November 12, 2025 • 35 mins
Former NBA coach PJ Carlesimo stops by to talk about the life and legacy of Lenny Wilkens, plus much more! Marc James and Christopher read back messages from listeners and Ian Furness drops in to share what he has planned for his show.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The greatest basketball team of all time, along with Lenny Wilkins.
When you heard the news, Coach that came down on Sunday,
what was your initial reaction.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Well, Mark, probably devastated. The last time I had seen
Lenny look good, you know, obviously getting old, there was
no question he had you know, had a great life,
but looked good. And I had no idea the seriousness
of it, and never thought that, you know, I wouldn't
get a chance to see him again. He's just remarkable
(00:33):
man on so many different levels. That's the thing that's
just astounding. I mean, he can talk. We went way back.
We got much closer obviously the summer in ninety two,
which was you know, the most probably the most enjoyable
some were certainly the most meaningful experience ever had with
the Dream Team and working along with Lenny and Mike
(00:55):
Kane and Chuck Daily. But known him for so long,
I mean, going going way back. You know, as you said,
everybody likens him, everybody, most of the country likings in
the Seattle, the people back east where you know I
grew up. He's boys High school, He's Brooklyn, Yeah, you know,
he went to went to school there. Uh, and then
(01:16):
went to Providence College. Obviously not before before the Big East,
but I mean the you know, first player I believe
to have his jersey retired at PC, and just an
absolute legend what he did in college, and I mean,
you know that's that's kind of like one segment then
as a player, one of the best players in the
(01:37):
history of the NBA and for multiple franchises, and you
could just stop there and say, no, remarkable Hall of
Fame career, what he did in college, what he did
as a player in the NBA, and he wasn't even
getting started. Uh, he was one of the last. I
think David Collins is the only one since then who's
been a player coach. Russ of course was one of ironically,
(01:58):
the two of them lived here not mark from each
other for so long, Bill Russell and Lenny Wilkins. But
Lenny was one of the last player coaches won the
championship here, which you talked about, but was had a
career as a coach that was worthy and was one
of the reasons he was inducted in the Hall of Fame.
That's another career that he had. Forget that, you know,
(02:20):
for a while it was player coach and then that's
his NBA career. And then you know, beyond that, you
talk about what he did with USA basketball, not just
the two teams that he was, you know, a major
part of an assistant Chuck Dally's assistant in ninety two,
and then in ninety six himself the head coach of
(02:41):
the United States, then the national team, the Olympic team
won another gold medal in Atlanta. So I mean, what
he did USA basketball was a whole nother segment of
his career. When he was a coach in the NBA
for many many years, I'm gonna say twenty or more,
he was the president of the Coaches Association, and he
was instrumental back in those days, and when I first
(03:03):
came into the league, he was the longtime president of
the Coaches Association, with Carlisle succeeded him eventually, but Lenny
was was the one that put the groundwork together to
get the coaches. You know, right now everybody looks at
it as well, of course, you know, everybody has that.
You didn't have that in those days, and Lenny was
the one who put it together with working with the
(03:25):
league and with the NBA Coaches Association, the pension plan
and the retirement plans, and you know, he fought for
all of those things and was successful in getting all
those things done, you know, together with the league and
on behalf of the coaches. And he was a great
mentor to anybody that you know when you came into
the league. And I knew him first when I was
(03:45):
still coaching in college and he was an NBA coach.
But he was somebody who always wanted to talk and
talk to and and learn from. And then if you
listen to his players, you know, and so many of
them still live here. But I mean the two that
you know, John, I'm p out of me right, n
A Jack sick Man or you know, Wally Walker was
a young guy in that team when he came over
(04:05):
from Portland. The respect they had for Lenny. He was
always a he's a gentleman. He was such a quiet,
well mannered, soft spoken man. But there was another side
to him, and he could control. He got his teams
to play the way that he wanted them to play,
to play hard. He didn't browbeat his guys to play.
You know. He was you know, one of the early
(04:27):
guys that was you know, said he's a players coach
because guys wanted to play for him, the respect they
had for him as a former player, but the way
he handled them, the way he got them to play hard.
And when you when you hear the guys, particularly from
the championship team, talk about the difference when Lenny came here.
People forget how unsuccessful the team had been before he
(04:48):
got here, and then they had a great year his
first year, and then the second year they win the championship,
and so much of it was there's those guys wanting
to play for him and understand and you know, the
things he could tell them and how he could help
them to be a player. And he had, you know,
obviously an incredible knowledge because he knew what it was
like to play and to be successful in the league.
And they, you know, they loved him for that. And
(05:10):
then what you talked about, I mean, he's mister Seattle Basketball.
There's no question about that. He represented this city for
so long. And you know, whether it was broadcasting, whether
it was coaching, whether it was playing, whether it was
all the charitable things he did here in town. You know,
I mean playing his golf when he had the golf
(05:30):
tournament for a desk I mean, he just did so
much and he was such a great family man. It
was it was really great that summer in ninety two
spending time with him in Maryland and the family and
Randy of course, and coached in the league for a
while getting to know him. So, I mean, it's just
there's so many levels you can talk about the man
and what he meant, you know, as a family guy,
(05:53):
as a person, as a player, as a coach, as
a charitable I mean, it's ridiculous. I mean, he had
like nineteen through careers and he excelled in everyone. And
I never ever met anybody or heard anybody say anything
critical about Lenny. I mean it's just to you know,
he was the ultimate gentleman. But he was so successful
(06:13):
in every aspect of his life. It was, you know,
it was just it was really it was an honor
to know him and to get to know him and
spend time with I used to love because we'd, you know,
when we'd be traveling to whether it was a USA
Basketball function or All Star game or something, you know,
with the NBA playoffs or something, we would end up
on the same plane so many times going from the
(06:35):
Gattle and wherever the event was Uh. I used to
just love to sit next to him and talk and hear,
you know, his impressions and where the league was at now,
where it had come from, and you know, the state
of basketball. So he was just beyond the remarkable man mark,
beyond beyond remarkable.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
You can just hear the sincerity and authenticity in your voice.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
PJ.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Carlstam on how much he meant to you. You you
just absolutely summed it up beautifully and so eloquently, and
you can feel and everybody here in Seattle can feel
the pain. I want to read you two quotes here.
The first one is from George Carl, former Sonics coach,
like yourself. He said, even when I was the coach
in Seattle, Lenny Wilkins still felt like the coach of
(07:18):
the Sonics to me. He was just a special person.
There are a few out there like him. And then
Magic Johnson said quote, I'm deeply saddened by the news
of three time Hall of Fame coach Lenny Wilkins passing.
Lenny was a champion on the court as well as
a champion in the Seattle community through his many charitable
efforts in the city. He was a man who had
the biggest heart. Lenny helped the entire Dream Team reach
(07:40):
our goal of attaining an Olympic gold medal as an
assistant coach. Lenny is a man I'm so happy I
could call a friend. My prayers go out to his wife, Marilyn,
his kids, the entire NBA, and the entire Seattle community.
Irvin Magic Johnson, that those two quotes right there and
you just said to me sums up that there's no
(08:03):
worst that can describe his greatness and basketball side, top
seventy five player of all time, top fifteen coach of
all time, and there's only less than a handful of
people that can make that claim, and one of them
was Bill Russell. But Lenny could do it. But as
a human being, I never got I was never fortunate
enough to meet him coach, But when I look at
(08:24):
him from the outside looking in, he just, to me
was the epitome of class, benevolence and professionalism and somebody
that you would want your son, your daughter, or anybody
to just be mentored by.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Is that a fair assessment, Oh.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
That's a very accurate assessment. It's such a great thing
that the city of Seattle, the statue. I mean, I
live like a couple blocks away. Anytime you go to
a game at Climate Price, don't want to call it key.
And I couldn't agree more what George said. When you
talk about Seattle, who the coach is Seattle. There's different
people that have sat in that chair, but it's it's
(09:04):
Lenny's chair. There's no question who's the coach of the
Seattle Sonets and and and that's going to go in
the future too when we get it, when we get
a team back here. I mean, it's just it's keeping
it warm, that's all it is. It's Lenny Wilkins chair.
