September 28, 2023 • 33 mins
Chris and Rob debate whether the acquisition of Damian Lillard makes the Milwaukee Bucks the favorites to win the NBA championship, explain why the Miami Heat dropped the ball with their inability to land Lillard and tell us why the Portland Trail Blazers should be applauded for the way they handled Lillard’s trade request.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the best of the Odd Couple podcasts.
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Speaker 2 (00:23):
You're listening to the Best of the Odd Couple with
Chris Brushaw and Ron Harker.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
I'll say this, and you may maybe you disagree. I
think that the Milwaukee Bucks now are the favorites, not
only in the Eastern Conference. And I'm not saying they're
gonna run away with it. I think Boston is still
right there. Philadelphia and they can't win the East, but
you know, they're a good team.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
They'll be in the hunt.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
They'll be somewhere around there Miami, and they play hard,
they'll be somewhere around.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
There'll be a nuisance.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
But I think the Milwaukee Bucks are the favorites in
the Eastern Conference. Rob and I think they're the favorites
in the entire league. Again, it'll be tough. Denver's tough,
but it's hard to repeat la. You know, they'll be
(01:18):
tough Golden State still there. Phoenix is loaded. But I
think Yannis Anti Tokopo is in my view now the
second best player in the world behind Nikola Jokic and
Damian Lillard is bad like Damian Lillard is a bad,
(01:40):
bad boy and rob outside of like Steph Curry, Damian Lillard,
to me is the perfect fit.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
With Yannis ant to Goopo.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Yannis is not a closer, Damien is, and now Chris Middleton,
who was your closer, can become like a secondary closer,
which is great. Damien is a great shooter. That's one
thing the Bucks needed, a decent shooting.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Drew's a good shooter.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Damien is a great shooter and his range is ridiculous.
The pick and roll with Damian Lillard and Yannis is
going to be crazy. And they still they're a great
defensive team. Now you lost some defense obviously with Drew Holliday,
(02:34):
who's a better defender than Dame.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
But Drew got served by.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Jimmy Butler, and Jimmy Butler was just telling him about it.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
You can't guard me, and he couldn't. And he's a
great defender.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
And they still though behind Dame who's not a great defender.
They have got so much size, Brook Lopez, Bobby Porti's
big boys and Yannis obviously, and Yannis is so rangeye
and athletic and long, uh, and he'll be able to
(03:07):
cover so much ground defensively while the big boys handle
the paint. Uh that I think they're gonna be fine defensively.
So again not saying it's gonna be easy. And I
think I think the other teams ever shot. But to me,
the favorite obviously in Vegas. Now to the favorites, the
favorite is the Milwaukee Bucks, and uh they they should
win it.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
Yeah, i still will take Boston in the East, and
I'm sticking with Denver.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Yep.
Speaker 4 (03:32):
I'm gonna stick with Denver uh as the favorite to
win and repeat until someone shows me what they did
last year. I was quite impressive, and I just think, uh,
until until I see how Milwaukee puts it together and
if you know and the pieces parts. It sounds like
on paper, Chris, of course you could look at it,
(03:53):
and if you're in Milwaukee, I would be excited too
on paper, but it's not always done on paper, so
we have to see. I'm gonna to stick with Boston
in the East and I'm gonna stick with Overall. I'll
stick with the Joker and Denver to get back to
the finals and probably win it again. I like that
(04:14):
Denver team and I need to see somebody be able
to beat them because the way that they put it together,
and then they'll have a year under their belt. And
you're right, Chris, it's not. Repeating is very difficult in
all the sports. I mean, the NFL has been a
million years. Nobody's repeated in baseball and the over I
have repeated in the NBA lately, remember Golden State obviously
(04:37):
with Durant Lebron and the Big Three in Miami.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
So you know, it used to be when you had
to showtime Lakers who did repeat. But they were the
first time seem to repeat eighty seven eighty eight rob
in twenty years, you know.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
So I'm just saying, like, yeah, it's tough, So it's
tough to be tough.
Speaker 4 (04:57):
But it ain't out of the question. No, I'm just yeah,
So I'm not there. I'm not on that uh that
train yet. But if you're Milwaukee, you gotta feel great.
You wind up getting a big time star player and
we'll see. I know he's had some moments in playoff games.
But he's also had some stinkers. Remember the sweep uh
(05:18):
when they went to the Western Conference Finals. Didn't play
that well in the in the Western Conference Finals game.
I don't have all the numbers in front of me,
but I remember them getting sweeping.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
I'm not playing well.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
He's he's generally been a very good playoff player. He's
certainly had bad moments, but he's generally been a very
good playoff player.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Obviously hits some big clutch jump shots.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
The moment is not too big for him, but he
hasn't faced this type of pressure. He's never been expected
to win anything, you know, like anything huge. He's never
been expected to get to the finals, and there is
a you know that's it's just a level of ease
that comes with that when you're always the hunter instead
(06:00):
of the hunted. Right, and now he's going to be
the hunted because, as I said, not only me, but
Vegas has them as the favorite.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Boston is very good.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Obviously they got the Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum. They
beat Milwaukee in the past with their emphasis on defense.
They don't to me, they don't have that same I
think it's clear they're not even emphasizing defense as much
as they were. They're an offensive team that wants to
play good defense, but they used to be a defensive
team first under email O Doka.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
I think that could hurt them. But they're nice. They
got Chris.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Staphs Porzingis, remember, so they're gonna be tough Denver. I
think Milwaukee with Lopez and then even Jannis, like you,
nobody's gonna shut down Yokic.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
I was gonna say, guys, you know, but but you
make it tough.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
I mean, nobody stops Kevin Durant, but they make it
tough on him and his shooting, his shows and his
shooting percentage.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
And things like that. Let me let me just give
you this.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
I think they can make get tough on Jokic as
tough as you can.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
I mean, like he's gonna get his points.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
Okay, you know you're just talking about shooting percentage. Let
me give you Damian Lillard's only in the playoffs because
forty one percent from the field. He shot forty percent
or worse in nine of his last fifteen playoff games,
so he's.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Had the little bumps. But Giannis might open it up
a little bit. More for him. So we'll wait, see,
wait to see Mike. I mean he's still gotta make
no might I mean, don't mean it might be open.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
It don't mean it don't mean that you will make
him nah, but he you know a lot of dudes
shoot shoot that percent.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Jordan had finals where he shot forty one percent, you know,
one MVP.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
So I'm not. I'm not. He's a point guard and
he shoots a lot of threes.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
His his field goal percentage is you know, is not
expected to be what a big man's is, you know,
career forty six percent. So I think you know, he'll
be He'll be. I think he'll be fine, you know,
but uh, we'll see. They do have to play the
games rob on paper.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
As we always say so.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
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Speaker 3 (08:13):
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Speaker 2 (08:16):
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Speaker 3 (08:30):
Why yeah, instead of us doing that.
