06/20/2021 - FOX Sports Sunday with George Wrighster and Bucky Brooks - Fox Sports Radio

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You don't listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here on Fox
Sports Sunday, I am George Rice to with my main man,
Bucky Brooks, and we are here live and you guys
can weigh in with us when you get a chance
eight seven seven six three six nine eight seven seven
ninety nine on Fox And of course you can tweet

(00:23):
us me at George Rice, stir him at Bucky Brooks
and of course at Fox Sports Radio, Bucky Man. Great
to be joined, great to be teamed up with you today. Yeah,
what's going on, George, what's happening? What's going on? Man? So?
Today is Father's Day? So and I wanted to give
a shout out to you and all the other fathers

(00:44):
around around here, because, uh it was funny. Today I
coached my nine year old flag football team. And earlier
in the week, my my wife asked me like, hey, yo,
I got some plans for Sunday. What do you want
to do? And I was sitting here, I was like,
what do you What are you talking about? Like I'm

(01:05):
gonna work on Sunday. But and she was like you're
you're working on Sunday. I was like yeah, she was like,
it's Father's Day. I was like, oh wow, I didn't
even realize that do do these sorts of things sneak
up on Dad's I don't think Mother's Day sneaks sneaks
up on people, but Father's Day I think sneaks up
on people. It does kind of get thrown in there

(01:27):
right like it is. It's kind of thrown into You're like, oh,
it is it is Father's Day weekend. Oh we we
we do have some things lined up for you dad.
All right, what were we doing? Oh you know, I
just thought we were walking around and find a way
to spend your money. Okay, let's get after it. Let's
go do it. Let's get after it. Let's get after it. Um.

(01:51):
But this weekend, though, has been filled with some interesting
things that started out what on It started out on
Friday Day when you had the Clippers finish up their
their series with the Utah Jazz, which was an unexpected
ending for me, after they came back from a twenty

(02:14):
five point deficit in the second half. And now they
are playing against the Utah Jazz, I'm sorry, against the
Phoenix Suns, and so we're excited to see how that
plays out. But there was a game yesterday book that
I just even though the ending was fine, I hated

(02:38):
how we got there. And that was uh, the Bucks
finally putting away the Brooklyn Nets in seven games, and
so they're moving on to the Eastern Conference Finals. One
fifteen one eleven. Kevin Durant went off, But like, what
were you left, Bucky thinking about the the Bucks being

(03:01):
that they had this much trouble with a Nets team
that was nowhere near close to healthy. You know. So
here here's the thing with the Bucks. I think championship
teams have to learn how to how to win those
tough competitive series and those games, and I think they
just lacked the confidence to move forward. And this series

(03:22):
will actually make them better prepared to be a championship
team because even though the new the Brooklyn Necks were
shorthanded and all those other things, Kevin Durant went bonkers.
Look they're down to Oh got blown out the second game.
Everyone had pretty much poured dirt on them and for
them to kind of scratch and claw and to dig
themselves out of that hole find a way too. In

(03:44):
the game seven, have the league blow the League give
up a big shot at the end they hit hit
a bucket for the first three minutes of overtime, but
they found a way to win. I think we'll see
a better version of the Bucks in the next round,
and this series could propelled them to eventually win the title.
See if if they win Bucky, I think that they

(04:07):
would have won the War of Attrition. I don't think
that they win if if the Brooklyn Nets stay healthy. Like, yeah,
they fell down, but then Kyrie Irving gets hurt. Kevin
during I'm sorry, James Hardens clearly is not healthy. It
was I thought some fortuitous things that bounced their way.

(04:29):
But I left not very confident in the Bucks because
and but mostly in Mike Boutenholzer, because at the end
of the game, when it was like eight seconds left,
you know, Kevin Durant is shooting this basketball and you're
up two points. And instead of putting Janice on him,

(04:52):
who against Kevin Durant in the last eight seasons with
a minimum of fifty field goals did defended Janice out
of every player in the NBA, has the best field
goal allowed percentage against Kevin durand unway under But instead
we he puts on six four and a half. P J.

(05:16):
Tucker on Kevin Durant. I just, for the for the
life of me, I cannot understand why Janice was never
guarding uh, their their best player and Kevin Durant, especially
when he wasn't especially when James Harden wasn't healthy and
neither and Kyrie Everying wasn't even on the floor. Yeah, no,

(05:37):
it's it's it's a little difference, you know, like because
you think Jannice best player takes on best player, right.
Part of being the superstars you have to, you know,
take on the challenge. I mean, we challenged Lebron all
the time, aid Ron, you gottafend the best guy like
this is part of the calling card that comes along
with being like one of those superstars, particularly when you're
a two time m v P. And so it was

(06:00):
a little surprising to see Joannice not take on Kevin Durant.
The only reason why I would give Budenholz a pass
is because p J. Tucker is a defender. He knows
Kevin Durant from their days of being Texas together. I
felt like he did a good job of physically putting
his body on Kevin Durant and making him work. Even
though Kevin Durant was still hanging fifty pieces on them.

(06:20):
But I feel like you're not ending him well. At
least made him work for those fifty that he was
getting dropped on his head, you know, but but but
but did he really work for those fifty Dude he
put in the in the series? I mean they and
then in the other games they would have Drew Holiday
guarding him to Kevin Durant put up in this series

(06:42):
twenty nine, thirty two, thirty forty nine, thirty two, and
forty eight and the UH and game five you almost
let them come back to without switching Jhannice on him.
It was gross and and I thought the Bucks deserved
to to louse. I left with very little confidence in

(07:03):
Bootenholzer and very little confidence in in this team as
far as them being a contender as it relates to
everybody else being healthy. Can they win now? Absolutely, because
they're either gonna get the the Atlanta Hawks, who have

(07:23):
very minimal playoff experience, and or they're gonna get uh
the seventies sixers where Joel Embiide is hurt as well.
And there's a and you can keep what um what's
what's his name? Off the off the floor left handed
kid from from from Australia. Um, you Ben Ben Simmons.

(07:46):
You can keep him off the floor period, big just
by fouling him occasionally. And then in the East and
then in the West you got the Clippers without Kauai
and you got the Phoenix Suns. The Bucks. This is
set up for them to win, right yeah, I mean
it looks it's really set up for them to win.
It's set up for them to to to go on

(08:09):
to handle whatever they have to handle on the road,
particularly if it's the Philadelphia seventies Sixers, who we anticipate
being there. I mean, look, this this should be the time,
if if they're going to do it, this has to
be the year because coming out of the West, they're
playing one of two teams. Need of these teams have
championship caliber experience. They should be able to go toe

(08:29):
to toe with the way they play defense, they should
be well positioned to win the finals if they get there.
And then you talk about the round before Philadelphia Atlanta Atlanta.
I think it's a great matchup for the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Sixers are a little different because they got the
big body inside and I know, um Joel Embiid will
we'll kind of dominate Lopez on the inside. That would

(08:52):
be the only thing that I worry about. But right now, man,
I think you can kind of kind of chalk the
Milwaukee Bucks in and you almost can pin them in
as the champion for the NBA Finals this year, oh
man Cee. And and last year though people tried to
say that last year was an asterius season, where with

(09:13):
the with the bubble, I'm saying that this year is
much more of an asterisk season because now you're gonna
have well now with Chris Paul missing Game one, this
is nine nine NBA NBA All Stars missing playoff games
this year. So that that to me, if you're gonna

(09:35):
try to throw an asterisk in one of these seasons,
I think that this is the season considering that all
the teams that went deep into the playoffs last year
are gone, and that never happens, you know. So So
here's the thing, because we talked about the aster with
the bubble, but this season right here definitely deserves an
astric as well. The quick turnaround, the number of injuries

(09:59):
that we've seen from the our players, the star players
aren't there, the normal participants that we are used or
accustomed to sing in the final four will not be there.
No Lebron those things. So you kind of want to say,
what this really play out this way? If there had
been maybe three or four months of rest, a normal

(10:22):
calendar or timetable when it comes back to play, if
they had a rush to put in all seventy two games,
if they did play a shortened season, would we still
see the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns and the
Clippers and all those teams as the last team standing.
I don't know, I don't necessarily think so, but look
here's where we are. And you know it, George, Once

(10:44):
you hoist the trophy, they gotta call you champion forever.
You can put all them asterix and all that, but
the ring blings the same, and so whoever wins it
this year, you have to recognize them as a champ. Yeah.
This is like, this is almost like when the Houston
Rockets won those two championships when retired in the middle

(11:08):
of the six because because that it does bring up questions.
But you can't, like like, you can't take their trophies
back because they won those games. But you do wonder,
like I wonder if a Kim would have got the
rings if I'm sorry, if Michael Jordan's had not retired,
would he have won eight straight? Oh? I mean, look,

(11:30):
I think the odds suggest that the Chicago Bulls they
would have kept on dancing and it would have continued
to win because who would have knocked them off? I
think it is something that we really don't talk about
that much. When the Rockets won their back to back
I don't know if we view those Rockets teams as
like some of the greatest teams of all time, which
is normally what happens when you win back to back titles.

(11:52):
But they won them. They got the banners. C. Kenny
Smith on inside the NBA we have Hakim malaj Wan
in the Hall of Fame. Uh. Robert Orry added two
rings to the collection to go with the seven nuh
to completed to make it seven. So it does work.
But now did you bring up the Jordans Aaron Jordan

(12:12):
playing baseball during that time. You do kind of wonder
what the Rockets have ever have been Crown champions if
Michael Jordan hadn't have walked away from the game when
he did. Yeah, that's a legitimate question. But you guys
can weigh in eight seven seven six three six nine
eight seven seven ninety nine on Fox If what what

(12:34):
was your take on Janice not guarding Kevin Durant. I
thought that they deserve to lose because of it. And
do you think that this season has an asterisk on
it because of the amount of injuries you, guys. I'm
George Rice, Sir, He's Bucky Brooks, and this is Fox

(12:55):
Sports Sunday. The Clippers and the Suns are tied ninety
five up with ten to go in the fourth quarter.
So before I answered the question or ask you guys, well,
are the Clippers cursed? Is your dad's razor older than

(13:16):
you are? Get him something for Father's Day? A D
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or as part of a gift set at Dollar Shave
Club dot com slash Jonas. That's Dollar Slate Shave Club

(13:38):
dot com slash Jonas. So, Bucky, I have a theory,
and do tell me if this is reasonable. I've actually
before I even tell you what it what it is,
I believe that the Clippers are cursed and and but

(13:59):
they may have can that curse when they were able
to beat the Utah Jazz. So, first, do you think
the Clippers are cursed? And do you believe in sports curses? Period?
I don't believe in sports curses. You don't know. I
don't think you cursed, like the talent that you have,
Like I don't believe in like the Billy Goad and

(14:19):
all that other stuff. And uh, the Lions not being
right since Bobby Lane like no, like come on, like
you control the action. No curse, things from previous years
don't have anything to do with that. Oh, Bucky, are
you Bucky? I totally I believe in sports curses. However,

(14:42):
I do believe that you can break sports curses, and
to break sports curse that when that when you have
some sort of futility that's been going on that it
takes like what once, it's been going on for so long,
it takes a while to get past it. It takes
something heroic to get past it. Okay, So here's the

(15:03):
Clippers curse bucking that that. I equate this to the
same as like a generational curse in a family, right,
whether it's like drug addiction, nobody going to college. Uh,
you know, the dysfunction any of this. To break that
sort of thing right, it usually takes a herculean personal effort,

(15:27):
And that means that at some point in time I
guarantee that that person was that they got some sort
of adversity that made them It would have made it
real reasonable and people would have said, all right, look,
it's eat that they wouldn't have faulted you for dropping
out or changing course or something. So here is what
here's what it is. In sports bookie, let's look at

(15:50):
the Clippers. They have the Donald Sterling curse. He was
a bad owner, treated people wrong, just milked the franchise
for tax breaks, all of this for so long team
gets uh sold to Steve Bomber. They still have to
get rid of this sports curse. And this is the
same thing like the Cubs. Right when the Cubs finally

(16:12):
won their World Series after eighty smite years against the
Cleveland Indians, they had they were down three one in
that series, and mind you, the Indians hadn't won either,
and the Indians were up three one though, so they
didn't have any adversity to overcome. The Red Sox in
two thousand four were down three oh to the Yankees

(16:35):
did something historic to break the curse. The Eagles they
had to They had to lose a guy, Carson Wentz
who may have won the m v P that year
when with Nick falls it took you know, uh the
uh their their own play that that that was named
in the Super Bowl. The Patriots had to get the

(16:57):
tuck rule. The Calves in two thousand and six had
to get the had to overcome three one again the
historic warriors, and they all had to do something heroic
to to do that. And the Clippers without Kawhi Leonard
may have done something heroic to break the curse. That's
where I'm at, Buckey. Okay, So now what you're citing

(17:20):
as curses, I'm siting as necessary adversity that must be
overcome to win the title. There's no easy road to
the title. You have to show people that you're tough
enough that you can play with the effort, you have
the resiliency to be able to get it done in
these moments that we talked about the playoffs, because you
know what, the playoffs are different than the regular season.

