier.
I was like, who is the league one? Who they love?
Kind of licking their chops for all, right, eighty.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
Even minutes to the championship in since ninety nine, No, no, no,
the Nichianship.
Speaker 4 (23:29):
Yeah ninety nine ever won since Moby Dick was a guppy.
So you know that's a long time. A d appreciate
always did you hear that? Laugh?
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Rob G, thank you, thank you, thank you. You can
use that on NBA Radio tomorrow. I'm so mad at
ad right, now for laughing, Thank you so.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
Mad at a d Right now, 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 fs R to listen live.
Speaker 4 (24:00):
Want to get in this?
Speaker 3 (24:01):
Rob g reports out there about the Steelers and how
all things pointing to Aaron Rodgers signing right yes, sir.
Speaker 4 (24:09):
Last week we talked.
Speaker 5 (24:09):
About on the show briefly, a Steelers insider told the
ninety three point seven The Fan in Pittsburgh that the
club is willing to wait up to six weeks for
Aaron Rodgers to officially commit to the team, that they
basically have all their eggs in the Aaron Rodgers basket.
Well over the weekend, Ian O'Connor, longtime writer author.
Speaker 4 (24:29):
I worked with him. We both worked. We both were
columnus at ESPN New York dot com.
Speaker 5 (24:34):
It's right, I long and he literally wrote the book
on Aaron Rodgers, wrote his biography. Also on ninety three
seven The Fan in Pittsburgh said that while it's not guaranteed,
he believes that there is a wink wink, nudge, nudge
handshake deal between Rodgers and the Steelers and the only reason,
according to O'Connor, why Rodgers has not yet signed sealed
(24:57):
delivered in Pittsburgh is that that he believes that Rogers
is waiting until after OTAs on May twenty seventh because
they are quote mandatory. Here's what he said. I think
the word mandatory. After we went through last year when
he missed two practices to go to see the pyramids
in Egypt. He took so much grief for that. I
think he'll honor that. And my suspicion is that Mike
(25:20):
Tomlin has given him a verbal sign off on that
already that he can come in after OTAs.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
This is one of those I'm gonnaet ready to give
it over to you because I don't have much to
say other than because I've exhausted my Steelers Aaron Rodgers conversation.
Speaker 4 (25:38):
Except for this, you.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
Certainly have, though guhead I have because I'm blown away
that an organization like the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have been
one of the blue bloods, a historically well run organization,
would be this desperate for one in particular person who
is forty one years old, best days behind, and that
(26:01):
would be anybody best days behind him who seems noncommittal
when you have a young coach, meaning it's not like
it's his last hurrah. He's seventy three, and they're trying
to win right now and you're trying to sustain and
have a great system for years to come. And I'm
so confused at what they're doing because Aaron Rodgers, again,
(26:23):
all signs point maybe, but he's not in, and he
might not come to OTA's and he might not come
to meetings, and there's still a small chance he might
not sign with you. And they're acting like they're not
the Pittsburgh Steelers and more like they're the Jags or
the Panthers or the Raiders making a desperate move.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
And I'm not even knocking him. He played pretty well.
You know, he wasn't great, but he played pretty well
last year. But if you're going based off pretty well,
Russell Wilson prayed pretty well, and he's like four or
five years younger. So if you're gonna go it pretty
well and you want to ride it out, might not
roll with Russell Wilson.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
And I genuinely don't get what they're doing. And then okay,
you get him and and he puts up a solid year.
You don't have a running game right now. Your defense
has to get tighter. And what I don't even think
they're gonna I think it's gonna be the first year
if this happens, that Mike Tomlin does not go above
five hundred. If this happens, this will be the first
(27:22):
year he's below five hundred. I do not see this
working out, and I don't understand it because it's so
limited thinking for an organization typically has been well run,
and I genuinely don't get it. Not even this is
not even a I hate Aaron Rodgers. It's not gonna
sounds like it's about Pittsburgh. I don't get what they're doing.
(27:43):
But you're living in the past. You're living in the
old Pittsburgh. Okay, let me, Can I give you some
facts I would?
Speaker 1 (27:49):
Okay, So they haven't won a playoff game since twenty seventeen. Okay,
so this you don't understand what they're doing. Who when
has Aaron Rodgers woman, No, no, no, no, listen to
what I'm talking abot you're talking about, but you're saying no, no, no,
no no, but you're talking about Pittsburgh.
Speaker 4 (28:04):
Okay, So I'm giving you the numbers want to. Okay,
so you haven't won a.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
Super Bowl since two thousand and nine, you think that
being not having a losing record or something special.