Speaker 5 (08:32):
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Speaker 3 (08:35):
Ye ain't play the tape. You don't know crap about
fool am I even own this crap? Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
that's the wrong tape, wrong tape. Just forget that.
Speaker 5 (08:44):
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Speaker 1 (08:53):
But right now, it is all NBA all the time,
and in particular, all Damian Lillard trade all the time.
We've been waiting all summer for this one to happen.
Then it finally has is Damian Lillard is traded not
to the Miami Heat, not to the Toronto Raptors, not
to the Brooklyn Nets, but to the Milwaukee Bucks and
(09:17):
rob the Miami Heat, which was Damian Lillard's preferred destination.
The reports were coming out rapidly all week, even they
going back even past that that the Miami Heat were like,
we can win the East without Damian Lillard and if
(09:39):
the Milwaukee Bucks don't take the trade, that we've put
on the table, then so many Portland I'm sorry, Yeah,
the Portland Trailblazers don't take the trade that.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
We put on the table, then so be it. They
were that.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
You know, the talk early Rob was that Miami was
gonna offer whatever it took outside of Bam, out of
Buyou and Damian Lillard, and that Portland was not interested
in Tyler Hero, who would kind of highlight or headline
their deal. But as time went on, Hero was in
the deal, I believe. But the talk was that they
(10:15):
weren't giving up, you know, all the tons of players
and draft picks and basically everything they had outside of
Bam and Butler to just to get Damian Lillard and Rob.
I think that they thought, at the end of the day,
Dame was theirs, and that the Portland Trailblazers were going
(10:38):
to buckle under the pressure and that they would be
able to get Dame for pennies on the dollar and
they were gonna be able to go ahead and steal
him and have a great shot at winning the NBA Championship.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
And I think even.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
As reports about the Raptors started circulating, they may have
felt like, Okay, if we don't get him. If he
goes to Toronto, were good. We're still better than you, right,
We won the East last year. So we've seen Boston,
we've seen Milwaukee. We got this, And I don't know
(11:15):
that they envisioned him going to Milwaukee, who they've been
great against, you know, the past few years with Giannis,
but now with Dame.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
That's a different animal in Milwaukee.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
And I just think at the end of the day,
Rob pat Riley in the Miami Heat overplayed their hand.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
I agree, And it's it's arrogance because it's not about
Chris winning the East. They've done that. It's about winning
a championship. What is missing? Why did could you not
compete against Denver game? Why couldn't you compete ourfense? You
(11:56):
need more scoring, You need a guy like that. Jimmy
Butler is the greatest number two Chris, he really is.
I'm not your main guy if you want to win
a championship, and this is.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
You know, like, we're geniuses. Look at what we did.
Speaker 4 (12:15):
We got six guys who weren't drafted, We went to
the finals. We know basketball better than anybody else, you know, Yeah,
we can win the East without Damien God you're right
because you did it.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
You did it twice in the last four years. You're right,
you did.
Speaker 4 (12:31):
But can you win a championship? And that's what it's about.
And there he was for the taking.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
One rid go. There was begging to go, begging to
go there? Give up? What are you?
Speaker 4 (12:44):
What are you holding on to? What are you worried about?
You just said you got six picks, six guys who
weren't even who weren't even drafted, Chris Right, what are
you worried about picks and worried about all certain players?
Hold on and you're not giving up a Bam. You're
not giving up Jimmy. If you're not giving up those
two when you're getting dame, how we build the bench?
(13:07):
They're so good at picking up players, Chris Right? Do
that show me that you could do that part? If
you got three stars and if they would have gotten
dam they would have been it would be hard to
look at the other way and think that they weren't
gonna be in the mix and have a real shot
at a championship. And now I don't look at them
that way. No, it is arrogance. It's just straight up arrogance.
(13:28):
And they thought Portland was gonna cave because the player
made it clear that there was only one place he
said he was gonna go.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
That's what he said.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
And unless he's gonna fourfeit money Chris and not go
to the trade.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
He didn't have any leverage. He had no leverage, and.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
Rod, we were saying it and you had all and look, Gretty,
I thought at the end of the day he would
end up in Miami.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
But we say it from the beginning.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
Portland doesn't owe ma darn thing except the money in
the contract which they paid him, and they need to
make the best deal for them. And we'll get to
them a little bit later and how well they did it.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
But yeah, they they they you know, had control all along.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
They had all the leverage because he's locked up for
four years, and so good for them.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
But the Miami heat.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Rob You look, everybody and their mother was praising.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
Heat culture this postseason, right.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Heat culture, This heat culture that gave Vincent, Max Strus,
Caleb Martin. Look at who they're winning with and pat Riley,
who never woned a championship without kareem op.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
Preaching Christmas magic.
Speaker 4 (14:51):
John Stomon, pat, I don't know what you're thinking.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Yes, the way way like I mean, it ain't about
being good.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
It ain't, as you said, Rob, it's not.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
About getting to the finals in there getting waxed. They
did it already when they played the Lakers in the Bubble.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
I mean Jimmy Butler was the was bad.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
I mean I don't say the man because that was
Lebron James. But Jimmy Butler was great, went at it
with Lebron for a while and was good.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
Was that really any doubt? Who was gonna win that series?
They needed a miracle this year they got beaten five
by the Nuggets.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
I mean, they had they had done so much that
we didn't expect uh in the first three rounds of
the playoffs that it was like, oh, let's see what happens.
Once shit saw the first couple of games, it was like,
they really.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
Don't have anything for Denver. They just ain't good enough,
and that even there. I don't see them getting out
of the East this year.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
But Rob, if they did, they beating Denver, they beaaten Phoenix.
They beating the Lakers, who if they somehow got out
of the West, would mean their clicking on all stillinders,
who's dealing with Anthony Davis, who's dealing with Lebron James.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
Come on, you don't have enough.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
And maybe you believe the hype about the heat culture.
But like I said, Pat Rowley never won with no
freaking gritty grimy, the little engine that could culture.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Right, I don't got good teams. He may even got
to the finals, he never won.
Speaker 4 (16:30):
He was with the Knicks, right, but they even had
Patrick Ewing, who's an all time great.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Right?
Speaker 3 (16:36):
What what?
Speaker 4 (16:37):
What exactly is he trying to prove? I don't even
understand it. You're in that position, Chris who just went
to the finals. You have a chance to get a
top seventy five player. What is the hold up? That's
why I said the other day, I don't see him
going to Miami. This deal would have been done if
they were serious about it. They were never serious. They
(16:57):
thought they had Portland over a barrel and they were
going up sit there and let them sweat.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
Are you kidding? Seriously? I look, I don't know that
they could get him. Probably can. If I was Philly,
I wouldn't, you know.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
But if I was Miami, Rob, I'd be going after
Joel Mbi and again not saying he's available. He'd only
be available if he makes us think about it and
wants out because he sees what Milwaukee's put together, what
Boston's put together. James Harden, of course, with his situation.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
You see him at the You see him at the club,
Chris on social media. Yeah, with the women, some women
in the crowd holding up signs.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
Daryl Moray's a liar. You really wow?
