June 20, 2024 • 38 mins
Former NFL offensive lineman and FOX Sports Radio Weekend host Ephraim Salaam is in for Rob, and he and Chris discuss the concerns they have about JJ Redick’s fit as the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, tell us why the buy-in of LeBron James and Anthony Davis will be the key to Redick getting off to a hot start and whether the Lakers should’ve waited to speak with Monty Williams before hiring JJ. Plus, the guys share their thoughts on DeMar DeRozan officially choosing sides in the Kendrick Lamar vs Drake beef.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Odd Couple podcasts. Be sure
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Speaker 2 (00:15):
Dot com, or stream us live.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching fsr PA.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Get this you're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
A.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
It is the Eyde Couple. I'm Chris Bruce had alongside my.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Partner instead of Rob Parker. That's right, straight from the Bay,
the current Rageous, the brave mister E from salam Wow.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Don't start off the day with that. Enjoyed it purageous.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Indentirerack dot com studios, ti right dot com will help
you get there. They've got an unmatched selection, fast, free shipping,
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Tirerag dot com is the way tirebine should be, and
The Odd Couple with E from in for Rob still
(01:31):
is the way sports talk radio should be.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
What's up? Brother? Welcome?
Speaker 4 (01:35):
Hey, thank you man. I'm glad to be here. I
just want to give you some breaking news. Yesterday was
my birthday.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
So happy birthday. Thank you, lady.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
I appreciate that, and I'm excited to be here, and
as always, I'm ready to put you in your place. Man,
this is just what I do. I mean, why not?
I mean, I mean you're older, you're wiser.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Why not old? Older? For sure?
Speaker 3 (02:01):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Listen, I don't know about wiser. But it's good to
have you here, man, And I'm not going to ask
you your age.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
I'm forty eight, man, I don't end up only forty eight,
I said, brother, I look like I said. I was
just one of my high school teammates and friends text
me was like, man, happy birthday mail.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Damn what are you you? Fifty?
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (02:22):
You get into the big because.
Speaker 4 (02:23):
Everybody I graduated with their you know, fifty and on
I said your class, they were yeah yeah. So what
I said was you don't you guys got to remember
most people didn't know I skipped two grades too.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
So are you serious? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (02:37):
I got to high school at thirteen and I graduated
at sixteen?
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Wow? So wait oh you just thought that? So was
that what your head because of academics? Yeah? Yeah, yeah,
wow you thought that. I just uh.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
What I just somehow got here and was just magnificent
at this job too, after all of the other magnificent things.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
I couldn't even keep keep that going.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Real talk, though, I'm impressed. Thank you skipped two grades.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Two grades, yep.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
And the fact that you so were you a great athlete,
I'm gonna say it because you're obviously competing against people older. Now.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
I didn't play a sport until high school till ninth grade,
not ever, not literal league based in.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
The books, and just weren't in the sports.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
So it's just the school park came a little bit
easier to me. My mother was as a teacher, got
her pH d in education from UCLA, and so when
my sister and I and my brothers and when we
were all going to school, we already know how to read, write, man,
all of those things. So we're a little bit more
advanced than normally. And so uh, in first grade, I
(03:53):
was very disruptive, like most first grade probably plus bus
also you knew all but I tested out of it,
and I was, you know, making everybody else feel like
they didn't know what they like. That was it. Billy Madison.
He was like he went back to school and he
was like the kid was stuttering to read and he
(04:14):
was like, yeah, to day like some of some of
that energy. And so I tested tested out of the
second grade into the third, and then the same thing
happened in third grade.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
So I went from first to third to fifth.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Wow, that's impressive. Now let me quickly because I mean
I'm really intrigued. This is impressive. I'm not just joking.
So did you you played around the neighborhood sports or.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
Did you just like really I like Nintendo and Cereal.
I was really good at eating cereal and playing tend
So were you heavy? I was young, so I hadn't
even I was going through puberty like most kids are
on the they're going they're still going through puberty, well
nowadays kids fifteen in the eighth grade. But like I
(05:01):
just was uncoordinated. I was, you know, goofy.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
I was long.
Speaker 4 (05:07):
I was about five to nine my freshman year, and
then I hit a growth spurt and it just all clicked.
Like my best friends, Like I started playing football because
my friend John played, and I started playing basketball because
my now brother, my best friend at the time, Dion,
played basketball. So that was my introduction into sports, and
(05:27):
it just I just took to it.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
So when did you become like a star.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
I played one year football freshman year, then got moved
up to Jay's JV. That next year, I got my
first letter from the University of Illinois the line. And
so when I was fourteen, I got my first recruitment letter.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Wow. And then they just start coming in after that.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
So Yo, that's a book man, real talk like that,
that I mean because you know nowadaysy from, they're holding
kids back. Parents are holding kids back a year. And
my thing at that, and I look, so if to
those that don't know, many of you probably do know,
you know, say your son's very good in basketball at
(06:11):
nine years old, they may hold him back a year.
So instead of being what fourth grade, they may hold
him back. So now he's a third grader. Yeah, and
he's better athletically even than he was, you know, against
the fourth graders. My look that potentially from could help
a kids to get a scholarship. Right, I guess if
(06:32):
you're better in high school, but at some point it's
gonna catch you generally college, not like junior senior year
of high school, you know what I mean, because at
that point the age isn't as big of a deal anymore.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
Look, when I my our athletic director in high school
and my basketball coach he had. Basketball coach was furious
at my parents because at sixteen I was averaged as
a senior, I was averaging twenty four points twelve rebounds,
and so it was like.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
He's thinking, you could have been if I had you
for two more years, right right, we could win state.
And but me, I'm just like I had already committed
for football and I was already.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
You never thought that never crossed your mind.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
Well, no, because I started one year in high school
and basketball my senior year. It just it took that
long for me to athletically get there in basketball. But
in football, my first position, I played noseguard. So that's
literally like, hey man, you see that ball, wherever that
ball go, you go get that ball right like. So
(07:41):
you know, from that standpoint, I had already started establishing
myself as a young team in football really fast. And
you know I didn't. I played that those last couple
of games at JV. Then it was just all varsity
from you know, fourteen all the way to sixteen.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Impressive. I tested out.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
I tested in kindergarten because my mom kind of like yours.
She prepared myself and my brother, so we we were
able to start school early. We started I was like
a year kind of younger than all the other kindergarteners
in my you know grade and all that. But wow,
all right, well we are here and ready to rock
and roll. We got the Odd Couple crew quickly, DJ
(08:23):
Alex tight Shitt in the house. The super producer Rob
G is at home. But we have Brie Morrow making
her Odd Couple debuts running things on the updates you
heard them, Steve the Seger and Elijah Sabunas.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
Can we win the social media? Can we do something?
Can we do something for Bree.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Just to oh see, I don't know, Bree, just just
I'm here in studio with her. Okay, she's a little
bit nervous, A good nervous, not nervous like, oh guys,
I'm about to mess up. But let's give her an
opportunity to just say hello on the air. We can't
keep the micro phone to Rob G's hands. So Bree
(09:02):
you're feeling I just.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Want to come home, Breed, you're amongst friends. I just
want you to get comfortable. How you doing today? I'm
doing great.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
I'm actually more excited than nervous like four hours ago.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
You sound good. You don't sound nervous, see that right there?
