February 11, 2020 • 26 mins
It's The Best of The Odd Couple with Chris Broussard and Rob Parker! Chris and Rob debate whether or not LeBron James' mini-slump is a sign of things to come for the Lakers and if they're even a lock to make the Western Conference Finals instead, and tell us why so many Major League Baseball players hate the proposed MLB Playoff format changes. And, former NBA All-Star Charles Oakley swings by to tell us why he thinks today's NBA players are so sensitive.
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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
Cup Off with Chris Brush and Rod Harker. You got something.
This shouldn't be surprising, but you have something negative to
say about the Lakers coming off of that win. I
can't wait to hear what in the world you're gonna
(00:42):
choose to rip them about it. It's just not based
on totally that win or ripping them because they beat
the Suns by twenty five or whatever. I love the
way everybody thinks that the Lakers are like this shoewin
to go to the Western Conference Finals and they're gonna
play the Clippers and it's gonna be a seven game
series and they might win and go to the I'm
(01:04):
just not there at all, Chris, and it's because of
a couple things. I said this early on in the
season when they started what it was, It twenty three
and four, rob g is that what? It was? Twenty
three and four and everybody was ranting and raving and
oh my god, look at the Lakers and they weren't
beating anybody. And I was like, what is Lebron James doing?
(01:26):
What is he? What is he getting crazy for trying
to prove something. I was like, dude, you're in year seventeen.
It ain't about the regular season. It ain't about having
this great record. It's about the postseason and a chance
to win a championship. And now here we go, all
of a sudden, Lebron James is in the slump. I know,
(01:49):
last night wasn't that great. They want it was easy.
But Lebron is averaging twenty one point eight points, forty
four shooting, and five turnovers the game, and the Lakers
are four and two. This is in those last six games.
Both of those losses came at home, so they were
in the mini slump. And this is all since Kobe died.
(02:12):
Remember you were saying like he had big shoulders, broad shoulders,
shoulder the thing, right, And I'm just looking at this
team since that start. And you remember they played the Bucks.
They both had the identical records, Bucks beat them or whatever.
Ever since then, they're like sixteen and nine. Okay, I
knew they were gonna win at that clip, that they
(02:33):
will running. But they've come back to earth. Their record
is five and six against the top four teams in
both conferences. That's not great, right, So I'm here. I'm
here to say that I'm not so convinced that they're
that they're going to be in the Western Conference Finals.
And again, I will say right here, right now, Chris,
(02:56):
that I believe that their championship frauds. I don't see
them getting there beating First of all, they're not going
to beat the Clippers, no matter if it's a second
round or in the conference final. But I really I'm
not even positive that they will be as one a
unit that for sure is going to beat the team
in the second round and for sure it's going to
(03:17):
get to the Western Conference finals. So let me ask,
just for clarifications sake, if if if the Lakers are
championship frauds, am I correct in assuming that you think
there are only two teams in the NBA who are
not championship frauds? Absolutely, Okay, I do want to think
the Clippers in the Bucks. Those are the two teams
(03:39):
I think that having a real realistic chance of winning
the champions Lakers don't even have those realistic chances. I
don't believe Chris. I get the regular season wins, and
there's a lot of bad teams in the NBA, and
I'm not knocking them for winning those games they're in
front of them. But from what I've seen, the inconsistency,
the dog that the fight. How about a D and
(04:03):
his fourth quarters you've given You've given us all the numbers,
they're ugly. You will not win a championship with a
D putting out those numbers Chris in the fourth quarter.
He's going to have to be one of those elite
players to make this thing work. I'm not I'm not
I'm not there. I'm not sure it's on him though.
I'm not there or not even playing him six minutes
(04:24):
a game in the fourth quarter. I'm just saying, and
when he's playing, he's not doing much. I'm not there
with h Kyle Kuzma. Uh, He's made some adjustments, Chris,
but not enough. They need him to be a different
type of player than he has been. Maybe he gets
it after the All Star break and it changes and
he accepts his role and he starts to play winning basketball,
(04:46):
not chuck up basketball. Maybe I'm maybe I'll be wrong
and he'll develop and he'll give him that that that piece.
