Stephen A. talks first-round NBA playoffs, including the Knicks OT loss to the 76ers. He also comments on recent headlines involving Colorado University’s Shedeur and Deion Sanders. NBA ESPN Analyst, Brian Windhorst, joins the show to discuss LeBron James’s future with the Lakers, and that of his son, Bronny, who has entered the NBA draft.
On The Stephen A. Smith Show, Smith gives you his renowned point of view, breaking barriers beyond the world of sports, and tackling pertinent issues across entertainment, pop culture, society, business, and politics. Three times a week, you'll hear his LIVE unfiltered opinions on the day's biggest headlines as well as straight-shooting interviews with top celebrities, game-changers, and thought leaders across the societal arena. The Stephen A. Smith Show is sure to entertain, inform, and motivate anyone who tunes in.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Damn, damn, damn.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
I know it's been a few hours, but I'm still pissed,
missed opportunities.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
My nixt.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
If this shit keeps up, they're not gonna be able
to tell the difference between a Knicks fan and a
Cowboys fan.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
The Steven Asmith Showing the House. Let's go. I am
having a very very bad day.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Let's just get that out of the way right now.
It's a very bad day. I'm not in a good mood.
I'm not in a good mood.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Okay, yes, I'm obligated to say to you.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Welcome to The Steven Asmith Show, the latest edition of
The Steven Aismith's Show. I hope you had a wonderful weekend.
I'm usually coming at you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
over the digital airwaves of YouTube. Thank you very very much,
my subscribers of now It Clips six hundred thirty four thousand.
It keeps growing and growing and growing. Thanks for the love.
Thanks for the love and the support that you all
have been giving me.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
You keep it coming. I'm gonna keep on coming. Okay.
We know what I'm gonna say.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
We know I'm gonna ask you to get my book,
Straight Shooter Remember of Second Chance is the first take
now in paperback. Go to Straight Shooter book dot Com
once again, that Straight Shooter book dot Com. It's now
in paperback. Okay, But Devin, I'm not in a good
mone I'm not even in a good mood. I'm not
in a good mood to sell my book. I'm not
in a good mood to sell us black. I'm not
in a good mood to do anything. And Tyrese Maxey
in the Philadelphia seventy six has everything to do with
(01:33):
it every day forty six points en route to an
improbable comeback victory by the Philadelphia seventy six is in
Game five and Madison Square God the Last Night where
the fixes post within three to two prevented the New
York Knicks from closing out a series on his home
court in the last twenty five years. It's been twenty
five years since they've done it. Now, this guy Maxi
is a star, a possible future face of the NBA.
(01:55):
Hit at thirty five for game time logo three point
in the waning moments of regular force over time, but
that was after year the three and convert of the
four point play because this dude.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Mitchell Robinson, the clumsy big man for the.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
New York Knicks who seems to have two left feet
and no brain at times, ends up failing this dude
and giving them a four point play. Look at this
play right here. What are you thinking? What are you thinking?
Why would you do that? New York Knicks were up
(02:31):
six with twenty eight point six seconds left in regulation,
Jaylen Brunson was in route to having forty points. The
New York Knicks were about to close out the series.
They would have beaten the Sixers four to one, taking
them out in five games, and as a result, marched
on to the Eastern Conference semifinals, in all likelihood, going
up against the Indiana Pacers, who are no joke, even
though the Milwaukee Bucks beat them last night without Giannis
(02:54):
and without Damian Lillet. I cannot emphasize enough how disgusted
I am. Well what I saw, I know that Tyrese
Maxi is no joke. Forty six points, seventeen to thirty
shooting you Look at embiid. He got his playing on
one leg, He got bell, he has Bell's palsy for
crying out, lived face contorted, and all of this other
stuff still dropped the nineteen point triple double. I mean,
(03:17):
what can you say the Sixers, they could deserve all
the credit in the world. I'm not trying to take
anything away from them, but we cannot act like the
New York Knicks didn't gift it, didn't give it away.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Josh Hart loved Josh Hart.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Love his energy, love his passion, love his fervor, love
his toughness.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
But he plays out of control.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
He's too damn erratic, outlet passes, turnover his attack in
the basket against Embiid when you know that's not the
decision to be making.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Pull a ball out, slow it down, control the clock.
You could do all of that.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Somebody exercising there, their brain would have made those decisions.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
But that's not what happened last night.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Mitchell Robinson, I already told you what is two foot
to left foot of the asses doing out there, and
how that jeopardized everything they were doing.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
But I got news for you too.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Jalen Brunson doesn't get let off the hook in all
of this either. Now he ended up dropping forty points.
He's had eighty seven points over the last two games.
I get all of that, but damn yo, bro eight
shots in overtime and you.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Only generated two for others. You're the point guard. McBride
was out there and a nobe was out there.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
You couldn't make sure somebody else other than yourself shot
the damn ball. Really, really, you're a lot of things.
You're great, You're an MVP Kennedy, but you ain't Steph Curry.
Come on, man, you have passed it. And then the
time you decided to pass your jump in the air,
(04:55):
you get contested boppatoo and what do you do?
Speaker 1 (04:58):
Try to throw it into the right cour of the.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Tizea Hartstein who can't shoot the ball five feet away
from the basket, so you know he wasn't anticipating the
past hit job.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Is to go crash the boards. No one died. Ended
up being a turnover.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
The New York Knicks have now placed this series in
jeopardy because even though I'm still picking them to win
this series, who's to say they're gonna win Game six?
And if they lose Game six, series tied three to three,
and then they go back to the guard for Game seven,
having surrendered a three to one lead, that's now tied
three to three, and the precious all on the New
York Knicks to salvage this series while winning the Game
(05:34):
seven at Madison Square Guarden against a dude in MAXI
who's averaging over thirty five this series against them, against
a dude in Embid who's on one leg and still
dropping triple doubles right after he's dropped fifty on you.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
I mean, you got to be kidding me. You gotta
be kidding me. But this is the.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Situation involving the Philadelphia seventy six is in the New
York Knicks right now. I still got the New York
Knicks winning this series. It just ain't gonna be easy.
Let me get onto my next subject, because that involves
the Los Angeles Lakers.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
We gotta head Wes and discuss the future.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Of the Lakers, whose season end of Monday night at
the hands of Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets yet again.
I'll get to Lebron himself in a moment, but I
want to focus on the team in the front office.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
First.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Back in January, former Laker big man Shaquille O'Neil question
whether players like Lebron and Anthony Davis actually listened to
head coach Darvin ham He's been under fire for his
in game rotation, substitution patterns, and even his reluctance to
start certain players.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
This we all know.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
But then the Lakers go out here and they lose,
and when they lost, this is what we've got to
look at right now. We got Darvin Hams in two
seasons nineteen seventy four record, but nine to twelve in
the postseason. Okay, two playoff series wins, but losers get
swept in the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets. Okay,
comes back this year, advances to the first round after
(07:02):
being a playing guy, a playing team. Okay, and then
he ends up losing in the first round to the
rainy defending champions. They ended the seasons they lost twelve
of their last thirteen games against Denver. I know this
was a competitive series. I know the Lakers could have
easily had Game two. They were up twenty and when
Jamal Murray hit that game winning jump shot over Anthony Davis.
(07:24):
Let's not forget they surrendered the twenty point lead. The
Lakers did that, and you saw Jamal Murray and you
knew that Austin Reeves wasn't gonna be able to stop them.
And so now we have no choice but to look
at the Los Angeles Lakers for what they are. You
got Lebron James, he's approaching forty. You got Anthony Davis
(07:44):
who's in his mid thirties, played more games this year
than he ever had in his career with seventy six,
and you still end up.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Going home in the first round.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Austin Reeves is improved and can play, but can't guard much.
D'Angelo Russell, don't get me started with his ass. This
brother went scoreless in game three, scoreless after him seventy
three points a game two, the brother went scoreless in
game three, not a point.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
He scored as much points as me, and me and you,
That's what he did.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
And so when you look at it from that standpoint, yeah,
Vanderbilt was hurting. Their defense was compromised, and yeah, you
gotta look at the person out that they had in place,
the Torrian Princes of the World and others. They gave
Vince's of the World, who wasn't available for ninety nine
percent of the season.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
But in the end, here's.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
The reality of the situation for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Lebron James is approaching free agency, looking to get the
bag and looking to get an additional three year deal.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Anthony Davis is locked in.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
You're locked in Austin Rivers D'Angelo Russell, who's got a
player option. He can choose to opt out and the
Lakers will have no means to replace him. Or he
could choose to opt in, which is a question mark
because he knows that the Lakers is gonna look to
trade it for additional assets, and he may want to
dictate where he gets to go as opposed to opting
into his contract for eighteen million dollars and thereby being
(09:02):
at the mercy of the Los Angeles Lakers, who can
send him wherever they want to send him.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
So you're the Lakers. You're in a rut right now.
Here's what I'm a pall by.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Who the fuck says it's time to get rid of
Darwin Ham?
Speaker 1 (09:16):
How you gonna blame him? That's some straight bullshit. Let's
just get it out the way right now. When you
talk about Darvin Ham.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Darphin Ham has been a coach in the National Basketball
Association as a head.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
Coach for two years.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
He's lost to one team as the Denver Nuggets I'm sorry,
did shame in that game?
Speaker 3 (09:38):
Did?
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Are reigning defending champions They've got the best player in
the world in Nakola Jokicic. When Nakoliokich and Jamal Murray
on the court together, that's the best two man tandem
in basketball. They pick and roll you to death all day,
all night long. Aaron Gordon is no scrub. Michael Porter
Junior has elevated his level of play. Contavious Carwell Pope
is a guy that helped the Los Angeles Lakers win
a championship before your foolishly let him walk out the
(10:01):
door along with Kyle Kuzma and Alex caruse so you
could bring in Russell Westbrook, who couldn't get nothing done
for you in a Lakers uniform. That's what happened with
the Los Angeles Lakers. Now, I know Kyle Kuzman has
been in purgatory in the nation's capital, but we know
he's a six ' nine dude who can chew. We
know what Kentavious Carwell Pope can do, and we know
(10:24):
good and damn well that if that was Alex Caruso
out there defending instead of Austin Reeves, you might have
had a.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
Better shot to stop it, Jamorrow Murray.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
But that is not what happened. And because that is
not what happened, the Lakers a home. How's that Darwin
hands fall? If it's Darvin Hans fall, how come it
ain't Rob Polinka's fault. Now, I'm not advocating for any
of them to get fired, But if you want to
talk about replacing coaches with a better coach, how about
replacing Rob Polinka with a Bob Myers who won four
(10:57):
rigs in Golden State. I tell you right now, that's
his dream job. He'd love that job. He ain't gonna
politic for it. He ain't gonna be some snake going
around behind closed doors trying to undermine Rob Polinka on
anybody like that. But he is a basketball executive with
(11:17):
Southern California roots who wouldn't want the Lakers job.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
I'd consider the Lakers job. Who wouldn't. So let's be
honest here.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
If we're gonna talk about Darvin ham being gone, why
aren't we talking about Rob Polinka?
Speaker 1 (11:33):
And again, I'm not advocating for Rob Polinka to be gone.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
I'm simply saying you can't look at the coach who
don't have the personnel and have to sacrifice offense for
defense or defense for offense. Whenever he was working through
his rotations and then turned around and.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Let Rob Polinka off the hook. Can't do that. Can't
do that. Now. I don't want to hear about some
story like I saw.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
I think it was in the athletic where they talking
about how well you know what a player During the
Lakers Clippers game, players had to come and tell Darvin Ham,
this wasn't the right thing to do. Schematically, try this,
try this, try that.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
That happens all the time.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
The fact of the matter is when you're looking at
Darvin Ham in the rotations.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
Yo, y'all.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Coaches listen to players all the time. They have a suggestion,
players have a better suggestion. They go with the player.
There ain't no reason to talk about how this man
needs to be fired.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
But I wouldn't pay attention to what Magic Johnson had
to say.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
And here's what Magic Johnson had to say with these tweets,
Laker Nation, we have a problem. All the good teams
in the West are young and talented. The Nuggets, the Timberwolves,
the Thunder and the MAVs and the biggest elephant in
the room is the Spurs, who with Victor winn Bionn
will definitely be a playoff team next season. I think
Magic Johnson needs to be drug tested on that last part.
Spurs are not making the playoffs next season, not that soon.
(12:54):
For the Lakers to compete with all these teams, the
roster must improve, he continued.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
The Lakers have nobody but themselves to blame.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
It wouldn't have been in a play in game or
finished as a seventh seed this season if they hadn't
lost too many games because of load management. I don't
know about that either. Anthony Davis played seventy six games.
Lebron James played seventy games. There's more games he ever
played as a Laker. There's more games than Anthony Davis
ever played in his career. I don't know he's talking
about load management there. But I get his point though,
(13:21):
And their magic continued. And the number one reason the
Lakers can't beat Denver in a seven game series is
because the Nuggets are mentally and physically tougher than the Lakers.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Well that's true, that's true.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
But I don't think that's applicable to Lebron James and
Anthony Davis. I think that's applicable to the rest of
the Lakers. It's applicable to the rest of the Lakers.
That's all I wanted to say about that, because I'm
so thoroughly disgusted it's hard to put in the words
it really really is. But I'm not done talking about
Lebron James because he's somebody I'm gonna get up into
(13:54):
in a little bit. We got to talk about Lebron
james future and what that got to do with Bronnie
James and his potential future in the NBA.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
Who better to.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
Talk to about that than our NBA senior writer, the
one and only Brian Wintors.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
He's up next.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
Plus I'll get into Dianna Shadel Sanders and how they're
making waves.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
On social media. There's a lot of stuff to get into.