Boom Brie, welcome, we got you, we got you covered. Yes, yes,
all right.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
You are the Lakers fan, especially with Rob g Out,
you are the resident Lakers fan here today, mister Salim.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
And so you got a new.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Coach finally he's got about as much actually less coaching
experience than you do. But how you feeling about JJ
Reddick as the new coach of the LA Lakers.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Honestly are optimistic.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Honestly, but you can give us the honesty first, Okay,
I'll give you get to the optimist.
Speaker 4 (09:52):
I don't like it, and I don't like it the
same in the same vein I didn't like when the
Brooklyn Nets hired Steve Nash, which did not work out,
in the same vein like I don't like people are.
I understand how hard it is to coach at that level.
(10:14):
I understand the rigors that you must go through to
prepare yourself to coach at that level, even as an assistant.
I have a lot of friends who are assistant coaches working
their way up the ranks and trying to do certain
things and ultimately become a head coach. I saw it
in football. Some of my contemporaries are now getting an
opportunity to be head coaches and make that transition. But
(10:37):
they always started on the staff and things like that,
except for quickly.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Would you agree?
Speaker 1 (10:41):
Look, I think of the three major sports, coaching is
the like the most difficult and makes the most difference
in football.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
That's why. And I'll get to as you know, there have.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Been guys to make the jump to head coaching with
no experience that have done with on the NBA. It's
impossible in my all you can do it to do
that in NFL. They tried Jeff Saturday. Nothing against him, right,
I don't care who it was. I cannot imagine I
from that you could coach in the NFL with zero experience,
(11:16):
No hench the nuance of the NFL in terms of
by each position.
Speaker 4 (11:22):
Uh, not only that, uh, just managing each position, each
coach for each position. The front office is too many
moving parts, yep. And it's too many players. You go
on the training camp with ninety players, So as a
head coach, uh, you know you're trying to manage everybody
(11:44):
and manage expectations.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
It's it's also the most complicated of the three sports, yes,
because now you really have to like especially the evolution
of play calling and defenses and personnel and what like,
all of that.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
It's completely different in the NBA if you have a
generational talent, case in point, Lebron James. Lebron James has
gone to the finals with more coaches probably than anybody
in the history of the NBA because he's been a
generational talent. Mike Brown himself, when Lebron was going to
the finals with Cleveland and they were winning series, was
(12:22):
asked at the podium, you know, what was your game playing? Well,
I just gave Lebron the ball and got all the way,
which is one of the reasons I never really liked
him as a Laker head coach. And Kobe was looking
didn't bad with you? Yeah, I wasn't feeling that, man.
I wasn't feeling that Kobe was.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
He had he took y'all as far as Phil Jackson did, well,
we won championships with Phil Jackson, so well, you had
gotten to the point where y'all weren't winning championships with
film because you didn't have the talent. And then Mike
to go. But that's neither here nor when.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
You don't have the talent, you need to be dynamic.
Look at what Eric Sposcher has done with the Miami
Heat year in in, year out. They've not been stacked
with talent in terms of, oh, these are world beaters.
They have an excellent roster. They got a bunch of
guys who weren't drafted late second round draft picks coming
in and giving you tremendous lifts. Some end up starting
(13:18):
because that's a dynamic coach. You know, what also is
rare about Spolstra is that he is that rare coach that.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Can get the maximum out of you know, minimal talent
or mediocre level of talent, but also coach a superstar.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Laden team, which obviously did with the.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
Heatles a lot like Tibodeau and not in fairness, sometimes
these coaches haven't had a chance.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
But some coaches are great.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
They maximize like average talent and you're like, man, he
got fifty wins out of that. But then you give
them some superstars and they over coach, right, you know
what I mean. They're micro managing everything on the court
and they you don't let your stars just beat themselves
in ball and that can work against you, but sposters
(14:09):
were the rare ones. Look, we got plenty more to
talk about with JJ Reddick. We've barely gotten into this thing,
so y'all know what to do. Keep it locked right
here on The Odd Couple Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Chris Brussard and Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the
iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Hey it's me Rob Parker.
Speaker 5 (14:34):
Check out my weekly MLB podcast, Inside the Parker for
twenty two minutes of piping hot baseball talk featuring the
biggest names of newsmakers in the sport. Whether you believe
in analytics or the I test, we've got all the
bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday, so do yourself
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(14:57):
Parker on the iHeartRadio app wherever you get your podcast.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
All right, it is The Odd Couple. Chris bruce E
from salam is in for Rob Parker and uh we
are here live from the tire rack dot Com studios.
So yeah, you never told me, which is probably a
sign of what you think of this, It is higher,
(15:23):
JJ Reddick, I got you off of that, right, right, right.
Let me say this, And we were talking about his
lack of experience.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
And he literally does have I think, less experience than you,
because you have coached your kids, right, been coaching for
seven years.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
Okay, he's far less than you. He was playing basketball
obviously just three years ago in the NBA, but he's
coached his kids. But I will say this, Larry Bird,
Isaiah Thomas, Mark Jackson, and.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
Of course Steve Kurr the greatest example.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
They all did work head coaches without any assistant coaching
experience or obviously head coaching experience, and they did well
to varying degrees, but all of them did pretty well.
Derek Fisher and Steve Nash also coached with no experience
and they did poorly.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
And let me, how could I forget? He just got
his team to the finals.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
Jason Kidd's another one that had no coaching experience and
obviously has done.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
A great job. I will say this about these guys though.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Ephraim Bird a legend, Isaiah Thomas, Jason Kidd legends. Mark
Jackson was a very very good player, respected all Star
caliber player at point guard, and Steve Kerr, you know,
was not a great player. One champ won a lot
of championships with Michael Jordan and Tim Duncan and the like.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
I think he won five rings if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
But they, you know, so they got that respect just
because of their pedigree. Now now had respect too, but
still didn't do a good job. But look, I don't know.
Nobody knows. Rob Polinka and Jennie Buss don't know. Lebron
James doesn't know whether or not JJ Reddick's going to
be a good coach.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
He might be terrible, he might be outstanding. We don't know.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
I do think he starts out on a good note
in that he has clearly the respect of Lebron James.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
And if you've.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
Got the respect, now, hopefully that'll translate to Lebron actually
really letting him coaching. Lebron clearly respects his knowledge. They
do a podcast together and it is a cerebral podcast.
So Lebron respects his basketball knowledge. And if everyone sees
Lebron buying into what Reddick is saying, then I do
(17:54):
think that's a good start. Because Anthony Davis and the
rest of the team should buy in to Reddick if
Lebron is so he starts out I think on.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
First base because of that.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
Obviously a key is getting him a good coaching staff.
And there's talking about Sam Cassell and David Adelman, and
and and Jared Dudley who played you know, with the
Lakers and had some on Dallas's staff just this past season.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
So if he.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
Gets a good staff together, you know, we'll see. I mean,
I think one of the challenges E from is that
the Lakers are expected to like compete for the championship,
and I don't think they're good enough to you know,
win the West or win the championship. And so what
(18:46):
it's very it's very possible that they actually take a
step backward. Maybe it's because Lebron gets older or Ad
gets hurt more. Remember Lebron and Ad were unusually healthy
last year. So what if they take a step backward
next year or the next two years and maybe they
go out in the first round or whatever it is.