But it's so great that they named the street. I'm
gonna say Lenny Wilkins way.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Yeah, you got it right.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
I mean when I dive over there and when you
see the statue his next to his ensued statue right there,
it's it's unbelievable. Uh, it really is. And Uh, I'll
tell you the guy who would be also great to
hear his impressions and his reflections as Kevin Collaboro, because
Kevin was the voice of Seattle basketball for so long
(09:45):
and his relationship with Lenny and uh, it's amazing. But
I mean, everybody I've talked to, not just here, everybody
I see around here every day, no question, but even
doing the games. I've got Spurs and uh Golden State
on Friday, and if you had a chance to talk
to Pope and a chance Tuck, Steve Kerr is going
(10:06):
to obviously be there. But I read Steve's quotes about
you know what it was like, and again Steve goes
back crossover. There's so many guys that cross over, no
matter where it was with Saint Louis, Hawk's with Atlanta,
with Cleveland, you know, the Knicks, all the different places
that Lenny touched during his NBA career as a player
and as a coach. But the one you said right
(10:29):
in the very beginning of our conversation, he's mister Seattle Basketball.
He's mister Seattle period. But he's also mister Seattle basketball.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
Can you take us for a second.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
We could go back twenty three years excuse me, thirty
three your boy time is flying by coach thirty three
years ago to the summer of nineteen ninety two to Barcelona, Spain,
and what was it like with you? And yeah, if
there's an anecdotal story about Michael and Charles and Larry
and Magic great, But what was it like for you
and the coach you coach? Wilkins Chuck Daily Skryzewsky was
(11:01):
Jim behind part of that too, No.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
He was, He became when Mike became the head coach
with Jim. Jim was in. Jim was right next to
Mikeshoyzewski for Mike's entire career as the head coach. Again,
what what people don't remember the makeup and only changed
a couple of years ago. Now it's three NBA coaches
in one college coach. It changed the year that Jay
(11:25):
Wright was one of the assistants and Mark Few was
the assistant this past in Paris, it was two and
two and two of the two and Mike and I
were college coaches in ninety two, and Mike, you know,
we'd had some success, but Mike certainly didn't do, you know,
all the things that he was going to go on
(11:45):
to do with Duke. So, I mean, Lenny was the
other along with Chuck NBA coach on the team. And
the respect that the other guys had for him was
you knew it. They respected him as a player, they
respected him as a coach. In the league, you know,
even though he was an opponent to most of him,
but also as a person, and it was obvious and
(12:08):
to begin, just the way they treated him, the way
they deferred to him, the way they listened to the
things he said, and you know, they were great to
you know, with us. But I mean, Chuck was always
good about given different ones of his responsibilities, Like one
of my things was to go was to watch the
other team prepared to scouting report and things like that,
which I mean, you wonder how much Chuck didn't leave
(12:32):
any stone unturned. But I mean, clearly the way those
guys respected Lenny and listened to him. And you know,
Chuck and Lenny were different because they were the NBA
coaches and they weren't just NBA coaches, they were the icons.
They had won NBA championshimps. They had this enormous respect
from Oli but you heard what Magic said, but from
(12:54):
Michael and Larry Bird and just go to write down
the line with that entire team and just the way
they treated Lenny, the way they treated Maryland. And you know, again,
the NBA is a smaller community than a lot of
people realize. There's only the thirty teams UH and back.
You know, when Lenny first started, there was there were
very few so everybody knows everybody else and there's no
(13:16):
secrets and the people that certain, you know, the players
look up to, the respect that owners have UH and
players in the league and the other coaches in the
league that that you know, Lenny and Chuck were at
the top of that ladder. There's no question about it.
And it was you know, it was it was palpable.
It was really easy to see that respect level that
(13:36):
was there, you know from those guys and when when
Lenny had something to say, you know, from an X
and O standpoint, or probably more importantly, because his impact
off the court was maybe more important, you know, to
the guys that played for him. You know, Lenny would
you know, have a word for somebody is you know,
maybe this is a more professional way to act or
(13:56):
you know, this is a better way to operate. They're
going to listen to him because because of the respect
that he had, because of the way he'd conducted himself,
you know, all throughout his career. Joe Mulaney became a
good buddy of mine, later coached at Providence and was
Lenny's coach at PC, and it was Lenny always had
this great respect for coach Mulleney, Joe coach, and I
(14:17):
was tremendously successful in college and in the NBA. But
I would love when when Joe was at Providence and
I was at uh seating all my early years in
the Big East, and Joe was still there, he would
talk about Lenny and how great a player he was
and uh. And it was funny because the scouting report
was always he's going to go left. Well he's you know,
(14:37):
he's still going left. Everybody knows he was going left,
but nobody stopped him. I think it was Spencer Haywood
had quote the other day and I thought the same
thing when I saw Lenny's statue. And I mean, he
could obviously could do things with his other hand too,
but I mean he could be he just was so
shifty and it was so clever, and that's that's how
he made a living. The scouting report was always the same,
but nobody could ever stop him. And it's funny when
(14:59):
you look at the at you because you would think
where was it. The statue would have to have him
going left, and it shows him the other way. So
it's kind of funny every time I walk by that
statue of climbing pledge.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Did you ever speaking of pg car listener here on
MJ and the Midday Sports Lady Leader ninety three three KJRFM,
did you ever look around and you're on the plane
or you're on a bus and it's you, Coach, k
Lenny Wilkins, Chuck David, the late great Chuck Daily, and
you got Michael, you have Magic and Larry and Patrick
and Clyde and David Robinson and all the and of
(15:32):
course let's not forget Christian Layner, he was there too.
Did you ever look at and just say, and you
guys were you were the beat You were bigger than
the Beatles. I mean, we listen for everybody out there
that wasn't old enough the documentaries, there's a plethora of
them out there, and you guys were bigger than the Beatles.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
Did you ever just just for a.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
Second in the moment, Coach, just say, I don't know
if we'll, if I'll ever be in a position where
there is more focus and attention to the position that
I'm in professionally for the rest of my life. And
I don't know if I'll ever be in this position
to be part of what is universally regarded as the
(16:13):
greatest team in basketball history. Did ever in that moment,
maybe in retrospect, but ever, in that moment, did you
just stop and just say, well, you know what, dream
team's bigger.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Than the Beatles, We're bigger than the Beatles.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Well, I'll say two things to that. Did I Ever?
How about almost every single time I got on a
bus or a plane or whenever we traveled, and you
put you know, whether we were the first ones on
and the last ones on, and you'd sit down and
guys would start walking in as you said, you know,
Clyde Patrick, Chris, I mean, you know, Scotty Paper, just
one after the other, Larry Bird, Karl Malone, John Stock,
(16:49):
and No, it was it was absolutely amazing every time.
I mean, unless it was a short trip and you
were looking at the report or something like that, you
couldn't help but turn it around, like turn look around
and say, damn, look at who was on this bus.
It's almost it was the greatest team of all time.
But I think to a man, we would all say
(17:10):
we didn't anticipate the impact we were going to have
when we got to Barcelona. It probably saw it a
little bit in Monte Carlo when we got there, definitely
not in We started in San Diego actually, you know,
actually in down there at UCSD, which is where my
wife went to college. But we practiced at UCSD. Then
we had to torment the Americas, which everybody forgets. We
(17:32):
had to qualify because we had not won the gold
It was different qualification in those days. But we hadn't
won the gold medal in eighty eight, so we had
to go through the Tournament of Americas in Portland. And yeah,
it was a big deal there, but you're talking NBA
cities or people that knew all these players when we
got to Monte Carlo, and to another level when we
got to Barcelona, it was it was the Beatles. It
(17:55):
was like, you're not old enough to remember, but I
remember vividly when the Beatles came over, when they first
appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and they landed in
New York. It was absolutely incredible. The security we had
when we would let go from the hotel at Barcelona.
If the arena is actually in Battalona where we played,
it's still there in Spain. The helicopters, the police cars
(18:19):
that I don't even know what you call them, like gigantic,
they looked like brains trucks, uh, you know, and and
all every time we would go under and undertast it'd
be like twenty soldiers with their rifles on them. It
was absolutely beyond belief. No nobody anticipated the impact we
were going to have internationally. And the security was incredible
(18:41):
because it was kind of there were more there was
more terrorist activity at that point. And the feeling from
NBA security and the people from the Olympics was, hey,
if you know, if you want to make an impact,
there's going to be something happened from a terrorist standpoint,
It's going to happen at like the opening ceremony or
the closing ceremony, or at a basketball game with this team,
(19:02):
you know, with the Dream Team. So the security was
beyond belief. But what it was like just traveling with
with those guys, and as you said that the quiet
would be when you get on the bus, you know,
get through all the people and before you had to
go through the you know, the metal detectors or the
police or the people that were waiting, when you were
(19:22):
just just us on the bus, the twelve players, the coaches,
you know, the doctor, the trainer and stuff. You just
look around and say, do you believe this? I mean no,
I didn't think about it once in a while. I
thought about it virtually every single time we were together.