(17:41):
More intensity, more pressure, more eyeballs on you each and
every play, so it it changes. It's a tougher road
to hoe compared to you to break the season, where
you just kind of skip and skate and get through
there and get out and then you're off to the
next city. So I don't think in those moments that
you're talking about you, I mean, you mentioned the Boston

(18:01):
Red Sox, the Cubs and others. I don't think it
was necessarily a curse. I think it was the team
being ready mentally and physically to advance beyond the level
that they that they've gotten to see. But I think
that that it had to be some sort of because
of all the history that you actually had to that that.

(18:24):
Of course, the playoffs are more difficult, but I think
that when you're in one of those types of situations
that you actually have to go over and above, Like
for the Lakers to win a championship because they've won
so so many, or the Yankees or something like, it's
just okay, you can go out and win and and
sometimes they can just stampede through the playoffs. But if

(18:46):
it were the Clippers who were going to go win
the NBA championship, there's no way, because of their history
that they could just stampede through the playoffs. I think
that they were gonna meet some obstacle that was gonna
them to the level that they were, but then they
were actually able to push past it. So I think
that where I thought that there was zero chance that

(19:08):
this team was an NBA Championship caliber team, but now
that they pushed past that adversity, I think that it's
actually possible. Yeah, I think it's definitely possible. The adversity
is is significant because they were able to move beyond it.
The big thing is they still can't win a championship
without Kauai. And what we don't know is how long

(19:29):
is Kauai going to be out and when he does return,
what does that version of Kauai look like compared to
the version that we saw paror to his injury. Yeah,
I mean, I think Shams had put out that it
was an a c L, and if it's an a
c L, he's done, you know what I mean, Like
They're there's no partial terror of an a c L
that I'm gonna play. Like the only times that I've

(19:50):
ever heard of people playing without with the torn a
c L are linemen occasionally and like heinz Ward who
towards a c L when he was like nine years old,
and he just his need found a way to heal
itself in a way it didn't need it. Yeah, it's
it's like, it's it's unusual and what way is dealing
with Only look, only he knows his pain tolerance. Only

(20:12):
he knows what exactly the diagnosis is, and he has
the way that with the reasonable timetable that will allow
him to get back in time to close out the series,
as opposed to, oh, you know what, I'm gonna go
out here, you know, and maybe due to James hard
and think I'll play for a couple of minutes and
I've gotta scoop back and go back to the locker room.

(20:32):
Did I missed the next three games? This is a
very tricky situation, but it's one I mean, do they govern,
I mean, do they make this decision based off where
their position now, meaning a, we got a chance, this
is as close as we're going to come, we need
to make it happen. Or do they really have the
best long term interests of the franchise player in mind. Yeah,

(20:53):
that's that's a good question because everybody seems to be
in sports win now mode, right, But it's like when
does win now turn into hold up? Yeah? Yeah, we
gotta win, But what's the right thing to to do?
Like take into example with Joel Embiid with the seventies sixers.

(21:16):
He has a partially torn moniscus and he's had injuries
that have kept him out. You know, he's missed some
time in his career. So if you were the seventies sixers,
I mean, do you and you're this close to a championship,
how do you how do you do that? Like, how
do you, you know, manage his injury trying to win

(21:41):
now and also looking at your long term prospects. Yeah,
this is tough, right because you gotta protect the franchise,
so you want him out there, but you wanted to
be able to protect himself. I think this is one
where you really have to lean on your medical staff.
Your medical staff has to be ford thinking, trying to
examine all the possibilities because he's going to want to
know all of the possibilities when it comes to it,

(22:03):
and you gotta be able to do it. You gotta
be able to have that honest conversation, even though it
may be uncomfortable and hard. You have to be able
to do it to have any chance of keeping him
around because this is a crossroads when it comes to
medical and what he could be when healthy. It just
something that's where we at. Okay, So if so, how
do you think the team should balance it when a

(22:27):
player wants to play versus versus what your medical staff
thinks is the best thing for for him. If if
he's saying, all right, look, I'll sign a waiver, I'll
do what, what whatever, I just want to play, you know.
So here here's the thing, because you want to protect
the player against himself. Right when you talk about Kauwai

(22:50):
Leonard in particular, franchise, you gave up everything to get him.
It is better to make sure that he is fully healthy.
He's not gonna have lingering art effects or after effects
of whatever takes place, because it changes everything. If he
feels like he got falty medical care, he's never coming back.

(23:10):
It's the trust and communication between star player and team
that ultimately fractures the team. So I'm not saying that
I necessarily kisses his booty when it comes to these
these conversations, but they certainly have to listen and taking
his and his influence, listen to his side, try and
figure out where he is in it and then try

(23:31):
and make the best organizational decision to allow them to
either play with him or play around him when it
comes down to make the decision. Yeah, and that's that's
always a very very difficult decision on how to handle
all of these things. But you guys, you guys can
always weigh in eight and eight eight seven seven nine

(23:56):
six three six nine eight seven seven nine of Fox
Our Sports, Curses real and who is a team that
is cursed? But up next, though, players in the NFL
are speaking out, but should they be keeping their mouth shut?
And we'll talk about that up next, But first we

(24:17):
gotta go to the gas man. What's trending? Rough, Irvin? Actually,
what's trending? Are you making comments on my dietary habits?
We got a little basketball and boy, what a game
and spending was tied at ninety three at the end
of the third quarter. Phoenix has been on a tear
since then, outscoring l A twelve to four, and it's

(24:40):
a one oh five ninety seven Sons lead six thirty
three to play in the fourth quarter of this contest.
Thirty four points, ten rebounds for Devin Booker, eighteen points
for DeAndre, thirteen points for Jake Crowder. Four of five
starters are in double figures as Phoenix has that eight
point lead again six and a half to play in

(25:00):
the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, at the US Open, your leader
is the defending champion, Bryson de Shambo. Nearly jars as
shot on the par three eighth hole and now is
looking at a birdie puttet number nineties at five hundred
part through eight, one shot ahead of Colin Morricalett, John Roman,
Rory McElroy and Louis use Tayson two shots clear of Brooks,

(25:21):
KPCA Mackenzie Hughes again, that is through eight holes. He's
playing on the ninth green right now to Shambo with
that advantage. Major League Baseball Scoreboard three Finals in Houston's
won seven straight. They beat the White Sox eight to
Nolan Arronado and home run three RBI. St. Louis takes
game one of a doubleheader nine one over Atlanta. Jack

(25:43):
Peterson drove in a run as the Cubs shut out
Miami to nothing. But now let's send it back to
George Rice, Rand, Bucky Brooks, Mr. Ralph Irvin, Thank you,
um and this is Fox Sports Sunday. I'm George Rice
Stir and he is Bucky Brooks, and this Clippers and

(26:04):
and this Clippers Phoenix Suns game is getting a little
bit chippy, so we will continue to keep an eye
out on that. So me and Bucky both played in
the NFL. So and things have clearly changed with athletes,
and you know, you using their their voice and speaking
out on things. And you've had a number of NFL

(26:27):
players come out and say something, some of which I've
heard from some NFL players in private and so, but
I don't think they speak for the majority. But I
think it's just like the rest of the country where
there is some division about the vaccine and how teams
are gonna handle it and all that. Because you had

(26:50):
the Buffalo Bills general managers say, yo, I may make
roster decisions based on whether gods are vaccinated or not.
But then Cole Beasley, his wide receiver, was like, Yo,
this ain't this ain't happening. If it's my time to go,
it's my time to go. So, Bucky, do you do

(27:10):
you like where we're at right now with guys speaking
out or do you think that being that, yes, it
is a personal decision that on some level they should
keep it to themselves because of everything that's happened in
the last year. So here here's what I would Here's
what I would say. I would say in all circumstances,

(27:31):
if you're gonna speak up, please make sure that you're
educated on the topic that you're discussing, because what you
want to be able to do is you need to
be able to answer the follow up question. If you're
speaking up and taking a big stand, but you can't
handle the follow up question, it means that you haven't
researched the topic thoroughly enough. Um. Look, as it relates

(27:53):
to the vaccine and the virus and Cole Beasley and
what Brandon Being said, I can say this having worked
in front offices where Brandon Being is saying, is what
really takes place behind closed doors. Given the magnitude of
the sport in the game, if you have a bunch

(28:14):
of your guys to overwhelm, the majority of your team
vaccinated and maybe free from potentially catching COVID, and you
have one person who elected not to take the vaccine,
maybe be an anti masker in those things, he runs
the risk of kind of messing up the locker room
right and preventing your team from being able to play.

(28:35):
So when Brandon Being talks about making these decisions, you know, George,
we talked about it, like when it comes down to
cut down day, it's not only like your talent and
ability is your availability, it's your durability, is your reliability?
All of those things take place. And so if you
have someone who you might be shaky on in terms

(28:57):
of whether you can trust them to be around the
team without negatively impacting the team, you have to move
on and find somebody else. And so Cole Beasley can
take that stand, but there's others in that locker room
who can't take that stand because if they have a misstep,
they're going home. And that's just the facts. Like whether
we want to say it or not, if you want

(29:18):
to say the quiet part out loud, you know what
we've seen it. That's part of the bist. Yes. So,
so how much do you think is going to actually
factor into the roster choices? You know what I mean? Like, like,
how how much is going to actually do that? Because
Cole Beasley is one of their most important players. So

(29:41):
would Brandon Being actually move on from Cole Beasley? No?
I don't think you'll move on from cold Beasley. But
if something happens where Cole Beasley comes up um with
an issue and has to get in protocol and has
to quarantine, and then the team suck has to quarantine
as a result of maybe something to happened with him.
Uh Man, you're talking about some hard conversations. There's certainly

(30:03):
some hard conversation that you have to deal with. The
reason why Cole Beasley is frustrated and animated with the
responses he saw the different level of protocols for players
who were vaccinated versus those who weren't. Players who are
vaccinated walk freely in the facility. They don't have the
mask up, they don't have to test um. They can
kind of go about their normal business. If you haven't

(30:26):
been vaccinated, then there you gotta test every day, you
gotta mask up when you walk into facility. You gotta
maintain your social distancing and all of that. Uh. When
you're on the road, you can't deal with uh families,
You can't see people to come in and out like
because you have the potential to bring that back to
the hut and they're not trying to deal with that.
We're talking about a billion, I mean multiple billion dollar

(30:49):
industry is not trying to have their star players in
their teams sideline due to things that some believe could
be prevented by simply taking the shot. So if so,
you you've been part of those you know, back door
conversations in in the sausage factory, like what what kinds

(31:11):
of other things have you heard factor into it? Because
obviously you you aren't there during during COVID, But what
kinds of other things factor into these roster decisions maybe
that fans don't know. But besides talent and you know,
yeah yeah, yeah, but besides talent, depth and all those

(31:32):
sorts of things, George, no more thing is the injury history, right, Um,
you've seen it. Uh, what's the same that we used
to have in the locker room. Can't make the can't
make absolutely. So if you missed too many days, what
happens You find yourself on the sideline. Your backup begins
to get more rest when you come back and you're
trying to step into the whole. Let's see what this

(31:53):
looks like right quick. Let's see what this looks like
with my man in right now. Let's let's continue to
let him get those reps. When it comes down to
the guys that are on the line, man, that the
injury history matters your ability to do multiple things. Can
you contribute on the kicking game? Are your special teams
player that really wants to play special teams? Or are

(32:14):
you a reluctant player in the kicking game? Those things
get into it when we talk about UM the dependability
and reliability part. Are you on time? Are you coming
into meetings? Are you spending extra time working on your craft? Uh?
Do you have issues with anybody in the building. When
it comes to the coaches, what does the strength coach say?
Does it give you the thumbs up a thumbs down?

