August 12, 2026 • 48 mins
Robert Guerra and Ephraim Salaam filling in for Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington react to the Lakers being sold yet again after just one year and this could be MAJOR bad news for the franchise. Westbrooks career to bed by stating the greatness of LeBron has overcome the true legacy left behind him! Arash Markazi - Founder & CEO of 'The Sporting Tribune' joins the guys to talk all things ball and the recent Lakers sale. Plus, since its Mentee Night at Magic City... we celebrate "One's Gotta Go" special edition!!!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the best of the Odd Couple podcasts.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday from seven
pm to ten pm Eastern four to seven Pacific on
Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for The Odd
Couple at Foxsports Radio dot com, or stream us live
every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
You're listening to the best of the Odd Couple.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Yes, sir, it is The Odd Couple with me, Robert
Girl Ron Gi.
Speaker 4 (00:32):
If you're nasty, coming to you live.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
From sunny southern California. Sitting to my left, sitcom producer,
film writer, hedge fund manager, and former NFL superstar Ephram Salam.
Speaker 5 (00:47):
What it be? What's happening man? How you doing?
Speaker 3 (00:50):
I am doing fantastical the bright new day here in Alas.
Speaker 6 (00:53):
It's a bright new day, beautiful day. First day of
school for most people.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Yeah, first day of school for my oldest How was that?
Speaker 4 (00:59):
It was terrible?
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Parky was ridiculous. You know, I had a line up
in front of a class I didn't know. Most of
these kids, they don't want to touch something.
Speaker 6 (01:05):
It's just weird. She is six six, Okay, so you're
starting this journey. She's been in kinder No, this is
the beginning first grade yet. Okay, yeah, this is hello.
You just running taking naps and running around in circles
in kindergarten.
Speaker 5 (01:19):
Okay, this is the beginning of your schooling journey.
Speaker 4 (01:22):
Kindergarten.
Speaker 6 (01:23):
I didn't second grade, second grade, but I trust me.
Enjoy these days when I say that, because once you
get out of there, the elementary school bubble, it's a
it's a you drop them off at the gate. No
longer standing in front of the classes, saying hello to
the teachers on campus. Hey, no, no, sir, drop them
(01:47):
off here and they'll be fine. When you get to
high school, you may not even get a chance to
drop them off. No, Dad, I got it down the street, Lawrence.
Lawrence is coming to pick me up. Dad, Please stay inside.
You're embarrassing man.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
And if you stand by the gay you're a pervert.
Speaker 5 (02:04):
Yes, So enjoy this time.
Speaker 6 (02:06):
You have five years remaining on this journey that you're
currently in, and you have a younger, a young a baby. Yep,
so you're in it for the long haul. Enjoy it
because once it's gone, brother, it's just pounds, and it's pounds.
Open the door, I see you after school.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Did your kids at their first day to day too, Yeah,
digit you get tapped up at least?
Speaker 5 (02:27):
Yeah, we even split it up.
Speaker 6 (02:28):
My wife took my twelve year old to seventh grade
and I took my sophomore in high school.
Speaker 5 (02:33):
Okay, at the light, I'm like Apple paid him and
kicked him out.
Speaker 4 (02:40):
There you go, that's the way to do it.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
On this worship Wednesday here on the yodd Couple, we
got a lot to get to. Of course, in the
world of sports before we do, got introduced the y
odd Couple crew. We can't do it without them. Well
technically we could, it just wouldn't sound as good. First
and foremost, on the Wheels of Steel, your favorite ten
and Jack Human dj Alex Ty.
Speaker 6 (03:02):
Behind the car.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
So from quick question, Robg's daughter does not skip at
least one grade. Is she a failure?
Speaker 6 (03:08):
No, okay, I would recommend that. No, no, no, no, I
wouldn't recommend that. I wouldn't recommend that at all.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
We all make choices.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
She almost did last year, but they said for her
social development, yes, not skip, she says intellectually she could have.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
They told her not.
Speaker 6 (03:22):
You should not skip your child unless they need scholastically
if it's moving, you know, way too slow. Maybe just
I don't know, maybe more advanced class. It's hard to
do in elementary. Is not a lot of advanced classes
in elementary. You normally just have to skip them. But
(03:42):
I would just say, let's just let them ride it out,
let them write it out. It's hard to be in
college at sixteen. There's a lot of things you and
Sheldon Cooper, No, it's.
Speaker 5 (03:50):
A lot of things that you like.
Speaker 6 (03:52):
I almost ruined any hope of being successful being that
immature in college.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
Oh yeah, yes, at San Diego State.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
I almost went there. I believe it. I believe it.
Speaker 4 (04:02):
On the updates, none other than Brianna Murro it's the swig. Well,
we love Bree. She sent me a text yesterday, I
can't wait to see you tomorrow. Good luck.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
I thought tomorrow was Thursday, so I screwed that up.
Shout out to Bree.
Speaker 4 (04:14):
Breeze here.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Julian's here helping out in some capacity. I don't know
what he's doing because that does all the work.
Speaker 4 (04:18):
But well, actually I'm making him work in put a
tweet out for you. Wow.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Heavy lifting back there behind the glass. They're all here
ready to roll. We got Glenn Big Baby Davis coming
up at the bottom of the hour. Talk to him
about your Jalen Brown slander.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
What man.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
We'll talk to Hurrashmarkasi an hour or two so And
of course, case lest we forget, I don't want to
not mention this. It's a big day in the Odd
Couple history because tonight is men t and a Night
at Magic City, the party that almost got Rob Parker
canceled by the NABJ is going down later this evening.
(04:54):
We have a segment built around it all right from
I need to get your thoughts on all things going on.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Oh yes, of Magic City.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
But first we got to start with the big news
of the day. Apologies to UCLA legend Russell Westbrook. The
Los Angeles Lakers have been sold. That's right, they have
been sold. They have just got purchased like a year
ago for ten billion. Instead they got sold today for
twelve and a half billion. It's a businessman Josh Kushner
and Bob Iger if those names self familiars, because Kushner
(05:26):
is part of the Trump family tree and Bob Iger
used to run Disney, So those are names you would
know and you probably should know. And I'm just gonna
say this about the whole situation. If you are a
Laker fan like myself, like Ephram Salaam, it's a dark
day for us right now because history says when you
(05:47):
get new ownership in the NBA, it doesn't go well.
I believe it was Bill Simmons who coined the phrase
new owner syndrome. That is a very real, a very
spectacle thing. Most recently we saw it happen in Dallas.
Patrick Dumont comes in, team had just made the NBA Finals,
(06:07):
and less than a year later, Nico Harrison's in his
ear like little Finger has him trade away Luka Doncic
Why because he thought he need to shake things up
before that. Matt Ishbia in Phoenix apologies to Breeze. He's
nodding there in agreement. He shows up, He's like, you
know what, I gotta gotta make a splash that makes
some happen. I need to put my fingerprints on this team.
(06:27):
Let me trade away mcal Bridges, Cam Johnson, all of
our picks for Kevin Durant. Then I'm gonna double down
a year after and trade whatever there are other picks
I have for Bradley Beal they had to dump both
of those guys unceremoniously just to get back into the black,
and they're probably stuck in playing purgatory for the next
five to six years because of it. Before that, Joe
(06:48):
ci in Brooklyn buys the team and he's like, you
know what, I gotta make a splash. First thing I'm
gonna do. I am gonna sign Kyrie Irving and Kevin
Durant in free agency. Katie off an achilles injury. Kyrie,
of course, couldn't predict COVID. That was a whole different
ball of act.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
But they know what it is.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
I'm gonna double and triple down. I am gonna trade
for James Freakinharden. I think those guys played about eight
games together before it was all broken up again. Alex
Rodriguez in Minnesota, a team that just made the Western
Conference Finals.
Speaker 4 (07:17):
He says, you know what I'm gonna do.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
I am gonna trade away Karl Anthony Towns because I
can't afford to pay the luxury tax. I'm not gonna
do it. And if you are the Lakers and you
have a team that is now being purchased by Kushner
and Iger, you have to be very concerned because these guys,
much like the previous owners, are going to be held
(07:41):
bent to do one of two things. One they're gonna
be like Ishpian say, I am gonna put my fingerprints
on this team. I'm gonna show you that I know
better than most. That's why I'm so successful. And nine
times out of ten is gonna backfire. Or number two,
and this is more likely, you're gonna be like Alex Rodriguez.
You're gonna say, hey, I came in to make money
first and foremost. I am not here because I am
(08:02):
a Laker fan. I am not here because I'm even
a basketball fan. I am here because this is damn
good business. And if you want to know what kind
of businessmen you have coming now in Los Angeles, let
me give you some updates, all right. I don't want
to get into the Jared or the Josh Kushner stuff
of it, because Wikipedia and Google is free, and there's
a lot of scandal involved in some of the dealings
(08:24):
that he's been involved with and his investment group with
his brother.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
You can look that up yourself.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
But Bob Iger is the name you probably do know,
right because everyone knows Disney ever knows ESPN and ABC.
Bob Iger had to come out and admit publicly that
one of the reasons why his tenure in Disney ended
so spectacularly, with so many box office flops and creative missteps,
is because he was worried about quantity over quality. That
(08:52):
he says, I'm gonna keep going to the well for
the Marvels, Indiana Jones and the dialog Destiny solo as
Star Wars story, all of these what do they call
ai slop nowadays, anything he could do to turn a
quick buck. He was not interested in making a good product.
He was interested in making money. What's different about these
(09:13):
guys and the Mark Walter situation is when Mark Walter
came in with the Dodgers, the expectation from the Dodgers was, Hey,
we've already seen what this guy can do. He is
gonna reinvest into the team up like seventy percent of
their profits went back into the roster. He is gonna
put people in place to make a smart team using
the Dodgers or excuse me, the Lakers brand the same way.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
Different the Dodgers. These guys, these two.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
In particular, have shown they are more interested in the
bottom line than anything else. So if you're a Lakers fan,
the idea that now, hey we're twelve and a half
billion dollars, we've got the deepest owner pockets in basketball,
pump the brakes.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
It's not gonna be good.
Speaker 5 (09:57):
Uh, this is you wanted to start the day on
a sunburn.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
It's a tough day.
Speaker 5 (10:03):
It is a tough day to be a Laker fan.
You know. I felt weird about it.
Speaker 7 (10:10):
Was.
Speaker 6 (10:10):
I was riding in the work this morning and they
were talking about, like the prompt was or the tease was,
you know, a franchise sets the all time mark for
American based sports franchise, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Speaker 5 (10:28):
And I was like, oh, well, I mean that was
a year ago.
Speaker 4 (10:31):
I got a year and a half ago.
Speaker 5 (10:32):
It was a year ago.
Speaker 6 (10:33):
It was ten billion dollars and it was like twelve
billion dollars and I was like, well, what is this?
