Bats Are BACK For H-Town! Will Jalen Green Return?

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
I want a lot quick.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
What movie does this make you think of? There's only
one correct answer.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
The SpongeBot square Pants movie.

Speaker 3 (00:19):
No, you know what.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
You've had your speaking privileges revoked for a segment for
saying that that's just terrible.

Speaker 4 (00:27):
Cole.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
Have you ever seen road Trip?

Speaker 5 (00:31):
I have.

Speaker 3 (00:33):
I guess Cole hasn't.

Speaker 1 (00:34):
Well, his speaking privileges properly were revoked.

Speaker 3 (00:37):
He was sticking to that.

Speaker 1 (00:40):
Normally when you're asking the question, you're I believe you're
asking me. So I've answered it, yeah, and yes I've
seen it, and yes, that is absolutely correct answer. There's
it's a pretty popular anthem of the makeup rockers. But yes,
I would. That's my answer. I hope many of our
listeners would answer the same. One of THESEUS movies that

(01:01):
Sean William just call him Stiffler. He's as Stiffler the most.
The movie I watched more frequently just happens to be
in its run on the cable channels. His role models.
He was Stiffler in that as well. Very good.

Speaker 2 (01:16):
His best line from road Trip well it's one of them. Yeah, yeah,
that's all he's there for.

Speaker 6 (01:21):
Stop, okay, keep doing it.

Speaker 1 (01:23):
That's pretty good. Little assistance here, Yeah, all right, needed
they needed money?

Speaker 3 (01:30):
Well, yeah, they were desperate.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
One of them could mast out Fred Ward's credit card.

Speaker 2 (01:34):
That's right, and one of them could not contribute. Yeah,
he is because of his prior. Knight's activities understood with
a cheetah. All right, So last night, how do you think,
like on a scale of I don't know, doesn't even
register on my radar to homicidal sports rage? Do you
think last night's news during a blowout win by the Warriors?

(01:58):
How did that register with one Adam Clanton?

Speaker 1 (02:00):
Yeah, last night's news for those that are unaware, and
it was enhanced with the report today because now they've
actually really taken a look at it. Steph Curry played
a very good first quarter, in first couple of minutes
of the second quarter, but thirteen minutes total and thirteen
points before his night ended because of a hamstring injury.
They announced it during the game. Did the Warriors about

(02:21):
the strain? Announce that he would not return and since
been deemed a Grade one hamstring straining. He's not going
to play in Game two is all that they need
to say so so far, that is all that they
have said. Often it's referred to as maybe a seven
to ten day period if you're lucky, probably if you're
in your twenties. But we will see. My personal opinion,

(02:43):
he's probably not going to play or be effective for
any future Warriors game even but how it's come back.
But the question was, how did it impact you? Yeah,
I don't think this probably is more of a well, yeah,
it's aheadshake, it's an smhah. Of course this happened two parts.
The Rockets did all the things necessary to beat them,

(03:04):
except on the other end, on their offense, scoring points,
hitting free throws, winning any of any four of the
five games before the game one in Game seven, and
they could have none of this would have Steph Curry
could have had a healthy offseason because it would have
begun without an advancement past the Rockets. So after and
now we've seen this other figure, which of course is

(03:24):
out there. The Rockets made him run the most miles
he's run in any game of his whole career in
Game seven, and then he got hurt a leg injury
at least in Game one, at least the series just
two days later.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
At least the guy calling the game wasn't talking about
how many miles he was running during said game Game seven,
like the guy who called I guess it was game three. Yeah,
it was Game three because that was the ABC game,
which that idiot called I won't even say his name
on this show. I can't stand the guy for reasons
having nothing to do with how he calls game. But yeah,

(04:01):
this is a absolute gut punch for two reasons. One
is the obvious you just laid it out the very
first game after the Rockets series is over, really, and
then secondly the injury that it is, which just reminds
you that that would have been another series. The Rockets
would have beaten Steph Curry and the Warriors had it
not been for their own hamstring injury.

Speaker 1 (04:22):
That injury aside, and the players are very different. Minnesota's
Game one against the Warriors was the Rockets Game one
against the worst carbon copy couldn't hit a three, almost
shot the exact same numbers worse. Well, it started worse,
but the Rockets finished six for twenty nine. They finished
five for thirty. There was almost no difference. They made

(04:45):
a bunch late and kind of put a run together,
but they couldn't score. They set their franchise or their
season low four points in the first half, just like
the Rockets did. Both of the teams were at home,
and the team that was technically more rested the Rockets,
who hadn't played since the regular season ended on Sunday,
and the timber Wolves, who hadn't played since they somehow

(05:07):
got past the Lakers in five games, was the team
that looked un inable or unable to match the energy
of the Warriors.

Speaker 3 (05:17):
Yeah, it did, none of them.

Speaker 1 (05:18):
And like what happened to the Rockets won the game
that Jimmy Butler left, but they also lost to the
Warriors in a game that Jimmy Butler didn't even play.
Now the Wolves have lost a game where the final
thirty five minutes of basketball Steph Curry wasn't out there
for thirty six minutes of bast thirty four minutes.

Speaker 2 (05:35):
Whatever it is, Jimmy Butler will be playing the role
of Steph Curry in this series, like the you know,
the reverse was in the series against the Rockets.

Speaker 3 (05:43):
But that's that's the question.

Speaker 1 (05:45):
You know.

Speaker 2 (05:47):
I feel like if you want to talk about the
Warriors had the two best players in the series, Okay,
I'll hear that.

Speaker 3 (05:55):
Talk about the Rockets.

Speaker 2 (05:57):
Yeah, even though thirty five year old Jimmy Butler thirty
seven year old Steph Curry are not the same as
younger versions of themselves.

Speaker 1 (06:06):
After the series has been played, would you say, don't
you think the Warriors had the two best players?

Speaker 2 (06:12):
Is it possible to have the two best players and
not have the best team and win the series?

Speaker 3 (06:16):
Because I believe all of those things.

Speaker 1 (06:18):
Certainly it is because anybody who thinks Butler and Kurr
were the best two players in the series can clearly
see the Rockets could have very very very very easily
won that series for sure. And again, obviously I think
alprinshonk Gooon played very very well and could be in
this conversation numbers he did statistically, you know, the way
that Butler helped them play, the way that was going
to beat the Rockets was vital.

Speaker 2 (06:39):
I mean you had Pajemski, Buddy Healed, and a combination
of like well mainly Gary Payton, like those guys more
responsible for victories in that series than either of those
two guys.

Speaker 1 (06:55):
You could argue that, well, that would be a tough one.

Speaker 2 (06:58):
I might have to go back and look, but I
mean Buddy's Buddy Hill.

Speaker 1 (07:02):
Right, one of their four wins.

Speaker 3 (07:04):
Well, there's four wins, Steph.

Speaker 2 (07:06):
Curry was clearly responsible as the best player in one
of them.

Speaker 3 (07:11):
One of them.

Speaker 1 (07:12):
You're only looking at what he actually put in the basket.

Speaker 2 (07:15):
No, I know, I'm going I'm going somewhere with this.
But he's on the floor, dccoy out like crazy, and
that's not gonna be there. And Jimmy Butler is not
that guy. So Jimmy Butler's gonna have to perform in
the traditional sense otherworldly on an offensive side of things
in order for them to get these wins. In however,

(07:36):
many games they're gonna play without Curry, which is I
think a minimum of two.

Speaker 1 (07:40):
Yeah, I mean I think Jimmy Butler was way better
than that. Maybe others disagree. I just think he was.
He was phenomenal in the Rocket series.

Speaker 2 (07:47):
Yeah, uh, in some games. I don't think he was
consistently phenomenal.

Speaker 1 (07:52):
Had one bad game. He was bad in Game four,
just like his whole team when they got their butts
just blown off.

Speaker 2 (07:57):
The floor and he was coming back from the injury.
Game four, right, I'm sorry I met Game five his
fourth Oh yeah, well yeah, the whole Warriors team unless
your name was lacrosse.

Speaker 1 (08:07):
I mean, he came back from injury and scored twenty
seven points and prevented the Rockets from winning with his
fourth quarter. He was the reason the Rockets didn't win
Game four because his fourth quarter was great. He hit
those three late free throws. Awesome. Yeah, he had twenty
plus and five of the seven games and what or
excuse me? Four of these six games that he played

(08:27):
in I would have had one of the fouls. He
only played seven minutes.

Speaker 2 (08:31):
I would have liked one of the fouls. He got
a lot of the foul calls he got though in
that game.

Speaker 3 (08:35):
I don't know.

Speaker 1 (08:36):
He's not gonna play. He might be a little bit
more aggressive now that Steph is out and maybe for
an extended period of time. But it's gonna come down
to they're gonna need some other players to they don't
have enough offense. Most nights they didn't need offense again,
which is they're good defensively.

Speaker 3 (08:52):
Well that's the thing.

Speaker 1 (08:52):
People haven't figured this out yet.

Speaker 3 (08:54):
That's their good defensively.

Speaker 2 (08:56):
Going away is going to do nothing to what they
did on that end of the floor to Anthony Edwards,
just like they tried and succeeded in doing with Jalen Green,
and I'm not saying Jalen Green is Anthony Edwards. And
I absolutely think Anthony Edwards is far more equipped to
overcome any sort of schemes defensively against him.

Speaker 3 (09:14):
But he's gonna have to do it.

Speaker 2 (09:15):
And they're not going to lose any anything on that
end of the floor. With Steph Curry out of the
lineup because he doesn't play defense.

Speaker 1 (09:23):
Well, they're gonna lose probably, It depends on who he
leans on. I still don't think he's gonna lean on Kaminga.
Obviously Stevens played or Spencer played quite a bit in
last night's game. I don't know that that will be
the plan moving forward. Gary Payton's clearly healthy and he
was back for this Game one, so maybe there's a
little bit more of him. But for all the we'd
love Anthony Edwards. He's one of the best piers in there.

(09:46):
We do at least have to acknowledge they beat the
Lakers in Game five with him playing poor offensive basketball.
I wouldn't say he had a bad basketball game because
he contributed in other ways, but he couldn't put the
ball in the basket. He was for eleven from deep
Oh for eleven. That's nobody does that, right, And then

(10:07):
he followed it up with a Game one performance last
night by going one.

Speaker 2 (10:10):
For five, and he was told about his lack of
prowess from that seat.

Speaker 1 (10:15):
I want to get into that, not here, but shortly,
Chris Finch. This is a not a I'm going to
the media to out this guy. This is Here's what
our relationship is like. So I can do this. So
we'll get into that a little bit. We obviously got
other things to discuss than two of the eight teams
that are still playing basketball at Art Houston. The Rockets

(10:36):
are likely in a little bit better position today than
they were yesterday. So we'll catch you a quick break here,
get you to the top of the hour shortly, and
roll on through the remainder of the A Team. Two
plus hours still to go.

Speaker 7 (10:51):
The A Team on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 2 (11:06):
This will be a short segment. It is the A
Team Sports Talk seven to ninety on a day the
Astros salvage their series with the Milwaukee Brewers nine to
one winners earlier today.

Speaker 3 (11:16):
You heard it right here on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 2 (11:19):
Back home this weekend for a three game set with
La de la Cruz and the rest of the Cincinnati Reds.
So they'll finally be back in the friendly confines of
Diken Park, hoping to well fair better than they have
the last two series. This was not a good road
trip for your astros, but as Wex mentioned earlier, it was.

Speaker 3 (11:38):
A happy flight.

Speaker 2 (11:39):
We were talking last segment a lot about Steph Curry
and the injury last night in the very first game
after a seven game as one reporter called it, a
bar fight the Warriors had with the Rockets in that
last series. You never answered my question. You didn't rank
it as far as my homicidal sports. Rage was more

(12:00):
shake my head versus rage.

Speaker 3 (12:02):
Give me a number zero and ten.