It was just, you know, a once in a lifetime experience,
and it was so great to share it with Lenny
and with all those people.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
TG Carlossimo on the life and legacy of the late
great Lenny Wilkins in that team, that ninety two dream team,
just to say, just to name a few, the impact
it had on kids across the globe and guys who
were young, and Dirk Novinsky, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Luka,
Doncis Giannis, atten A Kompo, and the guy who I
feel right now and I don't really have to go
(20:04):
on a limb coach is the best player in the
NBA right now, Victor Wembayama for the San Antonio Spurs.
That is doing things that this game has never ever
seen and it's amazing, and coach Wilkins was a part
of that. But like you said, not only as a player,
as a coach, but really as a human being, first
ballot Hall of Fame human being, and he might be gone,
(20:26):
but he has never forgotten. He's certain, like you said,
not only is he mister Seattle basketball coach, he's mister
Seattle period.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
And that was very well said out.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Of the city. There's no question about that, no question
about it.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
Yeah, yep, before I let you go and we have
to just I got to do this, and I get
to ask this all the time, Coach, when are they
coming back?
Speaker 2 (20:49):
We're coming back, for sure, Mark, But if you'd asked
me five years ago, I would have guaranteed it would
have happened by not what he guaranteed us. So it's
going to happen by now. There's been a little bit
to pushback, and I'm actually surprised, and I don't know
this for a fact, but I suspect that there were
some owners that maybe kind of like it. We're thirty teams,
not thirty two, and when you you know, start dividing
(21:12):
up as lucrative as the contracts are and whatever. I
think there was there there's been a little bit of pushback.
I don't think it's going to stop it. I think
it's inevitable. I think we will expand because it makes
sense to expand from a playing standpoint and also from
a financial standpoint, and I think Adam will get it done.
(21:32):
It's probably going to be two teams. I would bet
you know, almost anything, it's going to be Seattle in
Las Vegas. But until it's until it's done, you know,
we're all waiting impatiently, nobody more than the people here
in this city because it's just it's you know, it's
such a how we lost the team in the first
place was basically an embarrassment. But everybody in the league
(21:56):
realizes this, and they know they know Seattle, it was
a great franchise, deserves to have the franchise back here
in Seattle. And I do believe it's going to happen
sooner than later. But I will say for sure it's
changed in the last year and a half two years.
The climate was there for expansion and it seemed like
it was going to be inevitable, and he did like
(22:18):
the next governor Board of Governors meeting, there was going
to be an announcement. It's gotten that there's a little
bit of negotiating, if you will now, or a little
bit of convincing going on. But I still am very
confident that I know Adam is totally committed to it.
Adam Silver the our commissioner, and I think it's going
to happen, and I think when it happens, it's going
to happen here. And see, you know, Seattle is going
(22:40):
to be one of the two teams. But the timetable
is not what I thought it was going to be
a couple of years ago.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
No, I know, And it's just such.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
I watched a documentary last week Who Killed the Montreal expos?
And when I watched that documentary, it just hit home
like Sonic Gate. It just hit home, just like Sonicsgate.
And I'm said, they through what everybody here went through,
and it's too bad. But a coach, I really appreciate
you making the time to come on and talk about
the life and the career and the legacy of the
(23:11):
late great Lenny Wilkins and what he means, what he
meant and what he will always mean to Seattle. And
you know, one day when the Sonics are back, it
will And I just want to throw this out there too.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
I brought this up on the air.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
You're gonna rub across a lot of more important decision makers.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
In the NBA than me.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
I hope, and I don't know if it's if it's
in the process of being done. I believe that every
player on every team there should be a patch that
says lw the rest of the season.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
I would I would not be surprised. I haven't heard
of anything yet. I'm sure I'll hear a lot more
going to the you know, watching they actually played. It's
funny they play back to back. Golden State is at
San Antonio Wednesday and then also on Friday, so I
get my update on what's going on in the league.
There's going to be an awful lot of conversations about
(24:02):
Lenny for sure in San Antonio this weekend.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
All right, coach, we appreciate safe travels and enjoy and
say hello to the best player in the world right now,
Victor Wembayama and boy A Mile.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
If you watched them last night, if you watched that
game last night, you couldn't help but be blown away
by his ability. It was absolutely incredible.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
I'm blown away every time I just see him period,
and he just with the things that he does is.
Speaker 2 (24:27):
Chicago last night, particularly in the fourth quarter, So I'm
really looking forward to seeing him and hopefully Steph and
you know all the great players on those two teams.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
All right, PJ.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
Carlismo Seattle's finest and Seattle's own forever and thankfully missus
Carlossmo said, we're not going anywhere.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
All right.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
There, he is the great PJ. Carlissimo here on MJ
in the midday. Uh, we appreciate his time and to
talk about it. Hey, you can't talk to him without
asking that question, right, I mean, I believe it's going
to happen to It's not a matter of if, it
is a matter of when. But when is the operative question.
I believe Chris Daniels will be the one to break
that story when it does happen. Whenever, that is What
(25:11):
do you say?
Speaker 3 (25:11):
Text of the day? Brought to you A boor said, next,
all right, it's gonna be a quick what do you say?
Speaker 4 (25:18):
Text of the day?
Speaker 3 (25:20):
Kid?
Speaker 4 (25:22):
Is it too early to put my Christmas tree up?
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (25:25):
Yeah, I'm with you on that one, MJ. The nice
thing about the NFL, it's all about results. It doesn't
matter what people's opinions are. If you just get in
the playoffs and win, it makes no difference. College football
on the other hand, where rankings are driven by opinions
is where it would matter what somebody thinks of your team.
Preseason rankings can destroy a college program before it even starts.
The NFL is just when, baby, you are correct on
(25:47):
that one.
Speaker 5 (25:49):
Is Diehard a Christmas movie. I've heard that is a
hot dog as sandwich. No, that's your answer.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
Miami fans are right up there that he couldn't sell
out champion games.
Speaker 3 (26:00):
Yeah, you're not wrong, You're not wrong.
Speaker 5 (26:03):
I hope they announce the Stnachs are coming back, or
just say never, because at this point I'm tired of
hearing about it, and now I don't really care anymore.
Speaker 3 (26:12):
I feel the same way. We are so much better
with a chip on our shoulder.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
Ask the Legion of Boom in twenty thirteen, and what
he's referring to is me saying that everybody this week,
you name it, are saying the Seahawks are the best
team in the NFL. And it's it's a little it's
a little concerning right now. I don't like when all
that love is there, it's it's a it seems like
a recipe for failure, or like a setup for failure.
(26:35):
With the biggest game of the season, maybe the biggest
game of the NFL season on Sunday against the Rams.
Speaker 4 (26:42):
All this talk about Jetfish.
Speaker 5 (26:44):
Hmm, he's not that great good coach, but if he leaves,
it's all good, good riddance.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
Why a take a page out of the PNW resident playbook.
Don't give us all the credit, ever, don't let outsiders
know how good it is here, whether overall temperature, first rules,
leaving in Seattle, never brag about the good all right.
Speaker 5 (27:05):
Last one for me, donuts, corn dogs, French fries, my
friend deep fried and all of it.
Speaker 4 (27:11):
And Turkey's badass as well.
Speaker 3 (27:13):
Ah.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
Let's see, Rams have owned the Hawks, going back to
horrible Jeff Fisher teams until the Hawks prove they can win.
I bet the Rams, well there's that. Yeah, I know,
hopefully you're wrong. Hopefully you're wrong on that. Somebody on
Twitter invited me. I'm about to tweet this he's saying.
I mean he even did a video kid of like
(27:37):
the thing, you know, with the fire, and I'm like, dude,
you don't be careful. Don't be surprised if I show
up at your door on Thanksgiving and eating some of
this fried turkey, deep fried turkey. And by the way,
let me just say this to everybody out there, smoke
turkey is nowhere near deep fried turkey. If you've never
had deep fried turkey, like someone said to me, you've
(27:59):
never gone to a college basketball game until you've seen
North Carolina versus Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium or at
the Dean Dome. I've been to both, and I can
vouch for that they're correct. If you've never had deep
prived turkey, you've never had turkey period. All right, that's
the what you say Texaday brought to you at Bors said,
Bores said, committed to craft since nineteen oh five.
