March 9, 2023 • 44 mins
Jason Smith and Mike Harmon discuss discuss Joe Boeheim goes out in the weirdest way possible after 47 years as men's basketball coach at Syracuse. Woody Johnson, Robert Saleh, Joe Douglas, and Aaron Rodgers all have something in common, and Kevin Durrant takes a fall during warmups proving he really is a glass man now!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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(00:21):
This is the best of The Jason Smith Show with
Mike Carmen on Fox Sports Radio. Greetings, Welcome inside, Happy Wednesday.
Unlike any other in the last forty seven years of
my life. Jason Smith Show with my best friend Mike
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(00:43):
I'll help you get there an unmatched selection, fast, free shipping,
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dot com The way tire buying should be. Yes, we
have Kevin Durant slipping. He is out of his home
debut after falling in the layup line. We have big
stuff with John Morant of course the day after for
Lamar Jackson Aaron Rodgers. But I gotta be honest if
(01:07):
I don't curse on the show tonight, I'll never curse.
I shouldn't say. Now, you never say. If I don't
curse on the show tonight, likely I will never curse
on the show. Jim Beheim is out at my alma
mater after forty seven seasons and a loss, say to
Wake Forrest in their opening game of the ACC Tournament.
(01:27):
Already a college Basketball Hall of Famer, they lose on
the buzzer beater, which was just insane, which I'll tell honestly,
if I lost Gay, if I was seventy four, seventy five,
seventy six, seventy seven years old, seventy eight years old,
and I lost a game like Syracuse lost today, where
some some average player hits a turnaround Michael Jordan twisting
(01:49):
in the air jumper to tie a game defense he
didn't play defense, and then there's a desperation three that's
just chucked up at the buzzer to win. Yeah, I'd
probably walk away. I'd say, you know what, I can't.
I can't deal with these losses. I mean, that was
just that was just punching the gut. And then a
few hours later, Jim Beheim is no longer the head
(02:09):
coach at Syracuse. I walked into Syracuse as a freshman
in the fall of nineteen eighty eight. Already Beheim had
been there a dozen years, and he was coming off
a Final Four appearance, the loss in the championship game
to Indiana on the last second shot, the Keith Smart
shot that you see everywhere. I got to explain who
(02:32):
Keith Mark Smart is to millennials. It's okay, and he
was a legend. Then hey, here we are in the
Final four. We're there in the championship game. We were
one possession away from winning the championship. I walked in
there as a seventeen year old, and he was already
larger than life. I'm fifty two now, I am fifty two,
fifty two, and be grown now out. I know, I'm
(02:53):
a grown ass man. And this is how Beheim now
is out. After thirty five more years at Syracuse, Beheim
goes out. And this is why I say about never cursing,
because for a guy, for whatever you want to say
about him, we'll get well. We'll talk about Syracuse in
the direction of the program and how they've not fared
well in recent years, a losing year last year, and
(03:15):
maybe no postseason this year. Although if you're the n
it T, you're like, we are room for Jim Beheim
in the NI field. We can. I'll be a pretty
big story a lot of people watching TV for Jim.
For him to go out like this, right, this is
not how Hall of Famers go out. I don't care
if it was difficult. I don't care if Beheim didn't
(03:36):
want to go. I don't care if you pushed him out.
You figure out a better way to say goodbye and
part with a guy who was your program for forty
seven bleeping years. You figure out a way for guy
who won a national championship and went to seven final fours?
That what fifteen Big East championships? You find a better
way than Beyheim at a press conference today saying that, hey,
(03:57):
if you paid attention, I gave my retirement speech last week,
nobody picked up on it. Wait, what you're retiring? So, Jim,
you're retiring. No, it's not my decision, it's the university's decision.
But wait, you said you gave your retirement speech. You're retiring. No,
it's the university's decision. And then he's out and there's
no announcement of his retirement. It's just he won't be
returning as Syracuse's head coach. How does today unfold like
(04:21):
this for that kind of fore legend? I really I'm
a Frostburg. I mean it is. You listen to it
from Bayheim's own mouth. Following the game, when the I
won't be returning a Syracuse head coach storyline started to
pick up. Well, I gave my retirement speech on the
court last Saturday, and I gave it in the press
conference afterwards, and nobody except will William Payne figured it
(04:43):
out right now that you're going to retire, this is
up to the university you want to come back. I
didn't say that. Okay, So what are you saying. You're
not saying you're retiring. I just said it. I don't know,
So you don't know, okay. I said, this is up
to the university. Are right now that you're you're going
to retire, this is up to the university you want
(05:04):
to come back. I didn't say that. How will you
make a determination about when you will come back? You're
talking to the wrong guy. I'm the dude, I'm Ron
Burgundy that stays waiting for the end. How is that?
How it goes That's an exchange with Donna Datta, who
is a longtime Syracuse beat reporter who covers Syracuse, Syracuse
dot Com, Syracuse Post under the newspaper. Think about that.
(05:24):
This is how Beheim goes out. You want to come back.
I didn't say that you're retiring. Ask them, how is
it discontentious? I don't care. Look, I understand if guys
get pushed out, right, this is how it goes in
the world of sports. You age and you become someone who, Hey,
are you still the leader of the program or are
you holding the program back if you hang on too long?
(05:46):
This is how it goes. I understand that. I get
that part of it. But if you wanted to push
Beheim out, you got to figure out a way to
do it better than that. You got to figure out
a way to say, we are going to be able
to give a huge thank you to the coach. We're
gonna have some kind of um some guy not a
party or a celebration or why not? Right, have a go.
(06:09):
I'll go right down South Salina Street and Syracuse all
the bars I used to go to there, Yes, oh yeah, yeah, yeah,
they're great streets. Man, you get it. Anywhere. Yeah, it's
just Syracuse is great. Uh, It's really built for a
lot of shortcuts to get to places, you know, to
take the freeway, oh nowhere. Uh well yeah, Syracuse kind
of was the road to nowhere and I got out.
But you figure out a way to make it not this,
(06:32):
because however you feel Beheim was hanging out to he
was Syracuse basketball. He was the rock star of rock
star head coaches in college basketball. We don't talk about
a lot of guys like we talked about Jim Beheim.
We talked about coach k and and Beheim. They were
the big guys. Once in a while. John Calipari would
get our attention, not for a while, but Beheim was
(06:52):
always someone who stirred the pot and was a big
personality and was the big personality. The guy coached USA basketball,
he coached THEIS And this is how he goes out
with a crazy ass backwards press conference where it's like
an Aben Costello routine where it's who's on first. This
is how you couldn't figure it out better. I don't
care that if oh it's got messy it It was
this because Beeheim maybe he didn't want to go back
(07:14):
I don't care if you figure out a better way
than that, and if this is a way, oh well,
he's gonna go out and say what he wants to say.
You figure out a way to lead that and say, hey,
Jim Is, let's figure out something you needed to do
better jobs. So it didn't end today like this, with
that kind of back and forth of you want to
come back. I didn't say that. He didn't say he
wanted to come back to a university. He never left.
(07:35):
He walked on campus as a freshman, played for the
team there, never left. That's what he always says. I
walked on as a freshman. I've never left forty, you know,
more than fifty years ago. This is what he was
able to do, and you can't find a better way
to figure that out. I'm just so pissed that this
is how it goes down. Forget about what he accomplished
and didn't accomplish the last few years. That's a stop.
(07:55):
I'm gonna take your ass, Frostburg and you and you
too harm at both of you garments out the processor.
You go how everything I ever hoped it would be.
I'm gonna bang your heads together. This is well, you know,
what Comania's in a couple of weeks, skulls. You know,
I get that every coach doesn't get away to write
(08:16):
his own ticket out, doesn't get to retire the way.
But he had it and he didn't take it right.
But so I understand. But even before that, several years ago,
hey i'm leaving. I'm not really gonna leave, but this
you had your opportunity. So this time, if you were
sticking your feet in saying come take me on, blank,
you you're gone. You just you look awful that you
(08:38):
can't send your forty seven year head coach off. Better
than that, Better than a ridiculous press conference where it
sounds like he's pissed and a forty seven year affiliation
with the university is ending like this. I mean, come on, man,
that this this is us how you do it. It's
not you, And I'm sorry, but yeah, this is some
of the tough decisions you get paid for. Because you know,
it stopped me for a second. I think you new
(09:00):
if you were Chancellor Ken Severut or anybody else that
boy Jim Beheim leaving, if it's gonna be ornery, it's
we're gonna look bad. Let's figure out a way to
handle it. This is what you get paid for, man,
This is when you get paid for to make those
big time decisions where hey, where the coaches being he
doesn't want to come back. We don't know. You get
You get paid to make sure this goes smoother. And
(09:21):
that didn't happen. And that makes me really pissed because
this is a guy that gave everything to Syracuse. He
gave absolutely everything, and and there's not many guys like
that who would stay for that long and stay and
continue to go through and have a coaching tree and
all kinds of stuff going on and send countless guys
of the NBA. Uh, you find a better way. Yeah,
we know everybody gets pay. Everybody gets paid, doesn't matter.
(09:43):
I mean, folks denied it for many many years. I mean,
look at looking around our town where we broadcast from Fellas.
Folks still want to put their heads in the sand
and just talk about greatness like no, no, no no, no, no,
it all comes together. Let's put everything in a great,
big hug as to how you put together championship runs
and dying a in our history. For Beyheim, he had
the opportunity, like he had ample opportunities to leave. I'll
(10:05):
never believe he didn't, right, So he chose to stay there. Fine.
