April 17, 2019 • 38 mins
It’s the Best of The Odd Couple with Chris Broussard and Rob Parker! Chris and Rob debate whether or not Russell Westbrook will ever win a championship during his career, Yahoo Sports Senior NBA writer Vince Goodwill explains why Ben Simmons is the most important player to the 76ers, and the guys explain why they believe that the Lakers are doing things backwards by hiring a coach before they’ve found a president.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Odd Couple podcasts.
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(00:22):
You're listening to the Best of the Odd Couple with
Chris Brussa and Rod Harker. Russell Westbrook, as great as
he is, as legendary as he'll be, will never win
an NBA championship. That's just an opinion by you. Well,
of course, okay, I just want to make I mean,
(00:44):
it can't be because we have no idea this exactly.
But I'm telling you watching the way he plays basketball.
He's one hundred and ten miles an hour for forty
eight minutes, which is great and allows him to get
in the minds of opponents, allows him to overwhelm them
at times with his athleticism, allows him to rack up
(01:05):
legendary historic statistics. But it is not always a smart
way to play. You can't play minute forty seven most nights,
like minute seventeen. You gotta undertaw staying time and score.
He takes some bad three point shots. He shouldn't be
shooting nearly as many threes as he does because he
(01:26):
doesn't shoot him well and he is being outplayed dramatically
by Damian Lillard. At this point, Damian Lillard is a
better player than Russell Wessell Chris because Lillard has improved
and Westbrook has declined a little bit. So this is
my only thing I don't understand. Okay, you make this proclamation.
(01:48):
You come on, He'll never win any Well, Okay, but
wait a minute, saying like, no, you what's your point?
You never say never? Is that your point? No? I'm
just saying, what's wonder without him? Tell us Trump gonna
win a chain a couple of days ago, you got
them going to the Western Conference finals. He's now your
champions No, but my point is you're telling you're going
(02:09):
from he's gonna go to Western Conference finals led by
Russell Westbrook, and now you're telling me he can't win
a championship. I don't know how do you go How
do you go from? If you if you go to
Western Conference finals, aren't you a stone stroll from at
least getting to the finals. No, why how you're because
you're they're gonna be an overwhelming underdog whoever comes out
(02:31):
of that side of the bracket, whether they face. But
there were golden stuff. They were up. There were always
upsets in sports. That's why we watch that is why
we watch them. My only point, you're banking on an upset. Yeah,
I'm banking on it and educated opinion, just like you're educated.
You don't think they can get to the conference final. No,
I adn't saying he's gonna win a championship. I'm not
(02:52):
even gonna I'm not convinced that he's not gonna win one. Now,
it was just like you did an educated opinion, you're education.
The opinion was the Clippers traded away their best player.
That's what you told me. They want to tank, they
don't want to give up their first their first round pick.
The Lakers are gonna make the finals. That was educated,
(03:13):
are gonna make the final? No, the playoffs? What't I'm
setting you many too? No, Chris, what don't we using
this revisionist here? I'm not what was your prediction seventh
or act? I'm not I'm not the lying. Really, I'm
telling you said, did you know Dick seventh or did
you not? Chris? Did you not? Just I did it,
(03:34):
that's all. But when it when it came down to it, No,
I don't want to move on because you can. I
don't change my opinion, my pick in the middle of
what your point in the middle of the season predicted
Lakers with mad No, like everybody, I was the only
one who said that they wouldn't make it. And my
point to you is when you see something going on,
(03:55):
you can make a change. And my point is that
you you use live jick. You were like the Clippers
traded the way uh their best player said that already
and then Sam amy Go was on yesterday and say,
everybody around the league thought that. I mean, when you
start talking mean, when you start talking to people, you
find out okay, they want to try to make them laugh.
(04:17):
But I find that got to do with Russell Westbrook.
Can't we stick to the story? We as ticket to
the story. Boy, the Clippers have nothing to do with this.
My why is Russell western Tell me? Tell me why
why is Russell Westbrook gonna lead a team to a championship?
Give me your opinion, because he's good enough and you
know what, what he was running off all those triple doubles,
t his team was winning and that in the season game.
(04:39):
I know that. But you have Paul George, who's hurt.
Now he's heard, are you? He didn't look last night?
But is he heard? I don't know. He looked fine
last night. He's heard Russell West he was going to best.
You didn't give why are you giving? Paul George? And
all I'm saying is right now, he's your logic, here's
your reason I say never. No, that's the reason I've
(05:02):
said that now. I've said never before. I said Tom
Mizzle would never win another national championship after he won
the first one, and you said, Jess Wade, he would
never win one years later? You really want to because
one of years later, how many times you say Tom
Brady will never win something another super Bowl? Three super
bowls ago? No, I didn't. My point to you was
that it was super I'm not buying your your take
(05:26):
because you gotta say never because a couple of days
ago you got them in the Western Conference. But how
would they went to going to the Western Conference final?
Now he can't win nothing. I didn't make nothing. I
never said he couldn't win nothing. You said he can't
win a championship, you'll convince you'll never win is the
Western Conference finals? How did he get the championship? How
would he get to the Western Conference finals? And says
(05:47):
if he's so bad and what he does doesn't win,
I mean that's what you just said. Ain't gonna have
a conversation. Don't lie on me. I'm not lying. I started.
Let me finish before you interrupt. I started off this
conversation and talking about Russell Westbrook, how great he is individually.
So I never said he was so bad to use
your words, all right, I never said he couldn't win.
(06:09):
To use your words, I say he will not win
a championship. And don't get up here and act like
getting to the conference finals is the equivalent of winning
and in be a championship. But if it's not, it
put you in a chance to do it. As my
what a champion does not winning. I win. Didn't say
you'll never have a chance to win one. I said
(06:29):
he'll never win one. A week. If you're gonna argue me,
argue me on what I said. I didn't not on
something close. All I'm saying is on something hands in Norshoe, Right,
how you go from a couple of days ago you
and that to gain a couple of days ago. I'm
saying it today they're going to the fall. What's the
conference finals? And I'm the I'm the guy saying no,
(06:51):
I'm unbelievable. Unbelievable. Of all the things you said, this is,
I mean, don't argue me on what'ssell Westbrook can get
to the conference finals. I'm not debating that. That's not
a championship. I said he won't win a championship. I
can sit up here and say he'll reach the finals.
That doesn't mean I'm saying he's gonna win a championship.
(07:12):
Argue me, or saying he's gonna win the chap all.
I'm saying, don't argue me. Because I say he can
make the conference finals. That's not winning that championship. But
I'm telling you that if you get to that situation,
you have a chance to win whatever. We have a chance.
You said he'll never said he'll never win. I won't
since win? Did never win be the equivalent of never
(07:33):
have a chance to win? Since win? All I'm saying
to you, if you think he has a chance and
he could win. You're saying he never's gonna win. Any
player in the NBA has a chance. Rob, You're in
the NBA. That's why says That's why. I can't sit
there today and say he will never win a championship.
He has years to go. I don't know what kind
of trades could happen. I don't know what players on
(07:54):
the team could be even better to help him, or
they get a third guy. I can't sit here and
say that will never win. I'm so. I don't know
if he might change his game to suit the other part.
He had been no league eleven years. He didn't change
his game for Kevin Durant. He didn't change his game
for Paul George. Who's he changing his game for it?
But he might realize that he has to change. That's
my path where in the league. It's thirty years old.
(08:17):
Sometimes you gotta change. Well, he needs to change if
he's gonna win a championship, not a conference finals birth
I right? Is that what you you want to argue?
Christians said he could make the conference las. Yes, I did.
That's two steps away from winning a championship and still close.
(08:37):
I gotta get it, I said he could get close.
He's been close, but he didn't win it. That's a difference.
He was, but he was with a totally different team.
You can't put that on him that he didn't win.
I didn't say it was his fault. I said he
didn't win. I'm not saying he can't get close. He
is a tremendous way. I Alan't Iverson couldn't win a championship.
Similar Alan Iverson was this great individual, spectacle and phenom
(09:01):
who deserves all the love in the iconic status he gets.
But his style of play, volume, shooter, low efficiency dominates
the ball. It's hard to win that way. And that's
the same thing with Russell Westbrook. That's all the brothers saying.