(32:35):
How about your position coach? Does your position coach UM
advocate for you? When it comes to your preparation your readiness.
Are you a guy that gets to playbook and just
kind of slides it up under your your seat and
never looks at it again. All of those things factor
into it. And now, given the enormity of COVID and

(32:57):
how many games and how many how much revenue was lost? Man,
you know ownership is not playing when it comes to
those things. Some of those things are gonna be top
down discussions that maybe should or shouldn't be had, but
they are going to be had. Yeah, And those are
the things that you know, fans generally say, all right, look,

(33:20):
I don't understand why this guy was cut. If he's cut,
he must think And I'm like, it ain't always that
man that that. You get a lot of players who
can still play that end up, you know, on on
the sidelines. But you guys. Up next, though, I'm wondering

(33:42):
about staying in the football world, but in the college
football world, college football expansion potentially to twelve teams. I
hate the number twelve, and I'll tell you why. Up
next on Fox Sports Sunday, I'm George Riser and he's
Bucky Books. Hey, this is Jason McIntyre. Join me every

(34:04):
weekday morning on my podcast, Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre.
This isn't your typical sports pod pushing the same tired
narratives down your throat every day. Straight Fire gives you
honest opinions on all the biggest sports headlines, accurate stats
to help you win big at the sports book, and
all the best guests. Do yourself a favor and listen
to Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre on the I Heart

(34:27):
Radio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.
So the college football playoff maybe going from four to
twelve in short order, Um, not this season, but um
in two years, we could see a change. And Buckie,

(34:51):
I hate the number twelve. I think it is a disaster.
I think it's a disaster Bucky going to twelve teams
because the whole point in the whole point in going
to twelve teams that the whole point of expanding the
playoffs is to ensure that there is more access. All right, Okay,

(35:17):
twelve is more access, but the number twelve means that
you have to have four buys in the first round
of the playoffs. And having four buys means that you're
probably going to have those at least three of those
four teams. That makes the NFL Playoffs every the college
football playoffs every single year. That means that you're gonna

(35:41):
have those same dudes in the playoffs and then they're
gonna get a bye, which means it's football people are hurt.
They're they're gonna get an easier road. And I hate
that possible ability of expanding the twelve bucket. I think
it should be eight. No no, no, no, no, no,
no no, let's put twelve in. And this is why,

(36:03):
because if we have eight, the little guys who have
been complaining about not getting a fair bite at the apple,
they would not get a chance. We might have one
group of five team in. Maybe now we get a
chance to see some of those those little teams get
in the mix and see if they really can fight
and compete with the big boys. So for me, I

(36:24):
love it. More teams, the marrier, more interest in college football.
We have a bigger or better opportunity for upsets in
the opening rounds, and then we'll see. Look, we know
the teams that are typically gonna be there in the
top four, Right, it's gonna be Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State.
Then it's gonna be either Oklahoma or Georgia. That's typically

(36:46):
the five teams that have been in the conversation consistently
doing this playoff error. When now we get a chance
to see some other teams. And let's be honest, George,
who's really watching the bowl games if you don't have
an opportunity to be in the playoff? No one which
players are hanging around? Oh man, you know what? Man? Hey,

(37:07):
we just got invited to the Holiday Ball. Can't wait
for that? When George, you know what, I you know what,
you know what, I'm going to stay around and play
with my guys rather than get ready for the draft.
The only way you can keep the stars around you
gotta dangle to national championship carrot in their face. That
is the only hope for college football because if not,

(37:28):
what we're going to see is what we saw previous years.
It's gonna be a spring game with a bunch of
freshmen and rid shirts, sophomores that we don't know playing
in bowl games, and who's going to watch that? Okay,
So I agree with you on all of that except
the fact that all right is that eight teams would

(37:50):
give you the power five automatic bids, the highest rated
group of five teams, and then you're gonna get two
at large bids. Like how like? I like, do you
do you think that the buys will do anything except
help the teams who were who have already kind of
dominated the college football playoffs so far? I mean, is

(38:13):
it going to I mean, it's not gonna change Alabama
and those other teams like they're going to be in
the mix. But what I do like, I do like
the possibility of these other teams, because let's be honest,
when was the last time we saw the Pac twelve
in the mix? We hadn't seen them like then we
may get a chance to see some Pac twelve action

(38:35):
in the mix in the a c C has been
one team Clemson. I mean, I'm I'm saying maybe my
tar Heels will get a chance to sneak in there
and get into the playoff and do that because as
we think about this playoff compared to March Madness in
the tournament, it's not always about winning the national championship.
Is getting to the final four. Can we get some

(38:56):
of these new teams to get to the final four?
That's what we want to see see. I think that
that's true as well. And I actually believe where there's
a lot of people who don't believe that there will
be upsets, I believe that there will be upsets, but
they it may not happen the first year or the
second year. I look at it more like the n

(39:18):
C Double a tournament where you have had where like
you had never had a sixteen seed upset one seed
until Virginia lost to UH, you Uh what you MBC Yeah, yeah, um.
And then to fifteens have happened. Three four teens have

(39:40):
happened a bunch. And as there as more teams have access,
players will be willing to go to more schools. And
I think that and then with the advent of name,
image and likeness, you'll have teams like Oklahoma State be
able to come up because they have big donors, and
and Texas A and M and as well. So I

(40:00):
think that you will actually have more parity as time
goes on with the expansion of the playoffs. You know,
I think it would do that because you have to
think about it from a recruiting standpoint. Before right now,
we were just talking about the college Football Playoff being
four teams. Man, if you want those teams that didn't
make the playoff, how can you sell them in recruiting.
I don't think it's a coincidence that the teams that

(40:21):
have been going to the four have also been cleaning
up with the recruiting list. After that, when now you
expand and now you have more teams that can sell
that a we're playoff team, we just need to get better.
Come here. You can be on the playoffs on the
main stage, and so I just think it's a win
win for everybody involved to open it up and have
more teams in participating. That makes sense, and so I'm

(40:43):
in favor of it expanding. I just don't want anybody
have buys. Got up next? Though? Who is the best
player in the n b A. 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 I Heart Radio app search f s R

(41:06):
to listen live. Bucky, the good news for the Clippers
is that they kept Game one close. The bad news
is the Suns didn't have their most important player in
Chris Paul. That was the game the Clippers needed to win,
and they did not do so. Bucky, I am officially

(41:30):
announcing this series is over. Officially officially, it's done. It's
this series is a burrito. It is wrapped up. The Clippers,
Clippers fans who were who celebrated getting out of the
second round like it was there, like it was their

(41:52):
NBA championship. I hope they enjoyed the championship. Because the
bus stops at the Western Conference finals. M man just
just just poop one on their parade. No fun for them,
No more victories, none of that. What are moral victories? Buy? First,

(42:13):
you are a football coach, first time you explain to
me what a moral victory. I'm saying, for the first
time in Clipper history, day able to get to the
conference finals. We can't celebrate that for a little bit.
If you're the Clippers, the organization just has to move on.
They've never hung a banner up. We can't at least
put a banner up there for a little bit. We
can put for Western. We can't celebrate it momentarily. You

(42:36):
just want them to run off the court, go into
the locker room and say, hey, we got better, we
got more, more things, more fishter fry. Yes, you got
a game in forty eight hours. It it wait, but Bucky,
it would be different if all the players on the
Clippers have been there through the futility. But they weren't,
Like the longest tenured Clipper is like Patrick Beverley just

(43:00):
so so so, like what Paul, Paul George and co
Y this is their second season there. They haven't even
been there for the futility. So no, I don't expect
the celebration, especially when championship is the it's a championship
or bus season for them. So no, I don't give

(43:23):
credit for what you're supposed to do. The Clippers are
supposed to be in the Western Conference Finals, so you know,
like like, yes, you celebrate it, but they had a
game less than forty eight hours later, so you know,
I guess, I guess like, yes, you appreciate it, but
you know you gotta build Belichick that thing when they're

(43:44):
still work work to do. We're onto Cincinnati, so that's
what we're doing. We we have to do that. We
can't just no, we ball two, we fall, we win,
we do what we do like we gotta, we gotta
just we gotta New England. We can't sell rate you
can take. You can take the names off the back
of the jerseys and everything like that too. No, no,

(44:06):
I'm not doing it, but I guess there there could
be some some Lakers frustration in there for me to oh,
that's that's what it comes down to. Okay, now I
know where we're at. Okay, Okay, now, so is that
is that Clippers fans did celebrate though, like they won
the the NBA Championship. They did, and they only got

(44:28):
out of the second round. Like they didn't even make
it to the NBA Finals, So like, yes, you're supposed
to be happy, but I think it was you know,
it was kind of like when the Saints the last
couple of years got got in the playoffs that were
showing out in the lock, Like dude, there was still
more work to be done. So like you are supposed

(44:50):
to celebrate it. But at least in the NFL you
got a whole week till the next game, So so
you can take that twenty four to eight hour. In
the NBA you get like ten minutes because you gotta
hop on the plane to get the phoenix. I mean,
can we get to I mean, can we get twenty
four hours? O? Can you get a four four? To

(45:11):
really enjoy it and enjoy the fact that they were winning.
They came back, their focused, they didn't play bad in
Game one. I'm saying that that that That's why I
said the good news these they kept Game one close.
The bad news is that Chris Paul is coming back
at some point point in time, and once he comes back,
it's a it's you might as well cancel Christmas. They

(45:35):
better they better hope that that he is not just
knocked out with contact tracing that that that he is
somewhere doing bad from from COVID, because that's they're having
tested positive or something. That's their only hope of winning
this series. I mean, so look, we we sat here

(45:56):
and we were ready to pour dirt on them and
in the previous two rounds because we just didn't know
if they were gonna be able to bounce back. We
had a serious doubts and concerns about the Clippers and
and they showed up. And so this is a tougher
version of the teams that we saw previously on the
Doc Rivers. Also, they have a championship coach and Tyler

(46:18):
who understands how to make adjustments. This was game one
on the road. They only need to get one at
some point in this series. They only need to win
one on the road, take care home, went on the road.
They do it. So I feel fine. I feel good
about the Clippers and whether they are the fact that
this game was tight man at Bowls will for them.

(46:38):
And I know Chris Paul is coming back. But here's
what we also know, Hey man, Chris Paul typically and
I don't want to wish this on them, but this
is right around the time, you know, the hang nail,
little jam Toad. That's that's what's going on right now,
something like that like this. This is typically when it
when he exit stage right, you know, But that's what

(47:00):
is going on right right now though he's he's out,
except for his team actually won the game. So dude,
I am I'm looking at this Clippers team and I'm saying,
all right, look great job, But but think about what
it took to win that Utah series. It took an

(47:20):
angels in the outfield type of uh. Game six and
game five they think Reggie I'm sorry Bucky and and
now I was gonna say about Reggie Reggie Jackson from
from from game five, but let's actually, yes, let's go

(47:41):
back to game five first, right in game five, Game five,
they got Marcus Morris twenty five points, ten for sixteen,
Reggie Jackson another twenty two points, Terrence Man put in thirteen.
They they got and then Paul George went for thirty

(48:03):
seven points. And that wasn't typical Paul George playoff performance.
And then they turned around on Friday and got thirty
nine points from from Terrence Man, who had not scored
thirty points or more since he had He didn't do
it in college, he hadn't done it since he was
in high school. And that that was an Angels in

(48:26):
the Outfield performance. Did you see every time he threw
up a shot and he went in, he was smiling like,
Oh my god, I can't believe this is actually happening
to me. Wait a minute, now, you look, you're acting
like my man was hitting jump shots. And every time
he hit when it was the lottery, like he got
the powerball, Like you got the powerball for thirty nine points.