And then they come on and they say, hey, the
Lakers have just been resold to Bob Iger and Kushner
for twelve billion dollars. And I swerved a little bit
in the car like, oh snap, what is happening? And
(10:55):
then I got to work. I went into my office
and I shut the door and drew the curtains and
set in the dark as I was staring at my
phone and doing some research into the people who bought
the Lakers, because you know, as fans, all we want
is the best. Sure, we want an owner that understands
the team dynamic, understands the brand number one yep, and
(11:17):
what you can and can't do with said brand. Sure,
And I am not confident in any of that. I
know Bob Iger is a huge basketball fan. Sure, he's
a Clipper, which makes no sense. Don't know how you
can be a huge basketball fan and a Clipper fan
at the same time.
Speaker 5 (11:37):
Don't know.
Speaker 6 (11:38):
Maybe this is his diabolical plan to tank the Lakers
and add value to the Clippers or mystique to the Clippers,
which nothing on planet Earth can do that. That bed
has already been made and they you're just lying in it.
Sorry Clipper fan, Sorry MONSI. I had to do it.
(12:00):
I had to use you. I'm in such a bad place.
Hurt people, hurt people. Okay, I'm not happy. I'm not
happy about it. I was excited about the previous ownership
group because I did as a Dodger fan as well.
I saw exactly what they were able to do with
the Dodgers. It held firm to team first, right, bring
(12:24):
in the talent, spare no expense, Let's build something championship worthy.
And I was looking forward to that. I have a
zero idea where the new ownership group wants to take
the Lakers, believe the Lakers can go, and even what
to do with the Lakers that is bothering me. I'm
(12:45):
having chest pains as we speak.
Speaker 4 (12:47):
As you should. As you should because this is.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
Not even just we're talking about Lakers. Of course, this
is not a Lakers centric issue. This is something that's
gonna keep happening more and more frequently as you start
to see the old guard basically age out right, the
Jerry Buss of course, and his family being down even
in baseball with the Steinbrenners. Is the guys who bought
(13:15):
these teams back then were like, hey, I love this team.
Speaker 4 (13:19):
This is gonna mean something to me. Now.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
They weren't always successful, but it mattered to them whether
they want or lost. What you're seeing now with a
lot of these hedge fund guys and investment guys and
just straight up business, it's just business. There is no
emotional tie whatsoever to whether they win, whether they lose,
as long as they are in the black.
Speaker 5 (13:38):
And that's not good. That's good.
Speaker 4 (13:40):
That's not a good thing for sports.
Speaker 5 (13:41):
That's not a good thing.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
And So until we get a hangle on this, which
we probably won't, I think we're already so far out,
I think, but you just look at some of the
most recent I mean, I know no one cares about
the Poilan Trailblazers, but they have a new owner.
Speaker 5 (13:57):
To move the team.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
I'm trying to move the team. Yes, he famously said,
I am not going to send the entire traveling party
on road games in the playoffs. I am going to
cut back on the free T shirt giveaways at the
home arena during the postseason. Why because it's just extra expenses.
I don't want to have to pay. Now, it's his business,
he can run it however the hell he wants you.
But when it comes to sports and fandom, that kind
(14:21):
of stuff doesn't mix well together.
Speaker 6 (14:24):
I blame the league and the other owners because they
have to vote. Has to been a majority vote for
someone to actually win and get their bid accepted to
buy a team.
Speaker 5 (14:35):
Now this happens so fast.
Speaker 6 (14:38):
I'm like you throw the number twelve billion out there,
and then all of a sudden half twelve and a
half billion, all of a sudden billion, everyone says yes,
you know why because now their evaluation goes for And
that's the whole point, that's what you're talking about.
Speaker 5 (14:54):
Right.
Speaker 6 (14:55):
You got a bunch of owners who got a bunch
of money, who have a bunch of other companies and
they know if this product or this, this this entity
amongst others, if this increases, the mine increases.
Speaker 5 (15:09):
Right.
Speaker 6 (15:10):
So now you know, if James Dolan wants to sell
the Knicks, what does that look like?
Speaker 5 (15:17):
Fifteen yeah?
Speaker 6 (15:18):
Right, fifteen billion even a smaller market. Right you look
at you look at what Portland could go for now
yeah right, you look at you look at OKC they
have championship, small market, what they can go New Orleans?
What are the Pelicans worth?
Speaker 5 (15:35):
Right?
Speaker 6 (15:36):
So everything now increases in terms of value, in terms
of worth with other teams. So yeah, they're just speeding
these uh you know, these bids through there. It used
to be a due process. It used to take a while,
couple months, three four, six months, a vetting process.
Speaker 5 (15:54):
It has to be a vetting process.
Speaker 6 (15:56):
Now it's just like all right, twelve billion sign Let's
got it.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
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 (16:12):
Steve Gott's Here. 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 Stegotson Company Live, which
is available in podcast form right when the show finishes
every single day. Some of the biggest names in sports,
(16:36):
a lot of phone calls.
Speaker 7 (16:37):
I love you on your show.
Speaker 5 (16:38):
It's one of my favorites.
Speaker 8 (16:39):
A lot of interact shit 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 Stu Gotson Company Live and our original podcast.
Please subscribe, rate and review Stu Gotson Company and God
Bless Football livelihood depends on it. You do it today,
(17:02):
and you can check all of those out on the
iHeartRadio app. Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
I've been told through the grapevine that men t and
a night at Magic City is about an hour to
an hour and a half away. Get your dollar bills ready, guys,
because it's gonna be a movie in Atlanta.
Speaker 6 (17:29):
Are we live streaming from there? Are we are? They?
They have the cameras set up to what we can
be a part of it.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
I was told that they can't put cameras in the facility,
but that sources close to the situation have said that
if things go well and they go the way that
we hope they're going to go, later this evening, that
an odd couple jersey will be hung in the rafters
at Magic City. What we are the James Harden of
sports talking.
Speaker 6 (17:55):
Oh hey yeah, all right, So that means that free
wings and and lap dances for anybody affiliated with the Eyes.
Speaker 5 (18:03):
I guess.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
So just walk in and show them like a business
card or I'm like, hey, I'm part of the team.
Speaker 5 (18:08):
Way to go. They decided to do it on worship Wednesday.
Speaker 4 (18:10):
Yeah, well, well what are they worshiping? Is what I
want to know?
Speaker 6 (18:13):
Hey, Almighty, that's right, that's right.
Speaker 3 (18:17):
It is the odd couple again, one's gotta go at
the forty five mark, all related.
Speaker 4 (18:23):
To Mentna night.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
Okay, got some thoughts on that bottom of the hour.
Rosh Marcazi, founder CEO Sporting Tribune, Big News in Los Angeles.
Of course he works here in LA but at the
LA Times, ESPN Sports Illustrated. He covers the LA sports
scene like a book. So we got some thoughts on
that one. In the meantime, I want you to check
out the YouTube channel. You can watch this live on
(18:45):
YouTube right now. Just search odd couple FSR YouTube, hit
the subscribe button. After you've done that, tap the thumbs
up icon and coming away, let us know who you
agree with and who you don't. Go check out our
YouTube channel and watch us live right now. Just search
out a couple FSR and so describing the meantime in
between the west and Russell Westbrook thoughts. But DJ Alex
ty Shirt on the wheels of deal, Tom Crady, any
(19:08):
utoe is any odd mob weighing in on some of
Ephraim's ridiculous defense of athletes blowing all their money.
Speaker 4 (19:15):
Gosh, if I read the ephram ones, he might not
come back as a co host.
Speaker 5 (19:17):
I can take it, man, you I can take it.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
Okay, Well some of these are fun. Let's start with
King B nineteen says, breeze taken. No go oh man,
he's hot on the streets. That one sucks.
Speaker 6 (19:33):
Man, It's only been two months, so don't worry. Maybe
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I apologize. This one's great. This
one's from Drake.
Speaker 4 (19:41):
Is not a trick. And he says, why is Robb
g always pocket watching? Because I'm broke crazy.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
If you say that's a choice, I will say anything.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
Is there a choice?
Speaker 5 (19:55):
Did you say you're jumped down.
Speaker 4 (19:57):
Off the jump down off this chair?
Speaker 6 (19:59):
People don't We don't understand just how big this chair
is or how small he is in the chair. But
someone who's close to the show and who has evidence
of that, oh gosh, uh just just posted something where
(20:21):
you know, little man is swinging in his big boy chair, Like,
how as a full grown adult, can you put your
feet on the seat of a chair sitting in.
Speaker 5 (20:36):
He said that.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
Alex has said, can we get we have the camera
right there? Can we put another one right there and
watch his feet swing?
Speaker 6 (20:43):
It's just I looked over you see my legs are
spread out because I have to unfold these things. And
he's sitting there talking to me, swinging back and forth
with his legs up on the lip of the chair.
Speaker 4 (20:54):
I was like, this is this, This can't be real.
I'll leave you with one more. This one's funny. So
there was some back and forth in the chat. And
if you guys aren't live on YouTube, just go search
Odd couple with Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington. We're live
every single day on there. You can see our beautiful
face right and the take and brief face for right now.
This one's funny. So there's been people going back and
forth and this guy, Damian G forty four said, bruh,
you're arguing with the commercial break video. You're a smart guy.
(21:17):
There are people who argue with the commercial breakthros.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
They do because during the commercial break it'll be like
old snippets from the show or other shows.
Speaker 5 (21:24):
Yeah, and they're arguing with that. Well it happens, yeah,
it happens.
Speaker 4 (21:30):
All right.
Speaker 5 (21:30):
It's our job, man, that is our job.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
Well, you know who doesn't have a job anymore. But
this one's my choice, all right. He didn't get fired.
He didn't get fired on his day off. UCLA legend.
Russell Westbrook has officially announced his retirement from the NBA.
Speaker 4 (21:47):
Clap it up one time for Russ for the Brody.
Speaker 6 (21:50):
And.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
When I saw the news come across the Dicker, of
course got lost a lot of the Laker news. Of course,
my first thought when I read it was, it's a
shame what's happened to Russell Westbrook and the discourse surrounding
Russell Westbrook. Because I am a Laker fan, You're a
Laker fan. We lived through the Russell Westbrook experience.
Speaker 4 (22:14):
It was not fun. It was very difficult. It really
very uncomfortable.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
It tested your patience in a lot of ways that
I totally agree with you. However, I maintain that the
reason why Russell Westbrook, especially in the last four or
five years or so, has become a punchline to a
lot of people, especially on NBA Twitter, is because specifically
(22:42):
he played with Lebron James. And it's not Lebron's fault specifically,
it's not anything that he did or didn't do publicly
or maybe even privately that I know about. It is
that Lebron James has a s of SIKA fans, both
on television, radio, podcast, print media what have you that
(23:08):
are very quick to give him the credit when things
go great, and even quicker to blame somebody else when
they don't.
Speaker 4 (23:15):
Okay, And because Russell.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
Westbrook and his style of play is very loud. When
he makes a bad play or he misses a shot,
it is also very loud. He does not just miss
a shot softly off the front of the rim. He
will hit the side of the backboard right. He will
not just turn the ball over in the flow of
(23:40):
the action. He will turn it over with about forty
five seconds left in a two point game.
Speaker 7 (23:45):
Right.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
Because he plays the first forty seven minutes just as
hard as he plays the last minute. And sometimes that's great.
