June 27, 2024 • 39 mins
Former NFL quarterback Shaun King is in for Rob, and he and Chris discuss how the first round of the NBA Draft proves that that international takeover of the league is in full effect, tell us why American-born players seem to be falling behind and explain why Team USA Basketball could struggle at the upcoming Olympics. Finally, the guys tell us why they have a problem with the NBA Draft television coverage spanning across two nights.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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Speaker 2 (00:24):
Let's get this, punnies, you're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
It is The Odd Couple. I'm Chris. He's Sean in
for Rob Parker.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
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Speaker 3 (00:54):
Let's get right into it, Sean.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
There is so much to get into in the NBA
right now coming off the draft, and Day two is
now complete with the second round of the draft now over.
But the first round was yesterday, first time the league
goes to a two day format, and not surprisingly because
(01:16):
if you had been following the mock drafts, you knew
that this was coming. But the first two picks, Zakari
Risha sche with the Atlanta Hawks, and Alex Sar going
to the Washington Wizards.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
They are from France.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
And then the sixth pick, I don't even know if
I should attempt this one.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
To Jane Salon.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
I probably messed it up, but he goes to Charlotte
He's also from France. So three French players taken in
the first six picks. And we've talked about this a
decent amount on this show, but I want to get
your view, Sean. As Antonio Daniels mentioned, the last six
MVP Awards have been won by international players, now as
(02:10):
three guys. Giannis has won two, Jokic's won three, and
Joel Embiid's won one, But four of the top five players,
or four of the five players on first Team All NBA,
were international. I dare to say it would have been
all five had Joel Embiid not gotten hurt, he would
have been on there instead of Jason Tatum. The best
(02:32):
player in the finals, even though they lost, was Luka Doncic,
who obviously is from Slovenia. And we're not even dominating
the international play anymore. That's been going on for a
while now. You know, when we compete in international competition.
(02:53):
So there is what a lot of people, and I
think it's fair, are terming an international national takeover. Takeover
might be a little strong, but international takeover of the NBA.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
What are your thoughts on this?
Speaker 4 (03:10):
This is what the NBA wanted. I mean, if you
look at the last fifteen to twenty years, I mean,
they've put a lot of energy and effort into growing
the game of basketball. May it go far beyond the
borders of America. And now they're starting to read in
my opinion, you know, you know some of those those wins,
(03:30):
you know, somewhat they invested.
Speaker 5 (03:32):
But I look at this from a different way.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
This is gonna tell me a lot about the current
crop of American guys because they should take this personal. Yes,
and when you look at this draft, like they should
take this personal. And these guys that are on this
USA team when they play France and Rudy Goberr and
Resa Shay and Sar and all these guys, maybe they
should look at this winby they should look at this
(03:55):
just like Jordan and the Dream Team looked at Croatia
with Tony Kokok and Petrovic and they was like, nah,
I got him, like, I'm about to show that we
still the head honcho. I feel like we got to
take that kind of approach. Canada, I think, has a
roster of all NBA guys sake, Gilgers, Alexander, Jamal Murray like.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
And well, and we'll get into that in the next segment.
But and we'll get into the Olympic competition in the
next segment. But what are your thoughts, because you say
this is what.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
The league wanted, Yeah, kind of sort of.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
I think what I think the league, the league definitely
wanted people in other countries watching the NBA idolizing NBA players.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
And playing the game. Absolutely did they want.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
And you, I guess common sense might tell you at
some point, it's the world.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
It's not one country.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
That the world is so much bigger than America that
if the game does grow there and they really become
serious about it, I guess common sense might tell you
at some point they're going to start producing the best
players in the world.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
But I just think I don't think the NBA.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Wanted, at least not yet a situation where I mean,
when we talk about that upper level, I think there
are there's Luka, Yannis Jokic, mbid Wemby at some point
will join that group. MBA's problem is you just can't
stay healthy. But that group is kind of on its
(05:41):
own tier. I do think Jason Tatum is a superstar,
but I think he's a slight notch below those guys.
Lebron obviously still a superstar, but you know, on his
decline now just because of his age.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Steph same thing, KD, same thing.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
And so I don't know that we've envisioned, especially not
this tune. We're like, the absolute best players in the
world are not from America right now.
Speaker 5 (06:11):
Well, it's happened, and it's here, and it goes to.
Speaker 4 (06:17):
There's a changing of the guard on the American side,
Like we reigned supreme for so long. If it wasn't KD,
it was Lebron, you know, if it wasn't Lebron, it
was d Wade, like we Carmelo, Like we had this
run where the top ten players in the NBA for
a long run were all American.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Oh and even deeper than that, and now we've dominated Obviously, now.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
Those guys have all not necessarily retired but gotten older
on the back end of their careers. And I think
what you're seeing Chris is this new generation of American athlete.
It's used to being annoyted or superstar before they actually
have to go out and produce, whether it be on
the hardwood, whether it be on the grass, the diamond.
Like there's so much overage of high school athletics and
(07:03):
college sports that kids are superstars by the time to
get to the pros and they think they've arrived. The
bank account says they have arrived. So I don't know
that that hunger necessarily exists to continue to push yourself
to spend the entire off season getting better. Like the
one thing about the guys that you mentioned, they're all
basketball junkies, Yiannis, Luca Joker, Like MBI's been injured, so
(07:27):
he might be an outlier in some ways, but you know,
look at how much Gianni's game is improved from that
skinny kid.
Speaker 5 (07:33):
In Milwaukee drafted. Look at Yok, look at Luca.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
Like those guys aren't spending their off season, you know,
trying to get likes on social media.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
I do think that that culture, like our culture. I'm
not talking about African American culture.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
We're talking about American culture and how we anoy celebrity
before there's been legitimate celebrity level accomplishment.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
Right, Like, if you're fifteen and you're nice in America,
you're making money from in Il, you're making money from
social media because you have hundreds of thousands, thousands, if
not millions of followers, and you think.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
You're that guy. And I can't really blame you for thinking.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
You that guy because everybody's falling over you.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
You're making tons of money.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
And overseas, if you're fifteen and nice, you're playing on
an adult team.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
You're not getting much time, if any.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
You're getting beat up and outplayed every day in practice
by older players, and the coach is able to coach
you hard, absolutely, and so you're learned.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
So we are going to have to changes.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
You remember the tweet from Jalen Rose a few weeks
ago when he basically said, look, we gotta start working
tirelessly in America or these jobs will not exist for
us anymore.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
And yes, right.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Now, the majority of the best fifty players in the
world are still American, and we do have some American
superstars coming up. I think John Moran is going to
come back great and retain regain his spot as a
superstar Anthony Edwards, obviously, Jason Tatum, maybe Jaylen Brown ascending
(09:23):
to that, Donovan Mitchell.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
We got some great players.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
But it is amazing and it is happening fast how
the international players are.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Becoming the top players in the world.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
And we're gonna have to figure something out because the
stuff you and I just mentioned with the social media
and the adulation that goes to these teenage players who
are still in high school, it is not.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
Helping them at all, you know.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
And we're finding out out every single seas in every
single draft.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
Because all the gen zs are gonna say that Chris
and Sean on Fox hating, but we're not hating. What
is Marvin Marvin Hagler said it the best. He says,
it's hard to go out to bed when you sleep
in silk pajamas, right when you already have a bag
before you've ever made an All Star game in the NBA.
It's hard for somebody to really tell you need to
(10:22):
work on your left hand, you need to develop a
back to the basket game, like you need to play
better on the defensive end of the court. Like it's
hard to accept those things when you've already succeeded on
the financial side, and I think that limits to me
some of the growth of some of our American players.
Speaker 5 (10:38):
And I'm not hating on it.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
I'm not knocking it like it is and I definitely
feel too. And we'll take some calls on this because
I want to see what the listeners think.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
But Sean also, I do think that I.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Think American players in general work very hard. But I
also think American players in general work hard at what
they want to work at. Like, first of all, the
way they're coming up playing now is ISO one on one.