(19:08):
Is JJ ready going to survive that because championship or
bust when you really don't have a great chance of
winning a championship is a tough situation to be in.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Yeah, I think.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
And that's some of the guys you named on that
list who had no coaching experience and then stepped into teams,
most notably Mark Jackson and Steve Kerr. It was actually
but the same team, and they both had Steph Curry,
(19:42):
Klay Thompson and Draymond Green to step into, not old versions,
the young ones, right, And so that's a little bit
different situation than stepping into a team with an aging
superstar in Lebron James and often heard, uh superstar and
(20:03):
Anthony Davis and look, I'll give credit where credits do.
Anthony Davis played more games than need to ever played
in his NBA career this past season, but it's and
it still wasn't enough to keep him out of the
play in And so with that notion, I think having
a coach that doesn't you when you're coaching the Lakers
(20:25):
and there's an expiration date on talent that you have
and your expectation as a championship, then what you don't
have is time. And I think that's why Dan Hurley
was like, this feels like a lose lose situation.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
It's not.
Speaker 4 (20:43):
It's not for JJ Reddick because he's never coached before. Right,
if he gets them to the playoffs, he's he's won.
But if he's gets the top right, Like, in terms
of what do you expect from a first year ever coach, right,
(21:05):
a team that was in the play in the two
years prior, Right.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
I do think that I think Hurley had the pedigree.
Let's say they go out in the first or second
round the next two years. I think Hurley had the
pedigree to survive that. And they're like, Okay, he's gonna
be our guy, post Lebron Absolutely, yep, does Reddick have
the pedigree you know what I'm saying to survive going
out in the first or second round the next two years.
Speaker 4 (21:31):
Well, as impatient as Laker fans are, what we found
out and noticed that the ownership of the Lakers are
more impatient than we are. I mean, they still may
be paying three coaches.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
Right, they cut checks to three coaches who had a
very short leash in terms of we need to get
to that, especially now that the Celtics have won their
eighteenth championship and the Lake are stuck at seventeen.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Like that means.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
Well, and they could and then look, the Lakers have
been the better franchise. I would say, well, yes, because
the student every decade j'll been good.
Speaker 4 (22:11):
Yeah, and where they haven't, but it's still as a
Laker fans, as a franchise, it's not good enough.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
But they might. They got a chance to run a
little distance between y'all.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Yeah, well they can win maybe another one or two.
I doubt too, maybe another one before y'all win another.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
With the catastrophe of injuries in the in the East
happened again this year like it did this Noscow.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
It should be to I will definitely be too.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
It should be tough for Fox Sports Radio has the
best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of
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Speaker 1 (22:49):
I'm watching this game hasn't started yet between the uh,
the Cardinals and the Giants at rick Wood Field.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
Do you have it on? It's on?
Speaker 1 (23:00):
Yeah, yeah, this is Uh, it's a great, this is great.
It's really it's fantastic and uh to see they had
the former the main the Negro League players that are
still alive are on the field. I don't know how
many is It looks like maybe a dozen or so
maybe a little more than that. But it's a terrific
(23:24):
event and I'm glad major League Baseball is doing it.
And Rob Parker is actually there is that Yeah, yeah,
that's where he is.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Martin Weiss is out there.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
Martin's doing a story or stories for Ebony magazine.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
Oh, which is great. Ebony was a that was we
got Ebony every month, and of course we all did
Ebony and Jet. You had to get it Jet, right.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
But so, so tell me what do you think. Well,
let's I'm gonna start here.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
He from I thought the Lakers at the very least.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
Should have looked at Monty Williams once he became available.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
Oh yes, And I heard.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
Guys talking about, well, if the timing, if he had
been let go two or three weeks ago, mat what
I mean, you unless you had already signed a contract
with JJ Reddick, take your time, right, Like, why not?
I'm not saying maybe maybe at the end of the day.
I don't know how, but maybe at the end of
the day they still would have went to Reddick. But
(24:35):
meet with Monty Williams, see what his plans would be
for your team, and talk with Anthony Davis. If not
Lebron right, because Anthony Davis, you remember, had a great relationship.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
With him in New Orleans, loved him.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
And this is really it's been talked about as well,
is a higher for Anthony Davis, because what if Anthony
Davis wants to leave when Lebron you know, jets or
gets old, you know, too old where he's not even
playing that well, if that happens. So I think they
really that was a misstep. Monty has proven to be
(25:15):
a good coach. Forget what happened in Detroit. That wasn't
a good situation for him, obviously.
Speaker 4 (25:19):
No, that was a bad, bad situation with a bad
but probably the worst roster in basketball.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
Yeah, I actually think and look, JJ Reddick does have
a chance he from to You know, look, you got
two of the top fifteen players still in the league,
and you know, some solid role players, so you actually
have a good roster at least. But I don't know
that Detroit wouldn't have been a better situation for him,
(25:46):
just because he can learn on the job. But you
said you don't have much time here.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
No, no, no, it's no time to Detroit.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
You might get some time Monty had already, you know,
they were probably expecting more from Monti, So that that's
what and you know, so that's why they may have
been like, look, we gotta move on.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
But JJ, first time coach. You do have a K.
Speaker 1 (26:06):
Cunningham, You got J n Ivy, they got some decent players,
fairly talented, and so that might have been a good
situation him to you know, grow with a young team
and show yearly improvement. Yeah, that's what I mean by
it's a lose lose because you're in a situation where
(26:27):
even if you approved and you made the sixth seed,
you got yourself out of the play in, it's still
not enough.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
Right.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
The clock is still running, it's still going, and you
don't have if you lose in the first round, you
don't and you don't have the type of team where
you're building towards something. You're ending something, right, you're ending
an era yah in terms of your players that you
have on the team. So there's no way to go
(27:00):
and and and instead there's no problems, right, that's it.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Like it's it's because.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
They were in the conference finals two years ago and
lost to the defending or the eventual champion, and that
wasn't good to that next year he lost to the
defending Chickion at five. And so look could they get
depending on where they finish in the seeding, could they
(27:31):
get a more favorable matchup than Denver in the first round? Sure? Here,
but look, Minnesota is gonna be better. Tell me if
you disagree with any of these. I think Denver is
gonna come back hungry and probably better. Okay, see that's
a good move. Giddy gave them nothing in the playoffs,
and now you got Carussa.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
They already were a good defensive team.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
Now Alex Caruso's there, they're going to be better, wiser,
more experience.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
I think Chack Holgren is a future star.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
You already have Shay as a superstar, that doubt, right,
So that's gonna be your big two. They got Jayden
Williams like they got some ballers there.
Speaker 4 (28:07):
They have a young, great core that is learning to
play together. They have an MVP candidate who's young, not
even in his prime yet, and those things. That's a
coach's dream job, right, that's the job you want to
step into and cut your teeth as a coach. With
(28:28):
all of that going for you, you.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
Don't want the other one. You don't want the Laker one.
Speaker 4 (28:34):
It's some dead flesh hanging around trying to figure out
what's going on, and it look the thing that people
aren't talking about. What's another obstacle stacked in JJ Reddick's
way or any coach of the Lakers is Anthony Davis
and Lebron James are on the Olympic team.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
No, that that is a great point in here. One
reason why when they won the championship. This I take nothing.
You know, some people are the Mickey Miles Championship, the
bubble chap. I take nothing away from a championships, a championship,
but it is fair to ask you from do they
win that championship without that three or four month hiatus?
