June 15, 2026 • 26 mins
Former NFL safety Kerry Rhodes is in for Rob, and he and Kelvin explain why Victor Wembanyama is on the same path as famed Star Wars villain, ‘Darth Vader’, react to the breaking news that Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby has declared for the NFL supplemental draft, and tell us why Jalen Brunson winning the NBA Finals MVP makes him a lock for the Basketball Hall of Fame.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
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
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 1 (00:25):
This is what we love to do in life, in
sports in particular, Carrie. We love to have somebody that
the roller coaster ride, the ups, the downs.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
We love you, then we hate you.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
We might hate you for a while, even then we
love you a gain and then we get it independent
on how it ends.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
We might hate you again. We'll see how it ends.
It works out at the end for you.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
And I say that to say to me, that's where
I think wim be starting to fall. First year, so
I was like, I don't really know, I know what
to see. We thought that we saw a bunch of
highlights of him, and you know, you're unfamiliar. If you will, okay,
this will be interesting, Rye. Then you start to see
he's good then and this year it goes into Yo,
this dude is a problem. He might be the best
(01:02):
we ever seen. When it'saul said and done, he's scary good.
And then we love the passion right all he cares.
Look at him. He's crying in the Olympics, and he's mad.
He wants to bring the pain to the All Star Game.
And you're loving all of this. And I've said, right
where you are, and I said, I love how spoken
he is, how honest. He'll tell you, hey, I think
I should be the best. He sat down with Malick Andrews.
(01:23):
He'll be like, who's better than me? She'd be like, oh,
there's so mutch. He's like, who's better than you?
Speaker 4 (01:29):
Name him?
Speaker 3 (01:29):
Who you think better than me? When I'm healthy, ain't
nobody better than me?
Speaker 1 (01:32):
I love it, but I think we're gone from now
where it's the Anakin Skywalker to Darth Vader.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Okay, hear me out, I'm listening.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Anakin Syewalker is this young Jedi talented learning the game
and thinking he's gonna be you know this, This this
guy that's can Obi Wan Kenobi is teaching him.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
He's learning. And when you see, all right, look at us,
dude's fun.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
You love him, But then he sells his soul right,
and it becomes Darth Vader. But the watch this though
Darth Vader, while he's the villain, kind of the villain
we all love. And I say that because when this
is what happens, all the stuff that we love you
for becomes the thing that we start to despise you for,
and all that we love.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
He's honest, he said I should an MVP looked at him.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
He's mad at SG and he keeps talking and he
keeps talking, and everybody's all right, you're saying too much.
You know you're losing. No, you got molly wopped. You
know you're you're choked, and you're not admitting it, and
you're finding ways out and you're kind of making an excuse,
and you keep saying, everybody knows we're gonna win. Everybody
knows we're coming back. And it's like, ah, that stuff
starts to work against you. You start to be tough
and passionate. We like that, But now you're elbowing guys,
(02:33):
and you're elbowing this guy, and you're pushing bruntsing down,
and you're putting your feet under people, and you're you're
getting into it and tussling and and and you know,
and it starts to become right, you start to not
like it. Uh, you don't speak to the reporters. Yeah,
a couple of games back, you walk out. You don't
speak reporter. You're the same one, always looking for a
(02:54):
microphone and answering question. Now all of a sudden, you
ain't got nothing to say to reporters. You don't shake
hands afterwards, you're crying on the podium when you lose
the checking them back in the nineteen U. But I'm serious, Carrie,
this is how this works. Well, he's so passionate, he's crying.
Look at the car Now it starts to work against
you because look at him crying.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
He always losing something.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
He losing in nineteen under, losing in the Olympics, losing
in the mid season tournament, thing, losing in the finals.
And this is how I think I was watching this
and starting to see how it starts to shift. What's
the first thing they say? Why shoot so many theories?
Rob g, why y'all post up man? We already crowned
him too early. He ain't all that man. He nice,
(03:35):
but he ain't that nice. Look at him. Can't even
shake hands with him? Sore loser, and I think I
was watching this like this is where Anakin Skywalker turns
into Darth Vader, where all the stuff that you kind
of liked a bottom and it gets the greatest fear
of maybe I'm not the you know what best ever
and maybe I'm not that guy. It starts to happen,
(03:56):
and I'm not saying people hate him hate him. That's
why I said Darth Vader is like that, because if
you say, who's you favorite character, you gonna be like
Narth later from All the Star Wars, right, So I
think there's still that thing where we like him and
it's still something a mystical thing about him, but I
just feel like it's started to work against him. All
the turnovers, the misshots, the misfree throws, the complaining, like
(04:17):
I said, not speaking up, not shaking hands. I think
it starts to work where you know the shift and
not to mention, you go against fifty three years of history,
against the Knicks and then the lovable Knicks and the
small guy David and Goliath, and I felt like walking
out of this winby kind of came out where we
all expecting to be amazing talent. But I think he
walked out a little less desirable coming out of that,
(04:38):
Whereas I think it was like everybody had the cheer
for me, Yes, you beat the thunder. People didn't want
the unethical basketball in the finals. And I just think
there's a little bit of he came out of that
where people all, maybe he's a little he hate care.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
He's rough and tough too. Is he dirty? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Is he nasty? Is he dirty? Is he complaining in
the two? Is he not manning up when he needs to?
He's ducking media, ducking the handshakes, And I'm just I'm
walked out. I was saying, Wimby walked out of that
little dirt on him, and maybe that's good, Maybe that's good.
The league needs a Darth Vader, you need a little villain.
He doesn't have to be pristine. I think Lebron until
(05:13):
the decision was kind of on the pristine young every
commercial and great and that that's Steph Curry. Well, don't
give me Christine. Steph Curry and he can do no
wrong exactly.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
He can lose three to one, And I was like,
that's Steph.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Just Steph Curry can lose the NBA Finals three to one,
and we blame it on Draymond exactly.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
He should have got kicked out the game.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Wait a minute, the v unanimously what yeah, so am
I Am I crazy? Or did he come out and
go in like, oh snap face of the league. He's
the one Obi wan to to to Anakin's cover to it.
Now it's like he walked out still that guy still
thinking the talent, isn't you? But like we saw the
holes in his game. We see the holes in kind
(05:53):
of some of the maturity of like how to handle
the media. You in New York, you know that's the
media stuff goes, and and also the sportsmanship. And I
think it came out of it a little blimmish and
a little little villainy if you will.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
Yeah, he's he's I like what you said there, He's
a twenty two year old kid. And I think it
started even before that. I think when they beat OKAC
that was their championship.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
Right.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
You talked about the crying, You're talking about the celebrating,
You're talking about all the bravado, all that stuff that
came in that moment.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Right.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
They poured so much into that moment, and to get
to the finals, I think they would depleted right emotionally.