But I'm not convinced that the Lakers are who most
people thought they were, which was they're going to the
NBAH Chchampionship and they're gonna they're gonna take out anybody
once they had two of the three top players in
(05:06):
the NBA, that they were going to be there. Well,
first of all, Rob, I think you will admit this,
most people had the Clippers better than the Lakers, don't
you think preseason most now it was there are a
number of people would include me initially right they had
the Layers, there was I think people view the Clippers
(05:27):
as slightly better. And I think as time has gone on,
they are better and they've gotten better, and they're not
even all the way there, Chris, And that's the part
that I'm saying. There will be more time for them
to gel and the second half of the season. Everybody
could pooh Pool Marcus Morris or whatever you want, I
love to pick up. He fits with them like a
(05:49):
glove He's a nice pickup. They didn't have to wreck
what they already had, their their their core. They didn't
have to give up anybody like that to make it happen.
I just love what I see from them seventeen and
five when Kawhi and Paul Georgia playing, that's a nice record.
I like the Clippers a lot, and I'm not so
(06:09):
sure or sold on the Lakers. So I'm gonna say
right now they could get knocked out in the second
round and not even make it to the Western Conference.
The Lakers are not championship frauds. Now, I do think
the Clippers are slightly better. I do think the Clippers
should be the favorite in the West, But there's no
way the Lakers are championship frauds. They have a shot.
(06:31):
There is a path for them to beat the Clippers
and get to the West to the NBA Finals. And
before I say that, there is nobody, not Memphis, not
Oklahoma City, not Denver, not Utah, and not Houston that
can beat the LA Lakers. The only team in the
(06:53):
West that can beat the Lakers is the Clippers, and
it's close. I'm not buying that. I think it could
be had if they're not right, not n J. We're
already seeing them wear down a little bit. All right,
here's where because you're right. The last three games, I
mentioned this on on Undisputed this morning. Last three games,
he's averaged seven turnovers a game. He's shooting forty percent
(07:16):
from the floor, averaging nineteen points. I personality is his speculation. Personally,
I think he's still a bit shook by Kobe Bryant's pass.
And that could be fair. I'm not I'm not even
gonna poo poo it. It could be fair when when
when you're a guy of that caliber and you have
a friendship or you know what I mean, uh uh,
(07:37):
what's George friends? A fraternity? Right? When you played it?
Only a certain amount of people get to be a professional.
Beyond that, there's a fraternity that stirs. This is beyond
the fraternity of being a professional basketball player or a
professional athlete. There's another fraternity, as you know, and that's
(07:59):
super duper star. This isn't even Hall of Fame, right,
We're talking about the elite of the Hall of Fame.
And most people felt like obviously we knew at some
time everybody dies, okay, but there was this feeling that
Kobe's immortal. No Skip said it on the shows Kip
(08:20):
Bayless the day after. I just felt, there's no way
Kobe's He's gonna conquer that helicopter crash or whatever. He's
gonna get up. He was the one to make it.
He wouldn't make it out and Lebron James is on
that level. I'm sure Kobe felt like he was immortal.
I'm sure Lebron James felt like he was immortal, and
(08:41):
now he probably has had to deal with his mortality.
I agree with that, So I think it might be.
I think that happens to a lot of people, especially Chris,
when somebody close to you or or friend, when you
see somebody die, you go wow, like you know, like
like we were just cool yesterday last week, got saw
him or whatever, and he's gone. It was all good
(09:03):
just a week ago exactly, and he's gone, and you
realize how fragile life is. Right, So I think that's
what's happening. And Lebron, everybody's jumping on. He's averaging thirty
four and a half minutes a game. This is the
lowest of his career. Okay, let's not let the fact
that Kawhi Leonard sits out once every two weeks, and
that's really what it is. Make us misjudge other players.
(09:27):
Minutes thirty, Rob, you covered the league when the bad
Boy Pistons Michael Jordan. They were routinely playing forty minutes
a night. Thirty four minutes is fine. So I look,
if he wears down, it's just he's thirty five years old,
he's his seventeen season. It was bound to happen. But
I don't think because he's gone too hard too early.
