June 19, 2024 • 49 mins
In the Best of The Odd Couple, Chris Broussard and Martin Weiss, pinch-hitting for Rob Parker, break down the Celtics' NBA Championship, debating whether or not the Celtics have a dynasty or are one and done. Next, the guys look at Jayson Tatum's career, examining what this championship means for the Celtics star and what he can do next to further his career. Finally the guys react to Monty Williams OUT as the Head Coach of the Detroit Pistons, what does this mean for the Lakers, the rest of the NBA, and the available head coaching pool.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Odd Couple podcast.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday from seven
pm to ten pm Eastern four to seven Pacific on
Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for The Odd
Couple at Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us
live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
You're listening to the best of the Odd Couple with
Chris Brush and Rob Parker.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Ah, it is the Odd Couple. I'm Chris Bruce.
Speaker 4 (00:42):
Ard alongside my partner Parker.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
It is not Rob Parker, it is Martin Weiss. That's right.
Martin Weiss is juanitarreg dot com. Studio tirek dot com
will help you get there wherever it is there may be.
They've got an unmatched selection, fast free shipping, free row
hazard protection, and more than ten thousand recommending whoaw tirereck
(01:11):
dot com is the way Tarbine should be. In The
Odd Couple is the way sports talk radio should be.
So keep it lots here for the next three hours
on Fox Sports Radio, the iHeartRadio app, or Serious.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
XM Channel eighty three.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Let me welcome in the courageous Martin White stepping into
the arena courageous man.
Speaker 4 (01:36):
You know you lightweight these days. Man. All right, I've
seen you.
Speaker 5 (01:39):
I see your little TV show, your little radio show.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Okay, Christmas kicking button, taking names is what you see?
Speaker 4 (01:48):
All right? Yeah. I hope you stretched, and I hope
you andydrated before that. How you doing?
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Man?
Speaker 4 (01:54):
Good to have you on doing well.
Speaker 5 (01:56):
If I tell you this, I would have lost a
lot of money if I had. Somebody had told me.
I bet you you'll do the Eye Couple twice from Birmingham, Alabama.
That's right, I am me me and this cutout of
Nick Saban over my shoulder pointing at me to work harder.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
You are there for the game at Rickwoods Stadium, Rickwood.
Speaker 5 (02:18):
Yes, it was a great experience there at the Negro
Southern League Museum. I talked to all types of people.
Josh Gibson's grandson, Rue Fosters.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
We'll save it, save it.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
We're gonna get that from you at the forty five,
don't know. We want to update on everything going on
down there in Birmingham.
Speaker 4 (02:35):
The Eye Couple crews in full effect. We got some uh.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
Some new blood, not new blood completely, but a few
new faces.
Speaker 4 (02:44):
Mar Man, Shae Shae what's up man? What's up?
Speaker 6 (02:47):
Man?
Speaker 4 (02:47):
How we doing?
Speaker 1 (02:48):
We're good man. You filling in for Rob g the
super producer, So yes, well shave yeah, Bogan Guard, so
h we were glad to have you. Shaye do your thing, man,
robb Gi will be missed. He is a great producer.
On the Ones in Tues, DJ Alex Tight Shirt a
(03:10):
k a.
Speaker 4 (03:10):
Alex the Vegan my man on the day we need
you the most, you're the man. Yes, I am here.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Moncey Belanos is on the updates. We'll hear from her
soon and on the ones in Tues the great. I'm
not the ones in twos, the update or the social media.
I'm all mix, mixed upon.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
I know.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Well, it is happy June teens to you, Martin and
to everybody else. So we're putting in work here on
June teenm somebody asked me.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
Why are you working on Juneteenth?
Speaker 1 (03:50):
I said, well, the best thing I can do to
help black people is to work, you know, So I'm working,
putting in that work. So uh, we're here to do
our thing. My man, Martin Weiss and me. All right,
mart let's get right to it. You know the Boston something. Now,
who was your pick in the finals. I had the
Dallas Mavericks in seven, so I could have been more wrong.
(04:12):
I had them in six. You could have been more
wrong like me. I had him in six. So but
obviously the Celtics take them out in five. And here's
the question I want to throw at you, Martin, because
the analytics say one of the most dominant seasons we've
ever seen.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
So I want to ask you.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
And we know that the Celtics are going to extend
it rightly, So I believe Jason Tatum give him a
five year, three hundred and fifteen million dollar contract extension
that will be the biggest contract in the history of
the NBA.
Speaker 4 (04:51):
You got any issues with that, No, I don't have
any issues with it.
Speaker 5 (04:55):
I think that when you watched, I mean you watched
the finals. Obviously, Jalen Brown had the bigger first two games.
I think they were pretty neck and neck in the
final three games are well, skipping game four where Boston
just you know, elected not to show up that day,
But in games three, in games five, I think Tatum
and Brown played at about even level those games. Yeah,
(05:19):
but just I think Brown's defensive impact too kind of
boost him even though his scoring was a little less,
But ultimately I don't have any problem with Jason Tatum
and Jalen Brown getting paid in that level because they've
shown that they are at least over the last this season,
especially that they showed that, look, we can be the
best two players on a champion. We can be the
best two players on a team that can compete, no doubt,
(05:42):
I don't have a problem with And I also think
that now that the monkey is off of their backs
a little bit, I think they'll play better in the
postseason going forward.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Well, that leads me into my next question for you.
Do you think they are more likely these Celtics to
be a dynasty or a one and done championship team?
Speaker 5 (06:04):
Now, I believe me and you define dynasty in the
same way you gotta get three.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
Yes, you gotta get three. You're not.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Look the Heat that won two in a row with
Lebron d Wade and Chris Bosh, the Pistons who I
know you love who won it with Isaiah Thomas in
eighty nine and ninety and the Houston Rockets with a
Keam Elijua who won it in ninety four ninety five.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
Not dynasties.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Maybe if you want to call them mini dynasties, but
not full fledged dynasties.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
So yeah, it's gonna take three to get you to
be a dynasty.
Speaker 5 (06:43):
I have to go they are more likely to be
one and done than dynasty.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
But I do think that right now.
Speaker 5 (06:50):
They are the deserving and obvious favorite for next year.
But when you look at the last what is it,
the last ten years of NBA Finals, right, the last
ten new champions?
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Right?
Speaker 5 (07:03):
Yeah, so last six years been new champions. Last team
to go back to back was Golden State. And so
I'm just the way the league is now. And I
don't know why exactly. He was talking about it before
Game four of the NBA Finals, but with Joel Embiid
had a pretty good point and that the second apron
is gonna make it a lot harder for teams to
(07:24):
be able to bring back all their talent, and so
like they're gonna have to improve along the margins, as
they have shown an ability to do right this season.
They obviously improved around Tatum and Brown. But what happens
when Drew Holliday is another year older? What happens when
now Derek White is getting paid? You said Jason Tatum
is about to get paid. How much stomach does the
(07:46):
owner have to foot that bill is going to be
the reason why I have to say they are more
likely to.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
Be won and done than Dynasty.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
But I don't remember they do have everybody back for
next season, and that's part of the reason why, ultimately
I think they get next year's like that would have
you got them repeating.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
I have them repeating.
Speaker 5 (08:05):
I mean as of now, three days after the NBA
season ends, Yeah, I have them repeating.
Speaker 4 (08:10):
And a big part of that is look at the East,
Like look at the East.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
I mean, well, the East went healthy. Isn't bad, but
I mean not as good as the West, but it's
not if Philly, and remember, Philly's got the room to add.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
I mean, they're gonna go for Paul George.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
They've got the room to add a top player or
maybe two top players right to add to Joel Embiid
if he's ever healthy, And that's really their biggest question.
Speaker 4 (08:36):
I think.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
Now, if they're healthy, they're like a legit contender. But
Embeid is never really one hundred percent or close in
the playoffs. And obviously you've got Tyreez Maxie, who's just
getting better and better, and then Milwaukee. I'm if Milwaukee's
blood isn't boiling, then I don't know that y'all should
be playing, because I mean, you must be looking at
(08:59):
Boston like No.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
Number one. We see our man Drew Holliday went there.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Got a chip, and whether it's fair or not, people
gonna look at Damian Lillard and say, man, they got
y'all got the worst end of the deal. And so
he Damien should be upset and ready to roll. Yanni
should be ready to roll. So and then you got
the young upstarts. I mean, the Knicks probably will end
(09:26):
up bringing back Randall and the group as mostly as
currently constituted. And look, they were fourteen and two or
twelve and two right after Ogiannanobi signed with Julius Randall healthy.
So it's not clear because some people think Randall can't
work with Brunson now, but no, it worked when they
(09:48):
were healthy, and so the Knicks will be a factor.
Speaker 4 (09:51):
The Pacers are.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Just getting better because they're very young. Boston is the
clear favorite in the East, for sure, I give you that,
but I'm just saying if, and it might be a
big if, unfortunately, but if some of these squads are healthy,
I think they can give them, certainly a much tougher
challenge than they did this year. And then they're Miami,
(10:12):
which always is tough if they're healthy, a tougher challenge, Chris.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
They only lost three games in four rounds three.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
I mean, look, I take nothing away from them because
of the way they ran through Dallas, but I'm not
gonna sit here and shout on it from the rooftops.
This was such a great run through the East. It
was a great run through Dallas the East. Come on,
Miami without his best player, Cleveland without his best player
for much of the series, and it's one of its
other all stars, Jared Allen Indiana. You know, Tyre's Halliburton
(10:43):
banged up. Like, to me, the team that's what's gonna happen.
Next team that benefit for through.
Speaker 5 (10:49):
All those injuries to me is the Pacers, because I
thought the Pacers should have lost to the Bucks, but
if Giannis and Dame Lilli were both playing, I thought
that we would see.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Well advanced out of that first round, because remember the
Pacers had their way with Milwaukee in the first regular
Of all.
Speaker 5 (11:03):
Those teams in the East, the only one that really
moves me is the Knicks, with the Knicks bringing back Randall,
I think that.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
I mean, you see the Milwaukee they do.
Speaker 5 (11:14):
Think about think about what's happened to Milwaukee since their championship.
They're on their second coach fire, I mean fired Budenholzer
and then fired Adrian Griffin and then again like Joel
Embiid again made the point on Twitter, did like Giannis's
fear are Giannis's anxiety and basically forcing the trade to
(11:37):
get Damian Lillard did that just.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
To give Boston the champion. How good was Drew?
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Now, Drew was a big help for Boston, no doubt,
but how much of a hell was he to Milwaukee
last year?
Speaker 4 (11:48):
He was a huge help. But what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
Really when they got you mean when they got beat
in the first round against Miami and Jimmy Butler had
his way with him.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
No, I mean, Treue Holliday is.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Great, but he wasn't great from Milwaukee his last year there.
He shot poorly in the first round when they got
beat by Miami, and he couldn't do a thing with
Jimmy Butler and what is his calling card?
Speaker 4 (12:11):
Defense? So Milwaukee was like, Okay, he's a bit.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
You know, he's on the latter side of his career.
Speaker 4 (12:18):
Now.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
They didn't think he was gonna end up obviously in
in Boston. But still, I'm just saying some of its fit,
and he's a perfect fit in Boston.
