Chris and Rob explain why Washington Wizards head coach Scott Brooks is dead wrong when he says that Russell Westbrook is the 2nd greatest point guard in NBA history, and debate if the San Francisco 49ers should start rookie quarterback Trey Lance in week 1. Plus, The Athletic DC editor-in-chief David Aldridge swings to share his thoughts on Westbrook and all the biggest headlines around the NBA.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Odd Couple podcast. Be sure
to check us out live every weekday from seven pm
to ten pm Eastern four to seven Pacific on Fox
Sports Radio. Find your local station for The Odd Couple
at Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us live
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(00:25):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Yeah, it is the
I Couple. I'm Chris Bruce Hard alongside my partner Rob Parker,
(00:48):
and we're coming to you live from the Fox Sports
Radio studios. Good live, and we have a great, i
mean a great three hours in store for you, so
keep it locked right here on Fox Sports Radio, the
iHeartRadio app or Serious XM Channel eighty three. Lots going
on in the National Basketball Association, of course, there's always
(01:12):
in fl the stuff to get into and uh New
York the firing squad was out, so we'll get into
that and more with baseball. So let me bring in
my partner, mister Rob Parker. What's up, brother? How are you?
I'm doing good? How are you? What's happening? I'm great, man,
(01:32):
I'm great. I heard you have something going on today?
You feeling all right? What's that I heard you have
something going on today. You feeling all right. I'm feeling
a little. If I fall asleep during the show, it's
not because Rob g chimed in too much. That's actually
not a bad one. You heard Craig Melvin liked it.
(01:54):
So I was pretty good. That was pretty But yeah,
I'm a little down, a little under the CLEMP but
clemp no, just energy wise, SAP. I just got my
second shot. So did you did you after your first one?
How did you feel? I felt fine. I really didn't
(02:14):
feel anything. I just feel a little tired, that's all.
I don't feel sick at all. I'm hoping that I
don't get anything or I don't. Everybody's been telling me.
I've had like conversation with people. They're like they all
got sick or they felt like, yeah most of them.
Did you get sick when you got really had the
one I had the Johnson and Johnson, and I mean
I didn't feel anything at all, Like I was fine.
(02:36):
But we got a neighborhood chat, you know, in our neighborhood,
and there were people that said they for like forty
eight hours they were sick, right, Yeah, everybody I talked
too said they had like a maybe twenty four hours
felt a little something, you know, different chills or or
my buddy in Denver had the second shot. He text
(02:58):
me Rod and he was like he had the chills.
He was asking me if I was even going to
work today, and I was like, unless I don't feel right,
you know what I mean. Like, so knock on wood.
I feel a little tired, but I don't feel sick
at all. Knock on wood again, and hopefully I'll just
get through it, get a good night's sleep, and wake
up tomorrow and be ready to roll. But I'm glad
(03:19):
that I'm fully vaccinated so I can make my tour
of America this coming summer. All right, let's twenty city
trip that I'm gonna do driving, not flying. I see,
I would like to drive cross country. I'm gonna do
that one day, maybe when I retire. Just stop in
different places, chill for a few days. Check out the
(03:40):
rust stop food all over the country, the Grand Canyon,
go to, you know, just different places. Hit them, hit
him up. But anyway, all right, we got David Aldridge
joining us at the bottom of the hour. You know
that's gonna be great. So let's introduce the I Couple
crew and get it popping. DJ Alex Tyshert a k A.
Alex the Vegan is back. That's always nice on a
(04:03):
trash talking Tuesday. And we got super producer Rob g
in full effect. And you heard him with the update
at the top of the hour, David Gascon, the gas
Man on the Eye Couple. All right, here we go,
Rob Russell Westbrook. And you heard me last night during
the show, I was updating his numbers. He had nineteen
(04:24):
assists with like three and a half minutes left in
the third quarter, so you knew something special was in store.
And Russell Westbrook winds up with fourteen points, twenty one rebounds,
and twenty four assists in a victory over Indiana, and
the dude is playing remarkable basketball. He became one of
(04:47):
only two players in NBA history to have a twenty
rebound twenty assists game in their career. The other Wilt Chamberlain.
Westbrooks done it twice, Robb Wilt Chamberlain did it once.
So high praise deserve for Russell Westbrook. He's going to
average a triple double for the fourth straight or not straight,
(05:11):
but for the fourth season of his career, which is incredible.
Only one person has averaged a triple double for a
season besides westbrook and that'sk Oscar Robertson, who did it
one time. And so that sparked some some nonsense, some
straight up nonsense from his coach, Scott Brooks. Here you go.
(05:36):
I used to always say he's gonna probably go down
as the third best point guard ever. But I think
he's past one and he's gonna go down as probably
the second best. And one is obviously magic. He's gonna
what he does. There's no point guard's ever done it. Nobody.
All right, um, look, I'll get I'll start out positive.
First of all, I'm a I like Russell Westbrooks game.
(05:57):
I mean, I said it today on the Herb. He
is an individual and incredible individual phenom. He's a spectacle like.
He's very reminiscent to me of Alan Iverson. Just does
incredible things on the basketball court that very few other
(06:19):
players in history could do. I'm ready to say Russell
Westbrooks one of the top five athletes to ever play
in the NBA. I mean, I'm just throwing this off
the top of my head. But Lebron Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan,
Alan Iverson for his size to do what he did,
and Westbrook like, I mean, you can argue that, but
(06:41):
he's in there. I'll give him that, and I'll give
Scott Brooks that I don't. There's not another point but
maybe Magic Johnson, who could put up the numbers that
Westbrooks put up. There's not another point guard outside of
Magic that probably cold average a triple double. So I'll
(07:02):
give it. And if that is that Scott Brooks's measurement
of what a great point guard it, I guess so,
so he's got magic what Magic never averaged a triple double,
but I think he could have. But to say Russell
Westbrook is the second greatest point guard, even to say
he was the third, I don't know who he had.
(07:24):
Thirty have Isaiah Thomas, you have Steph Curry, Oscar Robinson.
To say Westbrook is even third is out of pocket
because he's not. He's an all time great Hall of Famer,
legend icon who thirty years from now we will be
saying Russell Westbrook average a triple double four years. Lebron
(07:46):
never did it, Magic never did it, Penny Hardaway never
did it before he got hurt. Jason Kidd never did.
We'll see if I mean, if Luca and Yoki start
doing it, then it'll lose some of its power. But
to this point, no one else can do it, and
that will make him a guy we talk about in
all inspiring ways forever. So I got no like he's great,
(08:12):
but there ain't no way. He's the second best point
guard of all time. And I say that if I
had to start the team with a point guard, I
pick a lot over Westbrook, as great as he is,
because I think it can be hard to win with
It's like Iverson was hard to win with him because
there's the way they play. Tremendous individual world wins. But guy,
(08:37):
it's hard to build a team. You gotta build it perfectly.
Like Rob, you were there, well, you were covering the
league when Larry Brown built that team around Iverson that
got to the finals in two thousand and one in Philadelphia.
If Westbrook had a Larry Brown to do that for him,
I think he could lead a team to the finals
and maybe more. But that's what it takes. They special
(09:00):
shul He built that team around Iverson because he was
so different and unique, and that's what Westbrook would need. Yeah,
I just think this is your classic example of a
prisoner of the moment. And what I mean by that
is what he's doing and how he's playing right now
is mind boggling, you know. Just you gotta give him
his props on how well he's playing. But I think
(09:22):
people are glossing over a lot. The last time I
saw him in the playoffs with hard and he couldn't
make a shot, you know, like I remember those Do
you remember those moments, Chris where he's going through he
can't make an open jump shot like like, so I've
seen the really bad as well. And I'm not just
here to pick on him because but but I think
(09:44):
when when you coach your player and you want to,
you know, make them feel good about what they're doing,
I just think people get to go over the top.