(48:47):
He had a big game. Maybe it was finally his
opportunity because Kawaias had been maybe a bit of a
roadblock when it came to getting those shots. He now
didn't have to go and compete with with wife for shots.
He was able to freely jack it up, and we
saw a maybe terms man needs to be in the
rotation getting more shots, more playing time. Let's make him

(49:09):
a central part of the offense. Maybe, just maybe it
was a coming out party for him rather than the
Angels in the Outfield performance. No, it was it was
Angels in the altfield. He regressed back to the mean today,
even though he still went three for three I mean
we're talking about Okay, this is how Angels in the
outfield it was today played twenty seven minutes. He scored

(49:34):
nine points. He did go three for three from the
three point line. He's still on fire from the three
point line. On Friday night, Bucky in the thirty nine points,
he shot the ball twenty one times. He made fifty
for twenty one, seven out of ten from from three
point rage. But it took an Angels in the alp

(49:56):
a miracle for them to get out of that. And
it's there when uh as a as a coach, because
you coach high school football. If if your team consistently,
if you fall behind fourteen points or twenty one points
every game and you win back to back games, what

(50:17):
are you gonna tell your team? Look, we we need
to start out better. But you know what I'm gonna
tell him, Hey man, I love the toughness and the
grit and the resiliency. You gotta have the toughest, toughest
group that I've ever been around. And that toughness is
going to come in handy as we continue to win
the series in seven games. Okay, and that, but but
but the next thing that you're gonna say right after

(50:39):
you finished saying that is what Bucky? No, come on,
you gotta you gotta be honest with me. What do
you what are you gonna say next? We need to
start better. We can't keep digging ourselves in these holes.
Are gonna be hard to get keep coming out of
these holes. But because eventually, what's gonna happen, Eventually, the
time is gonna run out on us. The time is
gonna run out, the clock is gonna run out on

(51:00):
That's what I'm gonna exactly. So, So if the Clippers
get down two oh in this series, the series, that
would you officially deem this over? Because there's no way
in hell they're they're coming back now. Are we gonna
deem it over before they play a game on their
home floor? We can't. We can't, we can't put it,

(51:23):
put them out the pastor before they at least play
a game at the house. They have to play a
game at the house before we say anything about it
being over or done with or any of that stuff.
At least one. Nope, not me. I would have seen
all I needed to see because because you know who's
not gonna let them lose and will find A way

(51:44):
to close it out is Chris Paul Because the the
Utah Jazz when they were playing against the Clippers, while
the Clippers were getting these these unbelievable performances out of
Oh and then then they got another he wrote, performance
out of Reggie Jackson on Friday to right. Maybe that's
who they are, heroes. Maybe it's just like that, the Avengers,

(52:09):
the super Friends, whatever, Why why why have they never
showed this before? Because it was because it was a miracle.
So but but on the Bucks, but but on the
Utah Jazz side. Donovan Donovan Mitchell, he wrote, what else
did he get? He got a little bit from over
from O'Neill. Bogdanovich was a four fourteen points. Rudy Gobert

(52:31):
did his normal, but his defense wasn't that great. He
was minus twenty four. You had him not getting like
in the second half. It was uh, Donovan Mitchell only
gave you eleven points in the second half and nobody
else gave you anything. They got outscored in the third
quarter twenty two to forty one. So so yes, budget,

(52:53):
I am not underselling it. When I call the angels
in the outfield, I mean a little bit are. But
you guys though, Up next, what he's gonna take us
behind the curtain into the sausage factory because Aaron Rodgers
what's called? And well? There are anonymous quotes from an

(53:17):
unnamed GM called Aaron Rodgers difficult and selfish? What about that?
Up next on Fox Sports Sunday, I'm George Riser with
Bucky Brooks. So, is your dad's razor older than you are?
Get him something new for Father's Day. A d S

(53:38):
six six blade raisor is perfect for an extra close,
precise shape. Get one now at a store near you,
or as part of a gift set at Dollar Shave
Club dot com slash Jonas. That's Dollar Shave Club dot
com slash Jonas, So Bucky I. An unnamed GM has

(54:02):
been quoted saying that Aaron Rodgers is difficult and basically
saying that his teammates don't like him, but they respect him. Like.
I don't like the anonymous quotes. If you're gonna say
something about it, like if you're gonna talk to a
friend in the media, I'm fine with that and then
let them speculated on it as you will. But I

(54:24):
don't like the I'm gonna give you this explosive quote,
but then don't put your name by it. I mean, look,
I understand from a journalistic standpoint, you can't necessarily always
put your name on it because you gotta protect your
sources and those things. That's it. I think we've heard
enough things about Aaron Rodgers to kind of know that

(54:45):
he can be prickly. I think that's the best way
to describe it. He can be a little prickly with
his personality, how he goes about it. We've kind of
seen some of the passive aggressive tactics that he has
utilized in his favor. UM offseason has been a master's
class and passive aggressiveness in terms of being able to

(55:07):
say things without you personally saying anything. And so I
understand where the general manager is coming from, and also
understand how you would say, hey, man, put your name
on it if you feel that strongly about him. But
I think, I mean, where they're smoke, there's fire. I
think we've certainly heard enough about Aaron Rodgers and that
that that locker room to kind of know like he

(55:28):
might not be the easiest guy to necessarily get along with. Yeah,
that doesn't mean that what the dude said wasn't true.
But I think if you're going to allow somebody to
quote you, I think that that you can that you
should put your put your name by it. But also
if you're just talking to somebody who's a journalist and

(55:48):
and you know that they're gonna print. But there there's
a difference in saying sources I've talked to. I think
that Aaron Rodgers is difficult blah blah blah, as a
else is saying an unnamed general manager and here's what
he said. I think that there's a difference in that.
Um there, look, there there is. And in the perfect

(56:12):
world we would have transparency. But what happens is if
we get this person on the record, that might be
the only time we ever get that quote because because
the way that it goes, you know, Twitter has a reaction,
and if it doesn't react necessarily the way um that
the general manager would want to react, we're done. So
now we don't we don't get another drink at the

(56:33):
whale like that is it? And is this one story
or whatever worth um losing the ability to line up
at the trough and drink from the water. So I
I understand why that doesn't have I'm talking about. I'm
talking about on the general manager side, big like I
don't think generalists should should out their sources. I'm saying
that on the general manager side because you know, he

(56:55):
said like don't don't quote me on the or like
don't put my name on this, like he specifically said
that if he was like an unnamed general manager said,
so I agree with on the journalist side, I'm talking
about from the general manager side, you think he should
just come out and said, hey, man, I don't like
that so now, and then allow you to quote me.

(57:18):
So then when it when they face the packers, Aaron
Rodgers is fully lathered up and ready to give your
team to gas Come on, you just said in the
in a previous setment, talked about the Bill Belichick thing,
Hey guys that like you've been there before this and that,
don't rile up the hornet's nest. And then you want
a general manager to just gaslight Aaron Rodgers. Come on, George,

(57:40):
you know we can't do that. Man, Come on, man,
you know we can't give them any bulletin board material.
Come on, that's the last guy you want to see.
I don't believe in that, you know, how you don't
believe in sports curses. I don't believe in bulletin board material.
I think that guys already have enough motivation to to
win if they're good, Like I mean, I think in

(58:03):
in basketball that you can talk trash and get a
guy going, like a great player going. But aside from that,
I'm not in it. Mm hmm. Really, so someone's out
here like, yeah, we're not really worried about tight End.
We don't. We're not worried about the tighty. We gotta
worry about those dudes on the outside. George Rice stir. Oh,
we're gonna let him beat us. We're just gonna let him.

(58:25):
He can have as much as you want all day.
We don't believe he's good enough to beat us. You're
okay with that, Bucky. Nobody asked you to come over
here making good points and make it because because you
just made me mad just just saying that, and I'll
be listening to it, so so so yes, so yes,

(58:51):
you you might come have a good point there, Come on,
you know, you know what it is. But now I
think the bigger thing when it comes to the Aaron
Rogers deal is how's this gonna wind up, George, like, what, like,
what are we doing? We've had a lot of conversation,
a lot of like debate and talk and all this.
I mean, we got your guy up in the Pacific
Northwestern Russell Wilson, who is completely caved in. He's up there, uh,

(59:13):
chucking and joving and and and and dancing with Pete
Carroll on the podium after talking about he's tired of
getting hit and putting trade demands in and one of
the teams and now he's all the way back. He's
missed a seahawk again after three or four months, he's
all the way back. Is Aaron Rodgers gonna do the
same thing. No man's gonna come back to training camp

(59:33):
and be like, oh I love Green Bay and I
don't know what was going on. Is he gonna do that?
He's gonna be taking pictures with Matt Lafleur at the
podium like all good here, nothing to say, That's what
we're gonna say. Absolutely not, dude. There there's a difference
because because Russell Wilson is as a man of phase,
he's very forgiving, like he's he's turning together cheek. Yes,

(01:00:01):
he's turned in the other geek cheek and Aaron Rodgers
is gonna turn the other cheek and and come back
with a with a backhanded UFC fifth on the back end. Um,
but two guys up. Next, we're gonna be joined by
NFL insider Adam Kaplan. You don't want to miss it
here on Fox Sports Radio. But first we gotta go

(01:00:23):
to Mr ralph Irvy to find out west trending. Well,
thank you very much, and yeah, he's uh, it's been
was quite the game. Amazing game actually, as Phoenix was
hosting the l A Clippers game one of the Western
Conference Finals, and well, there was one guy who stood
out above the rest Booker, end of the front card
over on the right side, Booker a three poinder on

(01:00:44):
the way Booker. That is the call from kt R
and the Sun's Radio network. Three of Devin Booker's forty points.
He also had thirteen rebounds I love and assists. We
call that a triple double. And he had a Phoenix
six players scoring in double figures in the victory. Meanwhile,
at the US Open, the wheels are coming off, and

(01:01:04):
they're coming off of everybody. As Tory Pines is starting
to show its teeth right now, Louis use Tayson sitting
at six under par through ten holes, but he's gonna
face a very difficult put on eleven, more than likely
gonna be dropping a shot there, two shot lead over
John ram who sits at four under par, just finished thirteen.

(01:01:24):
Mackenzie Hughes four under par on ten, but his ball
just got stuck in a tree. I kid you not, guys,
it was stuck hanging in a tree. That's gonna be
penalty strokes and it's gonna be dropped shots for him.
Harris English, he doesn't have to worry about it anymore.
He's in the clubhouse, the clubhouse leader at three under
par after shooting a three under sixty eight. Brooks kept

(01:01:47):
also at three hunder part through seventeen holes. Bryson to
Shambo three through twelve holes, Rory mc rock aroy three
through eleven holes, but he's having trouble on the twelve
as well. It's going to get very interesting on the
Major League Baseball scoreboard. Right now, Milwaukee a seven six
lead over Colorado. They are now in the top of

(01:02:09):
the ninth inning, the Brewers taking the lead on a
Daniel vocal Box RBI single. San Diego shutting out Cincinnati
three nothing in the seventh, Tampa Bay in Seattle tidy two.
They're in the eighth, the Dodgers up nine two over
Arizona in the seventh, and the Angels and Tigers tied
at three in the sixth. Right now that the Tigers

(01:02:29):
are in the field, So no George at the moment,
there are no Angels in the outfield. As we said
it back. Now it's George Rice Stir and Bucky Brooks.
Thank you, Mr Ralph Irvin. Um. We are here on
Fox Sports Sunday. I'm George Riser, He's Bucky Books Brooks,
and now we're joined by Fox Sports Radio, NFL insider

(01:02:53):
and host of the Inside the Birds podcast, Mr Adam Kaplan.
Thanks for coming on the show. Adam, Gud's gonna be
with you this fine weekend. Yeah, so we are seeing Well,
we were just talking about what went on with Aaron
Rodgers and that anonymous general manager saying that basically that

(01:03:15):
he's difficult. People will respect him, but they don't like him.
And I thought that the general manager should have you
know that if you're gonna make an explosive quote like that,
put your put your name on it. Or just let
the journalists just speculate with their opinion of stuff that
they've heard. You're a person who gets insider information all
the time. Like, how does it work when a general

(01:03:38):
manager or somebody in a very high up position says
something explosive about another player versus whether you should whether
that shapes your opinion, or whether you're allowed to quote them? Well,
I mean I could quote anyone I want. It's just
a matter of do I trust what they're saying? Do
they have an agenda? You always have to be careful
who you're speaking with. You know who you're speaking with.