I can do whatever I want with you, shake you
up and pick and roll right. So one or two
(11:18):
man basketball guys aren't learning post entry passes. Guys aren't
learning how to move without the ball and set screens
and playing in five man offenses, whereas Overseas.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
They are doing that.
Speaker 6 (11:33):
Now.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Lucas an outlier.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
He plays more like an American in that regard that
he's ball dominant and doesn't, you know, move without the
ball and things.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
But I think when you.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
Look Overseas, they're more fundamentally sound and play kind of
team ball better. Like Nikola Jokis is involved in every
play offensively, for the most part.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
But he's moving the ball fast.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
He's not holding it, he's not over dribbling, he's moving
it very quickly to his teammates. And that type of
basketball will reign supreme over one or two man basketball.
So I think our guys are wildly athletic. They work
on their handles, they work on their three point shot.
But to your point, who's adding a post game?
Speaker 5 (12:20):
Yeah, to their buildings?
Speaker 1 (12:22):
You know who's working on the things they aren't good at.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
Magic Bird Jordan.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
They used to come back, you know a lot of
summers with something they added to their game.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
Even Kobe.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
Kobe added that post game, worked on his footwork with Elijahwan,
Like we have to our best players need to be
adding things to their game, not just building up and
enhancing what they're already great at.
Speaker 4 (12:50):
And I think you hit it on the head. And
I think when you look at it, chritsis about this.
Our top guys and the majority of that next group
that's like got the potential to be a top guy.
They practice highlight. They don't practice fundamentals like being a
god that's got a quarterback background. From a coaching and
playing standpoint, man, I have to argue with quarterbacks all
(13:11):
the time. They all want to throw the Patrick Mahomes,
Aaron Rodgers, Josh Allen Fallaway's side on back across the field,
Aaron Rodgers throw and I'm like, you can't stand in
this spot and go down the passing tree and not
have the ball hit the ground, Like.
Speaker 5 (13:26):
Why are you trying to know the ball side on?
Speaker 4 (13:28):
But it's that microwave, you know, era that we're in
and you know, let me ask you this. How much
of it is a direct result of and this is
probably more of an NBA thing than the other sports currently,
a player entitlement occurring too fast because it's hard for
a player to improve if he can't be coached. If
the coach is insecure with holding a player accountable, you know,
(13:52):
for not being fundamentally sound, for not getting better, and
the things is deficient that because he don't want the
player to go upstairs and say, I don't like this coach.
He's not the white one for us. How much of
that correlates to that environment in the NBA.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
I don't think that's that new to the NBA. I
think that's kind of been there for decades. In a
lot of instances, I think the players that have been
the ones to excel as far as winning championships and
stuff were coachable. But they also I mean Magic Johnson
got Paul West had fired, you know, so I think
(14:29):
after they had won a championship together, remember early in
the eighties. So I think that's always been there as
far as that player empowerment in the NBA to some degree.
But I think where it's hurting us Sean is on
the AAU circuit, where with the teenagers, where if I'm
a superstar player and I'm playing on an AAU team,
(14:53):
my coach is just happy to have me, you know
most cases, and so he's not on me about not
playing defense, about not you know, shared passing the ball,
about not you know, hustling and taking bad shots and
things like that, because if he does jump on me,
(15:14):
I might go play across town on the other team
and beat him the next weekend.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
Right.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
So I don't think are young players that we're talking
about who are getting all the adulation. I don't think
they're in situations, generally speaking, not in every single case
where they are being coached like that, where they can
be coached hard and told what they're not good at
and working on it, and so let's start out to
(15:43):
listeners eight seven seven ninety nine on Fox.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
What are your thoughts?
Speaker 6 (15:45):
There?
Speaker 5 (15:46):
Was?
Speaker 1 (15:46):
I mean, I don't know how you can deny it.
Three of the top six players taking from France, not
just international, but from France. And we've talked about it
MVPs first Team All NBAS International guys. So what are
your thoughts on this quote unquote international takeover of the
(16:07):
NBA and how can we stem the tide?
Speaker 3 (16:10):
Do we need.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
To stem the tide and get our Americans back on top?
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Your thoughts?
Speaker 1 (16:14):
Next Chris and Sean eight seven seven ninety nine on
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(17:35):
you're turning a weigh in on this international takeover of
basketball the NBA.
Speaker 4 (17:42):
Well, let's jump over to the phone lines. Chris I
first called it to day Greg in New York. You're
on the odd couple. What you got for us it?
Speaker 6 (17:49):
What's going on? Fellas man? First, I want to say
I want to give the flowers to the high school
coaches that are still coaching our young men the right way.
Not everybody's caught up in the AAU circuit. I know
a lot of our are heralded players make it there,
but you know there aren't some coaches that are doing
the right thing. Secondly, I think we should hold these
AAU coaches accountable because if there's enough talent to go around,
(18:13):
don't worry about it. If the kid is going to
leave you your team to go to another one, you
sending the wrong message to the rest of the guys
on your team. And thirdly, I need to change it.
The rest of the world is bigger than America. So
just because the game started here, we've spent America spent
all this money to grow the game. Don't get upset
when it grows. I mean, I think it's a beautiful
(18:34):
thing to see all these people all all over do
the thing. Go next.
Speaker 4 (18:41):
Cloud nine as they should be, as they should be.
We're gonna move to the next caller.
Speaker 3 (18:47):
Yeah, yeah, definitely.
Speaker 5 (18:48):
All right, Josh and Arizona, you're in the odd couple.
Speaker 8 (18:50):
What you got, how y'all boys doing good?
Speaker 6 (18:54):
Man, man cool? Cool?
Speaker 8 (18:57):
I got two things. One, I play ball overseas for
about seven eight years. We're never catching them. I think
it's a societal problem. We are allowing sensitivity and softness
to take over. We're giving out money to our young
kids and different ones a little too early, and that's
(19:17):
just certain things that those countries are not going to do.
Speaker 5 (19:20):
You know.
Speaker 8 (19:20):
They got to hold on certain things like that, more
traditional and the upbringing and understanding. So I don't think
we're going to really catch them. I think this is
the beginning of the end.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Stay and keep the play, keep stay on the line,
don't cut him off. I was talking with Rob g
as we were putting together the topics before the show,
and I was, you know, as I've said many times yet,
the bulk of the best fifty.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
Players in the world are still American.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
But at this rate, I mean, at this rate, like
we talk about, will the league become more predominantly international
at this rate in twenty years, what is the NBA
going look like?
Speaker 3 (20:00):
And it sounds like that's what you're saying for sure.
Speaker 8 (20:03):
It's not a mystery that Luca and I forgot the
other person that came out, oh, I think it was
Wemby who said scoring in the NBA is a lot
easier than scoring and all said that it's one hundred
percent fact. Look at Kimba Walker, right, now he's over
in the euro League right now. Look at how he's
playing and opposed to how what he was doing when
(20:24):
he's Obviously it's an older version, but it's still it's
a it's a lot tougher and they and they hold
on traditional values. And before I leave, I have to
talk to mister King. I was listening to the show
in the beginning.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Let me just.
Speaker 8 (20:38):
Enlighten you a little bit. Peyton Pritcher the very same
conference that Brownie was in, Who's the Player of the Year,
And on top of that, he was also the Bobkouzi
Award winner that same year, which meant he was the
best point guard in the nation. I don't know, if
Bronnie could be Peyton Pritcher, that would be great for him.
And and uh, and that's a guy at the end
(20:58):
of the bench, which is why it's it's a big
deal that he got drafted at all.
