August 8, 2024 • 38 mins
Former NFL offensive lineman and FOX Sports Radio Weekend host Ephraim Salaam is in for Rob, and he and Chris share their thoughts on Team USA’s thrilling Olympics semi-final victory over Serbia, discuss whether LeBron James, Steph Curry and Joel Kevin Durant are the three best American-born players today even in their advanced age and tell us if this current Olympic run is an omen for Team USA’s squad in 2028.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Odd Couple podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
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Speaker 3 (00:25):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
Oh yeah, it is the Odd Couple.
Speaker 5 (00:43):
I'm Chris Bruce alongside live partner. It is not Rob Parker,
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(01:25):
won't be disappointed. And Martin Weiss got three days this week.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Ain't just couldn't couldn't handle anything.
Speaker 6 (01:34):
Y'all, just given out. Had to bow out, y'all just
handing out days.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Well now we're giving you too because we felt too.
Is Max?
Speaker 6 (01:42):
I don't get handed days though, Okay, I don't get
handed days.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
What's up?
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Man?
Speaker 6 (01:48):
I'm good in the intro since Rob isn't here, which
one of us is the one who throws money at
the pole?
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Is that?
Speaker 7 (01:56):
Well?
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Yes? And that ain't you?
Speaker 6 (02:00):
Oh no, you gotta remember, man I my rookie year,
my first four years in Atlanta before that was you right,
that's or maybe it's still you give you know, and look,
man I always tell people, you know, one of the
things as an athlete, we used to go out, you know,
(02:22):
every Thursday, we would go on on you know, position
dinner right offense, defense, they go to dinner, old line
and go to dinner all every Thursday across the league.
So really, yeah, yeah, that's just what it was. It's
just it's it's team dinner, but you split it up
in your side kind of the team. For all the teams,
it's the last hard day of practice that week, everybody
(02:42):
goes out, goes to the steakhouse, you know, you know,
watch Thursday night football whatever that is. And normally you know,
it would be like we'll go partake in a little
uh uh activities festivities, I should say uh on this
establishment and then go out to dinner, right or vice versa.
(03:03):
And I used to I used to be on the
phone with my wife and I'd be like, Hey, we're
gonna stop buy treasures and then we're going to you know,
Flemings to eat and the guys treasures Treasures.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
That's it's a place where you can what treasures were.
Speaker 6 (03:16):
Of course we've been there together before anyway together and
hey look here, man, you you got to marry. You
have to marry the person that you want to marry,
right like. And so entertainment is entertainment, whether you're going
to a movie, whether you're going whatever.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
That is. How we however, you're.
Speaker 5 (03:35):
Entertained of women going to strip clubs. Oh, it's it's
I don't common things. I don't think many dudes that
are heaterosection, right, going to strip clubs where men are also.
Speaker 6 (03:48):
Women look at other women differently than dudes look at
other dudes.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Right.
Speaker 6 (03:53):
A woman can look at an attractive woman to be like,
oh my gosh, she's beautiful, and compliment her and do
all these things.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
I'm not looking at you, but man, your eyebrow look
really cool today. Man, I mean I like what you're doing,
what you have faith you.
Speaker 6 (04:06):
Man, I'm so just just genetically and just metaphysically. Women
are different than women can go enjoy something that's beautiful.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
So your wife's cool, it's cool with you. Well, she
never she like, Look, we have a type of relationship.
Speaker 6 (04:20):
We talk about everything. We're open, we're honest. Uh, we've
been together twenty one years. Man, like this, you don't
get to you don't get to here hiding having secrets.
So guys, life would not be cool with me going
and you didn't go, then I don't go anyway.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
I mean I wouldn't whether I was married.
Speaker 5 (04:35):
I'm not going anyway, but she would, And I wouldn't
be cool with her going because you didn't do it before,
Like now after you if you never went and then
all of a sudden you got married, now you gotta go.
Speaker 6 (04:46):
That's a problem. That's something sums up right. You have
to address the problem, not the action. You get what
I'm saying. I used to like to partake in those
establishments before I got married. I wasn't going in there
looking for a wife or looking the hook up with somebody.
That's not what I was going I wasn't going another date, right,
I was going in there to be entertained. And so
she was like, look, you like to do that before me.
(05:08):
I'm not gonna tell you can't do it. Like, as
long as everything's above board, then you're off with the
shop talk. Because rob g, I'm guessing your wife ain't down.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
With that like you. That's going to be an affirmative Chris.
Speaker 6 (05:22):
Yeah, see what, let me ask you this, And I
went to strip clubs back in the day, like before hours.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
You know, had she ever gone to a strip club before?
I doubt it? Do you not question? Have you even
answered that?
Speaker 8 (05:36):
No?
Speaker 5 (05:36):
But here's why I have never asked her. But here's
why I would say she hasn't. Actually, when I met her,
she was already a born again Christian. She missed out
on anything, whole different lifestyle. But by point, I would say,
and you know this, I bet you noticed e from
like I mean, we started dating in the eighties and
(05:57):
she wasn't you.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Know what I'm saying. I don't think women were really
going nothing like that. It wasn't even a whole bunch
of them.
Speaker 5 (06:05):
Yeah, yeah, so it was. It was a different thing.
But yet let's get into it. And we got the
high couple of crew to super producer Rob G, DJ
Alex tight shirt?
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Is that? Steve the Sega on the one on the
you already know, you already know?
Speaker 5 (06:16):
And Elijah Sabuna on the uh social media?
Speaker 1 (06:21):
All right, you saw it. I gotta be honest. I
was on the air. First things.
Speaker 5 (06:25):
First was on We had the unfortunate situation of being
on across from the big game between United States and
Serbia and basketball. So I had the game on my phone,
so I was looking at it during breaks, but I
couldn't watch it closely. I knew what was going on.
I just didn't see all that, you know. It's the
(06:46):
first thing first that is that your TV show? Did
you shoot out of LA I mean out of New
York in New York? Yeah, on Fox Sports one. That's
the TV show, right, Yes, okay, you know I do TV.
I just went through that out there. Again, we didn't
did the whole summer. We didn't the whole summer that
one time. Were you like, hey I'm going out of town,
come fill in? Not one time.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
I wish it was my call.
Speaker 6 (07:06):
But I mean, it's your show, your one three, but
it's your show.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
You you got my word, I'm gonna push. I've been
waiting on that word for four years. Man, It's all
what what what?
Speaker 5 (07:19):
I looking at the box score and I, like I said,
I saw the final You know what was happening in
the final minutes during the break? I know, we went
to break, we went back on the air, US was
down eighty six, eighty four, we got I looked at
my phone again and we were up ninety one.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Okay, so you don't know what's going on. You just
throwing stuff out there.
Speaker 6 (07:42):
So throw me the question, man, I watched the whole thing.
Speaker 5 (07:45):
Well here's the question. Because I'm looking at I know
Steph went off with thirty six points. I know Lebron
had a triple double with sixteen, twelve and ten and
the NB was great, but I'm not focused on NB.
And Durant was good down the stretch with nine points.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
The old Heads led.
Speaker 5 (08:04):
The way and also and Rob g has the plus minuses,
but they were they were the leaders and plus minus
right and the young guys Devin Booker bam out of Bayo, Anthony.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Davis weren't they negatives? Rob g Anthony?
Speaker 7 (08:19):
It was Edwards, Ata Bio Derek White were the leaders
in the negative. Steph Curry, you know, in a game
that was nip and tuck, they're actually down most of
the game, ended up having a plus minus of plus
twenty in the time that he was out there.
Speaker 5 (08:35):
So my point, Ephraim is it looks like, and you
saw it closer than me, the importance of basketball IQ
because that's what Lebron Stephen kd have over Anthony Edwards,
you know what I mean, the younger guys who are
more athletic at this point. What I think that was
(08:56):
a huge factor. And on the other side, I mean, obviously,
Yo Cotch as as high a basketball IQ as anybody
in the world, and he took a team of what
another two NBA players and some minor leaguers I'm gonna
call him that and they almost beat Team USA. So
I think it shows just the importance of basketball IQ.
