July 8, 2025 • 29 mins
Rob and Kelvin debate whether the Player Empowerment Era ushered in by LeBron James' The Decision has been bad for the NBA, argue whether the upcoming Cooper Flagg vs Bronny James Summer League showdown is worth the price of admission, and debate whether Kevin Durant's subtle shot at Michael Jordan on the Mind the Game podcast should be applauded.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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Speaker 2 (00:19):
You're listening to the best of the Odd Couple.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
It's a defining moment in Lebron James's legacy because the
things that robg talked about. When you really think about
Lebron's legacy, it failed. Player empowerment failed. Lebron might he
(00:47):
won his couple of championships, but it didn't really work out.
It didn't carry over. Other people tried, a couple teams
tried it.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
Guess what.
Speaker 5 (00:57):
It also hurt Lebron.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
It came back to bite him what he was able
to do with Miami and how his career and his
ring total could be totally different, right had he not
set this up.
Speaker 5 (01:12):
When I think of Lebron, I think that what he
did in Miami.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Was MySpace and then Golden States said, you know we
got something for you. We're gonna do Facebook, and they
went and got Kevin Durant, and they won those two
championships against Lebron. Those are two more ls that hung
on Lebron. So they did it even better then Lebron
did it. And when I think of like legacy I
talk about all the time you could talk about pop
(01:40):
Greg Popovich's five championships, I think of low management. When
I think of Lebron James, I think of player empowerment
that didn't work ultimately, and now all of these restrictive
CBA things that they've employed put in all to stop that,
to all stop players from move here's a double apron.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
You can't do it.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
It's gonna cost you money, Like the players allowed the
owners to put in these really stuffed stiff penalties to
stop all of this.
Speaker 5 (02:12):
So what he thought he was doing, which was.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Given players a liberation and a freedom to decide what
their careers are gonna do, actually backfired, cost him some
championships and also put stricter restrictions on players and their movement.
People have abandoned this whole idea of super teams. It
(02:37):
is not a lasting legacy for Lebron James.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
All right, Lebron did not complete the super team for
anybody other than the fact that it was for himself
because Lebron knew he was about to be judged on
a completely different criteria, and so he realized. And this
is one of the questions I've had for fans, rob
and I really mean it. Why don't fans get mad
at the right people. Fans don't get mad at James
Dolans don't get mad at Jerry Jones. Fans don't get
(03:01):
mad at Dan Gilbert, because you know what Dan Gilbert did.
He did nothing for Lebron. When Lebron was there. He left,
I swear we'll win a championship before Lebron ever wins one.
Speaker 4 (03:10):
Well, that wasn't kit.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Lebron won the next year and and you know, two
years later, and so to me, it's just it's comical.
And then Dan Gilbert only won because Lebron came back
and won, and he why did.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
He want tod Lebron go by? And if Dan Gilbert
was such a bad guy and didn't know what he
was doing? One did Len glad you asked ye?
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Because Lebron went off and won and became the biggest
thing in the NBA. Why to tell you? Because whereas
a home makes sense, to that. It absolutely does because
Lebron wanted to win and for who this once claim
that this is for you. He wanted to win one
in Cleveland, and guess what he did. He won in Cleveland.
(03:49):
And so to me, the player empowerment only moves if
you're that great. People been moving for the last and
fifteen years and didn't do nothing with it. Lebron goes
to Miami and wins, a couple loses the up as well.
Then he goes back to the couple as well he did,
and he goes back to Cleveland and wins again. And
so my point is he's won four championships in twenty
four years. So my point is, how long is a
(04:12):
person supposed to stay in the organization that drafted them
if they've done nothing. The Cavaliers did nothing before him,
They didn't do right and get guys with him. This
is a real thing. He didn't do anything. They didn't
do anything for him. Booby Gibson was a starting point guard.
They had Drew God was doing those years? You want
to go over there.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Win total during the Lebron Cleveland years, were they the
number one seed?
Speaker 5 (04:33):
Did they win sixty games every year?
Speaker 4 (04:35):
But they didn't have it.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Okay, wait, you're put in the playoffs, they didn't have anything.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
I just said that Lebron how they win, but they
couldn't win with But he couldn't win in the.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Playoffs because I'm saying the team he beat the Piston
by itself.
Speaker 4 (04:51):
I'm glad you Okay, So what happened?
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Michael Jordan didn't do anything either until Pippen became Pippen,
until he got Phil Jackson. He just put up a
bunch of points. And that's a fact. He was getting
swept in first round. He wasn't getting out the second round.
And that's okay because no one does it alone. Rob Magic.
Johnson walked into Jamal Wilkes, Norm Nixon, Kareem Abdull before that.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
But he go, look at the Lakers before them. How
many championships did they win before you got my point?
He vitalized that friend.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
That's my point. But I have to do it with Kareem,
who was the best player when they were there. Kareem
in the first half years. Magic will tell you that
and then it's Kareem and in Magic. So I'm not
knocking you need people, is my point.
Speaker 5 (05:34):
I'm talking about his legacy.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
It ain't. Nobody thinks of him as the all time
greatest scorer like Kareem was forever. That's not what you
think about when you think about Lebron. You think about
he ushered in the legacy of trying to stack his
team to win, and that's.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
What he wanted to do.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
Next, I don't get he went ten times, so it
didn't work. So it didn't work. You're missing the genesis lost.
The reason why this happened was because the Cavs were
doing nothing, and he realized you all are only going
to judge me on winning championships.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
Period.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
I'm the same player talent wise, I'm good, I'm winning MVPs.
I've got to drag the team to the finals in
two thousand and seven. You're only going to judge me
on winning championships. The team is doing nothing for seven years,
six seven, eight years old.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
You know what to sit here and say they did nothing.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
They got him everybody he wanted, even even Shaq won
Cavalier no.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
Howlready get there?
Speaker 3 (06:34):
How did he get there? How did he get there?
He was why was he on that team? He was
shack for asking you how Lebron didn't want him brought Shack.
You're argument asking the worst argument you've ever seen. Answered
the forty year old Shack, who like the get there.
Lebron didn't want him, but he got there. Why are
you bringing up how did Shaq get to Cleveland? They
(06:57):
because I'll tell him I'm asking.
Speaker 4 (06:59):
Let me answer the question.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Answer it easily. They always a dollar late and a
dollar a day later.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
Olbron, who's looking at decisions Cleveland?
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Come on, they're always a day Lebron wants a only
want a forty year olds. He don't want a thirty
four year old Shack still balling. He wants a forty
year old he wants.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
To have Lebron said, as Lebron said, I don't want Shaq.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
The Cavaliers wouldn't have done it. The cavalier wouldn't have
die it. The Miami heat got still something in the tank, Shack.
Lebron got every Shack talks about how washed up he was.
Ben Wallace wasn't the same. They did nothing. He leaves
and wins.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Doing nothing means you didn't bring in anybody. That's what
doing nothing is. Nameing somebody. I'll wait doing nothing, I said,
they did nothing. Doing nothing means you don't bring anybody.