Speaker 4 (17:46):
Inside the club, Chris, I believe they're holding up sides.
Speaker 3 (17:50):
Wow. Yeah, I mean that's a that's a mess up
there in Philly.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
So if I'm Miami, I'm seeing if Philly look y'all, Yeah,
your second star is gonna make it ugly for you.
Now again, I don't think they'll trade Joel MB, but Rob,
that would be my target, and I give up Bam.
I know BAM's not equal to Joel MB, but BAM
(18:14):
and I don't know Tyler hero whatever, you know, whatever
I could put together to try to get Joe LMB
and Jimmy Butler together, because Rob, we've seen it happen
a couple of times. I mean, nineteen seventy nine, yeah,
that long ago, to Seattle SuperSonics without you know, a superstar.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
Two thousand and four pistons. They did it.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
Yeah, souperstar. But those are really the only two rob
that we can really think of.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
Those are the only two, to be honest.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Yeah, And so I mean, yeah, you could have a
nice run.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
You can, you can.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
Be scary, you can you know, create some drama and excitement,
but are you going at the end of the they
hoist the trophy without having major, major, major talent, no
rare And so yeah, let this be a lesson to
(19:11):
the Miami heat Rod because I'm telling you, I mean,
they were an afterthought during the regular.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
Season last year and they just got hot.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
They were a horrible three point shooting team and got
hot in the playoffs. Now, I don't know why they
were so bad in the regular season shooting the three
and then great in the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
But you know, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
Exact Yeah, do they shoot it poorly again in the
regular season and be an afterthought, but they would have
been the story. And I think they got burned, and
you know all that talk about you know, we got
giving up, like you said they thought they had Portland.
Speaker 4 (19:51):
Over and that they didn't have to budge, like you know,
like we'll just wait, We'll wait for you to come around.
He don't want to be there. He wants to be
with us. You're gonna have no choice. And then we'll
just sit here and you'll take what we're giving you.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
That's what they thought, absolutely and good for I'll eat Rob.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
Obviously, the Bucks, the Raptors.
Speaker 3 (20:12):
The Nets.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
Now, there was reports from our friend Mark Spears that
about ten days ago, when there was nothing doing in
the heat right in the heat and UH Blazers talks,
that Mark Spears reported this that that Aaron Goodwin, the
agent for Dame Lillard and then UH privately told the
(20:38):
Bucks in the Nets ten days ago that Damian Lillard
would be interested in a deal there. The Raptors were
also a real contender to land the ex Blazer star,
but obviously ultimately the Bucks got it done.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
So Rob props to those teams. Don't be scared off.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
I mean, like you said, if it is he gonna
sit out and give up two hundred and something million.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
Dollars, come on, No, that was never happening. And you
know what he got.
Speaker 4 (21:07):
He got a dosa religion that Portland was serious, Chris,
and he was like, okay, what else?
Speaker 3 (21:12):
What else could I But what else could I.
Speaker 4 (21:14):
Do, because you I know, I can't come back here,
you know what I mean. So I'm gonna have to
I'm gonna have to concede.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Yeah. Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
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Speaker 1 (21:33):
I would have had no problem with him going to Miami.
What I didn't like was this idea that the Portland
Trailblazers would have been doing Dame wrong. And they owed
him that had they sent him elsewhere or yes, that
they owed him something. They paid Dame hundreds of millions
(21:57):
of dollars over the past several years, and he deserved it.
He's a great player, he was great for the franchise,
he was great for the community.
Speaker 3 (22:08):
But they didn't owe him a thing. Passed the money
and the treating.
Speaker 4 (22:13):
With respect, and especially put Chris I asked out.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
He was putting his self interest ahead of the teams,
which is fine, that's his prerogative. But don't get mad
when they put their self interest ahead of yours.
Speaker 4 (22:28):
So that's what you did, that's what we decided that
you didn't want to be here. Anymore, which is fine,
but they're not going to give you a way to
just give you your wishes and everything in life goes
your way.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
It doesn't work like that.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
They're going to wait, and they waited and they waited,
and we talked about Miami, thinking that they were over
a barrel, Chris, and they were gonna have to cave
in eventually because Dame don't want to play nowhere else,
and Portland said, we're not doing it. And I don't
know if it was you know, obviously, you know, giving up,
(23:02):
not getting less for what they believe is his value, Chris.
But also we saw the Nets not caving to Kevin Durant.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
You know, last year they.
Speaker 4 (23:12):
Were like, and that was the right thing, and we
can't get a deal. We ain't, you know what I mean,
We're not gonna make it happen.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
And Rob, let's just keep it real.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
And you and I both thought the Nets would get
a championship or at least get to the finals when
they had the big three of.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
Harden, Durant, and Kyrie Irving together.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
And they won injuries and Kyrie's decision is his right
to not get vaccinated. Those are the things that Submarine
their chances of winning the championship. But let's keep it real, Rob,
would James Harden have been better off staying in Brooklyn.
(23:54):
It's not even a question, right. They offered him a
huge contract extension, he turned it down. He was on
a more talented team, as talented as Philly is. That
Brooklyn team had it all and even if Kyrie had
not come back to play in the playoffs, which he did,
just being with Kevin Durant would have given him a
(24:17):
good chance to go deep and maybe to the finals.
In the playoffs and Kyrie Irving, Kyrie Irving left Brooklyn
because they wouldn't give him the max contract extension that
he wanted.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
You didn't get that from Dallas anyway. You went to Dallas.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
And the team fell apart, and you didn't get the
max extension from them. So all you had to do
was stay in Brooklyn, play it out, be a good soldier,
have no issues, and you would have got at least,
I'm sure, Rob, And I'm not sure at least what
he got from Dallas, if not more.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
And Kevin Durant.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Look, Kevin Durant is in the best situation of the three.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
But I mean, I like him. I'd love to see
him do it right now, don't.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
I don't have them winning the championship and you don't either,
And so those guys never really again. Other such circumstances
out of their control, you know, hurt them, but they
never really fully gave themselves a chance.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Rob.
Speaker 1 (25:25):
But the point is we're on Dame and I just
think that the Portland Trailblazers, Rob, here's what they got.
They got DeAndre Ayton Toomni kamaras a young, you know prospect,
you know, nice, young talented player, a twenty twenty nine
(25:45):
first round pick, twenty eight and twenty twenty eight two
thousand and thirty picks. Swaps no protections on those picks,
and Rob that that's several years from now. So these teams,
the Bucks and the Sun, they won't be They may
not be good by then, maybe they will have won
(26:06):
a championship or two by then, but in six years
they could very easily be rebuilding, and then those picks
are really good. And DeAndre Ayton, Rob, he obviously didn't
like it in Phoenix. It just was not working out
for him, had a bad attitude. Get probably needed to
get him out of the locker.
