June 27, 2025 • 38 mins
Kelvin Washington and Rob G. (sitting in for Rob Parker) open this 'Best of' edition of the show reacting to recent comments from Mavs head coach Jason Kidd on the plan for Cooper Flagg. Jazz reporter Andy Larsen from The Athletic joins the show to discuss Utah selecting Ace Bailey in the top five of the NBA draft despite him not wanting to go there. Plus, was Austin Reaves right to turn down a contract extension from the Lakers?
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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 check us out live every weekday from
four to seven pm Pacific seven to ten pm Eastern
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Odd Couple on Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream
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Speaker 2 (00:19):
You're listening to the best of the Odd Couple.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Oh, rob G, that's right, Rob Wow.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Forget that other side of the glass, Alex. He's jumping
over here. Matter of fact, rob G, I don't even
know if you're jumping over here, jumping over there?
Speaker 4 (00:45):
Are you doing two? Three jobs? What are we doing today?
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Are you just am I just getting this version of you,
the on air version of you.
Speaker 5 (00:52):
You know what, You get a little bit of everything
because we got the dream Team in the back now,
the big a Alex tyshirt in between podcast posts and
Ian up hopping to Bruce the show.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Ian came in and already you know, Ian was feeling
himself on a Friday. Ian told you what he might
or might not do. He said he I might come
in there, I might do this, I might not. You know,
it's Friday. We'll see how I feel it is the
couple kelvin Washington. That's right, Rob G in the building
in for Rob Parker, who, of course Rob is on
vacation joining baseball ball parks all around this country. He'll
(01:25):
be back soon enough, so hopefully he's enjoying himself. It's
been a good week, Rob G. We've had a handful
of different people in so and a lot of course
to talk to as well.
Speaker 4 (01:34):
And we got a lot to get you, by the way,
Rob G.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
The producer RG for him on Social ID couple FSR
and k dub live for myself like to welcome in
the odd couple crew. We can't do this amazing show
without them, I guess Ian oupidated Rob G. I don't
know I was talking to you today as a producer.
I don't know half half and half producers today getting
you ready for the show. Then we got dj Ali
(01:58):
Alex our engine there extraordin there who.
Speaker 5 (02:01):
Guilted you and to buy pizza for everybody.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
I wasn't mad at Alex. I wasn't gonna bring that up. Guilted.
You know, it's funny. Hold on, let me let me
get in a college.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Let me I walk in today and there's a couple
of boxes already there. Then I felt some type of
way he's just gonna get pizzas without me. You or
I know, But for a second there I thought you did.
So we'll be ordering pizzas today, Alex. He's gonna cost you.
You're gonna have to show me a workout regiment. So
you're gonna have to give me like a ten minute
workout regiment.
Speaker 6 (02:28):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Before we get to that, all right, We got, of
course Steven Sega gonna keep you updated on what's happening
around the sports world as well, so a lot to
get to. We got Andy Larson gonna join us cover
the Utah Jazz in the NBA at Large for the
Salt Lake Tribune.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
I don't know has A's Bailey showed up yet be here,
y'all draft me, but we'll find out about that.
Speaker 7 (02:53):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Some great conversations to happening in the w n B
A some stuff to talk about there. And also a
kil Augustine the Raptors on NBA TV Canada for.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
Twenty plus years. Some we'll say, some.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Rearranging, house cleft North, some house cleaning happening up north.
So a lot to get you. So buckle up for
the next few hours. We're gonna have a great one.
So Happy Friday to you and thank you for rocking
with your boys.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
Rob G. We've been talking about Cooper Flagg over the last.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
School several weeks obviously, but this week especially, And you
know I mentioned this yesterday. Before we get in all
the dissecting and breaking down who did what, who shouldn't
have did this, this will be kind of the last
time I say it, and then after that we'll just
be hard on them for the rest of all these guys' careers.
Again after last night, one more time, congratulations to all
the young men who got drafted.
Speaker 4 (03:39):
Amazing moment for them.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Again, I say they they've worked their entire lives to
get there, and they're in a position that such a
low percentage of humans can be really not even know.
We always like to tie that to any sport. Only
in any sport, there's a lot of people who say, man,
I want to be a lawyer. I want to be that,
and never go through with it. So for them to
actually be able to fulfill their dreams to be congratulations
to them.
Speaker 5 (04:00):
Oh yeah, big fact. I mean just a couple of
days ago, Martin why sitting on this share. We were
talking during one of the commercial breaks about, you know,
because you played high level high school ball, a lot
of guys you played with you that played in college
played in the NBA. So we're just talking, what is
the percentage of people who play in high school ended
up playing at a high level Division one? You're like
maybe fifteen percent? Yeah, ten percent?
Speaker 4 (04:20):
About that?
Speaker 5 (04:21):
Yeah, how much of those guys play in the NBA?
Speaker 4 (04:23):
What point one percent?
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Just think about it's crazy, right, and to be there
and to get drafted and then NBA draft, by the way,
it's not the MLB draft, which is like Steve, how
many rounds are MLB Draft seventy eight?
Speaker 4 (04:37):
Stuff? Like seventy eight rounds and you're getting you know,
he is the guy.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
They just drafted this kid in the forty ninth round
of the MLB, like forty nine. But the NBA is
only two, you know, and and we already know that
only a handful of those guys are really going to
make an impact and really be in the league. So
it's just an amazing accomplishment. So I don't ever want
to belittle that are diminished that, So congrats to them.
With that being said though Cooper flag now is the
guy for the Mavericks, which I don't know if Nico
(05:04):
Harrison is the luckiest man on earth, the most well
informed man on earth, meaning like, hey, man, do what
you need to do. Know where Ayboudy, we got you.
We'll take care, but you get the number one pick.
Speaker 4 (05:13):
You know how we do.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
You saw what happened with Zion. You saw what happen
when Lebron left, they got Kyrie. You saw what happen
when and when Ad left and they got Zion. Just
you know, let me go on down the line. So
I don't know if he's well informed or the luckiest man,
but here we are the Calves have the number one pick.
And the thing that he said Nico Harrison, which was
interesting is the two timelines.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
This is almost like movie was that Looper? You ever
seen Looper?
Speaker 6 (05:38):
No?
Speaker 4 (05:38):
I never seen Looper? I and you saw Looper? Right, Alex, No,
you ain't see yet. You saw Looper? Okay?
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Bruce Willis And what's the other guy, the young kid
who played him?
Speaker 4 (05:48):
Love it? Love it?
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Hewitt, Joseph Gordon, love it yeah him. So it's like
in the future but in the past, but in the
real time. Then they both come together and then you
see the past with him, and it's confusing. And that's
what Nico Harrison is opera around. He is playing Looper
where he says, we're gonna be good. Now, we're gonna win, now,
we're gonna win in the future. And I said this yesterday.
I don't I buy what he's trying to sell me
(06:11):
on paper, because if I just listed the guys, you'd
be like, oh, that's a nice roster. But I just
you just woke up from a COBDA and I said, hey, man,
here's a video of this kid who's been playing his
name Trooper Flag. You see the video, Oh, he looks nice.
And I said, ad first ballot Hall of Famer. You
know what he does? On both ends of the floor,
you go, oh, nice, Kyrie Irving, first ballot Hall of Famer.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
You know what he does? You said, ooh.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Then I go on to some young guys Lively in
Goatford and now Klay Thompson and some other people they
have coming up.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
PJ.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Washington, Really nice player. You like what you see on paper?
My thing is number one. Kyrie Irving isn't playing right now.
Kyrie Irvan might not play until late February, could be
later on in the spring. And he's older, he's coming
off a serious injury, and you're banking on him being
able to play with another guy who's older, who was
(06:56):
often injured in ad So to me, the win now
is kind of like if you say so, everybody has
to be injury free, and that team is injury prone,
including Klay Thompson. And also you're gonna be banking on
a rookie who I think is gonna be good, but
it will also be finding his sea legs in the NBA.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
So I don't buy.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Necessarily the win now as much as obviously Nico Harrison does.
But he has to sell something to the fan base.
He has to get them energized, and again that's his
job to be trying to win now.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
But I don't.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
I'm just we would be worried about the way they're constructed,
which is why it was so hard on him trading Luca,
is that you only got older with any Anthony Davis.
You paired Anthony Davis with the Kyrie who's got injured,
and guess what happened last year Anthony Davis get injured
the first game he's back. A little bit later on
in the season, Kyrie Irving gets injured. So to me,
and you know, you just said here, how many times
(07:47):
I was saying that. How many times I'll say, you
got two guys who are often injured. Boom, both of
them get injured in the same year. So that had
been my concern. But there's other points that you can
point to about Cooper flag that even Jason Kidd said that.
We'll get to it a minute, but your thoughts on
the two timelines, the looper of it all, as I'm
calling it, it's just not realistic.
Speaker 5 (08:05):
And the most recent example we've seen of this is
the Golden State Warriors and people saying, well, they want
a championship in twenty twenty two, what he maden't work.
If you watch that team, they fell ass backwards into it.
They tried so hard to say James Wiseman, Jonathan kaminga
Moses Moody, We're gonna build those guys, while also being
in contention with Steph clay Andre when that run took off.
(08:28):
None of those three guys were important, the young guys.
It was the old Wiley vets. Jordan Poole was a revelation.
Nobody was explaining anything from him when they dropped him
lay in the first round, heavy on the Wolves, and yeah, exactly,
and Andrew Wiggins finally realized his full potential. He only
had it for one season, but he realized it, and
you could argue he was their second best player during
(08:48):
that playoff run. And the problem that you run into
with those two situations is you have the Wiley vets
and this HiT's going to be Anthony Davis, who has
a ring, so he knows that he wants one more
than our lady. You guys want to set the first one.
Klay Thompson, who has held bent on proving that Golden
State made a mistake by low balling him in a
contract offer. Kyrie Irving reportedly is gonna try to rush
(09:12):
back as soon as possible. Whether that's you know, smart
on his term short and long term, I don't know,
but he wants to come back and win right away.