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Chris Broussard and Rob Parker week days at seven
(09:24):
pm Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and
the iHeart Radio app Easier and we always love bringing
in our next guests. He is a Yahoo Sports Senior
NBA writer. You can follow him on Twitter at at
Vince Goodwill and also the X Nephew's X nephew So
proud of him, look at look at Why are you
(09:44):
making me ex nephew. Then if you're so proud of me, well,
because I got divorced. So he is, Vince Goodwill, what's happening, y,
let's make this clear. She left. Look, yeah, that's not
how he tells where it happened. You know it, Rob,
I don't care who tell it? Chris? All right, all right, Vin,
(10:07):
you run a great column about the Sixers and how
Joel Embid is there. Obviously they're building block for the future,
but Ben Simmons is their most important player in these
here playoffs. Explain what you're talking about. I mean, Chris,
I think the way that to look at it is,
you know, embiad is certainly the better player, or the
more established player and the more seasoned player. But when
(10:28):
you look at this roster and you got Jimmy Butler
who's gonna be a free agent, and Tobias Harris who's
gonna be a free agent, and JJ Reddick, and they
pressed the fast forward button on this whole, you know,
ridiculous process that they've you know, go through over the past,
you know, five or six years. They don't really look
like a team. They look like a collection of individuals.
And the person who has to put that sort of
(10:48):
cohesion together. So the coach is the point guard. And
not only that because of the position that Ben Centers plays,
but because of his deficiencies, the fact that he can't shoot,
the fact that he won't shot, he's a liability out
there if he's not being aggressive. So indeed, is more
or less like the constant you know, Senators of Wild
Cards video. It makes sense. Yeah, Ni, let's let's move
(11:11):
over to that Warriors Clippers. I mean, what we expect
the Warriors of course to win the series or whatever.
But what do you what's the takeaway from that collapse
thirty one point collapse? Does it say something about the
Warriors or it just says something about the Clippers and
the team because all year long we've seen him come
back from huge deficits on the road to win games.
(11:34):
What do you take away from that game? I think
what happens is the Warriors A they get very arrogant,
and that's what happens a lot of times to me
with like champions when you won multiple championships, you know
that you can put on a birth at any time
and go up their team or go up twenty points
and basically running high, and usually going up twenty or
(11:56):
going up thirty means that you can sort of rest
and start shutting it down. But you know, like you said,
the Clippers, they just play hard and they have a
certain basketball character that Doc Rivers is selling them, and
they believe in it and all other type of stuff
like keeps telling that halftime we're going to win this game.
Somebody actually believes that they were going to win the game.
(12:16):
And sometimes those motivational talk sort of fall on death eaters.
But when you got this team, and you got a
bunch of hard and scrappy dudes and a team like
Golden State that basically plays in fits and spurts, a
game like that can happen now this weekend, Rob, If
you go to the Stable Center expecting to see Golden
State go down three one and they wind up, you know,
beating the brakes off of the Clippers and two straight
(12:37):
games over the weekend, don't be surprised. Yeah, Christ and
I are going to the game one. Don't win the
same shoes. We might, We might both as long as
they fresh. We both brought those Jordans, man, we love them.
You saw that on Instagram. Yes, Rob, it's it's amazing
that you've sort of grabbed onto this fetish at sixty five.
(12:58):
I got a late life crisis. Every every three days,
he's coming in here where a new pairs. Sometimes that
Gucci Louis Vatton Georgian. Yeah, you know what, Vinnie, My
time is running out. I'm trying to get it all
my shop it in. Hey, Vince, we were having a
heated discussion. I call it a discussion, robbing. I look,
(13:21):
I've been a huge defender Russell Westbrook, and he's gonna
be iconic and all that holl of Hall of Famer obviously,
but I don't think you can win a championship with
him as your league guy. Rob disagrees. What is your
take on that? That wasn't where we argued though, I'm
just less. To be honest, we didn't know what I
was arguing. It was a miscommunication. What's your take on that, Vince,
(13:44):
Russ can't be your best player. I don't know if
Russ can be a second best player. I don't know
if Russ can be on your team if you're going
to be a champion. I just think there are some
guys who take up so much oxygen in your locker room,
and they control so much of your team's personality with
their style of play that you can't win that way.
(14:06):
And I'm a big Russell Westbrook fan in theory, like
he plays hard all game, every game, right, that's what
we ask that. Oh I love that about him. Yeah yeah.
But at the same time, just because you play hard
don't mean you play smart, right, I think you need
smart play, especially out of the point guard spot, especially
(14:28):
when you're in the point guards league, win in terms of,
you know, shot recognition and tempo and unselfishness and a
genderless basketball. And I don't think we associate those three
things with Russell Westbrook, especially not at this stage of
his career where his athleticism athleticism is going to decline.
He's already not a good shooter, so I don't know
(14:48):
if he's capable of changing his game in the way
that it would need to change and taking him off
the ball to where somebody else can play with some
similar supporter to the point of being a championship type
of team. I just don't see it happen. My sentiments exactly.
Vin Vinnie started covering the league yesterday and Chris today before. Yeah,
We're joined. This is Vince Goodwill the Yacht sports seen
(15:10):
or NBA writer dropping that wisdom on the eye couple, Vinny,
what do you make of the nets? And as this
series it's one one? Obviously they get the surprise, went
on the road against Philly. Now they're going to Brooklyn
for the next two. Do they have a chance to
pull the upset I called? I called the nets in
seven before the series started? Am I crazy? Or I
(15:31):
know that you said seven? I did? You did say seven? Okay,
well Rob is crazy. But aside from that, like do
they have a chance? I think a lot of things
would have to go right, Like like Rob, I play
Spade right and I feel like the seventy sixers got
Big Joker, Little Joker and King like they got everything.
(15:52):
But the Sixers may have like the next three or
four biggest face cards on the air, and they may
play it better. They got the better coach, they played
better together. But I think especially in the first round
of the playoff, talent wins out, Like Joe Olmbide is
the best player, Jimmy Butler is the best player probably
late in games, and they don't have that. The Brooklyn
doesn't have that playoff experience to be able to take
(16:13):
advantage of what Philly doesn't have. Now, do they have
enough to make it interesting? They're gonna be scrappy? Are
they going to basically push Philly to their limit? Absolutely?
If they had one player, one all star, legitimate player
aside from DeAngelo Russell, then Rob I'll be right there
with you. They'll be able to take a badge everything
that Philadelphia lacks. But I think Philly will not get
caught this series. I think it Philly gets caught, they
(16:35):
get caught against Toronto in the next round, just because
the talent disparity isn't it's great. I know it would
be a great story round because you're from New York
and you're so but Nachi, if that ain't happening, Vince Goodwill,
great stuff, man. You don't teams. I'm a reporter man
(16:57):
the favorite team of the New York Matt I who
up as a Mets fan. I'm a rooted for nine
Jacksonville Jaguars for some reason or one of his favorites. Well,
because they've had they had the Patriots down ten in
the fourth quarter in that AFC Championship they win, be
sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple with
Chris Broussard and Rob Parker week days at seven pm
(17:20):
Eastern four pm Pacific easier and we always love bringing
in our next guests. He is a Yahoo Sports senior
NBA writer. You can follow him on Twitter at at
Vince Goodwill and also the X nephew. That's right, ex nephew,
so proud of him? Look at look at Why are
you making me ex nephew? Then if you're so proud
of me, well, because I got divorced, So he is,
(17:43):
Vince Goodwill. What's happened up, Vinny, Let's make this clear.