When it was looking like it was the end several
years ago we were on air talking about it. It
was awkward at that point because there was no endgame
on it, and what do you do that is all
you've known, it's forty seven years. This is where shut
(10:26):
and this is where the administration to some degree, and
I understand your angst, but this is one where your
heart's going to get in the way of your head
to a degree, Jason is that he's Beheim, which means
they can handle it a little less soft gloves than
it might be another coach. Why, because this guy's brought
it on himself with the way he's handled people and
(10:48):
handled things at pressers, including student reporters, and it's he's
had a number of bad looks in that and nothing
in terms of huge scandal, truly, you know, and through
through the year, as much as we may ride you
on the paying of Carmelo, you got your title and
move on, but it's the kind of thing that for Bayheim,
(11:10):
it seemed like there was going to be more of
the I'll leave when I'm ready, because that was the
quote earlier in the year, right, whatever he said last
week or two weeks ago. Yeah, I slyly put it in.
Ye beat it. You basically said, you're taking my coaching
job from my cold, dead hand. And you know what,
they decided they weren't going to wait that long, and
they came and got it off of a lackluster season.
(11:31):
Another one. Tied for eighth last year, ninth year before that,
eighth year before that, tied for six, tied for seven,
tied for tenth. To want to keep going, No, I mean,
it's a long way back to twenty thirteen, but this
is where and I understand all of that, and I
get the pushing out, and I get that because I look,
I'm sad and I'm optimistic because you know, I like
going to the NCAA tournament. I like having big runs
(11:52):
and not just every three years. Maybe we're good enough
to squeak in and have a sweet sixteen. The guy
gave you one national championship in forty seven years. Forty
he's the king. You know how many championships my teams
have had in my fifty two years on Earth. That's
a really valid point. That's like, well, that's like a
quarter of them. I'll back ups. I mean, you know
you talk about the pasture and squeezing and clenching and
(12:14):
all that creating diamonds. Yeah, that's what you want here,
Like like the King five Final four appearances in forty
seven years, that's that's crap. Yeah, forty seven years. Yeah,
but it's not just winning, it's it's the final four,
you know, because he's been there for forty seven years,
he's got a hundred more they took away because oh,
guy didn't take a class. I should have taken the class.
(12:36):
He should have at least had a proxy. I get.
I mean, it wasn't a dope at his lunch table
that he couldn't have given five Here, you get some
of my meal pay. Hey, hey, go take a bag
of serial with it. That's your payment. He didn't pick
up the phone and wish you a happy birthday though.
When I when I called him, did, I gotta I
gotta say he did? He did? He did not do that.
It was actually jerk face. Okay, okay, okay, let's let's
(12:58):
stop before I want to punch both of you more. Uh. Look,
I understand I understand the the you know, the pushing
out and he's going to be ornery. He doesn't want
to go. I understand that. But this is your university,
and this is where well, I'm just the chancellor, I'm
just the athletic director. I'm just John Wildhacker. I don't know,
I'm just a guy. No, this is where it's Hey, Jim,
this is what's happening. Now. We can either make this
(13:20):
really good and we can we can do this, or
we cannot. We can fit because I fail to see
how they couldn't have figured this out going on right,
they could don't know one hundred percent that they didn't try.
Jason right, but no, no, there's no try do or
do not. No, there is no try Yo yoda, that's
not the case. You figure out forty seven years you
what do you want? How to bring it an nostalgic.
(13:42):
They're all faulty after a loss. Hey, Jim, congratulations on
a job done. We got your own. And here's a
giant bucket of ice cream Rocky Road, your favorite Rocky
Road ice cream. No, I'm sorry, that's what you get
paid for. You get paid to figure this out and
not make it be the blank scuse. It's it's bigger
(14:04):
than Syracuse. Yeah, he's Have you said to me college
bad you said to any college basketball fan other than
the coach who coaches your team. Give me one coach
who's coaching right now in college basketball. The second name
outside of mc cronin or Tomizzo, the second name is
Jim Beheim. Well that's just means your program is a
sorry program. But that means you've been around forever, and
(14:26):
you got a guy who's loud and when he's mad
at reporters and threatens them or yells at them and whatever,
that it makes some news. Why because we're entertained because
he's the last of the crotchety old guys. Yeah, you
get some guys, but but look at the rest of
the other coaches. What did they all do? They begged
out because nil We had JR. Tolver On talking about
(14:47):
initiatives and resistance from older coaches last night, right Coach
K's talked about it. I got this, Remember, Davit was
supposed to retire when guys started getting paid. Still see
him collecting his huge check. This is the last of
those guys that was all surly because right now, if
you've asked an average person that what they know about
the NFL. They think Derek Carr is God because everybody's
(15:08):
talking about him. Just because they talk about him and
they know his name doesn't mean he's any good anymore.
I told you that about Derek carm with you on
the Derek Carr part of it, and may h. No,
now you'll stop with that. You shut up. It's gonna
be live drop Wednesday, the harmon. You shut up, gonna
say that you are? You shut up. Tell me I'm
wrought up, tell me tell me I'm wrong without it
being your emotions and your Syracuse degree clouding your judgment.
(15:32):
Look into your heart. You know it to be true.
One national champion had Fitzgerald is overrated. Gage you know
both of you just stop and you by guys both
just no, it's a hell of a run. He had
the up name. Look justin whatever you get. No, I
understand any in any job, I'll stipulate to if you're in.
(15:52):
And look, there's obviously others where it just means they
couldn't hire anybody else. That's all you know. You shut up.
You know all you shut up is that you're there
a long time. I respect the aptitude, I respect the
continuity and all of that because we talk, we championed
that in all of these other programs. What do we
talk about in the NFL to start with anything, Either
(16:13):
I'm complaining that the line sucks, or I'm talking about
how they're too fickle with their gms and coaches. So
there's never a continuity in a direction from more than
twelve to twenty four months. Here, Yeah, you got forty
seven years, but it was yeah five six that it
was done, that it was done, and that he was done.
But he didn't want to go out right he named
(16:34):
his successor. How many guys get to nit that's good.
Harmon's done, Cut him off, cut him off, Harmon's done,
Harmon's done. Be sure to catch live editions of The
Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern,
seven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeart
Radio app. You know something's gonna happen one day and
I'm gonna come in in Frostburg's not gonna be taught
me why I'm suing you, Why for everything that's gone
(16:55):
on with the show? I go, what have I ever
said to you? And he's gonna play back in this compilation.
I'm gonna get your rest. I will key your car. Frostburk,
I'm gonna knock you out. He's nine hundred and forty
eight occurrences of car keying, one of the smother friendly
with a pillow. We're gonna send you to one of
those rage rooms. Just let's just swing a bat around
(17:15):
for a while. You got you gotta let this one go, buddy,
Did you say these things about Frostburg Nod that it
sounds like me, but it wasn't. That was actually Harmon.
Actually Jim Beheim crying in the corner. No what I'll
end up happening against it. It'll play out like when
the Saturday Night Live skit the legendary shooting of Buckwheat,
and like, oh they had it for you live. Remember
it was live, the legendary. He was the kindest, gentlest,
(17:40):
most humble and gracious person I ever met. Do you
believe he killed buck Wheat? Oh yeah, definitely. Oh yeah,
that's all he ever talked about. John David Stunts, Right,
that's right, that's all you're talking about. Ted Copple here
with ongoing. Look, it's it's so on the with Beheim today.
We talked about it last hour It's just so awkward
(18:01):
how it comes down at the end where he doesn't
really retire, and he doesn't say that he's walking away,
he doesn't say that he's being forced out. Just a
ridiculously awkward press conference following Syracuse's loss to Wake Forrest
in the ACC Tournament. Today, let's hear the exchange. I mean,
this is how a forty seven year head coach, Hall
(18:21):
of Fame head coach gets to go out with this
kind of back and forth with a reporter about his
future following team, his team getting knocked out in the tournament. Well,
I gave my retirement speech on the court last Saturday,
and I gave it in the press conference afterwards, and
nobody except William William Payne figured it out. Right now
(18:43):
that you're you're going to retire, this is up to
the university. You want to come back. I didn't say that.
So what are you saying. You're not saying you're retiring,
said it. I don't know, So you don't know, okay.
I said, this is up to the university. Right now
that you're you're going to retire, this is up to
the university you want to come back. I didn't say that. Hell,
(19:05):
you'd make a determination about when you will come back.
You're talking to the wrong guy. That's your coach of
forty seven years. All right, I put the bright lights
on them like it's Sippois. All right. Number one? What
you found that at laying in the aisle three into bodega?
One of your guy one of the new drops we
need tie shirt is bay. I'm saying I didn't say
that because that's my favorite part. So you want to
come back? I didn't say that, But you want to
(19:26):
come back? I didn't say that. I mean, that's that
didn't so often. It's so much as good as Spike leaves.
But nobody told me. I didn't say that, So you're retiring.
I didn't. I don't say the dude, I didn't say
talk to the university. Wait, but you want to retire.
I didn't say that you want to come back. I
didn't say that. Wait a minute, what is happening here?
That's like a conversation. I could have seen it. Just
keep going with it. I stop fished. I mean Donna Totota,
(19:49):
who's a Syracuse b report, I mean the whole thing.
Just I'm like, I didn't say that, So what are
you saying I gave it last week. You did, so
you're retiring. I didn't say that, but you just said
you gave you retirement speech. No, I didn't say. That's
the university. It's like, what is how does it that? Awkward?
How is it? But that's the thing though, But look
what he did there? Does he need to be that guy? No? He?
(20:11):
I mean, look, he played the character. And this is
where it's a dangerous thing when when you create that
level of a character as a coach, as a player,
whatever else, whatever life you're trying to project. Right, That's
where John Morant is now in a in this world
of all right, what's real, what's imagined? And how do
you get out of it? Right? You get stuck in
that moment. Uh. You talk to all the people that
(20:34):
have played for Belichick through the years. Rich Ornberger was
in for you last night, told a couple of great stories,
did his impressions and laughing about you know, guys in
their video game habits and whatever else. Just funny as hell.
