June 11, 2024 • 47 mins
Today on 2 Pros and a Cup of Joe, Dan Hurley turning down the Lakers offer says a lot about the state of the franchise. LaVar details chaos at the rodeo. Mike Tomlin gets a well-deserved extension but can he evolve with the rest of the AFC North? And what now for the Lakers after missing on Dan Hurley?
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is the best of two pros and a couple
Joe with Lamar Airings rating win and Jonas Knots on
Fox Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Did you guys feel it? There was a giant gust
of wind from the West coast yesterday and now now
that gust of wind was the swing and the miss
for the La Lakers On Dan Hurley, Oh and down
they go.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Yeah, big time swinging a miss.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
You know what, I gotta tell you, I was dead wrong.
Speaker 5 (00:34):
And I think part of it is is maybe I
just in my mind have this misconception of what the
Lakers are and how they're viewed.
Speaker 4 (00:41):
I mean, are the Lakers not viewed?
Speaker 5 (00:43):
Is that story to a franchise that, like you, you
can't turn down this job, this opportunity.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
The history is there, the l like it's like they
have so much, so many great moments, great tradition. But
it kind of has that feeling like Miami football, where
we remember Miami football.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
As being man, they were the you it was different.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
And then you look back and you go, that's kind
of been a long time since they won real big games.
I know they won the Bubble Championship, but before that,
we're talking what fifteen years ago. It's not like this
is recent success they've had. And I just wonder if
people look at that as opposed to just the name
on the front and everything that comes along with it.
Speaker 6 (01:29):
See, to me, when I look at the situation, it
is a storied franchise.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
It is.
Speaker 6 (01:37):
A franchise that has tremendous relevance. Even if that relevance
is more rooted in the past, it's still a tremendous
job and a tremendous franchise historically speaking and reputationally speaking.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
I just for me, I just.
Speaker 6 (01:54):
Think that it's it's almost like Washington in how Washington
was in football, where you had a foundation built by
a different owner, and since there's been new ownership that
has taken place, I just think that there's there is
a cultural, a cultural situation that has developed.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
In l A.
Speaker 6 (02:22):
And I just don't know that if you're looking at
the last three or four coaches from Byron Scott to
Luke Walton to Vogel to Ham, they they don't make
it out of four years, four years and tops and
you're out. I just I think that it is a
(02:42):
more volatile job because of how high profile the franchise is,
and if you're not if you're not going to this
team with the idea and the understanding that I have
two to four years to get this done, and the
(03:04):
likelihood is outside of the last guys I've been here,
it's probably more on the side that I'm out after
four than it is that I'm in. I just think
that that's a hard if you have a situation like Hurley.
I just think that that's a hard decision to make
to walk away from stability and success at that level
(03:27):
to go to the next level and have so much
uncertainty as to what your future looks like. Other than
there's the strong possibility that I'm going to be out
of here in two to four years, Well that's hard.
Speaker 4 (03:41):
Think about this.
Speaker 5 (03:42):
Though, He's turned down two legendary programs or teams Kentucky
earlier this offseason, stayed with Yukon, which you might say, well,
that makes maybe more sense because he's at the college level,
same level. Yukon's got a storied history and tradition as well,
and he's built that program up where he'd maybe be
(04:04):
having to do something similar to that to Kentucky. And
I also think that that Dan Hurley's probably overly concerned
with this. But had he made that move, we live
in a world in college basketball now where would have
decimated Yukon.
Speaker 4 (04:16):
Everything he did at Yukon, it.
Speaker 5 (04:18):
Could have decimated them because he would have gotten a
lot of those players to transfer immediately to Kentucky and
bring all those players with them, which you know, maybe
he had some feelings about doing that, considering the opportunity
of Yukon gave him the success they've had, et cetera.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
Maybe not who knows, but now the Lakers as well.
Speaker 5 (04:38):
And so I look at this and just go, all right,
maybe I'm messed up because I keep looking.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
At this thinking like, is this not the Lakers?
Speaker 5 (04:45):
Is this not like one of those story franchises you have,
you know, shows about movies about I mean, is this
not the one that if you could bring it back
to being at the top of the NBA, you would
be king.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
In that realm? Which leads me to think if because
I think those.
Speaker 5 (05:01):
Things are right, I think it's more of a matter of,
you know, whatever was offered to him and whatever the
situation that's presented isn't to his liking. And I don't
know if that was the contract, if they you know,
couldn't pay him significantly more than he was getting from
Yukon in order to persuade him not to be there.
I've heard, you know, people talk about the Stydingham tax
(05:23):
and maybe that plays a factor, even though let's be real,
it's not like Connecticut doesn't have high taxes too, you know.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
I've heard people throughout that theory.
Speaker 5 (05:32):
I wonder, though, how much Lebron his impact plays a
role in Yeah, you might interview with Rob Polenka, but
at the end of the day, it's still Lebron behind
the scenes, pulling the strings.
Speaker 6 (05:44):
I don't think he takes the interview if he wasn't
comfortable with the Lebron James scenario.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
See, I think you take it to figure out what
that scenario is.
Speaker 6 (05:54):
I think you find out before you I think you
have a good idea before you fly out, and yeah, maybe,
but but.
Speaker 5 (06:01):
You've got to hear them to and ask those questions,
those pointed questions, like you could you could talk to
Rich Paul, you could talk to even Lebron, But when
you go out there, you're gonna be talking to all
the people to the organization, you know, whether it's Jennie
Buss or lat Polinka or anyone. You're looking him dead
in the face and you're saying, all right, what is
the situation here, because whatever, until you've gathered, you want
(06:24):
to confirm and you want to see what they say,
how they react, what their answer is. I just I
think the general the general pointer question is like, I
just wonder how big of a factor that is in
this whole decision making process to turn this job down.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 6 (06:42):
I would just venture to say, I would just venture
to say he probably did some type of information gathering
before it got to the point of saying that I'm
going to entertain.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
It just came.
Speaker 6 (06:55):
It just seemed like it came so quickly, the idea
of him getting this job. Everybody talking about Reddick getting
the job. Reddick Reddick, Reddick, Redick, Boom Hurley.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Hurley wasn't even on the odds list. Remember we read
it off that way. It wasn't anyone's radar.
Speaker 6 (07:11):
So something had to be happening behind the scenes that
people weren't totally aware of what was taking place. And
to the to the tune of him actually going to
see what it is that he was going to get
himself into.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
To your point, Q.
Speaker 6 (07:27):
But I just think in the end, when you measure
it out, and he weighed out, it was going to
come down to was he comfortable leaving what he's created
for this major opportunity at the NBA level or at
the University of Kentucky, or do you stay put where
it is that you created your systems.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
You have your your you know, you have your way.
Speaker 6 (07:48):
Of doing things and it's been successful, and you got
to ask yourself the question. I don't I don't know
his family situation. I don't know. There's there's probably a
lot more factors that are involved than just the idea
of going to the Lakers versus staying at Yukon. In
terms of coaching, there's probably more, but just face value.
(08:10):
Don't you feel like it's just a more stable opportunity
for him to have longevity versus taking a chance and
a risk even though it's high high reward, or it's
super high reward, but it's super high risk as well.
I think that that might have been I don't think
that it was anything else other other than that in
(08:33):
the end, like high risk, high reward, like a But
I did that already with Yukon, and I've built this
so I would just stay here.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
Which is actually why I think it makes more of
the case of leaving.
Speaker 5 (08:44):
Like look at Nick Saban, for example, when's the national
championship at LSU, entertains the ability to go to the
Miami Dolphins. That doesn't workout, comes back, builds up bigger, better,
and the greatest coach of all time at college football.
So to that point, actually, I would actually make the
case that it makes more of a sense to be
able to then leave and go explore that and hey,
if you crash and burn, all right, whatever, I know
(09:05):
I can build this back up at the college level.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
I've already done it.
Speaker 5 (09:08):
I've already had those dominant team back to back years
we've ever seen in the NCAA tournament. I look at
it this way, and maybe I don't know if we
have music for like a conspiracy theory.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Do we have that?
Speaker 5 (09:22):
Does anyone have Robert Stack in a trench coat somewhere
walking in a dark alley with some steam billowing out.
Speaker 6 (09:28):
Like, okay, give us, give us the conspiracy the.
Speaker 5 (09:32):
Well, LaVar, you bring up a good point in the
sense of if he's doing all this data analysis and
everything beforehand, it makes me think this It makes me
think that maybe he was the candidate all along for
the Lakers organization, for a guy like Rob Polenka. He
(09:53):
was there, Golden goose, he was the guy that they
ultimately really want it. But it wasn't this the guy
that Lebron James really wanted. And it's why you kept
hearing JJ Reddick. It's why you kept hearing all these
reports that it's basically a done deal until after the
NBA Finals, when Redick's done, you know, serving out his
media commitment.
Speaker 4 (10:15):
Maybe there's some coaches too.
Speaker 5 (10:16):
He was gonna kind of evaluate look at he he
wants to bring on his staff. Till after that was
all the reporting, and then Dan Hurley's name pops up.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
So it was Lebron counterpunching, not the Lakers counterpunching.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
Well, it would have been the Lakers.
Speaker 5 (10:29):
The Lakers counter punching, bring in Dan Hurley and the
last second trying to make a last ditch effort and saying,
maybe they had said to Lebron, hey, if we can
get this guy, let's go bring this guy in, and
Lebron's like, all right, do whatever you want to do.
But at the end of the day he comes out
there he does the interview. I think he looks at
(10:50):
the situation says no, no, this has Lebron's fingers all
over is I can't have the autonomy that I.
Speaker 4 (10:54):
Want to be the coach here and do the things
I'd like to do. So I'm out.
Speaker 5 (11:00):
I'm going back to Yukon. Maybe that was more of
the conspiracy theorists. You've got two different head coaches that
are being put out there in the media because you've
got two different people behind the scenes trying to make
it happen.
Speaker 6 (11:13):
I have a conspiracy theory to add to a deep
stack music.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
Going to keep going.
Speaker 6 (11:19):
Because Lebron James wants JJ Reddick, and JJ Reddick wants
Lebron James, and Bronni James wants both of them. When
Danny Hurley came out to beautiful Los Angeles, California, there
was a suspicious man that followed Danny Hurley around during
(11:41):
the course of his visit in time as he went
to the Strand and went to Manhattan Beach to see
the area, and went to visit Rob Low look alike
what's his name, Polinka, And that man finally revealed himself
to Danny Hurley as a man with special skills, skills
(12:03):
that would, let's just say, be used if he decided
to in fact accept this La Lakers job. And now
that he has not accepted the job, his job is
done and JJ Redick will be the head coach of
the Los Angeles Lakers.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
Pam, I'm listening. I mean, since we're going here, i'd.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
Also that might just be like a theory, you know.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
I'd also like to share my conspiracy theory. I mean,
so I do one, I'll do one here. I don't
think that the interview actually happened.