Speaker 5 (21:02):
And Josh, I appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (21:03):
And just just for context, I was I'm a Peyton
Pritcher fan. I was simply saying that people keep alluding
to the fact that Brownie's not a transcendent athlete. And
I bought Peyton Pritchett up as an undersized guy that
doesn't jump out of the gym, and you know, I
don't think I've ever seen him dunk that still has
a role and as a productive component to a successful team.
(21:25):
That's why I made the comparison to Pritcher.
Speaker 8 (21:28):
Okay, okay, well, yeah, that's that's very true. You know,
you can get it in other ways. But because being
athletic for sure.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
Let me let me let me say this too. Thank
you for caller.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
That was good, Sean. I went over when Brent. You
remember Brandon Jennings, Yes, and he was one of the
high school right well, he was one of the top
high school players in the country.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
And he was going to go to Arizona but have
problems with his SAT so he went.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
Remember he went over to Italy to play for a
year before being drafted.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
And I went over to Italy to do a story
on him for ESPN the magazine.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
And again this was one.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
Of the top ten, if not five players in the country. Okay,
point guard and people remember he me scored fifty five
as a rookie.
Speaker 5 (22:16):
He's in the Steph Curt on the podcast.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, And Brandon is a great guy. I
had great time over there with him, and I would
think he'd be he would tell you, because it was
just it was just it was what it was. He
was struggling over there, I mean, and he's going against
grown men. Now he was fresh out of high school.
Speaker 3 (22:37):
He wasn't that.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
Strong, you know, he's was six one six y two, lanky,
you know, thin, athletic, but struggling to the point. I
was sitting there watching the practices, struggling getting the ball
up court like grown men were.
Speaker 3 (22:52):
Deming him up. And now I will give him this.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
When he got into the games like weeks later, he
de balled like they didn't even let him play as
much as they should have. But he ran that high
pick and roll and his athleticism took over and he
was able to do some stuff. But watching him in practice,
he was struggling to against their tough defense. And I
(23:19):
was going to games with them. I remember after one game,
I mean, we were in this little gym. I don't
even know it was where it was now that it
was so long ago. But he was like afterwards, because
I think the dude might have he juked him real nice.
He might have made him fall or something made Brandon fall,
but Brandon was like, Yo, these dudes way better than people.
Speaker 3 (23:41):
People think.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
He was like shot because again he was destroying people.
He went to oak Kill Academy. He broke records at
oak Kill Academy. He was like killing people over here
and over there was really having a hard time. And
so and again that was like two thousand and nine
or something like that. So imagine the difference today. All right,
(24:06):
we're gonna keep talking about this Olympics, and you brought
it up in the first segment, Sean, but are we
a lock? I mean, we send in our big boys,
Lebron and Steph and kd.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
Are we a lock to win this thing?
Speaker 4 (24:18):
Or not?
Speaker 2 (24:20):
But first, be sure to catch live editions of The
Odd Couple with Chris Brussard and Rob Parker weekdays at
seven pm Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
We talked about three of the top six players in
the draft from France. I don't know if all of them.
I'm guessing all of them are on the Olympic team.
I mean they're young, so maybe maybe they're not. But
Wimby's gonna be on there. You got some other Rudy Gobert,
(24:53):
so France will be interesting Canada.
Speaker 3 (24:57):
I mean, Rob g do you have the Canadian team.
Speaker 5 (25:00):
Jamaal Alexander Uh, it's in the RJ.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
Bear, Drew Wiggins, r J Bart, Andrew Nimhar, Lou Dort, Rob,
you got it, go give us their Listen to a
quickly clarification.
Speaker 9 (25:15):
For the French team, none of the guys that were
drafted are going to be in the upcoming Olympics because
they're not on the senior team. They're considered the junior team,
so they be ready for the twenty twenty eight Olympics.
But for Canada, it's all NBA players or former NBA players, Naiki,
Alexander Walker, r J Barrett, Trey Bell, Hayes, who I
believe the only guy who's not had like an extended
(25:38):
career in the NBA, Anthony Bennett, Lou Dort, Corey Joseph,
Trey Lyles, Michael Moulder played for a hot minute, Dwight Powell,
Andrew Wiggins, Shay Gil Just Alexander Dylan Brooks.
Speaker 3 (25:50):
All right, here's the thing. Let me quickly.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
I'm gonna tell you this story because this is twice
since this has happened and they've been right on the money.
I've told the story Sean before of how nineteen ninety
six at the Chicago pre draft camp, the great Larry
Brown head coach, he told me the next hotbed of
basketball is gonna be Eastern Europe.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
This nineteen ninety six. Now you know, I'm thinking in
my head, man, please, like, really Eastern Europe about to
take us out?
Speaker 1 (26:24):
He said, that's gonna be the next hotbed, he said,
because those kids, it's impoverished over there. They're struggling, and
basketball is their way out, he said. I believe, he said,
just like it was here in the ghettos of America.
So that that's one thing that obviously came true. I've
been to Eastern Europe. Have you been Eastern.
Speaker 5 (26:43):
Europe via movies? Google Maps? Yes?
Speaker 1 (26:48):
Well you probably a lot of us go to visit Europe,
right when we go to Paris, we go to Rome,
we go to London, we go to Madrid and Spain
all that, and it's you know, those are beautiful, wonderful cities,
right man. I went to Serbia when I was over
there with Brandon Jenny's it's the hood, man. It looks
(27:13):
like Youngstown, Ohio or or worse, but you saw battle
tool like buildings that had been blown up and ravished, ravaged.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
In war were still there.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
It really, it's completely Eastern Europe is very different from
the countries that most people go visit and you know,
on vacations, and it's hood and those kids they are
over there, man, playing for their livelihood and stuff.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
So that happened.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
And then this was in the side the Summer League
in Vegas.
Speaker 3 (27:49):
I don't know, I was still a ESPN it might
have been twenty twelve is somewhere around there.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
And there was a guy from Canada who worked for
an NBA team.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
I can't even remember his name, but he told me.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
He was a black guy and he said, man, Canada
is about to start producing some great players, because he said,
they're you know, they've been they've all you know, they've
always gotten a lot of African immigrants, whether from Africa
to Caribbean. And he said, they're really taking the basketball
(28:27):
and they're you know, they're emulating the American players and
they're working on their games and they taking it seriously
and low and behold.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
That's what we're seeing.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
Canada is bad, I mean, and a lot of people
don't even know a lot of guys from Canada because
obviously Canada America, they may seem more like American, right
Jamal Murray as GA, but these dudes are Canadian Andrew
Wiggins And the thing I'll tell you about their team now,
I think we are the should be the heavy favorites
(28:57):
or the favorites, and I think we'll win. But when
you look at our team, our team is a bunch
of superstars who are used to doing the glamorous things, scoring,
you know, things.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
Like like that.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
When you look at that team that Rob g just
read off with Lou Dort and Dylan Brooks and a
healthy number of roleblas, that's really like a team because
they got a few stars. You got Jamal Murray as GA.
Wiggins maybe if you consider him that, I think I'm
missing a star or two. And then you've got a
(29:34):
bunch of roles players like they're built like a real team,
and that's gonna be interesting.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
They're obviously younger than our.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Group too, so it's gonna be it's gonna be tougher
than I think we think.
Speaker 4 (29:47):
Uh didn't Canada beat us in the World Cup in
the finals.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
Yeah, but well we didn't make you're talking about last
summer because we didn't make the finals, did we?
Speaker 3 (29:56):
We gotta be by Germany. I think Canada may have
beaten us.
Speaker 5 (30:00):
They beat us for third place.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
Yeah, okay, yeah, because Germany beat us. But again that
wasn't our big dogs. But that was some good play,
great players obviously, and Trese Halliberg andson was here's this
interestion about that team and and you kind of alluded
to it. We never worried about that not too long ago,
(30:25):
because Kobe would do the dirty stuff. The Wade would
do the dirty stuff like they had guys on the
team even though they was if they were willing to
do it. It'll be interesting with this team, and I'm
sure some guys will. I just don't know if they
got a lot of.