That's not the guy you get a press conferences. Popovich
from all accounts, you know, the fatherly figure, jovial off
(20:54):
the court, whatever on the court, I'm gonna give you
two words. I'm gonna glare at you in press conference.
I'm gonna be a pine in the ass. And so
for Bayheim, he had the opportunity to try to at
least flip the script a little bit and not come
off as so terse and combative and give a little
bit of context. You give a bunch of three word answers.
I didn't say that. No, I didn't say that it's
(21:16):
in their course. It's like, well, no, it's it's a
forty seven year relationship. And I look, I know relationships
of a long time could go to hell really fast.
But the fact of the matter is he goes in
front of the presser and he didn't need to make
it like that, Like that's on him for escalating it.
I'm not saying it's a good situation, and certainly don't
(21:37):
absolve syrac Use and the brass there. Whatever the conversations
have been throughout this season, going back to last season,
going back to the first time what was it five
years ago or seven years ago or however long it was,
it's in our tenure here at Fox Sports Radio that
he was supposed to go away and then decided Nah,
that coach in waiting. He can wait forever. Yeah, I'm
(21:57):
not leaving. I would have made this easy he could.
But here's but here's the thing. I agree with you,
But you're the university. You know how he's going to react.
You know how he's going to So this is on
you to say, all right, we have to be the
ones to kind of take it on the chin here. Wow,
you're not meeting the media after losing because you're a child.
(22:19):
We gotta be the ones that that, Okay, we have
to do a little bit of bending here, even though
we don't want to, because we gotta make sure that
Beheim goes out the way he should because this reflects
poorly on us, poorly on the university, and it's all
people are going to talk about. It's gonna be the
lasting image of Jim Beheim, and nobody wants that. You
have to be I'm sorry. You got to figure that out.
It's what you get paid the big money for. And
(22:40):
we talked about getting paid big money. You get paid
big money for that. It's what you need to be doing.
And so yeah, so the school needed to be able
to say, all right, let's figure out the right way
to do it and they didn't do it, and it's
and it's unforgivable. Then suddenly he doesn't can't even say
if he's retiring, he's this the university. All they're saying
is thanks Jim, whoa nothing to do with that. Thanks
(23:01):
for here's a here's a statement on Twitter. Thanks for
forty seven. That's what you get here. You give m
a gold watch too. Here take this watch, Jim. We
appreciate it that. Thank you as we're all watching the
NCAA tournament without our team, And thanks Jim. I mean,
I really I get that. I get that Beaheim could
have done it. But this is who he is. He's
always been prickly, in ornery. He's always been that way, right,
But what do I tell? But but this is this
(23:23):
is how beloved he is for not not just the
not just fans and people went to serrecus of players,
but entire college basketball Bay. It's a big personality. He's
a guy, he's a guy that everybody knows who he is.
Everybody does. It's why it's the biggest story in sports tonight.
It's why it's trending at the top of Twitter, because
I mean, well, that and Kevin durant slipping and falling.
But I mean, there's a reason that that's up there,
and there's a reason that's there, and you have to
(23:45):
figure out a better way to be able to handle
this situation because you know how he's going to react
and you should have done it. And I know I'm
sound like, I'm, I'm, I'm you're you're you're letting a
bad you know, a bad kid off with behavior doing it. Yeah, well, okay,
when the guy has done what he's done for forty
seven years. Yeah, you kind of need to find a
(24:05):
better way that this can go, that this can go across,
to not have it end in such an awkward This
is how it ends for me. Maybe they don't like
the guys. Maybe they don't I don't care. Maybe they
don't like he did something. I don't care. Man, Maybe
he treated them like garbage. I don't care. I don't care,
because you know what that's gonna look like that you
can't This is how this is how it was. He'll
be on Dan Patrick's show in the morning cussing people out.
(24:27):
He might he might, Yeah, I know that's sure, but
but you know what, the funny thing you say, media,
I will tell you this, I don't know that Beheim's
a guy that has many regrets because this is this
is just who he's been for his entire life, right
He's I'll shoot from the well. I'll tell you My
favorite quote about him is when he had that when
he was serving that suspension for the violations and Jay
(24:47):
Billis went to watch a game with him at his
home to went to watch Syracuse game was being coached
by Mike Hopkins at the time before he left for Washington. Uh.
And my best quote Beheim was was after something happened
and there was a time on the floor, he said
to Jay Billis, I wish I was at the game
so I could take that player out, like I want
to be in the game, that I could take him
out of the game, like that's I want to be there.
(25:08):
Her suspensions and other violations because like going back to
the retirement thing, like he has the opportunity to, I
have no interest in retirement. Didn't need to put it
in that. I don't know. No, you know, if you
want to keep coaching, you may not be at Syracuse.
But you could have answered that like a grown up,
(25:29):
whatever's going on with Syracuse? You could have done that
now putting out the the press release of hey, here's
the guy that's succeeding him, and good luck to that.
You know, you've got an opportunity to go forge forge greatness.
But it is certainly a curiosity as Adrian Autry goes
(25:49):
and takes over the program that for Bayheim, you've got
the reputation. Look, you're there forty seven years, you become
one of the Elder Statesmen, and just like I sided
with Belle check and Popovic, you know, people want to
hear it, right. We love great quotes or terrible quotes
or nothing that we get to extrapolate on, and in
this case, this is a lot of well what really
(26:12):
went on behind the scenes, we don't know. They might
have been having it might be the Lamar Jackson situation,
except with the coach. We've been talking about this for
two years and we've made no headway. So here we are.
So with Beyheim again. You know, the university wears it.
And part of it is if you really wanted him
(26:33):
gone at some other point in this tenure, then yeah,
you probably should have played hardball at some other point.
And we're watching all the Elder Statesman coaches walk away
others that might be forced out of where they are
based on the lack of success, right Caliperry a lot
of people calling for his job. And while Rick Patino's
bounced around doesn't have the same cache I mean, because
(26:55):
he's been there for forty seven years, Beyeheim still has that.
If he'd been coached anywhere else, does he have the
same juice like as I mean, if you had a
second or a third school on the resume, probably not
because it's not the same act and he's not seen,
as you know, a figure who's a living, walking, breathing,
curmudgeonly statue in front of you at the podium. But
(27:17):
here we are, and it's an awkward, terrible thing. My
condolences to all of you Syracuse slam in media, radio,
and television. It's a dark day and a cloud because
of all of these years, because it's the only thing
you've ever known in your waking life as a Syracuse
fan and now alum, Jason and for some of your friends,
(27:40):
just tell him this. The sun will rise tomorrow, This
too shall pass. Mike Ditka, upon being exited by as
Bears coach, Well, look, I'll tell you this because as
you talked about with the media and everything else in
your My favorite quote of him was this is that
the one thing I bet he regrets is that he's
the one to put all of this in motion. Because
(28:02):
there was a press conference following a game about a
month ago in which they asked him a bit because
they asked about his future all the time, and he
gives him the same answer. But he said, after the game,
it's my decision. It's my decision whether y'or not to retire.
They've given it to me, And that was the moment
where this whole narrative was activated. It was like you
(28:22):
had a really powerful computer that is just sitting, that
is just sitting, and you don't want to turn it on,
because when you turn it on, crazy things. It's like Skynet.
We don't want to make Skynet aware. If you make
Skynet aware, suddenly the world's gonna end, right, And that's
what beheim at. Don't turn the computer on, don't turn
the god. You're getting older, you're not winning, and you
need to be able to keep what you want to
keep your job, keep going, keep going down and make
(28:43):
people think that we're turning around the corner. But the
minute he said that, that turned that Skynet computer on.
Everything was activated and the whole is this it for
Beheim storyline continued from there. There was no real is
he going to retire? It was always well, maybe in
a year, he'll announce. After this year, he'll do another
year or two, because that's always what he said. He said,
(29:03):
I'm always going to give a year or two notice
so people know what's going on and we know who
the coach is going to be so we can continue
to recruit. Right, he's always selling that was your immediate
reaction to the loss. Before he ever said a word
and set note at that press, he always said that's
how I'm gonna do it. And now because of that,
because of that conversation, and it blew up and ran
out of control. This is where we are today, where
(29:26):
I think if he could go back and he wouldn't
say anything, he would just not say anything, would just say,
let's I'll deal with that at the end. Every year,
you give me the same questions, let's talk about the
game tonight and let's go on. But it's it's my decision.
It's mine now. Maybe something was going on behind closed
doors there at that point, and he got a little
mad about it. But the worst thing to do right
there was to make that public because once that got
out there, whoa, whoa my decision, Hey university, what do
(29:47):
you have to say? And now suddenly we we accelerated
that timeline where maybe he was going to be the
end of the year. We want you to retire in
a year or two, Jim, we really want you to
do this and all this stuff, and Jim, Jim, you know, Jim,
Chim Jim, Oh, you're the wrong Jim. Get a Jim
nats Jim Chip Chip, Jason. You should be feeling a
lot of relief right now. Why is that because you're
gonna have a new coach after forty seven weeks. Yeah,
(30:08):
somebody that's gonna be good, No hope. And I'm out
of the mediocrity. I'm in a coach. I'm in a
combination of sadness and optimism because look, I do like
to go to the tournament every year and maybe the
next you know, Adrian Autry is gonna be a little
bit different. Guy was a great player at Syracuse. The
Cowboy for keeping. Yes that's him, Yes he is. Yes,
he's got a museum comes down by the zoo here. Yeah,
(30:29):
he's got the lasso and he goes lasso comes back
next week. I think you're now conflating it be a goal.
No spoilers, Smith, no spoilers, but I have no I
am sad and I am optimistic because, like I said,
I do like going to it. I don't like being
under five hundred happy. We're basketball. Celebrate, man, Let's celebrate
Syracuse us for ever twitter at How about a fresco
(30:54):
If you would like a job here at Fox Sports Radio,
let me know, and we can clean house. We can
just we can just do. Let's get rid of something.