How on earth are you going to be able to
satisfy all three of these guys and still do what
Jason Kidd just said earlier today did in the press conference.
Let Cooper Flagg make mistakes, Let Cooper flag develop on
(09:34):
the fly where he mentioned it will play this twn
here in a second. Yeah, turn the ball over. I
don't care I need to do that. We're gonna put
the ball in your hands and let you pass to
the wrong guy, make the wrong read, throw the wrong
pack like. You can't have both because inevitably, when you
get to April, May and June in the postseason, because
I think they're gonna be in the playoffs, Cooper Flag's
(09:56):
not gonna be allowed to make those kind of mistakes anymore.
You can't say, Coop, you're gonna be our new Yohnis,
you're a new point guard. Walk Kyrie's down. Do what
you gotta do. Well, you can't do in the Western
Conference because if you trick things around, you're no longer
a top six seed. Now you're in nineteen eleven.
Speaker 4 (10:13):
And then what, by the way, I hate I don't
mind the play in.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
I don't like the seventh seed being in the play in,
meaning I get the eight. You're the last of something.
If you're the last of something, so then you were
close to not even making it. Okay, great, let's have
the eight to nine and it makes it fun, right,
was exciting to play and I'm okay with that if
I were. I don't like the seventh seed, especially in
the Western Conference, because the seventh seed you might be
ten games above five hundred and you're like, man, I
(10:40):
cannot make the posting. We've seen that happen before. I
believe the Warriors happened to them once, or they gotten
playing and lost to the Lakers. I believe it was like,
I've never been a fan of that there playing work.
Speaker 5 (10:49):
What was it during the bubble yearHe they said, if
you're within six games of the eight seed, we only
got ten games left season. Yep, sure, but now you
had a last season, think in the Eastern Conference where
eleven and twelve, we're like thirteen games back and we.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Got a shot and once we get into tournament, right,
you never know. He's like, no, I know, you guys
suck and you shouldn't even have an option and a
chance of being this at that. So all right, I
want to let's play this sound real quick. You mentioned
Jason Kidd, one of the great point guards of all time.
Looking at Cooper Flagg as maybe a taller point guard,
let's se what you have to say about that.
Speaker 8 (11:20):
I want to put him in at the point guard.
I want to make him uncomfortable and see how he
reacts being able to run the show, being able to
play the two, play the three. He's he's comfortable playing that,
but we want to push and I think he's going
to respond in a positive way. It's all right to fail,
(11:43):
It's all right to turn the ball over. We've talked
about that, you know, just understanding the guys that I've
been around that are being young from Giannis giving him
the ball and he failed, but he wanted to come
back and have the ball. So I'm excited about giving
him the ball against the Lakers and see what happens.
Speaker 5 (12:03):
What will happen, Rob, I'll tell you what's gonna happen.
He's gonna have a real problem on his hands. Because
if you look at that roster in Dallas, they got
seven legitimate front court options that would play on a
decent team, right Cooper Flag, Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, Derek Lively,
PJ Washington, Naji Marshall, and what's together from Miami Kayla Martin. Yeah,
(12:28):
all every one of those guys, you can argue should
get a minimum fifteen to twenty minutes on an average
NBA team. I think you're gonna have a real difficult
situation in Dallas where you're gonna allow Cooper Flag to
develop the way you want him to develop while keeping
that two timeline track. When you have I could argue
(12:50):
right now at least three or four guys who deserve
minutes at the front court positions ahead of him. So
unless they decide Cooper Flag, you are our small forward,
moving forward, point blank period, Anthony David, I know you
don't like plank center. You are five. Cooper Flag is
our four. That's what we're gonna do. That's how we're
gonna maximize this team right now. That's how we're gonna
(13:13):
maximize our Cooper Flag timeline. And unless they do that,
I don't know if we're even going to see Cooper
Flag reach its full potential, much less the team.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
So I actually disagree with you, Rob g our first
disagreement because I think what he's trying to create is
not that he's a point guard in the sense of
magic Johnson Isaiah Thomas, a traditional point guard. I think
what he is looking at and looking at success over
the last ten to fifteen years. If you look at
the Warriors when they were winning. Everybody always said Steph
(13:44):
Curry the greatest point because Steph Curry's not a point guard.
Speaker 4 (13:46):
Stop it.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Steph Curry is a combo guard. Right, Steph Curry for
the first run the first seven eight years, didn't even
bring the ball up. You know who brought the ball up?
Andre Iguidala, Leonardo Barbosa, Sean living Sean Livingston, Draymond Green.
Those are a bunch of other guys brought the ball
up for him. And so where I think there where
he's going with this is I think he's saying, I
don't need you to be me Steve Nash, Chris Paul,
(14:09):
some of the greats. What I do need is in
this current NBA guys are out. Pascalcia can gets the ball,
he can go, he can be on the break. And
I think he's looking at the successful teams. If you
look at the thunder SGA doesn't have to stop the
whole entire game to go get the ball. And I'm
gonna tell you a team, it doesn't work for the Lakers.
What happens, Lebron has to stop, come get the ball.
(14:30):
Pre Luca, it always had to be him, right, Lebron, run,
you still run like a freight trade. Just go go.
But he has a hold on way. Let you know,
he has to do his little hand wipe on his jersey.
Let me get the ball, let me take it up slowly.
I think Jason Kidd wants us to be like the
bulls of the nineties, Ron Harper, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen,
Tony Kokoch. All these guys can get the ball and
(14:52):
bring it up and go. The Warriors are their run.
All these guys can get the ball and go, The
thunder Sga Wallace, it can be Caruso, j dub anybody,
even Chet get the ball and go. And I think
that's what he's trying to create, so that they can
get some better pacing.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
They can get they don't have to always have a set.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
And I think also knowing Kyrie, your best ball handler
is not going to be back for some time, I
need as many people making good decisions and being able
to control a break and get stuff going. So that's
what I think he's trying to create, is he's looking
at the current NBA, whether it be the Houston Rockets
as well, this current NBA. The Pacers think about it,
it's like six guys who can bring the ball up.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
And I think he's said the Pistons even had that.
You know, just go.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
It doesn't have to be traditional early mid two thousands,
you know, the early nineties were like one or two guys.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
That's it.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
You literally get a rebound from the four or the
five traditional where's my point guard? Here you go? You
have to now I run down. He's saying, bring it down,
go go, go, pacing, keeping the defense on their heels.
So I think that's what the what Jason Kidd is
trying to create. And part of that will be Cooper
Flagg is gonna be athletic. He's gonna get you seven
six to eight rebounds. I don't want you to have
(16:05):
to think all the time, find somebody, just go. And
I think he's trying to create that mindset for him. Dude,
you don't have to wait. And it's not my time,
it's not my possession. No, go create, get some If
it's there, it's there, and that's how you get those
Pascal Siakam easy buckets. Sometimes I ain't gotta draw a
play for you. I got to It just happened in transition.
You made a play, You made the right decision.
Speaker 5 (16:24):
I would agree with you if their roster wasn't built
with four centers and five power forwards, because who who
on their team? And that you bring me Pascal Siakam
and the Pacers. Almost everybody on their team save for
Miles Turner and their backup center to Thomas Bryant, former Laker,
is capable of doing something like that. If you look
at Dallas and assuming Kyrie doesn't come back for a while,
(16:45):
it's well, I don't even specially then when he has
a contract right now. It's Max Christy, it's Klay Thompson,
it's Anthony Davis, it's Daniel Gaffort. Like, none of those
guys are known as creators. So what I think that
they would be best served, assuming they're curious about trying
to win now and they really want to get this
done and really go for this two timeline thing, is
(17:06):
consolidate your roster. You don't need to have three centers,
you don't need to have seven guys competing for two spots.
So unless I like they're playing this three D chess
game that they kind of fell ass backwards into with
the whole drafting situation, and I just think they're gonna
find themselves and they have enough time where they'll be good.
But it's just such a murky situation for them. I
(17:28):
don't think it's working out.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
I get what you're saying, and that's a good thing
to me though, of having all those bodies, because what
are the next Lakers need size?
Speaker 7 (17:36):
You know?
Speaker 5 (17:36):
I bet you they alt trade with them again though,
but at.
Speaker 4 (17:40):
That point it will be the Dallas Lakers.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
But I'm using as example of some teams still need
some size, and hey, if I got something that's in demand,
I can supply it.
Speaker 7 (17:48):
You know that.
Speaker 4 (17:48):
I'm up right now, all right on the way.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
Also, Cooper Flagg mentioned something Rob g we were saying
about the luxury he has that other top picks don't
often have.
Speaker 4 (17:59):
We'll get to that.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
And if you want to jump in eight seven seven
ninety nine on Fox eight seven seven ninety nine on Fox,
are they in to win now and win in the
future situation? And do you like j kids thought process
of letting Cooper Flag learn to play the point and
just go and make mistakes in real time eight seven
seven ninety nine on Fox.
Speaker 4 (18:17):
Will take your calls on that as well.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
See a couple Kelvin Washington, Rob g and to build
it in for Rob Parker Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 6 (18:24):
Hi, this is Jay. I'm the producer of the Paula
and Tony Fusco Show. Usually in these promos they ask
you to listen to the show. I'm here to ask
you please don't listen to the show. The hosts are
two absolute morons who have the dumbest takes on sports magical.
Don't listen to the show so it can get camps.
Speaker 4 (18:40):
What the hell studio get him Paulli. Ignore that fool.
Speaker 5 (18:47):
Listen to the Paula and Tony Footsco Show on the
iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
He's still moving.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Rob Parker and kelvin Washington. He said, seven pm Eastern,
four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
Fox Sports Radio. It is the Odd Couple, kelvin Washington.
Rob g And for Rob, who is out on vacation.
When's he coming back? Roger, He's back on Monday.
Speaker 5 (19:15):
And if you were in what was it the New
Jersey area, he was speaking of you high school commencement today? Wow?
Speaker 4 (19:21):
Did he over under no I'm not gonna do do it?
Do it?