Speaker 1 (12:05):
Low number two point nine. Really, I was very upset,
like rage, No, I didn't. I didn't expect even you
that's to rage. Yeah, so it's low.

Speaker 2 (12:15):
It's it's definitely mid to to higher, just because it's
just so.

Speaker 1 (12:20):
That's what I mean. It's you're like, of course, it's
a shoulder slump. It's an of course, it's not fit
of rage. Well, I'm saying the fit of rage would
have been a ten. So not levels of rage like
that would be the most that I was upset. It's just, uh,
it's debilitating because again, I don't even know that if

(12:42):
he gets hurt or leaves Game seven that it would
have mattered. But the fact that the very first game
after that series and the injury that it was and
everything that goes into it just feels like another gut punch.
But this is what I was talking about yesterday.

Speaker 2 (12:55):
I feel like it was who they lost to more
than just the fact that they lost. That was kind
of blown out of proportion a bit in the grand
scheme of things when you consider, hey, the Rockets just
got back to the playoffs for the first time in
five years.

Speaker 1 (13:08):
Yeah. I like that they aren't pointing to that. You know,
one another question. I just didn't ask, and I probably
will at some point during the offseason off to the
side or something of email or rafel. You know. It's
and I said this on our post game show on
the TV side. I thought the Rockets level of disappointment
was appropriate. The players that nothing about. I mean, sure,

(13:31):
they got questions about how proud of you, about how
far you've come and where you've bit, but there were
more about man, we shouldn't we should be talking to
you about Minnesota. Yeah, we should be talking to you
about the round that we're about to play in. We
should be talking about how excited we are that we
advanced after being down three games to one, because I
know they got to the arena on Sunday and I
know they got to you know, tip off, and I

(13:53):
know they got to the second quarter thinking, yeah, we're
gonna win. We're going to be the team advancing. So
they were disappointed because it's not about growth and improvement
and all that when you're in the middle of it
and you're in the heat of the moment and even
after the cool down period, you're still there. To a
certain degree, I liked that. I thought that was very
appropriate that they were as down as I think they

(14:14):
needed to be for what could have been and what
could have been. Is us bringing you our thoughts after
Rockets Wolves Game one last night at Toyota Center. Unfortunately
we can't because it didn't exist. We'll get into that
our number two next. There are some specifics to the
future of the Rockets though, that are worth noting. We'll
begin with that, both from out west and internally for

(14:37):
your Houston Rockets. That's where we get started with four
o'clock here on the eighteen.

Speaker 7 (14:42):
The A teen on Sports Talk seven ninety two lifelong
Houston sports guys named Adam River Talking your Team, Adam
Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A.

Speaker 2 (15:06):
First full hour of today's show is underway by a
few minutes. It is the A Team Sports Talk seven
ninety on a Wednesday edition of the program. Wexac Cole
Thompson with you as we take you up until six
o'clock tonight. Astro's polishing off a salvaged series, if you
want to call it that, a nine to one lop

(15:27):
sided victory over the Brewers on their way out of
town today after dropping the first two contests last night
and the night prior, but they'll come home for a
three game series with the Cincinnati Reds. We talked a
little bit about the NBA playoffs last night, the fact
that Steph Curry going down with a Grade one hamstring injury.
That's like a microscopic tear. It's just in case you

(15:50):
were wondering the difference. I think Chris Paul's was a
two back in twenty eighteen. Yep, since it came up,
he was gonna gey.

Speaker 1 (15:56):
He's definitely out for those next game, but we'll see
about the next round. Which was not accurate, but right
all you need to say at this point in the playoffs.

Speaker 2 (16:04):
Yeah, yeah, Like I said, if they're saying it it's
a week, then he's definitely not going to play on Thursday,
and then I wouldn't expect him to play in Game three.
But I'm not a doctor, just playing one on the radio,
but he's not going to be one hundred percent for
the rest of however long their playoff series or playoff
run is.

Speaker 1 (16:21):
I said it last segment. I think it's effectiveness against
the Wolves is over, and thus I think it's effectiveness
in this postseason is over. Period.

Speaker 2 (16:29):
If you say that, do they win the series in
five games? I don't think so six. Why do would
I think they'll win the series at all?

Speaker 3 (16:41):
Who's the best player on the floor in this series?

Speaker 1 (16:44):
I mean, I would say the same thing about the Rockets.
If you can't beat the Warriors in a best four
out of six, for you because you've now lost game one,
I'd be shocked if the Rockets got to play six
games against the Warriors without Curry after falling down one
game to none, they would have won the series. I
feel the same way about Minnesota. Hey see, did you
just ask who's the best player.

Speaker 3 (17:04):
In this series?

Speaker 1 (17:05):
Yeah, I know who it is. He's now hurt. No no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Speaker 3 (17:10):
No, no no.

Speaker 1 (17:11):
I guess you guys aren't watching the playoffs. I'm absolutely
watching the playoffs. I guess you are the only team
that can slow down a healthy Steph Curry is no
longer playing him.

Speaker 2 (17:22):
That's not true. Yes it is, No, it's not. Yeah,
it is first and foremost. Oklahoma City's awesome defensively, I guess.

Speaker 1 (17:30):
I mean, we've never seen them do it. We've seen
the Rockets do it.

Speaker 3 (17:33):
Dude, Come on, you're acting like this is twenty fifteen.

Speaker 1 (17:35):
Come on, I'm not. He stops saying come on and
just shut up for a second. Stop talking Steph Curry
until Jimmy Butler arrived. Just a guy, Steph Curry after
Jimmy Butler arrived, unbelievable, one of the ten best players
in the NBA this season for two months and then
extended in the first round. Teams don't they have a blueprint,

(17:58):
but they can't execute like Houston. Nobody even Oklahoma City
very good defensive team, but they don't play defense like
Houston does for that and I think they're too cocky
to do it. The Rockets aren't.

Speaker 3 (18:12):
Well, yeah, no it was.

Speaker 2 (18:13):
It's definitely a an all for one and one for
all effort defensively for a Rockets team. Yeah, but I think,
I think to say, and I'm not even talking about Minnesota,
I really do believe that about Oklahoma City's defense, Like
I think that's one of the reasons they once should.

Speaker 3 (18:30):
Yeah, but I like.

Speaker 2 (18:31):
I just I can't if this didn't happen. I can't
look at Steph Curry the same and I know what
you're getting at, because he was scoring fifty games in
a stretch and all that or fifty points and in
that stretch of games, and the only time he didn't
really farewell was against the Rockets.

Speaker 3 (18:46):
Of course we remember.

Speaker 2 (18:47):
But I just feel like in the playoffs things tend
to slow down. All the cliches I can say about
half court and all that kind of stuff.

Speaker 1 (18:59):
I wouldn't be saying this, and both of you guys
would be if I were saying it. I would never
have said stop give me a second here. Anthony Edwards
is in the midst of in my opinion, the worst
postseason of his four year postseason career. I'm sure it
could change. I bet it will change. He's shooting miserably

(19:21):
from three point distance. It's only been six games, five
against the Lakers, though you'd think you shoot a little
bit better against them. He didn't. Obviously, came out last night,
did not shoot well overall from the floor, not shooting well.
The rest of his game is very good. It's been
on the boards a lot because there a lot of
boards to go get with his team missing the way
they have. But I think it's pretty safe to say,
you know, he's been in the playoffs the last four

(19:42):
years so far, this is the worst of them for him.

Speaker 2 (19:46):
Maybe I'm giving his regular season too much credit going
into this.

Speaker 1 (19:50):
I just yeah, best five players in the NBA, that's
where Anthony Edwards is one of them. Steph is not.

Speaker 2 (19:55):
That's where that comes from. That's that's essentially where that
comes from.

Speaker 1 (19:58):
But we're not dealing with those that anymore.

Speaker 3 (20:01):
Especially even one game end of this series.

Speaker 1 (20:03):
Yeah, I mean, that's why there's any anger over this
a little much. But the Steph postseason, Steph, he only
showed himself against the Rockets and that they had to
commit to trying to stop him. They everything they did
defensively was to try to stop him, and I applaud
them for it, and I definitely think it was right,
and I think it's one of the reasons they had
a chance to win the series, and to a certain

(20:24):
extent offensively, while he still shot remarkably well, he wasn't
beating them with like I can't. I still can't. He
had that eleven zero run all by himself in a
game that they didn't even win in their building. When
the Rockets beat him in Game six, that was really
the only Oh my goodness, his put the Rockets to
sleep in Game seven wasn't vintage Steph. It just was

(20:46):
the timing of where it was. He didn't have a game,
even the big scoring game, where they just couldn't get
a handle on him for so much of it. And
I don't know if Minnesota might have fared a little
bit like Houston in that regard.

Speaker 3 (20:58):
I didn't feel that way.

Speaker 1 (20:59):
And you're definitely right that it's it's it was happening
every postseason game in the twenty fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen
nineteen era. It definitely wasn't happening in twenty two like
it used to, and it certainly wasn't gonna happen Here's it's.

Speaker 3 (21:13):
A tough one.

Speaker 1 (21:14):
Like Anthony Edwards needs to be and absolutely should be.
You guys are right, I'm wrong. He just hasn't been yet.

Speaker 3 (21:23):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (21:23):
No, And I again, we're one game in and now
Curry's out, so I could see, but it's not going
to be because Curr's out. If he does become that guy,
it's very much so like you said, it's gonna have
to be turning around his entire postseason play up to
and including that series with the Lakers prior to this.

Speaker 1 (21:42):
You think the Wolves are gonna beat him?

Speaker 8 (21:45):
Right? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (21:46):
I thought they were gonna smash them last night. So
what you were talking about with the fatigue, how do
you explain why how they didn't?

Speaker 6 (21:54):
Uh?

Speaker 3 (21:54):
I can't.

Speaker 2 (21:56):
That's the thing, like on paper, if you take everything
going into that series, and that includes you know, rest
versus rust. Arguments about the Minnesota Timberwolves because they've been
sitting around for a handful of days. But we saw
this with the Rockets this season coming out of the
All Star break. Oh well, they've had some rest now
their terrible stretch for the first couple of weeks of

(22:16):
February is gonna go what No, didn't Fred wasn't back yet. Apparently,
I don't know what the secret elixir was. They sucked
for all of February. It's actually impressive to me more
that they regained and then solidified the two seed after
falling I think as low as fifth during last year's
post which again in a tightly packed Western Conference, that's

(22:38):
not the two seed versus a four seed and everything else.

Speaker 1 (22:40):
Well, when they dropped to five, Memphis was two, right,
that's then they were eight.

Speaker 2 (22:46):
That's another good point because Memphis is a mess. Memphis
and Phoenix are a mess. And there was an article
today about how their new GM is going to mesh
with their current and very very hands on apparently owner
in Phoenix. It's all stuff we need to keep an
eye on in some way, shape or form. I still

(23:07):
say draft lottery is Domino number one through ten because
it's so important as to what the rest of the
Rockets offseason is going to be.

Speaker 1 (23:14):
Twenty three lottery spins today in anticipation of lottery talk.

Speaker 3 (23:18):
That's how many in the shook.

Speaker 1 (23:19):
Twenty three lottery spins today. Okay, none of them resulted
in the Rockets getting number one. I just don't think
they're But I stopped at twenty three because, at least
one time in those twenty three spins simulations is a
better word, they landed the number two pick, they landed
the number three pick, and they landed the number four
pick in at least one of those twenty three sims after.

Speaker 2 (23:40):
The number one pick. Comparing contrast this year's draft to
last year's.