They're doing it us, get rid of everybody. We're gonna
get rid of everybody. Everybody's making too much money. They've
been around too late. League. I don't know every better decision.
We're gonna get rid of everybody, bringing all new people.
Mister Lebowski, you're mister Lebowski. I'm the dude. Be sure
(31:17):
to catch live editions of The Jason Smith Show with
Mike harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven pm Pacific,
but joining us now on the hotline for all the
latest news in the NBA. Fox Sports One NBA insider extraordinary.
You can fall them on Twitter at Rick Buker. Check
out his on the Ball podcast. Rick Buker joining us
today for the first time in a month since the
(31:39):
Knicks lost their last game. It's been a full month,
Rick Buker, of a month weekly visits by you since
the Knicks lost their last game. And here you are
with us again tonight. Thank you for coming on. It's
how I set It's how I set my calendar. Oh good,
get that everybody, So what do you think of our idea?
It's a show call the Lakers are back with a
(32:02):
question mark and because everybody seen, and that's the daily debate,
right And the first segment of the show is the
highlight of the game. The second segment is man on
the street interviews of fans saying they're either back or
they're not. The third segment is the two hosts debating
whether or not the Lakers are back. And the fourth
segment is we show our online poll results from fans
who think the Lakers are back or not. And that's
(32:22):
a show. Yeah. I think you could do that pretty
much every day from day one of the season. There
we go, there we go, we call it. You're good.
We call it disputed. No, no, no, but the Lakers
are back with a question mark. That's a show. I
you have to call it disputed, call it life in La.
(32:43):
It's uh yeah, no, I you know it's it's for
whatever reason. It's funny because even with Lebron out of
the picture, it's still we're talking about a team that
is tied for ninth that is trying to scrape into
the play in that I don't know if they get
(33:06):
to the playoffs, and if they do, you know, there's
a lot of talk get mc noise. Now. I got
people saying, who who could beat the Lakers if Lebron
comes back? And my answer, my short answer is just
about anybody. Um so. I But you know, for whatever reason,
it's the Lakers. It's it's it's Anthony Davis. It's the
(33:26):
new pieces they are. They do have a soap opera
element and this is a long way from winning time,
but it still feels like it's the same story. I mean,
look at what Anthony Davis is doing. It it's you.
We've we've wanted to see this Anthony Davis forever, forever,
(33:53):
and now that they're in this place where this Anthony
Davis gets them, you know, scrapes them into the plan,
maybe gets them to the playoffs. It's um, I'll take it,
but like I would have rather have seen this Anthony
(34:15):
Davis when it would mean a little bit, a little
more than than than this. And it's just we're they're
trying to stay relevant at this point. And here's the
other part, Like if you look at the West and
they can continue this way and they're they're a feel
good story, there's a very there's still a possibility. I
think they're I think there's I would be very surprised
(34:37):
if Oklahoma City rejoins the Fray, And so I would
say that the Lakers are a certainty being the plan.
But you know, if they lose, uh, don't get out
of the play in. All the moves that they made
to get this roster together now impacts their free agent
(35:00):
to see over the summer in a big way. So
if you're feeling good, like hey, you give you a
full season these Lakers, that's going to be a different story.
Then Okay, they might be able to keep this roster together.
But if you're thinking like hey, we're gonna have this
roster and then we're gonna add pieces or whatever. Now,
this is kind of who you are going forward as
(35:21):
a result, and we'll see whether it pays off this season.
All they needed to do is make him bleed his
own blood. So I'll ask the question that I have
to Jason on Monday. He took yesterday off in morning
because the Knicks lost to Charlotte. Yeah. I just was
so beside himself with that no LaMelo ball and you
lose that game and everything goes to sudden. Nobody had
(35:43):
him rings to the Charlotte Hornets. Nobody loses tired after
don't like we have a two games to none lead
in our best to seventh series against the Celtics. We
needed a night off there, man, I don't even need
to add that's the question. Jason had him as top five.
What say you top five? What NBA top five most
(36:07):
disappointing performances? Listen, if you did, if you did, if
you did an NBA power ranking right now, NBA power
rank is right now, this moment in time, The Knicks
are a top five team right now, this moment in time,
right now power rank, Nicks are a top five team.
You can say it's three more times or five time Okay,
(36:34):
let me ask you there, Let me ask you, who
are you taking over? Okay, hang on, hang on, okay,
hang on, hang on, who are you taking If the
knickser power to right power five, Bucks, Celtics, Sixers, Nuggets,
who are you taking over the Knicks at that? After
those four teams? Bucks, Celtics, Sixers, Nuggets, who are you
(36:58):
taking over the Knicks? Right now? The Cavaliers, You're not Memphis,
you're not Sacramento. You're not. But what's the next one? Lakers?
The Lakers are back? Baby? Did you include the Suns? Well,
Katie had a layup line less nafood tonight. So now
in the sea in the last in the last thirty
(37:21):
second the top far Oh okay, you wait a minute, boy,
are you sneaking in? Ankle is sore? Phoenix is out? Okay,
wait wait, So what you're saying is then the Knicks
would be six because you would take the Sun's at
That's fine, you want to take the Suns ahead. The
Knicks are six in the Rick Buker Power rankings. Okay,
I don't think that's that far off. Actually, the one
(37:43):
of the teams that are really like right now that
the record doesn't look great. But um, the Minnesota Timberwolves,
I think are are coming together. I think the Mike
Conley moved quietly. They're figuring some things out him coming
over from Utah. He knows how to keep Rudy Gobert involved. Uh,
they're making he knows how to get Anthony Edwards going.
(38:04):
They're playing more Kyle Anderson, so they're playing smarter basketball. Um,
you know, I can't. I look, the Knicks have been
on one and I have been skeptical of them, largely
because they're the Knicks, and I historically what they've been
and how Tom Thibodeaux generally coaches, and I, you know,
(38:27):
just looking at their lack of creativity offensive, I mean,
it's it's I will say this, it's very impressive that
they're doing what they're doing. And I and I made
a comparison of them to two years ago, and I
will say this is a this is a better team
than that team, for sure. But I'm still like, I'll
(38:51):
put it to you, I'll ask you this, because they're
playing it's fair to say they're they're they're playing close
to their or their max Is that is that fair
to say? Or they're they're playing at a very high level.
Who is it that elevates their game in the postseason
(39:11):
to take them the next step? Because it's gonna be
like the playoffs, everybody takes a step up. That that's
the requirement, and that's where like, is Jalen Brunsen going
to go to another level? I don't. I don't think
that's realistic to ask that. Um So, who is it
that's going to make that turn? That's that's what I
(39:35):
don't see. And that's why, in spite of what has
been a really good and surprisingly good regular season, I
still sound like a skeptic because I just I don't
know how they meet the the what what is a
playoff expectation? Which is you're playing at this level, Now
you got to go to another level if you want
(39:56):
to advance around or two and I maybe there's somebody
that I'm missing. Um So tell me and enlighten me
who you think that player could be? Willi's Reid? You
never know? Ye? Hey? Lastly, Rid quickly obviously, Look, the
(40:16):
Jah Morran story has been a really big deal the
last few days, and we get the announcement today he's
going to be away from the team for four more games.
They're not calling it a suspension. Adam Silver is not
weigh in, which I think is weak. And I don't
get how he backs away from things so often. How
do you think this winds up getting resolved as the
John Moran story goes, Well, the fact that he's not
(40:39):
facing um, any legal I mean that that loomed large
and um and now there's some question of whether he
has some sort of of issues, um, you know, a
drinking issue that that's kind of been floated out there.
(41:00):
And if that's the case, then you know, it's a
matter of can he get help? Can he get treatment?
Is that an explanation for the behavior that I mean?
And that just not knowing, But that would make a
lot of sense to me, because while this looks really bad, Um,
it's not the John Morant. It's it's a it's a
(41:23):
it's a very extreme departure from who I've seen John
Morant b in a variety of ways, both as a
teammate and with fans and representing the city of Memphis.
And so that would explain a lot And if and
(41:43):
if that is what it's going to take for him
to get back on the beam, then I think that
the number of games that he misses is really irrelevant.
It's really a matter of can he get back to
can can he solve his problem in order to be
able to continue his life and continue to be a
great player. You know, the the NBA is vested in him.
(42:06):
They don't They don't want to see John Morant fail
because he's potentially, you know, one of the future faces,
but certainly one of the future stars of this league.
And um, they have no interest in just burying the
kid and moving on, like they want to see him
(42:28):
return to his best self. So I don't know how
many I don't know how many games it's going to take.
In spite of where they are in the standings. I
feel like this has been a like a major disruption
or hiccup to this season. And and I say that,
and at the same time, I'm like, you know what
if if this has to be sacrificed in order for
(42:51):
jaw to get back on the beam, then I think
that's a small price to pay for what could be
a very bright future for a kid. And I and
you know a lot of people are like, you don't
make excuses for him. He did this, He did that.
Look It's one thing if you um and and don't
I don't know what happened with the kid. You know,
when when it's violence towards somebody else, Um, then that's
(43:15):
a whole different category. If we're talking about what really
sparked all of this, which was you know, messing around
you know, uh, brandishing, not even brandishing, but just showing
a gun while he was he was dancing, that's just
utter stupidity. It's one day if he's pointing it at somebody,
(43:36):
if he's using it like that's it. I see that
as a different category, and certainly getting into an altercation
with a kid that's in a different category. Um. But again,
I've seen people who you know, when inebriated or who
have drinking problems, like they do a lot of stuff
(43:56):
that is out of character. And I'm going to gonna
hope that that is the issue here because it means
the possibility that we can see the true character of
John Morant once again. You can follow them on Twitter
at Rick Bucker, That is at Rick Buker. Check out
the On the Ball podcast as well. Rick is always buddy,
appreciate your time, great stuff. My friend Kelly who brate
(44:20):
Junior yo, you're the best, Ricky. Thanks rick
Thanks for listening to the best to the Jason Smith
Show with Mike Carmen podcast. Be sure to catch us
live every weeknight from ten pm to two am Eastern
seven to eleven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find
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(00:21):
This is the best of The Jason Smith Show with
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Unlike any other in the last forty seven years of
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(00:43):
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dot com The way tire buying should be. Yes, we
have Kevin Durant slipping. He is out of his home
debut after falling in the layup line. We have big
stuff with John Morant of course the day after for
Lamar Jackson Aaron Rodgers. But I gotta be honest if
(01:07):
I don't curse on the show tonight, I'll never curse.
