April 8, 2021 • 38 mins
Chris and Rob discuss Kevin Durant's impressive return to action and tell us if a title in Brooklyn would help erase the mental asterisk next to his 2 previous titles, share their thoughts on the effectiveness of the Patriot Way without Tom Brady, debate if the Dallas Cowboys would be making a mistake if they trade up for Florida TE Kyle Pitts in the NFL Draft, and explain why former NBA veteran Bonzi Wells is wrong when he says that Chris Paul belongs on the Mt Rushmore of all-time NBA point guard
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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(00:26):
You're listening to. Fox Sports Radio. Talked about it yesterday,
but the big return of Kevin Durant and what a
return it was, and he was sweating. You thought there
was something wrong with him because he didn't play. He
didn't got the first six, he didn't start all he
(00:47):
still doesn't play yet, right, and all of a sudden started,
All of a sudden he came out and he looked
like a house on fire. I think you should have started, um,
but it ain't know, it's not a big deal. But
remember Allen Iverson to make a big deal out of
that come back for injury. I should start and uh,
but yeah, he uh he played great, rob seventeen points
(01:09):
in nineteen minutes shot. Yeah, yeah, nothing, he will rob
seventeen points on five shots. Think about That's incredible. That
is incredible. He had a one eight teen player or no,
I'm sorry. A one eighteen true field goal percentage one
(01:31):
eighteen that is like sixty and above is really good.
The leader this year has is seventy three percent true
field goal percentage, and that you know a lot of
that's based on free throws and three point shots. But
one eighteen. Think about rob If he went five for
(01:52):
five from three, he wouldn't have had seventeen points, right,
So that's how big he was and robbing the I
aint teen minutes he was on the court. I don't
know if you saw these numbers. Their offensive rating was
one hundred and forty three. It was so easy when
he was out there because you had to respect him.
(02:13):
He was making passes to people. Chris, I know he
had seven rebounds. He wasn't tentative five. He had six turnovers.
The only thing is he had a couple of times,
boy he passed the ball was deflected for a turnover.
He was a little sloppy with the basketball. But I
watched his entire stretch once he came in the game,
and I thought he looked spectacular. I thought, if you're
(02:38):
one of the other teams in the East, or the
Lakers or the Clippers or anybody would hope. You're looking
at him saying, if this guy's healthy and they get
hardened back, I don't know. I mean he looked, he
looked great. I don't know what else to say. He looked.
If everybody's healthy, Durant, hardened Lebron, Anthony Davis, Joel embiid.
(03:00):
If everybody's healthy, there's still only one team that can
beat the nets. The nets. That's it. It's gonna have
to be some type of implosion. Kyrie's in the wrong
state of mind. DeAndre Jordan's upset about his minutes. Uh,
Durant wants to, you know, buck the system and start
(03:20):
scoring too much or shooting too much, or just lack
of familiarity, which we don't think will be a problem.
Those are only like basketball wise, they're going to roll.
They're going to roll. I mean, we saw Blake Griffin
last night too, Chris, I mean, how do he look
(03:41):
to you in the great fifteen minutes? He played a
nice dunk, had a throwback dunk. He's looking good. It's
always Aldred had twenty two points because Rob there first.
They look relieved that they don't have to carry the team, right,
you know, which they both totally agree with that. It's
a big differences between you're the big dog and now
(04:02):
all I gotta do is just go out and play
and put up my you know, put up my numbers.
We're gonna win. Those guys over there will make sure
we win, and all I gotta do is do my
part and come out. That's it, right. Hey, Look, they
were good. They were really good lead men. They weren't
good enough to lead you to a championship, but they
(04:23):
were legit. I mean they were you know, perennial All Stars.
So nothing away from them. But now you know, with
as you said, the three guys drawing so much attention,
even if it's just two of them, it's uh gonna
be fun and easy for those guys as well as
the other role players. But rober kd we know, he
has his podcast and he had his Draymond Green, his
(04:44):
buddy U still buddies after the big blow up in
Golden State a couple of years ago. It wouldn't be
on my podcast all I'm sorry. Would you be like
like it's over, like we we just we ain't cool
no more? I that'd be like, say me and you
had that situation not to put it out there like that.
But you know, would you'd be done with that guy?
(05:07):
It would it would there there are situations and circumstances
that you would be done. It would have to be
in that case. I don't know. I just thought, Draymond,
that was extreme to do that, like and do it bublically, Yeah,
but publicly too, like we didn't have like a you
know what I mean, Like, I thought that was extreme.
He said that to Lebron too in the finals. Yeah, yeah,
(05:31):
I guess people. Everybody's different. I don't know, it would
have to be. I'd have to really feel like somebody
really was trying to do something against me, you know
what I mean, like like like it would have to
be like that. But anyway, they talked about, you know,
there's this myth, this urban legend out there that when
(05:51):
after they lost to Lebron and dropped the three one
lead to lose the finals in twenty sixteen, ahead, Yeah,
but whatever do you mean? No, I mean the one
a few weeks after Durant led the choke or a
year Yeah, after Durant led the choke in the conference finals.
But anyway, Draymond in tears, called k D from his
(06:16):
car in the parking lot. That's the myth. Draymond and
k d said it really wasn't wasn't like that. Here
here they are on Kadi's podcasts. From my end, we
sent some texts on some just y know, I've seen that.
You've seen that, all right, that's really what it was.
Bro's exactly what it was. It wasn't like no, no,
(06:40):
no urgent FaceTime call like it was just like exactly
what I just said, Like, Yo, you've seen what just happened.
Bet all right, I'm on the way. Wow, I'm on
the way. But even that's a frustration of listening to
players talk to other players. I just my public service.
You're saying that could be a little fudging of the truth.
(07:01):
Just I just Chris, it don't make Kad look bad.
If Draymond was crying, it's actually a little better, right.
But I'm just saying, like, you know, you just and
then they don't really say it, say it. You know.
It's always like whenever you listen to guys talk, it's
always like a kind of inside they know what they're
talking about, and they really don't come out and say it.
I just say it. That's the frustrating part because he
(07:23):
didn't say, really what happened? Well you see that? And
I just said, all right, you see that, all right,
I'll beat it. I'm on my wife. What a reporter
would have been like, all right, so Draymond, you weren't
so you weren't crying exactly, I mean like ry okay,
because that's what's out there that you were crying. But
you were crying and you called him from the parking
(07:43):
lot and yeah, cleanex in one hand and your phone
and the other. You know, is that what went on
to explain? Paint the scene for me? You know what
I mean? Like I would and Kayd was acting like,
all right, at that moment, it was a done deal?
What saying? Because you why'd you go through these meetings
with the Clippers and and all these other teams if
it was was it done at that moment? Did you?
(08:05):
You know? You're right? That's why you need reports, y'all know,
that's why you need to report. You got a much bigger,
fuller picture of this. But let's throw this. I want
to throw this out, rob because Durant still and we
heard it from none other than the Great Walt Frasier.
But there's others that have this mental or imaginary asterix
(08:29):
by his two championships. Um, a lot of people felt
like rob when he went to Brooklyn it was to prove, okay,
I can do it without this superstack squad, and and
they feel like, well, now, heck, that's out the window. Um,
let me throw I want to throw this at you. First.
Is Kevin Durant better off having gone to Golden State?
(08:54):
Forget Brian and Brooklyn if they went to like, is
he better off that he made that move? Or would
he have been better staying in Okay See. I don't
know if they would have won. They could if they
want an Okay see, then it would have been to
me even bigger. Whenever you start something and you can
complete it without going to get help, I just think
(09:15):
it looks better. It doesn't mean that. And then the
other thing that helped him is that he did he
was the finals MVP both years, so it wasn't like,
you know, he went to the Warriors. It was Steph's team.