Speaker 5 (19:26):
Oh, Rob, when I was at this school without the
Hall of Famer, if my name's over there, my name's over.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
There, and look what I said, Look what I did,
And then you know when I was used to sit
right there, and it's crazy.
Speaker 4 (19:37):
Oh god, So are you gonna tell us something about
the journey? Oh god? And it's crazy.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
I've happened to brow this print out picture of me
in nineteen eighty three.
Speaker 9 (19:44):
By the way, mlbbro dot com. If you want more information,
that's the hat I'm wearing right now with this convincement.
Oh if you talk it though, and some of you
in about five years, I'll see you.
Speaker 4 (19:57):
What's the line, Alex with the ID. If it's a
sideway ID, it's not for me.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
Oh my gosh, we missed your all right, I was
gonna get to we we don't have we don't have
time to get to now. But Cooper Flag was saying
Rob Gi that he feels blessed to not have to
be the centerpiece. And it's interesting because so many draft picks.
I don't think it's any more prevalent than two positions,
whether you're the star pick a Cooper flag, a zion.
Speaker 4 (20:21):
In the NBA, or a star quarterback.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
Because if you're Bryce young and it's like everybody know that,
the whole city is excited. You know, if you're Caleb Williams,
the whole city is excited. Everybody you're getting ready to
come be this thing. And it's so hard. You know,
it's so hard to change a franchise. It's so hard
to be that.
Speaker 4 (20:41):
Mind.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
You in Cooper's case, you're eighteen, or maybe some other
guys are nineteen or you're twenty, and an entire city
is like, hey, come change everything that this organization is
general manager of this president of basketball. Everybody's been not
being able to do, not these veterans, but all of
a sudden, you have to come do this. And I
just think it's it's such a difficult position. So of
him understanding that he's privileged, I think I think he
(21:05):
I like the position he's in where he gets to
go in learn they have you mentioned the roster.
Speaker 4 (21:09):
They have a good team.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
They should be good, maybe not great, maybe not a
top five, seeds sixty, but a good team, good coach.
And he gets to walk into that. Right, you don't
have to go save the Wizards.
Speaker 5 (21:21):
I'll tell you what his outlook on this thing. It's
all very mature, to be honest with you, but in
many ways you could argue it's like the anti Ace Bailey,
where he's like, Hey, I want to come in and
be part of a team. I want to win. I
want to do whatever it takes for this franchise, for
this group. Based on what we're hearing in the reporting
around ast Bailey is I want all the buckets, I
want all the shots. I want the least amount of competition.
(21:44):
I want to make sure I can get mine so
I can get this second contract and get paid. It's
incredible that you see the Well basically become the two
hallmark marquee names of this NBA draft, and they seem
to have completely opposite viewpoints the league and their career.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
Well, i'll tell you what, man, We're gonna have an
extended conversation about what's happening with A's Bailey a little
bit later in hour three, So looking forward to that.
All right, let's go to Steve right now, because Andy
Larson on the other side of what's trending.
Speaker 10 (22:12):
Hey, Steve, Hello, there, Angels manager Ron Washington will remain
on medical leave for the rest of the season. Washington
is seventy three in his second year there. The Angels
have one of the late games, hosting Washington. The Mets
are at Pittsburgh in the bottom of the second and scoreless.
The New York Mets are first in the NL East
half game over the Phillies. By the way, Philadelphia is
(22:34):
at Atlanta tonight. News from the Mets not good today. Predictably,
they pitcher Griffin Canning had surgery for a torn achilles
Rain delay at the start for Minnesota at Detroit rays
her out to a two to nothing lead. At Baltimore,
Yankee scoreless in the second against the A's Yanks first
in the AL East half game over Tampa Bay. Toronto
(22:55):
is three back. Blue Jays are leading one nothing at
Boston in the bottom of the first. Boston Red Sox
have lost five games in a row. Five WNBA contests tonight,
including Minnesota at twelve and two about to start at
Atlanta and Indiana playing at Dallas. Caitlin Clark out again
with a groin injury. US Men's soccer plays its Gold
Cup quarterfinal on Sunday against Costa Rica. That'll be on
(23:19):
Fox TV from Minnesota. The FIFA Club World Cup quarterfinals
start on Saturday. The Florida Panthers playoff MVP Sam Bennett
signed an eight year extension. The NHL and its players
Union agreed to an extension of the CBA through twenty thirty.
The NHL regular season will increase to eighty four games
per team in a year. The Utah Jazz say first
(23:40):
round er Ace Bailey will report on Saturday, with a
news conference on Sunday. Practice on Monday. The team's rookies
will then fly to Summer League from Salt Lake City.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
Back to you, all right, Steve, Thank you so much.
I couple covin Washings. He Rob g In for Rob
on his funky Flashback Friday. We're joined now by Andy Larson,
who covers the Utah Jazz and the NBA at large
for The Lake Tribune.
Speaker 4 (24:01):
Andy B.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
Larson on X give him a follow Andy. What's up man?
Happy Friday?
Speaker 4 (24:05):
How you doing hey man?
Speaker 7 (24:07):
I'm doing good.
Speaker 4 (24:07):
How are you doing good?
Speaker 1 (24:09):
Man? We've just had a little quick conversation about Ace Bailey.
We'll have an extended one a little bit later on,
but we'll start there. Just what do you make of
the last few weeks. Frace Bailey obviously very talented, is not.
I mean, you could argue just about his talent as
Cooper Flag. Some people think more talented than Cooper Flag.
But here we are where the story is and just
(24:30):
how good he is and how good he can be.
Speaker 4 (24:31):
It's well, he didn't take any visits.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Well now he might not even be showing up to
Utah and he didn't want to get drafted by Utah,
but yet they still drafted him. What's been up with
this journey? And that landed him there with the fifth Pig.
Speaker 10 (24:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (24:44):
Look, I think it's about the people you put around
you a little bit, and it's hard to do that
when you're fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, and now Ace is still
only eighteen. But like you know, he's worked with Omar.
Cooper is his manager and kind of has been the
guy representing him, so representing Ace NBA teams throughout the process,
and I you know, I think as someone who's kind
(25:05):
of seen himself as a future star for a long time,
Omar kind of fought into that and then said, hey,
we should dictate where you go and ultimately wasn't successful
in doing that. You know, I hope that Ace to
be drafted by Washington, New Orleans or Brooklyn, and and
that wasn't the case. The Jazz, you know, picked him
at number five, which I still think is probably a
(25:28):
pretty good basketball situation for him. But it seems like, look,
you know, the Jazz do hold the cards in this
a little bit. And as a result, kind of everyone
fell in line over the last twenty four hours say hey, yes,
you know Aces coming into Salt Lake City, is going
to be working out with the Jazz, you know, in
the next two days, doing a press conference on Sunday,
right like, this is all happening, and so, you know,
(25:50):
I think for Ace, he said all the right things.
You know, I talked to Ace at the combine, talked
to him on draft Day. I think he's excited just
to kind of get to work on the basketball side.
It was just for those around him didn't see that
Utah was the best place for him. And you know,
that's the tough thing about drafts is you don't always
get to go where you want to go. It is
your career is determined by kind of this random order
(26:12):
that that makes it so that you go to whatever
team picks you.
Speaker 5 (26:16):
Andy. So one of the big talking points coming into
the draft, especially about Utah, was you know, they tried tanking,
and obviously the lottery balls and I bounced their way.
But one thing that they've been trying to do with
their new head coach Lori Market and John Collins a
lot of the guys out there is build a culture
that we want to get out from this seller do
all the situation we want to build. Forwarding it back
to Jazz basketball that was very successful for a very
(26:38):
long time, were you say, yeah, So, were you surprised
with that? In mind that the guy they ended up shooting,
taking at number five was Ace Bailey, who, by all indications,
is more about his own career, in his own advancement
than he is about building any kind of culture. That
part of the reason why he went to Rutgers that
is somewhere else, is because he wanted to get his
(27:00):
So are you surprised that that was the big? Yeah?
Speaker 7 (27:02):
Two things that I want. I mean, I think the Jazz,
as desperately as they want to create a culture, also
want to create a winning basketball team and just frankly,
just need more talent, right, neither kind of star level
talent that kind of unlocks the rest of the roster
to some degree. So I think that was, you know,
the primary concern. But look, I've talked to Awesome Angs
about this, and he's been pretty clear that the they
(27:24):
believe in a failure as a person as well, Like
they think he is a gym rat. You know, everyone
around as talked about how hard he works and that's
how he got to be the shooter and athlete that
he has become. So they're not that worried about Ace's personality.
They think that like, hey, you know he's Yes he's young,
and yes he has some people around him kind of
(27:45):
giving bad advice. But ultimately, this is a kid who
will work hard and will kind of create and actually
even help the culture. So I don't think they see
him as like a worry from a culture point of
view or a bad fit from creating the culture they
want to be. It's just that he young and has
you know, agents and managers kind of giving him the
wrong advice at this point in his career.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
Andy Larson, our guest covers of Utah Jazz and NBA
for the Salt Lake Tribute. Let me tell you something
what I think, guys, I think Danny Ainge if you watched,
you know, any Steady documentary or anything about the Celtics
when he was there as a player and then obviously
when he was running the basketball operations. One thing he
learned from you know, and he was even saying he
(28:26):
was a little bit more cutthroat than red Eyurbuck in
that he's such a business mind, meaning like, hey, I'm sorry,
Like he even knew it was Tinny Go we had
on the burden and Mchaelen Parrison, those guys too long, right,
he's like I thought they asked me. I told Ray,
we need to get rid of him, like he's just
that kind of guy. Paul Pierce, rid of Paul Pierce KG.
The reason I say, which is the opposite of the Lakers, Andy,
(28:46):
as you know, the Lakers will hold on. It's a
family run. They just historically not anymore, but they would
hold on. The reason I bring that up is I
think Danny Ainge is savvy enough to say, there's no
way I'm gonna let it. Could have been a number
one draft pick and another in another draft, that's how
talented he is. Just go to another team and if
we'll give it a shot for a year to it,
if I don't like him.