Speaker 4 (07:44):
No, no, no.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
It might not have worked out, but you can't say
they didn't do anything if you're telling me, if your
beast thread, they brought in a four Ben Wallace won
four defensive plan.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
Whe you're over.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
So what I'm saying is they didn't bring in anybody
the right time. So he went and got it himself
into the tune of the Cavaliers doing nothing before during
while he was there. The first run, he comes back
and wins. So all I'm saying is he had to
go create what he was never going to get there
in Cleveland.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the
iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 4 (08:22):
Hey what's up everybody?
Speaker 6 (08:23):
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Speaker 4 (08:30):
What is up on Game?
Speaker 6 (08:31):
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(08:53):
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Speaker 7 (09:03):
Thursday night. It is the hottest ticket in town. And
that's saying something seeing there's a lot of things to
do in Las Vegas. That is because it is the
Summer League debut of Cooper Flag. He'll be taking on
Brownie James and the Lakers. Check this out, guys. We're
still about forty eight hours away, so these numbers are
only going to go up. According to Tickpic, the average
(09:26):
ticket price for that game is two hundred and one dollars.
That would make it the most expensive ticket in Summer
League history. Here's the best part though, Lower Bowl tickets. Again,
this is not a big arena that you're going to.
This is maximum I think is eight thousand people. Lower
Bowl tickets currently going six point fifty a pop. And
(09:49):
if you want to sit at courtside, which I know
that Dub and Rob always sit courtside with theygo places
not yet twenty five hundred dollars apiece. You could go
to the NBA Finals and not paid twenty one hundred dollars. Say,
of course, wait, okay for who Charlotte and no the
one we just had? Well, okay, so who what? I
believe there so big bucks to go see Cooper Flag
(10:11):
and Brownie next Lakers.
Speaker 4 (10:12):
You'll be spending hundred and fifty. Here's a ridiculous thing.
I get it. People are in Vegas. There's not much
to do to this hot weather.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
There's bad uh uh buffets and you know, and and
uh you know, and crap tables and if you don't
have but but the idea that you would spend any
kind of significant money to see Summer League basketball. I
don't care who's playing. I'm dead serious like you. This
is like talk about a waste of money. I want
(10:41):
to see. If you're telling me Cooper Flag's first real game,
and I want to be that, I'm all. I'm all
for it if he's your favorite player and it's a
real game. But seventy five percent, Rob g and my
bad Kelvin, am I being wrong? Eighty percent of the
players playing in the Summer League are not going to
be NBA player, Okay, you know what I mean. Like
(11:02):
there's some rookies, but most of the guys, they get
a free uniform and a couple of pair of sneakers
and a burger and fries from Burger King.
Speaker 5 (11:12):
Like that's what they get to play in the summer league.
Speaker 4 (11:14):
The league makes a little.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Bit of money off of it and to keep the
league relevant. And you get to see some of these
guys who were drafted, which is fine. I'm not saying,
don't go, but pay top dollar. And then the whole thing,
Brownie against Cooper flag, is that really where we are?
I could see if it was there were two players
(11:37):
who were gonna be drafted one and two, and they
had a rivalry or something, and then this is, you know,
they both got drafted and you look at that. I
can understand, if you know, do you know what I mean?
Like like like that example, that makes more sense to me.
I'm just saying personally, I just couldn't see spending big
bucks or any major money on summer league basketball, which
(12:02):
is basically minor league basketball, you know, with a sprinkle
on top, that's what it is.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
So in theory, I'm actually not mad at you like,
I get everything you're saying, principal, right, But here here's
a couple of things you got to you gotta think about.
We're in a day and age where Rob g how
old was Cooper Flag when you started to hear about
him with fourteen Maybe Bronnie Now obviously we do know him,
he's literally born, but Bronnie becomes a thing on social
(12:28):
media like thirteen fourteen. Right, you're starting to see these guys.
So we have a generation Rob where they're peers, kids
who are seventeen to twenty foursh doe. They been watching
these kids like since they were on making mixtapes and
they were all over YouTube and TikTok, and so for
them this is lit. I get to go see the
god and watch them for all these years. Those are
the guys paying twenty five hundred dollars to.
Speaker 4 (12:49):
Two young people.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
He talked them, there's only two hundred and fifty, Rob,
that's actually nothing. You know what they pay to go
see Taylor Swift. I'm not even exaggerating. It's of go
text your best friend Steven A. Smith what he paid
take his daughters and friends to go see Stephen Taylor
Moncey played one thousand dollars to go see Taylor Swift
and knows Monty.
Speaker 4 (13:07):
Makes too much money at Fox Sports Radio thousand dollars.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
But I'm saying, rob that's what it's so dope that
it's become this rageous.
Speaker 4 (13:14):
No, that was normal to go Seeyonda. That's not what
I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
It's become to go see Beyonce, to go see Taylor Swift,
to go see a deal, to go see these massive,
massive artists. So for these guys spending two hundred and
fifty bucks, I get to go see BRONI I get
to go see Cooper Flag.
Speaker 4 (13:30):
That's actually cheap.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Rob a regular NFL to go see the Chargers play
the Browns. It's gonna cost you two fifty minimum and
that's a bad seat. So it's actually not bad in
summer league game to see scrubb right here. And here's
also that's what I'm saying now they put this is
not monoymano. If you told me it was a one
on one competition, I might even buy into that they
(13:52):
might not be on the court or checking it like seriously,
But here's what it doesn't make any sense now, rob Ge,
this is expected to be the big one of the biggest,
if not the most watched Summer League game ever. Right,
so guess what's gonna be I'm gonna tell you what. So,
guess who's gonna be there? Lebron James, probably, Kevin Durant probably.
(14:12):
What does that do for you, Scott that I'm in
the building with Travis Scott, one of my favorite players.
I might have on my Rob Parker, Travis Scott's they're
act like you don't want to be there. He might
throw you something, you know. I got Bron down there,
I got this person down there. I got young hyn
whoever pick a rapper, young NBA, young boy down there, like, dude,
this is lit. I got all these stars and hit
(14:34):
Caitlin Clark might pull up, Ames Reese might pull up, dude.
Speaker 4 (14:37):
Summer League is lit.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
It is a time where the guys, the players in
the league go vacation. I get to be in Vegas
for a week, four or five days. My agent's out here.
All these brands are out here, dude. Vegas is a
real thing in Summer League. Brands are there, marketing teams
are there, and this is where people go in Showcase,
which is why it was a big deal when you
know the Triple B big baller brands out there blowing
(15:00):
out shoes and shoes I'm marketing, and they're like, oh,
we look bad out there. So so this is more
than this is a basketball junkies crackhouse where you can
go get all the jok.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
To pay top dollar to me is crazy for for
you with the idea, all the hope, And I'm just
saying I would never pay. I don't care who it is,
one thousand dollars to sitting those.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
Bleeds for a concert. I just wouldn't do it. Who's
your favorite one the Knicks? What's her name?