(09:49):
Be sure 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 app. You know, we talked about it yesterday, the
story that Joel Sherman broke about changing the playoff. Some
things in the playoffs in baseball go into Rather than
(10:11):
ten teams, making it five in each league, it would
be fourteen seven in each league. Uh. And then the
number one sees pick right. Number one season we get
going by and then the other teams get to pick
you want to play and Trevor Bauer uh did not
like it, to say the least here's what he's said. Rob.
(10:33):
That's right, he said on Twitter. No idea who made
this new playoff format proposal, but Rob is responsible for
releasing it. So I'll direct this to you, Rob Manfred,
your proposal is absurd for too many reasons to type
on Twitter and proves you have absolutely no clue about baseball.
You are a joke. Wow, Commission Baseball, that's who he is. Wow.
(11:00):
And uh, that is pretty strong. I mean, that's no respect.
And you know the best thing is Trevor Bauer didn't
ask Alex for that. You know, like it takes it
to mess when you have to take it if you
if you're making your points and you're saying your thing,
Alex already knows, like I never have to direct him.
He knows when I've said something that's right. Never get
(11:21):
Mike jobs because I can't even remember the last time
you have. I don't have to do a mic drop.
But he knows when I'm wanted, he put he plays
the music. I don't have to cricket. I don't have to.
I don't have to prompt him for you to feel
good about yourself. Give you some warning, you know, I
know what you know it's coming. I already know what's
going on because I can say Mike drop and he
(11:43):
don't drop it. So when I say Mike drop, it's appropriate.
Sometimes I get it. I'm working on the show with
Rob Ge. We're trying to fix like what Chris is doing,
and we're texting. I'm telling you, Chris, you know, needs
to do this or do that, and Rob g will
be like, yeah, I know, hanging there, do what you
gotta do. Look, yeah, that's exactly what I'm doing, Craig Melviy.
(12:08):
But I look, I think and again speculation. I think
what Trevor Bauer is talking about is the notion that
you would actually get to pick your opponent in the playoffs.
I don't think he has a problem, or certainly not
that type of problem, like there's another wrong with proposing
more playoff teams making I would find it hard to
(12:31):
believe that Trevor Bauer had this type of response to
the potential increase of two playoff teams in each league,
and I have no problem with it. What I do think, though,
is absurd. I think it's bush league. I think it's playground.
I think it's sad lot picking your opponent and what
(12:53):
if we ridiculous? Is professional baseball? And what have we
talked about? Chris, You can criticize baseball for a lot
of things. I don't hear people complaining about the playoff
system or at all, like people the playoffs are good,
right right, and I think they wanted to know. But
I'm saying, like, really like their things to fix. But
(13:13):
I'm not sure if that's that should be top on.
Will you admit this though? The one now, it's thrilling,
it's great, but the one game playoff that's kind of rough.
It is baseball one hundred sixty two games comes down
to one. But what I like about it is you're
not Before wild card teams were winning the World Series
(13:35):
and almost like had had not an advantage, but they
shouldn't have any advantage, Like you didn't win your division,
you got in, you got a chance. I love the
way they made the two wild cards played each other, Chris.
Before it wasn't like that it was one wild card,
they were playing a division winner. I don't think that's fair.
So you got the two wild cards. Only one wild
(13:57):
card team can be in the mix on any from
each league, and I thought that that was for what
if you made that a three game series, I wouldn't
have I honestly don't have a problem with four. But
but you don't have. You you very seldom have the
single elimination game, which is fun, it is thrilling, and
you get people to watch that because one game, everybody's like,
(14:21):
I want to see wins this, but I don't. I
don't blame baseball for one. Look, the playoffs is our
best time of the year. Let's expand it because it's
still gonna Look, if they do do this, they gotta
get rid of the picking your own opponent. I mean,
I can't imagine they'll do that unless they just expand it.
(14:41):
Don't you think it'll be great? Honestly, I know you
you philosophic instant, but it's gonna be excited only because
I just don't want to because I know what's gonna happen.