I shouldn't say. Now, you never say. If I don't
curse on the show tonight, likely I will never curse
on the show. Jim Beheim is out at my alma
mater after forty seven seasons and a loss, say to
Wake Forrest in their opening game of the ACC Tournament.
(01:27):
Already a college Basketball Hall of Famer, they lose on
the buzzer beater, which was just insane, which I'll tell honestly,
if I lost Gay, if I was seventy four, seventy five,
seventy six, seventy seven years old, seventy eight years old,
and I lost a game like Syracuse lost today, where
some some average player hits a turnaround Michael Jordan twisting
(01:49):
in the air jumper to tie a game defense he
didn't play defense, and then there's a desperation three that's
just chucked up at the buzzer to win. Yeah, I'd
probably walk away. I'd say, you know what, I can't.
I can't deal with these losses. I mean, that was
just that was just punching the gut. And then a
few hours later, Jim Beheim is no longer the head
(02:09):
coach at Syracuse. I walked into Syracuse as a freshman
in the fall of nineteen eighty eight. Already Beheim had
been there a dozen years, and he was coming off
a Final Four appearance, the loss in the championship game
to Indiana on the last second shot, the Keith Smart
shot that you see everywhere. I got to explain who
(02:32):
Keith Mark Smart is to millennials. It's okay, and he
was a legend. Then hey, here we are in the
Final four. We're there in the championship game. We were
one possession away from winning the championship. I walked in
there as a seventeen year old, and he was already
larger than life. I'm fifty two now, I am fifty two,
fifty two, and be grown now out. I know, I'm
(02:53):
a grown ass man. And this is how Beheim now
is out. After thirty five more years at Syracuse, Beheim
goes out. And this is why I say about never cursing,
because for a guy, for whatever you want to say
about him, we'll get well. We'll talk about Syracuse in
the direction of the program and how they've not fared
well in recent years, a losing year last year, and
(03:15):
maybe no postseason this year. Although if you're the n
it T, you're like, we are room for Jim Beheim
in the NI field. We can. I'll be a pretty
big story a lot of people watching TV for Jim.
For him to go out like this, right, this is
not how Hall of Famers go out. I don't care
if it was difficult. I don't care if Beheim didn't
(03:36):
want to go. I don't care if you pushed him out.
You figure out a better way to say goodbye and
part with a guy who was your program for forty
seven bleeping years. You figure out a way for guy
who won a national championship and went to seven final fours?
That what fifteen Big East championships? You find a better
way than Beyheim at a press conference today saying that, hey,
(03:57):
if you paid attention, I gave my retirement speech last week,
nobody picked up on it. Wait, what you're retiring? So, Jim,
you're retiring. No, it's not my decision, it's the university's decision.
But wait, you said you gave your retirement speech. You're retiring. No,
it's the university's decision. And then he's out and there's
no announcement of his retirement. It's just he won't be
returning as Syracuse's head coach. How does today unfold like
(04:21):
this for that kind of fore legend? I really I'm
a Frostburg. I mean it is. You listen to it
from Bayheim's own mouth. Following the game, when the I
won't be returning a Syracuse head coach storyline started to
pick up. Well, I gave my retirement speech on the
court last Saturday, and I gave it in the press
conference afterwards, and nobody except will William Payne figured it
(04:43):
out right now that you're going to retire, this is
up to the university you want to come back. I
didn't say that. Okay, So what are you saying. You're
not saying you're retiring. I just said it. I don't know,
So you don't know, okay. I said, this is up
to the university. Are right now that you're you're going
to retire, this is up to the university you want
(05:04):
to come back. I didn't say that. How will you
make a determination about when you will come back? You're
talking to the wrong guy. I'm the dude, I'm Ron
Burgundy that stays waiting for the end. How is that?
How it goes That's an exchange with Donna Datta, who
is a longtime Syracuse beat reporter who covers Syracuse, Syracuse
dot Com, Syracuse Post under the newspaper. Think about that.
(05:24):
This is how Beheim goes out. You want to come back.
I didn't say that you're retiring. Ask them, how is
it discontentious? I don't care. Look, I understand if guys
get pushed out, right, this is how it goes in
the world of sports. You age and you become someone who, Hey,
are you still the leader of the program or are
you holding the program back if you hang on too long?
(05:46):
This is how it goes. I understand that. I get
that part of it. But if you wanted to push
Beheim out, you got to figure out a way to
do it better than that. You got to figure out
a way to say, we are going to be able
to give a huge thank you to the coach. We're
gonna have some kind of um some guy not a
party or a celebration or why not? Right, have a go.
(06:09):
I'll go right down South Salina Street and Syracuse all
the bars I used to go to there, Yes, oh yeah, yeah, yeah,
they're great streets. Man, you get it. Anywhere. Yeah, it's
just Syracuse is great. Uh, It's really built for a
lot of shortcuts to get to places, you know, to
take the freeway, oh nowhere. Uh well yeah, Syracuse kind
of was the road to nowhere and I got out.
But you figure out a way to make it not this,
(06:32):
because however you feel Beheim was hanging out to he
was Syracuse basketball. He was the rock star of rock
star head coaches in college basketball. We don't talk about
a lot of guys like we talked about Jim Beheim.
We talked about coach k and and Beheim. They were
the big guys. Once in a while. John Calipari would
get our attention, not for a while, but Beheim was
(06:52):
always someone who stirred the pot and was a big
personality and was the big personality. The guy coached USA basketball,
he coached THEIS And this is how he goes out
with a crazy ass backwards press conference where it's like
an Aben Costello routine where it's who's on first. This
is how you couldn't figure it out better. I don't
care that if oh it's got messy it It was
this because Beeheim maybe he didn't want to go back
(07:14):
I don't care if you figure out a better way
than that, and if this is a way, oh well,
he's gonna go out and say what he wants to say.
You figure out a way to lead that and say, hey,
Jim Is, let's figure out something you needed to do
better jobs. So it didn't end today like this, with
that kind of back and forth of you want to
come back. I didn't say that. He didn't say he
wanted to come back to a university. He never left.
(07:35):
He walked on campus as a freshman, played for the
team there, never left. That's what he always says. I
walked on as a freshman. I've never left forty, you know,
more than fifty years ago. This is what he was
able to do, and you can't find a better way
to figure that out. I'm just so pissed that this
is how it goes down. Forget about what he accomplished
and didn't accomplish the last few years. That's a stop.
(07:55):
I'm gonna take your ass, Frostburg and you and you
too harm at both of you garments out the processor.
You go how everything I ever hoped it would be.
I'm gonna bang your heads together. This is well, you know,
what Comania's in a couple of weeks, skulls. You know,
I get that every coach doesn't get away to write
(08:16):
his own ticket out, doesn't get to retire the way.
But he had it and he didn't take it right.
But so I understand. But even before that, several years ago,
hey i'm leaving. I'm not really gonna leave, but this
you had your opportunity. So this time, if you were
sticking your feet in saying come take me on, blank,
you you're gone. You just you look awful that you
(08:38):
can't send your forty seven year head coach off. Better
than that, Better than a ridiculous press conference where it
sounds like he's pissed and a forty seven year affiliation
with the university is ending like this. I mean, come on, man,
that this this is us how you do it. It's
not you, And I'm sorry, but yeah, this is some
of the tough decisions you get paid for. Because you know,
it stopped me for a second. I think you new
(09:00):
if you were Chancellor Ken Severut or anybody else that
boy Jim Beheim leaving, if it's gonna be ornery, it's
we're gonna look bad. Let's figure out a way to
handle it. This is what you get paid for, man,
This is when you get paid for to make those
big time decisions where hey, where the coaches being he
doesn't want to come back. We don't know. You get
You get paid to make sure this goes smoother. And
(09:21):
that didn't happen. And that makes me really pissed because
this is a guy that gave everything to Syracuse. He
gave absolutely everything, and and there's not many guys like
that who would stay for that long and stay and
continue to go through and have a coaching tree and
all kinds of stuff going on and send countless guys
of the NBA. Uh, you find a better way. Yeah,
we know everybody gets pay. Everybody gets paid, doesn't matter.
(09:43):
I mean, folks denied it for many many years. I mean,
look at looking around our town where we broadcast from Fellas.
Folks still want to put their heads in the sand
and just talk about greatness like no, no, no no, no, no,
it all comes together. Let's put everything in a great,
big hug as to how you put together championship runs
and dying a in our history. For Beyheim, he had
the opportunity, like he had ample opportunities to leave. I'll
(10:05):
never believe he didn't, right, So he chose to stay there. Fine.
When it was looking like it was the end several
years ago we were on air talking about it. It
was awkward at that point because there was no endgame
on it, and what do you do that is all
you've known, it's forty seven years. This is where shut
(10:26):
and this is where the administration to some degree, and
I understand your angst, but this is one where your
heart's going to get in the way of your head
to a degree, Jason is that he's Beheim, which means
they can handle it a little less soft gloves than
it might be another coach. Why, because this guy's brought
it on himself with the way he's handled people and
(10:48):
handled things at pressers, including student reporters, and it's he's
had a number of bad looks in that and nothing
in terms of huge scandal, truly, you know, and through
through the year, as much as we may ride you
on the paying of Carmelo, you got your title and
move on, but it's the kind of thing that for Bayheim,
(11:10):
it seemed like there was going to be more of
the I'll leave when I'm ready, because that was the
quote earlier in the year, right, whatever he said last
week or two weeks ago. Yeah, I slyly put it in.