And that's what Scott Brooks h did hear it in
just proclaiming I mean, the only other thing he could
have just said is he's the best point guard ever.
I mean even he couldn't even he couldn't say that
because he knew that would be ridiculous, like like, because
(10:07):
he hasn't won anything, and there's a lot of other
issues that go on in calling somebody the greatest of
all times. So I think even he had to pump
the brakes and realize, I can't I can't overdo it,
otherwise nobody will take me seriously at all, you know
what I mean, Like had he put that out there,
So I think that he he called himself and was like, okay, yeah,
(10:28):
like like let me not, let me not make this
null and void or dead on arrival Chris, because if
he would have said that, would have signed this is
dead on arrival and probably would have laughed about it.
Craig Melvin probably would have been laughing for the last hour,
you know after that's right after Scott Brooks said it,
and wouldn't have time to do his news on NBC.
(10:50):
But anyway, uh yeah, it just feels uh extra. I
remember he coached him in Oklahoma's City two, right. I mean,
he's he loves the guy, feels good good about him,
you know what I mean. There's a lot of things
you guys, help, you helped, your job has made you millions,
(11:10):
you know what I mean, Like you got a affinity
for him, you have uh special feelings for him and whatnot.
So I get all that I just think this is
off base, and I think if people would really take
a look at other point guards the triple double. I
said it before, when he gets him Christ at one point,
(11:30):
you know, when we looked at it, the Oka right man,
they had a great way better record when he when
he did it, and I and that was helped me
to sign off on it. That it wasn't just you know, hey,
I got eight assists, I need to get two more,
you know what I mean? And another loss? You know stuff,
It wasn't that kind of basketball. But second best point
(11:51):
guard I just have four words. No way, no, how
is he the second best point guard ever in the NBA.
There's no way. Look, I got Steph Curry is the
second best. I know, you know how. I don't see
how like you saying it would be acidine to put
(12:11):
him ahead of Magic, which obviously I agree, but this
was dark to put him ahead of Steph, to put
him ahead of Isaiah Thomas. I don't know. The longer
that Isaiah Thomas has not played, the more that people
act like he didn't exist, that he didn't be bird
Magic and Michael during his prime, that he did it
(12:32):
without without a player of his equal footing. I mean,
I just like to NBA. One of the things it
is Rob and I don't. I mean, Scott Brooks is
a coach. He's young, so maybe he's into that. I'm
not positive, but the analytics guys don't like Isaiah's. Analytic
(12:52):
numbers aren't all that neither were Kobe's. That's why they
they rate Kobe lower. To the analytics guys that it's
the only thing I can do. I'll go a step further.
I mean, look and Westbrook one of the indictments against
him is he has played with Kevin Durant for eight years,
(13:15):
didn't win a championship, played with James Harden. I know
they were pups, but they played, but didn't They played
together in Houston and that didn't work out so well.
Paul George and now Bradley build Rob. They're a tenth
seed in the East. I know they're on the hot
streak now, but they're a tenth seed. Were they were buried.
They were buried right. Isaiah Thomas had no With all
(13:39):
due respect to Adrian dand Lee who was a Hall
of Famer, Mark A Guire who was a number one
pick and Great who was a Hall of Famer with
all due respect to them, and they would admit it.
I'm sure due Mars would. I don't know about the
other two. They weren't close to Kevin Durant. They weren't
as Kevin Durrant. They weren't a James Harden and Isaiah
(14:05):
Thomas beat Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird with
those guys. So come on, like that has to count
for something, doesn't it. I just don't. I don't get it.
Doesn't that count for something? Yeah, this is and and
this is nothing against Westbrook. It's also it's almost even
hard to I mean, Westbrook, I guess is a point guard, right,
(14:26):
it's hard to categorize him, you know, two point guard
two guards again like iverson but your call, you put
him at the point. But um difficult. It's just his
style is hard to uh play with and win with
at at the championships because he has one He's one
eleven playoffs series. He's been to the finals, he's been
(14:48):
to uh, you know, several conference finals, so he can win,
but he he hasn't been able to lead it as
the number one guy. He has yet to even win
a playoff series. I believe so, and here's the other
he's not Durrant was hurt. Yeah, and a buddy of mine,
(15:08):
Ted Ted, sobel uh Sobell I should say, uh, he's
covered sports for a long time and he made a point.
Were just saying that the point guard also is supposed
to make everybody else better around him? Right? Does he
really do that? Chris, I'm not so sure. I think
Ted has a point that as great as Westbrook is individually,
(15:29):
I don't know if he makes the other guys better. No,
you don't think And again I don't think I Reson
did either. I think that it's another one. He was
just great on his own and players played around him.
So I think that that's the case, and I both guys.
I mean what, Iverson didn't get nearly as many assists
as Westbrook. Westbrook may lead the league again for the
(15:51):
third time I think in his career. So he gets
a lot of assists, But Rob, you know, like a
lot of times that assist aren't the only measure of
making your players better and getting guys involved, you know,
like because a lot of times you're going up for
you a hoop yourself and you dump it off to
a guy you can't get anything, so you give it
to somebody else or you know so, Magic Johnson's assists
(16:16):
were a lot different than a lot of Russell Westbrook's assists.
And so but anyway, we're gonna give you guys a
chance to weigh in eight seven seven ninety nine on
Fox eight seven, seven nine nine six sixty three sixty nine.
Rob and I don't get it. No. For all this greatness,
Russell Westbrook is not in ot the second best point
(16:38):
guard ever. And we say that without any hesitation whatsoever.
What do you think? Where does Westbrook rank among the
greatest point guards of all time? Is he second? You'll
turn away in with The d Couple Chris and Rob
Fox Sports Radio. Be sure to catch live editions of
The Odd Couple with Chris Broussard and Rob Parker week days.
(17:00):
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twenty twenty one Nielsen report. Limitations do apply? All right?
Eight seven seven ninety nine on Fox Westbrook second greatest
point guard of all time? Your thoughts? All right, let's
(18:23):
kick it off with Nathan in Texas. You're on the couple.
Fox Sports Radio Robin Chris Yeller are the best man.
Thanks for taking Thank you, buddy, thank you. Um. I've
been thinking about that statement all day. He's not the
second best point guard, he's the second best Iverson I've
ever seen. Oh nice, Okay, I like that. I mean,
(18:44):
there's no way he's a point guard. I think that's
a good argument. And Kendrick Perkins, Rob you know, friend
of the show, doing a great job over at the
other network, he came out and said Westbrook's better than Iverson.
I think that's an interest in debate. You obviously don't
don't think so. Huh, Well, he's a reenactment of it.
(19:06):
I mean maybe his statistic statistically maybe, but that's that's
a that's an argument I haven't thought of. But but
but it's not always like like I get the stats thing.
But what Iverson did with that team, Chris, to get
to the finals and win Game one against the Lakers.
I'm there's something that that's there that with you know,
(19:29):
with the ken By Mutumbo and a cast of of
of Cosby Kids and my Rods lit shout out Clark.
We're not ripping those guys, Chris, but they were kids
were Aaron McKee. But Rob, you heard me say it earlier, Rob,
Larry Brown, who you think is the greatest coach air ever.
(19:50):
Don't you think that part of that? And I think
if you give, if you put Westbrook with Larry Brown
in that similar situation, I think he could build a
team like that around. But the other thing to do
it too, Yeah, and thanks for the call. We appreciate it.
You know. The other thing too with Larry Brown, and
you know I've said this to you before, is the
(20:10):
way he stripped down Chauncey Billups as a point guard,
Chris and what he turned Chauncey into mister big shot
and chaunceip carts became the NBA Finals right before until
he got to Larry Brown. And he didn't like Larry
in the beginning, and it all worked out well. But
I heard, and you were you probably there in Detroit,
(20:32):
so you heard. I heard, like practices for players were
so frustrating with Larry because you couldn't get through, Like
you couldn't play five on five because he's stopping it
every five seconds, right to correct you, he this is
how you show on the pickup, you know what I mean?
