July 8, 2024 • 31 mins
Former NFL quarterback Shaun King is in for Chris, and he and Rob debate whether the Los Angeles Clippers made the right call by prioritizing Kawhi Leonard over Paul George, argue over whether Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson or CJ Stroud is the biggest threat to Patrick Mahomes and debate whether LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are still championship contenders.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the best of the Odd Couple podcasts.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday from seven
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Speaker 2 (00:23):
You're listening to the best of the Odd Couple with
Chris Brusha and Ron Harker.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Let's get it kicked off on this Magic City Monday
talk some NBA.
Speaker 4 (00:35):
So Paul George, do we have to sound? Do we
have sound yet? Paul George on his podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
You know, a lot of these former of these athletes
podcasts are mostly garbage to me cause they're inside jokes.
They don't really push back. It's just like they say
something they agree with everybody that's on it. For the
most part, they very seldom give you any information. But
I'm gonna give Paul Joey a little credit, as we'll say,
(01:03):
all right, because he talked about the negotiations and what
went on and they originally offered him a two year,
sixty million and all that stuff. So let's hear Paul
George on his podcast.
Speaker 5 (01:14):
I never wanted to leave La La is home. This
is where I wanted to finish at. I wanted to
work as hard as possible to win one in La
Like that was the goal.
Speaker 6 (01:23):
To be here.
Speaker 5 (01:24):
As it played out, though, like the first initial deal was,
I thought kind of disrespectful. The first initial deal was
like two years sixty. So I'm like, no, I'm not
signing that. This is maybe like October ish. And as
we kept going, it was like, you know, they would
go up inches inches inches. Then I hear wind of
(01:45):
like you know what they're going to give Kawhi. So
I'm like, just give me what Kawhi got, like y'all
view us the same, Like you know, we came here together.
Speaker 4 (01:53):
I'll take what Kawhi got, like, no problem. I was
cool with that.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
There's only one problem. Paul George is not Kawhi. Leonard,
stop it, Sean. I don't have any problem whatsoever with
the Clippers. You're not winning a championship. You don't need
both of those guys. You're moving into a new building.
You pick Kawhi. Kawhi comes from no matter what. Paul
(02:18):
George gets hurt too, but Kawhi has been hurt. We
get it right. But that guy comes with two NBA titles,
two finals, MVPs. You can talk about whatever you want
to talk about. Paul George has none of that. He
just doesn't. And if I'm the Clippers, I'm not gonna
just give away money.
Speaker 4 (02:40):
Uh, you know what's the other they could finish.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
They could not win the championship with them, and they cannot,
then they cannot win the championship without them either way.
Speaker 6 (02:49):
So you know, Rob, as a former athlete, this is
always a delicate subject because you want guys to make
every penny that they can. It's not like you play
ten years in a professional sport then you go turn
your resume in and you're this tenured you know, employee.
You know that that that has leverage. I mean you
kind of have to start over. I'll say this five
years ago the Clippers Broughdy and Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
(03:14):
In those five years, they have missed They combined I
want to say, three hundred and sixty games between the
two of them, which is four seasons.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
Like, is just outread the worth of basketball?
Speaker 6 (03:27):
And it's not as cute as you think. I think
Kawhi has missed like one and uh, Paul somewhere under that, right,
it's not like this, right, it's it's it's ironic that
all of a sudden, in the last year of their deals, Kawhi, Paul,
George Bron all of them play the most games they've played,
like in the last four years. Like that would be yeah,
(03:50):
that would be my pushback, Like, I mean, Paul, you
want them to pay you, but look what you just did,
Like you and Kawhi just missed four seasons worth of games.
I wouldn't pay either one of them. I would have
moved on. I know they're moving into a new arena.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
You can't you can't like showing that sounds good, but
this is a business, okay, Like like you got a
billion dollar arena opening up, you can't say.
Speaker 6 (04:11):
I love But is anybody changing their schedule in twenty
twenty four?
Speaker 7 (04:17):
No?
Speaker 4 (04:17):
I get it.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
I get it, But you can't if you go and
pull the plug on both of those guys at the
same time you're telling people and corporate uh sponsorship to whatnot,
you're out and you can't do it, like like you
can still prop up Kawhi. Oh my god, if he
wasn't hurt this guy you know won two NBA fine
championships and it was NBA Finals MVP twice. Do you
(04:41):
do you know what I'm saying, Like, like, there's a
selling point.
Speaker 6 (04:44):
Of that, the emotion in what you're saying, But even
on the business side, like why are you throwing more
money behind what's already been bad?
Speaker 4 (04:54):
Want to pay people you still in the NBA, it
doesn't you.
Speaker 6 (04:57):
Don't give it.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
If you don't give it to them, you have to
get one.
Speaker 6 (05:00):
OKC had three of you know, the best players in
the league, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook. They have
rebuilt themselves into one of the best young rosters in basketball.
It can happen.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Okay, here's the problem is what's going on in Oklahoma City.
What's happening in Oklahoma City?
Speaker 6 (05:19):
Not a lot?
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Okay, get what you're knowing, and it's in.
Speaker 6 (05:24):
Boston. Go to Boston. At one point Boston was Kevin Gardner,
Paul George uh Ray Allen. Now, look, they rebuilt in
their back with a young guys. I just won a championship.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
I got that.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
But I'm just saying, like the OKC comparison to being
in LA trying to get attention and saying you're gonna
stripple all the way down with a billion dollar arena
you're about to open. It's just not gonna happen. All
I'm saying is I think the Clippers did the right thing.
If I got to pick one of the two, I'm
gonna pick Kawhi.
Speaker 6 (05:59):
Regardless, I'm going to pick only pushback I would give you.
I would be very concerned with the fact that Kawhi
has not been available come playoff time. He started the playoffs,
but he's gotten hurt.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
I get it.
Speaker 6 (06:12):
I mean, if the idea, if the ideal take out.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
The injuries, who's a better player between those two?
Speaker 6 (06:18):
Because they in twenty twenty four yep, I mean probably
about the same. To be honest, No, I want you
to pick a guy. Come on, we don't do that
on the yard couple. Pick a guy. I mean, I
guess you would go with with Kawhi.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
Answer your question.
Speaker 6 (06:34):
It's not like it's a significant But I'm saying, if
there is a gap, but if you.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Have to pick one of the two, I'm picking Kawhi.
I just amm he's more accomplished and he gives you more.
It's not like you got any.
Speaker 6 (06:47):
Give He didn't give you more available.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Did you watch him at the beginning of the year
when he played the first fifty games, he was outstanding.
Speaker 6 (06:53):
I also watched the play that he's the maths. He
was real nice looking on the bench. All right, but
I saw it. You're not gonna bully me. Okay, there's
not a gap between Paul George and Kawhi Leonard in
two thousand. We don't do that on the odd couple.
We don't do that sidebar remark. You're not gonna bully me.
(07:14):
I'm gonna make Kawhi Leonard was on the bench next
to Tyron lou for the entire time.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
I got it.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
But I'm asking you last year when the season started
and Kawhi played all what do he played fifty sixty games?
I mean, it was unbelievable and he was bawling out.
He was in the conversation for avery time.
Speaker 6 (07:32):
Not time when Kawhi was right there in the conversation
as best player on the planet. He was due to
injuries multiple He's not in that conversation anymore. It's not
a knock on Kawhi.
Speaker 4 (07:45):
No, I get you, it's just the truth.
Speaker 6 (07:46):
It doesn't have emotions.
Speaker 4 (07:47):
But it's just the truth. But but the but the.
