Best of The Odd Couple for Feb 06, 2020

It's The Best of The Odd Couple with Chris Broussard and Rob Parker! Chris and Rob explain why the addition of Marcus Morris at the trade deadline makes the Clippers the clear favorites over the Lakers in the Western Conference, and tell us why the Lakers are going to need Anthony Davis to become their go-to performer in the clutch if they're going to re-take the throne. And, NBA champion Tony Allen stops by to tell us why he thinks Kobe Bryant was a better player than LeBron James

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Odd Couple podcasts.
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(00:21):
s R. You're listening to the Best of the Odd
Couple with Chris Brush and Rob Harker. I've said, I
think Rob has always thoughted was a one team race
in the West, but I've said, okay, you two. I
said that they were going to be in the mix,
but I did pick the clips from But I thought

(00:44):
Robs thought that the Clippers were better. We both agreed
on that. But now they put a little in our view,
more distance between themselves and the Lakers. Both teams were
interested in Marcus Morris of the New York Knicks. Now
he's been around the block, he's you know, a bit
Boston and you know, he's been around the league a
little bit. But the player George yeah in Phoenix, I

(01:07):
mean he's he has been been all over the place.
Let's not make it like he's uh, you know, they're
getting Carl Anthony Towns or something like that. But play
Marcus Morris is a very good player. He's a tough player.
He shoots forty three percent from three and that's on
six attempts a game, so you know what I mean,
it's not like a small sample size. And he's six nine.

(01:30):
He can guard in the post, and I think he'll
guard Anthony Davis. Not that he'll shut him down. He
just gotta slow down whoever they put on him. So
I think that's a get for them. And he was
averaging twenty points a game this year for the not
great it's for the Knicks, so well, I'm not gonna
make too big a deal out of that. Somebody's got

(01:51):
to score. However, when he was in Detroit, Rob you
saw him fourteen points a game. When he was in
Boston two years good team, fourteen points a game. Tough
guy fits perfectly with their attitude. Another dog. So that's
just more hunger and attitude and all that they have.
And the Lakers may have been able to get him,

(02:14):
but the Knicks one in Kyle Kuzma, Danny Green and
a draft pick, which I would not have done. If
I'm the Lakers, I would not have done that. The
Clippers though, when they were in talks with the Clippers,
and this is where Rob you've said they got their
better front office. Remember I said before the season start,
I said, the one thing I give the Clippers an
advantage is if they have to go get a player

(02:36):
at the trade deadline, I believe more in their front
office than the Lakers front. No, and you were right
on the money, because they're the talks all weak if
not longer with the Knicks and the Clippers were about
the Nick. The Knicks wanting not just Mo Heartless, but
Landry Shammon. They wanted him as well, that ain't have

(02:56):
three point sniper, right, and then a draft pick instand
they get more heartless in the draft pick that's gonna
be late in the first round. So the Clippers, I thought,
not only beat the Lakers in the deal, but did
it without giving up Landry Shammon, which I think is great.
Couldn't give him up He's he's a great shooter. So
what a good pickup that was? That was in the

(03:18):
uh trade right with Philly for um. Yeah, they got
him from Phil who was about Toboda's bias right right,
And they made some good moves. Because the Chris Paul
deal that you know, Paul just sprung on them like
I'm out of here, I'm going to Houston, see what
you can get. They ended up being a great deal
for him. They got Harrold, Montress, Harrold and Lou Williams

(03:42):
in that deal. So, uh, you're right. Their front office
has done a great job. It's freed Doc Rivers up now.
Granted he wanted, he never didn't want to step down
from president, but it has freed him up to just
do just do what he does best. He did a
great job last year. Some people, I know he won
a champion ship in Boston, but might have been his

(04:02):
best coaching job considering not having a star player. I
know they didn't win anything, Chris, but they didn't quit
on Doc Rivers last year after that trade was made
and Tom Barris. Harris was sent to Philly. So I
love it. I absolutely love what they did. They didn't
damage the team in the nucleus that they had, and
they got a player who will help them in that

(04:24):
matchup with the Lakers at some point during the playoffs,
and also in helping themselves. They took away what something
that the Lakers really needed and wanted is so they
beat them twice. Yep, that's the way I would look
at it. And that's a great move for the Clippers.
And they continue, you know, like we talk about it