Sometimes it is absolutely horrible. But because he played with
Lebron James, and because he played with the Lakers, and
because that tenure ended so spectacularly, the last few years
(24:09):
of Russell Westbrook's NBA career has been people taking pot
shots at him, people poking fun at him, Anonymous scouts,
GMS and coaches calling the Miami Heat and saying, if
you want to win, you do not bring this guy
to your franchise. And because of that, people have completely
(24:30):
forgotten that Russell Westbrook right now amongst all time NBA
point guards is first in points, first in rebounds, first
in triple doubles, fourth and assists. He and Lebron James
only two players the only two in the history of
the NBA to have twenty five thousand points and ten
(24:51):
thousand assists. People forget again because of the way things
spiraled out of control here in La that from twenty
twenty sixteen to twenty twenty one, he averaged twenty six,
ten and ten and made the triple double a normal
occurrence on a Tuesday night. His net rating was plus
six point seven. So for all the crap people gave
(25:14):
him about running around like a chicken with his head
cut off, his teams were demonstraly better when he was
on the court doing his thing than when he wasn't.
He only played sixty five games with the Washington Wizards,
and yet he has shattered their franchise record for triple doubles.
He had thirty eight of them in sixty five games.
(25:36):
So while he may not be Lebron James, he may
not be Kobe Bryant. Michael Jordan Russell. Westbrook is a
damn good NBA player, or was a damn good NBA player.
Speaker 4 (25:49):
He is arguably.
Speaker 3 (25:52):
Between the third and the sixth greatest point guard who
ever lived. He is a first ballot, no doubt about it,
rock solid All of Famer. But again, playing in Los Angeles,
playing with Lebron James didn't go very well. He became
a punchline, and I think that is wildly disrespectful and
(26:15):
it's unfortunate that a player of his caliber is going
to right off into the sunset with his tail tup
between his legs.
Speaker 6 (26:24):
Now number one, he's not his tails not tuck between
his legs. The way he's talked about it is okay,
that's a like he would have to took his own
Sure you get what I'm saying, Like, yeah, that don't
do that because we don't want to be disparaging to
him and how he feels about his retirement.
Speaker 5 (26:45):
I will say this, styles make fights.
Speaker 6 (26:50):
Now, you would think a prolific score of the ball
and rebounding and the cysts can fit anywhere on the
planet Earth. You were right about the about what you
said about out him playing the exact same way tip
off all the way to the last two minutes of
the game. You're also right about his passion for the game.
(27:14):
The one problem I had, and it was a glaring
problem for me when he came to the Lakers, it
was understanding the flow and the moment of the game right,
large league having to do with basketball IQ.
Speaker 7 (27:34):
Right.
Speaker 6 (27:35):
If you're in the middle of a run to get
back in a game, it would behoove you not to
go on a one on four fast break by yourself. Yes,
and without the explosiveness that you used to have, shoot
into the air and shoot a layup at the bottom
(27:56):
of the rim. The team gets the ball, come down
and score. Stops the run, stops the momentum. We saw
that multiple times. We saw him not shoot a high
clip of threes, right, But I think only one time
in his career he shot over thirty five percent from three.
Speaker 5 (28:17):
Right.
Speaker 6 (28:17):
That's not good for a guard in today's NBA. The
problem I'm having is his plus or minus. The last
five six years of his career, he averaged a minus
per game.
Speaker 4 (28:31):
He was alight on terrible teams.
Speaker 6 (28:33):
What I'm saying is an individual can be on a
terrible team and still be in the positive when it
comes to the outcome. My thing is as great as
he was, he never evolved. And what I mean by
that is, you know, you can't play the same way
(28:55):
you played at twenty seven at thirty seven. You can't
play the same way you played at twenty one at
thirty one. There has to be evolution in your game
and mentally, if you still think you're twenty two and
that's how you're attacking the game, it can't end good. Right,
(29:20):
That was the problem. I never questioned his heart a
hearty played. I question the timing of some of the decisions, right,
The ability to see the game and feel the flow
of it as a point guards. The great point guards
do sure not just do what you do. That was
(29:45):
my biggest thing. Don't just come in and just be
you as the point guard. You need to see, Okay,
who's hot, who's not? Where can we do this, Where
can we take advantage of that?
Speaker 3 (29:58):
And then he hasn't got to shot a few, You
gotta get him in.
Speaker 5 (30:00):
It was none of that.
Speaker 6 (30:02):
It was Boom Russ hundred miles an hour, and it
didn't work with the lineup that the Lakers had.
Speaker 5 (30:13):
It was actually it had the opposite.
Speaker 4 (30:16):
Effecture a huge net negative, huge.
Speaker 6 (30:20):
Net negative, and as a Laker fan, we got to
experience it firsthand. Now, I've always been a Westbrook fan
until that year and a half, and I was like, oh,
my goodness, what is happening. He has to be able
to see the flow of the game like everyone else
is see it. He's a point guard. It justin Lebron
(30:43):
wanted him. They wanted him, Lebron ad they wanted them.
They got him. Remember what the trade could have been.
It was supposed to be the Buddy and and and
Turner from uh Indianapolis right from the Pacers right. Imagine
those two pieces with Lebron. It would have been a
(31:05):
lot different because now you got a real shooter, bot
up shooter, and he got a big who can shoot,
and who can who can play center now and let
Anthony Davis go to the four.
Speaker 5 (31:15):
That's what we gave up for Westbrook because Lebron.
Speaker 6 (31:19):
Wanted him and then they wanted to get rid of
him and Rob Polinka and Jenny Buss as they should.
Speaker 5 (31:25):
Was like, no, this is what you asked for, So
you guys figure it.
Speaker 4 (31:30):
Not going to dig deeper into this hole to try to.
Speaker 6 (31:31):
They never figured it out, and it ended terribly And
I feel bad for Westbrook because, like I said, I'm
a Westbrook fan.
Speaker 5 (31:38):
I thought he was amazing.
Speaker 6 (31:39):
I just would have loved for his game to just
evolve a little bit more and understand, you can't play
the same way on every single team you go to.
Speaker 5 (31:50):
And I believe he played on seven teams.
Speaker 4 (31:53):
Yeah, he might have played on four in the last
four years.
Speaker 5 (31:55):
Right, and and and this.
Speaker 6 (31:57):
Brings me to another point that I want to talk
to you about that we could talk about after the break.
Never before have we seen all time great players play
for so many different franchises. To me, that's troubling.
Speaker 5 (32:14):
Now.
Speaker 6 (32:15):
The new apron, the second Apron is new, it's brand new,
It's been around for two years now. And so that's
not the reason we're seeing these players play so many
different And these are all time these a first ballot
Hall of famers playing on five, six, seven teams. It
makes no sense you would take somebody who's a journeyman, right,
(32:39):
who plays on a million different teams, but not first
ballot Hall of Famers. Teams are reluctant to get rid
of first ball players are reluctant to leave teams.
Speaker 5 (32:52):
Not anymore.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation, catch all of our shows at Fox Sports
Radio and within the iHeartRadio app search FSR to listen live.
Speaker 3 (33:05):
Well, speaking of all time great players, A Rosch MARKAZI,
founder and CEO of the Sporting Tribune. He covered a
lot of Russell Westbrook's career, both of course UCLA recently
with the Lakers. A Ross joins us right now, Rosh,
how are you.
Speaker 7 (33:19):
I'm great, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 4 (33:20):
Of course, of course we.
Speaker 3 (33:22):
Just finished the last twenty five minutes, so talking about
the retirement of Russell Westbrook and the way he limped
to the finish line, We'll say at meager first ballot
Hall of Famer, statistically one of the single greatest players
who ever lived. But the last few years he's become
something of a punching bag in NBA circles. What do
(33:42):
you attribute that to in your opinion?
Speaker 7 (33:44):
Yeah, listen, I mean the role that he had with
the thunder that he shines so brightly in. I mean
that certainly was not the case, you know when he
kind of bounced around towards the end, you know, with
the Washington and the Lakers and the Clippers and the
Nuggets and the Kings and all that. I mean, just
you know that happens. It's unfortunate. But you know, when
great players retire after Hall of Fame careers, and you know,
(34:06):
long Hall of Fame careers, you know, I think in time,
we remember them for what they were great for. We
remember them for their great moments in terms of you know,
when they won the Most Valuable Player and they averaged
a triple double like over the course of the season,
which we never thought was possible. So listen, I totally
get that. In the here and now, was kind of
(34:28):
thinking about the last couple of years of Russell, But
I will I like to think of him at the
height of his career, and I think in time, when
he goes into the Hall of Fame, that's how he
will be leaving up to buy.
Speaker 6 (34:41):
Let's talk about the big news they broke today. Westbrook
is one of them, but the other is the sale
of the Lakers again for twelve point five billion dollars
with a B with a B. Now, Rob, we were
talking about it earlier that the this deal was proposed
(35:02):
on Sunday. They're seventy two hours ago, and that was
the timeline that Bob Iger and Kushner had to accept
this deal. What is the process the due process of
sales of these franchises. I thought it had to be
held under a vote, and it was a certain amount
of time and owners had the weigh in. Could you
(35:24):
tell us anything about the minutia of a deal like
this getting done so fast?
Speaker 7 (35:29):
Yeah, you know, so this has nothing approved by the league,
but it will be approved by the league. And the
reason that it will be approved by the league is
that Kushner and Bob Iger were already the process of
being one of the candidates to purchase the expansion team
in Las Vegas. And I think sort of one of
the dual stories that came from this is that the
(35:49):
number of groups that want to buy that expansion team
in Vegas, they that price tag is north of you know,
seven billion dollars going once they got to ninth for
how then it got to a point where, you know,
two guys from Los Angeles lists are thinking, well, you know,
Mark Walter is like in a tough spot right now,
and I know that he just bought the Lakers for
(36:10):
ten billion. You know, maybe he'd be willing to part
ways with it for a twelve point five And so
the timeline is this, I mean, and again, if we
just go off of the timeline from the previous sale
of the Lakers from the Bus family to Mark Walter.
You know that was agreed to in June, it was
approved by the league in October, and then it became
(36:33):
officially official in terms of the transaction going down in November.
So that means so that's sort of like the timeline.
So if you want to say, you know how it
aligns here, you know it's not official. But again, Bob Ayger,
Josh Chrishner, they will be approved. The sale will be
approved in short time.
Speaker 3 (36:50):
Ross Mark Ali Sporting Tribune here with the odd couple
A Ross. I follow you on X so I see
a lot of your keep been sweeting all da about
the situation. And one of the things that you've suggested
on your social media accounts is it's been reported that
Mark Walter never looked to sell the Lakers. He just
got an offer he couldn't refuse.
Speaker 4 (37:09):
Now you spun that.
Speaker 3 (37:09):
Ford said, well, the Dodgers aren't for sale, but given
what kind of offer we just got, would I not
then consider a massive offer for the Dodger? Do you
think that is if you had to put a percentage amount,
the percentage chance that Mark Walter would consider selling the
Dodgers now given what he just got for the Lakers.
Speaker 7 (37:27):
Yeah. I mean, here's the tough thing, because if we
had talked last night and he said, what's the percentage
chance that Mark Walter was Zeroakers, I would say zero.