Speaker 4 (28:16):
Mike Tomlin knows that he needs to win.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
Okay, And it does make everything that ian O'Connell said
made total sense from the standpoint of rather than come
in knowing that you're not prepared to do the things
that you need to do and not have people go,
oh see, he's not doing this, it makes total sense
(28:39):
because that's not going to be the reason or the
difference because when he first came to the Jets, the
first year he did all that he came in, He
didn't miss anything year one, and he got hurt in
four snaps. But my point is, now that makes sense
on why they haven't gone to get another quarterback, why
they haven't panicked, why they didn't draft your doors and
(29:00):
when they had a chance, like oh my god, we
don't have anybody they believe what ian O'Connell said makes
total sense to me. Now when you pull a curtain
back and Pittsburgh needs to win a playoff game, and
you can say whatever you want. Aaron Rodgers in the
same old Aaron Rodgers but I don't know. But he
(29:22):
had the same stats as Patrick Mahomes who went to
the Super Bowl last year. He did, You could go
look him up. They had the same stats. In fact,
Aaron Rodgers had less interceptions than Patrick Mahomes. So they
feel like, no, but they're looking and saying, if we
can have a better defense and some other stuff around him,
that maybe we might have a chance. And that's all
(29:44):
I'm saying. I'm not saying they're going to the super Bowl,
they're gonna win, but they haven't won anything in a
long time. You're making it like this is the Chuck
Noles Steelers or something. That's I'm saying, I don't want
to get a guy who hasn't won anything in a
long time.
Speaker 4 (29:57):
They haven't won anything.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
He's still amore, but he's still better than anybody that
they've had.
Speaker 4 (30:02):
Look at the last ten years, but they've had no way.
Speaker 1 (30:07):
Even Ben Rothsburger's last two or three years were all three.
Speaker 4 (30:10):
So that's my point.
Speaker 3 (30:12):
What dude, literally just it's Ben Roethlisberger's last few years
weren't great. Aaron rodgers last few years haven't been great.
It was hurting about the numbers last year he was hurt.
Same to get rid of him. Same last year he
put up numbers. They were fool gayzy. They weren't winning games.
(30:32):
He went the point of the quarterback position to win
me games.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
So when someone the kicker against them, we missed the
field goals And why don't you go four and the
four games where the other team average eighteen when the
other team watched the ball down h and scored a
touchdown on the last drove.
Speaker 4 (30:49):
Those are Aaron Rodgers games. You had, come on, you
had Adams, you had Wilson. Watch the games.
Speaker 7 (30:56):
Literally did go win a game? How many games watch
Aaron Rodgers? How many did not win? How many games
did they lose on the last possession? Where where the
Patriots marched down and won the game? Indianapolis Colts. I'm
telling you I watched the game because Aaron Rodgers doesn't up.
I thought they had a great defense.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
That's all they talked about was that they they had
a great defense, they had the lead.
Speaker 4 (31:20):
What are you talking about. He didn't put them up. No,
they and he has he didn't even do that when
he was a packer.
Speaker 3 (31:26):
They had He does not win if he were down
in the fourth quarter, even with the Packers, he doesn't win.
Speaker 4 (31:31):
That is not true.
Speaker 7 (31:32):
Do you want to go One of the greatest games
was in San Francisco rob on a Monday night against
team Do you.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
Remember that on Monday night? With thirty four seconds ago?
What are you talking about?
Speaker 3 (31:44):
Why?
Speaker 4 (31:44):
Why?
Speaker 1 (31:45):
Why are you talking about? Why do I want someone
who's not going to get healthier? And you ain't get
I know when you're getting older, you're not getting healthier
playing a sport.
Speaker 4 (31:52):
So nobody sold.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
You mean to tell me that the Denver Broncos won
a Super Bowl with Peyton Manna shouldn't have picked him up.
And you're saying that they last year? Did they win
a Super Bowl? Did they want to?
Speaker 4 (32:03):
Did you see Manning? Did they win a Super Bowl?
A mask? Don't switch?
Speaker 1 (32:07):
No, No, My point is because he was about winning. No, no, no,
it's about winning. It's about winning. They had a great defense. No,
not right now, no, but dad, but I'm trying to
They had a great defense and they went out and
got a veteran quarter pay Manning was.
Speaker 4 (32:22):
So bad and you know that he literally was a
shell that night. Might be a compliment. Did they win
a super Bowl?
Speaker 2 (32:28):
Yes?
Speaker 4 (32:28):
No?
Speaker 3 (32:29):
And Aaron Rodgers. I'm not even won a Super Bowl
to with compare them to Please don't know. My point
is d winner.
Speaker 4 (32:38):
Yeah, but he also has a top five defense every
time he wins. Stop it. The first three.