Like he was one of those guys. But he knew
what he was doing. He really. I think he's a
(20:54):
great coach. All right, Christopher in New York, you're on
the odd couple Fox Sports Radio. What's up, Christopher? First,
I want to say thank you Christian Rob. You guys
definitely made Quarantine a lot better. Thank you man. We
appreciate that. Yeah, we do. Where are you in New York?
Are you up stayed on New York City? New York City.
I'm in law school, so I'm in uh Chebecca. Oh nice, Wow,
(21:16):
that's impressed. What law school are you going to? New York?
Law school? Like a small private school in Chebecca? Okay,
all good luck with that. Sneak, keep grinding constitutional law
once and uh, I had designs on being a lawyer
maybe and I took kind of law and that ended
that quickly an understanding. You know, it's funny we had
(21:40):
we had the same thing. We had a journalist at Columbia.
We had a law class because you know, for people's
libel and sewing or whatever. I was in that class.
My head was spinning. Um. I was like I just
couldn't do that. Yeah, it's like so Christopher, that made
you're smart? All right? Thank you. You guys made the
right choice. Bet you'll have a great career. But but
(22:01):
what you got to say about Westbrook? All right, so
he's on my top five point guards, he's right under Ai.
I have Ai as number four three, Isaiah two sets
and one magic. So you just totally I know you
didn't see him. But Oscar Robertson, you just yeah, just
too young. Right. Westbrook has been all his trip for
(22:23):
double records. So I thought that's fair because here's no
three point We all live back then, it's totally different.
We all love Oscar, but Oscar didn't win much rob
until he got with Kareem toward the end of his
career and they won a championship. But in Cincinnati when
he was the guy, he didn't. He didn't have much
playoff success. So I you know, I hate to say
(22:47):
that because obviously Oscar is a legend, but it is
the case. All right, Christopher, thanks for your support, appreciated
study hard on those finals. I know that coming up.
My final is Monday, and then my class is over.
Then I started teaching summer school and next week, all right,
all right, we got we got David. We got to
move on and Mark get us up next, Ye big
da David Algars, you ask him about this Westbrook stuff
(23:10):
in a moment. But first, Fox Sports Radio has the
best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of
our shows at Fox Sports Radio dot com and within
the iHeart Radio app search f SR to listen live.
All right, we're the Eye Couple, coming you live from
the Fox Sports Radio Studios. Our next guest is an
absolute less legend, and that is no overstatement. He's a
(23:33):
Hall of famer. He's a Hall of famer. He's the
editor in chief at the Athletic DC. Our Man, David Algers,
What is up? Brother? Yo? Hey, what's up? Fellas? Are
you doing? How are you? Buddet man? We are good, man, Yeah,
we're good. We're good. Here, We're good here. I just
(23:53):
because what does it feel like to be a Hall
of Famer walking around? You know, uh, knowing you're one
of the greatest whoever did it old? But see, you
know what, Hey, let me say this's real quick. I'm
not gonna get up all the time. But when we started, Chris,
(24:13):
you know, covered the NBA back then. The thing that
was just amazing was all the guys who were NBA
beat writers like the Bob Ryans and the David Aldridge
and uh, Mike will Bonds and and just it was
an am I right, David. Back then it was an
unbelievable amount of talent of writers who covered the NBA. Well, yeah,
(24:36):
I mean the fortunate thing, um and Rob knew part
of that as well, obviously. Um, what I've always very
blessed with is we you know, I came up with
a with an incredible group of young writers, you know,
and we had people all over the map, you know.
(24:57):
I think like Kurtis Bond, who covered the Knicks back
and as the best selling author now you know what
I mean. Like, we had people that covered the league
that became columnists, that became authors, became playwrights, you know. Um,
And you learn from those folks, you know, and you
listen to them when they talked, and I certainly did,
and I think we all did, and um, you know,
(25:19):
it was just it was a great time. It was
a great time to cover the NBA. I'm so I'm
so happy I got to cover the league in that era, um,
because I thought the basketball and the and the camaraderie
was was as good as it ever had been. And
I really appreciate that time, and I I missed those
days of travel. But you know I can't get up
(25:40):
and down like I used to. You know, I wish
I was twenty five. Sometimes it could just go for
fourteen days out of none of us can. Man, we
get it all. We're gonna ask you a question that
incorporates your era and every era of basketball. I think
you're gonna know what I'm talking. I don't think I
(26:00):
have to get too specific. But what is Scotty Brooks
talking about? Yes, I mean, we get it. He loves
the guy, get it. He's an I conn he's a
Hall of Famer, will be a legend. But what but
second best point guard ever? Come on, it's it's it's
it looks. I don't expect Scotty Brooks to say anything
(26:22):
differently about Russell Westbrooks. He's coached him for eight years,
you know, in two different cities. Um, you know Russell
want him a lot of games in Okay, you know
what I mean. So I don't expect him to be
the most um sober, you know, kind of dispassionate judge
of Russell's abilities? Is he the second best point guard
(26:42):
of all time? Though? But that's okay. I don't mind.
I don't mind, you know, Scott standing for his guy
and standing up for his guy. But no, I don't
think he is. I do think I agree with him
in Magic's number one on my list too. But you
know I can't put him ahead of Isaiah, can't. I can't, right,
you know I can't put You know, I don't think
(27:03):
I could really put Hi ahead of of of John Stockton,
to be honest with you, I mean, stock was great.
You know. It's close. It's close, you can make it.
You can have an argument about that, you know, like
I could have a real good argument about it. But um, look,
if we top five, sure, yes, of course I think
he's top five. But if he two, no, not to me.
But that's just my opinion. Doesn't mean him right, No,
(27:26):
you most people agree with you on that, no doubt.
Tell me, I just can't put Isaiah one two one two.
I don't put him ahead of Steph. Yeah I put Isaiah.
Oh yeah, no, that's fair. It's funny, like you're right.
I just don't think it's step is a point guard.
But you're right, that's the position he plays. You're right,
you're at well and I think that's fus kind of
(27:46):
like that too, right, kind of the Westbrookson Like, are
they a point I mean, I guess Westbrook's more of
a pointment. He's just a great individual. Yeah, but no,
you're right. Look look, Steph's got three so you know,
and Steph, you know, change the game. So yeah, that's fair.
Two of them came on food stamps. But that's another story.
All right. Let me ask you, Let me ask you
(28:09):
about the Lakers. Uh. A D said that the Lakers
are back after they won without Lebron? Was that last night?
I'm missing the day? Yes, last night. Where are you
on the Lakers? And how much has to work out
for them? Obviously it's not the ideal situation. Lebron says
he won't be a hundred percent probably the rest of
(28:31):
his career. What do you make of the Lakers? Yeah,
they're not back now, I you know, I watched the
game last night. You know they won the game. They
played well defensively. But let's not go crazy now, you
know they they they were They had a couple of
good things, fortunate things go their way at the end
of the game and A D made an incredible close out.
(28:53):
You know on compositive shot, you know, but no, I'm
not gonna say they're back because they look right now,
nobody's afraid to play the Lakers. Nobody who's afraid to
play them? You know what I mean? Like seven times
I'm gonna play that team without Lebron with a D
as the centerpiece. You respect them, you know, you know
if they're gonna play hard, But am I afraid to
(29:13):
play them? No? You know, Like so you know that
the fear factor, that intimidation factors that the Lakers have
when they're when a D and healthy and Lebron's healthy,
they don't have that right now? DA how much? And
I think Lebron looked you know, you obviously played fairly
well when he came back for the two games. But
(29:33):
how much of this is father time? I mean, he's
thirty six, eighteenth year he probably would have been through
this injury a while ago, six seven years ago. How
much you know? Two of his last three years now
he's had a significant injury and obviously last year they
got the long break, which maybe that helped his body.