And then you talk about Winby and you talk about
his game even when the playoffs started and he had
those you know, had some really good games. I did
say for them to win, he's going to have to
develop some real basketball moves.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
He doesn't have that go to.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
And so when you talk about the Obi one to
Darth Vader, that justifization, right, it is that it's him
learning how to use the lightsaber, and no one want
to use it at the right time, and no one
want to use the force at the right time.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Right, Like those things takes time. You don't just be.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
Dark Vader, right, Like there's a there's there's a hurdle,
there's some hurdles to get to to get to that point.
So even equating it back to basketball and what you're
saying in your point, he needs to learn how to
be a better leader, even because I mean a lot
of times in this in this playoff run, they were
referring to Winby as their leader.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
And so if they were stop seven times, So if that.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
Is their leader, and we see that on Front Street
on this run, and what he was offering up to
the world, we know they didn't have a leader. And
so to go through that process and actually learn how
to do this and learn how to do the media,
learn how to take the lumps. I mean, we talk
about players that were getting roughed up back in the day.
We talk about a prime shack. He would get beat
(07:43):
up man and now they will get to a point
where he couldn't take it and he would fire off phones somebody.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
But he would take it.
Speaker 4 (07:47):
He understood his value and understood what he meant to
that team. So you know, Winby's figuring this out on
the fly. And so the emotional roller coaster that it
takes to be a champion, to be the one, Yeah,
he's gonna have to go through these bumps. And so
to learn how to do that emotionally, he's got to
get better. He's got to be a better teammate, know
how to handle the press, because the number the other
(08:08):
thing with the press and Wenby and what he says,
we don't even know if he's saying what he's meaning
to say.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
It's not yes, it's not his first language.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
So so when it comes off short or snarky a
little bit sometimes, I don't know if it's just as
ego or is it hard for him to translate what
he's saying in the tign I'm gonna give him credit
with that.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
I get your grace in that. I think he means
what he says. I think he pauses because he's well
thought out. And I think whether you agree or not,
I think, again, this is the person I sat there
and watch lak Andrews interview and being like, no, who's
better than me? And I don't mind this stuff, but
I think he's given us a whole four years worth
of stuff in six months.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
Yes, right, not doing this, not checking out a bunch
of people ever won people. It's like whoa, whoa, whoa.
Speaker 4 (08:53):
But kel he's getting beat up as well. And so yes,
we're seeing him retaliate. Yes, he's seven foot five, we're
not going to miss him retaliate. And right now that
is the topic now right like that's what we're seeing.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
Let me ask you this, Do you have a problem
with him not shaking hands? What I don't like about it?
You can't be the guy to tell me you're the best.
You can't be the guy to tell me I should
have been as MVP. I'm Defensive Player of the Year, unanimous.
I'm that I'm the don dada and not man up.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
He let it burn. Oh I got a problem.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
Let it simmer and go over there and be like
even if it's two yo, good game, good game, and
walk on back. I'm nobody saying you got to sit
there and hang out with the confetti, right, But no,
I got a problem with it for sure.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
Go shake go shake their hands.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
They beat you, look look them in the eye and
say we'll get you next time.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Or whatever, like whatever it is. Like, if you're the leader,
go do that. There have been dudes who are bigger,
play longer. The burn matters more, right, because let's say
your Magic Johnson's trying to be burd and you beat you,
that burn matter. You got a rival, right, or if
you're Bird and Magic, or if you're Mike and you're like, man,
I can't beat these freaking pistons, or if you're whatever
it is. We've seen that happen from guys who have
(10:03):
kind of even earn more than he has thus far,
and they've had to go through that shake hands. Yeah,
And I think I was kind of like man because
I thought for him, I know it burns, I know
he cares, and I like that, but I thought it
would be. The care and respect for the game makes
me go do that, you know what I mean? It's
a little misguided. Yeah, like you don't them guys I
name didn't care less than you, right, No, trust me,
(10:26):
Michael Jordan did not care less than you, and he
went and shook hand and nobody asks you to go
hug him up and swap jerseys.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
I thought that was interesting. I do too. I agree.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to
listen live.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
The gots here.
Speaker 5 (10:49):
I have a podcast empire. It continues to grow, and
I have brought it here to iHeart. I'm also doing
a live radio show from three to five pm Eastern
because my wife wanted to kick me out of the house.
It's called Stu Gotson Company Live, which is available in
podcast form right when the show finishes every single day.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
Some of the biggest names in sports.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
A lot of phone calls, I love you guys a show,
it's one of my favorites.
Speaker 5 (11:15):
A lot of interact sit guys not taking themselves too seriously.
Those are just some of the things that you can
expect from Stu Gottson Company and Steve Gotson Company Live.
So listen to Steve Gotson Company Live and our WI
original podcast. Please subscribe, rate and review Stu Gotson Company
and God Bless Football. Taylor's livelihood depends on it. You
(11:37):
do it today and you can check all of those
out on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you
get your podcasts.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
We're gonna go to Steven Singers.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Breaking news from Fox Sports Elly.
Speaker 6 (11:56):
He's been in the news for quite a bit now.
Quarterback Brendan's of Texas Tech is NFL Network put it well,
his college career is.
Speaker 7 (12:04):
Over, the fight is over. He is headed to the NFL.
Speaker 6 (12:08):
NFL Network and many others now reporting that Soorsby is
applying to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft. Just today, the
NCAA asked an appeals court for an expedited resolution. Don't
wait till after the college football season before it kicks off.
Can you give us a ruling That district judge, they
said in Texas over stepped in granting Soorsby that temporary
(12:30):
injunction allowing him to return to college football. Apparently college
football is not his future.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Yeah, and I thought, listen, I thought, thank you Steve,
that he got off for carrier. You and I, I
don't think we had a chance to talk about it.
I thought he got off way too easy. Rob and
I did discuss it, because it's one thing if you
found out, oh man, he put a bet here and
bet there or something to bet multiple times on your
team and to basically have a judge say, well, I mean,
(12:59):
if he go, he's not going to be good. If
he's away from the team, How's he gonna learn, how's
he gonna grow? Where's the learning and the lesson, where's
the learning of the accountability. Yeah, nobody expects a kid
to be perfect. Nobody expects anybody to be perfect. But
at the point you have to accept the responsibility and
accountability and.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
The idea that you can do that better on the team.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
And it just be like, well, he's gonna lose so
much if he's away from the team. In a way,
that's the decision he made when he paid it again,
not just a singular act.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
But multiple So where where were you? Where were you
on that? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (13:31):
I think I thought he should have lost his amateur
amateur status and just go to the NFL he's he's
a talented enough player. Hopefully he's able to get this fixed,
because this has become a problem in all sporting worlds
and venues. So yes, I thought he should shouldn't be
playing college football anymore. It'd be interesting to see too.