Speaker 1 (23:46):
It seems better, but that's probably more familiarity based because
we knew so little about sar and Reesa che because
of the competition they were playing against, the lack of visibility.
I mean, I don't think Read Shepherd's a top four
pick this year. I don't. He might not be top five,
even though I think his future is fine. I think
Cooper Flag's better than anybody for sure in last year's draft,

(24:08):
but I don't know for sure that Edgecombe or Bailey
is definitely better then last year's top two picks. It
feels like they will be. But I also think nobody
was paying attention to Resache at the end of last year.
He was really really good. His shooting percentages were not
just better, they were outstanding a forty percent three point

(24:30):
shooter for a couple of months on the wing with
his height. I think Atlanta probably picked the right guy
all things considered, and you'd hope so he's number one
stars kind of do everything player, but doesn't do anything
well yet, So I'm not sure what his future holds
and what we need to discuss regarding Fred van Vliet
obviously impacts Reed Shepherd. All indications from what was said

(24:53):
publicly and what we know privately, Fred van Vliet is
on the twenty five to twenty six Rockets. I don't
think there's any doubt about that. Under what contra situation,
there's a little bit of doubt, and we knew that
heading into yesterday's press conference. Nothing had been finalized with
the team option for the third year of his original
contract to pay him forty four point nine million. We're
still not certain on that, but reports indicate the Rockets

(25:14):
and Fred and his agent as was likely going to
be the case. And this happens all the time with
the off season options. They get pushed back post free agency,
post draft, or just a little bit more amenable to
both sides to come up with a really good solution.
So it looks like the decision that could have been
a day away is more likely now pushed into the

(25:35):
late stages of June post draft and obviously well passed
the lottery, where they'd have to make a decision on
either the option or if they've not already come to
an agreement on not only is Fred going to be
here next year, but for several years after that at
a quite different rate.

Speaker 3 (25:50):
All right, there is plenty more to get to by
way of NBA.

Speaker 1 (25:54):
And now that we've both done it. You did it
during the first hour of the show. I did it
here in the second hour of the show. We really
don't even earn them on a daily basis, but we've
already used our you have to turn your mic off
portion of the show to Cole. I used it here.
I don't. I don't get it again. It doesn't come
back later. You don't have another one to play. He's

(26:15):
got both of his left challenge and he's in control.

Speaker 2 (26:20):
Hey what I oh geez? All right, wherever that goes,
we'll find out next. It is the A team Sports
Talk seven.

Speaker 7 (26:29):
Ninety the eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 6 (26:45):
One.

Speaker 2 (26:45):
Thing we have not properly gotten to this week and
therefore so far have wasted efforts of one of the
members of the show. We did not visit with Damika
Ryans much, if at all, in anticipation of this weekend's
rookie Mini caamp Oh.

Speaker 1 (27:03):
He definitely got the update. I'll tak tell Yeah, he's
not playing this year. No hitting.

Speaker 2 (27:08):
Probably drafted like fifty receivers, only drafted two.

Speaker 1 (27:12):
And two more, but in two more after that and
two more after that. They'll have more than two wide
receivers on the field this weekend. But they didn't draft
any more than that.

Speaker 2 (27:22):
They just drafted Iowa State. The good ones, Yeah, very
good ones. But you were out there and he addressed
a number of topics. And by the way, the stadium
thing is still fascinating to me because I don't think
it's going to happen.

Speaker 1 (27:35):
Well, I still do think. Most of what was discussed
is they will probably be very careful with any public
discussion of the other Most of what was discussed yesterday
were answers to questions about a training facility, new headquarters,
their current training facility, their current headquarters, which are inside
the Energy Stadium, obviously, but could easily have been construed

(27:58):
as bigger picture answers when they technically weren't. Clearly there
was discussion about the stadium. They don't probably don't need
an expert in what Mike Tolman is an expert in
from a stadium standpoint to be their new team president.
If all they're trying to do is find some land
for a new training facility and headquarters, He's quite obviously

(28:21):
here because that is ultimately what they're after, a better
stadium situation, whether it's on their current site, in their
current building with better terms and more upkeep than was
obviously let go, or it's somewhere brand new that has
all the bells and whistles, generates more money that brings
in a Super Bowl, all those things that will go
with that new build that will definitely almost assuredly not

(28:44):
go with staying at NRG Stadium under any situation. But
that wasn't really what was being discussed again publicly, because
I think they'll try to be as cordial and positive
about their current relationships with the Air's Count of Houston
Sports Authority and obviously Rodeo, Euston, etc. Because that part

(29:05):
of this, like the building itself, unlike the Dome. The
Dome essentially did go away. Its use was gone. It's
not used for anything because the new building housed both
of these tenants. If the Texans move to their own stadium,
a new build wherever it is, well, the Rodeo is
not going with them. The Rodeo has a home. The

(29:26):
Rodeo is going to stay in that home, and it's
going to make for an interesting situation because their home
is not needed for the rest of the year by them.
It's needed for a month. The venue itself can still
be of use. They're a handful of concerts big enough.
I believe. Trucks that make a lot of noise and
bring in a lot of dirt spend some time at
Energy Stadium many many times a year. The Monster Truck

(29:50):
will still come through, and there's a bunch of other events.
But that's not it's interesting. I would even think this,
and I've kind of stopped myself from saying it. The
Texans do use the building when they're not on game day,
but they have to have the building only nine or
ten times a year, maybe eleven, maybe twelve. If the
playoffs go well, that's it. I mean, if they had

(30:11):
a practice facility that they love so much, which they
practically do. They would never practice inside the stadium. They
really don't need the stadium. Any event you want can
be held in the stadium while the football season is
going on, and they could still get done what they
need to get done, which is what they've been doing.

Speaker 3 (30:26):
But yes, a lot of this was talking about.

Speaker 1 (30:28):
Demiko actually had a very good answer to all of
this discussion, specifically on you know, you're the head coach.
I'm sure he actually has input, and he kind of
didn't answer the question by going funny on it when
he was asked, what would you need or what do
you think could be added or what kind of things
in a facility would you, you know, want to have
that maybe you aren't available to you. He said, just
give me some grass and get my guys on the field.

(30:49):
That none anything else, not concerned with any of that stuff.

Speaker 3 (30:52):
Right.

Speaker 2 (30:53):
Why but you said something interesting about this supposed partnership,
and it is from the standpoint of both entities use
the building, and to me, that's where it Stopson ends.
The Rodeo and the Texans have nothing to do with
each other other than they happen to share the same building.
In which one of them uses it like for a

(31:14):
few weeks a year and the other one uses it
a few more weeks a year to mantens, Yeah, but
to me, that was partly how this whole thing got
built and approved and all that stuff to begin with.
And now you're saying that on top of them wanting
a new stadium already way in advance of probably when

(31:35):
they should be asking for one in a lot of respects,
and way after they've never won anything of note. Here,
two things that are going to be going against them
in any sort of public funding for a thing like this.
Now you're going to tell me that one of those
entities won't be involved in any new facility that you
would build stadium wise, not practice facility wise. And the

(31:57):
reason they're leaving is because it's not up to date
enough for football standards, while the other tenant is still
going to be saying, Man, we're fine with it because
it's not the astronom, you know what I'm saying, Like,
it's just I feel like you already have three strikes
against you if you're the Texans arguing for this before
you ever even get to money conversations or a vote
or referendum or whatever, and they won't.

Speaker 1 (32:19):
Those three arguments you made are super valid and they
won't matter at all.

Speaker 3 (32:23):
Using it'll get built.

Speaker 1 (32:24):
Well, I mean, they'll get to the vote, and they'll
get to where if this is where, if that's what
ultimately they head towards. You know what you're saying is
it's so logical. Well, this is a football stadium. You
play football a limited number of times a year, and
then you have other events they're also a relatively limited
number of nights, and then you have the rodeo. Okay,
now we're getting this. Okay, now we've got a bunch

(32:45):
of more dates filled. Now it makes more sense. Now
we can tell people, well, you're getting this new building,
but here's what's going to go there. Here's how you're
gonna be entertained, here's how it's gonna bring money in,
and here all that. Well, that's not the case with
a new building that doesn't include the same tenants. And
now not only that, the side story is Okay, so
this brand new football stadium of yours, how much of

(33:06):
it are you putting in? And how does that go
towards your control of the building. Because once you have
control of the building. If your money is what's being
used to build it, you pretty much have control of
the dates. So now that you have control of those dates,
aren't you just basically going head to head with NRG
Stadium for every non rodeo date event that happens for

(33:28):
every calendar year of their two buildings existence.

Speaker 3 (33:30):
Are you ready for the fourth strike?

Speaker 2 (33:31):
I still haven't even mentioned all these buildings here in town,
the three big ones, we're all built within three to
five years of each other, right, the other two major
teams in town. As far as I know, there are
no plans whatsoever to ask for a new building, and
instead they've done the opposite approach. We're just gonna, little
by little keep improving the standing structure in one way,

(33:56):
shape or form, like Toyota Center is in the midst
of like several seasons of Hey, we're putting a new
you know, we're putting new ribbons in. Now, we're putting
a new sound system in screen in. Now, we're putting
a new roof in. Now, we're improving this over here.

Speaker 1 (34:08):
We're so different than NRG Stadium. Yeah, But I mean
they've got their saying scoreboard updates, they've got multiple club updates,
suite updates, all those things.

Speaker 2 (34:16):
But now they're saying they can't compete. It sounds like
Bud Adams all over again. We can't compare with today's NFL.
You're they haven't said any of those things. They're being
super careful. You're you're right in that it appears this
is where they're headed. It appears what they're saying it
without saying it. I think they're being very careful about
what they're saying. You know why they're being careful because
they're smart. Well yeah, but you know the main reason

(34:38):
why they're being careful about what they're saying about this subject.
In this city, it's not like any other town where
they would also still have to be careful because you're
going to be asking for public funds. It's about asking
for those public funds in this town where this has
already happened once, and not only has it happened, the
thing I'm talking about happened before that, where they did

(34:59):
give the own owner money to improve the standing structure,
the astronome, And even after that happened, it still wasn't
good enough. A few years later, because I think it
was eighty nine, they did all the stuff to the
Dome and then by ninety five. But Adams was like
the Saint cutting it man.

Speaker 1 (35:15):
And I think they can leverage their position potentially into
a better situation where they currently are, you know, financially speaking,
amenities wise, ability to generate football money and then what
comes along with it, which is a little bit on
the side. However, they would go about a new facility
for the headquarters and training facility which could still be

(35:36):
on site to a certain degree, with a space that's there,
maybe there's a better deal to be had because I
don't think they're leveraging any position. Because you have leverage
because you're the football team. There's leverage just inherent in that.
But I don't think they're trying to do it in
the way that ultimately it worked didn't work out with
Bud Adams. He was leveraging it and then when they
said no, they said, all right, go ahead leave. I
don't think this family's moving this team anywhere, and I

(35:58):
don't think that's a position little present. I don't think
they want to do it. I don't think they want
to play a card, which technically they have. I think
they might use leverage in a different way, like I said,
to just make themselves, make it a better situation for them,
no matter what the end result is, because I think
we most people in this city, in this county would
would think the logical answer is, well, the best situation

(36:20):
for everybody is to have both of you remain in
this building. It might not be ideal for your party,
but it's still best for the bigger picture party, which
is everybody just in a better situation financially and obviously
with not letting it fall. It's not in disrepair, and
they're not saying it is, but they're definitely behind on
what was agreed upon in terms of things that needed

(36:42):
to be done.

Speaker 2 (36:43):
Had two new roofs since they built it not by design, No,
maybe you should build a different Maybe the roof should
be different on the new stadium if it does get built,
And I will say this, even though I don't think
it's gonna happen, if it were to, I would be
fascinated to see which suburb it gets built in, because
that's where I think it would go.

Speaker 1 (37:01):
Looks like the vote's gonna go through, the Texas are
gonna get a new stadium. Let's do an instaple. Does
it need a roof. Is that what we're headed towards.

Speaker 2 (37:09):
Well, the roof is a non starter because we live
here on the equator.

Speaker 9 (37:13):
I meant a retractable roof. I'm sorry, why do they
need a retractable roof? If the rodeo's not there, they're
never opening it for football. They've already established that twenty
plus years in never never they did one time. It
was a disaster, and they've been.

Speaker 1 (37:26):
Ever seeing that one time.