Speaker 6 (07:49):
Paul are trying to sell it like they made this
great decision. No, I'm just saying, not a great decision.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
Yes, it is when it comes when it comes to
sign George.
Speaker 6 (07:58):
Sometimes a championship is if we can't win a championship
with this group, we gotta start over a new building.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
No, you can showing that's not realistic. Stop it. That's
not an option. You're gonna have to keep one of them. Okay,
you cannot. This is not Oklahoma City, where if you
strip it down, people.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Are because they've got nothing else going on. How many
championships they.
Speaker 6 (08:24):
Got Are you comparing that to the Clippers.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
I'm just asking you.
Speaker 6 (08:29):
I'm asking about.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
Oklahoma City that had hardened, Durant and Westbrook.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
How many championships today.
Speaker 6 (08:39):
They went to a faust?
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Any of them hurt? No, they're all young and healthy
and they didn't win.
Speaker 6 (08:46):
Which is my point. If I'm the Clippers owner, I
go back to young again, and let's see if we
can evaluate ourselves to having a great collection on young players.
So who cares well? Year one, if we're average and
people in the seats, we want to be competing for
a championship in year two, three or four in the
new building. That's just my humble opinion.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
It's a new building.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
You gotta sell ticket, you gotta sell sponsorships.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
That's what it is. It's it's still as no matter
what apg.
Speaker 6 (09:15):
Come build new Rock. Anytime you build something new, people
are gonna come in year one just to see it.
Speaker 4 (09:23):
That don't mean that they're gonna be there. You're more
than they.
Speaker 6 (09:26):
Make this great decision, because that's gonna dictate that people come.
People are gonna come just to see the new building.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
No, but you can't strip it down totally. And Paul
George isn't the headliner. I don't care if he's from
Los Angeles. So is Kawhi Leonard. Both for me, they
have no shot to win a championship. That's fine, and
they wouldn't have had one with Paul Georgie either, So
what's the difference.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to
listen live.
Speaker 8 (09:56):
Bali Foolsco with Tony Foscot, you know as the host
the number one rated Paully and Tony Fusco Show.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
We get tons and tons of fan mail every day.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
Piles of it.
Speaker 8 (10:05):
In fact, Tony, why don't you open up one of
those letters right now and read what's inside.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Hey, listen to this.
Speaker 8 (10:10):
Dear Paulie and Tony, your sports takes are the dumbest
and most terribly.
Speaker 4 (10:15):
Wait, open this other one.
Speaker 8 (10:17):
Dear Paulie and Tony, you suck more than anyone.
Speaker 4 (10:20):
Wait, try this one.
Speaker 8 (10:21):
Dear Paulie and Tony, you guys are the absolute best.
There you go coming up with the stupidest takes.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Just listen to the Polly and Tony Fusco Show on
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
Yeah, but let's talk football and quarterbacks, cause you know,
all the time I get to c J. Stroud and
everybody's excited and he's going to be the next MVP,
and he's going to win eight Super Bowls and I
get it. It's the flavor of the month. He had
an unbelievable breakout rookie year. I'm not here to pooh
pooh all of that. I'm not, but I'm sorry up
(10:59):
count me out. Has this idea that he's the only guy,
he's the main threat to Patrick Mahomes.
Speaker 4 (11:05):
Count me out.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
Because I'm not buying it as good and as well
as he played. My money's still on two quarterbacks in
the AFC who I think can dethrone Patrick Mahomes before CJ. Stroud,
because I need to see one more year. I need
to see more of the Texans before I'm ready to
(11:28):
stamp their approval that they've arrived. People have one year
down in Jacksonville. Everybody thought that they had turned the corner,
and all of a sudden, the next season came and
they were nowhere to be found. It doesn't automatically mean
that one season means that you've arrived and you're there.
And here's a bigger problem. Before you want to talk
(11:51):
about c J. Stroud, I want to talk about Joe Burrow,
who people act like doesn't exist. I get it out
of sight, out of mind when you're hurt. But this
guy is a baller. This guy is three and one
against Patrick Mahomes, right, and the one game he lost
(12:13):
with that terrible call they gave Patrick Mahomes on the
sideline that set up the game win the field goal
showing him I wrong. You make some valid points and
all right, let me one more playing and I'm gonna
let you go. And the other guy's Lamar.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
I get it.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
You could take a look at that game plan or whatever.
I'm sorry. I saw Lamar going to San Francisco on
Christmas night and win the MVP that night, and he
looked unbelievable. They went away from everything they did all year.
He's won two MVPs and and only got h only
one person voted for him in the first round, like
(12:48):
unheard of unanimous his first time, and and.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
And only one person did not vote for him, you know,
as a top pick.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
Don't know how God, he's won two m vps. He
is such a threat and so unbelievable. And you know,
people say, oh yeah, I'm won. Nobody's won until they won.
Everybody said that Jason Tatum couldn't win. Jason Tatum can't win.
He's been a failure. Look at all the things the
Celtic name, they never work out.
Speaker 4 (13:19):
And guess what happened this year? They won.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
You get me showing you can't win until you win.
So I'm just saying I'm not dissing C J.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
Stroud. But if you ask me.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
The threat or threats, it's Joe Burrow with a three
and one record against him, including what were they calling
the stadium in Kansas City Burrow? They named it after him,
Remember that Borroughhead Burroughhead because he was he had won
a couple of games down there, and there only two
(13:57):
quarterbacks of a winning record, right again, Patrick Mahomes Jared
Golf two one oh and Joe Burrow three on one.
Speaker 4 (14:04):
So there you go.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
I'm on the Joe Burrow lamars.
Speaker 6 (14:08):
So let's set the baseline. Everybody's chasing Brady. Can we acknowledge.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
That nobody's chasing.
Speaker 6 (14:15):
Everybody's chasing.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
That's not a real chase. Mahomes is cheating involved in there.
You're not going to catch that.
Speaker 6 (14:24):
Anyway, Mahomes said, Let's make sure we got the stats right.
He's been to four Super Bowls, won three, He's been
League MVP twice. Is that correct?
Speaker 4 (14:33):
Yes?
Speaker 6 (14:34):
So no individual quarterback is going to catch Mahomes. It's
gonna have to be a collective deal. So when you
ask Ken C. J. Stroud surpassed Mahomes, it's not about stats.
It's not about can you have another great season? After
the one we saw as a rookie. It's cand the
Texans get to and potentially win a championship because outside
(14:56):
of that happening, I don't care if your name is
Joe Burrow or Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson or whoever you
want to put, you know, in the category as behind
my homes, You're gonna have to win championships to you
to surpass him. So now it becomes like, you meant,
do you trust the Texas organization? Do I trust the
Bills organization, the Ravens? And I think this is probably
(15:17):
why Lamar gets as much pushback from so many you
know people, is he probably has the best organization that's
done the best job of surrounding him with adequate teammates
so they can potentially win. Let's be honest.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
You saw the game plan and that and that playoff game, right,
what was that They ran the ball six They're running
backs ran the ball six times the entire game.
Speaker 6 (15:43):
So here's what you have to always remember. A lot
of teams in twenty twenty four, twenty twenty three was
last seam they played.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Don't call.
Speaker 6 (15:53):
Just running plays. It's a lot of check with me stuff.
That's involved and experienced, accomplass quarterback like Lamar Jackson has
the opportunity to audible at the line of scrimmage. You know,
with the RPOs now, which ROB means run past option,
some of those throws could have been balls that should
have been handed off. So it's very difficult to know
(16:15):
how many actual run players were called.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
Okay, but the game plan. They didn't lose by a million.
They were winning that like that game was within reach.