Speaker 4 (26:26):
Room.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
Hopefully he'll be happier in Portland. He's a rim protector.
He's eighteen and ten with all his wards, he's eighteen points,
ten rebounds.
Speaker 3 (26:36):
With very few plays run for him.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
So if he is a more of a focal point
in the offense in Portland, then those numbers at least
the scoring could go up. And then Drew Holiday and
the reports are that they're gonna trade Drew.
Speaker 3 (26:51):
They will get something good.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
For Drew rob He's a good player, could help a
team that's right there and on the cusp of competing.
Speaker 3 (26:59):
For a champions And even if they were to somehow.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
Keep Drew because they don't get great offers, if I
doubt that happens, but if it happened, Drew is the
type of veteran who could be around Scoot Henderson and
Shaden Sharp and Anthreny Simons and.
Speaker 3 (27:16):
Those guys help to develop.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
Absolutely he and this is not a shot at Dame
or anybody else. Dame is so great that if he's
on your team, he's gonna be the focal point at least.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
You know with that team, he's gonna.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
Have the ball in his hands, he's gonna be dropping
twenty seven points a game, and that would not allow
the other guys to fully develop. That's not Drew Holliday's game.
And so it's just like Fred van Vliet being in Houston.
I wouldn't want James Harden and Houston playing with those
young boys because he'd have to be the focal boy.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
Not true with Fred van Vliet. So even if they.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
Ended up keeping Drew, which I don't think they will,
that's still a good pickup Rob. So I think they
got a good deal.
Speaker 4 (28:01):
I think they got a hold Chris. I wasn't expecting it.
I was shocked when I looked at what they were
able to get. And I think that they were smart.
And uh, that's another sign. I think that's that's a
couple in a row where teams Chris are pushing back,
all right, what you want to go? They're not just
rolling over and oh, once a guy says he's out,
(28:23):
we just gotta whatever we can get. Take a bag
of balls and you know what I mean, and some
cones and and just you know, tuck our tail between
our legs and we have to take it. No, and
we when we said it the whole time, do not
give in get what you're supposed to get for a
player of that ilk anything less is disrespectful to the
(28:45):
fans Chris of Portland, and it's a bad business decision
for your organization. You can't do it, no matter how
much you like, Damn, you can't do it.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
In a lot of these cases, Rob, you see the
team in play kind of work together, and you kind
of get a list of teams.
Speaker 3 (29:04):
You know, they're not always like I said, Kyrie Irving.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
You know, he gave the Calves a list, but they
still send in the Boston which wasn't on his list.
But you know, still in a lot of cases it happens.
But look, this worked out well for the Blazers and
for Damian Lillard. I mean, my gosh, I don't think
you could be any happier if you're Damian Lillard.
Speaker 3 (29:26):
You can go.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
You've got all off season, Rob to go hang out
in beaches or cities like New York.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
I mean, you just because you're traded to a city
doesn't mean you have to settle down there.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
Any Portland Milwaukee is there a difference? I mean, come on,
I mean, it's just that you're there to work. You
got your christ win.
Speaker 4 (29:48):
Half the season anyway, that forty one home games, My god,
I keep it when people said, I don't even understand it.
You do what you have to do. Everybody. You guys
played them in h Salt Lake City. You think yet,
you think gods wanted to plan Salt Lake City? No disrespect,
but that's not like a well, a twenty four year
old black guy.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
Is interested in living. I'm just keeping it real.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
I mean, Portland's about is a tiny black percentage there,
and dame from Oakland loved.
Speaker 3 (30:17):
It obviously, so yeah, he'll be he'll be fine. He
loved the mansion and the money, I'm sure, and that's
in Portland. But Rob, what about the sons?
Speaker 1 (30:29):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (30:29):
Portland?
Speaker 1 (30:30):
Rob is get what's what do you think the black
population percentage wise is in Portland?
Speaker 3 (30:38):
Wow? I ain't think you go that low? My god?
Is it harder than that? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (30:42):
Five point seven Okay, I just at one point I
thought it was ten percent. Maybe you know it's gotten smaller,
but yeah, it's five point seven percent.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
But Rob, let's go to the Phoenix Suns. Uh they
get Look I like what they did.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
Now.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
Some have said this is true, they want to win.
It's championship or bus for him. Obviously, it's not even
just get to the finals or bus. It's championship or bus.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
And Rob.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
While I think they helped themselves just because look, DeAndre Ayden.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
Was gonna be a problem. Fine, we get him out.
Useef Nurkic is not.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
As good, but he's good. I like you, Sef, and
he's a big body. Rob and that you can put on.
Not gonna shut him down. Nobody's gonna shut him down,
but that you can at least put on the bang
around with Nikola jokicch or the Denver Nuggets. Then you
get Grayson Allen from the Bucks. Look, Grayson Allen is
(31:37):
not a great player, but I like him for the
role of three and D. And you know he's tough,
He's borderline dirty and just might.
Speaker 3 (31:47):
Be he's dirty. Let's just call it over. He's doing
you now.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
I'm trying to be nice, but but hey, you know
they need a little toughness, right, a little toughness. I
don't advocate dirty play, but you know they bring them
a little attitude and all that, So I'm fine with that.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
And Rob.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
The thing is they helped make.
Speaker 1 (32:14):
Although you would disagree, I think but they helped make
Milwaukee better and so that may you may end up
facing Dame and Giannis in the finals and they.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
May get you. You helped make that tandem.
Speaker 4 (32:28):
But well that's always that's always the danger.
Speaker 1 (32:32):
Yeah, they may, but you know, they shouldn't be scared
of anybody with all that firepower. But the reality is
they may have. I think they did make the Bucks better.
Speaker 4 (32:42):
Yeah, the Bucks are definitely better than they were a
year ago. And Phoenix, you know, like for me, Chris,
I know the Belt deal was big for them and whatnot,
and the firepower that they have, I still need to see,
like their their other pieces that go with it. And
I gotta admit I'm leary of the Suns because of
(33:06):
Duram and he's not being able to stay healthy.
Speaker 3 (33:09):
Yeah, I just I.
Speaker 4 (33:11):
Think that's a part of his story now. And I
just I just do like like Kawhi, like.
Speaker 1 (33:17):
There are certain players. Look, you mentioned Dame earlier, and
you know Anthony Davis.
Speaker 3 (33:23):
League is Anthony Davis.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
Kawhi and durant Am, I right, like they're more so
than Dame.
Speaker 3 (33:29):
I think.
Speaker 1 (33:29):
Yeah, it's bad as Kawhi and Anthony Davis, No, not as.
Speaker 4 (33:32):
Bad, but but in the back of your mind, yeah right,
like like is he gonna stay healthy? He hasn't been
able to stay healthy for full seasons, no doubt,
Thanks for listening to the best of the Odd Couple podcasts.