Speaker 4 (28:19):
Kid in it.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
The mayor on cross Talk.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
I got to hit a doctor's appointment here and it's
gonna take a little time, so I appreciate you guys
closing out. Thanks to PJ. Carlossimo and Hugh Millan. We
will see you tomorrow. Mike Dugar will join us and
hopefully Hugh Millan as well tomorrow.
Speaker 4 (28:39):
Welcome back to MJ in the midday.
Speaker 5 (28:41):
M day to take off, but doesn't matter because the
one and only Mayor Ian Vanessa is in the building
and what is going on this afternoon.
Speaker 3 (28:49):
What's ups, Chris Craft, Chris Kid? I have Chris Crawford
on my mind, and only because I got Joe Shechian
coming up. Yep, and we're gonna go through what Joe
Shean's postseason awards will be for baseball. And I don't
think Chris Crawford will be happy with his buddy Joe him,
but we'll get to that a little. How are you met?
Speaker 4 (29:05):
I'm doing good.
Speaker 3 (29:05):
I'm gonna break my rule.
Speaker 4 (29:07):
Ill talking a little S word S S. What's that
Sonic or NBA?
Speaker 3 (29:13):
Well, yeah, yeah, I refuse to talk, I said, I
refuse to talk unless something warrants it.
Speaker 4 (29:18):
Okay, what you got?
Speaker 3 (29:20):
You got to tell me about this product going on
the floor right now? Okay, I can deal with watching
Lebron travel all the time and all that because whatever,
it's just NBA.
Speaker 4 (29:27):
He hasn't even played a month. I'm enjoying it. The
Lakers are eight and three.
Speaker 3 (29:30):
I know, how in the world can a professional basketball
player miss thirty one shots in a game?
Speaker 4 (29:40):
That was impressive?
Speaker 3 (29:43):
Cunningham, Kate Cunningham was impressive.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
He was.
Speaker 3 (29:47):
Fourteen of forty five. Yes, okay, So there's two things.
One he took forty five field goal attempts two he
missed thirty one of them. Three. Oh man, people are
giving him credit for having a double double.
Speaker 4 (30:02):
Yeah that was I saw that and I was perplexed.
But Kobe will be proud.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
You know, Kobe never missed thirty one, did uh.
Speaker 4 (30:11):
I don't think he missed thirty one.
Speaker 5 (30:13):
I don't think he missed thirty one. But if he did,
there was a game where he was like six of
like twenty eight. It was just his worst night.
Speaker 3 (30:20):
Yeah, but he was like, but he didn't take forty five.
Speaker 4 (30:22):
No, no, no, no, no, he did not.
Speaker 5 (30:24):
Kate Cunningham flexed. He just kept shooting. He was not
gonna stop. I mean that was really bad.
Speaker 3 (30:31):
Okay, hang on, I gotta see how many Okay, so
Wazoo last night. I know it's a shorter game playing
Saint Thomas. The two teams each shot. Saint Thomas shot fifty,
had fifty three field goal attemps. Wazoo had fifty four.
This dude shot forty five, had forty five field goal attempts.
I can't, I can't watch man, I can't. That made me.
(30:52):
It reiterated me. It reiterated my decision to refuse to
talk for a while, but now I am talking because
that's just that's unheard of Barras. That is embarrassing.
Speaker 4 (31:01):
It's not a good look for the league.
Speaker 3 (31:03):
And then when they give him credit for getting it done, Hey,
he's got nine double doubles this year in clearly last night, I.
Speaker 5 (31:08):
Mean, if that's the case, Russell Westbrook was amazing because
he's had a couple of games, not as he didn't
take as many shots. But it's like a russ Man.
You're you're you're zero for nine. At what point do
you just keep passing it but you shooting it?
Speaker 2 (31:20):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (31:21):
Uh, how's how's the pod going with?
Speaker 2 (31:24):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (31:24):
Michael Sean Dugar, would you guys talk? You're talking about
the center position now, which and all of a sudden
issue for the Seahawks.
Speaker 5 (31:29):
We did get a few questions about Sundale's injury, up
his injury and if Timmy can can do well, but
Mike talked about how Olu has always been fine. He's
been a fine player. He won an award as one
of the best centers in college football.
Speaker 3 (31:44):
Yeah, he was the best. He was the best.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
He was.
Speaker 5 (31:47):
Okay, mission he's done it. But it's just inconsistency, and
then he kind of fell out of it.
Speaker 3 (31:52):
I don't know why. You know, it's funny. I saw
McDonald's comments yesterday were just raving about Olu and at
the same time thinking, well, that's great except for you
guys just like did nothing but crap on this guy
since he's been here.
Speaker 5 (32:05):
Like, brought in a guy mid season what's his name
that retired also mid yea, yeah, well they brought him
the start of the season. The season, Yeah, Williams was Evan.
Speaker 4 (32:14):
I see his face.
Speaker 3 (32:15):
Well, I got Evan Brown on my mind. Was so
bad it's unbelievable. But yeah, like when Olu played his
rookie year, he played the one game I think it
was against the Giants, right because I remember I was
still doing the stuff. Then I interviewed him after the game.
They played well. And then last year we kind of think, okay,
he's gonna be the guy. And you remember he was
battling with the former Husky Nick Harris, who was just
(32:36):
it was obvious that guy who was like five foot
two wasn't going to be the dude. And then they
bring bring in Williamson. Last year, he retires and Olu
played well. The final was at eight games. The year
played well. In fact, the offensive line played better. That's
when because Abe came back for the final seven. I
think it was and Olu played the final eight and
they played better as an offensive line. You go into
(32:57):
training camp this year, I'm like, this, dude's good.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
Now.
Speaker 3 (32:59):
In fairness, this year he got hurt. He had a
back injury, so memory he missed some time in training camp,
and so Sondell. They slided Sundell in there, and Sundale
took Ahold of the job and they just like the
consistency and fine, Yeah, I don't think they lose anything.
I'm almost thinking I wonder I'll have jask co sell
because it will get him Friday. I almost wonder in
his sense, if they're not better with Oldlewitt center and
(33:22):
him throw this at you, old Hewitt center. And at
some point do you move Sundell if he comes back healthy,
back to guard where he's played before.
Speaker 5 (33:29):
That's a possibility, although as he saw at the press conference,
Mike McDonald talked about Bradford and how he's looking better.
Speaker 4 (33:35):
That's back to back games. As Ian looks at the
sty you know, I think the.
Speaker 3 (33:40):
Run blocking part of it, I think is okay. I
lean on my kid for that watching it, and it's
just he and he'll it's knows that it's run blocking
is okay. It's the pass blocking it's just atrocious.
Speaker 5 (33:50):
Sometimes you see him and Matt affects Abe like that
effects the whole line. Yeah, and now you're trying to
figure out, hey, do we trust Bradford here? Do to
slide and help him? But that exposes to your point,
maybe Abe trying to do his part on whoever the
end is or a blitzer or whatever the case may be.
So yeah, it's important for Bradford to keep playing well
(34:11):
and try to minimize those question marks during the game
where people are like, hey, buddy, what do you what
are you doing right?
Speaker 3 (34:16):
I mean, because they still can't run the ball very well.
But I think, you know, the the thing with it
that's maybe really crazy is the fact they haven't they
started the same five guys all year till now. Yeah,
that just doesn't happen. I mean every year. It feels
like by now we've seen like you know, eight, nine,
ten different line combinations. You saw last night in the
worst Monday night game anybody could ever watch. What between
(34:37):
two good teams. Not that wasn't That wasn't the Jets
and the Raiders and the Raiders, No, it was that
was actually too. But you saw they both teams lost
key offensive lineman. Packers lost too at one point, and
Lane Johnson left for the Eagles, and then somehow came
back for some reason. But that was wild.
Speaker 4 (34:54):
Who else you got coming up?
Speaker 3 (34:55):
You said, she and Joe she Ha's coming up one
twenty today, just kind of we want to put up
We haven't actually put a bow on the baseball season,
so we're gonna do that with Joe one. And then
our weekly visit with John Lund all things NFL football
and n F Yeah, we'll talk to him about it well,
and good thing is watching what the Rams are all about.
We'll talk a lot about Rams and Seahawks with him.
Coming up at two o'clock today, there.
Speaker 5 (35:16):
Is the Cracking Ticket Tuesday here, Yes, Cracking Ticket Tuesday,
Anderson will be in charge of that.