Speaker 4 (15:30):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (15:31):
I looked at even he came back. We all of
a sudden, you jumped into you jump back into DeLorean.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
The only way I'm paying a thousand dollars is if
I get to hold the casket as he says that joy.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Why no, we go back in time and you know,
look we've got the Delarean, right, we got the time machine.
I'm not paying a thousand dollars that he's gonna die.
Please you don't go back and go watch him. No,
I'm not paying a thousand dollars.
Speaker 4 (15:55):
I paid a thousand to go see somebody say who
he was? Good?
Speaker 1 (16:01):
I am, but it was only aout I think twelve
hundred for the two tickets to go see Who'd you
see Bruno Mars.
Speaker 4 (16:08):
Oh, he could have waited for the residency in Vegas. No,
I'll tell you what happened. It was. No, I'll tell
you that's a good story. I'll tell you on the
other side.
Speaker 7 (16:15):
Well, you know what's funny hearing Robson, I'm not picking
a thousand dollars for that he paid. I want to say,
like thirteen hundred for some really terrible Gucci uh slides
or whatever you're blessing. They were just like they were sandals.
They were full on sandals. He wore them, took pictures
for the GRAMM. He's like people were.
Speaker 8 (16:30):
Killing them for those SAMs, Jesus saying immediately told him afterwards,
I did, Yeah, but you'll paid twelve But your favorite
player back from the dead Frank Sinatra.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
No, I'm not spreading the news right now, not four
thousand dollars.
Speaker 5 (16:45):
I'll spread the news. I just thinking for it, if
I wanted to do that.
Speaker 3 (16:48):
I'm just saying, if Cooper fly, if he's if I'm
really a Cooper fly I want to watch. I want
to save my money and go to the first real
game because they're gonna be stars there too, and all.
Speaker 5 (16:58):
That's the game.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
I'm just saying, if I had to pick a choice, Okay,
when Luca comes back, Luca is gonna be come back
to Dallas. They're playing the Mavericks and Cooper. I want
to save that twelve hundred dollars for that game.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
I think Summer League and take out what I think.
That's what the Summer League has become. The bros trip.
You tell the wife, the girlfriend, we're going to Summer
League and going to Vegas Pro. You get to go
to Vegas for four or five days, get to see
celebs just walking through the down the street, hanging out
in the hotels, popping up at the clubs. They're all
at the games. So that's what it's become. Summer League
(17:34):
has become a bros Trip. Shout out to the ladies too,
ladies trip, you know what I mean. It's just it's
become that to go enjoy some hoop, see some stars,
get some marketing and all that cool stuff out there
and enjoy it.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app search FSR to
listen live.
Speaker 7 (17:56):
Kevin Durant was the latest guest on the Mind the
Game popodcast. It was actually the second part of his
interview aired on Tuesday morning, and during the conversation, Kevin
Durant was discussing the importance of being committed and locked
in to the day to day process. That's part of
the reason why he's been able to play so long
(18:17):
while the bron Ben play so long. Steph Curry, Guys
like that is because they understand that part of longevity
means falling in love with the process well during the
course of his and.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
It's not because they don't play tough defense anymore and
it's easy to score than ever before.
Speaker 4 (18:32):
To see you.
Speaker 7 (18:36):
During the course of his answer, as he was explaining
the importance of being locked in, KD may or may
not have taken a shot of your favorite player take
a listen.
Speaker 9 (18:46):
You got to recommit too to this game, just like
you sign a new contract every time you get better
as a player. Always, I truly feel that you got
to recommit and sign that contract with yourself every so
often like, all right, you know I'm ten twelve years
and I got full MVPs and faux championships, Like, but
do I still want to do that?
Speaker 4 (19:05):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 9 (19:06):
You know, some people say I don't want to go
play baseball and they don't want to come back. Well,
some people say I'm gonna go twenty two straight.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
Go ahead. I want to go ahead.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
So this is always gonna be the hardest thing to
do is to hit a baseball, right yeah, okay, well
well no, nobody, nobody, nobody debating that. Where did that
come from? And you just mad at somebody else? We
were talking about just a moment ago. A couple of
things here. Uh so Katie obviously had some words for
(19:43):
Jordan or you know, took a shot at Jordan for sure.
Speaker 4 (19:46):
I mean clearly that was to Michael Jordan. A couple
of things I want to break down here.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
I think Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of
all time, and I think he is has been a
remarkable career. And I think Lebron, you could argue, is
the best. That's the story for an the day. But
I do just a cop out, yes, yes, no, I
don't just make make because they're two different No, it's
not somebody who's the greatest.
Speaker 4 (20:09):
Basketball player I ever played in the NBA Michael Jordan. Okay,
that that's that's what I want to hear. And if
you ask me who's the best, No, he's not the best.
And that doesn't make sense. It's like the Steph Curry thing.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
He's the greatest shooter of all time, but in the
biggest spot when I need a basket, I don't want
him to.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Shoot because just doesn't make any sense because you're simplifying
something that's not simple.
Speaker 4 (20:28):
That's simple.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Steph Curry makes ninety shots that most people on Earth
can't make. But if you ask for him to just
take one, yeah, I'm with you. Give me Reggie Miller,
give me Damian Lillers a handful, Larry Bird is that
makes the greatest shooter does? One shot does not make
you the greatest shot. It's about making He hasn't made
one one shoe. He hasn't made one. One shot does
(20:50):
not make you the greatest shooter. That's not a degree.
And that's fine. You the one brought up Steph Curry.
So back to what I was trying to say. The
only thing I'll say about this is I do agree
that I think we have lionized Jordan and the fact
that as if he was infallible, nothing went wrong. And
that's my only part. While I have an issue with
(21:10):
with Jordan's.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
It sounds like you didn't cover Michael because I was
there and he was not at the start of his career.
I could go back and show you newspaper stories when
he scored the sixties.
Speaker 4 (21:21):
I'm not talking no, no, no.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
Nobody said he was perfect on you want me, you
want to go? I said, you can go, So let
me go. Michael Jordan. I'm not talking about on a
night where he might have shot seven for twenty five
in real time.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
Yeah, I'm sure somebody.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
Hey, he was at it off night talking about now
where we now so far away from it. All we
will say is he was six to zero and I
just said he is the greatest. But I do think
it's okay to nitpick like we do when you're bringing
up the greatest of somebody. That means we have to
find small things to nitpick in the challenge, and my
knicks picks with Jordan would be a couple of things.
(21:56):
One those seven years that he didn't do anything where
he was losing the magic, He was losing Isaiah, who
was losing the bird. He was losing to these guys
and losing to the guys who were quote unquote better
than him, were other guys will be criticized for losing
the people who we thought were better than them. They
we will be criticized, why is he losing to Kobe,
Why is he losing this person?
Speaker 4 (22:15):
Why is he losing this stuff?
Speaker 1 (22:16):
Most people get criticized, so that Jordan doesn't often get
criticized for that.