She left. Look, yeah, that's not how he tells me,
because that ain't the where it happened. You're doing, Rob,
don't care who tell it? Chris? All right, all right,
as you run a great column about the Sixers and
how Joel Embiid is there. Obviously they're building block for
(18:05):
the future, but Ben Simmons is their most important player
in these here playoffs. Explain what you're talking about. I mean, Chris,
I think the way that to look at it is,
you know, Embied is certainly the better player, the more
established player, and the more seasoned player. But when you
look at this roster and you got Jimmy Butler who's
gonna be a free agent, and Tobias Harris who's gonna
(18:25):
be a free agent, and JJ Reddick, and they pressed
a fast forward button on this whole, you know, ridiculous
process that they've you know, going through over the past,
you know, five or six years. They don't really look
like a team. They look like a collection of individuals
and the person who has to put that sort of
cohesion together. So the coach is the point guard. And
(18:45):
not only that because of the position that Ben Centers plays,
but because of his deficiencies, the fact that he can't shoot,
the fact that he won't shoot, he's a liability out
there if he's not being aggressive. So indeed, is more
or less like the constant, you know, Simmons is the
wild Cards video makes sense. Yeah, let's let's move over
to that Warriors Clippers. I mean, what we expect the Warriors,
(19:08):
of course to win the series or whatever, But what
do you what's the takeaway from that collapse thirty one
point collapse. Does it say something about the Warriors or
it just says something about the Clippers and the team
because all year long, we've seen them come back from
huge deficits on the road to win games. What do
you take away from that game? I think what happens
(19:31):
is the Warriors A they get very arrogant, and that's
what happens a lot of times to me with like
champions When you won multiple championships, you know that you
can put on a birth at any time and go
up their team or go up twenty points and basically
running high and usually going up twenty or going up
thirty means that you can sort of rest and start
(19:52):
shutting it down. But you know, like you said, the Clippers,
they just play hard and they have a certain basketball
character that Doc Rivers is selling them, and they believe
in it and all other type of stuff. I keep
telling that halftime, we're going to win this game. Somebody
actually believes that they were going to win the game.
And sometimes those motivational talk sort of fall on death ears.
(20:13):
But when you got this team, and you got a
bunch of hard and scrappy dudes and a team like
Golden State that basically plays in fits and spurts, a
game like that can happen now this weekend, rob if
you go to the stable Center, expecting to see Golden
State go down three one, and they wind up, you know,
beating the brakes off of the Clippers and two straight
games over the weekend. Don't be surprised. Yeah, christ and
(20:33):
I are going to the game on the same shoes.
We might, we might both as long as they fresh.
We both brought those Jordans, man, we love them. You
saw that on Instagram. Yes, Rob, it's amazing that you've
sort of grabbed onto this fetish at sixty five, I
got a late life prices every every three days, he's
(20:56):
coming in here with a new pairs. Oh man, sometimes
that Gucci Louis Vatton Georgian. Yeah, you know what, Vinnie,
My time is running out. I'm trying to get in
all my shop it in. Hey, Vince, we were having
a heated discussion. I call it a discussion, robbing. I look,
I've been a huge defender Russell Westbrook, and he's gonna
(21:17):
be iconic and all that holl of Hall of Famer obviously,
but I don't think you can win a championship with
him as your league. Guy. Rob disagrees, What is your
take on that? That wasn't where we argued though, I'm
just less. To be honest, we didn't know what I
was arguing. It was a miscommunication. What's your take on that,
Vince Russ can't be your best player. I don't know
(21:40):
if Russ can be a second best player. I don't
know if Russ can be on your team if you're
going to be a champion. I just think there are
some guys who take up so much oxygen in your
locker room and they control so much of your team's
personality with their style of play, that you can't win
that way. And I'm a big Russell Westbrook fan in theory,
(22:02):
like he plays hard all game, every game, right, that's
what we ask That's what we love. Oh I love
that about him. Yeah yeah. But at the same time,
just because you play hard don't mean you play smart.
And I think you need smart play, especially out of
the point guard spot, especially when you're in the point
guards league, when in terms of you know, shot recognition
(22:24):
and tempo and unselfishness and a genderless basketball. And I
don't think we associate those three things with Russell Westbrook,
especially not at this stage of his career where his
athleticism athleticism is going to decline. He's already not a
good shooter, so I don't know if he's capable of
changing his game in the way that it would need
to change and taking him off the bar to where
(22:46):
somebody else can play with some similar supporter to the
point of being a championship type of team. I just
don't see it happen. My sentiments exactly. Video started covering
the league yesterday and Chris today before Yeah, We're joined.
This is Vince Goodwill, the Yacht Sports senior NBA writer,
dropping that wisdom on the eye couple, Benny, what do
(23:09):
you make of the nets? And as this series it's
one one? Obviously they get the surprise, went on the
road against Philly. Now they're going to Brooklyn for the
next two. Do they have a chance to pull the
upset I called? I called the Nets in seven before
the series start? Am I crazy? Or I know that
you said seven? I did? You did say seven? Okay?
Well Rob is crazy. But aside from that, like do
(23:32):
they have a chance. I think a lot of things
would have to go right, Like like Rob, I play
Spade right, and I feel like the seventy sixers got
Big Joker, Little Joker and King like they got everything
but the Sixers may have like the next three or
four biggest face cards on the air, and they may
play it better. They got the better coach, they played
better together. But I think especially in the first round
(23:54):
of the playoffs, talent wins out, Like Joel Embiad is
the best player, Jimmy Butler is the best player probably
late in games, and they don't have that. The Brooklyn
doesn't have that playoff experience to be able to take
advantage of what Philly doesn't have. Now, do they have
enough to make it interesting? Are they gonna be scrappy?
Are they going to basically push Philly to their limits? Absolutely?
If they had one player, one all star, legitimate player
(24:18):
aside from DeAngelo Russell, then Rob, I'll be right there
with you, they'd be able to take it badge everything
that Philadelphia lacks. But I think Philly will not get
caught this series. I think I Philly gets caught, they
get caught against Toronto in the next round, just because
the talent disparity isn't it's great. I know it would
be a great story round because you're from New York
and you're so people Nachi. If that ain't happening, Vince Goodwill,
(24:44):
great stuff man. You know I don't join the teams.
I'm a reporter man. The favorite team of the New
York mat I grew up as a match fan. I'm
a rooted Jacksonville Jaguars for some reason or one of
his favorites. Well, because they've had had the Patriots down
ten in the fourth quarter and that AFC Championship they win.
(25:07):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Fox sports
Radio dot com and within the iHeart Radio app. Search
f SR to listen live to the team that is
not in the playoffs, but it's still in the news,
and that is the Los Angeles Lakers and their superstar
(25:28):
Lebron James. They obviously are in the middle of a
coaching search. They're looking at Juwan Howard, assistant coach with
the Miami Heat who was a teammate of Lebron's in Miami.
They're looking at Monty Williams, two time head coach once
in Portland, did a good job, once in New Orleans,
did a solid job now, an assistant with the Philadelphia
seventy six ers, also connected to Lebron in that he
(25:51):
was an assistant coach on Team USA for the Alia
Monti had two jobs. I don't know why he's a
good coach too. I like mine cover to also get
the feet when he was he was on the team.
When a really good, solid guy, you know everybody just
speaks highly, having great reputation around the league. He could
end up, though, if Philadelphia gets embarrassed or even just
(26:14):
beating in the second round. Certainly if they get beating round,
even if they get beating the second, he might be gone.
And Mine Williams could end up being the coach there.
But the Lakers are looking at him, and then of
course the guy that everybody pretty much has as a favorite,
Tyron Low. My point. First of all, Rob, we got
(26:34):
a lot of points we're both gonna make. My first
thing is the Lakers are doing this backwards, like you
don't have your front office solidified. And what did you
and I say about Luke Walton who's now gone with
Magic Johnson and Ropper Lak It was like, look, he's
not their guy, so if it doesn't go perfectly, they're
(26:55):
gonna want to get rid of him. And that was
the case. That was my argument about about Jennie us
is and why Magic felt like betrayed, if that's the
right word, is that I came in, you gave me
the job. I kept your guy, yep right, and most
ham a chance. He gave him a chance. Not only
one year. You wouldn't have called him two years. I
(27:18):
gave him two years. I delivered Lebron. We didn't make
the playoffs, two young guys didn't. Didn't for whatever reason,
hold it the ship steady until Lebron came back for
whatever reason. Okay, So when you say all that Magic
was within his rights to decide, Okay, now it's time
and I want my own guy. Well, look, Rob, I
(27:40):
mean again, just continuing to talk to people about this
Laker situation. What happened was Magic thought he was more
than a figurehead, right right, I mean, and and Genie
apparently brought him in as a figurehead. He's a great
Magic like the ambassador. He's the greatest Laker of all time. Everybody,
not only in the NBA, pretty much in America. I'm
(28:00):
seeing he's got this great personality. He's Magic Johnson. But
Magic went in like I got the power as he should.