Speaker 4 (12:30):
He doesn't have to do nearly as much. He can
vote you offensively.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
This was his lowest scoring season in nearly a decade,
twelve points a game, and so he's a good fit.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
But I'm just saying Milwaukee needed.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Like some more offense because Johannis obviously can't be the
go to guy because he can't shoot jumpers or free throws.
Chris Middleton is banged up half the time, and it's
not like an A level player.
Speaker 4 (12:57):
As good as he is.
Speaker 5 (13:00):
They got to the place where should their second guy well,
but the place where they should have improved, in my opinion,
is over Chris Middleton, because Chris Middleton has never been,
like you said, a top of the line guy. Like
he happened to be the guy that was there taking
the last shot oftentimes because you can create his own
in a better way of credit his own jump shot
than Giannis was able to. But to me, when I
(13:22):
sit and watch that team, even with Damian Lillard currently constructed,
they still need a wing a win.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
They they need some athleticism.
Speaker 5 (13:30):
When you say, like Drew Holliday was playing in the
perfect role, part of that is because they got two
apex wings in Boston and Tatum and Brown that allow
him to do a little bit less.
Speaker 4 (13:40):
Right. So, like if they had improved.
Speaker 5 (13:41):
Over instead of being instead of being star chasing after
Damian Lillard, what they needed to do was find a
wing player upgrade over Middleton.
Speaker 4 (13:50):
I still think that all the offensive problems that they
had still exist. Yeah, how can they exist with Lillard's
that much better than Drew Off?
Speaker 5 (14:02):
I mean offensively, sure, but I think defensively there's a
human prop off which makes a big difference. And you know,
in terms of like and then you look at a
guy like Brook Lopez.
Speaker 4 (14:11):
I mean, Brook Lopez is my age.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
I'm not saying they're gonna beat Boston, but I'm saying no,
they will be tough. Boston's road will be much tougher
next year than it is this year. We'll we'll continue
this though, because we got some more talk about whether
or not they can be a betterns, whether or not
they're more likely to be a dynasty or a one
(14:34):
and done. Keep it locked this Chris and Martin Weiss
in for Rob Parker here on the Odd Thanks for
listening to The Odd Couple podcasts. Be sure to catch
us live every weekday from seven pm to ten pm
Eastern four to seven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio.
Find your local station for The Odd Couple at Fox
(14:54):
Sports Radio dot Com, or stream us live every day
on the iHeart Radio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 4 (15:03):
It's me Rob Parker.
Speaker 7 (15:06):
Check out my weekly MLB podcast, Inside the Parker for
twenty two minutes of piping hot baseball talk featuring the
biggest names of newsmakers in the sport. Whether you believe
in analytics or the I tast We've got all the
bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday, So do your
sofa favor and listen to Inside the Parker with Rob
(15:28):
Parker on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
All right, it's the Eye Couple. It is a worship Wednesday.
Martin Wei's in for Rob Parker. We're live of course
from the tire Rag dot com studios and Martin, we're
talking about whether or not the East Celtics, who are
about to extend Jason Tatum with a well deserved five year,
three hundred and fifteen million dollar contract, which will make
(15:54):
him the highest paid player in the history of the league.
Speaker 4 (15:57):
And that's just the way things work. We all know.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Last year it was Jylen Brown, right, biggest contract in
NBA history. Now it's Jason Tatum, and next year it'll
be somebody else. That's just how it works. But look,
they delivered the championship. It's an easy decision. But here's
the thing. And look, they may repeat, because we're not
so much asking can they repeat?
Speaker 4 (16:21):
They can. I'm not saying they will.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
I think my gut right now, at least right now
is that they won't.
Speaker 4 (16:31):
And they're a.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Great team and they obviously had a fantastic season, one
of the most dominating, dominant seasons ever. I don't think
they're one of the best teams ever, but just it
was definitely one of the most dominant seasons all the
way around.
Speaker 4 (16:46):
But Martin, when you look at the teams that have repeated.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
As champions, one thing that they all have in common,
it's like a top fifteen ish player of all time,
George Mike and now that's going way back to the
beginning of the league, Bill Russell. Then you went about
(17:10):
twenty years before Magic and Kareem did it with the
Showtime Lakers.
Speaker 4 (17:14):
Then it started happening regularly.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
But Isaiah Thomas, who obviously is a legend and around
that top fifteen range, I think the second best small
player ever to Steph Curry, then Jordan of course, then
Elijahwan and then Jordan again, then shocking Kobe two of them,
then Kobe with Powell, then Lebron with d Wade and Bosh,
(17:39):
and then Steph with Kevin Durant. Like as good as
Tatum and Brown are and their future Hall of Famers,
they ain't in that class Martin, And I think you
agree with me right now.
Speaker 5 (17:53):
Sure, but Jason Tatum's only twenty six years old, and
when you look at some of the numbers that like,
if you look at his career to other young protege,
young people who kind of took the league go by
storm when they were younger, like a guy like Kobe
or so on, his numbers are right up there.
Speaker 4 (18:09):
He's got the most playoff points.
Speaker 5 (18:10):
Why player before turning twenty seven, right played in what
I think it was one hundred At one point this
season in the finals, it was one hundred and eight
playoff games played with him and Jalen Brown together. So
I think maybe he's like one to ten right now
along that point. So he's got tons of experience. And
just think about some of the people that he's passing up.
That's Kobe, that's Lebron, and neither one of those guys
did a year in college, right, so they came into
(18:32):
the NBA right out of high school, where Jason Tatum
had to spend that year at Duke. So am I
saying that he's at a Kobe or Lebron level right now?
Speaker 4 (18:39):
No?
Speaker 1 (18:40):
But if you continue, you actually think he can get
to like a top fifteen is all time because he,
to me is and I'm a Tatum fan. I've been
defending him throughout these playoffs and finals because I think
people have been going at him too hard.
Speaker 4 (18:57):
But he is not. Forget Kobe and Lebron and guys
like that.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
He's a slight tick below the best players today, and
it's only a few of them. I'm talking about Jokich,
Luca and Giannis. Do you think he's in that group?
I think he's right below that group. He's below that group.
But what I'm saying is if he continues to win, if.
Speaker 5 (19:23):
They continue to keep winning, sure you see what, but
you keep winning even if his even if his individual
game is not at the level of some of those guys,
he will be considered in that group because of the winning.
That's the thing that I that's that's the thing that's
hard for me to square because.
Speaker 4 (19:38):
He's had so much people I don't say hating.
Speaker 5 (19:42):
Hating is too aggressive, but so many people will downplay
his ability at this point because he hadn't won the
title and like he said, I mean, he was copying
off with Steph Curry after the finals.
Speaker 4 (19:52):
But like what he said, what are they going to
say now?
Speaker 5 (19:54):
So now the only thing now, now that this is
a conversation, what are they going to say now, is well,
is he a top X player of all time?
Speaker 4 (20:01):
Is he a play all time?
Speaker 1 (20:03):
That's far that's way way below, you know, away from
where we're I think right now, if you want to say,
does he have anything left to prove? Obviously he's got
other goals. He can shoot for MVP, more championships and stuff.
But he's proven he can be the best player on
a championship team as good as Brown is, I think
Tatum still is their best player. But he did he
(20:27):
can prove that he can play his best basketball in
the finals. That's what some people want to say. Remember
people didn't they had those questions about Steph until he
was Finals MVP in his fourth championship, and I don't.
I'm not hung up on Finals MVP, but he hasn't
been as good as he can be in the finals.
Speaker 5 (20:48):
I think if Jason Tatum comes out and he plays
like he did in Game five for an entire playoffs,
he will skyrocket the ranks like he will. He will
climb the rings. He's going on an elevator. tATu, I
do like if he if he comes out, and because
here's the thing I mean, realistically speaking, when you look
at the finals in particular, it wasn't that he was
(21:10):
playing poorly across the board.
Speaker 4 (21:12):
He just couldn't hit a shot the sideline.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
Now he played, He played good, strong floor games. He
just couldn't make baskets. And that's what I was saying
in his defense. Let me shout out Michael Holly, who
is one of the greatest reporters Boston's ever seen. He
hit me up with Isaiah is not top fifteen. I
(21:34):
expect that from a Boston you know, not from Boston,
but a Boston guy.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
When talking about the Pistons, I'm about.
Speaker 5 (21:43):
Around him, Thomas, just because he didn't meet the criteria
for the you know.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
The analytics don't like Isaiah. The analytics don't like Kobe either,
to be quite honest. And so because you where we
can see some of these guys right we writing things
ISAAA would tell you this, and he's right, the only
player ever to go through who beat Bird Magic and
(22:10):
Jordan more than they beat him.
Speaker 4 (22:14):
That's pretty good. I mean, it's all look good.
Speaker 5 (22:17):
You want to say, he's not fifteen, look at the
wins and losses matter, right, his.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Stats, as Lebron would say on his teeth. But here's
the other thing. And we talked about the competition coming
into East Martin, what about the West though? See what
I love about this? And we're about to get on
Mark get Mark Stein on man, we can go. We
we got layers to this and we're gonna keep unpacking
these layers Martin Weiss because you.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
Bringing you bringing some stuff to the table.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
But Mark Stein will join us in a moment But first,
Moncey Belos with the update Monsey Fellas.
Speaker 8 (22:53):
Happy to be hanging out with you today.
Speaker 4 (22:56):
A lot going on.
Speaker 8 (22:57):
We're actually gonna start at the Men's College World Series.
Tennessee defeated FSU seven to two. The Volunteers are headed
to the championship series for the first time since nineteen
fifty one. Who are they going to face the winner
of Texas A and M and Florida?
Speaker 4 (23:13):
Who are going to start a three game series on Saturday.
Speaker 8 (23:16):
I don't know why it's not starting until Saturday, but
that's that. In Major League Baseball, Garrett Cole back on
the mound for the Yankees.
Speaker 4 (23:25):
They just scored to tie the game.
Speaker 8 (23:26):
As they're hosting the Orioles in New York, one to
one bottom of the first inning, the Guardians beating the
Mariners three zero bottom of the third inning. Earlier today
in baseball, the Brave shout out the Tigers seven zero,
while the Pirates edged the Reds seven to one. In
the NBA, the Pistons the fired head coach Monty Williams
after one season. Don't feel too bad. They still owe
him sixty five million. They did end with the league
(23:47):
worse fourteen and sixty eight Pascal Siakam plans to return
back to the Pacers. The ESPN reports it's going to
be a four year, one hundred and eighty nine point
five million dollar max contract, and Warriors Gary Payne also
opted into his nine point one million dollar player option
for next season. In the WNBA, Sparks Rickey Cameron brink
out for the rest of the season due to a
(24:08):
torn acl She was also set to compete on the
US women's three on three at the Paris Olympics. Right
now in the WNBA, the Fever are beating the Mystics
twenty eight to twenty six, six minutes to go in.
Speaker 4 (24:19):
The first half.
Speaker 8 (24:20):
Caitlin Clark has four points two or three from the
field to go along with six rebounds and three assists.
And according to Yahoo Sports, the NCAA leadership presented Division
One commissioners with models that would expand the tournament by
four teams or eight teams as soon as twenty twenty
five twenty twenty six, So already a bigger March. Magnus
(24:42):
back to you guys.
Speaker 4 (24:43):
All right, thank you, Mike.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
Yeah, we are live from Thetirerag dot Com Studios. Our
next guest, Fox Sports Radio NBA Insider co hosts of
This League Uncut. Check out the podcast he does with
Chris Haynes, one of the best in the business, The
Hall of f Mark Stein, Mark.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
What up?