First and foremost, bro get your life together. Yes, I
mean that, and I mean that sincerely, like get you
(13:52):
don't listen, because what's the point of getting to the pros,
getting millions dollars if you still have those demons and
those issues, right, and and it maybe even make it
worse exactly, that's radious.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
So I hope he gets his life together. First and foremost.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
They say he's talent enough to go early, you know,
the First Cup, first day, maybe second day, and you know,
second round, third round or something. So hopefully again somebody
will take a chance on him and he can get
his life together. But I thought that just the idea
that he got to slap on the wrist from the
jud judge was absolutely insane in my opinion.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Right 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 8 (14:32):
Oh shout out to Jalen Brunson short Kings, stand up.
I'm standing up right now. You can't tell I saw you.
I saw, I saw a little rise. I saw I
saw the OH Bowls do this right here, I say man.
Jalen bruns a unanimous Finals MVP and win eleven voter because.
Speaker 7 (14:46):
He had forty five points in the clinker.
Speaker 8 (14:47):
He was the only guy on their team who wasn't
afraid of the moment, at least in the first half.
YEP shot four to seven for three point range, thirteen
to fifty in the foul line, fifteen points in the
fourth quarter. They needed all fifteen to get the win.
Just for context, what Jalen Brunston is done during this
run here became one of only four players including Michael Jordan, Giannis,
Bob Pettett to score at least forty five in the
(15:07):
close out game. Okay Joints, Kareem MJ. Bill Walton is
the only players ever to win an NCAA National Championship,
Nate Smith College Player of the Year, an NBA title,
and an NBA Finals MVP.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
Wow.
Speaker 7 (15:21):
Shout out to Jalen freaking bruntson.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
And all of that. What you just said to me,
rom G is why he's going to be a Hall
of Famer. Jalen Brunson will be a Hall of Famer.
Now shout out to Deon Sanders. One of the things
I always loved he always said is when some of
these guys start getting the NFL Hall of Fame, it'll
tell you what, baby, We're gonna have to have some
wings in that thing, because they're gonna have to be
a wing with me, you know, and because he's right
(15:44):
like to put let's say Eli sneaks in yep, and
the Deon Sanders and Barry Sanderson, they're like, hey, that
dude is with Joe Montagna like he with us. So
I say that to say, we'll see what wing Jalen
Brunson will get into when his career is over. I
think there's still much to be desired nine years old.
So I think he's got, you know, four more All
Stars and five more All Star Games appearances. They'll have
(16:06):
a few more what two, three All NBA, whatever the
team may be, and those things like that.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
Maybe clutch player to you whatever.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
He's but the reason he's gonna get there is because
you just mentioned it, Rob g. There's something to be
said about a dude. At the end of this we
all just kind of scratched our chaining. Now I think
about it, I don't know why to do. Was the
thirty third pick or this dude is simply a winner
Kerry Yes, high school, yes, too small two and this
not at a check win college. I mean, yeah, but
(16:35):
you ain't gonna be Duke North Carolina cans up win twice,
you lucked out? Okay win? Hey, okay, all right, well
you're still too small, tolls stupid, probably not in shape
enough in their minds. He didn't, you know, he's not
ripped up like Russell Westbrook and okay, thirty third pick, okay, cool?
Plays well with Luca yep to the tune of like,
oh dang, maybe he might be actually a real player
in these streets. The Knicks get him, that's terrible signing, Well,
(16:57):
New York, that's the best you can do. Plays well,
fifth wins, fifty wins, fifty wins for that team, first
time they had it in decades that they had that.
They had the fifty you know, three straight seasons, anching
closer in the playoffs. All Star appearances, clutchable board, NBA
all the NBA big facts and what does he do get?
And this is the key part for me. He got
(17:17):
to the finals, and I love this part. That he
didn't play well those first couple of games, right, he
was inefficient, He was kind of hero ball And I
think I said Carrie that I think some of that
the mushion by winby, the pushing around Stefan Cassel just
shoved him. I think he took it to personally where
he was like trying to show him too much, and
he kind of got out of his own flow and
the team flow in game three, and that's what got
(17:41):
them out of that rhythm. But to see what he
did in the last two games to the tune of
that forty five piece masterpiece, Yes, what he was able
to do, how he did it, trying to work around
and see if guy's gonna come with me. I got
my dog, Karl Anton Towns, Okay, he is not playing today.
The brother got two points and he's following any and everybody.
(18:02):
Some of them won't good cause I'll give him that,
but he's not with me, wasn't with me the game before.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
Thank God for og.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
And I think he had knew I got to get
this done, and he had that stone cold killer in him.
He did that stone cold I'm getting it done in
between high school. Remember this isn't the NBA Hall of Fame.
It's Nate Smith Basketball of Fame. High school, college, two championships,
now Finals, MVP, and he's twenty nine and who knows
what else he'll do the next five six years. Carry
(18:30):
And my last point, there's a lot of guys that
we will put ahead of them we have when his career,
when it's about to be saiding Donegga, hes gonna be
able to be like, hey, you know, why is he
over me? Why is Damian Living over me? Top seventy
five player? But like why I know, And you're gonna
be like, what you know what I mean? Why is
Kyrie Kyrie? Talent wise? We all see that. Don't get
(18:51):
it twisted. I know, but I'm talking about what he'll
have that look at you like why, And it'll be
a handful of people when his career is done that
he'll be able to say, I hear you a little
more aesthetically preasing than me, And I get that.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
But why him over me? Because all I did was win.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
Yeah, and a lot of people wrote them off and
or he's this, he's that, and he kept getting it done.
And now you look at the Nate Smiths Hall of Fame. Look,
me and Rob both agree it ain't the NBA. Yeah,
because there's some players in there. I would be hold on, now,
y'all got to get out if this was just strictly
your NBA career.
Speaker 4 (19:22):
Yeah, you're talking about you're talking about our beating Simonas
and those cats like there.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
Ill take Yeah, I'll take him out just because he
was mostly the world. But I mean even some NBA players. Yeah,
it's some NBA players you like, you got it?
Speaker 3 (19:34):
Hold up? Yeah.