Steph won the next two. It was all about Steph
and and and he was the side piece. I think
it helped that he was the MVP in the finals,
(09:35):
just for that for him himself. But I think if
he would have stayed in OKAC and delivered a championship
to that franchise after being you know, drafted with Seattle
and then the movie to OKAC, I just think it
looks it's a better story, that's all. There is no question.
I do agree with you. Now, we don't know if
he would have won, right, we have none. I'm saying
(09:58):
if he would have won that story, he's better had
he stayed there. And one one because he only won two.
I mean that's I'm not I don't want to say
it like to diminish two. Three. There's a big difference
between a three peat, which has only been done robbed
three times since Bill Russell twice by Jordan, once by
Shaq and Kobe. So had the Warriors three peted, that's
(10:21):
to me that would have been more valuable than a
than one championship in OKC. But I'll give you that
one in OKC small market, uh new market, you know,
moving from Seattle his own team, because even though he
was the best player, I'll contend it was Steph's team.
(10:44):
Um he I think Steph was the most important player
on that team. But I think one in ok C
would have been more higher regarded than the two in
Golden State. And like you said, there there obviously be
any thought of an asterisk. And had he just left
this year or you know, two years ago to go
(11:04):
to Brooklyn, you know, it would have been like he's
coming there, kind of like Kyrie. Like nobody looks at Kyrie. Okay,
they might want to say he wasn't the leader of
that team. It was Lebron's team, but still he had
the huge shot. He was the point guard, so you
don't usually expect the point guard to be necessarily the
main scorer and all that. So nobody looks at Kyrie though,
(11:27):
and shoots down his one ring and so, and especially
because he had that big shot the comeback, it's hard
to take that away from him, do you know what
I mean? Like he was you they don't win that
without Kyrie, right, you know, simple as that. Um So,
in that regard, I do think he's he but I
(11:49):
think he would have been better if we're imagining had
he wanted okay, see, but I don't know that they
would have robbed. I mean, they had their chance that year.
They blew it up three one on Golden State, and
they always had problems with Cleveland anyway, like Lebron dominated
k D Cleveland, Okac. I think it was seventeen to
four or something regular season matchup, So I don't know
(12:10):
that they could have beat Cleveland. I don't think they
would have. So I think all things considered, we don't
know that he would have wanted. Okay, see, he's better off.
As much as people want to, oh, it's an Asterix.
Oh it was Steph t Oh. You know, he didn't
prove he could lead a team. He's still a two
time champion, He's got the monkey off his back. And
(12:31):
to your point, Rob, he was the finals MVP, right
and you know, can you imagine if Kevin Durant right now,
if he didn't have a title, like, he'd be under
immense pressure. So I think all of that's gone, even
with the talk, all of that pressure's gone. So I
(12:51):
think he still was better off making the move because
even as people want to put an Asterix there, nobody
disrespects his game. You know what I'm saying, Nobody disrespects that.
So but the interesting thing is, you know, this year,
will it take away for many people that imaginary aster
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(13:12):
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get your podcasts. Let's go to the NFL and Tom
(13:55):
Brady obviously great season, they win the championship, super Bowl
number seven for him in Tampa Bay. He was on
Good Morning America this week and he talked about what
he learned in his first year away from New England.
Here he is, when you're in one place for twenty years,
you think that's the only way, and I think when
you go to a different place, you realize father. You know,
(14:18):
there's another way that people do things. Some people rob
think that was a shot at the Patriots. I'm not
so sure, but a lot of people have taken it
that way. What are your thoughts on that. I just
think it what he said was when you only know
one way and then you go somewhere or else and
(14:40):
you see how things operate, you just realize that things
can be done differently. That I don't read too much
into it. I think if he really wanted to take
a shot, he could have, But I know that he
doesn't want to diminish what happened in New England. You know,
he won sixth day, you know what I mean. So
I don't there's no reason that you would try to
diminish that, you know, So I just think I think
(15:03):
that's a legit comment. I don't think this. I don't
read anything negative into it. People want to read into
it as a rip or shot. I don't see it
that way. Yeah, I'm with you. Look, there are different
ways to do things, and I can understand how a
Tom Brady being in New England could see, especially with
(15:24):
that success, right, that's success that we've never seen anywhere else.
And so you're in New England, you're having this success
that no one else has had. You got players coming
in and out, and yet the success continues. You can
kind of think this is how you have to do it.
It just is like all these other teams having fun
(15:46):
or you know, whatever they're doing, they're not winning with
this type of consistency. This is how it has to
be done. And he goes to Tampa Bay and finds
out there something different. I agree with. I think it's
a legit comment meant and I'm gonna say this too,
I don't I think Tom Brady, like there's no doubt Rob,
(16:08):
he learned a ton from being in New England. He
learned a ton. I think he became like part of
who he is as this great quarterback is what he
learned in New England. And so I don't think he
would ever discredit that. But I do think it got
(16:28):
to a point, particularly the second half of that dynasty,
when I think Brady was a lot of the quote
unquote patriot. Wait, not in terms of no fun and
you know, coaches yelling at every player the same and
all that, but I mean the culture kind of culture setter,
(16:49):
the fact that he took it. He took the slights
or the getting cussed out or whatever it was from Belichick,
and that sets a tone. And we saw it with
Tim Duncan in San Antonio, Right, he said that tone.
He was that unique type superstar who'll take that. Right,
(17:12):
you can treat me like I'm the eighth man, and
I'm cool with it. And they obviously had a great run,
and Pop still a great coach obviously, but it ain't
the same Rob KAUI was like, nah, not for me,
not for me, right, And I said this before, and
I'm not taking anything away from what they've accomplished, but
(17:35):
really to solidify your pop, like there is a degree
of that where you know if you can win some
with other people and other situations. I've always said this
Chris about Bill Parcels. Yeah he ain't. Yeah, it ain't.
But I'm just saying, but for me, with Bill Parcels,
it wasn't. He won the two Super Bowls with the Giants,
(17:57):
that already put him in a lofty spot. Right, he
didn't win won. He won twice, okay, with two different quarterbacks.
So you can't say you got lucky. You had a
great quarterback and you want to chet two different quarters.
But what he did when he took over the Jets
and the Cowboys, and he even got the Patriots to
the Super Bowl. When I look at everywhere he went right,
the Jets were one in fifteen. Chris three years later
(18:20):
then in the ANC Championship game, he took the Patriots
to the super Bowl. They lost, but he took them
to the super Bowl, and the Cowboys were good, you
know what I mean when he got there. They never
got as far as like the Jets did, like in
a championship game. But I saw everything that he touched
got better. And that's what I looked for. And I
think sometimes you know, you can be in one spot,
(18:42):
your Popovich. You had the great run, you had Duncan,
you had Robinson, you know what I mean. You got
Kawhi at the end, and I'm not taking it away,
but once all that went away, you stopped winning. Right. Yeah,
they'll be okay, they're relevant, right, But you see him say,
I'm like, well, I agree, and rob And I've always said,
(19:03):
you know, over the last two decades or so, that
the Patriots are the Spurs of the NFL, or the
Spurs are the Patriots of the NBA. However, you want
to call it, and you're never just like you said
about Pop, You're never gonna diminish what Belichick did. I mean,
he's always got his six rings. He's always gonna be
(19:25):
viewed as, if not the greatest coach in NFL history,
one of them. But that same logic stands. And you've
heard me say it before. He's eight. Was this his
ninth year without Brady and he's only made the playoffs once?