Speaker 3 (32:43):
Super Bowl I want you to defense and I want
you to be my defense lawyer man. Please, I'm calling
you Robert Cochran from here on out. Johnny Cochran's Robert
Cochran because this man gets more passes for not good
passes and not winning. And the Steelers, who I really
try to make it about less about Aaron Rodgers, that
(33:05):
they would be banking on a forty one soon to
be forty two year old, I just don't I just
don't get that
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.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Big Game seven Oklahoma City Thunder hosting the Denver Nuggets
and what would be it's deciding who's gonna go to
the Western Conference Finals, A big game everybody's watching. You
got the presumptive MVP SGA. You also have the could
have been MVP in Jokids and also former MVP in
Yokids going at it against their teams. But uh, I'm
(00:51):
gonna get straight to it, Rob, I'm gonna need some
of this smoke for Nicola Jokis. And Nikola Jokis is
the best player in the NBA, which is why this
is what comes with it. There is no way that
I was waking up on my Lord's Sunday thinking that
Alex Caruso would lock down Nikola Jokic, not for possession,
(01:15):
not for a quarter, not for a handful of plays,
but for eighty percent of the offensive possessions, Alex Caruso
was guarding the Kohla Jokic, and I think that absolutely
is disappointing. And the idea that he would only have
twenty points and in Game seven that was supposed to
be the quote check barbecue chicken. That's supposed to be
(01:37):
every time we get the ball, Jamal Murray, gimme the
rock because I'm about to file this little dude out
and then I'm a follout whoever comes up next. And
the idea that alex Caruso could guard him, front him,
post him, deflect balls from him. He had five tone
of us. He being Jokic was really really disappointed to me,
especially when you could gain considered this is an MVP
(01:59):
candidate annually, perennially, he won a bunch of them. This
is a guy we all deem as the best player
in the world. Well, when you're the best player in
the world, same type of smoke would come to Kobe,
the late Great Kobe come to Lebron, would come to
shaq If shaq If Shaquille O'Neal had PJ. Tucker garden
him really good defender, great energy, hard nos guy. But
(02:22):
if Shaq had PJ. Tucker garden him in a Game
seven and he had nine field goal attempts, it only
had twenty points and did not dominate that, we would
have all types of issues with him.
Speaker 4 (02:35):
If PJ.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Tucker was able to guard Tim Duncan in his prime,
we would have issues with that. So I thought in
a big game and at Game seven specifically, I'm talking
about Yokis because there's other things to have conversations about.
Watching that, I was blown away that him, his coach
and this team couldn't find a way for him to
be more effective. Download Now, credit Oklahoma City Thunder. They
(02:58):
swarmed him, they had great defense, they had a great
game plan coming in, so absolutely give credit to them.
But there's no way the best player in the world
in a game seven is supposed to get dominated by
a six foot five and that might be giving him
some Alex Caruso because again I go back to some
of the great bigs. If Akeem Olajuwan was getting fronted
and getting deed up by PJ. Tucker, there's no way
(03:22):
he would live that down. So again, he has to
get some of this smoke and I started to think,
man again again, I'm wondering people have had negative things
to say about the Anthony Davis and Lebron led run
with the Lakers, Right, oh.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
Man, they didn't do this, they didn't do that.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
And I'm looking at the Nuggets saying what they got
to They got a ring in a Western Conference finals appearance.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
That's it. And if you had the best player.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
Now we've saved for three, four five years, I'm expecting
a little bit more out of that. I'm expecting some
finals appearances. Maybe you don't win them all, but we
got to three, we won one, two, and I'm expecting
some more. So specifically for yo Kisch, that was a
disappointing performance for me. There are some things to talk
about with the team. There's some teams things that I
will dissect in a little bit, but specifically for Yokis
(04:13):
and you have to dominate. There's no way Caruso should
be guarding you. That's supposed to be easy money rocked
a little bit of them put the baby to sleep,
and that's supposed to be thirty eight points off the rim,
and I was shocked to see that. And credit Alex
Caruso for the way he played and ignited his team.
It was a plus I think plus forty five in
(04:33):
the plus minus something like that.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
Are you done? Oh no, that's just done with Jokis.
I got more stuff for the Nuggets.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Okay, because you have a your memory is slight, Oh please, yeah,
your memory because your guy, you're king Lebron James, who
you think is the best player in the league. You
remember a guy named JJ Berea, Do you remember for sure?
And that's my point. He got the smoke. Oh, that's
exactly my point. Remember J Burrant. No, But but Lebron
(05:04):
averaged seventeen point eight points in that series. Okay, seventeen
point eight terrible? Okay, And here's the other thing too.
And you can talk about the joker all you want.
And what happened in that game. Obviously he got blown
out and they've lost two years in a row. In
Game sevens and all that he deserved, they lost. We're
gonna celebrate when they win or whatever. But what this
(05:24):
guy's been able to do without the supporting can He
don't have no Big Three, he doesn't have the he
doesn't even have another All Star. He doesn't even have
another No NBA player has ever won a championship without
another All Star nobody, And that doesn't get him a
pass for every series or every time they lose.
Speaker 4 (05:44):
But no, because because it's a fact when.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Somebody has never nobody's ever done it except for him,
I gotta look at him and say, he's gotta be
somewhat special in that other people haven't been.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
Able to accomplish this.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
That's all I'm saying is if you look at it
and you could say he's belly aching about thin the bench,
it you know that they stripped that championship team has
been stripped down where they lost three or four key
players from that bench and contributors to that championship. And
you could go look at just the Phoenix Suns, who
(06:20):
couldn't even make the playoffs with three top heavy players
at the top, but they don't have the rest of
the foundation. That's why their house collapse. You have to
have other players to go along with it. Game six,
you wouldn't have been saying that because he scored forty
two and forced to Game seven, Right, he can't lose
against seven.
Speaker 4 (06:41):
But I'm just saying, like, but.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
To be consistent, I called him out throughout this series, right,
But I'm just saying, but he did come up.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
And that's the conversation because this is.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Not just him though, is what I'm trying to say
to you, that you could have moments like this like
Lebron had and it didn't stop him from you thinking
that he's the all time greatest.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
Some people would look at you the greatest, He's the best.