So I mean what it is, it's now greater than zero,
that's for sure. Now, I mean the one thing that
I basically suggested, and I'm not going out on a
limb here. I mean, obviously everything is not okay, or
it's not as okay as it was a year ago.
(37:49):
There's no way Mark Walter purchases the Lakers with the
goal of flipping it. And again, yes, he did make
a profit, but that's not why he bought the Dodgers.
It's not why he bought the Lakers. And certainly, when
you talk about flipping a profit, it's not worth the
trouble when you're a multi multi billionaire to do something
like this where you only have the team for nine months.
(38:11):
So the suggestion is really obviously, with the federal investigation
and all the things like that, if someone were to
put a proposal together and say, hey, listen, you got
twelve point five how about another twelve, I'll take the
Dodgers off your hands. Like obviously he's gonna consider it.
I'm not saying it's gonna happen. But like I said,
(38:32):
if you had asked me last night, what are the
chances Mark Walter would sell the Lakers, it was zero.
It happened. There's no way the percentage chance he would
sell the Dodgers is zero. There is a number attached
to what he would be willing to part.
Speaker 6 (38:45):
With that team for everybody has a price. Yeah, okay,
so the Lakers are being sold, the deal will go through.
Where does this leave Laker fans? Where does it? Where
does this leave the franchise? Do we know the direction
that Bob Iyer wants to go with a historic franchise
like the Lakers? Because I'm concerned, I'm a Laker fan.
(39:06):
Rob is concerned, very concerned. We have no idea. At
least with Mark Watchers. We knew that he would spare
no expense to build up the team, the coaching staff,
all the things you need to be champions. Now we
are kind of in the dark and have no idea.
What can what type of light can you shit on that?
Speaker 5 (39:24):
For us?
Speaker 7 (39:24):
Rash it's such a great point because there was a
proof of concept locally in Los Angeles with the Dodgers,
and so when this when the deal happened a year ago,
so many Laker fans were excited, like Mark Walter and
the deep pockets he has, you know, they're going to
take over this team. And really the unique thing is
over the past year the Dodgers or organization has come
(39:45):
to really take over the Lakers. There's a lot of
people who have dual roles with that team. And how
that's gonna be like gun spun over the next few months,
that'll be intriguing. We don't know what Bob Biger and
Josh Krishner are like as like a professional sports organization.
What are they gonna do. They've never owned a team before,
(40:06):
so I'm not saying that they're not gonna be successful.
Mark Waltz didn't own a team prior to purchasing the Dodgers.
But there is a learning curve in place. So I
do think in terms of people expecting big changes coming
in the next couple of months, I do think they're
gonna take this next season, this upcoming season as sort
of like a wait and see approach, like let's see
how Genie does in her role. Let's see what JJ does.
(40:29):
Let's see like how these guys do. But at the
end of the day, and I brought this up when
Mark Cuban sold the Mavericks and he was under the
impression that he would still be able to call the shots.
Billionaires don't spend billions to have the old folks who
have been with the team continue to run the team.
At some point in time, whether it's next year or sooner,
(40:53):
Bob Eiger and Josh Kushner will start bringing in their
own people to do things the way that they like it.
I'm not saying it's gonna happen tomorrow or next week,
but it will happen at some point soon.
Speaker 3 (41:02):
His name is A Rosch, Mark Causey, founder CEO the
Sporting Tribune, doing some great work covering all the LA
sports teams all the way out to Vegas and AWI.
It's a great gig if you can get it. A Roch,
thank you so much for swinging by man. Really appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (41:14):
Appreciate you.
Speaker 7 (41:15):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (41:16):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Rob Parker and kelvin Washington weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the
iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 3 (41:27):
It is the Odd Couple on a Warship Wednesday with
me Rob g from Salam sitting in for Rob Parker
kelvin Washington. Want to let you know that baseball season
in full swing. There's no better place to be than Calshi,
America's number one prediction market platform. Trade every baseball game
on Calshi. Download the Calshi app and use code odd
to get at the five hundred bucks in bonus credits.
When you trade twenty five dollars.
Speaker 5 (41:48):
That's got the chills right there.
Speaker 3 (41:50):
Oh my gosh, you thought Rob Parker was a dirty
old man. Let me tell you he from Salam I
was a child. Just Fyoh this was yesterday.
Speaker 4 (41:59):
All right again. It is men t and a night
at Magic City.
Speaker 3 (42:02):
That's why the guys are not here. They're out throwing singles.
Oh and because of that, we have a ones Gotta
Go version of.
Speaker 7 (42:14):
Even Number.
Speaker 4 (42:15):
Figure it out, you know, as me filling in for
both producer and executive producer, I almost want to bail
on this segment and just do story time with.
Speaker 5 (42:23):
The Worship Wednesday.
Speaker 6 (42:26):
They're not.
Speaker 7 (42:28):
Like that.
Speaker 4 (42:28):
After that story.
Speaker 5 (42:29):
I just heard of Magic City Monday. Yes, worship Wednesday.
Speaker 4 (42:33):
I'm sure you heard more, but at the moment, I'm
currently worshiping a twenty one.
Speaker 5 (42:36):
Year old He got that guy was a lunatic.
Speaker 4 (42:40):
He was a demon.
Speaker 5 (42:41):
He was a demon.
Speaker 4 (42:42):
He needed Jesus.
Speaker 5 (42:43):
He needed a lot of stories. We needed a lot
of stuff.
Speaker 4 (42:46):
Well, if you're new to this, this is called One's
Gotta Go. The Great Kelvin Washington brought this over from
whoever how many shows he had before, like Rob Parker,
and the thought of this is for Mente Night. We
want to bring you this elusive experience of trying to
be at Mente Night with Rob Parker from Afar. So
my question to all of you and this One's Gotta Go.
We're gonna keep it on the strip club theme. Okay,
going to these events, these illustrious lady dancers, the best
(43:09):
dancers in all the land. Breed, I know you're an
active strip.
Speaker 9 (43:12):
Club members memberships everywhere.
Speaker 4 (43:14):
We're gonna need you wired.
Speaker 3 (43:16):
You know, if it's brill it's for we because we
are all going to the strip.
Speaker 4 (43:21):
Now that makes sense. Well, One's Gotta Go Men's Nights
Strip Club Edition. These are the five and one of
these have to go.
Speaker 5 (43:28):
Okay.
Speaker 4 (43:29):
The first one is the cover charge, pay to get
into the spot. The second one back row seats aka
creepers anonymous.
Speaker 3 (43:38):
What we call that where you're not actually tipping anything,
you're just watching.
Speaker 5 (43:42):
You're just watching, contemplating the go ahead, a little weird.
Speaker 4 (43:45):
Number three making it rain. You know robg likes the
pocket watch, So that's one for there. Number four the
champagne room, which is different from the MVP room. A
lot of that sound in there. And then the fifth one,
this we're gonna just call the kitchen. Okay, they got
the food, but fat sometimes ephrams a lot more lustrous
than us. So those are the five ones gotta go.
(44:08):
Let's start with our Guestphram Salon.
Speaker 2 (44:11):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (44:11):
The kitchen has to go for me.
Speaker 6 (44:12):
Really, I don't make it a habit of eating where
there's exposed uh body parts, that's a good wow.
Speaker 5 (44:23):
Open open stuff really and food to me, this is
not good. I'm good. I don't want to eat hot
wings or chicken wings.
Speaker 4 (44:32):
Isn't that they're famous for?
Speaker 5 (44:34):
They are? They are famous for their lemon pepper wings.
Lemon piper never had them. Really, it's just unsanitary. It
does to eat where there's open.
Speaker 4 (44:46):
Really, so then I should say naked sushi night with
ephrams off the table. Take that one off, all right?
Speaker 9 (44:52):
Bring what you got the back row creepers. That needs
to go. Yeah, that's that needs to go.
Speaker 6 (44:57):
Everything else is you want to feel safe when you're
in there, taking correct of course.
Speaker 3 (45:02):
Okay, there is something real awkward about a guy just
sitting there rubbing his jean thighs and having no intention
of spending it.
Speaker 4 (45:07):
Hey, you leave Rob Parker love Okay, Like the basketball
shorts guys, yeah, oh my goodness, I've seen Rob Parker work.
Speaker 5 (45:13):
You've seen this before that? Oh okay, of.
Speaker 4 (45:16):
Course, Spearmint Rhino bre he is an active.
Speaker 9 (45:18):
Member Amber year only membership.
Speaker 4 (45:21):
Wait, so what's more weird, tear away pants or the shorts?
What do you think is more weirdess?
Speaker 6 (45:25):
But then the same material, right, yes, any both of
them are weird because the club, if you have sweatpants on, sir,
you are certifiable.
Speaker 4 (45:34):
So if he has sweatpants on and eating the food, there,
so no guy, this man needs.
Speaker 5 (45:38):
To be detained.
Speaker 3 (45:41):
People are going to think that because I'm cheap, I'm
gonna say the cover charge I think that's important because
it kind of weeds out all the bad. Like, if
you're willing to pay forty dollars to get in there,
you're going to spend a lot more money. So I
feel like that has to stay. The one that has
to go, though, is making it rain you pocket watch,
because if you're gonna spend one hundred dollars but just
go to the VIP room, you're only doing it to
(46:03):
make yourself feel good in front of the other dudes.
The other dudes don't care about the money you're spending. No,
that's not that's my topic. I'm getting rid of the
making a rain Alex.
Speaker 6 (46:13):
Yes, can we now comment on your I'm saying, first
of all, you're not tipping for the guys, You're tipping
for the girls. Now, a girl may be up there performing,
not your type, not just me, but she's given a
hell of performance. You tip right now, the one you
take to the back to the champagne room, you get
a private dance and so on and so forth.
Speaker 5 (46:35):
But you're there as a patron.
Speaker 6 (46:36):
You are participating, and the women who are entertaining, right
that's what the rain look. All I'm saying is I
may or may not created a storm in an establishment
or a hurricane e back in the day, right, But
what I'm that's part of that. And it wasn't for
(46:59):
the guys. It was because I appreciate the women.
Speaker 4 (47:01):
You know what I'm thinking, Ephroom, you got to write
a sitcom for like a strip club or something and
make this like a drama suspense. Oh that's good. Oh
you know what I'm gonna go with. What the champagne room.
You want to know why? Why? I think it's somewhere
we should not have for all these illustrious people, the
like private private room, Like, we don't need all that. Okay,
there's called motels, there's hotels, there's rooms other places, Like,
(47:25):
what are we doing a secret room inside of the place.
It's a little weird to me, a secret secret room.
It's a little weird to me.
Speaker 5 (47:31):
Well, sometimes you need privacy.
Speaker 4 (47:32):
We got plenty of privacy.
Speaker 5 (47:33):
Sometimes you want to talk and the music to Sometimes
you want to get to the cinnamon.
Speaker 4 (47:39):
Well, Cinnamon's got a lot to learn.
Speaker 5 (47:41):
Come to the stage. Guy's good, put your heads to
get the Floorphi.
Speaker 3 (47:44):
For one special going on, guy, I think your favorite
lady the VIP room three for one don't forget.
Speaker 5 (47:49):
Let's tip the ladies working hard.
Speaker 3 (47:52):
How much money is Rob Parker's maintenant.