Be sure to catch us 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 FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
You're listening to the Best of the Odd Couple with
Chris Brushaw and Ron Harker.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
I'll say this, and you may maybe you disagree. I
think that the Milwaukee Bucks now are the favorites, not
only in the Eastern Conference. And I'm not saying they're
gonna run away with it. I think Boston is still
right there. Philadelphia and they can't win the East, but
you know, they're a good team.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
They'll be in the hunt.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
They'll be somewhere around there Miami, and they play hard,
they'll be somewhere around.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
There'll be a nuisance.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
But I think the Milwaukee Bucks are the favorites in
the Eastern Conference. Rob and I think they're the favorites
in the entire league. Again, it'll be tough. Denver's tough,
but it's hard to repeat la. You know, they'll be
(01:18):
tough Golden State still there. Phoenix is loaded. But I
think Yannis Anti Tokopo is in my view now the
second best player in the world behind Nikola Jokic and
Damian Lillard is bad like Damian Lillard is a bad,
(01:40):
bad boy and rob outside of like Steph Curry, Damian Lillard,
to me is the perfect fit.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
With Yannis ant to Goopo.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Yannis is not a closer, Damien is, and now Chris Middleton,
who was your closer, can become like a secondary closer,
which is great. Damien is a great shooter. That's one
thing the Bucks needed, a decent shooting.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Drew's a good shooter.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Damien is a great shooter and his range is ridiculous.
The pick and roll with Damian Lillard and Yannis is
going to be crazy. And they still they're a great
defensive team. Now you lost some defense obviously with Drew Holliday,
(02:34):
who's a better defender than Dame.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
But Drew got served by.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Jimmy Butler, and Jimmy Butler was just telling him about it.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
You can't guard me, and he couldn't. And he's a
great defender.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
And they still though behind Dame who's not a great defender.
They have got so much size, Brook Lopez, Bobby Porti's
big boys and Yannis obviously, and Yannis is so rangeye
and athletic and long, uh, and he'll be able to
(03:07):
cover so much ground defensively while the big boys handle
the paint. Uh that I think they're gonna be fine defensively.
So again not saying it's gonna be easy. And I
think I think the other teams ever shot. But to me,
the favorite obviously in Vegas. Now to the favorites, the
favorite is the Milwaukee Bucks, and uh they they should
win it.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
Yeah, i still will take Boston in the East, and
I'm sticking with Denver.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Yep.
Speaker 4 (03:32):
I'm gonna stick with Denver uh as the favorite to
win and repeat until someone shows me what they did
last year. I was quite impressive, and I just think, uh,
until until I see how Milwaukee puts it together and
if you know and the pieces parts. It sounds like
on paper, Chris, of course you could look at it,
(03:53):
and if you're in Milwaukee, I would be excited too
on paper, but it's not always done on paper, so
we have to see. I'm gonna to stick with Boston
in the East and I'm gonna stick with Overall. I'll
stick with the Joker and Denver to get back to
the finals and probably win it again. I like that
(04:14):
Denver team and I need to see somebody be able
to beat them because the way that they put it together,
and then they'll have a year under their belt. And
you're right, Chris, it's not. Repeating is very difficult in
all the sports. I mean, the NFL has been a
million years. Nobody's repeated in baseball and the over I
have repeated in the NBA lately, remember Golden State obviously
(04:37):
with Durant Lebron and the Big Three in Miami.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
So you know, it used to be when you had
to showtime Lakers who did repeat. But they were the
first time seem to repeat eighty seven eighty eight rob
in twenty years, you know.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
So I'm just saying, like, yeah, it's tough, So it's
tough to be tough.
Speaker 4 (04:57):
But it ain't out of the question. No, I'm just yeah,
So I'm not there. I'm not on that uh that
train yet. But if you're Milwaukee, you gotta feel great.
You wind up getting a big time star player and
we'll see. I know he's had some moments in playoff games.
But he's also had some stinkers. Remember the sweep uh
(05:18):
when they went to the Western Conference Finals. Didn't play
that well in the in the Western Conference Finals game.
I don't have all the numbers in front of me,
but I remember them getting sweeping.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
I'm not playing well.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
He's he's generally been a very good playoff player. He's
certainly had bad moments, but he's generally been a very
good playoff player.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Obviously hits some big clutch jump shots.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
The moment is not too big for him, but he
hasn't faced this type of pressure. He's never been expected
to win anything, you know, like anything huge. He's never
been expected to get to the finals, and there is
a you know that's it's just a level of ease
that comes with that when you're always the hunter instead
(06:00):
of the hunted. Right, and now he's going to be
the hunted because, as I said, not only me, but
Vegas has them as the favorite.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Boston is very good.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Obviously they got the Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum. They
beat Milwaukee in the past with their emphasis on defense.
They don't to me, they don't have that same I
think it's clear they're not even emphasizing defense as much
as they were. They're an offensive team that wants to
play good defense, but they used to be a defensive
team first under email O Doka.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
I think that could hurt them. But they're nice. They
got Chris.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Staphs Porzingis, remember, so they're gonna be tough Denver. I
think Milwaukee with Lopez and then even Jannis, like you,
nobody's gonna shut down Yokic.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
I was gonna say, guys, you know, but but you
make it tough.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
I mean, nobody stops Kevin Durant, but they make it
tough on him and his shooting, his shows and his
shooting percentage.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
And things like that. Let me let me just give
you this.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
I think they can make get tough on Jokic as
tough as you can.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
I mean, like he's gonna get his points.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
Okay, you know you're just talking about shooting percentage. Let
me give you Damian Lillard's only in the playoffs because
forty one percent from the field. He shot forty percent
or worse in nine of his last fifteen playoff games,
so he's.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Had the little bumps. But Giannis might open it up
a little bit. More for him. So we'll wait, see,
wait to see Mike. I mean he's still gotta make
no might I mean, don't mean it might be open.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
It don't mean it don't mean that you will make
him nah, but he you know a lot of dudes
shoot shoot that percent.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Jordan had finals where he shot forty one percent, you know,
one MVP.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
So I'm not. I'm not. He's a point guard and
he shoots a lot of threes.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
His his field goal percentage is you know, is not
expected to be what a big man's is, you know,
career forty six percent. So I think you know, he'll
be He'll be. I think he'll be fine, you know,
but uh, we'll see. They do have to play the
games rob on paper.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
As we always say so.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app search FSR to
listen live.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Polly Foosco here with Tony Fosco.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Yo.
Speaker 5 (08:16):
Of course you know us as the host of the
number one rated show and all the sports talks, The
Paully and Tony Fusco Show. Yea, Now the suits at
Fox Sports Radio gave us this ad time because they
wanted us to tell you how great our show is.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
Why yeah, instead of us doing that.
