Rockets Fail To Launch, Astros Blast Off, Jeremy Pena Joins The Show!

The A-Team reacts to Monday's loss against the Warriors in the Bay, the Astros repsonse at home against the Tigers, where the Texans stand on the offensive line after the draft and how AC & Cole can't keep letting Wex get away with some mularky takes. Plus, Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena joins the show ahead of Tuesday's showdown against Detroit. 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
Two lifelong Houston sports guys named Adam Raised.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
My Earl.

Speaker 1 (00:13):
Nolan multed by the magnificent roller coaster ride that is
Houston Sports. Chill lge down for the only homegrown afternoon
team is Talking Your Teams? Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler

(00:36):
are the eight team.

Speaker 3 (00:39):
A Welcome into a Tuesday edition of the show Sports
Talk seven to ninety, about an hour away from being
simulcast on Space City Home Network tomorrow, a much much
different schedule, as we will be joining you late. The

(01:00):
Astros will be going for a sweep, hopefully in their series,
but with the Detroit Tigers. But in the meantime, they
did get the opener of their series last night. The
biggest news though the Houston Rockets. They are now literally
in a must win situation. Tomorrow night is Game five.
They trail that series three games to one. And I

(01:21):
said this to Ross last hour, I want to see
what you think about this. Wex If I had told
you that the Rockets would go from forty one and
forty one to better than fifty wins, the two seed
in the West, and then they'd be out in the
first round of the playoffs, because it was a very
tightly compacted Western Conference. I think all of us coming

(01:41):
from forty one and forty one a year ago would
have probably been ecstatic about that scenario. I also think
that given how everything went this year, who the Rockets
are who they might end up being, but also who
they might not end up being. And I'm talking about
one specific player, and I'm sure he will come up
a lot today. I just think that because of who

(02:06):
they're playing in this first round matchup, a lot of
things are being either magnified or blown out of proportion
as it pertains to where this club is. But you've
got to hit your free throws. It's just anything we
can talk about. Do you think the Rockets are the
better team or not? Do you think the Warriors are

(02:28):
the better team or not?

Speaker 4 (02:29):
Do you think.

Speaker 3 (02:30):
That you missed twelve free throws in a three point
road playoff loss which was yours to lose a number
of times? It's it's because they're playing the Warriors that
it's even more frustrating. That's about as frustrating a playoff
loss as I've ever witnessed in Rockets history.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
Number of different ways it could have gone, it unfortunately
has gone this way three times. Now, Warriors, I'll add
a number to what we said yesterday before Game four.
The Warriors have only had a chance to win three
times in this series. The Rockets have had a chance
to win all four games. Rockets have won once. Warriors
have won all three times. They've had a chance to
win all three of the fourth quarters where it was
still a game. They've come through. They've made the plays

(03:10):
necessary without playing perfect basketball. Far from it the Rockets
are doing. They're executing a game plan that is a
successful one and one that I can get behind on defense.
And that's why they've had an opportunity to win all
four games. They've done what they decided was the best
course of action, and I don't disagree with it. I

(03:31):
think there are ways that they could have won all
four of these games of other things that they've decided
to do, and a little bit better. I'm not over
the free throw shooting, but I think it would almost
be foolish to expect them to make them. They could
make them a little bit higher clip because they're even
below what they are. But they spend all time telling
us and we should be listening. We are who we are. Yeah,

(03:51):
they suck at shooting. Free throws, So that's what they're doing.
I'm not shocked by how poorly they're shooting them, because
they're their worst free throws shooting team in the postseason
before the postseason started. I mean, the sixteen teams that
are there, nobody shoots them worse. And the idea that
the Warriors were not a good free throw shooting team, well,
who cares what they were before Jimmy Butler got there.
How about the team that's here. They're an awesome free

(04:12):
throw shooting team and that's been on display. So what
you've seen is what you get. This is who these
teams are. You know, the Warriors are probably only going
as far as the players that don't wear number thirty
are going to take them. And you've seen that in
this series. On the nights where other players have played
good basketball, they have a much much better chance to

(04:33):
beat this team. And I think it's going to be
true should they advance against any team they might face.
You know, Curry wasn't awful in last night's game, but
he didn't even attempt to have a Curry type game
because he was just resigned to the fact that the
Rockets were doing what they wanted they wanted to keep
the ball out of his hands. They wanted to keep
him from getting good looks, they wanted to keep him
from being, you know, the three point artists that he

(04:53):
has been so many times, not just in this series,
but in any postseason series. And so he said, Okay,
we will work around that. When I get the basketball,
somebody's going to be open, because they're committing so much
to not allowing me to be open, committing so much
to how they switch and how they communicate, and they're honestly,
they're doing a very good job. The Rockets are doing
a very good job of trying to make it difficult

(05:14):
for him. And last night was a night where he
seemed resigned to the fact that, okay, well, if I
take thirty shots, it's going to be a bad night
for us. If I take twenty five shots, it's going
to be a bad night for us. So he tried
to allow for others to take care of their business.
Jimmy Butler certainly did, Brandon Pajemski certainly did, but he
Healed certainly did. And all that was while the Rockets
still had the ball with a chance to take the

(05:37):
lead on what could have been their final offensive possession.
So they're not far, but they're also not as close
as maybe some of this suggests. And you brought it
up in that opening comment. And the West is tough,
and I know they're the second seed, but they weren't
the second most likely team to.

Speaker 4 (05:55):
Make you of the West.

Speaker 3 (05:56):
See this year, everybody is I don't agree with that.
It's Oklahoma City and everybody else. So everybody else is
the second seed. It's OKAC and then everybody else, and
you can fight it out for who's gonna get smashed
by them.

Speaker 2 (06:06):
I agree, yes, but that's not what I'm saying. I'm
not saying everybody else is the same. I agree they're
not Oklahoma City, but I don't think the other six
teams besides Memphis is the same. Memphis is clearly the
worst team in the playoffs. I think we knew that
before he got here. That's why they had to win
their way in and then they got crushed. Injury had
a little bit to do with them getting crushed, but
they just they weren't as good as everybody else. I

(06:26):
think the other six teams, there's some debate how to
rank them, but I would not think many, if any,
would rank the Rockets second among those six teams.

Speaker 5 (06:36):
Could you see all six though, going to the Western
Conference Finals to play against Oklahoma City?

Speaker 2 (06:41):
Sure I could. I think that's the point AC's making. Okay,
I think this would this would have been a very
similar series, played a very different way, regardless of their opponent.
If they were playing the Lakers, the Nuggets, the Clippers
obviously the team they are playing, or the Minnesota Timberwolves.
I think it would have been very, very similar, and
we would have been asking the Rockets to do something

(07:03):
that their opponents have already done. Every other team in
the playoffs, best players have already done this. They've already
won series. They've already I think, if I'm not mistaken,
they've all already been to the conference finals. And that's
what this team is lacking. They don't know how to
do the things that are necessary to have this series

(07:24):
even just be two too. They clearly could be in
front three one easily, but those little things are still
passing them by. And it's not all because the kids
are doing it. One of the I don't want to
rank them all, and you could pick one, and Cole
could pick one, and our next fifty callers could pick
one and we'd all have a different One big thing
from last night's game, how about not putting your hand
and Jimmy Butler's waist on a shot clock violation, beating

(07:48):
three pointer in the corner. I just don't do it.
Just don't do it.

Speaker 6 (07:51):
You good to go?

Speaker 3 (07:52):
Yeah, I listen, this is and you said it perfectly.
The Rockets could For those who are like, well, I mean,
or is just a better team. If the Warriors are
just that much better, then the Rockets could not have
easily had been up three to one in this series.

Speaker 4 (08:06):
That's the problem I have fundamentally.

Speaker 2 (08:07):
Well, but there's always that you know, they're not that
much better, but they're better. Through these four games, they're
clearly showing they're better because they're making the necessary which
means you're better, because that's what the playoffs is all about.

Speaker 3 (08:21):
I think I think the term better is very subjective,
especially when you're talking about two teams like this that
are so evenly matched. That's why, I mean, we talk
about the World Series against the White Sox all the time.
That's like the closest sweep I've ever seen. It's baseball,
so it's different. I won't go down that road. But
you know, if the Rockets just hit their free throws

(08:43):
just half of the ones they missed last night, they
went by three, Well it changes the game. Well yeah,
but like to play differently if they're down two, three, five, Yeah,
Traymond might have actually assaulted somebody and they would actually
did I know, I I honestly, I don't understand why
the NBA coddles this guy.

Speaker 4 (09:02):
And that's what they're doing. That is absolutely what they're doing.

Speaker 3 (09:06):
My favorite part of last night's edition of Dumbass Warriors
fans on social media.

Speaker 2 (09:12):
We shouldn't even gotten the fish technical.

Speaker 3 (09:14):
Why there was three technicals handed out, they were all
earned by all three parties. And he started that one too.
He started the whole thing. He wiped out a men Thompson,
which wasn't called. So that's his sixth foul right there.
But he should have been thrown out before halftime. So
all of the preening he did about the stellar defense

(09:34):
that the not even defensive player of the year made
on alprinchching Goon for that final play in his top three, Yeah,
that's fine.

Speaker 4 (09:40):
He didn't win it. He did not, and all that
talk that he was.

Speaker 3 (09:44):
Doing, all that jawing. He shouldn't have even been out
there after halftime? What part of what he did the exchange?

Speaker 4 (09:51):
How about this? Forget that, how about the fact that.

Speaker 3 (09:54):
There was another exchange in which Tarry Easton was the
only player that walked away assessed the technical. They actually
found a loophole to where they could keep him in
the game, and just to give him a flagrant.

Speaker 4 (10:06):
He already had his first test.

Speaker 2 (10:07):
So there's three ways the officials can prevent you from
continuing to play. They can give you a sixth foul.
They can give you two favorite foul points he had one.
Or they can give you two technicals he had one.
He absolutely pushed the incredible, total full boat of limits
of everything. Here's everything I can do in this game

(10:28):
without getting kicked out?

Speaker 3 (10:29):
Is you know what we talked about. MJ was one
of one. He is the one of one with officiating.
There is no one in this league, past or present.
By the way, this includes the bad Boys. This includes
Dennis Rodman as a bowl and a spur before after
the bad any of that, no one has ever gotten
the leash that Draymond Green does.

Speaker 2 (10:50):
As per usual. I have something to say about that. Well,
you're gonna couldn't agree more. What I could not agree
more the way he's handled, the way he's officiated, and
the way he's talked about both from inside his team,
his teammates and his coach, and then from outside their team.

Speaker 4 (11:07):
Reggie Miller, please change your pants.

Speaker 3 (11:09):
It's it's embarrassing like and you've actually made some progress
as an analyst. I guess you still suck and I
told you as much, and that's why you blocked me.

Speaker 2 (11:19):
I mean I couldn't I know a little bit of
what he said because of the ex platform, but I
was locked in on Craig and Ryan and Vanessa.

Speaker 4 (11:27):
Well, he was standing up celebrating him. That was cool.
I always want you always want to see that from.

Speaker 3 (11:32):
The non biased ever analyst CNT table during games. Well,
Michael Jordan shrugged it at Magic during the ninety two
finals after he hit the six to three, but Magic
wasn't like embracing him and dapping him up after he
hit the sixth one. Probably a good thing. Well, yeah,
they're never more obvious, but not Reggie. He does what

(11:54):
he wants.

Speaker 2 (11:54):
Reggie's fine.

Speaker 4 (11:55):
Reggie sucks.

Speaker 2 (11:56):
No, I mean, Reggie is not you know, he's perfectly fine,
you have nothing.

Speaker 4 (11:59):
To worry about. I don't.

Speaker 3 (12:02):
I don't understand it, like you're gonna die in this hill.
You're the NBA, You're gonna die on this hill. This
is the one we've chosen.

Speaker 4 (12:08):
It will be.

Speaker 2 (12:08):
It will be another year, though I do think where
they're just they're gonna come up a little bit short.
I wouldn't be two Warriors. I wouldn't be too worried
about the league coddling them all the way into something
of greater significance than winning a first round series for
the first time in two years, which has not even
happened yet. We're talking a little bit like would you
have if I told you this? And they haven't lost

(12:29):
the series yet. They've had a chance to win many
times in this series. If they have a chance to
win again on Wednesday night at Toyota Center, then this
series gets extended. They've had a chance to win on
the road at Golden State. If they can do that
on Friday night, then this series gets extended. So we'll
dig in on that, and obviously a little bit on Draymond.
He was one of the many players to speak after
the game, and it was hard to listen to as

(12:52):
per usual, hit you with that next here as we're
just getting started on the A team. A reminder fifteen
minutes from now, about two thirty. It's probably the best
of X of all time because it's really just the
best of Astros baseball. Jeremy Pania is going to join
us at two thirty as the Astros get set for
Game two against the Tigers this evening over at the Ballyard.

Speaker 6 (13:15):
The on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (13:28):
All Right, Welex, this is where you take over because well,
just like you put it into just perfect words on
Twitter last night, any.

Speaker 2 (13:41):
Specific posts that I made last night that stood out to.

Speaker 4 (13:43):
You, there's one.

Speaker 3 (13:44):
There's one that especially stood out to me. So Draymon
tell me if you've heard this before. There's a scrum
and Draymond's leg or legs become a little a little active,
a little over active. And I believe I don't have
it in front of me, but I believe you're exact post.

Speaker 2 (14:04):
I have it in front of me.

Speaker 4 (14:05):
Okay, just read aloud to class.

Speaker 2 (14:07):
I have two posts that I thought would make it
to air today. I had an Astros post we can
say for later. It said after the game Astros opened
the home stand with an eighty five win. A'l tu
Van Walker each hit, two run homer. Every starter without
a mustache had a hit.

Speaker 4 (14:22):
That's mean all.

Speaker 2 (14:23):
It's just short version of being very descriptive. And eight
of the nine hitters had a hitch as when Taylor
Scott also didn't have a hit, he didn't start, so
not a starter. I said it correctly, but the tweeked
the posts. I'm sorry that you're referring to rolled off
my fingertips at ten oh eight pm last night Central
Standard time.

Speaker 4 (14:43):
That would have been the first quarter, right.

Speaker 2 (14:44):
Says Draymond's legs slash feet, period, nothing else. It was
met with one trendous gift. It's a gift of a
head coach in the NBA speaking to Tony Brothers, and
Tony Brothers just shakes his head, lows his whistle and

(15:05):
hits them with.

Speaker 3 (15:05):
The t right because he had the audacity to point
out something that Tony had no doubt missed.

Speaker 2 (15:10):
Yeah, last night's game involved some more Draymonds. The first
Draymond was actually just a couple of minutes of the game,
an extremely important Rockets huddle. Within the first few minutes
of the game, he decided he wanted to become a
part of It's you know, we kind of joke and
laugh about it when players do it. In the NBA,
all coach is talking to a player and a player

(15:31):
on the opposing team will be standing right there, or
there's clearly a couple of players getting together, and an
opposing player will, you know, stick his head in there
to try to listen. It's not common for them to
push their way in to pull players away from their
own huddle so he can get into it. But that's
what he was doing. Those are Draymond antics, and they
continued throughout the game. It was funny that later in

(15:53):
the game, when the Warriors had a player next to
their bench who was in the game, he was talking
to Kerr and a men Thompson went over there. The
Warriors were crying and crying and crying about it, like
this was two hours after your guy did it in
a much more demonstrative way in the game in front
of the and the officials didn't go over there to

(16:15):
stop that. They went over there to like, hey man, amen,
you can't do that. And I was like, can't do what.
I'm standing here, I'm in the game and I'm on
the court, I sure can, but anyway, Draymond legs feet.
What did that have to do with That had to
do with Draymond trying to play offense faced up on
Tarry Easton. Tarry Easton was like, come on, please do
something in his head he was saying that, and Draymond

(16:36):
decided he would do something. He tried to drive past him,
so east was able to poke the ball away. As
he attempted to retrieve it and start the fast break,
Draymond Green grabbed his shorts for what should have been
whistle number one. That's a take foul and should have
given the Rockets a free throw in the basketball, but
it went uncalled because he grabbed him by the shorts
and knocked him to the ground. I wasn't real happy

(17:00):
about it, and so he leaned over top of him,
and when he did that, Draymond grabbed his jersey and
closer to him. Both before he was then able to
get up and push him away. Easton was already indicating
with his actions, I'm nothing's I'm not doing anything here.
I'm not going to do anything here. But what had
happened in between is when they both fell to the ground,

(17:22):
Tarry Easton only went to the ground because he was
pulled to the ground, and then he got kicked in
the back of the head by Draymond's legs feet again,
Raymond's legs and feet. How many times they had been
involved in discussions in the NBA over the course of
the game. The technical foul for him was given after
he set what should have been called an illegal screen

(17:43):
but wasn't. And then the plays that followed, Steph Curry
had the ball, he went down because Dylan knocked him down.
Then Dylan tried to take the ball from him because
Steph was taunting him, and there were the three technicals
that ac reference Surler. So all of those things happened
over the course of the game. It seems like different
Rockets players are involved each time, but the same Warriors

(18:03):
players involved every single time. So he was met with
a couple questions at the podium after the game after
their victory about how does he handle things when things
kind of get chippy like that, and he went about
it describing it this.

Speaker 7 (18:17):
Way, I got a technical tonight and that was God's
way more aggressive than me. So, yeah, that's crazy. They
were trying to money the game up. But sorry, we
come a pustion.

Speaker 2 (18:29):
It's not possible to be more aggressive than him or else.
These other players would also have the most technicals in
the NBA through four games. But actually it's you. You
have the most technicals. You have three and four games,
three and three consecutive games, and they were trying to
muddy up the game. I just kind of walked you
through all the things that you were doing. How are
the Rockets play basketball? They play hard nosed defense, They

(18:53):
commit a lot of fouls, many of which aren't called.
They do a lot of holding and grabbing, and they
play physical basketball because that's what you're allowed to do
unless the official don't allow it, like they the Rockets were.
I mean, I guess they were trying to muddy up
the game because that's good basketball against the Warriors, just
kind of smart basketball. But the they were like for
four games. It's it's comical, and there are people it's

(19:15):
I said this to Cole yesterday about the Nick Cassario
nonsense with the media where I was not there. I'm
obviously not on the road there. I was not in
Draymond's press conference here in Houston. Was there for Steph
and when necessary a follow up question was asked by
the assembled media. You and in this instance, I'm not
trying to.

Speaker 3 (19:35):
Pick a fight with microphone, but it would be nice
if a follow up, a fair follow up question was
asked of a player like that. Ever, Well, okay, here's
the first of all, Hey, a hole, you don't you
don't act the way you do on the floor and
then try and gaslight us by saying you're the victim.

Speaker 4 (19:59):
Like that's what happened.

Speaker 2 (20:00):
Yeah, that's why I posted in the manner that I
did on the Socialist. Couldn't help myself try to talk
myself out of it, and I still couldn't.

Speaker 3 (20:05):
An I just like, it's one thing to have to
deal with that if you're a Rockets fan, if you're
a member of the organization that's been tormented by this organization.
For I mean, this is gonna be the fifth playoff series,
and so that's all well and good, but like if
that's if that's the Rocket's fate, if they go down,
you know, in the first round with this young, up

(20:27):
and coming team to an aging not gonna win anything
ever again within this era, Bob Myers isn't walking through
the door to rebuild you Warriors squad that's fine. There's
worse things that have happened to the Rockets. John Stockton
comes to mind. I'll be fine with it. I don't
unlike some people. Warriors fan who is front running and
traded in their Lakers jersey for a Warrior's gear back

(20:50):
in the day does not have any effect over me whatsoever.

Speaker 4 (20:52):
I'll sleep like a baby.

Speaker 3 (20:54):
But you're not going to gaslight us after the fact
and try to act like.

Speaker 2 (21:00):
There's way more guys being aggretcha than me.

Speaker 4 (21:02):
Are you kidding me? Right now?

Speaker 3 (21:04):
You have kicked multiple guys in the nuts, you have
kicked guys in the head, you have stomped on chests,
you have like just absolutely worn out officials verbally to
the point where I don't know how half of them
even give you any sort of grace in any game.
Like the next time you see him, How can you
not think if that guy looks at me the wrong way,

(21:24):
I'm not teeing him up. I'll never get it. I
don't know if there's a mandate from the League office,
I don't know. I would love to hear those conversations
about this one player who has the longest leash in
the entire world.

Speaker 2 (21:35):
Yeah, I said it after Game three when I was
on the air after the game, and I heard Craig
say the same thing yesterday during the game. You we
guys may have said.

Speaker 4 (21:43):
It as well.

Speaker 2 (21:44):
It's it shouldn't be an unfortunate situation for the opposing
team when Draymond Green is hit with a technical foul,
But it is, yes, because the second one is pretty
much never going to come, pretty much no matter what
else happens in the game. And that's part of the story,
part of the story, many many other stories to tell
and what could change four Game five back here in

(22:07):
Houston tomorrow over at Toyota Center, So we'll get into
that when we come back here on the A team,
we're going to be joined by Astro's shortstop and leadoff hitter,
Jeremy Pania here on the A team next.