Don't go anywhere. This is the stephen A. Smith Show.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
I got a whole lot of other shit to talk
about right on back in the moment.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
Okay, everybody, you know what Tom it is. It's Tom
for stephen A's Weekly Picks.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
If you already don't know, I've teamed up with Prizepects
to bring you my favorite sports picks each and every
single week you see. Prize Picks is a skill based,
real money daily fantasy sports game where you select two, three,
or even up to six players and predict that they'll
have more or less of their in game stats.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
And the best part, you can.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Pick and choose from all the sports that you watch, basketball, baseball, golf, tennis,
my lord, even that MMA. And if you go to
prospects dot com right now and use promo code says,
you'll receive a one hundred percent depositive bonus up to
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Speaker 1 (15:08):
That's right, you heard me.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Go to Prospects dot com type of my initials essays
and get a first time de positive match up to
one hundred dollars today. However, I will not be selecting
any players or sports I'm feeling. I want to go
off topic, and I'm gonna select either more or less
than one and a half movies you go out to see.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
In a month.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Typically, the answer to this would be less because most
people ain't trying to go to the movies unless they
know definitively that there is a movie that they absolutely
positively want to see. Me your boy, Steven am a
bit different. See, I like to relax at the movies.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
You see what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
And let me confess to you, one of the best
things that have ever happened to me was when I
learned about ipick theaters. When I learned about a theater
that got them there. I'm reclining seats that damn never
climb into a bed, and all you got to do
is press a button and a way that comes to
(16:06):
take your order, and they bring you food and you
don't have to stand outside in the concession lines, y'all.
I prefer that better than most restaurants. So guess what,
I damn sure go to the movies more than one
and a half times a month, because I make sure
I hit up Prospects.
Speaker 4 (16:25):
More than one and a half times a month, just.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
To relax, get my zin in, calm, beneath the storm, relaxed, chill,
the whole nine. That's what I like to do. Okay,
that's me. That's just the way that I am.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Everybody ain't like that, but your boy is.
Speaker 4 (16:44):
I would say I go there at least two movies
a month.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
That's just me.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
That's how I roll. You know, I ain't into all
of the popcorn. But I picked it is. They got
them chicken fingers.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
And the burgers and the fries. They even got alcohol.
Not that I'm a really drinker. I'm really not that
much drink. I'm a casual drinker at best, but well,
I sip on a little Hennessy and Coke from time
to time. Shoot, as a late great Michael Jackson once said,
(17:17):
not if you're a repredator, not if you're a murderer,
Not if you're Jack the Ripper with Gian Not anyway,
two movies minimal for you, boy, stephen A. The answer
to this question would be more prospects in the house.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
You see how we do. Welcome back to stephen A.
Smithshow right here over the digital airways of YouTube.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
A few quick hitters before I get to my next guest,
an extraordinary NBA insider and commentator for ESPN and one
and the only Brian Winters. I'll get to him in
just a second, but I want to touch on a
couple of.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
These quick hitters real quick.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Y'all gonna get into the game tonight first, as the
Mavericks heading back to LA for Game five against the Clippers.
At the Crypto dot Com and reading in the night
series tied too too, and LA will be without Kawhi
Leonard again no surprise there because of a sore right knee.
Kyrie Irving has been balling out for Dallas while Luca's
been struggling with his long range shooting. Here's what we
(18:15):
need to watch out for tonight. Luca says he feels
guilty that he hasn't been there enough of a supporting
a person for Kyrie Irving.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
He needs to play better. He needs to do more.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
Because Kyrie has held up his end of the bar
and he's been spectacular. Luca needs to do better. I've
never heard Luca talk like that before, and the fact
that he's talking like that has raised my attendance because
I think he's gonna look to be aggressive tonight. That
means he's gonna look to be efficient tonight. That means
he's gonna look to be dumbinant tonight, and we already.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
Know what a bad boy he already is, So watch
out for that tonight.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
I got the Clippers winning because they're at home, and
I think that James Harden has been flowing. I can't
say no, but I still have Dallas winning this series,
so they gonna win one of these games in LA
in my opinion, we'll see whether it's Game.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
Five or seven. Next up is in the East.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
The Celtics are back home tonight in a potential closeout
game against the Heat. Boston will be without Kriss Prezingis
for Game five, who suffered that calf strain in Miami. Regardless,
the Celtics are twenty one to four this season without
Porzingis in the lineup. They should beat Miami Heat. That's
no problem. Hell, they should win the next series against
Cleveland Orlando. That shouldn't be much of a problem. The
(19:28):
issue for me, even though Paolo Bankiro is no joke,
the brother special for Orlando, here's my issue.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
I don't think the Boston Celtics can.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
Win the Chip without Porzingis, and the calf injury has
me scared because every time I think about a calf
injury these days, I think about Kevin Durant having a
calf injury and ultimately that led to his achilles tier
and the finals against the Toronto rap Is back in
twenty nineteen. I look at Jamal Murray, I'm worried about
his calf. I'm looking at kristaphs Prezingis. I'm worried about
(19:58):
his calf. I looked at jannisenta Takum while IM worried
about his cafe, even though they're talking about him coming back.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
So we shall see.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Keep our eyes on that Celtics can't win the title
without Porzingis. Speaking of Gianni's one more quick hitter before
I get to Lebron James. The Milwaukee Bucks extended this
season last night with an improbable victory over the Pacers.
The Bucks became the first team in league history to
win a playoff game without their top two scorers from
the regular season and giannisenter Kompo, the Greek freaking Damian Lillard.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Head coach Doc Rivers says both a very closer.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
Returning to the series where Milwaukee is down three to two,
I still got Indiana winning this series. I don't think
Gianna should come back. I think it's too risky. I
think that Indiana they're not going to be held and
checked offensively the way Milwaukee was able to do last night,
and of course in Game one of this series. I
think that Indiana is a juggernaut offensively. I think on
(20:49):
their home turf they're a different animal. And I think
They're gonna be ultra aggressive compared to what we saw
last night.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
I think they close out this series.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Now, let me get to Lebron's future before I bring
in my next That his future and that of his son, Bronni.
ESPN's Adrian woljs Narowski says Lebron's teaming up with his
eldest son in the league is no longer a priority
for the thirty nine year old. Lebron has an opt
in on his current deal worth more than fifty one
million dollars. The deadline for that is June twenty ninth,
(21:17):
Well which also reported it's unlikely the Lakers would select
Brinnie with the number seventeen overall picking June's draft, and
they don't select again until the second round at picked
fifty five, where Bronnie is not expected to be available.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Here's my thing.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
Based on what he did statistically in college, combined with
his health issues, it is my belief that Bronni will
be available by pick number fifty five unless somehow, some way,
some team is convinced that by grabbing him they got
a shot again. Lebron James, I do not have sons.
(21:54):
I was a son, but I do not have sons, Okay,
but I'm a dad.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Let me.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
Professionally and ultra respectively respectfully rather plead to.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
Lebron James right here on camera.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
Please do not have anything at all to do with
your son getting to the NBA. I'm being very respectful.
I'm not being disrespectful. I would never speak ill of
Bronnie James. He's a wonderful kid. He went through a
lot health wise. God blessing that he's still on this
earth and he's healthy and he survived that collapse at
(22:36):
USC last summer. Thank God, he's okay, and I wish
him nothing but the best in all his dreams and
aspirations come true. What I want Lebron James to hear
directly from me, please do not have anything to do
with this kid going pro. Because if he goes pro
based off of the year that he had at USC,
(23:01):
no one's going to give him the benefit of the doubt.
He's going to be excoriated. He's going to be scrutinized
to the umph degree because he's going to be perceived
as the individual whose only reason for being in the
NBA is that his father is Lebron James. That is
not doing a kid, any favors a young man, any favors,
(23:22):
you got to let him earn his stripes. I'm not
saying he's not out there in the gym working hard.
I'm not saying he's not working on his game. I'm
not saying not to give him elite representation from Rich
Paul and Clutch Sports.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
I'm not saying any of that.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
I'm saying, at the end of the day, I believe
that kid should go back to school and show that
he has the skills and the resume that warrants him
being an NBA draft pick, because as of right now
(23:55):
that is not the case. Rich means that if he
gets drafted by an n it's going to be perceived
that it happened because he's your son and you had
spent years telling everybody you just want to play in
the league.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
With your son. And he's gonna get crucified for it.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
Now.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
I know he's not a customer, but so much scrutiny
because he's been sheltered and protected to some degree by
Lebron James.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
That ain't gonna work in the NBA. He gonna have
to get on a court and he's gonna.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
Have to perform against them brothers, and they gonna come
at him, and you know what they're gonna say to him,
Daddy ain't here to protect you. Now, that's what they're
gonna do. I'm not being negative towards Bronnie James. I
would never do that. I got too much respect for
Lebron James, Savannah James, and that wonderful family it is.
(24:52):
I would never do that, and that kid. I've never
spoken about the kid.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Really, I do nothing but root for him.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
But if he gets drafted after averaging four points at
USC and scoring in nineteen to twenty five games, not
scoring a double digit whatever it was, yo, y'all, he
doesn't have a resume at Warrington being an NBA draft pick,
and they will crucify him because he's Lebron's son and
(25:21):
they think he got to the league on the false pretensus.
Speaker 1 (25:25):
That's my opinion.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Now that I've said my piece, it's time to welcome
in my next guest, who's covered the life and career
of Lebron James more closely than anyone in this business.
He's a New York Times bestseller like myself, and host
of the Hoop Collective podcast. He's also a contributor to
get Up, a contributor to first Take. He does an
absolutely wonderful, fantastic job for ESPN as a senior NBA writer.
(25:52):
I'm talking about the one and only Brian Wintors. Who's
on with me right now? What's up, big time? How
are you man? How's everything going?
Speaker 3 (25:59):
Thank you? Always glad to be with you.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
Did you disagree with anything that I just said in
highlighting my thoughts as to why I'm hopeful that Bronnie
James won't be in the NBA next season.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
What I think you said is why Rich Paul gave
the interview to WOJ A few I don't know, is
maybe a month or six weeks ago, or he sort
of set the new standard. And I think the word
he said was if Bronnie ends up playing with lebron organically,
that would be one thing, but that's not what we're
(26:35):
looking for. And because I think after seeing Bronnie play
in college, everybody reset their expectations. Now. Look, I don't
assess college basketball players for a living. I don't watch
college basketball, but I will tell you what the NBA
scouts that I have talked to have told me, multiple
of them. I asked a number of them about what
(26:56):
they think of Bronnie and his situation, and I will
tell you what they say. They say he started the
season and he was out of shape because he didn't
get to play basketball when he was recovering from that
terrible incident. He wasn't able to really really play. They
had to make sure that he was okay. He had
great care from the doctors at the Mayo Clinic and
(27:18):
he had a procedure there, but he called basketball. So
the other thing that they say is with his heart.
The other thing that they say, stephen A, is that
he was played out of position at USC. Now I
can't really elaborate, it's over my head. I know that
they had some other guards there that are in the
draft and were established guards. I can't speak educatedly. I
(27:42):
will just say what I was told. He was played
out of position there and that affected his play. And
what these players or these scouts recommended was that he
leave USC and go to a school where a he
can be the starting point guard, which is the position
he is should play, and b has a history of
developing players, not a school that's the history of taking
(28:06):
super talented players sort of, you know, taking advantage of
their talents and moving them on. But a school that
has a history of developing players, with coaches that have
developed players over multiple years. There was some school suggested
to me. I'm not going to say them because I'm
not looking to out anybody or creating any headlines. But
(28:27):
I'm sure that Rich Paul, who is elite in his field,
has all of this information. So the real question becomes,
is that something that can be accomplished better at a university?
And by the way, I don't think it will be USC.
I think if he come back to college, I do
not think it will be at USC. Or is that
something that he can do in the G League? And
(28:49):
I think that's what they're going to determine. That's the thing.
Bronni has to go through the draft process. There's a
combine coming up in early May here, or there's evaluations done,
and there's going to be individual workouts. They'll know a
lot more about what teams think about Bronnie in three
weeks than they do now. So when brun when Lebron
comes out and says there's a lot of things that
(29:09):
I have to look at and I'm not sure about
I think he is telling the truth that said stephen A.
When I talk to people in the league, actually I'll
ask you this question because you have been involved with
the NBA for thirty years, I don't know. I don't
want to age up. This is a little game that
I play with people in the NBA. I don't really
(29:30):
have this game with people with with with fans because
they don't understand it. But I asked the question, what's
the biggest day in the NBA? And they will people
will think that they'll go, oh, Draft Day, a lottery day,
Christmas Day, oh, Finals game seven. The biggest day in
the NBA for people in the NBA is Father's Day
(29:54):
because if you look at the NBA, there are fathers
and sons literally everywhere. We have never had in the
league more fathers, sons of players or nephews of players.
That's very prevalent. The jeans are coming through. They've raised
their you know, these players made money as players, they
(30:14):
invested it in their children and they're raising NBA players.
But when you look at front offices and coaching staffs,
there are sons of coaches and players and everywhere, and
executives everywhere everywhere. If there's not a son in every
organization at some level, it's ninety percent of them. Because
(30:35):
the NBA is a great business, and there are tough
days and people get fired and they get cut in whatever.
But it's a great business, and the sons see what
it's like with their dads and they want to go
into it. And so what Lebron is doing is what
only dozens, if not hundreds of other fathers have done.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
Yeah, I agree with you, but he's also a brilliant man.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
This is Lebron James.
Speaker 2 (30:59):
We're talking about who knows the tea leaves better than most,
who's very calculating with what he says and what he does,
who sees the forest from the trees, who can be
very manipulating when it comes to controlling narratives. And I
think in one of the rare times in his life,
(31:19):
he made a huge mistake when he announced to the
world he wants to play with his son and he's
willing to go wherever his son goes, just to be
able to play in the same uniform with his son.
Because by doing that, because of his greatness and what
he brings to the table, you and I both know
(31:41):
this basketball. And then there's the business of basketball. And
even though lebron James is still one of the top
ten players on the planet right now approaching age forty, he's.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
Number one when it comes to business.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
He's good for the business of basketball better than anybody,
arguably other than Steph Curry.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
And even that's debatable.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
So when you say that, you know that teams and
there's an inordinate amount of owners who would look at
it and say that would be very, very good for business,
and that would compel them to take Bronnie James because
they could take they would get Lebron James as well
at minimum wage. For crying out loud, what do you
say to that to people who are reminded of Lebron's
(32:24):
assertions and you know what he was willing to do
and what kind of impact that could ultimately have on
Bronnie being in the NBA, I.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
Would say that he very articulately or is that a word?