Speaker 4 (19:36):
The thing about Jalen, and you know, I know a
lot about Jayalen. He got drafted to my Dallas Mavericks, right,
so I remember, I mean I remember when he got drafted,
same draft as Luca. They came in the same time,
and I remember them kind of going through the process.
They were they were close, really, you know, really good buddies.
And you could see their rapports starting to build. And
you can also start to see in that rookie year,
(19:58):
Jalen didn't get a lot of time. He played a
little bit and you could kind of see like he
we weren't we weren't sure. Year two came started to
get more planned time. He's more getting into that six
man role, and he was coming off, you know, giving
Luca some some some reprieve from hellling the ball the
second unit, and he wasn't even looking to score. He
was more of a distributor. He was more of a
floored general. And you saw that. Then that third year came,
(20:21):
right and Luca got hurt in the playoffs yep, and
JB had to like really man the ship. And you're
looking like Ollo, that's he got thirty points against Utah,
And then you're like, okay, wait a minute, Oh he's
got forty. And you could see where he could go,
and you could see how he learned how to play
that position and learn how to be the killer that
he is today. So I saw it building since for
(20:44):
me when he got when he got traded to New York,
I knew he was gonna be a great pickup, but
not this. I'm not gonna even say I thought. I
don't think anybody could have saw this. They talked to
Jay Wright, his college coach. He didn't even know this
this was the version we was going to get talk
to us. Rick Brunson said, I ain't think I knew
he'd be making makeing to the lead. I an't think
he's gonna be all right. And so just with that
(21:05):
being said, and what he's been able to achieve and
the level that he's been able to do it at,
and the biggest market in the world, and I know
how that market go there if I'm sure there's been
games when people are like, oh, this is the best
thing since sliced bread, and I'm sure there's been moments
when they're saying he's too small, he can't get it done.
Like I know, these things exist in the same universe.
(21:28):
And so for him to be able to man this
thing and be the undeniable leader and also just be
the killer that he is and go out and get
this thing done, there's no way he's not that guy. Postseason,
Jalen Brunson is what we thought James Harden would be. Yes,
we would, We hoped he would be. Jaalen think thought Kevin,
(21:50):
I think, nope, we.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
Not even know you thought because you thought it was
given because you saw a regular season thirty six Well
so you you you thought like, oh this because Washington
carry go ahead. Great players in the NBA elevate when
the pressures all with a mattermost that's what made them great.
Speaker 4 (22:08):
But we saw James Harden in his first year when
they made it to the championship. He's coming off the bench.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
And he didn't do it. It might have been written
on the wall they was, you know, he did it.
And the first one Jalen Brunton is what a lot
of players we think. And again he's not as naturally gifted,
meaning he's not faster, he's not athletic as some of
these guys. But when it's time to kill and to
(22:33):
win the game, and the inspired team in some cases
drag a team. Oh yeah, I ain't got it. Okay, come on,
I got y'all, just come on, come on. He been
he's been able to do that. And again you look
at him last year and he's been kept inching closer
and closer.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
My second round a couple of years ago.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Last year, gets the Eastern Conferce Finals Game seven versus
or the Pacers, got a chance that got in there
last year. You never know. Once you get there this year,
get there, get it done down double ditchs and five
straight games.
Speaker 3 (22:57):
That's cool.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
Let me drag these dudes. And again, obviously O G.
Kat was great first to gain. I don't make it
like they didn't do anything about that at all.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
I was.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
I was screaming at the nobody's praises, for sure. But
my point is, you knew, and this is the difference
with the Spurs. You knew that Jalen Brunson and the Knicks,
we knew we had a closer. And when I was
watching him, left handed, crafty, not the fastest, not, I'm like, oh,
that's what we thought James Harden would be. Man, Oh,
(23:25):
James Harden thought we could close games out. You thought
he could lead teams, drag teams, and you know, and
make it up. He's even had some maybe better teams
in the Knicks as far as throughout them Rocket Years teams.
You thought James Harden could do that, and I watched
him like, that's the difference a dude that said, I
don't care, we're getting it done. But if you track
the track record that's been him high school, college, now on.
Speaker 4 (23:49):
The pros, Yeah, I mean you threw James Harden out there,
I would throw I would I would throw in done
of Mitchell as well. Mm's that's what's thought he could
do it as well.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
That's fair, I think because Donovan hasn't been as spectacular
as James Harden, like he's ever in an MVP camp
hard at a four year five.
Speaker 3 (24:09):
Years I know where. Look at Jason. Look at it.
He can't he can't contain it at all. Look at
it he's doing.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
I'm gonna call that boy, Jason Runson. Look at Jason
right now, got him? Look at them flexing the way,
ah fade away?
Speaker 3 (24:25):
What the left hand too? All right?
Speaker 1 (24:27):
Eight seven I pete to that eight seven, seven ninety
nine on Fox, Rob G you're just real quick before
you break, you're just your thought?
Speaker 3 (24:34):
Am I crazy?
Speaker 1 (24:35):
For Like, that's what we thought Harden would be, being
able to drag a team, you know, just that that
a guy. I'm using them as example because kind of
crafty like that left hand guys makes you know that
you're like, oh, that's what we were always kind of
thought he would be.
Speaker 7 (24:49):
For sure.
Speaker 8 (24:49):
And I'll tell you another thing that I think, and
this to me feels like an even bigger compliment to
him is a few guys can say in the pantheon
of the NBA that they maximize their ability more than
Jalen Brunton.
Speaker 7 (25:04):
To your point, he's listed at six to Nobody thinks
he's sixty.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
He's six max.
Speaker 8 (25:09):
He's listed at one ninety. Everyone he's little more than
one ninety.
Speaker 3 (25:12):
Right.
Speaker 8 (25:12):
He's not fast, he's not explosive. He is tenacious, he
is skilled. He knows that you know I'm on athletic.
He knows that you know I can't jump out of
the gym. So I'm gonna use that to my advantage.
I'm gonna use my big body, I'm gonna use angles.
I'm gonna do whatever I have to do to get
the job done. And that's something that I think deserves.
It is even more impressive to me because there's the
(25:34):
NBA and sports in general are littered talented talented dudes
throughout history. This guy is incredible.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
Man.
Speaker 7 (25:40):
You remember watching this guy play man. He could jump
out of the gym.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
He can do it.
Speaker 8 (25:44):
Jalen bruns he can't do any of that stuff, but
he found a way to turn whatever advantages he had,
whether it's having a dad as a former NBA player
or having a great coaching college at Villanova and he
maximized every single ounce of talent that he had, and
I think that's gonna be but I remember him those
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 1 (00:25):
This is what we love to do in life, in
sports in particular, Carrie. We love to have somebody that
the roller coaster ride, the ups, the downs.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
We love you, then we hate you.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
We might hate you for a while, even then we
love you a gain and then we get it independent
on how it ends.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
We might hate you again. We'll see how it ends.