So you're telling me that hardball. John Harball sat there,
watched this game unfold and thought, oh, yeah, this is
gonna work. Like I'm just saying from that, say this,
that is the worst game I ever saw.
Speaker 6 (16:39):
I called Lamar Jackson fan. I'm a guy that's a
big fan of his talent. I would advise Lamar this.
He's competing against the opponent and the narrative like Lamar
Jackson goes out of his way robing these big games
to prove he's a pocket quarterback when he has God
gifted ability for.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
We got two MVPs what I know.
Speaker 6 (17:02):
But he's what you have to.
Speaker 4 (17:03):
Proof to call.
Speaker 6 (17:05):
There's still that undercurrent of he's more athlete than quarterbacks.
Speaker 3 (17:08):
Did you watch him against the forty nine ers on
Christmas Night.
Speaker 6 (17:12):
I watched him? Did he playoffs?
Speaker 4 (17:14):
I'm asking you, did you watch him this?
Speaker 6 (17:16):
I watch every football game, especially the standalone.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
Okay, let me give you this.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
The Ravens attempted just sixteen runs during the seventeen to
ten loss at a M and T Bank Stadium on
that Sunday, January twenty eight, despite entering the game the
NFL's number one rushing offense on one hundred and fifty
one hundred and fifty six point five yards.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
Most surprising, the Ravens running backs only carried the ball
six times for twenty three yards.
Speaker 6 (17:44):
That's again, it's called rp oh running.
Speaker 4 (17:48):
Yeah, but why can't you fix that? Is what I'm saying.
Speaker 6 (17:51):
All Right, that's so, so so rob That's just where
schematically teams have gone because most of the run game
is out of the shotgun formation and the one players
called and they're reading the unblocked defender. If he gets
in what they considered dangerous area, then the quarterback pulls
it and throws the screen or slat or some kind
of pass route. It happens.
Speaker 4 (18:10):
Okay, give me so on this whole thing about c J.
Speaker 6 (18:13):
Strout. He's the best.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
So he's the threat in the the good Yes.
Speaker 6 (18:18):
Because I think the Texans are headed in the right direction.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
I don't know how you can pick that after one year.
I just can't. Well I'm serious, I'm dead serious.
Speaker 4 (18:27):
One year.
Speaker 6 (18:28):
So let me wait.
Speaker 4 (18:29):
People didn't win, Okay.
Speaker 6 (18:31):
I can't. So they got rid of Gabe Davis to
find Diggs like they've gotten rid.
Speaker 4 (18:34):
Of all of Josh mentioned Josh Allen.
Speaker 6 (18:37):
The thing with Cincinnati T Higgins is he gonna show
up the training camp. They say haven't paid him. And
when you look at what Aman Saint Brown just got,
Justin Jefferson got, he gets. He thinks he's better than
those guys. They got Jamar Chase coming up.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
Can I give you the right When Joe Burrow showed
up to Cincinnati and hadn't won a playoff game. Marvin
Lewis was zero and seven that team and hadn't won
a playoff game since Movie Dick, what.
Speaker 4 (18:59):
Was a gup? And they wind up going to the
super Bowl with Joe Burrow.
Speaker 6 (19:02):
See listen, This is why I put context on catching Mahomes.
It's gonna be a quarterback and organization. Can the Bengals
keep it together. They lost Tyler Boyd already. Can they
pay t Higgins and Jamar Chase. They got some tough
decisions to make. Joe Mixons now in Houston with the Texans.
Do they have a lead running back? I'm just not
a knock on Joe Burrow.
Speaker 3 (19:25):
What's what's the my comparison to Lamar and Jason Tatum,
Like that's what people were saying about him, that he
couldn't win he regular season. I'm there's a lot of
guys you don't, you know, like you gotta push through.
I covered Michael Jordan. Fact this until you know, but
(19:48):
I covered Michael Jordan when people didn't think Do you
know what they.
Speaker 4 (19:51):
Said, Sean.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
Nobody wants to believe it because everybody revers Michael Jordan.
But you know what they said, Yeah, he's a great player.
He doesn't make anybody better better. He doesn't win like
when they were early on his first six or seven years.
That's what people were saying because they didn't think he
was gonna win.
Speaker 6 (20:09):
Well, to your point with Lamar Jackson and Jason Tatum,
I love Jason Tatum. I think he's going to be
a legitimate you know, multi championship NBA player, but his
pathway to a championship is different than Lamar Jackson's pathway
to a championship. Lamar Jackson has to be Patrick Mahomes,
(20:29):
Josh Allen, c J. Stroud, and Joe Burrow. Just to
make it to a Super Bowl, Jason Tatum and the
Celtics basically cake walked. I mean they putting the Pacers,
banged up Miami heat to I mean, come on, you
can't compare those paths. It's not the same.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
They went to the finals before that. They didn't win,
but they went through the other I mean you can't.
We can sit there all day. The Lakers, the Lakers
with Magic Johnson and them, they won a championship when
people banged up.
Speaker 4 (20:59):
We've seen it.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Lebron, Lebron know the Warriors won their first championship. Every
point guard on that that they played in that and
that championship was heart You know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (21:10):
That championship run.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
I could sit here all day and go tick for
tat with people who are heard and not at full strength.
Speaker 6 (21:16):
I'm simply saying, when you look at the top, I'm.
Speaker 4 (21:19):
Talking about his talent. Joe talking about.
Speaker 6 (21:21):
The top five quarterbacks in the National Football League. As
we see here today, they're all in the AFC, so
we'll see how it plays itself out.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
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 3 (21:40):
All right, here's somebody who should write it. I'm sorry, letter, Okay,
it's not yours, truly, It is one Lebron James.
Speaker 4 (21:47):
Oh God, because here we go again. Lebron James.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
Believes this Laker team, the way it's assembled, that they
are a title contender in the Western Conference.
Speaker 4 (22:03):
And listen to this show, this is twenty twenty.
Speaker 9 (22:05):
As the team has its ups and downs, we've had
some private conversations about just how much winning still.
Speaker 6 (22:11):
Matters to you.
Speaker 9 (22:11):
Yeah, you know, you have all the accolades we talked
about the stuff you've been able to earn through this game,
but you still want to win. Can you do it
here with the Lakers between now the end of your career?
Speaker 6 (22:21):
It can it happen again? Of course?
Speaker 4 (22:23):
Of course? What gives you that confidence because.
Speaker 6 (22:25):
We've done it before.
Speaker 7 (22:26):
We still have two guys who committed every single day
and myself an eighty. We committed to excellency, commit to him.
We're not that far off, you know.
Speaker 6 (22:34):
We were one year removed from the Western Conference final.
Speaker 7 (22:37):
This past year didn't go as well as we will like,
but we're not that far off. And there's so many
teams in the league, you know, so many great teams
in the league and the Western Conference, in the Eastern Conference.
Speaker 6 (22:45):
But we don't see that we are that far off. Anyways.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
And who was that was that?
Speaker 3 (22:52):
Mcday, mckinni, mcminimum, Yes, okay, yeah, well, you know, Lebron,
we've had obroa goverment that that's all. Okay, you got
you're in with him. Thanks you, thanks for letting us
know that that was a reporter flex. You know we've
talked privately and you know how much you've accomplished and
all that. Thanks Dave. We appreciate that. But ask him
(23:12):
some real questions. Ask him about all the play in
that you have to do. You and a D have
to be in play ins two of the last three years.
You're so good, you and a D. You got to
be in a play in. If there was no play in,
they wouldn't even be in the playoffs. Him and a
D together, Lebron's putting up incredible numbers and they still
(23:33):
can't win. He doesn't impact winning. How about that, Lebron,
despite your numbers, it's a struggle every year for you
guys to make it in and you and a D
were healthy last year. Wahapa, Lucy, I mean, where are
those questions?