He very was. He was very articulate, and he was
very strategic in how he walked away from his last
media session the other night, where he basically left the
door open for everything he just said. He you know,
wouldn't say anything about the Lakers. He just said I'm
(32:51):
not going to answer that. And then yesterday a lot
of people because of you know, that door they opened,
a lot of people talked about it all day long,
which he knew would happened. And so he goes on
to X and he puts another message on there and
he says, people are talking about me, but I just
(33:12):
nothing is decided. I'm gonna leave my options open. But
again he's leaving his options open. He says, I got
to think about it. He's not saying I'm going to
be a Laker. I want to be a Laker. LA
is my home. He's leaving the door open, and I
believe he's going to be a Laker. I believe he's
ultimately going to re sign. But he's leaving the door
(33:32):
open for a reason. He's leaving the door open to
allow wibble room. He's leaving the door open to do negotiation,
and he's leaving the door open to see if he
can affect the process. Now, I do not actually believe
that he would leave Los Angeles to go play for
a team just to play with Brownie, at least not
(33:54):
this year.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
Nor do I.
Speaker 3 (33:55):
Believe that Lebron would ever walk into Rob Polenka's office,
or call Genie Buss on the phone and say would
you please draft or if he doesn't get drafted, acquire
by signing Bronnie. I don't believe he would do that.
I do believe that he will use leverage where he
thinks he can use leverage. And he's going to spend
(34:18):
the next two months watching how things go, Watching how
things go with the Lakers, will they make trades, Watching
how things go elsewhere in the league, Watching how Bronnie
goes through the draft process, listening to a teams and
evaluators tell him and Rich Paul about what they think
all of those things. And he has left that door
(34:38):
open several times just this week, and so I am
going to respect that door is open and say, let's
indeed wait and see. But I do think he has
struggled with this stephen A. I do think that a
huge part of him wants nothing more for his legacy
and for his family to be out there with Bronnie
(35:00):
feeding him in the post, with him throwing the ball
at the corner and shooting it's It would be the
absolute completion of his career. And I think he wants
it really badly, and I think he he may want
it even more than Bronnie wants it. And I think
he's got to keep himself under control. But there's no
doubt that something he's visualized, and as he has worked
to keep his body in shape, as he has fought
(35:23):
through injuries and gone through treatment and gone up into
this age, part of why he's doing it is that goal.
And I and and and and I think that's a
human reaction.
Speaker 2 (35:35):
Wendy, is that the only goal left for Lebron James
and basketball Because looking at this Los Angeles Lakers squad,
hearing what Magic Johnson how he classified them. I know
you've seen the tweets from Magic Johnson and you see
the parody that exists within the Western Conference or the
elevated level of play. There's so many teams that are
better than the Los Angeles Lakers, and a lot of
(35:55):
people's eyes, I think a legitimate argument can be made
that Lebron Jays the Lakers ross has puzzily constructed. I
don't know how much more they could do. I know
they got about three draft picks that they have available
to them, what have you. But an argument could be
made that this was Lebron's last best shot at the championship.
Speaker 1 (36:13):
What do you say about that?
Speaker 3 (36:14):
Yeah, and the sad, I don't say it's sad, But
the reality is I think that the Lakers achieved to
their level. I think, you know, they won forty seven games,
they won the n season tournament, and they put up
a good fight against a better team, and if the
draw had been different, maybe they get to the second round.
But they they exited at the appropriate level. I don't
(36:36):
think it was a failed season. It was disappointing, I'm
sure for Lebron and their fans, but I think it's
not a miscarriage that the Lakers are not moving on.
The appropriate team won, and I will say that I
do think that they have one swing left with Ad
and Lebron. They have these draft picks, they have some
tradable contracts. They're not like the Phoenix Suns that have
(36:58):
basically exhausted all of their options. They're not like some
of these other teams that are have nothing to trade.
They have options to trade. Is there a single or
two deals out there that could elevate them. We could
debate that for the next hour. I would say probably not,
but there may be. You know, if the right trade
(37:21):
comes along the right minimum, free agency signing, the right
guy gets healthy at the right time, or is healthy
guy or another team gets hurt at the right time.
There is a pathway for the Laker to do something.
But I wouldn't favor it to happen, and I wouldn't
think it would happen. But I also think that the
(37:42):
concept that Lebron has to play for a championship every
single year and if he doesn't come close with championship
every single year, it's a failure. I think he's left
that behind. Of course, he wanted to get to six
or seven and catch Jordan or even Kobe. Of course
that was his goal. But he also loves living in
(38:02):
Los Angeles. His family loves living in Los Angeles. He
has set up his post career in Los Angeles. He
has set up his friends and business partners in Los Angeles.
There's something to be said for being happy every day
that you come to work. And if that means that
(38:22):
you don't win a fifth title and you have to
retire with four, okay, and if he is criticized for that,
then he's just going to have to live his life.
Speaker 2 (38:33):
Listen to me, it is one thing not to win
a fifth or a sixth title. It's another thing to
walk in the seasons knowing you don't stand the chance.
And I don't think I'm not saying that's the case
with the Lakers, but I'm saying that's the case that
Lebron James, the great Lebron James, should never find himself in.
Having said all of that, is Darvin Ham going to
be the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers next season?
Speaker 3 (38:51):
Well, the Lakers are taking their time. It's in the
late morning here as we're recording this, and they haven't
done anything. I think there was a strong feel in
the league that Darvin was going to be let go.
I also think that the last time the Lakers made
a coaching change, they fired Frank Vogel before he left
the arena at a road game at the end of
(39:12):
the season.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
Stephen A.
Speaker 3 (39:13):
I don't even think he traveled back with the team.
You hear about those stories about football coaches getting fired
on the tarmac. They fired him in the locker room, basically,
and they were criticized for that, and it wasn't an
appropriate way to handle business with Frank Vogel, a coach
who led them to a championship, and so I do
think that they were sensitive to that. Even if there's
(39:34):
a decision that's been made, I think they were sensitive,
and I think they want to allow time.
Speaker 1 (39:39):
Darvin.
Speaker 3 (39:40):
I don't believe. I don't I believe Darwin receives an
unfair amount of blame for the way this season went.
I think this roster head flaws. I think he was
playing whack a mole a lot of times to deploy
lineups out there he thought could get they could defend
because he had an undersized team on their perimeter that
didn't have good defenders, and he didn't have backup big men,
(40:01):
and so he played a D and Lebron a lot
at Biggs and he played he was struggling. He was
searching to find guys who could play on the perimeter,
who could defend, who had size, and people criticized them
for it. But as you know and talked about, it's
hard for him to recover when the last thing that
everybody saw was a series where his team led all
five times at the half and lost in the second
(40:23):
half four of them, and where there was timeouts, there
were issues with there were challenges, there was other strategy
and the fact that Anthony Davis, who is not an
aggressive by nature guy, came out and criticized Darvin following
Game two in Denver where they blew that twenty point lead.
To me, it sort of made it transparent where the
(40:46):
players might be and the franchise was probably likely to follow.
Speaker 2 (40:51):
Who should be more on a hot seat if you're
like a nation, who should be more on a hot
seat Darvin Ham or Rob Polinka.
Speaker 3 (41:00):
Polinka has built a championship team, so he has some equity.
I think that Darvin doesn't enjoy a guy who has
coached them these last two years. And also what I
would say is who you're replacing him with, because if
you don't have a good answer for that, then if
you have to really consider it, if you're going to
(41:20):
make a move.
Speaker 2 (41:21):
I don't want to replace him, Wendy, I don't want
to replace him, but I wouldn't mind seeing Phil Handy
finally getting a shot at the head coach a job.
Speaker 1 (41:27):
I wouldn't mind seeing that.
Speaker 3 (41:30):
Yeah, well, I think Phil would have to come with
a plan and he would have to work with Rob.
Because even if you had the greatest coach in the world,
even if you brought Phil Jackson back in his prime.
He couldn't solve the challenges the Lakers have to keep
them apart from the Denvers of the world, potentially the
Minnesota's of the world or the Bostons of the world,
and so Rob Polink has got to do a bunch
(41:50):
of work too. Phil Handy is a guy who's well
liked by a lot of players, and I do think
that he would be embraced by the Laker locker room.
But you know, they also whenever you hire a first
time head coach, you understand that you're going to have
to live with the learning curve, and they just had
a learning curve with Darvin. He I think he handled
(42:10):
I think he handled it generally well. I think he
did a lot better than a lot of first time
head coaches. But you rarely see teams hire first time
head coaches back to back when one, you know, sort
of fails, so that he might be a fact fair.
Speaker 2 (42:24):
For I'll let you get on out of here, switching
subjects for a quick second. I don't know if I've
looked more forward to a playoff series in recent memory
that I'm looking forward to Denver versus Minnesota because of
this brother Anthony Edwards. I think MJ. Kolbe and I
remember who I waited for to follow. I'm talking about
(42:47):
of that ilk and then this brother, Anthony Edwards comes along,
and I think he has arrived, Wendy. I think if
he beats Denver, he will have officially arrived, although some
would say he's arrived already.
Speaker 1 (43:01):
Where do you.
Speaker 3 (43:02):
Stand, Well, you're talking about an organization that the last
time they won a playoff series he was two years
old and he is twenty two now. And I got
a chance to spend a month with Anthony overseas last
year with Team USA as they played in the World
Cup and getting to know him a little bit, seeing
(43:23):
him on a pretty much daily basis and watching him
play in that setting with other great players. He was
phenomenal to learn more about. He has a very great
spirit about his game, and I think is a He's
not a conventional leader, but I think he is a leader.
He stands up for his teammates. He plays at both
(43:48):
ends of the court. He wants to be someone who follows.
He has sort of a funny way and an unconventional
way of queaking his teammates and talking about his teammates.
He is as you would say, he is box office.
If you don't think that this guy is electrifying, I
invite you to watch one single game. He left the
(44:09):
Phoenix Suns jaws on the floor a couple of nights
ago when Booker and KD both played awesome games and
were completely outplayed by this guy on their home court
in the fourth quarter in his first ever closeout game.
This guy is going to be the future of the NBA.
He is going to be on Christmas Day, he is
(44:29):
going to be on Opening Night. He is going to
be on Sunday afternoon and Saturday night. He is going
to be on the sides of buildings. Even though he
plays in Minnesota, he is absolutely that type of player.
And this is a great opportunity for him. And while
we all admit that Denver is a beautiful, well oiled machine,
they are not as deep as they were last year
(44:51):
and they are a little bit vulnerable. The Lakers showed
that the Lakers outplayed the Nuggets for a huge portion
of this series. That team last year went sixteen and
five in the playoffs and totally washed out the You know,
over the last two rounds, they weren't even really tested
in the last two rounds that it was not the case.
(45:12):
They were really tested by the Lakers in this series,
and so I would say that I give Denver the edge,
but Minnesota is designed to compete with them. They have
the size, they have the depth, they have the star player,
and I agree with you, this is appointment television. And
when has anybody ever said that about the Timberwolves.
Speaker 2 (45:32):
Last question, if I told you a couple of years
ago that teammates Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irvin
would be disbanded and separated, but Kyrie Irvin and James
Harden would be in better situations futures looking brighter than
(45:53):
Kevin Durant, what would you have told me then? And
how do you feel about what you've witnessed now with
Kevin Durant.
Speaker 3 (46:02):
I really wonder what Kevin truly thinks about watching Kyrie,
because what Kyrie is doing with Luca is what the
dream was. And it's only been this season and they're
only in the first round, and they could lose this
series very easily, and they could really not be any
further than they got in Brooklyn. But this Kyrie is
(46:24):
what KD wanted to play with, and Luka offering support
to Kyrie, Kyrie offering support there. It's remarkable. And the
way I described what happened in Brooklyn was that was
a basketball tragedy. There are many other tragedies that take
place in the world. I want to clarify that, but
that was a grouping of players that had the opportunity
(46:47):
to be extremely special. And not only that. Kyrie is
a joy to watch play basketball. Kevin Durant is a
joy to watch play basketball. I don't love watching James Harden,
but there's a mastery in the way he plays when
he's at his best that a lot of people enjoy,
and you have to respect it. Those guys playing together
(47:07):
had the potential to have a run like we saw
with the Miami Heat. I have such fond memories of
those springs in Miami, with the White Hot playoffs and
all that stuff, and watching those big games, even when
they lost, you have great memories of that that should
have and could have been the Brooklyn Nets. It fractured
into a thousand pieces, and KD is you know right now,
(47:32):
he's got to be sitting at home thinking what happened.
And that's the thing. KD has the only thing that's
eluded him is happiness. He hasn't been able to have it.
Kyrie is happy right now, and I really wonder how
he feels about that.
Speaker 2 (47:47):
Wow, the great NBA senior writer, extraordinated, one and only,
Brian Winters right here with George truly, Steven. They appreciate
you as always, my ban Thank you so much season
see us soon, all right, take care make sure you
watch Brian in doors all over NBA to day again
as well, anyway, coming out a unique tribute to the
Divine Nine. I'll explain in a moment. Plus, the one
(48:09):
and only prime time Dion Sanders and his son Shardure
Sanders are chirping on social media. Why I'll get into
all of that next right here on.
Speaker 1 (48:19):
The Steven A.
Speaker 2 (48:19):
Smith Show, over the digital airways or YouTube, back with
more in a minute.
Speaker 1 (48:27):
Have you all been watching the NBA Playoffs? I'm sure
you have, But do you know what makes watching them
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Speaker 2 (48:35):
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Speaker 2 (48:42):
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But prize pects doesn't stop with basketball. You can choose
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(49:06):
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Speaker 1 (49:21):
Code pick more, pick less.
Speaker 4 (49:23):
Guess what it's that easy.
Speaker 1 (49:30):
Going back to stephen A.
Speaker 2 (49:31):
Smithsfield right here with the digital airways of YouTube, and
once again thanks to the great Brian win Tors for
coming on the show break it down some stuff with
us about Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Remember
he's been covering Lebron James since Lebron James was in
junior high school. That's how far back. Brian Windhorse goes.
Lebron James was once quoted as a press conference as saying,
nobody knows him more in media than Brian Windhorse. So
(49:56):
that's why I was a proposed to have him on
in the aftermath of the Lakers season coming to an
end and Lebron James ultimately trying to portray a level
of indecision when it comes to his future, along with
the fact that his son is entering the NBA Draft. Anyway,
before I get to your tweets, I want to talk
about my man, primetime, Deon Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes,
(50:19):
who are back.
Speaker 1 (50:19):
In the headlines this week.
Speaker 2 (50:21):
You may recall that more than a dozen players left
Coach Prime squad during the spring transfer a portal window, including.