And I know he's a great defensive coach and those
(19:45):
defenses were a big part of it. But I do rob,
I want to see and I thought he did a
good job last year. Right, that's what Pop's doing. Oh
they're good and you know, for what they have, they
don't have much Holland and they're pretty good. But that
can he get back and win another Super Bowl? That
(20:07):
I think is the charge for Belichick. And I'm sure
he feels that. Well, I know he doesn't. I'm not
saying he feels like he's a failure if he doesn't
win it without Brady, But as competitive as he is,
you know he wants to win it without Brady. And
I feel the same way like you said about Pop,
I feel the same way about Belichick, He's got to
(20:28):
deliver because I think it's, like I said, the second
half of that dynasty, a lot of that is Brady's leadership.
Players you know, taken to him. Obviously, he does all
the little things and tangibles on the field off the field,
and he showed that by going to Tampa and in
a unique situation winning it all. And so I do
(20:53):
think that I want to see what Belichick can do.
And you know, it doesn't have to be this year,
next year, but I want to see what he can
do the rest of his career without Tom Brady, kind
of like you said about Popovich. So it's interesting, um,
but there's always different ways to win. And and Jerry
(21:16):
Jones he hadn't found one of those ways yet, Rob,
I mean he did early on. Or Jimmy Jimmy Johnson.
Jimmy Johnson, because since Jimmy Johnson has been going, you
can say whatever you want that they just haven't done anything.
They've won four playoff games in twenty five years. Chris Uh,
you know, the when it became a mom and pop
(21:38):
store and the Joneses are running it. This is what
you get, you think getting you know, going at odds
with Jimmy Johnson and basically leading him out of here.
Probably not because he's one of those proud men, you
know what I mean, I'm gonna show you I'm gonna
win my way or whatever. Remember he played college football,
he was, so he feels like he knows the game,
(22:00):
like he never played football, you know what I mean?
He did. But see that that's the that's the problem. Rob.
And here's the thing. Jones would have gotten credit. Owners
get credit. I mean, nobody's sitting there saying Robert Kraft
is a football genius, but he gets credit. How about
(22:21):
George Steinbrotter with the Yankees? He got cutted for their winning.
If you create a dynasty, you're as the owner. Even
if you just hire to write people and get the
heck out of the way, you're going to get credit.
And it's sad that Jones couldn't do that. Rob. And
he's involved again and I actually liked this, But the
(22:44):
talk is that you know he's getting he's fallen in
love with Florida tight end Kyle Pitts and now he's
he wants to trade up or might trade up to
get him. I'm gonna be honest, Robe, I think that'd
be a good move. And I know their defense was
atrocious last year and everybody saying they gotta get defensive players.
(23:04):
I think they have pretty good individual defensive players. I
think Mike Nolan, the decordinator last year was horrible and
he's gone. Jim Thomsula is gone. They bring in Dan Quinn,
you know, architect of the Legion of Boom won a
Super Bowl. So I think their defense will improve with
Quinn putting these guys in a better position to be good.
(23:29):
I'm not saying they're gonna be you know, the eighty
six Bears, but I do think they can be a
good defense under Dan Quinn and Kyle Quinn, Kyle Pitts.
I mean, man, Rob, he is the truth. From what
I see, he looks like he's got it all. He's
kind of a wide receiver, but he's in a tight
(23:51):
ends body. And you know how big tight ends are now,
I mean Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelsey, you know, we could
go on a tight It ends are important now, and
so usually if you got that type of tight end
we saw in San Francisco as well, if you got
that type of tight end, he can really help your
ball club, and obviously he opens it up for those
(24:13):
receivers that they were having Dallas and vice versa. So
I actually think that'd be a good move, even if
it's the brainchild of Jerry Jones. Rob Yeah, I don't know.
I think their bugga booys defense and they need some
more defensive players. I get it, the the dream of
having this u high powered offense and where we are
(24:36):
in the NFL. But if you can't stop anybody, and
you remember last year before he got hurt, Dak Prescott
was putting up unbelievable numbers and one of the offense, Chris,
they were scoring. They couldn't stop anybody. If you could
get defense was one of the worst. And I tweeted,
this was the worst defense I've ever seen for the fiend.
But just it was awful. That's the part. And you
(24:56):
would say to yourself, let's fix that. We got none,
let's get and we gotta Ezekiel. We got da back,
you know what I mean? We got some receivers. Who's
the who's the kid who really feed lamb? Yeah, I
was supposed to be this breakout. It didn't happen. They okay, right,
he was good. See what I'm saying, but so they
got those pieces, I would I would lean towards a
(25:17):
defensive player that's just yeah. I mean it's you. You're
You're receiving core is set, there's no denying that. But
you don't really have a great, a good tight end,
and obviously he would be that. So it would strengthen
what's already a strength. I hear you, but I think
it'll be interesting. We'll see, but I think this new
UH defensive coaching staff can really help improve their defense
(25:39):
because they got some talent there. Fox Sports Radio has
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listen live. Now. We talked about it briefly with our
man Antonio Daniels. The fee nick Sons, remember Rob, they
(26:02):
played really well in the bubble. They were eight no
and you know, they hadn't had a good regular season,
but they were great in the bubble, and the question
was can they carry it on? Can they keep it going? Now?
They added Chris Paul, who wasn't gonna say before you
before you just say that that was from the A
(26:23):
no because Chris Paul has made a big difference. A
veteran guy, a point guard who's helping set up everybody else. Chris,
you know what I mean? Like like, I don't know
if you could correlate what they did last year in
a bubble to adding Chris Paul. It helped. It was nice,
it was cute, but getting Chris Paul was huge. They're
(26:44):
not here and they may not even be close to here, right,
I agree with that Chris Paul is a difference maker.
He might not have won a championship or got you
to you know, with all these teams he's been on
because as great as he is, he's bounced around. I mean, right,
he had you. That's a good point for usually. I
mean there have been a few, but he has been
(27:08):
on been on five or six teams. I mean, seriously,
that's not a guy you would think the Clippers, um,
the Oklahoma City, Houston, uh and now Phoenix, and I
don't even I may have even missed right there, New Orleans,
(27:30):
New Orleans, the Clippers, right, Oklahoma City, Houston, after the Clippers,
Oklahoma City and then Phoenix, Phoenix. I think that's it.
I'm looking it up now. I don't know why. I
just think this, Yeah, that's it. That's it. Okay, Yeah,
(27:51):
And I actually thought Rob there was a year I
can't remember exactly what year it was, when he was
in New Orleans. I thought he had a good shot
at winning an MVP, like he was very much in
the running one of those years for MVP. He hasn't
done that yet, but but some people I'm not willing
to go that he might get in the top five,
(28:12):
but some people think maybe this year, uh, he could
get MVP. Hey, look, let's let's keep it real. Lebron, uh,
Joel Embi and probably hard and they're missing too many games.
So now you're looking at Yokitch, Dame Lillard, Yannis. I mean,
(28:33):
Chris Paul will get some votes, but I don't think
he can win it. You could you see him as
MVP's average sixteen if they won the divisions, if they
if they won the Western Conference, you know what I mean.
You mean, if they're the one well, they could be
the one seed. If they're the one seed, he'd have
a chance. I really some people wondering. I Devin Booker's
great too, but he's obviously they're leading scorer. I get it,
(28:57):
But they weren't making this kind of move until he
got Yeah, but he was young. I mean, I'm they're
not Paul. But you're talking about when you talking about
going from not making the playoffs to the top of
the Western Conference with the Lakers and the and and
the Clippers and Utah, do you know what I mean?
(29:19):
In Denver it would be it would they're the one seed?
Would you vote him over? Say Denver's yes? Denver went
to the Denver went to the conference finals last year.