Conversation for another day, but some people might think JJ
Brea what he got killed for it?
Speaker 3 (07:10):
Rob, don't make Nicole Steph Curry where you can never criticize,
but you can never say you're not talking about you.
I'm saying, people, Steph Curry got hit in the finals
to disappear.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
You know, this is one thing we agree on.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
I'm not saying that you can't catch, but it's hard
for me. I'm dead serious looking at that team and
looking at those two rosters, and you telling me that
the Nuggets should have won that game.
Speaker 4 (07:34):
No what, I'm glad that. That's what I'm trying to say,
have a game seven.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
You look at that, and I have a more than
capable Jamal Murray who is all star like and we
all know that, and I have the pieces around me,
and I have the best player in the world two
years in a row against the Star, the young upstarts
Anthony Edwards gets him in the game seven. The next year,
SGA gets him in the game set it.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
I'm saying, we would not cut anybody else that slack.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
No one's giving them. I don't know what slack. I
just I just think you're trying to pain him.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
I'm you're trying to paint him more for you know,
you're trying trying to paint him like he's not that good.
That's what it sounds like to me, Like you're trying
to like, I don't he gotta get the smoke or whatever.
Like Like, what I'm trying to say to you is, yes,
(08:28):
they lost. The last two years, a lot has gone on.
They fired the coach before the playoffs started. They don't
have all that players, you know, they don't have the
same uh players that they had. There's some other things
that are there, and you can put some of it
on him, and I'm not saying that you can't. But
when I look at this and I look at it,
I look at and say, what are the Denver Nuggets
(08:51):
doing as far as not giving this guy at least
another All Star? So that you don't waste his run
and that's but but but I'm not gonna sit here
and go the reason that they lost is because he
wasn't big time in that game.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
I'm giving him a big, big piece of that chunk
because I don't can't can't if he just went out
and just you know, hey, it was mister shots and
it just happened.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
You know, hey, everybody loses a game.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
And get that, Rob alex Caruso can't guard you, like seriously,
you have to be insulted that alex Carusoe not for
a few plays. I get that there were some picking
switches or a guy was in foul trouble they threw
him on a four minute alex Caruso guarded you effectively
very well. It might have been the best player on
the floor outside of SGA, and maybe he was the
(09:41):
most effective player on the floor.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
That can't happen.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
And what I'm saying is two years in a row,
the Game seven, the young upstart Anthony Edwards one year
last year and this year SGA they outplayed him and
they won. And he's the best player in the NBA universally.
So all I'm saying is for him to be the
best player, saying, what do you say? So, I just said,
so for them, he's the reason that they've lost. The
lot to say he has to get the blame. Hello,
(10:08):
is this thing going? No, he is to blame because
he's the best. He's the reason that they lost, not
that his team isn't that good. He's the reason that
they love. But how is the team not there to
understand that? Because you're mixing it up as very nicole.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
So he's the reason that they lost. I just said,
he is a large boat. Jamal Murray has to give
you more.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
Your four players, who are the four cores from the
previous championship, gave you I believe forty seven points total,
including yo kids. That's terrible. That's trash and that can't happen.
And what I'm saying is, I know for any other
person who we call the best player in the world,
we hold them to a standard, and he cannot get
(10:47):
held to the same standard. Whoever was the best player
in the world for their period of time two years,
three years, five years, whatever, it was.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
The same smoke earlier.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
I've been listening to your show, so I don't Yeah,
you were sitting right here your buns were sitting right there,
or you might have been trying to climb up on his
dag on table with your crazy self, rob G?
Speaker 4 (11:06):
Did I not give your honest this same smoke? You're
too good? He wasn't listening to your show that you're
too good? Was you're too good to not be in
the conversation? Yeah, I remember him on the seven ten Days,
Thank you, rob G. Nobody remembers that.
Speaker 5 (11:21):
I remember because I kind of get a job there.
They're like, nah, man, we got enough.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
I know right over there by the way, ro rob G,
you made the right decision.
Speaker 4 (11:29):
I didn't make the decision. They made the decision, and
we're being honest about it. Who well, hey, I'm gonna
just say that Marcelous he didn't like it. I'm gonna
just say they missed out on you.
Speaker 6 (11:37):
Bro.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
Just all I'm gonna say you you you are you
are that guy.
Speaker 5 (11:41):
No, but Dub has been very consistent with his standards
for great players.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
If you're honest, I shouldn't be wondering is he gonna
make it to the second round? Is he gonna be this?
Or why is this team flounder? Because when I when
I see people who are the best for their period.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
So when Lebron didn't get in the couldn't even make
the play, he can gets smoke.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
He got smoked. He gets smoke because that's the standard.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
I just Aaron Judge is the best hitter in baseball,
maybe the best player, and when he sucks in the postseason,
Aaron Judge gets the smoke. If Mookie Bets and Freddie
Freeman go one for one hundred million, like they did
a couple of years back, they get the smoke.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
Rob, you know this.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
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 4 (12:30):
Antonio Daniels is our guest now.
