March 9, 2020 • 34 mins
It's The Best of The Odd Couple with Chris Broussard and Rob Parker! Chris and Rob discuss whether or not the Lakers impressive wins over Bucks and Clippers proved that LeBron James is still the best player in the world - and if he should be the new NBA MVP front-runner, tell us why Barry Bonds is a little out of line for suggesting that the MLB is holding him in baseball purgatory, and explain Kenny Atkinson's firing by the Brooklyn Nets is further proof that the NBA is still a star-driven league at its core.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the best of the Odd Couple podcasts.
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(00:22):
You're listening to the best of the Odd Cup Off
with Chris Brush and Rob Harker. We are coming off
of what I called going into the weekend, what I
said would be the best weekend in the regular season
this year, and it certainly lived up to it. Whether
(00:45):
you're a Laker fan or not, it certainly lived up
to the building of the best regular season weekend in
the NBA thus far, and I think going forward, and
that was because the Los Angeles Lakers with the best
record in the West. We're facing Number one, the Milwaukee
Bucks on Friday night. Yanni's out to Dakompo, the front
(01:09):
runner for the MVP Award. Lebron James second in the
MVP race and now has a ground swell working toward
him being number one in that race. And the Bucks
got the best record in the league. And then on Sunday.
Following that up, the Lakers met the LA Clippers, who
(01:30):
are most people's favorite to win the championship this year.
They had beaten the Lakers twice already. We're two and
oh against the Lakers this season, both teams fully healthy,
a lot of feeling out there that Kawhi Leonard had
become the best player in the world, and Lebron James
(01:53):
totally playing up that hashtag wash king. Was he going
to answer the bell against Kawhi Leonard and Yanni scientistic Coombo.
So I thought that is what made it the best
weekend coming into the weekend for the NBA, and it
lived up to the building and mainly because a lot
of guys played well. Yannis played well, Kawhi played well,
(02:15):
Paul George played well, Anthony Davis played well, Avery Bradley
had his best game of the year. But the story
of the weekend rob was Lebron James period, and I
think he re established himself. He showed everyone that for
the time being, he still is the best player in
(02:37):
the world. I thought he dominated both games, and particularly offensively,
but showed something defensively by Garden, Yannis and Kawhi as well.
See I think the reason that people will go that
route and they want to praise Lebron and act like,
Yannie's what he's done all year, it doesn't matter. Well,
I'm not saying about the MVP right now. I'm talking
(02:58):
about best in the world right but I'm saying the
best in the world still comes down. The only reason
that you would even mention Kawhi is because he wins.
And I still believe that ultimately that's once going to
determine it. It's the same thing. Lebron can have a
nice playoff or good great playoffs, if the Clippers beat
them and move on, it'll be about Janni's I mean,
(03:21):
it'll be about ut If the Clippers win, that that
means Kawhi is better than Lebron. I think that how
you know they play, I think that that will look
at it again and you will look at I just
think that winning ultimately, Chris, there is nothing wrong with
stats and and all that, but it is about winning,
(03:41):
and people expect the Lakers to win. They might be
the favorites by the by the scribes, but there's a
whole lot of fans out there who think the Lakers
finally going to win a championship. That's what I'm talking about.
I think the writers are favoring the Clippers, right, I
mean the people cover the game, but I'm talking about
just the fans who now believe the Lakers have a
(04:03):
chance to win. They could have lost both of those games, Chris,
and people wouldn't have said, oh, they have no chance
to win because Lebron's are on the Lakers, that's all
that matters. And they would still give up, you know,
hope against hope that uh that ultimately something could happen
in the in the playoffs or whatever, and he still
could make it happen. So, yes, it wasn't good. It
(04:23):
wasn't a great weekend for Lebron as far as that
the idea of him still being viable, especially since he
hadn't been able to beat either one of those teams
to this point. So that's a that's a plus, it's
a it's a psychological boost. It makes people feel good
about the Lakers. Um, does that mean that they moved
(04:45):
past the Clippers? Uh? In most people's eyes, I don't
think so. I still think that when people look at
it and are honest about uh, four out of seven,
it doesn't mean that the Lakers aren't going to be
in the mixing and and aren't don't have a shot.
But I still believe if you looked at the teams
and looked at where they are and the firepower and
(05:06):
a seven game series and what it takes and guys
who can play defense and all the other stuff, and
can Lebron play like this more than just one game?
But who do it more than one? But yeah, he's
gonna have the whole five at least four, at least
four and maybe more right to play at that level. Right,
we'll see if he can't. Look. I went in to
(05:29):
this season and my pick, as you know, at the
beginning of the year was the Lakers, and then about
a month month and a half in or so, or
maybe right around Christmas, I picked it. I said, now
I think the Clippers gonna beat him. But going into
the regular season, when I picked the Lakers, I said,
there are a few Lebron James has to do a
few things for the Lakers to win the championship. So far,
(05:51):
they've all come to the the past. I said, he's got
to play point guard, which he's doing like exclusively, you know,
and obviously you want him to score which he's doing.
But he's got to beat take on that responsibility of
running the team as the point guard. He's got to
be engaged defensively, like I didn't expect him to. I
was shocked, to be honest, that he guarded Kauai the
(06:13):
entire game yesterday or you know, other than switches and
cross matches and things like that. But I just needed
him to be engaged defensively. He's done that. Focused defensively.
And then the third thing was no drama, don't get
into it with the coach, don't get into it. You
know who you want before the trade deadline, who you
(06:34):
don't have, you know you need more help, none of that.
And he's done all three of those things. And then
rob the first two games after each game really with
the Clippers, after game one, which you and I went to,
and then after the Christmas Day game, after both games,
I said, Lebron cannot. He has got to be aggressive
(06:58):
if they're gonna have a chance to beat the Clippers,
and he's got to stay aggressive. And I really said,
it's gonna take a heroic performance from him to beat
the Clippers in a seven game series, and that's what
he did this weekend, he put on two heroic performances
and led the Lakers to the victory. Now, like you said,
(07:18):
at thirty five years old, in his seventeenth year, after
a full regular season where he played hard for the
most part, can he do that? And it'll be after
two playoffs Series two, and so it's going to it
remains to be seen. Can he do that enough for
the Lakers to win it? But I still think that
(07:40):
going back to my main point, I think he re
established himself for the time being, certainly as the best
player in the world. I think he can just do
more things than Yannis and Kauhi. And then the fact
that he actually guarded Kawai played defense as well as
Kawhi did, which was rising um. But I thought he
(08:02):
he showed off this weekend. It was no doubt about it.
I mean for for people who looked at the numbers
and you know, saw what he was doing. But but
but the no wins against the two teams that basically
are in your way, you know what I mean, for
you trying to do but it wasn't a great performance, no,
(08:26):
And the two Clippers games, he shot poorly in both
of those games. So so yes, people wanted to see
what does he have. We know that he can run
through the also rans, right, we know that that's not
an issue. It still comes down to, uh, the big games,
the big moments, and that's what we finally saw. So yeah,
Laker fans are rolling around and it feeling good, no
(08:49):
doubt about it. But there's still some season left and then,
like you say, the playoffs and who can outlast and
where will Lebron be, you know, come come June or
come late May. Do you know what? Where will he be?