I'm not knocking Yokis in the year he's having Chris,
but I'm just talking about the most valuable player to
a team. And they went from no playoffs to the
(29:40):
top of the Western not the luke not the lukewarm
Eastern Conference. And I know it's a lot better with
the nets and filling, but and the Western Conference. I mean,
that's a remarkable turnaround. And and I don't know how
many times in the history of the NBA, Chris, you
went from not making the playoffs to the top of
the division. It probably the league has been around seventy
(30:02):
five years. So they beat Utah last night, and what
was a great game. I don't know if you saw it,
but yeah, I saw a little bit of overtime. Yeah,
terrific game. But anyway, bondsy Wells is as excited about
Chris Paul as you are, in fact, maybe even a
little more. And we like Bonds. He played in Detroit.
I got to know him a little bit. Yeah, Bonds,
(30:22):
he's Bonds. He is a good guy. He got the
podcast with Rashid Wallace. I was doing there that they
do a great job. But he said this on Serious
x M Radio. I think he went a little far.
We'll see what you think. It's not easy to win,
you know what I'm saying, But you can't. The minute
that I was there, I competed. And that's the same
thing with Chris Paul. Like he's been there every year,
(30:42):
He's competed. I mean, he's going to be in the
record books forever and he's a Hall of Famer to me.
And he's one of the best point guards, if not
gonna be maybe the best point guard when he leaves
this game. Who knows what his numbers. The fist is
still you know, the win the win shares that he's
he's that he's to pass over his career. I mean,
you put his numbers against anybody's going to be right there.
(31:03):
So I mean, Chris Paul has got to be on
the Mount Rushmore point guards. I mean he I mean,
I don't think winning the championship should tarnish it or
even make it better. I think it's gonna be a
great career all around the board. Chris, please go ahead.
You just saying no, I'll just back up. Um Bonds,
stop it. I mean absolutely, yes, Okay, nobody, that's that's
(31:28):
that's what's he knocking off? Point guard? Wise? Come on, man,
it's just a it's a tough road, Chris. I'm serious.
I mean we we obviously when you say greatest point guard,
I mean stop, that's come on. But even if we
go Mount Rushmore, Yeah, some guys, Rob and I really
believe it's when some guys say that, not just Bonds.
(31:51):
They don't know how many faces are on Mount Russia.
They have no idea. They think it's twenty five twenty
five man roster in base ball. It's not that many.
It's four guys. At four, he's not one of the
top four guards in the history of the association. And
that doesn't mean he's a bum. Chris at four spots
(32:15):
over a hundred years or whatever it's been in the NBA. Rob,
here are my four that I think are indisputable. Now
it'll be interesting because one of these guys isn't your favorite.
But we'll see what you say. I've got my Mount
Rushmore point. Who already know what guy's coming off? But
go ahead, well, but I keep it real though not
(32:38):
your personal favorites, but whose the Mount Rushmore is magic?
Steph Oscar Robertson and Isaiah Thomas. I think I don't
know how you argue with those four and not now
if you want to argue, not you, but in general,
(32:58):
if somebody wants to argue, Chris Paul is five. I
mean I think he's battling Jason Kidd and John Stockton,
and maybe for the old hands they want to throw
in Bob Kuzy Jason Kidd. For Chris, look at his
body of work. Uh won a championship, went to the finals,
he was you know, he was older and no I know,
(33:19):
but I'm just saying he got that on this belt.
But he did also take the nets twice, That's the thing,
and they that weren't good before they traded him for
Stefan Marbert who was a great and he was and
it was Todd Rookie Rookie of the Year with Grant Hill.
I mean I could go through his resume is pretty
damn Goodfender. Yes, So the thing, Chris, and let me
(33:42):
say this because I I'm with you, like, that's a
tough one. Jay Kidd or Chris Paul. Chris Paul's numbers
are better when you look at his scoring, even though
he's on a huge score, he's more of a score
than kid Um and his uh field goal percentage. You know,
Kid wasn't a good shooter most of his career. Became
a good three point shooter late, But I Kid may
(34:04):
have had more. I don't know. Edge he was able
to lift like those Nets teams, right, I think they
won twenty six games the year before he got there.
You're talking about the worst to first, right, and he
took him to the Eastern Conference champ or to the
champ finals twice after a horrible season. Yeah, with Kenya
(34:24):
Martin carry Kilsky. So I think he I might take
him over Chris Um. Chris. I think I'll take Chris
over Stockton. I may underrate Stockman. Some people love Stockton
I like him. I don't think Stockton ever did anything wrong,
and he's he is, but he was a really good player, Chris, Right,
(34:48):
he was great. He was great, and he was and
Gary Payton says he was the toughest point guard he
ever faced. So that's a that's high praise from GP.
Walt Frazier's in there. Um. But here here's the thing. Like, obviously,
Isaiah Thomas has the two rings, so Chris can't touch that.
But here's why I would even say, beyond the two rings,
(35:12):
Isaiah would take over when he needed to. We've seen it.
We've seen it, right, I mean he to go look
at Isaiah Thomas's real and watch some of the battles. Chris.
I could still remember watching him and Bernard King going
at it in a playoff game. I think scored sixteen.
(35:35):
He scored all the last sixteen points. Chris Like, He's like, yeah,
it was unbelievable. It was it was played you know
where it was played at the at the Cobo Hall.
There was some comic something happened or the roof caved in, Chris.
They showed that game. Yes, that's a classic game, and
Bernard King went off at the end of that game
(35:57):
and Chris the Nixon lead in that game, You're ready
until the last basket that put them ahead. They never
led in the game. It was either tied or they
were down. And that was the only the final baskets
time in the game. They never they never had the league.
That's a tough way to lose. But you're right, see,
and that's the thing, Like Chris is almost a reluctant
(36:20):
score you know what I mean, Like he's he's done
it before few and far between, but he's not going
to like Isaiah. Okay, if if the situation calls for
me to get thirty seven, so be it. You know
what I'm saying, Like, oh I gotta get twenty this this,
however he needed to do, gets the Lakers on a
busted leg. That most the greatest individual performances ever that
(36:45):
that quarter where he scored what twenty five? I think
it was. I want to that quarter with the with
the bad ankle. But yeah, so I mean Rob and
I like who you who's your four mount Rushmore point guards?
Not you? But you know what I mean, Like you
think who were the four best? Because I know you
(37:05):
wouldn't put Steff on your personal one, but right, because
I would put Bob Coozy in his place. I'm sorry,
Well you got it somebody and some people are saying,
why not Steve Nash. Steve Nash was obviously great in Phoenix.
He didn't win. I'm not putting him above any of
those four, but I don't. I think Nash rob and
(37:25):
he was great. He's a Hall of famer. You know,
the guy won back to back MVPs. But few food
few uh guys like that, Chris have won back to
back env No, No, but that's why. Yeah, that separates
him a little bit. Well yeah, but I also think
he kind of a you can't take this away from him,
but I think he benefited largely from Dan Tony's system.
(37:47):
Like remember on that he was kind of you so
you you you putting him a head to Jay Kidd.
None of these other guys want too. None of them
won two MVPs. Oscar didn't win any Isaiah because they
didn't point guards really weren't getting them, especially small ones
back then. Right, So, but I have to think a
little bit harder. I mean, I get your point on
(38:09):
step because of what I mean, dynasty, That's what I'm saying.
But that you got job, you got admitted to come.
One thing you you you don't want to say it,
especially this week when he showed you up, but you
know it. You don't disagree with me. I needed him
to have that game against That's what I needed. You
had the column written. You don't. You had the column written.
(38:34):
It was done.
Thanks for listening to The Odd Couple podcasts. Be sure
to catch us live every weekday from seven pm to
ten pm Eastern four to seven pm Pacific on Fox
Sports Radio. Find your local station for The Odd Couple
at Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us live
every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching f s R.