(29:54):
Do you how much of this is father time? You know?
I hate you know, it's hard for me to say
because every injury is different, right, we all know that, Like,
you know, you can never tell it could have been
a freak thing. It could you know, it could be
all the time, it could be. Um, I will say this,
it generally takes guys longer to recover as they get older,
(30:14):
it does. Um, you know, yeah, I'll say probably, I
would say a good chunk of it his father time. Um.
But the difference is when Lebron comes back and he's healthy,
he goes back to playing with Lebron again, you know
what I mean. Like there's almost there's very little drop
off in his play when he's healthy. And that's what's
(30:37):
crazy about him at his age and he's still able
to play at that higher level when he's Uh. Last
thing for me on the staying out West, why why
won't people believe in the Phoenix Suns. It's funny. I
just we just attack to Eddie Johnson who does their
games today, Um for my podcast it will be out tomorrow. Um.
(31:00):
You know, part of it is recency bias, you know,
because the Sun's ever made the playoffs in ten years
until this year, you know, and people haven't seen them
and nobody nobody's played in unless you're a real hardcore
NBA thing. You know, you probably haven't seen much of
Bridges or or even for that matter, Devin Booker. You
(31:21):
know who was there one you know, star level player
before this year. Um, And they haven't been on TV
as much as some of the other teams, So like
New Orleans Pelicans, who are on every day, every night.
My good gracious yeah, exactly, the eleventh place team is
on over the ride, you know what I mean? Let
(31:44):
me ask you this. Oh go ahead, I'm sorry, no, no,
that's okay, go ahead, But we got about a minute
left for you answer. But I Rob and I both
like Brooklyn Um to win it all, you know, presuming
they're healthy. But the one thing that gives me pause
is I don't think we've ever in the history of
the NBA seeing the team play so few games together,
(32:05):
like you know, they're stars and win a championship. It
just seems impossible. Does that bother you? Like, do you
think I don't know what you got them picked to do?
But do you is that an issue for you that
they will have had probably seven or eight games together
with their Big three heading into the playoffs. Yeah, it's
(32:25):
somewhat of an issue. I mean, it's a question. Um,
it's more the defensive end really than the offensive. And
they're gonna score twenty again, you know, no matter what
combination with all three of those guys are playing, they're
going to score. But can they get stops? Now? I
know they've been better defensively the second half, but I
still am not convinced that that's a team that can
(32:47):
get multiple, multiple stops that you need in the playoffs. Um,
maybe we'll see. Um. That's why I think whether it's
Filly or Milwaukee, and I think Milwaukee is actually probably
at her back right now to me because Milwaukee, you
remember Milwaukee wasn't good in the playoffs last year, but
they you know, they didn't have t J. Tucker where
(33:09):
they got this year in the trade dead line, and
you know they didn't have Jeru Holiday last year. You know,
those are those those are two major additions to their
team that makes them quite different in a series. And
if you think, like to me, Milwaukee is the one
team in the East that really they could play head
up against Brooklyn. I don't know if it will work,
but they have the personnel that they could put Jeru
(33:32):
Holiday on Harden or they could put them on you know, Kyrie,
which everyone they think is better. They could put PJ
on the other guy. They could put Yannis on Durant
and live with the results. They but they can live
with the results, Dave. This is the only thing that
bothered me about about the Bucks. They got forty nine
from Jannis playing at home with no Harden and they
(33:56):
barely were able to even win that game. That scares me.
With no Harden, do you know what I mean? Like,
like Jannis had to play out of his mind and
they barely won that game. That that scares man. That's fair,
It's fair. But I think I still think in a
seven game playoffs, there is with days off in between
every game, and your continent's one opponent, and you can
lock in on that opponent. I just think from a
(34:17):
personnel standpoint, they they are the one thing, even more
so than Philly that I think you they match up.
They can match up defensively with Brooklyn. Not that they're
gonna stop him, I'm not saying that, right. They can
put people on them that can guard people that are
you know, as good as any three other three people
(34:38):
in the league, you know what I mean. So that's
what I'm saying, like you can. You'll live with it
if hard You gets thirty and Drew Holiday you get
thirty on him, But you can live with that. You
can't live with him getting forty five and twelve. It's this,
you know what I mean. That's where I think they
have a chance. That's our man, the Hall of Famer day.
App Yes, my guys, appreciate you man. Good peace. Brother
(35:02):
who all right, looks like your favorite NFL draft pick
is going to be glued to the pine for a while.
We'll get into that next couple. Fox Sports Radio. Fox
Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation.
Catch all of our shows at Fox sports Radio dot
com and within the iHeart Radio app. Search f SR
(35:23):
to listen live. All right, it's the a couple, Christ
and Rob coming you live from the Fox Sports Radio
studios and San Francisco. Forty nine ers made a huge
splash in the draft. They made a lot of trades
to move up to number three and select FCS. For
those that don't know, Division one double a quarterback Trey
(35:44):
Lance in the first round who played all of one
game last year at the FCS level, and Kyle Shanahan
came out, the head coach for the Niners and said
afterwards or to yesterday, I believe he said it. Jimmy
Bo's gonna be the starter, you know. I mean unless
Tray Lands just comes out and lights it up and
(36:05):
wins the job in training camp. Right now, Jimmy G
is the starter. And here's what he said. Jimmy's definitely
our starter right now, and right now there isn't competition
because I don't believe the guy would be. I don't
believe a trade would be in a position to compete.
Jimmy is too good of a player. He's got too
good of a grasp of her offense. Couldn't agree more.
(36:28):
I think this is terrific for them. Jimmy G. They
can let him go after next season, no issues financially,
and then hand it over to Trey Lance. Remember Pat
Mahomes sat for a year. Now again, if Lands comes
out and just looks tremendous in training camp and just
outplays Jimmy G and everybody can see it. Fine, but
(36:49):
they are a good team with Jimmy G. The problem
they the main problem they have with Jimmy Garoppolo is
the dude can't stay healthy. And why they didn't win
the Super Bowl is because the guy can't coach. But
they got because it's because Shanahan can't coach in the
big moments, and it is it is total nonsense. They
(37:11):
don't want Jimmy G to be their quarter I'm gonna
tell you. They don't want them to be their quarterback.
So why don't you just why you mate? What's that?
Why don't they just trade him? They should? They should
just move on instead of doing this this idea that, yeah,
he's going to be the quarterback this year. I was
(37:31):
Jimmy G. I'd played terrible the first five games and
then say, okay, now what are you gonna do? Right? Yes,
I would I played terrible all right, Now, you don't
put the guy in the whole idea is that he's
not the quarterback. You don't go and do what they
did because you think that Jimmy G is all that.
You don't want them there. Just be honest, you would
rather move on if he was, if he's so good
(37:54):
or so talented and all that, you wouldn't have made
the move. That's all I'm saying, is like it it's
just that that's just say the QB in the future.
That's but I'm talking about the case he did with
Alex Smith. Yeah, I disagree. I'm just saying in this case,
they what they did by moving up and giving up
something to pick a kid who you just said, they
(38:16):
really think this kid is all that. If he's all that,
then let him play, put him out there. But they
don't want to do that because the easiest way and
the best way is to ease a men so that
they don't look foolish by putting him out there and
he doesn't play well and he loses his confidence and
people say he's not really that good. I can't believe
that they did what they did. I know what they're doing,
(38:37):
and they hope that he'll progress enough and at some
point they'll have to put him in because they have
no other choice. But I'm just saying, once you've given
up the ghost and you said that he's not that guy,
just move on. Just move on, all right? We got
two hours left on this trash talking Tuesday. You know
what to do. Keep it locked. Fox Sports Radio
Thanks for listening to The Odd Couple podcast. Be sure
to check us out live every weekday from seven pm
to ten pm Eastern four to seven Pacific on Fox
Sports Radio. Find your local station for The Odd Couple
at Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us live
every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching f s R.