If they do that, then it'll go to sixteen, you
know what I mean, Christian, because you get greedy, because
you get great, Then there is a threshold might be
too many. Yeah, the NBA with the seven game series
(15:02):
always like I don't have a problem with him. Now
seven games, everybody here is the problem? Five games. You'd
have too many upsets, is he? You know? Be sure
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 iHeartRadio app.
Well we wait on the oak. There's another outspoken player
(15:26):
in today's game who's making all sorts of noise. Kevin Durray. Oh,
is he outspoken? I would have never imagined here. He
was on the All the Smoke podcast and they had
to just slowly release the excerpts because there were so
many hot excerpts from ka Do you remember last week
we talked about a few things that he said, and
(15:49):
this week he said something about his Oklahoma City teammates
here it is, well, okay, see we played with I
played with a lot of athletes. I didn't play with
a lot of skill guys, not like shooters, trip ball handlers.
So after Wow, my game started to grow, I was like,
I need to change. This is before the season even started,
you know what I mean. It's like, I'm gonna play
out my last season as hard as I can and
I'm not telling anybody I want to leave. I'm not
(16:10):
packing in. I'm trying to win as much as we
can and trying to end this out right. That was
my thinking going in before the year. I was tired
of planning that system. I was tired of like having
to be the only guy that can made three make
jump shots and consistently make them. All Right, that's Kevin Duran.
We're gonna bringing our man. We've been talking about him
when we're All Star for the nixt Charlotte. What's up?
(16:33):
What's up? Man? I'm in the land. You know what
we do. I was gonna ask you, so you in
Cleveland right now? Yeah, man, I wouldn't you know. I'm
with the promotion we play robber Hood. So we uh
did Brooklyn. We went to you know, in the mephist Church. Okay,
we cooking event for like three hundred people. Came man
having sound. The Union Station did three hundred. So came
(16:56):
to Cleveland. We did a thousand the day Brothers Hunch
and dinner. Thousand people. That's great. Many people people need
food in this country. I don't no doubt especial people,
you know, trying to get big stuff back on track. Everybody,
everybody here. There's a lot of chuckholes in Detroit and Cleveland.
So people gotta blow out tide trying to get back
on the road. So who's truch trying to helping people out?
(17:18):
That's great man. Speaking of Brooklyn Oakley, we just heard,
uh Kevin Durant. We played a little excerpt. Have you
been following like him on social media? Going back and
forth with fans and just recently was on all the
smoke podcasts and killing his OKC teammates, Like, what's your
take on k Then how he handles social media and
all that burner counts all that stuff. I mean they
(17:41):
said a lot of people got burner. I mean he
just then himself. That's what he'd like to do. I mean,
never talk about the hustles he can if he can
deal with it in the real world. You know, I
guess some people do a lot of stuff and don't
shy face, and I mean I don't get called in
these guys different. I mean, it's a new cycle NBA basketball,
and guys run the league, they run the team, they
(18:02):
run the company, running age, and they running whatever. So
I ain't got nothing the man about it. After he
won two championship with Golder state that the two biggest
side of NBA history, back to back. I have no
complaints about him. Let him do him. No, I've said,
as long as he can produce somebody court. It's just
it's just seems like, if you're that talented, just let
(18:25):
you know, let your play speak for itself. What do
you care if somebody uh and then mother's grandmother's basement
oak is tweeting something about you? You know, why, why
would you care? It's a sensitive league. Get you don't
get its dissensitive? Yes, I mean, you know the tragic
you know Kobe and they had a rootprint of him
(18:48):
coming in to see what you had to do to
be a Tiger and the jungle or whatever. The play
basketball and he sports came in the era. I mean,
I don't know it just man, I'm telling you, y'all
see this sickness basketball going on ninety and night out.
I mean, look at Okase doing. They don't have nothing.
Look what Memphis doing, they don't have nothing, right well,
(19:09):
they hold they own and you know all they got
was Memphis got a number two pick in the draft.