Speaker 4 (25:02):
Brother, old couple?
Speaker 2 (25:04):
How is Rob doing man Detroit today? He must be
a mess?
Speaker 1 (25:10):
He is actually not. On tonight Martin Weiss soo. Another
Detroit guy is in for him. So we're not as
old tonight, Martin is.
Speaker 4 (25:20):
What are you? Martin thirty thirty one? No thanks, Chris
thirty four.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
Okay, see, I'm saying I'm giving you a compliment, but
uh yeah, we're not quite as old now, only only
one of us is.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
But much needed infusion right right about that?
Speaker 4 (25:38):
All right? You mentioned it. Monie Williams fired. Mark? Am
I crazy? And I don't. It's probably not going to happen.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
Am I crazy to think the Lakers might at least
want to give Monny a look or or.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
What I would say. Two weeks ago there was actually
chatter about that, and I started hearing that as a
conspiracy theory around the league. That man, can you imagine
if if Monny Williams became available with the Lakers jump
in there? But look, this coaching carousel has been so
filled with twists and turns and curveballs that, like everybody
(26:15):
I talked to, you is somewhat hesitant to make any
kind of firm declaration. The general vibe I got today
when I checked around was that it's probably too late,
and most insiders that I consult with are still projecting
JJ Reddick to get this job. But look, you brought
(26:36):
it up rightfully. So the Lakers actually offered the job
to Moni Williams a few years ago. They went after Tyleru.
Those talks broke down because Eilu felt like the salary
offer was not what it should have been and the
control of staff that he wanted was not where it
(26:57):
needed to be, and so talk with Tylou collapsed, and
Mani Williams could have had the Laker job, he chose
the Phoenix job. He liked the working conditions and the
setup better in Phoenix than he did with the Lakers.
The Lakers turned to Frank Vogel won a championship, but
now they have since parted company with Frank Vogel and Darvinham,
(27:20):
So there is history there. You're not wrong, but is
it too late in the game? And also let's be honest,
MONI Williams has been through a lot here, YEA, with
his dismissal in Phoenix, his dismissal in Detroit after just
the season, obviously, his wife dealing with a very very
serious hole situation. If I'm Mony Williams, do I really
(27:44):
want to jump in and take a Laker job, even
if they came after him and go into the hottest,
most scrutinized seat in the NBA. I don't know how
appealing that would be Samanni Williams at this point, I
don't want to. I have not spoken to him since
all this happened, so I shouldn't be speaking for him.
That's just kind of my read as a third party observer.
(28:07):
I don't know that he would necessarily be in a
huge rush to jump into such a complicated situation, because
even if that is JJ Reddick, it's going to be
a really hard job, and I think it's almost going
to be a tougher job after they offered it to
Dan Hurley and Hurley didn't take it.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
Do you have any feel on what Detroit might do,
what some of the names they're looking at, and I
actually think for and I don't think he like you said,
I think it seems like he's gonna end up with
the Lakers. But I mean for a guy like Reddick
who hasn't coached, I mean a job like Detroit, where
at least you've got a.
Speaker 4 (28:44):
Kate Cunningham, I mean that could be.
Speaker 1 (28:46):
It's certainly a little less stressful than the Lakers job.
Speaker 4 (28:50):
But where do you think Detroit might might go?
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Well, that's what makes some of this so bizarre, the
timing of it. It's just Detroit is jumping into this
so late. There are now technically three head coaching vacancies
in the NBA, with the Lakers, the Cavaliers, and the Pistons.
But by all accounts, both the Lakers and the Cavaliers
are nearing the end of their searches. And again this
(29:17):
is you know, I would not write this in permanent ink,
but most people that I speak to in coaching circles,
the projection at this point is that JJ Reddick would
get the Laker job, and James Arrego is the most
likely to get the Cleveland job. And so now the
Pistons really aren't even looking at experienced coaches, and look,
(29:40):
JJ Redick is not experience, but is certainly a hot
name on the market, but James Barrego has been a
head coach twice. You know, where will the Pistons turn.
They'll almost certainly have to look at the assistant ranks.
And again, you know, the Draft is in a week,
so this coaching search is going to take some time
to start from scratch now with the draft a week out,
(30:03):
so surely it's gonna still into July. It's just the
timing of this is all very curious and weird because look,
the Pistons have not played a game for more than
sixty five days. They just hired a new president of
the basketball operation to do this. Now, it's the timing
(30:25):
is a lot of people are scratching their head about that.
Speaker 5 (30:29):
Yeah, so Mark, I'm want to ask you, Mark Stino
and Martin Weisse here appreciate a big fan of your subtact.
Speaker 4 (30:34):
By the way, also, I'm a.
Speaker 5 (30:35):
Subscriber, but want to know what is the hold up
at this point? Why isn't JJ Reddick the coach of
the Lakers. This has been reported on at nauseam and
they had a brief, brief flirtation with Danny Hurley and
then we heard that that wasn't real, and then you know,
found out that the money wasn't even you know, the
money was only seventy million dollars or six years, and
(30:58):
the money wasn't It wasn't like a godfather offer to
Danny Hurley. So you have to leave yu khon What
is I kind of thought that we were waiting for
the end of the NBA Finals for the Lakers to
hire JJ.
Speaker 4 (31:09):
Is there cold feet?
Speaker 2 (31:11):
There is?
Speaker 4 (31:11):
What is the hold up at this point?
Speaker 2 (31:14):
Well, I think that's probably why not just me, why
others are pulling their punch to some degree because it
isn't done. But let's also say the finals literally just
ended Monday. It's only Wednesday. It's not like it's been
weeks and weeks since the NBA Finals. And I reported
about this very early in the process that JJ Reddick
was going to have to finish the finals after after
(31:38):
ESPN made the decision, a very unpopular decision to move
away from Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, they bring
in Doc Rivers and Doris Burke, and look, I think
ESPN was under no illusion. I think they expected. I
think they fully expected Doc Rivers to return to coaching
at some point but I also think they thought we're
(32:00):
going to get at least the season. He's going to
do this a year, and Doc didn't make it to
February before the Bucks job came up. And you know,
I don't think Doc was actually looking to rush back
into coaching, but that was one of those opportunities again
where it's a good job with a star player like
Joanna Damian Lillard there and a lot of money, and
(32:22):
Doc felt like he couldn't pass that up. But once
they made the switch and announced that jj Reddick was
going to be on their finals broadcast, they needed him
to at least finish the season. And now you could
also go back and you know, Chris and I were
both at ESPN when this happened. In the twenty eleven finals.
(32:42):
The Warriors hired Mark Jackson halfway through the Finals, and
then Mark Jackson get finished the Finals. He covered the
last three games, but it was in the middle of
the series that the Warriors hired him as their coach.
But look, the Lakers, no, I know, there's been a
lot of discussion and was this the smoke screen? Was
this performance art? Was it the leverage pay? I mean,
(33:04):
the Lakers did actually offer the job to Danny Hurley,
and maybe the number wasn't as high as people were expecting,
but they did offer him the job, and Hurley had
the chance to take it and decided not to. Had
Hurley said yes, he'd have been the Lakers coach. So
I think they did need some bit of a reset
after that. But look, I know again I'm because there
(33:29):
have been so many twists in turns. I don't want
to sit here saying this is exactly what's going to
happen next. But again, when I talk to people, the
expectation that underline expectation is that the Lakers are nearing
the finish line.
Speaker 8 (33:44):
In this thing.
Speaker 1 (33:45):
Mark, I want to take it quickly to free agency.
And we got about a minute for your answer. The Spurs,
Now we know Wimby.
Speaker 4 (33:53):
I mean, what a season for a rookie.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
And my guess I think he could be a top
ten player next year. What is the Spurs plan? Like,
how do they want to build around him? We know
they have a lot of money. You think they'll spend
a lot of that this summer or are they kind
of in a Waight in ce mode and be impatient.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
My suspicion is that he probably wants to move faster
than they do, and it'll be interesting to watch what
kind of ques they take from how much, how fast
he really wants to push and will he pushed them?
You know, we're just still learning about him as well.
So is it his way? Is it his manner to
really push things? Because the chatter you heard is that
(34:34):
the Spurs might just want a veteran guard is kind
of the next step, like even even a Chris Paul.
I've been hearing that for over a month now. Maybe
you just bring in Chris Paul for a year or
two to help him take the next step. But the
Spurs with two top techn picks, A lot of people
are watching them to see what they do this summer
for sure.
Speaker 1 (34:52):
All Right, that's our man, Mark Stein, Great stuff as always,
brother than check him out again on the list This
League Uncut Podcast.
Speaker 4 (35:02):
Great stuff man as always.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
Thank you, Yep, moroc Couple coming your way, Chris, Bruce
Art and Martin Weiss keep it locked Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 6 (35:12):
Thanks for listening to the Odd Couple podcast. Be sure
to check us out live every weekday from seven pm
to ten pm Eastern four to seventh Pacific on Fox
Sports Radio. Find your local station for the Odd Couple
at Fox Sports Radio dot com or stream it's live
every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 1 (35:34):
Yes, indeed it is the Odd Couple. I'm Chris, He's
Martin Martin weiss in for Rob Parker Clearoy the Odd Couple. Wow,
we're having a lot of fun.
Speaker 4 (35:47):
We got Eddie.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
House joining us at the bottom of the hour. You know,
he wants to gloat former Boston Celtics player who won
a championship with him in two thousand and eight and
was there to celebrate as they.
Speaker 4 (36:00):
Won this championship.
Speaker 1 (36:03):
This week, we are live from the tirereck dot Com studios.
Speaker 4 (36:08):
Tyreight dot com will help you get there.
Speaker 1 (36:10):
They've got an unmatched election, fast free shipping, free row
has a protection and more than ten thousand recommended to installers.
Tyreck dot com is the way tirebine should be. Martin Whites.
We broached this with Mark Stein, who's a long time
NBA reporter, when we just interviewed him last hour, and
(36:33):
I'm just gonna come out and say it, he said
that Actually a few weeks ago, there was scuttle butt
around the league about this possibly happening. He brought up
that the Lakers a few years ago when they were
looking for a new coach, looked at Monty Williams and
he chose them. Are chose Phoenix over the Lakers, which
(36:57):
he thought was a better situation, and he did get
them to the NBA Finals, even though they lost to Milwaukee.
I'm gonna say it, Martin, the Lakers should halt, not halt,
but should not rush into hiring JJ Reddick and if
that's their guy, but they should strongly consider Monty Williams. Remember,
(37:24):
not only has he been a good coach. I know
it didn't work out in Detroit. I don't know who
could have led that team to a good season in Detroit.
Now I'm not saying somebody might not have done a
better job. It obviously was not a good fit. But
Monty's been a good coach. He's been a coach of
the year. Like I said, he led Phoenix to the
(37:45):
NBA Finals and they were up too. Oh and then
it fell apart. But remember, also, Martin, he had he
coached Anthony Davis in New Orleans.
Speaker 4 (37:57):
Oh yeah, he.
Speaker 1 (37:58):
Coached Davis's first seasons and Davis really was fine. Up
they had a great relationship, and they didn't consult Davis
before they fired Monty, and but he you know, ended
up Alvin Gentry took over and eventually Anthony Davis demanded
(38:21):
his way.