Speaker 4 (47:53):
I'm gonna SAYI a grand.
Speaker 3 (47:55):
I'm saying zero dollars. I think that's why he brought
them off, so they can pay.
Speaker 5 (47:58):
Oh wow,
Thanks for listening to the best of the Odd Couple podcasts.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday from seven
pm to ten pm Eastern four to seven Pacific on
Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for The Odd
Couple at Foxsports Radio dot com, or stream us live
every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
You're listening to the best of the Odd Couple.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Yes, sir, it is The Odd Couple with me, Robert
Girl Ron Gi.
Speaker 4 (00:32):
If you're nasty, coming to you live.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
From sunny southern California. Sitting to my left, sitcom producer,
film writer, hedge fund manager, and former NFL superstar Ephram Salam.
Speaker 5 (00:47):
What it be? What's happening man? How you doing?
Speaker 3 (00:50):
I am doing fantastical the bright new day here in Alas.
Speaker 6 (00:53):
It's a bright new day, beautiful day. First day of
school for most people.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Yeah, first day of school for my oldest How was that?
Speaker 4 (00:59):
It was terrible?
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Parky was ridiculous. You know, I had a line up
in front of a class I didn't know. Most of
these kids, they don't want to touch something.
Speaker 6 (01:05):
It's just weird. She is six six, Okay, so you're
starting this journey. She's been in kinder No, this is
the beginning first grade yet. Okay, yeah, this is hello.
You just running taking naps and running around in circles
in kindergarten.
Speaker 5 (01:19):
Okay, this is the beginning of your schooling journey.
Speaker 4 (01:22):
Kindergarten.
Speaker 6 (01:23):
I didn't second grade, second grade, but I trust me.
Enjoy these days when I say that, because once you
get out of there, the elementary school bubble, it's a
it's a you drop them off at the gate. No
longer standing in front of the classes, saying hello to
the teachers on campus. Hey, no, no, sir, drop them
(01:47):
off here and they'll be fine. When you get to
high school, you may not even get a chance to
drop them off. No, Dad, I got it down the street, Lawrence.
Lawrence is coming to pick me up. Dad, Please stay inside.
You're embarrassing man.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
And if you stand by the gay you're a pervert.
Speaker 5 (02:04):
Yes, So enjoy this time.
Speaker 6 (02:06):
You have five years remaining on this journey that you're
currently in, and you have a younger, a young a baby. Yep,
so you're in it for the long haul. Enjoy it
because once it's gone, brother, it's just pounds, and it's pounds.
Open the door, I see you after school.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Did your kids at their first day to day too, Yeah,
digit you get tapped up at least?
Speaker 5 (02:27):
Yeah, we even split it up.
Speaker 6 (02:28):
My wife took my twelve year old to seventh grade
and I took my sophomore in high school.
Speaker 5 (02:33):
Okay, at the light, I'm like Apple paid him and
kicked him out.
Speaker 4 (02:40):
There you go, that's the way to do it.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
On this worship Wednesday here on the yodd Couple, we
got a lot to get to. Of course, in the
world of sports before we do, got introduced the y
odd Couple crew. We can't do it without them. Well
technically we could, it just wouldn't sound as good. First
and foremost, on the Wheels of Steel, your favorite ten
and Jack Human dj Alex Ty.
Speaker 6 (03:02):
Behind the car.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
So from quick question, Robg's daughter does not skip at
least one grade. Is she a failure?
Speaker 6 (03:08):
No, okay, I would recommend that. No, no, no, no, I
wouldn't recommend that. I wouldn't recommend that at all.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
We all make choices.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
She almost did last year, but they said for her
social development, yes, not skip, she says intellectually she could have.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
They told her not.
Speaker 6 (03:22):
You should not skip your child unless they need scholastically
if it's moving, you know, way too slow. Maybe just
I don't know, maybe more advanced class. It's hard to
do in elementary. Is not a lot of advanced classes
in elementary. You normally just have to skip them. But
(03:42):
I would just say, let's just let them ride it out,
let them write it out. It's hard to be in
college at sixteen. There's a lot of things you and
Sheldon Cooper, No, it's.
Speaker 5 (03:50):
A lot of things that you like.
Speaker 6 (03:52):
I almost ruined any hope of being successful being that
immature in college.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
Oh yeah, yes, at San Diego State.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
I almost went there. I believe it. I believe it.
Speaker 4 (04:02):
On the updates, none other than Brianna Murro it's the swig. Well,
we love Bree. She sent me a text yesterday, I
can't wait to see you tomorrow. Good luck.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
I thought tomorrow was Thursday, so I screwed that up.
Shout out to Bree.
Speaker 4 (04:14):
Breeze here.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Julian's here helping out in some capacity. I don't know
what he's doing because that does all the work.
Speaker 4 (04:18):
But well, actually I'm making him work in put a
tweet out for you. Wow.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Heavy lifting back there behind the glass. They're all here
ready to roll. We got Glenn Big Baby Davis coming
up at the bottom of the hour. Talk to him
about your Jalen Brown slander.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
What man.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
We'll talk to Hurrashmarkasi an hour or two so And
of course, case lest we forget, I don't want to
not mention this. It's a big day in the Odd
Couple history because tonight is men t and a Night
at Magic City, the party that almost got Rob Parker
canceled by the NABJ is going down later this evening.
(04:54):
We have a segment built around it all right from
I need to get your thoughts on all things going on.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Oh yes, of Magic City.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
But first we got to start with the big news
of the day. Apologies to UCLA legend Russell Westbrook. The
Los Angeles Lakers have been sold. That's right, they have
been sold. They have just got purchased like a year
ago for ten billion. Instead they got sold today for
twelve and a half billion. It's a businessman Josh Kushner
and Bob Iger if those names self familiars, because Kushner
(05:26):
is part of the Trump family tree and Bob Iger
used to run Disney, So those are names you would
know and you probably should know. And I'm just gonna
say this about the whole situation. If you are a
Laker fan like myself, like Ephram Salaam, it's a dark
day for us right now because history says when you
(05:47):
get new ownership in the NBA, it doesn't go well.
I believe it was Bill Simmons who coined the phrase
new owner syndrome. That is a very real, a very
spectacle thing. Most recently we saw it happen in Dallas.
Patrick Dumont comes in, team had just made the NBA Finals,
(06:07):
and less than a year later, Nico Harrison's in his
ear like little Finger has him trade away Luka Doncic
Why because he thought he need to shake things up
before that. Matt Ishbia in Phoenix apologies to Breeze. He's
nodding there in agreement. He shows up, He's like, you
know what, I gotta gotta make a splash that makes
some happen. I need to put my fingerprints on this team.
(06:27):
Let me trade away mcal Bridges, Cam Johnson, all of
our picks for Kevin Durant. Then I'm gonna double down
a year after and trade whatever there are other picks
I have for Bradley Beal they had to dump both
of those guys unceremoniously just to get back into the black,
and they're probably stuck in playing purgatory for the next
five to six years because of it. Before that, Joe
(06:48):
ci in Brooklyn buys the team and he's like, you
know what, I gotta make a splash. First thing I'm
gonna do. I am gonna sign Kyrie Irving and Kevin
Durant in free agency. Katie off an achilles injury. Kyrie,
of course, couldn't predict COVID. That was a whole different
ball of act.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
But they know what it is.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
I'm gonna double and triple down. I am gonna trade
for James Freakinharden. I think those guys played about eight
games together before it was all broken up again. Alex
Rodriguez in Minnesota, a team that just made the Western
Conference Finals.
Speaker 4 (07:17):
He says, you know what I'm gonna do.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
I am gonna trade away Karl Anthony Towns because I
can't afford to pay the luxury tax. I'm not gonna
do it. And if you are the Lakers and you
have a team that is now being purchased by Kushner
and Iger, you have to be very concerned because these guys,
much like the previous owners, are going to be held
(07:41):
bent to do one of two things. One they're gonna
be like Ishpian say, I am gonna put my fingerprints
on this team. I'm gonna show you that I know
better than most. That's why I'm so successful. And nine
times out of ten is gonna backfire. Or number two,
and this is more likely, you're gonna be like Alex Rodriguez.
You're gonna say, hey, I came in to make money
first and foremost. I am not here because I am
(08:02):
a Laker fan. I am not here because I'm even
a basketball fan. I am here because this is damn
good business. And if you want to know what kind
of businessmen you have coming now in Los Angeles, let
me give you some updates, all right. I don't want
to get into the Jared or the Josh Kushner stuff
of it, because Wikipedia and Google is free, and there's
a lot of scandal involved in some of the dealings
(08:24):
that he's been involved with and his investment group with
his brother.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
You can look that up yourself.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
But Bob Iger is the name you probably do know,
right because everyone knows Disney ever knows ESPN and ABC.
Bob Iger had to come out and admit publicly that
one of the reasons why his tenure in Disney ended
so spectacularly, with so many box office flops and creative missteps,
is because he was worried about quantity over quality. That
(08:52):
he says, I'm gonna keep going to the well for
the Marvels, Indiana Jones and the dialog Destiny solo as
Star Wars story, all of these what do they call
ai slop nowadays, anything he could do to turn a
quick buck. He was not interested in making a good product.
He was interested in making money. What's different about these
(09:13):
guys and the Mark Walter situation is when Mark Walter
came in with the Dodgers, the expectation from the Dodgers was, Hey,
we've already seen what this guy can do. He is
gonna reinvest into the team up like seventy percent of
their profits went back into the roster. He is gonna
put people in place to make a smart team using
the Dodgers or excuse me, the Lakers brand the same way.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
Different the Dodgers. These guys, these two.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
In particular, have shown they are more interested in the
bottom line than anything else. So if you're a Lakers fan,
the idea that now, hey we're twelve and a half
billion dollars, we've got the deepest owner pockets in basketball,
pump the brakes.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
It's not gonna be good.
Speaker 5 (09:57):
Uh, this is you wanted to start the day on
a sunburn.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
It's a tough day.
Speaker 5 (10:03):
It is a tough day to be a Laker fan.
You know. I felt weird about it.
Speaker 7 (10:10):
Was.
Speaker 6 (10:10):
I was riding in the work this morning and they
were talking about, like the prompt was or the tease was,
you know, a franchise sets the all time mark for
American based sports franchise, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Speaker 5 (10:28):
And I was like, oh, well, I mean that was
a year ago.
Speaker 4 (10:31):
I got a year and a half ago.
Speaker 5 (10:32):
It was a year ago.
Speaker 6 (10:33):
It was ten billion dollars and it was like twelve
billion dollars and I was like, well, what is this?
And then they come on and they say, hey, the
Lakers have just been resold to Bob Iger and Kushner
for twelve billion dollars. And I swerved a little bit
in the car like, oh snap, what is happening? And
(10:55):
then I got to work. I went into my office
and I shut the door and drew the curtains and
set in the dark as I was staring at my
phone and doing some research into the people who bought
the Lakers, because you know, as fans, all we want
is the best. Sure, we want an owner that understands
the team dynamic, understands the brand number one yep, and
(11:17):
what you can and can't do with said brand. Sure,
And I am not confident in any of that. I
know Bob Iger is a huge basketball fan. Sure, he's
a Clipper, which makes no sense. Don't know how you
can be a huge basketball fan and a Clipper fan
at the same time.