Speaker 6 (23:51):
See? Well, first of all, you can't say he doesn't
impact winning. He doesn't. He's won an NBA championship with
three different uniforms.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
That stops has Also, those are facts.
Speaker 4 (24:01):
That's old news, stopping.
Speaker 3 (24:03):
I just gave you the real facts of two of
the last three years.
Speaker 6 (24:06):
What did you expect him to say? And so you
love a lot of things in life, but for some
reason you just are disgusted with anything Lebron James. Because
if he would have answered that question and said, you
know what, we didn't get demarj rozen to Paul George
of Allen Cinis, so you know what, we probably can't
win it this year, then you would have been hating
on him for not believing. At least he said the
(24:27):
right thing is the leader in face of the team.
He said, we still got me an a d, which
basically is saying, I don't know about the rest of
these slappies, but I know the best two players on
the team have done it before.
Speaker 4 (24:38):
Well, how about this question?
Speaker 6 (24:39):
What else should he have said?
Speaker 3 (24:41):
I had to push back from Dave to say, okay,
you an a D.
Speaker 4 (24:45):
But still it took two of the last three years.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
You guys needed to be in the play in just
to make the postseason.
Speaker 4 (24:52):
Why is that, Lebron? Can we why on that?
Speaker 6 (24:55):
Can we agree on this? Lebron James and Kevin Durant
are the two most publicly sensitive great NBA.
Speaker 3 (25:04):
They're as the most sensitive of all time, the most absolutely.
Speaker 6 (25:10):
And so you're asking the one guy who's nagled his
way into the good graces of Lebron to be able
to get this interview to basically ban himself, because if
he would have followed up with the wrong question Casselett,
it wouldn't have been him next time Lebron decided to
do an interview.
Speaker 3 (25:27):
Hey, Lebron, you have a coach who didn't even coach literally,
I mean a wreck ball or was a coach in
high school or college. How in the world do you
expect to win a championship? You really a coach with
no experience. Can you tell me about JJ Reddick and
how you expect what do you know about his coaching strategy.
Speaker 4 (25:46):
To make you believe that.
Speaker 6 (25:47):
Hey, I'll say this hat tip to the Lakers organization.
I mean, what a job they did. They never were
hiring coach Hurley, but they had to make the public
believe they were attempting to and they had to all
back on JJ Reddick, which is exactly what Lebron wanted
from the very beginning. Now we'll see if j. J.
Reddick's any good. You don't know that. I don't know that.
Speaker 4 (26:08):
You thought Jeff Saturday was good when he was hot.
Speaker 6 (26:10):
I did not think Jeff Saturday was good, but there
were a lots of Saturday though. Jeff Saturday didn't get
a fair handshake. He didn't get a fair chance.
Speaker 4 (26:19):
He did the line mid.
Speaker 6 (26:21):
Season and took over another God's staff and another guy's
personnel and was basically said, get us to the end
of the season. JJ Reddick got the job in the
off season. He gets to go through a full preseason.
He can push, he can get rid of God's and
God's starting. He wants build his own staff. These are
slightly different.
Speaker 3 (26:41):
No, But my point is that he had no Jeff
Saturday had no experience affair. And all I'm saying is,
you don't know that that JJ Reddick could be Jeff
Saturday and it could be a disaster and it is
a big gamble for Lebron and the Lakers with the team,
do you you could wind up wasting Lebron's last two
(27:04):
years if JJ Reddick isn't a good coach or doesn't
know what he's doing.
Speaker 6 (27:07):
But then that's Lebron.
Speaker 4 (27:09):
But but that's what's signed on this I know.
Speaker 3 (27:11):
But this is what I'm just saying, Like, if you're
the Lakers and Lebron, you got to think this through
and say this is not where we want to go.
You don't have eight years to get it right. You
got a couple of years. And look at the Western Conference,
it's loaded, Sean, It's like your taco, your head, it's loaded.
Speaker 4 (27:32):
Two years extra Lettuce.
Speaker 6 (27:35):
Lebron only has a couple of years. He may be
playing when Bryce gets to the NBA. Listen, Lebron doesn't
look like he's old. He's still giving you buckets. He's
still doing everything he used to do, like he has
not aged like the great athletes we've seen, irregard.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
If you watched them play any defense? Have you have
you watched Lebron? The thing I'm asking you.
Speaker 6 (27:57):
Well, in the NBA where no one really plays what
defense is okay?
Speaker 3 (28:01):
So Lebron, Lebron looks fine to you like everybody else is.
Speaker 6 (28:04):
He does not look when Jordan's greatest, Jordan was I
am a George the greatest basketball player of all time.
Even though he could get buckets with the Wizards, it
looked different. Le Bron doesn't look different off its How.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
In the world does Lebron and a D struggle to
get into the postseason.
Speaker 4 (28:22):
I'm just asking you, it's everybody else's fault.
Speaker 6 (28:25):
I don't know if it's everybody else'll you need?
Speaker 3 (28:28):
Well, that's the problem that I have with with Lebron
and the Lakers, And I don't think when you look
at these other young teams, younger legs, all the other situations,
and always in the back of your mind, the injury
thing is going to be there. A D somehow was
able to stay healthy, and so was Lebron. But these
guys have been banged up the last few of you.
Speaker 6 (28:48):
Let me say this COVID saved Lebron's because they were
doing when Magic Johnson took Lonzo Ball instead of Jason Tatum.
They still are trying to recover that significant mistake. And
then they got a breaking in COVID. The old team
that was banged up got a break. They got the
(29:09):
rest four months, they got a four month run. They
came back, and you know why they ever got rid
of Dwight Howard and uh Jevale McGee that perfect back
to a d and not where he doesn't have to
play center. Think about it. They had Javal McGee against
the Nuggets and Ad could play the four and not
(29:29):
be tasked with Garden Joker. Maybe, just maybe in those
fourth quarters, he'd have been able to produce more offensively.
Not saying that fixes all the Lakers problems, saying it's
been mistake after mistake during Bron's tenure. There what, they're
on their fourth coach since.
Speaker 3 (29:44):
Lebron joined Lakers, and I just don't know if you
if you get rid of here's my problem with the
JJ Reddick Darvin ham took them, as Lebron mentioned, to
the Western Conference final, not four years ago last year, Okay,
not four years ago, last year here and you even
hung up a banner because you thought it was something.
Speaker 4 (30:03):
Special, right, so they took it. So I'm sorry.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
They went to Weston Governs Final and then they hang
up a battle for the nd season tournament.
Speaker 4 (30:11):
That was all.
Speaker 3 (30:12):
That was all within a year, right, a year and
a half, and they go from that to Darvin Ham's
got to get out of here.
Speaker 4 (30:21):
That's where I got an issue with that. One want
on this.
Speaker 6 (30:24):
You can have an opinion on whether you think they
should have or should not have hired JJ Reddick, but
it's very difficult to have an educated opinion on how
successful he will be because we just don't know.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
Now, we don't know. I agree with that. Nobody knows.
He could be an absolute disaster. If they can lose
their first ten games, he could be gold. He ain't
no pat Riley. That pat Riley's team had already won
a championship when pat Riley got done.
Speaker 4 (30:49):
That whole comparison of pat.
Speaker 6 (30:52):
Percent of the current NBA head coaches can't be pat Riley.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
No, But I'm just saying that that was a ridiculous
comparison that pat Riley did come off of television.
Speaker 4 (30:59):
But I won a championship the year before. It's a
totally different team.