Speaker 6 (09:21):
This is what I took from it, And you're right,
basketball IQ is paramount. I'm coaching my ten year old son.
I coaches nine to ten team and then he plays
up eleven twelve.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
I coach both.
Speaker 6 (09:30):
Teams and I don't like most coaches at this age
are hyper focused on skill set. You gotta drive, you
gotta come off the pick, and you gotta two take
a step back, and you gotta shoot. I'm focusing on
raising my my athletes basketball IQ.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Right.
Speaker 6 (09:49):
If I call a play and something's not available, I
need you to understand it's not available and to go
somewhere else with the ball, right, don't be a robot
and just pass it to an area that's not available,
because that's where it goes when we practice, that's where
we go, That's where it's supposed to go.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Right.
Speaker 6 (10:09):
Sometimes, most basket most professional sports are off script.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Right.
Speaker 6 (10:14):
That's why Kelsey and Mahomes are so great. It don't
even look like Travis Kelce is running routes. He's literally
just he opened right. So it's all a right. He
ain't running right, He'll find the soft spot, sit down,
get open, make something happen. So it's about being able
(10:34):
to understand the situation and adjust to it. So when
you have people like Steph, you have people like Lebron,
you have people like.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Kevin Durant.
Speaker 6 (10:44):
Right, their basketball's their basketball IQ extremely high. They've been
in every type of situation you can possibly be in
at the highest level, not only in the Olympics, but
in World Championship Basketball, or the whole NBA finals, the
whole Nine Yard League, MVPs. They've done it all, been
at all, So yeah, they're prepared for all situations. When
(11:09):
you look at the Anthony Edwards and even the Bam
out of Bayo even though he's been to the finals
and he because you get it with time. And I
don't even think some I mean some people just have it.
I mean Steph Golden State.
Speaker 5 (11:26):
Plays a very intelligent type of basketball, right, Yes, Lebron
just has it. The league with Yeah, Duran is just
a guy that can fit in with any system, particularly
when you've got great players around him. And so I
don't think Bam will ever get it like those guys. No, No,
that's not him. It's just different and what styles of
(11:47):
playing and what you saw in that game was everybody
on Serbia has it. Everybody they grew up playing.
Speaker 6 (11:54):
Everybody on the Serbia national team has an IQ level
on Pro Bowl to the Joker.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
Because that's the only way they could go.
Speaker 6 (12:06):
That's how it goes, right, So they're if you double
and if you like flash and you don't get back,
They're going to exploit it immediately, and from the beginning
of the game that's exactly what they did. The US
came out, they were a little bit slow on their
defensive rotation and it wide open threes. They're not going
to hesitate, They're not going to overpass and ask for
(12:29):
what's going on with the US team. It was interesting
because after the game, Steph had made a comment and
I knew exactly what he was talking about. He was like, look,
we got all the talent in the world. I'm paraphrasing here,
we got all the talent in the world, but sometimes
we can overpass, right, because you can get the ball
(12:51):
in a normal NBA game because you're the guy. Everybody
on that team is the guy on their team except
for Derek White. But if you get the ball and
you're open, you're gonna take the shot. But what happens
is you look like, oh, man, that's kd over there
on to your left. Oh that's Lebron over there, and
you got Steph cutting through the paint. It's like, oh,
I'm not gonna shoot this one, right. So that mindset
(13:13):
causes you to be a step slower right. Turnovers were
extremely high, and Serbia took advantage of the turnovers. But
just that little thing, right, that minute thing of an
all star. They're all all stars of an all star,
not taking advantage of something he sees because there, in
his mind there's a better option over there. That's the thing. Serbia.
(13:37):
They're free, They're running offense through the joker. Go ahead,
and I want to ask you where I want to.
Speaker 5 (13:43):
I want to talk more about Steph KD and Lebron
in the next segment, but quickly I want to ask
you because it sounds like you're giving an explanation which
makes sense and I agree with as to why this
game was close like it was actually we almost lost.
Are you Bob Third by us being so close in
(14:04):
this game to losing or do you look at it
like like almost like an NCAA tournament game where you
see great teams have a nail bier with a team
that's less than them and sometimes that will happen in
a one and done situation.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Bothered or are you bothered?
Speaker 6 (14:20):
Okay, I'm bothered because when you look at the collective
talent we have on our team, we have all the
answers this game is why Joel Embiad is actually on
the team right, Yeah, because in the NBA, which he
tends to do against y'all, that is why he's here.
If he's not on the team today, they have the
advantage on the inside. That's why Jolan so all us, Oh,
(14:43):
joelanb doing this and he came out and played an
MVP level game. He kept us in it. But he
because he can go at Nicola Jokic. He can go
at him. It's a difficult guard and cover for Nicola Jokic.
So that's literally why he's here. He showed up and
showed out when he had to. But yeah, I'm upset
because I don't want these close games. We collective, we
(15:06):
have better talent.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
I do want.
Speaker 5 (15:09):
I got exactly what I wanted today. You didn't watching
drama field, see you. I want us to win. Yeah,
but you came. You can't always say right, but you watched.
You watched when they were down twelve and came back
and they were up five. So you were like, oh, okay,
So you didn't have to in the moment. No, I
throughout no, because I couldn't watch every moment like that.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
But I was seeing Yo were down thirteen.
Speaker 5 (15:33):
In fact, my co host said, when we were down thirteen,
I think the four five minutes left in the second quarter.
The fourth, we were down fourteen, right, I know, but
I'm saying at that point they were like, oh, we
it's really it's panic time. I was like, no, it's not.
We got plenty of time. It's plenty of time left,
(15:53):
and it wasn't. Now going into the fourth. That's a
different story, all right. I want to ask you a
big thing about the big three in this game for America.
Durant slipping in for Embiid in that conversation.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
That'll be next.
Speaker 5 (16:06):
Keep it like it's the Odd Couple, Chris of Ephram
Salim Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
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 (16:22):
Hey it's me Rob Parker.
Speaker 8 (16:25):
Check out my weekly MLB podcast, Inside the Parker for
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(16:47):
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All right, it is the Odd Couple. Chris Brussar Ephram
Salims in for Rob Parker. We're live from the IRAQ
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(17:17):
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Here's what I want to ask you, Ephraim, and maybe
if you want to limit it to Lebron, fine, I
think Lebron has been and I think it's fairly clear
that he has been the best player on Team USA today.
(17:41):
Obviously Steph saved them, but overall.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
Lebron has been the best player.
Speaker 5 (17:48):
And I want to ask you Kd's had his moments
and MB didn't even technically American.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
I mean, I think now he's a citizen.
Speaker 5 (17:56):
But you know, like so of the American players in
the NBA, do you think it's fair to say that
Lebron is the best American player in the NBA, or
even that Lebron Stephan k Did are still the three
best American players in the NBA.
Speaker 6 (18:15):
I think it's extremely fair to say that. I don't
think there's any slight there in anybody who's watched these games,
including the friendlies, the exhibition games, you would automatically if
you didn't know anything about basketball, if you hadn't watched
Team USA or the NBA, and you came and you've
(18:35):
watched it from the friendlies all the way up until now,
and you just were there sitting in the stands, and
I came up to you and said, who do you
think is the leader of that team? Who think is
the best on that team? You ninety nine percent of
the time would say Lebron James right. Agree, You just
would because of his command of the floor, the respect
(18:59):
that he's given not only by his teammates but by
the opponents. So when you can walk in with that
level of respect and then conduct yourself in a way
where everybody can see. I mean the triple Yes, Steph
(19:22):
went crazy with thirty six, the triple double. Right, the
defensive effort which we don't get to see from Lebron
a lot during the NBA Seas because the wear tear. Right,
he's forty years old.
Speaker 5 (19:33):
That's where that's where I'm gonna push back a little bit.
I do think Lebron's been the best player on Team
USA right now, but I.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
Don't think he and then Stephen kd.