Speaker 5 (08:32):
Let's just let our millions of fans do the darker.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Ye ain't play the tape. You don't know crap about
fool am I even own this crap? Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
that's the wrong tape, wrong tape. Just forget that.
Speaker 5 (08:44):
Look, listen to the Falling of Tony Fusco show on
the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
But right now, it is all NBA all the time,
and in particular, all Damian Lillard trade all the time.
We've been waiting all summer for this one to happen.
Then it finally has is Damian Lillard is traded not
to the Miami Heat, not to the Toronto Raptors, not
to the Brooklyn Nets, but to the Milwaukee Bucks and
(09:17):
rob the Miami Heat, which was Damian Lillard's preferred destination.
The reports were coming out rapidly all week, even they
going back even past that that the Miami Heat were like,
we can win the East without Damian Lillard and if
(09:39):
the Milwaukee Bucks don't take the trade, that we've put
on the table, then so many Portland I'm sorry, Yeah,
the Portland Trailblazers don't take the trade that.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
We put on the table, then so be it. They
were that.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
You know, the talk early Rob was that Miami was
gonna offer whatever it took outside of Bam, out of
Buyou and Damian Lillard, and that Portland was not interested
in Tyler Hero, who would kind of highlight or headline
their deal. But as time went on, Hero was in
the deal, I believe. But the talk was that they
(10:15):
weren't giving up, you know, all the tons of players
and draft picks and basically everything they had outside of
Bam and Butler to just to get Damian Lillard and Rob.
I think that they thought, at the end of the day,
Dame was theirs, and that the Portland Trailblazers were going
(10:38):
to buckle under the pressure and that they would be
able to get Dame for pennies on the dollar and
they were gonna be able to go ahead and steal
him and have a great shot at winning the NBA Championship.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
And I think even.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
As reports about the Raptors started circulating, they may have
felt like, Okay, if we don't get him. If he
goes to Toronto, were good. We're still better than you, right,
We won the East last year. So we've seen Boston,
we've seen Milwaukee. We got this, And I don't know
(11:15):
that they envisioned him going to Milwaukee, who they've been
great against, you know, the past few years with Giannis,
but now with Dame.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
That's a different animal in Milwaukee.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
And I just think at the end of the day,
Rob pat Riley in the Miami Heat overplayed their hand.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
I agree, And it's it's arrogance because it's not about
Chris winning the East. They've done that. It's about winning
a championship. What is missing? Why did could you not
compete against Denver game? Why couldn't you compete ourfense? You
(11:56):
need more scoring, You need a guy like that. Jimmy
Butler is the greatest number two Chris, he really is.
I'm not your main guy if you want to win
a championship, and this is.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
You know, like, we're geniuses. Look at what we did.
Speaker 4 (12:15):
We got six guys who weren't drafted, We went to
the finals. We know basketball better than anybody else, you know, Yeah,
we can win the East without Damien God you're right
because you did it.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
You did it twice in the last four years. You're right,
you did.
Speaker 4 (12:31):
But can you win a championship? And that's what it's about.
And there he was for the taking.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
One rid go. There was begging to go, begging to
go there? Give up? What are you?
Speaker 4 (12:44):
What are you holding on to? What are you worried about?
You just said you got six picks, six guys who
weren't even who weren't even drafted, Chris Right, what are
you worried about picks and worried about all certain players?
Hold on and you're not giving up a Bam. You're
not giving up Jimmy. If you're not giving up those
two when you're getting dame, how we build the bench?
(13:07):
They're so good at picking up players, Chris Right? Do
that show me that you could do that part? If
you got three stars and if they would have gotten
dam they would have been it would be hard to
look at the other way and think that they weren't
gonna be in the mix and have a real shot
at a championship. And now I don't look at them
that way. No, it is arrogance. It's just straight up arrogance.
(13:28):
And they thought Portland was gonna cave because the player
made it clear that there was only one place he
said he was gonna go.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
That's what he said.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
And unless he's gonna fourfeit money Chris and not go
to the trade.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
He didn't have any leverage. He had no leverage, and.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
Rod, we were saying it and you had all and look, Gretty,
I thought at the end of the day he would
end up in Miami.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
But we say it from the beginning.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
Portland doesn't owe ma darn thing except the money in
the contract which they paid him, and they need to
make the best deal for them. And we'll get to
them a little bit later and how well they did it.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
But yeah, they they they you know, had control all along.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
They had all the leverage because he's locked up for
four years, and so good for them.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
But the Miami heat.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Rob You look, everybody and their mother was praising.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
Heat culture this postseason, right.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Heat culture, This heat culture that gave Vincent, Max Strus,
Caleb Martin. Look at who they're winning with and pat Riley,
who never woned a championship without kareem op.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
Preaching Christmas magic.
Speaker 4 (14:51):
John Stomon, pat, I don't know what you're thinking.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Yes, the way way like I mean, it ain't about
being good.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
It ain't, as you said, Rob, it's not.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
About getting to the finals in there getting waxed. They
did it already when they played the Lakers in the Bubble.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
I mean Jimmy Butler was the was bad.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
I mean I don't say the man because that was
Lebron James. But Jimmy Butler was great, went at it
with Lebron for a while and was good.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
Was that really any doubt? Who was gonna win that series?
They needed a miracle this year they got beaten five
by the Nuggets.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
I mean, they had they had done so much that
we didn't expect uh in the first three rounds of
the playoffs that it was like, oh, let's see what happens.
Once shit saw the first couple of games, it was like,
they really.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
Don't have anything for Denver. They just ain't good enough,
and that even there. I don't see them getting out
of the East this year.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
But Rob, if they did, they beating Denver, they beaaten Phoenix.
They beating the Lakers, who if they somehow got out
of the West, would mean their clicking on all stillinders,
who's dealing with Anthony Davis, who's dealing with Lebron James.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
Come on, you don't have enough.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
And maybe you believe the hype about the heat culture.
But like I said, Pat Rowley never won with no
freaking gritty grimy, the little engine that could culture.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Right, I don't got good teams. He may even got
to the finals, he never won.
Speaker 4 (16:30):
He was with the Knicks, right, but they even had
Patrick Ewing, who's an all time great.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Right?
Speaker 3 (16:36):
What what?
Speaker 4 (16:37):
What exactly is he trying to prove? I don't even
understand it. You're in that position, Chris who just went
to the finals. You have a chance to get a
top seventy five player. What is the hold up? That's
why I said the other day, I don't see him
going to Miami. This deal would have been done if
they were serious about it. They were never serious. They
(16:57):
thought they had Portland over a barrel and they were
going up sit there and let them sweat.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
Are you kidding? Seriously? I look, I don't know that
they could get him. Probably can. If I was Philly,
I wouldn't, you know.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
But if I was Miami, Rob, I'd be going after
Joel Mbi and again not saying he's available. He'd only
be available if he makes us think about it and
wants out because he sees what Milwaukee's put together, what
Boston's put together. James Harden, of course, with his situation.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
You see him at the You see him at the club,
Chris on social media. Yeah, with the women, some women
in the crowd holding up signs.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
Daryl Moray's a liar. You really wow?