He's the president, and then he's a basketball savine after
he got Lebron, you have to feel like, Okay, that's
that's peace one. I told you give me two years. Yeah,
I'll get you two stars, will build this thing and
(28:21):
we'll get a chance to win. Here's the thing, though,
Rob and Magic should have seen this because because we
know when he resigned a week ago, it was because
he wanted to get rid of not only Luke Walton
but also Rob Pelinka. Genie would not let she didn't
want him to get rid of Luke. She wouldn't let
him get rid of Rob Polinka because of Polinka's collection.
(28:42):
To Kobe, Magic was like, all right, I don't have
any prober, no power. I can be Magic Johnson somewhere else. Right.
And so because it ain't stuck it to Genie right
when he didn't tell you it's your sister. There's all
this love and I'm sure they obviously they have a
great relationship and they'll probably make up down. But to
(29:03):
go ahead and resign without telling her, that's there's no
question there with some hurt feelings and some up anger,
you know what that is. In that situation, it's like
we talk, just forget it, you know what I mean?
Like when you get to the point where you're so
just forget. I'm not. I don't want to talk to her.
This is be ass. You brought me here for this.
(29:24):
You're not letting me do what I want to do.
I took your guy, even though I could have come in,
Me and Polinka could have come in and fired them
from jump stright and just said we want to get Certainly,
once you got Liberta, they could right, I could have
easily done that, and they didn't do it. Whatelike he
was making the playoffs or he had developed these young
guys and you could say, look at what he's done,
(29:46):
this is incredible. Yea, he didn't do any of that. Right,
We don't have to go too far to prove show
people how they're clearly with some angst between Magic and Genie.
At the end, it's me and you. If you go
out and announce you're quitting the Eye couple right without
telling me first, right, you would be right. You wouldn't
(30:09):
do that unless we had beef. Right, there's nothing right
if you wouldn't know way ahead of talk, Right, there's
no way you do that. So that that's just is
what it is. But Magic could have known. Look, he
didn't hire Rob Perlinka. Right, Magic was president. They brought
in Rob Perlinka. So that should have told you right there,
you're right. He could have nipped it in the butt
(30:31):
and saying, look, no, I'm my own GM. Let me
let me do something. I know that's that. But this
is where we went about Genie, about the mom and
pop thing. Everybody's connected to somebody. It's harder to get
rid of people. You're gonna upset Kobe if you let
his guy go. You're gonna upset this guy. If you
let his you're gonna fil Jackson. She probably still us
(30:51):
feelings for Phil and Luke was his guy, and all
this so right, I mean, right, so you got all
these kinds of things, and then let's let me give
you this so so people, some people thought he was
safe Luke Luke after Magic quit. But but then I
heard this Chris and from reliable people, Okay, reliable NBA people,
(31:12):
and they just said that Luke thought he was going
to deliver Bob Myers, right, is that his name the
Golden State Warriors. Yeah, that that was supposedly out there,
that he was going to deliver this guy. And then
(31:32):
they said basically thanks, but uh, no thanks, and then
so the Lakers wouldn't didn't want by mine? Right and
basically I got this. Let me just read this. I
know for a fact that Luke was going to hand
deliver Bob Myers to the Lakers. Lakers ownership said no,
(31:53):
So Luke wanted out. That's when he That's when you know,
it looked like he was safe because magic then it
was like and that might be with the Plinka thing,
that's an interesting thing. Yeah, yeah, because that's Plinka. But
that's what I got to work together right right, see
what I'm saying. So yeah, I just my only thing
(32:14):
I have a problem with on that is Luke Walton
being able to hand deliver by That's the only thing.
I don't know if he had a relationship with the
relationship because I was coaching, you got relationship, But would
he have been able to like you said, hey, like
I said, and deliver Myers? I don't know, but that's
what I'm saying. Like that here, Look, if I'm the Lakers,
(32:36):
first of all, I would love to get by Myers
right number one, but I wouldn't like it attached to
Luke Walton like Luke had to go and you know, me.
I said, I don't think Luke was the problem, the
biggest problem, and I don't think he's a bad coach.
And I'm not the least bit surprised that he landed
on his feet and got another job. But he wasn't
(32:56):
the coach of this team. It was just too much
bad blood, bad history. Your main guy, Lebron wasn't a
full time believer or anybody. He had to go. So
this is the question I want to throw out to you, Rob,
should the next Zach Low of ESPN say it on
a podcast that some agent and doesn't want that he
(33:16):
doesn't feel like, you know, players his players at least
don't want the new head coach to be too hand tied,
too tied to Lebron. They don't want clutch Rich Paul
the agent running the franchise. Here's the question I'm gonna
throw out to you. Do you think how much, say,
should the Lakers give Lebron in their new hires, whether
(33:39):
it's the front office and the coach. I think they
have to cater to Lebron as much as possible, only
from this standpoint if they can't get any free agents
to come and he's kind of stuck why can't get
ad because the young kids that they want to trade
now some got injury issues. Question your marks now, they
(34:00):
not the rock solid like stars that potential stars were,
like DeAngelo Russell wound up going somewhere else and becoming
an All Star. I'm not convinced that those guys are
that because of the injuries. So you can't afford to
have a disgruntled Lebron James aging for three years here
(34:23):
feeling like they went against me. You remember when do
you know what I mean? Like when they could I don't.
I don't know. I just third year. I don't think
they have the guts too really yep. And another part
is I'm not so sure that teams around NBA America
are looking at right well you gonna get well at
(34:45):
this point, I agree with what you said, outside of
do everything possible to cater to Lebron said, I certainly
would talk with him, get his feel and hire somebody
he feels good about. I would not give him control
of the franchise, and even you know, obviously it wouldn't
be in a formal way, but even informally so I
(35:05):
would like to bring in a front office guy who
Lebron respects, but isn't necessarily tied to him, and I
would want to bring in a head coach that he
does get along with. And the three. I mean, look,
they're doing it right, the three that they're interviewing. I
don't think Juan should get it just because you don't
want a rookie coach. I just don't see the ship
(35:26):
or bust. I don't see that. Not an aging Lebron James.
You ain't got five years to exactly, so you I
think you bring in Tye Luke should be the first choice.
Then Monty Williams, who would be a good coach as well.
You could bring him in. But you gotta bring in
a coach that is gonna have the respect and the
affect a good relationship with Lebron James. We saw how
(35:48):
Lebron which find to Luk who he didn't he didn't
relick with you. You have to and look we're not
It's not the worst thing in the world to be
tech to Lebron James. I mean, my goodness, the dude, No,
I went to eighth straight finals, and I know, I
don't even know if you're poop poo it in this context, Rob,
but they were to four seat. I mean, they were
(36:10):
playing well even with this young, disjointed, non shooting roster
when he got hurt. Like everybody acts like, well, if
you trade Lebron, you're going young and starlar. That's no guarantee. Philadelphia,
they're the poster child for the process. But they got
their issues. First of all, they botched it on two
(36:31):
of the picts new Lands Noel and jelil Oka for
and now Joel MBI's got injury problems. I mean he's
missed more than half the games he's been you know
eligible for Ben Simmons is maybe not the superstar we
all projected. So you know, going young is no guarantee.
They went young. How that How'd that worked for him
(36:51):
before Lebron went there? So try to build around Lebron
if you can't bring it. Athony Davis, I think they
still could be pretty good if they add some shooters
to this core, especially if Golden Stuff breaks up. But
being good isn't really what people But I'm just saying,
if you're a Laker fan, it's not like, Okay, if
you make the playoffs that that would be cool, and
(37:12):
most thought they would. But if you tell me, like
the next couple of years. It's just they make the playoffs,
get knocked out in the first or second round. People
are gonna be like this wand up not being But
I'm saying this, if let's say, if Kevin Durant leaves
Golden State and Lebron James is healthy next year, and
you bring back the same core, meaning Brandon Ingram, Kyle
(37:33):
Kuzmlonzo Ball and a few of the other guys, and
you add some shooters. You add a Marcus Morris for
who's a free agent out of Boston who can shoot,
and it's tough you know, a few nine descript shooters
besides him. Dude, can they not play with just about
anybody in the West? I mean, okay, see Denver, Portland,
(37:55):
you know, I mean, State won't be what they are. Well,
play with them, Houston. I mean, I'm just saying that
they're one of those teams in the hunt. That's all
my brothers said.