(01:03:59):
You always he's know your source. Um, I could tell
you as as I've been on record saying a packer
source called him Rogers a super type a personality which
is means which means I don't would call him high strong.
He's just has a very strong personality, kind of dominant.
He's kind of a know it all thinks he's thinks
and knows that he's smart. And everybody who's been around

(01:04:19):
him knows he's super smart and he seems to have
all the answers. And look, there are a lot of
super high talented players to ache you've played with him before,
whether it's a quarterback, could be another position. They think
they have all the answers. And when you have an
Aaron Rodgers who just won the m v P, you
can understand why he feels as strong as as he
does about his talent um and he has to be
managed a certain way that, as we've talked about before,

(01:04:41):
the general manager of the Packers, for some reason, did
not think he needed to communicate with Rogers, is a
certain way which is absurd. I mean, I knew that
it wouldn't look over. I gave you that story almost
two months ago about how he how he went over
to opponent's huddle during your time out and said, get
me out of here. I mean again out a secret
that Rogers wanted out. He was miserable last season. I

(01:05:02):
don't know how he played so well. It's remarkable to
me how he's able to do that. But he's a
different guy than just the way it is. He's a
very difficult guy sometimes, but he's a trends football player
and you put up with with it with guys who
performed like this. You know, it's funny because Aaron Rodgers
has dominated the headlines of late but the early part
of the off season, it was all about Russell Wilson

(01:05:23):
trade demands and those things. It appears though, based on
his interactions with Pete Carroll that minicamp and everything is
a okay up in Seattle. What's going on in the
Pacific Northwest? I mean, bucket, it's really no different. It's
always going to be good in the off season with
it with Russell Wilson. Everybody's happy. Uh, he's buying into
Shane Waldren, the o C who he had, he had

(01:05:43):
a hand in and his hiring in terms of being
aware and getting you know Shane, and that's great. He
came over from the Rams. Uh. The the the Seahawks
feel like, bring this this West Coast offense. Well, help
Wilson get rid of the ball faster, and that's great.
But it always comes down to how agresive they're gonna
be with the past game versus the run game. And
Russell Wilson was headed for an NFL record fifty six

(01:06:06):
passing touchdowns through three through eight weeks, he had he
had twenty eight after eight, which is just remarkable, and
then things completely faded. The second half was atrocious. Let's
call it like it like it is and one of
the reasons why I brought Shotenhammer's no longer the offensive coordinator.
And look there there was there are some things going
on here, way way more to committed to the run
game the second half, and some of it is because

(01:06:28):
their defense was bad, but Russell was uncomfortable and look,
there's a buy in for this offense. There's no question
for what I understand. So far, so good. But we're
in June, we're not in October. Let's just see what
happens as we get through the season with with Russell
Wilson here and this play calling, and does Pete Carroll
micro manage it? Does he do with a lot of
these defensive head coaches? Do get involved and slow down

(01:06:50):
the pass? Which is nothing. It's not a secret. He's
done this before. So we'll see. I mean that that's
kind of the way I look at it. I'll see
it when I believe that that Pete doesn't get involved
with it, we'll see. Yeah, that'll be interesting. Um, we
have seen we We've heard Patt Naggy, uh well, Matt
Naggie over with the Bears saying that his quarterback competition,

(01:07:13):
that there is no competition. Andy Dalton is going to start.
Justin Fields has no chance to win the job. And
like I think that, I'm a person who's been on
record is saying that it's a good idea to not
have to play rookies, that you play them whenever they're ready,

(01:07:34):
but not to give a guy a chance to win
the job. That seems crazy to me though, Adam, Yeah, look,
you both of you guys play in the NFL. You
know how it is. Um Veterans always know who the
best guy is. Matt Naggie. He wants to shut down
the talk of he doesn't want any kind of controversy.
But as as you both know, if it Fields clearly
it's better than Dalton, then Naggi's gonna have work. He's

(01:07:57):
got to do the right thing because you can't ful veterans.
This is the thing I've I've learned from cover this
business twenty one years. You they all see it. Everybody
sees it. Look in the Seahawks will going with Matt Flynn.
They did not go after the draft. Their figure that
their the thought processes will have Russell's the backup. You know,
Matt Fleu was a free agent quarterback. They're painting pretty

(01:08:17):
good money back then nine years ago and away we go. Well,
Russell Wilson started opening some and O t s. He
blew away um the Seahawks front office specifically, I could
tell you in the preseason at training camp where it
was so obvious who the starter had to be. So
I get what Naggie's doing. You know, he already said
he wants to do it like Patrick Mahomes, let let

(01:08:41):
field sit year one. But as we know, plans can change,
so let's let's just see how it plays out. And
and Maggie he left the door open. He said, you
never know what could happen, but their plan is and
Andy Dalton, by the way, has been told he would start. Fact,
I know for a fact that Dalton he was looking
at the three or four other teams. The bars told

(01:09:01):
him he would be the starter of the season. But
they never said a would they draft a quarterback and
be high how high up that would be, So they
don't really owe him that. And the fields is great
and training camp a Dalton's average. We may have a change.
You know. It's interesting because it seems like we've been
discussing all quarterbacks on brink, but another one, Derek Carr
uh spoke of this week and he talked about he

(01:09:22):
would rather quit football than to think about playing for
another team. In a roundabout way, when those comments come out,
what do you think about that? Do you think there's
a chance to Raiders eventually move on from Derek Carr?
Bucky last, I'm gonna say February of the the Raiders
were prepared to go after Tom Brady. This is not

(01:09:44):
a secret. They were going to do it. They checked
into it, they made a decision basically formation they had
that they were not gonna They backed off a Brady
and they were gonna go with Derek car as the starter.
Derek Carr had to play better, had to play better
than he did in nineteen to come back in twenty one. Well,
he had his best season they think under Gruden in
the three in the three years, and it's year four

(01:10:05):
with Gruden with two years left on his deal. There's
no guaranteed money at all anymore. It's it's all expired.
It's a little bit dubious for him to go into
the season and not have an extension. I know some
teams think that if they had him as their quarterback,
they would definitely look to extend his contract. They wouldn't
let him play on it and near shoot his agent.
But we'll see what happens. Uh. My understanding is Um Gruden, who,

(01:10:26):
by the way, his person und control was very happy
with him. I could tell you privately from Raider source,
John spoke extremely well of him and it's a reason
why they did not draft a quarterback is because of
how well Derek Carr played. And you guys were on
with Adam Kaplan, Fox Sports Radio, NFL insider and host
of the Inside at the Birds podcast. Um, I'm wondering

(01:10:48):
what's going on with in from the mini camps with
some of these quarterbacks that were drafted. Um, what have
you heard about what's going on in San Francisco with
Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance, And what's going on in
New England with Cam Newton and um and they came
from Alabama. Yeah, let's start with New England, George. Let's

(01:11:09):
let's go with Mac Jones. And you talked with the
quarterback from Alabama. Mac Jones has a really good grasp
of the offense. UM. Patriots source told me that he
just kind of came in and grasped a lot of it.
Not everything. Of course you're not gonna get that as
a rookie, but in terms of rookie standards, he's really
had a schedule. But their plan is to go to

(01:11:29):
camp with Cam Newton is not only the starter for
a week one, to go as far as they can
with him. Belichick really wants to see this, this thing
with Cam Newton work. It was his decision. Uh, not
the bench. Uh. Cam Newton last season when he played
poor lane goes Yard's did him over the final two games.
So he clearly wants to see this through. And mac
Jones will be the backup, and that's pretty much it,

(01:11:50):
and then they'll figure out who the third quarterback is.
By the way, they four quarterbacks in the roster, it's
unlikely they'll keep for They'll probably keep three um and
Brian Hoyer's back for another year. But the fact him
matter is they're expecting mac Jones to be the backup
for Newton. But I would tell you this, if Cam
does not play well and they're not doing well, I
think they could pull the trigger early on that situation.

(01:12:12):
You know, I can't let you go without at least
bringing up the Baker Mayfield contract extension or that conversation
appears he's very very comfortable kind of playing on the
fifth year option if he has to get to that. Uh,
what do you think that Cleveland Browns whether their plans
for the quarterback when it comes to Yeah, they're not
in a hurry because listen, this gm um, this front office,

(01:12:35):
they inherited this quarterback. Mayfield really revived himself last year
after really struggling under Freddy Kitchens, now the former head coach,
and he did a great job last season. My senses
that they play this thing out just to let him
see what happens. And by the way, with the way
these structures are gone, he's only in his fourth year. Yes,

(01:12:55):
he's gonna play. He's he'll be on the fifth year
option next year. But remember they don't They could just
wait the thing out. They could wait till actually you're
six or year seven. They use the franchise tag. There's
really no rush here. They've got a great thing going here.
They don't have to do what the Rams and Eagles did. Now,
I would tell you talking to both teams then when
they extend the contracts. Jared Goff has come off a
Super Bowl year and looked like Carson Wentz looked like

(01:13:17):
in his way back, I mean, who knew? It was
two years ago? By the way, just about two years
ago when the Eagles gave Carson went to thirty two
million a year contract and then two years later he's
treated I mean, you couldn't make it up. Yeah, um, adam.
I'm wondering about what's going on, uh with with players

(01:13:38):
and stuff that you heard with Cole Beasley this week,
big because you had Bill's general manager Billy Bean talked
about he may make roster decisions based upon whether yeah huh,
Brandon being yeah, he can't Yeah, yeah, you can't do that. Yeah.
So but but but he did make make it And

(01:13:58):
granted these are sorts of things that may go on
but behind the scenes. But but how are how is
the league and teams dealing with players who may have
Cole Beasley stands versus the in the NFL and the
rules and the protocols that they're gonna put in place
based upon the percentage of players that are vaccinated or

(01:14:21):
not vaccinated. Yeah, so, George, first of all, and Brandon
being the GM that bills how to walk this comments
back about potentially cutting a player who decided not to
have the vaccine. Um, Look, most of the players almost
I mean, we're gonna by the time the season starts,
at least the pleasure will be vaccinated. The league and
the nfl PA based on their agreement with the the

(01:14:42):
updated protocols in terms of training camp and regular season
and so forth, they're gonna make it so hard on
players if they don't get the vaccine. I mean, I
don't see their ostracized, but they're gonna, look, they're gonna
have to wear a mask everywhere. They're just they've made
it very hard and that the some of the players
are on the fence are probably gonna they're gonna probably

(01:15:02):
wind up getting the vaccine because it's just they're they're
gonna be distant from their teammates. Now. The Cole Beasley
situation is really interesting. It's sad obviously because what I mean,
he's he's perfectly fine to feel the way that he does,
but threatening a potential retirement. Um, if he feels like,
you know, he's pressured into doing this, it's and look
you saw him on on Twitter. I mean he's way

(01:15:24):
out there doing this. It's kind of interesting. And this
is you know, by the way I mean the Bills
think that they're super super Bowl potential team here and
they need him. He's one of the top slot receivers
of the National Football League. That this situation with Cole
Beasley is certainly going to be one of the top ten.
As we had a training camp. It certainly wasn't two
weeks ago, it wasn't even on the radar, but absolutely nowadays.
I'm glad you brought that up. That's actually a really

(01:15:44):
big story, um, and we will continue to monitor that,
you guys. He's Adam Kaplan, Fox Sports Radio, NFL insider
and host of the Inside at the Birds podcast. Find
him on Twitter at Kaplan NFL. Adam, thanks for coming
on the show, all right, Thanks Um. Up next, though,

(01:16:06):
rookie quarterbacks. Should they be forced to play? Because Justin
Fields Naggy already said he's not starting, but then versus
what we saw out of tah last year where he
was forced into the lineup. That's up next. Here on
Fox Sports Sunday, I'm George Ricer with Bucky Brooks. Here

(01:16:31):
on Fox Sports Sunday, I'm George Rice Stir He is
Bucky Brooks and Mr Dan Buyer, who's my normal partner
had the day off his first Father's Day, Happy Father's Day, Dan,
and so we talked about rookie NFL quarterbacks playing, and

(01:16:55):
I was wondering, Bucky, what do you think about rookie
quarterbacks playing, because there's been so long that, like ten
years ago, fifteen years ago, NFL quarterbacks used to sit.
In the beginning, they used to sit and it was
an absolute fact, like nobody was trying to play their

(01:17:18):
quarterbacks early. But now you have teams they're they're like,
he's drafted highly, he's got to play now. And I
thought that that did to a disservice last year because
I didn't think he was ready. I thought it also
has done some other guys disservice. Where do you stand

(01:17:39):
on that, Bucky Well? I think the reason why there's
the rush to get a rickie quarterback on the field
is because it's been proven that the best way to
build a championship team in the modern era is with
the quarterback playing on the rookie contract because it's really
cheap and affordable and allows you to be able to
the rest of the team. The longer that the young

(01:18:00):
quarterbacks says on the sideline, the more time you're burning
up on the shot clock when it comes to building
this championship team. And so I know it's worked out
for Patrick Mahomes. Um, he's had a year, then he
had the opportunity to play, and then away they went
to Kanzie. The Chiefs went from being I would say
very good too great um when Pat Mahomes took over.