Ye beat it. You basically said, you're taking my coaching
job from my cold, dead hand. And you know what,
they decided they weren't going to wait that long, and
they came and got it off of a lackluster season.
(11:31):
Another one. Tied for eighth last year, ninth year before that,
eighth year before that, tied for six, tied for seven,
tied for tenth. To want to keep going, No, I mean,
it's a long way back to twenty thirteen, but this
is where and I understand all of that, and I
get the pushing out, and I get that because I look,
I'm sad and I'm optimistic because you know, I like
going to the NCAA tournament. I like having big runs
(11:52):
and not just every three years. Maybe we're good enough
to squeak in and have a sweet sixteen. The guy
gave you one national championship in forty seven years. Forty
he's the king. You know how many championships my teams
have had in my fifty two years on Earth. That's
a really valid point. That's like, well, that's like a
quarter of them. I'll back ups. I mean, you know
you talk about the pasture and squeezing and clenching and
(12:14):
all that creating diamonds. Yeah, that's what you want here,
Like like the King five Final four appearances in forty
seven years, that's that's crap. Yeah, forty seven years. Yeah,
but it's not just winning, it's it's the final four,
you know, because he's been there for forty seven years,
he's got a hundred more they took away because oh,
guy didn't take a class. I should have taken the class.
(12:36):
He should have at least had a proxy. I get.
I mean, it wasn't a dope at his lunch table
that he couldn't have given five Here, you get some
of my meal pay. Hey, hey, go take a bag
of serial with it. That's your payment. He didn't pick
up the phone and wish you a happy birthday though.
When I when I called him, did, I gotta I
gotta say he did? He did? He did not do that.
It was actually jerk face. Okay, okay, okay, let's let's
(12:58):
stop before I want to punch both of you more. Uh. Look,
I understand I understand the the you know, the pushing
out and he's going to be ornery. He doesn't want
to go. I understand that. But this is your university,
and this is where well, I'm just the chancellor, I'm
just the athletic director. I'm just John Wildhacker. I don't know,
I'm just a guy. No, this is where it's Hey, Jim,
this is what's happening. Now. We can either make this
(13:20):
really good and we can we can do this, or
we cannot. We can fit because I fail to see
how they couldn't have figured this out going on right,
they could don't know one hundred percent that they didn't try.
Jason right, but no, no, there's no try do or
do not. No, there is no try Yo yoda, that's
not the case. You figure out forty seven years you
what do you want? How to bring it an nostalgic.
(13:42):
They're all faulty after a loss. Hey, Jim, congratulations on
a job done. We got your own. And here's a
giant bucket of ice cream Rocky Road, your favorite Rocky
Road ice cream. No, I'm sorry, that's what you get
paid for. You get paid to figure this out and
not make it be the blank scuse. It's it's bigger
(14:04):
than Syracuse. Yeah, he's Have you said to me college
bad you said to any college basketball fan other than
the coach who coaches your team. Give me one coach
who's coaching right now in college basketball. The second name
outside of mc cronin or Tomizzo, the second name is
Jim Beheim. Well that's just means your program is a
sorry program. But that means you've been around forever, and
(14:26):
you got a guy who's loud and when he's mad
at reporters and threatens them or yells at them and whatever,
that it makes some news. Why because we're entertained because
he's the last of the crotchety old guys. Yeah, you
get some guys, but but look at the rest of
the other coaches. What did they all do? They begged
out because nil We had JR. Tolver On talking about
(14:47):
initiatives and resistance from older coaches last night, right Coach
K's talked about it. I got this, Remember, Davit was
supposed to retire when guys started getting paid. Still see
him collecting his huge check. This is the last of
those guys that was all surly because right now, if
you've asked an average person that what they know about
the NFL. They think Derek Carr is God because everybody's
(15:08):
talking about him. Just because they talk about him and
they know his name doesn't mean he's any good anymore.
I told you that about Derek carm with you on
the Derek Carr part of it, and may h. No,
now you'll stop with that. You shut up. It's gonna
be live drop Wednesday, the harmon. You shut up, gonna
say that you are? You shut up. Tell me I'm
wrought up, tell me tell me I'm wrong without it
being your emotions and your Syracuse degree clouding your judgment.
(15:32):
Look into your heart. You know it to be true.
One national champion had Fitzgerald is overrated. Gage you know
both of you just stop and you by guys both
just no, it's a hell of a run. He had
the up name. Look justin whatever you get. No, I
understand any in any job, I'll stipulate to if you're in.
(15:52):
And look, there's obviously others where it just means they
couldn't hire anybody else. That's all you know. You shut up.
You know all you shut up is that you're there
a long time. I respect the aptitude, I respect the
continuity and all of that because we talk, we championed
that in all of these other programs. What do we
talk about in the NFL to start with anything, Either
(16:13):
I'm complaining that the line sucks, or I'm talking about
how they're too fickle with their gms and coaches. So
there's never a continuity in a direction from more than
twelve to twenty four months. Here, Yeah, you got forty
seven years, but it was yeah five six that it
was done, that it was done, and that he was done.
But he didn't want to go out right he named
(16:34):
his successor. How many guys get to nit that's good.
Harmon's done, Cut him off, cut him off, Harmon's done,
Harmon's done. Be sure to catch live editions of The
Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern,
seven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeart
Radio app. You know something's gonna happen one day and
I'm gonna come in in Frostburg's not gonna be taught
me why I'm suing you, Why for everything that's gone
(16:55):
on with the show? I go, what have I ever
said to you? And he's gonna play back in this compilation.
I'm gonna get your rest. I will key your car. Frostburk,
I'm gonna knock you out. He's nine hundred and forty
eight occurrences of car keying, one of the smother friendly
with a pillow. We're gonna send you to one of
those rage rooms. Just let's just swing a bat around
(17:15):
for a while. You got you gotta let this one go, buddy,
Did you say these things about Frostburg Nod that it
sounds like me, but it wasn't. That was actually Harmon.
Actually Jim Beheim crying in the corner. No what I'll
end up happening against it. It'll play out like when
the Saturday Night Live skit the legendary shooting of Buckwheat,
and like, oh they had it for you live. Remember
it was live, the legendary. He was the kindest, gentlest,
(17:40):
most humble and gracious person I ever met. Do you
believe he killed buck Wheat? Oh yeah, definitely. Oh yeah,
that's all he ever talked about. John David Stunts, Right,
that's right, that's all you're talking about. Ted Copple here
with ongoing. Look, it's it's so on the with Beheim today.
We talked about it last hour It's just so awkward
(18:01):
how it comes down at the end where he doesn't
really retire, and he doesn't say that he's walking away,
he doesn't say that he's being forced out. Just a
ridiculously awkward press conference following Syracuse's loss to Wake Forrest
in the ACC Tournament. Today, let's hear the exchange. I mean,
this is how a forty seven year head coach, Hall
(18:21):
of Fame head coach gets to go out with this
kind of back and forth with a reporter about his
future following team, his team getting knocked out in the tournament. Well,
I gave my retirement speech on the court last Saturday,
and I gave it in the press conference afterwards, and
nobody except William William Payne figured it out. Right now
(18:43):
that you're you're going to retire, this is up to
the university. You want to come back. I didn't say that.
So what are you saying. You're not saying you're retiring,
said it. I don't know, So you don't know, okay.
I said, this is up to the university. Right now
that you're you're going to retire, this is up to
the university you want to come back. I didn't say that. Hell,
(19:05):
you'd make a determination about when you will come back.
You're talking to the wrong guy. That's your coach of
forty seven years. All right, I put the bright lights
on them like it's Sippois. All right. Number one? What
you found that at laying in the aisle three into bodega?
One of your guy one of the new drops we
need tie shirt is bay. I'm saying I didn't say
that because that's my favorite part. So you want to
come back? I didn't say that, But you want to
(19:26):
come back? I didn't say that. I mean, that's that
didn't so often. It's so much as good as Spike leaves.
But nobody told me. I didn't say that, So you're retiring.
I didn't. I don't say the dude, I didn't say
talk to the university. Wait, but you want to retire.
I didn't say that you want to come back. I
didn't say that. Wait a minute, what is happening here?
That's like a conversation. I could have seen it. Just
keep going with it. I stop fished. I mean Donna Totota,
(19:49):
who's a Syracuse b report, I mean the whole thing.
Just I'm like, I didn't say that, So what are
you saying I gave it last week. You did, so
you're retiring. I didn't say that, but you just said
you gave you retirement speech. No, I didn't say. That's
the university. It's like, what is how does it that? Awkward?
How is it? But that's the thing though, But look
what he did there? Does he need to be that guy? No? He?
(20:11):
I mean, look, he played the character. And this is
where it's a dangerous thing when when you create that
level of a character as a coach, as a player,
whatever else, whatever life you're trying to project. Right, That's
where John Morant is now in a in this world
of all right, what's real, what's imagined? And how do
you get out of it? Right? You get stuck in
that moment. Uh. You talk to all the people that
(20:34):
have played for Belichick through the years. Rich Ornberger was
in for you last night, told a couple of great stories,
did his impressions and laughing about you know, guys in
their video game habits and whatever else. Just funny as hell.
That's not the guy you get a press conferences. Popovich
from all accounts, you know, the fatherly figure, jovial off
(20:54):
the court, whatever on the court, I'm gonna give you
two words. I'm gonna glare at you in press conference.