We don't know that yet. Well, what we also don't
know is who's going to win the MVP. And Rob
(09:09):
I said last week when you were on the cruise,
and I don't know if you sensed it before you left,
because to me, it really just kind of started last week.
But there became this ground swell for Lebron to be
the MVP. It was just coming almost out of nowhere,
it seemed. And then this after this weekend, it's become
(09:33):
an avalanche and Lebron his odds in Vegas for the
MVP went from ten to one to three to one.
Now I've still got Yannis. I think you know it's
not a week end award. You know what I mean,
you don't win MVP for two games, and if we
really want to, you know, look at it fairly. Yes,
(09:56):
Lebron outplayed Yannis in this second game, but yeah this
I'll played Lebron in the first game. And it's just
because of people. It's this is where we always talk about.
It's the prisoner of the moment, right because we saw this.
If it was reverse where Lebron had the better game
in game one and Yannis was better here Chris, people
(10:16):
wouldn't look at the same way, would they, you know
what I mean? Not those with that narrative. And Lebron
definitely has the better narrative. I mean, seventeenth year, five
years old coming because you're talking about the you know, uh,
Lifetime Achievement Award exactly, he's still doing it. He's thirty five,
(10:37):
seventeen years you know, and and and that narrative which
people get behind, you know what I mean, because they do.
They want they want him to do something. And this
is the Lebron crowd because of you know, not winning
at the clip that maybe some of the all time
greats have won at. So they have to look at
other stuff that they actually think to do. Yeah, he
(10:57):
says Yannis. I think he's saying, Yann, this deserves it,
but he thinks Lebron's going to win it because of
the narrative. Now I say this, there are things happening
that I think are working in Lebron's favor. Let's put
it that way. And for me, like I said, I've
got Yannis out front, but Lebron has for the first
(11:20):
time this season. For me, he's got a legit chance
of getting my vote because I think in addition to
know he's always had a good season. I mean, he's
definitely playing great basketball. But part of my argument for
Yannis and why I've got him ahead are historical things
going on. Number one, the Bucks were on pace to
(11:42):
win seventy games, become the third team ever to do that.
The other two teams to do it were loaded with
Hall of famers Golden State and Chicago with Jordan Yannis
obviously is the only Hall of Famer on his team,
and he was on pace to win seventy one games.
Now they're on paces win sixty eight. Not quite as
his story, not one of those numbers whereas you know,
(12:03):
there's these magic numbers in sports where if somebody hits them,
you almost got to reward them with some type of
regular season award. The second one is Peer Player Efficiency Rating,
which has its flaws. Nonetheless, he was on pace just
a week ago to have the best PEAR ever in
history for a single season. Better than been Yes, definitely,
(12:29):
especially in this analytics age for a lot of these
analytics driven voters. But now he's dropped off a little
and he's actually on pace to have the fifth best,
which is still incredible, but again not quite as his story.
And then Rob what what could be the biggest factor
is this knee injury. It's looks like it's nothing serious
(12:50):
and he's supposed to just miss the next two games.
If he misses the next two, that will be nine
for the season, and you know he may miss more
than that. And the Alan Iverson missed the eleven games
in two thousand and one. That's the most game miss
games miss buying MVP in the modern era since nineteen eighty,
so the last thirty nine forty years. And so if
(13:14):
it depends on how long Yannis is out, I just
think I'm gonna really watch these next five six weeks
of the regular season, and it's going to go a
long way and determining who gets my vote. But but
Yannis is in front right now for me. Yeah, now
I'm still with Yannis um And like I said, it
all depends if the need, if it's if it's worse
(13:34):
than than we think it is. And they may be cautious,
you know, man, they might be cautious because for them,
and it ain't about one of them, it's about trying
to get past the point that they were a year
ago when they lost to Toronto. Right. Be sure to
catch live editions of The Odd Couple with Chris Brussa
then Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm Eastern four pm
(13:57):
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeart Radio. While
all right, Rob, we're gonna move to a little baseball.
And there was an excellent story on the great Barry
Bonds in The Athletic where he gave a lot of
access to a writer, sat down waiting for about an
hour and really just spilled his guts out how he
(14:19):
feels mistreated. I guess is the way to put it
by baseball. And here's a direct quote, Rob Ge read
what Barry Bonds said in The Athletic. That's right, Barry Bonds,
talking to Andrew Baggerley of The Athletic, says, quote, I
feel like a ghost, a ghost in a big empty house,
just rattling around a death sentence. That's what they've given me.
(14:42):
My heart it's broken, it's really broken. If you don't
want me where she was talking about in the Hall
of Fame, just say you don't want me and be
done with it. Just be done with it. Quote. Well,
here's my take, Rob, I think Barry Bonds is the
greatest baseball player I've ever seen. I think he's just
from what he did. Now, you know, apparently it was enhanced,
(15:07):
but but from what we saw, he was the best
baseball player ever. And that includes Babe Ruth in my book.
From what we saw from Barry Bonds, you know, just
just it was ridiculous, the stuff he was doing. That said,
I don't feel like he's in a baseball purgatory. Now,
(15:28):
I get it if he feels like because he's not
in the Hall of Fame when obviously he deserves to be,
at least from his accomplishments. I get if that bothers him,
and I guess I understand if he feels like every
year when the vote comes up, and I guess he's
only got three years left waiting, hoping, waiting to see
(15:49):
does he make the vote, does he get the necessary
seventy five. I get that, but that's no different than
any of the other guys that have been linked most
of the guys that have been linked to the steroids.
Roger Clemens is in the same boat Mark McGuire. Now,
so I would say if Barry feels that way, I
(16:13):
think it's just because he's not really in the limelight.
I mean, Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, we don't feel that
way about them because they've become these big time broadcasters.
If Bonds wanted to go that route, then you know,
I think he'd be out there and maybe become beloved
like like a rod has become. Or if he wants
(16:34):
to get in the game in terms of coaching, I mean,
are they holding him out of coaching? You know, he
did coach with the Marlins, you know, like McGuire's doing that.
So I think he's just not he's out of the
limelight and not getting obviously the love that a guy
with his accomplishments should get. But I don't I don't
feel like he's gotten the death sentence other than the
(16:57):
Hall of Fame, which is just due to people think
can that he used PDS. Yeah, death sentences is too harsh.
I agree, and I can understand why he would feel
a little bit on the outside looking in. But here's
the thing that I think Bonds has to be realistic about.
And he might not have the seventy five yet and
he still has a few years to go about what
(17:19):
was he this year about sixty one? Yeah? Okay? Is
that an inching upper as he platoon? Yeah, No, it's not.