Speaker 4 (29:07):
He can go.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
If he starts pouding on like you, then you can
go and I'll go get some nice pieces for you.
I just think that's the way his mind works. He
he's not overly loyal to a player. I think he
can like a player and I love him, and he
can you know, I'm not fully committed to you as
much as I am winning.
Speaker 4 (29:23):
So am I wrong for that?
Speaker 1 (29:24):
I mean that's all I literally heard it out his
own mouth and documentaries and stuff, his approach to this.
I'm not saying he doesn't like the person that he's,
you know, the the the human being that some of
these guys are, but he's all about what makes sense
for the team and the organization.
Speaker 7 (29:37):
Yeah, I think so, which is you know, kind of
rare to see from a former player. But you're right,
he's as cutthroat as an EGM in the business, and
I think that's what's made him a good GM. You know,
Kevin Garnett pulls Pears trade worked out terrifically for Boston
and then they win for the guys that you know,
Jason Tatum may to get him with when they have
the number one pick to trade back get more picks,
(29:57):
get Jalen Brown, a guy you know not a lot
of people had at that spot in the draft at
that time. Is incredibly good jamming, you know. And yes,
it meant that they traded you know, Isaiah and and
just Isaiah Thomas and some beloved franchise figures, but they
made the move that they thought was best for the team.
And so yeah, you know, I think we see that
(30:18):
a little bit where and as names of the new
president of Basketball Operations in Utah, Danny Ainge is the
CEO of basketball to this kind of goofy title, but
like they are pretty clear that that's kind of what
is what it takes to win in the NBA, is
that cut throw mentality, is going for the younger guys,
is going for players who you think have the chances
(30:39):
to be stars moving forward rather than the stars of yesterday.
So I do think we're seeing that to some extent
with the Jazz with you know, certainly he traded Donovan
and Mitchell, Donovan, Mitchell and Rudy Gobert away, and you know,
it started this rebuild which has been pretty slow so far,
but maybe ramps up a little bit in the next
couple of years.
Speaker 5 (30:57):
Last one for me, Andy Realkld. You mentioned at the
beginning of the interview that as much as they want
to build a culture in Utah, they want to get
back to winning basketball. There's only one problem with that.
As good as this class was in twenty twenty five,
they're talking about the twenty twenty six draft class as
being historically great, especially you know the get from byu
aj Depantza is supposed to be, you know, one of
(31:19):
the next feenof right, he's the guy. So I know
that you mentioned that that that Utah doesn't want a
tank because it hasn't really worked out from in the past.
But they do have about sixty million dollars in expiring
contracts with John Collins, Collin Sexton, and Jordan Clarks, all
those guys who have a lot of value I think
to a lot of teams. Could you see a situation
where the Ages kind of go back on their word
(31:40):
And I know we said we want to win right now,
but have you seen the draft class in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 9 (31:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (31:46):
Look, I mean they said they don't want to tank
next year. I don't think that necessarily means they want
to win next year, right, I think that means that
they want to trade those guys away that they had
to frankly just sit out when they were healthy last
year in order to lose this minime. Is possible to
try to get Cooper Flagg. That didn't work, but it's
you know, Ryan Smith, owner is the owner of the
Jazz is byu Alum, Danny hbyu Alum, like these guys
(32:09):
know a j deponsa and what he brings from what
you can bring to the Jazz. Then you have Cameron Boozer,
who Carlos Boozer is now a Jazz scout. And then
you have the fact that the Jazz have a top
eight protected tick, which say owe Oklahoma City if they
are ninth or below in the draft next year. So
you know, I don't think that the Jazz have real,
really any intention to be competitive good next year, you know,
(32:32):
and it's they the West is so good that I
think they can be in that bottom four of the
West pretty easily. So you know, I think they can
kind of accomplish both gools where hey, you trade away
those veteran guys, you allow the young players on your
roster to play, you're still probably not all that good
in the scheme of things, and you have a pretty
good lottery chance that one of the top three guys
in the twenty twenty six ass that, yeah, do make
(32:55):
a difference, and you pair them with a Bailey, and
all of a sudden, maybe you've got something cooking.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
That's gonna be a long time before somebody's in that
kitchen cooking.
Speaker 4 (33:03):
Andy. I don't know. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
Thanksgiving dinner ain't happening. You know, the big Sunday cookout,
It and happened anytime soon.
Speaker 4 (33:10):
Up there.
Speaker 7 (33:10):
I think it says a lot that they gave Will
Hardy a six year extension, right like, yep, it's gonna
be a hang.
Speaker 4 (33:17):
Around for a little what din't he winning too much?
Speaker 5 (33:19):
Like two years ago? And hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
You better relax. We were the two seed for too long.
Let's get back to the ten where we need to be.
Speaker 7 (33:26):
Yep, yep, you're exactly right.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
All right, Andy Man, appreciate your time, Enjoy the rest
of your Friday and your weekend.
Speaker 4 (33:31):
Brother, Thank you so much.
Speaker 7 (33:33):
Yeah, I appreciate you guys.
Speaker 1 (33:34):
All right, So on the way too, so Friday, I'll
telling you we feel good Friday, Funky Flashback Friday. But
sometimes life throws your limons and you try to make lemonade,
but it comes out like apple juice. It ain't really
working out. Rob G's had one of those days. We're
gonna be there for our brother robb G. On the
other side. It is the couple. Robb G is in
for Rob. Stick with your boys. It's Fox Sports Radio.
(33:56):
We just got all deep man Fox Sports Radio. It
is the Ikoble, Kevin Washington, Rob Gi and for Rob
Parker on this funky flash Back Friday, and thank you
for hanging out with us. You can stream the show
and all of our Fox Sports Radio shows live twenty
four to seven and the new and improved iHeart Radio app.
Just search Fox Sports Radio in the app to stream
(34:18):
is live. And one of the newest features in the
app is that you can select Fox Sports Radio as
one of your presets, just like the presets on a
radio dial. So be sure to preset you Fox Sports
Radio in the iHeartRadio app and it will always pop
up with the top of your screen. We're kind of
up against it, Robi, so I do want to get
to this quickly. Austin reeves as basically declined a mac
(34:39):
extension for the Lakers that would have paid him eighty
nine million dollars over the next four years. So you're
talking a little. Twenty twenty two is twenty three twenty
two bucks, twenty two million dollars a year, which is
obviously good money. But there's a lot of guys. I'm
sure he his agent probably look at and say, well,
he's getting that kind of money. Yep, I know we
can get that much.
Speaker 5 (34:57):
Josh Gitty's about to get thirty million dollars.
Speaker 4 (34:58):
Year, right, Josh Kitty.
Speaker 1 (35:00):
Josh Giddy is a very versatile Player's nice, but here's
no massive separation between he and Austin Reeves. Austin Reeves
putting up his career numbers and assists, he gave you
twenty a game, gave you six assists, five boards as well,
so and gave you almost three threes a game played
very well. Can control the ball, can get other people
with the shots. I'm gonna get straight to my thing
(35:21):
on this. And they say he has all intentions of
being a Laker, He's come out plenty of times. I
love LA don't want to leave it. I love the team,
I love the city. I love the golf here. If
you know him, he loves the golf. I got a
chance to ask him, I said, while he slice, and
he was like, stay on top of it, man, And
I said all that to say, well, with the new
ownership rob Gi, Mark Walters and the crew and the
way the aprons are going, I said, the NBA is
(35:42):
turning into the Hell's kitchen talking about aprons and cooking
and all that with the second apron and whatnot. To me,
I look at this as now you're gonna have to
put the money where your mouth is, meaning all right,
do you want to remain a Laker? And also do
you want to have a chance to compete, because part
of that may be like I just did today, like
you do all the time for yourself. I just got
a haircut. You might have to take a haircut now.
(36:05):
The Lakers will love you At twenty two million dollars, right,
makes sense. But forty million dollars forty two million dollars,
and I'm a fan of his game, bro, I can't
pay you all that, especially with the aprons of the
way thing is, especially knowing I'm gonna have to just
resign Luca here soon, and especially knowing it's still not
enough this team comprised. I need more. I gotta get more, guys.
I can't pay you that kind of money. So if
(36:25):
you love LA, we can work out a deal. I
love you, and I love you with a three thirty
million thirty one million, okay, cool, I love you with
a three Austin Reeves, but I can't love you more
than that. And to me, if you're really saying what
you want, you want to stick around here, you want
to have a chance could beat for championships, then that's
what it's gonna have to be.
Speaker 5 (36:46):
Yeah, because the offer that they made on the table,
which is the most, it's not like they wanted to
only offer them this manch This is the most they
could offer him right now because the weird contract was
twenty two million a year next offseason when he outside
of his contract. So this time next summer he's gonna
be eligible for five years to forty six Nah, broh, Yeah,
it's gonna be a no for me, doc. So to
(37:06):
your point, I love Austin Reeves at fourteen million dollars.
I love Austin Reeves at twenty four million dollars. I
think I like him at thirty. I don't know how
I feel at thirty four to thirty five, like, And
that's gonna be an interesting situation for the Lakers and
for a lot of teams moving forward. Is the way
this second April thing is. And we saw that with
Boston right now, Uh huh. Drew Holliday is absolutely worth
(37:28):
the contract that he's getting, you know, right now, the
problem is he's not worth it to me in Boston.
And when I got to pay Jason Tatum fifty five,
I gotta pay Kaylem Brown fifty five.
Speaker 2 (37:38):
Like.
Speaker 5 (37:39):
There's not enough money to go around to give you
what you think that you're worth. And that's gonna be
fascinating to see because Austin Reeves is very quickly gonna
go from one of the great bargains in the NBA
to either appropriately paid or even overpaid in about a month.
That it's interesting to see how Laker fans and NBA
fans are going to respond to.
Speaker 4 (37:58):
That and be careful.
Speaker 1 (37:59):
And I think he wants to be or I truly
believe him because I think he is wise enough to know,
especially because he didn't. He never thought this was gonna happen.