Speaker 1 (50:27):
Several projected starters.
Speaker 2 (50:29):
Some of them are now taking shots at the coach
and the program on the way out, according to reports.
The latest remarks come from safety Xavier Smith, who says
he didn't appreciate the way Coach Prime handled roster management.
One of Smith's former teammates in the secondary, Cormani mcclan
had this to say, quote, look at this ready to
(50:51):
get to a new place and get to work. No
hard feelings. Some people just got to take a step
back from things. Sometimes certain people I feel like, I
just don't want to play for clicks. I actually want
to be involved with a great leading program that's going
to develop players.
Speaker 4 (51:09):
End quote.
Speaker 3 (51:11):
Now.
Speaker 2 (51:12):
McLean was the top ranked cornerback in the twenty twenty
three class. Deon Sanders and his sons have responded in
a series of tweets you see here, and some are
not loving the way the Sanders family are handling this situation.
You see the tweets right there from Chadoor in prime time.
Of course, UTEP coach Scottie Walden, who previously coached Xavier Smith,
(51:37):
came to his defense in this tweet, saying, quote Smith
is the furthest thing from soft. Okay, that's what the
coach says. He said, I coached av at AP and
now he at UTIP. He is the furthest thing from soft.
He's a great kids, last player, and led us to
a conference title. He answered a question honestly in an
interview and was just telling his side. He was a
(51:58):
freshman AA and has an extremely bright future on and
off the field. I am glad he is on my team.
Check the tape everybody knows that Deon Sanders is like
a brother to me.
Speaker 1 (52:14):
We're pretty tight.
Speaker 2 (52:16):
We talk frequently, not every week, not every month, but
we talk frequently enough throughout the year.
Speaker 1 (52:23):
I love him dearly.
Speaker 2 (52:24):
I respect him, and I don't like seeing any player
castigate anything.
Speaker 1 (52:31):
That he's associated with. But I need to be fair.
Speaker 2 (52:38):
And whereas I don't like a player speaking about it,
and I certainly don't think that primetime Deon Sanders is
playing for clicks. I do think that somebody who does
need to be checked just a little bit. It's your door, Sanders.
Nobody else is saying it, so I'm gonna say it.
Speaker 1 (53:01):
She was watched right here. It's a little rolex. I
got on see that. You know. One of the things
that I never do with my watch.
Speaker 2 (53:14):
I never did that, and in my profession, quite frankly,
I went a lot.
Speaker 1 (53:22):
Shador Sanders did that.
Speaker 2 (53:25):
Each time they won a game when they were three,
and oh he did it when they beat Colorado State
and that coach was trying to talk smack at Dion
in the program Shador Sanders Met Midfield. Shador Sanders is
miniature in my estimation, but he is a stud. He
(53:47):
is a special talent, And even though they were four
and eight, and even though they were one and eight
in the conference, and even though they ended the season
losing six straight, it's not an indictment against Shador Sanders,
because this brother is special.
Speaker 1 (54:01):
He can play, y'all.
Speaker 2 (54:02):
He was sacked fifty two time, an FBS high fifty
two times at the quarterback spot. It was so bad
in terms of the level of protection he wasn't receiving.
Deon Sanders got to a point where, even as a coach,
he had to remember he was a dad, and I
gotta protect my son because look at what I'm exposing
(54:23):
him to.
Speaker 1 (54:23):
I mean, good lord. And still this.
Speaker 2 (54:27):
Brother threw for over three thousand yards through twenty seven touchdowns,
just three interceptions, over thirty six hundred yards to be exact,
completed about sixty seven sixty eight percent of his passes.
If I remember, Shador Sanders can ball. I think he
has a bright future. I think he's going pro I
think we all know it. I think he's gonna be
a spectacular young talent in the NFL one day. And
(54:52):
I am not questioning his character bout any stretch of
the imagination. But it's not hard to see that some
of this could be brought on himself. At the end
of the day, you four and eight. At the end
of the day, you were one and eight in the conference.
At the end of the day, you did get blown
(55:13):
out by Oregon the national television after you were three
and ozero, and you had the coach for Overgon talking about,
we ain't playing for clicks, we ain't playing for social media.
I don't have the quote in front of me. Were
gonna play out in the field, That's what he was saying.
People were taking shots at prime Tom. Deon Sanders. Let
me say this. Deon Sanders could say anything he wants.
(55:37):
He was an All American, He's a two time Super
Bowl champion. He is a Hall of Famer and universally
recognized as the greatest quarterback to have ever played the
game of football.
Speaker 1 (55:50):
This brother was so elite that he shut down half
a field.
Speaker 2 (55:55):
Deon Sanders was so elite that you had offensive ordinators
and head coaches and quarterbacks scared to throw in his vicinity.
Speaker 1 (56:06):
He had to fake.
Speaker 2 (56:09):
And act like somebody could outrun them and leave them
open for a second, just so somebody could have the
courage to throw the ball out there before he came
in out of nowhere and grab the deceptions.
Speaker 1 (56:21):
Did I even bring him up as a punt returner
and a kickoff returner.
Speaker 2 (56:24):
Deon Sanders was so elite that his name, Prime Tom
was so apropos that it was almost blasphemous and sacriligious
to play him in daylight hours.
Speaker 1 (56:35):
That's how Big Tom, Prime Tom Deon Sanders was. He
can say what he wants.
Speaker 2 (56:39):
These damn players, including his children, is a different matter entirely.
It's not that they can't play. I'm sure they can. Shadour,
especially Shiloh, ain't no joke either. These brothers can play,
and coming to the defense of their father is admirable
and I'm not trying to discover it's that, But.
Speaker 1 (57:01):
How you do it matters.
Speaker 2 (57:04):
And when you do it with bravado and disrespect as
opposed to humility and protection of your father, you force
people to look at you as opposed to looking at
you protecting your father. See when you hear them speak
and you listen to them come out and say the
(57:25):
kind of things that they say, well.
Speaker 1 (57:28):
Guess what happens.
Speaker 2 (57:30):
You're thinking about their bravado and whether or not they
have the record to back it up, which they don't.
Speaker 1 (57:36):
Then you're looking at the transfers.
Speaker 2 (57:38):
You're seeing what's transpiring, and you're wondering why these people
are looking to go elsewhere.
Speaker 1 (57:42):
And I heard Dion originally speak on.
Speaker 2 (57:44):
The transfers and talk about sometimes people are transferring because
they're usually reserved.
Speaker 1 (57:48):
They ain't getting that playing time. And he has a
point there.
Speaker 2 (57:54):
But Dion Sanders is handling it the way it's supposed
to be handled his children, who are young adults, not
necessarily so. And I say this respectfully to Shiloh and Chador,
to Ballers who I believe have bright futures who I
(58:14):
wish nothing but the best your Dion Sanders sons. That
means I will you will always have my support because
I love your daddy like a brother. But it is
important that you understand how you're communicating and how you're
coming across.
Speaker 1 (58:33):
Your dad has earned it, and he doesn't do that.
I'm looking at a quote.
Speaker 2 (58:41):
From Prime Time Dion Sanders, right, and I'm saying to myself,
my goodness, this guy is something else, because I've seen
some quotes from him where he's just deferential, said lords Jesus,
and then he talks about humility and you know, not
bringing you know, not trying to hurt anybody, and just
(59:03):
smile at the person who hates on you. I'm paraphrasing
here because I don't have the quote right in front
of me. He says, because they try to act like
they hate you, but they really don't. They just upset
that they're not you. They're not in your position. They're
not as blessed or appear to be as blessed as
you may appear to be at that particular moment in time.
And he has good points there, but he's not denigrating.
(59:26):
They're young, shauding Shiloh.
Speaker 1 (59:29):
I get it. They're protective of their daddy.
Speaker 2 (59:32):
I get it, but somebody needs to tell them that
moving forward, as you communicate in defense of your dad
and what he's doing, how you communicating, how you come
across matters because you represent him and you represent the
(59:52):
program and more Socialdore than Shiloh. I'm gonna remind you
again you did this every time you won, but you
lost more than you won. What were you doing when
you lost? That's something to remember as you move forward.
(01:00:17):
Because I expect Colorado to be uplifted by Primetime Deon
Sander's presence. I don't expect your door Sanders to be
there long while it's happening. Chances are you're gonna lose
more than you win. And when that happens, how do
you handle yourself? Today's day and age, it's far different
(01:00:40):
than when your dad was young. The spotlight is far
more magnifying and illuminating, and you can hurt yourself more
than you help yourself unintentionally, just by willing to fight
every little battle. Your father is prime time. He doesn't
(01:01:06):
need you to do that. He can handle it. Focus
on being the best you could be, so you can
back up all.
Speaker 4 (01:01:16):
Of this with victories instead of just sts. It'll go
a long way, my brother, It'll go a long way.
Speaker 2 (01:01:28):
Now, to your tweets, let's get to that before I
get on out of here for the day.
Speaker 1 (01:01:34):
Put up the tweets.
Speaker 2 (01:01:35):
Please let me see what the first one says at
big Baby, Jonathan Wrights, give me your top five sports
commentators of all time. I probably can't do that because
I've never thought about that. I will tell you that,
Howard Cosell.
Speaker 1 (01:01:47):
Comes to my mind. John Madden comes to my mind.
Speaker 2 (01:01:51):
I look at guys like Bryant Gumbel and Bob Costas.
Speaker 1 (01:01:54):
The Hall of famers, the great ones, no doubt about that.
Speaker 2 (01:01:58):
You know Vince Scully, can't forget about him.
Speaker 1 (01:02:03):
You know Tim mccarvero. I mean, there's a whole bunch
of people.
Speaker 2 (01:02:06):
There's just famous names and what have you, and it
depends on how people are looking at it today. I'm
not gonna throw myself in there because that comes across wrong.
I think that I'm pretty damn good at what I do,
but I leave it to somebody else to define my
level of greatness. I'm blessed and fortunate to have been
number one ratings and revenue and all of that stuff
(01:02:28):
for quite a while. But that's here today going tomorrow.
In terms of history and what you do historically, there's
a lot to be said for what the great ones
who've paved the way for all of us have done.
I can't really give you the five sports commentators of
all time at this particular moment in time, because I'm
in the profession. I have to give it far more
(01:02:49):
serious thought than just reacting to a tweet. So I
apologize for that next tweet. Show me what you got,
please give it to me. At Coach Tomlin thirteen. Right,
stephen A, what is your top five fruits? Good Lord,
these top fithers?
Speaker 4 (01:03:03):
That's wrong with you people.
Speaker 2 (01:03:05):
I love grapes, I love watermelon, oranges, tangerines, Bananas are healthy,
obviously I eat that a lot.
Speaker 4 (01:03:17):
I love cherries. I love cherries. I do.
Speaker 1 (01:03:23):
I do. There's probably my face right up there with grapes. Yes.
And when I say the grapes, not the green grapes,
talk me to purple grapes. Purple grapes and the cherries.
Speaker 4 (01:03:32):
That's what I like.
Speaker 1 (01:03:33):
That's what I like.
Speaker 2 (01:03:34):
Another tweet? We got one before I get on out
of hip Lea's at Grayson Drew Jay Right, Hey, stephen A,
Are there more wheels.
Speaker 1 (01:03:42):
Or doors in the world?
Speaker 4 (01:03:45):
How the fuck would I know the answer to that question?
Speaker 2 (01:03:49):
I mean, Jesus, okay, I don't know the answer to
that question.
Speaker 1 (01:03:54):
Are there more wheels than doors in the world?
Speaker 2 (01:03:57):
Come on, y'all help a brother out. Can we give
me sensible questions that I could possibly answer? Possibly, my God,
I'll go with doors. How about that last tweet?
Speaker 1 (01:04:09):
What's up at shy Sports Ross Rights? Would you rather
have prime? Michael Jordan?
Speaker 2 (01:04:19):
But he has one hand tied behind his back, tied
behind his back, or prime Lebron, but he has his
legs tied together and has to hop. Clearly, it would
be Michael Jordan with one hand tied behind his back.
If you got your legs tied together and all you
can do is hop like a damn kangaroo, how is
that gonna help you in basketball?
Speaker 1 (01:04:41):
Other than you jumping when you near the rim.
Speaker 2 (01:04:43):
You can't drive the ball ninety four feet that way,
You can't make a move on somebody or whatever. I mean,
that's just that's another dumb question. I'm gonna have to
get on my social media people.
Speaker 1 (01:04:52):
Whatever. These are some dumb ass questions, y'all. These some
dumb ass questions, all right.
Speaker 2 (01:04:57):
And I see some of your avatars stuff like that,
your Twitter handers rather, I mean, y'all are grown people, y'all.
It ain't like your children ask me these questions. There's
some dumb ass adults out there. Now, what the hell
are these questions? It's just stupid. I mean, give me
something to work with. Okay, I don't mind bizarre questions,
but I don't want stupid questions, all right, Lord, Before
(01:05:22):
I get on out of here, let me say this
I'm a proud member of Omegasi Fire Fraternity. Rude dog,
y'all know what time it is. I'm happy to see
the announcement today that Macy's Department store will pay tribute
to the Divine Nine.
Speaker 1 (01:05:37):
With a men's collection.
Speaker 2 (01:05:39):
For those of you who don't know, the Divine Nine
are the historically black founded fraternities and sororities of the
National Pan Hellenic Council. The men's wear collection will include
an assortment of business suits, polos, blazers, cardigans, and accessories
in each of the fraternity's signature colors. The collection will
(01:06:00):
roll out in July, and that follows the twenty twenty
two release of a women's sorority line.
Speaker 1 (01:06:07):
Needless to say, Omega.
Speaker 2 (01:06:10):
Royal Purple, old goal. You know I'm gonna get that.
Rest of the colors I not. I can't help y'all there,
all right, but the Royal purple and that old goal
Omega sci Fi all day, every day, baby.
Speaker 1 (01:06:22):
No doubt, no doubt. That's it for this edition of
the Steven Asmith Show.
Speaker 2 (01:06:26):
I hope y'all enjoyed it. Thanks againting to the one
and the only Brian Windows for being on the show.
Got nothing but love for y'all. Appreciate the love. Keep
it coming. I'm gonna keep on coming, y'all. Okay, talk
to y'all in a couple of days, same bad time,
same bad channel.