Speaker 5 (19:45):
I don't think they're the three best American players in
the NBA over.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
The course talent wise game.
Speaker 5 (19:51):
I don't even mean talent, I just mean over the
course of an eighty two game season plus playoffs.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
Lebron can't give this level of defensive well, no, I don't
want it. Forty can right.
Speaker 5 (20:01):
But my point is the one of the you know this,
when you were older and you weren't the same player
you used to be, you still could have your moments
and your game. Oh yeah, you could write. You could
still have a game where you could turn back the
clock and be as good as you were.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
Sometimes you gotta pop out and show people.
Speaker 5 (20:19):
Right, But you couldn't do it for sixteen straight games
or thirteen of the sixteen game.
Speaker 6 (20:25):
I couldn't do it in training camp. I the letter
from year nine on really eight on I in my
contract was I only did one of days, only did
one to day.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
There was no tool days for me anymore.
Speaker 6 (20:39):
So I can give I'll give you everything I got
on in the morning practice and I would take the
afternoon to recover, do some body maintenance, that type of stuff.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
So yeah, as you get.
Speaker 5 (20:49):
That what I'm saying, Yeah, absolutely, Lebron, this is perfect
for him.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
Oh this is six games, maybe ten.
Speaker 5 (20:57):
Like you said, if you count friendlies, you're only playing
in twenty five minutes. You know, today play more, but
you know in general you're playing about twenty five minutes.
You got great teammates around you, you don't have to
overextend yourself. You can really get after defensively because there's
so few games and you get a little spacing in
between the games.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
You don't lose the leads when you go to the
bitch like.
Speaker 5 (21:19):
So that's why I would say in this Lebron's been
the best, but over the course of an eighty two
game season, he's no longer the best player in the world.
Because if he was, he from that he and the
Lakers would be better.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
You're right because he got Davis. You know what I'm saying.
You're right.
Speaker 6 (21:35):
And look that's no slight on him, No, no, not
at all. The fact that he's playing at this way
at thirty nine years old, about to be forty, being
able to lead a team of young and older All
Stars in the World Games and is the catalyst to
the victories. Right right, They're five and zero because of
(21:56):
Lebron James, not despite.
Speaker 1 (21:59):
Him, but because of him.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
He's phenomenal in these Fox Sports Radio has the best
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Speaker 5 (22:15):
Yeah, I mean, this is incredible that Lebron James at
age thirty nine.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
Is able to be the best player on the team.
Speaker 5 (22:24):
And you know Nick Wright and Kevin Wilds, my co
host on First Things First. Nick Wright was saying, if
they had lost, this would have been disastrous for Lebron.
Speaker 6 (22:35):
I got one even better, go ahead, I got one better.
If the US lost that game today, I don't think
they metal in these Olympics really if no, no, just
listen to me. I've been watching it all that game
between France and Germany. Okay, like that would that to
(22:58):
see who's gonna play? And you know what I mean,
Like that game between France and Germany, I.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
Want to hear it sound like you're trying to go somewhere.
Speaker 6 (23:09):
The loser plays in the bron right for the bronze medal? Right, right,
France poured it off. But if the US lost today
and had to go settle for a bronze medal, I
don't believe the effort and attention to detail would have
been there to go up against a Germany team that
(23:33):
has been tremendous in this tournament. So when I was
watching it, I was like, oh, man started a fourth quarter,
they're down by thirteen, fourteen points.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
I said, look here, man.
Speaker 6 (23:43):
I looked at my ten year old son, who was
about to have a panic attack, and I said, this
is a good chance that the greatest basketball players in
the world won't get a medal in these Olympics if
they lose this game. And that's a real honest opinion,
an assessment. It's not a hot take. It's not that
(24:03):
just based on what I was watching in that game
and how the game prior to that, and how I've
watched Germany play, I was like, oh no, this is
this is gonna be the Wagner Boys. And and for
whatever Dennis shrewter in the Olympics is, He's literally like Steph.
Speaker 5 (24:25):
Well, just like Jose Alvarado is better for the Puerto
Rican you got more freedom, you got you're the guy.
I'm saying, right, you can do what you want. And
I've always liked Shooter. I actually thought he'd have a
better NBA career. Has has had a solid career.
Speaker 6 (24:41):
He's made some poort decisions in terms of free agency
and all that. The Lakers offered them eighty six million dollars,
he turned it down and got that back six million dollars.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
I don't know what's going on.
Speaker 5 (24:51):
But I thought even when I remember him coming into
the league, I thought he might have some all star talent,
you know, like possibility. But you know, but he's had
a solid career but hadn't lived up to that. But
I hear you, we don't know, but I will say this, Yeah,
(25:11):
it's better to get the bronze than nothing. But you know,
if they would have lost this game, it.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
Really didn't matter.
Speaker 5 (25:20):
I mean again, yeah, it's a little better, but you
know what I mean, Like whether they got the bronze
or whether they were out of it, it nothing less.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
Than gold, gold or not.
Speaker 6 (25:32):
Yes, it really is and it will always be that
every single year.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
Well, I'm glad that's interesting you brought that up.
Speaker 5 (25:39):
I wasn't gonna go here, you know, and you may
have even been on me on with me when I've
said this, Ephraim, this is the last year we big
boy the world and we okay, y'all beat y'all beat
our world. You know, our our team USA last year
in the World Cup. Okay, now we're gonna send Lebron
(26:01):
and k D and Steph.
Speaker 6 (26:04):
And we'll see. They sent themselves. Lebron and them got
together and sent themselves. We didn't send them.
Speaker 5 (26:10):
They were like, yo, we would have won it. Like
it's time to put the world on notice again.
Speaker 6 (26:14):
If they didn't lose in Feba, we might not have
this crew with us next maybe maybe.
Speaker 5 (26:20):
But my point is this, and I know Jason Tatum,
Devin Booker, certainly Anthony Edwards and some of the other
players are going to get better.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
Tyre's Halliburton will get better.
Speaker 5 (26:33):
But after this year, which will be assuming we win
our fifth straight gold medal. After that, Ephraim, we gonna
be like everybody and it's gonna be about like we'll
see we might win.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
We got a good chance. It's a dog fight, and you.
Speaker 5 (26:51):
Think, right, it's and there're gonna be years we lose,
and it might be twenty twenty eight.
Speaker 6 (26:56):
Listen to what I'm saying. The last six m vps
aren't from America. This in terms of the people, not
you know, the award itself.
Speaker 5 (27:10):
Four of the five First Team All NBA were on America.
Can have been all five if didn't get.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
The top three.
Speaker 6 (27:18):
And the NBA MVP votes were not American. So this
notion that, as as far as I know, there isn't
another Steph Lebron r KD in the wings.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
I haven't seen anything.
Speaker 6 (27:43):
For me to feel comfortable saying, oh, we got another
lebronco which we may never get another lebron, but we
got another Steph coming, and we got another uh, the
best ad coming.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
The closest thing.
Speaker 5 (27:55):
And I and look, I think Anthony Edward's future is
incredibly right. I think he's a great place and gonna
be a Hall of Famer and all that.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
I don't.
Speaker 5 (28:06):
I seriously don't think he's going to be in the
class of Lebron and Steph historically. I at best probably KD.
He can do that, I think. But my point is,
like you said, that's gonna be our But like I
don't see at this moment, there's no American out there
that you're looking at as a guy that could be
(28:28):
a top ten player all time.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
There's none out there right now.
Speaker 5 (28:33):
We just got Lebron and Steph, and we had Kobe
and Shaq.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
I'm talking about the recent guys right now.
Speaker 5 (28:40):
All those guys that look like they could challenge for
that are international. Here's the difference, though, and this is
what you hear from a lot of Americans, is that
we yeah, okay, but Jannis and Luca and Jokish they're
not on the same team. They're not from the same country.
(29:01):
That's fair. They're not gonna be playing together in the Olympics.
Speaker 1 (29:05):
But you, as you.