So this is all gravy. You know what I mean,
the success. I'm a Laker and this is all just
a gravy for him. But don't go to the Wizards
putting up twenty five and nobody know you
Thanks for listening to the best of the Odd Couple podcasts.
Be sure to check us out live every weekday from
four to seven pm Pacific seven to ten pm Eastern
on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for The
Odd Couple on Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream
us every day on the iHeartRadio by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
You're listening to the best of the Odd Couple.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Oh, rob G, that's right, Rob Wow.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Forget that other side of the glass, Alex. He's jumping
over here. Matter of fact, rob G, I don't even
know if you're jumping over here, jumping over there?
Speaker 4 (00:45):
Are you doing two? Three jobs? What are we doing today?
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Are you just am I just getting this version of you,
the on air version of you.
Speaker 5 (00:52):
You know what, You get a little bit of everything
because we got the dream Team in the back now,
the big a Alex tyshirt in between podcast posts and
Ian up hopping to Bruce the show.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Ian came in and already you know, Ian was feeling
himself on a Friday. Ian told you what he might
or might not do. He said he I might come
in there, I might do this, I might not. You know,
it's Friday. We'll see how I feel it is the
couple kelvin Washington. That's right, Rob G in the building
in for Rob Parker, who, of course Rob is on
vacation joining baseball ball parks all around this country. He'll
(01:25):
be back soon enough, so hopefully he's enjoying himself. It's
been a good week, Rob G. We've had a handful
of different people in so and a lot of course
to talk to as well.
Speaker 4 (01:34):
And we got a lot to get you, by the way,
Rob G.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
The producer RG for him on Social ID couple FSR
and k dub live for myself like to welcome in
the odd couple crew. We can't do this amazing show
without them, I guess Ian oupidated Rob G. I don't
know I was talking to you today as a producer.
I don't know half half and half producers today getting
you ready for the show. Then we got dj Ali
(01:58):
Alex our engine there extraordin there who.
Speaker 5 (02:01):
Guilted you and to buy pizza for everybody.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
I wasn't mad at Alex. I wasn't gonna bring that up. Guilted.
You know, it's funny. Hold on, let me let me
get in a college.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Let me I walk in today and there's a couple
of boxes already there. Then I felt some type of
way he's just gonna get pizzas without me. You or
I know, But for a second there I thought you did.
So we'll be ordering pizzas today, Alex. He's gonna cost you.
You're gonna have to show me a workout regiment. So
you're gonna have to give me like a ten minute
workout regiment.
Speaker 6 (02:28):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Before we get to that, all right, We got, of
course Steven Sega gonna keep you updated on what's happening
around the sports world as well, so a lot to
get to. We got Andy Larson gonna join us cover
the Utah Jazz in the NBA at Large for the
Salt Lake Tribune.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
I don't know has A's Bailey showed up yet be here,
y'all draft me, but we'll find out about that.
Speaker 7 (02:53):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Some great conversations to happening in the w n B
A some stuff to talk about there. And also a
kil Augustine the Raptors on NBA TV Canada for.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
Twenty plus years. Some we'll say, some.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Rearranging, house cleft North, some house cleaning happening up north.
So a lot to get you. So buckle up for
the next few hours. We're gonna have a great one.
So Happy Friday to you and thank you for rocking
with your boys.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
Rob G. We've been talking about Cooper Flagg over the last.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
School several weeks obviously, but this week especially, And you
know I mentioned this yesterday. Before we get in all
the dissecting and breaking down who did what, who shouldn't
have did this, this will be kind of the last
time I say it, and then after that we'll just
be hard on them for the rest of all these guys' careers.
Again after last night, one more time, congratulations to all
the young men who got drafted.
Speaker 4 (03:39):
Amazing moment for them.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Again, I say they they've worked their entire lives to
get there, and they're in a position that such a
low percentage of humans can be really not even know.
We always like to tie that to any sport. Only
in any sport, there's a lot of people who say, man,
I want to be a lawyer. I want to be that,
and never go through with it. So for them to
actually be able to fulfill their dreams to be congratulations
to them.
Speaker 5 (04:00):
Oh yeah, big fact. I mean just a couple of
days ago, Martin why sitting on this share. We were
talking during one of the commercial breaks about, you know,
because you played high level high school ball, a lot
of guys you played with you that played in college
played in the NBA. So we're just talking, what is
the percentage of people who play in high school ended
up playing at a high level Division one? You're like
maybe fifteen percent? Yeah, ten percent?
Speaker 4 (04:20):
About that?
Speaker 5 (04:21):
Yeah, how much of those guys play in the NBA?
Speaker 4 (04:23):
What point one percent?
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Just think about it's crazy, right, and to be there
and to get drafted and then NBA draft, by the way,
it's not the MLB draft, which is like Steve, how
many rounds are MLB Draft seventy eight?
Speaker 4 (04:37):
Stuff? Like seventy eight rounds and you're getting you know,
he is the guy.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
They just drafted this kid in the forty ninth round
of the MLB, like forty nine. But the NBA is
only two, you know, and and we already know that
only a handful of those guys are really going to
make an impact and really be in the league. So
it's just an amazing accomplishment. So I don't ever want
to belittle that are diminished that, So congrats to them.
With that being said though Cooper flag now is the
guy for the Mavericks, which I don't know if Nico
(05:04):
Harrison is the luckiest man on earth, the most well
informed man on earth, meaning like, hey, man, do what
you need to do. Know where Ayboudy, we got you.
We'll take care, but you get the number one pick.
Speaker 4 (05:13):
You know how we do.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
You saw what happened with Zion. You saw what happen
when Lebron left, they got Kyrie. You saw what happen
when and when Ad left and they got Zion. Just
you know, let me go on down the line. So
I don't know if he's well informed or the luckiest man,
but here we are the Calves have the number one pick.
And the thing that he said Nico Harrison, which was
interesting is the two timelines.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
This is almost like movie was that Looper? You ever
seen Looper?
Speaker 6 (05:38):
No?
Speaker 4 (05:38):
I never seen Looper? I and you saw Looper? Right, Alex, No,
you ain't see yet. You saw Looper? Okay?
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Bruce Willis And what's the other guy, the young kid
who played him?
Speaker 4 (05:48):
Love it? Love it?
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Hewitt, Joseph Gordon, love it yeah him. So it's like
in the future but in the past, but in the
real time. Then they both come together and then you
see the past with him, and it's confusing. And that's
what Nico Harrison is opera around. He is playing Looper
where he says, we're gonna be good. Now, we're gonna win, now,
we're gonna win in the future. And I said this yesterday.
I don't I buy what he's trying to sell me
(06:11):
on paper, because if I just listed the guys, you'd
be like, oh, that's a nice roster. But I just
you just woke up from a COBDA and I said, hey, man,
here's a video of this kid who's been playing his
name Trooper Flag. You see the video, Oh, he looks nice.
And I said, ad first ballot Hall of Famer. You
know what he does? On both ends of the floor,
you go, oh, nice, Kyrie Irving, first ballot Hall of Famer.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
You know what he does? You said, ooh.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Then I go on to some young guys Lively in
Goatford and now Klay Thompson and some other people they
have coming up.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
PJ.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Washington, Really nice player. You like what you see on paper?
My thing is number one. Kyrie Irving isn't playing right now.
Kyrie Irvan might not play until late February, could be
later on in the spring. And he's older, he's coming
off a serious injury, and you're banking on him being
able to play with another guy who's older, who was
(06:56):
often injured in ad So to me, the win now
is kind of like if you say so, everybody has
to be injury free, and that team is injury prone,
including Klay Thompson. And also you're gonna be banking on
a rookie who I think is gonna be good, but
it will also be finding his sea legs in the NBA.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
So I don't buy.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Necessarily the win now as much as obviously Nico Harrison does.
But he has to sell something to the fan base.
He has to get them energized, and again that's his
job to be trying to win now.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
But I don't.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
I'm just we would be worried about the way they're constructed,
which is why it was so hard on him trading Luca,
is that you only got older with any Anthony Davis.
You paired Anthony Davis with the Kyrie who's got injured,
and guess what happened last year Anthony Davis get injured
the first game he's back. A little bit later on
in the season, Kyrie Irving gets injured. So to me,
and you know, you just said here, how many times
(07:47):
I was saying that. How many times I'll say, you
got two guys who are often injured. Boom, both of
them get injured in the same year. So that had
been my concern. But there's other points that you can
point to about Cooper flag that even Jason Kidd said that.
We'll get to it a minute, but your thoughts on
the two timelines, the looper of it all, as I'm
calling it, it's just not realistic.
Speaker 5 (08:05):
And the most recent example we've seen of this is
the Golden State Warriors and people saying, well, they want
a championship in twenty twenty two, what he maden't work.
If you watch that team, they fell ass backwards into it.
They tried so hard to say James Wiseman, Jonathan kaminga
Moses Moody, We're gonna build those guys, while also being
in contention with Steph clay Andre when that run took off.
(08:28):
None of those three guys were important, the young guys.
It was the old Wiley vets. Jordan Poole was a revelation.
Nobody was explaining anything from him when they dropped him
lay in the first round, heavy on the Wolves, and yeah, exactly,
and Andrew Wiggins finally realized his full potential. He only
had it for one season, but he realized it, and
you could argue he was their second best player during
(08:48):
that playoff run. And the problem that you run into
with those two situations is you have the Wiley vets
and this HiT's going to be Anthony Davis, who has
a ring, so he knows that he wants one more
than our lady. You guys want to set the first one.
Klay Thompson, who has held bent on proving that Golden
State made a mistake by low balling him in a
contract offer. Kyrie Irving reportedly is gonna try to rush
(09:12):
back as soon as possible. Whether that's you know, smart
on his term short and long term, I don't know,
but he wants to come back and win right away.
How on earth are you going to be able to
satisfy all three of these guys and still do what
Jason Kidd just said earlier today did in the press conference.