Speaker 1 (01:06:39):
Until later, everybody, piece of love. Be safe, Enjoy your day.
Damn, damn, damn.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
I know it's been a few hours, but I'm still pissed,
missed opportunities.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
My nixt.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
If this shit keeps up, they're not gonna be able
to tell the difference between a Knicks fan and a
Cowboys fan.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
The Steven Asmith Showing the House. Let's go. I am
having a very very bad day.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Let's just get that out of the way right now.
It's a very bad day. I'm not in a good mood.
I'm not in a good mood.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Okay, yes, I'm obligated to say to you.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Welcome to The Steven Asmith Show, the latest edition of
The Steven Aismith's Show. I hope you had a wonderful weekend.
I'm usually coming at you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
over the digital airwaves of YouTube. Thank you very very much,
my subscribers of now It Clips six hundred thirty four thousand.
It keeps growing and growing and growing. Thanks for the love.
Thanks for the love and the support that you all
have been giving me.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
You keep it coming. I'm gonna keep on coming. Okay.
We know what I'm gonna say.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
We know I'm gonna ask you to get my book,
Straight Shooter Remember of Second Chance is the first take
now in paperback. Go to Straight Shooter book dot Com
once again, that Straight Shooter book dot Com. It's now
in paperback. Okay, But Devin, I'm not in a good
mone I'm not even in a good mood. I'm not
in a good mood to sell my book. I'm not
in a good mood to sell us black. I'm not
in a good mood to do anything. And Tyrese Maxey
in the Philadelphia seventy six has everything to do with
(01:33):
it every day forty six points en route to an
improbable comeback victory by the Philadelphia seventy six is in
Game five and Madison Square God the Last Night where
the fixes post within three to two prevented the New
York Knicks from closing out a series on his home
court in the last twenty five years. It's been twenty
five years since they've done it. Now, this guy Maxi
is a star, a possible future face of the NBA.
(01:55):
Hit at thirty five for game time logo three point
in the waning moments of regular force over time, but
that was after year the three and convert of the
four point play because this dude.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Mitchell Robinson, the clumsy big man for the.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
New York Knicks who seems to have two left feet
and no brain at times, ends up failing this dude
and giving them a four point play. Look at this
play right here. What are you thinking? What are you thinking?
Why would you do that? New York Knicks were up
(02:31):
six with twenty eight point six seconds left in regulation,
Jaylen Brunson was in route to having forty points. The
New York Knicks were about to close out the series.
They would have beaten the Sixers four to one, taking
them out in five games, and as a result, marched
on to the Eastern Conference semifinals, in all likelihood, going
up against the Indiana Pacers, who are no joke, even
though the Milwaukee Bucks beat them last night without Giannis
(02:54):
and without Damian Lillet. I cannot emphasize enough how disgusted
I am. Well what I saw, I know that Tyrese
Maxi is no joke. Forty six points, seventeen to thirty
shooting you Look at embiid. He got his playing on
one leg, He got bell, he has Bell's palsy for
crying out, lived face contorted, and all of this other
stuff still dropped the nineteen point triple double. I mean,
(03:17):
what can you say the Sixers, they could deserve all
the credit in the world. I'm not trying to take
anything away from them, but we cannot act like the
New York Knicks didn't gift it, didn't give it away.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Josh Hart loved Josh Hart.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Love his energy, love his passion, love his fervor, love
his toughness.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
But he plays out of control.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
He's too damn erratic, outlet passes, turnover his attack in
the basket against Embiid when you know that's not the
decision to be making.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Pull a ball out, slow it down, control the clock.
You could do all of that.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Somebody exercising there, their brain would have made those decisions.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
But that's not what happened last night.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Mitchell Robinson, I already told you what is two foot
to left foot of the asses doing out there, and
how that jeopardized everything they were doing.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
But I got news for you too.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Jalen Brunson doesn't get let off the hook in all
of this either. Now he ended up dropping forty points.
He's had eighty seven points over the last two games.
I get all of that, but damn yo, bro eight
shots in overtime and you.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Only generated two for others. You're the point guard. McBride
was out there and a nobe was out there.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
You couldn't make sure somebody else other than yourself shot
the damn ball. Really, really, you're a lot of things.
You're great, You're an MVP Kennedy, but you ain't Steph Curry.
Come on, man, you have passed it. And then the
time you decided to pass your jump in the air,
(04:55):
you get contested boppatoo and what do you do?
Speaker 1 (04:58):
Try to throw it into the right cour of the.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Tizea Hartstein who can't shoot the ball five feet away
from the basket, so you know he wasn't anticipating the
past hit job.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Is to go crash the boards. No one died. Ended
up being a turnover.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
The New York Knicks have now placed this series in
jeopardy because even though I'm still picking them to win
this series, who's to say they're gonna win Game six?
And if they lose Game six, series tied three to three,
and then they go back to the guard for Game seven,
having surrendered a three to one lead, that's now tied
three to three, and the precious all on the New
York Knicks to salvage this series while winning the Game
(05:34):
seven at Madison Square Guarden against a dude in MAXI
who's averaging over thirty five this series against them, against
a dude in Embid who's on one leg and still
dropping triple doubles right after he's dropped fifty on you.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
I mean, you got to be kidding me. You gotta
be kidding me. But this is the.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Situation involving the Philadelphia seventy six is in the New
York Knicks right now. I still got the New York
Knicks winning this series. It just ain't gonna be easy.
Let me get onto my next subject, because that involves
the Los Angeles Lakers.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
We gotta head Wes and discuss the future.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Of the Lakers, whose season end of Monday night at
the hands of Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets yet again.
I'll get to Lebron himself in a moment, but I
want to focus on the team in the front office.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
First.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Back in January, former Laker big man Shaquille O'Neil question
whether players like Lebron and Anthony Davis actually listened to
head coach Darvin ham He's been under fire for his
in game rotation, substitution patterns, and even his reluctance to
start certain players.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
This we all know.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
But then the Lakers go out here and they lose,
and when they lost, this is what we've got to
look at right now. We got Darvin Hams in two
seasons nineteen seventy four record, but nine to twelve in
the postseason. Okay, two playoff series wins, but losers get
swept in the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets. Okay,
comes back this year, advances to the first round after
(07:02):
being a playing guy, a playing team. Okay, and then
he ends up losing in the first round to the
rainy defending champions. They ended the seasons they lost twelve
of their last thirteen games against Denver. I know this
was a competitive series. I know the Lakers could have
easily had Game two. They were up twenty and when
Jamal Murray hit that game winning jump shot over Anthony Davis.
(07:24):
Let's not forget they surrendered the twenty point lead. The
Lakers did that, and you saw Jamal Murray and you
knew that Austin Reeves wasn't gonna be able to stop them.
And so now we have no choice but to look
at the Los Angeles Lakers for what they are. You
got Lebron James, he's approaching forty. You got Anthony Davis
(07:44):
who's in his mid thirties, played more games this year
than he ever had in his career with seventy six,
and you still end up.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Going home in the first round.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Austin Reeves is improved and can play, but can't guard much.
D'Angelo Russell, don't get me started with his ass. This
brother went scoreless in game three, scoreless after him seventy
three points a game two, the brother went scoreless in
game three, not a point.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
He scored as much points as me, and me and you,
That's what he did.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
And so when you look at it from that standpoint, yeah,
Vanderbilt was hurting. Their defense was compromised, and yeah, you
gotta look at the person out that they had in place,
the Torrian Princes of the World and others. They gave
Vince's of the World, who wasn't available for ninety nine
percent of the season.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
But in the end, here's.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
The reality of the situation for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Lebron James is approaching free agency, looking to get the
bag and looking to get an additional three year deal.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Anthony Davis is locked in.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
You're locked in Austin Rivers D'Angelo Russell, who's got a
player option. He can choose to opt out and the
Lakers will have no means to replace him. Or he
could choose to opt in, which is a question mark
because he knows that the Lakers is gonna look to
trade it for additional assets, and he may want to
dictate where he gets to go as opposed to opting
into his contract for eighteen million dollars and thereby being
(09:02):
at the mercy of the Los Angeles Lakers, who can
send him wherever they want to send him.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
So you're the Lakers. You're in a rut right now.
Here's what I'm a pall by.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Who the fuck says it's time to get rid of
Darwin Ham?
Speaker 1 (09:16):
How you gonna blame him? That's some straight bullshit. Let's
just get it out the way right now. When you
talk about Darvin Ham.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Darphin Ham has been a coach in the National Basketball
Association as a head.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
Coach for two years.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
He's lost to one team as the Denver Nuggets I'm sorry,
did shame in that game?
Speaker 3 (09:38):
Did?
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Are reigning defending champions They've got the best player in
the world in Nakola Jokicic. When Nakoliokich and Jamal Murray
on the court together, that's the best two man tandem
in basketball. They pick and roll you to death all day,
all night long. Aaron Gordon is no scrub. Michael Porter
Junior has elevated his level of play. Contavious Carwell Pope
is a guy that helped the Los Angeles Lakers win
a championship before your foolishly let him walk out the
(10:01):
door along with Kyle Kuzma and Alex caruse so you
could bring in Russell Westbrook, who couldn't get nothing done
for you in a Lakers uniform. That's what happened with
the Los Angeles Lakers. Now, I know Kyle Kuzman has
been in purgatory in the nation's capital, but we know
he's a six ' nine dude who can chew. We
know what Kentavious Carwell Pope can do, and we know
(10:24):
good and damn well that if that was Alex Caruso
out there defending instead of Austin Reeves, you might have
had a.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
Better shot to stop it, Jamorrow Murray.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
But that is not what happened. And because that is
not what happened, the Lakers a home. How's that Darwin
hands fall? If it's Darvin Hans fall, how come it
ain't Rob Polinka's fault. Now, I'm not advocating for any
of them to get fired, But if you want to
talk about replacing coaches with a better coach, how about
replacing Rob Polinka with a Bob Myers who won four
(10:57):
rigs in Golden State. I tell you right now, that's
his dream job. He'd love that job. He ain't gonna
politic for it. He ain't gonna be some snake going
around behind closed doors trying to undermine Rob Polinka on
anybody like that. But he is a basketball executive with
(11:17):
Southern California roots who wouldn't want the Lakers job.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
I'd consider the Lakers job. Who wouldn't. So let's be
honest here.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
If we're gonna talk about Darvin ham being gone, why
aren't we talking about Rob Polinka?
Speaker 1 (11:33):
And again, I'm not advocating for Rob Polinka to be gone.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
I'm simply saying you can't look at the coach who
don't have the personnel and have to sacrifice offense for
defense or defense for offense. Whenever he was working through
his rotations and then turned around and.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Let Rob Polinka off the hook. Can't do that. Can't
do that. Now. I don't want to hear about some
story like I saw.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
I think it was in the athletic where they talking
about how well you know what a player During the
Lakers Clippers game, players had to come and tell Darvin Ham,
this wasn't the right thing to do. Schematically, try this,
try this, try that.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
That happens all the time.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
The fact of the matter is when you're looking at
Darvin Ham in the rotations.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
Yo, y'all.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Coaches listen to players all the time. They have a suggestion,
players have a better suggestion. They go with the player.
There ain't no reason to talk about how this man
needs to be fired.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
But I wouldn't pay attention to what Magic Johnson had
to say.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
And here's what Magic Johnson had to say with these tweets,
Laker Nation, we have a problem. All the good teams
in the West are young and talented. The Nuggets, the Timberwolves,
the Thunder and the MAVs and the biggest elephant in
the room is the Spurs, who with Victor winn Bionn
will definitely be a playoff team next season. I think
Magic Johnson needs to be drug tested on that last part.
Spurs are not making the playoffs next season, not that soon.
(12:54):
For the Lakers to compete with all these teams, the
roster must improve, he continued.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
The Lakers have nobody but themselves to blame.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
It wouldn't have been in a play in game or
finished as a seventh seed this season if they hadn't
lost too many games because of load management. I don't
know about that either. Anthony Davis played seventy six games.
Lebron James played seventy games. There's more games he ever
played as a Laker. There's more games than Anthony Davis
ever played in his career. I don't know he's talking
about load management there. But I get his point though,
(13:21):
And their magic continued. And the number one reason the
Lakers can't beat Denver in a seven game series is
because the Nuggets are mentally and physically tougher than the Lakers.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Well that's true, that's true.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
But I don't think that's applicable to Lebron James and
Anthony Davis. I think that's applicable to the rest of
the Lakers. It's applicable to the rest of the Lakers.
That's all I wanted to say about that, because I'm
so thoroughly disgusted it's hard to put in the words
it really really is. But I'm not done talking about
Lebron James because he's somebody I'm gonna get up into
(13:54):
in a little bit. We got to talk about Lebron
james future and what that got to do with Bronnie
James and his potential future in the NBA.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
Who better to.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
Talk to about that than our NBA senior writer, the
one and only Brian Wintors.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
He's up next.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
Plus I'll get into Dianna Shadel Sanders and how they're
making waves.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
On social media. There's a lot of stuff to get into.
Don't go anywhere. This is the stephen A. Smith Show.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
I got a whole lot of other shit to talk
about right on back in the moment.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
Okay, everybody, you know what Tom it is. It's Tom
for stephen A's Weekly Picks.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
If you already don't know, I've teamed up with Prizepects
to bring you my favorite sports picks each and every
single week you see. Prize Picks is a skill based,
real money daily fantasy sports game where you select two, three,
or even up to six players and predict that they'll
have more or less of their in game stats.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
And the best part, you can.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Pick and choose from all the sports that you watch, basketball, baseball, golf, tennis,
my lord, even that MMA. And if you go to
prospects dot com right now and use promo code says,
you'll receive a one hundred percent depositive bonus up to
one hundred dollars.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
That's right, you heard me.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Go to Prospects dot com type of my initials essays
and get a first time de positive match up to
one hundred dollars today. However, I will not be selecting
any players or sports I'm feeling. I want to go
off topic, and I'm gonna select either more or less
than one and a half movies you go out to see.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
In a month.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Typically, the answer to this would be less because most
people ain't trying to go to the movies unless they
know definitively that there is a movie that they absolutely
positively want to see. Me your boy, Steven am a
bit different. See, I like to relax at the movies.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
You see what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
And let me confess to you, one of the best
things that have ever happened to me was when I
learned about ipick theaters. When I learned about a theater
that got them there. I'm reclining seats that damn never
climb into a bed, and all you got to do
is press a button and a way that comes to
(16:06):
take your order, and they bring you food and you
don't have to stand outside in the concession lines, y'all.