It works out at the end for you.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
And I say that to say to me, that's where
I think wim be starting to fall. First year, so
I was like, I don't really know, I know what
to see. We thought that we saw a bunch of
highlights of him, and you know, you're unfamiliar. If you will, okay,
this will be interesting, Rye. Then you start to see
he's good then and this year it goes into Yo,
this dude is a problem. He might be the best
(01:02):
we ever seen. When it'saul said and done, he's scary good.
And then we love the passion right all he cares.
Look at him. He's crying in the Olympics, and he's mad.
He wants to bring the pain to the All Star Game.
And you're loving all of this. And I've said, right
where you are, and I said, I love how spoken
he is, how honest. He'll tell you, hey, I think
I should be the best. He sat down with Malick Andrews.
(01:23):
He'll be like, who's better than me? She'd be like, oh,
there's so mutch. He's like, who's better than you?
Speaker 4 (01:29):
Name him?
Speaker 3 (01:29):
Who you think better than me? When I'm healthy, ain't
nobody better than me?
Speaker 1 (01:32):
I love it, but I think we're gone from now
where it's the Anakin Skywalker to Darth Vader.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Okay, hear me out, I'm listening.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Anakin Syewalker is this young Jedi talented learning the game
and thinking he's gonna be you know this, This this
guy that's can Obi Wan Kenobi is teaching him.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
He's learning. And when you see, all right, look at us,
dude's fun.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
You love him, But then he sells his soul right,
and it becomes Darth Vader. But the watch this though
Darth Vader, while he's the villain, kind of the villain
we all love. And I say that because when this
is what happens, all the stuff that we love you
for becomes the thing that we start to despise you for,
and all that we love.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
He's honest, he said I should an MVP looked at him.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
He's mad at SG and he keeps talking and he
keeps talking, and everybody's all right, you're saying too much.
You know you're losing. No, you got molly wopped. You
know you're you're choked, and you're not admitting it, and
you're finding ways out and you're kind of making an excuse,
and you keep saying, everybody knows we're gonna win. Everybody
knows we're coming back. And it's like, ah, that stuff
starts to work against you. You start to be tough
and passionate. We like that, But now you're elbowing guys,
(02:33):
and you're elbowing this guy, and you're pushing bruntsing down,
and you're putting your feet under people, and you're you're
getting into it and tussling and and and you know,
and it starts to become right, you start to not
like it. Uh, you don't speak to the reporters. Yeah,
a couple of games back, you walk out. You don't
speak reporter. You're the same one, always looking for a
(02:54):
microphone and answering question. Now all of a sudden, you
ain't got nothing to say to reporters. You don't shake
hands afterwards, you're crying on the podium when you lose
the checking them back in the nineteen U. But I'm serious, Carrie,
this is how this works. Well, he's so passionate, he's crying.
Look at the car Now it starts to work against
you because look at him crying.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
He always losing something.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
He losing in nineteen under, losing in the Olympics, losing
in the mid season tournament, thing, losing in the finals.
And this is how I think I was watching this
and starting to see how it starts to shift. What's
the first thing they say? Why shoot so many theories?
Rob g, why y'all post up man? We already crowned
him too early. He ain't all that man. He nice,
(03:35):
but he ain't that nice. Look at him. Can't even
shake hands with him? Sore loser, and I think I
was watching this like this is where Anakin Skywalker turns
into Darth Vader, where all the stuff that you kind
of liked a bottom and it gets the greatest fear
of maybe I'm not the you know what best ever
and maybe I'm not that guy. It starts to happen,
(03:56):
and I'm not saying people hate him hate him. That's
why I said Darth Vader is like that, because if
you say, who's you favorite character, you gonna be like
Narth later from All the Star Wars, right, So I
think there's still that thing where we like him and
it's still something a mystical thing about him, but I
just feel like it's started to work against him. All
the turnovers, the misshots, the misfree throws, the complaining, like
(04:17):
I said, not speaking up, not shaking hands. I think
it starts to work where you know the shift and
not to mention, you go against fifty three years of history,
against the Knicks and then the lovable Knicks and the
small guy David and Goliath, and I felt like walking
out of this winby kind of came out where we
all expecting to be amazing talent. But I think he
walked out a little less desirable coming out of that,
(04:38):
Whereas I think it was like everybody had the cheer
for me, Yes, you beat the thunder. People didn't want
the unethical basketball in the finals. And I just think
there's a little bit of he came out of that
where people all, maybe he's a little he hate care.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
He's rough and tough too. Is he dirty? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Is he nasty? Is he dirty? Is he complaining in
the two? Is he not manning up when he needs to?
He's ducking media, ducking the handshakes, And I'm just I'm
walked out. I was saying, Wimby walked out of that
little dirt on him, and maybe that's good, Maybe that's good.
The league needs a Darth Vader, you need a little villain.
He doesn't have to be pristine. I think Lebron until
(05:13):
the decision was kind of on the pristine young every
commercial and great and that that's Steph Curry. Well, don't
give me Christine. Steph Curry and he can do no
wrong exactly.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
He can lose three to one, And I was like,
that's Steph.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Just Steph Curry can lose the NBA Finals three to one,
and we blame it on Draymond exactly.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
He should have got kicked out the game.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Wait a minute, the v unanimously what yeah, so am
I Am I crazy? Or did he come out and
go in like, oh snap face of the league. He's
the one Obi wan to to to Anakin's cover to it.
Now it's like he walked out still that guy still
thinking the talent, isn't you? But like we saw the
holes in his game. We see the holes in kind
(05:53):
of some of the maturity of like how to handle
the media. You in New York, you know that's the
media stuff goes, and and also the sportsmanship. And I
think it came out of it a little blimmish and
a little little villainy if you will.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
Yeah, he's he's I like what you said there, He's
a twenty two year old kid. And I think it
started even before that. I think when they beat OKAC
that was their championship.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
Right.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
You talked about the crying, You're talking about the celebrating,
You're talking about all the bravado, all that stuff that
came in that moment.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Right.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
They poured so much into that moment, and to get
to the finals, I think they would depleted right emotionally.
And then you talk about Winby and you talk about
his game even when the playoffs started and he had
those you know, had some really good games. I did
say for them to win, he's going to have to
develop some real basketball moves.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
He doesn't have that go to.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
And so when you talk about the Obi one to
Darth Vader, that justifization, right, it is that it's him
learning how to use the lightsaber, and no one want
to use it at the right time, and no one
want to use the force at the right time.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Right, Like those things takes time. You don't just be.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
Dark Vader, right, Like there's a there's there's a hurdle,
there's some hurdles to get to to get to that point.