Let Cooper Flagg make mistakes, Let Cooper flag develop on
(09:34):
the fly where he mentioned it will play this twn
here in a second. Yeah, turn the ball over. I
don't care I need to do that. We're gonna put
the ball in your hands and let you pass to
the wrong guy, make the wrong read, throw the wrong
pack like. You can't have both because inevitably, when you
get to April, May and June in the postseason, because
I think they're gonna be in the playoffs, Cooper Flag's
(09:56):
not gonna be allowed to make those kind of mistakes anymore.
You can't say, Coop, you're gonna be our new Yohnis,
you're a new point guard. Walk Kyrie's down. Do what
you gotta do. Well, you can't do in the Western
Conference because if you trick things around, you're no longer
a top six seed. Now you're in nineteen eleven.
Speaker 4 (10:13):
And then what, by the way, I hate I don't
mind the play in.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
I don't like the seventh seed being in the play in,
meaning I get the eight. You're the last of something.
If you're the last of something, so then you were
close to not even making it. Okay, great, let's have
the eight to nine and it makes it fun, right,
was exciting to play and I'm okay with that if
I were. I don't like the seventh seed, especially in
the Western Conference, because the seventh seed you might be
ten games above five hundred and you're like, man, I
(10:40):
cannot make the posting. We've seen that happen before. I
believe the Warriors happened to them once, or they gotten
playing and lost to the Lakers. I believe it was like,
I've never been a fan of that there playing work.
Speaker 5 (10:49):
What was it during the bubble yearHe they said, if
you're within six games of the eight seed, we only
got ten games left season. Yep, sure, but now you
had a last season, think in the Eastern Conference where
eleven and twelve, we're like thirteen games back and we.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Got a shot and once we get into tournament, right,
you never know. He's like, no, I know, you guys
suck and you shouldn't even have an option and a
chance of being this at that. So all right, I
want to let's play this sound real quick. You mentioned
Jason Kidd, one of the great point guards of all time.
Looking at Cooper Flagg as maybe a taller point guard,
let's se what you have to say about that.
Speaker 8 (11:20):
I want to put him in at the point guard.
I want to make him uncomfortable and see how he
reacts being able to run the show, being able to
play the two, play the three. He's he's comfortable playing that,
but we want to push and I think he's going
to respond in a positive way. It's all right to fail,
(11:43):
It's all right to turn the ball over. We've talked
about that, you know, just understanding the guys that I've
been around that are being young from Giannis giving him
the ball and he failed, but he wanted to come
back and have the ball. So I'm excited about giving
him the ball against the Lakers and see what happens.
Speaker 5 (12:03):
What will happen, Rob, I'll tell you what's gonna happen.
He's gonna have a real problem on his hands. Because
if you look at that roster in Dallas, they got
seven legitimate front court options that would play on a
decent team, right Cooper Flag, Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, Derek Lively,
PJ Washington, Naji Marshall, and what's together from Miami Kayla Martin. Yeah,
(12:28):
all every one of those guys, you can argue should
get a minimum fifteen to twenty minutes on an average
NBA team. I think you're gonna have a real difficult
situation in Dallas where you're gonna allow Cooper Flag to
develop the way you want him to develop while keeping
that two timeline track. When you have I could argue
(12:50):
right now at least three or four guys who deserve
minutes at the front court positions ahead of him. So
unless they decide Cooper Flag, you are our small forward,
moving forward, point blank period, Anthony David, I know you
don't like plank center. You are five. Cooper Flag is
our four. That's what we're gonna do. That's how we're
gonna maximize this team right now. That's how we're gonna
(13:13):
maximize our Cooper Flag timeline. And unless they do that,
I don't know if we're even going to see Cooper
Flag reach its full potential, much less the team.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
So I actually disagree with you, Rob g our first
disagreement because I think what he's trying to create is
not that he's a point guard in the sense of
magic Johnson Isaiah Thomas, a traditional point guard. I think
what he is looking at and looking at success over
the last ten to fifteen years. If you look at
the Warriors when they were winning. Everybody always said Steph
(13:44):
Curry the greatest point because Steph Curry's not a point guard.
Speaker 4 (13:46):
Stop it.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Steph Curry is a combo guard. Right, Steph Curry for
the first run the first seven eight years, didn't even
bring the ball up. You know who brought the ball up?
Andre Iguidala, Leonardo Barbosa, Sean living Sean Livingston, Draymond Green.
Those are a bunch of other guys brought the ball
up for him. And so where I think there where
he's going with this is I think he's saying, I
don't need you to be me Steve Nash, Chris Paul,
(14:09):
some of the greats. What I do need is in
this current NBA guys are out. Pascalcia can gets the ball,
he can go, he can be on the break. And
I think he's looking at the successful teams. If you
look at the thunder SGA doesn't have to stop the
whole entire game to go get the ball. And I'm
gonna tell you a team, it doesn't work for the Lakers.
What happens, Lebron has to stop, come get the ball.
(14:30):
Pre Luca, it always had to be him, right, Lebron, run,
you still run like a freight trade. Just go go.
But he has a hold on way. Let you know,
he has to do his little hand wipe on his jersey.
Let me get the ball, let me take it up slowly.
I think Jason Kidd wants us to be like the
bulls of the nineties, Ron Harper, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen,
Tony Kokoch. All these guys can get the ball and
(14:52):
bring it up and go. The Warriors are their run.
All these guys can get the ball and go, The
thunder Sga Wallace, it can be Caruso, j dub anybody,
even Chet get the ball and go. And I think
that's what he's trying to create, so that they can
get some better pacing.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
They can get they don't have to always have a set.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
And I think also knowing Kyrie, your best ball handler
is not going to be back for some time, I
need as many people making good decisions and being able
to control a break and get stuff going. So that's
what I think he's trying to create, is he's looking
at the current NBA, whether it be the Houston Rockets
as well, this current NBA. The Pacers think about it,
it's like six guys who can bring the ball up.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
And I think he's said the Pistons even had that.
You know, just go.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
It doesn't have to be traditional early mid two thousands,
you know, the early nineties were like one or two guys.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
That's it.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
You literally get a rebound from the four or the
five traditional where's my point guard? Here you go? You
have to now I run down. He's saying, bring it down,
go go, go, pacing, keeping the defense on their heels.
So I think that's what the what Jason Kidd is
trying to create. And part of that will be Cooper
Flagg is gonna be athletic. He's gonna get you seven
six to eight rebounds. I don't want you to have
(16:05):
to think all the time, find somebody, just go. And
I think he's trying to create that mindset for him. Dude,
you don't have to wait. And it's not my time,
it's not my possession. No, go create, get some If
it's there, it's there, and that's how you get those
Pascal Siakam easy buckets. Sometimes I ain't gotta draw a
play for you. I got to It just happened in transition.
You made a play, You made the right decision.
Speaker 5 (16:24):
I would agree with you if their roster wasn't built
with four centers and five power forwards, because who who
on their team? And that you bring me Pascal Siakam
and the Pacers. Almost everybody on their team save for
Miles Turner and their backup center to Thomas Bryant, former Laker,
is capable of doing something like that. If you look
at Dallas and assuming Kyrie doesn't come back for a while,
(16:45):
it's well, I don't even specially then when he has
a contract right now. It's Max Christy, it's Klay Thompson,
it's Anthony Davis, it's Daniel Gaffort. Like, none of those
guys are known as creators. So what I think that
they would be best served, assuming they're curious about trying
to win now and they really want to get this
done and really go for this two timeline thing, is
(17:06):
consolidate your roster. You don't need to have three centers,
you don't need to have seven guys competing for two spots.
So unless I like they're playing this three D chess
game that they kind of fell ass backwards into with
the whole drafting situation, and I just think they're gonna
find themselves and they have enough time where they'll be good.
But it's just such a murky situation for them. I
(17:28):
don't think it's working out.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
I get what you're saying, and that's a good thing
to me though, of having all those bodies, because what
are the next Lakers need size?
Speaker 7 (17:36):
You know?
Speaker 5 (17:36):
I bet you they alt trade with them again though,
but at.
Speaker 4 (17:40):
That point it will be the Dallas Lakers.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
But I'm using as example of some teams still need
some size, and hey, if I got something that's in demand,
I can supply it.
Speaker 7 (17:48):
You know that.
Speaker 4 (17:48):
I'm up right now, all right on the way.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
Also, Cooper Flagg mentioned something Rob g we were saying
about the luxury he has that other top picks don't
often have.
Speaker 4 (17:59):
We'll get to that.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
And if you want to jump in eight seven seven
ninety nine on Fox eight seven seven ninety nine on Fox,
are they in to win now and win in the
future situation? And do you like j kids thought process
of letting Cooper Flag learn to play the point and
just go and make mistakes in real time eight seven
seven ninety nine on Fox.
Speaker 4 (18:17):
Will take your calls on that as well.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
See a couple Kelvin Washington, Rob g and to build
it in for Rob Parker Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 6 (18:24):
Hi, this is Jay. I'm the producer of the Paula
and Tony Fusco Show. Usually in these promos they ask
you to listen to the show. I'm here to ask
you please don't listen to the show. The hosts are
two absolute morons who have the dumbest takes on sports magical.
Don't listen to the show so it can get camps.
Speaker 4 (18:40):
What the hell studio get him Paulli. Ignore that fool.
Speaker 5 (18:47):
Listen to the Paula and Tony Footsco Show on the
iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
He's still moving.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Rob Parker and kelvin Washington. He said, seven pm Eastern,
four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
Fox Sports Radio. It is the Odd Couple, kelvin Washington.
Rob g And for Rob, who is out on vacation.
When's he coming back? Roger, He's back on Monday.
Speaker 5 (19:15):
And if you were in what was it the New
Jersey area, he was speaking of you high school commencement today? Wow?
Speaker 4 (19:21):
Did he over under no I'm not gonna do do it?
Do it?
Speaker 5 (19:26):
Oh, Rob, when I was at this school without the
Hall of Famer, if my name's over there, my name's over.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
There, and look what I said, Look what I did,
And then you know when I was used to sit
right there, and it's crazy.