Speaker 4 (38:22):
Out of New Orleans to go.
Speaker 1 (38:25):
To LA But he had a great relationship with Mini Williams.
He talked about how you know, Monty cared about the
players as people.
Speaker 4 (38:34):
And men first and not just his ball players.
Speaker 1 (38:38):
So there's been a lot of talk that this is
a higher, this Lakers higher will not be so much
for Lebron because obviously he's not the future.
Speaker 4 (38:47):
He's the near future.
Speaker 1 (38:49):
But at forty years old, you know his time, his
days are numbered in terms of playing basketball. But for
Anthony Davis, who you hope will want they take that
torch from Lebron James and be able to keep them
with the right moves in championship contention.
Speaker 4 (39:08):
And so I look, I don't I'm.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
Not saying you let a player make a decision, but
do your due diligence. Chat with ad see what you know,
interview MONI see if he's you know, if he would
be a fit if he wants the job, first of all, Secondly,
would he be a fit so I think they should
look at Minty Williams and don't rush. Maybe JJ is
(39:33):
hired at the end of the day, but you're talking
about a guy that's been a coach of the year,
a guy that's taking a team to the NBA Finals,
versus a guy with zero head coaching experience.
Speaker 4 (39:45):
I think you do your due diligence and at least
talk to it. I mean, I would let Monty Williams go.
Speaker 5 (39:52):
And if I was Monty Williams, I'd be like, look,
I'm about to get paid about eighty million dollars over
the next six years six.
Speaker 9 (39:59):
N five years sixty five million left five years sixty
five million to be had that job, right, Like, I
think I'm gonna go ahead and take myself to the beach, Chris,
and put my feet up and count my money if
I'm Monty Williams.
Speaker 4 (40:15):
But if I'm the.
Speaker 5 (40:15):
Lakers, at this point, you gotta hire because here's the thing,
all right, Chris frank Vogels first press conference, the first
question was how did it feel to take this job
knowing that you weren't the first choice already? At JJ
Reddick's first press conference, if he is the head coach
of the Lakers.
Speaker 4 (40:33):
That's gonna be one of the first questions. Whatever happened
with Dan Hurley? How do you?
Speaker 5 (40:37):
How does it know that you took this job knowing
that you may not have been in the first choice.
Speaker 3 (40:41):
How did you?
Speaker 1 (40:42):
But let me ask you this, though, is that a
tough question to answer when you have zero You haven't
even coached college or high school basketball?
Speaker 2 (40:52):
Right?
Speaker 1 (40:52):
He coaches kids in what junior high or something like that. Sure,
but none of these matters to me. I'm gonna say this,
and I don't want to interrupt you flow, but if
somebody asked me that question, like if I was in
JJ Reddick shoes, I'd be like, I understand, even if
I'm don't, even if I'm a little bit bothered, you know,
(41:13):
I would be like, this guy just won back to
back national championships. I haven't coached at all. Now, that
doesn't mean I'm not gonna be good. I will be good.
And I'm looking at guys like Steve curR and Mark
Jackson and Doc Rivers and others who had no coaching
experience and did a good job.
Speaker 4 (41:32):
So I'm gonna be good.
Speaker 1 (41:33):
I'm the coach of this team, right, But I cannot
be upset that they would look at a guy as
as accomplished as Dan Hurley.
Speaker 4 (41:41):
To me, it's a simple answer.
Speaker 1 (41:43):
But Toms or somebody else, that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (41:47):
If you have Monty Williams, you bring him in there.
Speaker 5 (41:49):
Then the question goes from not Dan Hurley, who's back
to back national championship in college, you have Manti Williams,
who's fresh off coaching the worst team in the NBA
last year by a long shot.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
Man, JJ Reddick ain't in no position to be getting
emotional and petty about something.
Speaker 4 (42:06):
You lucky.
Speaker 1 (42:07):
You're lucky the Lakers will consider you to coach Lebron
James and Anthony Davis.
Speaker 4 (42:14):
You lucky man. You better ain't look the third, fourth,
fifth choice.
Speaker 1 (42:19):
You better count your blessings because you have no experience none.
Speaker 5 (42:25):
The thing, I do think you had a good point
throwing that they have to consult Anthony Davis for the
coaching higher right, I think it's it's it's a fool's
endeavor to not consult Anthony Davis and Lebron, but more
so Anthony Davis because again he's gonna be the guy
who is the face of this franchise. That's leading this
franchise going forward. We know Lebron is at this point
(42:46):
probably taking it year to year, even if he doesn't
announce that he's taking yeah, three.
Speaker 4 (42:52):
Years, but but he's not.
Speaker 5 (42:53):
He's not going to be long for this league, right,
Anthony Davis is going to be the guy that bridges
your gap into the next into the next era of
the Lakers. It would almost be like hiring a new
producer for the show without consulting you and Rob.
Speaker 4 (43:05):
It would be like, why would you do that, right,
because it's like, these are the.
Speaker 5 (43:08):
Guys that they got to work with, so you might
as well at least does that mean you hiring and
firing people now?
Speaker 4 (43:13):
But they're taking your opinion into account.
Speaker 5 (43:16):
Monty Williams and Mark Stein alluded to this as well
when he was on at the bottom of Last Hour.
Who's saying how Monty Williams had dealt with a lot
of personal stuff recently his wife passed away. He had
a whole bunch of stuff going on outside of work,
outside of his job, and I think it probably would
do him well to collect himself quote unquote and get
some of that stuff in order, right, get some of it,
(43:37):
Just take a little time off because you look at
some of those press conferences he had after some of
those Pistons games, and I know that not everybody was
locked into the Pistons. I believe me, I understand why.
But he looked beat down, He looked tired. He did
not look like like this. I mean, I get it,
all they're doing is losing. But you look at a
guy like like Joe Missoula, for example, He's the same
(44:01):
kind of guy when they win and when they lose.
You see it in his face. You see the way
he answers his questions. Now, it's a little crazy to me,
the way he talks sometimes. You know, he kind of
looks a little bit out there. But Monty Williams looked defeated,
and I think he's gonna have to take some time
to be able to gain his confidence back in a way, because,
like you said, he was just in the NBA Finals
(44:21):
a handful of years ago.
Speaker 1 (44:23):
Here's the thing, though, and I hear you, and that
very well may be what Monty wants to do. I
feel you, man, if I have five years sixty five
million dollars coming in to my way.
Speaker 4 (44:37):
Yeah, I can't be mad.
Speaker 1 (44:39):
Absolutely, I'm not because the Lakers aren't gonna pay him
that much, right, the Lakers are not that that's more
than they offered to Dan Hurley, so they're not going
to offer money that much.
Speaker 4 (44:50):
So you're right, maybe that's what he'll do.
Speaker 1 (44:54):
Only thing I'll throw at you, though, is he was
planning on coaching next year.
Speaker 4 (45:00):
In fact, he was playing on coaching for the next five.
Speaker 1 (45:02):
Years, you know what I'm saying, Like he didn't know
he was gonna get fired.
Speaker 5 (45:06):
But also, Chris, he was also planning on taking the
air off before Tom Gores offered him the Sun, the Moon,
and the Stars to move to Detroit, like right, but
he was. He was waffling on the job until the
money was like, Nah, I'm gonna go ahead and take
this job.
Speaker 1 (45:23):
So do you think a lot of it was as
far as their failures.
Speaker 4 (45:27):
I mean, obviously has to take some of the blame,
But do.
Speaker 1 (45:30):
You think he just really wasn't ready mentally and probably
shouldn't have even been doing that.
Speaker 5 (45:37):
That's kind of where I'm at. That's why I think
I think he wasn't. There was so much and I
hate this. It's hard to speak on this because you know,
I don't know him. Personally, I'm not talking about it.
But you know, just as as somebody who has experienced
a lot of death in my life, right, a lot
of you have various family members died throughout that it
takes time to adjust to what you're new normal is, right,
(46:01):
It takes time to adjust to to finding out Oh
I can't just pick up the phone and call I
can't just you know, it takes time to be able
to grieve appropriately. And I don't think he got that time.
And I mean he's got no wady to blame but
himself because he didn't have.
Speaker 4 (46:15):
To take the job.
Speaker 5 (46:16):
But when you dangle that much money in front of somebody,
they're gonna do things that they wouldn't normally do. Right,
there are not I shouldna say would't normally do because.
Speaker 1 (46:24):
You know, right, his wife, you know, his second wife,
Remember his first wife died in the tragic car accident,
and then his second wife had cancer.
Speaker 4 (46:34):
But it was you know, it went in remission.
Speaker 1 (46:37):
And so I mean, now that's not as much of
a factor, although to your point, maybe you know, maybe
he still jumped into early but I look, my thing
is more so on the Lakers. You know, it's not
so much on Mini, I mean, I man, my goodness,
I wouldn't blame him if he never coached.
Speaker 4 (46:57):
Again, you know. I mean, he's he's still young.
Speaker 1 (47:00):
Enough where he could certainly do another job, and he
probably doesn't want to end it the way it did
in Detroit. But with all that money, he could go
do whatever he wants. But I'm just saying, if I'm
the Lakers and I'm about to hire a guy with
absolutely no coaching experience, and there have been rumblings that
Anthony Davis in that Hio Redick, I don't know if
that's true, but there's been rumblings about that, and that
(47:22):
he wanted James Berego, who he got to know in
New Orleans. Right, So, you know, again, just do your
due diligence. If Monty's like, you know what, I'm gonna
take a break, you guys will probably be looking for
a new coach in three years anyway.
Speaker 4 (47:38):
I'll be ready by this.
Speaker 1 (47:40):
But if he wants to take a break, I'm totally
with it and totally understand. But yeah, I mean, we will,
you know. I just think that's something they should do. Now,
do you think Reddick should be the higher I thought
I thought a guy that you know is just off
the radar. Now, Mark Jackson would be good. Now I'm
saying money, I think Sam Cassell should be a consideration.
Speaker 4 (48:03):
That's where I'd be going.
Speaker 5 (48:04):
I'd be looking at Sam Cassell, or i'd be looking at, honestly,
Jeff Van Gundy, who was.
Speaker 4 (48:11):
Of course you know, yeah, you're right, he just went
with the Clippers.
Speaker 5 (48:15):
Now, but he was, I mean he was sitting on
the Celtics bench, or you know, I would have looked
at I would have looked to me, I'm looking at
an assistant, either an assistant coach or a guy who's
been a former head coach. And I know that's not
I mean, shouldn't sound like a hot take, but apparently,
you know, if if you could go on TV and
talk about the game, they think you can coach it
as well.
Speaker 4 (48:35):
If you look at you know, some of the.
Speaker 5 (48:36):
History of broadcasters who have been picked up from the sideline,
you know, from the sideline seat with the microphone on,
to the sidelines. He's standing up calling the timeouts. I
don't think I think that JJ Reddick at this point.
The problem is Chris. It's been reported at nauseam about
how close they are to a deal. How so, Like
(48:58):
for me, I would have never considered JJ Reddick as
a head coach, but it seems so. It seems as
if from all the reporting from the NBA insiders that
we trust to put this type of stuff out there,
that JJ Reddick and the Lakers have been on third
base this entire damn time.
Speaker 4 (49:14):
Right, so now there's no doubt, no doubt.