(00:25):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Yeah, it is the
I Couple. I'm Chris Bruce Hard alongside my partner Rob Parker,
(00:48):
and we're coming to you live from the Fox Sports
Radio studios. Good live, and we have a great, i
mean a great three hours in store for you, so
keep it locked right here on Fox Sports Radio, the
iHeartRadio app or Serious XM Channel eighty three. Lots going
on in the National Basketball Association, of course, there's always
(01:12):
in fl the stuff to get into and uh New
York the firing squad was out, so we'll get into
that and more with baseball. So let me bring in
my partner, mister Rob Parker. What's up, brother? How are you?
I'm doing good? How are you? What's happening? I'm great, man,
(01:32):
I'm great. I heard you have something going on today?
You feeling all right? What's that I heard you have
something going on today. You feeling all right. I'm feeling
a little. If I fall asleep during the show, it's
not because Rob g chimed in too much. That's actually
not a bad one. You heard Craig Melvin liked it.
(01:54):
So I was pretty good. That was pretty But yeah,
I'm a little down, a little under the CLEMP but
clemp no, just energy wise, SAP. I just got my
second shot. So did you did you after your first one?
How did you feel? I felt fine. I really didn't
(02:14):
feel anything. I just feel a little tired, that's all.
I don't feel sick at all. I'm hoping that I
don't get anything or I don't. Everybody's been telling me.
I've had like conversation with people. They're like they all
got sick or they felt like, yeah most of them.
Did you get sick when you got really had the
one I had the Johnson and Johnson, and I mean
I didn't feel anything at all, Like I was fine.
(02:36):
But we got a neighborhood chat, you know, in our neighborhood,
and there were people that said they for like forty
eight hours they were sick, right, Yeah, everybody I talked
too said they had like a maybe twenty four hours
felt a little something, you know, different chills or or
my buddy in Denver had the second shot. He text
(02:58):
me Rod and he was like he had the chills.
He was asking me if I was even going to
work today, and I was like, unless I don't feel right,
you know what I mean. Like, so knock on wood.
I feel a little tired, but I don't feel sick
at all. Knock on wood again, and hopefully I'll just
get through it, get a good night's sleep, and wake
up tomorrow and be ready to roll. But I'm glad
(03:19):
that I'm fully vaccinated so I can make my tour
of America this coming summer. All right, let's twenty city
trip that I'm gonna do driving, not flying. I see,
I would like to drive cross country. I'm gonna do
that one day, maybe when I retire. Just stop in
different places, chill for a few days. Check out the
(03:40):
rust stop food all over the country, the Grand Canyon,
go to, you know, just different places. Hit them, hit
him up. But anyway, all right, we got David Aldridge
joining us at the bottom of the hour. You know
that's gonna be great. So let's introduce the I Couple
crew and get it popping. DJ Alex Tyshert a k A.
Alex the Vegan is back. That's always nice on a
(04:03):
trash talking Tuesday. And we got super producer Rob g
in full effect. And you heard him with the update
at the top of the hour, David Gascon, the gas
Man on the Eye Couple. All right, here we go,
Rob Russell Westbrook. And you heard me last night during
the show, I was updating his numbers. He had nineteen
(04:24):
assists with like three and a half minutes left in
the third quarter, so you knew something special was in store.
And Russell Westbrook winds up with fourteen points, twenty one rebounds,
and twenty four assists in a victory over Indiana, and
the dude is playing remarkable basketball. He became one of
(04:47):
only two players in NBA history to have a twenty
rebound twenty assists game in their career. The other Wilt Chamberlain.
Westbrooks done it twice, Robb Wilt Chamberlain did it once.
So high praise deserve for Russell Westbrook. He's going to
average a triple double for the fourth straight or not straight,
(05:11):
but for the fourth season of his career, which is incredible.
Only one person has averaged a triple double for a
season besides westbrook and that'sk Oscar Robertson, who did it
one time. And so that sparked some some nonsense, some
straight up nonsense from his coach, Scott Brooks. Here you go.
(05:36):
I used to always say he's gonna probably go down
as the third best point guard ever. But I think
he's past one and he's gonna go down as probably
the second best. And one is obviously magic. He's gonna
what he does. There's no point guard's ever done it. Nobody.
All right, um, look, I'll get I'll start out positive.
First of all, I'm a I like Russell Westbrooks game.
(05:57):
I mean, I said it today on the Herb. He
is an individual and incredible individual phenom. He's a spectacle like.
He's very reminiscent to me of Alan Iverson. Just does
incredible things on the basketball court that very few other
(06:19):
players in history could do. I'm ready to say Russell
Westbrooks one of the top five athletes to ever play
in the NBA. I mean, I'm just throwing this off
the top of my head. But Lebron Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan,
Alan Iverson for his size to do what he did,
and Westbrook like, I mean, you can argue that, but
(06:41):
he's in there. I'll give him that, and I'll give
Scott Brooks that I don't. There's not another point but
maybe Magic Johnson, who could put up the numbers that
Westbrooks put up. There's not another point guard outside of
Magic that probably cold average a triple double. So I'll
(07:02):
give it. And if that is that Scott Brooks's measurement
of what a great point guard it, I guess so,
so he's got magic what Magic never averaged a triple double,
but I think he could have. But to say Russell
Westbrook is the second greatest point guard, even to say
he was the third, I don't know who he had.
(07:24):
Thirty have Isaiah Thomas, you have Steph Curry, Oscar Robinson.
To say Westbrook is even third is out of pocket
because he's not. He's an all time great Hall of Famer,
legend icon who thirty years from now we will be
saying Russell Westbrook average a triple double four years. Lebron
(07:46):
never did it, Magic never did it, Penny Hardaway never
did it before he got hurt. Jason Kidd never did.
We'll see if I mean, if Luca and Yoki start
doing it, then it'll lose some of its power. But
to this point, no one else can do it, and
that will make him a guy we talk about in
all inspiring ways forever. So I got no like he's great,
(08:12):
but there ain't no way. He's the second best point
guard of all time. And I say that if I
had to start the team with a point guard, I
pick a lot over Westbrook, as great as he is,
because I think it can be hard to win with
It's like Iverson was hard to win with him because
there's the way they play. Tremendous individual world wins. But guy,
(08:37):
it's hard to build a team. You gotta build it perfectly.
Like Rob, you were there, well, you were covering the
league when Larry Brown built that team around Iverson that
got to the finals in two thousand and one in Philadelphia.
If Westbrook had a Larry Brown to do that for him,
I think he could lead a team to the finals
and maybe more. But that's what it takes. They special
(09:00):
shul He built that team around Iverson because he was
so different and unique, and that's what Westbrook would need. Yeah,
I just think this is your classic example of a
prisoner of the moment. And what I mean by that
is what he's doing and how he's playing right now
is mind boggling, you know. Just you gotta give him
his props on how well he's playing. But I think
(09:22):
people are glossing over a lot. The last time I
saw him in the playoffs with hard and he couldn't
make a shot, you know, like I remember those Do
you remember those moments, Chris where he's going through he
can't make an open jump shot like like, so I've
seen the really bad as well. And I'm not just
here to pick on him because but but I think
(09:44):
when when you coach your player and you want to,
you know, make them feel good about what they're doing,
I just think people get to go over the top.
And that's what Scott Brooks h did hear it in
just proclaiming I mean, the only other thing he could
have just said is he's the best point guard ever.
I mean even he couldn't even he couldn't say that
because he knew that would be ridiculous, like like, because
(10:07):
he hasn't won anything, and there's a lot of other
issues that go on in calling somebody the greatest of
all times. So I think even he had to pump
the brakes and realize, I can't I can't overdo it,
otherwise nobody will take me seriously at all, you know
what I mean, Like had he put that out there,
So I think that he he called himself and was like, okay, yeah,
(10:28):
like like let me not, let me not make this
null and void or dead on arrival Chris, because if
he would have said that, would have signed this is
dead on arrival and probably would have laughed about it.