Speaker 4 (19:37):
Oh god, So are you gonna tell us something about
the journey? Oh god? And it's crazy.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
I've happened to brow this print out picture of me
in nineteen eighty three.
Speaker 9 (19:44):
By the way, mlbbro dot com. If you want more information,
that's the hat I'm wearing right now with this convincement.
Oh if you talk it though, and some of you
in about five years, I'll see you.
Speaker 4 (19:57):
What's the line, Alex with the ID. If it's a
sideway ID, it's not for me.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
Oh my gosh, we missed your all right, I was
gonna get to we we don't have we don't have
time to get to now. But Cooper Flag was saying
Rob Gi that he feels blessed to not have to
be the centerpiece. And it's interesting because so many draft picks.
I don't think it's any more prevalent than two positions,
whether you're the star pick a Cooper flag, a zion.
Speaker 4 (20:21):
In the NBA, or a star quarterback.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
Because if you're Bryce young and it's like everybody know that,
the whole city is excited. You know, if you're Caleb Williams,
the whole city is excited. Everybody you're getting ready to
come be this thing. And it's so hard. You know,
it's so hard to change a franchise. It's so hard
to be that.
Speaker 4 (20:41):
Mind.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
You in Cooper's case, you're eighteen, or maybe some other
guys are nineteen or you're twenty, and an entire city
is like, hey, come change everything that this organization is
general manager of this president of basketball. Everybody's been not
being able to do, not these veterans, but all of
a sudden, you have to come do this. And I
just think it's it's such a difficult position. So of
him understanding that he's privileged, I think I think he
(21:05):
I like the position he's in where he gets to
go in learn they have you mentioned the roster.
Speaker 4 (21:09):
They have a good team.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
They should be good, maybe not great, maybe not a
top five, seeds sixty, but a good team, good coach.
And he gets to walk into that. Right, you don't
have to go save the Wizards.
Speaker 5 (21:21):
I'll tell you what his outlook on this thing. It's
all very mature, to be honest with you, but in
many ways you could argue it's like the anti Ace Bailey,
where he's like, Hey, I want to come in and
be part of a team. I want to win. I
want to do whatever it takes for this franchise, for
this group. Based on what we're hearing in the reporting
around ast Bailey is I want all the buckets, I
want all the shots. I want the least amount of competition.
(21:44):
I want to make sure I can get mine so
I can get this second contract and get paid. It's
incredible that you see the Well basically become the two
hallmark marquee names of this NBA draft, and they seem
to have completely opposite viewpoints the league and their career.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
Well, i'll tell you what, man, We're gonna have an
extended conversation about what's happening with A's Bailey a little
bit later in hour three, So looking forward to that.
All right, let's go to Steve right now, because Andy
Larson on the other side of what's trending.
Speaker 10 (22:12):
Hey, Steve, Hello, there, Angels manager Ron Washington will remain
on medical leave for the rest of the season. Washington
is seventy three in his second year there. The Angels
have one of the late games, hosting Washington. The Mets
are at Pittsburgh in the bottom of the second and scoreless.
The New York Mets are first in the NL East
half game over the Phillies. By the way, Philadelphia is
(22:34):
at Atlanta tonight. News from the Mets not good today. Predictably,
they pitcher Griffin Canning had surgery for a torn achilles
Rain delay at the start for Minnesota at Detroit rays
her out to a two to nothing lead. At Baltimore,
Yankee scoreless in the second against the A's Yanks first
in the AL East half game over Tampa Bay. Toronto
(22:55):
is three back. Blue Jays are leading one nothing at
Boston in the bottom of the first. Boston Red Sox
have lost five games in a row. Five WNBA contests tonight,
including Minnesota at twelve and two about to start at
Atlanta and Indiana playing at Dallas. Caitlin Clark out again
with a groin injury. US Men's soccer plays its Gold
Cup quarterfinal on Sunday against Costa Rica. That'll be on
(23:19):
Fox TV from Minnesota. The FIFA Club World Cup quarterfinals
start on Saturday. The Florida Panthers playoff MVP Sam Bennett
signed an eight year extension. The NHL and its players
Union agreed to an extension of the CBA through twenty thirty.
The NHL regular season will increase to eighty four games
per team in a year. The Utah Jazz say first
(23:40):
round er Ace Bailey will report on Saturday, with a
news conference on Sunday. Practice on Monday. The team's rookies
will then fly to Summer League from Salt Lake City.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
Back to you, all right, Steve, Thank you so much.
I couple covin Washings. He Rob g In for Rob
on his funky Flashback Friday. We're joined now by Andy Larson,
who covers the Utah Jazz and the NBA at large
for The Lake Tribune.
Speaker 4 (24:01):
Andy B.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
Larson on X give him a follow Andy. What's up man?
Happy Friday?
Speaker 4 (24:05):
How you doing hey man?
Speaker 7 (24:07):
I'm doing good.
Speaker 4 (24:07):
How are you doing good?
Speaker 1 (24:09):
Man? We've just had a little quick conversation about Ace Bailey.
We'll have an extended one a little bit later on,
but we'll start there. Just what do you make of
the last few weeks. Frace Bailey obviously very talented, is not.
I mean, you could argue just about his talent as
Cooper Flag. Some people think more talented than Cooper Flag.
But here we are where the story is and just
(24:30):
how good he is and how good he can be.
Speaker 4 (24:31):
It's well, he didn't take any visits.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Well now he might not even be showing up to
Utah and he didn't want to get drafted by Utah,
but yet they still drafted him. What's been up with
this journey? And that landed him there with the fifth Pig.
Speaker 10 (24:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (24:44):
Look, I think it's about the people you put around
you a little bit, and it's hard to do that
when you're fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, and now Ace is still
only eighteen. But like you know, he's worked with Omar.
Cooper is his manager and kind of has been the
guy representing him, so representing Ace NBA teams throughout the process,
and I you know, I think as someone who's kind
(25:05):
of seen himself as a future star for a long time,
Omar kind of fought into that and then said, hey,
we should dictate where you go and ultimately wasn't successful
in doing that. You know, I hope that Ace to
be drafted by Washington, New Orleans or Brooklyn, and and
that wasn't the case. The Jazz, you know, picked him
at number five, which I still think is probably a
(25:28):
pretty good basketball situation for him. But it seems like, look,
you know, the Jazz do hold the cards in this
a little bit. And as a result, kind of everyone
fell in line over the last twenty four hours say hey, yes,
you know Aces coming into Salt Lake City, is going
to be working out with the Jazz, you know, in
the next two days, doing a press conference on Sunday,
right like, this is all happening, and so, you know,
(25:50):
I think for Ace, he said all the right things.
You know, I talked to Ace at the combine, talked
to him on draft Day. I think he's excited just
to kind of get to work on the basketball side.
It was just for those around him didn't see that
Utah was the best place for him. And you know,
that's the tough thing about drafts is you don't always
get to go where you want to go. It is
your career is determined by kind of this random order
(26:12):
that that makes it so that you go to whatever
team picks you.
Speaker 5 (26:16):
Andy. So one of the big talking points coming into
the draft, especially about Utah, was you know, they tried tanking,
and obviously the lottery balls and I bounced their way.
But one thing that they've been trying to do with
their new head coach Lori Market and John Collins a
lot of the guys out there is build a culture
that we want to get out from this seller do
all the situation we want to build. Forwarding it back
to Jazz basketball that was very successful for a very
(26:38):
long time, were you say, yeah, So, were you surprised
with that? In mind that the guy they ended up shooting,
taking at number five was Ace Bailey, who, by all indications,
is more about his own career, in his own advancement
than he is about building any kind of culture. That
part of the reason why he went to Rutgers that
is somewhere else, is because he wanted to get his
(27:00):
So are you surprised that that was the big? Yeah?
Speaker 7 (27:02):
Two things that I want. I mean, I think the Jazz,
as desperately as they want to create a culture, also
want to create a winning basketball team and just frankly,
just need more talent, right, neither kind of star level
talent that kind of unlocks the rest of the roster
to some degree. So I think that was, you know,
the primary concern. But look, I've talked to Awesome Angs
about this, and he's been pretty clear that the they
(27:24):
believe in a failure as a person as well, Like
they think he is a gym rat. You know, everyone
around as talked about how hard he works and that's
how he got to be the shooter and athlete that
he has become. So they're not that worried about Ace's personality.
They think that like, hey, you know he's Yes he's young,
and yes he has some people around him kind of
(27:45):
giving bad advice. But ultimately, this is a kid who
will work hard and will kind of create and actually
even help the culture. So I don't think they see
him as like a worry from a culture point of
view or a bad fit from creating the culture they
want to be. It's just that he young and has
you know, agents and managers kind of giving him the
wrong advice at this point in his career.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
Andy Larson, our guest covers of Utah Jazz and NBA
for the Salt Lake Tribute. Let me tell you something
what I think, guys, I think Danny Ainge if you watched,
you know, any Steady documentary or anything about the Celtics
when he was there as a player and then obviously
when he was running the basketball operations. One thing he
learned from you know, and he was even saying he
(28:26):
was a little bit more cutthroat than red Eyurbuck in
that he's such a business mind, meaning like, hey, I'm sorry,
Like he even knew it was Tinny Go we had
on the burden and Mchaelen Parrison, those guys too long, right,
he's like I thought they asked me. I told Ray,
we need to get rid of him, like he's just
that kind of guy. Paul Pierce, rid of Paul Pierce KG.
The reason I say, which is the opposite of the Lakers, Andy,
(28:46):
as you know, the Lakers will hold on. It's a
family run. They just historically not anymore, but they would
hold on. The reason I bring that up is I
think Danny Ainge is savvy enough to say, there's no
way I'm gonna let it. Could have been a number
one draft pick and another in another draft, that's how
talented he is. Just go to another team and if
we'll give it a shot for a year to it,
if I don't like him.
Speaker 4 (29:07):
He can go.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
If he starts pouding on like you, then you can
go and I'll go get some nice pieces for you.