(00:26):
You're listening to. Fox Sports Radio. Talked about it yesterday,
but the big return of Kevin Durant and what a
return it was, and he was sweating. You thought there
was something wrong with him because he didn't play. He
didn't got the first six, he didn't start all he
(00:47):
still doesn't play yet, right, and all of a sudden started,
All of a sudden he came out and he looked
like a house on fire. I think you should have started, um,
but it ain't know, it's not a big deal. But
remember Allen Iverson to make a big deal out of
that come back for injury. I should start and uh,
but yeah, he uh he played great, rob seventeen points
(01:09):
in nineteen minutes shot. Yeah, yeah, nothing, he will rob
seventeen points on five shots. Think about That's incredible. That
is incredible. He had a one eight teen player or no,
I'm sorry. A one eighteen true field goal percentage one
(01:31):
eighteen that is like sixty and above is really good.
The leader this year has is seventy three percent true
field goal percentage, and that you know a lot of
that's based on free throws and three point shots. But
one eighteen. Think about rob If he went five for
(01:52):
five from three, he wouldn't have had seventeen points, right,
So that's how big he was and robbing the I
aint teen minutes he was on the court. I don't
know if you saw these numbers. Their offensive rating was
one hundred and forty three. It was so easy when
he was out there because you had to respect him.
(02:13):
He was making passes to people. Chris, I know he
had seven rebounds. He wasn't tentative five. He had six turnovers.
The only thing is he had a couple of times,
boy he passed the ball was deflected for a turnover.
He was a little sloppy with the basketball. But I
watched his entire stretch once he came in the game,
and I thought he looked spectacular. I thought, if you're
(02:38):
one of the other teams in the East, or the
Lakers or the Clippers or anybody would hope. You're looking
at him saying, if this guy's healthy and they get
hardened back, I don't know. I mean he looked, he
looked great. I don't know what else to say. He looked.
If everybody's healthy, Durant, hardened Lebron, Anthony Davis, Joel embiid.
(03:00):
If everybody's healthy, there's still only one team that can
beat the nets. The nets. That's it. It's gonna have
to be some type of implosion. Kyrie's in the wrong
state of mind. DeAndre Jordan's upset about his minutes. Uh,
Durant wants to, you know, buck the system and start
(03:20):
scoring too much or shooting too much, or just lack
of familiarity, which we don't think will be a problem.
Those are only like basketball wise, they're going to roll.
They're going to roll. I mean, we saw Blake Griffin
last night too, Chris, I mean, how do he look
(03:41):
to you in the great fifteen minutes? He played a
nice dunk, had a throwback dunk. He's looking good. It's
always Aldred had twenty two points because Rob there first.
They look relieved that they don't have to carry the team, right,
you know, which they both totally agree with that. It's
a big differences between you're the big dog and now
(04:02):
all I gotta do is just go out and play
and put up my you know, put up my numbers.
We're gonna win. Those guys over there will make sure
we win, and all I gotta do is do my
part and come out. That's it, right. Hey, Look, they
were good. They were really good lead men. They weren't
good enough to lead you to a championship, but they
(04:23):
were legit. I mean they were you know, perennial All Stars.
So nothing away from them. But now you know, with
as you said, the three guys drawing so much attention,
even if it's just two of them, it's uh gonna
be fun and easy for those guys as well as
the other role players. But rober kd we know, he
has his podcast and he had his Draymond Green, his
(04:44):
buddy U still buddies after the big blow up in
Golden State a couple of years ago. It wouldn't be
on my podcast all I'm sorry. Would you be like
like it's over, like we we just we ain't cool
no more? I that'd be like, say me and you
had that situation not to put it out there like that.
But you know, would you'd be done with that guy?
(05:07):
It would it would there there are situations and circumstances
that you would be done. It would have to be
in that case. I don't know. I just thought, Draymond,
that was extreme to do that, like and do it bublically, Yeah,
but publicly too, like we didn't have like a you
know what I mean, Like, I thought that was extreme.
He said that to Lebron too in the finals. Yeah, yeah,
(05:31):
I guess people. Everybody's different. I don't know, it would
have to be. I'd have to really feel like somebody
really was trying to do something against me, you know
what I mean, like like like it would have to
be like that. But anyway, they talked about, you know,
there's this myth, this urban legend out there that when
(05:51):
after they lost to Lebron and dropped the three one
lead to lose the finals in twenty sixteen, ahead, Yeah,
but whatever do you mean? No, I mean the one
a few weeks after Durant led the choke or a
year Yeah, after Durant led the choke in the conference finals.
But anyway, Draymond in tears, called k D from his
(06:16):
car in the parking lot. That's the myth. Draymond and
k d said it really wasn't wasn't like that. Here
here they are on Kadi's podcasts. From my end, we
sent some texts on some just y know, I've seen that.
You've seen that, all right, that's really what it was.
Bro's exactly what it was. It wasn't like no, no,
(06:40):
no urgent FaceTime call like it was just like exactly
what I just said, Like, Yo, you've seen what just happened.
Bet all right, I'm on the way. Wow, I'm on
the way. But even that's a frustration of listening to
players talk to other players. I just my public service.
You're saying that could be a little fudging of the truth.
(07:01):
Just I just Chris, it don't make Kad look bad.
If Draymond was crying, it's actually a little better, right.
But I'm just saying, like, you know, you just and
then they don't really say it, say it. You know.
It's always like whenever you listen to guys talk, it's
always like a kind of inside they know what they're
talking about, and they really don't come out and say it.
I just say it. That's the frustrating part because he
(07:23):
didn't say, really what happened? Well you see that? And
I just said, all right, you see that, all right,
I'll beat it. I'm on my wife. What a reporter
would have been like, all right, so Draymond, you weren't
so you weren't crying exactly, I mean like ry okay,
because that's what's out there that you were crying. But
you were crying and you called him from the parking
(07:43):
lot and yeah, cleanex in one hand and your phone
and the other. You know, is that what went on
to explain? Paint the scene for me? You know what
I mean? Like I would and Kayd was acting like,
all right, at that moment, it was a done deal?
What saying? Because you why'd you go through these meetings
with the Clippers and and all these other teams if
it was was it done at that moment? Did you?
(08:05):
You know? You're right? That's why you need reports, y'all know,
that's why you need to report. You got a much bigger,
fuller picture of this. But let's throw this. I want
to throw this out, rob because Durant still and we
heard it from none other than the Great Walt Frasier.
But there's others that have this mental or imaginary asterix
(08:29):
by his two championships. Um, a lot of people felt
like rob when he went to Brooklyn it was to prove, okay,
I can do it without this superstack squad, and and
they feel like, well, now, heck, that's out the window. Um,
let me throw I want to throw this at you. First.
Is Kevin Durant better off having gone to Golden State?
(08:54):
Forget Brian and Brooklyn if they went to like, is
he better off that he made that move? Or would
he have been better staying in Okay See. I don't
know if they would have won. They could if they
want an Okay see, then it would have been to
me even bigger. Whenever you start something and you can
complete it without going to get help, I just think
(09:15):
it looks better. It doesn't mean that. And then the
other thing that helped him is that he did he
was the finals MVP both years, so it wasn't like,
you know, he went to the Warriors. It was Steph's team.
Steph won the next two. It was all about Steph
and and and he was the side piece. I think
it helped that he was the MVP in the finals,
(09:35):
just for that for him himself. But I think if
he would have stayed in OKAC and delivered a championship
to that franchise after being you know, drafted with Seattle
and then the movie to OKAC, I just think it
looks it's a better story, that's all. There is no question.