Speaker 3 (12:34):
NBA Champions Series Sex m NBA Radio New Orleans Pelicans analysts,
and our guy, hardest working man in the business, a
d What's up, Bro?
Speaker 4 (12:42):
What's happening?
Speaker 6 (12:44):
Fellers? Look going on? What's going on?
Speaker 4 (12:47):
Well, you know what, put a button on this conversation.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
I was disappointed and has smoked with Nikola Jokics because
you're the best player in the world. We know this,
but just like any other best player who had their seeds.
You know they're time Lebron or Kobe or Shack or
Jorda whoever, if they've lost a couple of game sevens
in a row to the young pupps. Anthony Edward was
last year SGA this year and had Alex Carrill so
good on them. You know that's supposed to be barbecue chicking.
(13:13):
And I know they swarmed him, but come on, he's
supposed to perform better than that. If he went out
forty five points at what more do you want? I
was disappointing that performance, were you?
Speaker 6 (13:23):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (13:24):
Yes?
Speaker 6 (13:25):
And I mean that's definitely takes to say definitely disappointed.
Speaker 4 (13:29):
But that ain't the only reason they lost though, I
mean I didn't.
Speaker 6 (13:34):
It's not you can go to a lot.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
That's what I'm saying, Like, you gotta be fair yesday.
Speaker 6 (13:39):
I mean to be fair, I thought, And again the
thing I hate to do the next day is put
blame on someone for whatever. I'll give you two things
that sit out to me. First and foremost, I give
a ton of credit to Aaron Gordon. Were actually toughing
it out and going to.
Speaker 4 (13:57):
Play, right, he shouldn't even better.
Speaker 6 (13:59):
After you play after you played for five minutes, go ahead,
sit down. Because he became a liability. Yep, he became
a liability to his team. And I respect him so much.
He's one of my favorite players in the league because
of his story, him losing his brother and taking in
his brother's kids, all of that. Like, I love him
as a person. But in Game seven, you have to
(14:21):
understand sometimes you have to save players from themselves. And
yesterday you did your job by going out and starting
and toughing it out for the first five minutes. Oh
Denver got off to a great start. Now you can
go a hand and sit down. You gotta trust Peyton Watson,
you gotta trust Julian straw the You have to trust
some of the other guys on that bitch. He became
(14:41):
a liability one number two to start of the second quarter,
sitting the Kola Jokics, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter at
the same time. Crazy to start the second quarter. Man, Listen,
that was a turning point in the game to me.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
So what what do they do now? Because I've been hard.
Speaker 6 (14:59):
On Crede Michael Porter? What there are certain teams right
now that are that are that are stuck because if
you look at a team like Milwaukee, if you look
at a team like Phoenix, you know, do you hear
all that talks about trading Kevin Durant, Milwaukee trading Giannis
because they don't have Timberg, doesn't have they don't have
(15:23):
financial flexibility moving forward, They don't have really really good
talented young players, and they don't test ever excuse me, assets,
Brad assets. So the only thing that they can do
for financial freedom and moving forward is to to put
Michael Porter Jr. On the trading block, maybe get something
(15:44):
back in return.
Speaker 4 (15:45):
What happened? Did he forget he knew how to play
basketball other than shoot threes?
Speaker 3 (15:49):
What happens when guys just become relegated to something like that,
Like he's actually a quality players, but all he thinks
he can shoot up his spot up threes.
Speaker 6 (15:57):
Well, I mean that in that offense, and that offense
that was a lot again, that's who he was. He
gave Nicola Yoki space. But here's the thing about about
that team. You can go back now and look and
see why Calvin Booth and Michael Malone ended up butting
his Because what Calvin Booth wanted, he wanted Julian Strautherer
(16:20):
and Zeek Nazi and Pickett and those guys to play
during the season. So that way, when you got to
this point in the season, those guys were seasoned and
ready to go right. And Michael, I mean and Malone.
Coach Malone, he didn't. But the thing is coach Malone
didn't have Bruce Brown, he didn't have Depth Green, he
(16:41):
didn't have to take the as Carwell Pole.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
So I don't understand those are big those are big
pieces to their championship team. You just mentioned three guys
like That's what I'm trying to say, is like, like,
those are three major pieces that are.
Speaker 4 (16:53):
No longer in Denver's That's.
Speaker 6 (16:55):
Why you need to You need to give those young
players minutes. And it's very, very difficult to do two
things at the same time. To try and win a
championship and to develop. That's hard to do.
Speaker 4 (17:07):
Let me ask you this. I want to go to
the Knicks and Pacers.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
Last year, the Pacers beat them in seven games at
Madison Square Garden. I do know Knicks were banged up
by the time they got there. So I'm not trying
to act like it's a fore going conclusion, but I
think people have overlooked the Pacers for I mean, this
is two years in a row to Eastern Conference Finals.
Speaker 6 (17:25):
I'm guilty.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
We all are we all are?
Speaker 1 (17:27):
We all are coming in They weren't afterthought, Antonio, you
know what I mean, coming into the playoffs and tell
me about the Pacers and why why can't they not
make it to the championship.
Speaker 4 (17:40):
They can what they can.