Speaker 3 (30:38):
Alpha and and injury prone too though.
Speaker 5 (30:43):
Yeah, you know Kawhis You know Kawhi.
Speaker 3 (30:45):
Would do that, but he's I mean, how healthy is
he going to.
Speaker 4 (30:48):
His body's let him down? Anthony Edwards has like that,
like alpha male dog. But there's some really tough.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
Even you mentioned that redeemed with Kobe. I mean that's
when Lebron Kobe lay mellow. They were pretty much in
their prime. Obviously, Kobe was in his prime. D Wade
had already led the Miami team to the championship. Lebron
had led a team to the finals.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
I mean, so these.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
Guys were at their best. And we had Carlos Boozer,
Jason Kidd, who obviously.
Speaker 3 (31:24):
Was an experienced player at that.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
Time, Darren Williams, remember Darren was Darren was one of
the best point guards in the league, Michael Ran for shooting,
Dwight Howard in his prime, Chris Boss, Chris Paul and
Mellow and Tayshawn Prince. So Tayshawn like the role player.
That Redeemed team beat Spain one eighteen to one oh
(31:46):
seven in the championship, the gold medal game, so they
beat him by eleven.
Speaker 3 (31:53):
And that's when all those legends were in their primes.
So now I this is gonna be a tough This
is gonna be tough, man.
Speaker 4 (32:05):
It is, It really is, because I listen, all these
guys want to win. But is it gonna alter innto
their legacies if they don't win the Olympic gold.
Speaker 5 (32:15):
No.
Speaker 4 (32:15):
No, it's like the there's not a lot of pressure
in my opinion, coming from inside with America for a
gold medal or bus result from this team.
Speaker 3 (32:26):
So I mean, it's just I think the pride.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
I think there is some pride, but at the end
of the day, to your point earlier, when you're making
hundreds of millions of dollars, you're already a superstar, a celebrity.
Is pride enough, And I think where it would show
up if it shows up, and it's who was saying that?
Speaker 3 (32:53):
Somebody? I heard one coach recently said it.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
I can't remember who it was, or it was in
the play off Jason Kidds said it going into game
for for the Mavericks, like he was like, at some point,
there's gonna be an opportunity for you to give up
the rope. Let go of the rope, right because we're
down three to zero, and you know, if they get
up big, it's gonna be easy to be like, man,
(33:19):
it's over and you know, and you let go to
rope and you're no longer competing when not if that
time comes for us in the Olympics where not that
we're down big, but where it really you have to
reach down in the to the bottom of your soul
right and compete like you would compete in the NBA
(33:41):
finals to win.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
Are we gonna? Are all our superstars.
Speaker 5 (33:46):
Willing to do that?
Speaker 1 (33:47):
And like you said, a game that is not yet
you want to win goal, but it's not gonna really
impact your legacy.
Speaker 4 (33:55):
And I think why that's a very pertinent opinion, Chris,
is the margins are so much smaller. It's not like
ten years ago where what you're talking about might be
only in the finals, like they might catch that kind
of competitive game, you know, three four times just to
at gold medal games. So I mean, it's gonna be
fascinating to watch. The one thing that worries me about
(34:16):
this team is they got a lot of the guys
that have injury history. Oh yeah, durant Ad Mbi Kawhi, Like,
I just hope we stay healthy.
Speaker 3 (34:26):
That's a huge problem, There's no doubt. All Right, A couple.
Fox Sports Radio keep it lying.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Chris Brussard and Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the
IHEARTRADIOI all.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
Right, it's the Eye Couple Chris and Sean Sean King in.
Speaker 3 (34:46):
For Rob Parker.
Speaker 1 (34:47):
We're broadcasting live from the Tiereck dot Com studios. So, Sean,
this was the first time that the NBA went to
a two night draft, and night is not exactly right.
It was four to seven pm Eastern time, or was
it even four to seven, but four to six maybe
(35:09):
started at four o'clock Eastern on the second day. They
used to do it in one night, which was a
long night. I covered many of those live and very
long night when they did the first and second rounds together.
Speaker 3 (35:26):
But what were your thoughts?
Speaker 1 (35:27):
Obviously they wanted to try to capitalize and copy the NFL,
which stretches theirs out.
Speaker 3 (35:33):
What is it three days?
Speaker 4 (35:35):
The NFL firstday, second and third is another than the
rest of the draft four through seven, it's the third day.
I still think there's a disconnect between the public and
the sport and the value of the actual draft, because
the NBA has conditioned fan base is that the draft
(35:56):
is more for the future than it is for right now.
And I just don't think people are as interested in
watching something where most of the people selected aren't gonna
help my team this upcoming season. They're gonna be two
three years down the line. Where's the NFL Draft people
on the edge of the seat, like, if I can
get Caleb Williams, listen, the Bears are gonna go from
(36:17):
you don't being nothing to everything. You know, if I'm
in Washington, we just fired everybody got new ownership. But
if we get Jade Daniels Man, if the NFL has
shown that there's so much parody, you can go from
the bottom of a division to win a division in
one off season, and.
Speaker 1 (36:33):
You say interest statuteft because of that, would you say
that's related to.
Speaker 3 (36:40):
The one and done rule.
Speaker 5 (36:41):
I think a lot of it.
Speaker 1 (36:42):
Because not many guys are going to either and now
are you're not allowed to go straight out of high school.
But when you talk about guys going straight out of
high school, there's only one that went into the NBA
and did damage right away, and that was Lebron Average
twenty is a rookie out of high school. But now
even with the one and done, it's you know, not
(37:04):
as common. Some dude come in and play really well.
Kevin Durant, I believe average twenty as a rookie one
and done, you.
Speaker 3 (37:13):
Know, coming in to win all the.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
Well, right, But I mean a lot of these guys
are you know, as one and does, or at least
were a few years ago. But I think that like
Michael Jordan, had he come out right out after his
first year of college, probably would not have almost certainly
(37:38):
wouldn't have done what he did as a rookie when
he averaged twenty eight points a game. Now, he might
have been great and shown us stuff we did not
know he had because he was great though second and
third years in college. But still, you know what I'm saying,
Like the guys, the star players years ago were staying
(37:59):
through three years in college, two three, maybe four years
in college, and so when they came in Patrick Ewing,
Hakeem Olajuan, Ralph Sampson, Jordans, they came in Larry Bird
ready to to not only contribute but lead teams right away.
These guys aren't aren't able to do that now because
(38:20):
they're so young. And then the guys that are older
are more role players and they're contributing roles, but they're
not they don't have the superstar talent.
Speaker 4 (38:29):
I just think the NBA has gotten so comfortable drafting
potential not production.
Speaker 1 (38:35):
One that's because of the one and done rule. You're saying,
this kid ain't ready, But he's got the most upside
of anybody in the draft, and.
Speaker 4 (38:43):
I think that's that's what the disinterest is in the draft.
The number one pick in the draft averaged ten points
and four rebounds last.
Speaker 1 (38:48):
Well, yeah, over seas, and they're playing. They're not playing
as many minutes.
Speaker 4 (38:54):
You're a Hawk fan, you're not going out by season
tickets for next one.
Speaker 1 (38:57):
Not just that you don't even know who the kid is, right,
suck at that?
Speaker 3 (39:02):
Really?
Speaker 1 (39:02):
Yeah, I mean just because they're they're international in that regard.
So it is an odd time for the NBA to
go to two nights because now they're facing the challenge
of so many international players dominating the top of the
draft that guys don't know, you know, the average fan
doesn't know who these guys are and how good they
(39:24):
are to get excited about them and stuff like that.
Speaker 3 (39:26):
So it's interesting. We got an hour left. There's talk
about Kevin Durant moving on. We'll get into that next.