I do agree with you. Now, we don't know if
he would have won, right, we have none. I'm saying
(09:58):
if he would have won that story, he's better had
he stayed there. And one one because he only won two.
I mean that's I'm not I don't want to say
it like to diminish two. Three. There's a big difference
between a three peat, which has only been done robbed
three times since Bill Russell twice by Jordan, once by
Shaq and Kobe. So had the Warriors three peted, that's
(10:21):
to me that would have been more valuable than a
than one championship in OKC. But I'll give you that
one in OKC small market, uh new market, you know,
moving from Seattle his own team, because even though he
was the best player, I'll contend it was Steph's team.
(10:44):
Um he I think Steph was the most important player
on that team. But I think one in ok C
would have been more higher regarded than the two in
Golden State. And like you said, there there obviously be
any thought of an asterisk. And had he just left
this year or you know, two years ago to go
(11:04):
to Brooklyn, you know, it would have been like he's
coming there, kind of like Kyrie. Like nobody looks at Kyrie. Okay,
they might want to say he wasn't the leader of
that team. It was Lebron's team, but still he had
the huge shot. He was the point guard, so you
don't usually expect the point guard to be necessarily the
main scorer and all that. So nobody looks at Kyrie though,
(11:27):
and shoots down his one ring and so, and especially
because he had that big shot the comeback, it's hard
to take that away from him, do you know what
I mean? Like he was you they don't win that
without Kyrie, right, you know, simple as that. Um So,
in that regard, I do think he's he but I
(11:49):
think he would have been better if we're imagining had
he wanted okay, see, but I don't know that they
would have robbed. I mean, they had their chance that year.
They blew it up three one on Golden State, and
they always had problems with Cleveland anyway, like Lebron dominated
k D Cleveland, Okac. I think it was seventeen to
four or something regular season matchup, So I don't know
(12:10):
that they could have beat Cleveland. I don't think they
would have. So I think all things considered, we don't
know that he would have wanted. Okay, see, he's better off.
As much as people want to, oh, it's an Asterix.
Oh it was Steph t Oh. You know, he didn't
prove he could lead a team. He's still a two
time champion, He's got the monkey off his back. And
(12:31):
to your point, Rob, he was the finals MVP, right
and you know, can you imagine if Kevin Durant right now,
if he didn't have a title, like, he'd be under
immense pressure. So I think all of that's gone, even
with the talk, all of that pressure's gone. So I
(12:51):
think he still was better off making the move because
even as people want to put an Asterix there, nobody
disrespects his game. You know what I'm saying, Nobody disrespects that.
So but the interesting thing is, you know, this year,
will it take away for many people that imaginary aster
be sure to catch live editions of the Odd Couple
(13:12):
with Chris Broussard and Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the
iHeartRadio app. Hey, I'm John Middlecop and I host the
Three and Out Podcast. Do you like football? Do you
like the NFL? Do you like the NFL draft? Quarterbacks? Coaches? Well,
I talk about it all on the show. I used
(13:33):
to work for Andy Reid as a scout. Now I
give you my unfiltered and raw opinions on everything that
goes on in the NFL. And you know we're talking
college football because of how important the draft is year round.
Listen to the Three and Out Podcast with me, John
Middlecop on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
get your podcasts. Let's go to the NFL and Tom
(13:55):
Brady obviously great season, they win the championship, super Bowl
number seven for him in Tampa Bay. He was on
Good Morning America this week and he talked about what
he learned in his first year away from New England.
Here he is, when you're in one place for twenty years,
you think that's the only way, and I think when
you go to a different place, you realize father. You know,
(14:18):
there's another way that people do things. Some people rob
think that was a shot at the Patriots. I'm not
so sure, but a lot of people have taken it
that way. What are your thoughts on that. I just
think it what he said was when you only know
one way and then you go somewhere or else and
(14:40):
you see how things operate, you just realize that things
can be done differently. That I don't read too much
into it. I think if he really wanted to take
a shot, he could have, But I know that he
doesn't want to diminish what happened in New England. You know,
he won sixth day, you know what I mean. So
I don't there's no reason that you would try to
diminish that, you know, So I just think I think
(15:03):
that's a legit comment. I don't think this. I don't
read anything negative into it. People want to read into
it as a rip or shot. I don't see it
that way. Yeah, I'm with you. Look, there are different
ways to do things, and I can understand how a
Tom Brady being in New England could see, especially with
(15:24):
that success, right, that's success that we've never seen anywhere else.
And so you're in New England, you're having this success
that no one else has had. You got players coming
in and out, and yet the success continues. You can
kind of think this is how you have to do it.
It just is like all these other teams having fun
(15:46):
or you know, whatever they're doing, they're not winning with
this type of consistency. This is how it has to
be done. And he goes to Tampa Bay and finds
out there something different. I agree with. I think it's
a legit comment meant and I'm gonna say this too,
I don't I think Tom Brady, like there's no doubt Rob,
(16:08):
he learned a ton from being in New England. He
learned a ton. I think he became like part of
who he is as this great quarterback is what he
learned in New England. And so I don't think he
would ever discredit that. But I do think it got
(16:28):
to a point, particularly the second half of that dynasty,
when I think Brady was a lot of the quote
unquote patriot. Wait, not in terms of no fun and
you know, coaches yelling at every player the same and
all that, but I mean the culture kind of culture setter,
(16:49):
the fact that he took it. He took the slights
or the getting cussed out or whatever it was from Belichick,
and that sets a tone. And we saw it with
Tim Duncan in San Antonio, Right, he said that tone.
He was that unique type superstar who'll take that. Right,
(17:12):
you can treat me like I'm the eighth man, and
I'm cool with it. And they obviously had a great run,
and Pop still a great coach obviously, but it ain't
the same Rob KAUI was like, nah, not for me,
not for me, right, And I said this before, and
I'm not taking anything away from what they've accomplished, but
(17:35):
really to solidify your pop, like there is a degree
of that where you know if you can win some
with other people and other situations. I've always said this
Chris about Bill Parcels. Yeah he ain't. Yeah, it ain't.
But I'm just saying, but for me, with Bill Parcels,
it wasn't. He won the two Super Bowls with the Giants,
(17:57):
that already put him in a lofty spot. Right, he
didn't win won. He won twice, okay, with two different quarterbacks.
So you can't say you got lucky. You had a
great quarterback and you want to chet two different quarters.
But what he did when he took over the Jets
and the Cowboys, and he even got the Patriots to
the Super Bowl. When I look at everywhere he went right,
the Jets were one in fifteen. Chris three years later
(18:20):
then in the ANC Championship game, he took the Patriots
to the super Bowl. They lost, but he took them
to the super Bowl, and the Cowboys were good, you
know what I mean when he got there. They never
got as far as like the Jets did, like in
a championship game. But I saw everything that he touched
got better. And that's what I looked for. And I
think sometimes you know, you can be in one spot,
(18:42):
your Popovich. You had the great run, you had Duncan,
you had Robinson, you know what I mean. You got
Kawhi at the end, and I'm not taking it away,
but once all that went away, you stopped winning. Right. Yeah,
they'll be okay, they're relevant, right, But you see him say,
I'm like, well, I agree, and rob And I've always said,
(19:03):
you know, over the last two decades or so, that
the Patriots are the Spurs of the NFL, or the
Spurs are the Patriots of the NBA. However, you want
to call it, and you're never just like you said
about Pop, You're never gonna diminish what Belichick did. I mean,
he's always got his six rings. He's always gonna be
(19:25):
viewed as, if not the greatest coach in NFL history,
one of them. But that same logic stands. And you've
heard me say it before. He's eight. Was this his
ninth year without Brady and he's only made the playoffs once?