Speaker 1 (22:19):
The Aight on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (22:25):
Yeah, schedule to be joined very shortly by Astro's shortstop
Jeremy Paanya. In the meantime, we've been kicking around our
thoughts on last night's Rockets lost to the Golden State Warriors.
They missed twelve free throws, they lose by three. I

(22:47):
wish it were just as simple as that. But there's
just so many layers, not the least of which was
what we were talking about last segment with you know,
the Draymond Green stuff is like, to have him do
that's one thing. To have him play the victim after
the game is just laughable.

Speaker 2 (23:05):
Yeah, that didn't have a tremendous amount to do with
the second half because of how much time he spent
on the bench, but the time he was out there
was super effective for them. The Rockets allowed the Warriors
to dictate the Rockets lineups. Definitely did not like that
from the Rockets. I thought their response to getting the
Rockets in the penalty was not very good. Their response

(23:29):
shouldn't have been you win, and that's what they did.
Your strategy wins. They took Steven Adams out of the game.
When Steven Adams has played in this series, the Rockets
are the better team, simple as that period. And unfortunately
they allowed that to happen. And I'm not really sure why.
I mean, I know why in theory, but in how
things were going in last night's game and where this

(23:50):
series sits, I mean, I would have been go ahead,
fall him miss both free throws. That's fine. The basketball
the Rockets are playing is just so much better when
he's been out there and gives them such a different
opportunity to win. At least let it play out a
couple of times. At least see what happens. I mean,
you got Jalen Green going for a free throw off

(24:10):
a technical he can't make. You got Jabari Smith going
up there for two free throws, he only makes one
of two. I mean, over and over and over these guys,
So I don't know why he's much different. He's just
as likely to hit two as he is to miss
two as he is to hit one of two, being
just under fifty percent. I just would have liked to
see them not let the Warriors dictate that to him,

(24:31):
and they did, and I thought it was unfortunate. I
thought they should have played into Draymond a little bit
more in the final seven minutes of the game when
he checked back in with five fouls. You definitely saw
a different tact taken by Alprin shingoon and buy the
Rockets offensively. And I recognize he's not only is a
good defender, an elite defender, He's just so much better

(24:53):
than every other defender that they have Kevon Looney is
I'm shocked has been such a small part of this series.
He was out there last night basically to just hacken
Adams and that was it. But when Draymond is not
defending Alpera and Shangun, and he wasn't for the time
that he had five fouls, and even later in the
game in certain instances because he had five fouls Alperah
and Chagun. It's not just about getting the ball and

(25:13):
attacking as the you know, the one on one matchup
that you like, it's about going all the way to
the basket and attacking. He went one on one on
d Draymond to win the game, not all the way
to the basket. He took a ten footer. It's the
same shot essentially that he made to open the game
that rolled in and gave the Rockets a short lived
to nothing lead, but did not make it. At the
end of the game, Steven Adams was unable to grab

(25:35):
the offensive rebound while Looney I prevented that post. I
was unable to prevent the post we referenced, but I
didn't actually post the video SloMo and everything of how
big of a hold of Steven Adams shorts that Kevan
Ludi had on the final rebound, pretty easy to see
for the official that's underneath the basket, and I know

(25:56):
there's jostling around. You'd probably argue that Adams, you know,
was pushing as much as he was getting pushed. But
it was a play, smart play by Looney. If they're
not going to call it there with five seconds left,
it allows for you know, Jimmy Butler, who is unattended
because you know Dylan was looking for is there an
outlet needed? Where can I be? So he wasn't there
to box out Butler, who for someone who can't get

(26:16):
off the ground, he went way high off the ground
to grab the game's most important rebound.

Speaker 3 (26:21):
If you ever want to know just how blind most
NBA officials are on average, and I would joke about
it all the time and you guys think that, but no, seriously,
for the first two full possessions of the game last night,
nobody was aware that the twenty four second shot clock
wasn't functioning properly. That's the NBA officials jobs.

Speaker 2 (26:39):
There's three arena or from a TV perspective.

Speaker 3 (26:41):
Well, I know because I'm looking at the shot clock
itself in the in the arena, and it's stuck on
twenty four too, So it wasn't just a graphic goof.

Speaker 2 (26:49):
It wasn't like a soccer match. A football match where
the referee a time, he just keeps the time on
his watch. You know, I'll let you know if we've
gotten to zero on twenty four, just go ahead and
keep playing.

Speaker 3 (26:59):
Never, I mean, even if I'm in my wildest imagination
where I decided, Okay, today's the day I'm going to
become a soccer fan, that would keep me from doing it.

Speaker 2 (27:07):
I would never ever think it was on the ophe,
Oh my god, they're still tied. Well, when's the game
gonna end?

Speaker 3 (27:12):
Whenever I say, I don't know. Stupidest thing ever, stupidest
thing ever.

Speaker 2 (27:18):
Yeah, these are again, like I said, I bet you
we could go through fifty some odd different things, and
you know, free throws will always stand out. It's just
a shame that the they don't make them at a
very high clip, and they have better free throw shooters
than that in my mind, but it's certainly not played out.
They've missed nine, ten and twelve free throws in the
three games they've lost in this series. It is who
they are. They are a bad free throw shooting team,

(27:39):
and they there aren't sending only Dylan, Fred and Jalen
to the free throw line. They're sending everybody else.

Speaker 3 (27:48):
I'm old enough to remember WEX and I know you
are too. When the Rockets would play the Jazz in
the playoffs, you know, the biggest flopping unit on the
planet at the time, and.

Speaker 2 (27:58):
So you mean the Mark Eaton, John Stockton, Jeff Horniseck
Jazz or the Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Joe Ingles Jazz.

Speaker 3 (28:05):
The prior, the you know, the first the first set
and you left out the biggest culprit at Karl Malone,
who was massive human being, always the strongest guy on
the floor on either team, and would always find a
way to get knocked over like a feather by someone
half his stoutest.

Speaker 2 (28:22):
Butler, with his bad backside, he does the same thing.
It's one of the reasons he gets to the foul
line so often. If there's contact, he's going to fall.

Speaker 3 (28:30):
I have not listen. I have no problems with Jimmy Butler.
I'm sorry to say this. Rockets fans I like him.
I do well.

Speaker 2 (28:35):
I'm not saying it's there's any I'm saying it's smart, Yeah.

Speaker 4 (28:38):
But I just there's nothing unlikable about him. He doesn't.

Speaker 3 (28:41):
He's just like the only thing unlikable about that guy
is what he does off the floor in locker rooms
to the teams.

Speaker 4 (28:46):
He's been on bother me once.

Speaker 2 (28:48):
He doesn't want to be there anymore.

Speaker 4 (28:49):
Well, and it's going to happen soon enough.

Speaker 3 (28:52):
But I just I'm looking at you know, everything that
happened last night, and I remember, I'm old enough to
remember when the Jazz you know, you would you would
compare the free throw attempts and be upset because you knew, well,
if the Rockets got as many trips to the foul
line as freaking Karl alone had, we might have a
different outcome here. I didn't want them to go to

(29:13):
the line last night because I knew what was gonna happen.

Speaker 2 (29:15):
Yeah, when they had the opportunity to challenge a foul
that would have sent Shangun to the free throw line, well,
when they were when they absorbed the technical right, I'm like,
why are they even contemplating this? Why would you waste
a challenge in front of alprin Shan gun shooting free
throws off a foul from somebody who's never gonna foul out.
I didn't understand it.

Speaker 3 (29:37):
I but and we haven't even like Okay, so the
free throws is number one just because that was really
team wide.

Speaker 4 (29:45):
We haven't gotten to like the real conversation we need.

Speaker 2 (29:47):
To have or only forty minutes in what is it?

Speaker 3 (29:50):
Well, I mean you've got to decide what you're doing
with your two guards.

Speaker 2 (29:54):
Oh, we got to pretend the seasons already over.

Speaker 3 (29:56):
Well he has for three games. I mean he hadn't
been in the game. So he's doing something like it's
the offseason. He doesn't choose who plays and who doesn't play. Well,
he's already in Cancun, it looks from the looks of
things except for Game two.

Speaker 2 (30:11):
Yes he is. Honestly. If you watch how they're defending
the Rockets by pretty much never defending Alprinchingong with two players,
pretty much never sending a double team. The Rockets are
presenting everything they have at Steph Curry. That is their plan.
The Warriors plan is making sure it's extremely uncomfortable for
Jalen Green. Both plans are working, but one's working better

(30:35):
because the player that's having it work better against him
is not anywhere near the player that Steph Curry is.

Speaker 3 (30:42):
Yeah, but I like, I'm gonna look back at this
series and I'm not gonna say, ah, yeah, Steph Curry
beat the Rockets again. Everybody else beat the Rockets in
this series, except for that one game where they didn't
defend him.

Speaker 2 (30:53):
Like you just said, He's played way better than that.

Speaker 3 (30:56):
Huh he would? I mean he was, he was okay
last night. He wasn't anything great.

Speaker 2 (31:01):
He's been awesome in this series. He's shooting fifty one
percent from the floor, forty one percent on threes, and
he's averaging twenty six points a game. He's been phenomenal.

Speaker 4 (31:09):
How do you want to handle this? At to forty?

Speaker 2 (31:11):
Let's get Jeremy Panyon in here, all.

Speaker 3 (31:12):
Right, Jeremy Pania as promised joining us. He is the
Astros shortstop.

Speaker 4 (31:16):
Jeremy. We're gonna make this really easy for you.

Speaker 3 (31:18):
You're on the radio with Adam and Adam, so if
you can keep that straight, you'll know you'll know who
you're talking to. Hey, congrats on the win last night.
Congrats on the the first win against the Tigers in
this series. A very good team by the way, and
don't need to tell you about how that went last
year in the postseason.

Speaker 4 (31:36):
So maybe a measure of revenge a little bit, But just.

Speaker 3 (31:39):
The fact that you guys, from a hitting standpoint, seem
to be coming around. It was rough the first two
games of that Kansas City Series and then you bust
out in the finale and kind of carry that over
into last night. Is maybe the light at the end
of the tunnel here.

Speaker 2 (31:55):
I would do it us.

Speaker 8 (31:56):
I mean, it's a long season, you know, I feel
like it's still pretty and be in the season to
kind of judge judge our bats from the first month,
you know, yeah, I feel like the last game and
can't said we had better energy, We put together better
at bats, and we executed. You know, it's about executing

(32:17):
kind of timely, hitting runners on, get him in. That's
when we're at our best.

Speaker 2 (32:22):
You've had the opportunity, Jeremy to be the first batter
of the game the last couple of days an off
day for Jose, and then yesterday he bats in the
two hole, hits that home run obviously a huge one. Curious,
first of all, did he have any advice for you
about batting leadoff because he's so unconventional when he bats leadoff.

Speaker 9 (32:44):
I mean, he just.

Speaker 8 (32:44):
Said, be aggressive, you know, don't worry about, oh, I
need to see pitches because I'm hitting leadoff. He just said,
be yourself. You put together your plan and then and
I'll figure it out in second. You don't need to
kind of change your approach just because you're hitting in
a different front of the lineup.

Speaker 3 (33:02):
You find yourself in an interesting position and that you've
kind of you kind of came in in the middle
of everything during this elite run by the Astros. So
you're not quite like al Tuve where you've seen it all,
but you've seen enough now and you've been in place
to where you can see the additions of Christian Walker
and Estach Perettis in the same offseason where Kyle Tucker

(33:22):
and Alex Bregman walks out the door.

Speaker 4 (33:25):
And I asked this of your manager earlier.

Speaker 3 (33:27):
Do you feel like, for example, Christian might have been
pressing a little bit because he's you know, an off
season acquisition and big signing and that kind of thing,
And how much if that's the case or whatever the
case was, are you happy to see him kind of
bust out with that home run last night.

Speaker 8 (33:42):
I don't think he's you know, Christian Love is a
professional through and through. You know, he's the person that
shows up every single day. You know, he put the
work in, he lifts up his teammates, and you know
he's a great ball player. He's showing it year in Europe,
so it was only a matter of time.

Speaker 2 (33:59):
The infield ab changes quite a bit. What do you
think about the type of defense your team overall and
specifically the infield has been able to play. But horead
us over at third and walk her over at first
and somebody at second base, that's not Altuve.

Speaker 8 (34:13):
I mean, we as an organization, we take pride in
playing great defense, and I feel like this year we've
we've done that, you know. I feel like our defense
has been a phenomenal to go with great pitching, you know,
and that's what's been keeping us involving.

Speaker 2 (34:27):
I mentioned this the other day, the Astros your team,
Jeremy Paignon with us here on the A team, he's
given up only three hundrened runs, which is by far
the lowest number in the league. And specific too, I
mentioned of Al two A not being its second do
you relish the opportunity, knowing that if there's a pop
up hit anywhere near you, he won't be calling you
off of it.

Speaker 8 (34:44):
This year, you know, we had that talk, you know.
But he's confident out there, He's comfortable out there, and
he's ready to track everything down. You know, he's not
shy at all. So and he's made some great players
bother year. You know, speaks to the the type of
person he is, a type of player he is, you know,

(35:06):
he just picks up the position that he's you know,
playing it at a pretty high level.

Speaker 2 (35:11):
The play made last night with no need for the glove,
playing it perfectly off the wall, bear handing it and
firing it into dubond. Those plays stand out quickly, don't they.

Speaker 8 (35:21):
Of course, you know that's the infes in him. You know,
he's a he's an info there at heart. So he's
you know, he's good at you know, reading balls and
throwing from different angles and a get creative out there.

Speaker 3 (35:34):
I have to ask, are you getting your fade tightened
up right now?

Speaker 2 (35:37):
What's that noise in the background, the little beard shave?

Speaker 8 (35:41):
I'm getting a haircut.

Speaker 2 (35:42):
I love it.

Speaker 8 (35:43):
I love it.

Speaker 3 (35:44):
Jeremy Panya getting a haircut live on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 8 (35:48):
Hey, I'll get a haircut, right.

Speaker 4 (35:50):
I love this. No, this, this is a good thing. Okay.

Speaker 3 (35:52):
So I asked your manager about this guy, and I
know what you think of him. How happy are you
that you don't have to get into the box against
Hunter Brown here in twenty t.

Speaker 8 (36:01):
Oh Man. Hunter Brown is a tough act bat, let
me tell you. And you know, I get to watch
him from I guess the best you. He's so dominant,
he's so confident in himself, and he always gives us
an opportunity to win ball games. So, yeah, it was
fun to watch the pitch.

Speaker 2 (36:19):
Can you appreciate his intensity level because he's he does
absolutely display it. He seems like he's not and then
a play will get made behind him, or a punch
out will happen, or he'll get out of a jam,
and he really delivers from that emotional side.

Speaker 8 (36:35):
I love it, you know, I love it. He brings
the energy, Like I said, every time he pitches, he
brings the energy and we kind of fuel off that,
you know. And yeah, Hunter Brown, he's gonna be a
force in this league. He's already a fourth, but I
think he's gonna be special in this league for a
long time.

Speaker 2 (36:53):
I think it's about time for us to let you
get all tightied up properly. You got a ball game tonight,
You're already at work, and you're sparing your time with us,
so we'll let you do that. And we certainly appreciate
you carving eate some multitasking time for us.

Speaker 8 (37:06):
I appreciate you for having me.

Speaker 3 (37:08):
Hey, looking forward to seeing the tight lettuce on the
field tonight.

Speaker 8 (37:13):
Oh yeah, look forward to it. Frade all right, Nay
Barber shout the best of the gaze.

Speaker 2 (37:19):
There you go, love it, appreciate it. Jeremy, all right, thank.

Speaker 3 (37:24):
You, Jeremy Panya here on Sports Talk at seven ninety.
I don't even know how to transition out of that.
That's that's good stuff right there. Sell as you know
what to do, Yeah, exactly exactly, get out.

Speaker 2 (37:35):
There, like I can't mean I'm you know, I've not
shaved my beard in several days. If I want to
get somebody in here to do that while you're talking, well,
people sup on that happy to do that?

Speaker 3 (37:45):
Like you can go to some of these places and
if you look like me, it's fine, they like it.

Speaker 4 (37:51):
Come on in. We'll we will freshen that up to it.

Speaker 2 (37:54):
How do you like it on top? What do you
mean there's nothing there? Like you know, people think you
use it number one or number two there.

Speaker 3 (38:02):
I use a straight razor now, like you can go
to places and like get basically get your head pampered,
for lack of a better way of putting it, so.

Speaker 2 (38:10):
A little hotel treatment.

Speaker 4 (38:12):
Yeah, absolutely so.

Speaker 3 (38:14):
AnyWho, all right, well we'll take a quick time out
right here.

Speaker 4 (38:18):
We'll come right back, we'll do a quick segment.

Speaker 3 (38:20):
We'll get right back on the clock, and we'll get
you ready for the three o'clock hour here on a
Tuesday edition of the show.

Speaker 1 (38:27):
The a t on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (38:36):
Thanks again to astro shortstop Jeremy Pania, not only for
taking the time, but doing so during a haircut.

Speaker 4 (38:42):
Appreciate that.

Speaker 3 (38:44):
Looking forward to seeing them hopefully take the second straight
against the Tigers as that series continues. Obviously, the Rockets
off tonight, but we are back into a situation where
if they can keep winning, they'll keep playing every other night,
and you know, see what, see if they can salvage
this thing here at home.

Speaker 4 (39:04):
I hate even saying.

Speaker 3 (39:05):
That because it doesn't feel like that's how this series
has gone. This should absolutely be tied coming back here
and with the Rockets looking to take a series edge
for the first time in this thing.

Speaker 2 (39:17):
Yeah, they the age old one is there, and I
think they've actually approached every game like this. I don't
think they're playing desperate to avoid going down three one.
They played to win. They played the same game they
have played, and I think they're going to do that
again on game five, although there's a slight difference in
desperation maybe from the coaching staff, maybe reluctant to do

(39:40):
certain things until you're backed up against it. Steve Kerr
was forced to some degree to make some lineup changes.
You know, game two, Jimmy Butler goes down. You also
had Pajemski who was ill and basically didn't play, played
fourteen minutes and didn't score and was hardly seen after
the first half. And then obviously Jimmy did not play
after the first so they were already working on in

(40:02):
game changes and adjustments. Then Jimmy doesn't play in Game
three and they make a real adjustment. They don't just
put somebody else in the starting lineup because there's a
vacant spot. They put two different players into the starting lineup.
They also took Moses Moody out of the starting lineup.
They didn't run the same starting lineup around Jimmy Butler
in this game then they had previously, because again they
have tried other things that you know, they didn't necessarily

(40:25):
have to work. But I could understand the reasoning behind
making those changes. And honestly, last night was just a
couple hours after we talked about there may be some
changes in store for the Rockets and the rotations in
their lineup, but there's no reason for amy Udoka to
look at the starting lineup and say, well, we need
to change something. Well, last night's game changes that. Now.
After saying that yesterday, I have fully believed it. They

(40:47):
got off to great starts in three straight games. They
have the lead after the first quarter in three straight games.
Clearly that's not what happened last night. When you score
the first basket and then they score thirteen in a row,
when you go five minutes into the second half and
you haven't hit a shot yet in your looking at
an eighteen to one run, where your seven point lead
is flipped into a ten point deficit.

Speaker 4 (41:06):
Both of those they made up. That's the crazy one.

Speaker 2 (41:08):
Obviously they were tied at the end of the game.
They made them both up. But it's that particular unit
and their lack of ability to prevent it twice in
the same game that would make you really you definitely
would look at something and say, there's clearly lineups that
have played better against this team, not just in Game four,
but certainly in the other games at different points. Is

(41:29):
it worthwhile to make the change out of the gate
so we can prevent something like that from happening. And
what's ironic about it is is the thirteen to two
at the beginning of the game didn't have anything to
do with their defense, and it only had a little
bit to do with their offensive shooting and had everything
to do with turnovers. Quar Yeah, Amn, Thompson drives baseline

(41:50):
and throws it away. I don't know if Fred was
supposed to be more in the corner than he was,
but he wasn't and he threw it directly out of bounds.
Jalen Green was unable to dribble, losing his dribble on
back to back essions. They defended well enough, they gave
Draymond Green to one wide open three, and then the
second one was contested and that's fine, and then after
a couple of misses you had Pajemski making a three.

(42:10):
It took them a while to put that thirteen to
two run together until the Rockets started making it easier
for them. And you just saw a repeat of that
in the first few minutes of the second half, after
you totally stolen momentum with the final seven points of
the of the second quarter, where one game removed from
Steve Kerr I think correctly noting, well, what we did

(42:32):
at the end of the second quarter went a long way. Yeah,
you had a nine to zero run to close the
second quarter when you were down twelve. Instead you were
down three at the half. The Rockets weren't unable to
capitalize on theirs. Instead of being tied at the half,
they were up seven at the half and immediately gave
it all away and then.

Speaker 3 (42:48):
Some Yeah, I just it's again, there's so many aspects
that are frustrating because it just feels like this is
so much more about the Rockets shooting themselves in the
foot versus the Warriors just outclassing them were doing and
It's not to take any credit away from the Warriors
what they've done defensively, particularly the Jalen Green, but that's

(43:09):
what I want to get to in the first segment
of the three o'clock hour, because we can talk about
the free throws and they absolutely played a factor in
last night's game. We can talk about the ejection that wasn't,
we can talk about all sorts of things, but the
bottom line is in this series, in three out of
four games so far, Jalen Green hasn't even just been

(43:29):
a no show. He's been borderline unplayable, and last night
he was unplayable in that ima Udoka said, you're not
playing for this large chunk of the second half.