Craig Melvin probably would have been laughing for the last hour,
you know after that's right after Scott Brooks said it,
and wouldn't have time to do his news on NBC.
(10:50):
But anyway, uh yeah, it just feels uh extra. I
remember he coached him in Oklahoma's City two, right. I mean,
he's he loves the guy, feels good good about him,
you know what I mean. There's a lot of things
you guys, help, you helped, your job has made you millions,
(11:10):
you know what I mean, Like you got a affinity
for him, you have uh special feelings for him and whatnot.
So I get all that I just think this is
off base, and I think if people would really take
a look at other point guards the triple double. I
said it before, when he gets him Christ at one point,
(11:30):
you know, when we looked at it, the Oka right man,
they had a great way better record when he when
he did it, and I and that was helped me
to sign off on it. That it wasn't just you know, hey,
I got eight assists, I need to get two more,
you know what I mean? And another loss? You know stuff,
It wasn't that kind of basketball. But second best point
(11:51):
guard I just have four words. No way, no, how
is he the second best point guard ever in the NBA.
There's no way. Look, I got Steph Curry is the
second best. I know, you know how. I don't see
how like you saying it would be acidine to put
(12:11):
him ahead of Magic, which obviously I agree, but this
was dark to put him ahead of Steph, to put
him ahead of Isaiah Thomas. I don't know. The longer
that Isaiah Thomas has not played, the more that people
act like he didn't exist, that he didn't be bird
Magic and Michael during his prime, that he did it
(12:32):
without without a player of his equal footing. I mean,
I just like to NBA. One of the things it
is Rob and I don't. I mean, Scott Brooks is
a coach. He's young, so maybe he's into that. I'm
not positive, but the analytics guys don't like Isaiah's. Analytic
(12:52):
numbers aren't all that neither were Kobe's. That's why they
they rate Kobe lower. To the analytics guys that it's
the only thing I can do. I'll go a step further.
I mean, look and Westbrook one of the indictments against
him is he has played with Kevin Durant for eight years,
(13:15):
didn't win a championship, played with James Harden. I know
they were pups, but they played, but didn't They played
together in Houston and that didn't work out so well.
Paul George and now Bradley build Rob. They're a tenth
seed in the East. I know they're on the hot
streak now, but they're a tenth seed. Were they were buried.
They were buried right. Isaiah Thomas had no With all
(13:39):
due respect to Adrian dand Lee who was a Hall
of Famer, Mark A Guire who was a number one
pick and Great who was a Hall of Famer with
all due respect to them, and they would admit it.
I'm sure due Mars would. I don't know about the
other two. They weren't close to Kevin Durant. They weren't
as Kevin Durrant. They weren't a James Harden and Isaiah
(14:05):
Thomas beat Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird with
those guys. So come on, like that has to count
for something, doesn't it. I just don't. I don't get it.
Doesn't that count for something? Yeah, this is and and
this is nothing against Westbrook. It's also it's almost even
hard to I mean, Westbrook, I guess is a point guard, right,
(14:26):
it's hard to categorize him, you know, two point guard
two guards again like iverson but your call, you put
him at the point. But um difficult. It's just his
style is hard to uh play with and win with
at at the championships because he has one He's one
eleven playoffs series. He's been to the finals, he's been
(14:48):
to uh, you know, several conference finals, so he can win,
but he he hasn't been able to lead it as
the number one guy. He has yet to even win
a playoff series. I believe so, and here's the other
he's not Durrant was hurt. Yeah, and a buddy of mine,
(15:08):
Ted Ted, sobel uh Sobell I should say, uh, he's
covered sports for a long time and he made a point.
Were just saying that the point guard also is supposed
to make everybody else better around him? Right? Does he
really do that? Chris, I'm not so sure. I think
Ted has a point that as great as Westbrook is individually,
(15:29):
I don't know if he makes the other guys better. No,
you don't think And again I don't think I Reson
did either. I think that it's another one. He was
just great on his own and players played around him.
So I think that that's the case, and I both guys.
I mean what, Iverson didn't get nearly as many assists
as Westbrook. Westbrook may lead the league again for the
(15:51):
third time I think in his career. So he gets
a lot of assists, But Rob, you know, like a
lot of times that assist aren't the only measure of
making your players better and getting guys involved, you know,
like because a lot of times you're going up for
you a hoop yourself and you dump it off to
a guy you can't get anything, so you give it
to somebody else or you know so, Magic Johnson's assists
(16:16):
were a lot different than a lot of Russell Westbrook's assists.
And so but anyway, we're gonna give you guys a
chance to weigh in eight seven seven ninety nine on
Fox eight seven, seven nine nine six sixty three sixty nine.
Rob and I don't get it. No. For all this greatness,
Russell Westbrook is not in ot the second best point
(16:38):
guard ever. And we say that without any hesitation whatsoever.
What do you think? Where does Westbrook rank among the
greatest point guards of all time? Is he second? You'll
turn away in with The d Couple Chris and Rob
Fox Sports Radio. Be sure to catch live editions of
The Odd Couple with Chris Broussard and Rob Parker week days.
(17:00):
I'm in pm Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports
Radio and the iHeartRadio app. Hey, it's Ben, host to
the Fifth Hour with Ben Maller along with my trustee
sidekick David Gascon. Would mean a lot to have you
join us on our weekly auditory journey. You're asking one
in God's name is the Fifth Hour? I'll tell you
it's a spin off of that Ben Maller show, cult
(17:20):
hit overnights on FSR. Why should you listen? Picture if
you will a world will? We chat with captains of
industry in media, sports and more every week Explorer, some
amazing facts about a human nature and more. Let's sen
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Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast. All right,
it's the I Couple, Chris and Rob coming to you
(17:40):
live from the Fox Sports Radio studios. We brought to
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twenty twenty one Nielsen report. Limitations do apply? All right?
Eight seven seven ninety nine on Fox Westbrook second greatest
point guard of all time? Your thoughts? All right, let's
(18:23):
kick it off with Nathan in Texas. You're on the couple.
Fox Sports Radio Robin Chris Yeller are the best man.
Thanks for taking Thank you, buddy, thank you. Um. I've
been thinking about that statement all day. He's not the
second best point guard, he's the second best Iverson I've
ever seen. Oh nice, Okay, I like that. I mean,
(18:44):
there's no way he's a point guard. I think that's
a good argument. And Kendrick Perkins, Rob you know, friend
of the show, doing a great job over at the
other network, he came out and said Westbrook's better than Iverson.
I think that's an interest in debate. You obviously don't
don't think so. Huh, Well, he's a reenactment of it.
(19:06):
I mean maybe his statistic statistically maybe, but that's that's
a that's an argument I haven't thought of. But but
but it's not always like like I get the stats thing.
But what Iverson did with that team, Chris, to get
to the finals and win Game one against the Lakers.
I'm there's something that that's there that with you know,
(19:29):
with the ken By Mutumbo and a cast of of
of Cosby Kids and my Rods lit shout out Clark.
We're not ripping those guys, Chris, but they were kids
were Aaron McKee. But Rob, you heard me say it earlier, Rob,
Larry Brown, who you think is the greatest coach air ever.
(19:50):
Don't you think that part of that? And I think
if you give, if you put Westbrook with Larry Brown
in that similar situation, I think he could build a
team like that around. But the other thing to do
it too, Yeah, and thanks for the call. We appreciate it.
You know. The other thing too with Larry Brown, and
you know I've said this to you before, is the
(20:10):
way he stripped down Chauncey Billups as a point guard,
Chris and what he turned Chauncey into mister big shot
and chaunceip carts became the NBA Finals right before until
he got to Larry Brown. And he didn't like Larry
in the beginning, and it all worked out well. But
I heard, and you were you probably there in Detroit,
(20:32):
so you heard. I heard, like practices for players were
so frustrating with Larry because you couldn't get through, Like
you couldn't play five on five because he's stopping it
every five seconds, right to correct you, he this is
how you show on the pickup, you know what I mean?