It's inched up every year. So my point is, if
you weren't gonna make it, you would be off the
ballot already. All right. If you got five percent of
the vote, Chris, you're off the ballot and there's no
chance of you getting in. So if Bonds numbers were
(17:41):
going down the last three years, then I would say,
it doesn't look like it's going that way. I was
just trying to look up what was the one the
player this year who got in? Who I highly questioned
Chris because he and I'm gonna give you his name, Larry, Yeah,
who jumped up fifteen percent in his final year. That's
(18:03):
unheard of. Do you know what I'm saying Chris unheard
of for because it was his final year. And I
do believe as a voter, I voted for Barry Bonds
every year he's been on the ballot, And I think
what baseball has done has been unfair. From the standpoint.
We saw Edgar Martinez got in on his last ballot,
(18:27):
We saw Mike Musina get in on his last ballot.
This is what they've been doing, Chris, and I don't
like it because I don't believe in it. Either you're
a Hall of Fame or you're not to be. Shouldn't
take fifteen or ten years to make it. And it
makes no sense because guys who put Larry Walker in,
they went from not voting for him for nine years
(18:49):
to all of a sudden on the last year Chris,
he jumped up from sixty something to seventy five. Where
were all those guys for the nine years? So that
doesn't make any sense. And the other part that I
have an issue with is it's unfair to just look
at the home run hitters during the steroid era. If
people will do their own research, more pitchers have been
(19:12):
caught using pds and steroids, Kristin Hitters. Here's other guys
who have been put in who are under a suspicion
of steroid and PDUs. Mike Piazza got in in twenty sixteen,
Jeff Bagwell got in in twenty seventeen. Pudge Rodriguez got
in on his first ballot, in the first vote. Right,
(19:33):
he's the one who's in the Jose Canseco book. Jose
Canseco said he stuck him personally with the needles, Chris. So,
let me ask you. And here's the other part. Pudge
during his playing career when that whole thing came out,
I was in Detroit. I was covering Pudge when he
was with the Tigers. One offseason. He lost forty pounds, Chris.
(19:55):
He lost forty pounds. And he said he used to
eat salads every day and walk after a dinner. That's
how he said he loves the way. All right, let
me ask you this, Why have those guys gotten, you know,
been able to be voted in when they've been linked
to steroids and other guys like Bonds haven't. I think
(20:17):
it's I think it's the home runs, and I think
it's unfair. But there are other like I mean, obviously
clements is not getting and Clemens the other one who
has seven saw Youngs, who's unbelievable, but Clementson bought them
more like the face of the steroids. And it's weird
because seven MVPs and Clements has seven seven saw Youngs,
(20:38):
a record, both of them. Do you know what I meander?
If some of it is to do with that they
their stature in the game, I mean as good as
bag Well, and those guys were none. They were not
on Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens level. And maybe because
those two were essentially viewed as the best player and
best pitcher in baseball for so long, maybe that's why
(21:01):
they've been punished by writers more so, Yeah, I think
it's wrong, and I think part of it, especially the
home run thing, there's a lot of sentimental guys. You know,
I've been covering baseball since nineteen ninety or nineteen eighty six,
I should say, and a lot of people when you know,
when Hank Aaron lost the home run record, and I
think it's like punishment, do you know, like And I
(21:23):
don't think it's fair. Mark McGuire broke Roger Marris's single
home run home run record in a single season. You know,
first Bonds of course broke it, Chris, But you know
what I mean, But I think people are holding those
things and I just think it's I think it's totally unfair.
I think as a guy who covered baseball during that time,
(21:45):
I'm here to say I believe that they were more
most nights Chris on equal playing field against other guys
who were pitching to them, who also were using stuff.
The stuff was rampant, that weren't being tested for it.
It wasn't a band SUPs And I just think it's right.
I think it's unfair. The one thing he can't say
is is he did get a job in baseball, and
(22:06):
if he was totally blackball or had a death sentence,
he wouldn't happen, right, he wouldn't have had a job.
They could have said to send out a quiet not memo,
but you know, to not hire Barry Bonds under any circumstances.
You know the other one too, and it's hard to
argue you mentioned him earlier. A Rod is the face
of baseball, whether people want to believe it or not.
(22:28):
He's on Fox Sports one baseball coverage and Sunday Night
Baseball on ESPN. Nobody Chris has ever done that. Nobody
crossed both networks. He and be the main voice of
the game. Yeah, he's become the darling of him. He's
almost I mean they're completely different personalities and approaches, but
(22:48):
he's almost like a Charles Barkley of the not almost.
I think he has gotten to that, I really do.
And you remember Chris when when he Rose was still
on the FS one show, right, I thought that's I
thought that was as close to Barkley and those guys
on you know, not not even at four man Barkley
(23:11):
and Rose was great, and he was a lot like Barkley.
He was a whole team, was Frank Howard. It was
the whole thing. And I think that uh so, uh
if they didn't want a Rod, Baseball signs off on
all the hirings Chris, you know, like Fox could go
to major League Baseball and said, hey, we want to
(23:31):
use a Rod and they could have looked the other
one and said, nah, I don't think we want him,
you know what I mean, They could have done that.
I think the other thing, Rob, and and this is
why I kind of I side with you on these guys.
Getting in the Hall of Fame. I believe. I believe
they're gonna get in, and they probably because he's moved up.
I mean, twenty fourteen, Bounds was at forty four percent.
(23:51):
That's what I'm saying. Look at the number twenty I'm sorry,
that was twenty sixteen, twenty seventeen. He's at fifty three percent,
twenty eighteen, fifty six, twenty nineteen, fifty nine. Now he's
at sixty one. I mean, it's going up slowly now,
but push. They're still trying to get there though. If
you look at the numbers, that's why I say, if
Fond was at fifty three, going the other way, say
(24:11):
the last two years, I tell you there's no chance. Yeah,
there's no chance to get too. The thing that people
need to realize is that there are a ton of
guys already who are in who use pds or at
least you know, back well Greenie's back in the day,
we're in a bowl in the clubhouse and dudes would
(24:32):
take them like candy on their way out to the field.
Those are amphetamines that are at least the stimulus. So
you are, and that's not to mention, you know, like Timehouse,
the pitcher who talked about guys in the seventies and
even the sixties using steroids in an article in USA Today.
He just flat out said all that on the record.
(24:53):
People people never bring that. They don't want to go
to that story because Chris, steroids are not new. P ed.
Go read l los Ado's uh Wikipedia go read it.
You know La los Ado, everybody the football player died
young because he said he started using steroids in nineteen
sixty nine. Yeah, nineteen sixty nine. They're not new. They're
(25:17):
not new. And and again at the time when those
guys were using them, bonds and they weren't illegal in baseball.
That's why I can't rightfully vote against them because to me,
I don't think it's fair. It would be like Chris,
the state of the State of New Jersey sending you
(25:38):
uh traffic tickets from twenty years ago when when it
wasn't legal, When when when you could drive without a seatbelt.
They say, well, we know you were driving with a
seatbelt back then, so we're gonna give you a ticket,
do you know what I mean? Like, like, I don't
think that's fair to penalize the guys after the fact. Yeah,
it's uh, it's interesting. And like I said, I do
(26:00):
think he could be back in baseball in some capacity.
I think he's gonna get in and it will be.
It will be what what needs to be done, some
some healing, some closure as much as a lot of people.
And it's not even close to what the Astros and
allegedly the Red Sox did. It's a totally different things.