Speaker 4 (17:46):
Inside the club, Chris, I believe they're holding up sides.
Speaker 3 (17:50):
Wow. Yeah, I mean that's a that's a mess up
there in Philly.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
So if I'm Miami, I'm seeing if Philly look y'all, Yeah,
your second star is gonna make it ugly for you.
Now again, I don't think they'll trade Joel MB, but Rob,
that would be my target, and I give up Bam.
I know BAM's not equal to Joel MB, but BAM
(18:14):
and I don't know Tyler hero whatever, you know, whatever
I could put together to try to get Joe LMB
and Jimmy Butler together, because Rob, we've seen it happen
a couple of times. I mean, nineteen seventy nine, yeah,
that long ago, to Seattle SuperSonics without you know, a superstar.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
Two thousand and four pistons. They did it.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
Yeah, souperstar. But those are really the only two rob
that we can really think of.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
Those are the only two, to be honest.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Yeah, And so I mean, yeah, you could have a
nice run.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
You can, you can.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
Be scary, you can you know, create some drama and excitement,
but are you going at the end of the they
hoist the trophy without having major, major, major talent, no
rare And so yeah, let this be a lesson to
(19:11):
the Miami heat Rod because I'm telling you, I mean,
they were an afterthought during the regular.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
Season last year and they just got hot.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
They were a horrible three point shooting team and got
hot in the playoffs. Now, I don't know why they
were so bad in the regular season shooting the three
and then great in the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
But you know, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
Exact Yeah, do they shoot it poorly again in the
regular season and be an afterthought, but they would have
been the story. And I think they got burned, and
you know all that talk about you know, we got
giving up, like you said they thought they had Portland.
Speaker 4 (19:51):
Over and that they didn't have to budge, like you know,
like we'll just wait, We'll wait for you to come around.
He don't want to be there. He wants to be
with us. You're gonna have no choice. And then we'll
just sit here and you'll take what we're giving you.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
That's what they thought, absolutely and good for I'll eat Rob.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
Obviously, the Bucks, the Raptors.
Speaker 3 (20:12):
The Nets.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
Now, there was reports from our friend Mark Spears that
about ten days ago, when there was nothing doing in
the heat right in the heat and UH Blazers talks,
that Mark Spears reported this that that Aaron Goodwin, the
agent for Dame Lillard and then UH privately told the
(20:38):
Bucks in the Nets ten days ago that Damian Lillard
would be interested in a deal there. The Raptors were
also a real contender to land the ex Blazer star,
but obviously ultimately the Bucks got it done.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
So Rob props to those teams. Don't be scared off.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
I mean, like you said, if it is he gonna
sit out and give up two hundred and something million.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
Dollars, come on, No, that was never happening. And you
know what he got.
Speaker 4 (21:07):
He got a dosa religion that Portland was serious, Chris,
and he was like, okay, what else?
Speaker 3 (21:12):
What else could I But what else could I.
Speaker 4 (21:14):
Do, because you I know, I can't come back here,
you know what I mean. So I'm gonna have to
I'm gonna have to concede.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Yeah. Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
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Speaker 1 (21:33):
I would have had no problem with him going to Miami.
What I didn't like was this idea that the Portland
Trailblazers would have been doing Dame wrong. And they owed
him that had they sent him elsewhere or yes, that
they owed him something. They paid Dame hundreds of millions
(21:57):
of dollars over the past several years, and he deserved it.
He's a great player, he was great for the franchise,
he was great for the community.
Speaker 3 (22:08):
But they didn't owe him a thing. Passed the money
and the treating.
Speaker 4 (22:13):
With respect, and especially put Chris I asked out.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
He was putting his self interest ahead of the teams,
which is fine, that's his prerogative. But don't get mad
when they put their self interest ahead of yours.
Speaker 4 (22:28):
So that's what you did, that's what we decided that
you didn't want to be here. Anymore, which is fine,
but they're not going to give you a way to
just give you your wishes and everything in life goes
your way.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
It doesn't work like that.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
They're going to wait, and they waited and they waited,
and we talked about Miami, thinking that they were over
a barrel, Chris, and they were gonna have to cave
in eventually because Dame don't want to play nowhere else,
and Portland said, we're not doing it. And I don't
know if it was you know, obviously, you know, giving up,
(23:02):
not getting less for what they believe is his value, Chris.
But also we saw the Nets not caving to Kevin Durant.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
You know, last year they.
Speaker 4 (23:12):
Were like, and that was the right thing, and we
can't get a deal. We ain't, you know what I mean,
We're not gonna make it happen.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
And Rob, let's just keep it real.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
And you and I both thought the Nets would get
a championship or at least get to the finals when
they had the big three of.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
Harden, Durant, and Kyrie Irving together.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
And they won injuries and Kyrie's decision is his right
to not get vaccinated. Those are the things that Submarine
their chances of winning the championship. But let's keep it real, Rob,
would James Harden have been better off staying in Brooklyn.
(23:54):
It's not even a question, right. They offered him a
huge contract extension, he turned it down. He was on
a more talented team, as talented as Philly is. That
Brooklyn team had it all and even if Kyrie had
not come back to play in the playoffs, which he did,
just being with Kevin Durant would have given him a
(24:17):
good chance to go deep and maybe to the finals.
In the playoffs and Kyrie Irving, Kyrie Irving left Brooklyn
because they wouldn't give him the max contract extension that
he wanted.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
You didn't get that from Dallas anyway. You went to Dallas.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
And the team fell apart, and you didn't get the
max extension from them. So all you had to do
was stay in Brooklyn, play it out, be a good soldier,
have no issues, and you would have got at least,
I'm sure, Rob, And I'm not sure at least what
he got from Dallas, if not more.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
And Kevin Durant.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Look, Kevin Durant is in the best situation of the three.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
But I mean, I like him. I'd love to see
him do it right now, don't.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
I don't have them winning the championship and you don't either,
And so those guys never really again. Other such circumstances
out of their control, you know, hurt them, but they
never really fully gave themselves a chance.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Rob.
Speaker 1 (25:25):
But the point is we're on Dame and I just
think that the Portland Trailblazers, Rob, here's what they got.
They got DeAndre Ayton Toomni kamaras a young, you know prospect,
you know, nice, young talented player, a twenty twenty nine
(25:45):
first round pick, twenty eight and twenty twenty eight two
thousand and thirty picks. Swaps no protections on those picks,
and Rob that that's several years from now. So these teams,
the Bucks and the Sun, they won't be They may
not be good by then, maybe they will have won
(26:06):
a championship or two by then, but in six years
they could very easily be rebuilding, and then those picks
are really good. And DeAndre Ayton, Rob, he obviously didn't
like it in Phoenix. It just was not working out
for him, had a bad attitude. Get probably needed to
get him out of the locker.