Speaker 6 (17:42):
If you can make it to the Eastern Conference Finals,
you can make it, you can win the NBA. You
can make it, no question because with the Pacers, for me,
it becomes a war of retriction, right. They get up
and down the floor similar to Oklahoma City. They run
on makes missus turnovers, bad shots gives. The Pacers are
like live ball turnovers. I tell you the big thing
(18:03):
that I'm watching with this particular series in general, it's
one thing that I'm watching. I'm watching how they allow
Nim Hart and Nie Smith to guard Jalen Brunton because
you know what, Jalen Brunt is really good at that.
Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland don't do fail. He sales
right right. Some people call it unethical hooping. For me,
(18:25):
I think it's the game within the game. So for
me in Game one, which is Wednesday, I am going
to pay attention on how physical do they allow Nim
Hart and Nie Smith to be with Jalen Brunton. That
could be the difference in the series.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
Now, I want to say this about Tyre's Halliburton, who
was voted the most overrated player by the players, and Antony,
you're in this media business and you know this, and
I've always had issues. I don't think players can always
be honest when they have skin in the game.
Speaker 4 (18:56):
I really don't.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Because we saw when the league allowed players to vote
for the All Star Game, one hundred and thirty players
didn't vote for Lebron James, over one hundred didn't vote
for Kevin Durant.
Speaker 6 (19:10):
That's not because it's.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
Because then, That's what I'm saying, when you have skin
in the game, because you know, it's hard to really
you gotta be removed from it.
Speaker 4 (19:18):
You can't have any skin in the game. You can't
be and there's a lot of that. We've even seen.
Speaker 6 (19:22):
We've even seen people that are removed from it. Even
some of the people that are removed us. They have
actors to grind too.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
We saw Paul Pierce not have Lebron James in his
top ten. You could be an analyst all you want.
And if I'm gonna, if you're gonna have any credibility
and say he's not in the top ten.
Speaker 4 (19:37):
Of players of all time, how can I listen to you?
And I'm just being honest.
Speaker 6 (19:41):
We heard who was it? Markis Morris say that nicolea.
Jokic wasn't top whatever, right?
Speaker 1 (19:47):
I mean, I mean, like like when you hear that stuff.
So my point is about Halliburn, whether they like him
or not. I saw this guy make two game winning
shots in in less than a week and Steph Curry
still he hasn't made.
Speaker 4 (20:00):
One in fifteen years.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
I mean, like, how can you look at that guy
and I think that he's a really overrated I'm not
saying he's superstar.
Speaker 6 (20:08):
I'll say this, Rob, I think they don't like overrated exactly.
I always took overrated as most hated.
Speaker 4 (20:17):
Okay, I.
Speaker 6 (20:19):
Never thought I never thought overrated ment like the dude
couldn't play. I thought always took overrated as like you
think about it last year is Rudy Gobert yep. I
always took overrated as Okay, this is the guy for
whatever reason that his peers don't like him. Maybe they
don't like the front running, maybe they don't like all
(20:40):
of the the extracurricular stuff. I never I never took
that as well. You know what, man, people think Terry's
Halliburton can't play. Look, he was a part of the
Olympic team. We know that's not true. We know that's
not true. Always took that as most hated, as opposed
to overrated.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
I wonder how much of it has also to do
it overpaid where people go that guy for that. But
I think that matters because it is usually guys who
end up getting max deals who then they go, he got.
Speaker 4 (21:09):
That money, Tyree's Oyler Burton got all that man.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
He And I think that pairs with it as well,
where they're mad that like that guy got that money.
And I think that that plays a role in.
Speaker 4 (21:18):
It real quick.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
So going back to uh, this this thunder and now
we have the Timberwolves, two stars Sga and Edwards.
Speaker 4 (21:28):
Who are you looking at? Who is it kind of
matter the most too in this series?
Speaker 6 (21:32):
For me, I don't think it has anything to do
with the stars. I think it's you know, we don
always talk about thousand fights and for me, I'm picking
Oklahoma City. And the reason I'm picking Oklahoma City because
okay See will turn you over and Minnesota will turn
it over.
Speaker 4 (21:48):
That's true.
Speaker 6 (21:48):
I am more concerned with Minnesota's offensive discipline versus okay
See's point of attack defense. One thing Minnesota has struggled
with for as long as I can remember is taking
care of that basketball. You know what OKAC does. They
seats off turnovers. No team better in the league at
(22:09):
turning you over and then converting turnovers. So again, OKAC
will turn you over in Minnesota will turn it over.
I don't think it's about stars. SDA is going to
show up, Anthony Edward's going to show up. They're going
to be the stars that they are. I just struggle
sometimes trusting Minnesota's offensive discipline.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
Yeah, I mean they have those four or five six
minute stretches where they keep turning the ball of you
like what's going on, man? Like control the rock and
they don't do that. All right, So there you have OKAC.
Did you pick the East?
Speaker 4 (22:39):
Did you actually give us coming out there?
Speaker 6 (22:42):
I astutely picked Binga's I would love to see how
this series is going to be officiated first, but I
picked the I picked the Knicks. So I picked the
Knicks because I think that Jalen Brunton is going to
be the best player in the series.