Christ and Sean the odd couple
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 Foxsports Radio dot com, or stream us live every
day on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Let's get this, punnies, you're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
It is The Odd Couple. I'm Chris. He's Sean in
for Rob Parker.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
We're live from the tirerack dot Com studios. Tirek dot
Com will help you get there. They've got an unmatched selection, fast,
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Speaker 3 (00:54):
Let's get right into it, Sean.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
There is so much to get into in the NBA
right now coming off the draft, and Day two is
now complete with the second round of the draft now over.
But the first round was yesterday, first time the league
goes to a two day format, and not surprisingly because
(01:16):
if you had been following the mock drafts, you knew
that this was coming. But the first two picks, Zakari
Risha sche with the Atlanta Hawks, and Alex Sar going
to the Washington Wizards.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
They are from France.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
And then the sixth pick, I don't even know if
I should attempt this one.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
To Jane Salon.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
I probably messed it up, but he goes to Charlotte
He's also from France. So three French players taken in
the first six picks. And we've talked about this a
decent amount on this show, but I want to get
your view, Sean. As Antonio Daniels mentioned, the last six
MVP Awards have been won by international players, now as
(02:10):
three guys. Giannis has won two, Jokic's won three, and
Joel Embiid's won one, But four of the top five players,
or four of the five players on first Team All NBA,
were international. I dare to say it would have been
all five had Joel Embiid not gotten hurt, he would
have been on there instead of Jason Tatum. The best
(02:32):
player in the finals, even though they lost, was Luka Doncic,
who obviously is from Slovenia. And we're not even dominating
the international play anymore. That's been going on for a
while now. You know, when we compete in international competition.
(02:53):
So there is what a lot of people, and I
think it's fair, are terming an international national takeover. Takeover
might be a little strong, but international takeover of the NBA.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
What are your thoughts on this?
Speaker 4 (03:10):
This is what the NBA wanted. I mean, if you
look at the last fifteen to twenty years, I mean,
they've put a lot of energy and effort into growing
the game of basketball. May it go far beyond the
borders of America. And now they're starting to read in
my opinion, you know, you know some of those those wins,
(03:30):
you know, somewhat they invested.
Speaker 5 (03:32):
But I look at this from a different way.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
This is gonna tell me a lot about the current
crop of American guys because they should take this personal. Yes,
and when you look at this draft, like they should
take this personal. And these guys that are on this
USA team when they play France and Rudy Goberr and
Resa Shay and Sar and all these guys, maybe they
should look at this winby they should look at this
(03:55):
just like Jordan and the Dream Team looked at Croatia
with Tony Kokok and Petrovic and they was like, nah,
I got him, like, I'm about to show that we
still the head honcho. I feel like we got to
take that kind of approach. Canada, I think, has a
roster of all NBA guys sake, Gilgers, Alexander, Jamal Murray like.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
And well, and we'll get into that in the next segment.
But and we'll get into the Olympic competition in the
next segment. But what are your thoughts, because you say
this is what.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
The league wanted, Yeah, kind of sort of.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
I think what I think the league, the league definitely
wanted people in other countries watching the NBA idolizing NBA players.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
And playing the game. Absolutely did they want.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
And you, I guess common sense might tell you at
some point, it's the world.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
It's not one country.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
That the world is so much bigger than America that
if the game does grow there and they really become
serious about it, I guess common sense might tell you
at some point they're going to start producing the best
players in the world.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
But I just think I don't think the NBA.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Wanted, at least not yet a situation where I mean,
when we talk about that upper level, I think there
are there's Luka, Yannis Jokic, mbid Wemby at some point
will join that group. MBA's problem is you just can't
stay healthy. But that group is kind of on its
(05:41):
own tier. I do think Jason Tatum is a superstar,
but I think he's a slight notch below those guys.
Lebron obviously still a superstar, but you know, on his
decline now just because of his age.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Steph same thing, KD, same thing.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
And so I don't know that we've envisioned, especially not
this tune. We're like, the absolute best players in the
world are not from America right now.
Speaker 5 (06:11):
Well, it's happened, and it's here, and it goes to.
Speaker 4 (06:17):
There's a changing of the guard on the American side,
Like we reigned supreme for so long. If it wasn't KD,
it was Lebron, you know, if it wasn't Lebron, it
was d Wade, like we Carmelo, Like we had this
run where the top ten players in the NBA for
a long run were all American.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Oh and even deeper than that, and now we've dominated Obviously, now.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
Those guys have all not necessarily retired but gotten older
on the back end of their careers. And I think
what you're seeing Chris is this new generation of American athlete.
It's used to being annoyted or superstar before they actually
have to go out and produce, whether it be on
the hardwood, whether it be on the grass, the diamond.
Like there's so much overage of high school athletics and
(07:03):
college sports that kids are superstars by the time to
get to the pros and they think they've arrived. The
bank account says they have arrived. So I don't know
that that hunger necessarily exists to continue to push yourself
to spend the entire off season getting better. Like the
one thing about the guys that you mentioned, they're all
basketball junkies, Yiannis, Luca Joker, Like MBI's been injured, so
(07:27):
he might be an outlier in some ways, but you know,
look at how much Gianni's game is improved from that
skinny kid.
Speaker 5 (07:33):
In Milwaukee drafted. Look at Yok, look at Luca.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
Like those guys aren't spending their off season, you know,
trying to get likes on social media.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
I do think that that culture, like our culture. I'm
not talking about African American culture.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
We're talking about American culture and how we anoy celebrity
before there's been legitimate celebrity level accomplishment.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
Right, Like, if you're fifteen and you're nice in America,
you're making money from in Il, you're making money from
social media because you have hundreds of thousands, thousands, if
not millions of followers, and you think.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
You're that guy. And I can't really blame you for thinking.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
You that guy because everybody's falling over you.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
You're making tons of money.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
And overseas, if you're fifteen and nice, you're playing on
an adult team.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
You're not getting much time, if any.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
You're getting beat up and outplayed every day in practice
by older players, and the coach is able to coach
you hard, absolutely, and so you're learned.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
So we are going to have to changes.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
You remember the tweet from Jalen Rose a few weeks
ago when he basically said, look, we gotta start working
tirelessly in America or these jobs will not exist for
us anymore.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
And yes, right.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Now, the majority of the best fifty players in the
world are still American, and we do have some American
superstars coming up. I think John Moran is going to
come back great and retain regain his spot as a
superstar Anthony Edwards, obviously, Jason Tatum, maybe Jaylen Brown ascending
(09:23):
to that, Donovan Mitchell.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
We got some great players.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
But it is amazing and it is happening fast how
the international players are.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Becoming the top players in the world.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
And we're gonna have to figure something out because the
stuff you and I just mentioned with the social media
and the adulation that goes to these teenage players who
are still in high school, it is not.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
Helping them at all, you know.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
And we're finding out out every single seas in every
single draft.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
Because all the gen zs are gonna say that Chris
and Sean on Fox hating, but we're not hating. What
is Marvin Marvin Hagler said it the best. He says,
it's hard to go out to bed when you sleep
in silk pajamas, right when you already have a bag
before you've ever made an All Star game in the NBA.
It's hard for somebody to really tell you need to
(10:22):
work on your left hand, you need to develop a
back to the basket game, like you need to play
better on the defensive end of the court. Like it's
hard to accept those things when you've already succeeded on
the financial side, and I think that limits to me
some of the growth of some of our American players.
Speaker 5 (10:38):
And I'm not hating on it.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
I'm not knocking it like it is and I definitely
feel too. And we'll take some calls on this because
I want to see what the listeners think.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
But Sean also, I do think that I.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Think American players in general work very hard. But I
also think American players in general work hard at what
they want to work at. Like, first of all, the
way they're coming up playing now is ISO one on one.