Speaker 4 (26:26):
Room.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
Hopefully he'll be happier in Portland. He's a rim protector.
He's eighteen and ten with all his wards, he's eighteen points,
ten rebounds.
Speaker 3 (26:36):
With very few plays run for him.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
So if he is a more of a focal point
in the offense in Portland, then those numbers at least
the scoring could go up. And then Drew Holiday and
the reports are that they're gonna trade Drew.
Speaker 3 (26:51):
They will get something good.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
For Drew rob He's a good player, could help a
team that's right there and on the cusp of competing.
Speaker 3 (26:59):
For a champions And even if they were to somehow.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
Keep Drew because they don't get great offers, if I
doubt that happens, but if it happened, Drew is the
type of veteran who could be around Scoot Henderson and
Shaden Sharp and Anthreny Simons and.
Speaker 3 (27:16):
Those guys help to develop.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
Absolutely he and this is not a shot at Dame
or anybody else. Dame is so great that if he's
on your team, he's gonna be the focal point at least.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
You know with that team, he's gonna.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
Have the ball in his hands, he's gonna be dropping
twenty seven points a game, and that would not allow
the other guys to fully develop. That's not Drew Holliday's game.
And so it's just like Fred van Vliet being in Houston.
I wouldn't want James Harden and Houston playing with those
young boys because he'd have to be the focal boy.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
Not true with Fred van Vliet. So even if they.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
Ended up keeping Drew, which I don't think they will,
that's still a good pickup Rob. So I think they
got a good deal.
Speaker 4 (28:01):
I think they got a hold Chris. I wasn't expecting it.
I was shocked when I looked at what they were
able to get. And I think that they were smart.
And uh, that's another sign. I think that's that's a
couple in a row where teams Chris are pushing back,
all right, what you want to go? They're not just
rolling over and oh, once a guy says he's out,
(28:23):
we just gotta whatever we can get. Take a bag
of balls and you know what I mean, and some
cones and and just you know, tuck our tail between
our legs and we have to take it. No, and
we when we said it the whole time, do not
give in get what you're supposed to get for a
player of that ilk anything less is disrespectful to the
(28:45):
fans Chris of Portland, and it's a bad business decision
for your organization. You can't do it, no matter how
much you like, Damn, you can't do it.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
In a lot of these cases, Rob, you see the
team in play kind of work together, and you kind
of get a list of teams.
Speaker 3 (29:04):
You know, they're not always like I said, Kyrie Irving.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
You know, he gave the Calves a list, but they
still send in the Boston which wasn't on his list.
But you know, still in a lot of cases it happens.
But look, this worked out well for the Blazers and
for Damian Lillard. I mean, my gosh, I don't think
you could be any happier if you're Damian Lillard.
Speaker 3 (29:26):
You can go.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
You've got all off season, Rob to go hang out
in beaches or cities like New York.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
I mean, you just because you're traded to a city
doesn't mean you have to settle down there.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
Any Portland Milwaukee is there a difference? I mean, come on,
I mean, it's just that you're there to work. You
got your christ win.
Speaker 4 (29:48):
Half the season anyway, that forty one home games, My god,
I keep it when people said, I don't even understand it.
You do what you have to do. Everybody. You guys
played them in h Salt Lake City. You think yet,
you think gods wanted to plan Salt Lake City? No disrespect,
but that's not like a well, a twenty four year
old black guy.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
Is interested in living. I'm just keeping it real.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
I mean, Portland's about is a tiny black percentage there,
and dame from Oakland loved.
Speaker 3 (30:17):
It obviously, so yeah, he'll be he'll be fine. He
loved the mansion and the money, I'm sure, and that's
in Portland. But Rob, what about the sons?
Speaker 1 (30:29):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (30:29):
Portland?
Speaker 1 (30:30):
Rob is get what's what do you think the black
population percentage wise is in Portland?
Speaker 3 (30:38):
Wow? I ain't think you go that low? My god?
Is it harder than that? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (30:42):
Five point seven Okay, I just at one point I
thought it was ten percent. Maybe you know it's gotten smaller,
but yeah, it's five point seven percent.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
But Rob, let's go to the Phoenix Suns. Uh they
get Look I like what they did.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
Now.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
Some have said this is true, they want to win.
It's championship or bus for him. Obviously, it's not even
just get to the finals or bus. It's championship or bus.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
And Rob.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
While I think they helped themselves just because look, DeAndre Ayden.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
Was gonna be a problem. Fine, we get him out.
Useef Nurkic is not.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
As good, but he's good. I like you, Sef, and
he's a big body. Rob and that you can put on.
Not gonna shut him down. Nobody's gonna shut him down,
but that you can at least put on the bang
around with Nikola jokicch or the Denver Nuggets. Then you
get Grayson Allen from the Bucks. Look, Grayson Allen is
(31:37):
not a great player, but I like him for the
role of three and D. And you know he's tough,
He's borderline dirty and just might.
Speaker 3 (31:47):
Be he's dirty. Let's just call it over. He's doing
you now.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
I'm trying to be nice, but but hey, you know
they need a little toughness, right, a little toughness. I
don't advocate dirty play, but you know they bring them
a little attitude and all that, So I'm fine with that.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
And Rob.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
The thing is they helped make.
Speaker 1 (32:14):
Although you would disagree, I think but they helped make
Milwaukee better and so that may you may end up
facing Dame and Giannis in the finals and they.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
May get you. You helped make that tandem.
Speaker 4 (32:28):
But well that's always that's always the danger.
Speaker 1 (32:32):
Yeah, they may, but you know, they shouldn't be scared
of anybody with all that firepower. But the reality is
they may have. I think they did make the Bucks better.
Speaker 4 (32:42):
Yeah, the Bucks are definitely better than they were a
year ago. And Phoenix, you know, like for me, Chris,
I know the Belt deal was big for them and whatnot,
and the firepower that they have, I still need to see,
like their their other pieces that go with it. And
I gotta admit I'm leary of the Suns because of
(33:06):
Duram and he's not being able to stay healthy.
Speaker 3 (33:09):
Yeah, I just I.
Speaker 4 (33:11):
Think that's a part of his story now. And I
just I just do like like Kawhi, like.
Speaker 1 (33:17):
There are certain players. Look, you mentioned Dame earlier, and
you know Anthony Davis.
Speaker 3 (33:23):
League is Anthony Davis.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
Kawhi and durant Am, I right, like they're more so
than Dame.
Speaker 3 (33:29):
I think.
Speaker 1 (33:29):
Yeah, it's bad as Kawhi and Anthony Davis, No, not as.
Speaker 4 (33:32):
Bad, but but in the back of your mind, yeah right,
like like is he gonna stay healthy? He hasn't been
able to stay healthy for full seasons, no doubt,
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