(01:18:21):
But for most of these other teams that are drafting
these young quarterbacks, there's not necessarily a reason for those
guys to sit down because the guy in front of
them isn't great. And if that quarterback isn't great, is
better than handleball to the young guy. Make sure that
your play caller has an ability to uh taylor and
taper down this offense to allow a young quarterback to

(01:18:43):
be comfortable. And then you gotta get him on the field.
And then in year two, when you figure out who
he is and what he is as a player, then
you can get the complimentary pieces to help him max
out his talents. That's the normal blueprint for building a
super Bowl team when you have a young her baying
at the position. Yeah see, I I know you want

(01:19:03):
them to play right, but I don't think like it's
got to be about when they're ready, right, because last
last year, it's weird because it's gonna sound like I'm
criticizing a guy who I like a lot and who
I think is a fantastic coach in Brian Flores. I
also didn't think that to A clearly was not ready

(01:19:24):
to play yet, you know, And it seemed like fitz
Magic was still the best option because twas he completed
a high percentage of his passes, but he was unwilling
to throw into those tight windows, and so that means
that you're not quite ready yet. So do you think
that they Do you think that that was the right

(01:19:46):
move for them to put him out there, being that
he may not have been fully ready to get him
ready for the next season, But then they also had
such a good roster that they may have been able
to make the post season and make a run. No,
So so I see the two situation differently because I
know people have beat him up, and he did complete
a good percentage of his past He had eleven touchdowns

(01:20:08):
only five interceptions directed the Miami Dolphins had when he
was the starting quarterback with six and three um. The
thing that to A has beaten in his head right
now is don't turn the ball over. So rather than
forced the ball down the field, he was throwing the
check down and so you will see his yards per
tempt really come down below the five yard mark in
some games when actually you want guys to be at

(01:20:30):
a minimum seven yards per past attempt. Ryan Fitzpatrick is
a little more of the gun slinger. He takes these
chances and those things, and that is great. However, he's
a turnover machine. He's always been a turnover machine for
his career, and in a game in which the turnover
battle is the number one deciding factor, I was actually
fine with two and not letting it go. But now

(01:20:53):
this season he has to be a little more daring
and courageous, which is why we're seeing a more aggressive
approach in practice. Yeah, and that's what you want to see.
So it's it's a balance and at the end of
the day, I guess the answer is as long as
it works, it's the right answer. But speaking speaking of
the right answer, though, I got a question for you guys.

(01:21:16):
Is Kevin Durant the best player in the NBA? And
you guys can weigh in eight seven seven nine nine,
six six three six nine, who is the best player
in the NBA right now. We'll talk about that next.
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Fox Sports

(01:21:38):
Radio dot com and within the I Heart Radio app
search f s R to listen live. So I asked
the question, and I told you you guys can weigh
in eight seven, seven, nine nine six six three six nine,
eight seven, seven ninety nine on Fox. Who is the

(01:21:59):
best play or in the NBA right now? Who is it?
Because there is much debate at this point, and there
are some players who have put their bid in because
for a while, everybody's like, yo, no, it's Jannice, It
could be Yannest. Who's up next? Yannest is fantastic, But

(01:22:19):
Jannae can't close basketball games? Eleven and six on the
season is most impressive. You You can't like take anything
away from the guy. But there's also the idea of
Jannae can't shoot free throws, Joannice can't cap the ball
and then like take the game winning shot. That also
puts you a little bit behind the eight ball. So

(01:22:41):
right now, the best player in the NBA. To me,
the best player in the NBA is Kevin Durant. I
think that Kevin Durant made that argument and my Drew,
I'm the guy who's been saying that Lebron is the
best guy in the in the NBA, but I thought
Kevin Durant in this playoffs may prove that he's the

(01:23:02):
most unstoppable force in the NBA coming back from this Achilles. So,
I got Kevin Durant one Lebron too, But I can
still make the add the case for Lebron at to Lebron.
Lebron too. Yes, and Steph at three, I got it.
Is this the over thirty, the over thirty league that

(01:23:23):
we're talking about. This is what we're doing. We're doing
the over thirty. Oh come on, man, George, all right,
are you looking at the current NBA and the young
players that are getting it done? Yeah? You just I
felt like this was two thousand fifteen. Take. I felt
like this is a two thousan Kevin Durant, Steph Lebron,

(01:23:44):
the usual suspects. I mean, Steph way hold on. Steph
Curry scored thirty two points a game this year and
had a better statistical season than he did the year
he won unanimous m v P SO. So so maybe
maybe I'm so you think I'm stuck in a time war.
Maybe Stephan Lebron and Kevin Durand are stuck in the

(01:24:06):
time warp to a parent Come on, yeah, Like, I mean,
you're not even gonna talk about You're not even gonna
talk about Joel Embiid, who was just throwing up big
numbers and as an unstoppable force on his own accord,
We're not gonna talk about Yo Kis, who was another
unstoppable force. None of the young hoppers that are getting
this thing done. We're looking at Trey Young Sizzle, Luka
Da had Us captivated the early part of the playoffs,

(01:24:29):
Spidy Mitchell doing his thing. And we're gonna go with them,
same old dudes, them, same old dudes that can't play
the whole season. That's who we're going with. Oh oh, oh,
can't play the whole season. That's one of the one
of the one of the one of the guys that
actually you named Spider Spider Mitchell. He missed a month,

(01:24:52):
You missed Joe Joe, Joel and beat missed twenty games
in a seventy two games and many games that Kevin
Durant play uh less than that. Kevin Durant played like
thirty games, so now he lights it up in the playoffs,
and now we're all over Kevin Durant all over again. Look,
he's a fantastic he just came off an Achilles, But

(01:25:12):
I mean how much credit. I mean, I give him
credit for that, But I mean we could go and
say he's the best. I think we have some recency bias,
so it's very easy to match the title from them. Well,
it's very easy to poo poo. What what I just said?
Who are your top three players? Bucky? I love this.
See I love to see because look, you put Kevin

(01:25:33):
Durand in there, So I put an Astra by his
name because I had him in the list, I had
him included. I feel like you're being so disrespectful to
Janice right now. I feel like I decided to nick
pick Joannice just because, oh it takes him fifties sex
and to shoot a ten second free throw, Like, just
because of the free throw thing. Did you see the

(01:25:54):
numbers he put up? The dude is average a double double,
a high double double each of the last four seasons.
Then when we looked in the playoffs, when y'all poured
dirt on the Milwaukee Bucks. Yanna stepped up, took his
game to another level, and there's something to be said.
I can't say they got lucky. They got lucky Kyrie

(01:26:15):
Irving and mind you, I'm a person. He's always hurt too.
He's always hurt too. It ain't Yannice's fault that he
ain't got on hot. If if Harden even had been
fully healthy, they lose that series. I mean, look, look,
if if Harden comes to camp ready and not just
doing the Chicken Wing Tour before he goes, before he

(01:26:37):
goes to training camp, he wouldn't have had that problem.
But now he did all that work in the in
the regular season, his hand me got tight. That's not
the Bucks fault. That's not Janice's fault. Janice is unstoppable.
Before us you talk to me in the first hour
about Mike Budenholzer and how you just don't know about

(01:26:57):
the coaching. I would say that Jannice is overachieving because
the coaching his inferior. The coach has him doing things
he shouldn't be doing. Got Yanna's playing basically point forward
him initiating the offense when he's a finisher. Got him
out there taking threes to answer to the analytics people.
But we saw when their back guy against the wall,

(01:27:19):
what Yannas did. Jannas put his head down and started
driving to the rack, and we saw him get high
thirties in each of those final games with forty yet
forty games seven. So yeah, Yanna's two time m VP.
He deserves to be on the list. Jorlan b deserves
to be on the list, and you're not giving credit
to the new m v P. He has to be

(01:27:40):
Oh my gosh, you don't you don't like you don't
like big guys. Big guys, we coast, move the handles
that can do everything. You probably have Anthony Davis raped
ahead of him. I appreciate, I appreciate yokiches scame. I

(01:28:01):
appreciate Joel Embat's game. But but let's be real. If
Joel Embiid hadn't missed twenty games, if he had missed ten,
he would have won MVP over second. Thing is is
that there are other players. Lebron was ahead of him
on the m v P list and a couple of

(01:28:22):
other guys as well, and truthfully, year he missed like
two months. He missed like two months of the season.
I didn't even see him play between him and a
d dude he missed after this. This wasn't some random injury.
A dude fell into his ankle like like that, like
that's that's not your fault. But but but here's the thing, Bucky,

(01:28:45):
is that Joel em beats good, Yoki is good, but
nobody in the NBA would say that they are the
best player in the NBA. Truthfully, I think Damian Lillard
is ahead of Joel Embiid and I'm fine with that
and other than the old dude you keep throwing in there,

(01:29:05):
but they're the best player a lifetime achievement award, not
a lifetime achievement the best if you're the best player,
hold up, hold up, hold up, Bucky, Let's keep it one.
So so Steph average thirty two, six and six this year.
I like that team was a team was in the

(01:29:25):
play in if you hold on, hold on, hold on.
If you take Steph Curry off of that team, they
have the worst record in the NBA. They were the
eight seed. I mean, they weren't far behind it with
with him doing what he was, like they were into
playing they were the eight seed, Bucky, they weren't the
nine or the ten. If the if the playoffs have

(01:29:46):
been regular, they would have been in the playoffs. So like,
he got a team that is inferior into the play
into the eight seed. Come on, man, but Bucky, you
are outrageous right now. I'm outrageous because you're stuck. You're
stuck in yesteryear with all the old dudes at the
top of the list, because there's still the like this,

(01:30:08):
this is what we're watching all time greats. Bucket Lebron
he would be the best player of all time. Heither
number one two, He could be he could be one
of the I'm a Lebron fan. I get all of that. However,
those loving Laker eyes that you have, they're not allowing
you to see. Just like Lebron can't see that his hairline,

(01:30:29):
his face. He should just come on home, just take
it all down. So like he should just take it
all down, just like you can be like, hey, it
is okay, because look, we saw Lebron James. We saw
him blowing bunnies. We saw him getting a shot blocked
at the end because he doesn't have the same lift.
He was hurt closiveness. I mean, eighteen years in it
is coming to a close. He was hurt alright, but

(01:30:51):
coming to a close. Okay, But but Bucky, who would
you take? And I'm surprised you did actually have Luca
higher on the list? Got look in, everybody can't be
I have a Luca Luca higher than I have Joker.
So so so I have a question, who would you
choose if you if you're starting a team today where

(01:31:13):
a player is in their career right right, right now?
Do you want Steph Curry, Kevin Durant. I'm sorry, Steph
Curry or Yoki Right I'm starting the team, yes, right now,
I'm gonna oh stop step still in his prime? Yeah,

(01:31:35):
how can you question it? He had his best season
in his career this year. They finished eighth. If you
give him any else, you know, you know, step step
step is like me playing at Balboa Park right now,
like I'm getting pick up buckets, but we ain't really
winning any titles in championships. He's not gonna win another title,

(01:31:56):
win another title. He's not gonna win another time. He
made want what Clay is back next next year? And
it's just so Clay coming off and Achilles and and
d injury. They're gonna come back. Man, all right, I mean, okay, okay,
who would you take Kevin Durant or Joe l Embi
because because you're gonna get in the same amount of

(01:32:17):
games played every year. I mean, I'm gonna take Katma exactly, Bucky, exactly.
I had Katie in my top three. The are guys
I don't have in the top three, like like you guy,
like Lebron. I ain't got Lebron in the top three.
Y'all just scared to be critical of leb and I
like Lebron. I'm critical of critical of Lebron. I like him.