Speaker 5 (49:16):
So at this point, like I would entertain all types
of names because I.
Speaker 4 (49:22):
Think almost all of them would be better options. Right,
All right, Well, we're.
Speaker 1 (49:26):
Gonna throw it out to you guys A seven seven
ninety nine on Fox A seven seven nine.
Speaker 4 (49:31):
Nine six sixty three sixty nine.
Speaker 1 (49:33):
Do you think the Lakers should consider hiring Monty Williams
instead of JJ Reddick. Your thoughts next, Christen Martin the
AKA but Fox Sports Radio
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Odd Couple podcast.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday from seven
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You're listening to the best of the Odd Couple with
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Ah, it is the Odd Couple. I'm Chris Bruce.
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Ard alongside my partner Parker.
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It is not Rob Parker, it is Martin Weiss. That's right.
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(01:11):
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Speaker 4 (01:24):
XM Channel eighty three.
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Let me welcome in the courageous Martin White stepping into
the arena courageous man.
Speaker 4 (01:36):
You know you lightweight these days. Man. All right, I've
seen you.
Speaker 5 (01:39):
I see your little TV show, your little radio show.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Okay, Christmas kicking button, taking names is what you see?
Speaker 4 (01:48):
All right? Yeah. I hope you stretched, and I hope
you andydrated before that. How you doing?
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Man?
Speaker 4 (01:54):
Good to have you on doing well.
Speaker 5 (01:56):
If I tell you this, I would have lost a
lot of money if I had. Somebody had told me.
I bet you you'll do the Eye Couple twice from Birmingham, Alabama.
That's right, I am me me and this cutout of
Nick Saban over my shoulder pointing at me to work harder.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
You are there for the game at Rickwoods Stadium, Rickwood.
Speaker 5 (02:18):
Yes, it was a great experience there at the Negro
Southern League Museum. I talked to all types of people.
Josh Gibson's grandson, Rue Fosters.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
We'll save it, save it.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
We're gonna get that from you at the forty five,
don't know. We want to update on everything going on
down there in Birmingham.
Speaker 4 (02:35):
The Eye Couple crews in full effect. We got some uh.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
Some new blood, not new blood completely, but a few
new faces.
Speaker 4 (02:44):
Mar Man, Shae Shae what's up man? What's up?
Speaker 6 (02:47):
Man?
Speaker 4 (02:47):
How we doing?
Speaker 1 (02:48):
We're good man. You filling in for Rob g the
super producer, So yes, well shave yeah, Bogan Guard, so
h we were glad to have you. Shaye do your thing, man,
robb Gi will be missed. He is a great producer.
On the Ones in Tues, DJ Alex Tight Shirt a
(03:10):
k a.
Speaker 4 (03:10):
Alex the Vegan my man on the day we need
you the most, you're the man. Yes, I am here.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Moncey Belanos is on the updates. We'll hear from her
soon and on the ones in Tues the great. I'm
not the ones in twos, the update or the social media.
I'm all mix, mixed upon.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
I know.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Well, it is happy June teens to you, Martin and
to everybody else. So we're putting in work here on
June teenm somebody asked me.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
Why are you working on Juneteenth?
Speaker 1 (03:50):
I said, well, the best thing I can do to
help black people is to work, you know, So I'm working,
putting in that work. So uh, we're here to do
our thing. My man, Martin Weiss and me. All right,
mart let's get right to it. You know the Boston something. Now,
who was your pick in the finals. I had the
Dallas Mavericks in seven, so I could have been more wrong.
(04:12):
I had them in six. You could have been more
wrong like me. I had him in six. So but
obviously the Celtics take them out in five. And here's
the question I want to throw at you, Martin, because
the analytics say one of the most dominant seasons we've
ever seen.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
So I want to ask you.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
And we know that the Celtics are going to extend
it rightly, So I believe Jason Tatum give him a
five year, three hundred and fifteen million dollar contract extension
that will be the biggest contract in the history of
the NBA.
Speaker 4 (04:51):
You got any issues with that, No, I don't have
any issues with it.
Speaker 5 (04:55):
I think that when you watched, I mean you watched
the finals. Obviously, Jalen Brown had the bigger first two games.
I think they were pretty neck and neck in the
final three games are well, skipping game four where Boston
just you know, elected not to show up that day,
But in games three, in games five, I think Tatum
and Brown played at about even level those games. Yeah,
(05:19):
but just I think Brown's defensive impact too kind of
boost him even though his scoring was a little less,
But ultimately I don't have any problem with Jason Tatum
and Jalen Brown getting paid in that level because they've
shown that they are at least over the last this season,
especially that they showed that, look, we can be the
best two players on a champion. We can be the
best two players on a team that can compete, no doubt,
(05:42):
I don't have a problem with And I also think
that now that the monkey is off of their backs
a little bit, I think they'll play better in the
postseason going forward.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Well, that leads me into my next question for you.
Do you think they are more likely these Celtics to
be a dynasty or a one and done championship team?
Speaker 5 (06:04):
Now, I believe me and you define dynasty in the
same way you gotta get three.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
Yes, you gotta get three. You're not.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Look the Heat that won two in a row with
Lebron d Wade and Chris Bosh, the Pistons who I
know you love who won it with Isaiah Thomas in
eighty nine and ninety and the Houston Rockets with a
Keam Elijua who won it in ninety four ninety five.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
Not dynasties.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Maybe if you want to call them mini dynasties, but
not full fledged dynasties.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
So yeah, it's gonna take three to get you to
be a dynasty.
Speaker 5 (06:43):
I have to go they are more likely to be
one and done than dynasty.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
But I do think that right now.
Speaker 5 (06:50):
They are the deserving and obvious favorite for next year.
But when you look at the last what is it,
the last ten years of NBA Finals, right, the last
ten new champions?
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Right?
Speaker 5 (07:03):
Yeah, so last six years been new champions. Last team
to go back to back was Golden State. And so
I'm just the way the league is now. And I
don't know why exactly. He was talking about it before
Game four of the NBA Finals, but with Joel Embiid
had a pretty good point and that the second apron
is gonna make it a lot harder for teams to
(07:24):
be able to bring back all their talent, and so
like they're gonna have to improve along the margins, as
they have shown an ability to do right this season.
They obviously improved around Tatum and Brown. But what happens
when Drew Holliday is another year older? What happens when
now Derek White is getting paid? You said Jason Tatum
is about to get paid. How much stomach does the
(07:46):
owner have to foot that bill is going to be
the reason why I have to say they are more
likely to.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
Be won and done than Dynasty.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
But I don't remember they do have everybody back for
next season, and that's part of the reason why, ultimately
I think they get next year's like that would have
you got them repeating.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
I have them repeating.
Speaker 5 (08:05):
I mean as of now, three days after the NBA
season ends, Yeah, I have them repeating.
Speaker 4 (08:10):
And a big part of that is look at the East,
Like look at the East.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
I mean, well, the East went healthy. Isn't bad, but
I mean not as good as the West, but it's
not if Philly, and remember, Philly's got the room to add.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
I mean, they're gonna go for Paul George.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
They've got the room to add a top player or
maybe two top players right to add to Joel Embiid
if he's ever healthy, And that's really their biggest question.
Speaker 4 (08:36):
I think.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
Now, if they're healthy, they're like a legit contender. But
Embeid is never really one hundred percent or close in
the playoffs. And obviously you've got Tyreez Maxie, who's just
getting better and better, and then Milwaukee. I'm if Milwaukee's
blood isn't boiling, then I don't know that y'all should
be playing, because I mean, you must be looking at
(08:59):
Boston like No.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
Number one. We see our man Drew Holliday went there.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Got a chip, and whether it's fair or not, people
gonna look at Damian Lillard and say, man, they got
y'all got the worst end of the deal. And so
he Damien should be upset and ready to roll. Yanni
should be ready to roll. So and then you got
the young upstarts. I mean, the Knicks probably will end
(09:26):
up bringing back Randall and the group as mostly as
currently constituted. And look, they were fourteen and two or
twelve and two right after Ogiannanobi signed with Julius Randall healthy.
So it's not clear because some people think Randall can't
work with Brunson now, but no, it worked when they
(09:48):
were healthy, and so the Knicks will be a factor.
Speaker 4 (09:51):
The Pacers are.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Just getting better because they're very young. Boston is the
clear favorite in the East, for sure, I give you that,
but I'm just saying if, and it might be a
big if, unfortunately, but if some of these squads are healthy,
I think they can give them, certainly a much tougher
challenge than they did this year. And then they're Miami,
(10:12):
which always is tough if they're healthy, a tougher challenge, Chris.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
They only lost three games in four rounds three.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
I mean, look, I take nothing away from them because
of the way they ran through Dallas, but I'm not
gonna sit here and shout on it from the rooftops.
This was such a great run through the East. It
was a great run through Dallas the East. Come on,
Miami without his best player, Cleveland without his best player
for much of the series, and it's one of its
other all stars, Jared Allen Indiana. You know, Tyre's Halliburton
(10:43):
banged up. Like, to me, the team that's what's gonna happen.
Next team that benefit for through.
Speaker 5 (10:49):
All those injuries to me is the Pacers, because I
thought the Pacers should have lost to the Bucks, but
if Giannis and Dame Lilli were both playing, I thought
that we would see.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Well advanced out of that first round, because remember the
Pacers had their way with Milwaukee in the first regular
Of all.
Speaker 5 (11:03):
Those teams in the East, the only one that really
moves me is the Knicks, with the Knicks bringing back Randall,
I think that.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
I mean, you see the Milwaukee they do.
Speaker 5 (11:14):
Think about think about what's happened to Milwaukee since their championship.
They're on their second coach fire, I mean fired Budenholzer
and then fired Adrian Griffin and then again like Joel
Embiid again made the point on Twitter, did like Giannis's
fear are Giannis's anxiety and basically forcing the trade to
(11:37):
get Damian Lillard did that just.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
To give Boston the champion. How good was Drew?
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Now, Drew was a big help for Boston, no doubt,
but how much of a hell was he to Milwaukee
last year?
Speaker 4 (11:48):
He was a huge help. But what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
Really when they got you mean when they got beat
in the first round against Miami and Jimmy Butler had
his way with him.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
No, I mean, Treue Holliday is.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Great, but he wasn't great from Milwaukee his last year there.
He shot poorly in the first round when they got
beat by Miami, and he couldn't do a thing with
Jimmy Butler and what is his calling card?
Speaker 4 (12:11):
Defense? So Milwaukee was like, Okay, he's a bit.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
You know, he's on the latter side of his career.
Speaker 4 (12:18):
Now.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
They didn't think he was gonna end up obviously in
in Boston. But still, I'm just saying some of its fit,
and he's a perfect fit in Boston.
Speaker 4 (12:30):
He doesn't have to do nearly as much. He can
vote you offensively.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
This was his lowest scoring season in nearly a decade,
twelve points a game, and so he's a good fit.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
But I'm just saying Milwaukee needed.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Like some more offense because Johannis obviously can't be the
go to guy because he can't shoot jumpers or free throws.
Chris Middleton is banged up half the time, and it's
not like an A level player.
Speaker 4 (12:57):
As good as he is.