Speaker 5 (11:37):
Don't know.
Speaker 6 (11:38):
Maybe this is his diabolical plan to tank the Lakers
and add value to the Clippers or mystique to the Clippers,
which nothing on planet Earth can do that. That bed
has already been made and they you're just lying in it.
Sorry Clipper fan, Sorry MONSI. I had to do it.
(12:00):
I had to use you. I'm in such a bad place.
Hurt people, hurt people. Okay, I'm not happy. I'm not
happy about it. I was excited about the previous ownership
group because I did as a Dodger fan as well.
I saw exactly what they were able to do with
the Dodgers. It held firm to team first, right, bring
(12:24):
in the talent, spare no expense, Let's build something championship worthy.
And I was looking forward to that. I have a
zero idea where the new ownership group wants to take
the Lakers, believe the Lakers can go, and even what
to do with the Lakers that is bothering me. I'm
(12:45):
having chest pains as we speak.
Speaker 4 (12:47):
As you should. As you should because this is.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
Not even just we're talking about Lakers. Of course, this
is not a Lakers centric issue. This is something that's
gonna keep happening more and more frequently as you start
to see the old guard basically age out right, the
Jerry Buss of course, and his family being down even
in baseball with the Steinbrenners. Is the guys who bought
(13:15):
these teams back then were like, hey, I love this team.
Speaker 4 (13:19):
This is gonna mean something to me. Now.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
They weren't always successful, but it mattered to them whether
they want or lost. What you're seeing now with a
lot of these hedge fund guys and investment guys and
just straight up business, it's just business. There is no
emotional tie whatsoever to whether they win, whether they lose,
as long as they are in the black.
Speaker 5 (13:38):
And that's not good. That's good.
Speaker 4 (13:40):
That's not a good thing for sports.
Speaker 5 (13:41):
That's not a good thing.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
And So until we get a hangle on this, which
we probably won't, I think we're already so far out,
I think, but you just look at some of the
most recent I mean, I know no one cares about
the Poilan Trailblazers, but they have a new owner.
Speaker 5 (13:57):
To move the team.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
I'm trying to move the team. Yes, he famously said,
I am not going to send the entire traveling party
on road games in the playoffs. I am going to
cut back on the free T shirt giveaways at the
home arena during the postseason. Why because it's just extra expenses.
I don't want to have to pay. Now, it's his business,
he can run it however the hell he wants you.
But when it comes to sports and fandom, that kind
(14:21):
of stuff doesn't mix well together.
Speaker 6 (14:24):
I blame the league and the other owners because they
have to vote. Has to been a majority vote for
someone to actually win and get their bid accepted to
buy a team.
Speaker 5 (14:35):
Now this happens so fast.
Speaker 6 (14:38):
I'm like you throw the number twelve billion out there,
and then all of a sudden half twelve and a
half billion, all of a sudden billion, everyone says yes,
you know why because now their evaluation goes for And
that's the whole point, that's what you're talking about.
Speaker 5 (14:54):
Right.
Speaker 6 (14:55):
You got a bunch of owners who got a bunch
of money, who have a bunch of other companies and
they know if this product or this, this this entity
amongst others, if this increases, the mine increases.
Speaker 5 (15:09):
Right.
Speaker 6 (15:10):
So now you know, if James Dolan wants to sell
the Knicks, what does that look like?
Speaker 5 (15:17):
Fifteen yeah?
Speaker 6 (15:18):
Right, fifteen billion even a smaller market. Right you look
at you look at what Portland could go for now
yeah right, you look at you look at OKC they
have championship, small market, what they can go New Orleans?
What are the Pelicans worth?
Speaker 5 (15:35):
Right?
Speaker 6 (15:36):
So everything now increases in terms of value, in terms
of worth with other teams. So yeah, they're just speeding
these uh you know, these bids through there. It used
to be a due process. It used to take a while,
couple months, three four, six months, a vetting process.
Speaker 5 (15:54):
It has to be a vetting process.
Speaker 6 (15:56):
Now it's just like all right, twelve billion sign Let's
got it.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
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 (16:12):
Steve Gott's Here. 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 Stegotson Company Live, which
is available in podcast form right when the show finishes
every single day. Some of the biggest names in sports,
(16:36):
a lot of phone calls.
Speaker 7 (16:37):
I love you on your show.
Speaker 5 (16:38):
It's one of my favorites.
Speaker 8 (16:39):
A lot of interact shit 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 Stu Gotson Company Live and our original podcast.
Please subscribe, rate and review Stu Gotson Company and God
Bless Football livelihood depends on it. You do it today,
(17:02):
and you can check all of those out on the
iHeartRadio app. Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
I've been told through the grapevine that men t and
a night at Magic City is about an hour to
an hour and a half away. Get your dollar bills ready, guys,
because it's gonna be a movie in Atlanta.
Speaker 6 (17:29):
Are we live streaming from there? Are we are? They?
They have the cameras set up to what we can
be a part of it.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
I was told that they can't put cameras in the facility,
but that sources close to the situation have said that
if things go well and they go the way that
we hope they're going to go, later this evening, that
an odd couple jersey will be hung in the rafters
at Magic City. What we are the James Harden of
sports talking.
Speaker 6 (17:55):
Oh hey yeah, all right, So that means that free
wings and and lap dances for anybody affiliated with the Eyes.
Speaker 5 (18:03):
I guess.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
So just walk in and show them like a business
card or I'm like, hey, I'm part of the team.
Speaker 5 (18:08):
Way to go. They decided to do it on worship Wednesday.
Speaker 4 (18:10):
Yeah, well, well what are they worshiping? Is what I
want to know?
Speaker 6 (18:13):
Hey, Almighty, that's right, that's right.
Speaker 3 (18:17):
It is the odd couple again, one's gotta go at
the forty five mark, all related.
Speaker 4 (18:23):
To Mentna night.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
Okay, got some thoughts on that bottom of the hour.
Rosh Marcazi, founder CEO Sporting Tribune, Big News in Los Angeles.
Of course he works here in LA but at the
LA Times, ESPN Sports Illustrated. He covers the LA sports
scene like a book. So we got some thoughts on
that one. In the meantime, I want you to check
out the YouTube channel. You can watch this live on
(18:45):
YouTube right now. Just search odd couple FSR YouTube, hit
the subscribe button. After you've done that, tap the thumbs
up icon and coming away, let us know who you
agree with and who you don't. Go check out our
YouTube channel and watch us live right now. Just search
out a couple FSR and so describing the meantime in
between the west and Russell Westbrook thoughts. But DJ Alex
ty Shirt on the wheels of deal, Tom Crady, any
(19:08):
utoe is any odd mob weighing in on some of
Ephraim's ridiculous defense of athletes blowing all their money.
Speaker 4 (19:15):
Gosh, if I read the ephram ones, he might not
come back as a co host.
Speaker 5 (19:17):
I can take it, man, you I can take it.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
Okay, Well some of these are fun. Let's start with
King B nineteen says, breeze taken. No go oh man,
he's hot on the streets. That one sucks.
Speaker 6 (19:33):
Man, It's only been two months, so don't worry. Maybe
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I apologize. This one's great. This
one's from Drake.
Speaker 4 (19:41):
Is not a trick. And he says, why is Robb
g always pocket watching? Because I'm broke crazy.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
If you say that's a choice, I will say anything.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
Is there a choice?
Speaker 5 (19:55):
Did you say you're jumped down.
Speaker 4 (19:57):
Off the jump down off this chair?
Speaker 6 (19:59):
People don't We don't understand just how big this chair
is or how small he is in the chair. But
someone who's close to the show and who has evidence
of that, oh gosh, uh just just posted something where
(20:21):
you know, little man is swinging in his big boy chair, Like,
how as a full grown adult, can you put your
feet on the seat of a chair sitting in.
Speaker 5 (20:36):
He said that.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
Alex has said, can we get we have the camera
right there? Can we put another one right there and
watch his feet swing?
Speaker 6 (20:43):
It's just I looked over you see my legs are
spread out because I have to unfold these things. And
he's sitting there talking to me, swinging back and forth
with his legs up on the lip of the chair.
Speaker 4 (20:54):
I was like, this is this, This can't be real.
I'll leave you with one more. This one's funny. So
there was some back and forth in the chat. And
if you guys aren't live on YouTube, just go search
Odd couple with Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington. We're live
every single day on there. You can see our beautiful
face right and the take and brief face for right now.
This one's funny. So there's been people going back and
forth and this guy, Damian G forty four said, bruh,
you're arguing with the commercial break video. You're a smart guy.
(21:17):
There are people who argue with the commercial breakthros.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
They do because during the commercial break it'll be like
old snippets from the show or other shows.
Speaker 5 (21:24):
Yeah, and they're arguing with that. Well it happens, yeah,
it happens.
Speaker 4 (21:30):
All right.
Speaker 5 (21:30):
It's our job, man, that is our job.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
Well, you know who doesn't have a job anymore. But
this one's my choice, all right. He didn't get fired.
He didn't get fired on his day off. UCLA legend.
Russell Westbrook has officially announced his retirement from the NBA.
Speaker 4 (21:47):
Clap it up one time for Russ for the Brody.
Speaker 6 (21:50):
And.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
When I saw the news come across the Dicker, of
course got lost a lot of the Laker news. Of course,
my first thought when I read it was, it's a
shame what's happened to Russell Westbrook and the discourse surrounding
Russell Westbrook. Because I am a Laker fan, You're a
Laker fan. We lived through the Russell Westbrook experience.
Speaker 4 (22:14):
It was not fun. It was very difficult. It really
very uncomfortable.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
It tested your patience in a lot of ways that
I totally agree with you. However, I maintain that the
reason why Russell Westbrook, especially in the last four or
five years or so, has become a punchline to a
lot of people, especially on NBA Twitter, is because specifically
(22:42):
he played with Lebron James. And it's not Lebron's fault specifically,
it's not anything that he did or didn't do publicly
or maybe even privately that I know about. It is
that Lebron James has a s of SIKA fans, both
on television, radio, podcast, print media what have you that
(23:08):
are very quick to give him the credit when things
go great, and even quicker to blame somebody else when
they don't.
Speaker 4 (23:15):
Okay, And because Russell.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
Westbrook and his style of play is very loud. When
he makes a bad play or he misses a shot,
it is also very loud. He does not just miss
a shot softly off the front of the rim. He
will hit the side of the backboard right. He will
not just turn the ball over in the flow of
(23:40):
the action. He will turn it over with about forty
five seconds left in a two point game.
Speaker 7 (23:45):
Right.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
Because he plays the first forty seven minutes just as
hard as he plays the last minute. And sometimes that's great.