I can do whatever I want with you, shake you
up and pick and roll right. So one or two
(11:18):
man basketball guys aren't learning post entry passes. Guys aren't
learning how to move without the ball and set screens
and playing in five man offenses, whereas Overseas.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
They are doing that.
Speaker 6 (11:33):
Now.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Lucas an outlier.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
He plays more like an American in that regard that
he's ball dominant and doesn't, you know, move without the
ball and things.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
But I think when you.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
Look Overseas, they're more fundamentally sound and play kind of
team ball better. Like Nikola Jokis is involved in every
play offensively, for the most part.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
But he's moving the ball fast.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
He's not holding it, he's not over dribbling, he's moving
it very quickly to his teammates. And that type of
basketball will reign supreme over one or two man basketball.
So I think our guys are wildly athletic. They work
on their handles, they work on their three point shot.
But to your point, who's adding a post game?
Speaker 5 (12:20):
Yeah, to their buildings?
Speaker 1 (12:22):
You know who's working on the things they aren't good at.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
Magic Bird Jordan.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
They used to come back, you know a lot of
summers with something they added to their game.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
Even Kobe.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
Kobe added that post game, worked on his footwork with Elijahwan,
Like we have to our best players need to be
adding things to their game, not just building up and
enhancing what they're already great at.
Speaker 4 (12:50):
And I think you hit it on the head. And
I think when you look at it, chritsis about this.
Our top guys and the majority of that next group
that's like got the potential to be a top guy.
They practice highlight. They don't practice fundamentals like being a
god that's got a quarterback background. From a coaching and
playing standpoint, man, I have to argue with quarterbacks all
(13:11):
the time. They all want to throw the Patrick Mahomes,
Aaron Rodgers, Josh Allen Fallaway's side on back across the field,
Aaron Rodgers throw and I'm like, you can't stand in
this spot and go down the passing tree and not
have the ball hit the ground, Like.
Speaker 5 (13:26):
Why are you trying to know the ball side on?
Speaker 4 (13:28):
But it's that microwave, you know, era that we're in
and you know, let me ask you this. How much
of it is a direct result of and this is
probably more of an NBA thing than the other sports currently,
a player entitlement occurring too fast because it's hard for
a player to improve if he can't be coached. If
the coach is insecure with holding a player accountable, you know,
(13:52):
for not being fundamentally sound, for not getting better, and
the things is deficient that because he don't want the
player to go upstairs and say, I don't like this coach.
He's not the white one for us. How much of
that correlates to that environment in the NBA.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
I don't think that's that new to the NBA. I
think that's kind of been there for decades. In a
lot of instances, I think the players that have been
the ones to excel as far as winning championships and
stuff were coachable. But they also I mean Magic Johnson
got Paul West had fired, you know, so I think
(14:29):
after they had won a championship together, remember early in
the eighties. So I think that's always been there as
far as that player empowerment in the NBA to some degree.
But I think where it's hurting us Sean is on
the AAU circuit, where with the teenagers, where if I'm
a superstar player and I'm playing on an AAU team,
(14:53):
my coach is just happy to have me, you know
most cases, and so he's not on me about not
playing defense, about not you know, shared passing the ball,
about not you know, hustling and taking bad shots and
things like that, because if he does jump on me,
(15:14):
I might go play across town on the other team
and beat him the next weekend.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
Right.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
So I don't think are young players that we're talking
about who are getting all the adulation. I don't think
they're in situations, generally speaking, not in every single case
where they are being coached like that, where they can
be coached hard and told what they're not good at
and working on it, and so let's start out to
(15:43):
listeners eight seven seven ninety nine on Fox.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
What are your thoughts?
Speaker 6 (15:45):
There?
Speaker 5 (15:46):
Was?
Speaker 1 (15:46):
I mean, I don't know how you can deny it.
Three of the top six players taking from France, not
just international, but from France. And we've talked about it
MVPs first Team All NBAS International guys. So what are
your thoughts on this quote unquote international takeover of the
(16:07):
NBA and how can we stem the tide?
Speaker 3 (16:10):
Do we need.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
To stem the tide and get our Americans back on top?
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Your thoughts?
Speaker 1 (16:14):
Next Chris and Sean eight seven seven ninety nine on
Fox ocame.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Chris Brussard and Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the
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Speaker 3 (16:30):
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Speaker 7 (16:31):
It's me three time pro bowler LeVar Arrington, and I
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on Game?
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Speaker 7 (16:39):
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(17:35):
you're turning a weigh in on this international takeover of
basketball the NBA.
Speaker 4 (17:42):
Well, let's jump over to the phone lines. Chris I
first called it to day Greg in New York. You're
on the odd couple. What you got for us it?
Speaker 6 (17:49):
What's going on? Fellas man? First, I want to say
I want to give the flowers to the high school
coaches that are still coaching our young men the right way.
Not everybody's caught up in the AAU circuit. I know
a lot of our are heralded players make it there,
but you know there aren't some coaches that are doing
the right thing. Secondly, I think we should hold these
AAU coaches accountable because if there's enough talent to go around,
(18:13):
don't worry about it. If the kid is going to
leave you your team to go to another one, you
sending the wrong message to the rest of the guys
on your team. And thirdly, I need to change it.
The rest of the world is bigger than America. So
just because the game started here, we've spent America spent
all this money to grow the game. Don't get upset
when it grows. I mean, I think it's a beautiful
(18:34):
thing to see all these people all all over do
the thing. Go next.
Speaker 4 (18:41):
Cloud nine as they should be, as they should be.
We're gonna move to the next caller.
Speaker 3 (18:47):
Yeah, yeah, definitely.
Speaker 5 (18:48):
All right, Josh and Arizona, you're in the odd couple.
Speaker 8 (18:50):
What you got, how y'all boys doing good?
Speaker 6 (18:54):
Man, man cool? Cool?
Speaker 8 (18:57):
I got two things. One, I play ball overseas for
about seven eight years. We're never catching them. I think
it's a societal problem. We are allowing sensitivity and softness
to take over. We're giving out money to our young
kids and different ones a little too early, and that's
(19:17):
just certain things that those countries are not going to do.
Speaker 5 (19:20):
You know.
Speaker 8 (19:20):
They got to hold on certain things like that, more
traditional and the upbringing and understanding. So I don't think
we're going to really catch them. I think this is
the beginning of the end.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Stay and keep the play, keep stay on the line,
don't cut him off. I was talking with Rob g
as we were putting together the topics before the show,
and I was, you know, as I've said many times yet,
the bulk of the best fifty.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
Players in the world are still American.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
But at this rate, I mean, at this rate, like
we talk about, will the league become more predominantly international
at this rate in twenty years, what is the NBA
going look like?
Speaker 3 (20:00):
And it sounds like that's what you're saying for sure.
Speaker 8 (20:03):
It's not a mystery that Luca and I forgot the
other person that came out, oh, I think it was
Wemby who said scoring in the NBA is a lot
easier than scoring and all said that it's one hundred
percent fact. Look at Kimba Walker, right, now he's over
in the euro League right now. Look at how he's
playing and opposed to how what he was doing when
(20:24):
he's Obviously it's an older version, but it's still it's
a it's a lot tougher and they and they hold
on traditional values. And before I leave, I have to
talk to mister King. I was listening to the show
in the beginning.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Let me just.
Speaker 8 (20:38):
Enlighten you a little bit. Peyton Pritcher the very same
conference that Brownie was in, Who's the Player of the Year,
And on top of that, he was also the Bobkouzi
Award winner that same year, which meant he was the
best point guard in the nation. I don't know, if
Bronnie could be Peyton Pritcher, that would be great for him.
And and uh, and that's a guy at the end
(20:58):
of the bench, which is why it's it's a big
deal that he got drafted at all.