Like he was one of those guys. But he knew
what he was doing. He really. I think he's a
(20:54):
great coach. All right, Christopher in New York, you're on
the odd couple Fox Sports Radio. What's up, Christopher? First,
I want to say thank you Christian Rob. You guys
definitely made Quarantine a lot better. Thank you man. We
appreciate that. Yeah, we do. Where are you in New York?
Are you up stayed on New York City? New York City.
I'm in law school, so I'm in uh Chebecca. Oh nice, Wow,
(21:16):
that's impressed. What law school are you going to? New York?
Law school? Like a small private school in Chebecca? Okay,
all good luck with that. Sneak, keep grinding constitutional law
once and uh, I had designs on being a lawyer
maybe and I took kind of law and that ended
that quickly an understanding. You know, it's funny we had
(21:40):
we had the same thing. We had a journalist at Columbia.
We had a law class because you know, for people's
libel and sewing or whatever. I was in that class.
My head was spinning. Um. I was like I just
couldn't do that. Yeah, it's like so Christopher, that made
you're smart? All right? Thank you. You guys made the
right choice. Bet you'll have a great career. But but
(22:01):
what you got to say about Westbrook? All right, so
he's on my top five point guards, he's right under Ai.
I have Ai as number four three, Isaiah two sets
and one magic. So you just totally I know you
didn't see him. But Oscar Robertson, you just yeah, just
too young. Right. Westbrook has been all his trip for
(22:23):
double records. So I thought that's fair because here's no
three point We all live back then, it's totally different.
We all love Oscar, but Oscar didn't win much rob
until he got with Kareem toward the end of his
career and they won a championship. But in Cincinnati when
he was the guy, he didn't. He didn't have much
playoff success. So I you know, I hate to say
(22:47):
that because obviously Oscar is a legend, but it is
the case. All right, Christopher, thanks for your support, appreciated
study hard on those finals. I know that coming up.
My final is Monday, and then my class is over.
Then I started teaching summer school and next week, all right,
all right, we got we got David. We got to
move on and Mark get us up next, Ye big
da David Algars, you ask him about this Westbrook stuff
(23:10):
in a moment. But first, Fox Sports Radio has the
best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of
our shows at Fox Sports Radio dot com and within
the iHeart Radio app search f SR to listen live.
All right, we're the Eye Couple, coming you live from
the Fox Sports Radio Studios. Our next guest is an
absolute less legend, and that is no overstatement. He's a
(23:33):
Hall of famer. He's a Hall of famer. He's the
editor in chief at the Athletic DC. Our Man, David Algers,
What is up? Brother? Yo? Hey, what's up? Fellas? Are
you doing? How are you? Buddet man? We are good, man, Yeah,
we're good. We're good. Here, We're good here. I just
(23:53):
because what does it feel like to be a Hall
of Famer walking around? You know, uh, knowing you're one
of the greatest whoever did it old? But see, you
know what, Hey, let me say this's real quick. I'm
not gonna get up all the time. But when we started, Chris,
(24:13):
you know, covered the NBA back then. The thing that
was just amazing was all the guys who were NBA
beat writers like the Bob Ryans and the David Aldridge
and uh, Mike will Bonds and and just it was
an am I right, David. Back then it was an
unbelievable amount of talent of writers who covered the NBA. Well, yeah,
(24:36):
I mean the fortunate thing, um and Rob knew part
of that as well, obviously. Um, what I've always very
blessed with is we you know, I came up with
a with an incredible group of young writers, you know,
and we had people all over the map, you know.
(24:57):
I think like Kurtis Bond, who covered the Knicks back
and as the best selling author now you know what
I mean. Like, we had people that covered the league
that became columnists, that became authors, became playwrights, you know. Um,
And you learn from those folks, you know, and you
listen to them when they talked, and I certainly did,
and I think we all did, and um, you know,
(25:19):
it was just it was a great time. It was
a great time to cover the NBA. I'm so I'm
so happy I got to cover the league in that era, um,
because I thought the basketball and the and the camaraderie
was was as good as it ever had been. And
I really appreciate that time, and I I missed those
days of travel. But you know I can't get up
(25:40):
and down like I used to. You know, I wish
I was twenty five. Sometimes it could just go for
fourteen days out of none of us can. Man, we
get it all. We're gonna ask you a question that
incorporates your era and every era of basketball. I think
you're gonna know what I'm talking. I don't think I
(26:00):
have to get too specific. But what is Scotty Brooks
talking about? Yes, I mean, we get it. He loves
the guy, get it. He's an I conn he's a
Hall of Famer, will be a legend. But what but
second best point guard ever? Come on, it's it's it's
it looks. I don't expect Scotty Brooks to say anything
(26:22):
differently about Russell Westbrooks. He's coached him for eight years,
you know, in two different cities. Um, you know Russell
want him a lot of games in Okay, you know
what I mean. So I don't expect him to be
the most um sober, you know, kind of dispassionate judge
of Russell's abilities? Is he the second best point guard
(26:42):
of all time? Though? But that's okay. I don't mind.
I don't mind, you know, Scott standing for his guy
and standing up for his guy. But no, I don't
think he is. I do think I agree with him
in Magic's number one on my list too. But you
know I can't put him ahead of Isaiah, can't. I can't, right,
you know I can't put You know, I don't think
(27:03):
I could really put Hi ahead of of of John Stockton,
to be honest with you, I mean, stock was great.
You know. It's close. It's close, you can make it.
You can have an argument about that, you know, like
I could have a real good argument about it. But um, look,
if we top five, sure, yes, of course I think
he's top five. But if he two, no, not to me.
But that's just my opinion. Doesn't mean him right, No,
(27:26):
you most people agree with you on that, no doubt.
Tell me, I just can't put Isaiah one two one two.
I don't put him ahead of Steph. Yeah I put Isaiah.
Oh yeah, no, that's fair. It's funny, like you're right.
I just don't think it's step is a point guard.
But you're right, that's the position he plays. You're right,
you're at well and I think that's fus kind of
(27:46):
like that too, right, kind of the Westbrookson Like, are
they a point I mean, I guess Westbrook's more of
a pointment. He's just a great individual. Yeah, but no,
you're right. Look look, Steph's got three so you know,
and Steph, you know, change the game. So yeah, that's fair.
Two of them came on food stamps. But that's another story.
All right. Let me ask you, Let me ask you
(28:09):
about the Lakers. Uh. A D said that the Lakers
are back after they won without Lebron? Was that last night?
I'm missing the day? Yes, last night. Where are you
on the Lakers? And how much has to work out
for them? Obviously it's not the ideal situation. Lebron says
he won't be a hundred percent probably the rest of
(28:31):
his career. What do you make of the Lakers? Yeah,
they're not back now, I you know, I watched the
game last night. You know they won the game. They
played well defensively. But let's not go crazy now, you
know they they they were They had a couple of
good things, fortunate things go their way at the end
of the game and A D made an incredible close out.
(28:53):
You know on compositive shot, you know, but no, I'm
not gonna say they're back because they look right now,
nobody's afraid to play the Lakers. Nobody who's afraid to
play them? You know what I mean? Like seven times
I'm gonna play that team without Lebron with a D
as the centerpiece. You respect them, you know, you know
if they're gonna play hard, But am I afraid to
(29:13):
play them? No? You know, Like so you know that
the fear factor, that intimidation factors that the Lakers have
when they're when a D and healthy and Lebron's healthy,
they don't have that right now? DA how much? And
I think Lebron looked you know, you obviously played fairly
well when he came back for the two games. But
(29:33):
how much of this is father time? I mean, he's
thirty six, eighteenth year he probably would have been through
this injury a while ago, six seven years ago. How
much you know? Two of his last three years now
he's had a significant injury and obviously last year they
got the long break, which maybe that helped his body.