Speaker 6 (31:03):
We'll see it for Lebron and JJ's barbershop talks, if
they manifest themselves into better outcomes for the Lakers. I
know it's a lot of people in the state of
California that are hoping it does
Thanks for listening to the best of the Odd Couple podcasts.
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 Foxsports 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 Brusha and Ron Harker.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Let's get it kicked off on this Magic City Monday
talk some NBA.
Speaker 4 (00:35):
So Paul George, do we have to sound? Do we
have sound yet? Paul George on his podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
You know, a lot of these former of these athletes
podcasts are mostly garbage to me cause they're inside jokes.
They don't really push back. It's just like they say
something they agree with everybody that's on it. For the
most part, they very seldom give you any information. But
I'm gonna give Paul Joey a little credit, as we'll say,
(01:03):
all right, because he talked about the negotiations and what
went on and they originally offered him a two year,
sixty million and all that stuff. So let's hear Paul
George on his podcast.
Speaker 5 (01:14):
I never wanted to leave La La is home. This
is where I wanted to finish at. I wanted to
work as hard as possible to win one in La
Like that was the goal.
Speaker 6 (01:23):
To be here.
Speaker 5 (01:24):
As it played out, though, like the first initial deal was,
I thought kind of disrespectful. The first initial deal was
like two years sixty. So I'm like, no, I'm not
signing that. This is maybe like October ish. And as
we kept going, it was like, you know, they would
go up inches inches inches. Then I hear wind of
(01:45):
like you know what they're going to give Kawhi. So
I'm like, just give me what Kawhi got, like y'all
view us the same, Like you know, we came here together.
Speaker 4 (01:53):
I'll take what Kawhi got, like, no problem. I was
cool with that.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
There's only one problem. Paul George is not Kawhi. Leonard,
stop it, Sean. I don't have any problem whatsoever with
the Clippers. You're not winning a championship. You don't need
both of those guys. You're moving into a new building.
You pick Kawhi. Kawhi comes from no matter what. Paul
(02:18):
George gets hurt too, but Kawhi has been hurt. We
get it right. But that guy comes with two NBA titles,
two finals, MVPs. You can talk about whatever you want
to talk about. Paul George has none of that. He
just doesn't. And if I'm the Clippers, I'm not gonna
just give away money.
Speaker 4 (02:40):
Uh, you know what's the other they could finish.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
They could not win the championship with them, and they cannot,
then they cannot win the championship without them either way.
Speaker 6 (02:49):
So you know, Rob, as a former athlete, this is
always a delicate subject because you want guys to make
every penny that they can. It's not like you play
ten years in a professional sport then you go turn
your resume in and you're this tenured you know, employee.
You know that that that has leverage. I mean you
kind of have to start over. I'll say this five
years ago the Clippers Broughdy and Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
(03:14):
In those five years, they have missed They combined I
want to say, three hundred and sixty games between the
two of them, which is four seasons.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
Like, is just outread the worth of basketball?
Speaker 6 (03:27):
And it's not as cute as you think. I think
Kawhi has missed like one and uh, Paul somewhere under that, right,
it's not like this, right, it's it's it's ironic that
all of a sudden, in the last year of their deals, Kawhi, Paul,
George Bron all of them play the most games they've played,
like in the last four years. Like that would be yeah,
(03:50):
that would be my pushback, Like, I mean, Paul, you
want them to pay you, but look what you just did,
Like you and Kawhi just missed four seasons worth of games.
I wouldn't pay either one of them. I would have
moved on. I know they're moving into a new arena.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
You can't you can't like showing that sounds good, but
this is a business, okay, Like like you got a
billion dollar arena opening up, you can't say.
Speaker 6 (04:11):
I love But is anybody changing their schedule in twenty
twenty four?
Speaker 7 (04:17):
No?
Speaker 4 (04:17):
I get it.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
I get it, But you can't if you go and
pull the plug on both of those guys at the
same time you're telling people and corporate uh sponsorship to whatnot,
you're out and you can't do it, like like you
can still prop up Kawhi. Oh my god, if he
wasn't hurt this guy you know won two NBA fine
championships and it was NBA Finals MVP twice. Do you
(04:41):
do you know what I'm saying, Like, like, there's a
selling point.
Speaker 6 (04:44):
Of that, the emotion in what you're saying, But even
on the business side, like why are you throwing more
money behind what's already been bad?
Speaker 4 (04:54):
Want to pay people you still in the NBA, it
doesn't you.
Speaker 6 (04:57):
Don't give it.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
If you don't give it to them, you have to
get one.
Speaker 6 (05:00):
OKC had three of you know, the best players in
the league, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook. They have
rebuilt themselves into one of the best young rosters in basketball.
It can happen.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Okay, here's the problem is what's going on in Oklahoma City.
What's happening in Oklahoma City?
Speaker 6 (05:19):
Not a lot?
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Okay, get what you're knowing, and it's in.
Speaker 6 (05:24):
Boston. Go to Boston. At one point Boston was Kevin Gardner,
Paul George uh Ray Allen. Now, look, they rebuilt in
their back with a young guys. I just won a championship.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
I got that.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
But I'm just saying, like the OKC comparison to being
in LA trying to get attention and saying you're gonna
stripple all the way down with a billion dollar arena
you're about to open. It's just not gonna happen. All
I'm saying is I think the Clippers did the right thing.
If I got to pick one of the two, I'm
gonna pick Kawhi.
Speaker 6 (05:59):
Regardless, I'm going to pick only pushback I would give you.
I would be very concerned with the fact that Kawhi
has not been available come playoff time. He started the playoffs,
but he's gotten hurt.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
I get it.
Speaker 6 (06:12):
I mean, if the idea, if the ideal take out.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
The injuries, who's a better player between those two?
Speaker 6 (06:18):
Because they in twenty twenty four yep, I mean probably
about the same. To be honest, No, I want you
to pick a guy. Come on, we don't do that
on the yard couple. Pick a guy. I mean, I
guess you would go with with Kawhi.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
Answer your question.
Speaker 6 (06:34):
It's not like it's a significant But I'm saying, if
there is a gap, but if you.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Have to pick one of the two, I'm picking Kawhi.
I just amm he's more accomplished and he gives you more.
It's not like you got any.
Speaker 6 (06:47):
Give He didn't give you more available.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Did you watch him at the beginning of the year
when he played the first fifty games, he was outstanding.
Speaker 6 (06:53):
I also watched the play that he's the maths. He
was real nice looking on the bench. All right, but
I saw it. You're not gonna bully me. Okay, there's
not a gap between Paul George and Kawhi Leonard in
two thousand. We don't do that on the odd couple.
We don't do that sidebar remark. You're not gonna bully me.
(07:14):
I'm gonna make Kawhi Leonard was on the bench next
to Tyron lou for the entire time.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
I got it.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
But I'm asking you last year when the season started
and Kawhi played all what do he played fifty sixty games?
I mean, it was unbelievable and he was bawling out.
He was in the conversation for avery time.
Speaker 6 (07:32):
Not time when Kawhi was right there in the conversation
as best player on the planet. He was due to
injuries multiple He's not in that conversation anymore. It's not
a knock on Kawhi.
Speaker 4 (07:45):
No, I get you, it's just the truth.
Speaker 6 (07:46):
It doesn't have emotions.
Speaker 4 (07:47):
But it's just the truth. But but the but the.
Speaker 6 (07:49):
Paul are trying to sell it like they made this
great decision. No, I'm just saying, not a great decision.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
Yes, it is when it comes when it comes to
sign George.