(01:32:38):
But come on, man, you have to notice that he
is beginning to trend downward. And it's okay he is,
but but the thing is his floor is so high.
Bucky all right, You guys are clearly wanting to weigh
in on this as well. Eight seven, seven ninety nine
on Fox. You guys can tell Bucky how wrong he
is on this. Uh, Stephen in Chicago. Actually we will

(01:33:04):
be before we actually take you, Stephen, because I want
to hear what you have to say. We will take you, guys.
Phone calls on the back on the back side of this,
because I don't want to cut you off. You guys,
this is Fox Sports Sunday, and Bucky has got me
all riled up right now, He's fucking Brooks. I'm George

(01:33:25):
Rice there, this Fox Sports Sunday. We'll be right back
with your phone calls in just a few minutes. We
will be joined by Rick Buker and to talk about
the NBA. But before that, your phone calls here because
we were talking about who's the best player in the NBA,

(01:33:47):
and Bucky just wants to go with, you know, the
the young guys who were hot right now, he's a
prisoner at the moment with uh. He goes with the
with Nicola, your kids, Joel and Bead Jannest and I'm
just like no, it is Steph Lebron and Kevin Durant

(01:34:09):
and your phone calls Stephen in Chicago. Welcome to Fox
Sports Sunday. Let's go ahead and add George Rice stir
to that list of jokers like Christmassar, Rob Parker, Colin
caltured all asking us to do a favor and go
join Kyrie Irving in the donkey pen and stiff each

(01:34:31):
other's jackasses. Okay, what. I'm lost at the point. I
lost that. But that's cool, okay, all right, that was
the point. That was the point Stephen wanted to come
in and drop a grenade, and he just he just
dropped the mic and walked off. He didn't even make

(01:34:53):
up make a point, just as like, yo, I'm adding
you to the list. What list is that? I want
to know what to stop? One? Bucky what who? I
don't know what list there was? I really don't, all right,
he Stephen, Stephen, Stephen was big man, um Tony and Anaheim.

(01:35:15):
Welcome to the show. So fellas to me, I'm gonna
I took injury history doctor into place. So I'm gonna
say I'm taking right now, who are built around number one?
To needs Luca. I know he has still hasn't won
a playoff series, but I mean, look at the garbage
on that at the roster. I used to be a
twenty win team really and uh or Zingis is a fraud.

(01:35:36):
He shouldn't. He's not a fourth guy. He used to
be like your fifth guy on your team when when
he plays Mr is like after year. So I'm gonna
go Luca one, I'm gonna go Yanie to Yannis gets
his perspective. I know can't shoot, but damn, he's almost
some stoppable players driving to the rim, and he probably
is the best defensive player, so he's a two way player.
Regardless of the shooting at the league, he can still
dominate a game o both ends. And then third, I

(01:35:59):
still gotta go a D regardless of Achilles. Dude, it's
just still unstoppable, and he's still the best all around
scoring for So those will be my top three right there.
And Curry is a close sports man. You should have
probably been MVP. Really could have mad a case. Thanks guys,
you're talking about he used four. If he threw your

(01:36:19):
bone up in there. That's like when the club is
like no, no, no, no more, no more people can
get in there, but you're right in line. You're next
to get into the club. Curry was fourth. He's not
in the top. Curry should have been. No, I was
talking about the Curry should have been the m v
P this year. I would I was voting for Steph Curry,
Chris Paul second, and then you can put Yokas or

(01:36:40):
whoever else you want. Chris Paul before. I would have
put Curry in. Oh oh, gosh. I mean like the Suns.
The Sun one of the top two teams in the West.
You mean you're talking about You're talking about the guy
at the bottom hole. That's the MVP season. I mean, like,
I get it, but that's what we're settling for. We're
settling for eight. You sound like NFL MVP voters who

(01:37:03):
only vote for quarter. That's not that, but we go
the MVP came off the playing team. Hey, the in
that that that's what it was. And bucket I I
just cannot, for the life of me, my mind. You
I'm a I like the honest and I know that
this is gonna sound like I'm disparaging Janice or something.

(01:37:29):
Here's the truth. Jannice is a guy. He gets buckets,
but but when it comes to the playoffs, his style
of play is not necessarily conducive to winning. When the
guy guarding hold on when the because everybody was hurt
on the Brooklyn nets, just just when when you can

(01:37:52):
be guarded, when Blake Griffin can stand at the free
throw line, when you are at the at the three
point line, and here and here's the other point, Bucky, explain,
explain this to me why you would take Janni's as
your best player, as the best player in the league.
When when it comes down to the end of the

(01:38:13):
game and they need a bucket, who do they give
the ball to? Thank you? But he's a better initiator.
Oh my god, he's a better guy that can make
he has gives you options. He can shoot it, he
can pass it. That's why that's not can't be the
best play like you don't stylistically have to be the guy.

(01:38:36):
Oh I take it up. I went off the bounce
and do all of these things create for my teammates
to be the best. That's not about being the best.
Can't be the best player in the league if you
don't take the last shot for your team shot. How
does you have to take the last shot to be
the best guy? I don't understand. Be created on this

(01:38:58):
side we call that. So that's like saying Johnson. That's
like saying Magic Johnson could never be considered the best
player in the NBA because he wasn't taking all of
the last shots for the Lakers. No, because those those
old Lakers they were throwing in the cap. They're throwing
in the Kareema dude jabbar to let him throw the
skyhook over top of it, Magic Magic, Matt Magic hit

(01:39:21):
plenty of game game winners. Here is the here's the
pointment is that Janice can't do that, and and that
doesn't mean that he's not a fabulous player. And so
you know what, we are gonna let an NBA guy
weigh in on this, because in just a couple of
minutes we're gonna be joined by Rick Bucker and I'm
going to that is going to be the first question

(01:39:43):
that I asked Rick Um And that's up next here
on Fox Sports Sunday. I am George Rice, Sir. He
is Bucky Brooks. But first we have to go to
Mr Ralph Irving to find out what's trending. Well, we
are coming up on a little over thirty minutes away

(01:40:03):
from the start of Game seven of the NBA's Eastern
Conference Semifinals, Philadelphia hosting Atlanta, Win or go home. The
winner will advance to take on the Milwaukee Bucks in
the Eastern Conference Finals. But earlier today, it was Game
one of the Western Conference Finals where Phoenix was a
winner over the l A Clippers. The Sun's lead that

(01:40:24):
series one game to none. Devin Booker forty points, thirteen
rebounds and eleven assists. Yes, that is a triple double.
Now at the US Open, there is drama down the stretch.
John rom with a long birdie putt on number seventeen
to tie for the lead and go to seventeen under
or to go to five hunder part through seventeen holes.

(01:40:45):
He's just hit his second shot into a greenside bunker
at eighteen, but he should have a good look at
a possible birdie there. He has tied with Louis usetasen
Is at five hunder par through fourteen holes. Harris English
two shots off the pace three hunder par. He's if
he's in the clubhouse now. On the Major League Baseball scoreboard,
San Francisco's one six and their last seven. They beat

(01:41:06):
Philadelphia eleven to Will Myers a three run triple. The
Padres beat Cincinnati three to Seattle gets a grand slam
in the tenth inning from shed long. They take care
of Tampa Bay six to Right now two games on
the field, they're tied in the ninth the Detroit or
Detroit Tigers and the Angels locked at three again. That's

(01:41:28):
in the ninth inning, top of the ninth inning in Arizona,
where the Dodgers have a nine eight lead over the Diamondbacks.
We'll send it back now. It is George Rice Stir
and Bucky Brooks here on Fox Sports Radio. I am
George rice Stir. He is, of course Bucky Brooks, and
thank you Ralph Irving for telling us what's trending. So

(01:41:52):
and now we're gonna be joined by Rick Bucker, who
is FS one's NBA insider. Find him on two are
at Rick Buker. Rick, thanks for coming on the show,
My pleasure, guys. A great day to be on with uh,
a little exciting basketball that we just had and a
little more on the way. Can never It's never a

(01:42:14):
bad day. By the way, Happy Father's Day to all
of you there and anyone out there that that might
apply to, whether you're aware of it or not, whether
you know for sure you're a father or not, might be. Nonetheless,
Rick um So, me and Bucky were just having a

(01:42:37):
discussion about who the best player in the NBA was.
I said, k D Lebron and Steph. He told me
I was living in Despite Steph Perry having his best
season of all time, he said he would go with
Joker and beid And and Janice, and I said that

(01:42:58):
Jannie can't be the best player because he doesn't take
the last shot. Chris, Chris Middleton, where do you stand
on this? Rick? Uh? Well, you know what you guys
have You have a difference in philosophy. Uh that that's
clear by your choice is made. Uh, George, I have
to go with you. Though so many games are decided
at the end of of the on last possessions. The

(01:43:21):
ability to take and make the last shot, to me
is is why for uh? And and let me adjust
that a little bit. To be the primary focus at
the end of games is what I think you have
to be. I also think you have to be a

(01:43:42):
two way player. So that takes Steph Curry out of
out of the equation. Um. Uh, simple answer. Kevin Durant
for me is the best player in the game right
now because I thought that he was at times Brooklyn's
best defender as well as obviously their top score. The
way he played was extra ordinary. I would say that
it was a bit of a miscarriage and um unfair

(01:44:07):
to him that you never take him off the floor.
You have to give that guy a blow. You have
to find a way to take him off for a
minute or two, just so that he has something left
at the end that that that is that is abusing
a resource that you have. Uh and and I think
that that was a colossal mistake. I don't care how

(01:44:29):
shorthanded you were, UM, but I diverge. I. I the
reason that that the Honest was my m v P
this year is because during the regular season he wasn't
necessarily um score scoring the ball on last possessions, but
they would play through him in a lot of need situations.
And that's the the evolution that I saw, and I

(01:44:49):
think we saw more of that as that series progressed.
So UM but I like I like both of your
lifts simply because there is a clear philosophy behind both
of them. UM. With yokurtic Ambide and Janice being that

(01:45:10):
kind of that playmaking big that makes a lot of
sense to me. And on the other hand, George, you're
going with the guy who can get you the last shot. UM.
I mean, I like it. I'm not gonna say either
one of you is wrong, because I appreciate the thought
that went into both lists. I would probably tilt towards George,

(01:45:32):
though in terms of what I consider most important. Rick,
I would say this, I like George's list. If you
like the over thirty club, right, all these go. If
you like the over thirty and we're playing at the
park a little three on three, I'm with that. I've
just said to him because I look, I had Kevin
Duran down. I just didn't think. Look, I don't know
if you played enough games, but what he did in

(01:45:53):
the playoffs was outstanding. George's big biggest thing was we
we debated Lebron and I was like, the loving as
can't see that Lebron is declining. And I have a
great appreciation for everything that Lebron is, but it's hard
for me to say that he's a top three player
right now based on how he's performed. Agree. Agree, People
don't want to admit it. And the number like Lebron's

(01:46:15):
gonna have the ball in his hands so much and
he is still uh is i Q and his ability
to manipulate the game. He's always going to have a
good looking box score, but defensively he's not close to
what he was, and offensively he's you talk about playing
at the why he's playing that old man y game

(01:46:37):
like he can't take guys off the drill. He's gonna
play below the line, and he's going to back guys
down and he's gonna hit that little step back. And
his game has improved in some ways. But what made
him so devastating as a as a matchup was the
fact that you couldn't put a big on him because

(01:46:58):
then you take him outside and just take him off
the dorble, and if you put a small on him,
well then he's gonna power his way below the free
throw line. Now, if you see the way that he
was defended this year, people put fives on him all
the time, put bigs on him all the time because
they were and if I if I'm gonna stay, I'm
remembered clearly like he got matched up on Joel Embat.