Speaker 4 (29:21):
I believe they do because if you look at where
they were in the league in terms of records and
where they were ranked in the league, they were.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
No, they were one of the time, of course, but my.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
Point is, is a D healthy through all that time
and Lebron healthy through all Now you.
Speaker 4 (29:37):
Know we can sit here and be like, well, maybe
if the game would if the season would have kept going,
a D would have sprained his ankle in two weeks.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
We can't go No, I.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
Don't take it away, But you said what I'm saying.
The last time they won it, they did have a
break in the middle of the season, right, That's what
I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (29:55):
They had the best team, especially in the West, already,
they were all ready trending. They weren't teetering towards the
bottom and trying to figure this thing out. They were
literally steamrolling people. Lebron and Ad were playing unbelievable together, right,
And so to say, well, could they have kept that going.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
Well, I would say yes. Why would you say otherwise?
Speaker 1 (30:19):
Well, no, My point is injury, that's my only I'm
not and I brought that up to say they're not
going to have as much of a break like at
their age and not even there at Lebron's age and
just AD's history. Them playing in the Olympics is not
the best situation, but not great. Speaking the which do
(30:45):
you think we're a lot to win gold with the
team that they're taking over there? Yes, if we didn't
have this amount of veteran, high quality championship play than
that team that we took the feeble, oh no, and.
Speaker 2 (31:05):
That was a good team.
Speaker 4 (31:06):
But yeah, but that is that's not what you want
if you if you read, if you realize the more
veteran laden team right.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
The leadership, that's what you want. You want.
Speaker 4 (31:18):
You don't want a bunch of guys who you know
they can score. It turns into an all star game
playing against structured teams who've been playing together since they.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
Were twelve years old. Well, and that's what you don't want.
I think we're the favorites. I think we should be
the heavy favorites. I don't think I think Locke is
a bridge too far, and some of that is because
of our age.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
Lebron obviously older. Is he an injury risk?
Speaker 1 (31:44):
A d kawhi embiid We got a lot of injury
risks on the team, and so that is my concern.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
I think, like I said, we should be the heavy favorites.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
But I win it or not, and win it, I'm
put to say, this is the last time we big
boy the rest of the world. This is the last
time we're gonna be like, okay, we send in our
big dogs. All right, y'all, y'all be okay, Okay, here
we go, check this out. No more.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
This is the last time the.
Speaker 4 (32:14):
World is catching up. The last five and B five
M v P six m vps are not from here.
Speaker 1 (32:22):
Best player in the finals, the top three MVP candidates
not from here, yep, yep, the the year not from here,
not from here right now. So when you see what
the world is doing with basketball, you're in. For the NBA,
(32:45):
you're encouraged because it's a global brand. But for us
here it goes to the system of basketball that we
are are.
Speaker 4 (32:55):
Raising our kids in, were teaching the game, and it
made a lack of teaching of the guy at the
AAU level. I'm in it now with my nephew and
my son, they're both ten years old, and it is it's.
Speaker 1 (33:10):
We may get into that. I think that's because you'll
be back tomorrow. That's a good topic that we can
really dig into tomorrow. You being an AAU coach, so yes,
let's let's get into that tomorrow. But it's the eyd couple,
Chris and e from and big concert last night with
Kendrick Lamar and a lot of NBA players there, Lebron
(33:33):
DeMar DeRozan, Russell Westbrook dancing.
Speaker 2 (33:36):
Was he krip walking on stage? Yep? He did his thing.
He was up there getting down, all right. That's next.
A couple five Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
All right, it's the odd couple on a I forgot
it's a TV theme song Thursday. We've been so immersed
in JJ Reddick conversation, and of course also means he
from that Tysher's Tower of Trivia is in theird hour
of the show.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
So are we are we not doing that today? No?
Actually we've got Oh wow, are you in tomorrow? I'm
not in tomorrow? And I'm also asking for more money
from my agent for that segment, so you probably ain't lying.
I'm not actually so No, tyson Tower of Trivia, all
(34:21):
right is a TV theme song Thursday.
Speaker 1 (34:27):
From from we keep it pretty much to the seventies
and eighties. I don't know many sitcom songs or TV
songs past, like the early nineties. What they stopped doing them?
What they don't do them today? Well, yes, you're in TV.
They don't do them today.
Speaker 4 (34:46):
No, it's it's really short, right, it's really short.
Speaker 2 (34:51):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (34:51):
And they normally just roll the credits over, you know,
the opening sequences of the show and stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (34:57):
So it's that.
Speaker 4 (34:59):
There's a condition this day and age finding the good news, like.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
It's a grand design. The songs were a big partner
like overstated, but you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
Well, I tell you what.
Speaker 4 (35:15):
The royalties from those songs made artists a lot of money,
and they were every time that song is played the
check wow.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
And so they were like, uh, can we still do
the show without like a catch it right?
Speaker 2 (35:36):
Right? You know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (35:37):
The business of theme songs became a little bit too much.
Speaker 2 (35:44):
Is it always right? And messes something up?
Speaker 4 (35:47):
So now you get a nice little you know, instrumental
something and boom cut to right into the scene.
Speaker 2 (35:53):
Right.
Speaker 4 (35:53):
And most shows now, especially streaming or even traditional television,
they start with a teaser before you even see the credits, right, right.
So that kind of took away from, uh, the the
theme song as well, because you're already invested into the show.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
You had three four teaser, You're not trying to watch
this song.
Speaker 1 (36:17):
Yeah, so it's like, hey man, let's get back to
it now, that's fair. Speaking of songs, Drake not Drake.
Kendrick Lamar had a concert last night, right, They not
like us? And he brought half of La up on
stage with him, and he did they not like us?
Speaker 4 (36:34):
Now?
Speaker 2 (36:35):
I saw they were saying there was.
Speaker 1 (36:36):
Crips and blood everybody a pirut audience out there, and
that was good that they were up there in peace.
I guess it was good unless you were Drake and
Russell Westbrook was up there, which he's from La. But
DeMar Deroz who also is from l l A. But
he's supposed to be down with Drake from Compton Man,
(36:59):
right he might even know can just of course, I
mean like beyond as a star.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
But you know what I'm saying, of course.
Speaker 4 (37:05):
So look, it's not it's not a music thing, right,
it's a brother type thing, right, It's it's a culture
type thing. And if you identify, look, you can like
Drake and Kendrick Lamar.
Speaker 2 (37:19):
Yes that's what I'm telling they're both great rappers.
Speaker 4 (37:22):
But last night was a cultural movement on Juneteenth to
speak to a bigger, more encompassing issue when it comes
to music and and really the authenticity of music. And
(37:46):
that's what that was about. Kendrick Lamar well respected in
this industry for his brilliance. Yes, it just was amazing, man,
it was something to see.
Speaker 2 (37:58):
I can tell you that it was.
Speaker 1 (38:01):
It was great, and I I gotta be honest, I'm
glad that battle's over because it was getting kind of dark.
Speaker 2 (38:08):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (38:10):
I mean, I know it Kendrick ended it, but I'm
just saying it was getting it was getting crazy.
Speaker 2 (38:15):
It was it was going, you know, just too far.
But they both, like you said, both are great.
Speaker 1 (38:20):
Kendrick tremendous lyricists, obviously makes great music. Drake is a
great rapper, got a great voice for it too. Singer,
you know, he makes good, great music.