Just playing within itself. I love how he playing. I mean,
so I don't know, people just dropping the wrong people
just had to find somebody with some soul. They got
to go to these small schools against somebody who understand
how tough of the teleconi. The big school they give
(19:30):
them everything. Oh, what do you think about the new
style of play? I mean when you played, you know,
you were a power forward. You rebound and you hit
me rain shots. That's kind of disappeared the type of
player you were disappeared from the NBA. It's all three
pointers now, right, Like, how do you feel about the
new style of playing the NBA? Well, it's about a dollar, right,
(19:53):
and the money's global, right yep. And now when I
played the league, my head for the five ercent go
over play a ninety five, a gap thirty to thirty five.
So they followed the money. It's a money trail. Anybody
somebody to get the bag in the back. Global. So
what what we used to see in good basketball, we
don't see it. For my guys, am, you gotta leave
(20:16):
a thirty team. You might have seven, like maybe four,
maybe five to seven guys that like, wow, I want
to see it. It's twenty three other teams. If you
don't want to seek it's it's just it's just it's
just not basketball them on Analytic or whatever, these googles.
You know, three shoot threes, don't shoot two. That's they
don't care about free throws them and you can turn
(20:37):
the ball over twelve thirteen times in the quarter. It's okay,
it is amazing. But the one team that I love
and the way that they play and the dog and
now hard they play and they play defense. I love
the Clippers. I love that group. I love what they
added to you know what they had last year? Old
do you like the Clippers to maybe win the championships
(20:59):
as a scared team. You know, you got a great
coach and doctor and his staff to Toron, Lou and
all them Sam Coase, Sail, you other guys over there,
but they just they like last year, you get them,
you know, they came on strong. They made the playoff
with just about nothing. So you ad two monkey players
to that team, a guy who won the championship just
and then you get Paul George and you got some
(21:21):
guys trapping off the bench, Peril and the Lou and
uh with Lou Willam. Lou Willam is you know he's
a straight pro herald, he's a pro. And you put
them too with the mother too, and you can throw
anybody and send him. And I think what Doctor has
been doing is trying to just get to do the
chemistry at it for late this season. Right now, it's
gonna be up and down. You're gonna win the five
loose too. I mean, I think the Clippers is the
(21:44):
only team gonna give Ellie a problem if they play.
Who you get? Who would you go with? Right now?
Is the favorite between those two? Uh, I want to
see him play because I know it's gonna be a
good game, get some of the best with Lebron and
Anthony Davis against Paul on to quite Lana. I think
it will come down to coach and if if it happened,
(22:06):
Doctor had to enter for the coach experience and uh,
but I don't know, man, he just it's hard to tell.
I wanted to go seven because I will. You know,
I would hate to see you know, I like both teams,
but I'm a Lebron guy, so you know what I'm
going with the Lakers. Charles Oakley, former NBA All Star
joined I hope you like you said you Lebron gout.
(22:28):
You know Lebron, well, you've been on this show the shop,
you know, you know mav and all those guys. He
one thing I like about his approach this year. You
know there hasn't been any drama. You know he has
to complain. We need this, we need that. He's just
playing well and playing every night. Why do you think
there's been a change in him in that regard? And
(22:48):
you know he's not saying you know all that. I mean,
you got the best second, third, best record, the second
number one West, second in the league. But I think that, uh,
I mean the Lakers play cup. I think they played court.
They played the courting who they played for us that
night of the game, and you got to see him
lose two in a row maybe once a year. But
(23:11):
the locals, Lebron is the captain and the leader, the
guy who keep everybody together and do things with the teammates,
and you don't see that so long here on the team.
The Leakers got a chance. But I think that Anthony Davis,
you know what he says is out on him. What
can he do when Lebron on the floor, what can
he do? So Anthon Davis, you know he's a he's
(23:34):
a game changing players. Is he stayed healthy and uh,
I don't know. I don't know he's saying the Leakers
more players. I don't think nobody need players. The league
is real balance for everybody got two guys that it's
just you got to play basketball. That's what the nineties boys,
you played basketball. Everybody basically had the same type of team.