(01:47:19):
He couldn't turn the corner on Joel Embat. That to
me was like I was watching, I go, oh, I
just saw something like that? Is that is clear? That
uh that you know, and that's that's not hating a Lebron.
I can admire and respect and cherish everything that he's been.
But look, and we'd say it's tried and true. Father

(01:47:42):
Time is is undefeated. And Father Time tapped him on
the shoulder and said I'm here like we're gonna walk,
We're gonna take the rest of this journey together. Okay,
he did that about two years ago. Uh when when
he had all those young guns around him, That's when
it's that's when I first saw it. Yeah. See, I
agree with that that he is on the decline, but

(01:48:04):
I just think that his floor is so dog on
high that it's that he can still be in that conversation.
But but but Rick, though you just mentioned something that
I'm not gonna I can't let it slide where you
said that, Um that Steve Kerr needed to get Kevin
Durant uh some some time off the floor, even though

(01:48:26):
he clearly put up forty eight points, he was outstanding,
Like this was Steve Kerr's first coaching job. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Oh my gosh, Steve A. Nash Uh yes, sorry, Steve's
the guy got got the Steve's messed up. But this
was his first time as a head coach in Steve Nash.

(01:48:48):
So do you think that that this was a mistake
first time coach thing, or do you think like, how
do you think he did for the rest of the
season and the playoffs? I think for a first year coach,
I think he was terrific, especially dealing with superstars of

(01:49:08):
you know, and temperamental superstars with Kyrie, James and and
k D. I mean, that's a load that that would
be a load for any coach. I know, the talent
is there and you appreciate that, but man, I'm telling you,
dealing with those guys on a day to day basis,
Oh my goodness, I don't know, Man, that's got to
be a load. Um. But that said, I feel as

(01:49:31):
if and I'm I don't know this for a fact,
I've been told this, Like I think that Steve leaned
on Mike D'Antoni a lot, and the D'Antoni methodology is
I'm gonna play my guys into the ground like I'm
gonna play you know, if you saw how he played
he used James Harden in Houston, like you know. I

(01:49:52):
was never worried about minutes, was never worried about usage rate,
none of that. I just felt like Mike did the
same thing. You know, if Steve was doing it, it
was because of the council of Mike. Now, what will
be interesting to see in the evolution and Nash is
an evolution is if he looks at it and he
kind of comes up with his own his own creation,

(01:50:14):
his own philosophy and how to approach things. I have
no doubt that Steve Nash has the capability of being
a great head coach. Um. He knows the game so well.
Um he is. When it comes to being a communicator,
I think he's terrific. I also think he's demanding. He
knows how to like ask of his players what he needs.

(01:50:39):
I think he had a great, a great year all
things considered. It's just it's a little bit crazy to
take this much veteran talent immediately put the bar where
it's NBA Finals or bust, and then asked a first
year head coach who has never coached anyone at any

(01:51:01):
level to make all the right moves and pull all
the right strings to get you there. And then on
top of it, you know, you have injuries galore. So
I don't look at this as a referendum on Nash.
Do I think there's some things that he could have
done better. Absolutely, Uh, the you know, the minutes thing

(01:51:21):
with k D is one of them. But I'm I'm
not going to suggest by any means that Steve Nash
isn't the coach for these Brooklyn Nets based on what
happened this year, you know, and thinking about that. On
the flip side, the Milwaukee Bucks find a way to
get it done. They were teetering on the brink after that.
I mean, big time shot by k D and over
time it took him three minutes to kind of get

(01:51:42):
it going. But they want now that they move on,
it appears the outside is saying, hey, look, talent wise,
they have enough talent, but coaching is a question mark.
How much press is on budenholes are going forward? Um, Well,
now that Rick Carlisle has resigned from Dallas, I think
a whole lot um. This reminds me actually this is

(01:52:03):
them dating myself now. But you know, Rick Rick Carlisle
was the coach and was doing very well relatively with
the Detroit Pistons, and when they wanted to close the
deal and win a championship, they let Rick Carlisle go
and they hired Larry Brown, and Larry Brown took him
the rest of the way. This reminds me a lot
of that. UM. I've known Mike Budenholzer um since he

(01:52:27):
was an assistant coach in san Antonio. We played a
pick up hoops together. Um, he took me. He's from
I think from Phoenix. Originally we went and played and
Phoenix's so hot that, um, guys don't start playing pick
up until ten eleven o'clock at night. UM. So I
know I know Bud really well. UM, so it's hard
for me, um to be as critical as I am.

(01:52:48):
But I don't. I don't understand. Um, I just don't
understand what he's done. I don't. I don't understand some
of the defensive matchups. I don't understand, like what you
got Drew Holiday and uh and Janni Santa to compo
or first team All Defense. Uh. They only by accidents
as they wind up on on k D during this series,

(01:53:11):
and I was very I was very fascinated every time.
I don't know if you guys saw the few times
that we saw Janice on k D, it was the
only time that I saw Katie really defer. Now. I
don't think he's afraid of Janice. I just think he thought, like,
if Janice is on me, that means the rims probably
open and we should let me, let me go to
somebody else. But he like it clearly caused him to

(01:53:35):
pause and not be as aggressive. I mean, we saw
p J. Tucker. He was like, I'm going at this
all day, every day. Chris Middleton kind of the same thing.
I just I did not understand that. I don't understand
why you ever give the ball to Janice at the
top of the key and say drive. I put him
at the pinch post in the midpost all day long,
where he's two dribbles away from from the paint. I mean,

(01:53:58):
when this this series changed, when they clearly decided Janice,
you get two feet in the paint every chance you get,
and he can play make from there. I saw him
do it during the regular season again. That's why he
was my m v P because I was like, that's
what I've been waiting for him shooting threes. Look, he's
so long an athletic. I'm doing you a favor by

(01:54:20):
post by by by parking him out at the three
point line. I don't care how many he hits. That's
I'm wasting a resource by doing that. So I just,
you know, I honestly, I feel like Dave. They outlasted
and they won against Brooklyn almost in spite of some
of the decisions that they made in the way they

(01:54:42):
approached it. Um, and and I that's that's I hate
saying that, but I don't there's no other conclusion I
can come to by watching them. Rick. I was like,
when you look, I saw this, this stat that says
that in the last eight seasons, amongst people who guarded

(01:55:02):
Kevin Durant for at least fifty field goal attempts, has
is the best at it. And you don't put him
especially just even if it's just for the last play
of the game. It's it was mind boggling. Um. But
but finally, finally, though, before we get you out of here,
Rick is Ben Simmons, what is his future in Philadelphia

(01:55:24):
and in the league? Because if this dude can't make
free throws? I mean, because he was touted as maybe
he's the next great player to the NBA, he still
can't can't score, can't shoot. Now, you can't make free throws,
and you can't keep him on the floor at the
end of the game, Like what what what do you
do with him? Yeah, Mike, I mean, look, I I

(01:55:46):
feel as if Philly is gonna have to move on
from him. The problem is that you've already signed up
to a max salary, So who's gonna be willing to
build around him with his limited offensive game. But there
will be somebody. There will be somebody who believes that
we can make him what he was supposed to be. Um. I,

(01:56:08):
you know, going back to l s U and he
was out for a year, Like the fact that he's
never developed a jump shot is just mind boggling to me.
I mean, Marc Gussol has developed a jump shot in
the time, like in the last year, a three point
shot in the last year, or two guys across the
league who weren't necessarily shooters have all developed at least

(01:56:32):
stand still jump shots. And he's six ten, six eleven,
so he doesn't need like, he doesn't need to create
airspace to get off. He can he can shoot a
set three pointer. He just needs to shoot it or
be able to shoot it. And so I I don't know,
but based on the way that Um that Doc has

(01:56:54):
used him, I have to believe that they will move
him because he's had him bring the ball up and
then he hands it off and then he goes to
the dunker's position. And then you asked him to send
you know, the opposing point guard that kind of cross
matching simply is not what you want on a full
time basis, and it basically Doc has shelved him as

(01:57:17):
far as a playmaker or being involved the the the
dunker position is sort of like the base in a band.
You just like, you just gotta give us that baseline. Buddy,
You're not We're not asking to do anything tricky. You're
just giving us that musical beat on the line. And
that's what Ben Simmons has become. He's he's become the

(01:57:38):
bass player for UH, for the Philadelphia seventies sixers. And certainly,
if you're paying a guy max money and UM, and
you're as touted as he was, you're expecting a whole
lot more than that. And it's one of the things
I was just going through what the what each team
needs for the draft, um and with someone and Philadelphia

(01:57:59):
seventy sixers need a playmaking point guard and the story
absolutely you guys. He's Rick Buker Fox Sports won in
an NBA Insider. Find him on Twitter at Rick Buker.
Rick thanks for coming on and laying laying the truth
on Bucky and laying the truth about you know, about

(01:58:20):
these NBA playoffs and players, thanks so much. I just
gotta say this, Bucky, Uh, Marcelis is going to be insufferable.
Now that the clips have moved onto the conference, you
can forget about it. Hey, hey, hey, he's he's happy.

(01:58:40):
They've already won their super Bowl. They've already won their
championship by getting out of the play out of the
second round of the playoffs. But thanks thanks for coming
to all Ricky Up next though, the US Open, maybe
a player will get justice for and some retribution for

(01:59:01):
what happened to him a couple of weeks ago, and
we'll talk about that next here on Fox Sports Sunday,
man John Rom killed the US Open so far. He
goes into the clubhouse as the solo leader. He shot
four under today, so he was at two under and

(01:59:23):
Louis Ushusen is shooting even on the day and he's
still he's through fifteen right now. But wouldn't it be
justice Bucky for or even just some type of retribution
or like just a great thing to happen to John
Rom After a couple of weeks ago at the Memorial,

(01:59:45):
he was six shots ahead, he was setting the he
had set the he had set the record, the fifty
four whole record for that tournament finds out he got
popped for COVID has to leave. He was basically a
shoe in to win. And then if he comes back

(02:00:08):
and wins the US Open, because mind you, he lost
one point seven million dollars by not winning that, by
not winning that tournament, if he wins this, it had
to and this was a choice to win a Memorial
at one point seven or win a major in the
US Open. He would have to feel happy with the

(02:00:29):
way this worked out absolutely for him to be able
to get that done. Yeah, it has to really sting
that he kind of fritted away an opportunity, I mean
not through his own doing, but to now come back
and have a chance to to win a major, he
certainly has to be excited. And the way that he
was able to do it. You saw how pumped he
was when that last putt went in, And so this

(02:00:49):
is a huge deal. Man. I love seeing people earn
their opportunities, earned their their opportunity to be champs. So yeah, no,
this is pretty cool, pretty cool deal for him if
he's able to close it out. Yeah, and it would
have happened in such short order like this wasn't you know,
this was literally the next tournament. I believe that that
he played in and then to come back and be
able to stay focused and then starting the day what

(02:01:14):
three shots back off the lead and and a very
difficult course. Man, I I would he was he grabbed,
he has a little baby, gave his wife a hug,
and you're just like bro. And it's on Father's Day too,
He's got a little bitty baby. I couldn't be I mean,
obviously other people probably have really good stories, but this

(02:01:35):
was a fabulous story. If if if it holds up,
if it does hold up like he you have to
be happy for him and excited for him to do
it on Father's Day. We did see the little kid
that he was able to grab walking off the eighteen.
I mean, this is exactly what you want man on
Father's Day to finish it out. Be a great opportunity
for yep and uh, Bucky, it was a great opportunity

(02:01:56):
today with you. Thanks for joining me in for Dan
Daddy by Or who's celebrating his first Father's Day. So
happy Father's Day to you, Bucky and all the rest
of the fathers out there. Um you guys, this is
Fox Sports Sunday, I am George Rice there. Hopefully you
guys enjoyed the show. Catch you next week.

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06/20/2021 - FOX Sports Sunday with George Wrighster and Bucky Brooks

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}06/20/2021 - FOX Sports Sunday with George Wrighster and Bucky Brooks