Speaker 5 (13:00):
They got to the place where should their second guy well,
but the place where they should have improved, in my opinion,
is over Chris Middleton, because Chris Middleton has never been,
like you said, a top of the line guy. Like
he happened to be the guy that was there taking
the last shot oftentimes because you can create his own
in a better way of credit his own jump shot
than Giannis was able to. But to me, when I
(13:22):
sit and watch that team, even with Damian Lillard currently constructed,
they still need a wing a win.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
They they need some athleticism.
Speaker 5 (13:30):
When you say, like Drew Holliday was playing in the
perfect role, part of that is because they got two
apex wings in Boston and Tatum and Brown that allow
him to do a little bit less.
Speaker 4 (13:40):
Right. So, like if they had improved.
Speaker 5 (13:41):
Over instead of being instead of being star chasing after
Damian Lillard, what they needed to do was find a
wing player upgrade over Middleton.
Speaker 4 (13:50):
I still think that all the offensive problems that they
had still exist. Yeah, how can they exist with Lillard's
that much better than Drew Off?
Speaker 5 (14:02):
I mean offensively, sure, but I think defensively there's a
human prop off which makes a big difference. And you know,
in terms of like and then you look at a
guy like Brook Lopez.
Speaker 4 (14:11):
I mean, Brook Lopez is my age.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
I'm not saying they're gonna beat Boston, but I'm saying no,
they will be tough. Boston's road will be much tougher
next year than it is this year. We'll we'll continue
this though, because we got some more talk about whether
or not they can be a betterns, whether or not
they're more likely to be a dynasty or a one
(14:34):
and done. Keep it locked this Chris and Martin Weiss
in for Rob Parker here on the Odd Thanks for
listening to The Odd Couple podcasts. Be sure to catch
us live every weekday from seven pm to ten pm
Eastern four to seven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio.
Find your local station for The Odd Couple at Fox
(14:54):
Sports Radio dot Com, or stream us live every day
on the iHeart Radio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 4 (15:03):
It's me Rob Parker.
Speaker 7 (15:06):
Check out my weekly MLB podcast, Inside the Parker for
twenty two minutes of piping hot baseball talk featuring the
biggest names of newsmakers in the sport. Whether you believe
in analytics or the I tast We've got all the
bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday, So do your
sofa favor and listen to Inside the Parker with Rob
(15:28):
Parker on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
All right, it's the Eye Couple. It is a worship Wednesday.
Martin Wei's in for Rob Parker. We're live of course
from the tire Rag dot com studios and Martin, we're
talking about whether or not the East Celtics, who are
about to extend Jason Tatum with a well deserved five year,
three hundred and fifteen million dollar contract, which will make
(15:54):
him the highest paid player in the history of the league.
Speaker 4 (15:57):
And that's just the way things work. We all know.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Last year it was Jylen Brown, right, biggest contract in
NBA history. Now it's Jason Tatum, and next year it'll
be somebody else. That's just how it works. But look,
they delivered the championship. It's an easy decision. But here's
the thing. And look, they may repeat, because we're not
so much asking can they repeat?
Speaker 4 (16:21):
They can. I'm not saying they will.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
I think my gut right now, at least right now
is that they won't.
Speaker 4 (16:31):
And they're a.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Great team and they obviously had a fantastic season, one
of the most dominating, dominant seasons ever. I don't think
they're one of the best teams ever, but just it
was definitely one of the most dominant seasons all the
way around.
Speaker 4 (16:46):
But Martin, when you look at the teams that have repeated.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
As champions, one thing that they all have in common,
it's like a top fifteen ish player of all time,
George Mike and now that's going way back to the
beginning of the league, Bill Russell. Then you went about
(17:10):
twenty years before Magic and Kareem did it with the
Showtime Lakers.
Speaker 4 (17:14):
Then it started happening regularly.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
But Isaiah Thomas, who obviously is a legend and around
that top fifteen range, I think the second best small
player ever to Steph Curry, then Jordan of course, then
Elijahwan and then Jordan again, then shocking Kobe two of them,
then Kobe with Powell, then Lebron with d Wade and Bosh,
(17:39):
and then Steph with Kevin Durant. Like as good as
Tatum and Brown are and their future Hall of Famers,
they ain't in that class Martin, And I think you
agree with me right now.
Speaker 5 (17:53):
Sure, but Jason Tatum's only twenty six years old, and
when you look at some of the numbers that like,
if you look at his career to other young protege,
young people who kind of took the league go by
storm when they were younger, like a guy like Kobe
or so on, his numbers are right up there.
Speaker 4 (18:09):
He's got the most playoff points.
Speaker 5 (18:10):
Why player before turning twenty seven, right played in what
I think it was one hundred At one point this
season in the finals, it was one hundred and eight
playoff games played with him and Jalen Brown together. So
I think maybe he's like one to ten right now
along that point. So he's got tons of experience. And
just think about some of the people that he's passing up.
That's Kobe, that's Lebron, and neither one of those guys
did a year in college, right, so they came into
(18:32):
the NBA right out of high school, where Jason Tatum
had to spend that year at Duke. So am I
saying that he's at a Kobe or Lebron level right now?
Speaker 4 (18:39):
No?
Speaker 1 (18:40):
But if you continue, you actually think he can get
to like a top fifteen is all time because he,
to me is and I'm a Tatum fan. I've been
defending him throughout these playoffs and finals because I think
people have been going at him too hard.
Speaker 4 (18:57):
But he is not. Forget Kobe and Lebron and guys
like that.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
He's a slight tick below the best players today, and
it's only a few of them. I'm talking about Jokich,
Luca and Giannis. Do you think he's in that group?
I think he's right below that group. He's below that group.
But what I'm saying is if he continues to win, if.
Speaker 5 (19:23):
They continue to keep winning, sure you see what, but
you keep winning even if his even if his individual
game is not at the level of some of those guys,
he will be considered in that group because of the winning.
That's the thing that I that's that's the thing that's
hard for me to square because.
Speaker 4 (19:38):
He's had so much people I don't say hating.
Speaker 5 (19:42):
Hating is too aggressive, but so many people will downplay
his ability at this point because he hadn't won the
title and like he said, I mean, he was copying
off with Steph Curry after the finals.
Speaker 4 (19:52):
But like what he said, what are they going to
say now?
Speaker 5 (19:54):
So now the only thing now, now that this is
a conversation, what are they going to say now, is well,
is he a top X player of all time?
Speaker 4 (20:01):
Is he a play all time?
Speaker 1 (20:03):
That's far that's way way below, you know, away from
where we're I think right now, if you want to say,
does he have anything left to prove? Obviously he's got
other goals. He can shoot for MVP, more championships and stuff.
But he's proven he can be the best player on
a championship team as good as Brown is, I think
Tatum still is their best player. But he did he
(20:27):
can prove that he can play his best basketball in
the finals. That's what some people want to say. Remember
people didn't they had those questions about Steph until he
was Finals MVP in his fourth championship, and I don't.
I'm not hung up on Finals MVP, but he hasn't
been as good as he can be in the finals.
Speaker 5 (20:48):
I think if Jason Tatum comes out and he plays
like he did in Game five for an entire playoffs,
he will skyrocket the ranks like he will. He will
climb the rings. He's going on an elevator. tATu, I
do like if he if he comes out, and because
here's the thing I mean, realistically speaking, when you look
at the finals in particular, it wasn't that he was
(21:10):
playing poorly across the board.
Speaker 4 (21:12):
He just couldn't hit a shot the sideline.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
Now he played, He played good, strong floor games. He
just couldn't make baskets. And that's what I was saying
in his defense. Let me shout out Michael Holly, who
is one of the greatest reporters Boston's ever seen. He
hit me up with Isaiah is not top fifteen. I
(21:34):
expect that from a Boston you know, not from Boston,
but a Boston guy.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
When talking about the Pistons, I'm about.
Speaker 5 (21:43):
Around him, Thomas, just because he didn't meet the criteria
for the you know.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
The analytics don't like Isaiah. The analytics don't like Kobe either,
to be quite honest. And so because you where we
can see some of these guys right we writing things
ISAAA would tell you this, and he's right, the only
player ever to go through who beat Bird Magic and
(22:10):
Jordan more than they beat him.
Speaker 4 (22:14):
That's pretty good. I mean, it's all look good.
Speaker 5 (22:17):
You want to say, he's not fifteen, look at the
wins and losses matter, right, his.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Stats, as Lebron would say on his teeth. But here's
the other thing. And we talked about the competition coming
into East Martin, what about the West though? See what
I love about this? And we're about to get on
Mark get Mark Stein on man, we can go. We
we got layers to this and we're gonna keep unpacking
these layers Martin Weiss because you.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
Bringing you bringing some stuff to the table.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
But Mark Stein will join us in a moment But first,
Moncey Belos with the update Monsey Fellas.
Speaker 8 (22:53):
Happy to be hanging out with you today.
Speaker 4 (22:56):
A lot going on.
Speaker 8 (22:57):
We're actually gonna start at the Men's College World Series.
Tennessee defeated FSU seven to two. The Volunteers are headed
to the championship series for the first time since nineteen
fifty one. Who are they going to face the winner
of Texas A and M and Florida?
Speaker 4 (23:13):
Who are going to start a three game series on Saturday.
Speaker 8 (23:16):
I don't know why it's not starting until Saturday, but
that's that. In Major League Baseball, Garrett Cole back on
the mound for the Yankees.
Speaker 4 (23:25):
They just scored to tie the game.
Speaker 8 (23:26):
As they're hosting the Orioles in New York, one to
one bottom of the first inning, the Guardians beating the
Mariners three zero bottom of the third inning. Earlier today
in baseball, the Brave shout out the Tigers seven zero,
while the Pirates edged the Reds seven to one. In
the NBA, the Pistons the fired head coach Monty Williams
after one season. Don't feel too bad. They still owe
him sixty five million. They did end with the league
(23:47):
worse fourteen and sixty eight Pascal Siakam plans to return
back to the Pacers. The ESPN reports it's going to
be a four year, one hundred and eighty nine point
five million dollar max contract, and Warriors Gary Payne also
opted into his nine point one million dollar player option
for next season. In the WNBA, Sparks Rickey Cameron brink
out for the rest of the season due to a
(24:08):
torn acl She was also set to compete on the
US women's three on three at the Paris Olympics. Right
now in the WNBA, the Fever are beating the Mystics
twenty eight to twenty six, six minutes to go in.
Speaker 4 (24:19):
The first half.
Speaker 8 (24:20):
Caitlin Clark has four points two or three from the
field to go along with six rebounds and three assists.
And according to Yahoo Sports, the NCAA leadership presented Division
One commissioners with models that would expand the tournament by
four teams or eight teams as soon as twenty twenty
five twenty twenty six, So already a bigger March. Magnus
(24:42):
back to you guys.
Speaker 4 (24:43):
All right, thank you, Mike.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
Yeah, we are live from Thetirerag dot Com Studios. Our
next guest, Fox Sports Radio NBA Insider co hosts of
This League Uncut. Check out the podcast he does with
Chris Haynes, one of the best in the business, The
Hall of f Mark Stein, Mark.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
What up?
Speaker 4 (25:02):
Brother, old couple?
Speaker 2 (25:04):
How is Rob doing man Detroit today? He must be
a mess?
Speaker 1 (25:10):
He is actually not. On tonight Martin Weiss soo. Another
Detroit guy is in for him. So we're not as
old tonight, Martin is.