(04:45):
all the time, Chris, they haven't really had their full squad.
Everybody hasn't played all the time. And then their record
is really like and four with Paul George and Kawai probably,
and they're they're right behind the Lakers. They're second in
the West. They're like three games back. And and when
the Lakers start that they got off to you remember,
I mean, that's that's pretty doing good. They weathered the

(05:05):
storm and they're right there. The Lakers were running away
with everything early on, and they've come back to the
pack a little bit. Still a very good record, and
I'm not knocking anything that they've done, but it's it's
good for the Clippers. Yeah, And look like you we
both got the Clippers as the favorite now to win
the West and the league. I still I got them
over Milwaukee if they meet in the finals. But I'm

(05:29):
not going to completely right off the Lakers. I think
they got a shot because I do think Rob, I
think you would agree with me, the two of the
three best players in La reside with the Lakers, wouldn't
you say that? Yes? But the best team knows what
can win. It's not always like who has the best players, right,
It's about what fits better together and that and that's

(05:52):
the Clippers. They just fits. And you just said it.
The thing you don't like, the thing you don't like
about the Lakers, and the reason that you say that
that that the Clippers of eclipse them as the better team.
They don't have that dog in them, and they just
added another dog. That's the part. You have this tough

(06:12):
guy so that you're not pushed around, right, and the
le Here's what I think it will take, Rob g.
You can write this down, you can read it at
night when you're weeping and sad and all that, because
again I'm giving him a shoal. But here's what it'll take.
One Lebron at thirty five will have to put on

(06:35):
a heroic performance like he did in twenty sixteen against
Golden State, where I think you lift a you lift
your team over a team that's better than you. So
that's number one. Number two, Anthony Davis is going to
have to become a more of a fourth quarter score

(06:57):
because Lebron's gonna be fine, He's gonna, you know, get
his twenty five points or whatever against the Clippers. But
Anthony Davis, even with Marcus Morris as as good as
he is, as good as a pickup, Anthony Davis still
should be able to you know what I mean. He's
Anthony Davis. He's a top five six player in the league.
He's got to be able to dominate his matchup. And

(07:19):
right now, the Lakers in the fourth quarters, Lebron takes
more shots than any player on the team. In fact,
he's second in the league to Kyrie Irvin who's hurt,
so basically first in the league and fourth quarter shot attempts.
Which that's fine because Lebron can close. But against the Clippers,
they're going to need Anthony Davis to close. And I

(07:41):
think rob Anthony Davis has to have that mentality of
this is my world, this is I run this thing.
I'm the one that's gonna carry us. I'm gonna outplay Harold,
I'm gonna outplay Zubach, I'm gonna outplay more and not
just outplay them, dominate them. Right, So I think they
haven't fitting they haven't been able to do that. And

(08:03):
that's the other problem so far in the games that
the Clippers have won, Right, he's got four points in
the fourth quarter two games. No way that's worked. That's
not doable. And then ain't gonna get you anywhere. And
if they continue on that path, and obviously we don't,
I don't know when that makeup game is, but the
next time we see them, it'll be in play in March.
They were scheduled to play in March. Anyway, the next one,

(08:24):
so the other one, and after I heard somebody say April,
we'll see whatever it is. But and then the third
thing is this, I think Kyle Kuzman. I'm fine with
him keeping him because I do think he's a good player,
but they gotta again spend this time, even if it
costs you a game, getting him acclimated to playing winning basketball.
You know, now, Kyle, these games matter. Don't worry about

(08:47):
your contract. If we win, you get you will get
taken care of. You're gonna be the third guy. It'll
it'll raise your value. But your shot selection has to
be better. You know. You gotta you know, defend more,
like just work on getting him into playing winning basketball.
I think those are what they have to do Rob
to have a shot to beat the Clippers. Be sure

(09:08):
to catch live editions of The Odd Couple with Chris
Brussar then Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm Eastern four
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeart Radio A.
We are joined by NBA champion Tony Allen. He's at Twitter.
Now you got a different kind of Twitter handle? Yeah, yeah, yes,
pretty unique. I gotta ask you about this at a

(09:31):
zero zero zero G nine Now what is what does
that mean? All right? You know my real name, you
know my basketball name is Tony Allen. I don't know
who gave me that name, but I'm Anthony Allen. Okay,
leaving leaving Boston, US. When I got on Twitter, you
know I want to on Twitter in Boston, right, So
I got the Memphis I got on Twitter zero zero

(09:53):
zero Fresh News start, you know, Okay, Okay, and Dan
the g I'm gonna grizzy. You're gonna go for a
lot of things, but grizzy at the end of that.
Um none, that's right. That's all you might need a
PhD to figure out. Man handle right up? All right?