And I know he's a great defensive coach and those
(19:45):
defenses were a big part of it. But I do rob,
I want to see and I thought he did a
good job last year. Right, that's what Pop's doing. Oh
they're good and you know, for what they have, they
don't have much Holland and they're pretty good. But that
can he get back and win another Super Bowl? That
(20:07):
I think is the charge for Belichick. And I'm sure
he feels that. Well, I know he doesn't. I'm not
saying he feels like he's a failure if he doesn't
win it without Brady, But as competitive as he is,
you know he wants to win it without Brady. And
I feel the same way like you said about Pop,
I feel the same way about Belichick, He's got to
(20:28):
deliver because I think it's, like I said, the second
half of that dynasty, a lot of that is Brady's leadership.
Players you know, taken to him. Obviously, he does all
the little things and tangibles on the field off the field,
and he showed that by going to Tampa and in
a unique situation winning it all. And so I do
(20:53):
think that I want to see what Belichick can do.
And you know, it doesn't have to be this year,
next year, but I want to see what he can
do the rest of his career without Tom Brady, kind
of like you said about Popovich. So it's interesting, um,
but there's always different ways to win. And and Jerry
(21:16):
Jones he hadn't found one of those ways yet, Rob,
I mean he did early on. Or Jimmy Jimmy Johnson.
Jimmy Johnson, because since Jimmy Johnson has been going, you
can say whatever you want that they just haven't done anything.
They've won four playoff games in twenty five years. Chris Uh,
you know, the when it became a mom and pop
(21:38):
store and the Joneses are running it. This is what
you get, you think getting you know, going at odds
with Jimmy Johnson and basically leading him out of here.
Probably not because he's one of those proud men, you
know what I mean, I'm gonna show you I'm gonna
win my way or whatever. Remember he played college football,
he was, so he feels like he knows the game,
(22:00):
like he never played football, you know what I mean?
He did. But see that that's the that's the problem. Rob.
And here's the thing. Jones would have gotten credit. Owners
get credit. I mean, nobody's sitting there saying Robert Kraft
is a football genius, but he gets credit. How about
(22:21):
George Steinbrotter with the Yankees? He got cutted for their winning.
If you create a dynasty, you're as the owner. Even
if you just hire to write people and get the
heck out of the way, you're going to get credit.
And it's sad that Jones couldn't do that. Rob. And
he's involved again and I actually liked this, But the
(22:44):
talk is that you know he's getting he's fallen in
love with Florida tight end Kyle Pitts and now he's
he wants to trade up or might trade up to
get him. I'm gonna be honest, Robe, I think that'd
be a good move. And I know their defense was
atrocious last year and everybody saying they gotta get defensive players.
(23:04):
I think they have pretty good individual defensive players. I
think Mike Nolan, the decordinator last year was horrible and
he's gone. Jim Thomsula is gone. They bring in Dan Quinn,
you know, architect of the Legion of Boom won a
Super Bowl. So I think their defense will improve with
Quinn putting these guys in a better position to be good.
(23:29):
I'm not saying they're gonna be you know, the eighty
six Bears, but I do think they can be a
good defense under Dan Quinn and Kyle Quinn, Kyle Pitts.
I mean, man, Rob, he is the truth. From what
I see, he looks like he's got it all. He's
kind of a wide receiver, but he's in a tight
(23:51):
ends body. And you know how big tight ends are now,
I mean Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelsey, you know, we could
go on a tight It ends are important now, and
so usually if you got that type of tight end
we saw in San Francisco as well, if you got
that type of tight end, he can really help your
ball club, and obviously he opens it up for those
(24:13):
receivers that they were having Dallas and vice versa. So
I actually think that'd be a good move, even if
it's the brainchild of Jerry Jones. Rob Yeah, I don't know.
I think their bugga booys defense and they need some
more defensive players. I get it, the the dream of
having this u high powered offense and where we are
(24:36):
in the NFL. But if you can't stop anybody, and
you remember last year before he got hurt, Dak Prescott
was putting up unbelievable numbers and one of the offense, Chris,
they were scoring. They couldn't stop anybody. If you could
get defense was one of the worst. And I tweeted,
this was the worst defense I've ever seen for the fiend.
But just it was awful. That's the part. And you
(24:56):
would say to yourself, let's fix that. We got none,
let's get and we gotta Ezekiel. We got da back,
you know what I mean? We got some receivers. Who's
the who's the kid who really feed lamb? Yeah, I
was supposed to be this breakout. It didn't happen. They okay, right,
he was good. See what I'm saying, but so they
got those pieces, I would I would lean towards a
(25:17):
defensive player that's just yeah. I mean it's you. You're
You're receiving core is set, there's no denying that. But
you don't really have a great, a good tight end,
and obviously he would be that. So it would strengthen
what's already a strength. I hear you, but I think
it'll be interesting. We'll see, but I think this new
UH defensive coaching staff can really help improve their defense
(25:39):
because they got some talent there. Fox Sports Radio has
the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all
of our shows at Fox Sports Radio dot com and
within the iHeart Radio app search f s R to
listen live. Now. We talked about it briefly with our
man Antonio Daniels. The fee nick Sons, remember Rob, they
(26:02):
played really well in the bubble. They were eight no
and you know, they hadn't had a good regular season,
but they were great in the bubble, and the question
was can they carry it on? Can they keep it going? Now?
They added Chris Paul, who wasn't gonna say before you
before you just say that that was from the A
(26:23):
no because Chris Paul has made a big difference. A
veteran guy, a point guard who's helping set up everybody else. Chris,
you know what I mean? Like like, I don't know
if you could correlate what they did last year in
a bubble to adding Chris Paul. It helped. It was nice,
it was cute, but getting Chris Paul was huge. They're
(26:44):
not here and they may not even be close to here, right,
I agree with that Chris Paul is a difference maker.
He might not have won a championship or got you
to you know, with all these teams he's been on
because as great as he is, he's bounced around. I mean, right,
he had you. That's a good point for usually. I
mean there have been a few, but he has been
(27:08):
on been on five or six teams. I mean, seriously,
that's not a guy you would think the Clippers, um,
the Oklahoma City, Houston, uh and now Phoenix, and I
don't even I may have even missed right there, New Orleans,
(27:30):
New Orleans, the Clippers, right, Oklahoma City, Houston, after the Clippers,
Oklahoma City and then Phoenix, Phoenix. I think that's it.
I'm looking it up now. I don't know why. I
just think this, Yeah, that's it. That's it. Okay, Yeah,
(27:51):
And I actually thought Rob there was a year I
can't remember exactly what year it was, when he was
in New Orleans. I thought he had a good shot
at winning an MVP, like he was very much in
the running one of those years for MVP. He hasn't
done that yet, but but some people I'm not willing
to go that he might get in the top five,
(28:12):
but some people think maybe this year, uh, he could
get MVP. Hey, look, let's let's keep it real. Lebron, uh,
Joel Embi and probably hard and they're missing too many games.
So now you're looking at Yokitch, Dame Lillard, Yannis. I mean,
(28:33):
Chris Paul will get some votes, but I don't think
he can win it. You could you see him as
MVP's average sixteen if they won the divisions, if they
if they won the Western Conference, you know what I mean.
You mean, if they're the one well, they could be
the one seed. If they're the one seed, he'd have
a chance. I really some people wondering. I Devin Booker's
great too, but he's obviously they're leading scorer. I get it,
(28:57):
But they weren't making this kind of move until he
got Yeah, but he was young. I mean, I'm they're
not Paul. But you're talking about when you talking about
going from not making the playoffs to the top of
the Western Conference with the Lakers and the and and
the Clippers and Utah, do you know what I mean?
(29:19):
In Denver it would be it would they're the one seed?