Speaker 4 (25:20):
What are you? Martin thirty thirty one? No thanks, Chris
thirty four.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
Okay, see, I'm saying I'm giving you a compliment, but
uh yeah, we're not quite as old now, only only
one of us is.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
But much needed infusion right right about that?
Speaker 4 (25:38):
All right? You mentioned it. Monie Williams fired. Mark? Am
I crazy? And I don't. It's probably not going to happen.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
Am I crazy to think the Lakers might at least
want to give Monny a look or or.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
What I would say. Two weeks ago there was actually
chatter about that, and I started hearing that as a
conspiracy theory around the league. That man, can you imagine
if if Monny Williams became available with the Lakers jump
in there? But look, this coaching carousel has been so
filled with twists and turns and curveballs that, like everybody
(26:15):
I talked to, you is somewhat hesitant to make any
kind of firm declaration. The general vibe I got today
when I checked around was that it's probably too late,
and most insiders that I consult with are still projecting
JJ Reddick to get this job. But look, you brought
(26:36):
it up rightfully. So the Lakers actually offered the job
to Moni Williams a few years ago. They went after Tyleru.
Those talks broke down because Eilu felt like the salary
offer was not what it should have been and the
control of staff that he wanted was not where it
(26:57):
needed to be, and so talk with Tylou collapsed, and
Mani Williams could have had the Laker job, he chose
the Phoenix job. He liked the working conditions and the
setup better in Phoenix than he did with the Lakers.
The Lakers turned to Frank Vogel won a championship, but
now they have since parted company with Frank Vogel and Darvinham,
(27:20):
So there is history there. You're not wrong, but is
it too late in the game? And also let's be honest,
MONI Williams has been through a lot here, YEA, with
his dismissal in Phoenix, his dismissal in Detroit after just
the season, obviously, his wife dealing with a very very
serious hole situation. If I'm Mony Williams, do I really
(27:44):
want to jump in and take a Laker job, even
if they came after him and go into the hottest,
most scrutinized seat in the NBA. I don't know how
appealing that would be Samanni Williams at this point, I
don't want to. I have not spoken to him since
all this happened, so I shouldn't be speaking for him.
That's just kind of my read as a third party observer.
(28:07):
I don't know that he would necessarily be in a
huge rush to jump into such a complicated situation, because
even if that is JJ Reddick, it's going to be
a really hard job, and I think it's almost going
to be a tougher job after they offered it to
Dan Hurley and Hurley didn't take it.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
Do you have any feel on what Detroit might do,
what some of the names they're looking at, and I
actually think for and I don't think he like you said,
I think it seems like he's gonna end up with
the Lakers. But I mean for a guy like Reddick
who hasn't coached, I mean a job like Detroit, where
at least you've got a.
Speaker 4 (28:44):
Kate Cunningham, I mean that could be.
Speaker 1 (28:46):
It's certainly a little less stressful than the Lakers job.
Speaker 4 (28:50):
But where do you think Detroit might might go?
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Well, that's what makes some of this so bizarre, the
timing of it. It's just Detroit is jumping into this
so late. There are now technically three head coaching vacancies
in the NBA, with the Lakers, the Cavaliers, and the Pistons.
But by all accounts, both the Lakers and the Cavaliers
are nearing the end of their searches. And again this
(29:17):
is you know, I would not write this in permanent ink,
but most people that I speak to in coaching circles,
the projection at this point is that JJ Reddick would
get the Laker job, and James Arrego is the most
likely to get the Cleveland job. And so now the
Pistons really aren't even looking at experienced coaches, and look,
(29:40):
JJ Redick is not experience, but is certainly a hot
name on the market, but James Barrego has been a
head coach twice. You know, where will the Pistons turn.
They'll almost certainly have to look at the assistant ranks.
And again, you know, the Draft is in a week,
so this coaching search is going to take some time
to start from scratch now with the draft a week out,
(30:03):
so surely it's gonna still into July. It's just the
timing of this is all very curious and weird because look,
the Pistons have not played a game for more than
sixty five days. They just hired a new president of
the basketball operation to do this. Now, it's the timing
(30:25):
is a lot of people are scratching their head about that.
Speaker 5 (30:29):
Yeah, so Mark, I'm want to ask you, Mark Stino
and Martin Weisse here appreciate a big fan of your subtact.
Speaker 4 (30:34):
By the way, also, I'm a.
Speaker 5 (30:35):
Subscriber, but want to know what is the hold up
at this point? Why isn't JJ Reddick the coach of
the Lakers. This has been reported on at nauseam and
they had a brief, brief flirtation with Danny Hurley and
then we heard that that wasn't real, and then you know,
found out that the money wasn't even you know, the
money was only seventy million dollars or six years, and
(30:58):
the money wasn't It wasn't like a godfather offer to
Danny Hurley. So you have to leave yu khon What
is I kind of thought that we were waiting for
the end of the NBA Finals for the Lakers to
hire JJ.
Speaker 4 (31:09):
Is there cold feet?
Speaker 2 (31:11):
There is?
Speaker 4 (31:11):
What is the hold up at this point?
Speaker 2 (31:14):
Well, I think that's probably why not just me, why
others are pulling their punch to some degree because it
isn't done. But let's also say the finals literally just
ended Monday. It's only Wednesday. It's not like it's been
weeks and weeks since the NBA Finals. And I reported
about this very early in the process that JJ Reddick
was going to have to finish the finals after after
(31:38):
ESPN made the decision, a very unpopular decision to move
away from Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, they bring
in Doc Rivers and Doris Burke, and look, I think
ESPN was under no illusion. I think they expected. I
think they fully expected Doc Rivers to return to coaching
at some point but I also think they thought we're
(32:00):
going to get at least the season. He's going to
do this a year, and Doc didn't make it to
February before the Bucks job came up. And you know,
I don't think Doc was actually looking to rush back
into coaching, but that was one of those opportunities again
where it's a good job with a star player like
Joanna Damian Lillard there and a lot of money, and
(32:22):
Doc felt like he couldn't pass that up. But once
they made the switch and announced that jj Reddick was
going to be on their finals broadcast, they needed him
to at least finish the season. And now you could
also go back and you know, Chris and I were
both at ESPN when this happened. In the twenty eleven finals.
(32:42):
The Warriors hired Mark Jackson halfway through the Finals, and
then Mark Jackson get finished the Finals. He covered the
last three games, but it was in the middle of
the series that the Warriors hired him as their coach.
But look, the Lakers, no, I know, there's been a
lot of discussion and was this the smoke screen? Was
this performance art? Was it the leverage pay? I mean,
(33:04):
the Lakers did actually offer the job to Danny Hurley,
and maybe the number wasn't as high as people were expecting,
but they did offer him the job, and Hurley had
the chance to take it and decided not to. Had
Hurley said yes, he'd have been the Lakers coach. So
I think they did need some bit of a reset
after that. But look, I know again I'm because there
(33:29):
have been so many twists in turns. I don't want
to sit here saying this is exactly what's going to
happen next. But again, when I talk to people, the
expectation that underline expectation is that the Lakers are nearing
the finish line.
Speaker 8 (33:44):
In this thing.
Speaker 1 (33:45):
Mark, I want to take it quickly to free agency.
And we got about a minute for your answer. The Spurs,
Now we know Wimby.
Speaker 4 (33:53):
I mean, what a season for a rookie.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
And my guess I think he could be a top
ten player next year. What is the Spurs plan? Like,
how do they want to build around him? We know
they have a lot of money. You think they'll spend
a lot of that this summer or are they kind
of in a Waight in ce mode and be impatient.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
My suspicion is that he probably wants to move faster
than they do, and it'll be interesting to watch what
kind of ques they take from how much, how fast
he really wants to push and will he pushed them?
You know, we're just still learning about him as well.
So is it his way? Is it his manner to
really push things? Because the chatter you heard is that
(34:34):
the Spurs might just want a veteran guard is kind
of the next step, like even even a Chris Paul.
I've been hearing that for over a month now. Maybe
you just bring in Chris Paul for a year or
two to help him take the next step. But the
Spurs with two top techn picks, A lot of people
are watching them to see what they do this summer
for sure.
Speaker 1 (34:52):
All Right, that's our man, Mark Stein, Great stuff as always,
brother than check him out again on the list This
League Uncut Podcast.
Speaker 4 (35:02):
Great stuff man as always.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
Thank you, Yep, moroc Couple coming your way, Chris, Bruce
Art and Martin Weiss keep it locked Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 6 (35:12):
Thanks for listening to the Odd Couple podcast. Be sure
to check us out live every weekday from seven pm
to ten pm Eastern four to seventh Pacific on Fox
Sports Radio. Find your local station for the Odd Couple
at Fox Sports Radio dot com or stream it's live
every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 1 (35:34):
Yes, indeed it is the Odd Couple. I'm Chris, He's
Martin Martin weiss in for Rob Parker Clearoy the Odd Couple. Wow,
we're having a lot of fun.
Speaker 4 (35:47):
We got Eddie.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
House joining us at the bottom of the hour. You know,
he wants to gloat former Boston Celtics player who won
a championship with him in two thousand and eight and
was there to celebrate as they.
Speaker 4 (36:00):
Won this championship.
Speaker 1 (36:03):
This week, we are live from the tirereck dot Com studios.
Speaker 4 (36:08):
Tyreight dot com will help you get there.
Speaker 1 (36:10):
They've got an unmatched election, fast free shipping, free row
has a protection and more than ten thousand recommended to installers.
Tyreck dot com is the way tirebine should be. Martin Whites.
We broached this with Mark Stein, who's a long time
NBA reporter, when we just interviewed him last hour, and
(36:33):
I'm just gonna come out and say it, he said
that Actually a few weeks ago, there was scuttle butt
around the league about this possibly happening. He brought up
that the Lakers a few years ago when they were
looking for a new coach, looked at Monty Williams and
he chose them. Are chose Phoenix over the Lakers, which
(36:57):
he thought was a better situation, and he did get
them to the NBA Finals, even though they lost to Milwaukee.
I'm gonna say it, Martin, the Lakers should halt, not halt,
but should not rush into hiring JJ Reddick and if
that's their guy, but they should strongly consider Monty Williams. Remember,
(37:24):
not only has he been a good coach. I know
it didn't work out in Detroit. I don't know who
could have led that team to a good season in Detroit.
Now I'm not saying somebody might not have done a
better job. It obviously was not a good fit. But
Monty's been a good coach. He's been a coach of
the year. Like I said, he led Phoenix to the
(37:45):
NBA Finals and they were up too. Oh and then
it fell apart. But remember, also, Martin, he had he
coached Anthony Davis in New Orleans.
Speaker 4 (37:57):
Oh yeah, he.
Speaker 1 (37:58):
Coached Davis's first seasons and Davis really was fine. Up
they had a great relationship, and they didn't consult Davis
before they fired Monty, and but he you know, ended
up Alvin Gentry took over and eventually Anthony Davis demanded
(38:21):
his way.
Speaker 4 (38:22):
Out of New Orleans to go.
Speaker 1 (38:25):
To LA But he had a great relationship with Mini Williams.
He talked about how you know, Monty cared about the
players as people.
Speaker 4 (38:34):
And men first and not just his ball players.
Speaker 1 (38:38):
So there's been a lot of talk that this is
a higher, this Lakers higher will not be so much
for Lebron because obviously he's not the future.
Speaker 4 (38:47):
He's the near future.