I prefer that better than most restaurants. So guess what,
I damn sure go to the movies more than one
and a half times a month, because I make sure
I hit up Prospects.
Speaker 4 (16:25):
More than one and a half times a month, just.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
To relax, get my zin in, calm, beneath the storm, relaxed, chill,
the whole nine. That's what I like to do. Okay,
that's me. That's just the way that I am.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Everybody ain't like that, but your boy is.
Speaker 4 (16:44):
I would say I go there at least two movies
a month.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
That's just me.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
That's how I roll. You know, I ain't into all
of the popcorn. But I picked it is. They got
them chicken fingers.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
And the burgers and the fries. They even got alcohol.
Not that I'm a really drinker. I'm really not that
much drink. I'm a casual drinker at best, but well,
I sip on a little Hennessy and Coke from time
to time. Shoot, as a late great Michael Jackson once said,
(17:17):
not if you're a repredator, not if you're a murderer,
Not if you're Jack the Ripper with Gian Not anyway,
two movies minimal for you, boy, stephen A. The answer
to this question would be more prospects in the house.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
You see how we do. Welcome back to stephen A.
Smithshow right here over the digital airways of YouTube.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
A few quick hitters before I get to my next guest,
an extraordinary NBA insider and commentator for ESPN and one
and the only Brian Winters. I'll get to him in
just a second, but I want to touch on a
couple of.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
These quick hitters real quick.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Y'all gonna get into the game tonight first, as the
Mavericks heading back to LA for Game five against the Clippers.
At the Crypto dot Com and reading in the night
series tied too too, and LA will be without Kawhi
Leonard again no surprise there because of a sore right knee.
Kyrie Irving has been balling out for Dallas while Luca's
been struggling with his long range shooting. Here's what we
(18:15):
need to watch out for tonight. Luca says he feels
guilty that he hasn't been there enough of a supporting
a person for Kyrie Irving.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
He needs to play better. He needs to do more.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
Because Kyrie has held up his end of the bar
and he's been spectacular. Luca needs to do better. I've
never heard Luca talk like that before, and the fact
that he's talking like that has raised my attendance because
I think he's gonna look to be aggressive tonight. That
means he's gonna look to be efficient tonight. That means
he's gonna look to be dumbinant tonight, and we already.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
Know what a bad boy he already is, So watch
out for that tonight.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
I got the Clippers winning because they're at home, and
I think that James Harden has been flowing. I can't
say no, but I still have Dallas winning this series,
so they gonna win one of these games in LA
in my opinion, we'll see whether it's Game.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
Five or seven. Next up is in the East.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
The Celtics are back home tonight in a potential closeout
game against the Heat. Boston will be without Kriss Prezingis
for Game five, who suffered that calf strain in Miami. Regardless,
the Celtics are twenty one to four this season without
Porzingis in the lineup. They should beat Miami Heat. That's
no problem. Hell, they should win the next series against
Cleveland Orlando. That shouldn't be much of a problem. The
(19:28):
issue for me, even though Paolo Bankiro is no joke,
the brother special for Orlando, here's my issue.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
I don't think the Boston Celtics can.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
Win the Chip without Porzingis, and the calf injury has
me scared because every time I think about a calf
injury these days, I think about Kevin Durant having a
calf injury and ultimately that led to his achilles tier
and the finals against the Toronto rap Is back in
twenty nineteen. I look at Jamal Murray, I'm worried about
his calf. I'm looking at kristaphs Prezingis. I'm worried about
(19:58):
his calf. I looked at jannisenta Takum while IM worried
about his cafe, even though they're talking about him coming back.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
So we shall see.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Keep our eyes on that Celtics can't win the title
without Porzingis. Speaking of Gianni's one more quick hitter before
I get to Lebron James. The Milwaukee Bucks extended this
season last night with an improbable victory over the Pacers.
The Bucks became the first team in league history to
win a playoff game without their top two scorers from
the regular season and giannisenter Kompo, the Greek freaking Damian Lillard.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Head coach Doc Rivers says both a very closer.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
Returning to the series where Milwaukee is down three to two,
I still got Indiana winning this series. I don't think
Gianna should come back. I think it's too risky. I
think that Indiana they're not going to be held and
checked offensively the way Milwaukee was able to do last night,
and of course in Game one of this series. I
think that Indiana is a juggernaut offensively. I think on
(20:49):
their home turf they're a different animal. And I think
They're gonna be ultra aggressive compared to what we saw
last night.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
I think they close out this series.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Now, let me get to Lebron's future before I bring
in my next That his future and that of his son, Bronni.
ESPN's Adrian woljs Narowski says Lebron's teaming up with his
eldest son in the league is no longer a priority
for the thirty nine year old. Lebron has an opt
in on his current deal worth more than fifty one
million dollars. The deadline for that is June twenty ninth,
(21:17):
Well which also reported it's unlikely the Lakers would select
Brinnie with the number seventeen overall picking June's draft, and
they don't select again until the second round at picked
fifty five, where Bronnie is not expected to be available.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Here's my thing.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
Based on what he did statistically in college, combined with
his health issues, it is my belief that Bronni will
be available by pick number fifty five unless somehow, some way,
some team is convinced that by grabbing him they got
a shot again. Lebron James, I do not have sons.
(21:54):
I was a son, but I do not have sons, Okay,
but I'm a dad.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Let me.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
Professionally and ultra respectively respectfully rather plead to.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
Lebron James right here on camera.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
Please do not have anything at all to do with
your son getting to the NBA. I'm being very respectful.
I'm not being disrespectful. I would never speak ill of
Bronnie James. He's a wonderful kid. He went through a
lot health wise. God blessing that he's still on this
earth and he's healthy and he survived that collapse at
(22:36):
USC last summer. Thank God, he's okay, and I wish
him nothing but the best in all his dreams and
aspirations come true. What I want Lebron James to hear
directly from me, please do not have anything to do
with this kid going pro. Because if he goes pro
based off of the year that he had at USC,
(23:01):
no one's going to give him the benefit of the doubt.
He's going to be excoriated. He's going to be scrutinized
to the umph degree because he's going to be perceived
as the individual whose only reason for being in the
NBA is that his father is Lebron James. That is
not doing a kid, any favors a young man, any favors,
(23:22):
you got to let him earn his stripes. I'm not
saying he's not out there in the gym working hard.
I'm not saying he's not working on his game. I'm
not saying not to give him elite representation from Rich
Paul and Clutch Sports.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
I'm not saying any of that.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
I'm saying, at the end of the day, I believe
that kid should go back to school and show that
he has the skills and the resume that warrants him
being an NBA draft pick, because as of right now
(23:55):
that is not the case. Rich means that if he
gets drafted by an n it's going to be perceived
that it happened because he's your son and you had
spent years telling everybody you just want to play in
the league.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
With your son. And he's gonna get crucified for it.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
Now.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
I know he's not a customer, but so much scrutiny
because he's been sheltered and protected to some degree by
Lebron James.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
That ain't gonna work in the NBA. He gonna have
to get on a court and he's gonna.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
Have to perform against them brothers, and they gonna come
at him, and you know what they're gonna say to him,
Daddy ain't here to protect you. Now, that's what they're
gonna do. I'm not being negative towards Bronnie James. I
would never do that. I got too much respect for
Lebron James, Savannah James, and that wonderful family it is.
(24:52):
I would never do that, and that kid. I've never
spoken about the kid.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Really, I do nothing but root for him.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
But if he gets drafted after averaging four points at
USC and scoring in nineteen to twenty five games, not
scoring a double digit whatever it was, yo, y'all, he
doesn't have a resume at Warrington being an NBA draft pick,
and they will crucify him because he's Lebron's son and
(25:21):
they think he got to the league on the false pretensus.
Speaker 1 (25:25):
That's my opinion.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Now that I've said my piece, it's time to welcome
in my next guest, who's covered the life and career
of Lebron James more closely than anyone in this business.
He's a New York Times bestseller like myself, and host
of the Hoop Collective podcast. He's also a contributor to
get Up, a contributor to first Take. He does an
absolutely wonderful, fantastic job for ESPN as a senior NBA writer.
(25:52):
I'm talking about the one and only Brian Wintors. Who's
on with me right now? What's up, big time? How
are you man? How's everything going?
Speaker 3 (25:59):
Thank you? Always glad to be with you.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
Did you disagree with anything that I just said in
highlighting my thoughts as to why I'm hopeful that Bronnie
James won't be in the NBA next season.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
What I think you said is why Rich Paul gave
the interview to WOJ A few I don't know, is
maybe a month or six weeks ago, or he sort
of set the new standard. And I think the word
he said was if Bronnie ends up playing with lebron organically,
that would be one thing, but that's not what we're
(26:35):
looking for. And because I think after seeing Bronnie play
in college, everybody reset their expectations. Now. Look, I don't
assess college basketball players for a living. I don't watch
college basketball, but I will tell you what the NBA
scouts that I have talked to have told me, multiple
of them. I asked a number of them about what
(26:56):
they think of Bronnie and his situation, and I will
tell you what they say. They say he started the
season and he was out of shape because he didn't
get to play basketball when he was recovering from that
terrible incident. He wasn't able to really really play. They
had to make sure that he was okay. He had
great care from the doctors at the Mayo Clinic and
(27:18):
he had a procedure there, but he called basketball. So
the other thing that they say is with his heart.
The other thing that they say, stephen A, is that
he was played out of position at USC. Now I
can't really elaborate, it's over my head. I know that
they had some other guards there that are in the
draft and were established guards. I can't speak educatedly. I
(27:42):
will just say what I was told. He was played
out of position there and that affected his play. And
what these players or these scouts recommended was that he
leave USC and go to a school where a he
can be the starting point guard, which is the position
he is should play, and b has a history of
developing players, not a school that's the history of taking
(28:06):
super talented players sort of, you know, taking advantage of
their talents and moving them on. But a school that
has a history of developing players, with coaches that have
developed players over multiple years. There was some school suggested
to me. I'm not going to say them because I'm
not looking to out anybody or creating any headlines. But
(28:27):
I'm sure that Rich Paul, who is elite in his field,
has all of this information. So the real question becomes,
is that something that can be accomplished better at a university?
And by the way, I don't think it will be USC.
I think if he come back to college, I do
not think it will be at USC. Or is that
something that he can do in the G League? And
(28:49):
I think that's what they're going to determine. That's the thing.
Bronni has to go through the draft process. There's a
combine coming up in early May here, or there's evaluations done,
and there's going to be individual workouts. They'll know a
lot more about what teams think about Bronnie in three
weeks than they do now. So when brun when Lebron
comes out and says there's a lot of things that
(29:09):
I have to look at and I'm not sure about
I think he is telling the truth that said stephen A.
When I talk to people in the league, actually I'll
ask you this question because you have been involved with
the NBA for thirty years, I don't know. I don't
want to age up. This is a little game that
I play with people in the NBA. I don't really
(29:30):
have this game with people with with with fans because
they don't understand it. But I asked the question, what's
the biggest day in the NBA? And they will people
will think that they'll go, oh, Draft Day, a lottery day,
Christmas Day, oh, Finals game seven. The biggest day in
the NBA for people in the NBA is Father's Day
(29:54):
because if you look at the NBA, there are fathers
and sons literally everywhere. We have never had in the
league more fathers, sons of players or nephews of players.
That's very prevalent. The jeans are coming through. They've raised
their you know, these players made money as players, they
(30:14):
invested it in their children and they're raising NBA players.
But when you look at front offices and coaching staffs,
there are sons of coaches and players and everywhere, and
executives everywhere everywhere. If there's not a son in every
organization at some level, it's ninety percent of them. Because
(30:35):
the NBA is a great business, and there are tough
days and people get fired and they get cut in whatever.
But it's a great business, and the sons see what
it's like with their dads and they want to go
into it. And so what Lebron is doing is what
only dozens, if not hundreds of other fathers have done.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
Yeah, I agree with you, but he's also a brilliant man.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
This is Lebron James.
Speaker 2 (30:59):
We're talking about who knows the tea leaves better than most,
who's very calculating with what he says and what he does,
who sees the forest from the trees, who can be
very manipulating when it comes to controlling narratives. And I
think in one of the rare times in his life,
(31:19):
he made a huge mistake when he announced to the
world he wants to play with his son and he's
willing to go wherever his son goes, just to be
able to play in the same uniform with his son.
Because by doing that, because of his greatness and what
he brings to the table, you and I both know
(31:41):
this basketball. And then there's the business of basketball. And
even though lebron James is still one of the top
ten players on the planet right now approaching age forty, he's.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
Number one when it comes to business.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
He's good for the business of basketball better than anybody,
arguably other than Steph Curry.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
And even that's debatable.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
So when you say that, you know that teams and
there's an inordinate amount of owners who would look at
it and say that would be very, very good for business,
and that would compel them to take Bronnie James because
they could take they would get Lebron James as well
at minimum wage. For crying out loud, what do you
say to that to people who are reminded of Lebron's
(32:24):
assertions and you know what he was willing to do
and what kind of impact that could ultimately have on
Bronnie being in the NBA, I.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
Would say that he very articulately or is that a word?
He very was. He was very articulate, and he was
very strategic in how he walked away from his last
media session the other night, where he basically left the
door open for everything he just said. He you know,
wouldn't say anything about the Lakers. He just said I'm
(32:51):
not going to answer that. And then yesterday a lot
of people because of you know, that door they opened,
a lot of people talked about it all day long,
which he knew would happened. And so he goes on
to X and he puts another message on there and
he says, people are talking about me, but I just
(33:12):
nothing is decided. I'm gonna leave my options open. But
again he's leaving his options open. He says, I got
to think about it. He's not saying I'm going to
be a Laker. I want to be a Laker. LA
is my home. He's leaving the door open, and I
believe he's going to be a Laker. I believe he's
ultimately going to re sign. But he's leaving the door
(33:32):
open for a reason. He's leaving the door open to
allow wibble room. He's leaving the door open to do negotiation,
and he's leaving the door open to see if he
can affect the process. Now, I do not actually believe
that he would leave Los Angeles to go play for
a team just to play with Brownie, at least not
(33:54):
this year.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
Nor do I.