Speaker 4 (22:20):
I think that's a fair point.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Also think it's a fair point when you talk about
how many times he got swept in the first round
or didn't make it out of the first round, or
when you talk about he couldn't beat Isaiah Thomas and
those Piston teams until Isaiah Thomas retired a couple years later,
and so did Bill Lambiard. Some of those guys think
that's a fair point. You're just you gotta start nippicking.
And then also what his point was. Michael Jordan himself
said I couldn't have just survived in the Twitter era.
(22:44):
He said, because I'm so big into privacy, and he
talked about how for him that was a challenge for him,
the mental aspect. He said, physically, I'm already worn out,
but mentally I'm super drained. And that's why he retired
and went on to play baseball. And I do believe
that is part of what has made what made Kobe
Bryant great, what made Lebron great, That they have to
(23:06):
have dealt with criticism from all angles in new mediums
that nobody else has ever had to deal with and
then still show up. When Lebron became the black hat
for the first time in his life out with playing
the Mavericks, he didn't fold it and go away. I
can't take the criticism and I'm gonna wait. He went
and got better and came back and won. Kobe Bryant
was coming back to La on a helicopter from a trial,
(23:29):
a literal trial, fight in prison time, in playing games
and balling out and so I'm not I'm not. I
fully understand stuff goes on. But Michael Jordan needed to
break a reprieve after eight nine years to go play
baseball for a couple of years.
Speaker 4 (23:43):
Then he came back, played.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
A few more years, then he retired again before a
couple came back a couple of years. So all I'm
saying is it's okay to criticize Michael Jordan. He can
still be the goat, but it is okay to say
that he did he had some fallacies. He are not fallacies,
some things that he was not the best at, or
he had something, or he made some mistakes, or that
I didn't like that he did that, And that's all
I'm saying. I think it's okay to point those out
(24:06):
and yet still can say he's the greatest.
Speaker 4 (24:08):
Similarly, the way we'll do with Lebron, You'll know.
Speaker 5 (24:11):
You make an excuse.
Speaker 3 (24:12):
You're like the biggest I'm dead serious, the biggest Lebron
apologist I've ever heard.
Speaker 4 (24:17):
That's the first I'm gonna tell you. Listen to me,
Listen to me. I think you are.
Speaker 5 (24:22):
And that's why people think you're like on the on
the pay wall.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
You're on the pay you are the biggest lebronpologist.
Speaker 3 (24:30):
Roger, no matter what good, nobody was good in Cleveland,
Lebron didn't have anybody. When Michael Jordan went to Chicago,
what if the what did the Bulls win? Scottie Pippen
was this great player, but he never won finals m
VP even though he was so great, and he's the
reason Michael Jordan won. This is a nonsense. I'm just
(24:51):
just hear me out. This is what people try to
make up some some scenario. Oh, the only thing you
talk about it Lebron is Michael Jordan being six and
oh no, he was. He was a score to ten
straight times. He won so many awards defensively, he did everything.
Nobody's saying he's perfect. But this whole notion that the
reason Lebron didn't win is because there's Twitter, or.
Speaker 5 (25:13):
The reason that he didn't.
Speaker 3 (25:15):
Win is because Skip Baylists and Rob Parker and Chris
Bussard had a morning show on the ESPN turn the
show off.
Speaker 4 (25:23):
Really, come on, man, that is weak.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
That's the reason that Lebron didn't win is because there
was debate Swarts talk show, or because some guy in
his mother's basement is tweeting about Lebron.
Speaker 4 (25:37):
And he can't handle it.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Oh my god, this is what you're talking about.
Speaker 4 (25:43):
I can't handle it.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
The point is everybody that, oh Lebron, he's the one
who put on his back and a tattoo, the chosen one.
He's the one who called himself the King that wasn't
anybody else. When you do that, you put a target
on your back. When you talk about you're the king
and you're the chosen one, and then you want to
belly ach about it. You go from team to team
(26:09):
trying to stack your freaking team, and you still don't win.
You still lose more than any other NBA MVP in
the history of the sport. You come to LA, you
complain that they O, I don't have anybody ad that's
not good enough. We need more players. You get Luca,
(26:29):
one of the best players in the league. You still
get knocked out in the first round. You're gonna blame everybody.
He never takes responsibility that it's him or that he
made the move. You talk about Cleveland doing anything, Oh,
Cleveland doing didn't do anything in the front offense. He's
the one who win got Westbrook? Did he get Westbrook
or did the Lakers get worst?
Speaker 1 (26:49):
You know the best part about this ridiculous You say
I'm the homer for Lebron, which is the furthest thing
from the truth. You're so obsessed with him, you didn't
even have anything to say about Michael Jordan, the whole
point of this was what Katie said about or No.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
The whole point is is that no matter what, and
this is why you can't be honest, and just as
I can't be.
Speaker 5 (27:07):
Michael Jordan is the greatest.
Speaker 4 (27:09):
I just said it.
Speaker 3 (27:10):
You started it because you started out where you have
to put out that is the best team.
Speaker 4 (27:16):
It does I would explain it.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
First of all, Michael Jordan's the greatest, and you and
and that's another conversation I can explain it does not.
We sit here every single day, you me, Rob, g
Alex and Steve, and I will be the first one
to tell you Lebron needs to give up the rock more.
I'll be the first one to tell you, Lebron, I
don't like that, uh that your son is coming up
and down off the g League.
Speaker 4 (27:38):
Keep him down there.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
I'll be the first one to tell you, what do
I call him Alex the Olay Girls because he don't
play any defense. I'll be the first one to tell
you he's the most passive aggressive person on on social media.
You just lost by forty not saying you can't be
on it, but they're calling me to watch king look
at me. I had the twenty five points to night.
I'll be the first one. I have no problem critics.
(28:00):
He don't owe me nothing. I don't owe him no.
I would criticize him. I'll criticize anybody. I'll even criticize
Aaron Rodgers. I will because you won't Rob g.
Speaker 3 (28:13):
When Aaron Rodgers went to New York to play for
the Jets, what did I say? I said it was
a mistake, and he made a mistake and it would
come back to be a mistake on his career. Okay,
so you could go here and say I never said
anything about her. I send you many videos. I can
send you many videos. You won't send me many. You'll
(28:33):
save me one said, you send you plenty of this
gonna be different angles of the same video.
Speaker 4 (28:39):
It's so ridiculous.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
So you get that fired up about Lebron, I'm feeling
like you. I'm just trying to say to the same thing, Michael.
Speaker 4 (28:49):
Oh, Lebron, do you have to play? You had to play?
Speaker 3 (28:51):
When they have TV sets on and they said them
and Skip Bayley said something about Lebron.
Speaker 5 (28:56):
I don't know how he even competed.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
Let me tell you something, my god, there was a
morning show on you know what don't turn the TV on.
Speaker 5 (29:05):
Don't go to Twitter, don't go don't go to i G.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
If you're so worked up about social media that you
can't exist, you're so worked up about Lebronce, ridiculous goodness,
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 (00:25):
It's a defining moment in Lebron James's legacy because the
things that robg talked about. When you really think about
Lebron's legacy, it failed. Player empowerment failed. Lebron might he
(00:47):
won his couple of championships, but it didn't really work out.