Speaker 6 (07:58):
Sometimes a championship is if we can't win a championship
with this group, we gotta start over a new building.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
No, you can showing that's not realistic. Stop it. That's
not an option. You're gonna have to keep one of them. Okay,
you cannot. This is not Oklahoma City, where if you
strip it down, people.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Are because they've got nothing else going on. How many
championships they.
Speaker 6 (08:24):
Got Are you comparing that to the Clippers.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
I'm just asking you.
Speaker 6 (08:29):
I'm asking about.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
Oklahoma City that had hardened, Durant and Westbrook.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
How many championships today.
Speaker 6 (08:39):
They went to a faust?
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Any of them hurt? No, they're all young and healthy
and they didn't win.
Speaker 6 (08:46):
Which is my point. If I'm the Clippers owner, I
go back to young again, and let's see if we
can evaluate ourselves to having a great collection on young players.
So who cares well? Year one, if we're average and
people in the seats, we want to be competing for
a championship in year two, three or four in the
new building. That's just my humble opinion.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
It's a new building.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
You gotta sell ticket, you gotta sell sponsorships.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
That's what it is. It's it's still as no matter
what apg.
Speaker 6 (09:15):
Come build new Rock. Anytime you build something new, people
are gonna come in year one just to see it.
Speaker 4 (09:23):
That don't mean that they're gonna be there. You're more
than they.
Speaker 6 (09:26):
Make this great decision, because that's gonna dictate that people come.
People are gonna come just to see the new building.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
No, but you can't strip it down totally. And Paul
George isn't the headliner. I don't care if he's from
Los Angeles. So is Kawhi Leonard. Both for me, they
have no shot to win a championship. That's fine, and
they wouldn't have had one with Paul Georgie either, So
what's the difference.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to
listen live.
Speaker 8 (09:56):
Bali Foolsco with Tony Foscot, you know as the host
the number one rated Paully and Tony Fusco Show.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
We get tons and tons of fan mail every day.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
Piles of it.
Speaker 8 (10:05):
In fact, Tony, why don't you open up one of
those letters right now and read what's inside.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Hey, listen to this.
Speaker 8 (10:10):
Dear Paulie and Tony, your sports takes are the dumbest
and most terribly.
Speaker 4 (10:15):
Wait, open this other one.
Speaker 8 (10:17):
Dear Paulie and Tony, you suck more than anyone.
Speaker 4 (10:20):
Wait, try this one.
Speaker 8 (10:21):
Dear Paulie and Tony, you guys are the absolute best.
There you go coming up with the stupidest takes.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Just listen to the Polly and Tony Fusco Show on
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
Yeah, but let's talk football and quarterbacks, cause you know,
all the time I get to c J. Stroud and
everybody's excited and he's going to be the next MVP,
and he's going to win eight Super Bowls and I
get it. It's the flavor of the month. He had
an unbelievable breakout rookie year. I'm not here to pooh
pooh all of that. I'm not, but I'm sorry up
(10:59):
count me out. Has this idea that he's the only guy,
he's the main threat to Patrick Mahomes.
Speaker 4 (11:05):
Count me out.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
Because I'm not buying it as good and as well
as he played. My money's still on two quarterbacks in
the AFC who I think can dethrone Patrick Mahomes before CJ. Stroud,
because I need to see one more year. I need
to see more of the Texans before I'm ready to
(11:28):
stamp their approval that they've arrived. People have one year
down in Jacksonville. Everybody thought that they had turned the corner,
and all of a sudden, the next season came and
they were nowhere to be found. It doesn't automatically mean
that one season means that you've arrived and you're there.
And here's a bigger problem. Before you want to talk
(11:51):
about c J. Stroud, I want to talk about Joe Burrow,
who people act like doesn't exist. I get it out
of sight, out of mind when you're hurt. But this
guy is a baller. This guy is three and one
against Patrick Mahomes, right, and the one game he lost
(12:13):
with that terrible call they gave Patrick Mahomes on the
sideline that set up the game win the field goal
showing him I wrong. You make some valid points and
all right, let me one more playing and I'm gonna
let you go. And the other guy's Lamar.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
I get it.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
You could take a look at that game plan or whatever.
I'm sorry. I saw Lamar going to San Francisco on
Christmas night and win the MVP that night, and he
looked unbelievable. They went away from everything they did all year.
He's won two MVPs and and only got h only
one person voted for him in the first round, like
(12:48):
unheard of unanimous his first time, and and.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
And only one person did not vote for him, you know,
as a top pick.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
Don't know how God, he's won two m vps. He
is such a threat and so unbelievable. And you know,
people say, oh yeah, I'm won. Nobody's won until they won.
Everybody said that Jason Tatum couldn't win. Jason Tatum can't win.
He's been a failure. Look at all the things the
Celtic name, they never work out.
Speaker 4 (13:19):
And guess what happened this year? They won.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
You get me showing you can't win until you win.
So I'm just saying I'm not dissing C J.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
Stroud. But if you ask me.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
The threat or threats, it's Joe Burrow with a three
and one record against him, including what were they calling
the stadium in Kansas City Burrow? They named it after him,
Remember that Borroughhead Burroughhead because he was he had won
a couple of games down there, and there only two
(13:57):
quarterbacks of a winning record, right again, Patrick Mahomes Jared
Golf two one oh and Joe Burrow three on one.
Speaker 4 (14:04):
So there you go.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
I'm on the Joe Burrow lamars.
Speaker 6 (14:08):
So let's set the baseline. Everybody's chasing Brady. Can we acknowledge.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
That nobody's chasing.
Speaker 6 (14:15):
Everybody's chasing.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
That's not a real chase. Mahomes is cheating involved in there.
You're not going to catch that.
Speaker 6 (14:24):
Anyway, Mahomes said, Let's make sure we got the stats right.
He's been to four Super Bowls, won three, He's been
League MVP twice. Is that correct?
Speaker 4 (14:33):
Yes?
Speaker 6 (14:34):
So no individual quarterback is going to catch Mahomes. It's
gonna have to be a collective deal. So when you
ask Ken C. J. Stroud surpassed Mahomes, it's not about stats.
It's not about can you have another great season? After
the one we saw as a rookie. It's cand the
Texans get to and potentially win a championship because outside
(14:56):
of that happening, I don't care if your name is
Joe Burrow or Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson or whoever you
want to put, you know, in the category as behind
my homes, You're gonna have to win championships to you
to surpass him. So now it becomes like, you meant,
do you trust the Texas organization? Do I trust the
Bills organization, the Ravens? And I think this is probably
(15:17):
why Lamar gets as much pushback from so many you
know people, is he probably has the best organization that's
done the best job of surrounding him with adequate teammates
so they can potentially win. Let's be honest.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
You saw the game plan and that and that playoff game, right,
what was that They ran the ball six They're running
backs ran the ball six times the entire game.
Speaker 6 (15:43):
So here's what you have to always remember. A lot
of teams in twenty twenty four, twenty twenty three was
last seam they played.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Don't call.
Speaker 6 (15:53):
Just running plays. It's a lot of check with me stuff.
That's involved and experienced, accomplass quarterback like Lamar Jackson has
the opportunity to audible at the line of scrimmage. You know,
with the RPOs now, which ROB means run past option,
some of those throws could have been balls that should
have been handed off. So it's very difficult to know
(16:15):
how many actual run players were called.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
Okay, but the game plan. They didn't lose by a million.
They were winning that like that game was within reach.
So you're telling me that hardball. John Harball sat there,
watched this game unfold and thought, oh, yeah, this is
gonna work. Like I'm just saying from that, say this,
that is the worst game I ever saw.
Speaker 6 (16:39):
I called Lamar Jackson fan. I'm a guy that's a
big fan of his talent. I would advise Lamar this.