Just you know, your best players, just for the ride
to the case. Oh a lot. One thing a lot
(23:55):
of people might not know about you is that you're
a great cook. Some people know, um, but you're a
great cook. A two part question. One what's your best
dish that you could and too? How'd you get so
much into cooking my best dish? Well, lately they've been
going crazy Turcolasien that's one. And they love my oxtails.
(24:17):
I send some of that up to the eye. When
you coming to La, I mean you know always I'm coming.
I'm coming for uh Kobe uh service point four. Yeah,
I got to come. I mean I was around Kobe.
I mean I just think this guy just like hey,
it just attracted is just you know, go out, you
(24:38):
know Banessa and the mother three girls and g I mean,
you know that's gonna be on these guys for a
long time. I mean, I don't think that gonna die
down no time in the least five or six years,
because it's just he's so much global and people didn't
know about until this happened. Like when I was watching
the tennis and I see, joke, I've been done. I've
been doing with Kobe for ten years. He's like a
(24:59):
mentors to me, and it's like, wow, I was just open. Yeah,
no doubt, but go ahead. Yeah, that that was it.
I was gonna just say, OK, you know, I've been
in this business thirty four years, and I say this
with all sincerity. You were one of my favorite players
that I ever covered covering sports and covering the Knicks
(25:19):
and the Nats and the Cincinnati Reds really because you
were just the pros pro and I think a lot
of guys don't get like, like what our job is
and dealing with the press and we're not the enemy,
do you know what I mean? And I really appreciated
how you handled dealing with the thin. Well. My thing
I always tell guys you ain't always right, But my
(25:39):
thing is people thing's gonna happen and sometimes you can't
control things, but just be hey, I tell guy, you
tell your harder, you play your best. The players ain't over.
Katie was so much right bad about you, but they
got the story to write. I mean, I never got
into with no writers or whatever like this, Nekel. I
talked to everybody, and I was honest with guys, and
(26:00):
you know how to get call with press. But people
are like you know, like to this day, people referees
or pressed or whoever come to me. I mean, I
wasn't the greatest of what I did, but people respect
me and that's all I get back in respect, no doubt,
no doubt. Thank you, all right, we appreciate you, guys.
All Right. The problem
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
Cup Off with Chris Brush and Rod Harker. You got something.
This shouldn't be surprising, but you have something negative to
say about the Lakers coming off of that win. I
can't wait to hear what in the world you're gonna
(00:42):
choose to rip them about it. It's just not based
on totally that win or ripping them because they beat
the Suns by twenty five or whatever. I love the
way everybody thinks that the Lakers are like this shoewin
to go to the Western Conference Finals and they're gonna
play the Clippers and it's gonna be a seven game
series and they might win and go to the I'm
(01:04):
just not there at all, Chris, and it's because of
a couple things. I said this early on in the
season when they started what it was, It twenty three
and four, rob g is that what? It was? Twenty
three and four and everybody was ranting and raving and
oh my god, look at the Lakers and they weren't
beating anybody. And I was like, what is Lebron James doing?
(01:26):
What is he? What is he getting crazy for trying
to prove something. I was like, dude, you're in year seventeen.
It ain't about the regular season. It ain't about having
this great record. It's about the postseason and a chance
to win a championship. And now here we go, all
of a sudden, Lebron James is in the slump. I know,
(01:49):
last night wasn't that great. They want it was easy.
But Lebron is averaging twenty one point eight points, forty
four shooting, and five turnovers the game, and the Lakers
are four and two. This is in those last six games.
Both of those losses came at home, so they were
in the mini slump. And this is all since Kobe died.
(02:12):
Remember you were saying like he had big shoulders, broad shoulders,
shoulder the thing, right, And I'm just looking at this
team since that start. And you remember they played the Bucks.
They both had the identical records, Bucks beat them or whatever.
Ever since then, they're like sixteen and nine. Okay, I
knew they were gonna win at that clip, that they
(02:33):
will running. But they've come back to earth. Their record
is five and six against the top four teams in
both conferences. That's not great, right, So I'm here. I'm
here to say that I'm not so convinced that they're
that they're going to be in the Western Conference Finals.