But this is the other part, Chris, to put some
(26:20):
closure to that that era. Let's not forget Mark McGuire
and Sammy Souls saved baseball. You remember the state it
was in after the lockout, after the strike series. Yes,
I come for the New York Times, am I right?
I mean you can get it was. They used to
break in on ESPN to show there at bat if
(26:40):
you remember. I mean, that's how big it was. That's
why I look, it's hypocritical because baseball, as you said,
they knew what was going on. They played dumb. Who
knew it was nineteen mid nineties, who knew about stories? Everybody? Yes,
And you could look at Mark McGuire, he looked like
(27:00):
up close saw him up close you cover, It looked
like cartoon like like Paul Bunyan. Have you ever seen
anybody's all He would look like Paul Buck. Look at
some of the old games on like ESPN was out
of the half classic anymore. But look at some of
the old games, guys who were viewed as behemoths, Dave Kingman,
Dave Parker, they look like stick figures. Yes, compared to
(27:23):
what we see today. Yeah, absolutely, Yeah, it's there's a
lot of hypocrisy going on. I think my brethren will
get it right though, I really do, Chris, only because
of of you just gave the numbers. Look at how
big they've jumped slowly this year. Seriously, it did it
only went up one percent. Yeah, but but it didn't
it didn't go down. No, it didn't go down. And
(27:45):
that's the trend you gotta look at. And I believe
it'll be closer to sixty five next year, sixty set
like that, And then I believe that you cannot have
a Baseball Hall of Fame without Roger Clements and without
saying Baseball Hall of Fame is illegitimate. No, I'm just
I'm just saying that I think that people know Chris.
(28:05):
And this is the other thing we talk about all time.
The eye test. Those are two of the greatest players
I ever saw without Jews, with or without Jews, no question. Yeah.
I look from when I think Bones was using he
definitely went to a higher level. He was an all
time great early in his career MVPs in Prettsburgh as
(28:26):
a skinny kid exactly, so he was a Hall of
Famer already, but when he was using it, what we
believe he was using it, I mean, it just took
him to superman level. I mean it was I've never
seen anything like that in baseball. Fox Sports Radio has
the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all
of our shows at Fox Sports Radio dot com and
(28:47):
within the iHeart Radio app. Search f SR to listen live.
Rob you were in New York over the weekend getting
back for you from your cruise and some surprising, even
stunning news coming out of Brooklyn this weekend. Kenny Atkinson,
who's you know, it's undeniable. He's done a nice little
(29:07):
job there as the coach of the Brooklyn Nets, but
he gets uh fired. I mean they're calling it a
mutual partning of the ways, and there is some reporting
out there that that he did kind of you know,
want out himself just because he really didn't think or
wasn't enjoying the prospect of coaching Kyrie Irvy. Yeah, yeah,
(29:30):
I saw Vinnie's report Vinnie Goodny of course from Yahoo Sports,
And uh, that was a little surprising for me, Chris
as as a coach, Uh, to not want to coach talent.
That was just saying to me, if if if that,
if it's true. And I'm not saying Vinnie's report is
not true. I'm not saying. I just it's hard for
(29:52):
me to believe as a coach, Chris, and you know this,
that you don't want to coach talent. I'm right, I'm sorry.
Here here, look, let's just call it what it is,
Rob And I get it. If Kyrie wasn't responding to him,
Kd's not responding to him, the players or you know,
maybe you feel your voices we can then you ride
(30:14):
it out or you try to overcome it, you know,
but to step down yourself. And and if this is
true that you didn't want to coach k D and
Kyrie or weren't looking forward to it, whatever, that's damning.
It's damning because what does every team want? Rob A KD?
(30:36):
No with it? And the other problem too, is you
don't have to do that, Kate. Wait a minute, Kyrie
had surgery, right and Kd's not coming back this year,
So why would you step down right now? You have
a team seriously that's still in the play that's in
the playoff. Huh? I don't think it wasn't fire make
(31:00):
I agree because the timing doesn't make any sense. It
just it just doesn't. You're not coaching those guys this year.
You write it out. Can you imagine you make the
playoffs Chris without those two which the right which because
they're they're they're in a good spot right already. Yeah,
So all I'm saying is, wouldn't that look good for
him as he moves forward? Oh? Yeah? That that this
(31:20):
season collapsed the two big stars that they you know,
brought him obviously one wasn't gonna play this year. But
he leaves the leads and you still are able to
make the playoffs in the East, and you put it together.
That's a feather in your cap. Why are you walking
away from the parting ways before the season is over
and not even having to face the scenario that supposedly
(31:41):
you don't didn't want and that makes sense, no question.
That's why I think it was a firing. And look,
here's the this is the fact. And I don't know
if Kenny Atkinson would have fallen into this category or not.
If it's true that he stepped down because he didn't think,
you know, wasn't looking for ord to coaching the two Stars,
(32:01):
then it clearly tells us he's in this category. But
there are coaches, Robert, you've covered the league long enough
to know as well. There are coaches that will maximize
mediocre talent. But give him some real thoroughbreds, give him
a Mercedes Bins or two, and they can't handle it.
Brad Stevens maybe the I mean, he couldn't handle Kyrie.
(32:24):
And I'm not saying it was all or maybe even
mostly on Brad, but he couldn't handle Kyrie for whatever reason.
And he got They got a star in Kimba, who
is you know, not quite as ballyhood and accomplish as Kyrie.
He's on a different levels of star, but he's got
(32:44):
the mentality more of you know, one of these these
you know, David rather than a Goliath, and so he's
fitting better. Jason Tatum, who's emerged as a star, came
in as a young player, so he's got a relationship
with Brad, so that's a difference. But you see, he's
better suited with this team that he asked now than
he was when he had a guy like Kyrie. And
(33:07):
you know, I don't look, there's all types of stories
going around. You talk to people around the league. They
definitely think Kyrie's hands and even to some degree KDS
or dirty. With this firing of Kenny Atkinson, maybe they
saw I don't know if they know, but maybe they
looked at him and felt like, you know what, this
isn't the guy that's gonna get us over the hump
(33:30):
or to the next level. Maybe it's somebody else out
there that they like. And you know, but there's talk
of Tylu who obviously won a championship with Kyrie. There
are those I've talked to that say Kyrie's not gonna
push for Tyler. I think of Mark Jackson. Look, I've
said this for so many jobs for Mark. I don't
say it because to get him a job. I think
(33:50):
he'd really be a good fit there a New Yorker,
I think not only a New york right, Kde and
Kyrie respect him. You know, there's no question I think
he'd be good for that job. But Rob, the culture changes.
It was the little engine that could last year in Brooklyn,
and that was nice. That's gonna get you a six
(34:12):
seventh seed, maybe a win or two in the playoffs,
and that's it. And that's great for what you are.
But once you bring in stars, the culture changes. And
I'll tell you this, They's done it with the Clippers.