It didn't carry over. Other people tried, a couple teams
tried it.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
Guess what.
Speaker 5 (00:57):
It also hurt Lebron.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
It came back to bite him what he was able
to do with Miami and how his career and his
ring total could be totally different, right had he not
set this up.
Speaker 5 (01:12):
When I think of Lebron, I think that what he
did in Miami.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Was MySpace and then Golden States said, you know we
got something for you. We're gonna do Facebook, and they
went and got Kevin Durant, and they won those two
championships against Lebron. Those are two more ls that hung
on Lebron. So they did it even better then Lebron
did it. And when I think of like legacy I
talk about all the time you could talk about pop
(01:40):
Greg Popovich's five championships, I think of low management. When
I think of Lebron James, I think of player empowerment
that didn't work ultimately, and now all of these restrictive
CBA things that they've employed put in all to stop that,
to all stop players from move here's a double apron.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
You can't do it.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
It's gonna cost you money, Like the players allowed the
owners to put in these really stuffed stiff penalties to
stop all of this.
Speaker 5 (02:12):
So what he thought he was doing, which was.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Given players a liberation and a freedom to decide what
their careers are gonna do, actually backfired, cost him some
championships and also put stricter restrictions on players and their movement.
People have abandoned this whole idea of super teams. It
(02:37):
is not a lasting legacy for Lebron James.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
All right, Lebron did not complete the super team for
anybody other than the fact that it was for himself
because Lebron knew he was about to be judged on
a completely different criteria, and so he realized. And this
is one of the questions I've had for fans, rob
and I really mean it. Why don't fans get mad
at the right people. Fans don't get mad at James
Dolans don't get mad at Jerry Jones. Fans don't get
(03:01):
mad at Dan Gilbert, because you know what Dan Gilbert did.
He did nothing for Lebron. When Lebron was there. He left,
I swear we'll win a championship before Lebron ever wins one.
Speaker 4 (03:10):
Well, that wasn't kit.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Lebron won the next year and and you know, two
years later, and so to me, it's just it's comical.
And then Dan Gilbert only won because Lebron came back
and won, and he why did.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
He want tod Lebron go by? And if Dan Gilbert
was such a bad guy and didn't know what he
was doing? One did Len glad you asked ye?
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Because Lebron went off and won and became the biggest
thing in the NBA. Why to tell you? Because whereas
a home makes sense, to that. It absolutely does because
Lebron wanted to win and for who this once claim
that this is for you. He wanted to win one
in Cleveland, and guess what he did. He won in Cleveland.
(03:49):
And so to me, the player empowerment only moves if
you're that great. People been moving for the last and
fifteen years and didn't do nothing with it. Lebron goes
to Miami and wins, a couple loses the up as well.
Then he goes back to the couple as well he did,
and he goes back to Cleveland and wins again. And
so my point is he's won four championships in twenty
four years. So my point is, how long is a
(04:12):
person supposed to stay in the organization that drafted them
if they've done nothing. The Cavaliers did nothing before him,
They didn't do right and get guys with him. This
is a real thing. He didn't do anything. They didn't
do anything for him. Booby Gibson was a starting point guard.
They had Drew God was doing those years? You want
to go over there.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Win total during the Lebron Cleveland years, were they the
number one seed?
Speaker 5 (04:33):
Did they win sixty games every year?
Speaker 4 (04:35):
But they didn't have it.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Okay, wait, you're put in the playoffs, they didn't have anything.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
I just said that Lebron how they win, but they
couldn't win with But he couldn't win in the.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Playoffs because I'm saying the team he beat the Piston
by itself.
Speaker 4 (04:51):
I'm glad you Okay, So what happened?
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Michael Jordan didn't do anything either until Pippen became Pippen,
until he got Phil Jackson. He just put up a
bunch of points. And that's a fact. He was getting
swept in first round. He wasn't getting out the second round.
And that's okay because no one does it alone. Rob Magic.
Johnson walked into Jamal Wilkes, Norm Nixon, Kareem Abdull before that.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
But he go, look at the Lakers before them. How
many championships did they win before you got my point?
He vitalized that friend.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
That's my point. But I have to do it with Kareem,
who was the best player when they were there. Kareem
in the first half years. Magic will tell you that
and then it's Kareem and in Magic. So I'm not
knocking you need people, is my point.
Speaker 5 (05:34):
I'm talking about his legacy.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
It ain't. Nobody thinks of him as the all time
greatest scorer like Kareem was forever. That's not what you
think about when you think about Lebron. You think about
he ushered in the legacy of trying to stack his
team to win, and that's.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
What he wanted to do.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
Next, I don't get he went ten times, so it
didn't work. So it didn't work. You're missing the genesis lost.
The reason why this happened was because the Cavs were
doing nothing, and he realized you all are only going
to judge me on winning championships.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
Period.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
I'm the same player talent wise, I'm good, I'm winning MVPs.
I've got to drag the team to the finals in
two thousand and seven. You're only going to judge me
on winning championships. The team is doing nothing for seven years,
six seven, eight years old.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
You know what to sit here and say they did nothing.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
They got him everybody he wanted, even even Shaq won
Cavalier no.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
Howlready get there?
Speaker 3 (06:34):
How did he get there? How did he get there?
He was why was he on that team? He was
shack for asking you how Lebron didn't want him brought Shack.
You're argument asking the worst argument you've ever seen. Answered
the forty year old Shack, who like the get there.
Lebron didn't want him, but he got there. Why are
you bringing up how did Shaq get to Cleveland? They
(06:57):
because I'll tell him I'm asking.
Speaker 4 (06:59):
Let me answer the question.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Answer it easily. They always a dollar late and a
dollar a day later.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
Olbron, who's looking at decisions Cleveland?
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Come on, they're always a day Lebron wants a only
want a forty year olds. He don't want a thirty
four year old Shack still balling. He wants a forty
year old he wants.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
To have Lebron said, as Lebron said, I don't want Shaq.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
The Cavaliers wouldn't have done it. The cavalier wouldn't have
die it. The Miami heat got still something in the tank, Shack.
Lebron got every Shack talks about how washed up he was.
Ben Wallace wasn't the same. They did nothing. He leaves
and wins.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Doing nothing means you didn't bring in anybody. That's what
doing nothing is. Nameing somebody. I'll wait doing nothing, I said,
they did nothing. Doing nothing means you don't bring anybody.
Speaker 4 (07:44):
No, no, no.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
It might not have worked out, but you can't say
they didn't do anything if you're telling me, if your
beast thread, they brought in a four Ben Wallace won
four defensive plan.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
Whe you're over.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
So what I'm saying is they didn't bring in anybody
the right time. So he went and got it himself
into the tune of the Cavaliers doing nothing before during
while he was there. The first run, he comes back
and wins. So all I'm saying is he had to
go create what he was never going to get there
in Cleveland.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the
iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 4 (08:22):
Hey what's up everybody?