Speaker 5 (29:06):
Saw today, you said it, all those players on the
Serbian national team have high basketball IQ and play team basketball.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
Ephra.
Speaker 5 (29:17):
We talked yesterday about twenty twenty four versus the Dream
Team in ninety two.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
That's been a big conversation. You've probably heard some of those.
Speaker 5 (29:28):
The advantage that ninety two would have, and I don't
know that this would make them win it or not,
but the advantage they would have is that every one
of those players, Jordan Barkley included Clyde Drexler, they all
knew how.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
To play team basketball.
Speaker 5 (29:44):
They Jordan was comfortable go and set a screen for
somebody throwing it into the post right running off like.
They all knew how to play without the ball in
their hands. We don't have that today. Everybody's not comfortable
with that.
Speaker 6 (29:58):
In America, whether what the system is said up Like, I'm
just all week, I've been at a basketball camp ninety
four feet shout out to the people out in Thousand Oaks,
UH Sports Academy, ninety four feet Campbell my ten year
old son, and been to a lot of AAU games.
Speaker 5 (30:14):
That's not yeah yeah, yeah, okay, yeah, shout out to
Phil Head.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
Yeah, shout out to Phil.
Speaker 6 (30:22):
It's it's the situation where you're looking and you're going
to these AAU tournaments and you can ball his life
and all the websites and the and the Instagram pages
and all of that, and what you see is dynamic
one on one players. You see a guy come down
and split the double, spin off a third defender, and
(30:44):
I'm thinking what I as a coach, what I'm thinking
is Okay, that's three defenders right that you just got by.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
That means two people are.
Speaker 6 (30:52):
Wide old, right, and that not even one look at
anybody else on the court, just the rim. So when
you get that and they thrive off that, you get
ranked because of that, you know, your stock goes up,
your nil money goes up. All of these things that
are going to be overtaking the values of team ball
(31:16):
and make basketball like Q making the right play. All
of that's being replaced by self fulfillment and gratification, which
is rewarded by money now that you can make as
an athlete. That's the problem that I see with the
generation coming up. Anthony Edwells, we go back and look
(31:38):
at his end. HEYU highlights right right?
Speaker 5 (31:41):
Like, send you this thought, go around the corner because
it's a good one and the proof is in the pudding.
But keep it locked here on the I Couple as
we break down American basketball.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (31:54):
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 (32:05):
All right, it is the odd couple.
Speaker 5 (32:08):
Chris Brussard e from Salim is in for Rob Parker.
Speaker 1 (32:12):
We want to thank Rapid Radios.
Speaker 5 (32:16):
They're the official communication device of Fox Sports Radio.
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Rapid Radios are instant push.
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Speaker 1 (32:31):
We use them at the show.
Speaker 5 (32:32):
Here go to rapid radios dot com now fro up
to sixty percent off and free shipping. We were talking about,
you know, hopefully and we believe we'll win the gold
medal and men's basketball this year, but this from I
would even say, I mean, I can't. I'm not gonna
(32:53):
go as far as I say. It's likely that we
don't win in twenty twenty eight, but it's gonna be tough,
and from that point on going forward, we will just
be another country. I mean, we'll be one of the favorites,
we'll be one of the top countries. We might be
we'll probably enterest the.
Speaker 1 (33:08):
Number one seed. And stuff like that.
Speaker 5 (33:11):
But we're we're gonna be far from like far from
where we are right now, where it's a fore gone conclusion,
even though we had a tough game today, where's a
foregone conclusion, we're going to win it all and the
gold medal and what you were talking about with that
and what you see in AAU.
Speaker 1 (33:30):
The proof of what you're saying is in the pudding
in that. Look at the NBA.
Speaker 5 (33:37):
And Jalen Green, who is a great young talent and
actually has has some great moments and gives you twenty
something points a night with the Houston Rockets. I mean,
as great as he is, he's not taking over the lead.
Speaker 1 (33:54):
No, not right, not right now. No, So it's the
proof if what you're.
Speaker 5 (34:02):
Saying is right. I mean we saw it in the draft.
Three of the top five six players were international.
Speaker 1 (34:09):
You know what you need.
Speaker 6 (34:13):
To be good in international basketball, especially the Olympics.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
You need maturity. Not necessarily saw that today.
Speaker 6 (34:22):
Not necessarily the most talent or most athletic, you need
maturity because without maturity, the US team down thirteen fourteen
going into the fourth.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
Remember these are ten great minute periods.
Speaker 6 (34:41):
Great point Athleticism is not gonna get you back, right,
that's not going if you if.
Speaker 5 (34:49):
You're not mature from you gonna be like, hold up,
you're going too faster than this, dude.
Speaker 1 (34:55):
You're gonna try to out.
Speaker 6 (34:56):
You're gonna try to out, You're gonna try to out
lead them, and you're going to put yourself and your
team in a situation where panic has set in, right,
because yeah, you can go down, you can get a dunk,
but you can come back down and get miss a
defensive rotation and give up a three, right, and then
(35:19):
now you feel a certain way going back down, and
then now you get that volud. The maturity slows the
game down. The maturity takes advantage of the few opportunities
you have to make an impact and make a run.
That's why Lebron, Steph, Katie, that's why they're great, that's
(35:41):
why they're needed this this Olympic season and moving forward.
Where is the maturity going to come from? That's the
that's the question. We're gonna have the best athletes. I
don't know that that's gonna that's nothing. We're going to
have the better athletes period. Now with that, who's going
(36:04):
to be the leader and is going to be enough
maturity on the team to carry us over teams that
specialize in discipline, ball movement, teamwork. No one like even
though Joker is the best player in the league in
terms of the MVP voting and has been in my
opinion the last four years, they snuck one in and
(36:27):
gave it to himb But.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
Like his team, he doesn't get there.
Speaker 6 (36:35):
And they're like, oh, right, right all around you can
you can see it?
Speaker 1 (36:40):
Yeah, I mean he kind of like look for Denver.
Speaker 5 (36:44):
He touches the ball every possession essentially, but he's getting
rid of it quick.
Speaker 1 (36:48):
He's like, is sick? Sick? Right? He was getting the
ball high post and all that.
Speaker 5 (36:55):
But you're right, they they understand he's of course the
best player, yes, but they don't defer to the point
of you do you create everything for everybody?
Speaker 6 (37:04):
And that's the freedom, And that's the maturity and the
freedom that comes with the maturity, right, Like it's okay,
and and and not having that that figurehead and I
keep bringing up Germany and you and you look at
you know how that team is run. Everything goes to
(37:24):
when you look at the other team. Look when you
look at let me, let.
Speaker 1 (37:27):
Me tell me about friends, because I didn't see that game.
They got a brother this You think this game was hard?
Really because I'm not. Let me give you this.
Speaker 6 (37:38):
Let me give you this, the defensive player of the
year that I got you the defensive player of the year.
Play five minutes in the first half and then get
into the game to ten seconds left in the game.
That's how good they are.
Speaker 1 (37:53):
Go bear, yeah, what.
Speaker 5 (37:55):
I'm what I'm saying you victorin' going to push?
Speaker 1 (38:00):
Oh, brother, it's going to be hallecious. They have to
go home and fortunes.
Speaker 6 (38:04):
Yes, home home, well, they get home country advantage.
Speaker 1 (38:10):
They're getting caught.
Speaker 6 (38:11):
Okay, so this this is about to be a whole
They're not They have not played in an arena like
this in the Olympics.
Speaker 1 (38:17):
What they're gonna face on on Saturday nights. Okay. So
because a lot of people are thinking, all right.
Speaker 6 (38:22):
This was no no, we were This is going to
be worse lightly, but this is going to be worse.
Speaker 1 (38:28):
Well worse. Worse is a loss your words? Oh why
are you burying the league? Keep it locked? He might
be saying something
Thanks for listening to The Odd Couple podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Be sure to check us out live every weekday from
seven pm to ten pm Eastern four to seventh Pacific
on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for The
Odd Couple at Foxsports Radio dot com, or stream us
live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
Oh yeah, it is the Odd Couple.