Speaker 4 (35:21):
All right, listen up. Iverns coming up next
The greatest basketball team of all time, along with Lenny Wilkins.
When you heard the news, Coach that came down on Sunday,
what was your initial reaction.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Well, Mark, probably devastated. The last time I had seen
Lenny look good, you know, obviously getting old, there was
no question he had you know, had a great life,
but looked good. And I had no idea the seriousness
of it, and never thought that, you know, I wouldn't
get a chance to see him again. He's just remarkable
(00:33):
man on so many different levels. That's the thing that's
just astounding. I mean, he can talk. We went way back.
We got much closer obviously the summer in ninety two,
which was you know, the most probably the most enjoyable
some were certainly the most meaningful experience ever had with
the Dream Team and working along with Lenny and Mike
(00:55):
Kane and Chuck Daily. But known him for so long,
I mean, going going way back. You know, as you said,
everybody likens him, everybody, most of the country likings in
the Seattle, the people back east where you know I
grew up. He's boys High school, He's Brooklyn, Yeah, you know,
he went to went to school there. Uh, and then
(01:16):
went to Providence College. Obviously not before before the Big East,
but I mean the you know, first player I believe
to have his jersey retired at PC, and just an
absolute legend what he did in college, and I mean,
you know that's that's kind of like one segment then
as a player, one of the best players in the
(01:37):
history of the NBA and for multiple franchises, and you
could just stop there and say, no, remarkable Hall of
Fame career, what he did in college, what he did
as a player in the NBA, and he wasn't even
getting started. Uh, he was one of the last. I
think David Collins is the only one since then who's
been a player coach. Russ of course was one of ironically,
(01:58):
the two of them lived here not mark from each
other for so long, Bill Russell and Lenny Wilkins. But
Lenny was one of the last player coaches won the
championship here, which you talked about, but was had a
career as a coach that was worthy and was one
of the reasons he was inducted in the Hall of Fame.
That's another career that he had. Forget that, you know,
(02:20):
for a while it was player coach and then that's
his NBA career. And then you know, beyond that, you
talk about what he did with USA basketball, not just
the two teams that he was, you know, a major
part of an assistant Chuck Dally's assistant in ninety two,
and then in ninety six himself the head coach of
(02:41):
the United States, then the national team, the Olympic team
won another gold medal in Atlanta. So I mean, what
he did USA basketball was a whole nother segment of
his career. When he was a coach in the NBA
for many many years, I'm gonna say twenty or more,
he was the president of the Coaches Association, and he
was instrumental back in those days, and when I first
(03:03):
came into the league, he was the longtime president of
the Coaches Association, with Carlisle succeeded him eventually, but Lenny
was was the one that put the groundwork together to
get the coaches. You know, right now everybody looks at
it as well, of course, you know, everybody has that.
You didn't have that in those days, and Lenny was
the one who put it together with working with the
(03:25):
league and with the NBA Coaches Association, the pension plan
and the retirement plans, and you know, he fought for
all of those things and was successful in getting all
those things done, you know, together with the league and
on behalf of the coaches. And he was a great
mentor to anybody that you know when you came into
the league. And I knew him first when I was
(03:45):
still coaching in college and he was an NBA coach.
But he was somebody who always wanted to talk and
talk to and and learn from. And then if you
listen to his players, you know, and so many of
them still live here. But I mean the two that
you know, John, I'm p out of me right, n
A Jack sick Man or you know, Wally Walker was
a young guy in that team when he came over
(04:05):
from Portland. The respect they had for Lenny. He was
always a he's a gentleman. He was such a quiet,
well mannered, soft spoken man. But there was another side
to him, and he could control. He got his teams
to play the way that he wanted them to play,
to play hard. He didn't browbeat his guys to play.
You know. He was you know, one of the early
(04:27):
guys that was you know, said he's a players coach
because guys wanted to play for him, the respect they
had for him as a former player, but the way
he handled them, the way he got them to play hard.
And when you when you hear the guys, particularly from
the championship team, talk about the difference when Lenny came here.
People forget how unsuccessful the team had been before he
(04:48):
got here, and then they had a great year his
first year, and then the second year they win the championship,
and so much of it was there's those guys wanting
to play for him and understand and you know, the
things he could tell them and how he could help
them to be a player. And he had, you know,
obviously an incredible knowledge because he knew what it was
like to play and to be successful in the league.
And they, you know, they loved him for that. And
(05:10):
then what you talked about, I mean, he's mister Seattle Basketball.
There's no question about that. He represented this city for
so long. And you know, whether it was broadcasting, whether
it was coaching, whether it was playing, whether it was
all the charitable things he did here in town. You know,
I mean playing his golf when he had the golf
(05:30):
tournament for a desk I mean, he just did so
much and he was such a great family man. It
was it was really great that summer in ninety two
spending time with him in Maryland and the family and
Randy of course, and coached in the league for a
while getting to know him. So, I mean, it's just
there's so many levels you can talk about the man
and what he meant, you know, as a family guy,
(05:53):
as a person, as a player, as a coach, as
a charitable I mean, it's ridiculous. I mean, he had
like nineteen through careers and he excelled in everyone. And
I never ever met anybody or heard anybody say anything
critical about Lenny. I mean it's just to you know,
he was the ultimate gentleman. But he was so successful
(06:13):
in every aspect of his life. It was, you know,
it was just it was really it was an honor
to know him and to get to know him and
spend time with I used to love because we'd, you know,
when we'd be traveling to whether it was a USA
Basketball function or All Star game or something, you know,
with the NBA playoffs or something, we would end up
on the same plane so many times going from the
(06:35):
Gattle and wherever the event was Uh. I used to
just love to sit next to him and talk and hear,
you know, his impressions and where the league was at now,
where it had come from, and you know, the state
of basketball. So he was just beyond the remarkable man mark,
beyond beyond remarkable.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
You can just hear the sincerity and authenticity in your voice.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
PJ.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Carlstam on how much he meant to you. You you
just absolutely summed it up beautifully and so eloquently, and
you can feel and everybody here in Seattle can feel
the pain. I want to read you two quotes here.
The first one is from George Carl, former Sonics coach,
like yourself. He said, even when I was the coach
in Seattle, Lenny Wilkins still felt like the coach of
(07:18):
the Sonics to me. He was just a special person.
There are a few out there like him. And then
Magic Johnson said quote, I'm deeply saddened by the news
of three time Hall of Fame coach Lenny Wilkins passing.
Lenny was a champion on the court as well as
a champion in the Seattle community through his many charitable
efforts in the city. He was a man who had
the biggest heart. Lenny helped the entire Dream Team reach
(07:40):
our goal of attaining an Olympic gold medal as an
assistant coach. Lenny is a man I'm so happy I
could call a friend. My prayers go out to his wife, Marilyn,
his kids, the entire NBA, and the entire Seattle community.
Irvin Magic Johnson, that those two quotes right there and
you just said to me sums up that there's no
(08:03):
worst that can describe his greatness and basketball side, top
seventy five player of all time, top fifteen coach of
all time, and there's only less than a handful of
people that can make that claim, and one of them
was Bill Russell. But Lenny could do it. But as
a human being, I never got I was never fortunate
enough to meet him coach, But when I look at
(08:24):
him from the outside looking in, he just, to me
was the epitome of class, benevolence and professionalism and somebody
that you would want your son, your daughter, or anybody
to just be mentored by.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Is that a fair assessment, Oh.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
That's a very accurate assessment. It's such a great thing
that the city of Seattle, the statue. I mean, I
live like a couple blocks away. Anytime you go to
a game at Climate Price, don't want to call it key.
And I couldn't agree more what George said. When you
talk about Seattle, who the coach is Seattle. There's different
people that have sat in that chair, but it's it's
(09:04):
Lenny's chair. There's no question who's the coach of the
Seattle Sonets and and and that's going to go in
the future too when we get it, when we get
a team back here. I mean, it's just it's keeping
it warm, that's all it is. It's Lenny Wilkins chair.