Speaker 6 (08:23):
It's me three time pro bowler LeVar Arrington, and I
couldn't be more excited to announce a podcast called Up
on Game?
Speaker 4 (08:30):
What is up on Game?
Speaker 6 (08:31):
You asked, along with my fellow pro bowler TJ. Hutschman,
Zada and Super Bowl champion Yup. That's right, Plexico Burris.
You can only name a show with that type of
talent on it Up on Game. We're going to be
sharing our real life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen
to Up on Game with me LeVar Arrington, TJ. Hutchman, Zada,
(08:53):
and Plexico Burds on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or
wherever you get your podcast from.
Speaker 7 (09:03):
Thursday night. It is the hottest ticket in town. And
that's saying something seeing there's a lot of things to
do in Las Vegas. That is because it is the
Summer League debut of Cooper Flag. He'll be taking on
Brownie James and the Lakers. Check this out, guys. We're
still about forty eight hours away, so these numbers are
only going to go up. According to Tickpic, the average
(09:26):
ticket price for that game is two hundred and one dollars.
That would make it the most expensive ticket in Summer
League history. Here's the best part though, Lower Bowl tickets. Again,
this is not a big arena that you're going to.
This is maximum I think is eight thousand people. Lower
Bowl tickets currently going six point fifty a pop. And
(09:49):
if you want to sit at courtside, which I know
that Dub and Rob always sit courtside with theygo places
not yet twenty five hundred dollars apiece. You could go
to the NBA Finals and not paid twenty one hundred dollars. Say,
of course, wait, okay for who Charlotte and no the
one we just had? Well, okay, so who what? I
believe there so big bucks to go see Cooper Flag
(10:11):
and Brownie next Lakers.
Speaker 4 (10:12):
You'll be spending hundred and fifty. Here's a ridiculous thing.
I get it. People are in Vegas. There's not much
to do to this hot weather.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
There's bad uh uh buffets and you know, and and
uh you know, and crap tables and if you don't
have but but the idea that you would spend any
kind of significant money to see Summer League basketball. I
don't care who's playing. I'm dead serious like you. This
is like talk about a waste of money. I want
(10:41):
to see. If you're telling me Cooper Flag's first real game,
and I want to be that, I'm all. I'm all
for it if he's your favorite player and it's a
real game. But seventy five percent, Rob g and my
bad Kelvin, am I being wrong? Eighty percent of the
players playing in the Summer League are not going to
be NBA player, Okay, you know what I mean. Like
(11:02):
there's some rookies, but most of the guys, they get
a free uniform and a couple of pair of sneakers
and a burger and fries from Burger King.
Speaker 5 (11:12):
Like that's what they get to play in the summer league.
Speaker 4 (11:14):
The league makes a little.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Bit of money off of it and to keep the
league relevant. And you get to see some of these
guys who were drafted, which is fine. I'm not saying,
don't go, but pay top dollar. And then the whole thing,
Brownie against Cooper flag, is that really where we are?
I could see if it was there were two players
(11:37):
who were gonna be drafted one and two, and they
had a rivalry or something, and then this is, you know,
they both got drafted and you look at that. I
can understand, if you know, do you know what I mean?
Like like like that example, that makes more sense to me.
I'm just saying personally, I just couldn't see spending big
bucks or any major money on summer league basketball, which
(12:02):
is basically minor league basketball, you know, with a sprinkle
on top, that's what it is.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
So in theory, I'm actually not mad at you like,
I get everything you're saying, principal, right, But here here's
a couple of things you got to you gotta think about.
We're in a day and age where Rob g how
old was Cooper Flag when you started to hear about
him with fourteen Maybe Bronnie Now obviously we do know him,
he's literally born, but Bronnie becomes a thing on social
(12:28):
media like thirteen fourteen. Right, you're starting to see these guys.
So we have a generation Rob where they're peers, kids
who are seventeen to twenty foursh doe. They been watching
these kids like since they were on making mixtapes and
they were all over YouTube and TikTok, and so for
them this is lit. I get to go see the
god and watch them for all these years. Those are
the guys paying twenty five hundred dollars to.
Speaker 4 (12:49):
Two young people.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
He talked them, there's only two hundred and fifty, Rob,
that's actually nothing. You know what they pay to go
see Taylor Swift. I'm not even exaggerating. It's of go
text your best friend Steven A. Smith what he paid
take his daughters and friends to go see Stephen Taylor
Moncey played one thousand dollars to go see Taylor Swift
and knows Monty.
Speaker 4 (13:07):
Makes too much money at Fox Sports Radio thousand dollars.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
But I'm saying, rob that's what it's so dope that
it's become this rageous.
Speaker 4 (13:14):
No, that was normal to go Seeyonda. That's not what
I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
It's become to go see Beyonce, to go see Taylor Swift,
to go see a deal, to go see these massive,
massive artists. So for these guys spending two hundred and
fifty bucks, I get to go see BRONI I get
to go see Cooper Flag.
Speaker 4 (13:30):
That's actually cheap.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Rob a regular NFL to go see the Chargers play
the Browns. It's gonna cost you two fifty minimum and
that's a bad seat. So it's actually not bad in
summer league game to see scrubb right here. And here's
also that's what I'm saying now they put this is
not monoymano. If you told me it was a one
on one competition, I might even buy into that they
(13:52):
might not be on the court or checking it like seriously,
But here's what it doesn't make any sense now, rob Ge,
this is expected to be the big one of the biggest,
if not the most watched Summer League game ever. Right,
so guess what's gonna be I'm gonna tell you what. So,
guess who's gonna be there? Lebron James, probably, Kevin Durant probably.
(14:12):
What does that do for you, Scott that I'm in
the building with Travis Scott, one of my favorite players.
I might have on my Rob Parker, Travis Scott's they're
act like you don't want to be there. He might
throw you something, you know. I got Bron down there,
I got this person down there. I got young hyn
whoever pick a rapper, young NBA, young boy down there, like, dude,
this is lit. I got all these stars and hit
(14:34):
Caitlin Clark might pull up, Ames Reese might pull up, dude.
Speaker 4 (14:37):
Summer League is lit.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
It is a time where the guys, the players in
the league go vacation. I get to be in Vegas
for a week, four or five days. My agent's out here.
All these brands are out here, dude. Vegas is a
real thing in Summer League. Brands are there, marketing teams
are there, and this is where people go in Showcase,
which is why it was a big deal when you
know the Triple B big baller brands out there blowing
(15:00):
out shoes and shoes I'm marketing, and they're like, oh,
we look bad out there. So so this is more
than this is a basketball junkies crackhouse where you can
go get all the jok.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
To pay top dollar to me is crazy for for
you with the idea, all the hope, And I'm just
saying I would never pay. I don't care who it is,
one thousand dollars to sitting those.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
Bleeds for a concert. I just wouldn't do it. Who's
your favorite one the Knicks? What's her name?