Speaker 2 (43:40):
He played about the same amount in all three fourth quarters.
Have some numbers on how those have gone for him,
and we get you back on the other side and
have an interesting question about Jalen Green's use and how
it affects the team in this particular series only Obviously,
much bigger questions come when we hit the offseason, which
sadly could come as early as Wednesday night. Wednesday Night
out a Center, we will be there. I hope you

(44:01):
guys can join us for that six thirty tip our
number two. Our first simulcast hour is.

Speaker 1 (44:07):
Next The A Team on Sports Talk seven ninety two.
Lifelong Houston sports guys named Adam Talking Your Team. Adam
Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A Team.

Speaker 3 (44:32):
It's three o'clock here on Sports Talk seven ninety and
Space City Home Network. It's a Tuesday edition of the
program wex Ac called Thompson with You, Taking You up
until six o'clock tonight, the day after Rockets go down
three to one in their series against the Golden State Warriors.
It just does not seem like this should be that

(44:53):
lopsided of a series. If you've watched all four games,
there's been one where it looked like the Rockets were outclassed.
There's been an other where the Rockets clearly outclassed the Warriors.
That would be the game where Jalen Green scored thirty eight.
That'd be Game two, and then these last two were
basically a game of runs in which the Warriors did
the little things to win. And last night, obviously missing

(45:16):
twelve free throws did not help. But obviously Jalen Green
scoring single digits for now seventy five percent of this
series is not helping the Rockets cause either. And I
know it's easy to wake up the next day and say,
trade that guy or whatever during the series. Oh yeah, yeah,
what do you think they could get? Well, I don't

(45:38):
think they can make the trade during Who.

Speaker 2 (45:39):
Should they talk? Should they be calling teams that already
went home, or should they see if the Warriors are interested?

Speaker 3 (45:44):
Well, one team that's already at home, in which they
own their first round draft.

Speaker 4 (45:47):
Picks, would be where I'd start.

Speaker 3 (45:48):
Okay, yeah, I'm not saying they're asking to trade him
during the series, although I'm sure some people have skied.

Speaker 2 (45:55):
Wait for that report to come out right before tip
off tomorrow night. The Rockets are actively shopping one of
their starters during this series.

Speaker 4 (46:02):
If you could do that, how wild would that be?

Speaker 2 (46:05):
You can't even do that in fantasy basketball or football
or baseball. Once you get to a certain point in
time that is off limits.

Speaker 4 (46:11):
Sounds like the need to make chapter three.

Speaker 2 (46:12):
He took eight shots in last night's game, scored eight points. Again,
putting the ball in the basket wasn't a disaster for
him last night. The disaster was he could not hang
onto the basketball. Early in the game. He was the
culprit on three of their early turnovers. Ultimately played a
lot of his or spent a lot of the time
during the first half off of the court, and then
clearly spent the majority of the second half also off

(46:35):
of the court. He roughly played half the game, a
little over twenty four minutes of activity for him in
last night's game. And I was going to bring this up,
but I'll save that and just give everybody the numbers.
I like the numbers sometimes tell the story or at
least give you somewhere to start. Only one game has
been non competitive in the fourth quarter, and that was
his best game and the Rocket's best game as a team.

(46:57):
They just dominated every which way. They took a big lead,
and they held at a big lead. It was never
less than a nine point game for almost the entire game.
As soon as they got that early double figure lead,
that's where it stayed. So Game two is the one
game that probably has little impact on any thoughts about
Jalen Green because the other three games clearly outweigh it
that you haven't come out with a win. They were
competitive in all four of those fourth quarters. You know

(47:19):
the game was tied late, you had the ball with
a chance to win it late last night. You know,
the games that have had a larger final spread were
only that because of how the last few seconds, winner,
last few minutes went. They had an opportunity to win
every game of this series. So the three games that
they haven't won his fourth quarters have looked like this.
Game one one for five in the fourth scored two points,

(47:39):
played seven and a half minutes. None of the attempts
were threes. In Game three, took two shots, both twos.
Both were missed or excuse me, one was a two
to one was a three, did not hit either shot.
Played just under eight minutes last night's fourth quarter. It
probably didn't seem like it, but he's on the court
for seven to oh two of the twelve minute fourth quarter.

Speaker 4 (47:59):
You're right, it doesn't see like it.

Speaker 2 (48:00):
He did not take a shot, obviously he did not
as well. Well well, he was deferring like his three
other teammates were, to the one player who was winning
his matchup every single time. So he was still he
was making the correct play. Just keep giving the ball
to altbe, they keep defending it with players that can't
stop him, So let's keep doing this. That was the
smart play. But that's three fourth quarters for about twenty

(48:23):
two and a half minutes of basketball. He's only taken
seven shots total. He's only made one of them. He's
scored two fourth quarter points in three winnable games. By
no means is he's the only culprit. And it's pretty
clear they're doing things defensively. They're making him very very uncomfortable.
Too many turnovers and the inability to get off shots

(48:46):
that he can make pretty much the entire games for
games one, three, and four, they are succeeding in taking
him out and the Rockets. The part I was holding
on to was if Jalen Green started tonight and they
committed an intentional foul in the opening possession and then
he rested for the final forty seven to forty five

(49:08):
of the game, don't you think the Rockets could win?

Speaker 4 (49:11):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (49:12):
Now, I think they will definitely win when he plays well,
and that's what happened in Game two. And I've said
that multiple.

Speaker 3 (49:19):
Times they can win while he's doing what he's doing.
If you want to talk about the team in this
series only, that is a real topic. That is a
real possibility. It doesn't solve your future, It doesn't solve
the next series. It doesn't make you happier, but they
can win this series if he contributes as little as

(49:39):
he has been, they absolutely can. And last night really
showed you why.

Speaker 2 (49:44):
Yeah, because everybody else did what they had not been
doing either in any of the games. I mean, Thompson's
now had one good game, Red van Vlietz now had
one good game. They're just now catching Jalen Green in
the good games in this series category. Alpis had three
good games. In game two, was dominating last night. He
was very good, by the way, should be worth a

(50:04):
mention because it's not getting nearly enough. He had thirty
one points, ten boards, five assists, and zero turnovers in
last night's game. That's the best. He's played exceptionally well
in game two. He scored in game one because nobody
else could. But he was very, very very good again
in game four.

Speaker 3 (50:23):
All right, let's play a game. We're not on the
air right now, we're not on television, we're not on radio.
You don't work for the Rockets. I don't work for
the Rockets. Sucks, all of a sudden, it really does.
Jobless went downhill fast out on the radio. I don't
work for the Rockets. What do I do you have
this conversation with me? Oh am I taking somebody's order?
Am I parking somebody's car?

Speaker 4 (50:44):
We are fixing.

Speaker 2 (50:44):
I'm asking what size you might like to bring to
the dressing room with you. No, no, no, not bringing
the mail to somebody in an office building. At least
haven't lost your job? Would you just listen? Okay, so
we're fixing the Rockets for next year? Are trading Jalen Green?

Speaker 3 (51:01):
Or Because I mean, this is a question the Rockets
brass will ask itself.

Speaker 4 (51:07):
We can act like that's not happened.

Speaker 2 (51:08):
After the season, they're already asking these questions. I guarantee
you you look like Rafel was sitting baseline asking those
questions last night.

Speaker 4 (51:16):
In his mind they're happening. You can't not well, I
get it.

Speaker 10 (51:20):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (51:20):
Sure, he's twenty three years old.

Speaker 3 (51:22):
That's the the first thing people are going to argue
pro Jalen is he's only twenty three. He's gonna get better,
And honestly, that's a sound argument. Here's why all these
guys that you want to compare him to the all
time greats, where you would like him to be, whether
it's Kobe whether it's MJ or you know, people that
have played his position over the years in very different

(51:43):
variants of how the league you know, presented itself at
the time. Like MJ was in school for three years,
Kobe came strad out of high school and he sucked
for a long time until Phil Jackson got there. Basically,
he was airballing threes in the playoffs against the Jazz
with Shaq on his team. So it's not like it
was just all rosy from Kobe from day one. But

(52:04):
Jalen is twenty three. But he's also in year four,
So what's his ceiling? How much better is he going
to get? And do you stick with that with this
core or do you try to speed up the process
this offseason because you have the assets to do it
and you have a team that's desperate that has a
talent to place his position. Where if you swapped him

(52:25):
in a bigger, larger deal, obviously, I think you could
very soundly also argue it would make the Rockets very
much better.

Speaker 2 (52:34):
I allowed it. A couple of weeks ago or in season,
there was a discussion in comparison about the first couple
of years of Kobe in the first couple of years
of Jalen I was being nice that day. Wow, I
didn't mean it. No conversations should include their names. It
makes no sense to me. One's at all time great
and was always destined to be, and one was a
top pick and plays in the NBA. Yeah, there's no comparison.

(52:57):
He's not going to ascend to that level. Nobody thinks
he is Aalen doesn't think he is in the Rockets,
and none of the other twenty nine teams think that either.
He doesn't need to be that. That's silly to me.
It's about where he is actually going to be. How
high of a leader? Can he be a leader? I
mean just basketball? Can he lead this team anywhere? He
doesn't have to be the spiritual leader. It doesn't have
to be the emotional leader. He needs to be the

(53:18):
basketball leader. Somebody has to be the basketball leader. Every
team has one. Most of the teams in the playoffs
have two. The Rockets are figuring out if they have any.
And that's where they are. And this is why when
we keep talking about it's Oklahoma City and everybody else,
this is absolutely what sets the Rockets apart in a
bad way from everybody else. Look at who they're playing

(53:38):
this series. Look at who they could have been playing.
Of the other four teams that aren't Memphis, they all
have what this team lacks. And you are asking when
will they not lack this? Meaning is it on their
roster or not? And I'm I think you have the answer.
But I thought that before this series, and I don't
think what's happening in this series is some big oh

(53:59):
my gosh, because there's two things he has to do
during the season. When he oh, he's shooting thirty six
percent on threes. Now he's got his shooting percentage up
to here, Well, that's one thing that had to improve.
He just has to make more shots. It's got to
be way more consistent with his shot. And don't I
still don't think it's there yet. You got to be
a thirty eight percent, thirty nine percent shooter by now,

(54:19):
I would think to be at a certain level and
be that. You know, I'm getting my twenty five tonight
because I make shots. And that's both the shooting percentage
from three and his ability to finish in the lane,
and those things still need to be improved. Now. This
postseason is also pointing out the other part of what's
usually the obvious, but they've never been to these games before.
It's the mental side of it. How do you handle

(54:40):
what you want and what the organization wants on your shoulders.
You need to lead this team. You need to be
one of the two best players on the court at
all times for your team. I'm not saying you got
to be light years better than Alp and he doesn't
need to be light years better than you.

Speaker 4 (54:52):
You two need to be.

Speaker 2 (54:53):
The best two guys out there when you're out there
for thirty five or forty minutes, and they're not, and
he specifically is not. And there's a mental side to that.
Why has it been so difficult for him or the
team in conjunction with him to figure out how to
make it a little bit easier for him. You can't
just watch the other team run the same type of
blitzer at him over and over and over again and
not change what you're doing, not say well, then he

(55:15):
needs to come off the screen from down lower. He
needs to be playing off the ball, or we need
to have two main game where it's only him and
Alpi or only him Steven Adams. So if a double comes,
well then he just rolls to the basket, and they
just haven't done that either. So he's definitely going to
be the center of all the conversation because it's the
center of all the questions. You're getting something out of
the other guys you want to count on, and you're

(55:37):
wondering what you're gonna get from him. It's perfectly reasonable discussion,
absolutely should be in the so called crosshairs. But the
season's not over yet. They have a game right here
on Sports Talk seven ninety tomorrow in the postseason against
the Warriors Can't Wait.

Speaker 1 (55:56):
The Age on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 2 (56:05):
So you never answered the question Onlex Well I trade
Jalen Green. Yeah, well, you got to give something to
get something, and now you got to find teams that
would like to have him on their roster in his future,
which is locked in at a very specific financial figure,
which could certainly, I think help facilitate a deal. You
don't have to wonder whether you'll have him, and you
also know what that number is, and I think it's

(56:26):
easy to work with for most NBA teams. I think
there's a bunch of scenarios, a bunch of teams we
could consider in the players that they might be interested
in moving that might give this team a better opportunity.
I think you got to really get specific on that,
and I know the focus continues to only be on
one team, the Phoenix Suns. I do wonder what the

(56:47):
future of the Milwaukee Bucks is. I know Giannis has
said many times how much he likes it there and
how often he's good renegotiated with them to stay there.
They want a title there, and the head coach that
they won the title there with deservedly was fired, and
the player that ran the show there with Giannis was
undeservingly traded where he won another title, and in his place,

(57:10):
Damian Lillard was returned to them. They've been a much
worse team since he arrived. Again, I'm not it is
his fault, but only because he doesn't play defense. He
plays great offense, but they chose offense over defense, and
that's why they stink now from a championship pedigree perspective.
And now he's probably not playing next year, so Jannis

(57:30):
and Bobby Portis are leading them where next year in
the East. I think it's a real possibility this could
be a turning point for the franchise, which in turn
is a change in location for Yiannis. Is this an
opportunity to do we take the opportunity? Are we forcing
ourselves to do it? Do we reset here? Because they

(57:52):
they're going to be spending a lot of money next
year to not win. If they don't, they can spend
a lot less money and have a little bit unstilled.
Won't know who's leading them in the future. They don't
want to know where their stars are, but they won't
have a payroll that prevents them from doing anything about it.
So I think that's something that would would definitely be
under consideration. The other teams that have made major changes

(58:14):
in the front office, Denver and Memphis, you'd have to
wonder what their futures hold. I think the roster in
Denver is perfectly fine. I also think the coaching was
perfectly fine. But is there an opportunity. Is their new structure,
their new GM, their new head coach, whoever that might be.
Do they have a different idea of where they want
to go? Does that mean Murray is available? Does that

(58:35):
mean they're going to do Michael Porter Junior is available?
And those are secondary players. Although Murray the Jalen is
certainly a fair fight and then Memphis they have Jared
Jackson junior, they have Desmond May and they have Ja
Morant and they have major problems and they fired their coach,
and I don't think their interim coach is the answer.
So do they stick with their plans? Do they think

(58:57):
they're going to get better all of a sudden year
a better year for Memphis or are they still looking
at a forty eight or fifty win season. Are they
still looking at the bottom of the West with an
unlikely scenario where they win a first round series. If
you're not winning in the first round of the West,
what's going to make you I'm not saying it's impossibility,
because winning in the West is difficult. There's gonna be
at least obviously, let's say the Rockets, the Timberwolves, the Grizzlies,

(59:22):
and the Nuggets all lose in the first round. These
are some pretty good teams that believe we can win
a championship, and that includes we can beat Oklahoma City
and they're gonna go out without a playoff series victory.
What's gonna make some of these teams think, well, next
year is going to be different. Well, the teams they've
done it before, like Denver, like, well, it just didn't

(59:43):
happen this year, But we have the team. We make
a tweak here, we get more from Christian Brown, we
move on from somebody and bring Okay, what's Memphis gonna do?
What makes Memphis better? Health direction or totally new leadership
on the court. Are they willing to part with one
of them those three players?

Speaker 3 (01:00:01):
Well, and if John Morant's on his way out the
door in Memphis, and don't call me crazy, because that
could absolutely happen. It's not like anything there has been
if they haven't been the same since they let Dylan
Brooks walk out the door. By the way, I just
want to put that out there. He wasn't the problem
in Memphis. No, but they that's not why they're losing.
I do think their edge is a little bit different
in that they don't have much of one, but their

(01:00:22):
talent level and their availability. I mean, they missed the
playoffs entirely last year. It's not because Dylan was there,
because nobody was there. The fact that yeah, I mean,
there are a lot of injuries, specifically to John Morant when
he wasn't getting suspended, so he was finding ways to
not be on the floor, and that's the biggest culprit
there in Memphis. But again, much to like what you
pointed out, it was either yesterday or late last week.

(01:00:44):
You can't try and trade for John Morant for a
team that can't shoot. You want to bring a player
that can't shoot?

Speaker 2 (01:00:51):
Yeah, I talked about that enough, don't I wouldn't probably
want that player to begin with with how this team
likes to play. And that's still my same similar concern
with Kevin Durant. I know what he will do for
the Rockets. With ten seconds left in a one point
game last night, it would have been awesome to have
him out there. Are you in that game giving him

(01:01:11):
forty minutes a night to play Rockets defense?

Speaker 3 (01:01:17):
Well, the thing about that is if Kevin Durant's the
guy that comes aboard, he can't play. He can't play
much worse defense than Alpera and Shingoon and he's out there.

Speaker 2 (01:01:29):
Yeah, but you're playing two different players. Alprin Shingun's defense,
by the way, has been fine. There are other people's
defense from some others has been awful. And it's definitely
masked last night because he hit won two, three, four, five,
six seven eight three pointers in the game last night.
You asked the other day, what do I think of
Fred van Vliet's defense on Steph Curry, and I said,

(01:01:50):
it's been pretty good, and I still think that today.
I think it's been excellent. I think his defense on
every single other player that he's defended has been really
far below average on it.

Speaker 4 (01:02:00):
Just keep him on Stepwitch.

Speaker 2 (01:02:01):
It's very difficult to do that, and it happened again
in last night's game. His offensive rating for last night's
game was through the roof. So was his defensive rating,
which was much higher than his offensive rating. And that's
it's hard to do. And they I don't think they're
in a position to add more players or you know,
that's a potential change. Also, I guess Fred van Vliet
playing point for you.

Speaker 4 (01:02:20):
Next, you said, Jamal Murray.

Speaker 2 (01:02:22):
Well, I'm just saying, if this is taking a just
landscape the league and say, who play forget about anything
other than do you like this player? Would you like
to have him playing for your team? And then can
you tell me a story where they're going to blow
it up? Like a team that has no problems, a
team that's winning, has super talent and expects to win
a championship. But if you tell me they have a

(01:02:43):
Nico Harrison like GM, then I'd entertained that option.

Speaker 4 (01:02:46):
Well, how drunk can we get Sam Presty?

Speaker 2 (01:02:49):
Which of their players?

Speaker 3 (01:02:50):
Say, let's say, oh, I.

Speaker 4 (01:02:52):
Don't know, Shay, Gilgess, Alexander.

Speaker 2 (01:02:54):
Right, I hear you? Would they be willing on this team?

Speaker 10 (01:02:57):
No?

Speaker 2 (01:02:57):
Because they have so much talent? It's kind of like
what the to me. One of the reasons the Rockets
made the deal with Brooklyn or with Phoenix this offseason
involving the Brooklyn picks, et cetera, is there is timing.
How many more elite first, second, third, and fourth year
players can one team have, and clearly Okac is in
that very same boat. There's a possibility of the ad

(01:03:18):
a pick based on how the lottery works out on
May twelfth.

Speaker 4 (01:03:21):
Which is insane to think about it.

Speaker 2 (01:03:22):
But what is it that they're what do they want?
What are they going to do with that pick? Where's
that player going to help them? Unless they just kind
of cycle out an older rotation player for a younger
rotation player, Meaning there's probably guys on their team that
could be playing a lot more minutes somewhere else or
could be making a bigger impact somewhere else they hit.
They have a tremendous amount of talent, and at some

(01:03:44):
point they're probably going to be moving players as much
as they're going to be moving their picks on into
the future. But that's the other thing that Presty will do.
He'll just keep pushing the picks forward, so whenever it
is they actually need them to play for their team,
they will. Rockets are a flawed team in that they
shouldn't have a group of five players rotation of eight.
That's this bat at the free throw line, and they

(01:04:05):
shouldn't have this much indecision about where they're getting their
offense from. And is a trade clearly the answer. Well,
it's only clearly the answer if you land a star,
which is what they're lacking.

Speaker 3 (01:04:16):
There's always somebody available, though, And I just for all
the times that Phoenix and there and its owner by
the way, has gone on the record as saying, yeah,
Devin Booker's untouchable, I've heard that so many times about
so many NBA players specifically, not just other sports.

Speaker 4 (01:04:33):
He's untouchable. Well, he is until he isn't.

Speaker 3 (01:04:37):
And the thing about Phoenix is not only are they
being held hostage by their cap situation.

Speaker 2 (01:04:43):
They're not They can't win with that group.

Speaker 3 (01:04:45):
This is the second consecutive year where that's been born
out over an eighty two game campaign. It's not just
a slump. They suck with that group as constructed, they
just do. It has nothing to do with Bradley Beal either,
because he wasn't really even out there.

Speaker 2 (01:04:59):
It doesn't sense he's on the team making a lot
of money. He eliminated the possibility of adding Jimmy Butler. Yeah,
this trade deadline.

Speaker 3 (01:05:09):
Well, Jimmy Butler's not gonna win the Warriors a title either,
So I don't.

Speaker 4 (01:05:12):
I mean, I understand what you're saying.