But it's so great that they named the street. I'm
gonna say Lenny Wilkins way.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Yeah, you got it right.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
I mean when I dive over there and when you
see the statue his next to his ensued statue right there,
it's it's unbelievable. Uh, it really is. And Uh, I'll
tell you the guy who would be also great to
hear his impressions and his reflections as Kevin Collaboro, because
Kevin was the voice of Seattle basketball for so long
(09:45):
and his relationship with Lenny and uh, it's amazing. But
I mean, everybody I've talked to, not just here, everybody
I see around here every day, no question, but even
doing the games. I've got Spurs and uh Golden State
on Friday, and if you had a chance to talk
to Pope and a chance Tuck, Steve Kerr is going
(10:06):
to obviously be there. But I read Steve's quotes about
you know what it was like, and again Steve goes
back crossover. There's so many guys that cross over, no
matter where it was with Saint Louis, Hawk's with Atlanta,
with Cleveland, you know, the Knicks, all the different places
that Lenny touched during his NBA career as a player
and as a coach. But the one you said right
(10:29):
in the very beginning of our conversation, he's mister Seattle Basketball.
He's mister Seattle period. But he's also mister Seattle basketball.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
Can you take us for a second.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
We could go back twenty three years excuse me, thirty
three your boy time is flying by coach thirty three
years ago to the summer of nineteen ninety two to Barcelona, Spain,
and what was it like with you? And yeah, if
there's an anecdotal story about Michael and Charles and Larry
and Magic great, But what was it like for you
and the coach you coach? Wilkins Chuck Daily Skryzewsky was
(11:01):
Jim behind part of that too, No.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
He was, He became when Mike became the head coach
with Jim. Jim was in. Jim was right next to
Mikeshoyzewski for Mike's entire career as the head coach. Again,
what what people don't remember the makeup and only changed
a couple of years ago. Now it's three NBA coaches
in one college coach. It changed the year that Jay
(11:25):
Wright was one of the assistants and Mark Few was
the assistant this past in Paris, it was two and
two and two of the two and Mike and I
were college coaches in ninety two, and Mike, you know,
we'd had some success, but Mike certainly didn't do, you know,
all the things that he was going to go on
(11:45):
to do with Duke. So, I mean, Lenny was the
other along with Chuck NBA coach on the team. And
the respect that the other guys had for him was
you knew it. They respected him as a player, they
respected him as a coach. In the league, you know,
even though he was an opponent to most of him,
but also as a person, and it was obvious and
(12:08):
to begin, just the way they treated him, the way
they deferred to him, the way they listened to the
things he said, and you know, they were great to
you know, with us. But I mean, Chuck was always
good about given different ones of his responsibilities, Like one
of my things was to go was to watch the
other team prepared to scouting report and things like that,
which I mean, you wonder how much Chuck didn't leave
(12:32):
any stone unturned. But I mean, clearly the way those
guys respected Lenny and listened to him. And you know,
Chuck and Lenny were different because they were the NBA
coaches and they weren't just NBA coaches, they were the icons.
They had won NBA championshimps. They had this enormous respect
from Oli but you heard what Magic said, but from
(12:54):
Michael and Larry Bird and just go to write down
the line with that entire team and just the way
they treated Lenny, the way they treated Maryland. And you know, again,
the NBA is a smaller community than a lot of
people realize. There's only the thirty teams UH and back.
You know, when Lenny first started, there was there were
very few so everybody knows everybody else and there's no
(13:16):
secrets and the people that certain, you know, the players
look up to, the respect that owners have UH and
players in the league and the other coaches in the
league that that you know, Lenny and Chuck were at
the top of that ladder. There's no question about it.
And it was you know, it was it was palpable.
It was really easy to see that respect level that
(13:36):
was there, you know from those guys and when when
Lenny had something to say, you know, from an X
and O standpoint, or probably more importantly, because his impact
off the court was maybe more important, you know, to
the guys that played for him. You know, Lenny would
you know, have a word for somebody is you know,
maybe this is a more professional way to act or
(13:56):
you know, this is a better way to operate. They're
going to listen to him because because of the respect
that he had, because of the way he'd conducted himself,
you know, all throughout his career. Joe Mulaney became a
good buddy of mine, later coached at Providence and was
Lenny's coach at PC, and it was Lenny always had
this great respect for coach Mulleney, Joe coach, and I
(14:17):
was tremendously successful in college and in the NBA. But
I would love when when Joe was at Providence and
I was at uh seating all my early years in
the Big East, and Joe was still there, he would
talk about Lenny and how great a player he was
and uh. And it was funny because the scouting report
was always he's going to go left. Well he's you know,
(14:37):
he's still going left. Everybody knows he was going left,
but nobody stopped him. I think it was Spencer Haywood
had quote the other day and I thought the same
thing when I saw Lenny's statue. And I mean, he
could obviously could do things with his other hand too,
but I mean he could be he just was so
shifty and it was so clever, and that's that's how
he made a living. The scouting report was always the same,
but nobody could ever stop him. And it's funny when
(14:59):
you look at the at you because you would think
where was it. The statue would have to have him
going left, and it shows him the other way. So
it's kind of funny every time I walk by that
statue of climbing pledge.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Did you ever speaking of pg car listener here on
MJ and the Midday Sports Lady Leader ninety three three KJRFM,
did you ever look around and you're on the plane
or you're on a bus and it's you, Coach, k
Lenny Wilkins, Chuck David, the late great Chuck Daily, and
you got Michael, you have Magic and Larry and Patrick
and Clyde and David Robinson and all the and of
(15:32):
course let's not forget Christian Layner, he was there too.
Did you ever look at and just say, and you
guys were you were the beat You were bigger than
the Beatles. I mean, we listen for everybody out there
that wasn't old enough the documentaries, there's a plethora of
them out there, and you guys were bigger than the Beatles.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
Did you ever just just for a.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
Second in the moment, Coach, just say, I don't know
if we'll, if I'll ever be in a position where
there is more focus and attention to the position that
I'm in professionally for the rest of my life. And
I don't know if I'll ever be in this position
to be part of what is universally regarded as the
(16:13):
greatest team in basketball history. Did ever in that moment,
maybe in retrospect, but ever, in that moment, did you
just stop and just say, well, you know what, dream
team's bigger.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Than the Beatles, We're bigger than the Beatles.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Well, I'll say two things to that. Did I Ever?
How about almost every single time I got on a
bus or a plane or whenever we traveled, and you
put you know, whether we were the first ones on
and the last ones on, and you'd sit down and
guys would start walking in as you said, you know,
Clyde Patrick, Chris, I mean, you know, Scotty Paper, just
one after the other, Larry Bird, Karl Malone, John Stock,
(16:49):
and No, it was it was absolutely amazing every time.
I mean, unless it was a short trip and you
were looking at the report or something like that, you
couldn't help but turn it around, like turn look around
and say, damn, look at who was on this bus.
It's almost it was the greatest team of all time.
But I think to a man, we would all say
(17:10):
we didn't anticipate the impact we were going to have
when we got to Barcelona. It probably saw it a
little bit in Monte Carlo when we got there, definitely
not in We started in San Diego actually, you know,
actually in down there at UCSD, which is where my
wife went to college. But we practiced at UCSD. Then
we had to torment the Americas, which everybody forgets. We
(17:32):
had to qualify because we had not won the gold
It was different qualification in those days. But we hadn't
won the gold medal in eighty eight, so we had
to go through the Tournament of Americas in Portland. And yeah,
it was a big deal there, but you're talking NBA
cities or people that knew all these players when we
got to Monte Carlo, and to another level when we
got to Barcelona, it was it was the Beatles. It
(17:55):
was like, you're not old enough to remember, but I
remember vividly when the Beatles came over, when they first
appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and they landed in
New York. It was absolutely incredible. The security we had
when we would let go from the hotel at Barcelona.
If the arena is actually in Battalona where we played,
it's still there in Spain. The helicopters, the police cars
(18:19):
that I don't even know what you call them, like gigantic,
they looked like brains trucks, uh, you know, and and
all every time we would go under and undertast it'd
be like twenty soldiers with their rifles on them. It
was absolutely beyond belief. No nobody anticipated the impact we
were going to have internationally. And the security was incredible
(18:41):
because it was kind of there were more there was
more terrorist activity at that point. And the feeling from
NBA security and the people from the Olympics was, hey,
if you know, if you want to make an impact,
there's going to be something happened from a terrorist standpoint,
It's going to happen at like the opening ceremony or
the closing ceremony, or at a basketball game with this team,
(19:02):
you know, with the Dream Team. So the security was
beyond belief. But what it was like just traveling with
with those guys, and as you said that the quiet
would be when you get on the bus, you know,
get through all the people and before you had to
go through the you know, the metal detectors or the
police or the people that were waiting, when you were
(19:22):
just just us on the bus, the twelve players, the coaches,
you know, the doctor, the trainer and stuff. You just
look around and say, do you believe this? I mean no,
I didn't think about it once in a while. I
thought about it virtually every single time we were together.