Speaker 4 (15:30):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (15:31):
I looked at even he came back. We all of
a sudden, you jumped into you jump back into DeLorean.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
The only way I'm paying a thousand dollars is if
I get to hold the casket as he says that joy.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Why no, we go back in time and you know,
look we've got the Delarean, right, we got the time machine.
I'm not paying a thousand dollars that he's gonna die.
Please you don't go back and go watch him. No,
I'm not paying a thousand dollars.
Speaker 4 (15:55):
I paid a thousand to go see somebody say who
he was? Good?
Speaker 1 (16:01):
I am, but it was only aout I think twelve
hundred for the two tickets to go see Who'd you
see Bruno Mars.
Speaker 4 (16:08):
Oh, he could have waited for the residency in Vegas. No,
I'll tell you what happened. It was. No, I'll tell
you that's a good story. I'll tell you on the
other side.
Speaker 7 (16:15):
Well, you know what's funny hearing Robson, I'm not picking
a thousand dollars for that he paid. I want to say,
like thirteen hundred for some really terrible Gucci uh slides
or whatever you're blessing. They were just like they were sandals.
They were full on sandals. He wore them, took pictures
for the GRAMM. He's like people were.
Speaker 8 (16:30):
Killing them for those SAMs, Jesus saying immediately told him afterwards,
I did, Yeah, but you'll paid twelve But your favorite
player back from the dead Frank Sinatra.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
No, I'm not spreading the news right now, not four
thousand dollars.
Speaker 5 (16:45):
I'll spread the news. I just thinking for it, if
I wanted to do that.
Speaker 3 (16:48):
I'm just saying, if Cooper fly, if he's if I'm
really a Cooper fly I want to watch. I want
to save my money and go to the first real
game because they're gonna be stars there too, and all.
Speaker 5 (16:58):
That's the game.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
I'm just saying, if I had to pick a choice, Okay,
when Luca comes back, Luca is gonna be come back
to Dallas. They're playing the Mavericks and Cooper. I want
to save that twelve hundred dollars for that game.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
I think Summer League and take out what I think.
That's what the Summer League has become. The bros trip.
You tell the wife, the girlfriend, we're going to Summer
League and going to Vegas Pro. You get to go
to Vegas for four or five days, get to see
celebs just walking through the down the street, hanging out
in the hotels, popping up at the clubs. They're all
at the games. So that's what it's become. Summer League
(17:34):
has become a bros Trip. Shout out to the ladies too,
ladies trip, you know what I mean. It's just it's
become that to go enjoy some hoop, see some stars,
get some marketing and all that cool stuff out there
and enjoy it.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app search FSR to
listen live.
Speaker 7 (17:56):
Kevin Durant was the latest guest on the Mind the
Game popodcast. It was actually the second part of his
interview aired on Tuesday morning, and during the conversation, Kevin
Durant was discussing the importance of being committed and locked
in to the day to day process. That's part of
the reason why he's been able to play so long
(18:17):
while the bron Ben play so long. Steph Curry, Guys
like that is because they understand that part of longevity
means falling in love with the process well during the
course of his and.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
It's not because they don't play tough defense anymore and
it's easy to score than ever before.
Speaker 4 (18:32):
To see you.
Speaker 7 (18:36):
During the course of his answer, as he was explaining
the importance of being locked in, KD may or may
not have taken a shot of your favorite player take
a listen.
Speaker 9 (18:46):
You got to recommit too to this game, just like
you sign a new contract every time you get better
as a player. Always, I truly feel that you got
to recommit and sign that contract with yourself every so
often like, all right, you know I'm ten twelve years
and I got full MVPs and faux championships, Like, but
do I still want to do that?
Speaker 4 (19:05):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 9 (19:06):
You know, some people say I don't want to go
play baseball and they don't want to come back. Well,
some people say I'm gonna go twenty two straight.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
Go ahead. I want to go ahead.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
So this is always gonna be the hardest thing to
do is to hit a baseball, right yeah, okay, well
well no, nobody, nobody, nobody debating that. Where did that
come from? And you just mad at somebody else? We
were talking about just a moment ago. A couple of
things here. Uh so Katie obviously had some words for
(19:43):
Jordan or you know, took a shot at Jordan for sure.
Speaker 4 (19:46):
I mean clearly that was to Michael Jordan. A couple
of things I want to break down here.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
I think Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of
all time, and I think he is has been a
remarkable career. And I think Lebron, you could argue, is
the best. That's the story for an the day. But
I do just a cop out, yes, yes, no, I
don't just make make because they're two different No, it's
not somebody who's the greatest.
Speaker 4 (20:09):
Basketball player I ever played in the NBA Michael Jordan. Okay,
that that's that's what I want to hear. And if
you ask me who's the best, No, he's not the best.
And that doesn't make sense. It's like the Steph Curry thing.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
He's the greatest shooter of all time, but in the
biggest spot when I need a basket, I don't want
him to.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Shoot because just doesn't make any sense because you're simplifying
something that's not simple.
Speaker 4 (20:28):
That's simple.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Steph Curry makes ninety shots that most people on Earth
can't make. But if you ask for him to just
take one, yeah, I'm with you. Give me Reggie Miller,
give me Damian Lillers a handful, Larry Bird is that
makes the greatest shooter does? One shot does not make
you the greatest shot. It's about making He hasn't made
one one shoe. He hasn't made one. One shot does
(20:50):
not make you the greatest shooter. That's not a degree.
And that's fine. You the one brought up Steph Curry.
So back to what I was trying to say. The
only thing I'll say about this is I do agree
that I think we have lionized Jordan and the fact
that as if he was infallible, nothing went wrong. And
that's my only part. While I have an issue with
(21:10):
with Jordan's.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
It sounds like you didn't cover Michael because I was
there and he was not at the start of his career.
I could go back and show you newspaper stories when
he scored the sixties.
Speaker 4 (21:21):
I'm not talking no, no, no.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
Nobody said he was perfect on you want me, you
want to go? I said, you can go, So let
me go. Michael Jordan. I'm not talking about on a
night where he might have shot seven for twenty five
in real time.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
Yeah, I'm sure somebody.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
Hey, he was at it off night talking about now
where we now so far away from it. All we
will say is he was six to zero and I
just said he is the greatest. But I do think
it's okay to nitpick like we do when you're bringing
up the greatest of somebody. That means we have to
find small things to nitpick in the challenge, and my
knicks picks with Jordan would be a couple of things.
(21:56):
One those seven years that he didn't do anything where
he was losing the magic, He was losing Isaiah, who
was losing the bird. He was losing to these guys
and losing to the guys who were quote unquote better
than him, were other guys will be criticized for losing
the people who we thought were better than them. They
we will be criticized, why is he losing to Kobe,
Why is he losing this person?
Speaker 4 (22:15):
Why is he losing this stuff?
Speaker 1 (22:16):
Most people get criticized, so that Jordan doesn't often get
criticized for that.