Speaker 5 (00:43):
I'm Chris Bruce alongside live partner. It is not Rob Parker,
it is e from Salam that's right with the theme music.
We're live from the tire rack dot Com studio. Ty
right dot Com will help you get there. They got
an unmatched selection, fast free shipping, free rod has a
(01:04):
protection and more than ten thousand recommended installers. Tirereck dot
Com the way a tire bind should be. In this
right here, The Eye Couple is the way sports talk
radio should be. So keep it locked on Fox Sports Radio,
the iHeartRadio app, or Serious XM channel eighty three. However
you may be listening for the next three hours, you
(01:25):
won't be disappointed. And Martin Weiss got three days this week.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Ain't just couldn't couldn't handle anything.
Speaker 6 (01:34):
Y'all, just given out. Had to bow out, y'all just
handing out days.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Well now we're giving you too because we felt too.
Is Max?
Speaker 6 (01:42):
I don't get handed days though, Okay, I don't get
handed days.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
What's up?
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Man?
Speaker 6 (01:48):
I'm good in the intro since Rob isn't here, which
one of us is the one who throws money at
the pole?
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Is that?
Speaker 7 (01:56):
Well?
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Yes? And that ain't you?
Speaker 6 (02:00):
Oh no, you gotta remember, man I my rookie year,
my first four years in Atlanta before that was you right,
that's or maybe it's still you give you know, and look,
man I always tell people, you know, one of the
things as an athlete, we used to go out, you know,
(02:22):
every Thursday, we would go on on you know, position
dinner right offense, defense, they go to dinner, old line
and go to dinner all every Thursday across the league.
So really, yeah, yeah, that's just what it was. It's
just it's it's team dinner, but you split it up
in your side kind of the team. For all the teams,
it's the last hard day of practice that week, everybody
(02:42):
goes out, goes to the steakhouse, you know, you know,
watch Thursday night football whatever that is. And normally you know,
it would be like we'll go partake in a little
uh uh activities festivities, I should say uh on this
establishment and then go out to dinner, right or vice versa.
(03:03):
And I used to I used to be on the
phone with my wife and I'd be like, Hey, we're
gonna stop buy treasures and then we're going to you know,
Flemings to eat and the guys treasures Treasures.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
That's it's a place where you can what treasures were.
Speaker 6 (03:16):
Of course we've been there together before anyway together and
hey look here, man, you you got to marry. You
have to marry the person that you want to marry,
right like. And so entertainment is entertainment, whether you're going
to a movie, whether you're going whatever.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
That is. How we however, you're.
Speaker 5 (03:35):
Entertained of women going to strip clubs. Oh, it's it's
I don't common things. I don't think many dudes that
are heaterosection, right, going to strip clubs where men are also.
Speaker 6 (03:48):
Women look at other women differently than dudes look at
other dudes.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Right.
Speaker 6 (03:53):
A woman can look at an attractive woman to be like,
oh my gosh, she's beautiful, and compliment her and do
all these things.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
I'm not looking at you, but man, your eyebrow look
really cool today. Man, I mean I like what you're doing,
what you have faith you.
Speaker 6 (04:06):
Man, I'm so just just genetically and just metaphysically. Women
are different than women can go enjoy something that's beautiful.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
So your wife's cool, it's cool with you. Well, she
never she like, Look, we have a type of relationship.
Speaker 6 (04:20):
We talk about everything. We're open, we're honest. Uh, we've
been together twenty one years. Man, like this, you don't
get to you don't get to here hiding having secrets.
So guys, life would not be cool with me going
and you didn't go, then I don't go anyway.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
I mean I wouldn't whether I was married.
Speaker 5 (04:35):
I'm not going anyway, but she would, And I wouldn't
be cool with her going because you didn't do it before,
Like now after you if you never went and then
all of a sudden you got married, now you gotta go.
Speaker 6 (04:46):
That's a problem. That's something sums up right. You have
to address the problem, not the action. You get what
I'm saying. I used to like to partake in those
establishments before I got married. I wasn't going in there
looking for a wife or looking the hook up with somebody.
That's not what I was going I wasn't going another date, right,
I was going in there to be entertained. And so
she was like, look, you like to do that before me.
(05:08):
I'm not gonna tell you can't do it. Like, as
long as everything's above board, then you're off with the
shop talk. Because rob g, I'm guessing your wife ain't down.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
With that like you. That's going to be an affirmative Chris.
Speaker 6 (05:22):
Yeah, see what, let me ask you this, And I
went to strip clubs back in the day, like before hours.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
You know, had she ever gone to a strip club before?
I doubt it? Do you not question? Have you even
answered that?
Speaker 8 (05:36):
No?
Speaker 5 (05:36):
But here's why I have never asked her. But here's
why I would say she hasn't. Actually, when I met her,
she was already a born again Christian. She missed out
on anything, whole different lifestyle. But by point, I would say,
and you know this, I bet you noticed e from
like I mean, we started dating in the eighties and
(05:57):
she wasn't you.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Know what I'm saying. I don't think women were really
going nothing like that. It wasn't even a whole bunch
of them.
Speaker 5 (06:05):
Yeah, yeah, so it was. It was a different thing.
But yet let's get into it. And we got the
high couple of crew to super producer Rob G, DJ
Alex tight shirt?
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Is that? Steve the Sega on the one on the
you already know, you already know?
Speaker 5 (06:16):
And Elijah Sabuna on the uh social media?
Speaker 1 (06:21):
All right, you saw it. I gotta be honest. I
was on the air. First things.
Speaker 5 (06:25):
First was on We had the unfortunate situation of being
on across from the big game between United States and
Serbia and basketball. So I had the game on my phone,
so I was looking at it during breaks, but I
couldn't watch it closely. I knew what was going on.
I just didn't see all that, you know. It's the
(06:46):
first thing first that is that your TV show? Did
you shoot out of LA I mean out of New
York in New York? Yeah, on Fox Sports one. That's
the TV show, right, Yes, okay, you know I do TV.
I just went through that out there. Again, we didn't
did the whole summer. We didn't the whole summer that
one time. Were you like, hey I'm going out of town,
come fill in? Not one time.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
I wish it was my call.
Speaker 6 (07:06):
But I mean, it's your show, your one three, but
it's your show.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
You you got my word, I'm gonna push. I've been
waiting on that word for four years. Man, It's all
what what what?
Speaker 5 (07:19):
I looking at the box score and I, like I said,
I saw the final You know what was happening in
the final minutes during the break? I know, we went
to break, we went back on the air, US was
down eighty six, eighty four, we got I looked at
my phone again and we were up ninety one.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Okay, so you don't know what's going on. You just
throwing stuff out there.
Speaker 6 (07:42):
So throw me the question, man, I watched the whole thing.
Speaker 5 (07:45):
Well here's the question. Because I'm looking at I know
Steph went off with thirty six points. I know Lebron
had a triple double with sixteen, twelve and ten and
the NB was great, but I'm not focused on NB.
And Durant was good down the stretch with nine points.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
The old Heads led.
Speaker 5 (08:04):
The way and also and Rob g has the plus minuses,
but they were they were the leaders and plus minus
right and the young guys Devin Booker bam out of Bayo, Anthony.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Davis weren't they negatives? Rob g Anthony?
Speaker 7 (08:19):
It was Edwards, Ata Bio Derek White were the leaders
in the negative. Steph Curry, you know, in a game
that was nip and tuck, they're actually down most of
the game, ended up having a plus minus of plus
twenty in the time that he was out there.
Speaker 5 (08:35):
So my point, Ephraim is it looks like, and you
saw it closer than me, the importance of basketball IQ
because that's what Lebron Stephen kd have over Anthony Edwards,
you know what I mean, the younger guys who are
more athletic at this point. What I think that was
(08:56):
a huge factor. And on the other side, I mean, obviously,
Yo Cotch as as high a basketball IQ as anybody
in the world, and he took a team of what
another two NBA players and some minor leaguers I'm gonna
call him that and they almost beat Team USA. So
I think it shows just the importance of basketball IQ.