Sometimes it is absolutely horrible. But because he played with
Lebron James, and because he played with the Lakers, and
because that tenure ended so spectacularly, the last few years
(24:09):
of Russell Westbrook's NBA career has been people taking pot
shots at him, people poking fun at him, Anonymous scouts,
GMS and coaches calling the Miami Heat and saying, if
you want to win, you do not bring this guy
to your franchise. And because of that, people have completely
(24:30):
forgotten that Russell Westbrook right now amongst all time NBA
point guards is first in points, first in rebounds, first
in triple doubles, fourth and assists. He and Lebron James
only two players the only two in the history of
the NBA to have twenty five thousand points and ten
(24:51):
thousand assists. People forget again because of the way things
spiraled out of control here in La that from twenty
twenty sixteen to twenty twenty one, he averaged twenty six,
ten and ten and made the triple double a normal
occurrence on a Tuesday night. His net rating was plus
six point seven. So for all the crap people gave
(25:14):
him about running around like a chicken with his head
cut off, his teams were demonstraly better when he was
on the court doing his thing than when he wasn't.
He only played sixty five games with the Washington Wizards,
and yet he has shattered their franchise record for triple doubles.
He had thirty eight of them in sixty five games.
(25:36):
So while he may not be Lebron James, he may
not be Kobe Bryant. Michael Jordan Russell. Westbrook is a
damn good NBA player, or was a damn good NBA player.
Speaker 4 (25:49):
He is arguably.
Speaker 3 (25:52):
Between the third and the sixth greatest point guard who
ever lived. He is a first ballot, no doubt about it,
rock solid All of Famer. But again, playing in Los Angeles,
playing with Lebron James didn't go very well. He became
a punchline, and I think that is wildly disrespectful and
(26:15):
it's unfortunate that a player of his caliber is going
to right off into the sunset with his tail tup
between his legs.
Speaker 6 (26:24):
Now number one, he's not his tails not tuck between
his legs. The way he's talked about it is okay,
that's a like he would have to took his own
Sure you get what I'm saying, Like, yeah, that don't
do that because we don't want to be disparaging to
him and how he feels about his retirement.
Speaker 5 (26:45):
I will say this, styles make fights.
Speaker 6 (26:50):
Now, you would think a prolific score of the ball
and rebounding and the cysts can fit anywhere on the
planet Earth. You were right about the about what you
said about out him playing the exact same way tip
off all the way to the last two minutes of
the game. You're also right about his passion for the game.
(27:14):
The one problem I had, and it was a glaring
problem for me when he came to the Lakers, it
was understanding the flow and the moment of the game right,
large league having to do with basketball IQ.
Speaker 7 (27:34):
Right.
Speaker 6 (27:35):
If you're in the middle of a run to get
back in a game, it would behoove you not to
go on a one on four fast break by yourself. Yes,
and without the explosiveness that you used to have, shoot
into the air and shoot a layup at the bottom
(27:56):
of the rim. The team gets the ball, come down
and score. Stops the run, stops the momentum. We saw
that multiple times. We saw him not shoot a high
clip of threes, right, But I think only one time
in his career he shot over thirty five percent from three.
Speaker 5 (28:17):
Right.
Speaker 6 (28:17):
That's not good for a guard in today's NBA. The
problem I'm having is his plus or minus. The last
five six years of his career, he averaged a minus
per game.
Speaker 4 (28:31):
He was alight on terrible teams.
Speaker 6 (28:33):
What I'm saying is an individual can be on a
terrible team and still be in the positive when it
comes to the outcome. My thing is as great as
he was, he never evolved. And what I mean by
that is, you know, you can't play the same way
(28:55):
you played at twenty seven at thirty seven. You can't
play the same way you played at twenty one at
thirty one. There has to be evolution in your game
and mentally, if you still think you're twenty two and
that's how you're attacking the game, it can't end good. Right,
(29:20):
That was the problem. I never questioned his heart a
hearty played. I question the timing of some of the decisions, right,
The ability to see the game and feel the flow
of it as a point guards. The great point guards
do sure not just do what you do. That was
(29:45):
my biggest thing. Don't just come in and just be
you as the point guard. You need to see, Okay,
who's hot, who's not? Where can we do this, Where
can we take advantage of that?
Speaker 3 (29:58):
And then he hasn't got to shot a few, You
gotta get him in.
Speaker 5 (30:00):
It was none of that.
Speaker 6 (30:02):
It was Boom Russ hundred miles an hour, and it
didn't work with the lineup that the Lakers had.
Speaker 5 (30:13):
It was actually it had the opposite.
Speaker 4 (30:16):
Effecture a huge net negative, huge.
Speaker 6 (30:20):
Net negative, and as a Laker fan, we got to
experience it firsthand. Now, I've always been a Westbrook fan
until that year and a half, and I was like, oh,
my goodness, what is happening. He has to be able
to see the flow of the game like everyone else
is see it. He's a point guard. It justin Lebron
(30:43):
wanted him. They wanted him, Lebron ad they wanted them.
They got him. Remember what the trade could have been.
It was supposed to be the Buddy and and and
Turner from uh Indianapolis right from the Pacers right. Imagine
those two pieces with Lebron. It would have been a
(31:05):
lot different because now you got a real shooter, bot
up shooter, and he got a big who can shoot,
and who can who can play center now and let
Anthony Davis go to the four.
Speaker 5 (31:15):
That's what we gave up for Westbrook because Lebron.
Speaker 6 (31:19):
Wanted him and then they wanted to get rid of
him and Rob Polinka and Jenny Buss as they should.
Speaker 5 (31:25):
Was like, no, this is what you asked for, So
you guys figure it.
Speaker 4 (31:30):
Not going to dig deeper into this hole to try to.
Speaker 6 (31:31):
They never figured it out, and it ended terribly And
I feel bad for Westbrook because, like I said, I'm
a Westbrook fan.
Speaker 5 (31:38):
I thought he was amazing.
Speaker 6 (31:39):
I just would have loved for his game to just
evolve a little bit more and understand, you can't play
the same way on every single team you go to.
Speaker 5 (31:50):
And I believe he played on seven teams.
Speaker 4 (31:53):
Yeah, he might have played on four in the last
four years.
Speaker 5 (31:55):
Right, and and and this.
Speaker 6 (31:57):
Brings me to another point that I want to talk
to you about that we could talk about after the break.
Never before have we seen all time great players play
for so many different franchises. To me, that's troubling.
Speaker 5 (32:14):
Now.
Speaker 6 (32:15):
The new apron, the second Apron is new, it's brand new,
It's been around for two years now. And so that's
not the reason we're seeing these players play so many
different And these are all time these a first ballot
Hall of famers playing on five, six, seven teams. It
makes no sense you would take somebody who's a journeyman, right,
(32:39):
who plays on a million different teams, but not first
ballot Hall of Famers. Teams are reluctant to get rid
of first ball players are reluctant to leave teams.
Speaker 5 (32:52):
Not anymore.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation, catch all of our shows at Fox Sports
Radio and within the iHeartRadio app search FSR to listen live.
Speaker 3 (33:05):
Well, speaking of all time great players, A Rosch MARKAZI,
founder and CEO of the Sporting Tribune. He covered a
lot of Russell Westbrook's career, both of course UCLA recently
with the Lakers. A Ross joins us right now, Rosh,
how are you.
Speaker 7 (33:19):
I'm great, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 4 (33:20):
Of course, of course we.
Speaker 3 (33:22):
Just finished the last twenty five minutes, so talking about
the retirement of Russell Westbrook and the way he limped
to the finish line, We'll say at meager first ballot
Hall of Famer, statistically one of the single greatest players
who ever lived. But the last few years he's become
something of a punching bag in NBA circles. What do
(33:42):
you attribute that to in your opinion?
Speaker 7 (33:44):
Yeah, listen, I mean the role that he had with
the thunder that he shines so brightly in. I mean
that certainly was not the case, you know when he
kind of bounced around towards the end, you know, with
the Washington and the Lakers and the Clippers and the
Nuggets and the Kings and all that. I mean, just
you know that happens. It's unfortunate. But you know, when
great players retire after Hall of Fame careers, and you know,
(34:06):
long Hall of Fame careers, you know, I think in time,
we remember them for what they were great for. We
remember them for their great moments in terms of you know,
when they won the Most Valuable Player and they averaged
a triple double like over the course of the season,
which we never thought was possible. So listen, I totally
get that. In the here and now, was kind of
(34:28):
thinking about the last couple of years of Russell, But
I will I like to think of him at the
height of his career, and I think in time, when
he goes into the Hall of Fame, that's how he
will be leaving up to buy.
Speaker 6 (34:41):
Let's talk about the big news they broke today. Westbrook
is one of them, but the other is the sale
of the Lakers again for twelve point five billion dollars
with a B with a B. Now, Rob, we were
talking about it earlier that the this deal was proposed
(35:02):
on Sunday. They're seventy two hours ago, and that was
the timeline that Bob Iger and Kushner had to accept
this deal. What is the process the due process of
sales of these franchises. I thought it had to be
held under a vote, and it was a certain amount
of time and owners had the weigh in. Could you
(35:24):
tell us anything about the minutia of a deal like
this getting done so fast?
Speaker 7 (35:29):
Yeah, you know, so this has nothing approved by the league,
but it will be approved by the league. And the
reason that it will be approved by the league is
that Kushner and Bob Iger were already the process of
being one of the candidates to purchase the expansion team
in Las Vegas. And I think sort of one of
the dual stories that came from this is that the
(35:49):
number of groups that want to buy that expansion team
in Vegas, they that price tag is north of you know,
seven billion dollars going once they got to ninth for
how then it got to a point where, you know,
two guys from Los Angeles lists are thinking, well, you know,
Mark Walter is like in a tough spot right now,
and I know that he just bought the Lakers for
(36:10):
ten billion. You know, maybe he'd be willing to part
ways with it for a twelve point five And so
the timeline is this, I mean, and again, if we
just go off of the timeline from the previous sale
of the Lakers from the Bus family to Mark Walter.
You know that was agreed to in June, it was
approved by the league in October, and then it became
(36:33):
officially official in terms of the transaction going down in November.
So that means so that's sort of like the timeline.
So if you want to say, you know how it
aligns here, you know it's not official. But again, Bob Ayger,
Josh Chrishner, they will be approved. The sale will be
approved in short time.
Speaker 3 (36:50):
Ross Mark Ali Sporting Tribune here with the odd couple
A Ross. I follow you on X so I see
a lot of your keep been sweeting all da about
the situation. And one of the things that you've suggested
on your social media accounts is it's been reported that
Mark Walter never looked to sell the Lakers. He just
got an offer he couldn't refuse.
Speaker 4 (37:09):
Now you spun that.
Speaker 3 (37:09):
Ford said, well, the Dodgers aren't for sale, but given
what kind of offer we just got, would I not
then consider a massive offer for the Dodger? Do you
think that is if you had to put a percentage amount,
the percentage chance that Mark Walter would consider selling the
Dodgers now given what he just got for the Lakers.
Speaker 7 (37:27):
Yeah. I mean, here's the tough thing, because if we
had talked last night and he said, what's the percentage
chance that Mark Walter was Zeroakers, I would say zero.
So I mean what it is, it's now greater than zero,
that's for sure. Now, I mean the one thing that
I basically suggested, and I'm not going out on a
limb here. I mean, obviously everything is not okay, or
it's not as okay as it was a year ago.
(37:49):
There's no way Mark Walter purchases the Lakers with the
goal of flipping it. And again, yes, he did make
a profit, but that's not why he bought the Dodgers.