I'll tell you this for the first time, Chris, and
just mark my words on this. I think the Nets
have a golden opportunity with what's happened with the Knicks,
(34:35):
with the recent Spike League. I'm not saying that New
York is gonna flip to Brooklyn, you know, overnight, but
things are so bad with the Knicks and that owner
and what's going on. If they were to get you know,
the right coach and put together a squad next year
or whatever they could, they could really make like move
(34:56):
the needle in New York for the first time. I
really believe that
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
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Couple at Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us
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(00:22):
You're listening to the best of the Odd Cup Off
with Chris Brush and Rob Harker. We are coming off
of what I called going into the weekend, what I
said would be the best weekend in the regular season
this year, and it certainly lived up to it. Whether
(00:45):
you're a Laker fan or not, it certainly lived up
to the building of the best regular season weekend in
the NBA thus far, and I think going forward, and
that was because the Los Angeles Lakers with the best
record in the West. We're facing Number one, the Milwaukee
Bucks on Friday night. Yanni's out to Dakompo, the front
(01:09):
runner for the MVP Award. Lebron James second in the
MVP race and now has a ground swell working toward
him being number one in that race. And the Bucks
got the best record in the league. And then on Sunday.
Following that up, the Lakers met the LA Clippers, who
(01:30):
are most people's favorite to win the championship this year.
They had beaten the Lakers twice already. We're two and
oh against the Lakers this season, both teams fully healthy,
a lot of feeling out there that Kawhi Leonard had
become the best player in the world, and Lebron James
(01:53):
totally playing up that hashtag wash king. Was he going
to answer the bell against Kawhi Leonard and Yanni scientistic Coombo.
So I thought that is what made it the best
weekend coming into the weekend for the NBA, and it
lived up to the building and mainly because a lot
of guys played well. Yannis played well, Kawhi played well,
(02:15):
Paul George played well, Anthony Davis played well, Avery Bradley
had his best game of the year. But the story
of the weekend rob was Lebron James period, and I
think he re established himself. He showed everyone that for
the time being, he still is the best player in
(02:37):
the world. I thought he dominated both games, and particularly offensively,
but showed something defensively by Garden, Yannis and Kawhi as well.
See I think the reason that people will go that
route and they want to praise Lebron and act like,
Yannie's what he's done all year, it doesn't matter. Well,
I'm not saying about the MVP right now. I'm talking
(02:58):
about best in the world right but I'm saying the
best in the world still comes down. The only reason
that you would even mention Kawhi is because he wins.
And I still believe that ultimately that's once going to
determine it. It's the same thing. Lebron can have a
nice playoff or good great playoffs, if the Clippers beat
them and move on, it'll be about Janni's I mean,
(03:21):
it'll be about ut If the Clippers win, that that
means Kawhi is better than Lebron. I think that how
you know they play, I think that that will look
at it again and you will look at I just
think that winning ultimately, Chris, there is nothing wrong with
stats and and all that, but it is about winning,
(03:41):
and people expect the Lakers to win. They might be
the favorites by the by the scribes, but there's a
whole lot of fans out there who think the Lakers
finally going to win a championship. That's what I'm talking about.
I think the writers are favoring the Clippers, right, I
mean the people cover the game, but I'm talking about
just the fans who now believe the Lakers have a
(04:03):
chance to win. They could have lost both of those games, Chris,
and people wouldn't have said, oh, they have no chance
to win because Lebron's are on the Lakers, that's all
that matters. And they would still give up, you know,
hope against hope that uh that ultimately something could happen
in the in the playoffs or whatever, and he still
could make it happen. So, yes, it wasn't good. It
(04:23):
wasn't a great weekend for Lebron as far as that
the idea of him still being viable, especially since he
hadn't been able to beat either one of those teams
to this point. So that's a that's a plus, it's
a it's a psychological boost. It makes people feel good
about the Lakers. Um, does that mean that they moved
(04:45):
past the Clippers? Uh? In most people's eyes, I don't
think so. I still think that when people look at
it and are honest about uh, four out of seven,
it doesn't mean that the Lakers aren't going to be
in the mixing and and aren't don't have a shot.
But I still believe if you looked at the teams
and looked at where they are and the firepower and
(05:06):
a seven game series and what it takes and guys
who can play defense and all the other stuff, and
can Lebron play like this more than just one game?
But who do it more than one? But yeah, he's
gonna have the whole five at least four, at least
four and maybe more right to play at that level. Right,
we'll see if he can't. Look. I went in to
(05:29):
this season and my pick, as you know, at the
beginning of the year was the Lakers, and then about
a month month and a half in or so, or
maybe right around Christmas, I picked it. I said, now
I think the Clippers gonna beat him. But going into
the regular season, when I picked the Lakers, I said,
there are a few Lebron James has to do a
few things for the Lakers to win the championship. So far,
(05:51):
they've all come to the the past. I said, he's got
to play point guard, which he's doing like exclusively, you know,
and obviously you want him to score which he's doing.
But he's got to beat take on that responsibility of
running the team as the point guard. He's got to
be engaged defensively, like I didn't expect him to. I
was shocked, to be honest, that he guarded Kauai the
(06:13):
entire game yesterday or you know, other than switches and
cross matches and things like that. But I just needed
him to be engaged defensively. He's done that. Focused defensively.
And then the third thing was no drama, don't get
into it with the coach, don't get into it. You
know who you want before the trade deadline, who you
(06:34):
don't have, you know you need more help, none of that.
And he's done all three of those things. And then
rob the first two games after each game really with
the Clippers, after game one, which you and I went to,
and then after the Christmas Day game, after both games,
I said, Lebron cannot. He has got to be aggressive
(06:58):
if they're gonna have a chance to beat the Clippers,
and he's got to stay aggressive. And I really said,
it's gonna take a heroic performance from him to beat
the Clippers in a seven game series, and that's what
he did this weekend, he put on two heroic performances
and led the Lakers to the victory. Now, like you said,
(07:18):
at thirty five years old, in his seventeenth year, after
a full regular season where he played hard for the
most part, can he do that? And it'll be after
two playoffs Series two, and so it's going to it
remains to be seen. Can he do that enough for
the Lakers to win it? But I still think that
(07:40):
going back to my main point, I think he re
established himself for the time being, certainly as the best
player in the world. I think he can just do
more things than Yannis and Kauhi. And then the fact
that he actually guarded Kawai played defense as well as
Kawhi did, which was rising um. But I thought he
(08:02):
he showed off this weekend. It was no doubt about it.
I mean for for people who looked at the numbers
and you know, saw what he was doing. But but
but the no wins against the two teams that basically
are in your way, you know what I mean, for
you trying to do but it wasn't a great performance, no,
(08:26):
And the two Clippers games, he shot poorly in both
of those games. So so yes, people wanted to see
what does he have. We know that he can run
through the also rans, right, we know that that's not
an issue. It still comes down to, uh, the big games,
the big moments, and that's what we finally saw. So yeah,
Laker fans are rolling around and it feeling good, no
(08:49):
doubt about it. But there's still some season left and then,
like you say, the playoffs and who can outlast and
where will Lebron be, you know, come come June or
come late May. Do you know what? Where will he be?
We don't know that yet. Well, what we also don't
know is who's going to win the MVP. And Rob
(09:09):
I said last week when you were on the cruise,
and I don't know if you sensed it before you left,
because to me, it really just kind of started last week.