It was just, you know, a once in a lifetime experience,
and it was so great to share it with Lenny
and with all those people.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
TG Carlossimo on the life and legacy of the late
great Lenny Wilkins in that team, that ninety two dream team,
just to say, just to name a few, the impact
it had on kids across the globe and guys who
were young, and Dirk Novinsky, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Luka,
Doncis Giannis, atten A Kompo, and the guy who I
feel right now and I don't really have to go
(20:04):
on a limb coach is the best player in the
NBA right now, Victor Wembayama for the San Antonio Spurs.
That is doing things that this game has never ever
seen and it's amazing, and coach Wilkins was a part
of that. But like you said, not only as a player,
as a coach, but really as a human being, first
ballot Hall of Fame human being, and he might be gone,
(20:26):
but he has never forgotten. He's certain, like you said,
not only is he mister Seattle basketball coach, he's mister
Seattle period.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
And that was very well said out.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Of the city. There's no question about that, no question
about it.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
Yeah, yep, before I let you go and we have
to just I got to do this, and I get
to ask this all the time, Coach, when are they
coming back?
Speaker 2 (20:49):
We're coming back, for sure, Mark, But if you'd asked
me five years ago, I would have guaranteed it would
have happened by not what he guaranteed us. So it's
going to happen by now. There's been a little bit
to pushback, and I'm actually surprised, and I don't know
this for a fact, but I suspect that there were
some owners that maybe kind of like it. We're thirty teams,
not thirty two, and when you you know, start dividing
(21:12):
up as lucrative as the contracts are and whatever. I
think there was there there's been a little bit of pushback.
I don't think it's going to stop it. I think
it's inevitable. I think we will expand because it makes
sense to expand from a playing standpoint and also from
a financial standpoint, and I think Adam will get it done.
(21:32):
It's probably going to be two teams. I would bet
you know, almost anything, it's going to be Seattle in
Las Vegas. But until it's until it's done, you know,
we're all waiting impatiently, nobody more than the people here
in this city because it's just it's you know, it's
such a how we lost the team in the first
place was basically an embarrassment. But everybody in the league
(21:56):
realizes this, and they know they know Seattle, it was
a great franchise, deserves to have the franchise back here
in Seattle. And I do believe it's going to happen
sooner than later. But I will say for sure it's
changed in the last year and a half two years.
The climate was there for expansion and it seemed like
it was going to be inevitable, and he did like
(22:18):
the next governor Board of Governors meeting, there was going
to be an announcement. It's gotten that there's a little
bit of negotiating, if you will now, or a little
bit of convincing going on. But I still am very
confident that I know Adam is totally committed to it.
Adam Silver the our commissioner, and I think it's going
to happen, and I think when it happens, it's going
to happen here. And see, you know, Seattle is going
(22:40):
to be one of the two teams. But the timetable
is not what I thought it was going to be
a couple of years ago.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
No, I know, And it's just such.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
I watched a documentary last week Who Killed the Montreal expos?
And when I watched that documentary, it just hit home
like Sonic Gate. It just hit home, just like Sonicsgate.
And I'm said, they through what everybody here went through,
and it's too bad. But a coach, I really appreciate
you making the time to come on and talk about
the life and the career and the legacy of the
(23:11):
late great Lenny Wilkins and what he means, what he
meant and what he will always mean to Seattle. And
you know, one day when the Sonics are back, it
will And I just want to throw this out there too.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
I brought this up on the air.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
You're gonna rub across a lot of more important decision makers.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
In the NBA than me.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
I hope, and I don't know if it's if it's
in the process of being done. I believe that every
player on every team there should be a patch that
says lw the rest of the season.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
I would I would not be surprised. I haven't heard
of anything yet. I'm sure I'll hear a lot more
going to the you know, watching they actually played. It's
funny they play back to back. Golden State is at
San Antonio Wednesday and then also on Friday, so I
get my update on what's going on in the league.
There's going to be an awful lot of conversations about
(24:02):
Lenny for sure in San Antonio this weekend.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
All right, coach, we appreciate safe travels and enjoy and
say hello to the best player in the world right now,
Victor Wembayama and boy A Mile.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
If you watched them last night, if you watched that
game last night, you couldn't help but be blown away
by his ability. It was absolutely incredible.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
I'm blown away every time I just see him period,
and he just with the things that he does is.
Speaker 2 (24:27):
Chicago last night, particularly in the fourth quarter, So I'm
really looking forward to seeing him and hopefully Steph and
you know all the great players on those two teams.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
All right, PJ.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
Carlismo Seattle's finest and Seattle's own forever and thankfully missus
Carlossmo said, we're not going anywhere.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
All right.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
There, he is the great PJ. Carlissimo here on MJ
in the midday. Uh, we appreciate his time and to
talk about it. Hey, you can't talk to him without
asking that question, right, I mean, I believe it's going
to happen to It's not a matter of if, it
is a matter of when. But when is the operative question.
I believe Chris Daniels will be the one to break
that story when it does happen. Whenever, that is What
(25:11):
do you say?
Speaker 3 (25:11):
Text of the day? Brought to you A boor said, next,
all right, it's gonna be a quick what do you say?
Speaker 4 (25:18):
Text of the day?
Speaker 3 (25:20):
Kid?
Speaker 4 (25:22):
Is it too early to put my Christmas tree up?
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (25:25):
Yeah, I'm with you on that one, MJ. The nice
thing about the NFL, it's all about results. It doesn't
matter what people's opinions are. If you just get in
the playoffs and win, it makes no difference. College football
on the other hand, where rankings are driven by opinions
is where it would matter what somebody thinks of your team.
Preseason rankings can destroy a college program before it even starts.
The NFL is just when, baby, you are correct on
(25:47):
that one.
Speaker 5 (25:49):
Is Diehard a Christmas movie. I've heard that is a
hot dog as sandwich. No, that's your answer.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
Miami fans are right up there that he couldn't sell
out champion games.
Speaker 3 (26:00):
Yeah, you're not wrong, You're not wrong.
Speaker 5 (26:03):
I hope they announce the Stnachs are coming back, or
just say never, because at this point I'm tired of
hearing about it, and now I don't really care anymore.
Speaker 3 (26:12):
I feel the same way. We are so much better
with a chip on our shoulder.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
Ask the Legion of Boom in twenty thirteen, and what
he's referring to is me saying that everybody this week,
you name it, are saying the Seahawks are the best
team in the NFL. And it's it's a little it's
a little concerning right now. I don't like when all
that love is there, it's it's a it seems like
a recipe for failure, or like a setup for failure.
(26:35):
With the biggest game of the season, maybe the biggest
game of the NFL season on Sunday against the Rams.
Speaker 4 (26:42):
All this talk about Jetfish.
Speaker 5 (26:44):
Hmm, he's not that great good coach, but if he leaves,
it's all good, good riddance.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
Why a take a page out of the PNW resident playbook.
Don't give us all the credit, ever, don't let outsiders
know how good it is here, whether overall temperature, first rules,
leaving in Seattle, never brag about the good all right.
Speaker 5 (27:05):
Last one for me, donuts, corn dogs, French fries, my
friend deep fried and all of it.
Speaker 4 (27:11):
And Turkey's badass as well.
Speaker 3 (27:13):
Ah.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
Let's see, Rams have owned the Hawks, going back to
horrible Jeff Fisher teams until the Hawks prove they can win.
I bet the Rams, well there's that. Yeah, I know,
hopefully you're wrong. Hopefully you're wrong on that. Somebody on
Twitter invited me. I'm about to tweet this he's saying.
I mean he even did a video kid of like
(27:37):
the thing, you know, with the fire, and I'm like, dude,
you don't be careful. Don't be surprised if I show
up at your door on Thanksgiving and eating some of
this fried turkey, deep fried turkey. And by the way,
let me just say this to everybody out there, smoke
turkey is nowhere near deep fried turkey. If you've never
had deep fried turkey, like someone said to me, you've
(27:59):
never gone to a college basketball game until you've seen
North Carolina versus Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium or at
the Dean Dome. I've been to both, and I can
vouch for that they're correct. If you've never had deep
prived turkey, you've never had turkey period. All right, that's
the what you say Texaday brought to you at Bors said,
Bores said, committed to craft since nineteen oh five.