Speaker 2 (37:27):
Oh eight fifty rule, that's not a rule if you
never adhere to it. They are major rule breakers. That
was no rule at all. It wasn't even a guidance
in this suggestion.

Speaker 3 (37:37):
If it's below.

Speaker 2 (37:40):
Seventy, you should open the roof every single time. I
don't care how cold it is. I mean, they're not
gonna be playing when it actually gets cold in February.
All right, we'll take a quick time out ESPN's favorite
employee of Wex put his foot in his mouth.

Speaker 1 (37:58):
You'll never guess what color he is. We'll take our
break there.

Speaker 4 (38:08):
On sports.

Speaker 7 (38:14):
A little help over the hump with some Wednesday bs,
two atoms.

Speaker 1 (38:19):
And a whole lot of bit stealing.

Speaker 7 (38:20):
Bits stealing with the bit Steelers, better known as the eighteen.

Speaker 2 (38:32):
All right, we bit steal around this time every single week.

Speaker 1 (38:37):
When the circustre segment has evolved a little bit, often
we bit steal. Obviously, that means the people on the
other programs here on the station need to have bits
for us to steal. So sometimes yes, sometimes no. Other
times we just take the BS for exactly what it is.
It's BS and keeps it kind of a wide open
ability to take any on a bit. But we got

(38:58):
the Sean Salisbury Show, we have to Bat Thomas Show
with Ross, we have the Nightcap with Cole, we have
the Doug Pike Show, and any other approach Space City Saturday.
There's a bit we want to steal from any of
those programs. We've got our own show. Have you ever
stolen from ourselves? I mean that doesn't seem like you're stealing.
I mean it's just going right back in your pocket.
Like if I take money out of the pocket on

(39:19):
my left side and put it in my right side,
I didn't really steal it. I still have it.

Speaker 2 (39:22):
Well, I'm about to take twenty dollars out of your
left pocket and put it back in your right.

Speaker 3 (39:25):
Check this out?

Speaker 4 (39:29):
Did you all see this should be putting out between
five and.

Speaker 1 (39:33):
History Jesus the rest.

Speaker 10 (39:35):
So they said on social media.

Speaker 1 (39:37):
History repeats itself.

Speaker 11 (39:40):
Type, Ben, you'll succeed, never doubt that you're the one who.

Speaker 1 (39:44):
Plus we'll go one bit. You're the best. Nothing's gonna
ever top.

Speaker 11 (39:51):
You know you're the best, posting every single day. You
know you're the best, best breaking the entire today.

Speaker 2 (40:05):
Yeah, I'm This is just basically me saying, well, we
didn't get to do best of Exit two thirty today
and there was something I wanted to play, So that's
what we're gonna do at four thirty.

Speaker 1 (40:13):
All right.

Speaker 3 (40:14):
If you've ever listened.

Speaker 2 (40:15):
To our show for any amount of time more than
just thirty seconds, you know that there are people in
the media that both WEX and I don't really have
a You just don't really have a you know, any
admiration for let's just be polite about it now, way
more of those people in my network. Wex just doesn't
really bother with the whole lot. But I do know this,

(40:37):
there are certain names that get him going.

Speaker 1 (40:39):
Are there certain colors that get him going to Yeah,
for those awkward following there at the end, you were
hinting at an ESPN personality saying something and I said,
what color is he? Because his name is Screenberg and
he goes by Greene. So he's as I said as
we headed to break, He's green That's what he is.

Speaker 3 (41:00):
Yeah, everybody relax.

Speaker 2 (41:03):
So uh yeah, he was at it again today, Mike Greenberg,
and we haven't really talked about this, so.

Speaker 1 (41:09):
Yeah, this is like breaking news for our listeners who
didn't wake up early this morning. I had just seen
the news before my fools from Dallas passed it along
on our text threat. Oh my goodness, look at what
happened here.

Speaker 2 (41:20):
So they must be so excited about the latest dumb
move by their team. We'll get to that, but yeah, look,
George Pickens is a Dallas Cowboy. I don't know what
either team's doing here, and we'll get into that, but
it's not about the trade itself. So much is how
Mike Greenberg delivered the news of it on the fly.

(41:42):
Check out this absolute verbal diarrhea.

Speaker 10 (41:46):
Major breaking news this morning on ESPN and get up.
The Cowboys and Steelers are working to finalize a trade
that will stand wide receiver George Pickens to Dallas in
exchange for draft pick compensation. Chefty drop bring that bomb
from a plane earlier this morning, He's on an airplane
and he goes and the trade is it? I like
the phrasing of that. The trade is expected to include

(42:08):
a third round pick other pick swaps, and is expected to.

Speaker 1 (42:11):
Be finalizing day here right.

Speaker 3 (42:13):
Well, you heard it.

Speaker 2 (42:14):
Adam Schefter was on a B twelve bomber and just
dropped a bomb from the plane.

Speaker 1 (42:20):
That was twofold. Yikes.

Speaker 3 (42:22):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (42:22):
The first one that I thought of, because I have
zero maturity, was the obvious.

Speaker 3 (42:27):
That's kind he was in the crapper. That was a
bad joke.

Speaker 1 (42:30):
The second part, which you just alluded to, is that's
that's much more serious of an oops. I probably should
have gone that round.

Speaker 2 (42:36):
I mean, when there are actual bombs being dropped on
the other side of the planet as we speak right now.

Speaker 3 (42:44):
Maybe not the best choice of words.

Speaker 1 (42:46):
Greeny from planes also.

Speaker 12 (42:48):
Yeah, so uh again, it's not even his worst, I
mean putting if it's his top five worst, it's it's
top ten for sure.

Speaker 3 (43:00):
He's just so.

Speaker 2 (43:02):
He's the most vanilla high profile sports air talent this
side of Joe.

Speaker 1 (43:08):
Buck that's loved to the level he's loved by the
executive that's what I mean, because nobody here's something we need.
We need somebody to fill this position. How about Greenie? Okay,
but now he's got two jobs. Okay, months later, we
need somebody to fill this position. How about Greenie. Okay,
we'll let.

Speaker 3 (43:25):
Him do that too.

Speaker 1 (43:25):
I meant other talent.

Speaker 3 (43:28):
You might like, or you might hate or somewhere, but
you're not.

Speaker 2 (43:32):
It's not it's polarizing, and you definitely have a strong
opinion about Steven A. Smith, another high, highly compensated air
talent at that network. If Greenberg left today, nobody would
give a bleep.

Speaker 1 (43:47):
I mean, he's like us. He's a host. Now in
our position, we're also analysts. We're also everything. We're the
entertainment where the comic relief, where the seriousness, where the stacks,
where the fact checkers, where the joke makers where everything?
We're the whole show. Yeah, Cole myself, you were the
whole show. Greene, like Molly, like Malika, like Turco, they're

(44:09):
the hosts. They are there to run the show and allow,
in his case, on his show, any one of the
forty seven analysts they have in for that day's episode
of Get Up. He's a glorified tour guide for a show.
That's all it is.

Speaker 2 (44:23):
Malika could leave tomorrow too and nobody would care. I
just don't think she does it.

Speaker 3 (44:27):
The good job. But that's that's just me.

Speaker 1 (44:29):
I think that Mike Trico when he left, that was
at least somewhat bigger news.

Speaker 3 (44:32):
Well, Mike Urico has talent.

Speaker 1 (44:33):
That's again I agree with you. Well, let me get
back to the other part of what he said about
this news and how it was delivered to everybody. Isn't
it another example of them kind of just saying whatever
they want to say with no regard for it. And
I'm not a big stickler for this because I think
some people go overboard on it. But did he even

(44:54):
break it? Was it even his? I mean, maybe he
confirmed it, maybe he had a source at all. Are
you saying it was chefter the first Oh he was not.
I'm not mistaken.

Speaker 8 (45:04):
He was not.

Speaker 1 (45:04):
He was as per usual. I mean, perception is everything,
So who could blame them? It's just like we talked
about the other day, Tamiko O Ryans told me that
there's no timetable on Tank Dell. I did not lie,
but he told everybody in a general setting all at
the same time, it was not exclusive to me.

Speaker 3 (45:23):
There is a you spend it how it makes you
look good.

Speaker 2 (45:26):
There is a specific person in the Houston media who
does that a lot. He is Matt Thomas might rect
affectionately refer to him as fake media. He does that NonStop,
and it's I mean, it doesn't surprise me because it's.

Speaker 1 (45:42):
More of a national trick because it's can be viewed
as well. You you football wise, specifically sometimes in the
playoffs in the NBA, but you don't cover the team,
so they've sent you Friday to cover Texans Broncos. You
probably can give the impression that well, because I'm not
here every day. I wasn't here Monday, Tuesday's availability or

(46:03):
Wednesdays or there. But I came in and I got
specific access to this person and they told me this.
It's smart to present it that way. You remember yesterday
how I was crapping all Sometimes it's true.

Speaker 13 (46:15):
Because she also has to be where you get a
one on moment, dumbond. That's how it's told me supposed.

Speaker 3 (46:19):
To be well, yesterday I was crapping all over. Rachel Nichols.

Speaker 2 (46:22):
I'll never forget the time you and I were doing
a show at Toyota Center and we very politely asked
to have her on, and she basically blew us off.
So when everything hit the fan with Maria Taylor and
all that kind of stuff, I was fine with it.

Speaker 1 (46:34):
What was that instance, if you can recall, because I
feel like and I could be totally misremembering it. I
thought when I thought I had her on, and I'm
referencing the press conference for Dwight when Dwight was signed,
I think.

Speaker 3 (46:47):
Yeah, that was this is you and me were hosting
your show and the Rocks were in the playoffs.

Speaker 2 (46:51):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (46:51):
This. She and Stephen Ay both joined us live from
courtside at Toyota Center before everyone went outside for the
unveiling of the Steven Adam Facade legacy of Biggs. Yes,
in the sweltering warm it was warm and they were
all in full suits.

Speaker 2 (47:08):
Yeah, listen, I love you, Rockets. I know you guys
know how much I love you. I've loved you since
I was a kid. There should be no outdoor activities
ever for any part of the year here in Houston
with that kind of stuff. I don't care if it's
in the dead of winter. Keep it all inside. That
goes for everybody. Really, I can't really get on the
Astros because they play during the summer, but I honestly

(47:30):
just there's no summer here or there's no winner here anyways.

Speaker 1 (47:32):
So the legacy of Biggs is fully Hall of Famers
with Dwight Howard's enshrinement. Yep, I can't Elvin dream yal
Dwight and that's a new edition. But Ralph also a
part of that.

Speaker 3 (47:53):
Is he on there? Yes? How did I miss that?

Speaker 1 (47:56):
He's covered by more of the word legacy than most is.

Speaker 2 (48:00):
In the Hall of Fame. Yes, Ralph Sampson is in
the NBA or is in the Basketball Hall.

Speaker 1 (48:04):
Of Fame, an NBA Hall of Fame, so he's his
basketball Hall of Fame.

Speaker 3 (48:10):
He's as much in there for his Virginia career or
was it?

Speaker 1 (48:15):
Undoubtedly this? I mean you win the Player of the
Year award and then you win it again, and then
you win it again. That usually gets you in. Does
it bother you guys that it's only one basketball Hall
of Fame? Well, it bothered us a lot. And I
think they've changed the voting since when it was so segment. Well,
he's getting in with this committee and he was voted
in by that part of the committee when so many

(48:35):
people call as you're bringing it up here and Ralph
is a great example, Well he's in there because Bill
waltons a certain degree. Now he won an NBA MVP.
But are they in there because they were awesome as
a coach after they were an okay player and nothing
in college? Are they in there because they were unbelievable
in college, had a career of some note, and then

(48:56):
moved on into the front office.

Speaker 3 (48:57):
There's any number of different broadcasting.

Speaker 1 (48:59):
Yeah, it's just it was done a little bit in
a mysterious and confusing the.