Speaker 2 (01:05:14):
If deal went out and Jimmy Butler came in, I
think it would have had the exact same impact that
Andrew Wiggins going out and Jimmy Butler came in. The
difference is the quality of the team. He would have
made the Phoenix Suns a whole lot better. They absolutely
would have been in the play turn. They might have
even finished. They probably would have finished ninth and needed
to win two games, but they would have been much
more threatening. They're just clearly that one move is not

(01:05:36):
going to make them a top eight team or even
a top seven team, because I do think Memphis is
closer to them. But yeah, you know, running through the
list of could this player they be available? Do you
have the assets to go get them? They have the
assets as long as the money works. I think this
is a team that they should be making a lot
of phone calls to see what might make this team
more of a threat in the playoffs. They're a threat.

(01:05:58):
This has been a threatening series to the team that
leads them three games to one. They've made them beat
them in the fourth quarter three times. I hope it's
very similar. I'd love it blowout, but I think it'll
be very similar tomorrow night.

Speaker 3 (01:06:11):
I think they do win tomorrow night, and then it's
just about whether or not you can go out and
get your first win in San Francisco. If you do,
you force a Game seven at Toyota Center against the
Golden State Warriors.

Speaker 4 (01:06:22):
Where have we heard that before?

Speaker 3 (01:06:24):
It'd be nice, But first things first, you got to
win a do or die game five tomorrow night on
your home floor and on Space City Home Network and
right here on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 6 (01:06:37):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven.

Speaker 3 (01:06:39):
Ninety eighteen, Rolling along here on a Tuesday edition of
the program AC and WEX with you, taking up until
six o'clock. I haven't talked a ton of Astros just
because of the playoff game that happened last night, but

(01:07:01):
we did talk with Jeremy Pania earlier.

Speaker 4 (01:07:05):
This actually the tail end of last hour.

Speaker 3 (01:07:07):
We will also here at the top of the hour
a little bit of the conversation that Ross Viial myself
had with Astro's manager Joe A.

Speaker 4 (01:07:15):
Spota.

Speaker 3 (01:07:17):
What do you think about this? Do you think too
much is made about the lineup when it's just a
slight switch like this.

Speaker 2 (01:07:25):
Nope. So it's a huge deal, huge, huge deal. You
can't just sit there and do nothing. You're the manager.
He can't make these guys hit. But he also can't
just sit back and say, man, I'm just going to
show up today, collect my paycheck and go on home.
That's what you're there for. You're there to keep these
guys and their minds right. But you're also there to
kind of look around and see what might work because
this isn't working and what they're doing offensively isn't working.

(01:07:47):
And you do listen to your players, and obviously part
of the conversation to where they sit here now of
why there has been a change at the top of
the order is conversations that Joe Spot has had with
jose Al tub Is essentially suggesting it. You know, we
joked about it earlier. Well, he's got to come all
the way in from left field and at home games
and bat leadoff. That's a lot longer jogged than when

(01:08:09):
he was coming in from second base, and a lot
less time for him to prepare to swing at the
first pitch and go back to the dugout after that.
I mean, he joked about it himself, but I think
there's some truth to it. He'll bat second now, and
Jeremy Paania, who's sixty five to seventy five feet in
front of him at shortstop, he'll have to be the
one who jogs in after the one, two, three inning

(01:08:29):
and he'll have to bat lead off. He's cut down
on his strikeout rate a lot, talking about Jeremy Paania,
he's cut down on his chase rate a lot so
far this year. Not much else has changed with the results.
I mean, with his last couple of games, he's got
his ops over seven thirty five, which is a little
bit better than the last couple of years, but not

(01:08:50):
too far off, and is slightly above seven hundred numbers.
He also brings an element of speed and base running.
I don't think Josel Tuv is slow, but he is
their worst base runner, and you're not gonna get anything
from him when he gets on first. You're gonna get
something from Jeremy Pane when he gets to first base.
He's almost always gonna go first to third successfully. He

(01:09:12):
definitely is a base running threat, which, in addition to
potentially getting you ninety extra feet, you're now forcing that
pitcher to think about it. You know, Jeremy Payne, he
gets on base a reasonable amount. Right now, He's at
three thirty three. He's gonna steal thirty five bases this year.
I mean, if he stays in the leadoff spot, he'll
have his best base stealing season of the of his career.

(01:09:34):
The Astros have been much more aggressive as base steelers.
They're very aggressive as base runners, but they've been a
little bit more aggressive as bass steelers. And it does
go beyond that. You do still have to question, should
your Don Alvarez be batting second? He's their best hitter.
He's not performing like he's their best hitter, but he's
definitely their best hitter, their most threatening hitter, you know,

(01:09:55):
the hitter that everybody is concerned about. On the other side,
those guys bat second. That's the way it is in baseball.
People have figured it out. That's where he belongs. That's
probably where he needs to be. I understood the reasoning
behind having him bat behind Perettis, who sees so many pitches,
who's likely to get on base? He leads the astros
and on base percentage that it makes some sense. Well,
he's now batting third, and Peretis is batting behind him,

(01:10:17):
batting fourth, and now Walker's batting fifth. None of this.
We wouldn't even be having this conversation if Jordon Alvarez
had an eight to fifty OPS, if Christian Walker had
a seven to fifty OPS, neither of which are close
to their career numbers, but they're nowhere near those numbers
to begin with. Jordon's still not as seven hundred OPS player,
and Walker, despite hitting an extremely important to run laser

(01:10:40):
home run last night, he's not even at six thirty's.
There's only so much the manager can do, but he
can't sit idly by and just say, well, I'm gonna
give Zach Desenzo three at bats today, and I'm gonna
give Victor some at bats today. He's got to do
more with the guys that are out there in hopes
that well, maybe this is short term, and it got
them going. They felt more comfortable at the play. We're
seeing more successful at bats. You're still seeing plenty of

(01:11:03):
hard hit balls from Christian Walker when he doesn't strike out.
He was not seeing very many results, very many positive results.
Maybe the last two games, and it's only two games,
the finale in Kansas City and the game yesterday. You
strung some hits together. You were able to come through
with runners in scoring position a couple of times, and
two of those times or two of your big extra

(01:11:24):
base hits were home runs multi run to home runs.
But I could just go back two more games and say, oh,
you mean the back to back shoutouts. Yeah, yeah, we
didn't score any runs. I got it. There's no corner
turned yet when they score, they win.

Speaker 4 (01:11:39):
Yeah, well, there's not much to it.

Speaker 2 (01:11:42):
They're pitching so tremendously well, right, just get four runs
and you'll win.

Speaker 4 (01:11:47):
I loved hearing.

Speaker 3 (01:11:48):
I mean, you'll hear this from a spot later if
you didn't already, but and some of you guys didn't
obviously he's talking about Hunter Brown. But man, Jeremy Pania
gushing about him and giving the unique perspective. I've got
the best seat in the house for this. I'm right
behind the guy watching him just dominate.

Speaker 4 (01:12:02):
Guys.

Speaker 3 (01:12:04):
I know it's a small sample size to start twenty
twenty five. Did you ever think we'd beat a place?
And look, it's not significant, but it is. I mean,
the numbers are there. Jeremy Penny is a better baseball
player than Carlos Correa right now.

Speaker 4 (01:12:18):
I just it's it doesn't seem like it.

Speaker 2 (01:12:21):
I don't I'm not even should I look at Carlos's numbers.
I really don't think that's necessary.

Speaker 4 (01:12:27):
Do you want to know?

Speaker 2 (01:12:28):
I know they're bad.

Speaker 3 (01:12:29):
I mean they're like egregiously bad though for him, given
what he did here, But.

Speaker 2 (01:12:33):
You afforded me the baseball player comment. And I know
Jeremy's a very good defensive player, but he's still not
on him.

Speaker 3 (01:12:41):
He's not as elite defensively. But I'm talking about the
whole package.

Speaker 2 (01:12:45):
Yeah, if you aren't aware, Carlos Correa is season. Offensively
this year is somewhere between Yinor Diaz and Christian Walker.
That's it's awful.

Speaker 3 (01:12:52):
At least Christian Walker hit a home run last night.
Carlos has one of those one. His ops is five
ninety four.

Speaker 2 (01:13:00):
He's been awful offensively, and so has This is one
of the worst teams in baseball.

Speaker 3 (01:13:04):
Yeah, but I never I guess, even though I didn't
want to see him leave here, I never thought he'd
have seasons like this.

Speaker 4 (01:13:10):
He never had seasons like this year.

Speaker 2 (01:13:11):
In seasons he had his arguably definitely on his best
season away from Houston last year healthiest two right, No,
he missed half the year.

Speaker 4 (01:13:21):
Yeah, but I thought it still was more than he
had played prior to that.

Speaker 2 (01:13:23):
They played one hundred and thirty five plus his first
two years of Minnesota. Last year he played eighty six,
but he had a nine oh five OHPA. He was
basically Kyle Tucker last year offensively, or close to it.

Speaker 3 (01:13:32):
I guess I was thinking the year they played them
in the postseason, he also had missed a ton of time.
Even though he was there for that series and he
wasn't great in the regular season, he was awesome in
the postseason was on deck when they got the final out,
and nobody in Houston wanted to see Carlos Korea up
to the plate in that situation because, as I recall,
they had I think two men on.

Speaker 2 (01:13:53):
Yeah, he just simply has not found it this year
at the plate, and their team has suffered for it.
They've had other injuries like they always do. But they're bad,
Like I said, outside of the White Sox, they're probably
the worst team in the American.

Speaker 3 (01:14:06):
League thirteen and sixteen the Minnesota Twins. Meanwhile, the Astros.

Speaker 2 (01:14:11):
They just went on a winning streak to get there.

Speaker 4 (01:14:14):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:14:16):
Look, Astros are two games over five hundred, and I've
never been happier to say that.

Speaker 2 (01:14:21):
Just make it relative to the league and you'll be
totally fine with where the Astros are. The division leader
in the East has seventeen wins. The division leader in
the Central has eighteen, and they just lost to Houston
last night at Dykin Park, and the Astros are one
game behind the leader in their own division, who has
sixteen wins. The Astros have fifteen.

Speaker 3 (01:14:41):
Imagine if the Astros has won that series of the Mariners,
they'd be in first place right now.

Speaker 2 (01:14:45):
They'll have opportunities again. They got three more series with Seattle. Yeah,
Rangers in fourth, tied for third.

Speaker 3 (01:14:51):
I'm gonna say fourth because they're listed that way. The
Athletics are better than the Rangers according to this scret.

Speaker 2 (01:14:57):
I wonder if there's some I mean, they would still
be ahead of Texas alphabetically if you go with the
s and Sacramento. But if you just call your team
the Athletics and it starts with an A, well, I mean,
if they're gonna list it alphabetically, which they're not, there
are other reasons why they're ahead of them.

Speaker 4 (01:15:12):
Rangers are awful away from home. By the way, they're
pretty bad. Yeah, good for them.

Speaker 3 (01:15:17):
All right, we will wind down the three o'clock hour.
Coming up next again, Joe has spot a conversation coming
up in the four o'clock hour.

Speaker 1 (01:15:26):
The ad on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (01:15:34):
Before we get back to trailing trading Jalen Green real
quick NBA Note, I didn't necessarily see Doug Christy hanging
on to be the permanent head coach of the Kings.
But after trading d'aron Fox and getting zach Lavine and
everything that happened, and by the way, the Rockets are

(01:15:56):
still looking to beat them for the first time this
calendar year.

Speaker 4 (01:15:58):
They did not do that this year.

Speaker 3 (01:16:01):
I wonder if they're gonna be anything next season, like
with a fresh start, or if they'll just be the
latest version of the Kings that go into the gutter eventually.

Speaker 2 (01:16:09):
They're not good enough. You don't have to really wonder.
They would have been a little bit more potent in
the play in tournament at Malik Monk been healthy, but
they have roughly the same talent before and after the
Fox trade. In my opinion, health is a little bit
of an issue. But there's not a top eight team
like they're They're not going to be with this group.
There's there's nobody they can add. There's no young player

(01:16:30):
about to ascend. They have reasonably good talent, and honestly,
they have a lot of tradable commodities from a talent perspective,
but they're not They're not a threatening team in the
West they were. They're a non playoff team.

Speaker 3 (01:16:42):
Like if Zach Levine were the Rockets two guard, this
would be a sweep.

Speaker 2 (01:16:49):
Right provided they said, Hey, I mean, why don't we
just leave them open all the time and let them
beat us? I mean, they that probably would still be
the focus of their defense. He's probably he's it's definitely
a better player. He's played better than him, and he's
shot better than him. And this is one of the
things that still all this time and I think people
are still missing this. Zach Levine is what I would call,

(01:17:10):
certainly at this point in his career, an elite shooter.
He shot forty five percent on threes this year. It's
basically the best in the league.

Speaker 4 (01:17:19):
That's Curry.

Speaker 2 (01:17:21):
That's way better than Curry. Well this year, yes, by
he's Curry shot thirty eight percent. He's also almost thirty
eight years old. Who is Curry. Well, I don't care
what your age is. This we're talking about this year
people age.

Speaker 3 (01:17:34):
So that's what I'm saying. Like he's been that guy
for a long long time. That's why I use his name.

Speaker 2 (01:17:39):
Yeah, okay, well you're putting this year Zach Levine on
the team, aren't you. I'll take this year Zach Levine
as a shooter, And yeah, of course they would. I
don't know that they wouldn't be getting that production out
of him, But I mean it's pretty silly. Any player
who could succeed against the Warriors is someone that they
don't have because this particular player, Jalen Green, has been
unable to succeed against the Warriors over the long portion

(01:18:01):
of their games this year. Five in the regular season,
now four in the postseason. He's played once, He's played well.
One time he played well at the end of the
fourth quarter of the game on April sixth, then shot
nine of nineteen. His second best game was shooting nine
of nineteen and getting over twenty points in that game.
The other six games have been borderline disastrous.

Speaker 3 (01:18:18):
We know for a fact the Rockets tried to get
Donovan Mitchell.

Speaker 4 (01:18:23):
Jalen had to be involved in that deal, right, how.

Speaker 2 (01:18:27):
Many years ago?

Speaker 11 (01:18:28):
Two?

Speaker 2 (01:18:29):
Yeah, so two years into his career. Not well four.

Speaker 3 (01:18:31):
The reason I'm saying that is because I know the
conversation automatically always drifts back to the Phoenix Suns just
because you have their picks and or they have a
player that is at the position you'd like to improve on.
But like, do you think if indeed this is what happens,
it's something that either is outside the box or somebody

(01:18:53):
we don't see coming right now. That's not even being
like even the Yannis stuff is out there because of
what happened with Damian Kevin Durant being tied to Oh
the Spurs could be interested in him too. Everybody's gonna
be interested in Kevin Durant for pennies on the dollar.
He can help a team win as a missing piece.

Speaker 2 (01:19:11):
But by the way, San Antonio is the same as Sacramento.

Speaker 4 (01:19:14):
I agree, not a threat. No, even if they get
Kevin Durant.

Speaker 2 (01:19:17):
I'm not like, like Stefoncastle would has to be unbelievable
playing alongside Daron Fox, which I think is going to
be a little difficult. And well, obviously Wemby has to
be fully healthy, and they're still the West is awesome.
It's just in are they going to be among the
top eight?

Speaker 3 (01:19:31):
Well, I saw somebody write that if Kevin Durant joined
Wimby and uh and Daron Fox and San Antonio, they're
an immediate title contender.

Speaker 4 (01:19:39):
Are high?

Speaker 2 (01:19:39):
This is where I jump in with the who's this
foolish somebody? There's no way they could think that too. Yeah,
that's the same kind of people who are pointing out
the twenty twenty one draft because of the Jalen conversation.
So they missed well, they didn't have the number one pick,
so they didn't miss on Caid Cunningham. They weren't not
lucky enough to land the best player in the draft.
Kaid Cunningham. Evan Mobley's had a better career and it
seemed like it was headed that way very early in

(01:20:01):
their respective careers. And that's true. But don't give me this. Yeah,
and Scotty Barnes has been an all star. If you
think Scottie Barnes on the Rockets would make you happy,
I don't know what to tell you.

Speaker 4 (01:20:13):
No, I agree, bad, bad.

Speaker 2 (01:20:15):
Player to invest long term in. And Toronto was stuck
because they're in Toronto. We're not getting anybody to come here,
So we get anybody who can play it even a
little and lead us absolutely positively nowhere. We're going to
extend them to the max.

Speaker 3 (01:20:32):
Is Toronto winning a championship like the most lightning in
a bottle thing. Ever, I don't think they'll win another
one for another twenty years.

Speaker 2 (01:20:39):
They did what this We've spent forty five minutes talking
about the exact same conversation you just brought up.

Speaker 4 (01:20:44):
How I was available?

Speaker 2 (01:20:45):
Oh my god, how did caw I get to Toronto?
That should have never happened. Nah, and it did. But
who's that guy right now? You don't Luca just got traded? Man,
who knows?

Speaker 4 (01:20:57):
That's not the same.

Speaker 2 (01:20:59):
None of the ever played basketball for any team other
than San Antonio. He's the he's your franchise player.

Speaker 3 (01:21:06):
That was him, that wasn't them. It's a completely opposite situation.
I don't know, Well, it's yeah, it's not the same situation.

Speaker 2 (01:21:13):
But if he was happy there the whole time, if
they if he didn't feel like and he could be
wrong and he's maybe too sensitive or maybe just completely
off base.

Speaker 3 (01:21:21):
I don't know which one are you talking about now, Kawhiah,
I did want to leave. I get that, But why
did it get to that point? Because Popovich is a jerk,
but yes, a jerk.

Speaker 2 (01:21:33):
I guess, well, there's no I guess They've won a
ton of basketball games with him as the head coach.
He's a winner, and one of basketball games with him
as allege coach is the same. They win because they
have great players. They're all Well, when he didn't have
great players, he stopped winning, just like all the other ones.

Speaker 4 (01:21:46):
Okay, well, then don't just end the sentence with he's
a great coach. Well, they are great coaches. Put the
caveat there.

Speaker 2 (01:21:52):
You don't think there's any such thing.

Speaker 3 (01:21:53):
No, I just think I think there's better coaches out there. Fine,
but he is a great coach. I think he's fine.

Speaker 2 (01:21:59):
He's did just stupid things in his later career when
everybody else on earth in the NBA thought three points
sounds like a lot.

Speaker 3 (01:22:07):
Part of why I don't think he's a great head coach.
I think he was a good head coach when he
had a lot of talent, and he hasn't evolved with
today's NBA and now he's out.

Speaker 4 (01:22:16):
He's fine. He doesn't do anything for me, He's not.

Speaker 2 (01:22:19):
I know you hate him. I get it.

Speaker 3 (01:22:20):
I didn't say that, I said he said it many times.
Great head coach.

Speaker 2 (01:22:23):
Well, it's the same thing. He and Steve Kerr are
the same in your mind for these purposes, the personal
disgust for them. That's why they are where they are.

Speaker 3 (01:22:33):
I don't even put Steve Kerr in the same conversation
as Popovich. I think that's how little I think of
Steve Kerr as a head coach. I know it's not
because I hate him, though, I just don't think he's
a good head coach.

Speaker 2 (01:22:44):
Like that, he's out coaching the coach of this team
in this series.

Speaker 3 (01:22:47):
Well, like Phil Jackson, I put like light years because
of where he came from, like Popovich was in the
front office, got gifted Tim Duncan because he sat a
healthy David Robinson and then starts ripping off titles because
he's got a great scouting department that found Tony Parker
and Monogenobli And I'm supposed to worship at the altar

(01:23:08):
of him. No, sorry, someone's telling you. You're telling me
he's a great coach, and I'm telling you why.

Speaker 2 (01:23:13):
I don't think he is right, because there aren't any
like who are the great coaches the ones who don't win. No,
you're not listening to what I'm saying, listening to what
you're saying. No, you're dismissing what I'm saying because it
doesn't make any sense. I'm not telling you to say
because each time I say someone's good or great, it's
the same thing with the Warriors, like, oh my god,
they're the greatest team ever. I'm not saying they're the
greatest team ever. I'm not saying he's the greatest coach. Ever,

(01:23:35):
I'm saying there's a small group of coaches who are
great and not acknowledging that he's one of them. I
have a hard time how does that make sense? All
he does is win. All these guys they're winning, right.

Speaker 3 (01:23:46):
With all of that talent that once it went away,
he didn't win anymore. Meanwhile, these other like Phil Jackson
went different places. Yeah he had talent, but like, who
was Michael Jordan before he got there?

Speaker 2 (01:23:56):
Every single conversation we have about the NBA's greatest player
ever from the last forty years, of the two players
that Phil Jackson had, no Kobe and Michael.

Speaker 4 (01:24:06):
You think Lebron's better than Kobe?

Speaker 2 (01:24:08):
We do have to hit a break. I don't think
Joe Spile is going to keep you of light on
this discussion, but we will hear from him next.

Speaker 6 (01:24:17):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven.

Speaker 1 (01:24:19):
Ninety two lifelong Houston sports guys named at him talking
your Team.

Speaker 9 (01:24:31):
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the eighteen eighty.

Speaker 3 (01:24:40):
It's the four o'clock hour here on a Tuesday edition
of the A Team. It's Sports Talks seven ninety it's
Space City Home Network. We will get Game five between
the Rockets and the Warriors tomorrow night inside Toyota Center,
actual six thirty start time, by far the earliest start
in this series for any of the games of this thing.

(01:25:02):
That's now three to one Warriors, with the lead Rockets
playing for their season as they now trail this thing
three games to one. Really really rough night at the
office last night. If you were anybody attempting a free
throw for the Rockets, or if you were the victim
of Draymond Green's antics and you thought this might be
the time he finally would get ejected.