And again, I will say right here, right now, Chris,
(02:56):
that I believe that their championship frauds. I don't see
them getting there beating First of all, they're not going
to beat the Clippers, no matter if it's a second
round or in the conference final. But I really I'm
not even positive that they will be as one a
unit that for sure is going to beat the team
in the second round and for sure it's going to
(03:17):
get to the Western Conference finals. So let me ask,
just for clarifications sake, if if if the Lakers are
championship frauds, am I correct in assuming that you think
there are only two teams in the NBA who are
not championship frauds? Absolutely, Okay, I do want to think
the Clippers in the Bucks. Those are the two teams
(03:39):
I think that having a real realistic chance of winning
the champions Lakers don't even have those realistic chances. I
don't believe Chris. I get the regular season wins, and
there's a lot of bad teams in the NBA, and
I'm not knocking them for winning those games they're in
front of them. But from what I've seen, the inconsistency,
the dog that the fight. How about a D and
(04:03):
his fourth quarters you've given You've given us all the numbers,
they're ugly. You will not win a championship with a
D putting out those numbers Chris in the fourth quarter.
He's going to have to be one of those elite
players to make this thing work. I'm not I'm not
I'm not there. I'm not sure it's on him though.
I'm not there or not even playing him six minutes
(04:24):
a game in the fourth quarter. I'm just saying, and
when he's playing, he's not doing much. I'm not there
with h Kyle Kuzma. Uh, He's made some adjustments, Chris,
but not enough. They need him to be a different
type of player than he has been. Maybe he gets
it after the All Star break and it changes and
he accepts his role and he starts to play winning basketball,
(04:46):
not chuck up basketball. Maybe I'm maybe I'll be wrong
and he'll develop and he'll give him that that that piece.
But I'm not convinced that the Lakers are who most
people thought they were, which was they're going to the
NBAH Chchampionship and they're gonna they're gonna take out anybody
once they had two of the three top players in
(05:06):
the NBA, that they were going to be there. Well,
first of all, Rob, I think you will admit this,
most people had the Clippers better than the Lakers, don't
you think preseason most now it was there are a
number of people would include me initially right they had
the Layers, there was I think people view the Clippers
(05:27):
as slightly better. And I think as time has gone on,
they are better and they've gotten better, and they're not
even all the way there, Chris, And that's the part
that I'm saying. There will be more time for them
to gel and the second half of the season. Everybody
could pooh Pool Marcus Morris or whatever you want, I
love to pick up. He fits with them like a
(05:49):
glove He's a nice pickup. They didn't have to wreck
what they already had, their their their core. They didn't
have to give up anybody like that to make it happen.
I just love what I see from them seventeen and
five when Kawhi and Paul Georgia playing, that's a nice record.
I like the Clippers a lot, and I'm not so
(06:09):
sure or sold on the Lakers. So I'm gonna say
right now they could get knocked out in the second
round and not even make it to the Western Conference.
The Lakers are not championship frauds. Now, I do think
the Clippers are slightly better. I do think the Clippers
should be the favorite in the West, But there's no
way the Lakers are championship frauds. They have a shot.
(06:31):
There is a path for them to beat the Clippers
and get to the West to the NBA Finals. And
before I say that, there is nobody, not Memphis, not
Oklahoma City, not Denver, not Utah, and not Houston that
can beat the LA Lakers. The only team in the
(06:53):
West that can beat the Lakers is the Clippers, and
it's close. I'm not buying that. I think it could
be had if they're not right, not n J. We're
already seeing them wear down a little bit. All right,
here's where because you're right. The last three games, I
mentioned this on on Undisputed this morning. Last three games,
he's averaged seven turnovers a game. He's shooting forty percent
(07:16):
from the floor, averaging nineteen points. I personality is his speculation. Personally,
I think he's still a bit shook by Kobe Bryant's pass.
And that could be fair. I'm not I'm not even
gonna poo poo it. It could be fair when when
when you're a guy of that caliber and you have
a friendship or you know what I mean, uh uh,
(07:37):
what's George friends? A fraternity? Right? When you played it?