(10:16):
We all uh, Tony of course, we had the tragedy
just about a week and a half ago for right,
Kobe Bryant, And obviously you matched up with Kobe so
many times. I mean, you were a stopper, and obviously
he had to be stopped or at least try to
stop him. Um what, First of all, what was your reaction?

(10:38):
I mean, obviously you had the same reaction as everybody,
just devastated, you know, shocked. Did you have any special
relationship with Kobe or just kind of what you have
with other opponents in the league, or did y'all did
you know him well or anything like that. No, I
didn't know him at all. Um never, we never had
no relationship with it and never I think that was
the greatest thing about it. Like, um, it was opportunity

(11:01):
for that now that we got the league. We know
I wasn't playing and things of that nature, but I
wanted to know, like which Tonyan and you was talking about?
You know, I was, I played in Boston and I
played in Memphis. So I'm like, which one you had,
which one caused the most heavy right? And because he
said you were the toughest, right, you guarded him better

(11:23):
than anybody's hands down, So when I saw when I
actually saw that, and then seeing the passing, I was
just like wow, Like you know, as NBA players, you know,
we just feel like we just gonna be around a
long time. As you just feel that way, at least
I do. No, no, no, And then we all felt
that way. This question. Kobe, like he has everything to
live for. He has got, you know, opportunity to do anything,

(11:47):
touching anything. He was because of his celebrity. So you
expect people like that to live forever, and him specifically,
like Jordan Y, everything he wanted to do, you know
what I mean, shoes still going, maybe running the NBA team,
maybe being a commission of whatever, whatever it was, having
his handprint on it, and I visioned him like that.
So it kind of messed me up to the point

(12:09):
to where it's like I was just keeping funk. I
took it, I had, I had it, took a double shot.
I said, Wow, this is really, this is real. And
then just looking at the fact that he lost his door,
I had. I got a daughter who's on college now,
and it just it just hurts you from so many angles,
you know what I mean. Obviously, you know we say

(12:30):
it's a it's not a right to being an NBA.
It's a privilege, you know. And he took that privilege
and maxed the magic to his best ability, you know
what I mean. And we salute, I salute stuff like
that because because if you know how hard it is
to work to get your name on any type of acculade,
any type of championship team, it takes work, and he
maxed the magic. So like forever he always be to

(12:52):
go to my eye to the two things that stand
out for me for Kobe is first of all, his
competitive This like too many guys, this is the problem
I having. And I started covering the league in nineteen
eighty seven, so I'm just I've been there. I used
to be on the commercial flights with the players before
they were private planes and all that stuff. Everybody's too friendly,

(13:16):
you know, And Kobe wasn't in that, like I don't
need you know, I'm trying to beat you. I don't
need you to be soft. You were like that even
right after the game after I beat right And the
other thing so so that I loved that part about him.
And the other thing was his rookie year in that

(13:37):
playoff game against Utah when this guy put up two
air balls, you know, and your rookie year shocks on
the team and you have you know the cajones too,
like like say, I'm that guy, you know what I mean?
Like that stood out to me even though it was
the air ball in righting the shot, I mean. And

(13:58):
and then the one low moment for me for Kobe,
because I love his competitiveness was against Phoenix in that series.
What are year was that night? I don't remember, all right?
When the game seven do you remember when he refused
to shoot half and the second half you play he
wasn't mad. They were mad because they say right, so
so in game seven he didn't he didn't shoot it off.

(14:20):
He didn't shoot because he was mad at whatever. So
those are the two things. But but the competitiveness is
what I love, am my, allface, No you're not in
Let me tell you, like before games, like you could
tell what Modion like you like if he if he
comes smiling trying to dap you, Yeah, he might, he

(14:40):
might be tired or something from the previous thirty thirty,
thirty forty, But if he coming in there in the building,
he hit your hand with him with with these right here,
you know, these little jaw bones right here. When I'm
tight right there, you can you can feel like I'm
coming in the night. Yeah, he coming, and he gonna
sick him to night because he is on every like