Speaker 5 (21:02):
And Josh, I appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (21:03):
And just just for context, I was I'm a Peyton
Pritcher fan. I was simply saying that people keep alluding
to the fact that Brownie's not a transcendent athlete. And
I bought Peyton Pritchett up as an undersized guy that
doesn't jump out of the gym, and you know, I
don't think I've ever seen him dunk that still has
a role and as a productive component to a successful team.
(21:25):
That's why I made the comparison to Pritcher.
Speaker 8 (21:28):
Okay, okay, well, yeah, that's that's very true. You know,
you can get it in other ways. But because being
athletic for sure.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
Let me let me let me say this too. Thank
you for caller.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
That was good, Sean. I went over when Brent. You
remember Brandon Jennings, Yes, and he was one of the
high school right well, he was one of the top
high school players in the country.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
And he was going to go to Arizona but have
problems with his SAT so he went.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
Remember he went over to Italy to play for a
year before being drafted.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
And I went over to Italy to do a story
on him for ESPN the magazine.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
And again this was one.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
Of the top ten, if not five players in the country. Okay,
point guard and people remember he me scored fifty five
as a rookie.
Speaker 5 (22:16):
He's in the Steph Curt on the podcast.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, And Brandon is a great guy. I
had great time over there with him, and I would
think he'd be he would tell you, because it was
just it was just it was what it was. He
was struggling over there, I mean, and he's going against
grown men. Now he was fresh out of high school.
Speaker 3 (22:37):
He wasn't that.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
Strong, you know, he's was six one six y two, lanky,
you know, thin, athletic, but struggling to the point. I
was sitting there watching the practices, struggling getting the ball
up court like grown men were.
Speaker 3 (22:52):
Deming him up. And now I will give him this.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
When he got into the games like weeks later, he
de balled like they didn't even let him play as
much as they should have. But he ran that high
pick and roll and his athleticism took over and he
was able to do some stuff. But watching him in practice,
he was struggling to against their tough defense. And I
(23:19):
was going to games with them. I remember after one game,
I mean, we were in this little gym. I don't
even know it was where it was now that it
was so long ago. But he was like afterwards, because
I think the dude might have he juked him real nice.
He might have made him fall or something made Brandon fall,
but Brandon was like, Yo, these dudes way better than people.
Speaker 3 (23:41):
People think.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
He was like shot because again he was destroying people.
He went to oak Kill Academy. He broke records at
oak Kill Academy. He was like killing people over here
and over there was really having a hard time. And
so and again that was like two thousand and nine
or something like that. So imagine the difference today. All right,
(24:06):
we're gonna keep talking about this Olympics, and you brought
it up in the first segment, Sean, but are we
a lock? I mean, we send in our big boys,
Lebron and Steph and kd.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
Are we a lock to win this thing?
Speaker 4 (24:18):
Or not?
Speaker 2 (24:20):
But first, be sure to catch live editions of The
Odd Couple with Chris Brussard and Rob Parker weekdays at
seven pm Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
We talked about three of the top six players in
the draft from France. I don't know if all of them.
I'm guessing all of them are on the Olympic team.
I mean they're young, so maybe maybe they're not. But
Wimby's gonna be on there. You got some other Rudy Gobert,
(24:53):
so France will be interesting Canada.
Speaker 3 (24:57):
I mean, Rob g do you have the Canadian team.
Speaker 5 (25:00):
Jamaal Alexander Uh, it's in the RJ.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
Bear, Drew Wiggins, r J Bart, Andrew Nimhar, Lou Dort, Rob,
you got it, go give us their Listen to a
quickly clarification.
Speaker 9 (25:15):
For the French team, none of the guys that were
drafted are going to be in the upcoming Olympics because
they're not on the senior team. They're considered the junior team,
so they be ready for the twenty twenty eight Olympics.
But for Canada, it's all NBA players or former NBA players, Naiki,
Alexander Walker, r J Barrett, Trey Bell, Hayes, who I
believe the only guy who's not had like an extended
(25:38):
career in the NBA, Anthony Bennett, Lou Dort, Corey Joseph,
Trey Lyles, Michael Moulder played for a hot minute, Dwight Powell,
Andrew Wiggins, Shay Gil Just Alexander Dylan Brooks.
Speaker 3 (25:50):
All right, here's the thing. Let me quickly.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
I'm gonna tell you this story because this is twice
since this has happened and they've been right on the money.
I've told the story Sean before of how nineteen ninety
six at the Chicago pre draft camp, the great Larry
Brown head coach, he told me the next hotbed of
basketball is gonna be Eastern Europe.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
This nineteen ninety six. Now you know, I'm thinking in
my head, man, please, like, really Eastern Europe about to
take us out?
Speaker 1 (26:24):
He said, that's gonna be the next hotbed, he said,
because those kids, it's impoverished over there. They're struggling, and
basketball is their way out, he said. I believe, he said,
just like it was here in the ghettos of America.
So that that's one thing that obviously came true. I've
been to Eastern Europe. Have you been Eastern.
Speaker 5 (26:43):
Europe via movies? Google Maps? Yes?
Speaker 1 (26:48):
Well you probably a lot of us go to visit Europe,
right when we go to Paris, we go to Rome,
we go to London, we go to Madrid and Spain
all that, and it's you know, those are beautiful, wonderful cities,
right man. I went to Serbia when I was over
there with Brandon Jenny's it's the hood, man. It looks
(27:13):
like Youngstown, Ohio or or worse, but you saw battle
tool like buildings that had been blown up and ravished, ravaged.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
In war were still there.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
It really, it's completely Eastern Europe is very different from
the countries that most people go visit and you know,
on vacations, and it's hood and those kids they are
over there, man, playing for their livelihood and stuff.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
So that happened.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
And then this was in the side the Summer League
in Vegas.
Speaker 3 (27:49):
I don't know, I was still a ESPN it might
have been twenty twelve is somewhere around there.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
And there was a guy from Canada who worked for
an NBA team.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
I can't even remember his name, but he told me.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
He was a black guy and he said, man, Canada
is about to start producing some great players, because he said,
they're you know, they've been they've all you know, they've
always gotten a lot of African immigrants, whether from Africa
to Caribbean. And he said, they're really taking the basketball
(28:27):
and they're you know, they're emulating the American players and
they're working on their games and they taking it seriously
and low and behold.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
That's what we're seeing.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
Canada is bad, I mean, and a lot of people
don't even know a lot of guys from Canada because
obviously Canada America, they may seem more like American, right
Jamal Murray as GA, but these dudes are Canadian Andrew
Wiggins And the thing I'll tell you about their team now,
I think we are the should be the heavy favorites
(28:57):
or the favorites, and I think we'll win. But when
you look at our team, our team is a bunch
of superstars who are used to doing the glamorous things, scoring,
you know, things.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
Like like that.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
When you look at that team that Rob g just
read off with Lou Dort and Dylan Brooks and a
healthy number of roleblas, that's really like a team because
they got a few stars. You got Jamal Murray as GA.
Wiggins maybe if you consider him that, I think I'm
missing a star or two. And then you've got a
(29:34):
bunch of roles players like they're built like a real team,
and that's gonna be interesting.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
They're obviously younger than our.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Group too, so it's gonna be it's gonna be tougher
than I think we think.
Speaker 4 (29:47):
Uh didn't Canada beat us in the World Cup in
the finals.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
Yeah, but well we didn't make you're talking about last
summer because we didn't make the finals, did we?
Speaker 3 (29:56):
We gotta be by Germany. I think Canada may have
beaten us.
Speaker 5 (30:00):
They beat us for third place.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
Yeah, okay, yeah, because Germany beat us. But again that
wasn't our big dogs. But that was some good play,
great players obviously, and Trese Halliberg andson was here's this
interestion about that team and and you kind of alluded
to it. We never worried about that not too long ago,
(30:25):
because Kobe would do the dirty stuff. The Wade would
do the dirty stuff like they had guys on the
team even though they was if they were willing to
do it. It'll be interesting with this team, and I'm
sure some guys will. I just don't know if they
got a lot of.