Speaker 6 (12:42):
What I think, Wow, now that is conspiracy theory.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
Yeah, he didn't walk on the moon now.
Speaker 4 (12:49):
Like a UFO or something.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
I believe that Dan Hurley intended to meet with the Lakers.
He intended to go to the Crypto dot com to
meet with the Lakers, but he couldn't get into the crew.
He couldn't get in there because there were too many
sleeping bags and tents out in front and he had
(13:11):
no way to get to the front door. And he said,
you know what, I'm going back to Connecticut. This is
too much for me. Thus, JJ Reddick is still in
the running to be the head coach of the La
Lakers and to put a cherry on top of you.
Speaker 6 (13:23):
Mate, sure that he checked the Weather Channel to see
what the weather would be flying back and hanging out
in Connecticut.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
Yeah, yeah, channel looks a little overrated.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
It does it. Yeah not to some people that work.
Speaker 4 (13:42):
I mean, if you were gonna say, and I would
say suspicious.
Speaker 6 (13:45):
Bba bb drizzy, well they might not. RABBI guess it
from all that corn bred.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
Ooh yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Well listen, it is Two Pros and a Cup of
Joe here on Fox Sports Radio, and we are thick
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Speaker 3 (14:22):
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Speaker 7 (14:46):
To, and that's why we have a brand new podcast
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(15:06):
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Speaker 2 (15:40):
Hey, I do have a question though, following up on
the story we closed up last hour with that bowl
that got out of the Rodeo and Oregon Wyoming Days
or Cheyenneys, is there any threat of that potentially happening wild.
Speaker 6 (15:58):
Hey look here, man, you right up on them, You
right up on the animals. Man, well excuse me, the athletes.
You're right up on them. And it's crazy because you
see all kinds of things that you never would probably
take the time to think about. You know, I told
(16:20):
you guys a few years or a year or so
back that how which I didn't know this, but I'm sure.
Speaker 4 (16:27):
Maybe you guys did.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
But you know how they.
Speaker 6 (16:29):
Get the bulls ready to buck when they go out,
like when they're.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
I need to refresher on that. How do they get
them ready?
Speaker 3 (16:36):
Oh? They poke them.
Speaker 6 (16:39):
They poke them, I mean and they poke them and.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
The truck nuts there you go.
Speaker 4 (16:47):
Oh they do?
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Oh yeah?
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Do they cattle prod them in the balls or do
they is.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
It like just they poke them? Man, like irritated. They
irritate them and they release some.
Speaker 6 (17:02):
So the dude that's on the back is riding a
piste off bull. That was one thing, and like they start,
you know, I don't know people realize this, but they
start crapping all on themselves too, and it starts.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
Flying every which way.
Speaker 6 (17:19):
Like at Frontier days at the arena, you're able to
like as spectators watch like go and there's this standing
area you can stand and watch, And all I would
say is I advise you to wear glasses or even
a set of goggles. Really yes, So that was one
(17:41):
that was one that was like, man, it's like it
gets real out here. Then you go to the pasture,
like where they have all of like you know, they
have the different athletes that are are like on standby
in the pasture, whether it be a bull that they're
going to ride, or it's a horse that's going to
run or whatever it may be. And and and it's
(18:02):
like it's like really not very different from us as people.
You see a whole bunch of horned up dudes up
in there. Man, I mean they be I mean.
Speaker 5 (18:15):
Bulls, you know, horses, you know, saying like dudes in
the crowd, right.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
I'm saying the horses. I'm referring to them as dudes.
Speaker 6 (18:27):
And they're in the pastures and and and they're looking
at the others, They're looking at the.
Speaker 3 (18:34):
Other horses that are around.
Speaker 6 (18:36):
And next thing you know, it's it's five legs that
you instead of four.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
And to see that, to see it up close.
Speaker 6 (18:47):
Is like kind of like dawn, like like dang.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
It.
Speaker 6 (18:57):
It's like you see all these different things and you
start to respect, like you know how, you know how
you had to see people and it's like, ah, you
see somebody bulldog? Why is the cow so small? Why
is it a calf and not like a real bull
and stuff like that. You see these bad boys up close, man,
and you get a different appreciation and understanding as the
(19:20):
why you just don't even mess with a bull. But
then you start to think about there are animals out
there that could actually hunt a bull, take a bull.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
Down and eat it.
Speaker 6 (19:31):
And then you start to realize that there's like if
we didn't have brain power and technology on our sides,
we be in trouble, man, we be in trouble because
these these cats out here. Then these animals ain't these
the athletes, theyn't They ain't playing man, Yeah, they ain't playing.
Is super real. So there you go. So yeah, they
(19:53):
answer your question. There was a there was a horse.
It wasn't a bull. There was a horse that was
be and rode like a bucking horse and he threw
threw the guy off his back, and he wasn't ready
to be done. They was trying to get to him.
He wasn't ready to be done and he was willing
to risk it all.
Speaker 3 (20:12):
He went over.
Speaker 6 (20:12):
He went over the gate was in the area where
like the people were dancing and commentating and talking, and
they like had to get out of the way. And
he was going so hard. He ended up like basically
like passing out. Like he went down. They had to
get him up. He didn't want to go. He went
down again. Then they had to get him up, and
(20:34):
then they got him upout it. And now I don't
know what happened in the back. I don't know if
he went down again and didn't get back up. But yeah,
they sometimes they you know, they they don't like what's
going on, and they they get you know, they.
Speaker 3 (20:49):
Get to it.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
I mean, you know, to their in their defense, who
does like getting poked in the balls?
Speaker 3 (20:54):
It's not fun.
Speaker 6 (20:55):
So I don't know if they poked the horses, I'm
not sure about that one, but they definitely get at
them bulls.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
Man, them bulls be up in their upset. Though.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
I think there's three people in Oregon that are like,
you know, I wish we could have taken that advice
from LeVar before this happened.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
Over the weekend.
Speaker 6 (21:13):
Oh there was like super breakout. Like a lot of
the people that I was there with got pink eye.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
It was like like your.
Speaker 6 (21:21):
Left eye, you're right eye, Like bam, you got pink eye.
Speaker 3 (21:24):
All right, you got pink guy.
Speaker 4 (21:28):
How do you think that came about?
Speaker 6 (21:31):
They gone, they had bulls in their eye?
Speaker 3 (21:36):
Damn truth.
Speaker 6 (21:42):
True.
Speaker 3 (21:42):
That is nasty, man, That is nasty. That's the truth.
Speaker 4 (21:49):
All right.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Well, you know, so.
Speaker 6 (21:51):
There you go at the next rodeo and uh oh
I'll be there.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
Bring your by vocals. It's not a not a safe place,
all right, but it.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
Is a safe place, you know.
Speaker 6 (22:02):
You just don't know. Just gotta be careful. Not looking
to get pink guy anytime soon. I want to get
pink app. And now now we do have an update.
This is a story that we have been monitoring and
tracking in the NFL all off season because there were
some people who speculated that maybe this wouldn't get done,
that maybe there was going to be conversations elsewhere, or
(22:23):
maybe there would be a higher elsewhere. But nonetheless, the
Pittsburgh Steelers have done the right thing. Mike Tomlin gets
a three year extension from the Steelers, as announced yesterday.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
He enters year eighteen at the Helm. This is going
to take him through twenty twenty seven. Never finished below
five hundred in a season through seventeen years to start
out his NFL coaching career. But Mike Tomlin is back
in Pittsburgh and he's the head coach of the Steelers
for the foreseeable future. So all the stuff you heard
out there, all the potential of him leaving as it
(22:56):
stands right now, not happening.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
Tomlin's back rightfully.
Speaker 5 (23:00):
So, I mean, he's never had a losing season. The
guy does more with less at times. I think this
is a year that could be a surprise year for them.
You know, I'm not sure. I would imagine the odds
probably for the AFC North. Do they have them at
the bottom? Efforting it's gonna be close, But I would
imagine that they are at the bottom. And if that's
(23:22):
the case, I'm not bad against them. I mean, the
track wreck that he's got there, and you know, defensively
and making this team competitive, I think they'll be right
there in the mix once again.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
So, yeah, they're at the bottom.
Speaker 4 (23:35):
So so is that to win the division?
Speaker 3 (23:37):
He said, yeah, I mean, I don't know.
Speaker 5 (23:40):
If I'm gonna take the outs to win it, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland,
Prett damn good.
Speaker 4 (23:44):
But I would say this, I don't think they're going
to finish last. I'll just put it that way.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
Who you think will finish last?
Speaker 4 (23:51):
I don't know. I don't know.
Speaker 5 (23:54):
I mean last, by the way, it could be what
nine to eight, Like, that's how good this division is.
So you could have a winning record and still finish
last in the division.
Speaker 6 (24:07):
Yeah, I'm obviously I'm a Steelers fan, and so I'm
happy to hear it. I know there's probably just knowing
how our culture is, you know, we always want coaches gone,
like the entire state, right We're like that in Philly,
We're like that in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3 (24:25):
For one reason or another.
Speaker 6 (24:27):
We always find the negatives and things and always want
something different, want something new. You know, sometimes the worst
thing that you can do is be a knowledgeable sports fan,
because when you have the knowledge of understanding sports and
like simplicities of what go into some of the aspects
(24:48):
of it, you use those aspects to create.
Speaker 3 (24:53):
Narratives and judgments.
Speaker 6 (24:54):
And I feel like Mike Tomlin has been victimized by that.
Now I'm not saying he's a vic them. I'm just
saying the way that he's been talked about in the media,
you know, in Pittsburgh locally, the way he's been talked
about by fans, some fans locally, you would think that
Mike Tomlin is a failing coach, like a coach that
(25:16):
doesn't seem to know how to get it done or
you know, should should even still be in a position
where he has, you know, the head coaching job. And
I never understood it, you know it. I just never
understood why that's the approach, why there's so much you know,
kind of like intensity towards when Mike Tomlin isn't as
(25:40):
successful as the fans would like now. I don't know
if it's like that in every in every market when
a team underperforms, but I would I would venture to say,
has this team really underperformed, you know, during his tenure?
Have they really underperformed? When he had gunners? They won
(26:01):
it all when he had when he had guys, they
were in it. And they've had some they've had some turnover,
they've had some change. I know a lot of people
wanted to talk about how bad the offense has been
or what's this team been like since I haven't been Roethlisberger?
And and for what it's worth, that's still a question
(26:21):
that's up in their how can this team be and
still search of in need of a quarterback? And and
is that is that Russell Wilson At this point, I
don't know is that is it? Is it justin fields?
If it's not Russell Wilson? I don't know, but I
(26:42):
know this. I know that getting an extension is great,
but that's still going to put a lot of spotlight
and attention on what the performance of this offense is
going to be and to that point, what the performance
of the Pittsburgh Steelers is going to be. You know,
we talked about the Lakers earlier. You know, this is
one of those teams too. It's a story franchise ran
(27:03):
by family, legacy, play and success is what the fan
base has come to know and it's what they expect.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
So the pushback from a lot of people on Tomlin
is that, you know, he won a Super Bowl, but
it was what, you know, two thousand and ten or
two thousand and seven, whatever, what two thousand and eight rather,
and then he was in one in twenty eleven against
the Packers and they're like, you know, it's been a
long time. But I always look at it, like with
when Marvin Lewis was with the Bengals and they were
going to the playoffs every single year, it was like, yeah,
(27:34):
but they weren't winning playoff games, like okay, Like sometimes
you'll get there and things will happen, or you'll run
into a better team, or you'll there'll be a turnover
or something crazy will happen in a game. Like isn't
all you can ask for as a fan? Just keep
us competitive because once you get there, you get a
break or two and next thing you know, you're in
(27:54):
a super Bowl or you're in a conference championship game.
Tomlin always has them competitive, like so, I know the
super Bowls aren't there, but at least they're in contention,
which is the first step in the process.
Speaker 5 (28:05):
I think the hard thing about that example is though
then they go with was Zach Taylor?
Speaker 4 (28:11):
Was that was immediately following.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
By ah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 4 (28:15):
And so it didn't look good early. They get Joe Burrows,
Zach Taylor, they go to Super Bowl.
Speaker 5 (28:20):
So I think that's the hard part is there is
that tantalizing idea that if you have a head coach,
you have a quarterback.
Speaker 4 (28:28):
And then things aligne because you still need some luck
to happen.
Speaker 5 (28:31):
You know, you can go to a super Bowl and
you have a shot of, you know, once you get there,
of winning it.
Speaker 4 (28:37):
So that's the hard.
Speaker 5 (28:38):
Part is if you feel like you've hit your ceiling
and you're not going to be able to get any
better from there, then it might be worth contemplating and going, Okay,
let's just let's try to, you know, break it all
down again. We've got a good foundation, but let's build
it back up with somebody who's got a different play on,
different vision. I thought last year was an example of
(28:58):
Mike Tomlin showing growth by moving on from Matt Canada.
Speaker 4 (29:03):
I mean, he's not.
Speaker 5 (29:04):
Very responsive to outside pressures, the media, fans, what have you.
Last year was an example though, of him finally conceding
the fact that this isn't working.
Speaker 4 (29:15):
It doesn't matter how much you.
Speaker 5 (29:16):
Like the guy, if you think he's a good guy,
you love his fail it doesn't matter. Bill Belichick talking
about you're not focusing anything outside of just what helps
us win.
Speaker 4 (29:27):
That's what's best for our family. And everyone.
Speaker 5 (29:29):
That's life in the NFL. And I think for Mike Tomlin,
loyalty got in the way. His stubbornness got in the
way of him not moving on from a play caller
that Ben Roethlisberger had an issue with, has continued to
have an issue with even since he's left there. A
lot of the quarterbacks in that system had an issue with.
It just hasn't been very conducive for success. And so
(29:51):
finally get Arthur Smith in there, and he makes that change,
which I think will be big, you know, for Pittsburgh
moving forward. And look, I don't know how often he's
on the headset and how often he's telling, you know,
guys to run it here or you know, run out
the you know, whatever the case is, being a little
more conservative or you know, pun instead of going for
fourth down. I have no idea what that sounds like
(30:11):
on the headset. But there are coaches who played the
cards a lot closer to the vest. They want to
be more conservative with their decision making, and it seems
like we're venturing into a realm in the NFL. We're
the best at it. They know when to go for it.
They have the best played out up for it. They
have a better feel for all of that, and so
he I think the biggest concern for Pittsburgh fans is
(30:33):
probably can he evolve from when he won his last
Super Bowl to having this stream of success? But is
he going to be able to have that stream of
success ultimately pop to a Super Bowl?
Speaker 4 (30:45):
And I think it takes that.
Speaker 5 (30:46):
Evolution of him as a coach, and maybe we saw
a little bit of that last year finally moving on
from Matt Cannon. Is is something that I don't think Mike
Tomlin's made an end season firing ever since he's been
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach. Could be wrong, but I'm almost
positive says he's taken over. He hasn't made an nd
season firing like that ever.
Speaker 2 (31:05):
I was looking at the list of AFC champions since
Tomlin took over, or like the quarterbacks that won AFC
title game since Tomlin took over, and it's basically Peyton Manning,
Tom Brady, Maomes, Mahomes, and then you've got Roethlisberger, and
then you got Chuck Yeah and Joe Burrow. So it's
(31:25):
literally like like some of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
And then we see how Joe Burrow plays out and
then you got Flacco who was the one off year.
But to be able to have success in this conference
over that period of time says something. So you know,
they've been to a couple of Super Bowls. Now we
can see if they if they get back there with
Mike Tomlin and who knows, maybe Levar's guy, Russell Wilson
(31:48):
is the guy to do it.
Speaker 3 (31:49):
Maybe maybe the guy to do it.
Speaker 6 (31:52):
I'm not very optimistic. I'm not optimistic about it. I'm not.
I mean, but maybe he can recapture some of that
that magic. I don't know, I don't I don't buy it.
It's like a boxer when he starts losing, like y'all
saw that Adrian Broner fight, like oh wock.
Speaker 3 (32:08):
I just you know.
Speaker 6 (32:10):
Dang thy wants to do loses their tooth and the magic.
It's just it's kind of hard to regain.
Speaker 3 (32:17):
How do you lose your tooth with a mount you
punched in the mouth with a mouth.
Speaker 4 (32:22):
You got knocked up?
Speaker 6 (32:24):
Yeah, man, damn.
Speaker 1 (32:29):
Be sure to catch live editions of Two Pros and
a Cup of Joe with Brady Quinn, LeVar Arrington and
Jonas Knox weekdays at six a m. Eastern three am Pacific.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
So can I throw what if at you? What if
Dan Hurley rejects the offer from the Lakers and JJ
Reddick rejects the offer from the Lakers, then what.
Speaker 4 (32:53):
Then?
Speaker 3 (32:54):
Then?
Speaker 2 (32:54):
Then aren't we look at an option see for the
quote unquote great franchise that is the Lakers?
Speaker 6 (32:59):
Or going to say what's that? You go back and
apologize the Darwin House?
Speaker 2 (33:03):
You know, maybe we made a mistakes. He's back in
Milwaukee now. He just took the job as the top
assistant there for Doc Rivers with the Fox, so he's gone.
James Barrego of the Pelicans, he's been rumored to be
a potential candidate. I also saw Lee, can you look
this up? I don't want to give out bad information here,
(33:25):
but screw it. We'll just lie later on and say
we didn't do it. Is Jay Wright's name being floated
out there by mark Stein? I wanted to say it
was Jay Wright. Mark Stein had something about, you know
the potential of it being.
Speaker 3 (33:42):
Jay Wright, former Villanova coach, stealth candidate? Yes, stealth?
Speaker 5 (33:47):
Okay, all right, stealth candidate? Is that what you say
when you just really are throwing crap out a wall.
But why not how you phrase it?
Speaker 4 (33:53):
Why not?
Speaker 5 (33:53):
Let's you know, is that where journalism has got to
the nowadays? It's like, well, we don't want to say
exactly what it is.
Speaker 4 (34:00):
We're just going to go and say stealth candidate.
Speaker 3 (34:04):
Yeah, yeah, it's a new one.
Speaker 4 (34:06):
Though.
Speaker 2 (34:06):
Have you heard that one before? I don't know if
that I heard that? I mean I've never heard.
Speaker 4 (34:10):
I mean, is anyone going to take this job?
Speaker 3 (34:12):
So, okay, that's a great question.
Speaker 6 (34:15):
Can you imagine if we ever in the history of
sport had an NBA or NFL team actually not be
able to get a coach?
Speaker 5 (34:25):
Like, let me pose this, So, why can't JJ Reddick
just accept the job? I mean, you know what I'm saying, Like,
is his obligation to ABC, ESPN that great that he
just can't leave and say I'm going to become the
next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Everyone would
(34:46):
understand the idea that they're waiting until after the NBA
Finals doesn't negate his ability to just accept the job
and become the head coach. I mean, yes, maybe you
have to leave at that point. Although our colleague Doug Gottlieb.
He's still doing radio and he's a head coach down
in college basketball.
Speaker 3 (35:05):
There's hope.
Speaker 5 (35:06):
Look, he said standard, Well, I'm just saying like it's
obviously being done now, and that doesn't again take away
from JJ Reddick still doing some of his obligations are
some of those things.
Speaker 4 (35:17):
If he wants, he can negotiate that into a deal.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
Yeah, he makes the schedule, so he gets off.
Speaker 5 (35:23):
So I guess, I guess the greater question is like,
what was the hold up anyway, because now it looked like, okay,
the hold up was for Dan Hurley, whatever's going on
behind the scenes. However, this was being orchestrated. They wanted
to maybe try to go after and make a pitch
to Dan Hurley. Why it took so long, I don't know,
because if it was this dream candidate you thought he was,
why wouldn't he be the first one up? As soon
(35:44):
as the college you know, college basketball season ended, Slash,
you knew that you need a new coach, new coach
because you moved on from Darva Ham. I mean, it
looks like an absolute circus right now.
Speaker 4 (35:56):
If you are a.
Speaker 5 (35:57):
Los Angeles Lakers fan, try to tell me how how
it looks otherwise.
Speaker 4 (36:01):
But more so than that, if JJ Reddick is that next.
Speaker 5 (36:04):
Guy online, first off, does he still want it after
it's been very public that Dan Hurley flew out interview
decided to decline it.
Speaker 4 (36:12):
If I'm JJ Reddick, my price just went up.
Speaker 5 (36:15):
It's not like you're going to take any less than
whatever was offered to Dan Hurley if you weren't offered that,
but now it's going to be even more so in
order to make me take that job.
Speaker 4 (36:24):
But none of it makes any sense. And so they
either don't know what they're looking for.
Speaker 5 (36:31):
Or it's such a cluster because of the Lebron scenario
and ownership and Palinka and like all these other parties
involved that they don't know what direction they're really trying
to go and what they're trying to do. No matter what, though,
this is shocking to me that we are now this
(36:52):
far into this vacancy without having a head coach for
the Los Angeles Lakers.
Speaker 2 (36:59):
I mean, and also just the from a basketball standpoint,
where are they at in the Western Conference because this
was like going into this past year, it was like, yeah,
we get it. They got swept in the Western Conference finals,
but at least it was against the team that ended
up winning a championship, and the futures bright. They made
a much better run and a deeper run than anybody thought.
(37:20):
And that was before Minnesota got great, before Dallas made
a run like they did. Oklahoma City was the one seed.
Like you just you look around the Western Conference you go, well, dude,
this is like a couple years in a row they've
been a playing team, Like they've had to scrape and
claw to be a playing team in the Western Conference.
I just I think people look at the gig and go,
(37:42):
I don't know, like maybe five years ago, with Lebron
a little bit younger, maybe this is a much better
gig than what a lot of people expect. But it
just seems like you get the same issues all the time.
It's Lebron running the show, Anthony Davis, Canty stay healthy,
and then you just hope that you know a deal
or two at the deadline and maybe they'll be able
to bring in somebody that can contribute unlike they did
(38:03):
this past year. I just I don't think it's a.
Speaker 6 (38:05):
Strong personalities man. Lebron's strong personality, Anthony Davis strong personality.
Bus I could assume she's a strong personality. Polinka seems
like he's an assertive personality. I just if you're a
coach and you're stepping into this situation, I just don't
(38:28):
know how you how you feel like you can have success.
I really don't. And if you have a guy like
JJ Reddick who was willing and wanting to do it,
regardless of his resume or his lack of experience at
doing it, if you get a guy that can handle
(38:51):
those personalities and manage those personalities, then why would they
have drugged out the way that they did. Why did
they Why was there such a quick pivot or change
the direction in the media in terms of we're going
to try to go with Dan Hurley now, Like it
just seems there's something strange going on behind the scenes.
(39:15):
I don't know what it is. Is it a tuggle
war battle? Who's in the battle, Who's on what side
of the rope? I do not know, but just something
doesn't seem right. And for Dan Hurley to deny the job,
I mean I did. I didn't think that he would
take it, But based off of all information given and
(39:39):
knowing what we know, I thought this assessment that Q
gave was spot on, why wouldn't you want to take
a chance at the next level and try to win
an NBA championship and in LA with the Lakers of
all teams that spot on to want to have that opportunity.
Speaker 5 (39:57):
Did it feel quick to you too? Like I thought
he was track he's for like a day or something.
Speaker 3 (40:01):
The whole thing was quick.
Speaker 6 (40:03):
It was very quick when he said just just something
doesn't seem right.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
When he when it came out that he said, uh,
I'll make my decision Monday. I was like, Oh, he's
gonna stay like there's no like, you're not going to
lead the fan base on and all that. And apparently
they had some team meeting and he talked to him
and said, hey, you know, we're going to get back
to work.
Speaker 3 (40:23):
And who knows what the offer is from Yukon.
Speaker 2 (40:26):
I just think they also fired a guy who just
took him to the playoffs two years in a row.
If JJ Reddick or somebody got this gig, and you
were to say, all right, first two years you went
to the Western Conference finals and then you went to
the playoffs the next year. Oh, by the way, your
job's in jeopardy, Like who wants that, and especially if
you've got options, if you're JJ Riddick, why would you
(40:48):
want the The guy's having such success as a media member,
whether it's the podcast, whatever that's doing, but he's calling
the biggest games in the NBA. He's great in studio,
he's knowledgeable. People can maybe not like his tone and
his demeanor at times, but he's he's willing to, you know,
call out whatever he feels and share his opinions. He's
(41:10):
unapologetic for it. The guy's a superstar on the media
and he's made a ton of money in his career.
Why the f would you want to go be a
coach in the NBA where guys get fired seemingly every
six months when they're successful. Adrian Griffin didn't even make
it to half the season and got clipped.
Speaker 5 (41:28):
Yeah, that one didn't make any sense. By the way,
The answer to that is always easy, though, cause.
Speaker 4 (41:34):
Think about this.
Speaker 5 (41:35):
You don't go into any walk of life thinking negatively,
Like you don't go to a grocery store thinking like, well,
I'm gonna go and now I'm a slip and a fall,
I'm gonna break my hip, like you don't think about
the negative consequences of taking on new opportunities or when
you go to do something, most people are more task
oriented or they're looking at the up side, like they're saying, like, oh,
(41:57):
I get the chance to be the get the chance
coach Lebron, I give you the chance to be the
next head coach of the Lakers. You're looking at the
upside of it. Like we all talk ourselves into the
dream scenario that when we lay our head down to night,
that's what we would close our eyes. That's what goes
on in our head, that's what we envision, that's what
we think is going to take place. No one takes
(42:19):
a job biggrudgingly and with this a negative attitude about it.
So I always understand what people take the chance, take
the opportunity to do it.
Speaker 4 (42:29):
You know, they either want to achieve at the highest.
Speaker 5 (42:32):
Level, which is what I said yesterday, and I think maybe, look,
that will be there for Dan Hurley. He's young enough
where it'll still be there if he wants it to
be there in the future. The reality is he probably
wants it to be the right circumstance of the right situation.
And I think you could make a case now more
than ever that if there was a coach in college.
Speaker 4 (42:48):
You wanted to jump to the NBA, now.
Speaker 5 (42:50):
Would be the time because of how college sports is
going with NIL, the realignment, everything else is going on,
So it would make sense that you'd say, yeah, there's
too much certainty, I don't want to deal with this.
Speaker 4 (43:01):
I'd rather jump to the NBA now. That makes sense
to me.
Speaker 5 (43:05):
But if it's not the right situation and you can't
have complete autonomy and you're beholden to that superstar, maybe
the greatest of all time in Lebron James, then you
might have reservations.
Speaker 4 (43:14):
And that's understandable. I've had a head coach and I'm
not gonna say.
Speaker 5 (43:17):
What head coach was that I spoke with about this,
but he talked about the difference between the NBA and
in college and just really basketball in general at that level,
and he said it was more about managing superstar personalities,
that it's really really hard to create a team environment
unless you have the right superstar with the right mindset,
(43:40):
because that's that's ultimately what it's about. It's a sport
of at times individual plays that make the difference between
winning and losing.
Speaker 4 (43:47):
The only five guys in the court.
Speaker 5 (43:49):
You could have that one superstar that can allow you
to have every you know, every night, that chance or
when you get in the playoffs, that chance to hit
the game winning basket that turns that series, that turns
the tide that.
Speaker 4 (43:59):
Wins a championship.
Speaker 5 (44:01):
And so that's ultimately what your job is is to
find a way of tapping into that superstar to get
him to be the leader you need him to be,
or for him to help create the environment you need
him to create. It feels like honestly glorified babysitting when
you when you hear about it like that, and it
feels like a really difficult job because it's not schematic
(44:22):
as much as you'd think, and it's not about some
of the other things out there like like you'd think,
Like in the NFL, I would say, talent's so equated. Yes,
it helps to have a star quarterback, but even then
he's only out there at most half the time. You're
still gonna have a defense, you still have special teams,
you still have you know, scheme, and even the best quarterback,
(44:43):
if he doesn't help around in protection all these other things,
it ain't gonna matter. So you know, in comparison to
other sports, like there's where there's a lot more scheme involved,
a lot more coaching involved, a lot more analysis even
during the week and offseason.
Speaker 4 (44:58):
Not as much in the NBA.
Speaker 5 (45:00):
And so it's tough if you feel like there's someone
there that's pulling the strings that you can't get along with,
or is it gonna take you into consideration. And I
feel like that's what's hanging over the Los Angeles Lakers
right now.
Speaker 6 (45:13):
Does this take a hit on Lebron's legacy? I don't
think coach a coach denying the opportunity to coach him.
I'm just listening to what you just said. I think
it just made me like in my mind, like I'm curious,
like does he take a hit from something like this.
Speaker 4 (45:29):
I'm not saying that that was the definitive reasons.
Speaker 6 (45:32):
I'm not saying that's what you said, but i will
say I'm notating that's what you said, but report curious.
Speaker 5 (45:38):
When the report came out about him trying to move
on from Spolstra, and I'm not sure if you saw that,
and then you look at the track record in Cleveland,
you look at the track record basically everywhere he's been
butt there and that was and by the way, that
was because he had to deal with a strong personality
and pat Riley who put his foot down, and obviously
the Heat have been incredibly successful in the sense of
not having a Lebron James still being able to have success,
(46:02):
still be be able to overcome that. Like they to me,
and we'll see what happens with Jimmy Butler, but they
to me are a team that I look at and say,
they've got the right components in dynamics. They just need
to find that next guy if it's not gonna be
Jimmy Butler, whoever it is to get them over the top.
But if you look at the track record of Lebron James,
(46:25):
to your question, it feels like he's always been back
channeling or behind the scenes doing whatever he's doing to
create the situation that he wants. And maybe he feels
like he learned from that Miami experience with pat Riley
how to build it, how to do it because they
were successful in Cleveland. He brought Cleveland a championship and
(46:47):
so now he's looking for that same opportunity in LA
And they did win a championship in LA. You know,
we can all make fun of the Bubble Boy Championship
and all that, the reality is that's their banner they
won when they brought it Championship to La Masks and all, well.
Speaker 4 (47:02):
We're not that matters they want it.
Speaker 5 (47:05):
So maybe he feels like he's done enough now throughout
his career and even as a player and understanding how
to build teams, that he should be able to handle
things this way.
Speaker 3 (47:17):
Yeah, I don't know.
This is the best of two pros and a couple
Joe with Lamar Airings rating win and Jonas Knots on
Fox Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Did you guys feel it? There was a giant gust
of wind from the West coast yesterday and now now
that gust of wind was the swing and the miss
for the La Lakers On Dan Hurley, Oh and down
they go.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Yeah, big time swinging a miss.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
You know what, I gotta tell you, I was dead wrong.
Speaker 5 (00:34):
And I think part of it is is maybe I
just in my mind have this misconception of what the
Lakers are and how they're viewed.
Speaker 4 (00:41):
I mean, are the Lakers not viewed?
Speaker 5 (00:43):
Is that story to a franchise that, like you, you
can't turn down this job, this opportunity.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
The history is there, the l like it's like they
have so much, so many great moments, great tradition. But
it kind of has that feeling like Miami football, where
we remember Miami football.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
As being man, they were the you it was different.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
And then you look back and you go, that's kind
of been a long time since they won real big games.
I know they won the Bubble Championship, but before that,
we're talking what fifteen years ago. It's not like this
is recent success they've had. And I just wonder if
people look at that as opposed to just the name
on the front and everything that comes along with it.
Speaker 6 (01:29):
See, to me, when I look at the situation, it
is a storied franchise.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
It is.
Speaker 6 (01:37):
A franchise that has tremendous relevance. Even if that relevance
is more rooted in the past, it's still a tremendous
job and a tremendous franchise historically speaking and reputationally speaking.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
I just for me, I just.
Speaker 6 (01:54):
Think that it's it's almost like Washington in how Washington
was in football, where you had a foundation built by
a different owner, and since there's been new ownership that
has taken place, I just think that there's there is
a cultural, a cultural situation that has developed.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
In l A.
Speaker 6 (02:22):
And I just don't know that if you're looking at
the last three or four coaches from Byron Scott to
Luke Walton to Vogel to Ham, they they don't make
it out of four years, four years and tops and
you're out. I just I think that it is a
(02:42):
more volatile job because of how high profile the franchise is,
and if you're not if you're not going to this
team with the idea and the understanding that I have
two to four years to get this done, and the
(03:04):
likelihood is outside of the last guys I've been here,
it's probably more on the side that I'm out after
four than it is that I'm in. I just think
that that's a hard if you have a situation like Hurley.
I just think that that's a hard decision to make
to walk away from stability and success at that level
(03:27):
to go to the next level and have so much
uncertainty as to what your future looks like. Other than
there's the strong possibility that I'm going to be out
of here in two to four years, Well that's hard.
Speaker 4 (03:41):
Think about this.
Speaker 5 (03:42):
Though, He's turned down two legendary programs or teams Kentucky
earlier this offseason, stayed with Yukon, which you might say, well,
that makes maybe more sense because he's at the college level,
same level. Yukon's got a storied history and tradition as well,
and he's built that program up where he'd maybe be
(04:04):
having to do something similar to that to Kentucky. And
I also think that that Dan Hurley's probably overly concerned
with this. But had he made that move, we live
in a world in college basketball now where would have
decimated Yukon.
Speaker 4 (04:16):
Everything he did at Yukon, it.
Speaker 5 (04:18):
Could have decimated them because he would have gotten a
lot of those players to transfer immediately to Kentucky and
bring all those players with them, which you know, maybe
he had some feelings about doing that, considering the opportunity
of Yukon gave him the success they've had, et cetera.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
Maybe not who knows, but now the Lakers as well.
Speaker 5 (04:38):
And so I look at this and just go, all right,
maybe I'm messed up because I keep looking.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
At this thinking like, is this not the Lakers?
Speaker 5 (04:45):
Is this not like one of those story franchises you have,
you know, shows about movies about I mean, is this
not the one that if you could bring it back
to being at the top of the NBA, you would
be king.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
In that realm? Which leads me to think if because
I think those.
Speaker 5 (05:01):
Things are right, I think it's more of a matter of,
you know, whatever was offered to him and whatever the
situation that's presented isn't to his liking. And I don't
know if that was the contract, if they you know,
couldn't pay him significantly more than he was getting from
Yukon in order to persuade him not to be there.
I've heard, you know, people talk about the Stydingham tax
(05:23):
and maybe that plays a factor, even though let's be real,
it's not like Connecticut doesn't have high taxes too, you know.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
I've heard people throughout that theory.
Speaker 5 (05:32):
I wonder, though, how much Lebron his impact plays a
role in Yeah, you might interview with Rob Polenka, but
at the end of the day, it's still Lebron behind
the scenes, pulling the strings.
Speaker 6 (05:44):
I don't think he takes the interview if he wasn't
comfortable with the Lebron James scenario.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
See, I think you take it to figure out what
that scenario is.
Speaker 6 (05:54):
I think you find out before you I think you
have a good idea before you fly out, and yeah, maybe,
but but.
Speaker 5 (06:01):
You've got to hear them to and ask those questions,
those pointed questions, like you could you could talk to
Rich Paul, you could talk to even Lebron, But when
you go out there, you're gonna be talking to all
the people to the organization, you know, whether it's Jennie
Buss or lat Polinka or anyone. You're looking him dead
in the face and you're saying, all right, what is
the situation here, because whatever, until you've gathered, you want
(06:24):
to confirm and you want to see what they say,
how they react, what their answer is. I just I
think the general the general pointer question is like, I
just wonder how big of a factor that is in
this whole decision making process to turn this job down.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 6 (06:42):
I would just venture to say, I would just venture
to say he probably did some type of information gathering
before it got to the point of saying that I'm
going to entertain.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
It just came.
Speaker 6 (06:55):
It just seemed like it came so quickly, the idea
of him getting this job. Everybody talking about Reddick getting
the job. Reddick Reddick, Reddick, Redick, Boom Hurley.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Hurley wasn't even on the odds list. Remember we read
it off that way. It wasn't anyone's radar.
Speaker 6 (07:11):
So something had to be happening behind the scenes that
people weren't totally aware of what was taking place. And
to the to the tune of him actually going to
see what it is that he was going to get
himself into.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
To your point, Q.
Speaker 6 (07:27):
But I just think in the end, when you measure
it out, and he weighed out, it was going to
come down to was he comfortable leaving what he's created
for this major opportunity at the NBA level or at
the University of Kentucky, or do you stay put where
it is that you created your systems.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
You have your your you know, you have your way.
Speaker 6 (07:48):
Of doing things and it's been successful, and you got
to ask yourself the question. I don't I don't know
his family situation. I don't know. There's there's probably a
lot more factors that are involved than just the idea
of going to the Lakers versus staying at Yukon. In
terms of coaching, there's probably more, but just face value.
(08:10):
Don't you feel like it's just a more stable opportunity
for him to have longevity versus taking a chance and
a risk even though it's high high reward, or it's
super high reward, but it's super high risk as well.
I think that that might have been I don't think
that it was anything else other other than that in
(08:33):
the end, like high risk, high reward, like a But
I did that already with Yukon, and I've built this
so I would just stay here.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
Which is actually why I think it makes more of
the case of leaving.
Speaker 5 (08:44):
Like look at Nick Saban, for example, when's the national
championship at LSU, entertains the ability to go to the
Miami Dolphins. That doesn't workout, comes back, builds up bigger, better,
and the greatest coach of all time at college football.
So to that point, actually, I would actually make the
case that it makes more of a sense to be
able to then leave and go explore that and hey,
if you crash and burn, all right, whatever, I know
(09:05):
I can build this back up at the college level.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
I've already done it.
Speaker 5 (09:08):
I've already had those dominant team back to back years
we've ever seen in the NCAA tournament. I look at
it this way, and maybe I don't know if we
have music for like a conspiracy theory.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Do we have that?
Speaker 5 (09:22):
Does anyone have Robert Stack in a trench coat somewhere
walking in a dark alley with some steam billowing out.
Speaker 6 (09:28):
Like, okay, give us, give us the conspiracy the.
Speaker 5 (09:32):
Well, LaVar, you bring up a good point in the
sense of if he's doing all this data analysis and
everything beforehand, it makes me think this It makes me
think that maybe he was the candidate all along for
the Lakers organization, for a guy like Rob Polenka. He
(09:53):
was there, Golden goose, he was the guy that they
ultimately really want it. But it wasn't this the guy
that Lebron James really wanted. And it's why you kept
hearing JJ Reddick. It's why you kept hearing all these
reports that it's basically a done deal until after the
NBA Finals, when Redick's done, you know, serving out his
media commitment.
Speaker 4 (10:15):
Maybe there's some coaches too.
Speaker 5 (10:16):
He was gonna kind of evaluate look at he he
wants to bring on his staff. Till after that was
all the reporting, and then Dan Hurley's name pops up.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
So it was Lebron counterpunching, not the Lakers counterpunching.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
Well, it would have been the Lakers.
Speaker 5 (10:29):
The Lakers counter punching, bring in Dan Hurley and the
last second trying to make a last ditch effort and saying,
maybe they had said to Lebron, hey, if we can
get this guy, let's go bring this guy in, and
Lebron's like, all right, do whatever you want to do.
But at the end of the day he comes out
there he does the interview. I think he looks at
(10:50):
the situation says no, no, this has Lebron's fingers all
over is I can't have the autonomy that I.
Speaker 4 (10:54):
Want to be the coach here and do the things
I'd like to do. So I'm out.
Speaker 5 (11:00):
I'm going back to Yukon. Maybe that was more of
the conspiracy theorists. You've got two different head coaches that
are being put out there in the media because you've
got two different people behind the scenes trying to make
it happen.
Speaker 6 (11:13):
I have a conspiracy theory to add to a deep
stack music.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
Going to keep going.
Speaker 6 (11:19):
Because Lebron James wants JJ Reddick, and JJ Reddick wants
Lebron James, and Bronni James wants both of them. When
Danny Hurley came out to beautiful Los Angeles, California, there
was a suspicious man that followed Danny Hurley around during
(11:41):
the course of his visit in time as he went
to the Strand and went to Manhattan Beach to see
the area, and went to visit Rob Low look alike
what's his name, Polinka, And that man finally revealed himself
to Danny Hurley as a man with special skills, skills
(12:03):
that would, let's just say, be used if he decided
to in fact accept this La Lakers job. And now
that he has not accepted the job, his job is
done and JJ Redick will be the head coach of
the Los Angeles Lakers.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
Pam, I'm listening. I mean, since we're going here, i'd.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
Also that might just be like a theory, you know.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
I'd also like to share my conspiracy theory. I mean,
so I do one, I'll do one here. I don't
think that the interview actually happened.
Speaker 6 (12:42):
What I think, Wow, now that is conspiracy theory.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
Yeah, he didn't walk on the moon now.
Speaker 4 (12:49):
Like a UFO or something.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
I believe that Dan Hurley intended to meet with the Lakers.
He intended to go to the Crypto dot com to
meet with the Lakers, but he couldn't get into the crew.
He couldn't get in there because there were too many
sleeping bags and tents out in front and he had
(13:11):
no way to get to the front door. And he said,
you know what, I'm going back to Connecticut. This is
too much for me. Thus, JJ Reddick is still in
the running to be the head coach of the La
Lakers and to put a cherry on top of you.
Speaker 6 (13:23):
Mate, sure that he checked the Weather Channel to see
what the weather would be flying back and hanging out
in Connecticut.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
Yeah, yeah, channel looks a little overrated.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
It does it. Yeah not to some people that work.
Speaker 4 (13:42):
I mean, if you were gonna say, and I would
say suspicious.
Speaker 6 (13:45):
Bba bb drizzy, well they might not. RABBI guess it
from all that corn bred.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
Ooh yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Well listen, it is Two Pros and a Cup of
Joe here on Fox Sports Radio, and we are thick
with content coming up here for the next three hours
of this program.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
Overly.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Be sure to catch live editions of Two Pros and
a Cup of Joe with Brady Quinn, LeVar Errington, and
Jonas Knox weekdays at six am Eastern three am Pacific
on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
Hey, we're Cavino and Rich Fox Sports Radio every day
five to seven pm Eastern. But here's the thing, we
never have enough time to get to everything we want
to get.
Speaker 7 (14:46):
To, and that's why we have a brand new podcast
called over Promised. You see, we're having so much fun
in our two hour show. We never get to everything, honestly,
because this guy is over promising things we never have
time for. Yeah, well you know what it's called over promise.
You should be good at it because you've been over
promising women for years. Well, it's a Covino and Rich
(15:06):
after show and we want you to be a part
of it. We're gonna be talking sports, of course, but
we're also going to talk life and relationships. And if
Rich and I are arguing about something or we didn't
have enough time, it will continue on our after show
called over Promised. Well, if you don't get enough Covino
and Rich, make sure you check out over Promised and
also Uncensored by the way, so maybe we'll go at
it even a little harder. It's gonna be the best
(15:27):
after show podcast of all time. There you go, over promising.
Remember you could see on YouTube, but definitely join us.
Listen Over Promised with Cavino and Rich on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
Hey, I do have a question though, following up on
the story we closed up last hour with that bowl
that got out of the Rodeo and Oregon Wyoming Days
or Cheyenneys, is there any threat of that potentially happening wild.
Speaker 6 (15:58):
Hey look here, man, you right up on them, You
right up on the animals. Man, well excuse me, the athletes.
You're right up on them. And it's crazy because you
see all kinds of things that you never would probably
take the time to think about. You know, I told
(16:20):
you guys a few years or a year or so
back that how which I didn't know this, but I'm sure.
Speaker 4 (16:27):
Maybe you guys did.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
But you know how they.
Speaker 6 (16:29):
Get the bulls ready to buck when they go out,
like when they're.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
I need to refresher on that. How do they get
them ready?
Speaker 3 (16:36):
Oh? They poke them.
Speaker 6 (16:39):
They poke them, I mean and they poke them and.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
The truck nuts there you go.
Speaker 4 (16:47):
Oh they do?
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Oh yeah?
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Do they cattle prod them in the balls or do
they is.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
It like just they poke them? Man, like irritated. They
irritate them and they release some.
Speaker 6 (17:02):
So the dude that's on the back is riding a
piste off bull. That was one thing, and like they start,
you know, I don't know people realize this, but they
start crapping all on themselves too, and it starts.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
Flying every which way.
Speaker 6 (17:19):
Like at Frontier days at the arena, you're able to
like as spectators watch like go and there's this standing
area you can stand and watch, And all I would
say is I advise you to wear glasses or even
a set of goggles. Really yes, So that was one
(17:41):
that was one that was like, man, it's like it
gets real out here. Then you go to the pasture,
like where they have all of like you know, they
have the different athletes that are are like on standby
in the pasture, whether it be a bull that they're
going to ride, or it's a horse that's going to
run or whatever it may be. And and and it's
(18:02):
like it's like really not very different from us as people.
You see a whole bunch of horned up dudes up
in there. Man, I mean they be I mean.
Speaker 5 (18:15):
Bulls, you know, horses, you know, saying like dudes in
the crowd, right.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
I'm saying the horses. I'm referring to them as dudes.
Speaker 6 (18:27):
And they're in the pastures and and and they're looking
at the others, They're looking at the.
Speaker 3 (18:34):
Other horses that are around.
Speaker 6 (18:36):
And next thing you know, it's it's five legs that
you instead of four.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
And to see that, to see it up close.
Speaker 6 (18:47):
Is like kind of like dawn, like like dang.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
It.
Speaker 6 (18:57):
It's like you see all these different things and you
start to respect, like you know how, you know how
you had to see people and it's like, ah, you
see somebody bulldog? Why is the cow so small? Why
is it a calf and not like a real bull
and stuff like that. You see these bad boys up close, man,
and you get a different appreciation and understanding as the
(19:20):
why you just don't even mess with a bull. But
then you start to think about there are animals out
there that could actually hunt a bull, take a bull.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
Down and eat it.
Speaker 6 (19:31):
And then you start to realize that there's like if
we didn't have brain power and technology on our sides,
we be in trouble, man, we be in trouble because
these these cats out here. Then these animals ain't these
the athletes, theyn't They ain't playing man, Yeah, they ain't playing.
Is super real. So there you go. So yeah, they
(19:53):
answer your question. There was a there was a horse.
It wasn't a bull. There was a horse that was
be and rode like a bucking horse and he threw
threw the guy off his back, and he wasn't ready
to be done. They was trying to get to him.
He wasn't ready to be done and he was willing
to risk it all.
Speaker 3 (20:12):
He went over.
Speaker 6 (20:12):
He went over the gate was in the area where
like the people were dancing and commentating and talking, and
they like had to get out of the way. And
he was going so hard. He ended up like basically
like passing out. Like he went down. They had to
get him up. He didn't want to go. He went
down again. Then they had to get him up, and
(20:34):
then they got him upout it. And now I don't
know what happened in the back. I don't know if
he went down again and didn't get back up. But yeah,
they sometimes they you know, they they don't like what's
going on, and they they get you know, they.
Speaker 3 (20:49):
Get to it.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
I mean, you know, to their in their defense, who
does like getting poked in the balls?
Speaker 3 (20:54):
It's not fun.
Speaker 6 (20:55):
So I don't know if they poked the horses, I'm
not sure about that one, but they definitely get at
them bulls.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
Man, them bulls be up in their upset. Though.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
I think there's three people in Oregon that are like,
you know, I wish we could have taken that advice
from LeVar before this happened.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
Over the weekend.
Speaker 6 (21:13):
Oh there was like super breakout. Like a lot of
the people that I was there with got pink eye.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
It was like like your.
Speaker 6 (21:21):
Left eye, you're right eye, Like bam, you got pink eye.
Speaker 3 (21:24):
All right, you got pink guy.
Speaker 4 (21:28):
How do you think that came about?
Speaker 6 (21:31):
They gone, they had bulls in their eye?
Speaker 3 (21:36):
Damn truth.
Speaker 6 (21:42):
True.
Speaker 3 (21:42):
That is nasty, man, That is nasty. That's the truth.
Speaker 4 (21:49):
All right.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Well, you know, so.
Speaker 6 (21:51):
There you go at the next rodeo and uh oh
I'll be there.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
Bring your by vocals. It's not a not a safe place,
all right, but it.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
Is a safe place, you know.
Speaker 6 (22:02):
You just don't know. Just gotta be careful. Not looking
to get pink guy anytime soon. I want to get
pink app. And now now we do have an update.
This is a story that we have been monitoring and
tracking in the NFL all off season because there were
some people who speculated that maybe this wouldn't get done,
that maybe there was going to be conversations elsewhere, or
(22:23):
maybe there would be a higher elsewhere. But nonetheless, the
Pittsburgh Steelers have done the right thing. Mike Tomlin gets
a three year extension from the Steelers, as announced yesterday.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
He enters year eighteen at the Helm. This is going
to take him through twenty twenty seven. Never finished below
five hundred in a season through seventeen years to start
out his NFL coaching career. But Mike Tomlin is back
in Pittsburgh and he's the head coach of the Steelers
for the foreseeable future. So all the stuff you heard
out there, all the potential of him leaving as it
(22:56):
stands right now, not happening.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
Tomlin's back rightfully.
Speaker 5 (23:00):
So, I mean, he's never had a losing season. The
guy does more with less at times. I think this
is a year that could be a surprise year for them.
You know, I'm not sure. I would imagine the odds
probably for the AFC North. Do they have them at
the bottom? Efforting it's gonna be close, But I would
imagine that they are at the bottom. And if that's
(23:22):
the case, I'm not bad against them. I mean, the
track wreck that he's got there, and you know, defensively
and making this team competitive, I think they'll be right
there in the mix once again.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
So, yeah, they're at the bottom.
Speaker 4 (23:35):
So so is that to win the division?
Speaker 3 (23:37):
He said, yeah, I mean, I don't know.
Speaker 5 (23:40):
If I'm gonna take the outs to win it, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland,
Prett damn good.
Speaker 4 (23:44):
But I would say this, I don't think they're going
to finish last. I'll just put it that way.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
Who you think will finish last?
Speaker 4 (23:51):
I don't know. I don't know.
Speaker 5 (23:54):
I mean last, by the way, it could be what
nine to eight, Like, that's how good this division is.
So you could have a winning record and still finish
last in the division.
Speaker 6 (24:07):
Yeah, I'm obviously I'm a Steelers fan, and so I'm
happy to hear it. I know there's probably just knowing
how our culture is, you know, we always want coaches gone,
like the entire state, right We're like that in Philly,
We're like that in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3 (24:25):
For one reason or another.
Speaker 6 (24:27):
We always find the negatives and things and always want
something different, want something new. You know, sometimes the worst
thing that you can do is be a knowledgeable sports fan,
because when you have the knowledge of understanding sports and
like simplicities of what go into some of the aspects
(24:48):
of it, you use those aspects to create.
Speaker 3 (24:53):
Narratives and judgments.
Speaker 6 (24:54):
And I feel like Mike Tomlin has been victimized by that.
Now I'm not saying he's a vic them. I'm just
saying the way that he's been talked about in the media,
you know, in Pittsburgh locally, the way he's been talked
about by fans, some fans locally, you would think that
Mike Tomlin is a failing coach, like a coach that
(25:16):
doesn't seem to know how to get it done or
you know, should should even still be in a position
where he has, you know, the head coaching job. And
I never understood it, you know it. I just never
understood why that's the approach, why there's so much you know,
kind of like intensity towards when Mike Tomlin isn't as
(25:40):
successful as the fans would like now. I don't know
if it's like that in every in every market when
a team underperforms, but I would I would venture to say,
has this team really underperformed, you know, during his tenure?
Have they really underperformed? When he had gunners? They won
(26:01):
it all when he had when he had guys, they
were in it. And they've had some they've had some turnover,
they've had some change. I know a lot of people
wanted to talk about how bad the offense has been
or what's this team been like since I haven't been Roethlisberger?
And and for what it's worth, that's still a question
(26:21):
that's up in their how can this team be and
still search of in need of a quarterback? And and
is that is that Russell Wilson At this point, I
don't know is that is it? Is it justin fields?
If it's not Russell Wilson? I don't know, but I
(26:42):
know this. I know that getting an extension is great,
but that's still going to put a lot of spotlight
and attention on what the performance of this offense is
going to be and to that point, what the performance
of the Pittsburgh Steelers is going to be. You know,
we talked about the Lakers earlier. You know, this is
one of those teams too. It's a story franchise ran
(27:03):
by family, legacy, play and success is what the fan
base has come to know and it's what they expect.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
So the pushback from a lot of people on Tomlin
is that, you know, he won a Super Bowl, but
it was what, you know, two thousand and ten or
two thousand and seven, whatever, what two thousand and eight rather,
and then he was in one in twenty eleven against
the Packers and they're like, you know, it's been a
long time. But I always look at it, like with
when Marvin Lewis was with the Bengals and they were
going to the playoffs every single year, it was like, yeah,
(27:34):
but they weren't winning playoff games, like okay, Like sometimes
you'll get there and things will happen, or you'll run
into a better team, or you'll there'll be a turnover
or something crazy will happen in a game. Like isn't
all you can ask for as a fan? Just keep
us competitive because once you get there, you get a
break or two and next thing you know, you're in
(27:54):
a super Bowl or you're in a conference championship game.
Tomlin always has them competitive, like so, I know the
super Bowls aren't there, but at least they're in contention,
which is the first step in the process.
Speaker 5 (28:05):
I think the hard thing about that example is though
then they go with was Zach Taylor?
Speaker 4 (28:11):
Was that was immediately following.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
By ah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 4 (28:15):
And so it didn't look good early. They get Joe Burrows,
Zach Taylor, they go to Super Bowl.
Speaker 5 (28:20):
So I think that's the hard part is there is
that tantalizing idea that if you have a head coach,
you have a quarterback.
Speaker 4 (28:28):
And then things aligne because you still need some luck
to happen.
Speaker 5 (28:31):
You know, you can go to a super Bowl and
you have a shot of, you know, once you get there,
of winning it.
Speaker 4 (28:37):
So that's the hard.
Speaker 5 (28:38):
Part is if you feel like you've hit your ceiling
and you're not going to be able to get any
better from there, then it might be worth contemplating and going, Okay,
let's just let's try to, you know, break it all
down again. We've got a good foundation, but let's build
it back up with somebody who's got a different play on,
different vision. I thought last year was an example of
(28:58):
Mike Tomlin showing growth by moving on from Matt Canada.
Speaker 4 (29:03):
I mean, he's not.
Speaker 5 (29:04):
Very responsive to outside pressures, the media, fans, what have you.
Last year was an example though, of him finally conceding
the fact that this isn't working.
Speaker 4 (29:15):
It doesn't matter how much you.
Speaker 5 (29:16):
Like the guy, if you think he's a good guy,
you love his fail it doesn't matter. Bill Belichick talking
about you're not focusing anything outside of just what helps
us win.
Speaker 4 (29:27):
That's what's best for our family. And everyone.
Speaker 5 (29:29):
That's life in the NFL. And I think for Mike Tomlin,
loyalty got in the way. His stubbornness got in the
way of him not moving on from a play caller
that Ben Roethlisberger had an issue with, has continued to
have an issue with even since he's left there. A
lot of the quarterbacks in that system had an issue with.
It just hasn't been very conducive for success. And so
(29:51):
finally get Arthur Smith in there, and he makes that change,
which I think will be big, you know, for Pittsburgh
moving forward. And look, I don't know how often he's
on the headset and how often he's telling, you know,
guys to run it here or you know, run out
the you know, whatever the case is, being a little
more conservative or you know, pun instead of going for
fourth down. I have no idea what that sounds like
(30:11):
on the headset. But there are coaches who played the
cards a lot closer to the vest. They want to
be more conservative with their decision making, and it seems
like we're venturing into a realm in the NFL. We're
the best at it. They know when to go for it.
They have the best played out up for it. They
have a better feel for all of that, and so
he I think the biggest concern for Pittsburgh fans is
(30:33):
probably can he evolve from when he won his last
Super Bowl to having this stream of success? But is
he going to be able to have that stream of
success ultimately pop to a Super Bowl?
Speaker 4 (30:45):
And I think it takes that.
Speaker 5 (30:46):
Evolution of him as a coach, and maybe we saw
a little bit of that last year finally moving on
from Matt Cannon. Is is something that I don't think Mike
Tomlin's made an end season firing ever since he's been
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach. Could be wrong, but I'm almost
positive says he's taken over. He hasn't made an nd
season firing like that ever.
Speaker 2 (31:05):
I was looking at the list of AFC champions since
Tomlin took over, or like the quarterbacks that won AFC
title game since Tomlin took over, and it's basically Peyton Manning,
Tom Brady, Maomes, Mahomes, and then you've got Roethlisberger, and
then you got Chuck Yeah and Joe Burrow. So it's
(31:25):
literally like like some of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
And then we see how Joe Burrow plays out and
then you got Flacco who was the one off year.
But to be able to have success in this conference
over that period of time says something. So you know,
they've been to a couple of Super Bowls. Now we
can see if they if they get back there with
Mike Tomlin and who knows, maybe Levar's guy, Russell Wilson
(31:48):
is the guy to do it.
Speaker 3 (31:49):
Maybe maybe the guy to do it.
Speaker 6 (31:52):
I'm not very optimistic. I'm not optimistic about it. I'm not.
I mean, but maybe he can recapture some of that
that magic. I don't know, I don't I don't buy it.
It's like a boxer when he starts losing, like y'all
saw that Adrian Broner fight, like oh wock.
Speaker 3 (32:08):
I just you know.
Speaker 6 (32:10):
Dang thy wants to do loses their tooth and the magic.
It's just it's kind of hard to regain.
Speaker 3 (32:17):
How do you lose your tooth with a mount you
punched in the mouth with a mouth.
Speaker 4 (32:22):
You got knocked up?
Speaker 6 (32:24):
Yeah, man, damn.
Speaker 1 (32:29):
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Speaker 2 (32:40):
So can I throw what if at you? What if
Dan Hurley rejects the offer from the Lakers and JJ
Reddick rejects the offer from the Lakers, then what.
Speaker 4 (32:53):
Then?
Speaker 3 (32:54):
Then?
Speaker 2 (32:54):
Then aren't we look at an option see for the
quote unquote great franchise that is the Lakers?
Speaker 6 (32:59):
Or going to say what's that? You go back and
apologize the Darwin House?
Speaker 2 (33:03):
You know, maybe we made a mistakes. He's back in
Milwaukee now. He just took the job as the top
assistant there for Doc Rivers with the Fox, so he's gone.
James Barrego of the Pelicans, he's been rumored to be
a potential candidate. I also saw Lee, can you look
this up? I don't want to give out bad information here,
(33:25):
but screw it. We'll just lie later on and say
we didn't do it. Is Jay Wright's name being floated
out there by mark Stein? I wanted to say it
was Jay Wright. Mark Stein had something about, you know
the potential of it being.
Speaker 3 (33:42):
Jay Wright, former Villanova coach, stealth candidate? Yes, stealth?
Speaker 5 (33:47):
Okay, all right, stealth candidate? Is that what you say
when you just really are throwing crap out a wall.
But why not how you phrase it?
Speaker 4 (33:53):
Why not?
Speaker 5 (33:53):
Let's you know, is that where journalism has got to
the nowadays? It's like, well, we don't want to say
exactly what it is.
Speaker 4 (34:00):
We're just going to go and say stealth candidate.
Speaker 3 (34:04):
Yeah, yeah, it's a new one.
Speaker 4 (34:06):
Though.
Speaker 2 (34:06):
Have you heard that one before? I don't know if
that I heard that? I mean I've never heard.
Speaker 4 (34:10):
I mean, is anyone going to take this job?
Speaker 3 (34:12):
So, okay, that's a great question.
Speaker 6 (34:15):
Can you imagine if we ever in the history of
sport had an NBA or NFL team actually not be
able to get a coach?
Speaker 5 (34:25):
Like, let me pose this, So, why can't JJ Reddick
just accept the job? I mean, you know what I'm saying, Like,
is his obligation to ABC, ESPN that great that he
just can't leave and say I'm going to become the
next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Everyone would
(34:46):
understand the idea that they're waiting until after the NBA
Finals doesn't negate his ability to just accept the job
and become the head coach. I mean, yes, maybe you
have to leave at that point. Although our colleague Doug Gottlieb.
He's still doing radio and he's a head coach down
in college basketball.
Speaker 3 (35:05):
There's hope.
Speaker 5 (35:06):
Look, he said standard, Well, I'm just saying like it's
obviously being done now, and that doesn't again take away
from JJ Reddick still doing some of his obligations are
some of those things.
Speaker 4 (35:17):
If he wants, he can negotiate that into a deal.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
Yeah, he makes the schedule, so he gets off.
Speaker 5 (35:23):
So I guess, I guess the greater question is like,
what was the hold up anyway, because now it looked like, okay,
the hold up was for Dan Hurley, whatever's going on
behind the scenes. However, this was being orchestrated. They wanted
to maybe try to go after and make a pitch
to Dan Hurley. Why it took so long, I don't know,
because if it was this dream candidate you thought he was,
why wouldn't he be the first one up? As soon
(35:44):
as the college you know, college basketball season ended, Slash,
you knew that you need a new coach, new coach
because you moved on from Darva Ham. I mean, it
looks like an absolute circus right now.
Speaker 4 (35:56):
If you are a.
Speaker 5 (35:57):
Los Angeles Lakers fan, try to tell me how how
it looks otherwise.
Speaker 4 (36:01):
But more so than that, if JJ Reddick is that next.
Speaker 5 (36:04):
Guy online, first off, does he still want it after
it's been very public that Dan Hurley flew out interview
decided to decline it.
Speaker 4 (36:12):
If I'm JJ Reddick, my price just went up.
Speaker 5 (36:15):
It's not like you're going to take any less than
whatever was offered to Dan Hurley if you weren't offered that,
but now it's going to be even more so in
order to make me take that job.
Speaker 4 (36:24):
But none of it makes any sense. And so they
either don't know what they're looking for.
Speaker 5 (36:31):
Or it's such a cluster because of the Lebron scenario
and ownership and Palinka and like all these other parties
involved that they don't know what direction they're really trying
to go and what they're trying to do. No matter what, though,
this is shocking to me that we are now this
(36:52):
far into this vacancy without having a head coach for
the Los Angeles Lakers.
Speaker 2 (36:59):
I mean, and also just the from a basketball standpoint,
where are they at in the Western Conference because this
was like going into this past year, it was like, yeah,
we get it. They got swept in the Western Conference finals,
but at least it was against the team that ended
up winning a championship, and the futures bright. They made
a much better run and a deeper run than anybody thought.
(37:20):
And that was before Minnesota got great, before Dallas made
a run like they did. Oklahoma City was the one seed.
Like you just you look around the Western Conference you go, well, dude,
this is like a couple years in a row they've
been a playing team, Like they've had to scrape and
claw to be a playing team in the Western Conference.
I just I think people look at the gig and go,
(37:42):
I don't know, like maybe five years ago, with Lebron
a little bit younger, maybe this is a much better
gig than what a lot of people expect. But it
just seems like you get the same issues all the time.
It's Lebron running the show, Anthony Davis, Canty stay healthy,
and then you just hope that you know a deal
or two at the deadline and maybe they'll be able
to bring in somebody that can contribute unlike they did
(38:03):
this past year. I just I don't think it's a.
Speaker 6 (38:05):
Strong personalities man. Lebron's strong personality, Anthony Davis strong personality.
Bus I could assume she's a strong personality. Polinka seems
like he's an assertive personality. I just if you're a
coach and you're stepping into this situation, I just don't
(38:28):
know how you how you feel like you can have success.
I really don't. And if you have a guy like
JJ Reddick who was willing and wanting to do it,
regardless of his resume or his lack of experience at
doing it, if you get a guy that can handle
(38:51):
those personalities and manage those personalities, then why would they
have drugged out the way that they did. Why did
they Why was there such a quick pivot or change
the direction in the media in terms of we're going
to try to go with Dan Hurley now, Like it
just seems there's something strange going on behind the scenes.
(39:15):
I don't know what it is. Is it a tuggle
war battle? Who's in the battle, Who's on what side
of the rope? I do not know, but just something
doesn't seem right. And for Dan Hurley to deny the job,
I mean I did. I didn't think that he would
take it, But based off of all information given and
(39:39):
knowing what we know, I thought this assessment that Q
gave was spot on, why wouldn't you want to take
a chance at the next level and try to win
an NBA championship and in LA with the Lakers of
all teams that spot on to want to have that opportunity.
Speaker 5 (39:57):
Did it feel quick to you too? Like I thought
he was track he's for like a day or something.
Speaker 3 (40:01):
The whole thing was quick.
Speaker 6 (40:03):
It was very quick when he said just just something
doesn't seem right.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
When he when it came out that he said, uh,
I'll make my decision Monday. I was like, Oh, he's
gonna stay like there's no like, you're not going to
lead the fan base on and all that. And apparently
they had some team meeting and he talked to him
and said, hey, you know, we're going to get back
to work.
Speaker 3 (40:23):
And who knows what the offer is from Yukon.
Speaker 2 (40:26):
I just think they also fired a guy who just
took him to the playoffs two years in a row.
If JJ Reddick or somebody got this gig, and you
were to say, all right, first two years you went
to the Western Conference finals and then you went to
the playoffs the next year. Oh, by the way, your
job's in jeopardy, Like who wants that, and especially if
you've got options, if you're JJ Riddick, why would you
(40:48):
want the The guy's having such success as a media member,
whether it's the podcast, whatever that's doing, but he's calling
the biggest games in the NBA. He's great in studio,
he's knowledgeable. People can maybe not like his tone and
his demeanor at times, but he's he's willing to, you know,
call out whatever he feels and share his opinions. He's
(41:10):
unapologetic for it. The guy's a superstar on the media
and he's made a ton of money in his career.
Why the f would you want to go be a
coach in the NBA where guys get fired seemingly every
six months when they're successful. Adrian Griffin didn't even make
it to half the season and got clipped.
Speaker 5 (41:28):
Yeah, that one didn't make any sense. By the way,
The answer to that is always easy, though, cause.
Speaker 4 (41:34):
Think about this.
Speaker 5 (41:35):
You don't go into any walk of life thinking negatively,
Like you don't go to a grocery store thinking like, well,
I'm gonna go and now I'm a slip and a fall,
I'm gonna break my hip, like you don't think about
the negative consequences of taking on new opportunities or when
you go to do something, most people are more task
oriented or they're looking at the up side, like they're saying, like, oh,
(41:57):
I get the chance to be the get the chance
coach Lebron, I give you the chance to be the
next head coach of the Lakers. You're looking at the
upside of it. Like we all talk ourselves into the
dream scenario that when we lay our head down to night,
that's what we would close our eyes. That's what goes
on in our head, that's what we envision, that's what
we think is going to take place. No one takes
(42:19):
a job biggrudgingly and with this a negative attitude about it.
So I always understand what people take the chance, take
the opportunity to do it.
Speaker 4 (42:29):
You know, they either want to achieve at the highest.
Speaker 5 (42:32):
Level, which is what I said yesterday, and I think maybe, look,
that will be there for Dan Hurley. He's young enough
where it'll still be there if he wants it to
be there in the future. The reality is he probably
wants it to be the right circumstance of the right situation.
And I think you could make a case now more
than ever that if there was a coach in college.
Speaker 4 (42:48):
You wanted to jump to the NBA, now.
Speaker 5 (42:50):
Would be the time because of how college sports is
going with NIL, the realignment, everything else is going on,
So it would make sense that you'd say, yeah, there's
too much certainty, I don't want to deal with this.
Speaker 4 (43:01):
I'd rather jump to the NBA now. That makes sense
to me.
Speaker 5 (43:05):
But if it's not the right situation and you can't
have complete autonomy and you're beholden to that superstar, maybe
the greatest of all time in Lebron James, then you
might have reservations.
Speaker 4 (43:14):
And that's understandable. I've had a head coach and I'm
not gonna say.
Speaker 5 (43:17):
What head coach was that I spoke with about this,
but he talked about the difference between the NBA and
in college and just really basketball in general at that level,
and he said it was more about managing superstar personalities,
that it's really really hard to create a team environment
unless you have the right superstar with the right mindset,
(43:40):
because that's that's ultimately what it's about. It's a sport
of at times individual plays that make the difference between
winning and losing.
Speaker 4 (43:47):
The only five guys in the court.
Speaker 5 (43:49):
You could have that one superstar that can allow you
to have every you know, every night, that chance or
when you get in the playoffs, that chance to hit
the game winning basket that turns that series, that turns
the tide that.
Speaker 4 (43:59):
Wins a championship.
Speaker 5 (44:01):
And so that's ultimately what your job is is to
find a way of tapping into that superstar to get
him to be the leader you need him to be,
or for him to help create the environment you need
him to create. It feels like honestly glorified babysitting when
you when you hear about it like that, and it
feels like a really difficult job because it's not schematic
(44:22):
as much as you'd think, and it's not about some
of the other things out there like like you'd think,
Like in the NFL, I would say, talent's so equated. Yes,
it helps to have a star quarterback, but even then
he's only out there at most half the time. You're
still gonna have a defense, you still have special teams,
you still have you know, scheme, and even the best quarterback,
(44:43):
if he doesn't help around in protection all these other things,
it ain't gonna matter. So you know, in comparison to
other sports, like there's where there's a lot more scheme involved,
a lot more coaching involved, a lot more analysis even
during the week and offseason.
Speaker 4 (44:58):
Not as much in the NBA.
Speaker 5 (45:00):
And so it's tough if you feel like there's someone
there that's pulling the strings that you can't get along with,
or is it gonna take you into consideration. And I
feel like that's what's hanging over the Los Angeles Lakers
right now.
Speaker 6 (45:13):
Does this take a hit on Lebron's legacy? I don't
think coach a coach denying the opportunity to coach him.
I'm just listening to what you just said. I think
it just made me like in my mind, like I'm curious,
like does he take a hit from something like this.
Speaker 4 (45:29):
I'm not saying that that was the definitive reasons.
Speaker 6 (45:32):
I'm not saying that's what you said, but i will
say I'm notating that's what you said, but report curious.
Speaker 5 (45:38):
When the report came out about him trying to move
on from Spolstra, and I'm not sure if you saw that,
and then you look at the track record in Cleveland,
you look at the track record basically everywhere he's been
butt there and that was and by the way, that
was because he had to deal with a strong personality
and pat Riley who put his foot down, and obviously
the Heat have been incredibly successful in the sense of
not having a Lebron James still being able to have success,
(46:02):
still be be able to overcome that. Like they to me,
and we'll see what happens with Jimmy Butler, but they
to me are a team that I look at and say,
they've got the right components in dynamics. They just need
to find that next guy if it's not gonna be
Jimmy Butler, whoever it is to get them over the top.
But if you look at the track record of Lebron James,
(46:25):
to your question, it feels like he's always been back
channeling or behind the scenes doing whatever he's doing to
create the situation that he wants. And maybe he feels
like he learned from that Miami experience with pat Riley
how to build it, how to do it because they
were successful in Cleveland. He brought Cleveland a championship and
(46:47):
so now he's looking for that same opportunity in LA
And they did win a championship in LA. You know,
we can all make fun of the Bubble Boy Championship
and all that, the reality is that's their banner they
won when they brought it Championship to La Masks and all, well.
Speaker 4 (47:02):
We're not that matters they want it.
Speaker 5 (47:05):
So maybe he feels like he's done enough now throughout
his career and even as a player and understanding how
to build teams, that he should be able to handle
things this way.
Speaker 3 (47:17):
Yeah, I don't know.
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