Speaker 2 (38:30):
Out about it? All right, we got two hours left.
Y'all know what to do. Keep it locked. A couple
Thanks for listening to The Odd Couple podcasts. Be sure
to catch us live every weekday from seven pm to
ten pm Eastern four to seven pm Pacific on Fox
Sports Radio. Find your local station for The Odd Couple
at Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Dot com, or stream us live.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching fsr PA.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Get this you're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
A.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
It is the Eyde Couple. I'm Chris Bruce had alongside my.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Partner instead of Rob Parker. That's right, straight from the Bay,
the current Rageous, the brave mister E from salam Wow.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Don't start off the day with that. Enjoyed it purageous.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Indentirerack dot com studios, ti right dot com will help
you get there. They've got an unmatched selection, fast, free shipping,
free row hazard protection, and more than ten thousand recommended installers.
Tirerag dot com is the way tirebine should be, and
The Odd Couple with E from in for Rob still
(01:31):
is the way sports talk radio should be.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
What's up? Brother? Welcome?
Speaker 4 (01:35):
Hey, thank you man. I'm glad to be here. I
just want to give you some breaking news. Yesterday was
my birthday.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
So happy birthday. Thank you, lady.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
I appreciate that, and I'm excited to be here, and
as always, I'm ready to put you in your place. Man,
this is just what I do. I mean, why not?
I mean, I mean you're older, you're wiser.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Why not old? Older? For sure?
Speaker 3 (02:01):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Listen, I don't know about wiser. But it's good to
have you here, man, And I'm not going to ask
you your age.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
I'm forty eight, man, I don't end up only forty eight,
I said, brother, I look like I said. I was
just one of my high school teammates and friends text
me was like, man, happy birthday mail.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Damn what are you you? Fifty?
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (02:22):
You get into the big because.
Speaker 4 (02:23):
Everybody I graduated with their you know, fifty and on
I said your class, they were yeah yeah. So what
I said was you don't you guys got to remember
most people didn't know I skipped two grades too.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
So are you serious? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (02:37):
I got to high school at thirteen and I graduated
at sixteen?
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Wow? So wait oh you just thought that? So was
that what your head because of academics? Yeah? Yeah, yeah,
wow you thought that. I just uh.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
What I just somehow got here and was just magnificent
at this job too, after all of the other magnificent things.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
I couldn't even keep keep that going.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Real talk, though, I'm impressed. Thank you skipped two grades.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Two grades, yep.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
And the fact that you so were you a great athlete,
I'm gonna say it because you're obviously competing against people older. Now.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
I didn't play a sport until high school till ninth grade,
not ever, not literal league based in.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
The books, and just weren't in the sports.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
So it's just the school park came a little bit
easier to me. My mother was as a teacher, got
her pH d in education from UCLA, and so when
my sister and I and my brothers and when we
were all going to school, we already know how to read, write, man,
all of those things. So we're a little bit more
advanced than normally. And so uh, in first grade, I
(03:53):
was very disruptive, like most first grade probably plus bus
also you knew all but I tested out of it,
and I was, you know, making everybody else feel like
they didn't know what they like. That was it. Billy Madison.
He was like he went back to school and he
was like the kid was stuttering to read and he
(04:14):
was like, yeah, to day like some of some of
that energy. And so I tested tested out of the
second grade into the third, and then the same thing
happened in third grade.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
So I went from first to third to fifth.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Wow, that's impressive. Now let me quickly because I mean
I'm really intrigued. This is impressive. I'm not just joking.
So did you you played around the neighborhood sports or.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
Did you just like really I like Nintendo and Cereal.
I was really good at eating cereal and playing tend
So were you heavy? I was young, so I hadn't
even I was going through puberty like most kids are
on the they're going they're still going through puberty, well
nowadays kids fifteen in the eighth grade. But like I
(05:01):
just was uncoordinated. I was, you know, goofy.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
I was long.
Speaker 4 (05:07):
I was about five to nine my freshman year, and
then I hit a growth spurt and it just all clicked.
Like my best friends, Like I started playing football because
my friend John played, and I started playing basketball because
my now brother, my best friend at the time, Dion,
played basketball. So that was my introduction into sports, and
(05:27):
it just I just took to it.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
So when did you become like a star.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
I played one year football freshman year, then got moved
up to Jay's JV. That next year, I got my
first letter from the University of Illinois the line. And
so when I was fourteen, I got my first recruitment letter.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Wow. And then they just start coming in after that.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
So Yo, that's a book man, real talk like that,
that I mean because you know nowadaysy from, they're holding
kids back. Parents are holding kids back a year. And
my thing at that, and I look, so if to
those that don't know, many of you probably do know,
you know, say your son's very good in basketball at
(06:11):
nine years old, they may hold him back a year.
So instead of being what fourth grade, they may hold
him back. So now he's a third grader. Yeah, and
he's better athletically even than he was, you know, against
the fourth graders. My look that potentially from could help
a kids to get a scholarship. Right, I guess if
(06:32):
you're better in high school, but at some point it's
gonna catch you generally college, not like junior senior year
of high school, you know what I mean, because at
that point the age isn't as big of a deal anymore.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
Look, when I my our athletic director in high school
and my basketball coach he had. Basketball coach was furious
at my parents because at sixteen I was averaged as
a senior, I was averaging twenty four points twelve rebounds,
and so it was like.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
He's thinking, you could have been if I had you
for two more years, right right, we could win state.
And but me, I'm just like I had already committed
for football and I was already.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
You never thought that never crossed your mind.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
Well, no, because I started one year in high school
and basketball my senior year. It just it took that
long for me to athletically get there in basketball. But
in football, my first position, I played noseguard. So that's
literally like, hey man, you see that ball, wherever that
ball go, you go get that ball right like. So
(07:41):
you know, from that standpoint, I had already started establishing
myself as a young team in football really fast. And
you know I didn't. I played that those last couple
of games at JV. Then it was just all varsity
from you know, fourteen all the way to sixteen.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Impressive. I tested out.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
I tested in kindergarten because my mom kind of like yours.
She prepared myself and my brother, so we we were
able to start school early. We started I was like
a year kind of younger than all the other kindergarteners
in my you know grade and all that. But wow,
all right, well we are here and ready to rock
and roll. We got the Odd Couple crew quickly, DJ
(08:23):
Alex tight Shitt in the house. The super producer Rob
G is at home. But we have Brie Morrow making
her Odd Couple debuts running things on the updates you
heard them, Steve the Seger and Elijah Sabunas.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
Can we win the social media? Can we do something?
Can we do something for Bree.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Just to oh see, I don't know, Bree, just just
I'm here in studio with her. Okay, she's a little
bit nervous, A good nervous, not nervous like, oh guys,
I'm about to mess up. But let's give her an
opportunity to just say hello on the air. We can't
keep the micro phone to Rob G's hands. So Bree
(09:02):
you're feeling I just.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Want to come home, Breed, you're amongst friends. I just
want you to get comfortable. How you doing today? I'm
doing great.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
I'm actually more excited than nervous like four hours ago.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
You sound good. You don't sound nervous, see that right there?
Boom Brie, welcome, we got you, we got you covered. Yes, yes,
all right.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
You are the Lakers fan, especially with Rob g Out,
you are the resident Lakers fan here today, mister Salim.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
And so you got a new.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Coach finally he's got about as much actually less coaching
experience than you do. But how you feeling about JJ
Reddick as the new coach of the LA Lakers.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Honestly are optimistic.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Honestly, but you can give us the honesty first, Okay,
I'll give you get to the optimist.