Speaker 4 (01:25:22):
No such luck on either front.

Speaker 3 (01:25:23):
You were not going to hit the twelve miss free throws,
and Draymond Green was in fact going to be allowed
to stay in that game with all five of his fouls,
by the way, and then played defense on alprinchingoon on
what would have been a game winner had Alpi hit
that came alive in the second half, did albe He
was just second straight game short arming everything, missing bunnies.

Speaker 4 (01:25:45):
Just it's a really frustrating way to go down three
to one.

Speaker 2 (01:25:48):
You had any feeling in your stomach that that shot
goes in, and it's just going to be that much
worse in the final two point six seconds.

Speaker 4 (01:25:57):
No, if they win that.

Speaker 3 (01:25:58):
If they I was of the opinion the way they
were playing last night, the way they were defending Curry.
If that shot goes down, even though it's a one
point game on the road, the Rockets find a way
to defend and they take game four.

Speaker 2 (01:26:13):
Yeah, two plays in the second half of last night's game.
We're a little tough to stomach thinking about what you're describing.
The play where the Warriors had two seconds on an
inbounds play and alber and Shingoun was in the corner,
and I think everybody knew what was going to happen
because the Rockets defended it perfectly. He barely even looked
at the player he was defending because he knew Steph
Curry was going to curl into the corner. It's literally

(01:26:34):
exactly what happened. He defended it. He was right there,
and then he went for his pump fake, and in
two seconds he could pump fake, dribble, go to his
right and drain a three. And then the other play,
same corner. You played twenty three seconds of great defense.
Why did you put your hand in Jimmy Butler's waist
to Dylan Brooks on a three point shot in the
corner on a just a really well defended possession. You

(01:26:57):
did everything you wanted to do. He went to the
free throw line, hit all three free throws. Probably was
a worthwhile challenge. I think everyone was focused on what
they weren't really looking at, which was Jimmy's feet. He
gave him a landing spot and he really didn't make
a whole lot of contact with Dylan to begin with.
Dylan made the unfortunate contact with him, and then he
didn't end the game. But you never got to one

(01:27:18):
oh seven. That's how they got to one oh seven.

Speaker 3 (01:27:20):
Yeah, I heard this a lot last night. You don't
call that foul in that situation. That's what drives me crazy.
If it's a foul, it's a foul every time of
the year.

Speaker 2 (01:27:29):
Now, questioning whether that it actually was a foul, right
is one thing.

Speaker 3 (01:27:34):
I thought it was weak, I thought, but they can't
call it if you don't do it correct. But if
he if he doesn't do what he did, does Jimmy
just automatically drain that shot?

Speaker 2 (01:27:46):
No, I don't think so. He's not a three point shooter,
even with clutch on his mind. And even in the
fourth quarter, and even with the game on the line
all that, I don't think he was gonna make that shot,
but I don't know. He obviously didn't, and I doubt
that impacted a great deal. But I I think it
was a call that was worthwhile to make. I would
have thought I wouldn't have been Oh, I got I
can't believe they didn't call it, but I also can't

(01:28:07):
believe that they did. We've talked about this a tremendous
amount and we were happy to continue, and we definitely
will continue. We're barely halfway through the show, but want
to get you a little bit of a conversation on
the astro side of things. After last night's victory, a
second victory in a row. Beat the Royals to close
out the series, beat the Tigers to open up this
particular series behind really good pitching despite the two homers

(01:28:28):
allowed by Renault Blanco, plenty of offense, a pair of
two run homers, and Joe Spotta made his weekly visit
to The Matt Thomas Show with Ross. Today's visit what
was with Ross v Real and Adam Clinton? And we
talked to Jeremy Payne a little earlier. He's batting lead
off again today. Joe A. Spotta's first thoughts here in
this part of the interview we give to you about

(01:28:48):
their production either one of them. Was it kind of
the factor about why Payne is now leading off both both?

Speaker 11 (01:28:55):
You know, I think Jeremy has really improved his offensive approach,
and I think it was a combination of trying to
get him going, trying to mature as a hitter and
continue he's developing his offensive approach, and also trying to
get al tuo W you know, locked in. And I
think this two spot will help him. Having Jeremy in
front of him, hopefully continues to get on base, having

(01:29:17):
alto Wen opportunity to potentially hit with some people on base,
have more time to get ready for his bad sandwich
in there between your Don, and hopefully creating some traffic
for two of our best hitters right now, which is
your Don and and and partis with many scorn position.

Speaker 12 (01:29:34):
And uh, A lot of the numbers for Jeremy Pania
looked really good. As you look at the expected slug,
the hard hit percentage, all that type of stuff, it's
been way up for him.

Speaker 2 (01:29:43):
Is this the real deal?

Speaker 12 (01:29:44):
Are we looking at a breakout season, you think from
Jeremy Panye.

Speaker 11 (01:29:47):
Well, you know what, I'm just going to speak to
to what I see right now, and I really like
the approach his preparation. Every single day, he's putting the
work in exactly what we have asked him to do,
and he's coming to his own he's trying to figure
some stuff out. So I really like where he's at
right now, and hopefully we could get this going. This
will be really good for our lineup if we could

(01:30:08):
get someone with that kind of speed and that kind
of dynamic approach in a top of our order and
we could continue moving forward and giving our our you know,
our offense some more chances to score more run.

Speaker 3 (01:30:21):
Talking to Astros manager Joe Spotty here on Sports Talk
seven ninety Joe Christian Walker with another homer last night,
how much, in your opinion, and this is the first
time I've had a chance to talk to you in
this kind of setting since the season began, how much
was he putting pressure on himself and how much can
that kind of you know, play mind tricks on a
guy in a situation like his where he's you know,
he's a guy who's a big addition to the lineup,

(01:30:43):
gets to contract all that kind of stuff, and he
might be pressing a little bit.

Speaker 4 (01:30:46):
Do you think that was going on?

Speaker 3 (01:30:48):
You know, what's your assessment of him as we get
to the tail end of April here.

Speaker 11 (01:30:52):
Yeah, I think he's been transparent and how he's felt
since he got here. You know, he wants to be
he wants to he wants to post, and he's posting.
He's trying, you know, do the best he can. He's
trying to get big hits for us. He knows he
was a big off season acquisition and he's trying to
you know, he's trying to, you know, to produce for us,
and I know eventually he will and he's starting to

(01:31:12):
come around. I think the last couple of games he's
a proacher. His approach has been better. He's staying in
his own hate that ball, hard fastball, kind of open
in the fastball that he's been trying to get to.
That shows that he's in a better spot. But it
was just need to let you know, it's early in
the season. This guy has been a really good hitter
for a long time. But I think, you know, in
the beginning, he was trying really hard. He didn't have

(01:31:34):
much of a spring training, so he's trying to play
a little bit of a catch up. But I think
he's starting to come when he's on here the last
couple of games.

Speaker 12 (01:31:42):
And also in the middle of the lineup. It's nice
to have yord On going. Is it feels like your
job's a lot easier when he's driving in runs, especially
like he did on Sunday.

Speaker 11 (01:31:52):
Oh my goodness, Yes it is.

Speaker 8 (01:31:53):
You know he is.

Speaker 11 (01:31:55):
It's a force when he is, when he comes to
the plate and you know that he's swinging the babble,
when you know he's feeling good, you know, you know,
you know the picture is in danger, right He is
getting to that spot where we know that he's really close.
I said this a couple of days ago. He's getting
really close, and one seed clicks. I think everything just

(01:32:18):
comes together.

Speaker 3 (01:32:19):
Joe, let's speaking of a dangerous pictures. I guess you're
talking about it to a picture that's in a dangerous situation.
A guy who's putting in hitters in a lot of
dangerous situations to start the year. As Hunter Brown, I mean,
you've got some real good talent on your staff right now.
And obviously Erraic Getty when he comes back, will add
to that along with some other guys. But even in

(01:32:39):
your wildest best expectations, did you see this kind of
start for Hunter?

Speaker 11 (01:32:44):
Yes, to be honest with you, and you know, in
a very humble way, I d see, you know, Hunter
getting out to a really good start based on what
he did last year. He's off season terminous job getting
ready for the season, understanding the adjustments that he needed
to make to come out of the gate during the
ball he's doing.

Speaker 6 (01:33:02):
He's one of the.

Speaker 11 (01:33:03):
Best in the game. And I'm not surprised the success
that the success he's having now is us to keep them,
keep them moving forward, keeping him healthy. This kid is
so well prepared. He wants this so bad. He has
step up to be our age right now.

Speaker 3 (01:33:17):
Yeah, and I mean, without giving too much away, he
had some some mechanical adjustments that he made last season
and had some success. You know after the first month
and a half, two months, maybe what what kind of adjustments?
What kind of preparations are you are you talking about?

Speaker 4 (01:33:32):
If you can say.

Speaker 11 (01:33:33):
Yeah, you know what? For me, it's more how he
sees himself. You know, when you first get to the
big league. Hears, you're trying to get to know yourself
on at themension league level, right like you you know,
you know, you think you have a pretty good idea
of who you are, and you think you have a
pretty good idea get how to get you know, hitters

(01:33:54):
in the big leagues. But unless you go through struggles
and the you know the U the struggles and figure
out business not working for me and allow us to
help you make those adjustments throughout the season, that's when
you really learn your strength and weaknesses as an athlete
in general. And I think that's the thing about hunterd.

(01:34:16):
We all knew he had the stuff. We all knew
that he had the demeanor to do it and the
grit and the toughness to do it. He went through
some struggles, he allows us to help him. You know, let's.

Speaker 8 (01:34:26):
Change how you use.

Speaker 11 (01:34:27):
Your your repertoire. I want, let's just make these adjustments
on how you use your fastball against riety, how you
use your breaking both against left. You know, and he okay,
this works for me now once he gets everything going.
Now he is now I got a pretty good idea.
How can I prepare myself?

Speaker 6 (01:34:45):
Now?

Speaker 11 (01:34:45):
I know how to read a report. Now I know
how to execute my game plan, and that's where he's.

Speaker 6 (01:34:50):
At right now.

Speaker 2 (01:34:51):
That's on the front side of things for the Astros.
They know what they're getting each and every trip through
the rotation. At one and two with fromber Valdez and
obviously who at Joe spot was just talking about Hunter
Brown and Ace level performances for the most part from both,
all of them from Hunter and most of them from fromber.
Joe Spotta also earlier, just a few minutes ago his

(01:35:12):
normal meet with the media, indicated there's some changes on
the way for the Astros' pitching staff. They had been
tb ding the Wednesday start Tomorrow's afternoon game for several
days and it remains that way, but Hayden was nesky
will not be the answer. He will not be starting tomorrow,
according to Joe Spota says he's healthy, but he want
serious about it, just wanted to give him additional rest

(01:35:33):
before he puts him back out there. Aj bluebaw As
many that were on site, Chandler Rome included, noted, well,
he's out here pitching right now, he's out here working out,
so he's part of the Astros taxi squad under consideration
to be the starter tomorrow. Also, interestingly, Joe said that
it is a bullpen day tomorrow for Lance McCullers junior,

(01:35:53):
and if all goes well, the next pitches he throw
could be in an Astro's uniform at the major league
level sometime early next week. So we'll see on both
of those fronts. Obviously, Astros tonight right here on Sports
Talk seven ninety's trying to take game two of two
from the Tigers.

Speaker 1 (01:36:11):
The eight on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 4 (01:36:25):
You know you mentioned Luka Doncic earlier.

Speaker 2 (01:36:29):
Sure did just do it?

Speaker 3 (01:36:31):
He just I mean, is just came out a few
minutes ago. Apparently somebody vandalized a Kobe mural him and
Gigi in downtown Los Angeles, Lucas paying the cost of restoring.

Speaker 2 (01:36:45):
It with the Lakers money.

Speaker 4 (01:36:50):
Is it technically Dallas's money?

Speaker 2 (01:36:52):
Still No, they're paying a salary. He works with them.

Speaker 4 (01:36:55):
How does that work?

Speaker 3 (01:36:56):
By the way, do you just take over payments exactly
like a car?

Speaker 2 (01:36:59):
Can you get me your shoe size, your jersey size,
and your direct deposit information?

Speaker 3 (01:37:04):
Please?

Speaker 2 (01:37:05):
No, that's a really really nice thing to do. And
there's some that wonder well he's there, they certainly will
want him to. Is there any issue with signing their
long term putting that big fat extension in front of him?
And is there any kind of hold on a minute?
And people will question that until it's done. I'm not

(01:37:25):
questioning it. I don't think there's anywhere better for him
to go and choose on his own to say I
would like to not sign here and take somebody else's
smaller dollar amount and play there. He's not going back
to Dallas, and I think the situation in La probably
he knew it. He probably thought it might be good

(01:37:47):
when he got there while he was still sad about Dallas.
I'm sure he's found out since he's been there. The
Lakers franchise and face of the franchise, whoever that might be,
at any given time in Lakers history, you're worshiped. It's
a great place to be the best player on the team,
and it should be in most places. But I do
think their history is pretty strong in that sense that

(01:38:09):
the legendary status of a player who's the best player
in Maverick's history by a lot, versus the legendary status
of a player who's one of the best Lakers is
night and day. You'll be one of the best Lakers,
and you'll be a much bigger deal than if you're
Dirk and you're the best player in MAVs history, like
ten Lakers, bigger than he is.

Speaker 3 (01:38:29):
Yeah, at least do you think that if like Dallas
wiped out their entire front office, he'd ever consider it.

Speaker 2 (01:38:38):
No, I don't know. I don't think so, because wiping
out their entire front office was still keep somebody there
the owner.

Speaker 4 (01:38:46):
Yeah, Who've ok.

Speaker 2 (01:38:48):
Absolutely, as he's been there. They've watched Dirt sour on
the franchise, Lucas sour on the franchise. I believe the
fans have soured on the franchise. So now I don't
see that I think this. You know, that's the the
secondary part of I can't believe that he's getting traded
to the Lakers. They may or may not win with
Luca and Lebron, but they should have an opportunity to

(01:39:11):
pair Luca with somebody else moving forward.

Speaker 3 (01:39:14):
Who's that gonna be though, It's a good question because
I don't think they're gonna They're not gonna win with Lebron.

Speaker 4 (01:39:19):
He's done winning.

Speaker 2 (01:39:20):
It's like Curry, well, he's literally done winning potentially already
this year as they play their last game of the season,
potentially the next time they hit the court. They have
the second start tomorrow night. They had two days off
in between their last game and the game coming up.
They're down three to one. They have been out played
like Houston when it's mattered most laden this series, which

(01:39:44):
has tilted it into a three games to one lead
for Minnesota.

Speaker 3 (01:39:47):
But the last game tomorrow night, Yeah, I agree both
of these teams though, like.

Speaker 2 (01:39:52):
It's but back to Houston and everybody else. Briefly, it's
not because they're incapable of winning the West or getting
to the Western Final. It's because it's that difficult to.

Speaker 3 (01:40:02):
Do in this Western cory, this current West, like Lebron,
Lebron and Luca are not gonna win the West.

Speaker 2 (01:40:10):
Nikola and Jamal Murray are not gonna win the West.
Anthony Edwards is not gonna win the West. Jimmy Butler
and Steph Curry are not gonna win the West. James
Harden and Kawhi Leonard are not gonna win the West.
They might, these teams are unbelievable. Yeah, and they could
all lose to ok see.

Speaker 4 (01:40:26):
And they all trailed the Thunder and the Rockets in
the standings.

Speaker 2 (01:40:31):
Yes, and they super important once you get to the
postseason regular season standings.

Speaker 3 (01:40:35):
Yeah, But I'm just saying, if they were all so
much better than the Rockets, why didn't it bear itself
out over the course of the season.

Speaker 4 (01:40:40):
Because the Clippers case they were hurt.

Speaker 2 (01:40:42):
They don't because they weren't trying to beat them on
any given night when they played them, they were trying
to beat They're not trying to win fifty five or
sixty games. The Rockets were so.

Speaker 4 (01:40:50):
Only the Thunder were trying to win every night.

Speaker 2 (01:40:53):
And Houston. Yeah, I mean, I'm I'm being serious. I
don't think the other teams put everything they had into
winning the games as much as Houston and Okay See did.
But OKC won sixty eight games and rested their guys
in the fourth quarter constantly. Yeah, they just couldn't help
but blow teams out like it.

Speaker 3 (01:41:09):
Honestly, it is because of the disparity with the rest
of the competition, because unlike the Warriors and unlike even
the Bulls, like the Bulls got when they won seventy
two games, and I guess it was probably two years later,
where the Pacers probably were the closest team that knocked
them off during that run in the Conference finals, they

(01:41:30):
had to go to Game seven. But you know, like,
I just don't feel like there's any sort of like
if the Thunder don't get to the NBA Finals, at minimum,
it might be the biggest upset in NBA history, simply
because of how much better they are than everybody else.

Speaker 2 (01:41:49):
With the Bulls not being a playoff team, I did
not expect the Bulls to come up in conversation as
it did. Just now, perfect opportunity to ask you about
the costumes at the Chicago White Sox will be unveiling
what are you doing as their City Connect uniforms, the
Bulls inspired Chicago White Sox City Connect gear. If they're

(01:42:11):
Bulls inspired, you'd like to go back to the best
era of Bulls basketball. Obviously you're going back to the
Jud Bushelare era, Luke Longley, et cetera. So I'm gonna
guess for those that are driving around and haven't seen them,
I'm gonna guess correctly. They feature red and they feature
black quite prominently. So you've seen them and I've seen them.

(01:42:33):
What are your thoughts. They're the single worst City Connect
jerseys to ever exist.

Speaker 4 (01:42:37):
Wow. No, I'm sorry, Arizona does exist.

Speaker 2 (01:42:40):
I'm sorry, and I stand on this.

Speaker 5 (01:42:42):
I grew up a household FORUL of Chicago White Sox fans.
They had the best City Connect jerseys that you could
find at the time, with the South Side, with the
black the way they looked, the way they popped on
the television.

Speaker 2 (01:42:53):
To me, that is the most iconic part.

Speaker 5 (01:42:55):
They embraced their culture, They embraced what was the actual
point of City Connect. And then you want to go
ahead and pull out some Hey, let's honor Michael Jordan
because if we got to get some more seats and
we gotta get more revenue.

Speaker 2 (01:43:05):
Yeah, they're honoring a former member of the team, the
White Sox. Yeah, congragt me Michael Jordan.

Speaker 3 (01:43:11):
You you know what my first thought was when I
saw them.

Speaker 2 (01:43:16):
How awesome it is that on the inside of the jersey,
where you'd have the tag and the size and all that,
you can see the seasons that the Bulls won their championships.
These are White Sox jerseys. But I'll tell you my opinion.
I think they look incredible. They're super cool. But the

(01:43:38):
concept is nuts. It's ridiculous.

Speaker 3 (01:43:41):
It's a basketball team's costume made into a baseball team's costume.
And the first thought I had was, well, of course,
Jerry Reinsdorf owns both of these organizations.

Speaker 2 (01:43:54):
It's starting to make sense.

Speaker 3 (01:43:55):
That's the only reason why this would ever happen, Like,
no one's gonna do this.

Speaker 2 (01:43:58):
Can you imagine an another city saying this is awesome,
I love it.

Speaker 3 (01:44:03):
The Astros next city Connector are they gonna wear ketchup
and mustard because they are the only two teams to
each win two titles?

Speaker 2 (01:44:09):
Why not? I mean, it would be dumb. Now, you've
seen other teams in the city, like the Cougars and others,
the Owls. At times they've honored the that's the honor
of Columbia. That's a championship lists franchise, right.

Speaker 3 (01:44:26):
But it's also a defunct thing that no one wears anymore,
except for when Amy Strunk decides to be extra petty
in her dad's honor. Because I'm pretty sure that when
he gave her the team upon his death, he made
her sign an agreement saying she would.

Speaker 4 (01:44:41):
Be almost as petty as him.

Speaker 2 (01:44:43):
So go todding, go to what you're supposed to honor.
We think the Astros have now done it two times
over brilliantly, space City across their chests and all sorts
of little features on the jersey to honor our city,
some of the space program, some of the team's history,
John Kennedy, and then they well that was the first one.
The second one now Kennedy and mission to Mars. But

(01:45:06):
it's more of the same, honoring things that matter to
the city, plus the baseball hmm okay, So what would
you do? What should the White Sox have done? Because
the first time that clearly with Southside, like Cole mentioned,
that's the city. This is this is what we think
they're supposed to be inspired by. Well, what what's the
second go around? What do they do the second time?

(01:45:28):
Because that's what you're running into. When your city connects
get launched, you wear them for three years, and while
they're being worn, everybody in the office is saying, how
do we come up with new ones? And the Astros
have succeeded twice. The rockets on there have done it well.
Throwing the bulls colors on another That's what I mean.
It's so dumb, but they are a unique case. They

(01:45:51):
they own the team, But.

Speaker 3 (01:45:53):
What is Chicago like? You know what, what would you
put on it? That would be you thinks are going to.

Speaker 5 (01:46:00):
Do the bean do anything other than just honoring a
team that so far has been a disaster since Jerry
Reinstorff decided to really pun on both of his franchises.
I mean, I have some very deep, dark, intrusive thoughts
when it comes to Jerry Hinstorff.