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 Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us
live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching fs R.
(00:22):
You're listening to the Best of the Odd Couple with
Chris Brussa and Rod Harker. Russell Westbrook, as great as
he is, as legendary as he'll be, will never win
an NBA championship. That's just an opinion by you. Well,
of course, okay, I just want to make I mean,
(00:44):
it can't be because we have no idea this exactly.
But I'm telling you watching the way he plays basketball.
He's one hundred and ten miles an hour for forty
eight minutes, which is great and allows him to get
in the minds of opponents, allows him to overwhelm them
at times with his athleticism, allows him to rack up
(01:05):
legendary historic statistics. But it is not always a smart
way to play. You can't play minute forty seven most nights,
like minute seventeen. You gotta undertaw staying time and score.
He takes some bad three point shots. He shouldn't be
shooting nearly as many threes as he does because he
(01:26):
doesn't shoot him well and he is being outplayed dramatically
by Damian Lillard. At this point, Damian Lillard is a
better player than Russell Wessell Chris because Lillard has improved
and Westbrook has declined a little bit. So this is
my only thing I don't understand. Okay, you make this proclamation.
(01:48):
You come on, He'll never win any Well, Okay, but
wait a minute, saying like, no, you what's your point?
You never say never? Is that your point? No? I'm
just saying, what's wonder without him? Tell us Trump gonna
win a chain a couple of days ago, you got
them going to the Western Conference finals. He's now your
champions No, but my point is you're telling you're going
(02:09):
from he's gonna go to Western Conference finals led by
Russell Westbrook, and now you're telling me he can't win
a championship. I don't know how do you go How
do you go from? If you if you go to
Western Conference finals, aren't you a stone stroll from at
least getting to the finals. No, why how you're because
you're they're gonna be an overwhelming underdog whoever comes out
(02:31):
of that side of the bracket, whether they face. But
there were golden stuff. They were up. There were always
upsets in sports. That's why we watch that is why
we watch them. My only point, you're banking on an upset. Yeah,
I'm banking on it and educated opinion, just like you're educated.
You don't think they can get to the conference final. No,
I adn't saying he's gonna win a championship. I'm not
(02:52):
even gonna I'm not convinced that he's not gonna win one. Now,
it was just like you did an educated opinion, you're education.
The opinion was the Clippers traded away their best player.
That's what you told me. They want to tank, they
don't want to give up their first their first round pick.
The Lakers are gonna make the finals. That was educated,
(03:13):
are gonna make the final? No, the playoffs? What't I'm
setting you many too? No, Chris, what don't we using
this revisionist here? I'm not what was your prediction seventh
or act? I'm not I'm not the lying. Really, I'm
telling you said, did you know Dick seventh or did
you not? Chris? Did you not? Just I did it,
(03:34):
that's all. But when it when it came down to it, No,
I don't want to move on because you can. I
don't change my opinion, my pick in the middle of
what your point in the middle of the season predicted
Lakers with mad No, like everybody, I was the only
one who said that they wouldn't make it. And my
point to you is when you see something going on,
(03:55):
you can make a change. And my point is that
you you use live jick. You were like the Clippers
traded the way uh their best player said that already
and then Sam amy Go was on yesterday and say,
everybody around the league thought that. I mean, when you
start talking mean, when you start talking to people, you
find out okay, they want to try to make them laugh.
(04:17):
But I find that got to do with Russell Westbrook.
Can't we stick to the story? We as ticket to
the story. Boy, the Clippers have nothing to do with this.
My why is Russell western Tell me? Tell me why
why is Russell Westbrook gonna lead a team to a championship?
Give me your opinion, because he's good enough and you
know what, what he was running off all those triple doubles,
t his team was winning and that in the season game.
(04:39):
I know that. But you have Paul George, who's hurt.
Now he's heard, are you? He didn't look last night?
But is he heard? I don't know. He looked fine
last night. He's heard Russell West he was going to best.
You didn't give why are you giving? Paul George? And
all I'm saying is right now, he's your logic, here's
your reason I say never. No, that's the reason I've
(05:02):
said that now. I've said never before. I said Tom
Mizzle would never win another national championship after he won
the first one, and you said, Jess Wade, he would
never win one years later? You really want to because
one of years later, how many times you say Tom
Brady will never win something another super Bowl? Three super
bowls ago? No, I didn't. My point to you was
that it was super I'm not buying your your take
(05:26):
because you gotta say never because a couple of days
ago you got them in the Western Conference. But how
would they went to going to the Western Conference final?
Now he can't win nothing. I didn't make nothing. I
never said he couldn't win nothing. You said he can't
win a championship, you'll convince you'll never win is the
Western Conference finals? How did he get the championship? How
would he get to the Western Conference finals? And says
(05:47):
if he's so bad and what he does doesn't win,
I mean that's what you just said. Ain't gonna have
a conversation. Don't lie on me. I'm not lying. I started.
Let me finish before you interrupt. I started off this
conversation and talking about Russell Westbrook, how great he is individually.
So I never said he was so bad to use
your words, all right, I never said he couldn't win.
(06:09):
To use your words, I say he will not win
a championship. And don't get up here and act like
getting to the conference finals is the equivalent of winning
and in be a championship. But if it's not, it
put you in a chance to do it. As my
what a champion does not winning. I win. Didn't say
you'll never have a chance to win one. I said
(06:29):
he'll never win one. A week. If you're gonna argue me,
argue me on what I said. I didn't not on
something close. All I'm saying is on something hands in Norshoe, Right,
how you go from a couple of days ago you
and that to gain a couple of days ago. I'm
saying it today they're going to the fall. What's the
conference finals? And I'm the I'm the guy saying no,
(06:51):
I'm unbelievable. Unbelievable. Of all the things you said, this is,
I mean, don't argue me on what'ssell Westbrook can get
to the conference finals. I'm not debating that. That's not
a championship. I said he won't win a championship. I
can sit up here and say he'll reach the finals.
That doesn't mean I'm saying he's gonna win a championship.
(07:12):
Argue me, or saying he's gonna win the chap all.
I'm saying, don't argue me. Because I say he can
make the conference finals. That's not winning that championship. But
I'm telling you that if you get to that situation,
you have a chance to win whatever. We have a chance.
You said he'll never said he'll never win. I won't
since win? Did never win be the equivalent of never
(07:33):
have a chance to win? Since win? All I'm saying
to you, if you think he has a chance and
he could win. You're saying he never's gonna win. Any
player in the NBA has a chance. Rob, You're in
the NBA. That's why says That's why. I can't sit
there today and say he will never win a championship.
He has years to go. I don't know what kind
of trades could happen. I don't know what players on
(07:54):
the team could be even better to help him, or
they get a third guy. I can't sit here and
say that will never win. I'm so. I don't know
if he might change his game to suit the other part.
He had been no league eleven years. He didn't change
his game for Kevin Durant. He didn't change his game
for Paul George. Who's he changing his game for it?
But he might realize that he has to change. That's
my path where in the league. It's thirty years old.
(08:17):
Sometimes you gotta change. Well, he needs to change if
he's gonna win a championship, not a conference finals birth
I right? Is that what you you want to argue?
Christians said he could make the conference las. Yes, I did.
That's two steps away from winning a championship and still close.
(08:37):
I gotta get it, I said he could get close.
He's been close, but he didn't win it. That's a difference.
He was, but he was with a totally different team.
You can't put that on him that he didn't win.
I didn't say it was his fault. I said he
didn't win. I'm not saying he can't get close. He
is a tremendous way. I Alan't Iverson couldn't win a championship.
Similar Alan Iverson was this great individual, spectacle and phenom
(09:01):
who deserves all the love in the iconic status he gets.
But his style of play, volume, shooter, low efficiency dominates
the ball. It's hard to win that way. And that's
the same thing with Russell Westbrook. That's all the brothers saying.