(15:03):
like every time I played against him, my hand that
either I didn't sleep the night before or I was
like butterflies in my stomach before the game, you know
what I mean, Wow, because I knew it's nothing you
can do, Like if you go into the pick and roll,
you're gonna hit you, you know what I mean. You
give him, you shade him to the left on the baseline,
might dunk on, you know, things of that nature, and
all his like anohing on the scouting report says you're safe,

(15:26):
you know, right right. Used to like hopefully maybe a
bill have an off night, but but it ain't anybody
stopping him, whether it was Kobe or somebody else. Who
was the toughest guy for you to guard. Definitely Kobe
ranked up at one starting out, But uh, I don't know,
like like I was saying, trying to explain some of

(15:48):
the attributes he has and things he'd do. Um, it
didn't had to be him, you know. And now Rob
and I've talked about this. Most media people, including us,
when we look at the all time, you know, you
ran your guys. We both got Jordan as the Gold
and I'm not putting nobody over Jordan, right. I was
gonna say, I'm guessing you do too, because we we
we covered Jordan. I was there for that shot over

(16:11):
Craigie Lowell in Cleveland, you know the Witness series, Yeah,
stuff like that. I just saw it and I'm like, dude,
that guy was a killer and was not afraid if
anybody was gonna take the shot and the circumstances. But
most most media people have Lebron over Kobe. But when
we talked to ex players, they all most most of

(16:33):
them are like, y'all need to put Kobe in that
guy Gold conversation. It's not just Lebron in Jordan, it's
Kobe in there. Or a lot of them most say
Kobe they have ahead of Lebron. Where are you at
on that? And they usually say it because they're like,
Kobe was just a killer, right, never say let me
say this, Let me say this in respect that LBJ do.

(16:54):
Let me just say the moustone he's came to right now,
like he's passed both those guys, right right, Georgian. But
just the way I got it set up in my man,
it's Jordan first, because the way he went back and
got his three, then stopped and came back and got
another three, that's crazy. I never went there and did

(17:17):
and look and lost. You know what I'm saying. These
brothers got lost on that's some they got lost. Lebron, No,
boy was one, five and two and five and two
to y'all in Boston and lost in Detroit. Right, so
that's it. And and Lebron and Lebron's lost six, three
and six. See the big thing is let everybody when
people his millions call up and they say he's the

(17:40):
goal I call Lebron the fot f f O a
Tay Finals failure of all time because he's lost. He
lost more finals than any other former regular season MVP
in the history of the NBA. Nobody's lost six. Chris
thought the five true. Now Jerry West lost seven, but

(18:02):
he never won. But he never wanted m People don't
know that. Did you know that he never wanted white?
So that that means we we can't change the thing
now the logo, Yeah, I didn't. I think eventually it's
gonna become Georgian. That's something it should be. Jan If
you should be man logo, just come up with some

(18:23):
other Jordan moves, right, man, I would check that obvious.
That's that's nikes, that's the Jordan. You can't even I
could put it on. Yeah, you could do right, you
could do all sorts, but but Jordan should be that guy.
Where were you going? You were going somewhere with the Lebron. Yeah.
So now when those guys get, you know, in in
in that area and lose, you know, that's that's why

(18:44):
I keep Jordan right there. But his mouths don't even
getting past Kobe. I don't think. It just hit me
like that because of me playing so many years against
Kobe and you know, competing with him at a high
level and knowing that preparation to even be able to
upstand that battle, you know what I'm saying. And that's

(19:04):
why I put him in too. I had to play
I go Kobe. I mean Jordan, Kobe, He's just another one.
This is this is where we guys, most guys who've
played in and that's what I'm saying. But you can't say,
Brun Ain't that dude, that's what I'm saying. It's not
a phase number three, right, it's what they call it

(19:27):
up there, right, yeah, because but but it's it's I
think despite Lebron has all the stats, so we all
know that. But but the thing is, it does come
down to championships. And I think people there's a part
of Lebron when when they talk about, well, he made
the right basketball play, sometimes you want that guy to
take that shot. You know what I mean? Done? No,

(19:50):
that's what I was. That's what I was raised one. Right,
But if it's you or somebody else, just get it done.
But if it doesn't get done, though, and you give
the ball to somebody else, that's where people and that's
what's happened to Lebron. That's that's that's that's your jazz.
No I know, but you got no problem with the
way Lebron handles late game situation because he that's dipped

(20:10):
in the positions he put in. Here's here's here's one.
I'll give you one, all right. This is the one
we talk about all the time with uh when he
hit George Hill for the layoup. Okay, here we go.
This man was a good pass. Steph Curry is in
front of him. Lebron scored fifty one points that night,
was unstoppable the final, Remember that they could have stole
Game one. Steph is in front of him. To me,

(20:32):
Steph can't guard Lebron, James, okay, can barely guard anybody. Instead,
he passes to George Hill, who gets fouled and makes
one of two free throws. They wind up, you know,
over time, and then they wind up losing, and I'm like,
I'm sorry, and they're like, well, George Hills the eighty
percent free throw shoot them not in the finals. All right.