So even equating it back to basketball and what you're
saying in your point, he needs to learn how to
be a better leader, even because I mean a lot
of times in this in this playoff run, they were
referring to Winby as their leader.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
And so if they were stop seven times, So if that.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
Is their leader, and we see that on Front Street
on this run, and what he was offering up to
the world, we know they didn't have a leader. And
so to go through that process and actually learn how
to do this and learn how to do the media,
learn how to take the lumps. I mean, we talk
about players that were getting roughed up back in the day.
We talk about a prime shack. He would get beat
(07:43):
up man and now they will get to a point
where he couldn't take it and he would fire off phones somebody.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
But he would take it.
Speaker 4 (07:47):
He understood his value and understood what he meant to
that team. So you know, Winby's figuring this out on
the fly. And so the emotional roller coaster that it
takes to be a champion, to be the one, Yeah,
he's gonna have to go through these bumps. And so
to learn how to do that emotionally, he's got to
get better. He's got to be a better teammate, know
how to handle the press, because the number the other
(08:08):
thing with the press and Wenby and what he says,
we don't even know if he's saying what he's meaning
to say.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
It's not yes, it's not his first language.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
So so when it comes off short or snarky a
little bit sometimes, I don't know if it's just as
ego or is it hard for him to translate what
he's saying in the tign I'm gonna give him credit
with that.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
I get your grace in that. I think he means
what he says. I think he pauses because he's well
thought out. And I think whether you agree or not,
I think, again, this is the person I sat there
and watch lak Andrews interview and being like, no, who's
better than me? And I don't mind this stuff, but
I think he's given us a whole four years worth
of stuff in six months.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
Yes, right, not doing this, not checking out a bunch
of people ever won people. It's like whoa, whoa, whoa.
Speaker 4 (08:53):
But kel he's getting beat up as well. And so yes,
we're seeing him retaliate. Yes, he's seven foot five, we're
not going to miss him retaliate. And right now that
is the topic now right like that's what we're seeing.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
Let me ask you this, Do you have a problem
with him not shaking hands? What I don't like about it?
You can't be the guy to tell me you're the best.
You can't be the guy to tell me I should
have been as MVP. I'm Defensive Player of the Year, unanimous.
I'm that I'm the don dada and not man up.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
He let it burn. Oh I got a problem.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
Let it simmer and go over there and be like
even if it's two yo, good game, good game, and
walk on back. I'm nobody saying you got to sit
there and hang out with the confetti, right, But no,
I got a problem with it for sure.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
Go shake go shake their hands.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
They beat you, look look them in the eye and
say we'll get you next time.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Or whatever, like whatever it is. Like, if you're the leader,
go do that. There have been dudes who are bigger,
play longer. The burn matters more, right, because let's say
your Magic Johnson's trying to be burd and you beat you,
that burn matter. You got a rival, right, or if
you're Bird and Magic, or if you're Mike and you're like, man,
I can't beat these freaking pistons, or if you're whatever
it is. We've seen that happen from guys who have
(10:03):
kind of even earn more than he has thus far,
and they've had to go through that shake hands. Yeah,
And I think I was kind of like man because
I thought for him, I know it burns, I know
he cares, and I like that, but I thought it
would be. The care and respect for the game makes
me go do that, you know what I mean? It's
a little misguided. Yeah, like you don't them guys I
name didn't care less than you, right, No, trust me,
(10:26):
Michael Jordan did not care less than you, and he
went and shook hand and nobody asks you to go
hug him up and swap jerseys.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
I thought that was interesting. I do too. I agree.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to
listen live.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
The gots here.
Speaker 5 (10:49):
I have a podcast empire. It continues to grow, and
I have brought it here to iHeart. I'm also doing
a live radio show from three to five pm Eastern
because my wife wanted to kick me out of the house.
It's called Stu Gotson Company Live, which is available in
podcast form right when the show finishes every single day.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
Some of the biggest names in sports.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
A lot of phone calls, I love you guys a show,
it's one of my favorites.
Speaker 5 (11:15):
A lot of interact sit guys not taking themselves too seriously.
Those are just some of the things that you can
expect from Stu Gottson Company and Steve Gotson Company Live.
So listen to Steve Gotson Company Live and our WI
original podcast. Please subscribe, rate and review Stu Gotson Company
and God Bless Football. Taylor's livelihood depends on it. You
(11:37):
do it today and you can check all of those
out on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you
get your podcasts.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
We're gonna go to Steven Singers.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Breaking news from Fox Sports Elly.
Speaker 6 (11:56):
He's been in the news for quite a bit now.
Quarterback Brendan's of Texas Tech is NFL Network put it well,
his college career is.
Speaker 7 (12:04):
Over, the fight is over. He is headed to the NFL.
Speaker 6 (12:08):
NFL Network and many others now reporting that Soorsby is
applying to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft. Just today, the
NCAA asked an appeals court for an expedited resolution. Don't
wait till after the college football season before it kicks off.
Can you give us a ruling That district judge, they
said in Texas over stepped in granting Soorsby that temporary
(12:30):
injunction allowing him to return to college football. Apparently college
football is not his future.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Yeah, and I thought, listen, I thought, thank you Steve,
that he got off for carrier. You and I, I
don't think we had a chance to talk about it.
I thought he got off way too easy. Rob and
I did discuss it, because it's one thing if you
found out, oh man, he put a bet here and
bet there or something to bet multiple times on your
team and to basically have a judge say, well, I mean,
(12:59):
if he go, he's not going to be good. If
he's away from the team, How's he gonna learn, how's
he gonna grow? Where's the learning and the lesson, where's
the learning of the accountability. Yeah, nobody expects a kid
to be perfect. Nobody expects anybody to be perfect. But
at the point you have to accept the responsibility and
accountability and.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
The idea that you can do that better on the team.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
And it just be like, well, he's gonna lose so
much if he's away from the team. In a way,
that's the decision he made when he paid it again,
not just a singular act.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
But multiple So where where were you? Where were you
on that? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (13:31):
I think I thought he should have lost his amateur
amateur status and just go to the NFL he's he's
a talented enough player. Hopefully he's able to get this fixed,
because this has become a problem in all sporting worlds
and venues. So yes, I thought he should shouldn't be
playing college football anymore. It'd be interesting to see too.