Speaker 3 (33:55):
Believe that Lebron would ever walk into Rob Polenka's office,
or call Genie Buss on the phone and say would
you please draft or if he doesn't get drafted, acquire
by signing Bronnie. I don't believe he would do that.
I do believe that he will use leverage where he
thinks he can use leverage. And he's going to spend
(34:18):
the next two months watching how things go, Watching how
things go with the Lakers, will they make trades, Watching
how things go elsewhere in the league, Watching how Bronnie
goes through the draft process, listening to a teams and
evaluators tell him and Rich Paul about what they think
all of those things. And he has left that door
(34:38):
open several times just this week, and so I am
going to respect that door is open and say, let's
indeed wait and see. But I do think he has
struggled with this stephen A. I do think that a
huge part of him wants nothing more for his legacy
and for his family to be out there with Bronnie
(35:00):
feeding him in the post, with him throwing the ball
at the corner and shooting it's It would be the
absolute completion of his career. And I think he wants
it really badly, and I think he he may want
it even more than Bronnie wants it. And I think
he's got to keep himself under control. But there's no
doubt that something he's visualized, and as he has worked
to keep his body in shape, as he has fought
(35:23):
through injuries and gone through treatment and gone up into
this age, part of why he's doing it is that goal.
And I and and and and I think that's a
human reaction.
Speaker 2 (35:35):
Wendy, is that the only goal left for Lebron James
and basketball Because looking at this Los Angeles Lakers squad,
hearing what Magic Johnson how he classified them. I know
you've seen the tweets from Magic Johnson and you see
the parody that exists within the Western Conference or the
elevated level of play. There's so many teams that are
better than the Los Angeles Lakers, and a lot of
(35:55):
people's eyes, I think a legitimate argument can be made
that Lebron Jays the Lakers ross has puzzily constructed. I
don't know how much more they could do. I know
they got about three draft picks that they have available
to them, what have you. But an argument could be
made that this was Lebron's last best shot at the championship.
Speaker 1 (36:13):
What do you say about that?
Speaker 3 (36:14):
Yeah, and the sad, I don't say it's sad, But
the reality is I think that the Lakers achieved to
their level. I think, you know, they won forty seven games,
they won the n season tournament, and they put up
a good fight against a better team, and if the
draw had been different, maybe they get to the second round.
But they they exited at the appropriate level. I don't
(36:36):
think it was a failed season. It was disappointing, I'm
sure for Lebron and their fans, but I think it's
not a miscarriage that the Lakers are not moving on.
The appropriate team won, and I will say that I
do think that they have one swing left with Ad
and Lebron. They have these draft picks, they have some
tradable contracts. They're not like the Phoenix Suns that have
(36:58):
basically exhausted all of their options. They're not like some
of these other teams that are have nothing to trade.
They have options to trade. Is there a single or
two deals out there that could elevate them. We could
debate that for the next hour. I would say probably not,
but there may be. You know, if the right trade
(37:21):
comes along the right minimum, free agency signing, the right
guy gets healthy at the right time, or is healthy
guy or another team gets hurt at the right time.
There is a pathway for the Laker to do something.
But I wouldn't favor it to happen, and I wouldn't
think it would happen. But I also think that the
(37:42):
concept that Lebron has to play for a championship every
single year and if he doesn't come close with championship
every single year, it's a failure. I think he's left
that behind. Of course, he wanted to get to six
or seven and catch Jordan or even Kobe. Of course
that was his goal. But he also loves living in
(38:02):
Los Angeles. His family loves living in Los Angeles. He
has set up his post career in Los Angeles. He
has set up his friends and business partners in Los Angeles.
There's something to be said for being happy every day
that you come to work. And if that means that
(38:22):
you don't win a fifth title and you have to
retire with four, okay, and if he is criticized for that,
then he's just going to have to live his life.
Speaker 2 (38:33):
Listen to me, it is one thing not to win
a fifth or a sixth title. It's another thing to
walk in the seasons knowing you don't stand the chance.
And I don't think I'm not saying that's the case
with the Lakers, but I'm saying that's the case that
Lebron James, the great Lebron James, should never find himself in.
Having said all of that, is Darvin Ham going to
be the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers next season?
Speaker 3 (38:51):
Well, the Lakers are taking their time. It's in the
late morning here as we're recording this, and they haven't
done anything. I think there was a strong feel in
the league that Darvin was going to be let go.
I also think that the last time the Lakers made
a coaching change, they fired Frank Vogel before he left
the arena at a road game at the end of
(39:12):
the season.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
Stephen A.
Speaker 3 (39:13):
I don't even think he traveled back with the team.
You hear about those stories about football coaches getting fired
on the tarmac. They fired him in the locker room, basically,
and they were criticized for that, and it wasn't an
appropriate way to handle business with Frank Vogel, a coach
who led them to a championship, and so I do
think that they were sensitive to that. Even if there's
(39:34):
a decision that's been made, I think they were sensitive,
and I think they want to allow time.
Speaker 1 (39:39):
Darvin.
Speaker 3 (39:40):
I don't believe. I don't I believe Darwin receives an
unfair amount of blame for the way this season went.
I think this roster head flaws. I think he was
playing whack a mole a lot of times to deploy
lineups out there he thought could get they could defend
because he had an undersized team on their perimeter that
didn't have good defenders, and he didn't have backup big men,
(40:01):
and so he played a D and Lebron a lot
at Biggs and he played he was struggling. He was
searching to find guys who could play on the perimeter,
who could defend, who had size, and people criticized them
for it. But as you know and talked about, it's
hard for him to recover when the last thing that
everybody saw was a series where his team led all
five times at the half and lost in the second
(40:23):
half four of them, and where there was timeouts, there
were issues with there were challenges, there was other strategy
and the fact that Anthony Davis, who is not an
aggressive by nature guy, came out and criticized Darvin following
Game two in Denver where they blew that twenty point lead.
To me, it sort of made it transparent where the
(40:46):
players might be and the franchise was probably likely to follow.
Speaker 2 (40:51):
Who should be more on a hot seat if you're
like a nation, who should be more on a hot
seat Darvin Ham or Rob Polinka.
Speaker 3 (41:00):
Polinka has built a championship team, so he has some equity.
I think that Darvin doesn't enjoy a guy who has
coached them these last two years. And also what I
would say is who you're replacing him with, because if
you don't have a good answer for that, then if
you have to really consider it, if you're going to
(41:20):
make a move.
Speaker 2 (41:21):
I don't want to replace him, Wendy, I don't want
to replace him, but I wouldn't mind seeing Phil Handy
finally getting a shot at the head coach a job.
Speaker 1 (41:27):
I wouldn't mind seeing that.
Speaker 3 (41:30):
Yeah, well, I think Phil would have to come with
a plan and he would have to work with Rob.
Because even if you had the greatest coach in the world,
even if you brought Phil Jackson back in his prime.
He couldn't solve the challenges the Lakers have to keep
them apart from the Denvers of the world, potentially the
Minnesota's of the world or the Bostons of the world,
and so Rob Polink has got to do a bunch
(41:50):
of work too. Phil Handy is a guy who's well
liked by a lot of players, and I do think
that he would be embraced by the Laker locker room.
But you know, they also whenever you hire a first
time head coach, you understand that you're going to have
to live with the learning curve, and they just had
a learning curve with Darvin. He I think he handled
(42:10):
I think he handled it generally well. I think he
did a lot better than a lot of first time
head coaches. But you rarely see teams hire first time
head coaches back to back when one, you know, sort
of fails, so that he might be a fact fair.
Speaker 2 (42:24):
For I'll let you get on out of here, switching
subjects for a quick second. I don't know if I've
looked more forward to a playoff series in recent memory
that I'm looking forward to Denver versus Minnesota because of
this brother Anthony Edwards. I think MJ. Kolbe and I
remember who I waited for to follow. I'm talking about
(42:47):
of that ilk and then this brother, Anthony Edwards comes along,
and I think he has arrived, Wendy. I think if
he beats Denver, he will have officially arrived, although some
would say he's arrived already.
Speaker 1 (43:01):
Where do you.
Speaker 3 (43:02):
Stand, Well, you're talking about an organization that the last
time they won a playoff series he was two years
old and he is twenty two now. And I got
a chance to spend a month with Anthony overseas last
year with Team USA as they played in the World
Cup and getting to know him a little bit, seeing
(43:23):
him on a pretty much daily basis and watching him
play in that setting with other great players. He was
phenomenal to learn more about. He has a very great
spirit about his game, and I think is a He's
not a conventional leader, but I think he is a leader.
He stands up for his teammates. He plays at both
(43:48):
ends of the court. He wants to be someone who follows.
He has sort of a funny way and an unconventional
way of queaking his teammates and talking about his teammates.
He is as you would say, he is box office.
If you don't think that this guy is electrifying, I
invite you to watch one single game. He left the
(44:09):
Phoenix Suns jaws on the floor a couple of nights
ago when Booker and KD both played awesome games and
were completely outplayed by this guy on their home court
in the fourth quarter in his first ever closeout game.
This guy is going to be the future of the NBA.
He is going to be on Christmas Day, he is
(44:29):
going to be on Opening Night. He is going to
be on Sunday afternoon and Saturday night. He is going
to be on the sides of buildings. Even though he
plays in Minnesota, he is absolutely that type of player.
And this is a great opportunity for him. And while
we all admit that Denver is a beautiful, well oiled machine,
they are not as deep as they were last year
(44:51):
and they are a little bit vulnerable. The Lakers showed
that the Lakers outplayed the Nuggets for a huge portion
of this series. That team last year went sixteen and
five in the playoffs and totally washed out the You know,
over the last two rounds, they weren't even really tested
in the last two rounds that it was not the case.
(45:12):
They were really tested by the Lakers in this series,
and so I would say that I give Denver the edge,
but Minnesota is designed to compete with them. They have
the size, they have the depth, they have the star player,
and I agree with you, this is appointment television. And
when has anybody ever said that about the Timberwolves.
Speaker 2 (45:32):
Last question, if I told you a couple of years
ago that teammates Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irvin
would be disbanded and separated, but Kyrie Irvin and James
Harden would be in better situations futures looking brighter than
(45:53):
Kevin Durant, what would you have told me then? And
how do you feel about what you've witnessed now with
Kevin Durant.
Speaker 3 (46:02):
I really wonder what Kevin truly thinks about watching Kyrie,
because what Kyrie is doing with Luca is what the
dream was. And it's only been this season and they're
only in the first round, and they could lose this
series very easily, and they could really not be any
further than they got in Brooklyn. But this Kyrie is
(46:24):
what KD wanted to play with, and Luka offering support
to Kyrie, Kyrie offering support there. It's remarkable. And the
way I described what happened in Brooklyn was that was
a basketball tragedy. There are many other tragedies that take
place in the world. I want to clarify that, but
that was a grouping of players that had the opportunity
(46:47):
to be extremely special. And not only that. Kyrie is
a joy to watch play basketball. Kevin Durant is a
joy to watch play basketball. I don't love watching James Harden,
but there's a mastery in the way he plays when
he's at his best that a lot of people enjoy,
and you have to respect it. Those guys playing together
(47:07):
had the potential to have a run like we saw
with the Miami Heat. I have such fond memories of
those springs in Miami, with the White Hot playoffs and
all that stuff, and watching those big games, even when
they lost, you have great memories of that that should
have and could have been the Brooklyn Nets. It fractured
into a thousand pieces, and KD is you know right now,
(47:32):
he's got to be sitting at home thinking what happened.
And that's the thing. KD has the only thing that's
eluded him is happiness. He hasn't been able to have it.
Kyrie is happy right now, and I really wonder how
he feels about that.
Speaker 2 (47:47):
Wow, the great NBA senior writer, extraordinated, one and only,
Brian Winters right here with George truly, Steven. They appreciate
you as always, my ban Thank you so much season
see us soon, all right, take care make sure you
watch Brian in doors all over NBA to day again
as well, anyway, coming out a unique tribute to the
Divine Nine. I'll explain in a moment. Plus, the one
(48:09):
and only prime time Dion Sanders and his son Shardure
Sanders are chirping on social media. Why I'll get into
all of that next right here on.
Speaker 1 (48:19):
The Steven A.
Speaker 2 (48:19):
Smith Show, over the digital airways or YouTube, back with
more in a minute.
Speaker 1 (48:27):
Have you all been watching the NBA Playoffs? I'm sure
you have, But do you know what makes watching them
even more exciting? Prize Picks. That's right.
Speaker 2 (48:35):
With a big game happening every night, Prospects is here
to help you cash in on all your basketball knowledge.
Speaker 1 (48:41):
You see.
Speaker 2 (48:42):
Prize Picks is a daily fantasy app where you can
select two or more of your favorite players and then
pick more or less on their projected in game stats.
But prize pects doesn't stop with basketball. You can choose
from several sports, the MLB, NHL, the MMA, and everything
in between. I make my picks to submit early, all
in less than sixty second. Then I sit back and
I chill and watch and get this. Prospects will match
(49:06):
your first depositive up to one hundred dollars. You heard
me right, Go to Prospects dot com and use code SAS.
That's my initials of course for a first time or
a first deposit match of up to one hundred dollars,
that's SAS. When you go to Prospects dot com and
use the promo.
Speaker 1 (49:21):
Code pick more, pick less.
Speaker 4 (49:23):
Guess what it's that easy.
Speaker 1 (49:30):
Going back to stephen A.
Speaker 2 (49:31):
Smithsfield right here with the digital airways of YouTube, and
once again thanks to the great Brian win Tors for
coming on the show break it down some stuff with
us about Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Remember
he's been covering Lebron James since Lebron James was in
junior high school. That's how far back. Brian Windhorse goes.
Lebron James was once quoted as a press conference as saying,
nobody knows him more in media than Brian Windhorse. So
(49:56):
that's why I was a proposed to have him on
in the aftermath of the Lakers season coming to an
end and Lebron James ultimately trying to portray a level
of indecision when it comes to his future, along with
the fact that his son is entering the NBA Draft. Anyway,
before I get to your tweets, I want to talk
about my man, primetime, Deon Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes,
(50:19):
who are back.
Speaker 1 (50:19):
In the headlines this week.
Speaker 2 (50:21):
You may recall that more than a dozen players left
Coach Prime squad during the spring transfer a portal window, including.
Speaker 1 (50:27):
Several projected starters.