Speaker 2 (49:04):
Easiest hall to get into, and baseball is the hardest
because it as a joke together because it's a dumb writer.
And then if you're and then it's it's somewhere in between.
If you're in the NFL but the Pro Football Hall
of Fame. But unless you're a wide receiver, and then
it's just a whole other set of rules.

Speaker 1 (49:24):
It's impossible.

Speaker 13 (49:25):
Congratulations, enjoy sitting here for the next decade while we
watch this. Other players get in ahead of you.

Speaker 2 (49:30):
That's why Andre getting in, honestly to me, is more
impressive than pretty much anybody because of that very thing
I'm talking about.

Speaker 1 (49:36):
Bit stealing today was thanks to us. We pat ourselves
on the back, like we don't do that every other
segment of every other show here on the A Team.

Speaker 2 (49:45):
The A on Sports Talk seven ninety. It is the
A Team Sports Talk seven ninety. We take ourselves into
the five o'clock hour next football at five, someone's back

(50:06):
with the Texans and we'll dive into that. I don't
know that trade is something I like it. No, you don't, Yes,
I do, No, you don't.

Speaker 1 (50:15):
I don't mind it.

Speaker 3 (50:16):
You just think you do.

Speaker 1 (50:17):
I'll see if I can lose this argument too. Next segment,
it's going to be two against one for ac here,
usually a loser.

Speaker 3 (50:23):
I'm fine.

Speaker 2 (50:24):
Well in the meantime, real quickly, and you probably saw
this a little bit earlier today, Sham's tweeting out the
obvious that the rock and we talked about this a
little bit earlier. The Rockets are extending or pushing back
this Friday's deadline to June twenty ninth on his forty
four point nine million dollar team option for next season.

(50:47):
All year long, I've thought this was not only going
to happen, it was a given. It's going to give
them significant capp releaf year to year, and it's a
sign that he's not going to be included in any
sort of deals. He's absolutely to stay and will probably
finish his career as a Houston Rocket.

Speaker 1 (51:04):
This report told you that, Yeah, pushing back the deadline
told you.

Speaker 2 (51:07):
That because they're gonna they want to see what happens
in the draft lottery, They want to see what is
going to happen this offseason. But he's definitely part of
next year's plans. Yeah's not going anywhere. I don't think
it changes their decision personally.

Speaker 1 (51:18):
I think they would have if they somehow didn't come
to an agreement, maybe it would have created some animosity.

Speaker 3 (51:23):
Well, the last part of it is what makes me.
It's what makes it obvious.

Speaker 2 (51:26):
This gives both sides additional time to navigate exercising the
option versus completing a longer term deal, which is what
I think they're gonna do.

Speaker 1 (51:33):
I totally agree, and they'll have more information on it,
so it definitely makes sense. Like the cap hasn't even
been set yet, Nope, definitely is a factor. It strikes
me as odd though, that the contract, original contract would
include that language. Well, why would you set it for

(51:54):
five days after the season. Did you expect to still
be awful and not have a lottery pick. Maybe you're
gonna have a lot of repeabe pretty much no matter what.

Speaker 2 (52:02):
Yeah, but maybe Fred is the one that wanted this
so that if they were awful for whatever reason, he
have an out.

Speaker 1 (52:09):
He still hasn't out, I know, but he's not at
the same and I'm saying the original contract, we're gonna
it's a team option, which he agreed to, and the
day that it needs to be decided on the last
day is four days after the draft, which June twenty ninth,
is four days after the first round. Second round completed
the next day. Well, why won't you just put that
in the original contract.

Speaker 3 (52:29):
No, it's it's a very fair question.

Speaker 1 (52:30):
Free agency hasn't opened the cap figure, Maybe you have
a little bit better idea because they've you know, moved
down that path a little bit, because free agency does
open almost immediately after that. Also, some reports internally, even
more so than we might know, they probably have a
pretty good idea where the BRI figures have reached to
what the numbers are actually going to be. So what
percentage of your cap? Do you want Fred to be

(52:53):
a part of Yeah, Fred being a part of next
year's team seems pretty obvious. I don't know what they
thought this offseason when last year's draft finalized, Because last
year's draft produced the future Fred van Vliet in Reed Shepherd,
both of them on the team for three more years
of Fred not really all that helpful to read Shepherd

(53:16):
being on the court, is it?

Speaker 2 (53:18):
Well, you know what else isn't helpful to read Shepherd
being on the court? Read Shepherd right now?

Speaker 1 (53:24):
Reach Shepherd's gonna be fine whether or not he ascends
to even a Fred van Viet elite level player, which
is pretty good ascension. We'll find out. But if Fred
van Vliet's a Rocket for the next three years, along
with Amn Thompson and whoever's playing two guard and everybody
else they already have and likely will, you're almost rendering
the Reed Shepherd pick useless.

Speaker 2 (53:44):
I do love the fact that in that article on
the Suns, well, I mean, Steam's obvious. The Devin Booker
is the one that's staying.

Speaker 1 (53:51):
Okay, we'll get to say an article and they'll also
get to what the general manager, their newly hired general
manager from out of nowhere had to say today because
we always have fun with gms, we poke fund at
the gms here in town. So now it's time to
poke fun at them. But we'll do all that after
we get into what your favorite topic is here on
your Houston based sports talk radio station, Sports Talk seven

(54:13):
ninety at football at five.

Speaker 7 (54:16):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety, Adam Clinton and
Adam Wexler are the eighteen.

Speaker 6 (54:26):
All right?

Speaker 2 (54:37):
That music means it's football at five, and that means
it's time for us to talk about the local football team.

Speaker 3 (54:44):
Let's hear it here in Texas.

Speaker 13 (54:46):
Go for it.

Speaker 3 (54:47):
Well, I didn't know if we wanted to play some imaging.

Speaker 1 (54:49):
Well, I don't know what you're talking about yet, so
I don't know if it fits. Well.

Speaker 2 (54:51):
I could talk about two teams, okay, which one, whichever
one you want?

Speaker 1 (54:55):
Well, who made news today the local football team, both
of them. What did the Texans do? They brought back
a tackle. They brought back fully Fotakasi on their defensive front.
Because if the Texans want to be better in twenty
twenty five, you know they're going to make their defense better.
And they did it again.

Speaker 3 (55:10):
Their defensive line specifically.

Speaker 1 (55:12):
Well, almost everything they've done from a veteran addition standpoint
versus a veteran subtraction standpoint was defensive. They've barely subtracted
anybody from the defense period. Eric Murray did sign elsewhere well. CJ.
Gardner Johnson is a Texan and Jimmy Ward is probably
healthy for this season in a much smaller role. And

(55:33):
now they've brought back Sheldon Rankins. They've now brought back
from last year's team fully fought Akassi. Tim Settle was
already under contract. They've re upped with Daniel Hunter, Christian
Harris has teammates also fighting for playing time, with EJ.
Speed being a part of this team moving forward at linebacker.
They've done a lot to make their already very very

(55:54):
good defense hopefully a little bit better in the areas
they weren't very very good at. They extended Derek's Stingley
junior d and sists. Yes, so all these focus, all
this focus now the draft clearly pretty easy to say
they were the focus was on the other side of
the football other than their safety Jalen Reid. The majority
of what they were trying to do should help their offense.

(56:17):
But I can say, looking at the roster man, there's
no reason for them not to have a better defense.
Even injuries I don't think can prevent them from having
a better defense. They clearly can't say that on the
offensive end. I don't think it's of great significance that
they also claimed another player off waivers on defense at linebacker,
but they did, and they'll probably have to make a

(56:38):
corresponding move, and the fully thought of CASI moves also
not yet official. One other NFL note interesting, maybe not noteworthy,
maybe so. You mentioned Will Anderson Junior. On the other side,
his opportunity for an extension for the first time should
come next offseason. Doesn't mean they have to, but it

(56:59):
probably would well. And he's on the same track as CJ. Stroud.
And when CJ. Stroud was drafted, we noted quite obviously
his agency as Athletes First, an agency that the Texans
have worked with before at that very same position, same
agency and same agent David Mullagetta, who reps Deshaun Watson
last year. One of their late round picks was Ladarius Henderson,

(57:19):
who missed the whole year with an injury, and indications
are because Nicks brought him up. He brought him up
a couple of weeks ago, I.

Speaker 3 (57:27):
Think it was.

Speaker 1 (57:28):
And he has a new agent. Is a new agent?
Is athletes first? Now are they doing? Is is there
anything that works together with this foster, this relationship? Let's
make things work. Well, let's oh you got a new agent. Okay, great, Well,
why don't we talk you up a little bit and
in the meantime and well to do you a solid
talk about you? You know, the good things that are

(57:49):
ahead for you. I hope he's in the mix, and
I hope he proves to be a worthwhile player. And
if you can find a player late in the draft
like he will be, if he can play, that would
be something. But that's what the text and said today.
Did you have another team in mind?

Speaker 2 (58:02):
Oh? Well, I mean the other team in the state
of Texas did make a significant acquisition slash transaction.

Speaker 1 (58:08):
Yeah, we referenced it earlier with the news dump given
on the Get Up program by the Green person. But
that means you're talking about the team in Arlington.

Speaker 4 (58:17):
Yeah, and boys.

Speaker 5 (58:21):
Southwest Southwest home for your Dallas sport.

Speaker 3 (58:25):
Correct yourself in the imaging. Yeah, it's such a it's
such a d move.

Speaker 4 (58:30):
D of the week.

Speaker 1 (58:32):
So what were the Cowboys up to?

Speaker 3 (58:34):
Well, they traded for George Pickens.

Speaker 1 (58:36):
They get Steelers get a third round pick. They're gonna
swap sixth or potentially a fifth pick, and the Cowboys
get George Pickens wide receiver.

Speaker 2 (58:45):
Okay, I guess I get it from the Cowboys standpoint,
even though isn't ceedee Lambs still wait on an extension.

Speaker 1 (58:54):
He got an extension last offseason.

Speaker 3 (58:55):
Okay, that's right. Who's who am I thinking of? That's
still waiting? Oh, that's right.

Speaker 1 (58:59):
Shrapped by athlete eats first.

Speaker 12 (59:00):
By the way.

Speaker 1 (59:00):
Oh thank his agent David dovetails nicely. And if it
ever gets brought up, I don't mind saying it over
and over. And this is the he's the best agent
in the NFL. You earned the pr arm for him.
It's just it's incredible his show him on the show. Well, now,
I guess you're probably trying to make people realize he's
out of Austin. He has a lot of Longhorn clients.

(59:23):
That's kind of where things started for him, so good
for him.

Speaker 2 (59:25):
He also has a lot of Cleveland Brown's clients that
aren't going to play this year.

Speaker 1 (59:29):
All right, Let's get to the Pickens part away from
the deal the football player himself. Start with the talent.
Are there five more talented receivers in the NFL? No,
I don't think so. I think you're right. I think
there are. He is one of the five that gifted
NFL receivers. Now, his focus clearly is nowhere near I'm
one of the best players of my position. He's terrible,

(59:51):
lack of focus even in game, a few too many drops,
lots of miscommunication. What happens during the week is only
really well known to Mike Tomlin and Pickens teammates. But
it doesn't seem like it was excellent, and that's something
you're gonna probably have to deal with. Contract Another part
of this deal. This is a guy was not a

(01:00:12):
first round pick, so the fourth year of his deal
is the last year of his deal. That's what he's
heading into. So not only has he heading into the
last year of his deal, he's also not making a
lot of money. So from a cap standpoint, From a
Steeler standpoint, you're getting a super talent for very little money,
just literal money on this year's cap, or you are
in position to decide to do something differently. It doesn't

(01:00:35):
seem like they're imminently seeking to extend him now, but
will rather wait to see how it plays out on
the field, out plays out.

Speaker 2 (01:00:43):
Lotte Diggs situation. Well wait, but the Texans were never
going to extend him though, were they?