Speaker 4 (09:52):
I don't like it, and I don't like it the
same in the same vein I didn't like when the
Brooklyn Nets hired Steve Nash, which did not work out,
in the same vein like I don't like people are.
I understand how hard it is to coach at that level.
(10:14):
I understand the rigors that you must go through to
prepare yourself to coach at that level, even as an assistant.
I have a lot of friends who are assistant coaches working
their way up the ranks and trying to do certain
things and ultimately become a head coach. I saw it
in football. Some of my contemporaries are now getting an
opportunity to be head coaches and make that transition. But
(10:37):
they always started on the staff and things like that,
except for quickly.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Would you agree?
Speaker 1 (10:41):
Look, I think of the three major sports, coaching is
the like the most difficult and makes the most difference
in football.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
That's why. And I'll get to as you know, there have.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Been guys to make the jump to head coaching with
no experience that have done with on the NBA. It's
impossible in my all you can do it to do
that in NFL. They tried Jeff Saturday. Nothing against him, right,
I don't care who it was. I cannot imagine I
from that you could coach in the NFL with zero experience,
(11:16):
No hench the nuance of the NFL in terms of
by each position.
Speaker 4 (11:22):
Uh, not only that, uh, just managing each position, each
coach for each position. The front office is too many
moving parts, yep. And it's too many players. You go
on the training camp with ninety players, So as a
head coach, uh, you know you're trying to manage everybody
(11:44):
and manage expectations.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
It's it's also the most complicated of the three sports, yes,
because now you really have to like especially the evolution
of play calling and defenses and personnel and what like,
all of that.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
It's completely different in the NBA if you have a
generational talent, case in point, Lebron James. Lebron James has
gone to the finals with more coaches probably than anybody
in the history of the NBA because he's been a
generational talent. Mike Brown himself, when Lebron was going to
the finals with Cleveland and they were winning series, was
(12:22):
asked at the podium, you know, what was your game playing? Well,
I just gave Lebron the ball and got all the way,
which is one of the reasons I never really liked
him as a Laker head coach. And Kobe was looking
didn't bad with you? Yeah, I wasn't feeling that, man.
I wasn't feeling that Kobe was.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
He had he took y'all as far as Phil Jackson did, well,
we won championships with Phil Jackson, so well, you had
gotten to the point where y'all weren't winning championships with
film because you didn't have the talent. And then Mike
to go. But that's neither here nor when.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
You don't have the talent, you need to be dynamic.
Look at what Eric Sposcher has done with the Miami
Heat year in in, year out. They've not been stacked
with talent in terms of, oh, these are world beaters.
They have an excellent roster. They got a bunch of
guys who weren't drafted late second round draft picks coming
in and giving you tremendous lifts. Some end up starting
(13:18):
because that's a dynamic coach. You know, what also is
rare about Spolstra is that he is that rare coach that.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Can get the maximum out of you know, minimal talent
or mediocre level of talent, but also coach a superstar.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Laden team, which obviously did with the.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
Heatles a lot like Tibodeau and not in fairness, sometimes
these coaches haven't had a chance.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
But some coaches are great.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
They maximize like average talent and you're like, man, he
got fifty wins out of that. But then you give
them some superstars and they over coach, right, you know
what I mean. They're micro managing everything on the court
and they you don't let your stars just beat themselves
in ball and that can work against you, but sposters
(14:09):
were the rare ones. Look, we got plenty more to
talk about with JJ Reddick. We've barely gotten into this thing,
so y'all know what to do. Keep it locked right
here on The Odd Couple Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Chris Brussard and Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the
iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Hey it's me Rob Parker.
Speaker 5 (14:34):
Check out my weekly MLB podcast, Inside the Parker for
twenty two minutes of piping hot baseball talk featuring the
biggest names of newsmakers in the sport. Whether you believe
in analytics or the I test, we've got all the
bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday, so do yourself
a favor and listen to Inside the Parker with Rob
(14:57):
Parker on the iHeartRadio app wherever you get your podcast.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
All right, it is The Odd Couple. Chris bruce E
from salam is in for Rob Parker and uh we
are here live from the tire rack dot Com studios.
So yeah, you never told me, which is probably a
sign of what you think of this, It is higher,
(15:23):
JJ Reddick, I got you off of that, right, right, right.
Let me say this, And we were talking about his
lack of experience.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
And he literally does have I think, less experience than you,
because you have coached your kids, right, been coaching for
seven years.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
Okay, he's far less than you. He was playing basketball
obviously just three years ago in the NBA, but he's
coached his kids. But I will say this, Larry Bird,
Isaiah Thomas, Mark Jackson, and.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
Of course Steve Kurr the greatest example.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
They all did work head coaches without any assistant coaching
experience or obviously head coaching experience, and they did well
to varying degrees, but all of them did pretty well.
Derek Fisher and Steve Nash also coached with no experience
and they did poorly.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
And let me, how could I forget? He just got
his team to the finals.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
Jason Kidd's another one that had no coaching experience and
obviously has done.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
A great job. I will say this about these guys though.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Ephraim Bird a legend, Isaiah Thomas, Jason Kidd legends. Mark
Jackson was a very very good player, respected all Star
caliber player at point guard, and Steve Kerr, you know,
was not a great player. One champ won a lot
of championships with Michael Jordan and Tim Duncan and the like.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
I think he won five rings if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
But they, you know, so they got that respect just
because of their pedigree. Now now had respect too, but
still didn't do a good job. But look, I don't know.
Nobody knows. Rob Polinka and Jennie Buss don't know. Lebron
James doesn't know whether or not JJ Reddick's going to
be a good coach.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
He might be terrible, he might be outstanding. We don't know.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
I do think he starts out on a good note
in that he has clearly the respect of Lebron James.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
And if you've.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
Got the respect, now, hopefully that'll translate to Lebron actually
really letting him coaching. Lebron clearly respects his knowledge. They
do a podcast together and it is a cerebral podcast.
So Lebron respects his basketball knowledge. And if everyone sees
Lebron buying into what Reddick is saying, then I do
(17:54):
think that's a good start. Because Anthony Davis and the
rest of the team should buy in to Reddick if
Lebron is so he starts out I think on.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
First base because of that.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
Obviously a key is getting him a good coaching staff.
And there's talking about Sam Cassell and David Adelman, and
and and Jared Dudley who played you know, with the
Lakers and had some on Dallas's staff just this past season.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
So if he.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
Gets a good staff together, you know, we'll see. I mean,
I think one of the challenges E from is that
the Lakers are expected to like compete for the championship,
and I don't think they're good enough to you know,
win the West or win the championship. And so what
(18:46):
it's very it's very possible that they actually take a
step backward. Maybe it's because Lebron gets older or Ad
gets hurt more. Remember Lebron and Ad were unusually healthy
last year. So what if they take a step backward
next year or the next two years and maybe they
go out in the first round or whatever it is.