First and foremost, bro get your life together. Yes, I
mean that, and I mean that sincerely, like get you
(13:52):
don't listen, because what's the point of getting to the pros,
getting millions dollars if you still have those demons and
those issues, right, and and it maybe even make it
worse exactly, that's radious.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
So I hope he gets his life together. First and foremost.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
They say he's talent enough to go early, you know,
the First Cup, first day, maybe second day, and you know,
second round, third round or something. So hopefully again somebody
will take a chance on him and he can get
his life together. But I thought that just the idea
that he got to slap on the wrist from the
jud judge was absolutely insane in my opinion.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Right 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 8 (14:32):
Oh shout out to Jalen Brunson short Kings, stand up.
I'm standing up right now. You can't tell I saw you.
I saw, I saw a little rise. I saw I
saw the OH Bowls do this right here, I say man.
Jalen bruns a unanimous Finals MVP and win eleven voter because.
Speaker 7 (14:46):
He had forty five points in the clinker.
Speaker 8 (14:47):
He was the only guy on their team who wasn't
afraid of the moment, at least in the first half.
YEP shot four to seven for three point range, thirteen
to fifty in the foul line, fifteen points in the
fourth quarter. They needed all fifteen to get the win.
Just for context, what Jalen Brunston is done during this
run here became one of only four players including Michael Jordan, Giannis,
Bob Pettett to score at least forty five in the
(15:07):
close out game. Okay Joints, Kareem MJ. Bill Walton is
the only players ever to win an NCAA National Championship,
Nate Smith College Player of the Year, an NBA title,
and an NBA Finals MVP.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
Wow.
Speaker 7 (15:21):
Shout out to Jalen freaking bruntson.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
And all of that. What you just said to me,
rom G is why he's going to be a Hall
of Famer. Jalen Brunson will be a Hall of Famer.
Now shout out to Deon Sanders. One of the things
I always loved he always said is when some of
these guys start getting the NFL Hall of Fame, it'll
tell you what, baby, We're gonna have to have some
wings in that thing, because they're gonna have to be
a wing with me, you know, and because he's right
(15:44):
like to put let's say Eli sneaks in yep, and
the Deon Sanders and Barry Sanderson, they're like, hey, that
dude is with Joe Montagna like he with us. So
I say that to say, we'll see what wing Jalen
Brunson will get into when his career is over. I
think there's still much to be desired nine years old.
So I think he's got, you know, four more All
Stars and five more All Star Games appearances. They'll have
(16:06):
a few more what two, three All NBA, whatever the
team may be, and those things like that.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
Maybe clutch player to you whatever.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
He's but the reason he's gonna get there is because
you just mentioned it, Rob g. There's something to be
said about a dude. At the end of this we
all just kind of scratched our chaining. Now I think
about it, I don't know why to do. Was the
thirty third pick or this dude is simply a winner
Kerry Yes, high school, yes, too small two and this
not at a check win college. I mean, yeah, but
(16:35):
you ain't gonna be Duke North Carolina cans up win twice,
you lucked out? Okay win? Hey, okay, all right, well
you're still too small, tolls stupid, probably not in shape
enough in their minds. He didn't, you know, he's not
ripped up like Russell Westbrook and okay, thirty third pick, okay, cool?
Plays well with Luca yep to the tune of like,
oh dang, maybe he might be actually a real player
in these streets. The Knicks get him, that's terrible signing, Well,
(16:57):
New York, that's the best you can do. Plays well,
fifth wins, fifty wins, fifty wins for that team, first
time they had it in decades that they had that.
They had the fifty you know, three straight seasons, anching
closer in the playoffs. All Star appearances, clutchable board, NBA
all the NBA big facts and what does he do get?
And this is the key part for me. He got
(17:17):
to the finals, and I love this part. That he
didn't play well those first couple of games, right, he
was inefficient, He was kind of hero ball And I
think I said Carrie that I think some of that
the mushion by winby, the pushing around Stefan Cassel just
shoved him. I think he took it to personally where
he was like trying to show him too much, and
he kind of got out of his own flow and
the team flow in game three, and that's what got
(17:41):
them out of that rhythm. But to see what he
did in the last two games to the tune of
that forty five piece masterpiece, Yes, what he was able
to do, how he did it, trying to work around
and see if guy's gonna come with me. I got
my dog, Karl Anton Towns, Okay, he is not playing today.
The brother got two points and he's following any and everybody.
(18:02):
Some of them won't good cause I'll give him that,
but he's not with me, wasn't with me the game before.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
Thank God for og.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
And I think he had knew I got to get
this done, and he had that stone cold killer in him.
He did that stone cold I'm getting it done in
between high school. Remember this isn't the NBA Hall of Fame.
It's Nate Smith Basketball of Fame. High school, college, two championships,
now Finals, MVP, and he's twenty nine and who knows
what else he'll do the next five six years. Carry
(18:30):
And my last point, there's a lot of guys that
we will put ahead of them we have when his career,
when it's about to be saiding Donegga, hes gonna be
able to be like, hey, you know, why is he
over me? Why is Damian Living over me? Top seventy
five player? But like why I know, And you're gonna
be like, what you know what I mean? Why is
Kyrie Kyrie? Talent wise? We all see that. Don't get
(18:51):
it twisted. I know, but I'm talking about what he'll
have that look at you like why, And it'll be
a handful of people when his career is done that
he'll be able to say, I hear you a little
more aesthetically preasing than me, And I get that.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
But why him over me? Because all I did was win.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
Yeah, and a lot of people wrote them off and
or he's this, he's that, and he kept getting it done.
And now you look at the Nate Smiths Hall of Fame. Look,
me and Rob both agree it ain't the NBA. Yeah,
because there's some players in there. I would be hold on, now,
y'all got to get out if this was just strictly
your NBA career.
Speaker 4 (19:22):
Yeah, you're talking about you're talking about our beating Simonas
and those cats like there.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
Ill take Yeah, I'll take him out just because he
was mostly the world. But I mean even some NBA players. Yeah,
it's some NBA players you like, you got it?
Speaker 3 (19:34):
Hold up? Yeah.
Speaker 4 (19:36):
The thing about Jalen, and you know, I know a
lot about Jayalen. He got drafted to my Dallas Mavericks, right,
so I remember, I mean I remember when he got drafted,
same draft as Luca. They came in the same time,
and I remember them kind of going through the process.
They were they were close, really, you know, really good buddies.