Speaker 4 (28:19):
Kid in it.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
The mayor on cross Talk.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
I got to hit a doctor's appointment here and it's
gonna take a little time, so I appreciate you guys
closing out. Thanks to PJ. Carlossimo and Hugh Millan. We
will see you tomorrow. Mike Dugar will join us and
hopefully Hugh Millan as well tomorrow.
Speaker 4 (28:39):
Welcome back to MJ in the midday.
Speaker 5 (28:41):
M day to take off, but doesn't matter because the
one and only Mayor Ian Vanessa is in the building
and what is going on this afternoon.
Speaker 3 (28:49):
What's ups, Chris Craft, Chris Kid? I have Chris Crawford
on my mind, and only because I got Joe Shechian
coming up. Yep, and we're gonna go through what Joe
Shean's postseason awards will be for baseball. And I don't
think Chris Crawford will be happy with his buddy Joe him,
but we'll get to that a little. How are you met?
Speaker 4 (29:05):
I'm doing good.
Speaker 3 (29:05):
I'm gonna break my rule.
Speaker 4 (29:07):
Ill talking a little S word S S. What's that
Sonic or NBA?
Speaker 3 (29:13):
Well, yeah, yeah, I refuse to talk, I said, I
refuse to talk unless something warrants it.
Speaker 4 (29:18):
Okay, what you got?
Speaker 3 (29:20):
You got to tell me about this product going on
the floor right now? Okay, I can deal with watching
Lebron travel all the time and all that because whatever,
it's just NBA.
Speaker 4 (29:27):
He hasn't even played a month. I'm enjoying it. The
Lakers are eight and three.
Speaker 3 (29:30):
I know, how in the world can a professional basketball
player miss thirty one shots in a game?
Speaker 4 (29:40):
That was impressive?
Speaker 3 (29:43):
Cunningham, Kate Cunningham was impressive.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
He was.
Speaker 3 (29:47):
Fourteen of forty five. Yes, okay, So there's two things.
One he took forty five field goal attempts two he
missed thirty one of them. Three. Oh man, people are
giving him credit for having a double double.
Speaker 4 (30:02):
Yeah that was I saw that and I was perplexed.
But Kobe will be proud.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
You know, Kobe never missed thirty one, did uh.
Speaker 4 (30:11):
I don't think he missed thirty one.
Speaker 5 (30:13):
I don't think he missed thirty one. But if he did,
there was a game where he was like six of
like twenty eight. It was just his worst night.
Speaker 3 (30:20):
Yeah, but he was like, but he didn't take forty five.
Speaker 4 (30:22):
No, no, no, no, no, he did not.
Speaker 5 (30:24):
Kate Cunningham flexed. He just kept shooting. He was not
gonna stop. I mean that was really bad.
Speaker 3 (30:31):
Okay, hang on, I gotta see how many Okay, so
Wazoo last night. I know it's a shorter game playing
Saint Thomas. The two teams each shot. Saint Thomas shot fifty,
had fifty three field goal attemps. Wazoo had fifty four.
This dude shot forty five, had forty five field goal attempts.
I can't, I can't watch man, I can't. That made me.
(30:52):
It reiterated me. It reiterated my decision to refuse to
talk for a while, but now I am talking because
that's just that's unheard of Barras. That is embarrassing.
Speaker 4 (31:01):
It's not a good look for the league.
Speaker 3 (31:03):
And then when they give him credit for getting it done, Hey,
he's got nine double doubles this year in clearly last night, I.
Speaker 5 (31:08):
Mean, if that's the case, Russell Westbrook was amazing because
he's had a couple of games, not as he didn't
take as many shots. But it's like a russ Man.
You're you're you're zero for nine. At what point do
you just keep passing it but you shooting it?
Speaker 2 (31:20):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (31:21):
Uh, how's how's the pod going with?
Speaker 2 (31:24):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (31:24):
Michael Sean Dugar, would you guys talk? You're talking about
the center position now, which and all of a sudden
issue for the Seahawks.
Speaker 5 (31:29):
We did get a few questions about Sundale's injury, up
his injury and if Timmy can can do well, but
Mike talked about how Olu has always been fine. He's
been a fine player. He won an award as one
of the best centers in college football.
Speaker 3 (31:44):
Yeah, he was the best. He was the best.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
He was.
Speaker 5 (31:47):
Okay, mission he's done it. But it's just inconsistency, and
then he kind of fell out of it.
Speaker 3 (31:52):
I don't know why. You know, it's funny. I saw
McDonald's comments yesterday were just raving about Olu and at
the same time thinking, well, that's great except for you
guys just like did nothing but crap on this guy
since he's been here.
Speaker 5 (32:05):
Like, brought in a guy mid season what's his name
that retired also mid yea, yeah, well they brought him
the start of the season. The season, Yeah, Williams was Evan.
Speaker 4 (32:14):
I see his face.
Speaker 3 (32:15):
Well, I got Evan Brown on my mind. Was so
bad it's unbelievable. But yeah, like when Olu played his
rookie year, he played the one game I think it
was against the Giants, right because I remember I was
still doing the stuff. Then I interviewed him after the game.
They played well. And then last year we kind of think, okay,
he's gonna be the guy. And you remember he was
battling with the former Husky Nick Harris, who was just
(32:36):
it was obvious that guy who was like five foot
two wasn't going to be the dude. And then they
bring bring in Williamson. Last year, he retires and Olu
played well. The final was at eight games. The year
played well. In fact, the offensive line played better. That's
when because Abe came back for the final seven. I
think it was and Olu played the final eight and
they played better as an offensive line. You go into
(32:57):
training camp this year, I'm like, this, dude's good.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
Now.
Speaker 3 (32:59):
In fairness, this year he got hurt. He had a
back injury, so memory he missed some time in training camp,
and so Sondell. They slided Sundell in there, and Sundale
took Ahold of the job and they just like the
consistency and fine, Yeah, I don't think they lose anything.
I'm almost thinking I wonder I'll have jask co sell
because it will get him Friday. I almost wonder in
his sense, if they're not better with Oldlewitt center and
(33:22):
him throw this at you, old Hewitt center. And at
some point do you move Sundell if he comes back healthy,
back to guard where he's played before.
Speaker 5 (33:29):
That's a possibility, although as he saw at the press conference,
Mike McDonald talked about Bradford and how he's looking better.
Speaker 4 (33:35):
That's back to back games. As Ian looks at the
sty you know, I think the.
Speaker 3 (33:40):
Run blocking part of it, I think is okay. I
lean on my kid for that watching it, and it's
just he and he'll it's knows that it's run blocking
is okay. It's the pass blocking it's just atrocious.
Speaker 5 (33:50):
Sometimes you see him and Matt affects Abe like that
effects the whole line. Yeah, and now you're trying to
figure out, hey, do we trust Bradford here? Do to
slide and help him? But that exposes to your point,
maybe Abe trying to do his part on whoever the
end is or a blitzer or whatever the case may be.
So yeah, it's important for Bradford to keep playing well
(34:11):
and try to minimize those question marks during the game
where people are like, hey, buddy, what do you what
are you doing right?
Speaker 3 (34:16):
I mean, because they still can't run the ball very well.
But I think, you know, the the thing with it
that's maybe really crazy is the fact they haven't they
started the same five guys all year till now. Yeah,
that just doesn't happen. I mean every year. It feels
like by now we've seen like you know, eight, nine,
ten different line combinations. You saw last night in the
worst Monday night game anybody could ever watch. What between
(34:37):
two good teams. Not that wasn't That wasn't the Jets
and the Raiders and the Raiders, No, it was that
was actually too. But you saw they both teams lost
key offensive lineman. Packers lost too at one point, and
Lane Johnson left for the Eagles, and then somehow came
back for some reason. But that was wild.
Speaker 4 (34:54):
Who else you got coming up?
Speaker 3 (34:55):
You said, she and Joe she Ha's coming up one
twenty today, just kind of we want to put up
We haven't actually put a bow on the baseball season,
so we're gonna do that with Joe one. And then
our weekly visit with John Lund all things NFL football
and n F Yeah, we'll talk to him about it well,
and good thing is watching what the Rams are all about.
We'll talk a lot about Rams and Seahawks with him.
Coming up at two o'clock today, there.
Speaker 5 (35:16):
Is the Cracking Ticket Tuesday here, Yes, Cracking Ticket Tuesday,
Anderson will be in charge of that.
Speaker 4 (35:21):
All right, listen up. Iverns coming up next
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