(19:08):
Is JJ ready going to survive that because championship or
bust when you really don't have a great chance of
winning a championship is a tough situation to be in.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Yeah, I think.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
And that's some of the guys you named on that
list who had no coaching experience and then stepped into teams,
most notably Mark Jackson and Steve Kerr. It was actually
but the same team, and they both had Steph Curry,
(19:42):
Klay Thompson and Draymond Green to step into, not old versions,
the young ones, right, And so that's a little bit
different situation than stepping into a team with an aging
superstar in Lebron James and often heard, uh superstar and
(20:03):
Anthony Davis and look, I'll give credit where credits do.
Anthony Davis played more games than need to ever played
in his NBA career this past season, but it's and
it still wasn't enough to keep him out of the
play in And so with that notion, I think having
a coach that doesn't you when you're coaching the Lakers
(20:25):
and there's an expiration date on talent that you have
and your expectation as a championship, then what you don't
have is time. And I think that's why Dan Hurley
was like, this feels like a lose lose situation.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
It's not.
Speaker 4 (20:43):
It's not for JJ Reddick because he's never coached before. Right,
if he gets them to the playoffs, he's he's won.
But if he's gets the top right, Like, in terms
of what do you expect from a first year ever coach, right,
(21:05):
a team that was in the play in the two
years prior, Right.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
I do think that I think Hurley had the pedigree.
Let's say they go out in the first or second
round the next two years. I think Hurley had the
pedigree to survive that. And they're like, Okay, he's gonna
be our guy, post Lebron Absolutely, yep, does Reddick have
the pedigree you know what I'm saying to survive going
out in the first or second round the next two years.
Speaker 4 (21:31):
Well, as impatient as Laker fans are, what we found
out and noticed that the ownership of the Lakers are
more impatient than we are. I mean, they still may
be paying three coaches.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
Right, they cut checks to three coaches who had a
very short leash in terms of we need to get
to that, especially now that the Celtics have won their
eighteenth championship and the Lake are stuck at seventeen.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Like that means.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
Well, and they could and then look, the Lakers have
been the better franchise. I would say, well, yes, because
the student every decade j'll been good.
Speaker 4 (22:11):
Yeah, and where they haven't, but it's still as a
Laker fans, as a franchise, it's not good enough.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
But they might. They got a chance to run a
little distance between y'all.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Yeah, well they can win maybe another one or two.
I doubt too, maybe another one before y'all win another.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
With the catastrophe of injuries in the in the East
happened again this year like it did this Noscow.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
It should be to I will definitely be too.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
It should be tough for Fox Sports Radio has the
best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of
our shows at Foxsports Radio dot com and within the
iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to listen live.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
I'm watching this game hasn't started yet between the uh,
the Cardinals and the Giants at rick Wood Field.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
Do you have it on? It's on?
Speaker 1 (23:00):
Yeah, yeah, this is Uh, it's a great, this is great.
It's really it's fantastic and uh to see they had
the former the main the Negro League players that are
still alive are on the field. I don't know how
many is It looks like maybe a dozen or so
maybe a little more than that. But it's a terrific
(23:24):
event and I'm glad major League Baseball is doing it.
And Rob Parker is actually there is that Yeah, yeah,
that's where he is.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Martin Weiss is out there.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
Martin's doing a story or stories for Ebony magazine.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
Oh, which is great. Ebony was a that was we
got Ebony every month, and of course we all did
Ebony and Jet. You had to get it Jet, right.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
But so, so tell me what do you think. Well,
let's I'm gonna start here.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
He from I thought the Lakers at the very least.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
Should have looked at Monty Williams once he became available.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
Oh yes, And I heard.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
Guys talking about, well, if the timing, if he had
been let go two or three weeks ago, mat what
I mean, you unless you had already signed a contract
with JJ Reddick, take your time, right, Like, why not?
I'm not saying maybe maybe at the end of the day.
I don't know how, but maybe at the end of
the day they still would have went to Reddick. But
(24:35):
meet with Monty Williams, see what his plans would be
for your team, and talk with Anthony Davis. If not
Lebron right, because Anthony Davis, you remember, had a great relationship.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
With him in New Orleans, loved him.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
And this is really it's been talked about as well,
is a higher for Anthony Davis, because what if Anthony
Davis wants to leave when Lebron you know, jets or
gets old, you know, too old where he's not even
playing that well, if that happens. So I think they
really that was a misstep. Monty has proven to be
(25:15):
a good coach. Forget what happened in Detroit. That wasn't
a good situation for him, obviously.
Speaker 4 (25:19):
No, that was a bad, bad situation with a bad
but probably the worst roster in basketball.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
Yeah, I actually think and look, JJ Reddick does have
a chance he from to You know, look, you got
two of the top fifteen players still in the league,
and you know, some solid role players, so you actually
have a good roster at least. But I don't know
that Detroit wouldn't have been a better situation for him,
(25:46):
just because he can learn on the job. But you
said you don't have much time here.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
No, no, no, it's no time to Detroit.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
You might get some time Monty had already, you know,
they were probably expecting more from Monti, So that that's
what and you know, so that's why they may have
been like, look, we gotta move on.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
But JJ, first time coach. You do have a K.
Speaker 1 (26:06):
Cunningham, You got J n Ivy, they got some decent players,
fairly talented, and so that might have been a good
situation him to you know, grow with a young team
and show yearly improvement. Yeah, that's what I mean by
it's a lose lose because you're in a situation where
(26:27):
even if you approved and you made the sixth seed,
you got yourself out of the play in, it's still
not enough.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
Right.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
The clock is still running, it's still going, and you
don't have if you lose in the first round, you
don't and you don't have the type of team where
you're building towards something. You're ending something, right, you're ending
an era yah in terms of your players that you
have on the team. So there's no way to go
(27:00):
and and and instead there's no problems, right, that's it.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Like it's it's because.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
They were in the conference finals two years ago and
lost to the defending or the eventual champion, and that
wasn't good to that next year he lost to the
defending Chickion at five. And so look could they get
depending on where they finish in the seeding, could they
(27:31):
get a more favorable matchup than Denver in the first round? Sure? Here,
but look, Minnesota is gonna be better. Tell me if
you disagree with any of these. I think Denver is
gonna come back hungry and probably better. Okay, see that's
a good move. Giddy gave them nothing in the playoffs,
and now you got Carussa.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
They already were a good defensive team.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
Now Alex Caruso's there, they're going to be better, wiser,
more experience.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
I think Chack Holgren is a future star.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
You already have Shay as a superstar, that doubt, right,
So that's gonna be your big two. They got Jayden
Williams like they got some ballers there.
Speaker 4 (28:07):
They have a young, great core that is learning to
play together. They have an MVP candidate who's young, not
even in his prime yet, and those things. That's a
coach's dream job, right, that's the job you want to
step into and cut your teeth as a coach. With
(28:28):
all of that going for you, you.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
Don't want the other one. You don't want the Laker one.
Speaker 4 (28:34):
It's some dead flesh hanging around trying to figure out
what's going on, and it look the thing that people
aren't talking about. What's another obstacle stacked in JJ Reddick's
way or any coach of the Lakers is Anthony Davis
and Lebron James are on the Olympic team.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
No, that that is a great point in here. One
reason why when they won the championship. This I take nothing.
You know, some people are the Mickey Miles Championship, the
bubble chap. I take nothing away from a championships, a championship,
but it is fair to ask you from do they
win that championship without that three or four month hiatus?
Speaker 4 (29:21):
I believe they do because if you look at where
they were in the league in terms of records and
where they were ranked in the league, they were.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
No, they were one of the time, of course, but my.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
Point is, is a D healthy through all that time
and Lebron healthy through all Now you.