Speaker 1 (01:00:52):
I don't think so. Based on what they immediately did
when they reconfigured his contract immediately, it didn't seem like
that was in the cards for them. Did It gave
Digs the ability to go get one more big payday?
Not from them. It didn't work out, obviously because he
got hurt to the extent he wanted it to, but
it still actually worked out because of what the.

Speaker 3 (01:01:10):
Patriots were willing to pay it. I got the money, and.

Speaker 1 (01:01:14):
I'm taking this chance every time. I like the deal.
When I said before, I like the deal, I like
it for both teams, but I do like it for
the Cowboys specifically because of what it could be. They
are definitely taking a chance. There's certainly some risk involved.
The third round pick is a very valuable pick to move,
but it doesn't have to be best case. What if
it's just good case. The good case scenario is what

(01:01:38):
are defenses doing? How are you going to keep them
from moving the ball down the field. You have a
big play threat in Pickings, you have an everything threat
in Lamb. Both of them are literally big targets their
special athletic talents, and now they're teammates for Dak Prescott
and their new offense at least for a year.

Speaker 13 (01:01:57):
It's a good deal in my opinion for Dallas. I
still have a lot of questions when it comes from
Pittsburgh side. So take it from the Pittsburgh side.

Speaker 1 (01:02:02):
Pittsburgh is going to get tremendous resume credit for with
multiple people kind of pulling the trigger on this. Every
time they get production out of a receiver and there's
reason enough to move him, they move him, and then
their career basically ends.

Speaker 2 (01:02:18):
Running backs too, if you want to count Le'Veon Bell
that was his own fault. Well yeah, but they still
said goodbye. Sure right, he said I'm not playing here.
They didn't move him, but until he basically moved himself.
Deontay Johnson, Chase Claypool. You could probably add Juju Smith
Schustraw to a lesser degree.

Speaker 3 (01:02:37):
He was never super Antonio Brown.

Speaker 1 (01:02:39):
Antonio Brown's probably at the top of the list. He's
also time there sail Pool, Yeah, I said he was.
I said him second, and then I guess you could
include if you're going further back, Martevis Bryant another player.
They were very, very very productive as Steelers. And Mike Wallace. Yeah,
and even in well, Mike Wallace was okay, what two

(01:03:01):
year deal with the Panthers when he left Ravens. I
think it was the Jets, then the Ravens.

Speaker 3 (01:03:06):
I loved him on sixty minutes, and I don't you
correct me if I'm wrong. Cole.

Speaker 1 (01:03:10):
My immediate reaction to adding Mike Wallace to it is
it doesn't seem like he fits because he wasn't a problem.
They just decided to move on all these other guys
we've mentioned. There was something else there. There were other
elements of why these Steelers were ready to move on,
And clearly I think that's part of what it was.
And it's not new to Pittsburgh. It was there and
apparent at Georgia. Because if it wasn't there and apparent

(01:03:32):
at Georgia, he's an absolute slam dunk on, guaranteed to
be a first round pick. It's basically the reason why
he wasn't.

Speaker 13 (01:03:40):
I remember when he was coming out of Georgia, there
were multiple draft analysts saying that this is a talent
wise probably even with missing most of his final year,
so would have been a first round pick.

Speaker 1 (01:03:51):
Like I said, top five. So justin Jefferson is one.
I think Jamar Chase is two.

Speaker 12 (01:03:59):
Two.

Speaker 1 (01:04:00):
Are we already struggling pure gifted skill set? I know
he has dropped, so you'd want to drop him from
the conversation, but pure skill set?

Speaker 3 (01:04:09):
Are we sure?

Speaker 1 (01:04:10):
There's three, four, five before him? I could say at
least two more I would go off.

Speaker 13 (01:04:14):
Okay, I still think Tyreek, even though we are talking
about him starting to decline from a skill set standpoint.

Speaker 3 (01:04:20):
At his peak.

Speaker 1 (01:04:21):
Sure, I would say now no, But who is the
other A J. Brown? That's an interesting I think there's
a pretty good case to be made for AJ Brown
well as it pertains too, But he's clearly in the
conversation Pickens and his talent.

Speaker 2 (01:04:32):
As it pertains to the division we're talking about. Even
with this deal, there's still the third best team in
that division right now until proven otherwise I'd go second,
maybe maybe because they get so there ahead of Washington.

Speaker 13 (01:04:43):
My big thing with Washington is it's the same thing
I said about the Texans last year. I get that
you have a quarterback that decided to over exceed expectations
and build to new heights, but I still had my
questions overall going in the last season. Can you duplicate it.
I'm getting a healthy Dack Prescott. I'm adding in another
wide receiver that's gonna take pressure off of CD Lamb

(01:05:04):
Jake Ferguson. I don't think it's talked about enough as
a quality tight end.

Speaker 1 (01:05:07):
I think that their defense is getting any better this
year because he's getting married or worse. I you always
get worse when you get married, but he's is getting
married this year.

Speaker 3 (01:05:15):
Is Josh Allens to go in the toilet?

Speaker 1 (01:05:17):
Don't? Don't we do not? So then do you counter
that with dad strength when you have a baby, Yeah,
ask Alex Bregman.

Speaker 13 (01:05:23):
So are we saying now that because he's having a
second kid. Dak Prescott MVP candidate, Uh No, probably not now.

Speaker 1 (01:05:31):
The drop off CJ Texans Jayden Daniels commander's comp I
think is fair. But if the Commanders, unlike the Texans,
actually do have a win total drop off, they're now
starting from twelve, Well what if they do. What if
they aren't as good and they're only an eleven and sixteen.
What if they really aren't as good and they're only
a ten and seventy. Sure at ten and seven, I

(01:05:52):
think they're better than the Cowboys.

Speaker 13 (01:05:54):
The other thing that's really important here is remember the
Texans in twenty twenty three had a fourth place schedule.
Last year Washington had a fourth place schedule. You're getting
a second place schedule.

Speaker 2 (01:06:03):
Yeah, here's the deal on what you're talking about, and
it's perfectly logical. But I don't worry about the commander's
offensive line. I worried about that. Now the Larmie's on it. Well,
I just to me like I knew CJ had a
very real possibility of taking a step back, however you
want to label it.

Speaker 3 (01:06:22):
I hate even saying that.

Speaker 2 (01:06:24):
I don't think he was given a fair chance to
have a good sophomore campaign because of the line.

Speaker 1 (01:06:29):
That's gonna be the same thing with Jayden Daniels at
this point in my opinion.

Speaker 3 (01:06:32):
Why why his line's good?

Speaker 8 (01:06:34):
Oh?

Speaker 1 (01:06:34):
I thought you're a line.

Speaker 13 (01:06:36):
I was thinking of a different thing, not offensive line
that you're talking about, the line that he set record wise.

Speaker 1 (01:06:40):
Oh yeah, No, yes, his benchmark is exceptionally, it's higher
than CJ's. But I think the point you're making a yeah, yeah,
there's no comparison. If he has a drop off, it
will be because DC's caught up. He just made mistakes.
He took it easy this offseason, didn't care, and I
don't see any of those things happening. But last thing
on on the Cowboys portion of it, I mean, Jerry

(01:07:00):
doesn't shy away from things like he's trying to win.
He believes in this move. You could probably argue they've
had a pretty good offseason if you like their coach.
I guess I think the moves they've made are fine.
I'm not a big fan of that movie. He's like
the hire of the defense coordinator.

Speaker 2 (01:07:15):
I'm not.

Speaker 1 (01:07:16):
I don't think it's bad. I think it's a pretty
decent one. Yeah, But the personnel moves, and this one specifically,
I mean, this is as pope. This is a move
to try to not be third place, to try to
not be an eight to nine team.

Speaker 3 (01:07:29):
I would love it.

Speaker 1 (01:07:30):
If I'm a Cowboy fan or a fan of Jerry
or Steven Jones or anyone.

Speaker 3 (01:07:33):
Why do I feel like though, no matter what happens,
this is going to go poorly for.

Speaker 1 (01:07:36):
Them, probably will, and then your third round pick is
not in your hands anymore. Well he might not. I
mean you've rented him for the time being from a
contractual standpoint. So that's what the Cowboys are after, trying
to give Dak additional weapons. He's definitely a weapon and
can certainly produce like one of the best. Hasn't yet.
He also upgrades at quarterback by going to a team

(01:07:58):
that employs Dak Prescott versus a team that currently doesn't
have a starting level quarterback on the Ross.

Speaker 3 (01:08:03):
I don't worry.

Speaker 2 (01:08:04):
Aaron Rodgers is on the way. He's gonna save everything,
just like he did for the Jets.

Speaker 4 (01:08:10):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 6 (01:08:19):
Some turn to dust.

Speaker 2 (01:08:20):
If it is the eighteen Sports Talk seven ninety Wednesday
edition of the program. We were talking about that article
and just in general, the Sun's situation so hit.

Speaker 1 (01:08:35):
The highlights of an article written over at the Associated
Press posted over at the Worldwide Leader on the future
of the Suns.

Speaker 2 (01:08:43):
Well, the headline, first of all, says that Sun's GM
says closeness with Matt with one t Ishbia is an
asset in rebuilding first and foremost. If you're going to
name your child Matt, you need to put both keys
in the name because it short for Matthew. And I
don't think he spells his name m A T h

(01:09:05):
e W he could? I mean Dan, Matthew's last name
is with one T. Yeah, but he's yelling at you
on social media?

Speaker 3 (01:09:13):
Yeah, why is it in all caps?

Speaker 1 (01:09:15):
It appears Matthew randall Ishbia does in fact spell his
first name Matthew with only one T. Stupid?

Speaker 2 (01:09:23):
All right, So but again, just say Matt if it's
gonna be short, Come on, Matt, Like, could you imagine
the Matt Thomas show? You know what only two t's,
one in Matt and one in Thomas.

Speaker 1 (01:09:34):
Well, he actually has three t's next to each other.

Speaker 3 (01:09:36):
What if he just took the H out for fun too?
Every time we.

Speaker 1 (01:09:39):
Say Matt Thomas or you say Matt like you're saying it,
it makes me think of SNL's undercover boss with Adam Driver.

Speaker 3 (01:09:49):
I don't think I saw it.

Speaker 1 (01:09:51):
Who's the uh angry leader of the evil people in
Star Wars?

Speaker 8 (01:09:57):
Oh?

Speaker 1 (01:09:59):
You mean Palpatine? No Vader? No, we're going Kylo Ren
there you go.

Speaker 8 (01:10:04):
There we go.

Speaker 1 (01:10:05):
He's undercover boss as Kylo Rent.

Speaker 3 (01:10:07):
Is he the one that said more a lot?

Speaker 1 (01:10:09):
Yes, that's him, Yes, exactly, Okay, but he's a radar
technician and his name is Matt when he's undercover boss,
and so the people are all giving him a hard
time because they don't know who he is, and they're like,
does that look like what you're supposed to do, Matt?
But he's really Kylo and then he kills them all.
It's awesome.

Speaker 2 (01:10:27):
Well, I'll check that out when I get a chance.
But either way, this quote, I'm never gonna shy this
is the This is the GM who by the way,
we're talking about Brian Gregory.

Speaker 3 (01:10:38):
He spells his name's right.

Speaker 1 (01:10:39):
He has a twenty five year relationship with Matt the
owner quote.

Speaker 2 (01:10:43):
I'm never going to shy away from the fact that
one of the reasons I'm sitting up here is because
of my relationship with Matt.

Speaker 3 (01:10:49):
Ishbia.

Speaker 1 (01:10:50):
Thanks for telling us how employment as an adult works,
no kidding, But.

Speaker 2 (01:10:55):
That relationship is founded on our alignment, shared values, shared work.

Speaker 3 (01:11:00):
We've been through a lot together. He trusts me and
I trust him.