Would you vote him over? Say Denver's yes? Denver went
to the Denver went to the conference finals last year.
I'm not knocking Yokis in the year he's having Chris,
but I'm just talking about the most valuable player to
a team. And they went from no playoffs to the
(29:40):
top of the Western not the luke not the lukewarm
Eastern Conference. And I know it's a lot better with
the nets and filling, but and the Western Conference. I mean,
that's a remarkable turnaround. And and I don't know how
many times in the history of the NBA, Chris, you
went from not making the playoffs to the top of
the division. It probably the league has been around seventy
(30:02):
five years. So they beat Utah last night, and what
was a great game. I don't know if you saw it,
but yeah, I saw a little bit of overtime. Yeah,
terrific game. But anyway, bondsy Wells is as excited about
Chris Paul as you are, in fact, maybe even a
little more. And we like Bonds. He played in Detroit.
I got to know him a little bit. Yeah, Bonds,
(30:22):
he's Bonds. He is a good guy. He got the
podcast with Rashid Wallace. I was doing there that they
do a great job. But he said this on Serious
x M Radio. I think he went a little far.
We'll see what you think. It's not easy to win,
you know what I'm saying, But you can't. The minute
that I was there, I competed. And that's the same
thing with Chris Paul. Like he's been there every year,
(30:42):
He's competed. I mean, he's going to be in the
record books forever and he's a Hall of Famer to me.
And he's one of the best point guards, if not
gonna be maybe the best point guard when he leaves
this game. Who knows what his numbers. The fist is
still you know, the win the win shares that he's
he's that he's to pass over his career. I mean,
you put his numbers against anybody's going to be right there.
(31:03):
So I mean, Chris Paul has got to be on
the Mount Rushmore point guards. I mean he I mean,
I don't think winning the championship should tarnish it or
even make it better. I think it's gonna be a
great career all around the board. Chris, please go ahead.
You just saying no, I'll just back up. Um Bonds,
stop it. I mean absolutely, yes, Okay, nobody, that's that's
(31:28):
that's what's he knocking off? Point guard? Wise? Come on, man,
it's just a it's a tough road, Chris. I'm serious.
I mean we we obviously when you say greatest point guard,
I mean stop, that's come on. But even if we
go Mount Rushmore, Yeah, some guys, Rob and I really
believe it's when some guys say that, not just Bonds.
(31:51):
They don't know how many faces are on Mount Russia.
They have no idea. They think it's twenty five twenty
five man roster in base ball. It's not that many.
It's four guys. At four, he's not one of the
top four guards in the history of the association. And
that doesn't mean he's a bum. Chris at four spots
(32:15):
over a hundred years or whatever it's been in the NBA. Rob,
here are my four that I think are indisputable. Now
it'll be interesting because one of these guys isn't your favorite.
But we'll see what you say. I've got my Mount
Rushmore point. Who already know what guy's coming off? But
go ahead, well, but I keep it real though not
(32:38):
your personal favorites, but whose the Mount Rushmore is magic?
Steph Oscar Robertson and Isaiah Thomas. I think I don't
know how you argue with those four and not now
if you want to argue, not you, but in general,
(32:58):
if somebody wants to argue, Chris Paul is five. I
mean I think he's battling Jason Kidd and John Stockton,
and maybe for the old hands they want to throw
in Bob Kuzy Jason Kidd. For Chris, look at his
body of work. Uh won a championship, went to the finals,
he was you know, he was older and no I know,
(33:19):
but I'm just saying he got that on this belt.
But he did also take the nets twice, That's the thing,
and they that weren't good before they traded him for
Stefan Marbert who was a great and he was and
it was Todd Rookie Rookie of the Year with Grant Hill.
I mean I could go through his resume is pretty
damn Goodfender. Yes, So the thing, Chris, and let me
(33:42):
say this because I I'm with you, like, that's a
tough one. Jay Kidd or Chris Paul. Chris Paul's numbers
are better when you look at his scoring, even though
he's on a huge score, he's more of a score
than kid Um and his uh field goal percentage. You know,
Kid wasn't a good shooter most of his career. Became
a good three point shooter late, But I Kid may
(34:04):
have had more. I don't know. Edge he was able
to lift like those Nets teams, right, I think they
won twenty six games the year before he got there.
You're talking about the worst to first, right, and he
took him to the Eastern Conference champ or to the
champ finals twice after a horrible season. Yeah, with Kenya
(34:24):
Martin carry Kilsky. So I think he I might take
him over Chris Um. Chris. I think I'll take Chris
over Stockton. I may underrate Stockman. Some people love Stockton
I like him. I don't think Stockton ever did anything wrong,
and he's he is, but he was a really good player, Chris, Right,
(34:48):
he was great. He was great, and he was and
Gary Payton says he was the toughest point guard he
ever faced. So that's a that's high praise from GP.
Walt Frazier's in there. Um. But here here's the thing. Like, obviously,
Isaiah Thomas has the two rings, so Chris can't touch that.
But here's why I would even say, beyond the two rings,
(35:12):
Isaiah would take over when he needed to. We've seen it.
We've seen it, right, I mean he to go look
at Isaiah Thomas's real and watch some of the battles. Chris.
I could still remember watching him and Bernard King going
at it in a playoff game. I think scored sixteen.
(35:35):
He scored all the last sixteen points. Chris Like, He's like, yeah,
it was unbelievable. It was it was played you know
where it was played at the at the Cobo Hall.
There was some comic something happened or the roof caved in, Chris.
They showed that game. Yes, that's a classic game, and
Bernard King went off at the end of that game
(35:57):
and Chris the Nixon lead in that game, You're ready
until the last basket that put them ahead. They never
led in the game. It was either tied or they
were down. And that was the only the final baskets
time in the game. They never they never had the league.
That's a tough way to lose. But you're right, see,
and that's the thing, Like Chris is almost a reluctant
(36:20):
score you know what I mean, Like he's he's done
it before few and far between, but he's not going
to like Isaiah. Okay, if if the situation calls for
me to get thirty seven, so be it. You know
what I'm saying, Like, oh I gotta get twenty this this,
however he needed to do, gets the Lakers on a
busted leg. That most the greatest individual performances ever that
(36:45):
that quarter where he scored what twenty five? I think
it was. I want to that quarter with the with
the bad ankle. But yeah, so I mean Rob and
I like who you who's your four mount Rushmore point guards?
Not you? But you know what I mean, Like you
think who were the four best? Because I know you
(37:05):
wouldn't put Steff on your personal one, but right, because
I would put Bob Coozy in his place. I'm sorry,
Well you got it somebody and some people are saying,
why not Steve Nash. Steve Nash was obviously great in Phoenix.
He didn't win. I'm not putting him above any of
those four, but I don't. I think Nash rob and
(37:25):
he was great. He's a Hall of famer. You know,
the guy won back to back MVPs. But few food
few uh guys like that, Chris have won back to
back env No, No, but that's why. Yeah, that separates
him a little bit. Well yeah, but I also think
he kind of a you can't take this away from him,
but I think he benefited largely from Dan Tony's system.
(37:47):
Like remember on that he was kind of you so
you you you putting him a head to Jay Kidd.
None of these other guys want too. None of them
won two MVPs. Oscar didn't win any Isaiah because they
didn't point guards really weren't getting them, especially small ones
back then. Right, So, but I have to think a
little bit harder. I mean, I get your point on
(38:09):
step because of what I mean, dynasty, That's what I'm saying.
But that you got job, you got admitted to come.
One thing you you you don't want to say it,
especially this week when he showed you up, but you
know it. You don't disagree with me. I needed him
to have that game against That's what I needed. You
had the column written. You don't. You had the column written.
(38:34):
It was done.
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