Speaker 2 (01:46:15):
So trust me, I don't want to again this company.
He's not a great guy not talking about this. He's
he's not.

Speaker 3 (01:46:22):
We could have used that like ten times today. Why
because it's it's gonna be a good, good addition to
the show.

Speaker 4 (01:46:28):
You don't like the fact that we're talking so much NBA?

Speaker 2 (01:46:31):
No, I'm just there's lots to talk about today. I
don't mind talking playoffs.

Speaker 3 (01:46:36):
You managed to talk about the NBA involved in a
Major League Baseball's but that's their fault though it's not
really you, as Jerry ryinstore fall.

Speaker 4 (01:46:44):
For me, it's not creative at all. It's just stealing.

Speaker 2 (01:46:48):
I mean, if the Astros were about to play the
Tigers and the Tigers were wearing Chauncey Billups jerseys, I'd
probably talk about it.

Speaker 4 (01:46:54):
Is Mason going to be the PA for a night?
I don't know.

Speaker 6 (01:46:59):
The seed? On Sports Talk seven.

Speaker 1 (01:47:01):
Ninety this is Adam and Adams Weekly, choked through mind
bockling moments that make you.

Speaker 2 (01:47:11):
Go say what what?

Speaker 11 (01:47:16):
Say what?

Speaker 2 (01:47:16):
One say?

Speaker 1 (01:47:18):
What is here?

Speaker 2 (01:47:19):
What are you talking about? On a Tuesday.

Speaker 6 (01:47:22):
Pay what o Jain?

Speaker 2 (01:47:24):
I did?

Speaker 6 (01:47:25):
Now say what?

Speaker 2 (01:47:29):
There's always something out there yesterday. We certainly could have
continued today the conversation about what's going on with the
author of the Art of Winning and his lady friend,
and we'll probably have news on that. Believe a statement
was supposed to be released today. If I've missed it,
I'm not too upset about it. That's we're not talking
about this, but we will, Like I said, hear from

(01:47:49):
her from time to time on this program. Earlier this postseason,
Steph Curry popped up over the four thousand point mark
in the postseason points scored past Tony Parker. Next up,
probably not this postseason, Jerry West, Carl Malone, and former

(01:48:11):
teammate Kevin Durant. If Durant ever makes the playoffs again,
he'll get over five thousand. Only six players have ever
done that. One of them is still in the playoffs
for one more day. Lebron James, the all time leader,
but speaking specifically to Steph and about Steph as he
continues what is obviously a Hall of Fame career. He

(01:48:32):
has a couple of titles, got a couple of MVPs,
in an All Star a few times, been a Finals
MVP one time. He boasts five very clear, obvious and
well known nicknames, which I'm sure you know very well.

Speaker 4 (01:48:47):
I don't want to do this, we won't.

Speaker 2 (01:48:49):
He was being discussed on a rather popular podcast by
two people who were pretty well known for talking basketball,
one who talks NBA basketball but loves Boston's Celtics basketball,
and the others Ryan Riscilla Ryan and Bill Bill Simmons
Ryan Roscillo. They were speaking and in very positive tones

(01:49:12):
about what we're all being treated to as fans of
basketball other than the people that live in Houston. It's
not a treat it's a nightmare. But they're talking very
glowingly about Steph Curry, and over the course of the conversation,
interesting odd shocking comparison was made by Bill Simmons about

(01:49:32):
how could you not We had a conversation about this
yesterday when we were leaving the station. You know, there's
players that are well liked fans media, there are players
that aren't well liked fans media. But just an interesting
back and forth about Steph Curry and what we're all
getting treated to here.

Speaker 13 (01:49:51):
Let's start with Curry because I was thinking about this today,
going do I like, like just knowing that we can
still have a Curry night. And yeah, for those that
hate it, I mean, it just sucks because you're missing
out on I.

Speaker 4 (01:50:04):
Mean, hate Steph Curry.

Speaker 2 (01:50:05):
It's ridiculous. I just hate. I just can't believe it.

Speaker 4 (01:50:09):
Like this age, we're still getting Curry.

Speaker 2 (01:50:13):
Almost, We're still almost made it to his next comment
without realizing he needed to laugh much more than he
did with the initials.

Speaker 3 (01:50:23):
The comment because I mean Bill Simmons, he's he's been
trying to be funny for about twenty years now.

Speaker 2 (01:50:31):
He used to be Yeah, Page two Simmons was funny.

Speaker 4 (01:50:34):
That was my favorite version of him. Not this guy.

Speaker 3 (01:50:38):
Just plenty of people that don't like Steph Curry, and
I'm hardly the only one. And it's not just Houstonians,
and it's not just people who have lost to his
team in the postseason.

Speaker 2 (01:50:49):
We'll take him for the comment he made after the comparison.
What's not to like? Run down the list.

Speaker 3 (01:50:55):
Let's just take game Let's take Game three for example,
since that's when he really went off in this series.
The constant, like I said this in the pregame last night,
like the constant shimmy, the dancing while he's on the floor.

Speaker 2 (01:51:11):
On his home court.

Speaker 3 (01:51:12):
Yeah, all of that, but he does he's done. He's
done that here in Houston, and Chris Paul gave it
back to him.

Speaker 2 (01:51:19):
That was Steve, was it? Oh No, the shimmy was
to Steph. The fake laugh was to Steve.

Speaker 3 (01:51:26):
Yeah, well that's what That's how Steve should be treated
by everybody planet.

Speaker 2 (01:51:30):
The anti or the theatrics.

Speaker 3 (01:51:33):
Yeah, because I mean, I just but there there's even
theatrics that I'm fine with.

Speaker 2 (01:51:38):
So he he does those theatrics and people shouldn't like him,
Like James is the person we were talking about, James Harden.
People very it seems like a much smaller group of
NBA fans like him versus the group of NBA fans
that like Steph and his theatrics.

Speaker 3 (01:51:55):
His antics were fake nosebleeds, a fake nosebleed. He the
little chef cooking thing once for like one season.

Speaker 4 (01:52:03):
That's on it.

Speaker 3 (01:52:05):
But here's the thing, Steph like is a very much
is more universally loved for whatever reason. I don't, I
honestly don't understand it. Maybe I am in the minority.
I'm fine with that.

Speaker 2 (01:52:16):
I everybody doesn't have to think the same way. It's
totally fine.

Speaker 4 (01:52:20):
But that's the problem.

Speaker 3 (01:52:21):
If you don't think the way of the Hive, then
you are wrong. Like you were not You were not
only supposed to embrace everything about Steph Curry, from the
shimming to the dancing, to the nighty night to the
mouthpiece constantly not in his mouth n in the Olympics.
Big deal, Yeah, huge deal. I'm supposed she's so patriotic

(01:52:42):
about that. That's great. Oh yeah, playing for you. I
hated the Olympics. For him and after him, I don't care.
But like you're those same people that are not understanding
why you don't like him, are a gas that you
would actually support James Harden who was ruining the game.
They said it, he was ruining the game when he

(01:53:04):
played here in Houston with his Even curR said it
the other day in a press conference.

Speaker 4 (01:53:09):
What am I supposed to do? Like I'm trying to draw.

Speaker 3 (01:53:11):
The foul here, Like it's it's just hilarious to me
that here's the narrative. Here is who is allowed to
be liked and who is here's allowed? And like, fortunately
in this country, I think we're getting past that finally
because it's got a lot of parallels.

Speaker 4 (01:53:23):
So let me it's the same thing with the same people.

Speaker 2 (01:53:25):
So let me take you to the all the guys
that we could be talking about. These two players, Curry
and Harden are among the top five current leading scorers
in the NBA, by the way, with.

Speaker 4 (01:53:35):
Three point prowess.

Speaker 3 (01:53:36):
Harden right behind him, and nobody cares because they don't
like him personally.

Speaker 2 (01:53:41):
So who do you like? In this group? There's Lebron, Durant,
Harden Westbrook, Curry arguably the five most accomplished, greatest, current best.

Speaker 4 (01:53:53):
Modern player of this era. Yeah, I love Durant.

Speaker 2 (01:53:56):
What's different about Durant and Curry? Let's say, from a
likability standpoint.

Speaker 3 (01:54:01):
I honestly don't know if I can put it into words.
I just he Curry is the greatest shooter ever. But
to hear people, these people, these people that are Warriors
fans that have just woke up in twenty twelve and
decide to start following the NBA or Bill Simmons exactly.
It's this guy walks on water. He's a top five

(01:54:23):
all time NBA player. I'm sorry, No, I have existed
before his time, and I've seen too much to ever
agree with that.

Speaker 2 (01:54:30):
So you'll bristle at Steph Curry being called top ten?
Will you bristle at Kevin Durant being called top ten?

Speaker 3 (01:54:37):
Well, no, I bristle Steph Curry being in the all
time great conversation people are like top ten, people are
like MJ Lebron and then right around there's Curry. F No,
no way you hang out with the wrong people. Oh
way you should hang out. There's no way people think this.
You should hang out on Warriors Twitter. No, thank you,

(01:54:58):
Well you have to. I don't want you.

Speaker 2 (01:55:00):
You have to. It's like Tennessee Volunteers Twitter.

Speaker 3 (01:55:02):
That's the main. But that's the thing, like, don't expect
your guy. Yeah, so prop him up, which is all
Houston fans were doing to James Harden. But because he
wasn't as aesthetically pleasing to them, it was okay to
hate on that guy's accomplishments, even though in this modern era,
when it comes to three point shooters, it's Steph and

(01:55:23):
James one in one A.

Speaker 2 (01:55:24):
Not one A. Why because he's nowhere near him?

Speaker 4 (01:55:27):
He just actually near him.

Speaker 2 (01:55:29):
He's not sure he is. Go Look at three points
four thousand threes. James just won over three thousand this year.

Speaker 4 (01:55:34):
Who's cutting close to three thousand?

Speaker 2 (01:55:37):
Ray Allen, Damian Lillard.

Speaker 3 (01:55:39):
You're talking about Ray Allen, one of the all the
guy that Curry had to best as the all time
at three point made shooter.

Speaker 2 (01:55:46):
He's nine hundred threes behind him and the total is
only four thousand. That's a huge chunk. You're you're short
his second. You're shorting nowhere near him.

Speaker 3 (01:55:54):
But you're shorting him well one, It's like saying Randy
Johnson's second and Nolan Ryan.

Speaker 2 (01:55:59):
Well, Randy Johnson won a four.

Speaker 3 (01:56:03):
Everyone else is a distant behind those two, is the
point I'm making.

Speaker 2 (01:56:07):
But they're not. They are past Ray Allen this year, and.

Speaker 3 (01:56:10):
He's gonna be going for another five years probably maybe sure.

Speaker 2 (01:56:15):
Now he's getting in.

Speaker 4 (01:56:16):
Shape, he's got that old man game.

Speaker 2 (01:56:17):
All right, we'll hit the brake.

Speaker 1 (01:56:19):
Late the eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 2 (01:56:34):
Say that I said Klay Thompson's a third tier player.
He's the third star. Everybody knows that only because of
the team he was on. He's ninewhere player to be
the second star. He's a good player, He's gonna help
you win championships. But I don't think any team was
looking to take him from the Warriors and make him
their second star.

Speaker 3 (01:56:55):
Clay Thompson's fifth leading three point may shots made in
NBA history, Like all the Ray Allen Damian, Clay Thompson's
right there, he's ahead of.

Speaker 2 (01:57:06):
Let's put him. Let's put him against all those players
that you're putting him up against. Do you think he's
better than any player you just named.

Speaker 3 (01:57:13):
I think he would have been considered that if he
didn't play with Steph Curry. And I think that's a
valid argument because especially when you keep we're also going
to bring Kevin Duran over here.

Speaker 2 (01:57:24):
So easy for me to just flip it because I
can't help myself. Well, you're saying it's a negative for
playing with Steph. How about a positive because they could
care less what you're doing. How many billions of open
looks did this guy get because Steph was on his team?

Speaker 4 (01:57:42):
Because Clay's over there gonna hit one.

Speaker 2 (01:57:46):
Come on, what's your game plan tonight? Well we got
to stop Clay. We gotta make Steph beat us, which
coach said that I'm going overkill on the.

Speaker 3 (01:57:54):
Zero the Blash Brothers, not the Splash guy.

Speaker 2 (01:58:00):
That's a good one. I know it is because it's facts. Yes,
but you're you're ripping apart Curry for only doing one thing. Yes,
absolutely does only one thing.

Speaker 3 (01:58:10):
But worse, Look, the reason I rip Curry is more
so because of what people say about him than Curry himself.
People are trying to say that he's like a top
five all to like I really do, but I know
you don't believe this. There are people out there that
have been watching basketball for five minutes that think it's
like Lebron MJ. Because they're not going to say MJ
first because they're stupid, and then they're gonna say like

(01:58:31):
Kobe and then Curry comes up. That's how they think.

Speaker 2 (01:58:34):
I know this.

Speaker 4 (01:58:35):
They're stupid.

Speaker 2 (01:58:36):
I've explained it to you many times off and I
think on the air. No disrespect to these people who
I'm absolutely about to disrespect that you're telling me you
don't know anything. You just told me the facts of
it that they've been watching basketball for five minutes. I guess.
So those are the people that are saying the wrong things.

Speaker 3 (01:58:52):
Kevin Durant has scored five thousand more points than Steph Curry.
That's incredible to me.

Speaker 2 (01:58:58):
Yeah, if we kind of segment down the instead of
just saying best, like the all time greatest scores, well, boom,
Kevin Durant. He's top five, he's the first team all
NBA him and he's there probably two and honestly, as
weird as it might sound like, which I don't know.
I mean, we could go down to this non important topics.

(01:59:19):
I don't want to because we're three hours in. It
feels like the only thing we've talked about.

Speaker 3 (01:59:23):
Today it's the NBA playoffs. What else are we supposed
to talk about?

Speaker 2 (01:59:26):
We're talking about a guy at home for the Mavericks.
We're talking about a guy at home for the Suns.
Who else?

Speaker 5 (01:59:31):
Who was the other guy that you were going to
mention a second ago. I'm genuinely interested. Who was the
next thing?

Speaker 2 (01:59:35):
Well, he's talking about, you know, Dirk being ahead of
them on the scoring list, and yet I don't. I
don't consider Dirk straight up. Oh yeah, he's a better
scorer than KD. And I don't think he's a better
score than a few other player. I think at some
point he was an accumulator, especially when Mark Cuban was
cheating the salary cap to keep him on the roster

(01:59:56):
every year. So he's gonna you know he's higher on
the scoring list. Well, yeah, because he kept playing to
the unbelievable numbers because of Bagwell contract. Somewhat.

Speaker 5 (02:00:05):
I still am just in a shock mode that you
said Klay Thompson's of three on a.

Speaker 2 (02:00:11):
Team that's like the three the best Tree Kevin Durant
title teams. They had the third most important player on
the Warriors, Thompson. Raymond was Steph was one. How are
you putting Draymon on ahead of Clay Thompson because they're
scored sides of the floor And if you can't play defense,

(02:00:33):
you aren't gonna win as the Warriors and they have
the best defensive player of the era on their team, you.

Speaker 4 (02:00:38):
Play defense, Lay Thompson. It wasn't Steph.

Speaker 2 (02:00:40):
Curry great, that's why he's a star. Like five six seven,
threes in the game. That's maybe simplified during because your
answer is already the Draymond I.

Speaker 3 (02:00:50):
Can't believe I'm arguing about the Warriors with you. What
a horrible.

Speaker 2 (02:00:53):
I'm just looking through there this Timelay Thompson. He's the
third most important player on their team for the entire time,
if not fourth, because when Kevin Durrant joined the team,
he was fourth. Blasphemy.

Speaker 5 (02:01:05):
Now we're getting really disrespectful if you're putting him at four.

Speaker 4 (02:01:08):
You're telling me that when Kevin.

Speaker 2 (02:01:09):
Durant he's ahead of some one of those three.

Speaker 4 (02:01:15):
Why but why not?

Speaker 2 (02:01:18):
Let's take it to Jalen's comment after Game three or
after Game four. Well, he has to talk because he
doesn't do anything. Yes, because he's clueless, totally disrespectful. He
doesn't do anything he does. He cannot put the ball
in the basket. He's freaking terrible on offense. Right, How
the heck do they keep winning with him?

Speaker 3 (02:01:38):
Because he's so good at everything else that they need
him to do. He's a defensively, he's a good assist guy,
and he's good at getting under people's skin.

Speaker 2 (02:01:46):
How are the Rockets competitive in this series purely because
of their defense. It's the same reason Draymond has helped
that team win purely because of his defense.

Speaker 3 (02:01:55):
Yeah, but Clay Thompson also was an intricate part of
why those Warriors team he was on, we're so good defensively,
And I don't.

Speaker 2 (02:02:02):
Want to discount that at all. And it sounds like
I am, but I'm not trying to you. I'm ranking them.
He can't be second, but that doesn't mean he's bad.
That doesn't mean he's champion. Got a super important player
to a championship team. This is how good their teams were.
He was only the third star, only the third star
for this team.

Speaker 5 (02:02:20):
But he's really really good station that he wouldn't be
a two on any.

Speaker 4 (02:02:24):
Other team, Right, That's kind of where I can.

Speaker 2 (02:02:28):
Yeah, I just I think he gets way more credit
because he was on their team with those guys, which
allowed him to just kind of do whatever it is
he needed to do to help them.

Speaker 5 (02:02:37):
Humor me, do they win every championship without Klay Thompson, then.

Speaker 2 (02:02:43):
There's then he's at least in the top three.

Speaker 4 (02:02:46):
Now, yes, Raymond ramon team, it.

Speaker 2 (02:02:51):
Would be a two.

Speaker 5 (02:02:52):
That's what I'm trying to get to, is that most
teams when you like which teams go through the championship.

Speaker 2 (02:02:57):
If you really want to continue.

Speaker 5 (02:02:58):
This, put them on one of the Heat teams. I
promise you in one of those series, he win a
championship with the.

Speaker 3 (02:03:03):
Heat because he's more important than who, Well, he'd be
better than Tyler Hero.

Speaker 2 (02:03:08):
Well, they're not winning. How about a championship team, because
that's what we're talking about, a championship team. On that team,
they win the championship.

Speaker 4 (02:03:17):
We talked about Okay, we talked about the Spurs earlier.

Speaker 3 (02:03:20):
Did you take out you take out Mono Genoble and
you put Klay Thompson in.

Speaker 2 (02:03:23):
They still win the championship sweep. Mono Genobili was the
third best player they went in. I mean, I don't
I don't want to continue this. I don't know why.

Speaker 4 (02:03:35):
Thompson family.

Speaker 2 (02:03:36):
I don't hate Clay now. I like Michael. He's nice.
The ball playing, baseball playing Thompson's cool to what trace?

Speaker 4 (02:03:42):
Yeah, this might be your hottest take I've ever heard.

Speaker 2 (02:03:46):
Klay Thompson's has spent all of his career as a
third star. Now branded it's only because they haven't.

Speaker 4 (02:03:51):
Won a championship since he left.

Speaker 2 (02:03:53):
How about that interesting take.

Speaker 3 (02:03:55):
I know it's an interesting take because it shows that
you're crazy.

Speaker 2 (02:03:58):
But you've already had your best take.

Speaker 4 (02:04:00):
Which one was it?

Speaker 2 (02:04:00):
He's not the splash guy, well, Rose, I'm not splash dude.

Speaker 3 (02:04:05):
And Frank Ramon doesn't have any nicknames except for a hole.

Speaker 4 (02:04:08):
That's it.

Speaker 3 (02:04:08):
Donkey money green, yes, money green, because he's so money.

Speaker 2 (02:04:12):
He's made a lot.

Speaker 3 (02:04:13):
He was money the first two threes he took last night.
That kind of sucked, but.

Speaker 2 (02:04:16):
It was a good strategy. Please shoot more, plea. And
then he did and he didn't make it anymore.

Speaker 3 (02:04:21):
I can't believe you think Clay Thompson was the number
three on the Warriors championship teams that.

Speaker 4 (02:04:27):
Didn't have Kevin Durant.

Speaker 2 (02:04:29):
I'm sorry.

Speaker 4 (02:04:29):
And then he thought he was four after that.

Speaker 2 (02:04:31):
I'm sorry.

Speaker 4 (02:04:32):
You should be sorry. Sorry, I'm just I'm disappointed in you.

Speaker 2 (02:04:37):
I'm very upset right now. It's see this is this
does actually go back to the original point. We were
making people dislike certain players.

Speaker 4 (02:04:43):
Whirst Jalen on the Rockets.

Speaker 2 (02:04:45):
Raymond is disliked. Thus, how can you think he's better
and more important than Clay?

Speaker 3 (02:04:50):
But I was the one always saying he led those
teams and assists. Not taking credit away, but come on, man,
Clay Thompson. Yeah, m football at five.

Speaker 1 (02:04:59):
Now the eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 9 (02:05:07):
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the eighteen.

Speaker 3 (02:05:23):
How excited are you to watch this Brett Farv documentary
coming up on Netflix?

Speaker 4 (02:05:28):
The trailers out.

Speaker 2 (02:05:29):
Excited enough that I'll actually watch.