Speaker 1 (01:11:03):
So before we get into the details, because you just
mentioned the buzzword there. Good friend Cameron Cox. Some of
you may know him for the work he does covering
the Phoenix Suns for twelve News out there in Phoenix.
Some of you know him because he's a Houstonian who
works out there and went to Humble. He works out
there in Phoenix, So talked to him a couple of

(01:11:23):
times obviously follow his work on Phoenix Sports whenever appropriate
the Backs, Cardinals, or in this case the Suns. He
was very very nice to all of us, very best
of X material from him today. You just mentioned one
of the reasons why Brian Gregory is there with matt ichbiad.
Do you remember what one of.

Speaker 3 (01:11:41):
Those words was, alignment.

Speaker 12 (01:11:43):
Yep.

Speaker 1 (01:11:43):
So he took the liberty of posting a video that
counts all the buzzwords said by Gregory today. Alignment is one,
identity is another, and vision is the third. And he
said it all to be basically part of a game showld.

Speaker 8 (01:12:00):
The alignment shape our identity allows us to start the
alignment allows us to start building that identity.

Speaker 1 (01:12:06):
It's about building that alignment.

Speaker 8 (01:12:08):
It's about creating that identity, and it's about executing that vision.

Speaker 1 (01:12:12):
To execute that.

Speaker 8 (01:12:13):
Vision, do it with the alignment and the identity. Building
that identity and creating that alignment that identity is very
very important. Create that identity alignment to execute that that vision,
that vision we're talking about exactly aligned with that, finding
that head coach that is aligned. Our identity is when
I talk about alignment, there is complete alignment creating an identity.

(01:12:35):
When we talk about identity, we are completely aligned. Build
the identity. The alignment that is so important because that's
the alignment. There's no way you can build the alignment.
But Matt and I are aligned. But that relationship is
founded on that alignment of executing the vision that we've
put forth.

Speaker 1 (01:12:54):
We share the same vision of what our team needs
to look like. There's no way you can create that align.

Speaker 5 (01:13:00):
Is the team aligned? Does the team know exactly what
its identity? There you go final tally for his first appearance.
This wasn't from ten press conference. This is one press conference. Availability.

Speaker 3 (01:13:11):
Didn't even play the whole file.

Speaker 1 (01:13:12):
Vision seven times, YEP, identity thirteen times, an alignment fifty
twenty three times. Stupid.

Speaker 2 (01:13:19):
All right, So none of that is going to fix
what's wrong with this roster, which is that you've paid
a lot of money for team or for players who
are not winning.

Speaker 1 (01:13:26):
Matt aligned on the identity of this team, for your
vision for the future, being no longer in business with
Devin Booker, Kevin Durant more time, I mean.

Speaker 2 (01:13:35):
Here's the deal time. This is an AP article. This
paragraph jumped off the page at me more than any other.
The Suns finished last season with a disappointing thirty six
and forty six record, despite the league's most expensive roster
that included the all star trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker,
and Bradley Beal. Booker, a four time All Star in

(01:13:56):
franchise icon who has spent all of his ten seasons
in the Desert, is the only player who seems certain
to return.

Speaker 3 (01:14:05):
My question would be why.

Speaker 1 (01:14:08):
That's the public voice that they've so far given basically
all from Mishbiah, because this GM wasn't there yet. He's
given public indications and it was written in a correct way.
To me, seems certain. He didn't say is certain. It
seems certain because we all know things can be said
one way publicly, or things could change internally, or Devin
Booker could say something he's never said before. Because he's

(01:14:30):
been very pretty public, kind of in the way that
Giannis was public about it during his years in Milwaukee earlier.
I want to be here and I want to win here.
And in Devin's case, he's he's won there. He hasn't
won the championship, but he's one enough to save one
here the finals. But he's also been on the other
end of it. They've been If you thought they were
bad this year, they've been worse than that in his

(01:14:51):
time there.

Speaker 2 (01:14:52):
But here's the thing those three players. First of all,
Bradley Beal is an All Star in name only. He's
I've ever been a winning basketball player, So he's completely
the opposite of Kevin Durant in that regard. But like
you're talking about, this has been, like you said, their
public stance. We are going to keep Devin Booker. That's
what we want to convey to anybody out there who's

(01:15:14):
even picking up the phone to call us. While meanwhile
you're talking about the two other guys and those being
pennies on the dollar to get them, whether you know
it or not, Phoenix, you're gonna have to blow up
your organization if you want to do the winning you
keep talking about. And that also means that Devin Booker

(01:15:35):
may have wanted to be there and want to win there,
but he's not gonna win there. If that happens, it's
gonna take too long by the time he gets to
where they will be able to win. This isn't the NFL.
You're not gonna fix the Phoenix Suns in a year
an offseason. It's gonna take like three years minimum. Ask
the Houston Rockets. Also ask the Houston Rockets if they
can do a deal, because that's the most natural thing

(01:15:57):
for you to get where you want to go, which
is winning through a re build, because they own your draft.

Speaker 1 (01:16:02):
Can they still, though, say we're not moving Devin Booker
just to move him. When you say pennies on the dollar,
I do think you're gonna get a little less for
Durant clearly versus Booker. I just mean less in general.
But you could just say, no, that's not enough, We're
keeping Devin Booker.

Speaker 2 (01:16:17):
I mean to me, though, if you're really wanting to win,
sustained excellence, all that kind of stuff, you need to
do the blow up, you need to do the rebuild,
and he's gonna get you the most for that. He's
also gonna get.

Speaker 1 (01:16:29):
Your draft picks back and when you consider a deal
if it were to be from Houston an.

Speaker 2 (01:16:33):
If he's on your roster, you're winning too much to
do that as well in future season, no question about it.

Speaker 1 (01:16:38):
You know, a couple of first round picks from Houston
plus a couple of young talents. I mean even if
it's Jalen Cam or Read and two first round picks
and maybe a third player like I know you have
information about Jalen now that he's been in the league
for four years, and similarly with Read for one or
Cam for two, but you're basically trading them a top

(01:16:59):
five pick, two future picks another for it's four or
five first round pick players. Some of them are already
in the league. But that's how much I do think
is a realistic ask and get if you're moving on
from Devin Booker, do if they ask.

Speaker 3 (01:17:13):
For Reed Shepherd, are you as bullish on him as
the Rockets are.

Speaker 1 (01:17:16):
Well, that just depends on what else it is. You know,
can you can you build your team for the future
and still give up what they're asking you? If Read's
part of that, then so you got to tell me
what their backcourt looks like around Booker in two years,
because it's probably not Booker and Fred van Vliet not
not the push of their backcourt. And if you're giving
them Read, does that mean you're keeping Jalen or you're
giving them both Read and Jalen to.

Speaker 3 (01:17:38):
Deal?

Speaker 5 (01:17:39):
Right?

Speaker 1 (01:17:39):
So are they definitively? I don't know. I am bullish
on him. I do believe there's a lot to like,
and quite obviously what this team lacks is what he
should be good at. And I mean, stupid Buddy Healed.
And I don't mean that personally, I mean I do
Buddy Heal couldn't really become a He was never really

(01:18:02):
a fit in Golden State because of all the other
things he can't do well. I mean, this guy's an
unbelievable three point shooters, a forty percent shooter. He's been
all over the place because he doesn't do anything else.
And what did he do? He hit a bunch of
threes finally, But that's what players do, that's what teams
have that you gotta have more shooters on the team.

Speaker 3 (01:18:19):
This team lacks that and Reed never saw the floor
in that series.

Speaker 1 (01:18:22):
Yeah, but that's undertotally understandable.

Speaker 2 (01:18:24):
But Aaron Holland never saw the floor in Game seven
and I thought that might have understandable. Yeah, I mean
at one point during the broadcast, I said something to
Matt and he goes, I think is gonna go with
who brought him? I'm like, well, part of who brought
them to Game seven is Aaron Holliday if you want
to get down to it, because he hit big shots
in the prior games.

Speaker 3 (01:18:40):
Anyway, we'll get to a case you missed it next.

Speaker 4 (01:18:44):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 1 (01:18:57):
It is the eighteen.

Speaker 2 (01:18:58):
It's Sports Talks seven ninety and well after five thirty
we have just been awesome on the clock today.

Speaker 3 (01:19:04):
It's in case you missed it?

Speaker 1 (01:19:07):
So what did you want to tell you what you
miss Yes? Ahi cool. There's a new wide receiver on
the market. He's leaving Duval.

Speaker 13 (01:19:14):
County and it costs one point two million dollars per catch.
Fourteen months ago, the Jaguars side to sign gave Davis
to a three year, thirty nine million dollar deal twenty
four million which was guaranteed, and within less than.

Speaker 1 (01:19:28):
Two years he is back on the market.

Speaker 13 (01:19:30):
The Jaguars will take on five point nine million dollars
of his current dead cap hit for this year rather
than pay the twenty point three million dollars per a
cap hit. But it gets a little bit darker and
deeper and more depressive. They're also down. Yeah they got
a second year of cap hit. Yeah they have a
second year cap hit. But again one point two million
dollars per catch. So if you do the math, because

(01:19:53):
if that's how much it would equal for twenty catches
two hundred and thirty nine yards one touchdown reception. Oh
and to top it all off, the Jags would have
had a better draft compensation if Gabe Davis didn't drop
back to back touchdown receptions in the end zone against
Chicago in the London game. So you guys like seeing
the market, Uh, probably gonna land in Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh

(01:20:15):
will once again turn him into something because they're gonna
go ten and seven and find they were way to
the playoffs to lose inevitably in the wildcard rounds.

Speaker 1 (01:20:21):
So you aren't with us here on the show last
offseason when he got his three year, thirty nine million
dollar deal with the Jaguars. Nor was their GM, which
is why it happened and why that GM isn't there.
But I think most everybody remembers my thoughts on it,
then if you don't, I put it in a post
today to Troy Over at Texans Cap when he noted
this move was made. I said yeah. He said, yikes.

(01:20:42):
Free agency is tough to get right, twenty seven and
a half million in ten games. I said, true, but
this wasn't a tough one said. This was one of
the best signings in free agency last offseason for the
Texans and the rest of the AFC. Davis couldn't even
manage a single fifty catch season with Josh Allen in
Buffalo over four seasons. Never even got to fifty, had

(01:21:05):
the one awesome playoff game, the three touchdown game that
they didn't win because of thirteen seconds. He's also now
their fourth best wide receiver. This is actually a football move,
a clear and obvious football move. They went out and
got a cornerback to play wide receiver. They got Brian
Thomas Junior and at least one of the other receivers

(01:21:28):
on the roster. Maybe both Washington and Brown are better
options than Gabe Davis. And you're right, he probably will
land somewhere. He'll get another paycheck. I don't think he's
absolutely just a guy. He's a big, average wide receiver.
He's Alan Lazard, He's any of these guys you can
sign when nobody else is out there.

Speaker 13 (01:21:49):
So another day three wide receiver that has one highlight
moment gets paid and goes.

Speaker 1 (01:21:53):
Back to reality. Yep, that's he got all this tape.
How a GM like Trent Balky, even as bad as
we all know that he is in the strath Balky,
that's why I just what did you see? Why would
you do this? It's not cap killing, but it's just
it's an unwise move. It was four touchdowns, by the way,
I did hear your correction? Eight catches, four scores against

(01:22:14):
Kansas City in that overtime loss thirteen seconds.

Speaker 3 (01:22:16):
What else do we have?

Speaker 13 (01:22:18):
Can the Texans actually take a note out of the
Los Angeles Rams. They already stole Nick Kayley from them.

Speaker 1 (01:22:23):
Which is pretty sweet if you guys haven't heard about this,
But can.

Speaker 13 (01:22:26):
They actually go ahead and book a trip for all
of us to maybe go to I don't know, Jamaica.

Speaker 1 (01:22:32):
Well, first of all, we're not going anywhere to cover
Texans mini camp unless it is in Houston at their facility.
I'm sure we beating, meaning iHeart employees.

Speaker 13 (01:22:42):
I hear they'll pay for us to go out here,
because I'm sure that people are paying for them to
go out to Maui with the Rams. The RAMS are
turning their mini camp into Maui Camp. They're teaming up
with the Hawaii Tourism Authority to hold the first ever
NFL Mini Camp in Maui, a Maui Camp starting June sixteenth, Thursday,
June nineteen.