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Chris Broussard and Rob Parker week days at seven
(09:24):
pm Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and
the iHeart Radio app Easier and we always love bringing
in our next guests. He is a Yahoo Sports Senior
NBA writer. You can follow him on Twitter at at
Vince Goodwill and also the X Nephew's X nephew So
proud of him, look at look at Why are you
(09:44):
making me ex nephew. Then if you're so proud of me, well,
because I got divorced. So he is, Vince Goodwill, what's happening, y,
let's make this clear. She left. Look, yeah, that's not
how he tells where it happened. You know it, Rob,
I don't care who tell it? Chris? All right, all right, Vin,
(10:07):
you run a great column about the Sixers and how
Joel Embid is there. Obviously they're building block for the future,
but Ben Simmons is their most important player in these
here playoffs. Explain what you're talking about. I mean, Chris,
I think the way that to look at it is,
you know, embiad is certainly the better player, or the
more established player and the more seasoned player. But when
(10:28):
you look at this roster and you got Jimmy Butler
who's gonna be a free agent, and Tobias Harris who's
gonna be a free agent, and JJ Reddick, and they
pressed the fast forward button on this whole, you know,
ridiculous process that they've you know, go through over the past,
you know, five or six years. They don't really look
like a team. They look like a collection of individuals.
And the person who has to put that sort of
(10:48):
cohesion together. So the coach is the point guard. And
not only that because of the position that Ben Centers plays,
but because of his deficiencies, the fact that he can't shoot,
the fact that he won't shot, he's a liability out
there if he's not being aggressive. So indeed, is more
or less like the constant you know, Senators of Wild
Cards video. It makes sense. Yeah, Ni, let's let's move
(11:11):
over to that Warriors Clippers. I mean, what we expect
the Warriors of course to win the series or whatever.
But what do you what's the takeaway from that collapse
thirty one point collapse? Does it say something about the
Warriors or it just says something about the Clippers and
the team because all year long we've seen him come
back from huge deficits on the road to win games.
(11:34):
What do you take away from that game? I think
what happens is the Warriors A they get very arrogant,
and that's what happens a lot of times to me
with like champions when you won multiple championships, you know
that you can put on a birth at any time
and go up their team or go up twenty points
and basically running high, and usually going up twenty or
(11:56):
going up thirty means that you can sort of rest
and start shutting it down. But you know, like you said,
the Clippers, they just play hard and they have a
certain basketball character that Doc Rivers is selling them, and
they believe in it and all other type of stuff
like keeps telling that halftime we're going to win this game.
Somebody actually believes that they were going to win the game.
(12:16):
And sometimes those motivational talk sort of fall on death eaters.
But when you got this team, and you got a
bunch of hard and scrappy dudes and a team like
Golden State that basically plays in fits and spurts, a
game like that can happen now this weekend, Rob, If
you go to the Stable Center expecting to see Golden
State go down three one and they wind up, you know,
beating the brakes off of the Clippers and two straight
(12:37):
games over the weekend, don't be surprised. Yeah, Christ and
I are going to the game one. Don't win the
same shoes. We might, We might both as long as
they fresh. We both brought those Jordans, man, we love them.
You saw that on Instagram. Yes, Rob, it's it's amazing
that you've sort of grabbed onto this fetish at sixty five.
(12:58):
I got a late life crisis. Every every three days,
he's coming in here where a new pairs. Sometimes that
Gucci Louis Vatton Georgian. Yeah, you know what, Vinnie, My
time is running out. I'm trying to get it all
my shop it in. Hey, Vince, we were having a
heated discussion. I call it a discussion, robbing. I look,
(13:21):
I've been a huge defender Russell Westbrook, and he's gonna
be iconic and all that holl of Hall of Famer obviously,
but I don't think you can win a championship with
him as your league guy. Rob disagrees. What is your
take on that? That wasn't where we argued though, I'm
just less. To be honest, we didn't know what I
was arguing. It was a miscommunication. What's your take on that, Vince,
(13:44):
Russ can't be your best player. I don't know if
Russ can be a second best player. I don't know
if Russ can be on your team if you're going
to be a champion. I just think there are some
guys who take up so much oxygen in your locker room,
and they control so much of your team's personality with
their style of play that you can't win that way.
(14:06):
And I'm a big Russell Westbrook fan in theory, like
he plays hard all game, every game, right, that's what
we ask that. Oh I love that about him. Yeah yeah.
But at the same time, just because you play hard
don't mean you play smart, right, I think you need
smart play, especially out of the point guard spot, especially
(14:28):
when you're in the point guards league, win in terms of,
you know, shot recognition and tempo and unselfishness and a
genderless basketball. And I don't think we associate those three
things with Russell Westbrook, especially not at this stage of
his career where his athleticism athleticism is going to decline.
He's already not a good shooter, so I don't know
(14:48):
if he's capable of changing his game in the way
that it would need to change and taking him off
the ball to where somebody else can play with some
similar supporter to the point of being a championship type
of team. I just don't see it happen. My sentiments exactly.
Vin Vinnie started covering the league yesterday and Chris today before. Yeah,
We're joined. This is Vince Goodwill the Yacht sports seen
(15:10):
or NBA writer dropping that wisdom on the eye couple, Vinny,
what do you make of the nets? And as this
series it's one one? Obviously they get the surprise, went
on the road against Philly. Now they're going to Brooklyn
for the next two. Do they have a chance to
pull the upset I called? I called the nets in
seven before the series started? Am I crazy? Or I
(15:31):
know that you said seven? I did? You did say seven? Okay,
well Rob is crazy. But aside from that, like do
they have a chance? I think a lot of things
would have to go right, Like like Rob, I play
Spade right and I feel like the seventy sixers got
Big Joker, Little Joker and King like they got everything.
(15:52):
But the Sixers may have like the next three or
four biggest face cards on the air, and they may
play it better. They got the better coach, they played
better together. But I think especially in the first round
of the playoff, talent wins out, Like Joe Olmbide is
the best player, Jimmy Butler is the best player probably
late in games, and they don't have that. The Brooklyn
doesn't have that playoff experience to be able to take
(16:13):
advantage of what Philly doesn't have. Now, do they have
enough to make it interesting? They're gonna be scrappy? Are
they going to basically push Philly to their limit? Absolutely?
If they had one player, one all star, legitimate player
aside from DeAngelo Russell, then Rob I'll be right there
with you. They'll be able to take a badge everything
that Philadelphia lacks. But I think Philly will not get
caught this series. I think it Philly gets caught, they
(16:35):
get caught against Toronto in the next round, just because
the talent disparity isn't it's great. I know it would
be a great story round because you're from New York
and you're so but Nachi, if that ain't happening, Vince Goodwill,
great stuff, man. You don't teams. I'm a reporter man
(16:57):
the favorite team of the New York Matt I who
up as a Mets fan. I'm a rooted for nine
Jacksonville Jaguars for some reason or one of his favorites. Well,
because they've had they had the Patriots down ten in
the fourth quarter in that AFC Championship they win, be
sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple with
Chris Broussard and Rob Parker week days at seven pm
(17:20):
Eastern four pm Pacific easier and we always love bringing
in our next guests. He is a Yahoo Sports senior
NBA writer. You can follow him on Twitter at at
Vince Goodwill and also the X nephew. That's right, ex nephew,
so proud of him? Look at look at Why are
you making me ex nephew? Then if you're so proud
of me, well, because I got divorced, So he is,
(17:43):
Vince Goodwill. What's happened up, Vinny, Let's make this clear.