Speaker 4 (02:05:31):
It, totally watching this. Yeah, you know why I watch it.

Speaker 3 (02:05:34):
Because the audio of messages he sent to Jen Sturger
will be featured in this documentary.

Speaker 2 (02:05:41):
Yeah, it's not one that's likely to paint him in
a very good light from what we've gathered.

Speaker 3 (02:05:46):
Out of double bagged um wrangler, real comfortable jeans. That's
a great Brett far of impression. Solid dead, solid purpose.

Speaker 4 (02:05:56):
Not hard to do.

Speaker 2 (02:05:57):
So yeah, a little trailer out there, little teaser of
what to come. Like I said, for show purposes. I'll
try to try to get into it, try to see
what's up with Brett far Right.

Speaker 3 (02:06:09):
And meanwhile, his former team is looking at JJ McCarthy
starting this year, his former team Vikings.

Speaker 2 (02:06:16):
Yes, his former team, Minnesota Vikings. So some of these
that's the one his actual other former team has justin
fields at quarterback and then the Packers will probably start
Jordan Lolligain. So the Texans have been very busy these
last couple of days, obviously with the draft and looking

(02:06:37):
very very wide for offensive line help, all the way
back to the team that their general manager used to
work for, claiming Jake Andrews off of waivers today put
in a claim and we're the team that was allowed
to roster him. He was a with the With the
one hundred and seventh pick in the fourth round of
the twenty twenty three draft, the Houston Texans select Patriots

(02:07:01):
offensive lineman Jake Andrews barely played any NFL football a
little bit during his rookie season, spent all of last
year on injured reserve, and it's one of the reasons
why during his rookie contract the Patriots have let him go.
He was released earlier this week, and the Texans are
just doing what they have to do. Maybe this guy

(02:07:21):
can play, Maybe this guy can create some competition. Maybe
this guy on the interior of their line, maybe even
a center can make us a little bit better. I
had not five seconds before I saw that quote, tweeted
another Patriots tweet because or post on x as they
decided among those released would be their long snapper, mister

(02:07:42):
Cardono from all the way back in twenty fifteen. He
was there, and I thought, well, how fast will the
Texans pick him up? They do have reportedly a second
long snapper on the roster that they signed after the draft,
and they had previously added a long snapper that was
a fringe performer in the NFL, never really been established
as a permanent answer for any team. Obviously, John Weeks

(02:08:04):
is going to be snapping for the NFC champion forty
nine ers this coming year if they win. I don't
think they will. Just said that to make it sound good.
I was like, when Texans probably ought to consider if
they think he can play, they probably should truthfully bring
in somebody that Frank Ross was with the Patriots with.
Obviously Nick Cassario was there. And to that end, talking

(02:08:25):
about Andrews, the offensive lineman from Troy, where did the
Texans' new offensive line coach come from before he was
with the Texans a couple of years ago? Troy, so
some familiarity with him, familiarity with a former Patriots player
landing on the Houston Texans. Who would have believed it
now what sounds really really bad about their offensive line

(02:08:47):
if I told you after the draft and after expensive
free agency, which is where we sit today, and it
doesn't mean they can't add any more players. We've already
brought up the name Will Hernandez, late of the Cardinals,
who missed a lot of lifeast year due to injury,
and that's the reason, likely the reason he's still available.
By the way, Shack Mason also still available. But after
the big spending and free agency that the Texans did

(02:09:09):
on offensive linemen or acquisitions that they made after the draft,
where they added one more player, and bringing back all
the rest of the players they already out under contract,
most of which are on rookie contracts, plus Titus Howard
on his second extension, They're going to enter the year
with the same right tackle, the same right guard, the
same center, the same left guard, and no Laramie Tunzel,

(02:09:33):
with Cam Robinson taking his place. So the line that
in some combinations was basically what you had out there
when Shack Mason was hurt, but with Laramie Tunssel is
the same line you're going to start the season with,
but without him and in his place someone who was
not real good in comparison to Laramie Tunsel in twenty

(02:09:56):
twenty four.

Speaker 5 (02:09:56):
In k Robinson, do you want to hear the Pro
Football Ocus numbers when it comes to new offensive lineman
Jake Andrews.

Speaker 2 (02:10:05):
I'll get them because you're offering them. But do note
that he basically hasn't played in two years?

Speaker 5 (02:10:11):
Right, No, not of snaps. So congratulations that after a
draft that's what you're going after. So great that that
you don't even have PFF grating you. They haven't graded
in the preseason either. Let me just throw that out there.
I look at it this way. I already know where
they are. I'm not trying to paint this as some

(02:10:32):
what are they doing? They have to do this, They
have to take chances, They have to guess, hope, pray.

Speaker 2 (02:10:40):
Pray is probably the best word. There's no reason to
think of fourth round pick who hasn't played in two
years is gonna make your offensive line better. But that's
the level of play you're expecting from the group you
currently have. You have to take a chance, you have to.
Maybe it's no different. This is what they are. They've
chosen to go this route and the line I mentioned
might not be truthful. Maybe Laken Tomlinson is the starter

(02:11:01):
this year. Maybe ed Ingram is getting snaps through you.
But it isn't any different. I'm just telling you different names.
The quality of play unless the magic of miracles is yep,
it was all coaching and play calling. These guys are fine.
They could absolutely play at this level, but we had
bad offensive line coaching from the head guy, not the
assistant who's now the head guy, and poor play calling

(02:11:22):
and poor recognition of how we should deploy our play
calling on game day from Bobby's look all fixed. Nick
Kayley's here. Cole Popovich has been pushed into the lead role.
All good.

Speaker 4 (02:11:33):
He's my favorite Popovic.

Speaker 3 (02:11:35):
He's a local now he's one of ours. It's my
favorite Texas Popovich. That's coair enough. I just I understand.
And you know, looking back at the draft and them
taking so many receivers, for example, I know they needed
them because Tefon Diggs is not a thing here anymore,
and Tank Dell is.

Speaker 2 (02:11:54):
I mean, it shows you what they had when they
beat the Chargers and lost in the next game to
the Chiefs. They just got three new receivers to replace
the two that weren't even there. They weren't even in
that game. Right, there number two, three, and four receivers
that played in both of their playoff games, and they
still replaced all three of them.

Speaker 3 (02:12:16):
That felt like the Rockets Warriors almost did you shooting
yourself in the foot? It's not because the Chiefs are
so much better than you. That's how I felt after
that game. I felt after last night. How did you
get shot in the foot?

Speaker 2 (02:12:27):
Though?

Speaker 4 (02:12:28):
You shot yourself?

Speaker 2 (02:12:28):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (02:12:29):
How right?

Speaker 2 (02:12:30):
What did the Texans do to give the game?

Speaker 3 (02:12:33):
Uh?

Speaker 4 (02:12:35):
Well, they didn't protect CJ.

Speaker 2 (02:12:37):
Yeah, I give it. I give you a clue.

Speaker 5 (02:12:38):
That's like the miss free throws of the Texans. Yeah,
literally is the free throws of the Texans.

Speaker 1 (02:12:43):
All.

Speaker 4 (02:12:43):
I guess playing with a hand tie behind your back
is how I put it. Most of the seas, which.

Speaker 2 (02:12:47):
The Rockets are doing going into GAT. The Warriors are like,
I wonder when they're going to miss the ten free throws?

Speaker 5 (02:12:51):
Yes, imagine getting a technical foul where you just go
to the line by yourself, knowing that all you have
to do is just put one bucket in and you
can't even do that, right, That was three fourth down
conversions in Arrowhead. All you had to do one yard
couldn't even get him enough protection to see the line
of scrimmage.

Speaker 3 (02:13:10):
Yeah, and so I say all that because I realize
a little bit more. I guess, looking back now that
the dust has settled, how much they really did need
receiver help, but they needed offensive line help more.

Speaker 2 (02:13:26):
Yeah, you gotta do this, and you got I don't
think you have to be firm with it every single year,
with every single pick, but if you lean towards best
player then and if you strongly go that route, then
you still should be able to afford yourself. Look, this
guy's the twenty fifth player on our board. He plays
wide receiver. This player is the thirty thirtieth player on

(02:13:47):
our board, but he plays offensive line. Can we see
our way clear to just making this pick happen? And
maybe we don't trade up to forty eight to do it.
Maybe you don't trade up to thirty four to do
it or fall back to thirty's it's that that's why
he said what he there. They need They did need.
Not only did they need these wide receivers they are

(02:14:09):
They're gonna be awesome.

Speaker 4 (02:14:10):
Yeah, I'd love it. I agree with you.

Speaker 2 (02:14:12):
The three players or three of the four players who
whatever the three are on any given snap for Nick
Cayley's offense, with c. J. Stroud slinging it all over
the place, you're gonna have Kirk and Knowl and Collins
or Collins and Higgins and Nol or Kirk and Higgins.
And when Niko's not there, if that happens, well, now
you have a player who can play his position like

(02:14:32):
nobody else they've had on the roster while Nico's been
a Texan.

Speaker 4 (02:14:35):
But you presumably have time to get it to these guys.

Speaker 2 (02:14:37):
I get it, but I understand.

Speaker 5 (02:14:40):
No, that's why they drafted them. That's why they drafted
all these receivers.

Speaker 2 (02:14:43):
It's okay to like, I want to explain that it's
okay to like the players that they drafted. Oh yeah,
they don't play on the offensive line.

Speaker 3 (02:14:51):
I absolutely love the receivers they drafted, plural, including all
of the Iowa state ones, all of them Beds, the whole.

Speaker 2 (02:14:59):
Group plus just two guys.

Speaker 5 (02:15:01):
The entire the entire state of Iowa is now Donna Houston.
When you throw Luke, you know, you realize that Luke
Lache could easily be cut, right. He also could be
a reason why the Texans end up having great red
zone success.

Speaker 2 (02:15:13):
We don't know in the preseason. In the regular means
over under on luke Leche receptions. In twenty five, I'll
set it at one and a half over, hammering the over.
So they're going to win the division before the final game.
So he's going to catch them from the Graham Mertz.
Oh yeah, totally, absolutely kind of time. He's going to

(02:15:38):
be on IR all year. He's has a sweet Mercedes though.
For real, I want his Mercedes. I want to meet
him and talk to him about it. That's so special
about it.

Speaker 4 (02:15:47):
It's all over his Instagram.

Speaker 2 (02:15:48):
I know what's so special about it.

Speaker 3 (02:15:50):
For those that haven't, it's sexy, okay, I mean do
I really mean if you've seen it, you know you've
seen it, you know.

Speaker 2 (02:15:57):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (02:15:57):
I don't really know how else to kind of convey
this even on TV.

Speaker 2 (02:16:00):
Is it old? Is it refurbished?

Speaker 6 (02:16:02):
Is it now?

Speaker 3 (02:16:03):
It's a coop? It's as I think it's. It's the
It's one of those cl classes. I'm not I'm not
up on my Mercedes models these days.

Speaker 2 (02:16:11):
Hi, I'm Graham Mertz and I'm talking for the Mercedes squad.
They always keep me looking cool. I'm closing around Gainesville,
because that's what most NIL deals sound like.

Speaker 3 (02:16:21):
But no, anyways, it sounds like the magazine salesman on
Office Space, Good Evening.

Speaker 4 (02:16:26):
So my name is Steve.

Speaker 3 (02:16:28):
I used to be addicted to drugs, but now I'm
selling magazines subscriptions. Know what am I going to do
with forty subscriptions? The vibe dude he worked at innertrode back.

Speaker 5 (02:16:35):
To your entire point about offensive line. The good news
is that CJ. Shot has so many weapons that he'll
be able to get the ball off quickly to somebody
at this point, how quickly the.

Speaker 2 (02:16:44):
World may never know.

Speaker 6 (02:16:47):
The eight On Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (02:16:56):
One, other quick NFL note, G said I was gonna
go an entire show again without mentioning Eli Rix's act
the other day at the White House.

Speaker 2 (02:17:10):
So he must play for the Eagles then, yeah, actually
it wasn't so much. So he put on a performance.
There's like a player get some sort of theater.

Speaker 3 (02:17:19):
It was kind of like an after the fact assessment
of his trip.

Speaker 2 (02:17:22):
Oh okay, so it was a social media post. Oh
best of X I love it.

Speaker 3 (02:17:26):
Yeah, he went to uh that particular platform that you
just mentioned after being around in person a certain member
of the Trump family.

Speaker 2 (02:17:38):
Well, I think I saw both sons, so could it
be Donald or Eric?

Speaker 4 (02:17:42):
Nope?

Speaker 2 (02:17:43):
Was Kai there not that I'm aware of. Was it
a daughter?

Speaker 6 (02:17:48):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (02:17:49):
It starts with an I yep. I don't want to
say the wrong one, the deceased still living x ye
for the daughter I don't live still Okay, I'm gonna
go with Avanka.

Speaker 4 (02:18:00):
That's the one.

Speaker 2 (02:18:01):
Okay.

Speaker 3 (02:18:03):
Eli's first post about her Donald Trump daughter is beautiful
damn no punctuation, no period.

Speaker 4 (02:18:14):
That's how it was written verbatim.

Speaker 2 (02:18:16):
So that are you saying that caught fire on social media?

Speaker 3 (02:18:19):
Well, it did until four minutes later when he followed
it up with after seeing her in person, Ivanka is
exactly my type, to which Donald said.

Speaker 2 (02:18:32):
Married, that's his type.

Speaker 3 (02:18:36):
I don't think that was the first I mean, it's
that aspect of her personal life.

Speaker 2 (02:18:41):
I guess it's not crazy to post about a married
woman on your social media, but it's probably not the
most ideal thing to do, not in that way any.

Speaker 3 (02:18:49):
Well, the paragraph here says, unfortunately for Rix, Ivanka has
been married to Jared Kushner, who's a goober by the way,
since two thousand and not he is. I can't stand
the guy and has given birth to their three children.
But I'm sure there are some people out there who
will be glad to know or learn about his dating preference.

Speaker 2 (02:19:07):
Now, did Eli post any emojis with that acknowledging comedy
or it's too bad or no if this then that?

Speaker 3 (02:19:16):
No laughing emojis, no lo ols, none of that, just
straight Donald Trump daughter is beautiful, Damn followed up by
after seeing her in person, Avanka is exactly my type.

Speaker 2 (02:19:27):
I love Avanka. She's the most attractive of all my children.
Which was a great soap opera, maybe the greatest shap opera.

Speaker 3 (02:19:36):
Yeah, I think he understands. I mean he once had
something positive to say about her looks.

Speaker 2 (02:19:41):
Too, he did. Yeah, the President, Donald the dad, I'm familiar.
I'm aware.

Speaker 3 (02:19:48):
He said if she wasn't his daughter, he would date her.
I think was the exact phrasing.

Speaker 2 (02:19:52):
I don't know. I mean, if she wasn't my daughter,
I'd dater. Not talking about this much better, much.

Speaker 3 (02:19:59):
Better about that, though, Like you had you had Saquon
playing golf with him and then lecturing everybody about criticizing
him playing golf with him, which I kind of.

Speaker 2 (02:20:10):
Liked, So, yeah, all wish at some point I definitely
beyond it by surely. But with all the time he's
now spent in the White House getting visits from champions,
it's enough already, Like, who didn't go? Who did go?
Was there a real reason? Are they lying about it?

Speaker 4 (02:20:29):
I don't even know?

Speaker 2 (02:20:30):
I didn't did not go?

Speaker 4 (02:20:31):
So he was protesting exactly?

Speaker 2 (02:20:32):
Yeah, so silly.

Speaker 4 (02:20:33):
What was he protesting?

Speaker 2 (02:20:34):
Nothing?

Speaker 4 (02:20:36):
He had an event?

Speaker 2 (02:20:37):
What you said is the whole joke of it all.
Oh he didn't go? Okay, then why why was he
not going? What was he protesting? What was the statement
he was trying to make. The statement he was trying
to make is he was unavailable. The statement he tried
to make is I can't perform magic and I don't
know how to teleport myself. I cannot be in two
places at one time. That's when I felt strong enough
about my previous commitment that I was going to keep.

Speaker 4 (02:21:00):
What was the previous commitment?

Speaker 2 (02:21:01):
I don't have an answer, because I'd never bothered to
look it up, because it's not important.

Speaker 4 (02:21:04):
You believe me, that.

Speaker 3 (02:21:05):
Is almost as funny as you believe in that Thompson
was the third best player on the Warriors, and fourth.

Speaker 2 (02:21:11):
Person who has not attended with their team has protested it.

Speaker 3 (02:21:16):
Right, most people who have not appeared with their team
for this president were protesting. Is more like it. The
Warriors just like them. You know, there's any number of
people that were. I'm not going because he's there. That's
what it's about.

Speaker 2 (02:21:34):
Right, But I don't really consider that a protest. He's
just saying I don't like him, I don't like his politics.
I choose my rights to vote for somebody else, and
I'm choosing not to celebrate with my team by not going.
I'm not trying to tell you anything other than what
I've already told you with my voice and my vote.

Speaker 4 (02:21:52):
Then say that instead of a prayer commitment.

Speaker 3 (02:21:54):
How about because you why because it doesn't even matter
you said, why not just say that? Because nobody like
that doesn't want to believe it will anyway, So why bother?
But you're gonna have us believe that I couldn't get
out of this other prior commitment that.

Speaker 2 (02:22:10):
I don't want to. He didn't say it couldn't. He
just didn't.

Speaker 3 (02:22:13):
It wasn't interested in getting out of here. You said
he couldn't because it was magic to do otherwise.

Speaker 2 (02:22:17):
Well, yes, if you've chosen to stay committed to it,
you would require magic to go to both. I mean
that is a valid point.

Speaker 3 (02:22:25):
I would go to the White House, but I've already
been there back in the day when you were allowed
to take tours.

Speaker 4 (02:22:30):
Did have they started that back up again?

Speaker 10 (02:22:32):
No?

Speaker 3 (02:22:34):
You know, you know when I went, Cole, you'll enjoy
this because you're like twelve, This would be right. This
is summer of ninety eight, right, so we went.

Speaker 2 (02:22:42):
So you were at the soda shop first, Oh, in
your old jelap.

Speaker 4 (02:22:46):
No, no, no, no, you're not going in the right direction.

Speaker 2 (02:22:48):
Well did you have the walkman at the time.

Speaker 3 (02:22:50):
No, you got to you gotta let me establish the
the the climate that I'm talking about here.

Speaker 5 (02:22:56):
Do we have to do the exact same way that
we had? Lyssa Whitshash explained Jeff Albrick's fake house.

Speaker 3 (02:23:02):
No, but wex knows the direction I'm going. This is
like July of ninety eight. This is at the height
of the Lewinsky scandal. It's slick Willy in office, and
there Hillary's husband Killery's husband. Yes, she's a murderer. No
way she did any of that. Do you think Jeffrey
Epstein committed suicide or she.

Speaker 2 (02:23:23):
Was on Yellowstone? She would have been Jamie right. I
don't know. I haven't watched it like she would have.
You're saying she was involved. I wanted to watch it.
Now I don't want to because the ending's so bad. Bills,
don't tell me what's happening. But yes, go ahead, that's
what you're saying. Yeah, not a trigger man woman. Yes,
well then, thus I mean the orchestrator. I mean, I

(02:23:44):
know how the law works in.

Speaker 3 (02:23:45):
Your Do you think my dad and I were making
inappropriate jokes as we were taking the tour of the
White House mere months after whatever happened in there happened?

Speaker 4 (02:23:55):
You know what Bill Maher said?

Speaker 2 (02:23:56):
He said, I can't wait to hear what Bill he said.

Speaker 3 (02:23:59):
The room that where all that went down is now
a merch place for Trump's hats. He gave him one
of his hats and that's where they have the merch now.
Or that happened, so it's good to know that the
White House. I have been to the house that's white
in DC.

Speaker 4 (02:24:13):
When did you take your tour? What year was it?
WEX what year.

Speaker 2 (02:24:17):
I'm gonna guess that I did take a tour. I've
been to the White House with our family, so cool,
there wasn't I don't believe there was a tour that day.
And now, like everyone that's listening in my family to say,
are you dumb or.

Speaker 4 (02:24:28):
Something, wasn't there. He'd be the guy they'd be telling
you you're dumb.

Speaker 2 (02:24:32):
He will anyway for something.

Speaker 4 (02:24:33):
I love. That guy's usually right.

Speaker 2 (02:24:36):
But I think I took a tour when I was
a seventh sixth soon to be seventh grade or maybe
seventh to be.

Speaker 4 (02:24:44):
Who was in office, Gerald Ford?

Speaker 2 (02:24:46):
Well I would have been in the mid eighties.

Speaker 4 (02:24:49):
It was Reagan. That was a terrible Reagan.

Speaker 2 (02:24:51):
That was an awful Wait wait hang on, let me
start over. Well, much better, better, much better. Had I
had on a three week East Coast tour on a
bus to all the great cities of the East Coast
on a bus, Yeah, with a bunch of schoolies.

Speaker 4 (02:25:06):
Was it in the summer?

Speaker 2 (02:25:07):
Yes?

Speaker 4 (02:25:08):
Okay, good because that would have been frigid on a bus.

Speaker 2 (02:25:10):
Which of the places that houses Mickey and Minnie is
in Florida? That would be disney World. So we went
to disney World. That's where I got in trouble.

Speaker 4 (02:25:19):
You got in trouble. Trouble a sixth grader.