But there became this ground swell for Lebron to be
the MVP. It was just coming almost out of nowhere,
it seemed. And then this after this weekend, it's become
(09:33):
an avalanche and Lebron his odds in Vegas for the
MVP went from ten to one to three to one.
Now I've still got Yannis. I think you know it's
not a week end award. You know what I mean,
you don't win MVP for two games, and if we
really want to, you know, look at it fairly. Yes,
(09:56):
Lebron outplayed Yannis in this second game, but yeah this
I'll played Lebron in the first game. And it's just
because of people. It's this is where we always talk about.
It's the prisoner of the moment, right because we saw this.
If it was reverse where Lebron had the better game
in game one and Yannis was better here Chris, people
(10:16):
wouldn't look at the same way, would they, you know
what I mean? Not those with that narrative. And Lebron
definitely has the better narrative. I mean, seventeenth year, five
years old coming because you're talking about the you know, uh,
Lifetime Achievement Award exactly, he's still doing it. He's thirty five,
(10:37):
seventeen years you know, and and and that narrative which
people get behind, you know what I mean, because they do.
They want they want him to do something. And this
is the Lebron crowd because of you know, not winning
at the clip that maybe some of the all time
greats have won at. So they have to look at
other stuff that they actually think to do. Yeah, he
(10:57):
says Yannis. I think he's saying, Yann, this deserves it,
but he thinks Lebron's going to win it because of
the narrative. Now I say this, there are things happening
that I think are working in Lebron's favor. Let's put
it that way. And for me, like I said, I've
got Yannis out front, but Lebron has for the first
(11:20):
time this season. For me, he's got a legit chance
of getting my vote because I think in addition to
know he's always had a good season. I mean, he's
definitely playing great basketball. But part of my argument for
Yannis and why I've got him ahead are historical things
going on. Number one, the Bucks were on pace to
(11:42):
win seventy games, become the third team ever to do that.
The other two teams to do it were loaded with
Hall of famers Golden State and Chicago with Jordan Yannis
obviously is the only Hall of Famer on his team,
and he was on pace to win seventy one games.
Now they're on paces win sixty eight. Not quite as
his story, not one of those numbers whereas you know,
(12:03):
there's these magic numbers in sports where if somebody hits them,
you almost got to reward them with some type of
regular season award. The second one is Peer Player Efficiency Rating,
which has its flaws. Nonetheless, he was on pace just
a week ago to have the best PEAR ever in
history for a single season. Better than been Yes, definitely,
(12:29):
especially in this analytics age for a lot of these
analytics driven voters. But now he's dropped off a little
and he's actually on pace to have the fifth best,
which is still incredible, but again not quite as his story.
And then Rob what what could be the biggest factor
is this knee injury. It's looks like it's nothing serious
(12:50):
and he's supposed to just miss the next two games.
If he misses the next two, that will be nine
for the season, and you know he may miss more
than that. And the Alan Iverson missed the eleven games
in two thousand and one. That's the most game miss
games miss buying MVP in the modern era since nineteen eighty,
so the last thirty nine forty years. And so if
(13:14):
it depends on how long Yannis is out, I just
think I'm gonna really watch these next five six weeks
of the regular season, and it's going to go a
long way and determining who gets my vote. But but
Yannis is in front right now for me. Yeah, now
I'm still with Yannis um And like I said, it
all depends if the need, if it's if it's worse
(13:34):
than than we think it is. And they may be cautious,
you know, man, they might be cautious because for them,
and it ain't about one of them, it's about trying
to get past the point that they were a year
ago when they lost to Toronto. Right. Be sure to
catch live editions of The Odd Couple with Chris Brussa
then Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm Eastern four pm
(13:57):
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeart Radio. While
all right, Rob, we're gonna move to a little baseball.
And there was an excellent story on the great Barry
Bonds in The Athletic where he gave a lot of
access to a writer, sat down waiting for about an
hour and really just spilled his guts out how he
(14:19):
feels mistreated. I guess is the way to put it
by baseball. And here's a direct quote, Rob Ge read
what Barry Bonds said in The Athletic. That's right, Barry Bonds,
talking to Andrew Baggerley of The Athletic, says, quote, I
feel like a ghost, a ghost in a big empty house,
just rattling around a death sentence. That's what they've given me.
(14:42):
My heart it's broken, it's really broken. If you don't
want me where she was talking about in the Hall
of Fame, just say you don't want me and be
done with it. Just be done with it. Quote. Well,
here's my take, Rob, I think Barry Bonds is the
greatest baseball player I've ever seen. I think he's just
from what he did. Now, you know, apparently it was enhanced,
(15:07):
but but from what we saw, he was the best
baseball player ever. And that includes Babe Ruth in my book.
From what we saw from Barry Bonds, you know, just
just it was ridiculous, the stuff he was doing. That said,
I don't feel like he's in a baseball purgatory. Now,
(15:28):
I get it if he feels like because he's not
in the Hall of Fame when obviously he deserves to be,
at least from his accomplishments. I get if that bothers him,
and I guess I understand if he feels like every
year when the vote comes up, and I guess he's
only got three years left waiting, hoping, waiting to see
(15:49):
does he make the vote, does he get the necessary
seventy five. I get that, but that's no different than
any of the other guys that have been linked most
of the guys that have been linked to the steroids.
Roger Clemens is in the same boat Mark McGuire. Now,
so I would say if Barry feels that way, I
(16:13):
think it's just because he's not really in the limelight.
I mean, Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, we don't feel that
way about them because they've become these big time broadcasters.
If Bonds wanted to go that route, then you know,
I think he'd be out there and maybe become beloved
like like a rod has become. Or if he wants
(16:34):
to get in the game in terms of coaching, I mean,
are they holding him out of coaching? You know, he
did coach with the Marlins, you know, like McGuire's doing that.
So I think he's just not he's out of the
limelight and not getting obviously the love that a guy
with his accomplishments should get. But I don't I don't
feel like he's gotten the death sentence other than the
(16:57):
Hall of Fame, which is just due to people think
can that he used PDS. Yeah, death sentences is too harsh.
I agree, and I can understand why he would feel
a little bit on the outside looking in. But here's
the thing that I think Bonds has to be realistic about.
And he might not have the seventy five yet and
he still has a few years to go about what
(17:19):
was he this year about sixty one? Yeah? Okay? Is
that an inching upper as he platoon? Yeah, No, it's not.
It's inched up every year. So my point is, if
you weren't gonna make it, you would be off the
ballot already. All right. If you got five percent of
the vote, Chris, you're off the ballot and there's no
chance of you getting in. So if Bonds numbers were
(17:41):
going down the last three years, then I would say,
it doesn't look like it's going that way. I was
just trying to look up what was the one the
player this year who got in? Who I highly questioned
Chris because he and I'm gonna give you his name, Larry, Yeah,
who jumped up fifteen percent in his final year. That's
(18:03):
unheard of. Do you know what I'm saying Chris unheard
of for because it was his final year. And I
do believe as a voter, I voted for Barry Bonds
every year he's been on the ballot, And I think
what baseball has done has been unfair. From the standpoint.