She left. Look, yeah, that's not how he tells me,
because that ain't the where it happened. You're doing, Rob,
don't care who tell it? Chris? All right, all right,
as you run a great column about the Sixers and
how Joel Embiid is there. Obviously they're building block for
(18:05):
the future, but Ben Simmons is their most important player
in these here playoffs. Explain what you're talking about. I mean, Chris,
I think the way that to look at it is,
you know, Embied is certainly the better player, the more
established player, and the more seasoned player. But when you
look at this roster and you got Jimmy Butler who's
gonna be a free agent, and Tobias Harris who's gonna
(18:25):
be a free agent, and JJ Reddick, and they pressed
a fast forward button on this whole, you know, ridiculous
process that they've you know, going through over the past,
you know, five or six years. They don't really look
like a team. They look like a collection of individuals
and the person who has to put that sort of
cohesion together. So the coach is the point guard. And
(18:45):
not only that because of the position that Ben Centers plays,
but because of his deficiencies, the fact that he can't shoot,
the fact that he won't shoot, he's a liability out
there if he's not being aggressive. So indeed, is more
or less like the constant, you know, Simmons is the
wild Cards video makes sense. Yeah, let's let's move over
to that Warriors Clippers. I mean, what we expect the Warriors,
(19:08):
of course to win the series or whatever, But what
do you what's the takeaway from that collapse thirty one
point collapse. Does it say something about the Warriors or
it just says something about the Clippers and the team
because all year long, we've seen them come back from
huge deficits on the road to win games. What do
you take away from that game? I think what happens
(19:31):
is the Warriors A they get very arrogant, and that's
what happens a lot of times to me with like
champions When you won multiple championships, you know that you
can put on a birth at any time and go
up their team or go up twenty points and basically
running high and usually going up twenty or going up
thirty means that you can sort of rest and start
(19:52):
shutting it down. But you know, like you said, the Clippers,
they just play hard and they have a certain basketball
character that Doc Rivers is selling them, and they believe
in it and all other type of stuff. I keep
telling that halftime, we're going to win this game. Somebody
actually believes that they were going to win the game.
And sometimes those motivational talk sort of fall on death ears.
(20:13):
But when you got this team, and you got a
bunch of hard and scrappy dudes and a team like
Golden State that basically plays in fits and spurts, a
game like that can happen now this weekend, rob if
you go to the stable Center, expecting to see Golden
State go down three one, and they wind up, you know,
beating the brakes off of the Clippers and two straight
games over the weekend. Don't be surprised. Yeah, christ and
(20:33):
I are going to the game on the same shoes.
We might, we might both as long as they fresh.
We both brought those Jordans, man, we love them. You
saw that on Instagram. Yes, Rob, it's amazing that you've
sort of grabbed onto this fetish at sixty five, I
got a late life prices every every three days, he's
(20:56):
coming in here with a new pairs. Oh man, sometimes
that Gucci Louis Vatton Georgian. Yeah, you know what, Vinnie,
My time is running out. I'm trying to get in
all my shop it in. Hey, Vince, we were having
a heated discussion. I call it a discussion, robbing. I look,
I've been a huge defender Russell Westbrook, and he's gonna
(21:17):
be iconic and all that holl of Hall of Famer obviously,
but I don't think you can win a championship with
him as your league. Guy. Rob disagrees, What is your
take on that? That wasn't where we argued though, I'm
just less. To be honest, we didn't know what I
was arguing. It was a miscommunication. What's your take on that,
Vince Russ can't be your best player. I don't know
(21:40):
if Russ can be a second best player. I don't
know if Russ can be on your team if you're
going to be a champion. I just think there are
some guys who take up so much oxygen in your
locker room and they control so much of your team's
personality with their style of play, that you can't win
that way. And I'm a big Russell Westbrook fan in theory,
(22:02):
like he plays hard all game, every game, right, that's
what we ask That's what we love. Oh I love
that about him. Yeah yeah. But at the same time,
just because you play hard don't mean you play smart.
And I think you need smart play, especially out of
the point guard spot, especially when you're in the point
guards league, when in terms of you know, shot recognition
(22:24):
and tempo and unselfishness and a genderless basketball. And I
don't think we associate those three things with Russell Westbrook,
especially not at this stage of his career where his
athleticism athleticism is going to decline. He's already not a
good shooter, so I don't know if he's capable of
changing his game in the way that it would need
to change and taking him off the bar to where
(22:46):
somebody else can play with some similar supporter to the
point of being a championship type of team. I just
don't see it happen. My sentiments exactly. Video started covering
the league yesterday and Chris today before Yeah, We're joined.
This is Vince Goodwill, the Yacht Sports senior NBA writer,
dropping that wisdom on the eye couple, Benny, what do
(23:09):
you make of the nets? And as this series it's
one one? Obviously they get the surprise, went on the
road against Philly. Now they're going to Brooklyn for the
next two. Do they have a chance to pull the
upset I called? I called the Nets in seven before
the series start? Am I crazy? Or I know that
you said seven? I did? You did say seven? Okay?
Well Rob is crazy. But aside from that, like do
(23:32):
they have a chance. I think a lot of things
would have to go right, Like like Rob, I play
Spade right, and I feel like the seventy sixers got
Big Joker, Little Joker and King like they got everything
but the Sixers may have like the next three or
four biggest face cards on the air, and they may
play it better. They got the better coach, they played
better together. But I think especially in the first round
(23:54):
of the playoffs, talent wins out, Like Joel Embiad is
the best player, Jimmy Butler is the best player probably
late in games, and they don't have that. The Brooklyn
doesn't have that playoff experience to be able to take
advantage of what Philly doesn't have. Now, do they have
enough to make it interesting? Are they gonna be scrappy?
Are they going to basically push Philly to their limits? Absolutely?
If they had one player, one all star, legitimate player
(24:18):
aside from DeAngelo Russell, then Rob, I'll be right there
with you, they'd be able to take it badge everything
that Philadelphia lacks. But I think Philly will not get
caught this series. I think I Philly gets caught, they
get caught against Toronto in the next round, just because
the talent disparity isn't it's great. I know it would
be a great story round because you're from New York
and you're so people Nachi. If that ain't happening, Vince Goodwill,
(24:44):
great stuff man. You know I don't join the teams.
I'm a reporter man. The favorite team of the New
York mat I grew up as a match fan. I'm
a rooted Jacksonville Jaguars for some reason or one of
his favorites. Well, because they've had had the Patriots down
ten in the fourth quarter and that AFC Championship they win.
(25:07):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Fox sports
Radio dot com and within the iHeart Radio app. Search
f SR to listen live to the team that is
not in the playoffs, but it's still in the news,
and that is the Los Angeles Lakers and their superstar
(25:28):
Lebron James. They obviously are in the middle of a
coaching search. They're looking at Juwan Howard, assistant coach with
the Miami Heat who was a teammate of Lebron's in Miami.
They're looking at Monty Williams, two time head coach once
in Portland, did a good job, once in New Orleans,
did a solid job now, an assistant with the Philadelphia
seventy six ers, also connected to Lebron in that he
(25:51):
was an assistant coach on Team USA for the Alia
Monti had two jobs. I don't know why he's a
good coach too. I like mine cover to also get
the feet when he was he was on the team.
When a really good, solid guy, you know everybody just
speaks highly, having great reputation around the league. He could
end up, though, if Philadelphia gets embarrassed or even just
(26:14):
beating in the second round. Certainly if they get beating round,
even if they get beating the second, he might be gone.
And Mine Williams could end up being the coach there.
But the Lakers are looking at him, and then of
course the guy that everybody pretty much has as a favorite,
Tyron Low. My point. First of all, Rob, we got
(26:34):
a lot of points we're both gonna make. My first
thing is the Lakers are doing this backwards, like you
don't have your front office solidified. And what did you
and I say about Luke Walton who's now gone with
Magic Johnson and Ropper Lak It was like, look, he's
not their guy, so if it doesn't go perfectly, they're
(26:55):
gonna want to get rid of him. And that was
the case. That was my argument about about Jennie us
is and why Magic felt like betrayed, if that's the
right word, is that I came in, you gave me
the job. I kept your guy, yep right, and most
ham a chance. He gave him a chance. Not only
one year. You wouldn't have called him two years. I
(27:18):
gave him two years. I delivered Lebron. We didn't make
the playoffs, two young guys didn't. Didn't for whatever reason,
hold it the ship steady until Lebron came back for
whatever reason. Okay, So when you say all that Magic
was within his rights to decide, Okay, now it's time
and I want my own guy. Well, look, Rob, I
(27:40):
mean again, just continuing to talk to people about this
Laker situation. What happened was Magic thought he was more
than a figurehead, right right, I mean, and and Genie
apparently brought him in as a figurehead. He's a great
Magic like the ambassador. He's the greatest Laker of all time. Everybody,
not only in the NBA, pretty much in America. I'm
(28:00):
seeing he's got this great personality. He's Magic Johnson. But
Magic went in like I got the power as he should.