He's competing against the opponent and the narrative like Lamar
Jackson goes out of his way robing these big games
to prove he's a pocket quarterback when he has God
gifted ability for.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
We got two MVPs what I know.
Speaker 6 (17:02):
But he's what you have to.
Speaker 4 (17:03):
Proof to call.
Speaker 6 (17:05):
There's still that undercurrent of he's more athlete than quarterbacks.
Speaker 3 (17:08):
Did you watch him against the forty nine ers on
Christmas Night.
Speaker 6 (17:12):
I watched him? Did he playoffs?
Speaker 4 (17:14):
I'm asking you, did you watch him this?
Speaker 6 (17:16):
I watch every football game, especially the standalone.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
Okay, let me give you this.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
The Ravens attempted just sixteen runs during the seventeen to
ten loss at a M and T Bank Stadium on
that Sunday, January twenty eight, despite entering the game the
NFL's number one rushing offense on one hundred and fifty
one hundred and fifty six point five yards.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
Most surprising, the Ravens running backs only carried the ball
six times for twenty three yards.
Speaker 6 (17:44):
That's again, it's called rp oh running.
Speaker 4 (17:48):
Yeah, but why can't you fix that? Is what I'm saying.
Speaker 6 (17:51):
All Right, that's so, so so rob That's just where
schematically teams have gone because most of the run game
is out of the shotgun formation and the one players
called and they're reading the unblocked defender. If he gets
in what they considered dangerous area, then the quarterback pulls
it and throws the screen or slat or some kind
of pass route. It happens.
Speaker 4 (18:10):
Okay, give me so on this whole thing about c J.
Speaker 6 (18:13):
Strout. He's the best.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
So he's the threat in the the good Yes.
Speaker 6 (18:18):
Because I think the Texans are headed in the right direction.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
I don't know how you can pick that after one year.
I just can't. Well I'm serious, I'm dead serious.
Speaker 4 (18:27):
One year.
Speaker 6 (18:28):
So let me wait.
Speaker 4 (18:29):
People didn't win, Okay.
Speaker 6 (18:31):
I can't. So they got rid of Gabe Davis to
find Diggs like they've gotten rid.
Speaker 4 (18:34):
Of all of Josh mentioned Josh Allen.
Speaker 6 (18:37):
The thing with Cincinnati T Higgins is he gonna show
up the training camp. They say haven't paid him. And
when you look at what Aman Saint Brown just got,
Justin Jefferson got, he gets. He thinks he's better than
those guys. They got Jamar Chase coming up.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
Can I give you the right When Joe Burrow showed
up to Cincinnati and hadn't won a playoff game. Marvin
Lewis was zero and seven that team and hadn't won
a playoff game since Movie Dick, what.
Speaker 4 (18:59):
Was a gup? And they wind up going to the
super Bowl with Joe Burrow.
Speaker 6 (19:02):
See listen, This is why I put context on catching Mahomes.
It's gonna be a quarterback and organization. Can the Bengals
keep it together. They lost Tyler Boyd already. Can they
pay t Higgins and Jamar Chase. They got some tough
decisions to make. Joe Mixons now in Houston with the Texans.
Do they have a lead running back? I'm just not
a knock on Joe Burrow.
Speaker 3 (19:25):
What's what's the my comparison to Lamar and Jason Tatum,
Like that's what people were saying about him, that he
couldn't win he regular season. I'm there's a lot of
guys you don't, you know, like you gotta push through.
I covered Michael Jordan. Fact this until you know, but
(19:48):
I covered Michael Jordan when people didn't think Do you
know what they.
Speaker 4 (19:51):
Said, Sean.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
Nobody wants to believe it because everybody revers Michael Jordan.
But you know what they said, Yeah, he's a great player.
He doesn't make anybody better better. He doesn't win like
when they were early on his first six or seven years.
That's what people were saying because they didn't think he
was gonna win.
Speaker 6 (20:09):
Well, to your point with Lamar Jackson and Jason Tatum,
I love Jason Tatum. I think he's going to be
a legitimate you know, multi championship NBA player, but his
pathway to a championship is different than Lamar Jackson's pathway
to a championship. Lamar Jackson has to be Patrick Mahomes,
(20:29):
Josh Allen, c J. Stroud, and Joe Burrow. Just to
make it to a Super Bowl, Jason Tatum and the
Celtics basically cake walked. I mean they putting the Pacers,
banged up Miami heat to I mean, come on, you
can't compare those paths. It's not the same.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
They went to the finals before that. They didn't win,
but they went through the other I mean you can't.
We can sit there all day. The Lakers, the Lakers
with Magic Johnson and them, they won a championship when
people banged up.
Speaker 4 (20:59):
We've seen it.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Lebron, Lebron know the Warriors won their first championship. Every
point guard on that that they played in that and
that championship was heart You know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (21:10):
That championship run.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
I could sit here all day and go tick for
tat with people who are heard and not at full strength.
Speaker 6 (21:16):
I'm simply saying, when you look at the top, I'm.
Speaker 4 (21:19):
Talking about his talent. Joe talking about.
Speaker 6 (21:21):
The top five quarterbacks in the National Football League. As
we see here today, they're all in the AFC, so
we'll see how it plays itself out.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
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 3 (21:40):
All right, here's somebody who should write it. I'm sorry, letter, Okay,
it's not yours, truly, It is one Lebron James.
Speaker 4 (21:47):
Oh God, because here we go again. Lebron James.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
Believes this Laker team, the way it's assembled, that they
are a title contender in the Western Conference.
Speaker 4 (22:03):
And listen to this show, this is twenty twenty.
Speaker 9 (22:05):
As the team has its ups and downs, we've had
some private conversations about just how much winning still.
Speaker 6 (22:11):
Matters to you.
Speaker 9 (22:11):
Yeah, you know, you have all the accolades we talked
about the stuff you've been able to earn through this game,
but you still want to win. Can you do it
here with the Lakers between now the end of your career?
Speaker 6 (22:21):
It can it happen again? Of course?
Speaker 4 (22:23):
Of course? What gives you that confidence because.
Speaker 6 (22:25):
We've done it before.
Speaker 7 (22:26):
We still have two guys who committed every single day
and myself an eighty. We committed to excellency, commit to him.
We're not that far off, you know.
Speaker 6 (22:34):
We were one year removed from the Western Conference final.
Speaker 7 (22:37):
This past year didn't go as well as we will like,
but we're not that far off. And there's so many
teams in the league, you know, so many great teams
in the league and the Western Conference, in the Eastern Conference.
Speaker 6 (22:45):
But we don't see that we are that far off. Anyways.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
And who was that was that?
Speaker 3 (22:52):
Mcday, mckinni, mcminimum, Yes, okay, yeah, well, you know, Lebron,
we've had obroa goverment that that's all. Okay, you got
you're in with him. Thanks you, thanks for letting us
know that that was a reporter flex. You know we've
talked privately and you know how much you've accomplished and
all that. Thanks Dave. We appreciate that. But ask him
(23:12):
some real questions. Ask him about all the play in
that you have to do. You and a D have
to be in play ins two of the last three years.
You're so good, you and a D. You got to
be in a play in. If there was no play in,
they wouldn't even be in the playoffs. Him and a
D together, Lebron's putting up incredible numbers and they still
(23:33):
can't win. He doesn't impact winning. How about that, Lebron,
despite your numbers, it's a struggle every year for you
guys to make it in and you and a D
were healthy last year. Wahapa, Lucy, I mean, where are
those questions?
Speaker 6 (23:51):
See? Well, first of all, you can't say he doesn't
impact winning. He doesn't. He's won an NBA championship with
three different uniforms.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
That stops has Also, those are facts.