Speaker 1 (38:49):
But at forty years old, you know his time, his
days are numbered in terms of playing basketball. But for
Anthony Davis, who you hope will want they take that
torch from Lebron James and be able to keep them
with the right moves in championship contention.
Speaker 4 (39:08):
And so I look, I don't I'm.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
Not saying you let a player make a decision, but
do your due diligence. Chat with ad see what you know,
interview MONI see if he's you know, if he would
be a fit if he wants the job, first of all, Secondly,
would he be a fit so I think they should
look at Minty Williams and don't rush. Maybe JJ is
(39:33):
hired at the end of the day, but you're talking
about a guy that's been a coach of the year,
a guy that's taking a team to the NBA Finals,
versus a guy with zero head coaching experience.
Speaker 4 (39:45):
I think you do your due diligence and at least
talk to it. I mean, I would let Monty Williams go.
Speaker 5 (39:52):
And if I was Monty Williams, I'd be like, look,
I'm about to get paid about eighty million dollars over
the next six years six.
Speaker 9 (39:59):
N five years sixty five million left five years sixty
five million to be had that job, right, Like, I
think I'm gonna go ahead and take myself to the beach, Chris,
and put my feet up and count my money if
I'm Monty Williams.
Speaker 4 (40:15):
But if I'm the.
Speaker 5 (40:15):
Lakers, at this point, you gotta hire because here's the thing,
all right, Chris frank Vogels first press conference, the first
question was how did it feel to take this job
knowing that you weren't the first choice already? At JJ
Reddick's first press conference, if he is the head coach
of the Lakers.
Speaker 4 (40:33):
That's gonna be one of the first questions. Whatever happened
with Dan Hurley? How do you?
Speaker 5 (40:37):
How does it know that you took this job knowing
that you may not have been in the first choice.
Speaker 3 (40:41):
How did you?
Speaker 1 (40:42):
But let me ask you this, though, is that a
tough question to answer when you have zero You haven't
even coached college or high school basketball?
Speaker 2 (40:52):
Right?
Speaker 1 (40:52):
He coaches kids in what junior high or something like that. Sure,
but none of these matters to me. I'm gonna say this,
and I don't want to interrupt you flow, but if
somebody asked me that question, like if I was in
JJ Reddick shoes, I'd be like, I understand, even if
I'm don't, even if I'm a little bit bothered, you know,
(41:13):
I would be like, this guy just won back to
back national championships. I haven't coached at all. Now, that
doesn't mean I'm not gonna be good. I will be good.
And I'm looking at guys like Steve curR and Mark
Jackson and Doc Rivers and others who had no coaching
experience and did a good job.
Speaker 4 (41:32):
So I'm gonna be good.
Speaker 1 (41:33):
I'm the coach of this team, right, But I cannot
be upset that they would look at a guy as
as accomplished as Dan Hurley.
Speaker 4 (41:41):
To me, it's a simple answer.
Speaker 1 (41:43):
But Toms or somebody else, that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (41:47):
If you have Monty Williams, you bring him in there.
Speaker 5 (41:49):
Then the question goes from not Dan Hurley, who's back
to back national championship in college, you have Manti Williams,
who's fresh off coaching the worst team in the NBA
last year by a long shot.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
Man, JJ Reddick ain't in no position to be getting
emotional and petty about something.
Speaker 4 (42:06):
You lucky.
Speaker 1 (42:07):
You're lucky the Lakers will consider you to coach Lebron
James and Anthony Davis.
Speaker 4 (42:14):
You lucky man. You better ain't look the third, fourth,
fifth choice.
Speaker 1 (42:19):
You better count your blessings because you have no experience none.
Speaker 5 (42:25):
The thing, I do think you had a good point
throwing that they have to consult Anthony Davis for the
coaching higher right, I think it's it's it's a fool's
endeavor to not consult Anthony Davis and Lebron, but more
so Anthony Davis because again he's gonna be the guy
who is the face of this franchise. That's leading this
franchise going forward. We know Lebron is at this point
(42:46):
probably taking it year to year, even if he doesn't
announce that he's taking yeah, three.
Speaker 4 (42:52):
Years, but but he's not.
Speaker 5 (42:53):
He's not going to be long for this league, right,
Anthony Davis is going to be the guy that bridges
your gap into the next into the next era of
the Lakers. It would almost be like hiring a new
producer for the show without consulting you and Rob.
Speaker 4 (43:05):
It would be like, why would you do that, right,
because it's like, these are the.
Speaker 5 (43:08):
Guys that they got to work with, so you might
as well at least does that mean you hiring and
firing people now?
Speaker 4 (43:13):
But they're taking your opinion into account.
Speaker 5 (43:16):
Monty Williams and Mark Stein alluded to this as well
when he was on at the bottom of Last Hour.
Who's saying how Monty Williams had dealt with a lot
of personal stuff recently his wife passed away. He had
a whole bunch of stuff going on outside of work,
outside of his job, and I think it probably would
do him well to collect himself quote unquote and get
some of that stuff in order, right, get some of it,
(43:37):
Just take a little time off because you look at
some of those press conferences he had after some of
those Pistons games, and I know that not everybody was
locked into the Pistons. I believe me, I understand why.
But he looked beat down, He looked tired. He did
not look like like this. I mean, I get it,
all they're doing is losing. But you look at a
guy like like Joe Missoula, for example, He's the same
(44:01):
kind of guy when they win and when they lose.
You see it in his face. You see the way
he answers his questions. Now, it's a little crazy to me,
the way he talks sometimes. You know, he kind of
looks a little bit out there. But Monty Williams looked defeated,
and I think he's gonna have to take some time
to be able to gain his confidence back in a way, because,
like you said, he was just in the NBA Finals
(44:21):
a handful of years ago.
Speaker 1 (44:23):
Here's the thing, though, and I hear you, and that
very well may be what Monty wants to do. I
feel you, man, if I have five years sixty five
million dollars coming in to my way.
Speaker 4 (44:37):
Yeah, I can't be mad.
Speaker 1 (44:39):
Absolutely, I'm not because the Lakers aren't gonna pay him
that much, right, the Lakers are not that that's more
than they offered to Dan Hurley, so they're not going
to offer money that much.
Speaker 4 (44:50):
So you're right, maybe that's what he'll do.
Speaker 1 (44:54):
Only thing I'll throw at you, though, is he was
planning on coaching next year.
Speaker 4 (45:00):
In fact, he was playing on coaching for the next five.
Speaker 1 (45:02):
Years, you know what I'm saying, Like he didn't know
he was gonna get fired.
Speaker 5 (45:06):
But also, Chris, he was also planning on taking the
air off before Tom Gores offered him the Sun, the Moon,
and the Stars to move to Detroit, like right, but
he was. He was waffling on the job until the
money was like, Nah, I'm gonna go ahead and take
this job.
Speaker 1 (45:23):
So do you think a lot of it was as
far as their failures.
Speaker 4 (45:27):
I mean, obviously has to take some of the blame,
But do.
Speaker 1 (45:30):
You think he just really wasn't ready mentally and probably
shouldn't have even been doing that.
Speaker 5 (45:37):
That's kind of where I'm at. That's why I think
I think he wasn't. There was so much and I
hate this. It's hard to speak on this because you know,
I don't know him. Personally, I'm not talking about it.
But you know, just as as somebody who has experienced
a lot of death in my life, right, a lot
of you have various family members died throughout that it
takes time to adjust to what you're new normal is, right,
(46:01):
It takes time to adjust to to finding out Oh
I can't just pick up the phone and call I
can't just you know, it takes time to be able
to grieve appropriately. And I don't think he got that time.
And I mean he's got no wady to blame but
himself because he didn't have.
Speaker 4 (46:15):
To take the job.
Speaker 5 (46:16):
But when you dangle that much money in front of somebody,
they're gonna do things that they wouldn't normally do. Right,
there are not I shouldna say would't normally do because.
Speaker 1 (46:24):
You know, right, his wife, you know, his second wife,
Remember his first wife died in the tragic car accident,
and then his second wife had cancer.
Speaker 4 (46:34):
But it was you know, it went in remission.
Speaker 1 (46:37):
And so I mean, now that's not as much of
a factor, although to your point, maybe you know, maybe
he still jumped into early but I look, my thing
is more so on the Lakers. You know, it's not
so much on Mini, I mean, I man, my goodness,
I wouldn't blame him if he never coached.
Speaker 4 (46:57):
Again, you know. I mean, he's he's still young.
Speaker 1 (47:00):
Enough where he could certainly do another job, and he
probably doesn't want to end it the way it did
in Detroit. But with all that money, he could go
do whatever he wants. But I'm just saying, if I'm
the Lakers and I'm about to hire a guy with
absolutely no coaching experience, and there have been rumblings that
Anthony Davis in that Hio Redick, I don't know if
that's true, but there's been rumblings about that, and that
(47:22):
he wanted James Berego, who he got to know in
New Orleans. Right, So, you know, again, just do your
due diligence. If Monty's like, you know what, I'm gonna
take a break, you guys will probably be looking for
a new coach in three years anyway.
Speaker 4 (47:38):
I'll be ready by this.
Speaker 1 (47:40):
But if he wants to take a break, I'm totally
with it and totally understand. But yeah, I mean, we will,
you know. I just think that's something they should do. Now,
do you think Reddick should be the higher I thought
I thought a guy that you know is just off
the radar. Now, Mark Jackson would be good. Now I'm
saying money, I think Sam Cassell should be a consideration.
Speaker 4 (48:03):
That's where I'd be going.
Speaker 5 (48:04):
I'd be looking at Sam Cassell, or i'd be looking at, honestly,
Jeff Van Gundy, who was.
Speaker 4 (48:11):
Of course you know, yeah, you're right, he just went
with the Clippers.
Speaker 5 (48:15):
Now, but he was, I mean he was sitting on
the Celtics bench, or you know, I would have looked
at I would have looked to me, I'm looking at
an assistant, either an assistant coach or a guy who's
been a former head coach. And I know that's not
I mean, shouldn't sound like a hot take, but apparently,
you know, if if you could go on TV and
talk about the game, they think you can coach it
as well.
Speaker 4 (48:35):
If you look at you know, some of the.
Speaker 5 (48:36):
History of broadcasters who have been picked up from the sideline,
you know, from the sideline seat with the microphone on,
to the sidelines. He's standing up calling the timeouts. I
don't think I think that JJ Reddick at this point.
The problem is Chris. It's been reported at nauseam about
how close they are to a deal. How so, Like
(48:58):
for me, I would have never considered JJ Reddick as
a head coach, but it seems so. It seems as
if from all the reporting from the NBA insiders that
we trust to put this type of stuff out there,
that JJ Reddick and the Lakers have been on third
base this entire damn time.
Speaker 4 (49:14):
Right, so now there's no doubt, no doubt.
Speaker 5 (49:16):
So at this point, like I would entertain all types
of names because I.
Speaker 4 (49:22):
Think almost all of them would be better options. Right,
All right, Well, we're.
Speaker 1 (49:26):
Gonna throw it out to you guys A seven seven
ninety nine on Fox A seven seven nine.
Speaker 4 (49:31):
Nine six sixty three sixty nine.
Speaker 1 (49:33):
Do you think the Lakers should consider hiring Monty Williams
instead of JJ Reddick. Your thoughts next, Christen Martin the
AKA but Fox Sports Radio
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