I'm gonna be a pine in the ass. And so
for Bayheim, he had the opportunity to try to at
least flip the script a little bit and not come
off as so terse and combative and give a little
bit of context. You give a bunch of three word answers.
I didn't say that. No, I didn't say that it's
(21:16):
in their course. It's like, well, no, it's it's a
forty seven year relationship. And I look, I know relationships
of a long time could go to hell really fast.
But the fact of the matter is he goes in
front of the presser and he didn't need to make
it like that, Like that's on him for escalating it.
I'm not saying it's a good situation, and certainly don't
(21:37):
absolve syrac Use and the brass there. Whatever the conversations
have been throughout this season, going back to last season,
going back to the first time what was it five
years ago or seven years ago or however long it was,
it's in our tenure here at Fox Sports Radio that
he was supposed to go away and then decided Nah,
that coach in waiting. He can wait forever. Yeah, I'm
(21:57):
not leaving. I would have made this easy he could.
But here's but here's the thing. I agree with you,
But you're the university. You know how he's going to react.
You know how he's going to So this is on
you to say, all right, we have to be the
ones to kind of take it on the chin here. Wow,
you're not meeting the media after losing because you're a child.
(22:19):
We gotta be the ones that that, Okay, we have
to do a little bit of bending here, even though
we don't want to, because we gotta make sure that
Beheim goes out the way he should because this reflects
poorly on us, poorly on the university, and it's all
people are going to talk about. It's gonna be the
lasting image of Jim Beheim, and nobody wants that. You
have to be I'm sorry. You got to figure that out.
It's what you get paid the big money for. And
(22:40):
we talked about getting paid big money. You get paid
big money for that. It's what you need to be doing.
And so yeah, so the school needed to be able
to say, all right, let's figure out the right way
to do it and they didn't do it, and it's
and it's unforgivable. Then suddenly he doesn't can't even say
if he's retiring, he's this the university. All they're saying
is thanks Jim, whoa nothing to do with that. Thanks
(23:01):
for here's a here's a statement on Twitter. Thanks for
forty seven. That's what you get here. You give m
a gold watch too. Here take this watch, Jim. We
appreciate it that. Thank you as we're all watching the
NCAA tournament without our team, And thanks Jim. I mean,
I really I get that. I get that Beaheim could
have done it. But this is who he is. He's
always been prickly, in ornery. He's always been that way, right,
But what do I tell? But but this is this
(23:23):
is how beloved he is for not not just the
not just fans and people went to serrecus of players,
but entire college basketball Bay. It's a big personality. He's
a guy, he's a guy that everybody knows who he is.
Everybody does. It's why it's the biggest story in sports tonight.
It's why it's trending at the top of Twitter, because
I mean, well, that and Kevin durant slipping and falling.
But I mean, there's a reason that that's up there,
and there's a reason that's there, and you have to
(23:45):
figure out a better way to be able to handle
this situation because you know how he's going to react
and you should have done it. And I know I'm
sound like, I'm, I'm, I'm you're you're you're letting a
bad you know, a bad kid off with behavior doing it. Yeah, well, okay,
when the guy has done what he's done for forty
seven years. Yeah, you kind of need to find a
(24:05):
better way that this can go, that this can go across,
to not have it end in such an awkward This
is how it ends for me. Maybe they don't like
the guys. Maybe they don't I don't care. Maybe they
don't like he did something. I don't care. Man, Maybe
he treated them like garbage. I don't care. I don't care,
because you know what that's gonna look like that you
can't This is how this is how it was. He'll
be on Dan Patrick's show in the morning cussing people out.
(24:27):
He might he might, Yeah, I know that's sure, but
but you know what, the funny thing you say, media,
I will tell you this, I don't know that Beheim's
a guy that has many regrets because this is this
is just who he's been for his entire life, right
He's I'll shoot from the well. I'll tell you My
favorite quote about him is when he had that when
he was serving that suspension for the violations and Jay
(24:47):
Billis went to watch a game with him at his
home to went to watch Syracuse game was being coached
by Mike Hopkins at the time before he left for Washington. Uh.
And my best quote Beheim was was after something happened
and there was a time on the floor, he said
to Jay Billis, I wish I was at the game
so I could take that player out, like I want
to be in the game, that I could take him
out of the game, like that's I want to be there.
(25:08):
Her suspensions and other violations because like going back to
the retirement thing, like he has the opportunity to, I
have no interest in retirement. Didn't need to put it
in that. I don't know. No, you know, if you
want to keep coaching, you may not be at Syracuse.
But you could have answered that like a grown up,
(25:29):
whatever's going on with Syracuse? You could have done that
now putting out the the press release of hey, here's
the guy that's succeeding him, and good luck to that.
You know, you've got an opportunity to go forge forge greatness.
But it is certainly a curiosity as Adrian Autry goes
(25:49):
and takes over the program that for Bayheim, you've got
the reputation. Look, you're there forty seven years, you become
one of the Elder Statesmen, and just like I sided
with Belle check and Popovic, you know, people want to
hear it, right. We love great quotes or terrible quotes
or nothing that we get to extrapolate on, and in
this case, this is a lot of well what really
(26:12):
went on behind the scenes, we don't know. They might
have been having it might be the Lamar Jackson situation,
except with the coach. We've been talking about this for
two years and we've made no headway. So here we are.
So with Beyheim again. You know, the university wears it.
And part of it is if you really wanted him
(26:33):
gone at some other point in this tenure, then yeah,
you probably should have played hardball at some other point.
And we're watching all the Elder Statesman coaches walk away
others that might be forced out of where they are
based on the lack of success, right Caliperry a lot
of people calling for his job. And while Rick Patino's
bounced around doesn't have the same cache I mean, because
(26:55):
he's been there for forty seven years, Beyeheim still has that.
If he'd been coached anywhere else, does he have the
same juice like as I mean, if you had a
second or a third school on the resume, probably not
because it's not the same act and he's not seen,
as you know, a figure who's a living, walking, breathing,
curmudgeonly statue in front of you at the podium. But
(27:17):
here we are, and it's an awkward, terrible thing. My
condolences to all of you Syracuse slam in media, radio,
and television. It's a dark day and a cloud because
of all of these years, because it's the only thing
you've ever known in your waking life as a Syracuse
fan and now alum, Jason and for some of your friends,
(27:40):
just tell him this. The sun will rise tomorrow, This
too shall pass. Mike Ditka, upon being exited by as
Bears coach, Well, look, I'll tell you this because as
you talked about with the media and everything else in
your My favorite quote of him was this is that
the one thing I bet he regrets is that he's
the one to put all of this in motion. Because
(28:02):
there was a press conference following a game about a
month ago in which they asked him a bit because
they asked about his future all the time, and he
gives him the same answer. But he said, after the game,
it's my decision. It's my decision whether y'or not to retire.
They've given it to me, And that was the moment
where this whole narrative was activated. It was like you
(28:22):
had a really powerful computer that is just sitting, that
is just sitting, and you don't want to turn it on,
because when you turn it on, crazy things. It's like Skynet.
We don't want to make Skynet aware. If you make
Skynet aware, suddenly the world's gonna end, right, And that's
what beheim at. Don't turn the computer on, don't turn
the god. You're getting older, you're not winning, and you
need to be able to keep what you want to
keep your job, keep going, keep going down and make
(28:43):
people think that we're turning around the corner. But the
minute he said that, that turned that Skynet computer on.
Everything was activated and the whole is this it for
Beheim storyline continued from there. There was no real is
he going to retire? It was always well, maybe in
a year, he'll announce. After this year, he'll do another
year or two, because that's always what he said. He said,
(29:03):
I'm always going to give a year or two notice
so people know what's going on and we know who
the coach is going to be so we can continue
to recruit. Right, he's always selling that was your immediate
reaction to the loss. Before he ever said a word
and set note at that press, he always said that's
how I'm gonna do it. And now because of that,
because of that conversation, and it blew up and ran
out of control. This is where we are today, where
(29:26):
I think if he could go back and he wouldn't
say anything, he would just not say anything, would just say,
let's I'll deal with that at the end. Every year,
you give me the same questions, let's talk about the
game tonight and let's go on. But it's it's my decision.
It's mine now. Maybe something was going on behind closed
doors there at that point, and he got a little
mad about it. But the worst thing to do right
there was to make that public because once that got
out there, whoa, whoa my decision, Hey university, what do
(29:47):
you have to say? And now suddenly we we accelerated
that timeline where maybe he was going to be the
end of the year. We want you to retire in
a year or two, Jim, we really want you to
do this and all this stuff, and Jim, Jim, you know, Jim,
Chim Jim, Oh, you're the wrong Jim. Get a Jim
nats Jim Chip Chip, Jason. You should be feeling a
lot of relief right now. Why is that because you're
gonna have a new coach after forty seven weeks. Yeah,
(30:08):
somebody that's gonna be good, No hope. And I'm out
of the mediocrity. I'm in a coach. I'm in a
combination of sadness and optimism because look, I do like
to go to the tournament every year and maybe the
next you know, Adrian Autry is gonna be a little
bit different. Guy was a great player at Syracuse. The
Cowboy for keeping. Yes that's him, Yes he is. Yes,
he's got a museum comes down by the zoo here. Yeah,
(30:29):
he's got the lasso and he goes lasso comes back
next week. I think you're now conflating it be a goal.
No spoilers, Smith, no spoilers, but I have no I
am sad and I am optimistic because, like I said,
I do like going to it. I don't like being
under five hundred happy. We're basketball. Celebrate, man, Let's celebrate
Syracuse us for ever twitter at How about a fresco
(30:54):
If you would like a job here at Fox Sports Radio,
let me know, and we can clean house. We can
just we can just do. Let's get rid of something.
They're doing it us, get rid of everybody. We're gonna
get rid of everybody. Everybody's making too much money. They've
been around too late. League. I don't know every better decision.