Speaker 4 (24:01):
That's old news, stopping.
Speaker 3 (24:03):
I just gave you the real facts of two of
the last three years.
Speaker 6 (24:06):
What did you expect him to say? And so you
love a lot of things in life, but for some
reason you just are disgusted with anything Lebron James. Because
if he would have answered that question and said, you
know what, we didn't get demarj rozen to Paul George
of Allen Cinis, so you know what, we probably can't
win it this year, then you would have been hating
on him for not believing. At least he said the
(24:27):
right thing is the leader in face of the team.
He said, we still got me an a d, which
basically is saying, I don't know about the rest of
these slappies, but I know the best two players on
the team have done it before.
Speaker 4 (24:38):
Well, how about this question?
Speaker 6 (24:39):
What else should he have said?
Speaker 3 (24:41):
I had to push back from Dave to say, okay,
you an a D.
Speaker 4 (24:45):
But still it took two of the last three years.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
You guys needed to be in the play in just
to make the postseason.
Speaker 4 (24:52):
Why is that, Lebron? Can we why on that?
Speaker 6 (24:55):
Can we agree on this? Lebron James and Kevin Durant
are the two most publicly sensitive great NBA.
Speaker 3 (25:04):
They're as the most sensitive of all time, the most absolutely.
Speaker 6 (25:10):
And so you're asking the one guy who's nagled his
way into the good graces of Lebron to be able
to get this interview to basically ban himself, because if
he would have followed up with the wrong question Casselett,
it wouldn't have been him next time Lebron decided to
do an interview.
Speaker 3 (25:27):
Hey, Lebron, you have a coach who didn't even coach literally,
I mean a wreck ball or was a coach in
high school or college. How in the world do you
expect to win a championship? You really a coach with
no experience. Can you tell me about JJ Reddick and
how you expect what do you know about his coaching strategy.
Speaker 4 (25:46):
To make you believe that.
Speaker 6 (25:47):
Hey, I'll say this hat tip to the Lakers organization.
I mean, what a job they did. They never were
hiring coach Hurley, but they had to make the public
believe they were attempting to and they had to all
back on JJ Reddick, which is exactly what Lebron wanted
from the very beginning. Now we'll see if j. J.
Reddick's any good. You don't know that. I don't know that.
Speaker 4 (26:08):
You thought Jeff Saturday was good when he was hot.
Speaker 6 (26:10):
I did not think Jeff Saturday was good, but there
were a lots of Saturday though. Jeff Saturday didn't get
a fair handshake. He didn't get a fair chance.
Speaker 4 (26:19):
He did the line mid.
Speaker 6 (26:21):
Season and took over another God's staff and another guy's
personnel and was basically said, get us to the end
of the season. JJ Reddick got the job in the
off season. He gets to go through a full preseason.
He can push, he can get rid of God's and
God's starting. He wants build his own staff. These are
slightly different.
Speaker 3 (26:41):
No, But my point is that he had no Jeff
Saturday had no experience affair. And all I'm saying is,
you don't know that that JJ Reddick could be Jeff
Saturday and it could be a disaster and it is
a big gamble for Lebron and the Lakers with the team,
do you you could wind up wasting Lebron's last two
(27:04):
years if JJ Reddick isn't a good coach or doesn't
know what he's doing.
Speaker 6 (27:07):
But then that's Lebron.
Speaker 4 (27:09):
But but that's what's signed on this I know.
Speaker 3 (27:11):
But this is what I'm just saying, Like, if you're
the Lakers and Lebron, you got to think this through
and say this is not where we want to go.
You don't have eight years to get it right. You
got a couple of years. And look at the Western Conference,
it's loaded, Sean, It's like your taco, your head, it's loaded.
Speaker 4 (27:32):
Two years extra Lettuce.
Speaker 6 (27:35):
Lebron only has a couple of years. He may be
playing when Bryce gets to the NBA. Listen, Lebron doesn't
look like he's old. He's still giving you buckets. He's
still doing everything he used to do, like he has
not aged like the great athletes we've seen, irregard.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
If you watched them play any defense? Have you have
you watched Lebron? The thing I'm asking you.
Speaker 6 (27:57):
Well, in the NBA where no one really plays what
defense is okay?
Speaker 3 (28:01):
So Lebron, Lebron looks fine to you like everybody else is.
Speaker 6 (28:04):
He does not look when Jordan's greatest, Jordan was I
am a George the greatest basketball player of all time.
Even though he could get buckets with the Wizards, it
looked different. Le Bron doesn't look different off its How.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
In the world does Lebron and a D struggle to
get into the postseason.
Speaker 4 (28:22):
I'm just asking you, it's everybody else's fault.
Speaker 6 (28:25):
I don't know if it's everybody else'll you need?
Speaker 3 (28:28):
Well, that's the problem that I have with with Lebron
and the Lakers, And I don't think when you look
at these other young teams, younger legs, all the other situations,
and always in the back of your mind, the injury
thing is going to be there. A D somehow was
able to stay healthy, and so was Lebron. But these
guys have been banged up the last few of you.
Speaker 6 (28:48):
Let me say this COVID saved Lebron's because they were
doing when Magic Johnson took Lonzo Ball instead of Jason Tatum.
They still are trying to recover that significant mistake. And
then they got a breaking in COVID. The old team
that was banged up got a break. They got the
(29:09):
rest four months, they got a four month run. They
came back, and you know why they ever got rid
of Dwight Howard and uh Jevale McGee that perfect back
to a d and not where he doesn't have to
play center. Think about it. They had Javal McGee against
the Nuggets and Ad could play the four and not
(29:29):
be tasked with Garden Joker. Maybe, just maybe in those
fourth quarters, he'd have been able to produce more offensively.
Not saying that fixes all the Lakers problems, saying it's
been mistake after mistake during Bron's tenure. There what, they're
on their fourth coach since.
Speaker 3 (29:44):
Lebron joined Lakers, and I just don't know if you
if you get rid of here's my problem with the
JJ Reddick Darvin ham took them, as Lebron mentioned, to
the Western Conference final, not four years ago last year, Okay,
not four years ago, last year here and you even
hung up a banner because you thought it was something.
Speaker 4 (30:03):
Special, right, so they took it. So I'm sorry.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
They went to Weston Governs Final and then they hang
up a battle for the nd season tournament.
Speaker 4 (30:11):
That was all.
Speaker 3 (30:12):
That was all within a year, right, a year and
a half, and they go from that to Darvin Ham's
got to get out of here.
Speaker 4 (30:21):
That's where I got an issue with that. One want
on this.
Speaker 6 (30:24):
You can have an opinion on whether you think they
should have or should not have hired JJ Reddick, but
it's very difficult to have an educated opinion on how
successful he will be because we just don't know.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
Now, we don't know. I agree with that. Nobody knows.
He could be an absolute disaster. If they can lose
their first ten games, he could be gold. He ain't
no pat Riley. That pat Riley's team had already won
a championship when pat Riley got done.
Speaker 4 (30:49):
That whole comparison of pat.
Speaker 6 (30:52):
Percent of the current NBA head coaches can't be pat Riley.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
No, But I'm just saying that that was a ridiculous
comparison that pat Riley did come off of television.
Speaker 4 (30:59):
But I won a championship the year before. It's a
totally different team.
Speaker 6 (31:03):
We'll see it for Lebron and JJ's barbershop talks, if
they manifest themselves into better outcomes for the Lakers. I
know it's a lot of people in the state of
California that are hoping it does
Hosts And Creators
kelvin washington
Rob Parker
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