Speaker 6 (09:21):
This is what I took from it, And you're right,
basketball IQ is paramount. I'm coaching my ten year old son.
I coaches nine to ten team and then he plays
up eleven twelve.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
I coach both.
Speaker 6 (09:30):
Teams and I don't like most coaches at this age
are hyper focused on skill set. You gotta drive, you
gotta come off the pick, and you gotta two take
a step back, and you gotta shoot. I'm focusing on
raising my my athletes basketball IQ.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Right.
Speaker 6 (09:49):
If I call a play and something's not available, I
need you to understand it's not available and to go
somewhere else with the ball, right, don't be a robot
and just pass it to an area that's not available,
because that's where it goes when we practice, that's where
we go, That's where it's supposed to go.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Right.
Speaker 6 (10:09):
Sometimes, most basket most professional sports are off script.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Right.
Speaker 6 (10:14):
That's why Kelsey and Mahomes are so great. It don't
even look like Travis Kelce is running routes. He's literally
just he opened right. So it's all a right. He
ain't running right, He'll find the soft spot, sit down,
get open, make something happen. So it's about being able
(10:34):
to understand the situation and adjust to it. So when
you have people like Steph, you have people like Lebron,
you have people like.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Kevin Durant.
Speaker 6 (10:44):
Right, their basketball's their basketball IQ extremely high. They've been
in every type of situation you can possibly be in
at the highest level, not only in the Olympics, but
in World Championship Basketball, or the whole NBA finals, the
whole Nine Yard League, MVPs. They've done it all, been
at all, So yeah, they're prepared for all situations. When
(11:09):
you look at the Anthony Edwards and even the Bam
out of Bayo even though he's been to the finals
and he because you get it with time. And I
don't even think some I mean some people just have it.
I mean Steph Golden State.
Speaker 5 (11:26):
Plays a very intelligent type of basketball, right, Yes, Lebron
just has it. The league with Yeah, Duran is just
a guy that can fit in with any system, particularly
when you've got great players around him. And so I
don't think Bam will ever get it like those guys. No, No,
that's not him. It's just different and what styles of
(11:47):
playing and what you saw in that game was everybody
on Serbia has it. Everybody they grew up playing.
Speaker 6 (11:54):
Everybody on the Serbia national team has an IQ level
on Pro Bowl to the Joker.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
Because that's the only way they could go.
Speaker 6 (12:06):
That's how it goes, right, So they're if you double
and if you like flash and you don't get back,
They're going to exploit it immediately, and from the beginning
of the game that's exactly what they did. The US
came out, they were a little bit slow on their
defensive rotation and it wide open threes. They're not going
to hesitate, They're not going to overpass and ask for
(12:29):
what's going on with the US team. It was interesting
because after the game, Steph had made a comment and
I knew exactly what he was talking about. He was like, look,
we got all the talent in the world. I'm paraphrasing here,
we got all the talent in the world, but sometimes
we can overpass, right, because you can get the ball
(12:51):
in a normal NBA game because you're the guy. Everybody
on that team is the guy on their team except
for Derek White. But if you get the ball and
you're open, you're gonna take the shot. But what happens
is you look like, oh, man, that's kd over there
on to your left. Oh that's Lebron over there, and
you got Steph cutting through the paint. It's like, oh,
I'm not gonna shoot this one, right. So that mindset
(13:13):
causes you to be a step slower right. Turnovers were
extremely high, and Serbia took advantage of the turnovers. But
just that little thing, right, that minute thing of an
all star. They're all all stars of an all star,
not taking advantage of something he sees because there, in
his mind there's a better option over there. That's the thing. Serbia.
(13:37):
They're free, They're running offense through the joker. Go ahead,
and I want to ask you where I want to.
Speaker 5 (13:43):
I want to talk more about Steph KD and Lebron
in the next segment, but quickly I want to ask
you because it sounds like you're giving an explanation which
makes sense and I agree with as to why this
game was close like it was actually we almost lost.
Are you Bob Third by us being so close in
(14:04):
this game to losing or do you look at it
like like almost like an NCAA tournament game where you
see great teams have a nail bier with a team
that's less than them and sometimes that will happen in
a one and done situation.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Bothered or are you bothered?
Speaker 6 (14:20):
Okay, I'm bothered because when you look at the collective
talent we have on our team, we have all the
answers this game is why Joel Embiad is actually on
the team right, Yeah, because in the NBA, which he
tends to do against y'all, that is why he's here.
If he's not on the team today, they have the
advantage on the inside. That's why Jolan so all us, Oh,
(14:43):
joelanb doing this and he came out and played an
MVP level game. He kept us in it. But he
because he can go at Nicola Jokic. He can go
at him. It's a difficult guard and cover for Nicola Jokic.
So that's literally why he's here. He showed up and
showed out when he had to. But yeah, I'm upset
because I don't want these close games. We collective, we
(15:06):
have better talent.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
I do want.
Speaker 5 (15:09):
I got exactly what I wanted today. You didn't watching
drama field, see you. I want us to win. Yeah,
but you came. You can't always say right, but you watched.
You watched when they were down twelve and came back
and they were up five. So you were like, oh, okay,
So you didn't have to in the moment. No, I
throughout no, because I couldn't watch every moment like that.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
But I was seeing Yo were down thirteen.
Speaker 5 (15:33):
In fact, my co host said, when we were down thirteen,
I think the four five minutes left in the second quarter.
The fourth, we were down fourteen, right, I know, but
I'm saying at that point they were like, oh, we
it's really it's panic time. I was like, no, it's not.
We got plenty of time. It's plenty of time left,
(15:53):
and it wasn't. Now going into the fourth. That's a
different story, all right. I want to ask you a
big thing about the big three in this game for America.
Durant slipping in for Embiid in that conversation.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
That'll be next.
Speaker 5 (16:06):
Keep it like it's the Odd Couple, Chris of Ephram
Salim Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
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 (16:22):
Hey it's me Rob Parker.
Speaker 8 (16:25):
Check out my weekly MLB podcast, Inside the Parker for
twenty two minutes of piping hot baseball talk, featuring the
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(16:47):
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Speaker 5 (16:54):
All right, it is the Odd Couple. Chris Brussar Ephram
Salims in for Rob Parker. We're live from the IRAQ
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Here's what I want to ask you, Ephraim, and maybe
if you want to limit it to Lebron, fine, I
think Lebron has been and I think it's fairly clear
that he has been the best player on Team USA today.
(17:41):
Obviously Steph saved them, but overall.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
Lebron has been the best player.
Speaker 5 (17:48):
And I want to ask you Kd's had his moments
and MB didn't even technically American.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
I mean, I think now he's a citizen.
Speaker 5 (17:56):
But you know, like so of the American players in
the NBA, do you think it's fair to say that
Lebron is the best American player in the NBA, or
even that Lebron Stephan k Did are still the three
best American players in the NBA.
Speaker 6 (18:15):
I think it's extremely fair to say that. I don't
think there's any slight there in anybody who's watched these games,
including the friendlies, the exhibition games, you would automatically if
you didn't know anything about basketball, if you hadn't watched
Team USA or the NBA, and you came and you've
(18:35):
watched it from the friendlies all the way up until now,
and you just were there sitting in the stands, and
I came up to you and said, who do you
think is the leader of that team? Who think is
the best on that team? You ninety nine percent of
the time would say Lebron James right. Agree, You just
would because of his command of the floor, the respect
(18:59):
that he's given not only by his teammates but by
the opponents. So when you can walk in with that
level of respect and then conduct yourself in a way
where everybody can see. I mean the triple Yes, Steph
(19:22):
went crazy with thirty six, the triple double. Right, the
defensive effort which we don't get to see from Lebron
a lot during the NBA Seas because the wear tear. Right,
he's forty years old.
Speaker 5 (19:33):
That's where that's where I'm gonna push back a little bit.