Speaker 4 (29:37):
Know we can sit here and be like, well, maybe
if the game would if the season would have kept going,
a D would have sprained his ankle in two weeks.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
We can't go No, I.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
Don't take it away, But you said what I'm saying.
The last time they won it, they did have a
break in the middle of the season, right, That's what
I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (29:55):
They had the best team, especially in the West, already,
they were all ready trending. They weren't teetering towards the
bottom and trying to figure this thing out. They were
literally steamrolling people. Lebron and Ad were playing unbelievable together, right,
And so to say, well, could they have kept that going.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
Well, I would say yes. Why would you say otherwise?
Speaker 1 (30:19):
Well, no, My point is injury, that's my only I'm
not and I brought that up to say they're not
going to have as much of a break like at
their age and not even there at Lebron's age and
just AD's history. Them playing in the Olympics is not
the best situation, but not great. Speaking the which do
(30:45):
you think we're a lot to win gold with the
team that they're taking over there? Yes, if we didn't
have this amount of veteran, high quality championship play than
that team that we took the feeble, oh no, and.
Speaker 2 (31:05):
That was a good team.
Speaker 4 (31:06):
But yeah, but that is that's not what you want
if you if you read, if you realize the more
veteran laden team right.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
The leadership, that's what you want. You want.
Speaker 4 (31:18):
You don't want a bunch of guys who you know
they can score. It turns into an all star game
playing against structured teams who've been playing together since they.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
Were twelve years old. Well, and that's what you don't want.
I think we're the favorites. I think we should be
the heavy favorites. I don't think I think Locke is
a bridge too far, and some of that is because
of our age.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
Lebron obviously older. Is he an injury risk?
Speaker 1 (31:44):
A d kawhi embiid We got a lot of injury
risks on the team, and so that is my concern.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
I think, like I said, we should be the heavy favorites.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
But I win it or not, and win it, I'm
put to say, this is the last time we big
boy the rest of the world. This is the last
time we're gonna be like, okay, we send in our
big dogs. All right, y'all, y'all be okay, Okay, here
we go, check this out. No more.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
This is the last time the.
Speaker 4 (32:14):
World is catching up. The last five and B five
M v P six m vps are not from here.
Speaker 1 (32:22):
Best player in the finals, the top three MVP candidates
not from here, yep, yep, the the year not from here,
not from here right now. So when you see what
the world is doing with basketball, you're in. For the NBA,
(32:45):
you're encouraged because it's a global brand. But for us
here it goes to the system of basketball that we
are are.
Speaker 4 (32:55):
Raising our kids in, were teaching the game, and it
made a lack of teaching of the guy at the
AAU level. I'm in it now with my nephew and
my son, they're both ten years old, and it is it's.
Speaker 1 (33:10):
We may get into that. I think that's because you'll
be back tomorrow. That's a good topic that we can
really dig into tomorrow. You being an AAU coach, so yes,
let's let's get into that tomorrow. But it's the eyd couple,
Chris and e from and big concert last night with
Kendrick Lamar and a lot of NBA players there, Lebron
(33:33):
DeMar DeRozan, Russell Westbrook dancing.
Speaker 2 (33:36):
Was he krip walking on stage? Yep? He did his thing.
He was up there getting down, all right. That's next.
A couple five Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
All right, it's the odd couple on a I forgot
it's a TV theme song Thursday. We've been so immersed
in JJ Reddick conversation, and of course also means he
from that Tysher's Tower of Trivia is in theird hour
of the show.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
So are we are we not doing that today? No?
Actually we've got Oh wow, are you in tomorrow? I'm
not in tomorrow? And I'm also asking for more money
from my agent for that segment, so you probably ain't lying.
I'm not actually so No, tyson Tower of Trivia, all
(34:21):
right is a TV theme song Thursday.
Speaker 1 (34:27):
From from we keep it pretty much to the seventies
and eighties. I don't know many sitcom songs or TV
songs past, like the early nineties. What they stopped doing them?
What they don't do them today? Well, yes, you're in TV.
They don't do them today.
Speaker 4 (34:46):
No, it's it's really short, right, it's really short.
Speaker 2 (34:51):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (34:51):
And they normally just roll the credits over, you know,
the opening sequences of the show and stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (34:57):
So it's that.
Speaker 4 (34:59):
There's a condition this day and age finding the good news, like.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
It's a grand design. The songs were a big partner
like overstated, but you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
Well, I tell you what.
Speaker 4 (35:15):
The royalties from those songs made artists a lot of money,
and they were every time that song is played the
check wow.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
And so they were like, uh, can we still do
the show without like a catch it right?
Speaker 2 (35:36):
Right? You know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (35:37):
The business of theme songs became a little bit too much.
Speaker 2 (35:44):
Is it always right? And messes something up?
Speaker 4 (35:47):
So now you get a nice little you know, instrumental
something and boom cut to right into the scene.
Speaker 2 (35:53):
Right.
Speaker 4 (35:53):
And most shows now, especially streaming or even traditional television,
they start with a teaser before you even see the credits, right, right.
So that kind of took away from, uh, the the
theme song as well, because you're already invested into the show.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
You had three four teaser, You're not trying to watch
this song.
Speaker 1 (36:17):
Yeah, so it's like, hey man, let's get back to
it now, that's fair. Speaking of songs, Drake not Drake.
Kendrick Lamar had a concert last night, right, They not
like us? And he brought half of La up on
stage with him, and he did they not like us?
Speaker 4 (36:34):
Now?
Speaker 2 (36:35):
I saw they were saying there was.
Speaker 1 (36:36):
Crips and blood everybody a pirut audience out there, and
that was good that they were up there in peace.
I guess it was good unless you were Drake and
Russell Westbrook was up there, which he's from La. But
DeMar Deroz who also is from l l A. But
he's supposed to be down with Drake from Compton Man,
(36:59):
right he might even know can just of course, I
mean like beyond as a star.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
But you know what I'm saying, of course.
Speaker 4 (37:05):
So look, it's not it's not a music thing, right,
it's a brother type thing, right, It's it's a culture
type thing. And if you identify, look, you can like
Drake and Kendrick Lamar.
Speaker 2 (37:19):
Yes that's what I'm telling they're both great rappers.
Speaker 4 (37:22):
But last night was a cultural movement on Juneteenth to
speak to a bigger, more encompassing issue when it comes
to music and and really the authenticity of music. And
(37:46):
that's what that was about. Kendrick Lamar well respected in
this industry for his brilliance. Yes, it just was amazing, man,
it was something to see.
Speaker 2 (37:58):
I can tell you that it was.
Speaker 1 (38:01):
It was great, and I I gotta be honest, I'm
glad that battle's over because it was getting kind of dark.
Speaker 2 (38:08):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (38:10):
I mean, I know it Kendrick ended it, but I'm
just saying it was getting it was getting crazy.
Speaker 2 (38:15):
It was it was going, you know, just too far.
But they both, like you said, both are great.
Speaker 1 (38:20):
Kendrick tremendous lyricists, obviously makes great music. Drake is a
great rapper, got a great voice for it too. Singer,
you know, he makes good, great music.
Speaker 2 (38:30):
Out about it? All right, we got two hours left.
Y'all know what to do. Keep it locked. A couple
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