Speaker 2 (50:29):
Some of them are now taking shots at the coach
and the program on the way out, according to reports.
The latest remarks come from safety Xavier Smith, who says
he didn't appreciate the way Coach Prime handled roster management.
One of Smith's former teammates in the secondary, Cormani mcclan
had this to say, quote, look at this ready to
(50:51):
get to a new place and get to work. No
hard feelings. Some people just got to take a step
back from things. Sometimes certain people I feel like, I
just don't want to play for clicks. I actually want
to be involved with a great leading program that's going
to develop players.
Speaker 4 (51:09):
End quote.
Speaker 3 (51:11):
Now.
Speaker 2 (51:12):
McLean was the top ranked cornerback in the twenty twenty
three class. Deon Sanders and his sons have responded in
a series of tweets you see here, and some are
not loving the way the Sanders family are handling this situation.
You see the tweets right there from Chadoor in prime time.
Of course, UTEP coach Scottie Walden, who previously coached Xavier Smith,
(51:37):
came to his defense in this tweet, saying, quote Smith
is the furthest thing from soft. Okay, that's what the
coach says. He said, I coached av at AP and
now he at UTIP. He is the furthest thing from soft.
He's a great kids, last player, and led us to
a conference title. He answered a question honestly in an
interview and was just telling his side. He was a
(51:58):
freshman AA and has an extremely bright future on and
off the field. I am glad he is on my team.
Check the tape everybody knows that Deon Sanders is like
a brother to me.
Speaker 1 (52:14):
We're pretty tight.
Speaker 2 (52:16):
We talk frequently, not every week, not every month, but
we talk frequently enough throughout the year.
Speaker 1 (52:23):
I love him dearly.
Speaker 2 (52:24):
I respect him, and I don't like seeing any player
castigate anything.
Speaker 1 (52:31):
That he's associated with. But I need to be fair.
Speaker 2 (52:38):
And whereas I don't like a player speaking about it,
and I certainly don't think that primetime Deon Sanders is
playing for clicks. I do think that somebody who does
need to be checked just a little bit. It's your door, Sanders.
Nobody else is saying it, so I'm gonna say it.
Speaker 1 (53:01):
She was watched right here. It's a little rolex. I
got on see that. You know. One of the things
that I never do with my watch.
Speaker 2 (53:14):
I never did that, and in my profession, quite frankly,
I went a lot.
Speaker 1 (53:22):
Shador Sanders did that.
Speaker 2 (53:25):
Each time they won a game when they were three,
and oh he did it when they beat Colorado State
and that coach was trying to talk smack at Dion
in the program Shador Sanders Met Midfield. Shador Sanders is
miniature in my estimation, but he is a stud. He
(53:47):
is a special talent, And even though they were four
and eight, and even though they were one and eight
in the conference, and even though they ended the season
losing six straight, it's not an indictment against Shador Sanders,
because this brother is special.
Speaker 1 (54:01):
He can play, y'all.
Speaker 2 (54:02):
He was sacked fifty two time, an FBS high fifty
two times at the quarterback spot. It was so bad
in terms of the level of protection he wasn't receiving.
Deon Sanders got to a point where, even as a coach,
he had to remember he was a dad, and I
gotta protect my son because look at what I'm exposing
(54:23):
him to.
Speaker 1 (54:23):
I mean, good lord. And still this.
Speaker 2 (54:27):
Brother threw for over three thousand yards through twenty seven touchdowns,
just three interceptions, over thirty six hundred yards to be exact,
completed about sixty seven sixty eight percent of his passes.
If I remember, Shador Sanders can ball. I think he
has a bright future. I think he's going pro I
think we all know it. I think he's gonna be
a spectacular young talent in the NFL one day. And
(54:52):
I am not questioning his character bout any stretch of
the imagination. But it's not hard to see that some
of this could be brought on himself. At the end
of the day, you four and eight. At the end
of the day, you were one and eight in the conference.
At the end of the day, you did get blown
(55:13):
out by Oregon the national television after you were three
and ozero, and you had the coach for Overgon talking about,
we ain't playing for clicks, we ain't playing for social media.
I don't have the quote in front of me. Were
gonna play out in the field, That's what he was saying.
People were taking shots at prime Tom. Deon Sanders. Let
me say this. Deon Sanders could say anything he wants.
(55:37):
He was an All American, He's a two time Super
Bowl champion. He is a Hall of Famer and universally
recognized as the greatest quarterback to have ever played the
game of football.
Speaker 1 (55:50):
This brother was so elite that he shut down half
a field.
Speaker 2 (55:55):
Deon Sanders was so elite that you had offensive ordinators
and head coaches and quarterbacks scared to throw in his vicinity.
Speaker 1 (56:06):
He had to fake.
Speaker 2 (56:09):
And act like somebody could outrun them and leave them
open for a second, just so somebody could have the
courage to throw the ball out there before he came
in out of nowhere and grab the deceptions.
Speaker 1 (56:21):
Did I even bring him up as a punt returner
and a kickoff returner.
Speaker 2 (56:24):
Deon Sanders was so elite that his name, Prime Tom
was so apropos that it was almost blasphemous and sacriligious
to play him in daylight hours.
Speaker 1 (56:35):
That's how Big Tom, Prime Tom Deon Sanders was. He
can say what he wants.
Speaker 2 (56:39):
These damn players, including his children, is a different matter entirely.
It's not that they can't play. I'm sure they can. Shadour,
especially Shiloh, ain't no joke either. These brothers can play,
and coming to the defense of their father is admirable
and I'm not trying to discover it's that, But.
Speaker 1 (57:01):
How you do it matters.
Speaker 2 (57:04):
And when you do it with bravado and disrespect as
opposed to humility and protection of your father, you force
people to look at you as opposed to looking at
you protecting your father. See when you hear them speak
and you listen to them come out and say the
(57:25):
kind of things that they say, well.
Speaker 1 (57:28):
Guess what happens.
Speaker 2 (57:30):
You're thinking about their bravado and whether or not they
have the record to back it up, which they don't.
Speaker 1 (57:36):
Then you're looking at the transfers.
Speaker 2 (57:38):
You're seeing what's transpiring, and you're wondering why these people
are looking to go elsewhere.
Speaker 1 (57:42):
And I heard Dion originally speak on.
Speaker 2 (57:44):
The transfers and talk about sometimes people are transferring because
they're usually reserved.
Speaker 1 (57:48):
They ain't getting that playing time. And he has a
point there.
Speaker 2 (57:54):
But Dion Sanders is handling it the way it's supposed
to be handled his children, who are young adults, not
necessarily so. And I say this respectfully to Shiloh and Chador,
to Ballers who I believe have bright futures who I
(58:14):
wish nothing but the best your Dion Sanders sons. That
means I will you will always have my support because
I love your daddy like a brother. But it is
important that you understand how you're communicating and how you're
coming across.
Speaker 1 (58:33):
Your dad has earned it, and he doesn't do that.
I'm looking at a quote.
Speaker 2 (58:41):
From Prime Time Dion Sanders, right, and I'm saying to myself,
my goodness, this guy is something else, because I've seen
some quotes from him where he's just deferential, said lords Jesus,
and then he talks about humility and you know, not
bringing you know, not trying to hurt anybody, and just
(59:03):
smile at the person who hates on you. I'm paraphrasing
here because I don't have the quote right in front
of me. He says, because they try to act like
they hate you, but they really don't. They just upset
that they're not you. They're not in your position. They're
not as blessed or appear to be as blessed as
you may appear to be at that particular moment in time.
And he has good points there, but he's not denigrating.
(59:26):
They're young, shauding Shiloh.
Speaker 1 (59:29):
I get it. They're protective of their daddy.
Speaker 2 (59:32):
I get it, but somebody needs to tell them that
moving forward, as you communicate in defense of your dad
and what he's doing, how you communicating, how you come
across matters because you represent him and you represent the
(59:52):
program and more Socialdore than Shiloh. I'm gonna remind you
again you did this every time you won, but you
lost more than you won. What were you doing when
you lost? That's something to remember as you move forward.
(01:00:17):
Because I expect Colorado to be uplifted by Primetime Deon
Sander's presence. I don't expect your door Sanders to be
there long while it's happening. Chances are you're gonna lose
more than you win. And when that happens, how do
you handle yourself? Today's day and age, it's far different
(01:00:40):
than when your dad was young. The spotlight is far
more magnifying and illuminating, and you can hurt yourself more
than you help yourself unintentionally, just by willing to fight
every little battle. Your father is prime time. He doesn't
(01:01:06):
need you to do that. He can handle it. Focus
on being the best you could be, so you can
back up all.
Speaker 4 (01:01:16):
Of this with victories instead of just sts. It'll go
a long way, my brother, It'll go a long way.
Speaker 2 (01:01:28):
Now, to your tweets, let's get to that before I
get on out of here for the day.
Speaker 1 (01:01:34):
Put up the tweets.
Speaker 2 (01:01:35):
Please let me see what the first one says at
big Baby, Jonathan Wrights, give me your top five sports
commentators of all time. I probably can't do that because
I've never thought about that. I will tell you that,
Howard Cosell.
Speaker 1 (01:01:47):
Comes to my mind. John Madden comes to my mind.
Speaker 2 (01:01:51):
I look at guys like Bryant Gumbel and Bob Costas.
Speaker 1 (01:01:54):
The Hall of famers, the great ones, no doubt about that.
Speaker 2 (01:01:58):
You know Vince Scully, can't forget about him.
Speaker 1 (01:02:03):
You know Tim mccarvero. I mean, there's a whole bunch
of people.
Speaker 2 (01:02:06):
There's just famous names and what have you, and it
depends on how people are looking at it today. I'm
not gonna throw myself in there because that comes across wrong.
I think that I'm pretty damn good at what I do,
but I leave it to somebody else to define my
level of greatness. I'm blessed and fortunate to have been
number one ratings and revenue and all of that stuff
(01:02:28):
for quite a while. But that's here today going tomorrow.
In terms of history and what you do historically, there's
a lot to be said for what the great ones
who've paved the way for all of us have done.
I can't really give you the five sports commentators of
all time at this particular moment in time, because I'm
in the profession. I have to give it far more
(01:02:49):
serious thought than just reacting to a tweet. So I
apologize for that next tweet. Show me what you got,
please give it to me. At Coach Tomlin thirteen. Right,
stephen A, what is your top five fruits? Good Lord,
these top fithers?
Speaker 4 (01:03:03):
That's wrong with you people.
Speaker 2 (01:03:05):
I love grapes, I love watermelon, oranges, tangerines, Bananas are healthy,
obviously I eat that a lot.
Speaker 4 (01:03:17):
I love cherries. I love cherries. I do.
Speaker 1 (01:03:23):
I do. There's probably my face right up there with grapes. Yes.
And when I say the grapes, not the green grapes,
talk me to purple grapes. Purple grapes and the cherries.
Speaker 4 (01:03:32):
That's what I like.
Speaker 1 (01:03:33):
That's what I like.
Speaker 2 (01:03:34):
Another tweet? We got one before I get on out
of hip Lea's at Grayson Drew Jay Right, Hey, stephen A,
Are there more wheels.
Speaker 1 (01:03:42):
Or doors in the world?
Speaker 4 (01:03:45):
How the fuck would I know the answer to that question?
Speaker 2 (01:03:49):
I mean, Jesus, okay, I don't know the answer to
that question.
Speaker 1 (01:03:54):
Are there more wheels than doors in the world?
Speaker 2 (01:03:57):
Come on, y'all help a brother out. Can we give
me sensible questions that I could possibly answer? Possibly, my God,
I'll go with doors. How about that last tweet?
Speaker 1 (01:04:09):
What's up at shy Sports Ross Rights? Would you rather
have prime? Michael Jordan?
Speaker 2 (01:04:19):
But he has one hand tied behind his back, tied
behind his back, or prime Lebron, but he has his
legs tied together and has to hop. Clearly, it would
be Michael Jordan with one hand tied behind his back.
If you got your legs tied together and all you
can do is hop like a damn kangaroo, how is
that gonna help you in basketball?
Speaker 1 (01:04:41):
Other than you jumping when you near the rim.
Speaker 2 (01:04:43):
You can't drive the ball ninety four feet that way,
You can't make a move on somebody or whatever. I mean,
that's just that's another dumb question. I'm gonna have to
get on my social media people.
Speaker 1 (01:04:52):
Whatever. These are some dumb ass questions, y'all. These some
dumb ass questions, all right.
Speaker 2 (01:04:57):
And I see some of your avatars stuff like that,
your Twitter handers rather, I mean, y'all are grown people, y'all.
It ain't like your children ask me these questions. There's
some dumb ass adults out there. Now, what the hell
are these questions? It's just stupid. I mean, give me
something to work with. Okay, I don't mind bizarre questions,
but I don't want stupid questions, all right, Lord, Before
(01:05:22):
I get on out of here, let me say this
I'm a proud member of Omegasi Fire Fraternity. Rude dog,
y'all know what time it is. I'm happy to see
the announcement today that Macy's Department store will pay tribute
to the Divine Nine.
Speaker 1 (01:05:37):
With a men's collection.
Speaker 2 (01:05:39):
For those of you who don't know, the Divine Nine
are the historically black founded fraternities and sororities of the
National Pan Hellenic Council. The men's wear collection will include
an assortment of business suits, polos, blazers, cardigans, and accessories
in each of the fraternity's signature colors. The collection will
(01:06:00):
roll out in July, and that follows the twenty twenty
two release of a women's sorority line.
Speaker 1 (01:06:07):
Needless to say, Omega.
Speaker 2 (01:06:10):
Royal Purple, old goal. You know I'm gonna get that.
Rest of the colors I not. I can't help y'all there,
all right, but the Royal purple and that old goal
Omega sci Fi all day, every day, baby.
Speaker 1 (01:06:22):
No doubt, no doubt. That's it for this edition of
the Steven Asmith Show.
Speaker 2 (01:06:26):
I hope y'all enjoyed it. Thanks againting to the one
and the only Brian Windows for being on the show.
Got nothing but love for y'all. Appreciate the love. Keep
it coming. I'm gonna keep on coming, y'all. Okay, talk
to y'all in a couple of days, same bad time,
same bad channel.
Speaker 1 (01:06:39):
Until later, everybody, piece of love. Be safe, Enjoy your day.
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