Speaker 2 (02:25:21):
Yeah, well, we were supposed to be back at a
certain time on the bus and go you at Disney World,
me and three other dudes. We didn't make it.

Speaker 3 (02:25:28):
Well, you were watching too many viewings of Captain EO
at Epcot.

Speaker 2 (02:25:31):
Our punishment was day two of Disney World, and we
had to go with everybody else at whatever am we
got there. We had to sit on the bench with
the chaperone for two hours. You didn't get to Rise
Space Mountain. Those are the things I can tell you
I got in trouble for because.

Speaker 3 (02:25:48):
You were doing so many horrible things that are unspeakable
as a sixth grader.

Speaker 2 (02:25:52):
I'd like it might have been a seventh grader. It
could have been thirteen or fourteen. I can't I can't remember.
I think I want. I went on a Texas tour
one summer, and then the next year you upgraded to
the East Coast Tour.

Speaker 4 (02:26:03):
Well, that is the East Coast.

Speaker 2 (02:26:05):
Well, Texas was all by itself, So that was the
first one. I wanted. The South there I got the
second year we upgraded. So what did you do in
fifth grade? Where'd you go? No tours, That's it, that
was all my track.

Speaker 3 (02:26:15):
You never went to the West Coast. You were more
of an East Coast guy, Biggie.

Speaker 2 (02:26:19):
I hadn't been to the West Coast hardly at all
as a as a youth. To be fair, East Coast
is by the West Coast.

Speaker 5 (02:26:24):
Ah, depending on certain locations, I'd rather go in New
York than Los Angeles, Yeah, I would.

Speaker 4 (02:26:32):
I would agree.

Speaker 2 (02:26:33):
I'd never go to San Diego than Orlando. At times.

Speaker 3 (02:26:35):
San Diego sweet and it was awesome, especially if you're
trying to film a movie about fighter pilots. Twice Stu
Jonnifer Coarramar, Fighter Town, USA.

Speaker 4 (02:26:46):
Baby.

Speaker 3 (02:26:47):
All right, when we return, we were gonna get to somehow,
We're gonna get to some of the things we have
not gotten to on a.

Speaker 2 (02:26:54):
Tuesday today, based on our show topics over segments one
through fourteen, sands the paina segment which was tremendous. It
feels like, in case you missed it, probably has some
meat today with what we've discussed.

Speaker 4 (02:27:06):
I mean, it's been nothing but NBA playoff talk.

Speaker 3 (02:27:08):
So if you take any other sport, your odds are
very very.

Speaker 4 (02:27:13):
High that you'll be able to come up with something.

Speaker 3 (02:27:15):
We'll see what Coal comes up with as we continue
here on a Tuesday edition of the program. Astros and
Tigers coverage Game two variety coming up at the top
of the hour.

Speaker 4 (02:27:26):
It's the A Team.

Speaker 3 (02:27:27):
It's Sports Talk seven ninety and Space City Home Network.

Speaker 6 (02:27:32):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 2 (02:27:37):
Let's get right to it halfway through the final hour
of the program, right around five thirty with you with
in case you missed it, what do we have today?
Can guys?

Speaker 5 (02:27:46):
License to George Kittle? He got paid a lot of money,
like a lot of money, like a four year, seventy
six point four million dollar contract with forty million dollars guaranteed,
making in the highest paid tight.

Speaker 2 (02:27:57):
End in the NFL.

Speaker 5 (02:27:58):
But that's really not the story I want to get to.
Do you know who broke the news?

Speaker 2 (02:28:02):
Guys? But our listeners probably don't because we've missed it.
Of course you did. They missed it. Thanks sometimes.

Speaker 5 (02:28:10):
Buzz with the Boys, the podcast featuring former Tennessee Titans
left tackle and Terrible mustache man Taylor Wan and Will Compton,
broke the news when George Kittle was on their podcast
earlier this week. But it gets a little bit deeper
because now we have a source off because the NFL

(02:28:30):
decided to tweet out that Ian Rappaport broke the news
and Will Compton he only wasn't having it.

Speaker 2 (02:28:38):
Take a listen.

Speaker 10 (02:28:39):
I see the optics. I see you on your Twitter.
You quote tweeted the bust and tweet said deal got done.

Speaker 6 (02:28:45):
And then the next tweek.

Speaker 10 (02:28:48):
You tweeted the details yourself no credit to busting with
the boys. Sure in your colleagues in the NFL post
drown version of George Kittle in the.

Speaker 2 (02:29:00):
Details saying your repst not on my watching a rap report.

Speaker 5 (02:29:06):
Oh my god, Now we're doing a source off. Seriously,
is this the world that we live in?

Speaker 2 (02:29:10):
Guys? Are you even certain that Will is serious? I
think he is.

Speaker 5 (02:29:15):
He said he was gonna meet Ian Rappaport down the
A hole, literally right down the A gap if he
doesn't give him the credit.

Speaker 2 (02:29:23):
That he's owned. So this is what happens when you
almost get in a fight with Jordan Schultz at Starbucks.
Now former NFL players want to fight you too. They do, okay, they.

Speaker 5 (02:29:32):
Want to have a source off the fact that you
weren't able to go ahead.

Speaker 2 (02:29:35):
And get this source in time. It's costume.

Speaker 5 (02:29:38):
But yeah, George Keal is not the highest paid tight
end the NFL, resetting the market for any tight end
that wants to get paid, including a guy like Sam
Laporter who's gonna be up for a new contractor at
the end of the year, and maybe, depending on how
Breven Jordan plays, he gets a brand new contract because
the highest paid tight.

Speaker 2 (02:29:53):
End the NFL never say never what else he's not
or him not impressed?

Speaker 5 (02:30:02):
Well, then I guess you don't want to You don't
want to buy into the the Maybe Brevin Jordan has that.

Speaker 2 (02:30:07):
Just wait, you're not talking about this, I guess. So
if I set an over under on Luke Lache earlier,
this sounds like you're forcing me to do the same
on Brevin Jordan. I take the over. I'll take I'll
set the over under at twenty seven and a half receptions.
I'll take the over just because would that be a
career high for him? Yes?

Speaker 4 (02:30:28):
Probably?

Speaker 2 (02:30:29):
Uh yeah, in his fifth year, coming off injury, he's
going to set a new career high. His previous high
is twenty.

Speaker 5 (02:30:36):
Thanks wet blanket, I appreciate you speaking which uh hey, WEX.

Speaker 2 (02:30:40):
They do have a tight end loving new oc they do.
There you go they do. Now the blanket is wed
again again. Hey, wex guess what I was right? You
were wrong? Get over it. That's gonna happen. You're right,
I was wrong, You're smart, I'm dumb. I got it.
Thank you, Chubs. I appreciate you. Happy gil Moore? Did
you hear how you and I continue to aur.

Speaker 4 (02:31:00):
You are very good looking. I am unattractive.

Speaker 2 (02:31:02):
Sorry, we go.

Speaker 5 (02:31:04):
You know how you and I continue to argue about
how Arch Manning is not going to go to the
NFL Draft next year. He's gonna stay at Texas when
multiple national titles helped the Longhorns get to a new
level that quen viewers never could.

Speaker 2 (02:31:15):
Yeah, that guy, Well, you continue.

Speaker 5 (02:31:17):
To believe that, regardless of what happens, he's gonna eventually
go pro well. According to ESPN, the family is old school.
They want him to get not only a college education,
but they also want him to feel comfortable when he
transitions to the NFL. So what I have been preaching
to you for the last two years throughout every single
Texans practice, but I have been preaching to you on

(02:31:38):
these airways, which I have been telling.

Speaker 2 (02:31:40):
The public eye.

Speaker 5 (02:31:41):
Wee can week out since he declared that he was
going to be a part of the University of Texas.
Now ESPN comes and runs with it, and now I
have to have a source off it. Will Compton can
have a source off when it comes to Ian Rappaport,
I should be able to have a source off. But
I'll take the sheer satisfaction of being right over you.
Arch Manning will be in college football in twenty twenty six.

Speaker 2 (02:32:02):
So I did see a very important twenty twenty six mock. Yes,
six first round quarterbacks were taken in this mock in
which one uh no, no, no, what year this upcoming draft
twenty twenty six? Not talking about this? So Arch was
one of them. He wasn't the number one pick, which

(02:32:23):
is wild, but he was the first quarterback taken. Who
was the number one pick?

Speaker 5 (02:32:26):
Was it?

Speaker 2 (02:32:27):
The hold up? Let me guess who was the tackle from?

Speaker 11 (02:32:30):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (02:32:30):
It was in Alabama? Okay, yeah, So let me ask
you this on the Arch topic. When he is in
the NFL Draft twenty twenty six seven or whenever, when
I'm right, he'll be the first quarterback taken. Probably he'll
be the first pick in the draft. Is it twenty
twenty six, because that's not going to happen. Well, he

(02:32:50):
will turn pro when he knows he can go to
one of the teams that he wants to go to,
and I think way leaves him without that option now.
Waiting one year keeps all of his options open if
he goes and figures, well, let's see how these teams play.
And this team won three games, and this team won
four games, and I don't mind going to either one

(02:33:13):
of them. They had it down year. I love management.
This is gonna be great, I'll declare, or I can
just go back to school. Make tons more, tons more,
because he's already making tons, He's gonna make tons more
next year. He's gonna make tons more of the year
after that in nil money, much much, much more money.

Speaker 5 (02:33:30):
He can continue dressing up like an F one racer
thanks to Red Bull, like.

Speaker 2 (02:33:34):
After the tenth pick on the draft, those are the
only players making more money than Archah somewhere in that neighborhood.
And it's gonna be a huge amount of money. I
don't discount that, but I do think the element of
I want to go to if I can help dictate
the team I go to just like my family had
a history of doing. Then maybe that helps make my decision.

(02:33:57):
But I do you said nothing matters. He's gonna to
come out like they haven't played any of their thirteen games,
fourteen games, fifteen games, sixteen games, seventeen games games. Well,
I don't know for sure that he's going to have
an injury free season, an unbelievable season. Just keep this small,
small factor in mind for a future number one overall pick.

(02:34:19):
He's barely played football since high school. He's hardly been
on the field.

Speaker 5 (02:34:26):
Ninety five passing attempts in two years, and he's already
the number one pick on what mock drafts.

Speaker 2 (02:34:32):
The top two arch manning plays of his Longhorn career,
aren't they both runs? Yeah, seventy five yard run and
the run against an M. The run against A and M.
They're both runs. But that is what he is doing.
Let's even I will ease up on the come on.
Of course he's coming out. Thank you. Do we have
anything else? Yeah?

Speaker 5 (02:34:50):
We do, But I want to make sure that you
just said basically Paulton's was right.

Speaker 2 (02:34:54):
Oh thank you, Wax. You're so foolish.

Speaker 11 (02:34:56):
Hey.

Speaker 5 (02:34:56):
The trade the first college football trade has been a
fish complete So Nikoye Maliava, for those of you that
don't remember the nil deal that went south, he transferred
to UCLA. UCLA's quarterback Joey Aguilar officially committed to Tennessee,
which brings up my point. If we're gonna make pay
legal and I want AC to be more involved in

(02:35:17):
college football, why not be able to trade players? Because
this is the first legit trade that we've actually seen
in the sport.

Speaker 2 (02:35:23):
Keep in mind the position titles that are being given
to guys like Mike Lombardi at George Hudson's school. They're
player personnel directors, they're general managers. They're the exact same
people in professional sports who handle your personnel and orchestrate
trades and execute trades. You're one hundred percent correct that

(02:35:43):
can't wait for this addition to college football. It's gonna
be awesome.

Speaker 5 (02:35:46):
It's gonna make me upset, but you know what if
it adds more fuel, no fire, to make the SEC
the most dominant conference ever. Yeah, I'm gonna put what
happens when you're trading a guy from Knoxville, Tennessee to Gainesville,
Florida and Jim Bob's Auto parts shop has been his
nil deal. How does that transfer? Who's taking that on?

(02:36:06):
Where does that money come from? Is there some I
mean it can't be a national chain, is he? This
is Jim Bob. We're talking about losing out on his employee.
Basically fascinating college football nil transfer and trades and one
more segment of the eighteen to Go.

Speaker 1 (02:36:23):
The Age on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (02:36:31):
Yeah, you brought up the Jake Andrews Waivers claim. Yep,
I know, we just got done talking about how much
we love the picks they made the offensive are the
wide receivers. But just the hodgepodge seemingly approach of this
worries me.

Speaker 2 (02:36:52):
Well it should, but I do. I've mocked the awe
of the magic formula. Was it was a problem with
the coach, and it was a problem with the OC.
Actually was a problem. It actually will matter and they
could They will be better. That was with Laramie tonsil Right.
They're going to do some of the things that were
super problematic better. It's not that they got overwhelmed because

(02:37:13):
here are five best guys and they have no chance
because they're just getting run over every game. They weren't
getting run over every game. They were getting outsmarted every game.
They were getting out coached every game. It really truly was. Now.
They weren't the most ideal talents either or the strongest
group literally physically, but you know, every single week, for

(02:37:34):
the final probably ten games or so, you could see
five to ten snaps of game where the defensive coordinator said,
all right, this is what we worked on. It's going
to work here.

Speaker 4 (02:37:42):
Watch this.

Speaker 2 (02:37:43):
They'd send out a particular game or scheme or twist
or whatever they wanted from wherever it was coming from,
and you'd watch this player and that player on the
Texans offensive line clearly not have their communication in order
and weren't necessarily looking in the right place, and then
another play they would just get beaten.

Speaker 4 (02:38:01):
Straight up.

Speaker 2 (02:38:02):
Man up, they won't be worse, but that's only basically
because they can't be. Their personnel's worse. The personnel they
have on the team is worse, and the only hope
is in addition to the coaching changes, maybe you didn't
miss on Blake Fisher, and I think it's fair to
not call it on Blake Fisher. After a handful of snaps,
a handful of starts as a rookie. I think that's

(02:38:24):
fair to give him a chance. I don't know how
much more of a shake you're gonna see jew Scrugs.
I don't know how much more you're gonna have Jared
Patterson winning any battle to be the starter. I mean,
I honestly think Jared Patterson's played better than Jewe Scruggs
to begin with, but they should be trying to be
much better than that. Soon enough, we'll have a couple

(02:38:45):
of the newbies on the field with rookie Minicamp and
see what they want to do for pigskin tossers for
that group, because like I said yesterday, it's probably not
gonna be Mertz. And I don't know that Keaton Slovas
is the guy they're gonna bring in for rookie minni Caamp,
but he's definitely a candidate for it. And the other
handful of players that they've added. It won't be a
lot of players that they've added via undrafted free agency
just because of where their roster already is. They did

(02:39:07):
also have nine selections. Teams that had five or six
or fewer. Well, they'll have a few more spots just
from a draft perspective to add in undrafted free agency,
and they also might not have nearly the number of
players close to ninety that Nick Cassario and his Texans do.
By the way, Hattip to Texans special teams coordinator Frank
Ross found out team did a nice little surprise presentation

(02:39:32):
for him that he's being inducted into the John Carroll
Athletic Hall of Fame. If you didn't know the Texans
and John Carroll, if you think the Texans love the Patriots,
they have seven people on staff from John Carroll University,
among coaches and scouts and personnel people, and they were
all there to be a part of the congratulations Frank,

(02:39:54):
well done so at John Carroll University, not Yeah, Alabama,
not Texas, not LSU, not Southern col just the John
Carroll University. Quirks about this organization. Sometimes they do their
jobs well then it doesn't really matter, and that's these
are not There's a few of them that's their first job,

(02:40:16):
I think, but for the most part they've all worked
elsewhere before, and for the most part most of them
have worked in New England.

Speaker 4 (02:40:22):
Do you enjoy or did you enjoy like? Does it
ever get old?

Speaker 3 (02:40:25):
Because it doesn't for me that the phone call certain
phone calls, Yeah, we're.

Speaker 2 (02:40:30):
We'll have to play it tomorrow. One of their phone
calls is definitely another addition to the Jordan Hudson bank
of commentary that won't continue over and over and over again.
The phone call that Nick made, I won't name the player,
but you probably heard it where he just repeated something
over and over and over and over and over and
over again about how excited he was. It wasn't a
you know, I can't you guys have done it great this,

(02:40:51):
you guys aren't gonna regret this. I can't wait to
get anything like that, just about he said something that
indicates excitement on the other end of the phone as
he went through all of Nick's nonsense, because Nick could
barely even communicate with him because you get yelling, and
then on to Demiko and then onto Decal as the
Texan Zua that's the progress sheet. Nick makes the call,
Dimico gets on second and then I'm gonna give you

(02:41:13):
to our owner cal McNair and he'll say, is yeah,
great to have you here, celebrate with your family and
go Texans and then they hang up.

Speaker 3 (02:41:20):
You want me to pick nits. Yeah, you know that.
I'm always calling Nick Cassario a cyborg.

Speaker 2 (02:41:27):
Mm hm.

Speaker 3 (02:41:28):
Even the way he makes that phone call is so laconic. Oh,
we're gonna go ahead and turn the car and we're
gonna make a text in here. Just take congrats you are.

Speaker 2 (02:41:37):
You know what you showed us is everything that we
want to be a part of this program. That's that's
among the things that they'll say. And we get to
see so many I will watch all of them, just
for the league wide, just for the five to ten
of them that are actually awesome. Yeah, like we get
too many of them, is what I'm saying, because most
of them are pretty vanilla, but for the handful of
them that are over the top awesome. Who is the

(02:41:59):
quarterback to Texas? Took Graham Mertz? I like? And then
then everything I said, guys, yeah, what what'd you tell them?

Speaker 3 (02:42:06):
But I'm talking about like he waits, he keeps it together,
he keeps his composure, and then as soon as he
hangs out the phone, ah, it was awesome.

Speaker 5 (02:42:14):
So, like you not a big fan of the kid
from Tampa who got drafted.

Speaker 2 (02:42:18):
The one whose dad knows Todd Bowles. Yes, I thought
that was phenomenal. I thought that was phenomenal.

Speaker 5 (02:42:23):
But ac seems like he wants the composure to be
locked in until after you get after the.

Speaker 4 (02:42:28):
Well, no, I'm just saying that.

Speaker 3 (02:42:29):
I thought it was funny that he managed to do
that when it was clear he was about to just
riot because he was so excited.

Speaker 2 (02:42:35):
We had a marriage proposal just a couple of minutes
after the player got off the phone. Uh oh, the
Bois State kid.

Speaker 4 (02:42:42):
Yeah, that's right.

Speaker 3 (02:42:43):
Why do Boise State players always proposed during big moments?

Speaker 4 (02:42:47):
That's Carlos.

Speaker 2 (02:42:49):
Occasionally they're not. They're a little bit older for one thing. Sometimes. Yeah. Yeah,
this was the first Iranian player I believe ever drafted first. Yeah,
first Irene. Really, Yes, that's surprising, it's pretty It was
pretty cool. Like I said, there's a handful of them
that are pretty cool. Some had to wait longer than
others play football finally and got one drafted. Did you

(02:43:10):
think the Baron surreal thing was cool? I was still
kind of curious why it all happened. It just didn't
make any sense why he would stay. But he basically,
I guess he explained it is I was coming up
here to get drafted. I didn't get drafted. I'm staying
for the hug, which obviously turned into something way cooler
than that because it got picked by the packers.

Speaker 5 (02:43:27):
But still, I actually went back and I looked at
that list. I did not realize his name was even
on the list to begin with.

Speaker 2 (02:43:34):
Well, Nick tried to tell you two weeks ago that
like five hundred players from Texas are getting drafted. Yep,
look at that. So he was right. They just kept
so five hundred players are getting drafted. I know he
had three lines like this, and I can only remember
two of them. He said, like five hundred players from
Texas are gonna get drafted. He called Wes Welker four
foot one. He had one other line very much like that,

(02:43:57):
when he's trying to make.

Speaker 4 (02:43:57):
A point by is four foot one.

Speaker 5 (02:44:00):
Was he talking about the small school safety from Lenor
or whatever it was, Kyle Duggar.

Speaker 4 (02:44:05):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (02:44:05):
I think it was during his draft commentary, not during
his pre draft commentary. Yeah, I was during his draft commentary.
But nonetheless, I like his putting out there that I
don't know, we got three picks, we got four picks.
I don't know. Yes you do, Yes, you do. Don't
say that. I don't know how many picks do you
have in the top ninety.

Speaker 3 (02:44:26):
Well, he probably doesn't because he's traded so much. I certainly,
I've said him many times.

Speaker 2 (02:44:31):
I don't disagree with that aspect of what he does
on his drafts. Get I'd rather have all If I
could do that in a fantasy draft, I don't. I
don't want my fifteenth, sixty, the seven round picks. Let
me trade him up so I can get much better players.
That's really all he's trying to do. All we're trying
to do is get you to Astros Baseball today. Sooner
we get to Astros baseball today, the sooner we get

(02:44:52):
to Astros baseball tomorrow, and the sooner we get to
Rockets basketball tomorrow night. We'll talk to you again tomorrow
from Toyota Center. Join us for Happy Hour out there
for Rockets, Warriors, two Astros baseball games on Sports Talk
seven ninety, before then concluding tonight

Speaker 1 (02:45:08):
The A team on Sports Talk seven ninety