Speaker 1 (01:23:02):
Now, the RAMS announced this and this so there was
no media availability with it. I didn't think it then,
but over the course of the day, the thought crossed
my mind. Is there any chance this was in hopes
of getting better attendance, Like they're not going to pass
up on a trip to Maui with their family. Let

(01:23:23):
me tell you mini camp where otherwise they might have said,
this isn't for me. It's mandatory, but.

Speaker 3 (01:23:29):
I don't need this.

Speaker 2 (01:23:29):
If I'm going to an exotic location for whatever reason,
for any amount of time, the last thing I'm doing
while I'm there is going to watch any sort of
football practice of anything.

Speaker 1 (01:23:41):
This is as you said, as Cole said, for those
that aren't that's the HTA, Why tourism, It's h everybody
knows the HDA.

Speaker 3 (01:23:47):
This is for them.

Speaker 1 (01:23:48):
This is not for a visit. This is not for
the Rams fans to take a trip with them to go. Hey,
they're having mini camp there. This is a great time
for us to go on vacation. This is for people
that live there now. Usually you have camps in other
places like Oxnard because you want to increase your fan base.

Speaker 3 (01:24:06):
I don't.

Speaker 1 (01:24:06):
I don't know that this is going to do much
of it. I think they already have a fan base. Yeah,
they already have a fan base in Hawaii. It does.
Going back to our conversation about stadium and money and
new facilities, I'm sure this isn't much of a drop
in the bucket for their uber rich ownership group. You

(01:24:27):
need Stan cronkey. Yes, definitely have much money right now.
But it's a total waste of money, an unbelievable waste
of money. When the Texans went to the Green Bar,
it was the dumbest thing ever when the Saints went
dumb Why it makes to me? It makes absolutely no sense.
Does not bond your team, does nothing for your money.

(01:24:48):
It means you got to take your facility, which you
built specifically so you could practice there and move it
somewhere else kind of. It's enjoy it. It won't be
it won't mean they're good. It won't mean they're bad,
or we'll have no impact. But it is fun moving
your camp to MAUI. That's so I would be down.
I would be down.

Speaker 8 (01:25:07):
Hey.

Speaker 1 (01:25:07):
By the way, guys, what happened twenty three years ago today?
I hope we can listen to what happened twenty three
years ago today. I think you can tell how many
times he says.

Speaker 3 (01:25:16):
It, because we sitting in here.

Speaker 14 (01:25:17):
I supposed to be the franchise player, and we in
here talking about practice. I mean, listen, we're talking about practice,
not a game, not a game, not a game. We're
talking about practice, not a game, not the game that
I go out there and die for and play every
game like it's my last, not the game. We're talking

(01:25:40):
about practice, man. I mean, how silly is that?

Speaker 1 (01:25:43):
Man?

Speaker 14 (01:25:43):
We're talking about practice. I know I supposed to be there.
I know I was supposed to leave by example.

Speaker 1 (01:25:48):
I know.

Speaker 14 (01:25:49):
I just don't care, and I'm not. I'm not shoving
it aside. You are like, it don't mean anything. I
know it's important. I do, I honestly do you don't.
But we're talking about practice, man. What do we talking
about practice? We're talking about practice, man.

Speaker 13 (01:26:05):
He says it twenty two times in the full clip,
and I want to play all one hundred and I
mean one minute and fifty nine seconds of it, but.

Speaker 1 (01:26:12):
Twenty two times the greatest ramp about.

Speaker 13 (01:26:15):
Something that was so nonsensical was brought to our attention,
and it still is one of the in my Mossicontic
moments about you.

Speaker 3 (01:26:22):
Do realize that that was how many years ago?

Speaker 1 (01:26:24):
Twenty three today? So May seventh means he's in the
middle of the postseason saying this.

Speaker 2 (01:26:30):
This is not a February run of the mill presser
where uh alan this practice?

Speaker 1 (01:26:36):
Again, it's a story, if I believe correctly.

Speaker 13 (01:26:39):
This was going into Game two against the Boston Celtics.

Speaker 2 (01:26:44):
Yeah, well for one of the all time greats I
and I'm not being a square at all.

Speaker 1 (01:26:51):
He didn't come off very good there. Well, of course not.
It's not supposed to office, and he recognized it as
he was saying, no, I should come off fine.

Speaker 3 (01:26:59):
Year he talked himself into it. Yeah, I'm wrong.

Speaker 1 (01:27:02):
I do agree to some extent, though it was the
same position I had on DeAndre Hopkins and the total
absolute nonsense I felt it was when people, yeah, but
you know, he wouldn't practice during the week, he wouldn't
do it. And what what does he do on Sunday?
He shows up and he plays fine. By me, he's
not hurting. It's it was not I don't remember everyone's

(01:27:24):
saying the well, the locker room for the Texas is
toxic because DeAndre Hopkins isn't practicing enough.

Speaker 2 (01:27:29):
Well, no, the locker room for the Texans was toxic
because Bill O'Brien was in charge.

Speaker 13 (01:27:33):
Also was toxic because again Larrmy Tunnel didn't practice enough.

Speaker 1 (01:27:36):
Right, yep, same thing totally. I just not really down
with that. But thanks to Giving forgiving us that AI
a Hall of Famer, and this is what we have
from him. That's we can do better than that. Tyler
probably wishes this is the only thing we had from him.
We got more coming on the eighteen.

Speaker 4 (01:27:54):
Next the ad on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 2 (01:28:08):
Sometimes I wish we could go back to the summer
of twenty twenty two when this movie came out and
then the Astros won the World Series later on that year.

Speaker 1 (01:28:16):
Great summer, the summer of twenty twenty two when this
came out. This what this movie lost This movie. This
movie came out in twenty twenty two, This movie I'm lost. Well,
this song plays in Top Gun Maverick at the very beginning.
This song that was released way before this and came

(01:28:36):
out in the Night movie way before this. Yeah, that's
why I'm lost.

Speaker 3 (01:28:39):
That the better movie came out in twenty twenty two.

Speaker 1 (01:28:42):
Definitely known for Danger Zone Maverick. Absolutely, it's in the movie.
It's not like even one of the most memorable songs.
It's the one of the most memorable songs from the
eighty six movie, not from this one.

Speaker 2 (01:28:55):
What are the more memorable songs from this one? Gaga,
of course that's not memorable. That is a cheap replacement
for twenty one pilots who were supposed to write the
signature song and whatever to them. I don't know, Tom
Cruise apparently, was it just like a dad joke that
they had twenty one pilot got the gig after that
not the only prominent female that shouldn't have gotten a

(01:29:18):
gig in that film.

Speaker 1 (01:29:19):
It plays over her one of her finests, Jennifer Connelly sucks.
Glad we went here?

Speaker 2 (01:29:25):
What else Mark to talk about you want to talk
about TJ. Watt being traded now, traded now from the Steelers.

Speaker 1 (01:29:33):
I mean I usually deal in things that are actually
gonna happen. So no, not getting traded, not JJ Watt,
TJ Watt, JJ Watts brother that still plays football is
not getting traded, Okay.

Speaker 13 (01:29:45):
I I mean there's nothing right now that I look
at the Pittsburgh Steelers and say it's positive.

Speaker 2 (01:29:50):
Yeah, I'm shocked that this got done today, just for
any other Like, are you trying to say that the
Steelers got worse?

Speaker 1 (01:29:58):
Yeah, tradding George Pickens? Yes, so it how did you
get better? It hurts their chances of winning? No, there
you go, it doesn't hurt their chances of winning. Well,
it's Mike Tomlin. That's the problem. It's it's the Mike
Tomlin effect.

Speaker 13 (01:30:10):
They're still gonna go ten and seven with Mason Rudolfster
starting quarterback because I'm sad I disagree with I completely
am being facetious here, but it's the Mike Tomlin effect.

Speaker 1 (01:30:20):
I mean, am I wrong on that? It's it's gonna
be very difficult for them to Mike Tomlin their way
through this season if they do Can we.

Speaker 13 (01:30:30):
At least put him in the conversation for top ten
coach of all time with this roster?

Speaker 1 (01:30:34):
Yeah, that's fine. Absolutely. We love Mike Tomlin, truthfully, we
absolutely do. We think he's definitely one of the top
three or four current head coaches. It would be a
remarkable job considering Cincinnati's probably pretty hard to beat. We
know that the Ravens are very hard to beat. You
might be able to get two wins over Cleveland, but
who knows.

Speaker 2 (01:30:53):
They are They rumored to be targeting Alan Lazard. Why
are you doing what the Jets did bringing in people
to Aaron Rodgers once when you're not the Jets, you're
the Steelers with Mike Tomlin in charge because you don't
have anything else to do.

Speaker 1 (01:31:06):
You literally have nothing else to do and you have
nothing else to work with. Yeah, we're we're at the
point the offseason where helpful players don't they're not out
there and if they could be traded for that, they're
not out there.

Speaker 13 (01:31:17):
You're giving up compensation like the Dallas Cowboys just did
for George.

Speaker 1 (01:31:20):
Pickens, right, and this team did still acquire dk Metcalf
this offseason and they paid them. That's an elite level player.
They added a significantly more productive player than George Pickens.
They had a good draft too, in my opinion, I
think so too, but I'm not. I'll say it and
be wrong and be fine with it. The Steelers aren't

(01:31:41):
going to the playoffs this year, probably not.

Speaker 13 (01:31:42):
This will be the first time in what ages that
they may finish two thousand and six, I think it
would be the first time they finished below.

Speaker 1 (01:31:49):
Since we have time, so just run through the division,
starting in the AFC East. We'll put the Bills in
the playoffs. Sure, and I won't go any further yet,
but we'll leave those three teams elsewhere where. We'll leave
them out for now, and we'll take it to the
AFC North and we'll put these Steelers or excuse me,
the Bengals and the Ravens in the playoffs. So that's
that's the three, yeah, all right? Or actually, I'm really

(01:32:10):
just ranking the teams definitively ahead of them that I
would put in the playoffs.

Speaker 3 (01:32:13):
I'm not putting.

Speaker 1 (01:32:14):
So now there's there's the Texans. That's four, and then
there's the Chargers, Broncos and Chiefs. That's seven. Okay, Well,
that's a playoff picture. All in and of itself. Now
there's the other nine teams, aren't several of them probably
better than Pittsburgh. And I'm already at the playoff limit
of seven.

Speaker 3 (01:32:33):
I'm assuming Aaron Rodgers is the quarterback too.

Speaker 1 (01:32:35):
You can assume any anybody you want that's available.

Speaker 3 (01:32:37):
It doesn't really matter.

Speaker 13 (01:32:40):
No, I still would say they're the eightheam right now,
and that's being super positive about calling them the Miami
for example. But again, am I gonna trust TUA for
a full seventeen game season?

Speaker 1 (01:32:52):
They're fine there? What did I say all the year
last year about Miami's general manager and their management team
as it relates to Tua? How can you ploy to
and none to a eployee a backup? Well they fixed
that problem drafted quin Yours all set, all set, Just.

Speaker 2 (01:33:08):
Have Colt McCoy play for you if you want a
former Longhorn to be your backup.

Speaker 1 (01:33:12):
I think there's a couple other teams that you could say,
and maybe in this division. I figured I would admit
it at some point. Why not today as we close
it out. I think James Gladstone's going to turn out
to be an excellent hire as a general manager for
the Jaguars. He already hired the wrong I mean the
right dude, yep. But Jaguars, Colts, Any, the Dolphins. That's

(01:33:32):
three teams that I think could all outplay the Steelers
this year. We got more time tomorrow, more time on Friday.
It's only Wednesday. We'll call it a day here. We'll
come back at you tomorrow at two o'clock for another
edition of The eighteen

Speaker 4 (01:33:46):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety