February 24, 2025 • 50 mins
On a Monday edition of The Best Of The Doug Gottlieb Show: Doug reacts to Channing Frye's comments that nostalgia is killing the NBA.
On this edition of "Love AND Hate", Doug and the crew share what they loved most and hated most about the weekend.
Doug gives some insight into what happened with the Lakers and Nuggets this weekend. Doug welcomes NBA Insider Ric Bucher on to talk about the Lakers, Jimmy Butler and all of the other major headlines around the NBA.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Thanks for listening to the best of the Doug Gottlieb
Show podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday
three to five Eastern twelve two Pacific on Fox Sports Radio.
Find your local station for the Doug Gottlieb Show at
Foxsports Radio dot com, or stream us live every day
on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR Coming Up America,
Doug Gottlieb Show, Fox Sports Radio Coming to you from
(00:24):
the tyreg dot com studios. Tyret dot Com. Wepe you
get there. Unmatched selection, fast free shipping, free roadasterd protection,
over ten thousand recommended sellars. Tiret dot com. It's way
tire buying should be. Hope you had a great weekend.
My team, coming off our first winning I felt like
(00:46):
forever played two games, one against Robert Morris, who's in
first place in our league, and we lost pretty hard
fought game. And then I lost yesterday to Youngstown State,
who again one of the top two or three teams
in our league. We had him down ten with nine
half at our place, and then I think five with
two and a half at their place. We had him
down six with five minutes to go and couldn't hold
(01:07):
on but I'm really actually happy with my group. They
continue to get better and compete, and I just I
like where we're going. Anyway, that's enough of a personal update.
The personal update right feels a little bit like those
Christmas cards right where you give away a Christmas card
to one of your friends, you give an update on
(01:28):
each one of the kids. Jimmy likes playing footsball and
also big in the PS two. He plays in the
soccer team, and he does theater. Anyway, there's everybody's trying
to get to why why more people don't watch the NBA?
Why don't we watch the NBA? And I'll offer up
(01:50):
an opinion upcoming, but I do before we get to
those opinions, I think you need to start to think
to yourself, like why don't you watch the NBA more?
And I don't believe there's any one reason I don't,
as much as I could say, well, you know, the
(02:10):
reason we watch. Gambling is more prevalent. The NFL is
the easiest to gamble on. So if the NFL is
the easy to gamble on, and they have a great
system for trying to know who's gonna play, who's not
gonna play, that affects gambling lines, whereas you know whether
it's daily fantasy or gambling. For the NBA, with so
many guys in now in the lineup, like, how would
(02:30):
anybody ever know who's gonna play? Which makes it really
hard to gamble on a game. Plus it's just too
many games to pay that much attention to, not for
the hardcore degenerate, but for many of the you know,
guys that just like to throw some coin down, Like
everybody throws some coin down in an NFL game. Everybody
has a fantasy football team. The same can't be said
(02:51):
for the NBA. So as much as I would, I
would love to say, hey, the logic behind it, Okay,
logic behind is just simply ambling. There's a lot of
different parts to why the NBA is not viewed in
the same kind of royalty as it used to be.
(03:11):
Channing Fry is a former NBA player obviously now covers
the league. He offered up this opinion on this podcast.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Nostalgia is killing the NBA. The nineties basketball Michael Jordan
and Kobe was not as clean as y'all think it was.
Y'all forget that Jordan left the league for two years
y'all forget that Kobe rest in pees quit on his
team in the playoffs and did not shoot the basketball.
(03:41):
So all this Kobe Jordan, oh, he's not this, he's
not that. That is propaganda. Every great player, whether that's
a wemby Ron, you know, Steph, this this that, you know,
they compare them to forty years ago the rules were
even the same. You're not really watching helpside defense. Who's
(04:04):
doing this? What is this rule? What is that rule?
You're not watching? Nobody celebrates these new people. So why
the would anybody want to be the face of this
league or you're gonna get on on every network for
not being somebody from.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
Forty years ago.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
It's ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
It is unfair. Bron is one of the greatest players
ever to play. Stephen Curry is one of the greatest
players ever to play. Jannis is one of the great
Jokic and you know what we do, we talk about
Michael Jordan. All this superstar era is over. The car
cap called a second Apron, it's over. Teams are gonna
(04:44):
take over.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Look, there's a lot of spitfire there. Right he goes
to the players are done and teams are taking over.
He says, everybody's compared to Michael Jordan. They are not.
He said, there's a ton of nostalgia, there is, but
that's with anything you ever heard this. They don't make
them like they used to. No, they don't. They have
air conditioning now, right, they have cruise control, they have
(05:10):
adaptive control where you don't actually have to have hands
free driving, Bluetooth and other things. Yeah, so I think
what Channing is mostly reacting to is daytime TV and
inside the NBA and maybe a little bit of social media.
(05:32):
The fact is that we do celebrate guys. Do we
pick apart their flaws? Yeah, that's more how broadcasting is gone,
and especially so in basketball. I actually believe this. I
don't want know if it's narrative or belief that inside
the NBA can do some damage to the current NBA
just because it gives off. You know, they just say, hey, look, basically,
(05:54):
guys were tougher guys, It mattered more, everything was better
back when they played. But that's every guy in basketball.
Football they do it as well, though, Right, how many
time football guys have you've seen covering football that will say, oh,
football's get soft. Can't hit a guy when he goes
(06:15):
over the middle, can't touch a quarterback. Football is soft.
Has it adjusted football's numbers at all? Nope. Now there's
lots of quarterbacks who cover the game, the Dan Orlobski's
in the world and others who all they do is
have praise for quarterbacks, even when those quarterbacks aren't as
good as Orlobskis sometimes makes them out to be. So
(06:38):
I think that helps kind of the narrative of the game,
if you will. But the reality is we're just as
harsh to football players we are to basketball players. There
is more drama, maybe because it's covered more or people
have their own social media outlets as well. And I
think what it comes down to is, yeah, inside the
NBA can sound like some bitter old guys talk about Beck.
(07:01):
In my day, it was amazing, and the league's numbers
reflect the fact that it's just very hard to gamble on.
It really are to gamble on. But I don't think
everybody's only one player is compared to Jordan. That's Lebron, right.
No one's ever said, you know, Luca has to do
this to be Jordan, where Giannis has to do this.
(07:24):
We always compare different generations of player do it in
baseball a ton. This is where Channing And again I'm
not close to Channing, but I have friends that are
really close with Channing and they all love him. But
this is where, in all honesty, he grew up a
hooper who's doing a podcast, not a guy who is
(07:45):
a sports guy who played hoop and then did a podcast.
By that, I mean he doesn't have the true perspective
because if you don't like being compared to guys in
the past, you think it's hurting the sport. Ask Jason Stewart,
who loves baseball. Baseball everything is about comparing you to
the legacy players, and it's really hard with the steroid
era guys. And that's everything football. Some obviously, the sport
(08:10):
has evolved so much, and he's right that basketball has evolved,
but and it's very different. And I've said that we
do look back at the eighties nineties regular season hoop
as if it was really good, and it was not.
But the guys did play more often, the game was
more physical, the rules were different, and the players are
more skilled now. With Jay stew Am, I wrong, like
(08:35):
any baseball player, he's acting like it's basketball and basketball alone.
That compares players to the players of the past. Nobody
does that more than baseball. Now, baseball is not crazy
popular on the national more in the regional level, but
nobody does that more than baseball.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
Correct, And in comparing today's player in baseball to yesterday's
is aggravating for me because and I want I'm going
to get to what I think Channing was getting to
as well. I think Channing's getting to an effort thing here.
No one ever questions Michael Jordan's effort or willingness to compete.
(09:12):
And much of the conversation that was had on talk
radio last week, and as you said, the daytime debate
shows was about the NBA and effort. And I'm gonna
let Dan say his take himself, but I'm paraphrasing here.
Dan says something very interesting on Friday, right, Dan, all
we're asking these guys to do is to try.
Speaker 5 (09:34):
That's correct.
Speaker 6 (09:35):
Yes, especially with the All Star Game, everybody's telling the
players on what they want and that's just to give
effort and it does translate into the regular season.
Speaker 5 (09:46):
But it's just a simple message. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
But in fairness, though, Dan, how bad was the Pro
Bowl before they canceled the Pro Bowl in terms.
Speaker 5 (09:55):
Of effort, Oh yeah, it was awful, okay.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
And Baseball all is still probably the best, but it's
not nearly what it used to be in terms of
its competitiveness. It truly is just an exhibition game more
so than it's ever been previously. So I'm not disagreeing
with you, Dan, I'm not disagree with you Jason. I'm
not disagreeing with the sports fan who says we carry
(10:20):
around this assumption that the NBA's guys, because they have
guaranteed contracts, because they will opt out of games in
the regular season and not play on back to backs,
that they don't show the consistency of effort that we
believe is required for their gargantuan salaries. That's fair, But
we use the All Star Game and then we sit
(10:41):
there and go like, come on, man, like all the
All Star Games.
Speaker 5 (10:45):
Are a joke.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Or in Major League Baseball, remember when we had pitchers
that would go seven or eight innings. Yeah, now we
have bullpen days and we have the opener, not even
the starter. Right, We're constantly pulling guys. So this is
in all of and maybe it's working smarter, not harder,
but that's not how we like our sports. The point
(11:07):
of it is, I don't think any of the critique
is wrong, but I think it's wrong to say it's
a basketball only. The perception is that it's basketball. The
reality is, this is how any of us who are
old enough to have watched the previous generation views this generation,
whether it's like Tom Izzo said, soft or as Dan
(11:29):
Bayer said, not showing the supreme amount of effort that
we believe inherently the previous generation did.
Speaker 6 (11:37):
And my point in this specific instance was the NBA
trying to tell us or trying to do all of
these different things to make the All Star Game work
when everybody is just saying, guys, just try. You don't
have to change up teams, you don't have to draft teams,
you don't have to make a bracket, you don't have
(11:58):
to bring the Rising Stars team into the bracket to
try to make these guys try. Everybody just wants to
see effort. That's as simple as it was. But for
some reason, the league doesn't listen. And I think, like
as you talk about on back to backs, and I
mean I just did an update about ten minutes ago,
(12:18):
and Kawhi and Norman Powell aren't playing tonight against the Pistons.
They didn't play yesterday either. Chet holmgrins out tonight for
the thunder against Minnesota. Those are things that may bother
some people and maybe others. It's just today's NBA, you know,
But at what point is it just is it only
(12:39):
a ten week season, you know for the NBA playoffs
and you talk about baseball in the long season that
it is. I would even take your sport, Doug in
college basketball and say, you asked us at the top,
what was why do we watch the NBA? I kind
of wondered. I kind of thought of that, that's actually
a pretty good question on why. And then I thought
(12:59):
to myself, why do I watch college basketball when really
it's all about the tournament. You know, it's about the atmosphere,
it's about the play, It's about the intensity and going
on the road and conference play and getting a big
win is a huge deal, and there's effort putting in
all of those things. Now, in the grand scheme of things,
what's the difference between a three and a four seed?
Like nobody really knows, but for some reason you're wrapped
(13:21):
up into that, and that's what I think is missing
in the in the NBA is just of what a
win would be, you know, to go on the road
and win in Denver like the Lakers did this past weekend.
I think we actually probably took more from that than
any other game, and I'm not sure how much people
are actually taking from that win from the Lakers. So
I just I think it's a pretty interesting question that
(13:42):
you posed about why do we watch and I think
we just want to be entertained with high quality, effort
filled basketball.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Yeah, and I want it totally fair. I also think
it's interesting, you know, I've always watched classic games and
thought I don't think they played as well hard. They
may have played more consistently as hard as our perception
of how they played is. But again, a lot to
get to here.
Speaker 7 (14:07):
This is the best of the Done dot Leap Show
on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
Oh up, which it's the Doug gott Leab Show on
a Monday. You're in Fox Sports for Radio broadcast from
the tyrack dot com studios tyrec dot com. Where we
get there unmatched selection, fast free shipping, free road as
protection over ten thousand recommended to dollars. Tyrat dot COM's
way tire buying should be hope you had a great weekend. U.
(14:44):
We do this every Monday. Every Monday, we'd like to
recap the weekend. We find something and we all have
our our things we're paying attention to, right Like obviously
this weekend I was locked in on college hoops. I
don't know what Sam was locked in on. Maybe maybe
women's college hoops. Not not actually sure with Texas being
the new number one, uh Jay Stu probably pictures and catchers,
(15:07):
maybe a little bit of Lakers. And then there's a
chance that Dan, it's something golf. It's just a chance
golf or you know, it could could be something. But
we find something we loved from the weekend, find something
we hate from the weekend. We call it love and hate.
Speaker 7 (15:23):
What did you love?
Speaker 1 (15:24):
God?
Speaker 7 (15:25):
I love you and what did you hate?
Speaker 5 (15:27):
Meet these Claire hay is.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Ah love love, love, he hate hate? Do Do Do
Do Do? What'd you love from the weekend?
Speaker 6 (15:39):
Danbyer Doug What I love from the weekend? I shared
with you? And it was a tweet sent out by
Rob DFB. And Rob is a professional sports better tied
in a Hawkeyes fan, an Iowa Hawkeyes fan, but he
sent a tweet that just made me laugh and made
(16:03):
so many people laugh, except Iowa Sam and the Hawkeye
fan base. But the point is, and I've retweeted it
at Dan Byron Fox.
Speaker 5 (16:11):
If you want to see.
Speaker 6 (16:13):
It was basically pointing out that there was a line
up between Iowa and Washington where he had five white
guys on the court for Iowa, five black guys on
the court in Washington with Washington. And it's not about
it's not about race. It's not meant to be racial
or divide. It's all about comedy and the delivery. And
(16:34):
sometimes with Twitter and or ex and social media, it's
very difficult to provide that. But I felt that this
just was knocked out of the park because of the highlight,
because of everything that came with it. Yes, the call
was called a charge on the court, Iowa ends up
winning the game, All of that doesn't matter. You can
read all of Iowa fans for some reason taking offense
(16:58):
to this in the comments. It's just comedy. It's not
meant to be about basketball or or race or anything.
It was just funny and I got a kick out
of it, and so did two thousand others. It had
three point three million views over the weekend, and I
just it gave me a very very hearty chuckle when
(17:19):
I saw the tweet.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
I loved it. I loved it.
Speaker 8 (17:24):
That's the audio of Dan Byer laughing at this tweet.
Speaker 6 (17:27):
Yes, oh that's this is Isla Sand's defense mechanism because
he cannot, for some reason find the humor in it
because it happened to Iowa. So now he's going to
use drops just like he would do with the drum,
the rim shot and the fake laugh like he just
can't stay out of it. He's gotta he's got to
put his finger puts. I just listen you. You thought
(17:48):
it was thought I did so exclusive audio you laughing.
So Jason, well, I don't know. No one responded to
the just it was just me and you going back
and forth. So I don't know.
Speaker 8 (17:59):
I guess Jason says he found it funny, but.
Speaker 4 (18:02):
No, Doug found it funny too, most people did. I
to not find it funny. I think just shows that
you're pretty humorless. And I will say this about Dan's commentary,
there is a whole new group of people that do
comedy really well on Twitter, Like there are just some
accounts that just know how to do it know how
to do it well, and I'm gonna I'm gonna admit this,
(18:24):
Antonio Brown does it really well.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
Now.
Speaker 4 (18:26):
A lot of his material is way over the top
and would get anyone canceled. In a former time, Antonio
Brown's Twitter writer, I don't know if it's him or whatever,
somebody else. He could be really funny. I do recommend
the follow up.
Speaker 8 (18:43):
You think that guy brings the material to AB AND's like,
what do you think about this? He's like Conan O'Brien
and like a pre show meeting, like strumming his guitar. Yeah,
I like that. No, I don't like that post post
other thing. Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 5 (18:56):
All right, but no, it doesn't.
Speaker 3 (18:58):
Go like that.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
Else.
Speaker 5 (19:02):
All right?
Speaker 1 (19:02):
What about you there, Jase Douo.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
I saw this and I'm gonna go ahead and promote
my Twitter account now at the top of my Twitter
feed as our listeners are going through the show's Twitter feeds,
at the top of my Twitter feed is a video
from the weekend. If you've listened to me at all,
I've been a massive proponent of ABS for years now,
and I've been frustrated at baseball's slowness deliberateness towards incorporating
(19:31):
ABS into their game. Well, major League Baseball is throwing
us a bone and they're during spring training. They're doing
the ABS challenge thing, And for those that don't know ABS,
it's they could challenge balls and strikes now and it
goes to that computer rized strike zone and if it
wasn't in the strike zone, they call it a ball
and otherwise a strike. Well, they have this pitch by
(19:54):
Dylan Cees in a game against the Dodgers, and I
think it's Pahez who's batting. He takes a pitch that
is way high and the umpire rings him out. And
what's great about is that the Empire doesn't just ring
him out. He does this real dramatics strip call like
I just nailed you. Take a seat on the bench.
(20:15):
Pa Hees challenges it. They go to the screen and
it's a good like six inches high. So I think
this is one of the great things about ABS when
they do incorporate it, is it's gonna make umpires look
really foolish for their eyesight and their dramatics. I need
the umpires to be more humbled and this will only
(20:37):
do that.
Speaker 5 (20:39):
I like it yeah.
Speaker 6 (20:40):
I also will say with this i'm on the ABS format.
It brings drama like it would in tennis on challenging
a call by cyclops and the drama of finding if
the ball is in or out.
Speaker 5 (20:53):
There is something to that.
Speaker 6 (20:55):
There's there's drama that it's actually brought to the at bat,
and there is the other point. And I'm sure that
this is going to be something talked about for years
and years. Monzi brought it up yesterday on our Sunday show.
But if you have just like a sliver of the
ball touching the strike zone at the end that it's
called the strike, it's kind of like one of those
capture where we have to log in and find the
(21:15):
how many motorcycles are in the picture or what portion
is showing a street light. That's kind of what the
balls in the ABS system provides. And I actually think
it's been entertaining TV when it actually pops up.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
I'm going to I'd like this tweet by Sam Decker.
Sam Decker, who is a friend of course Fantasy, a
star basketball player at the University's contemplating the NBA now
playing overseas. I saw this tweet from him today. Sports
media is in such a weird place. The Lakers lose
three games with Luca and it's immediate panic and I
(21:51):
told you so. Then they beat the Nuggets in one
game and now they're a championship favorite on every network.
Is this what we're doing? Sam? Yes, yes, Yes, that's
apparently what we're doing. And it's so weird. Uh my
favorite thing I said on Twitter, let's get to what
we hated again.
Speaker 5 (22:12):
I love here, Sam.
Speaker 8 (22:15):
This does playoff of Dan's uh aforementioned of viral moment
the Washington Center Frank kept nag dunking on Iowa. The basket,
of course didn't count, but listen, Dan, I do see
the humor in it. I do, and I admitted that
much to you uh here today. But listen, in the moment,
it was really fired up both teams, and uh, it
(22:40):
was it was like sort of it was like, you know,
the the humorous, the physicality that dunk really fired up
Washington and then Iowa was just like, we can't be
had like that. And I think that they fired them up,
and thankfully Iowa survived sort of that momentum shift there.
They had been kind of trailing all game and they
won the game, and they avoid City in the Basement
(23:01):
and the cellar of the Big Ten.
Speaker 6 (23:02):
And that's what makes the comedy about it that much
more special and that much more unique, because to your point,
when you were watching the game, I was not.
Speaker 5 (23:11):
It seemed to be a pretty big turning point in
the game.
Speaker 6 (23:13):
But someone who was smart enough out there looked at
that from a different angle and was able to turn
it into something funny and then on top of it
presented in a way that it even highlighted the comedy
even more. Now, I'm not a comed comedy officionado. I
don't want to say I'm an expert, but it was
just so well done. And to your point of every
of Iowa going crazy may have changed the momentum of
(23:36):
the game.
Speaker 5 (23:36):
Washington may have been ticked off.
Speaker 6 (23:38):
Someone found something funny about it and he made it
go viral, and that's what was so awesome about it.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
Yeah fun Yeah, Okay, I can admit it. It's okay,
And I love that they that they avoided that they
avoided it letting him get him down. So that's let's
let's get to what we hated from the weekend as
the movie changes. A resident hater is, of course, other
than Jason Stewart.
Speaker 4 (24:00):
Guys, I'm gonna come at you from a different angle today.
And I do apologize to anybody listening right now who
is a part of the Academy, because this is gonna
come off as hostile. I saw a movie on Saturday,
and I know, Doug, you would actually really appreciate it. Obviously.
It's called The Brutalist. It's a Oscar nominated movie. It
(24:23):
was the favorite to win Best Picture as an Oscar
nominated movie. It's about a Jewish immigrant and his family
coming over after World War Two. Very serious, obviously heavy
heavy undertones, but it was brilliantly made and one of
the best movies I've seen in a long time. The
Brutalist starring Adrian Brody. So I'm watching the SAG Awards
(24:46):
last night. I watch a lot of the post, you know,
the award season award shows, and guess what movie was
left out of the SAG Award winners again, this is
This is a movie that's very favored to win the awards.
It's critically acclaimed. I loved it, and the SAG Awards
gave it a zero. It got a donut last night.
(25:07):
And here's why. If you google the brutalist and AI.
There's been some controversy, and I guess the filmmakers used
AI to make the Hungarian accents of the actors sound
a little bit more Hungarian. That has completely offended the
(25:29):
Academy that they're taking jobs away from actors or editors
or sound people and they're including AI. And in response
to that, they are threatening to not give this movie awards.
So Adrian Brody, who was supposed to win Best Actor
last night for The Sag lost to Timothy shamalay Shalla
(25:56):
may very frustrating. So again, I'm a film snob. I
think Doug and I went to the mat a couple
of years ago when I said that I didn't think
Top Gun raised was to the level of a Best
Picture nominee, and Doug's like, it was a good movie,
we all loved it. Why shouldn't it. I don't think so.
(26:17):
I think there's a certain standard that the oscars have
and I call bs on this latest move.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
Uh, in fairness, it wasn't Top Gun, and never said
Top Gun should be. I don't believe I said Top
Gun should be Best Picture.
Speaker 4 (26:32):
No, no, no, you said that Maverick should be one
of the ten movies considered for Best Picture, sure, and
I was annoyed that they were even considered.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
Okay, what is that movie called that? My daughter suggested.
It's got Demi Moore in it.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
The subs the substance, Yes, substance.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
Yeah, I hated it. It was awful. Oh as I could,
I just it was. I did not.
Speaker 4 (27:00):
Sam told me he was going to watch it this weekend,
and I said, the third act is utterly offensive. It's out,
it's it's meant to shock, but it shocked me too
much to while I was looking away from the TV.
And I don't think you want to do that if
you're a filmmaker. Didn't you hate the last like forty minutes, Doug?
Speaker 1 (27:19):
I hated most of it, to be honest with but
the last forty minutes especially.
Speaker 8 (27:23):
So I think I have to see this movie now.
I mean I was gonna watch it anyway, but like
Jason was, kind of you're one.
Speaker 1 (27:28):
Of those people that somebody bites into something and goes like, oh,
this is terrible. Here try it well.
Speaker 8 (27:33):
Jason liked the first two thirds of the film and
was very put off by the controversial final third. Stanza
and now you're saying, oh, I hated it, so now
I'm very intrigued, and so I gotta watch it.
Speaker 5 (27:45):
I just gotta She.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
Won last night. By the way, don't mean moore.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
Do you say demi or do you say to me?
Speaker 3 (27:54):
I say demi?
Speaker 1 (27:55):
I do two.
Speaker 5 (27:58):
I do both to be honest.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
Uh damn fire? What japen weekend?
Speaker 6 (28:02):
Oh, I'll tell you what I did not like this
on Saturday.
Speaker 5 (28:06):
On Sunday. Excuse me.
Speaker 6 (28:08):
It bothered me, and I am I'm not afraid to
name names. Ian Rapaport's tweet announcing that Shador Sanders was
not going to take part in activities at the combine
was just so unnecessary and over the top. It's so unnecessary.
I'm going to read you not one but two tweets
announcing the news. This three forty two Eastern time yesterday.
(28:32):
Colorado quarterback and potential top pick Shador Sanders plans to
focus on his interviews with teams at the NFL Scouting Combine,
helping them continue to learn him as a person. He'll
allow his four years of film to speak loudly, then
throw at his pro day with four draftable SeeU wide receivers.
(28:54):
It was then followed up by a quote tweet by
Rapaport on X saying should Nor Sanders has impressed teams
with his presence, poise and intelligence off the field, and
that should continue in Indie. No one else got that treatment,
no one. What we get is guess what, Ashton Genty
(29:16):
is not working out at the combine. If Duel Carter
has a shoulder injury, he's not working out at the combine.
He'll work out at his pro day. This over the top,
and I just think it's kissing up to Dion, Like
that's what I think that it is. I have no
idea on who else would be like appeased by this,
but it was so over the top Engross, it was
(29:40):
actually so bad, awful announcing, who sometimes writes awful articles
actually wrote an article about this, and so it was just, Yeah,
it was so over the top.
Speaker 5 (29:50):
It was so bad.
Speaker 6 (29:51):
I can't believe that it was actually allowed to be
written and then followed up with a quote retweets or
a quote tweets from X by Ian Rappaport.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
That's a good one.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
That's cool. Anybody any more gripes? Yeah, yeah, go ahead, Doug.
Speaker 8 (30:07):
I hate Horizon League buses catching on fire? Do you
guys see this I did. I mean, listen, I know
you guys are mid major, but you deserve better.
Speaker 5 (30:16):
You don't listen.
Speaker 8 (30:17):
You're not low major, You're mid major, so don't be
loading up those guys in the Lemon the Lemon bus
and then it catches on fire. That was scary. So
we saw IU Indy coming back from their their road trip.
They're lost to northern Kentucky and the fire breaks out
on a bus and all the guys got out safely, thankfully,
but man, this thing was charred. So I hate exploding
(30:39):
Horizon League buses. That's all I got.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
You know, it's interesting we take you know, I see
you on the.
Speaker 8 (30:45):
Buses all the time, Doug, that's all yell.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
We fly places on these little charters, which are cool.
And then we're in these coach buses. Man, the coach
buster is so much nice as they used to be.
They're really I'm sure in that one that caught on fire.
I gotta find out. I gotta call their coach.
Speaker 8 (30:59):
I knew, yeah, they said it was I'm just kind
of what driffing here. That was a mechanical issue, and
you know.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
But they lost their uniforms and everything. YEA, three games
left right three to you know, six games.
Speaker 8 (31:13):
They lost their jerseys, no jerseys.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
Well that set of jersey wouldn't bring all of your jerseys.
But still you lose the set of jerseys.
Speaker 8 (31:20):
You're they're gonna have to play in those stinky rec league.
Speaker 9 (31:23):
Uh.
Speaker 8 (31:23):
You know those those mesh jerseys from from.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
Pe class I mean the practice jerseys, practice jerseys, that
smells practice jerseys, and that is love and hate.
Speaker 7 (31:33):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation yet. Catch all of our shows at Fox
sports Radio dot com and within the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
What Up with you, Doug Gottlieb Show, Fox Sports Radio.
You're coming to you from the tiraq dot com studios,
the smooth jams Fox Sports Radio. Yeah, that's what I'm
talking about. By the way, you can stry this show
twenty four hours a day, seven days a week in
(32:05):
the new and improved iHeartRadio app. Just search Fox Sports
Tradiar the app. We'll stream us live and one of
the newest features in the app is you can select
Fox Sports Radios as one of your presets, just like
presets in your radio. Now, just make sure you preset
Fox Sports Radio on the iHeartRadio app and it will
pop up on your screen. Quick shout out. There were
some people in uh in Pittsburgh in the what is
(32:28):
it moon Moon County that's over by where Rob Morris is.
People came up to me after the game saying they're
big fans of the show, you particular Dan Summer, fans
of you Jason, even in your curmudgeon state. And then
in Youngstown. We must be big in Youngstown because everywhere
I went, people say to listen to the show. So
shout out to the young Youngstown, Ohio. There's a reason
(32:50):
there's so much good Italian food in Youngstown, Ohio. If
you know, you know, forget about it, you get it.
Forget about it. Lakers beat the Nuggets, and here's JJ
Reddick talking about creating a new normal for Luca, the
sort of.
Speaker 10 (33:04):
Return to normalcy and in some ways a new normal
that we're trying to create for him. There are steps
to all of that for it to become his new normal.
And you need in some ways, like what about Bob,
you need baby steps, and you know tonight was a
baby step.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
Quality poll there from a movie, right, What About Bob
was a quality poll from JJ Redick. Here's Luca talking
about the chemistry that's coming together on the team.
Speaker 9 (33:30):
It's finale playing myself a little bit, you know, you know,
playing this game, this is all I love. So I'm
just finally you know, being myself a little bit. So
that's why I was smiling the whole game.
Speaker 3 (33:41):
I think We've.
Speaker 9 (33:41):
Still got a lot of booming. You know, I just
can't play. This is my full game. So you know,
chemistry takes time. But you suit today, you know, after
three games, you saw today that is getting better.
Speaker 3 (33:51):
So every day is going to get better.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
Every day is going to get better. Chemistry does take time.
Here's Lebron talk about the chemistry with Luca.
Speaker 11 (33:59):
I'm a natural by wide receiver and he's a natural
born quarterback, so it fits perfectly. I've been running a
floor and running lanes like you know, pretty much my
whole life, and he's been throwing great passes pretty much
his whole life. So it's not it's not hard to
get a rhythm when it comes to that. You know,
it's just all about you know, eye contact and you know,
him being a great quarterback like he is, and need
(34:19):
being the recipient of it.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
So stug outleab show here on Fox Sports Radio. Kind
of interesting, right, interesting because here's a guy in Lebron
who actually has he wants to say he runs a lane,
but he's very much controlled and dominated the game. Now,
there have been times over the past couple of years
in which he's allowed you know, Austin Reeves and others
(34:43):
to go kind of do their thing and he stays
away from it. And then end of the game he
saves up his energy and he tries to be the closer.
Be a challenge for him not to do that with Luca.
But the big thing with this team is and you know,
they they beat Denver using a mixture of defenses and
really preparing like it's the playoffs, which is great. The
problem is Denver wasn't playing like it was the playoffs.
(35:07):
You know that That's really what's the issue there, you know.
So it's like, hey, yeah, they played awesome, that was cool,
But in reality, the game is gonna get a lot
more physical and yeah, I don't know if that look.
I just don't think you can have your three best
players be essentially non defenders and ever hoped to win
(35:30):
the playoffs. Maybe maybe that's the change in the NBA.
Will it be fun. Yeah, there'll be some games where
they dominate, they score one hundred and fifty points, but
how many will they give up in that process? It's
the Doug Gotlieb Show here on Fox Sports Radio, and
now that it is basketball season, who better to catch
up with than Rick Buker. Okay, you can see Rick
Puker on Fox Sports One. You can read them stuff
(35:52):
at Fox sports dot com. Of course, he joins us
weekly here on the Doug Gottlieb Show. The Lakers, Luca
Luca and the Lakers. Okay, we are I don't know,
a couple of games in you'll let you take away, uh, that.
Speaker 12 (36:10):
They're going to be a dynamic team. Uh.
Speaker 1 (36:12):
He is.
Speaker 12 (36:15):
Obviously. You know, I think we've forgotten in all the
tumult of him not playing for the better part of
the season and then all of the talk coming out
of Dallas as a result of the trade, that kind
of lost sight of of just how special he can be.
That said, uh, you see some of the same things
(36:35):
that you've always questioned about, just can you build your
team around him? And can you take you all the
way if you don't have the exact right pieces around it.
He's had to miss a couple of games because they're
monitoring the calf issue. The Uh, he's still in my
mind for for who he is and how he shoots
(36:57):
way too reliant or too free to take threes, and
defensively he can get after it, but on a consistent
basis is he capable of that? So look, it has
worked really well. And I don't want to make too
much of the win over the Nuggets, because quite clearly
(37:21):
JJ Reddick approached that almost like a playoff game. I mean,
he really prepared them specifically to play the Nuggets, and
they took some things away. And the Nuggets conversely played
like they beat the Lakers every time going out, regardless
of whether they let them take a lead in the
fourth quarter or not, or whether they prepare however they play.
They did nothing special. So the good thing is that
(37:45):
the Lakers now should have a certain amount of confidence
that we play a certain way. Hey, we can be
competitive with these guys. The flip side is that the
Nuggets and Mike Malone saw exactly what JJ wants to do.
They should meet each other in the postseason, and now
they have the opportunity to to prepare for that.
Speaker 1 (38:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 12 (38:06):
Impressed with the Denver Nuggets at all in that game.
And I don't want to take away from the Lakers,
but they they didn't look like they were.
Speaker 1 (38:13):
Ready to play. No, they did not. It's the different
thing is is a weird thing. Okay, Jimmy Butler and
the Warriors so far, so good. What's what's the ceiling
for that group?
Speaker 12 (38:28):
Well one getting to the playoffs and and winning around
maybe two, but I think that's on the outside. But
I like their chances now of moving into a position
of of making the playoffs, even even if it is
through the play and play in at this point. But
(38:50):
and then you know, depending on who they get matched up.
But I think that's the thing that I'm seeing across
the board is matchups are going They've they always play
a big role, but I feel as if this year,
more than ever, they're going to play a monstrous role.
And who ends up being in the finals and so
(39:11):
it really depends on just who they get. But Jimmy
has given them everything that we hope that Andrew Wiggins
would evolve into.
Speaker 1 (39:19):
He's just he's.
Speaker 12 (39:20):
Given them a consistency, and he's given him things that
they collectively weren't very good at doing, like getting to
the free throw line, finishing inside, around the basket. Defensively,
there's a confidence that he's going to be where he
needs to be at all times. And then there's just
a there's just the contagious atmosphere of getting a guy
(39:43):
like Jimmy who has a completely different personality than Andrew
Wiggins does. You can look at what Wiggins did and
you know, just on the floor and say, man like,
he could be really good defensively, he could he could score,
he could do all those things. But then there's the
dynam of we know what that guy's gonna do and
he's gonna lift everybody up as a result. And with
(40:05):
Draymond Green's falling off his game, his bravado doesn't quite
resonate the same way. Jimmy's still in a place where
it does. So the collective between those two, I think,
just makes the Warriors collectively feel different about themselves. And
as a coach, you well know how your team feels
(40:28):
about itself can have such a huge impact on how
they play that you just it's an intangible that you
can't quite like put your arms around, but you know
it when you see it.
Speaker 1 (40:42):
Stuck Ott Lieb Show here on Fox Sports Trader that's
the voice of the one and only Rick Buker. Hey
Channing Fry said that people are being critical of the NBA.
They're just stuck in NBA nostalgia and they're not going
and they're not going back. What's your reactions?
Speaker 12 (40:57):
Look. I like the sentiment, and I think, you know,
maybe there's a little small, you know, couple sand granules
of truth to it. But the bigger issue for me
because I was there for the Jordan nineties and the
Kobe two thousands, and those guys got ripped on the regular,
(41:19):
So it's not as if like they didn't go through
any of this. Now, social media in twenty four hour
you know, sports coverage and debate and all that has
certainly raised the temperature and the volume. But I believe
that the bigger issue isn't that we don't appreciate today's players.
(41:42):
It's that we crown them way way too soon. I mean,
I took issue with this last year. Everybody's suddenly making
Anthony Edwards comparisons to Michael Jordan, like, can we just
hold on? Physically he looks kind of the same. He
has the same dynamic physical ability the rest of his game,
(42:04):
the IQ level, the accomplishments are not there. And I
don't say any of this to bag on Ant, but
it's more like what we do is we put these
guys up on a pedestal way too soon, and then
when they don't match it now now everybody jumps on them.
And so I'm just like, can we just stop like
(42:27):
trying to anoint everybody before their time? Nobody hates Steph
Curry because Steph Curry's gone out and done it right, Yep, nobody,
you know. I mean, you can go back and forth
on Lebron, but for the most part, Lebrons met people
who stand for him. As they do that they are
going to be critical. The only time they're critical is
when somebody says, well he's better than Jordan and it's like,
(42:49):
well wait, and we were doing that like years ago.
We've been doing that almost his entire career. That's the
issue to me.
Speaker 1 (42:59):
Stuck out show here on Fox Sports Radio. Are the
calves anywhere nears go as the record?
Speaker 12 (43:07):
Ah, That's what I mean. That is we could say
the same thing about Oklahoma City, couldn't.
Speaker 1 (43:11):
We Sure I was getting I was getting to them Buke.
Speaker 12 (43:14):
Yeah, I mean I look at it with both of them.
I do think that the Calves what it really what
it really comes down to is can they maintain this
approach when they get to the postseason, because and which
is which is a more equal share the wealth type
(43:38):
of approach or does it become the Donovan Mitchell show,
which is what I've seen so many times. And I
don't think Donovan Mitchell is good enough to be that guy.
And we can have a long conversation about whether you
just need to have that dominant guy to be able
to go as far as their record says they should go.
I mean, the records say we should be seeing the
(43:58):
Calves Oka Homa City UH Finals. And but like the
question is going to be can can what they're doing
now where there is very little game planning, can they
carry that and can they adjust on the fly and
play more than one way? I actually like the Cavs
(44:21):
ability to do that more than I do Oklahoma City
right now, because I think that they have those those
differentiating parts and they can play different ways. They can
they can They've they've got enough thighs to play big,
but they can play play fast. The really interesting part
for me is going to be if Darius Garland has
(44:43):
it going, can Donovan Mitchell step back, and particularly in
the postseason, can he step back and can he.
Speaker 1 (44:50):
Still be effective?
Speaker 12 (44:51):
Like those are the little things that have to happen
within a game and within a team for it to
maximize its ability. Right now, well, you don't have that
because a lot of their games, like it's fifteen to
twenty points, you don't have to make that decision. But
now we're in a situation where it's a one or
two possession game for the fourth quarter. How are they
(45:12):
going to operate. Is it going to be like, Okay,
Donovan takeover or is it going to be We're going
to go with whoever, whoever's got the hot hand. And
I don't know how they're going to approach that, but
to me, that's going to be the tell. And we
really we just we're not going to know. You don't.
As much as we want a forecast and we all forecast,
the reality is until you get into the postseason and
(45:36):
you see who they're playing and you see the adjustments
that they're forced to make, that you find out whether
a team is capable of making those adjustments. There's just
no way to be able to read that during the
regular season because they don't face that challenge.
Speaker 1 (45:52):
Rick Berger joining us here on the Doug Gottlieb Show
on Fox Sports Radio, buke, what's the state of the
New York Dicks.
Speaker 12 (46:06):
They're I mean, they are thirty seven and twenty So
some of this is like you go out and get
Michael Bridges, You're going get Carol Anthony Towns. This is
supposed to be their year, They're supposed to get it done.
Speaker 3 (46:20):
Well.
Speaker 12 (46:21):
When I look at their team, I think they're very talented.
I think they have a lot of good pieces. But
do they have it all? Do they have like can
they play multiple ways? And are they or are they
relatively easy to figure out? And this is where again,
(46:44):
when we annoint guys early, but we don't give them
the opportunity to really like prove that they can evolve
and change. Is Jalen Brunson. Jalen Brunson has been really good.
He's been a nice surprise, but he has to go
to another level for the Knicks to be able to uh,
(47:07):
to make good on what the expectations are. And the
reality is, I'm not sure that he has the physical gifts.
I'm what I question is is he maximizing who he is?
And has he maximized who he is up to this point?
And if you ask him to take another step, is
(47:29):
that just within the realm of being the size that
he is and the game that he has. And I
just that's that's what I need to see. And I
I have my doubts that.
Speaker 1 (47:43):
No, I'm with you, Like he's an amazing basketball.
Speaker 12 (47:47):
Player, love him, love everything about him. I love guys
who maximize who they can be.
Speaker 1 (47:51):
No, No, he's amazing. And if he's your second best scorer, right,
if you're second best scorer, I think you could probably
win a title. Yes, if he's your go to score,
don't think you can't.
Speaker 12 (48:06):
I think that's because you can make the game really
hard on him and force somebody else to beat you.
Speaker 1 (48:13):
And yeah, look, I like the makeup of their team.
I like the idea of Karl Anthony Towns at like
their best shooters, their center, and their best post players
at point guard. Like I like that, But the other
part is, like, you know, forgive me, but I haven't
seen Karl Anthony Towns look like anything close to it
NBA Finals level player in the playoffs as of yet.
(48:36):
So we'll just you know, we'll just have to reserve
judgment on that one. Yeah.
Speaker 12 (48:39):
Well, and the other tricky part is is in my
wife pointed this out. Who's like watching Karl Anthony Towns
run down the floor like he's he's I mean, we've
seen it with Joel Embiid, but Karl Anthony Towns does
not have an athletic gate. He's kind of blackfoot. And
when you have to play as fast as you have
to play in today's game, and you have play as
(49:00):
hard as you have to play for a Tom Thibodeaux
team that that can run in like if he looks
like he's a key and ailing and all that, there's
there's a reason for it. That's with all bigs in
the league today. You have to have a requisite amount
of athleticism or the seven footers two sixty two end
(49:23):
up unless you're just a freakish athlete with that kind
of a body in today's NBA, that's that's a gamble
that the guy's going to be able to stay healthy.
Speaker 1 (49:34):
Uh. Speaking of Embiid, Uh, what's the what what's everybody
saying about the knee?
Speaker 12 (49:41):
Uh? I mean, look, it's it's I don't know how
you get better, you know, a short of I'm wondering
when we get the announcement that he's going to try
the Lonzo ball, they're going to start looking for a
seven foot cadaver to find a new knee form. Because
again with what the and with the game demands, embiids
difficulty in uh in staying in shape. And and this
(50:05):
is like with Zion Williamson or any any guy who
comes in. If you're not in shape and you start
suffering injuries as a result for that, like now, your
ability to get in shape and not have reoccurring injuries,
You've just it's it's get around that you. You've flawed
(50:25):
you you your body is flawed now and I don't
know that there's a way to get around it.
Speaker 1 (50:30):
Buke, you're the best man. I love the little basketball
A little basketball talk for you on a h on
a Monday. And in the meantime, appreciate you bear a
guest and we'll talk to you soon. Thanks, thanks so much, pleasure,
you got it all. As Rick Buker joining us here
in the Tyraq dot Com studio
Thanks for listening to the best of the Doug Gottlieb
Show podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday
three to five Eastern twelve two Pacific on Fox Sports Radio.
Find your local station for the Doug Gottlieb Show at
Foxsports Radio dot com, or stream us live every day
on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR Coming Up America,
Doug Gottlieb Show, Fox Sports Radio Coming to you from
(00:24):
the tyreg dot com studios. Tyret dot Com. Wepe you
get there. Unmatched selection, fast free shipping, free roadasterd protection,
over ten thousand recommended sellars. Tiret dot com. It's way
tire buying should be. Hope you had a great weekend.
My team, coming off our first winning I felt like
(00:46):
forever played two games, one against Robert Morris, who's in
first place in our league, and we lost pretty hard
fought game. And then I lost yesterday to Youngstown State,
who again one of the top two or three teams
in our league. We had him down ten with nine
half at our place, and then I think five with
two and a half at their place. We had him
down six with five minutes to go and couldn't hold
(01:07):
on but I'm really actually happy with my group. They
continue to get better and compete, and I just I
like where we're going. Anyway, that's enough of a personal update.
The personal update right feels a little bit like those
Christmas cards right where you give away a Christmas card
to one of your friends, you give an update on
(01:28):
each one of the kids. Jimmy likes playing footsball and
also big in the PS two. He plays in the
soccer team, and he does theater. Anyway, there's everybody's trying
to get to why why more people don't watch the NBA?
Why don't we watch the NBA? And I'll offer up
(01:50):
an opinion upcoming, but I do before we get to
those opinions, I think you need to start to think
to yourself, like why don't you watch the NBA more?
And I don't believe there's any one reason I don't,
as much as I could say, well, you know, the
(02:10):
reason we watch. Gambling is more prevalent. The NFL is
the easiest to gamble on. So if the NFL is
the easy to gamble on, and they have a great
system for trying to know who's gonna play, who's not
gonna play, that affects gambling lines, whereas you know whether
it's daily fantasy or gambling. For the NBA, with so
many guys in now in the lineup, like, how would
(02:30):
anybody ever know who's gonna play? Which makes it really
hard to gamble on a game. Plus it's just too
many games to pay that much attention to, not for
the hardcore degenerate, but for many of the you know,
guys that just like to throw some coin down, Like
everybody throws some coin down in an NFL game. Everybody
has a fantasy football team. The same can't be said
(02:51):
for the NBA. So as much as I would, I
would love to say, hey, the logic behind it, Okay,
logic behind is just simply ambling. There's a lot of
different parts to why the NBA is not viewed in
the same kind of royalty as it used to be.
(03:11):
Channing Fry is a former NBA player obviously now covers
the league. He offered up this opinion on this podcast.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Nostalgia is killing the NBA. The nineties basketball Michael Jordan
and Kobe was not as clean as y'all think it was.
Y'all forget that Jordan left the league for two years
y'all forget that Kobe rest in pees quit on his
team in the playoffs and did not shoot the basketball.
(03:41):
So all this Kobe Jordan, oh, he's not this, he's
not that. That is propaganda. Every great player, whether that's
a wemby Ron, you know, Steph, this this that, you know,
they compare them to forty years ago the rules were
even the same. You're not really watching helpside defense. Who's
(04:04):
doing this? What is this rule? What is that rule?
You're not watching? Nobody celebrates these new people. So why
the would anybody want to be the face of this
league or you're gonna get on on every network for
not being somebody from.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
Forty years ago.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
It's ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
It is unfair. Bron is one of the greatest players
ever to play. Stephen Curry is one of the greatest
players ever to play. Jannis is one of the great
Jokic and you know what we do, we talk about
Michael Jordan. All this superstar era is over. The car
cap called a second Apron, it's over. Teams are gonna
(04:44):
take over.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Look, there's a lot of spitfire there. Right he goes
to the players are done and teams are taking over.
He says, everybody's compared to Michael Jordan. They are not.
He said, there's a ton of nostalgia, there is, but
that's with anything you ever heard this. They don't make
them like they used to. No, they don't. They have
air conditioning now, right, they have cruise control, they have
(05:10):
adaptive control where you don't actually have to have hands
free driving, Bluetooth and other things. Yeah, so I think
what Channing is mostly reacting to is daytime TV and
inside the NBA and maybe a little bit of social media.
(05:32):
The fact is that we do celebrate guys. Do we
pick apart their flaws? Yeah, that's more how broadcasting is gone,
and especially so in basketball. I actually believe this. I
don't want know if it's narrative or belief that inside
the NBA can do some damage to the current NBA
just because it gives off. You know, they just say, hey, look, basically,
(05:54):
guys were tougher guys, It mattered more, everything was better
back when they played. But that's every guy in basketball.
Football they do it as well, though, Right, how many
time football guys have you've seen covering football that will say, oh,
football's get soft. Can't hit a guy when he goes
(06:15):
over the middle, can't touch a quarterback. Football is soft.
Has it adjusted football's numbers at all? Nope. Now there's
lots of quarterbacks who cover the game, the Dan Orlobski's
in the world and others who all they do is
have praise for quarterbacks, even when those quarterbacks aren't as
good as Orlobskis sometimes makes them out to be. So
(06:38):
I think that helps kind of the narrative of the game,
if you will. But the reality is we're just as
harsh to football players we are to basketball players. There
is more drama, maybe because it's covered more or people
have their own social media outlets as well. And I
think what it comes down to is, yeah, inside the
NBA can sound like some bitter old guys talk about Beck.
(07:01):
In my day, it was amazing, and the league's numbers
reflect the fact that it's just very hard to gamble on.
It really are to gamble on. But I don't think
everybody's only one player is compared to Jordan. That's Lebron, right.
No one's ever said, you know, Luca has to do
this to be Jordan, where Giannis has to do this.
(07:24):
We always compare different generations of player do it in
baseball a ton. This is where Channing And again I'm
not close to Channing, but I have friends that are
really close with Channing and they all love him. But
this is where, in all honesty, he grew up a
hooper who's doing a podcast, not a guy who is
(07:45):
a sports guy who played hoop and then did a podcast.
By that, I mean he doesn't have the true perspective
because if you don't like being compared to guys in
the past, you think it's hurting the sport. Ask Jason Stewart,
who loves baseball. Baseball everything is about comparing you to
the legacy players, and it's really hard with the steroid
era guys. And that's everything football. Some obviously, the sport
(08:10):
has evolved so much, and he's right that basketball has evolved,
but and it's very different. And I've said that we
do look back at the eighties nineties regular season hoop
as if it was really good, and it was not.
But the guys did play more often, the game was
more physical, the rules were different, and the players are
more skilled now. With Jay stew Am, I wrong, like
(08:35):
any baseball player, he's acting like it's basketball and basketball alone.
That compares players to the players of the past. Nobody
does that more than baseball. Now, baseball is not crazy
popular on the national more in the regional level, but
nobody does that more than baseball.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
Correct, And in comparing today's player in baseball to yesterday's
is aggravating for me because and I want I'm going
to get to what I think Channing was getting to
as well. I think Channing's getting to an effort thing here.
No one ever questions Michael Jordan's effort or willingness to compete.
(09:12):
And much of the conversation that was had on talk
radio last week, and as you said, the daytime debate
shows was about the NBA and effort. And I'm gonna
let Dan say his take himself, but I'm paraphrasing here.
Dan says something very interesting on Friday, right, Dan, all
we're asking these guys to do is to try.
Speaker 5 (09:34):
That's correct.
Speaker 6 (09:35):
Yes, especially with the All Star Game, everybody's telling the
players on what they want and that's just to give
effort and it does translate into the regular season.
Speaker 5 (09:46):
But it's just a simple message. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
But in fairness, though, Dan, how bad was the Pro
Bowl before they canceled the Pro Bowl in terms.
Speaker 5 (09:55):
Of effort, Oh yeah, it was awful, okay.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
And Baseball all is still probably the best, but it's
not nearly what it used to be in terms of
its competitiveness. It truly is just an exhibition game more
so than it's ever been previously. So I'm not disagreeing
with you, Dan, I'm not disagree with you Jason. I'm
not disagreeing with the sports fan who says we carry
(10:20):
around this assumption that the NBA's guys, because they have
guaranteed contracts, because they will opt out of games in
the regular season and not play on back to backs,
that they don't show the consistency of effort that we
believe is required for their gargantuan salaries. That's fair, But
we use the All Star Game and then we sit
(10:41):
there and go like, come on, man, like all the
All Star Games.
Speaker 5 (10:45):
Are a joke.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Or in Major League Baseball, remember when we had pitchers
that would go seven or eight innings. Yeah, now we
have bullpen days and we have the opener, not even
the starter. Right, We're constantly pulling guys. So this is
in all of and maybe it's working smarter, not harder,
but that's not how we like our sports. The point
(11:07):
of it is, I don't think any of the critique
is wrong, but I think it's wrong to say it's
a basketball only. The perception is that it's basketball. The
reality is, this is how any of us who are
old enough to have watched the previous generation views this generation,
whether it's like Tom Izzo said, soft or as Dan
(11:29):
Bayer said, not showing the supreme amount of effort that
we believe inherently the previous generation did.
Speaker 6 (11:37):
And my point in this specific instance was the NBA
trying to tell us or trying to do all of
these different things to make the All Star Game work
when everybody is just saying, guys, just try. You don't
have to change up teams, you don't have to draft teams,
you don't have to make a bracket, you don't have
(11:58):
to bring the Rising Stars team into the bracket to
try to make these guys try. Everybody just wants to
see effort. That's as simple as it was. But for
some reason, the league doesn't listen. And I think, like
as you talk about on back to backs, and I
mean I just did an update about ten minutes ago,
(12:18):
and Kawhi and Norman Powell aren't playing tonight against the Pistons.
They didn't play yesterday either. Chet holmgrins out tonight for
the thunder against Minnesota. Those are things that may bother
some people and maybe others. It's just today's NBA, you know,
But at what point is it just is it only
(12:39):
a ten week season, you know for the NBA playoffs
and you talk about baseball in the long season that
it is. I would even take your sport, Doug in
college basketball and say, you asked us at the top,
what was why do we watch the NBA? I kind
of wondered. I kind of thought of that, that's actually
a pretty good question on why. And then I thought
(12:59):
to myself, why do I watch college basketball when really
it's all about the tournament. You know, it's about the atmosphere,
it's about the play, It's about the intensity and going
on the road and conference play and getting a big
win is a huge deal, and there's effort putting in
all of those things. Now, in the grand scheme of things,
what's the difference between a three and a four seed?
Like nobody really knows, but for some reason you're wrapped
(13:21):
up into that, and that's what I think is missing
in the in the NBA is just of what a
win would be, you know, to go on the road
and win in Denver like the Lakers did this past weekend.
I think we actually probably took more from that than
any other game, and I'm not sure how much people
are actually taking from that win from the Lakers. So
I just I think it's a pretty interesting question that
(13:42):
you posed about why do we watch and I think
we just want to be entertained with high quality, effort
filled basketball.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Yeah, and I want it totally fair. I also think
it's interesting, you know, I've always watched classic games and
thought I don't think they played as well hard. They
may have played more consistently as hard as our perception
of how they played is. But again, a lot to
get to here.
Speaker 7 (14:07):
This is the best of the Done dot Leap Show
on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
Oh up, which it's the Doug gott Leab Show on
a Monday. You're in Fox Sports for Radio broadcast from
the tyrack dot com studios tyrec dot com. Where we
get there unmatched selection, fast free shipping, free road as
protection over ten thousand recommended to dollars. Tyrat dot COM's
way tire buying should be hope you had a great weekend. U.
(14:44):
We do this every Monday. Every Monday, we'd like to
recap the weekend. We find something and we all have
our our things we're paying attention to, right Like obviously
this weekend I was locked in on college hoops. I
don't know what Sam was locked in on. Maybe maybe
women's college hoops. Not not actually sure with Texas being
the new number one, uh Jay Stu probably pictures and catchers,
(15:07):
maybe a little bit of Lakers. And then there's a
chance that Dan, it's something golf. It's just a chance
golf or you know, it could could be something. But
we find something we loved from the weekend, find something
we hate from the weekend. We call it love and hate.
Speaker 7 (15:23):
What did you love?
Speaker 1 (15:24):
God?
Speaker 7 (15:25):
I love you and what did you hate?
Speaker 5 (15:27):
Meet these Claire hay is.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Ah love love, love, he hate hate? Do Do Do
Do Do? What'd you love from the weekend?
Speaker 6 (15:39):
Danbyer Doug What I love from the weekend? I shared
with you? And it was a tweet sent out by
Rob DFB. And Rob is a professional sports better tied
in a Hawkeyes fan, an Iowa Hawkeyes fan, but he
sent a tweet that just made me laugh and made
(16:03):
so many people laugh, except Iowa Sam and the Hawkeye
fan base. But the point is, and I've retweeted it
at Dan Byron Fox.
Speaker 5 (16:11):
If you want to see.
Speaker 6 (16:13):
It was basically pointing out that there was a line
up between Iowa and Washington where he had five white
guys on the court for Iowa, five black guys on
the court in Washington with Washington. And it's not about
it's not about race. It's not meant to be racial
or divide. It's all about comedy and the delivery. And
(16:34):
sometimes with Twitter and or ex and social media, it's
very difficult to provide that. But I felt that this
just was knocked out of the park because of the highlight,
because of everything that came with it. Yes, the call
was called a charge on the court, Iowa ends up
winning the game, All of that doesn't matter. You can
read all of Iowa fans for some reason taking offense
(16:58):
to this in the comments. It's just comedy. It's not
meant to be about basketball or or race or anything.
It was just funny and I got a kick out
of it, and so did two thousand others. It had
three point three million views over the weekend, and I
just it gave me a very very hearty chuckle when
(17:19):
I saw the tweet.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
I loved it. I loved it.
Speaker 8 (17:24):
That's the audio of Dan Byer laughing at this tweet.
Speaker 6 (17:27):
Yes, oh that's this is Isla Sand's defense mechanism because
he cannot, for some reason find the humor in it
because it happened to Iowa. So now he's going to
use drops just like he would do with the drum,
the rim shot and the fake laugh like he just
can't stay out of it. He's gotta he's got to
put his finger puts. I just listen you. You thought
(17:48):
it was thought I did so exclusive audio you laughing.
So Jason, well, I don't know. No one responded to
the just it was just me and you going back
and forth. So I don't know.
Speaker 8 (17:59):
I guess Jason says he found it funny, but.
Speaker 4 (18:02):
No, Doug found it funny too, most people did. I
to not find it funny. I think just shows that
you're pretty humorless. And I will say this about Dan's commentary,
there is a whole new group of people that do
comedy really well on Twitter, Like there are just some
accounts that just know how to do it know how
to do it well, and I'm gonna I'm gonna admit this,
(18:24):
Antonio Brown does it really well.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
Now.
Speaker 4 (18:26):
A lot of his material is way over the top
and would get anyone canceled. In a former time, Antonio
Brown's Twitter writer, I don't know if it's him or whatever,
somebody else. He could be really funny. I do recommend
the follow up.
Speaker 8 (18:43):
You think that guy brings the material to AB AND's like,
what do you think about this? He's like Conan O'Brien
and like a pre show meeting, like strumming his guitar. Yeah,
I like that. No, I don't like that post post
other thing. Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 5 (18:56):
All right, but no, it doesn't.
Speaker 3 (18:58):
Go like that.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
Else.
Speaker 5 (19:02):
All right?
Speaker 1 (19:02):
What about you there, Jase Douo.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
I saw this and I'm gonna go ahead and promote
my Twitter account now at the top of my Twitter
feed as our listeners are going through the show's Twitter feeds,
at the top of my Twitter feed is a video
from the weekend. If you've listened to me at all,
I've been a massive proponent of ABS for years now,
and I've been frustrated at baseball's slowness deliberateness towards incorporating
(19:31):
ABS into their game. Well, major League Baseball is throwing
us a bone and they're during spring training. They're doing
the ABS challenge thing, And for those that don't know ABS,
it's they could challenge balls and strikes now and it
goes to that computer rized strike zone and if it
wasn't in the strike zone, they call it a ball
and otherwise a strike. Well, they have this pitch by
(19:54):
Dylan Cees in a game against the Dodgers, and I
think it's Pahez who's batting. He takes a pitch that
is way high and the umpire rings him out. And
what's great about is that the Empire doesn't just ring
him out. He does this real dramatics strip call like
I just nailed you. Take a seat on the bench.
(20:15):
Pa Hees challenges it. They go to the screen and
it's a good like six inches high. So I think
this is one of the great things about ABS when
they do incorporate it, is it's gonna make umpires look
really foolish for their eyesight and their dramatics. I need
the umpires to be more humbled and this will only
(20:37):
do that.
Speaker 5 (20:39):
I like it yeah.
Speaker 6 (20:40):
I also will say with this i'm on the ABS format.
It brings drama like it would in tennis on challenging
a call by cyclops and the drama of finding if
the ball is in or out.
Speaker 5 (20:53):
There is something to that.
Speaker 6 (20:55):
There's there's drama that it's actually brought to the at bat,
and there is the other point. And I'm sure that
this is going to be something talked about for years
and years. Monzi brought it up yesterday on our Sunday show.
But if you have just like a sliver of the
ball touching the strike zone at the end that it's
called the strike, it's kind of like one of those
capture where we have to log in and find the
(21:15):
how many motorcycles are in the picture or what portion
is showing a street light. That's kind of what the
balls in the ABS system provides. And I actually think
it's been entertaining TV when it actually pops up.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
I'm going to I'd like this tweet by Sam Decker.
Sam Decker, who is a friend of course Fantasy, a
star basketball player at the University's contemplating the NBA now
playing overseas. I saw this tweet from him today. Sports
media is in such a weird place. The Lakers lose
three games with Luca and it's immediate panic and I
(21:51):
told you so. Then they beat the Nuggets in one
game and now they're a championship favorite on every network.
Is this what we're doing? Sam? Yes, yes, Yes, that's
apparently what we're doing. And it's so weird. Uh my
favorite thing I said on Twitter, let's get to what
we hated again.
Speaker 5 (22:12):
I love here, Sam.
Speaker 8 (22:15):
This does playoff of Dan's uh aforementioned of viral moment
the Washington Center Frank kept nag dunking on Iowa. The basket,
of course didn't count, but listen, Dan, I do see
the humor in it. I do, and I admitted that
much to you uh here today. But listen, in the moment,
it was really fired up both teams, and uh, it
(22:40):
was it was like sort of it was like, you know,
the the humorous, the physicality that dunk really fired up
Washington and then Iowa was just like, we can't be
had like that. And I think that they fired them up,
and thankfully Iowa survived sort of that momentum shift there.
They had been kind of trailing all game and they
won the game, and they avoid City in the Basement
(23:01):
and the cellar of the Big Ten.
Speaker 6 (23:02):
And that's what makes the comedy about it that much
more special and that much more unique, because to your point,
when you were watching the game, I was not.
Speaker 5 (23:11):
It seemed to be a pretty big turning point in
the game.
Speaker 6 (23:13):
But someone who was smart enough out there looked at
that from a different angle and was able to turn
it into something funny and then on top of it
presented in a way that it even highlighted the comedy
even more. Now, I'm not a comed comedy officionado. I
don't want to say I'm an expert, but it was
just so well done. And to your point of every
of Iowa going crazy may have changed the momentum of
(23:36):
the game.
Speaker 5 (23:36):
Washington may have been ticked off.
Speaker 6 (23:38):
Someone found something funny about it and he made it
go viral, and that's what was so awesome about it.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
Yeah fun Yeah, Okay, I can admit it. It's okay,
And I love that they that they avoided that they
avoided it letting him get him down. So that's let's
let's get to what we hated from the weekend as
the movie changes. A resident hater is, of course, other
than Jason Stewart.
Speaker 4 (24:00):
Guys, I'm gonna come at you from a different angle today.
And I do apologize to anybody listening right now who
is a part of the Academy, because this is gonna
come off as hostile. I saw a movie on Saturday,
and I know, Doug, you would actually really appreciate it. Obviously.
It's called The Brutalist. It's a Oscar nominated movie. It
(24:23):
was the favorite to win Best Picture as an Oscar
nominated movie. It's about a Jewish immigrant and his family
coming over after World War Two. Very serious, obviously heavy
heavy undertones, but it was brilliantly made and one of
the best movies I've seen in a long time. The
Brutalist starring Adrian Brody. So I'm watching the SAG Awards
(24:46):
last night. I watch a lot of the post, you know,
the award season award shows, and guess what movie was
left out of the SAG Award winners again, this is
This is a movie that's very favored to win the awards.
It's critically acclaimed. I loved it, and the SAG Awards
gave it a zero. It got a donut last night.
(25:07):
And here's why. If you google the brutalist and AI.
There's been some controversy, and I guess the filmmakers used
AI to make the Hungarian accents of the actors sound
a little bit more Hungarian. That has completely offended the
(25:29):
Academy that they're taking jobs away from actors or editors
or sound people and they're including AI. And in response
to that, they are threatening to not give this movie awards.
So Adrian Brody, who was supposed to win Best Actor
last night for The Sag lost to Timothy shamalay Shalla
(25:56):
may very frustrating. So again, I'm a film snob. I
think Doug and I went to the mat a couple
of years ago when I said that I didn't think
Top Gun raised was to the level of a Best
Picture nominee, and Doug's like, it was a good movie,
we all loved it. Why shouldn't it. I don't think so.
(26:17):
I think there's a certain standard that the oscars have
and I call bs on this latest move.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
Uh, in fairness, it wasn't Top Gun, and never said
Top Gun should be. I don't believe I said Top
Gun should be Best Picture.
Speaker 4 (26:32):
No, no, no, you said that Maverick should be one
of the ten movies considered for Best Picture, sure, and
I was annoyed that they were even considered.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
Okay, what is that movie called that? My daughter suggested.
It's got Demi Moore in it.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
The subs the substance, Yes, substance.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
Yeah, I hated it. It was awful. Oh as I could,
I just it was. I did not.
Speaker 4 (27:00):
Sam told me he was going to watch it this weekend,
and I said, the third act is utterly offensive. It's out,
it's it's meant to shock, but it shocked me too
much to while I was looking away from the TV.
And I don't think you want to do that if
you're a filmmaker. Didn't you hate the last like forty minutes, Doug?
Speaker 1 (27:19):
I hated most of it, to be honest with but
the last forty minutes especially.
Speaker 8 (27:23):
So I think I have to see this movie now.
I mean I was gonna watch it anyway, but like
Jason was, kind of you're one.
Speaker 1 (27:28):
Of those people that somebody bites into something and goes like, oh,
this is terrible. Here try it well.
Speaker 8 (27:33):
Jason liked the first two thirds of the film and
was very put off by the controversial final third. Stanza
and now you're saying, oh, I hated it, so now
I'm very intrigued, and so I gotta watch it.
Speaker 5 (27:45):
I just gotta She.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
Won last night. By the way, don't mean moore.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
Do you say demi or do you say to me?
Speaker 3 (27:54):
I say demi?
Speaker 1 (27:55):
I do two.
Speaker 5 (27:58):
I do both to be honest.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
Uh damn fire? What japen weekend?
Speaker 6 (28:02):
Oh, I'll tell you what I did not like this
on Saturday.
Speaker 5 (28:06):
On Sunday. Excuse me.
Speaker 6 (28:08):
It bothered me, and I am I'm not afraid to
name names. Ian Rapaport's tweet announcing that Shador Sanders was
not going to take part in activities at the combine
was just so unnecessary and over the top. It's so unnecessary.
I'm going to read you not one but two tweets
announcing the news. This three forty two Eastern time yesterday.
(28:32):
Colorado quarterback and potential top pick Shador Sanders plans to
focus on his interviews with teams at the NFL Scouting Combine,
helping them continue to learn him as a person. He'll
allow his four years of film to speak loudly, then
throw at his pro day with four draftable SeeU wide receivers.
(28:54):
It was then followed up by a quote tweet by
Rapaport on X saying should Nor Sanders has impressed teams
with his presence, poise and intelligence off the field, and
that should continue in Indie. No one else got that treatment,
no one. What we get is guess what, Ashton Genty
(29:16):
is not working out at the combine. If Duel Carter
has a shoulder injury, he's not working out at the combine.
He'll work out at his pro day. This over the top,
and I just think it's kissing up to Dion, Like
that's what I think that it is. I have no
idea on who else would be like appeased by this,
but it was so over the top Engross, it was
(29:40):
actually so bad, awful announcing, who sometimes writes awful articles
actually wrote an article about this, and so it was just, Yeah,
it was so over the top.
Speaker 5 (29:50):
It was so bad.
Speaker 6 (29:51):
I can't believe that it was actually allowed to be
written and then followed up with a quote retweets or
a quote tweets from X by Ian Rappaport.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
That's a good one.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
That's cool. Anybody any more gripes? Yeah, yeah, go ahead, Doug.
Speaker 8 (30:07):
I hate Horizon League buses catching on fire? Do you
guys see this I did. I mean, listen, I know
you guys are mid major, but you deserve better.
Speaker 5 (30:16):
You don't listen.
Speaker 8 (30:17):
You're not low major, You're mid major, so don't be
loading up those guys in the Lemon the Lemon bus
and then it catches on fire. That was scary. So
we saw IU Indy coming back from their their road trip.
They're lost to northern Kentucky and the fire breaks out
on a bus and all the guys got out safely, thankfully,
but man, this thing was charred. So I hate exploding
(30:39):
Horizon League buses. That's all I got.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
You know, it's interesting we take you know, I see
you on the.
Speaker 8 (30:45):
Buses all the time, Doug, that's all yell.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
We fly places on these little charters, which are cool.
And then we're in these coach buses. Man, the coach
buster is so much nice as they used to be.
They're really I'm sure in that one that caught on fire.
I gotta find out. I gotta call their coach.
Speaker 8 (30:59):
I knew, yeah, they said it was I'm just kind
of what driffing here. That was a mechanical issue, and
you know.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
But they lost their uniforms and everything. YEA, three games
left right three to you know, six games.
Speaker 8 (31:13):
They lost their jerseys, no jerseys.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
Well that set of jersey wouldn't bring all of your jerseys.
But still you lose the set of jerseys.
Speaker 8 (31:20):
You're they're gonna have to play in those stinky rec league.
Speaker 9 (31:23):
Uh.
Speaker 8 (31:23):
You know those those mesh jerseys from from.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
Pe class I mean the practice jerseys, practice jerseys, that
smells practice jerseys, and that is love and hate.
Speaker 7 (31:33):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation yet. Catch all of our shows at Fox
sports Radio dot com and within the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
What Up with you, Doug Gottlieb Show, Fox Sports Radio.
You're coming to you from the tiraq dot com studios,
the smooth jams Fox Sports Radio. Yeah, that's what I'm
talking about. By the way, you can stry this show
twenty four hours a day, seven days a week in
(32:05):
the new and improved iHeartRadio app. Just search Fox Sports
Tradiar the app. We'll stream us live and one of
the newest features in the app is you can select
Fox Sports Radios as one of your presets, just like
presets in your radio. Now, just make sure you preset
Fox Sports Radio on the iHeartRadio app and it will
pop up on your screen. Quick shout out. There were
some people in uh in Pittsburgh in the what is
(32:28):
it moon Moon County that's over by where Rob Morris is.
People came up to me after the game saying they're
big fans of the show, you particular Dan Summer, fans
of you Jason, even in your curmudgeon state. And then
in Youngstown. We must be big in Youngstown because everywhere
I went, people say to listen to the show. So
shout out to the young Youngstown, Ohio. There's a reason
(32:50):
there's so much good Italian food in Youngstown, Ohio. If
you know, you know, forget about it, you get it.
Forget about it. Lakers beat the Nuggets, and here's JJ
Reddick talking about creating a new normal for Luca, the
sort of.
Speaker 10 (33:04):
Return to normalcy and in some ways a new normal
that we're trying to create for him. There are steps
to all of that for it to become his new normal.
And you need in some ways, like what about Bob,
you need baby steps, and you know tonight was a
baby step.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
Quality poll there from a movie, right, What About Bob
was a quality poll from JJ Redick. Here's Luca talking
about the chemistry that's coming together on the team.
Speaker 9 (33:30):
It's finale playing myself a little bit, you know, you know,
playing this game, this is all I love. So I'm
just finally you know, being myself a little bit. So
that's why I was smiling the whole game.
Speaker 3 (33:41):
I think We've.
Speaker 9 (33:41):
Still got a lot of booming. You know, I just
can't play. This is my full game. So you know,
chemistry takes time. But you suit today, you know, after
three games, you saw today that is getting better.
Speaker 3 (33:51):
So every day is going to get better.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
Every day is going to get better. Chemistry does take time.
Here's Lebron talk about the chemistry with Luca.
Speaker 11 (33:59):
I'm a natural by wide receiver and he's a natural
born quarterback, so it fits perfectly. I've been running a
floor and running lanes like you know, pretty much my
whole life, and he's been throwing great passes pretty much
his whole life. So it's not it's not hard to
get a rhythm when it comes to that. You know,
it's just all about you know, eye contact and you know,
him being a great quarterback like he is, and need
(34:19):
being the recipient of it.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
So stug outleab show here on Fox Sports Radio. Kind
of interesting, right, interesting because here's a guy in Lebron
who actually has he wants to say he runs a lane,
but he's very much controlled and dominated the game. Now,
there have been times over the past couple of years
in which he's allowed you know, Austin Reeves and others
(34:43):
to go kind of do their thing and he stays
away from it. And then end of the game he
saves up his energy and he tries to be the closer.
Be a challenge for him not to do that with Luca.
But the big thing with this team is and you know,
they they beat Denver using a mixture of defenses and
really preparing like it's the playoffs, which is great. The
problem is Denver wasn't playing like it was the playoffs.
(35:07):
You know that That's really what's the issue there, you know.
So it's like, hey, yeah, they played awesome, that was cool,
But in reality, the game is gonna get a lot
more physical and yeah, I don't know if that look.
I just don't think you can have your three best
players be essentially non defenders and ever hoped to win
(35:30):
the playoffs. Maybe maybe that's the change in the NBA.
Will it be fun. Yeah, there'll be some games where
they dominate, they score one hundred and fifty points, but
how many will they give up in that process? It's
the Doug Gotlieb Show here on Fox Sports Radio, and
now that it is basketball season, who better to catch
up with than Rick Buker. Okay, you can see Rick
Puker on Fox Sports One. You can read them stuff
(35:52):
at Fox sports dot com. Of course, he joins us
weekly here on the Doug Gottlieb Show. The Lakers, Luca
Luca and the Lakers. Okay, we are I don't know,
a couple of games in you'll let you take away, uh, that.
Speaker 12 (36:10):
They're going to be a dynamic team. Uh.
Speaker 1 (36:12):
He is.
Speaker 12 (36:15):
Obviously. You know, I think we've forgotten in all the
tumult of him not playing for the better part of
the season and then all of the talk coming out
of Dallas as a result of the trade, that kind
of lost sight of of just how special he can be.
That said, uh, you see some of the same things
(36:35):
that you've always questioned about, just can you build your
team around him? And can you take you all the
way if you don't have the exact right pieces around it.
He's had to miss a couple of games because they're
monitoring the calf issue. The Uh, he's still in my
mind for for who he is and how he shoots
(36:57):
way too reliant or too free to take threes, and
defensively he can get after it, but on a consistent
basis is he capable of that? So look, it has
worked really well. And I don't want to make too
much of the win over the Nuggets, because quite clearly
(37:21):
JJ Reddick approached that almost like a playoff game. I mean,
he really prepared them specifically to play the Nuggets, and
they took some things away. And the Nuggets conversely played
like they beat the Lakers every time going out, regardless
of whether they let them take a lead in the
fourth quarter or not, or whether they prepare however they play.
They did nothing special. So the good thing is that
(37:45):
the Lakers now should have a certain amount of confidence
that we play a certain way. Hey, we can be
competitive with these guys. The flip side is that the
Nuggets and Mike Malone saw exactly what JJ wants to do.
They should meet each other in the postseason, and now
they have the opportunity to to prepare for that.
Speaker 1 (38:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 12 (38:06):
Impressed with the Denver Nuggets at all in that game.
And I don't want to take away from the Lakers,
but they they didn't look like they were.
Speaker 1 (38:13):
Ready to play. No, they did not. It's the different
thing is is a weird thing. Okay, Jimmy Butler and
the Warriors so far, so good. What's what's the ceiling
for that group?
Speaker 12 (38:28):
Well one getting to the playoffs and and winning around
maybe two, but I think that's on the outside. But
I like their chances now of moving into a position
of of making the playoffs, even even if it is
through the play and play in at this point. But
(38:50):
and then you know, depending on who they get matched up.
But I think that's the thing that I'm seeing across
the board is matchups are going They've they always play
a big role, but I feel as if this year,
more than ever, they're going to play a monstrous role.
And who ends up being in the finals and so
(39:11):
it really depends on just who they get. But Jimmy
has given them everything that we hope that Andrew Wiggins
would evolve into.
Speaker 1 (39:19):
He's just he's.
Speaker 12 (39:20):
Given them a consistency, and he's given him things that
they collectively weren't very good at doing, like getting to
the free throw line, finishing inside, around the basket. Defensively,
there's a confidence that he's going to be where he
needs to be at all times. And then there's just
a there's just the contagious atmosphere of getting a guy
(39:43):
like Jimmy who has a completely different personality than Andrew
Wiggins does. You can look at what Wiggins did and
you know, just on the floor and say, man like,
he could be really good defensively, he could he could score,
he could do all those things. But then there's the
dynam of we know what that guy's gonna do and
he's gonna lift everybody up as a result. And with
(40:05):
Draymond Green's falling off his game, his bravado doesn't quite
resonate the same way. Jimmy's still in a place where
it does. So the collective between those two, I think,
just makes the Warriors collectively feel different about themselves. And
as a coach, you well know how your team feels
(40:28):
about itself can have such a huge impact on how
they play that you just it's an intangible that you
can't quite like put your arms around, but you know
it when you see it.
Speaker 1 (40:42):
Stuck Ott Lieb Show here on Fox Sports Trader that's
the voice of the one and only Rick Buker. Hey
Channing Fry said that people are being critical of the NBA.
They're just stuck in NBA nostalgia and they're not going
and they're not going back. What's your reactions?
Speaker 12 (40:57):
Look. I like the sentiment, and I think, you know,
maybe there's a little small, you know, couple sand granules
of truth to it. But the bigger issue for me
because I was there for the Jordan nineties and the
Kobe two thousands, and those guys got ripped on the regular,
(41:19):
So it's not as if like they didn't go through
any of this. Now, social media in twenty four hour
you know, sports coverage and debate and all that has
certainly raised the temperature and the volume. But I believe
that the bigger issue isn't that we don't appreciate today's players.
(41:42):
It's that we crown them way way too soon. I mean,
I took issue with this last year. Everybody's suddenly making
Anthony Edwards comparisons to Michael Jordan, like, can we just
hold on? Physically he looks kind of the same. He
has the same dynamic physical ability the rest of his game,
(42:04):
the IQ level, the accomplishments are not there. And I
don't say any of this to bag on Ant, but
it's more like what we do is we put these
guys up on a pedestal way too soon, and then
when they don't match it now now everybody jumps on them.
And so I'm just like, can we just stop like
(42:27):
trying to anoint everybody before their time? Nobody hates Steph
Curry because Steph Curry's gone out and done it right, Yep, nobody,
you know. I mean, you can go back and forth
on Lebron, but for the most part, Lebrons met people
who stand for him. As they do that they are
going to be critical. The only time they're critical is
when somebody says, well he's better than Jordan and it's like,
(42:49):
well wait, and we were doing that like years ago.
We've been doing that almost his entire career. That's the
issue to me.
Speaker 1 (42:59):
Stuck out show here on Fox Sports Radio. Are the
calves anywhere nears go as the record?
Speaker 12 (43:07):
Ah, That's what I mean. That is we could say
the same thing about Oklahoma City, couldn't.
Speaker 1 (43:11):
We Sure I was getting I was getting to them Buke.
Speaker 12 (43:14):
Yeah, I mean I look at it with both of them.
I do think that the Calves what it really what
it really comes down to is can they maintain this
approach when they get to the postseason, because and which
is which is a more equal share the wealth type
(43:38):
of approach or does it become the Donovan Mitchell show,
which is what I've seen so many times. And I
don't think Donovan Mitchell is good enough to be that guy.
And we can have a long conversation about whether you
just need to have that dominant guy to be able
to go as far as their record says they should go.
I mean, the records say we should be seeing the
(43:58):
Calves Oka Homa City UH Finals. And but like the
question is going to be can can what they're doing
now where there is very little game planning, can they
carry that and can they adjust on the fly and
play more than one way? I actually like the Cavs
(44:21):
ability to do that more than I do Oklahoma City
right now, because I think that they have those those
differentiating parts and they can play different ways. They can
they can They've they've got enough thighs to play big,
but they can play play fast. The really interesting part
for me is going to be if Darius Garland has
(44:43):
it going, can Donovan Mitchell step back, and particularly in
the postseason, can he step back and can he.
Speaker 1 (44:50):
Still be effective?
Speaker 12 (44:51):
Like those are the little things that have to happen
within a game and within a team for it to
maximize its ability. Right now, well, you don't have that
because a lot of their games, like it's fifteen to
twenty points, you don't have to make that decision. But
now we're in a situation where it's a one or
two possession game for the fourth quarter. How are they
(45:12):
going to operate. Is it going to be like, Okay,
Donovan takeover or is it going to be We're going
to go with whoever, whoever's got the hot hand. And
I don't know how they're going to approach that, but
to me, that's going to be the tell. And we
really we just we're not going to know. You don't.
As much as we want a forecast and we all forecast,
the reality is until you get into the postseason and
(45:36):
you see who they're playing and you see the adjustments
that they're forced to make, that you find out whether
a team is capable of making those adjustments. There's just
no way to be able to read that during the
regular season because they don't face that challenge.
Speaker 1 (45:52):
Rick Berger joining us here on the Doug Gottlieb Show
on Fox Sports Radio, buke, what's the state of the
New York Dicks.
Speaker 12 (46:06):
They're I mean, they are thirty seven and twenty So
some of this is like you go out and get
Michael Bridges, You're going get Carol Anthony Towns. This is
supposed to be their year, They're supposed to get it done.
Speaker 3 (46:20):
Well.
Speaker 12 (46:21):
When I look at their team, I think they're very talented.
I think they have a lot of good pieces. But
do they have it all? Do they have like can
they play multiple ways? And are they or are they
relatively easy to figure out? And this is where again,
(46:44):
when we annoint guys early, but we don't give them
the opportunity to really like prove that they can evolve
and change. Is Jalen Brunson. Jalen Brunson has been really good.
He's been a nice surprise, but he has to go
to another level for the Knicks to be able to uh,
(47:07):
to make good on what the expectations are. And the
reality is, I'm not sure that he has the physical gifts.
I'm what I question is is he maximizing who he is?
And has he maximized who he is up to this point?
And if you ask him to take another step, is
(47:29):
that just within the realm of being the size that
he is and the game that he has. And I
just that's that's what I need to see. And I
I have my doubts that.
Speaker 1 (47:43):
No, I'm with you, Like he's an amazing basketball.
Speaker 12 (47:47):
Player, love him, love everything about him. I love guys
who maximize who they can be.
Speaker 1 (47:51):
No, No, he's amazing. And if he's your second best scorer, right,
if you're second best scorer, I think you could probably
win a title. Yes, if he's your go to score,
don't think you can't.
Speaker 12 (48:06):
I think that's because you can make the game really
hard on him and force somebody else to beat you.
Speaker 1 (48:13):
And yeah, look, I like the makeup of their team.
I like the idea of Karl Anthony Towns at like
their best shooters, their center, and their best post players
at point guard. Like I like that, But the other
part is, like, you know, forgive me, but I haven't
seen Karl Anthony Towns look like anything close to it
NBA Finals level player in the playoffs as of yet.
(48:36):
So we'll just you know, we'll just have to reserve
judgment on that one. Yeah.
Speaker 12 (48:39):
Well, and the other tricky part is is in my
wife pointed this out. Who's like watching Karl Anthony Towns
run down the floor like he's he's I mean, we've
seen it with Joel Embiid, but Karl Anthony Towns does
not have an athletic gate. He's kind of blackfoot. And
when you have to play as fast as you have
to play in today's game, and you have play as
(49:00):
hard as you have to play for a Tom Thibodeaux
team that that can run in like if he looks
like he's a key and ailing and all that, there's
there's a reason for it. That's with all bigs in
the league today. You have to have a requisite amount
of athleticism or the seven footers two sixty two end
(49:23):
up unless you're just a freakish athlete with that kind
of a body in today's NBA, that's that's a gamble
that the guy's going to be able to stay healthy.
Speaker 1 (49:34):
Uh. Speaking of Embiid, Uh, what's the what what's everybody
saying about the knee?
Speaker 12 (49:41):
Uh? I mean, look, it's it's I don't know how
you get better, you know, a short of I'm wondering
when we get the announcement that he's going to try
the Lonzo ball, they're going to start looking for a
seven foot cadaver to find a new knee form. Because
again with what the and with the game demands, embiids
difficulty in uh in staying in shape. And and this
(50:05):
is like with Zion Williamson or any any guy who
comes in. If you're not in shape and you start
suffering injuries as a result for that, like now, your
ability to get in shape and not have reoccurring injuries,
You've just it's it's get around that you. You've flawed
(50:25):
you you your body is flawed now and I don't
know that there's a way to get around it.
Speaker 1 (50:30):
Buke, you're the best man. I love the little basketball
A little basketball talk for you on a h on
a Monday. And in the meantime, appreciate you bear a
guest and we'll talk to you soon. Thanks, thanks so much, pleasure,
you got it all. As Rick Buker joining us here
in the Tyraq dot Com studio
Host
Doug Gottlieb
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.