Speaker 3 (30:38):
Alpha and and injury prone too though.
Speaker 5 (30:43):
Yeah, you know Kawhis You know Kawhi.
Speaker 3 (30:45):
Would do that, but he's I mean, how healthy is
he going to.
Speaker 4 (30:48):
His body's let him down? Anthony Edwards has like that,
like alpha male dog. But there's some really tough.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
Even you mentioned that redeemed with Kobe. I mean that's
when Lebron Kobe lay mellow. They were pretty much in
their prime. Obviously, Kobe was in his prime. D Wade
had already led the Miami team to the championship. Lebron
had led a team to the finals.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
I mean, so these.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
Guys were at their best. And we had Carlos Boozer,
Jason Kidd, who obviously.
Speaker 3 (31:24):
Was an experienced player at that.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
Time, Darren Williams, remember Darren was Darren was one of
the best point guards in the league, Michael Ran for shooting,
Dwight Howard in his prime, Chris Boss, Chris Paul and
Mellow and Tayshawn Prince. So Tayshawn like the role player.
That Redeemed team beat Spain one eighteen to one oh
(31:46):
seven in the championship, the gold medal game, so they
beat him by eleven.
Speaker 3 (31:53):
And that's when all those legends were in their primes.
So now I this is gonna be a tough This
is gonna be tough, man.
Speaker 4 (32:05):
It is, It really is, because I listen, all these
guys want to win. But is it gonna alter innto
their legacies if they don't win the Olympic gold.
Speaker 5 (32:15):
No.
Speaker 4 (32:15):
No, it's like the there's not a lot of pressure
in my opinion, coming from inside with America for a
gold medal or bus result from this team.
Speaker 3 (32:26):
So I mean, it's just I think the pride.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
I think there is some pride, but at the end
of the day, to your point earlier, when you're making
hundreds of millions of dollars, you're already a superstar, a celebrity.
Is pride enough, And I think where it would show
up if it shows up, and it's who was saying that?
Speaker 3 (32:53):
Somebody? I heard one coach recently said it.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
I can't remember who it was, or it was in
the play off Jason Kidds said it going into game
for for the Mavericks, like he was like, at some point,
there's gonna be an opportunity for you to give up
the rope. Let go of the rope, right because we're
down three to zero, and you know, if they get
up big, it's gonna be easy to be like, man,
(33:19):
it's over and you know, and you let go to
rope and you're no longer competing when not if that
time comes for us in the Olympics where not that
we're down big, but where it really you have to
reach down in the to the bottom of your soul
right and compete like you would compete in the NBA
(33:41):
finals to win.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
Are we gonna? Are all our superstars.
Speaker 5 (33:46):
Willing to do that?
Speaker 1 (33:47):
And like you said, a game that is not yet
you want to win goal, but it's not gonna really
impact your legacy.
Speaker 4 (33:55):
And I think why that's a very pertinent opinion, Chris,
is the margins are so much smaller. It's not like
ten years ago where what you're talking about might be
only in the finals, like they might catch that kind
of competitive game, you know, three four times just to
at gold medal games. So I mean, it's gonna be
fascinating to watch. The one thing that worries me about
(34:16):
this team is they got a lot of the guys
that have injury history. Oh yeah, durant Ad Mbi Kawhi, Like,
I just hope we stay healthy.
Speaker 3 (34:26):
That's a huge problem, There's no doubt. All Right, A couple.
Fox Sports Radio keep it lying.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Chris Brussard and Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the
IHEARTRADIOI all.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
Right, it's the Eye Couple Chris and Sean Sean King in.
Speaker 3 (34:46):
For Rob Parker.
Speaker 1 (34:47):
We're broadcasting live from the Tiereck dot Com studios. So, Sean,
this was the first time that the NBA went to
a two night draft, and night is not exactly right.
It was four to seven pm Eastern time, or was
it even four to seven, but four to six maybe
(35:09):
started at four o'clock Eastern on the second day. They
used to do it in one night, which was a
long night. I covered many of those live and very
long night when they did the first and second rounds together.
Speaker 3 (35:26):
But what were your thoughts?
Speaker 1 (35:27):
Obviously they wanted to try to capitalize and copy the NFL,
which stretches theirs out.
Speaker 3 (35:33):
What is it three days?
Speaker 4 (35:35):
The NFL firstday, second and third is another than the
rest of the draft four through seven, it's the third day.
I still think there's a disconnect between the public and
the sport and the value of the actual draft, because
the NBA has conditioned fan base is that the draft
(35:56):
is more for the future than it is for right now.
And I just don't think people are as interested in
watching something where most of the people selected aren't gonna
help my team this upcoming season. They're gonna be two
three years down the line. Where's the NFL Draft people
on the edge of the seat, like, if I can
get Caleb Williams, listen, the Bears are gonna go from
(36:17):
you don't being nothing to everything. You know, if I'm
in Washington, we just fired everybody got new ownership. But
if we get Jade Daniels Man, if the NFL has
shown that there's so much parody, you can go from
the bottom of a division to win a division in
one off season, and.
Speaker 1 (36:33):
You say interest statuteft because of that, would you say
that's related to.
Speaker 3 (36:40):
The one and done rule.
Speaker 5 (36:41):
I think a lot of it.
Speaker 1 (36:42):
Because not many guys are going to either and now
are you're not allowed to go straight out of high school.
But when you talk about guys going straight out of
high school, there's only one that went into the NBA
and did damage right away, and that was Lebron Average
twenty is a rookie out of high school. But now
even with the one and done, it's you know, not
(37:04):
as common. Some dude come in and play really well.
Kevin Durant, I believe average twenty as a rookie one
and done, you.
Speaker 3 (37:13):
Know, coming in to win all the.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
Well, right, But I mean a lot of these guys
are you know, as one and does, or at least
were a few years ago. But I think that like
Michael Jordan, had he come out right out after his
first year of college, probably would not have almost certainly
(37:38):
wouldn't have done what he did as a rookie when
he averaged twenty eight points a game. Now, he might
have been great and shown us stuff we did not
know he had because he was great though second and
third years in college. But still, you know what I'm saying,
Like the guys, the star players years ago were staying
(37:59):
through three years in college, two three, maybe four years
in college, and so when they came in Patrick Ewing,
Hakeem Olajuan, Ralph Sampson, Jordans, they came in Larry Bird
ready to to not only contribute but lead teams right away.
These guys aren't aren't able to do that now because
(38:20):
they're so young. And then the guys that are older
are more role players and they're contributing roles, but they're
not they don't have the superstar talent.
Speaker 4 (38:29):
I just think the NBA has gotten so comfortable drafting
potential not production.
Speaker 1 (38:35):
One that's because of the one and done rule. You're saying,
this kid ain't ready, But he's got the most upside
of anybody in the draft, and.
Speaker 4 (38:43):
I think that's that's what the disinterest is in the draft.
The number one pick in the draft averaged ten points
and four rebounds last.
Speaker 1 (38:48):
Well, yeah, over seas, and they're playing. They're not playing
as many minutes.
Speaker 4 (38:54):
You're a Hawk fan, you're not going out by season
tickets for next one.
Speaker 1 (38:57):
Not just that you don't even know who the kid is, right,
suck at that?
Speaker 3 (39:02):
Really?
Speaker 1 (39:02):
Yeah, I mean just because they're they're international in that regard.
So it is an odd time for the NBA to
go to two nights because now they're facing the challenge
of so many international players dominating the top of the
draft that guys don't know, you know, the average fan
doesn't know who these guys are and how good they
(39:24):
are to get excited about them and stuff like that.
Speaker 3 (39:26):
So it's interesting. We got an hour left. There's talk
about Kevin Durant moving on. We'll get into that next.
Christ and Sean the odd couple
Hosts And Creators
kelvin washington
Rob Parker
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