Speaker 4 (22:55):
Who's the league one? Real quick?
Speaker 1 (22:57):
If the league had their knicks, they want the Knicks.
They wanted to the biggest TV mark.
Speaker 6 (23:01):
I think the league will want the Nicks in the
and the Timberwolves, Julius Random and deep Intindo and you know,
going back to Madison Square Garden, Anthony Edwards and Madison
Square Garden.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
If you if you were in the league office and
you got to make it your way, but might okay,
C might have something to say about they might.
Speaker 4 (23:19):
But I was talking about it, yeah, talk about that earlier.
I was like, who is the league one? Who they love?
Kind of licking their chops for all, right, eighty.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
Even minutes to the championship in since ninety nine, No, no, no,
the Nichianship.
Speaker 4 (23:29):
Yeah ninety nine ever won since Moby Dick was a guppy.
So you know that's a long time. A d appreciate
always did you hear that? Laugh?
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Rob G, thank you, thank you, thank you. You can
use that on NBA Radio tomorrow. I'm so mad at
ad right, now for laughing, Thank you so.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
Mad at a d Right now, 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 fs R to listen live.
Speaker 4 (24:00):
Want to get in this?
Speaker 3 (24:01):
Rob g reports out there about the Steelers and how
all things pointing to Aaron Rodgers signing right yes, sir.
Speaker 4 (24:09):
Last week we talked.
Speaker 5 (24:09):
About on the show briefly, a Steelers insider told the
ninety three point seven The Fan in Pittsburgh that the
club is willing to wait up to six weeks for
Aaron Rodgers to officially commit to the team, that they
basically have all their eggs in the Aaron Rodgers basket.
Well over the weekend, Ian O'Connor, longtime writer author.
Speaker 4 (24:29):
I worked with him. We both worked. We both were
columnus at ESPN New York dot com.
Speaker 5 (24:34):
It's right, I long and he literally wrote the book
on Aaron Rodgers, wrote his biography. Also on ninety three
seven The Fan in Pittsburgh said that while it's not guaranteed,
he believes that there is a wink wink, nudge, nudge
handshake deal between Rodgers and the Steelers and the only reason,
according to O'Connor, why Rodgers has not yet signed sealed
(24:57):
delivered in Pittsburgh is that that he believes that Rogers
is waiting until after OTAs on May twenty seventh because
they are quote mandatory. Here's what he said. I think
the word mandatory. After we went through last year when
he missed two practices to go to see the pyramids
in Egypt. He took so much grief for that. I
think he'll honor that. And my suspicion is that Mike
(25:20):
Tomlin has given him a verbal sign off on that
already that he can come in after OTAs.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
This is one of those I'm gonnaet ready to give
it over to you because I don't have much to
say other than because I've exhausted my Steelers Aaron Rodgers conversation.
Speaker 4 (25:38):
Except for this, you.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
Certainly have, though guhead I have because I'm blown away
that an organization like the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have been
one of the blue bloods, a historically well run organization,
would be this desperate for one in particular person who
is forty one years old, best days behind, and that
(26:01):
would be anybody best days behind him who seems noncommittal
when you have a young coach, meaning it's not like
it's his last hurrah. He's seventy three, and they're trying
to win right now and you're trying to sustain and
have a great system for years to come. And I'm
so confused at what they're doing because Aaron Rodgers, again,
(26:23):
all signs point maybe, but he's not in, and he
might not come to OTA's and he might not come
to meetings, and there's still a small chance he might
not sign with you. And they're acting like they're not
the Pittsburgh Steelers and more like they're the Jags or
the Panthers or the Raiders making a desperate move.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
And I'm not even knocking him. He played pretty well.
You know, he wasn't great, but he played pretty well
last year. But if you're going based off pretty well,
Russell Wilson prayed pretty well, and he's like four or
five years younger. So if you're gonna go it pretty
well and you want to ride it out, might not
roll with Russell Wilson.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
And I genuinely don't get what they're doing. And then okay,
you get him and and he puts up a solid year.
You don't have a running game right now. Your defense
has to get tighter. And what I don't even think
they're gonna I think it's gonna be the first year
if this happens, that Mike Tomlin does not go above
five hundred. If this happens, this will be the first
(27:22):
year he's below five hundred. I do not see this
working out, and I don't understand it because it's so
limited thinking for an organization typically has been well run,
and I genuinely don't get it. Not even this is
not even a I hate Aaron Rodgers. It's not gonna
sounds like it's about Pittsburgh. I don't get what they're doing.
(27:43):
But you're living in the past. You're living in the
old Pittsburgh. Okay, let me, Can I give you some
facts I would?
Speaker 1 (27:49):
Okay, So they haven't won a playoff game since twenty seventeen. Okay,
so this you don't understand what they're doing. Who when
has Aaron Rodgers woman, No, no, no, no, listen to
what I'm talking abot you're talking about, but you're saying no, no, no,
no no, but you're talking about Pittsburgh.
Speaker 4 (28:04):
Okay, So I'm giving you the numbers want to. Okay,
so you haven't won a.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
Super Bowl since two thousand and nine, you think that
being not having a losing record or something special.