It's not why he bought the Lakers. And certainly, when
you talk about flipping a profit, it's not worth the
trouble when you're a multi multi billionaire to do something
like this where you only have the team for nine months.
(38:11):
So the suggestion is really obviously, with the federal investigation
and all the things like that, if someone were to
put a proposal together and say, hey, listen, you got
twelve point five how about another twelve, I'll take the
Dodgers off your hands. Like obviously he's gonna consider it.
I'm not saying it's gonna happen. But like I said,
(38:32):
if you had asked me last night, what are the
chances Mark Walter would sell the Lakers, it was zero.
It happened. There's no way the percentage chance he would
sell the Dodgers is zero. There is a number attached
to what he would be willing to part.
Speaker 6 (38:45):
With that team for everybody has a price. Yeah, okay,
so the Lakers are being sold, the deal will go through.
Where does this leave Laker fans? Where does it? Where
does this leave the franchise? Do we know the direction
that Bob Iyer wants to go with a historic franchise
like the Lakers? Because I'm concerned, I'm a Laker fan.
(39:06):
Rob is concerned, very concerned. We have no idea. At
least with Mark Watchers. We knew that he would spare
no expense to build up the team, the coaching staff,
all the things you need to be champions. Now we
are kind of in the dark and have no idea.
What can what type of light can you shit on that?
Speaker 5 (39:24):
For us?
Speaker 7 (39:24):
Rash it's such a great point because there was a
proof of concept locally in Los Angeles with the Dodgers,
and so when this when the deal happened a year ago,
so many Laker fans were excited, like Mark Walter and
the deep pockets he has, you know, they're going to
take over this team. And really the unique thing is
over the past year the Dodgers or organization has come
(39:45):
to really take over the Lakers. There's a lot of
people who have dual roles with that team. And how
that's gonna be like gun spun over the next few months,
that'll be intriguing. We don't know what Bob Biger and
Josh Krishner are like as like a professional sports organization.
What are they gonna do. They've never owned a team before,
(40:06):
so I'm not saying that they're not gonna be successful.
Mark Waltz didn't own a team prior to purchasing the Dodgers.
But there is a learning curve in place. So I
do think in terms of people expecting big changes coming
in the next couple of months, I do think they're
gonna take this next season, this upcoming season as sort
of like a wait and see approach, like let's see
how Genie does in her role. Let's see what JJ does.
(40:29):
Let's see like how these guys do. But at the
end of the day, and I brought this up when
Mark Cuban sold the Mavericks and he was under the
impression that he would still be able to call the shots.
Billionaires don't spend billions to have the old folks who
have been with the team continue to run the team.
At some point in time, whether it's next year or sooner,
(40:53):
Bob Eiger and Josh Kushner will start bringing in their
own people to do things the way that they like it.
I'm not saying it's gonna happen tomorrow or next week,
but it will happen at some point soon.
Speaker 3 (41:02):
His name is A Rosch, Mark Causey, founder CEO the
Sporting Tribune, doing some great work covering all the LA
sports teams all the way out to Vegas and AWI.
It's a great gig if you can get it. A Roch,
thank you so much for swinging by man. Really appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (41:14):
Appreciate you.
Speaker 7 (41:15):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (41:16):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Rob Parker and kelvin Washington weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the
iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 3 (41:27):
It is the Odd Couple on a Warship Wednesday with
me Rob g from Salam sitting in for Rob Parker
kelvin Washington. Want to let you know that baseball season
in full swing. There's no better place to be than Calshi,
America's number one prediction market platform. Trade every baseball game
on Calshi. Download the Calshi app and use code odd
to get at the five hundred bucks in bonus credits.
When you trade twenty five dollars.
Speaker 5 (41:48):
That's got the chills right there.
Speaker 3 (41:50):
Oh my gosh, you thought Rob Parker was a dirty
old man. Let me tell you he from Salam I
was a child. Just Fyoh this was yesterday.
Speaker 4 (41:59):
All right again. It is men t and a night
at Magic City.
Speaker 3 (42:02):
That's why the guys are not here. They're out throwing singles.
Oh and because of that, we have a ones Gotta
Go version of.
Speaker 7 (42:14):
Even Number.
Speaker 4 (42:15):
Figure it out, you know, as me filling in for
both producer and executive producer, I almost want to bail
on this segment and just do story time with.
Speaker 5 (42:23):
The Worship Wednesday.
Speaker 6 (42:26):
They're not.
Speaker 7 (42:28):
Like that.
Speaker 4 (42:28):
After that story.
Speaker 5 (42:29):
I just heard of Magic City Monday. Yes, worship Wednesday.
Speaker 4 (42:33):
I'm sure you heard more, but at the moment, I'm
currently worshiping a twenty one.
Speaker 5 (42:36):
Year old He got that guy was a lunatic.
Speaker 4 (42:40):
He was a demon.
Speaker 5 (42:41):
He was a demon.
Speaker 4 (42:42):
He needed Jesus.
Speaker 5 (42:43):
He needed a lot of stories. We needed a lot
of stuff.
Speaker 4 (42:46):
Well, if you're new to this, this is called One's
Gotta Go. The Great Kelvin Washington brought this over from
whoever how many shows he had before, like Rob Parker,
and the thought of this is for Mente Night. We
want to bring you this elusive experience of trying to
be at Mente Night with Rob Parker from Afar. So
my question to all of you and this One's Gotta Go.
We're gonna keep it on the strip club theme. Okay,
going to these events, these illustrious lady dancers, the best
(43:09):
dancers in all the land. Breed, I know you're an
active strip.
Speaker 9 (43:12):
Club members memberships everywhere.
Speaker 4 (43:14):
We're gonna need you wired.
Speaker 3 (43:16):
You know, if it's brill it's for we because we
are all going to the strip.
Speaker 4 (43:21):
Now that makes sense. Well, One's Gotta Go Men's Nights
Strip Club Edition. These are the five and one of
these have to go.
Speaker 5 (43:28):
Okay.
Speaker 4 (43:29):
The first one is the cover charge, pay to get
into the spot. The second one back row seats aka
creepers anonymous.
Speaker 3 (43:38):
What we call that where you're not actually tipping anything,
you're just watching.
Speaker 5 (43:42):
You're just watching, contemplating the go ahead, a little weird.
Speaker 4 (43:45):
Number three making it rain. You know robg likes the
pocket watch, So that's one for there. Number four the
champagne room, which is different from the MVP room. A
lot of that sound in there. And then the fifth one,
this we're gonna just call the kitchen. Okay, they got
the food, but fat sometimes ephrams a lot more lustrous
than us. So those are the five ones gotta go.
(44:08):
Let's start with our Guestphram Salon.
Speaker 2 (44:11):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (44:11):
The kitchen has to go for me.
Speaker 6 (44:12):
Really, I don't make it a habit of eating where
there's exposed uh body parts, that's a good wow.
Speaker 5 (44:23):
Open open stuff really and food to me, this is
not good. I'm good. I don't want to eat hot
wings or chicken wings.
Speaker 4 (44:32):
Isn't that they're famous for?
Speaker 5 (44:34):
They are? They are famous for their lemon pepper wings.
Lemon piper never had them. Really, it's just unsanitary. It
does to eat where there's open.
Speaker 4 (44:46):
Really, so then I should say naked sushi night with
ephrams off the table. Take that one off, all right?
Speaker 9 (44:52):
Bring what you got the back row creepers. That needs
to go. Yeah, that's that needs to go.
Speaker 6 (44:57):
Everything else is you want to feel safe when you're
in there, taking correct of course.
Speaker 3 (45:02):
Okay, there is something real awkward about a guy just
sitting there rubbing his jean thighs and having no intention
of spending it.
Speaker 4 (45:07):
Hey, you leave Rob Parker love Okay, Like the basketball
shorts guys, yeah, oh my goodness, I've seen Rob Parker work.
Speaker 5 (45:13):
You've seen this before that? Oh okay, of.
Speaker 4 (45:16):
Course, Spearmint Rhino bre he is an active.
Speaker 9 (45:18):
Member Amber year only membership.
Speaker 4 (45:21):
Wait, so what's more weird, tear away pants or the shorts?
What do you think is more weirdess?
Speaker 6 (45:25):
But then the same material, right, yes, any both of
them are weird because the club, if you have sweatpants on, sir,
you are certifiable.
Speaker 4 (45:34):
So if he has sweatpants on and eating the food, there,
so no guy, this man needs.
Speaker 5 (45:38):
To be detained.
Speaker 3 (45:41):
People are going to think that because I'm cheap, I'm
gonna say the cover charge I think that's important because
it kind of weeds out all the bad. Like, if
you're willing to pay forty dollars to get in there,
you're going to spend a lot more money. So I
feel like that has to stay. The one that has
to go, though, is making it rain you pocket watch,
because if you're gonna spend one hundred dollars but just
go to the VIP room, you're only doing it to
(46:03):
make yourself feel good in front of the other dudes.
The other dudes don't care about the money you're spending. No,
that's not that's my topic. I'm getting rid of the
making a rain Alex.
Speaker 6 (46:13):
Yes, can we now comment on your I'm saying, first
of all, you're not tipping for the guys, You're tipping
for the girls. Now, a girl may be up there performing,
not your type, not just me, but she's given a
hell of performance. You tip right now, the one you
take to the back to the champagne room, you get
a private dance and so on and so forth.
Speaker 5 (46:35):
But you're there as a patron.
Speaker 6 (46:36):
You are participating, and the women who are entertaining, right
that's what the rain look. All I'm saying is I
may or may not created a storm in an establishment
or a hurricane e back in the day, right, But
what I'm that's part of that. And it wasn't for
(46:59):
the guys. It was because I appreciate the women.
Speaker 4 (47:01):
You know what I'm thinking, Ephroom, you got to write
a sitcom for like a strip club or something and
make this like a drama suspense. Oh that's good. Oh
you know what I'm gonna go with. What the champagne room.
You want to know why? Why? I think it's somewhere
we should not have for all these illustrious people, the
like private private room, Like, we don't need all that. Okay,
there's called motels, there's hotels, there's rooms other places, Like,
(47:25):
what are we doing a secret room inside of the place.
It's a little weird to me, a secret secret room.
It's a little weird to me.
Speaker 5 (47:31):
Well, sometimes you need privacy.
Speaker 4 (47:32):
We got plenty of privacy.
Speaker 5 (47:33):
Sometimes you want to talk and the music to Sometimes
you want to get to the cinnamon.
Speaker 4 (47:39):
Well, Cinnamon's got a lot to learn.
Speaker 5 (47:41):
Come to the stage. Guy's good, put your heads to
get the Floorphi.
Speaker 3 (47:44):
For one special going on, guy, I think your favorite
lady the VIP room three for one don't forget.
Speaker 5 (47:49):
Let's tip the ladies working hard.
Speaker 3 (47:52):
How much money is Rob Parker's maintenant.
Speaker 4 (47:53):
I'm gonna SAYI a grand.
Speaker 3 (47:55):
I'm saying zero dollars. I think that's why he brought
them off, so they can pay.
Speaker 5 (47:58):
Oh wow,
Hosts And Creators
kelvin washington
Rob Parker
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