I do think Lebron's been the best player on Team
USA right now, but I.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
Don't think he and then Stephen kd.
Speaker 5 (19:45):
I don't think they're the three best American players in
the NBA over.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
The course talent wise game.
Speaker 5 (19:51):
I don't even mean talent, I just mean over the
course of an eighty two game season plus playoffs.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
Lebron can't give this level of defensive well, no, I don't
want it. Forty can right.
Speaker 5 (20:01):
But my point is the one of the you know this,
when you were older and you weren't the same player
you used to be, you still could have your moments
and your game. Oh yeah, you could write. You could
still have a game where you could turn back the
clock and be as good as you were.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
Sometimes you gotta pop out and show people.
Speaker 5 (20:19):
Right, But you couldn't do it for sixteen straight games
or thirteen of the sixteen game.
Speaker 6 (20:25):
I couldn't do it in training camp. I the letter
from year nine on really eight on I in my
contract was I only did one of days, only did
one to day.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
There was no tool days for me anymore.
Speaker 6 (20:39):
So I can give I'll give you everything I got
on in the morning practice and I would take the
afternoon to recover, do some body maintenance, that type of stuff.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
So yeah, as you get.
Speaker 5 (20:49):
That what I'm saying, Yeah, absolutely, Lebron, this is perfect
for him.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
Oh this is six games, maybe ten.
Speaker 5 (20:57):
Like you said, if you count friendlies, you're only playing
in twenty five minutes. You know, today play more, but
you know in general you're playing about twenty five minutes.
You got great teammates around you, you don't have to
overextend yourself. You can really get after defensively because there's
so few games and you get a little spacing in
between the games.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
You don't lose the leads when you go to the
bitch like.
Speaker 5 (21:19):
So that's why I would say in this Lebron's been
the best, but over the course of an eighty two
game season, he's no longer the best player in the world.
Because if he was, he from that he and the
Lakers would be better.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
You're right because he got Davis. You know what I'm saying.
You're right.
Speaker 6 (21:35):
And look that's no slight on him, No, no, not
at all. The fact that he's playing at this way
at thirty nine years old, about to be forty, being
able to lead a team of young and older All
Stars in the World Games and is the catalyst to
the victories. Right right, They're five and zero because of
(21:56):
Lebron James, not despite.
Speaker 1 (21:59):
Him, but because of him.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
He's phenomenal in these 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 5 (22:15):
Yeah, I mean, this is incredible that Lebron James at
age thirty nine.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
Is able to be the best player on the team.
Speaker 5 (22:24):
And you know Nick Wright and Kevin Wilds, my co
host on First Things First. Nick Wright was saying, if
they had lost, this would have been disastrous for Lebron.
Speaker 6 (22:35):
I got one even better, go ahead, I got one better.
If the US lost that game today, I don't think
they metal in these Olympics really if no, no, just
listen to me. I've been watching it all that game
between France and Germany. Okay, like that would that to
(22:58):
see who's gonna play? And you know what I mean,
Like that game between France and Germany, I.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
Want to hear it sound like you're trying to go somewhere.
Speaker 6 (23:09):
The loser plays in the bron right for the bronze medal? Right, right,
France poured it off. But if the US lost today
and had to go settle for a bronze medal, I
don't believe the effort and attention to detail would have
been there to go up against a Germany team that
(23:33):
has been tremendous in this tournament. So when I was
watching it, I was like, oh, man started a fourth quarter,
they're down by thirteen, fourteen points.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
I said, look here, man.
Speaker 6 (23:43):
I looked at my ten year old son, who was
about to have a panic attack, and I said, this
is a good chance that the greatest basketball players in
the world won't get a medal in these Olympics if
they lose this game. And that's a real honest opinion,
an assessment. It's not a hot take. It's not that
(24:03):
just based on what I was watching in that game
and how the game prior to that, and how I've
watched Germany play, I was like, oh no, this is
this is gonna be the Wagner Boys. And and for
whatever Dennis shrewter in the Olympics is, He's literally like Steph.
Speaker 5 (24:25):
Well, just like Jose Alvarado is better for the Puerto
Rican you got more freedom, you got you're the guy.
I'm saying, right, you can do what you want. And
I've always liked Shooter. I actually thought he'd have a
better NBA career. Has has had a solid career.
Speaker 6 (24:41):
He's made some poort decisions in terms of free agency
and all that. The Lakers offered them eighty six million dollars,
he turned it down and got that back six million dollars.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
I don't know what's going on.
Speaker 5 (24:51):
But I thought even when I remember him coming into
the league, I thought he might have some all star talent,
you know, like possibility. But you know, but he's had
a solid career but hadn't lived up to that. But
I hear you, we don't know, but I will say this, Yeah,
(25:11):
it's better to get the bronze than nothing. But you know,
if they would have lost this game, it.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
Really didn't matter.
Speaker 5 (25:20):
I mean again, yeah, it's a little better, but you
know what I mean, Like whether they got the bronze
or whether they were out of it, it nothing less.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
Than gold, gold or not.
Speaker 6 (25:32):
Yes, it really is and it will always be that
every single year.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
Well, I'm glad that's interesting you brought that up.
Speaker 5 (25:39):
I wasn't gonna go here, you know, and you may
have even been on me on with me when I've
said this, Ephraim, this is the last year we big
boy the world and we okay, y'all beat y'all beat
our world. You know, our our team USA last year
in the World Cup. Okay, now we're gonna send Lebron
(26:01):
and k D and Steph.
Speaker 6 (26:04):
And we'll see. They sent themselves. Lebron and them got
together and sent themselves. We didn't send them.
Speaker 5 (26:10):
They were like, yo, we would have won it. Like
it's time to put the world on notice again.
Speaker 6 (26:14):
If they didn't lose in Feba, we might not have
this crew with us next maybe maybe.
Speaker 5 (26:20):
But my point is this, and I know Jason Tatum,
Devin Booker, certainly Anthony Edwards and some of the other
players are going to get better.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
Tyre's Halliburton will get better.
Speaker 5 (26:33):
But after this year, which will be assuming we win
our fifth straight gold medal. After that, Ephraim, we gonna
be like everybody and it's gonna be about like we'll
see we might win.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
We got a good chance. It's a dog fight, and you.
Speaker 5 (26:51):
Think, right, it's and there're gonna be years we lose,
and it might be twenty twenty eight.
Speaker 6 (26:56):
Listen to what I'm saying. The last six m vps
aren't from America. This in terms of the people, not
you know, the award itself.
Speaker 5 (27:10):
Four of the five First Team All NBA were on America.
Can have been all five if didn't get.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
The top three.
Speaker 6 (27:18):
And the NBA MVP votes were not American. So this
notion that, as as far as I know, there isn't
another Steph Lebron r KD in the wings.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
I haven't seen anything.
Speaker 6 (27:43):
For me to feel comfortable saying, oh, we got another
lebronco which we may never get another lebron, but we
got another Steph coming, and we got another uh, the
best ad coming.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
The closest thing.
Speaker 5 (27:55):
And I and look, I think Anthony Edward's future is
incredibly right. I think he's a great place and gonna
be a Hall of Famer and all that.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
I don't.
Speaker 5 (28:06):
I seriously don't think he's going to be in the
class of Lebron and Steph historically. I at best probably KD.
He can do that, I think. But my point is,
like you said, that's gonna be our But like I
don't see at this moment, there's no American out there
that you're looking at as a guy that could be
(28:28):
a top ten player all time.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
There's none out there right now.
Speaker 5 (28:33):
We just got Lebron and Steph, and we had Kobe
and Shaq.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
I'm talking about the recent guys right now.
Speaker 5 (28:40):
All those guys that look like they could challenge for
that are international. Here's the difference, though, and this is
what you hear from a lot of Americans, is that
we yeah, okay, but Jannis and Luca and Jokish they're
not on the same team. They're not from the same country.
(29:01):
That's fair. They're not gonna be playing together in the Olympics.