Speaker 4 (28:16):
Mike Tomlin knows that he needs to win.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
Okay, And it does make everything that ian O'Connell said
made total sense from the standpoint of rather than come
in knowing that you're not prepared to do the things
that you need to do and not have people go,
oh see, he's not doing this, it makes total sense
(28:39):
because that's not going to be the reason or the
difference because when he first came to the Jets, the
first year he did all that he came in, He
didn't miss anything year one, and he got hurt in
four snaps. But my point is, now that makes sense
on why they haven't gone to get another quarterback, why
they haven't panicked, why they didn't draft your doors and
(29:00):
when they had a chance, like oh my god, we
don't have anybody they believe what ian O'Connell said makes
total sense to me. Now when you pull a curtain
back and Pittsburgh needs to win a playoff game, and
you can say whatever you want. Aaron Rodgers in the
same old Aaron Rodgers but I don't know. But he
(29:22):
had the same stats as Patrick Mahomes who went to
the Super Bowl last year. He did, You could go
look him up. They had the same stats. In fact,
Aaron Rodgers had less interceptions than Patrick Mahomes. So they
feel like, no, but they're looking and saying, if we
can have a better defense and some other stuff around him,
that maybe we might have a chance. And that's all
(29:44):
I'm saying. I'm not saying they're going to the super Bowl,
they're gonna win, but they haven't won anything in a
long time. You're making it like this is the Chuck
Noles Steelers or something. That's I'm saying, I don't want
to get a guy who hasn't won anything in a
long time.
Speaker 4 (29:57):
They haven't won anything.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
He's still amore, but he's still better than anybody that
they've had.
Speaker 4 (30:02):
Look at the last ten years, but they've had no way.
Speaker 1 (30:07):
Even Ben Rothsburger's last two or three years were all three.
Speaker 4 (30:10):
So that's my point.
Speaker 3 (30:12):
What dude, literally just it's Ben Roethlisberger's last few years
weren't great. Aaron rodgers last few years haven't been great.
It was hurting about the numbers last year he was hurt.
Same to get rid of him. Same last year he
put up numbers. They were fool gayzy. They weren't winning games.
(30:32):
He went the point of the quarterback position to win
me games.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
So when someone the kicker against them, we missed the
field goals And why don't you go four and the
four games where the other team average eighteen when the
other team watched the ball down h and scored a
touchdown on the last drove.
Speaker 4 (30:49):
Those are Aaron Rodgers games. You had, come on, you
had Adams, you had Wilson. Watch the games.
Speaker 7 (30:56):
Literally did go win a game? How many games watch
Aaron Rodgers? How many did not win? How many games
did they lose on the last possession? Where where the
Patriots marched down and won the game? Indianapolis Colts. I'm
telling you I watched the game because Aaron Rodgers doesn't up.
I thought they had a great defense.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
That's all they talked about was that they they had
a great defense, they had the lead.
Speaker 4 (31:20):
What are you talking about. He didn't put them up. No,
they and he has he didn't even do that when
he was a packer.
Speaker 3 (31:26):
They had He does not win if he were down
in the fourth quarter, even with the Packers, he doesn't win.
Speaker 4 (31:31):
That is not true.
Speaker 7 (31:32):
Do you want to go One of the greatest games
was in San Francisco rob on a Monday night against
team Do you.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
Remember that on Monday night? With thirty four seconds ago?
What are you talking about?
Speaker 3 (31:44):
Why?
Speaker 4 (31:44):
Why?
Speaker 1 (31:45):
Why are you talking about? Why do I want someone
who's not going to get healthier? And you ain't get
I know when you're getting older, you're not getting healthier
playing a sport.
Speaker 4 (31:52):
So nobody sold.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
You mean to tell me that the Denver Broncos won
a Super Bowl with Peyton Manna shouldn't have picked him up.
And you're saying that they last year? Did they win
a Super Bowl? Did they want to?
Speaker 4 (32:03):
Did you see Manning? Did they win a Super Bowl?
A mask? Don't switch?
Speaker 1 (32:07):
No, No, My point is because he was about winning. No, no, no,
it's about winning. It's about winning. They had a great defense. No,
not right now, no, but dad, but I'm trying to
They had a great defense and they went out and
got a veteran quarter pay Manning was.
Speaker 4 (32:22):
So bad and you know that he literally was a
shell that night. Might be a compliment. Did they win
a super Bowl?
Speaker 2 (32:28):
Yes?
Speaker 4 (32:28):
No?
Speaker 3 (32:29):
And Aaron Rodgers. I'm not even won a Super Bowl
to with compare them to Please don't know. My point
is d winner.
Speaker 4 (32:38):
Yeah, but he also has a top five defense every
time he wins. Stop it. The first three.
Speaker 3 (32:43):
Super Bowl I want you to defense and I want
you to be my defense lawyer man. Please, I'm calling
you Robert Cochran from here on out. Johnny Cochran's Robert
Cochran because this man gets more passes for not good
passes and not winning. And the Steelers, who I really
try to make it about less about Aaron Rodgers, that
(33:05):
they would be banking on a forty one soon to
be forty two year old, I just don't I just
don't get that
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Rob Parker
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