We saw Edgar Martinez got in on his last ballot,
(18:27):
We saw Mike Musina get in on his last ballot.
This is what they've been doing, Chris, and I don't
like it because I don't believe in it. Either you're
a Hall of Fame or you're not to be. Shouldn't
take fifteen or ten years to make it. And it
makes no sense because guys who put Larry Walker in,
they went from not voting for him for nine years
(18:49):
to all of a sudden on the last year Chris,
he jumped up from sixty something to seventy five. Where
were all those guys for the nine years? So that
doesn't make any sense. And the other part that I
have an issue with is it's unfair to just look
at the home run hitters during the steroid era. If
people will do their own research, more pitchers have been
(19:12):
caught using pds and steroids, Kristin Hitters. Here's other guys
who have been put in who are under a suspicion
of steroid and PDUs. Mike Piazza got in in twenty sixteen,
Jeff Bagwell got in in twenty seventeen. Pudge Rodriguez got
in on his first ballot, in the first vote. Right,
(19:33):
he's the one who's in the Jose Canseco book. Jose
Canseco said he stuck him personally with the needles, Chris. So,
let me ask you. And here's the other part. Pudge
during his playing career when that whole thing came out,
I was in Detroit. I was covering Pudge when he
was with the Tigers. One offseason. He lost forty pounds, Chris.
(19:55):
He lost forty pounds. And he said he used to
eat salads every day and walk after a dinner. That's
how he said he loves the way. All right, let
me ask you this, Why have those guys gotten, you know,
been able to be voted in when they've been linked
to steroids and other guys like Bonds haven't. I think
(20:17):
it's I think it's the home runs, and I think
it's unfair. But there are other like I mean, obviously
clements is not getting and Clemens the other one who
has seven saw Youngs, who's unbelievable, but Clementson bought them
more like the face of the steroids. And it's weird
because seven MVPs and Clements has seven seven saw Youngs,
(20:38):
a record, both of them. Do you know what I meander?
If some of it is to do with that they
their stature in the game, I mean as good as
bag Well, and those guys were none. They were not
on Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens level. And maybe because
those two were essentially viewed as the best player and
best pitcher in baseball for so long, maybe that's why
(21:01):
they've been punished by writers more so, Yeah, I think
it's wrong, and I think part of it, especially the
home run thing, there's a lot of sentimental guys. You know,
I've been covering baseball since nineteen ninety or nineteen eighty six,
I should say, and a lot of people when you know,
when Hank Aaron lost the home run record, and I
think it's like punishment, do you know, like And I
(21:23):
don't think it's fair. Mark McGuire broke Roger Marris's single
home run home run record in a single season. You know,
first Bonds of course broke it, Chris, But you know
what I mean, But I think people are holding those
things and I just think it's I think it's totally unfair.
I think as a guy who covered baseball during that time,
(21:45):
I'm here to say I believe that they were more
most nights Chris on equal playing field against other guys
who were pitching to them, who also were using stuff.
The stuff was rampant, that weren't being tested for it.
It wasn't a band SUPs And I just think it's right.
I think it's unfair. The one thing he can't say
is is he did get a job in baseball, and
(22:06):
if he was totally blackball or had a death sentence,
he wouldn't happen, right, he wouldn't have had a job.
They could have said to send out a quiet not memo,
but you know, to not hire Barry Bonds under any circumstances.
You know the other one too, and it's hard to
argue you mentioned him earlier. A Rod is the face
of baseball, whether people want to believe it or not.
(22:28):
He's on Fox Sports one baseball coverage and Sunday Night
Baseball on ESPN. Nobody Chris has ever done that. Nobody
crossed both networks. He and be the main voice of
the game. Yeah, he's become the darling of him. He's
almost I mean they're completely different personalities and approaches, but
(22:48):
he's almost like a Charles Barkley of the not almost.
I think he has gotten to that, I really do.
And you remember Chris when when he Rose was still
on the FS one show, right, I thought that's I
thought that was as close to Barkley and those guys
on you know, not not even at four man Barkley
(23:11):
and Rose was great, and he was a lot like Barkley.
He was a whole team, was Frank Howard. It was
the whole thing. And I think that uh so, uh
if they didn't want a Rod, Baseball signs off on
all the hirings Chris, you know, like Fox could go
to major League Baseball and said, hey, we want to
(23:31):
use a Rod and they could have looked the other
one and said, nah, I don't think we want him,
you know what I mean, They could have done that.
I think the other thing, Rob, and and this is
why I kind of I side with you on these guys.
Getting in the Hall of Fame. I believe. I believe
they're gonna get in, and they probably because he's moved up.
I mean, twenty fourteen, Bounds was at forty four percent.
(23:51):
That's what I'm saying. Look at the number twenty I'm sorry,
that was twenty sixteen, twenty seventeen. He's at fifty three percent,
twenty eighteen, fifty six, twenty nineteen, fifty nine. Now he's
at sixty one. I mean, it's going up slowly now,
but push. They're still trying to get there though. If
you look at the numbers, that's why I say, if
Fond was at fifty three, going the other way, say
(24:11):
the last two years, I tell you there's no chance. Yeah,
there's no chance to get too. The thing that people
need to realize is that there are a ton of
guys already who are in who use pds or at
least you know, back well Greenie's back in the day,
we're in a bowl in the clubhouse and dudes would
(24:32):
take them like candy on their way out to the field.
Those are amphetamines that are at least the stimulus. So
you are, and that's not to mention, you know, like Timehouse,
the pitcher who talked about guys in the seventies and
even the sixties using steroids in an article in USA Today.
He just flat out said all that on the record.
(24:53):
People people never bring that. They don't want to go
to that story because Chris, steroids are not new. P ed.
Go read l los Ado's uh Wikipedia go read it.
You know La los Ado, everybody the football player died
young because he said he started using steroids in nineteen
sixty nine. Yeah, nineteen sixty nine. They're not new. They're
(25:17):
not new. And and again at the time when those
guys were using them, bonds and they weren't illegal in baseball.
That's why I can't rightfully vote against them because to me,
I don't think it's fair. It would be like Chris,
the state of the State of New Jersey sending you
(25:38):
uh traffic tickets from twenty years ago when when it
wasn't legal, When when when you could drive without a seatbelt.
They say, well, we know you were driving with a
seatbelt back then, so we're gonna give you a ticket,
do you know what I mean? Like, like, I don't
think that's fair to penalize the guys after the fact. Yeah,
it's uh, it's interesting. And like I said, I do
(26:00):
think he could be back in baseball in some capacity.
I think he's gonna get in and it will be.
It will be what what needs to be done, some
some healing, some closure as much as a lot of people.
And it's not even close to what the Astros and
allegedly the Red Sox did. It's a totally different things.
But this is the other part, Chris, to put some
(26:20):
closure to that that era. Let's not forget Mark McGuire
and Sammy Souls saved baseball. You remember the state it
was in after the lockout, after the strike series. Yes,
I come for the New York Times, am I right?