Speaker 1 (29:05):
But you, as you.
Speaker 5 (29:06):
Saw today, you said it, all those players on the
Serbian national team have high basketball IQ and play team basketball.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
Ephra.
Speaker 5 (29:17):
We talked yesterday about twenty twenty four versus the Dream
Team in ninety two.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
That's been a big conversation. You've probably heard some of those.
Speaker 5 (29:28):
The advantage that ninety two would have, and I don't
know that this would make them win it or not,
but the advantage they would have is that every one
of those players, Jordan Barkley included Clyde Drexler, they all
knew how.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
To play team basketball.
Speaker 5 (29:44):
They Jordan was comfortable go and set a screen for
somebody throwing it into the post right running off like.
They all knew how to play without the ball in
their hands. We don't have that today. Everybody's not comfortable
with that.
Speaker 6 (29:58):
In America, whether what the system is said up Like, I'm
just all week, I've been at a basketball camp ninety
four feet shout out to the people out in Thousand Oaks,
UH Sports Academy, ninety four feet Campbell my ten year
old son, and been to a lot of AAU games.
Speaker 5 (30:14):
That's not yeah yeah, yeah, okay, yeah, shout out to
Phil Head.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
Yeah, shout out to Phil.
Speaker 6 (30:22):
It's it's the situation where you're looking and you're going
to these AAU tournaments and you can ball his life
and all the websites and the and the Instagram pages
and all of that, and what you see is dynamic
one on one players. You see a guy come down
and split the double, spin off a third defender, and
(30:44):
I'm thinking what I as a coach, what I'm thinking
is Okay, that's three defenders right that you just got by.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
That means two people are.
Speaker 6 (30:52):
Wide old, right, and that not even one look at
anybody else on the court, just the rim. So when
you get that and they thrive off that, you get
ranked because of that, you know, your stock goes up,
your nil money goes up. All of these things that
are going to be overtaking the values of team ball
(31:16):
and make basketball like Q making the right play. All
of that's being replaced by self fulfillment and gratification, which
is rewarded by money now that you can make as
an athlete. That's the problem that I see with the
generation coming up. Anthony Edwells, we go back and look
(31:38):
at his end. HEYU highlights right right?
Speaker 5 (31:41):
Like, send you this thought, go around the corner because
it's a good one and the proof is in the pudding.
But keep it locked here on the I Couple as
we break down American basketball.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (31:54):
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 (32:05):
All right, it is the odd couple.
Speaker 5 (32:08):
Chris Brussard e from Salim is in for Rob Parker.
Speaker 1 (32:12):
We want to thank Rapid Radios.
Speaker 5 (32:16):
They're the official communication device of Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (32:19):
Rapid Radios are instant push.
Speaker 5 (32:21):
To talk walkie talkies, offering national LTE coverage and no
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Speaker 1 (32:31):
We use them at the show.
Speaker 5 (32:32):
Here go to rapid radios dot com now fro up
to sixty percent off and free shipping. We were talking about,
you know, hopefully and we believe we'll win the gold
medal and men's basketball this year, but this from I
would even say, I mean, I can't. I'm not gonna
(32:53):
go as far as I say. It's likely that we
don't win in twenty twenty eight, but it's gonna be tough,
and from that point on going forward, we will just
be another country. I mean, we'll be one of the favorites,
we'll be one of the top countries. We might be
we'll probably enterest the.
Speaker 1 (33:08):
Number one seed. And stuff like that.
Speaker 5 (33:11):
But we're we're gonna be far from like far from
where we are right now, where it's a fore gone conclusion,
even though we had a tough game today, where's a
foregone conclusion, we're going to win it all and the
gold medal and what you were talking about with that
and what you see in AAU.
Speaker 1 (33:30):
The proof of what you're saying is in the pudding
in that. Look at the NBA.
Speaker 5 (33:37):
And Jalen Green, who is a great young talent and
actually has has some great moments and gives you twenty
something points a night with the Houston Rockets. I mean,
as great as he is, he's not taking over the lead.
Speaker 1 (33:54):
No, not right, not right now. No, So it's the
proof if what you're.
Speaker 5 (34:02):
Saying is right. I mean we saw it in the draft.
Three of the top five six players were international.
Speaker 1 (34:09):
You know what you need.
Speaker 6 (34:13):
To be good in international basketball, especially the Olympics.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
You need maturity. Not necessarily saw that today.
Speaker 6 (34:22):
Not necessarily the most talent or most athletic, you need
maturity because without maturity, the US team down thirteen fourteen
going into the fourth.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
Remember these are ten great minute periods.
Speaker 6 (34:41):
Great point Athleticism is not gonna get you back, right,
that's not going if you if.
Speaker 5 (34:49):
You're not mature from you gonna be like, hold up,
you're going too faster than this, dude.
Speaker 1 (34:55):
You're gonna try to out.
Speaker 6 (34:56):
You're gonna try to out, You're gonna try to out
lead them, and you're going to put yourself and your
team in a situation where panic has set in, right,
because yeah, you can go down, you can get a dunk,
but you can come back down and get miss a
defensive rotation and give up a three, right, and then
(35:19):
now you feel a certain way going back down, and
then now you get that volud. The maturity slows the
game down. The maturity takes advantage of the few opportunities
you have to make an impact and make a run.
That's why Lebron, Steph, Katie, that's why they're great, that's
(35:41):
why they're needed this this Olympic season and moving forward.
Where is the maturity going to come from? That's the
that's the question. We're gonna have the best athletes. I
don't know that that's gonna that's nothing. We're going to
have the better athletes period. Now with that, who's going
(36:04):
to be the leader and is going to be enough
maturity on the team to carry us over teams that
specialize in discipline, ball movement, teamwork. No one like even
though Joker is the best player in the league in
terms of the MVP voting and has been in my
opinion the last four years, they snuck one in and
(36:27):
gave it to himb But.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
Like his team, he doesn't get there.
Speaker 6 (36:35):
And they're like, oh, right, right all around you can
you can see it?
Speaker 1 (36:40):
Yeah, I mean he kind of like look for Denver.
Speaker 5 (36:44):
He touches the ball every possession essentially, but he's getting
rid of it quick.
Speaker 1 (36:48):
He's like, is sick? Sick? Right? He was getting the
ball high post and all that.
Speaker 5 (36:55):
But you're right, they they understand he's of course the
best player, yes, but they don't defer to the point
of you do you create everything for everybody?
Speaker 6 (37:04):
And that's the freedom, And that's the maturity and the
freedom that comes with the maturity, right, Like it's okay,
and and and not having that that figurehead and I
keep bringing up Germany and you and you look at
you know how that team is run. Everything goes to
(37:24):
when you look at the other team. Look when you
look at let me, let.
Speaker 1 (37:27):
Me tell me about friends, because I didn't see that game.
They got a brother this You think this game was hard?
Really because I'm not. Let me give you this.
Speaker 6 (37:38):
Let me give you this, the defensive player of the
year that I got you the defensive player of the year.
Play five minutes in the first half and then get
into the game to ten seconds left in the game.
That's how good they are.
Speaker 1 (37:53):
Go bear, yeah, what.
Speaker 5 (37:55):
I'm what I'm saying you victorin' going to push?
Speaker 1 (38:00):
Oh, brother, it's going to be hallecious. They have to
go home and fortunes.
Speaker 6 (38:04):
Yes, home home, well, they get home country advantage.
Speaker 1 (38:10):
They're getting caught.
Speaker 6 (38:11):
Okay, so this this is about to be a whole
They're not They have not played in an arena like
this in the Olympics.
Speaker 1 (38:17):
What they're gonna face on on Saturday nights. Okay. So
because a lot of people are thinking, all right.
Speaker 6 (38:22):
This was no no, we were This is going to
be worse lightly, but this is going to be worse.
Speaker 1 (38:28):
Well worse. Worse is a loss your words? Oh why
are you burying the league? Keep it locked? He might
be saying something
Hosts And Creators
kelvin washington
Rob Parker
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