And you could see their rapports starting to build. And
you can also start to see in that rookie year,
(19:58):
Jalen didn't get a lot of time. He played a
little bit and you could kind of see like he
we weren't we weren't sure. Year two came started to
get more planned time. He's more getting into that six
man role, and he was coming off, you know, giving
Luca some some some reprieve from hellling the ball the
second unit, and he wasn't even looking to score. He
was more of a distributor. He was more of a
floored general. And you saw that. Then that third year came,
(20:21):
right and Luca got hurt in the playoffs yep, and
JB had to like really man the ship. And you're
looking like Ollo, that's he got thirty points against Utah,
And then you're like, okay, wait a minute, Oh he's
got forty. And you could see where he could go,
and you could see how he learned how to play
that position and learn how to be the killer that
he is today. So I saw it building since for
(20:44):
me when he got when he got traded to New York,
I knew he was gonna be a great pickup, but
not this. I'm not gonna even say I thought. I
don't think anybody could have saw this. They talked to
Jay Wright, his college coach. He didn't even know this
this was the version we was going to get talk
to us. Rick Brunson said, I ain't think I knew
he'd be making makeing to the lead. I an't think
he's gonna be all right. And so just with that
(21:05):
being said, and what he's been able to achieve and
the level that he's been able to do it at,
and the biggest market in the world, and I know
how that market go there if I'm sure there's been
games when people are like, oh, this is the best
thing since sliced bread, and I'm sure there's been moments
when they're saying he's too small, he can't get it done.
Like I know, these things exist in the same universe.
(21:28):
And so for him to be able to man this
thing and be the undeniable leader and also just be
the killer that he is and go out and get
this thing done, there's no way he's not that guy. Postseason,
Jalen Brunson is what we thought James Harden would be. Yes,
we would, We hoped he would be. Jaalen think thought Kevin,
(21:50):
I think, nope, we.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
Not even know you thought because you thought it was
given because you saw a regular season thirty six Well
so you you you thought like, oh this because Washington
carry go ahead. Great players in the NBA elevate when
the pressures all with a mattermost that's what made them great.
Speaker 4 (22:08):
But we saw James Harden in his first year when
they made it to the championship. He's coming off the bench.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
And he didn't do it. It might have been written
on the wall they was, you know, he did it.
And the first one Jalen Brunton is what a lot
of players we think. And again he's not as naturally gifted,
meaning he's not faster, he's not athletic as some of
these guys. But when it's time to kill and to
(22:33):
win the game, and the inspired team in some cases
drag a team. Oh yeah, I ain't got it. Okay, come on,
I got y'all, just come on, come on. He been
he's been able to do that. And again you look
at him last year and he's been kept inching closer
and closer.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
My second round a couple of years ago.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Last year, gets the Eastern Conferce Finals Game seven versus
or the Pacers, got a chance that got in there
last year. You never know. Once you get there this year,
get there, get it done down double ditchs and five
straight games.
Speaker 3 (22:57):
That's cool.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
Let me drag these dudes. And again, obviously O G.
Kat was great first to gain. I don't make it
like they didn't do anything about that at all.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
I was.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
I was screaming at the nobody's praises, for sure. But
my point is, you knew, and this is the difference
with the Spurs. You knew that Jalen Brunson and the Knicks,
we knew we had a closer. And when I was
watching him, left handed, crafty, not the fastest, not, I'm like, oh,
that's what we thought James Harden would be. Man, Oh,
(23:25):
James Harden thought we could close games out. You thought
he could lead teams, drag teams, and you know, and
make it up. He's even had some maybe better teams
in the Knicks as far as throughout them Rocket Years teams.
You thought James Harden could do that, and I watched
him like, that's the difference a dude that said, I
don't care, we're getting it done. But if you track
the track record that's been him high school, college, now on.
Speaker 4 (23:49):
The pros, Yeah, I mean you threw James Harden out there,
I would throw I would I would throw in done
of Mitchell as well. Mm's that's what's thought he could
do it as well.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
That's fair, I think because Donovan hasn't been as spectacular
as James Harden, like he's ever in an MVP camp
hard at a four year five.
Speaker 3 (24:09):
Years I know where. Look at Jason. Look at it.
He can't he can't contain it at all. Look at
it he's doing.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
I'm gonna call that boy, Jason Runson. Look at Jason
right now, got him? Look at them flexing the way,
ah fade away?
Speaker 3 (24:25):
What the left hand too? All right?
Speaker 1 (24:27):
Eight seven I pete to that eight seven, seven ninety
nine on Fox, Rob G you're just real quick before
you break, you're just your thought?
Speaker 3 (24:34):
Am I crazy?
Speaker 1 (24:35):
For Like, that's what we thought Harden would be, being
able to drag a team, you know, just that that
a guy. I'm using them as example because kind of
crafty like that left hand guys makes you know that
you're like, oh, that's what we were always kind of
thought he would be.
Speaker 7 (24:49):
For sure.
Speaker 8 (24:49):
And I'll tell you another thing that I think, and
this to me feels like an even bigger compliment to
him is a few guys can say in the pantheon
of the NBA that they maximize their ability more than
Jalen Brunton.
Speaker 7 (25:04):
To your point, he's listed at six to Nobody thinks
he's sixty.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
He's six max.
Speaker 8 (25:09):
He's listed at one ninety. Everyone he's little more than
one ninety.
Speaker 3 (25:12):
Right.
Speaker 8 (25:12):
He's not fast, he's not explosive. He is tenacious, he
is skilled. He knows that you know I'm on athletic.
He knows that you know I can't jump out of
the gym. So I'm gonna use that to my advantage.
I'm gonna use my big body, I'm gonna use angles.
I'm gonna do whatever I have to do to get
the job done. And that's something that I think deserves.
It is even more impressive to me because there's the
(25:34):
NBA and sports in general are littered talented talented dudes
throughout history. This guy is incredible.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
Man.
Speaker 7 (25:40):
You remember watching this guy play man. He could jump
out of the gym.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
He can do it.
Speaker 8 (25:44):
Jalen bruns he can't do any of that stuff, but
he found a way to turn whatever advantages he had,
whether it's having a dad as a former NBA player
or having a great coaching college at Villanova and he
maximized every single ounce of talent that he had, and
I think that's gonna be but I remember him those
Hosts And Creators
kelvin washington
Rob Parker
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Hey Jonas!
Hey Jonas! The official Jonas Brothers podcast. Hosted by Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas. It’s the Jonas Brothers you know... musicians, actors, and well, yes, brothers. Now, they’re sharing another side of themselves in the playful, intimate, and irreverent way only they can. Spend time with the Jonas Brothers here and stay a little bit longer for deep conversations like never before.
Betrayal Weekly
Betrayal Weekly is back for a new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. If you would like to share your story, you can reach out to the Betrayal Team by emailing them at betrayalpod@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram at @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.