(20:54):
It's a difference the layout. But I'm just saying, with
Steph Curry in front of you, that's the time I
want to see go dude, he's having an unbelief Was
that an unbelievable and see, that's what I'm saying. That's
and that's why I got Jordan number one, because it
wasn't like he had to figure out too much. Whenever
he had a mismatch, he turned around. This is a bucket.
Them guys like Kobe did it, but it wasn't like Jordan.

(21:18):
Lebron James got it. He could do it, but it
just don't look like how Jordan make his judgment in
the act of the moment. You know what I mean.
And I watched Jordan. I'm trusting me from Chicago seen
that every Channel nine. So all I'm saying is them guys,
just don't they don't make it look like Mike. Nah,

(21:39):
he just don't make it look like Mike. That's all.
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f s R to listen live. I think the Lakers
Rob that their formula is this. If I'm running the
LA Lakers, I'm calling him Lebron ad my leaders of

(22:02):
the team. If I'm Rob Pelinka or if I'm Frank
Vogel and I'm saying, look, guys, I'm not saying this
to him, but the one is Lebron. Lebron's got to
be heroic, all right. Maybe I'll talk with him one
on one and say, look, look, man, you're gonna have
to carry us. You're the man. I still think you're
the best player in the league. We're gonna need you
to be the man. So if you need some rest

(22:23):
in the regular season, whatever, let us know, but we're
gonna need you to be superman in the playoffs and
I know you can do it. Number two if with
the group, I'm saying, look, guys, Ad, we need to
run through a D in the fourth quarters, particularly if
we end up meeting the Clippers in the playoffs. Ad,

(22:44):
they got nobody to mess with you. They got nobody
that can see you, not Mintras Harold. I know they're
all excited about getting Marcus Morris. He can't see you
a D. This is your time. This you're the best
big man in the league. And we're gonna feed you
in the fourth quarter and get you ready to destroy

(23:06):
whoever the Clippers throwing you in the fourth quarter. And
now we're gonna start going through you in the fourth
to get you prepared. And then the third thing is Kyle, Kyle,
you are a future star in this league. You are
a twenty point score as we saw last year. But
now it's different. In the past, the games didn't matter.

(23:28):
We weren't in the playoffs. Now they matter. We play
a little differently. Let Lebron and AD take the league.
You're important, but we need you. Your shot selection gotta
be a little different. You know the open, hit the
open man. You might feel like you got a good shot,
but you're covered. Hit the open man, and we need
you to defend. You can, You're long, you're athletic, you

(23:50):
can defend. That's what we need. That's what I'm saying.
If I'm running the Lakers, Yeah, the only problem is
you're trying to ask somebody to be something that they're not.
Anybody can defend it. Got the athletic. But I agree
with that, Chris. But I'm just saying, like, even in
a D's case, this is what bothers me. And you
notice the four points he scored in the fourth quarter

(24:11):
against the clip. I shouldn't have to I shouldn't have
to tell right, I gotta tell you. I shouldn't have
who There's nobody out there could guard you. Why do
I have to tell you what you should do in
the fourth quarter in games that we've lost. I feel you,
and it did it once and the opener, and then
it comes back in the second when you do the
same exact thing. What don't you get I got I
explain to you. You're you're the guy that they can't defend,

(24:34):
and you're and you're vanishing in the fourth quarter. I
agree that that you shouldn't have to tell anybody, but
I do have to. So I I got it. But
you're right, you're right, you're absolutely right. He might not,
It might not be any What did Tony say when
Jordan got the ball in a mismatch, was on on, Oh,
this is a basket. You can't defend me. It's just

(24:54):
in you. It's you know that. Okay, this big guy's
on me. I can't get my shot over him. Pass
the ball. That's what you tell yourself.