I mean you can get it was. They used to
break in on ESPN to show there at bat if
(26:40):
you remember. I mean, that's how big it was. That's
why I look, it's hypocritical because baseball, as you said,
they knew what was going on. They played dumb. Who
knew it was nineteen mid nineties, who knew about stories? Everybody? Yes,
And you could look at Mark McGuire, he looked like
(27:00):
up close saw him up close you cover, It looked
like cartoon like like Paul Bunyan. Have you ever seen
anybody's all He would look like Paul Buck. Look at
some of the old games on like ESPN was out
of the half classic anymore. But look at some of
the old games, guys who were viewed as behemoths, Dave Kingman,
Dave Parker, they look like stick figures. Yes, compared to
(27:23):
what we see today. Yeah, absolutely, Yeah, it's there's a
lot of hypocrisy going on. I think my brethren will
get it right though, I really do, Chris, only because
of of you just gave the numbers. Look at how
big they've jumped slowly this year. Seriously, it did it
only went up one percent. Yeah, but but it didn't
it didn't go down. No, it didn't go down. And
(27:45):
that's the trend you gotta look at. And I believe
it'll be closer to sixty five next year, sixty set
like that, And then I believe that you cannot have
a Baseball Hall of Fame without Roger Clements and without
saying Baseball Hall of Fame is illegitimate. No, I'm just
I'm just saying that I think that people know Chris.
(28:05):
And this is the other thing we talk about all time.
The eye test. Those are two of the greatest players
I ever saw without Jews, with or without Jews, no question. Yeah.
I look from when I think Bones was using he
definitely went to a higher level. He was an all
time great early in his career MVPs in Prettsburgh as
(28:26):
a skinny kid exactly, so he was a Hall of
Famer already, but when he was using it, what we
believe he was using it, I mean, it just took
him to superman level. I mean it was I've never
seen anything like that in baseball. Fox Sports Radio has
the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all
of our shows at Fox Sports Radio dot com and
(28:47):
within the iHeart Radio app. Search f SR to listen live.
Rob you were in New York over the weekend getting
back for you from your cruise and some surprising, even
stunning news coming out of Brooklyn this weekend. Kenny Atkinson,
who's you know, it's undeniable. He's done a nice little
(29:07):
job there as the coach of the Brooklyn Nets, but
he gets uh fired. I mean they're calling it a
mutual partning of the ways, and there is some reporting
out there that that he did kind of you know,
want out himself just because he really didn't think or
wasn't enjoying the prospect of coaching Kyrie Irvy. Yeah, yeah,
(29:30):
I saw Vinnie's report Vinnie Goodny of course from Yahoo Sports,
And uh, that was a little surprising for me, Chris
as as a coach, Uh, to not want to coach talent.
That was just saying to me, if if if that,
if it's true. And I'm not saying Vinnie's report is
not true. I'm not saying. I just it's hard for
(29:52):
me to believe as a coach, Chris, and you know this,
that you don't want to coach talent. I'm right, I'm sorry.
Here here, look, let's just call it what it is,
Rob And I get it. If Kyrie wasn't responding to him,
Kd's not responding to him, the players or you know,
maybe you feel your voices we can then you ride
(30:14):
it out or you try to overcome it, you know,
but to step down yourself. And and if this is
true that you didn't want to coach k D and
Kyrie or weren't looking forward to it, whatever, that's damning.
It's damning because what does every team want? Rob A KD?
(30:36):
No with it? And the other problem too, is you
don't have to do that, Kate. Wait a minute, Kyrie
had surgery, right and Kd's not coming back this year,
So why would you step down right now? You have
a team seriously that's still in the play that's in
the playoff. Huh? I don't think it wasn't fire make
(31:00):
I agree because the timing doesn't make any sense. It
just it just doesn't. You're not coaching those guys this year.
You write it out. Can you imagine you make the
playoffs Chris without those two which the right which because
they're they're they're in a good spot right already. Yeah,
So all I'm saying is, wouldn't that look good for
him as he moves forward? Oh? Yeah? That that this
(31:20):
season collapsed the two big stars that they you know,
brought him obviously one wasn't gonna play this year. But
he leaves the leads and you still are able to
make the playoffs in the East, and you put it together.
That's a feather in your cap. Why are you walking
away from the parting ways before the season is over
and not even having to face the scenario that supposedly
(31:41):
you don't didn't want and that makes sense, no question.
That's why I think it was a firing. And look,
here's the this is the fact. And I don't know
if Kenny Atkinson would have fallen into this category or not.
If it's true that he stepped down because he didn't think,
you know, wasn't looking for ord to coaching the two Stars,
(32:01):
then it clearly tells us he's in this category. But
there are coaches, Robert, you've covered the league long enough
to know as well. There are coaches that will maximize
mediocre talent. But give him some real thoroughbreds, give him
a Mercedes Bins or two, and they can't handle it.
Brad Stevens maybe the I mean, he couldn't handle Kyrie.
(32:24):
And I'm not saying it was all or maybe even
mostly on Brad, but he couldn't handle Kyrie for whatever reason.
And he got They got a star in Kimba, who
is you know, not quite as ballyhood and accomplish as Kyrie.
He's on a different levels of star, but he's got
(32:44):
the mentality more of you know, one of these these
you know, David rather than a Goliath, and so he's
fitting better. Jason Tatum, who's emerged as a star, came
in as a young player, so he's got a relationship
with Brad, so that's a difference. But you see, he's
better suited with this team that he asked now than
he was when he had a guy like Kyrie. And
(33:07):
you know, I don't look, there's all types of stories
going around. You talk to people around the league. They
definitely think Kyrie's hands and even to some degree KDS
or dirty. With this firing of Kenny Atkinson, maybe they
saw I don't know if they know, but maybe they
looked at him and felt like, you know what, this
isn't the guy that's gonna get us over the hump
(33:30):
or to the next level. Maybe it's somebody else out
there that they like. And you know, but there's talk
of Tylu who obviously won a championship with Kyrie. There
are those I've talked to that say Kyrie's not gonna
push for Tyler. I think of Mark Jackson. Look, I've
said this for so many jobs for Mark. I don't
say it because to get him a job. I think
(33:50):
he'd really be a good fit there a New Yorker,
I think not only a New york right, Kde and
Kyrie respect him. You know, there's no question I think
he'd be good for that job. But Rob, the culture changes.
It was the little engine that could last year in Brooklyn,
and that was nice. That's gonna get you a six
(34:12):
seventh seed, maybe a win or two in the playoffs,
and that's it. And that's great for what you are.
But once you bring in stars, the culture changes. And
I'll tell you this, They's done it with the Clippers.
I'll tell you this for the first time, Chris, and
just mark my words on this. I think the Nets
have a golden opportunity with what's happened with the Knicks,
(34:35):
with the recent Spike League. I'm not saying that New
York is gonna flip to Brooklyn, you know, overnight, but
things are so bad with the Knicks and that owner
and what's going on. If they were to get you know,
the right coach and put together a squad next year
or whatever they could, they could really make like move
(34:56):
the needle in New York for the first time. I
really believe that
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Rob Parker
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