(29:54):
Do you how much of this is father time? You know?
I hate you know, it's hard for me to say
because every injury is different, right, we all know that, Like,
you know, you can never tell it could have been
a freak thing. It could you know, it could be
all the time, it could be. Um, I will say this,
it generally takes guys longer to recover as they get older,
(30:14):
it does. Um, you know, yeah, I'll say probably, I
would say a good chunk of it his father time. Um.
But the difference is when Lebron comes back and he's healthy,
he goes back to playing with Lebron again, you know
what I mean. Like there's almost there's very little drop
off in his play when he's healthy. And that's what's
(30:37):
crazy about him at his age and he's still able
to play at that higher level when he's Uh. Last
thing for me on the staying out West, why why
won't people believe in the Phoenix Suns. It's funny. I
just we just attack to Eddie Johnson who does their
games today, Um for my podcast it will be out tomorrow. Um.
(31:00):
You know, part of it is recency bias, you know,
because the Sun's ever made the playoffs in ten years
until this year, you know, and people haven't seen them
and nobody nobody's played in unless you're a real hardcore
NBA thing. You know, you probably haven't seen much of
Bridges or or even for that matter, Devin Booker. You
(31:21):
know who was there one you know, star level player
before this year. Um, And they haven't been on TV
as much as some of the other teams, So like
New Orleans Pelicans, who are on every day, every night.
My good gracious yeah, exactly, the eleventh place team is
on over the ride, you know what I mean? Let
(31:44):
me ask you this. Oh go ahead, I'm sorry, no, no,
that's okay, go ahead, But we got about a minute
left for you answer. But I Rob and I both
like Brooklyn Um to win it all, you know, presuming
they're healthy. But the one thing that gives me pause
is I don't think we've ever in the history of
the NBA seeing the team play so few games together,
(32:05):
like you know, they're stars and win a championship. It
just seems impossible. Does that bother you? Like, do you
think I don't know what you got them picked to do?
But do you is that an issue for you that
they will have had probably seven or eight games together
with their Big three heading into the playoffs. Yeah, it's
(32:25):
somewhat of an issue. I mean, it's a question. Um,
it's more the defensive end really than the offensive. And
they're gonna score twenty again, you know, no matter what
combination with all three of those guys are playing, they're
going to score. But can they get stops? Now? I
know they've been better defensively the second half, but I
still am not convinced that that's a team that can
(32:47):
get multiple, multiple stops that you need in the playoffs. Um,
maybe we'll see. Um. That's why I think whether it's
Filly or Milwaukee, and I think Milwaukee is actually probably
at her back right now to me because Milwaukee, you
remember Milwaukee wasn't good in the playoffs last year, but
they you know, they didn't have t J. Tucker where
(33:09):
they got this year in the trade dead line, and
you know they didn't have Jeru Holiday last year. You know,
those are those those are two major additions to their
team that makes them quite different in a series. And
if you think, like to me, Milwaukee is the one
team in the East that really they could play head
up against Brooklyn. I don't know if it will work,
but they have the personnel that they could put Jeru
(33:32):
Holiday on Harden or they could put them on you know, Kyrie,
which everyone they think is better. They could put PJ
on the other guy. They could put Yannis on Durant
and live with the results. They but they can live
with the results, Dave. This is the only thing that
bothered me about about the Bucks. They got forty nine
from Jannis playing at home with no Harden and they
(33:56):
barely were able to even win that game. That scares me.
With no Harden, do you know what I mean? Like,
like Jannis had to play out of his mind and
they barely won that game. That that scares man. That's fair,
It's fair. But I think I still think in a
seven game playoffs, there is with days off in between
every game, and your continent's one opponent, and you can
lock in on that opponent. I just think from a
(34:17):
personnel standpoint, they they are the one thing, even more
so than Philly that I think you they match up.
They can match up defensively with Brooklyn. Not that they're
gonna stop him, I'm not saying that, right. They can
put people on them that can guard people that are
you know, as good as any three other three people
(34:38):
in the league, you know what I mean. So that's
what I'm saying, like you can. You'll live with it
if hard You gets thirty and Drew Holiday you get
thirty on him, But you can live with that. You
can't live with him getting forty five and twelve. It's this,
you know what I mean. That's where I think they
have a chance. That's our man, the Hall of Famer day.
App Yes, my guys, appreciate you man. Good peace. Brother
(35:02):
who all right, looks like your favorite NFL draft pick
is going to be glued to the pine for a while.
We'll get into that next couple. Fox Sports Radio. Fox
Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation.
Catch all of our shows at Fox sports Radio dot
com and within the iHeart Radio app. Search f SR
(35:23):
to listen live. All right, it's the a couple, Christ
and Rob coming you live from the Fox Sports Radio
studios and San Francisco. Forty nine ers made a huge
splash in the draft. They made a lot of trades
to move up to number three and select FCS. For
those that don't know, Division one double a quarterback Trey
(35:44):
Lance in the first round who played all of one
game last year at the FCS level, and Kyle Shanahan
came out, the head coach for the Niners and said
afterwards or to yesterday, I believe he said it. Jimmy
Bo's gonna be the starter, you know. I mean unless
Tray Lands just comes out and lights it up and
(36:05):
wins the job in training camp. Right now, Jimmy G
is the starter. And here's what he said. Jimmy's definitely
our starter right now, and right now there isn't competition
because I don't believe the guy would be. I don't
believe a trade would be in a position to compete.
Jimmy is too good of a player. He's got too
good of a grasp of her offense. Couldn't agree more.
(36:28):
I think this is terrific for them. Jimmy G. They
can let him go after next season, no issues financially,
and then hand it over to Trey Lance. Remember Pat
Mahomes sat for a year. Now again, if Lands comes
out and just looks tremendous in training camp and just
outplays Jimmy G and everybody can see it. Fine, but
(36:49):
they are a good team with Jimmy G. The problem
they the main problem they have with Jimmy Garoppolo is
the dude can't stay healthy. And why they didn't win
the Super Bowl is because the guy can't coach. But
they got because it's because Shanahan can't coach in the
big moments, and it is it is total nonsense. They
(37:11):
don't want Jimmy G to be their quarter I'm gonna
tell you. They don't want them to be their quarterback.
So why don't you just why you mate? What's that?
Why don't they just trade him? They should? They should
just move on instead of doing this this idea that, yeah,
he's going to be the quarterback this year. I was
(37:31):
Jimmy G. I'd played terrible the first five games and
then say, okay, now what are you gonna do? Right? Yes,
I would I played terrible all right, Now, you don't
put the guy in the whole idea is that he's
not the quarterback. You don't go and do what they
did because you think that Jimmy G is all that.
You don't want them there. Just be honest, you would
rather move on if he was, if he's so good
(37:54):
or so talented and all that, you wouldn't have made
the move. That's all I'm saying, is like it it's
just that that's just say the QB in the future.
That's but I'm talking about the case he did with
Alex Smith. Yeah, I disagree. I'm just saying in this case,
they what they did by moving up and giving up
something to pick a kid who you just said, they
(38:16):
really think this kid is all that. If he's all that,
then let him play, put him out there. But they
don't want to do that because the easiest way and
the best way is to ease a men so that
they don't look foolish by putting him out there and
he doesn't play well and he loses his confidence and
people say he's not really that good. I can't believe
that they did what they did. I know what they're doing,
(38:37):
and they hope that he'll progress enough and at some
point they'll have to put him in because they have
no other choice. But I'm just saying, once you've given
up the ghost and you said that he's not that guy,
just move on. Just move on, all right? We got
two hours left on this trash talking Tuesday. You know
what to do. Keep it locked. Fox Sports Radio
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