He's the president, and then he's a basketball savine after
he got Lebron, you have to feel like, Okay, that's
that's peace one. I told you give me two years. Yeah,
I'll get you two stars, will build this thing and
(28:21):
we'll get a chance to win. Here's the thing, though,
Rob and Magic should have seen this because because we
know when he resigned a week ago, it was because
he wanted to get rid of not only Luke Walton
but also Rob Pelinka. Genie would not let she didn't
want him to get rid of Luke. She wouldn't let
him get rid of Rob Polinka because of Polinka's collection.
(28:42):
To Kobe, Magic was like, all right, I don't have
any prober, no power. I can be Magic Johnson somewhere else. Right.
And so because it ain't stuck it to Genie right
when he didn't tell you it's your sister. There's all
this love and I'm sure they obviously they have a
great relationship and they'll probably make up down. But to
(29:03):
go ahead and resign without telling her, that's there's no
question there with some hurt feelings and some up anger,
you know what that is. In that situation, it's like
we talk, just forget it, you know what I mean?
Like when you get to the point where you're so
just forget. I'm not. I don't want to talk to her.
This is be ass. You brought me here for this.
(29:24):
You're not letting me do what I want to do.
I took your guy, even though I could have come in,
Me and Polinka could have come in and fired them
from jump stright and just said we want to get Certainly,
once you got Liberta, they could right, I could have
easily done that, and they didn't do it. Whatelike he
was making the playoffs or he had developed these young
guys and you could say, look at what he's done,
(29:46):
this is incredible. Yea, he didn't do any of that. Right,
We don't have to go too far to prove show
people how they're clearly with some angst between Magic and Genie.
At the end, it's me and you. If you go
out and announce you're quitting the Eye couple right without
telling me first, right, you would be right. You wouldn't
(30:09):
do that unless we had beef. Right, there's nothing right
if you wouldn't know way ahead of talk, Right, there's
no way you do that. So that that's just is
what it is. But Magic could have known. Look, he
didn't hire Rob Perlinka. Right, Magic was president. They brought
in Rob Perlinka. So that should have told you right there,
you're right. He could have nipped it in the butt
(30:31):
and saying, look, no, I'm my own GM. Let me
let me do something. I know that's that. But this
is where we went about Genie, about the mom and
pop thing. Everybody's connected to somebody. It's harder to get
rid of people. You're gonna upset Kobe if you let
his guy go. You're gonna upset this guy. If you
let his you're gonna fil Jackson. She probably still us
(30:51):
feelings for Phil and Luke was his guy, and all
this so right, I mean, right, so you got all
these kinds of things, and then let's let me give
you this so so people, some people thought he was
safe Luke Luke after Magic quit. But but then I
heard this Chris and from reliable people, Okay, reliable NBA people,
(31:12):
and they just said that Luke thought he was going
to deliver Bob Myers, right, is that his name the
Golden State Warriors. Yeah, that that was supposedly out there,
that he was going to deliver this guy. And then
(31:32):
they said basically thanks, but uh, no thanks, and then
so the Lakers wouldn't didn't want by mine? Right and
basically I got this. Let me just read this. I
know for a fact that Luke was going to hand
deliver Bob Myers to the Lakers. Lakers ownership said no,
(31:53):
So Luke wanted out. That's when he That's when you know,
it looked like he was safe because magic then it
was like and that might be with the Plinka thing,
that's an interesting thing. Yeah, yeah, because that's Plinka. But
that's what I got to work together right right, see
what I'm saying. So yeah, I just my only thing
(32:14):
I have a problem with on that is Luke Walton
being able to hand deliver by That's the only thing.
I don't know if he had a relationship with the
relationship because I was coaching, you got relationship, But would
he have been able to like you said, hey, like
I said, and deliver Myers? I don't know, but that's
what I'm saying. Like that here, Look, if I'm the Lakers,
(32:36):
first of all, I would love to get by Myers
right number one, but I wouldn't like it attached to
Luke Walton like Luke had to go and you know, me.
I said, I don't think Luke was the problem, the
biggest problem, and I don't think he's a bad coach.
And I'm not the least bit surprised that he landed
on his feet and got another job. But he wasn't
(32:56):
the coach of this team. It was just too much
bad blood, bad history. Your main guy, Lebron wasn't a
full time believer or anybody. He had to go. So
this is the question I want to throw out to you, Rob,
should the next Zach Low of ESPN say it on
a podcast that some agent and doesn't want that he
(33:16):
doesn't feel like, you know, players his players at least
don't want the new head coach to be too hand tied,
too tied to Lebron. They don't want clutch Rich Paul
the agent running the franchise. Here's the question I'm gonna
throw out to you. Do you think how much, say,
should the Lakers give Lebron in their new hires, whether
(33:39):
it's the front office and the coach. I think they
have to cater to Lebron as much as possible, only
from this standpoint if they can't get any free agents
to come and he's kind of stuck why can't get
ad because the young kids that they want to trade
now some got injury issues. Question your marks now, they
(34:00):
not the rock solid like stars that potential stars were,
like DeAngelo Russell wound up going somewhere else and becoming
an All Star. I'm not convinced that those guys are
that because of the injuries. So you can't afford to
have a disgruntled Lebron James aging for three years here
(34:23):
feeling like they went against me. You remember when do
you know what I mean? Like when they could I don't.
I don't know. I just third year. I don't think
they have the guts too really yep. And another part
is I'm not so sure that teams around NBA America
are looking at right well you gonna get well at
(34:45):
this point, I agree with what you said, outside of
do everything possible to cater to Lebron said, I certainly
would talk with him, get his feel and hire somebody
he feels good about. I would not give him control
of the franchise, and even you know, obviously it wouldn't
be in a formal way, but even informally so I
(35:05):
would like to bring in a front office guy who
Lebron respects, but isn't necessarily tied to him, and I
would want to bring in a head coach that he
does get along with. And the three. I mean, look,
they're doing it right, the three that they're interviewing. I
don't think Juan should get it just because you don't
want a rookie coach. I just don't see the ship
(35:26):
or bust. I don't see that. Not an aging Lebron James.
You ain't got five years to exactly, so you I
think you bring in Tye Luke should be the first choice.
Then Monty Williams, who would be a good coach as well.
You could bring him in. But you gotta bring in
a coach that is gonna have the respect and the
affect a good relationship with Lebron James. We saw how
(35:48):
Lebron which find to Luk who he didn't he didn't
relick with you. You have to and look we're not
It's not the worst thing in the world to be
tech to Lebron James. I mean, my goodness, the dude, No,
I went to eighth straight finals, and I know, I
don't even know if you're poop poo it in this context, Rob,
but they were to four seat. I mean, they were
(36:10):
playing well even with this young, disjointed, non shooting roster
when he got hurt. Like everybody acts like, well, if
you trade Lebron, you're going young and starlar. That's no guarantee. Philadelphia,
they're the poster child for the process. But they got
their issues. First of all, they botched it on two
(36:31):
of the picts new Lands Noel and jelil Oka for
and now Joel MBI's got injury problems. I mean he's
missed more than half the games he's been you know
eligible for Ben Simmons is maybe not the superstar we
all projected. So you know, going young is no guarantee.
They went young. How that How'd that worked for him
(36:51):
before Lebron went there? So try to build around Lebron
if you can't bring it. Athony Davis, I think they
still could be pretty good if they add some shooters
to this core, especially if Golden Stuff breaks up. But
being good isn't really what people But I'm just saying,
if you're a Laker fan, it's not like, Okay, if
you make the playoffs that that would be cool, and
(37:12):
most thought they would. But if you tell me, like
the next couple of years. It's just they make the playoffs,
get knocked out in the first or second round. People
are gonna be like this wand up not being But
I'm saying this, if let's say, if Kevin Durant leaves
Golden State and Lebron James is healthy next year, and
you bring back the same core, meaning Brandon Ingram, Kyle
(37:33):
Kuzmlonzo Ball and a few of the other guys, and
you add some shooters. You add a Marcus Morris for
who's a free agent out of Boston who can shoot,
and it's tough you know, a few nine descript shooters
besides him. Dude, can they not play with just about
anybody in the West? I mean, okay, see Denver, Portland,
(37:55):
you know, I mean, State won't be what they are. Well,
play with them, Houston. I mean, I'm just saying that
they're one of those teams in the hunt. That's all
my brothers said.
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