Speaker 4 (22:20):
I think that's a fair point.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Also think it's a fair point when you talk about
how many times he got swept in the first round
or didn't make it out of the first round, or
when you talk about he couldn't beat Isaiah Thomas and
those Piston teams until Isaiah Thomas retired a couple years later,
and so did Bill Lambiard. Some of those guys think
that's a fair point. You're just you gotta start nippicking.
And then also what his point was. Michael Jordan himself
said I couldn't have just survived in the Twitter era.
(22:44):
He said, because I'm so big into privacy, and he
talked about how for him that was a challenge for him,
the mental aspect. He said, physically, I'm already worn out,
but mentally I'm super drained. And that's why he retired
and went on to play baseball. And I do believe
that is part of what has made what made Kobe
Bryant great, what made Lebron great, That they have to
(23:06):
have dealt with criticism from all angles in new mediums
that nobody else has ever had to deal with and
then still show up. When Lebron became the black hat
for the first time in his life out with playing
the Mavericks, he didn't fold it and go away. I
can't take the criticism and I'm gonna wait. He went
and got better and came back and won. Kobe Bryant
was coming back to La on a helicopter from a trial,
(23:29):
a literal trial, fight in prison time, in playing games
and balling out and so I'm not I'm not. I
fully understand stuff goes on. But Michael Jordan needed to
break a reprieve after eight nine years to go play
baseball for a couple of years.
Speaker 4 (23:43):
Then he came back, played.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
A few more years, then he retired again before a
couple came back a couple of years. So all I'm
saying is it's okay to criticize Michael Jordan. He can
still be the goat, but it is okay to say
that he did he had some fallacies. He are not fallacies,
some things that he was not the best at, or
he had something, or he made some mistakes, or that
I didn't like that he did that, And that's all
I'm saying. I think it's okay to point those out
(24:06):
and yet still can say he's the greatest.
Speaker 4 (24:08):
Similarly, the way we'll do with Lebron, You'll know.
Speaker 5 (24:11):
You make an excuse.
Speaker 3 (24:12):
You're like the biggest I'm dead serious, the biggest Lebron
apologist I've ever heard.
Speaker 4 (24:17):
That's the first I'm gonna tell you. Listen to me,
Listen to me. I think you are.
Speaker 5 (24:22):
And that's why people think you're like on the on
the pay wall.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
You're on the pay you are the biggest lebronpologist.
Speaker 3 (24:30):
Roger, no matter what good, nobody was good in Cleveland,
Lebron didn't have anybody. When Michael Jordan went to Chicago,
what if the what did the Bulls win? Scottie Pippen
was this great player, but he never won finals m
VP even though he was so great, and he's the
reason Michael Jordan won. This is a nonsense. I'm just
(24:51):
just hear me out. This is what people try to
make up some some scenario. Oh, the only thing you
talk about it Lebron is Michael Jordan being six and
oh no, he was. He was a score to ten
straight times. He won so many awards defensively, he did everything.
Nobody's saying he's perfect. But this whole notion that the
reason Lebron didn't win is because there's Twitter, or.
Speaker 5 (25:13):
The reason that he didn't.
Speaker 3 (25:15):
Win is because Skip Baylists and Rob Parker and Chris
Bussard had a morning show on the ESPN turn the
show off.
Speaker 4 (25:23):
Really, come on, man, that is weak.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
That's the reason that Lebron didn't win is because there
was debate Swarts talk show, or because some guy in
his mother's basement is tweeting about Lebron.
Speaker 4 (25:37):
And he can't handle it.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Oh my god, this is what you're talking about.
Speaker 4 (25:43):
I can't handle it.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
The point is everybody that, oh Lebron, he's the one
who put on his back and a tattoo, the chosen one.
He's the one who called himself the King that wasn't
anybody else. When you do that, you put a target
on your back. When you talk about you're the king
and you're the chosen one, and then you want to
belly ach about it. You go from team to team
(26:09):
trying to stack your freaking team, and you still don't win.
You still lose more than any other NBA MVP in
the history of the sport. You come to LA, you
complain that they O, I don't have anybody ad that's
not good enough. We need more players. You get Luca,
(26:29):
one of the best players in the league. You still
get knocked out in the first round. You're gonna blame everybody.
He never takes responsibility that it's him or that he
made the move. You talk about Cleveland doing anything, Oh,
Cleveland doing didn't do anything in the front offense. He's
the one who win got Westbrook? Did he get Westbrook
or did the Lakers get worst?
Speaker 1 (26:49):
You know the best part about this ridiculous You say
I'm the homer for Lebron, which is the furthest thing
from the truth. You're so obsessed with him, you didn't
even have anything to say about Michael Jordan, the whole
point of this was what Katie said about or No.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
The whole point is is that no matter what, and
this is why you can't be honest, and just as
I can't be.
Speaker 5 (27:07):
Michael Jordan is the greatest.
Speaker 4 (27:09):
I just said it.
Speaker 3 (27:10):
You started it because you started out where you have
to put out that is the best team.
Speaker 4 (27:16):
It does I would explain it.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
First of all, Michael Jordan's the greatest, and you and
and that's another conversation I can explain it does not.
We sit here every single day, you me, Rob, g
Alex and Steve, and I will be the first one
to tell you Lebron needs to give up the rock more.
I'll be the first one to tell you, Lebron, I
don't like that, uh that your son is coming up
and down off the g League.
Speaker 4 (27:38):
Keep him down there.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
I'll be the first one to tell you, what do
I call him Alex the Olay Girls because he don't
play any defense. I'll be the first one to tell
you he's the most passive aggressive person on on social media.
You just lost by forty not saying you can't be
on it, but they're calling me to watch king look
at me. I had the twenty five points to night.
I'll be the first one. I have no problem critics.
(28:00):
He don't owe me nothing. I don't owe him no.
I would criticize him. I'll criticize anybody. I'll even criticize
Aaron Rodgers. I will because you won't Rob g.
Speaker 3 (28:13):
When Aaron Rodgers went to New York to play for
the Jets, what did I say? I said it was
a mistake, and he made a mistake and it would
come back to be a mistake on his career. Okay,
so you could go here and say I never said
anything about her. I send you many videos. I can
send you many videos. You won't send me many. You'll
(28:33):
save me one said, you send you plenty of this
gonna be different angles of the same video.
Speaker 4 (28:39):
It's so ridiculous.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
So you get that fired up about Lebron, I'm feeling
like you. I'm just trying to say to the same thing, Michael.
Speaker 4 (28:49):
Oh, Lebron, do you have to play? You had to play?
Speaker 3 (28:51):
When they have TV sets on and they said them
and Skip Bayley said something about Lebron.
Speaker 5 (28:56):
I don't know how he even competed.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
Let me tell you something, my god, there was a
morning show on you know what don't turn the TV on.
Speaker 5 (29:05):
Don't go to Twitter, don't go don't go to i G.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
If you're so worked up about social media that you
can't exist, you're so worked up about Lebronce, ridiculous goodness,
Hosts And Creators
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