We're gonna get rid of everybody, bringing all new people.
Mister Lebowski, you're mister Lebowski. I'm the dude. Be sure
(31:17):
to catch live editions of The Jason Smith Show with
Mike harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven pm Pacific,
but joining us now on the hotline for all the
latest news in the NBA. Fox Sports One NBA insider extraordinary.
You can fall them on Twitter at Rick Buker. Check
out his on the Ball podcast. Rick Buker joining us
today for the first time in a month since the
(31:39):
Knicks lost their last game. It's been a full month,
Rick Buker, of a month weekly visits by you since
the Knicks lost their last game. And here you are
with us again tonight. Thank you for coming on. It's
how I set It's how I set my calendar. Oh good,
get that everybody, So what do you think of our idea?
It's a show call the Lakers are back with a
(32:02):
question mark and because everybody seen, and that's the daily debate,
right And the first segment of the show is the
highlight of the game. The second segment is man on
the street interviews of fans saying they're either back or
they're not. The third segment is the two hosts debating
whether or not the Lakers are back. And the fourth
segment is we show our online poll results from fans
who think the Lakers are back or not. And that's
(32:22):
a show. Yeah. I think you could do that pretty
much every day from day one of the season. There
we go, there we go, we call it. You're good.
We call it disputed. No, no, no, but the Lakers
are back with a question mark. That's a show. I
you have to call it disputed, call it life in La.
(32:43):
It's uh yeah, no, I you know it's it's for
whatever reason. It's funny because even with Lebron out of
the picture, it's still we're talking about a team that
is tied for ninth that is trying to scrape into
the play in that I don't know if they get
(33:06):
to the playoffs, and if they do, you know, there's
a lot of talk get mc noise. Now. I got
people saying, who who could beat the Lakers if Lebron
comes back? And my answer, my short answer is just
about anybody. Um so. I But you know, for whatever reason,
it's the Lakers. It's it's it's Anthony Davis. It's the
(33:26):
new pieces they are. They do have a soap opera
element and this is a long way from winning time,
but it still feels like it's the same story. I mean,
look at what Anthony Davis is doing. It it's you.
We've we've wanted to see this Anthony Davis forever, forever,
(33:53):
and now that they're in this place where this Anthony
Davis gets them, you know, scrapes them into the plan,
maybe gets them to the playoffs. It's um, I'll take it,
but like I would have rather have seen this Anthony
(34:15):
Davis when it would mean a little bit, a little
more than than than this. And it's just we're they're
trying to stay relevant at this point. And here's the
other part, Like if you look at the West and
they can continue this way and they're they're a feel
good story, there's a very there's still a possibility. I
think they're I think there's I would be very surprised
(34:37):
if Oklahoma City rejoins the Fray, And so I would
say that the Lakers are a certainty being the plan.
But you know, if they lose, uh, don't get out
of the play in. All the moves that they made
to get this roster together now impacts their free agent
(35:00):
to see over the summer in a big way. So
if you're feeling good, like hey, you give you a
full season these Lakers, that's going to be a different story.
Then Okay, they might be able to keep this roster together.
But if you're thinking like hey, we're gonna have this
roster and then we're gonna add pieces or whatever. Now,
this is kind of who you are going forward as
(35:21):
a result, and we'll see whether it pays off this season.
All they needed to do is make him bleed his
own blood. So I'll ask the question that I have
to Jason on Monday. He took yesterday off in morning
because the Knicks lost to Charlotte. Yeah. I just was
so beside himself with that no LaMelo ball and you
lose that game and everything goes to sudden. Nobody had
(35:43):
him rings to the Charlotte Hornets. Nobody loses tired after
don't like we have a two games to none lead
in our best to seventh series against the Celtics. We
needed a night off there, man, I don't even need
to add that's the question. Jason had him as top five.
What say you top five? What NBA top five most
(36:07):
disappointing performances? Listen, if you did, if you did, if
you did an NBA power ranking right now, NBA power
rank is right now, this moment in time, The Knicks
are a top five team right now, this moment in time,
right now power rank, Nicks are a top five team.
You can say it's three more times or five time Okay,
(36:34):
let me ask you there, Let me ask you, who
are you taking over? Okay, hang on, hang on, okay,
hang on, hang on, who are you taking If the
knickser power to right power five, Bucks, Celtics, Sixers, Nuggets,
who are you taking over the Knicks at that? After
those four teams? Bucks, Celtics, Sixers, Nuggets, who are you
(36:58):
taking over the Knicks? Right now? The Cavaliers, You're not Memphis,
you're not Sacramento. You're not. But what's the next one? Lakers?
The Lakers are back? Baby? Did you include the Suns? Well,
Katie had a layup line less nafood tonight. So now
in the sea in the last in the last thirty
(37:21):
second the top far Oh okay, you wait a minute, boy,
are you sneaking in? Ankle is sore? Phoenix is out? Okay,
wait wait, So what you're saying is then the Knicks
would be six because you would take the Sun's at
That's fine, you want to take the Suns ahead. The
Knicks are six in the Rick Buker Power rankings. Okay,
I don't think that's that far off. Actually, the one
(37:43):
of the teams that are really like right now that
the record doesn't look great. But um, the Minnesota Timberwolves,
I think are are coming together. I think the Mike
Conley moved quietly. They're figuring some things out him coming
over from Utah. He knows how to keep Rudy Gobert involved. Uh,
they're making he knows how to get Anthony Edwards going.
(38:04):
They're playing more Kyle Anderson, so they're playing smarter basketball. Um,
you know, I can't. I look, the Knicks have been
on one and I have been skeptical of them, largely
because they're the Knicks, and I historically what they've been
and how Tom Thibodeaux generally coaches, and I, you know,
(38:27):
just looking at their lack of creativity offensive, I mean,
it's it's I will say this, it's very impressive that
they're doing what they're doing. And I and I made
a comparison of them to two years ago, and I
will say this is a this is a better team
than that team, for sure. But I'm still like, I'll
(38:51):
put it to you, I'll ask you this, because they're
playing it's fair to say they're they're they're playing close
to their or their max Is that is that fair
to say? Or they're they're playing at a very high level.
Who is it that elevates their game in the postseason
(39:11):
to take them the next step? Because it's gonna be
like the playoffs, everybody takes a step up. That that's
the requirement, and that's where like, is Jalen Brunsen going
to go to another level? I don't. I don't think
that's realistic to ask that. Um So, who is it
that's going to make that turn? That's that's what I
(39:35):
don't see. And that's why, in spite of what has
been a really good and surprisingly good regular season, I
still sound like a skeptic because I just I don't
know how they meet the the what what is a
playoff expectation? Which is you're playing at this level, Now
you got to go to another level if you want
(39:56):
to advance around or two and I maybe there's somebody
that I'm missing. Um So tell me and enlighten me
who you think that player could be? Willi's Reid? You
never know? Ye? Hey? Lastly, Rid quickly obviously, Look, the
(40:16):
Jah Morran story has been a really big deal the
last few days, and we get the announcement today he's
going to be away from the team for four more games.
They're not calling it a suspension. Adam Silver is not
weigh in, which I think is weak. And I don't
get how he backs away from things so often. How
do you think this winds up getting resolved as the
John Moran story goes, Well, the fact that he's not
(40:39):
facing um, any legal I mean that that loomed large
and um and now there's some question of whether he
has some sort of of issues, um, you know, a
drinking issue that that's kind of been floated out there.
(41:00):
And if that's the case, then you know, it's a
matter of can he get help? Can he get treatment?
Is that an explanation for the behavior that I mean?
And that just not knowing, But that would make a
lot of sense to me, because while this looks really bad, Um,
it's not the John Morant. It's it's a it's a
(41:23):
it's a very extreme departure from who I've seen John
Morant b in a variety of ways, both as a
teammate and with fans and representing the city of Memphis.
And so that would explain a lot And if and
(41:43):
if that is what it's going to take for him
to get back on the beam, then I think that
the number of games that he misses is really irrelevant.
It's really a matter of can he get back to
can can he solve his problem in order to be
able to continue his life and continue to be a
great player. You know, the the NBA is vested in him.
(42:06):
They don't They don't want to see John Morant fail
because he's potentially, you know, one of the future faces,
but certainly one of the future stars of this league.
And um, they have no interest in just burying the
kid and moving on, like they want to see him
(42:28):
return to his best self. So I don't know how
many I don't know how many games it's going to take.
In spite of where they are in the standings. I
feel like this has been a like a major disruption
or hiccup to this season. And and I say that,
and at the same time, I'm like, you know what
if if this has to be sacrificed in order for
(42:51):
jaw to get back on the beam, then I think
that's a small price to pay for what could be
a very bright future for a kid. And I and
you know a lot of people are like, you don't
make excuses for him. He did this, He did that.
Look It's one thing if you um and and don't
I don't know what happened with the kid. You know,
when when it's violence towards somebody else, Um, then that's
(43:15):
a whole different category. If we're talking about what really
sparked all of this, which was you know, messing around
you know, uh, brandishing, not even brandishing, but just showing
a gun while he was he was dancing, that's just
utter stupidity. It's one day if he's pointing it at somebody,
(43:36):
if he's using it like that's it. I see that
as a different category, and certainly getting into an altercation
with a kid that's in a different category. Um. But again,
I've seen people who you know, when inebriated or who
have drinking problems, like they do a lot of stuff
(43:56):
that is out of character. And I'm going to gonna
hope that that is the issue here because it means
the possibility that we can see the true character of
John Morant once again. You can follow them on Twitter
at Rick Bucker, That is at Rick Buker. Check out
the On the Ball podcast as well. Rick is always buddy,
appreciate your time, great stuff. My friend Kelly who brate
(44:20):
Junior yo, you're the best, Ricky. Thanks rick
Hosts And Creators
Jason Smith
Mike Harmon
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