I just think that's the way his mind works. He
he's not overly loyal to a player. I think he
can like a player and I love him, and he
can you know, I'm not fully committed to you as
much as I am winning.
Speaker 4 (29:23):
So am I wrong for that?
Speaker 1 (29:24):
I mean that's all I literally heard it out his
own mouth and documentaries and stuff, his approach to this.
I'm not saying he doesn't like the person that he's,
you know, the the the human being that some of
these guys are, but he's all about what makes sense
for the team and the organization.
Speaker 7 (29:37):
Yeah, I think so, which is you know, kind of
rare to see from a former player. But you're right,
he's as cutthroat as an EGM in the business, and
I think that's what's made him a good GM. You know,
Kevin Garnett pulls Pears trade worked out terrifically for Boston
and then they win for the guys that you know,
Jason Tatum may to get him with when they have
the number one pick to trade back get more picks,
(29:57):
get Jalen Brown, a guy you know not a lot
of people had at that spot in the draft at
that time. Is incredibly good jamming, you know. And yes,
it meant that they traded you know, Isaiah and and
just Isaiah Thomas and some beloved franchise figures, but they
made the move that they thought was best for the team.
And so yeah, you know, I think we see that
(30:18):
a little bit where and as names of the new
president of Basketball Operations in Utah, Danny Ainge is the
CEO of basketball to this kind of goofy title, but
like they are pretty clear that that's kind of what
is what it takes to win in the NBA, is
that cut throw mentality, is going for the younger guys,
is going for players who you think have the chances
(30:39):
to be stars moving forward rather than the stars of yesterday.
So I do think we're seeing that to some extent
with the Jazz with you know, certainly he traded Donovan
and Mitchell, Donovan, Mitchell and Rudy Gobert away, and you know,
it started this rebuild which has been pretty slow so far,
but maybe ramps up a little bit in the next
couple of years.
Speaker 5 (30:57):
Last one for me, Andy Realkld. You mentioned at the
beginning of the interview that as much as they want
to build a culture in Utah, they want to get
back to winning basketball. There's only one problem with that.
As good as this class was in twenty twenty five,
they're talking about the twenty twenty six draft class as
being historically great, especially you know the get from byu
aj Depantza is supposed to be, you know, one of
(31:19):
the next feenof right, he's the guy. So I know
that you mentioned that that that Utah doesn't want a
tank because it hasn't really worked out from in the past.
But they do have about sixty million dollars in expiring
contracts with John Collins, Collin Sexton, and Jordan Clarks, all
those guys who have a lot of value I think
to a lot of teams. Could you see a situation
where the Ages kind of go back on their word
(31:40):
And I know we said we want to win right now,
but have you seen the draft class in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 9 (31:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (31:46):
Look, I mean they said they don't want to tank
next year. I don't think that necessarily means they want
to win next year, right, I think that means that
they want to trade those guys away that they had
to frankly just sit out when they were healthy last
year in order to lose this minime. Is possible to
try to get Cooper Flagg. That didn't work, but it's
you know, Ryan Smith, owner is the owner of the
Jazz is byu Alum, Danny hbyu Alum, like these guys
(32:09):
know a j deponsa and what he brings from what
you can bring to the Jazz. Then you have Cameron Boozer,
who Carlos Boozer is now a Jazz scout. And then
you have the fact that the Jazz have a top
eight protected tick, which say owe Oklahoma City if they
are ninth or below in the draft next year. So
you know, I don't think that the Jazz have real,
really any intention to be competitive good next year, you know,
(32:32):
and it's they the West is so good that I
think they can be in that bottom four of the
West pretty easily. So you know, I think they can
kind of accomplish both gools where hey, you trade away
those veteran guys, you allow the young players on your
roster to play, you're still probably not all that good
in the scheme of things, and you have a pretty
good lottery chance that one of the top three guys
in the twenty twenty six ass that, yeah, do make
(32:55):
a difference, and you pair them with a Bailey, and
all of a sudden, maybe you've got something cooking.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
That's gonna be a long time before somebody's in that
kitchen cooking.
Speaker 4 (33:03):
Andy. I don't know. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
Thanksgiving dinner ain't happening. You know, the big Sunday cookout,
It and happened anytime soon.
Speaker 4 (33:10):
Up there.
Speaker 7 (33:10):
I think it says a lot that they gave Will
Hardy a six year extension, right like, yep, it's gonna
be a hang.
Speaker 4 (33:17):
Around for a little what din't he winning too much?
Speaker 5 (33:19):
Like two years ago? And hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
You better relax. We were the two seed for too long.
Let's get back to the ten where we need to be.
Speaker 7 (33:26):
Yep, yep, you're exactly right.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
All right, Andy Man, appreciate your time, Enjoy the rest
of your Friday and your weekend.
Speaker 4 (33:31):
Brother, Thank you so much.
Speaker 7 (33:33):
Yeah, I appreciate you guys.
Speaker 1 (33:34):
All right, So on the way too, so Friday, I'll
telling you we feel good Friday, Funky Flashback Friday. But
sometimes life throws your limons and you try to make lemonade,
but it comes out like apple juice. It ain't really
working out. Rob G's had one of those days. We're
gonna be there for our brother robb G. On the
other side. It is the couple. Robb G is in
for Rob. Stick with your boys. It's Fox Sports Radio.
(33:56):
We just got all deep man Fox Sports Radio. It
is the Ikoble, Kevin Washington, Rob Gi and for Rob
Parker on this funky flash Back Friday, and thank you
for hanging out with us. You can stream the show
and all of our Fox Sports Radio shows live twenty
four to seven and the new and improved iHeart Radio app.
Just search Fox Sports Radio in the app to stream
(34:18):
is live. And one of the newest features in the
app is that you can select Fox Sports Radio as
one of your presets, just like the presets on a
radio dial. So be sure to preset you Fox Sports
Radio in the iHeartRadio app and it will always pop
up with the top of your screen. We're kind of
up against it, Robi, so I do want to get
to this quickly. Austin reeves as basically declined a mac
(34:39):
extension for the Lakers that would have paid him eighty
nine million dollars over the next four years. So you're
talking a little. Twenty twenty two is twenty three twenty
two bucks, twenty two million dollars a year, which is
obviously good money. But there's a lot of guys. I'm
sure he his agent probably look at and say, well,
he's getting that kind of money. Yep, I know we
can get that much.
Speaker 5 (34:57):
Josh Gitty's about to get thirty million dollars.
Speaker 4 (34:58):
Year, right, Josh Kitty.
Speaker 1 (35:00):
Josh Giddy is a very versatile Player's nice, but here's
no massive separation between he and Austin Reeves. Austin Reeves
putting up his career numbers and assists, he gave you
twenty a game, gave you six assists, five boards as well,
so and gave you almost three threes a game played
very well. Can control the ball, can get other people
with the shots. I'm gonna get straight to my thing
(35:21):
on this. And they say he has all intentions of
being a Laker, He's come out plenty of times. I
love LA don't want to leave it. I love the team,
I love the city. I love the golf here. If
you know him, he loves the golf. I got a
chance to ask him, I said, while he slice, and
he was like, stay on top of it, man, And
I said all that to say, well, with the new
ownership rob Gi, Mark Walters and the crew and the
way the aprons are going, I said, the NBA is
(35:42):
turning into the Hell's kitchen talking about aprons and cooking
and all that with the second apron and whatnot. To me,
I look at this as now you're gonna have to
put the money where your mouth is, meaning all right,
do you want to remain a Laker? And also do
you want to have a chance to compete, because part
of that may be like I just did today, like
you do all the time for yourself. I just got
a haircut. You might have to take a haircut now.
(36:05):
The Lakers will love you At twenty two million dollars, right,
makes sense. But forty million dollars forty two million dollars,
and I'm a fan of his game, bro, I can't
pay you all that, especially with the aprons of the
way thing is, especially knowing I'm gonna have to just
resign Luca here soon, and especially knowing it's still not
enough this team comprised. I need more. I gotta get more, guys.
I can't pay you that kind of money. So if
(36:25):
you love LA, we can work out a deal. I
love you, and I love you with a three thirty
million thirty one million, okay, cool, I love you with
a three Austin Reeves, but I can't love you more
than that. And to me, if you're really saying what
you want, you want to stick around here, you want
to have a chance could beat for championships, then that's
what it's gonna have to be.
Speaker 5 (36:46):
Yeah, because the offer that they made on the table,
which is the most, it's not like they wanted to
only offer them this manch This is the most they
could offer him right now because the weird contract was
twenty two million a year next offseason when he outside
of his contract. So this time next summer he's gonna
be eligible for five years to forty six Nah, broh, Yeah,
it's gonna be a no for me, doc. So to
(37:06):
your point, I love Austin Reeves at fourteen million dollars.
I love Austin Reeves at twenty four million dollars. I
think I like him at thirty. I don't know how
I feel at thirty four to thirty five, like, And
that's gonna be an interesting situation for the Lakers and
for a lot of teams moving forward. Is the way
this second April thing is. And we saw that with
Boston right now, Uh huh. Drew Holliday is absolutely worth
(37:28):
the contract that he's getting, you know, right now, the
problem is he's not worth it to me in Boston.
And when I got to pay Jason Tatum fifty five,
I gotta pay Kaylem Brown fifty five.
Speaker 2 (37:38):
Like.
Speaker 5 (37:39):
There's not enough money to go around to give you
what you think that you're worth. And that's gonna be
fascinating to see because Austin Reeves is very quickly gonna
go from one of the great bargains in the NBA
to either appropriately paid or even overpaid in about a month.
That it's interesting to see how Laker fans and NBA
fans are going to respond to.
Speaker 4 (37:58):
That and be careful.
Speaker 1 (37:59):
And I think he wants to be or I truly
believe him because I think he is wise enough to know,
especially because he didn't. He never thought this was gonna happen.
So this is all gravy. You know what I mean,
the success. I'm a Laker and this is all just
a gravy for him. But don't go to the Wizards
putting up twenty five and nobody know you
Hosts And Creators
kelvin washington
Rob Parker
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