Only a certain amount of people get to be a professional.
Beyond that, there's a fraternity that stirs. This is beyond
the fraternity of being a professional basketball player or a
professional athlete. There's another fraternity, as you know, and that's
(07:59):
super duper star. This isn't even Hall of Fame, right,
We're talking about the elite of the Hall of Fame.
And most people felt like obviously we knew at some
time everybody dies, okay, but there was this feeling that
Kobe's immortal. No Skip said it on the shows Kip
(08:20):
Bayless the day after. I just felt, there's no way
Kobe's He's gonna conquer that helicopter crash or whatever. He's
gonna get up. He was the one to make it.
He wouldn't make it out and Lebron James is on
that level. I'm sure Kobe felt like he was immortal.
I'm sure Lebron James felt like he was immortal, and
(08:41):
now he probably has had to deal with his mortality.
I agree with that, So I think it might be.
I think that happens to a lot of people, especially Chris,
when somebody close to you or or friend, when you
see somebody die, you go wow, like you know, like
like we were just cool yesterday last week, got saw
him or whatever, and he's gone. It was all good
(09:03):
just a week ago exactly, and he's gone, and you
realize how fragile life is. Right, So I think that's
what's happening. And Lebron, everybody's jumping on. He's averaging thirty
four and a half minutes a game. This is the
lowest of his career. Okay, let's not let the fact
that Kawhi Leonard sits out once every two weeks, and
that's really what it is. Make us misjudge other players.
(09:27):
Minutes thirty, Rob, you covered the league when the bad
Boy Pistons Michael Jordan. They were routinely playing forty minutes
a night. Thirty four minutes is fine. So I look,
if he wears down, it's just he's thirty five years old,
he's his seventeen season. It was bound to happen. But
I don't think because he's gone too hard too early.
(09:49):
Be sure 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 app. You know, we talked about it yesterday, the
story that Joel Sherman broke about changing the playoff. Some
things in the playoffs in baseball go into Rather than
(10:11):
ten teams, making it five in each league, it would
be fourteen seven in each league. Uh. And then the
number one sees pick right. Number one season we get
going by and then the other teams get to pick
you want to play and Trevor Bauer uh did not
like it, to say the least here's what he's said. Rob.
(10:33):
That's right, he said on Twitter. No idea who made
this new playoff format proposal, but Rob is responsible for
releasing it. So I'll direct this to you, Rob Manfred,
your proposal is absurd for too many reasons to type
on Twitter and proves you have absolutely no clue about baseball.
You are a joke. Wow, Commission Baseball, that's who he is. Wow.
(11:00):
And uh, that is pretty strong. I mean, that's no respect.
And you know the best thing is Trevor Bauer didn't
ask Alex for that. You know, like it takes it
to mess when you have to take it if you
if you're making your points and you're saying your thing,
Alex already knows, like I never have to direct him.
He knows when I've said something that's right. Never get
(11:21):
Mike jobs because I can't even remember the last time
you have. I don't have to do a mic drop.
But he knows when I'm wanted, he put he plays
the music. I don't have to cricket. I don't have to.
I don't have to prompt him for you to feel
good about yourself. Give you some warning, you know, I
know what you know it's coming. I already know what's
going on because I can say Mike drop and he
(11:43):
don't drop it. So when I say Mike drop, it's appropriate.
Sometimes I get it. I'm working on the show with
Rob Ge. We're trying to fix like what Chris is doing,
and we're texting. I'm telling you, Chris, you know, needs
to do this or do that, and Rob g will
be like, yeah, I know, hanging there, do what you
gotta do. Look, yeah, that's exactly what I'm doing, Craig Melviy.
(12:08):
But I look, I think and again speculation. I think
what Trevor Bauer is talking about is the notion that
you would actually get to pick your opponent in the playoffs.
I don't think he has a problem, or certainly not
that type of problem, like there's another wrong with proposing
more playoff teams making I would find it hard to
(12:31):
believe that Trevor Bauer had this type of response to
the potential increase of two playoff teams in each league,
and I have no problem with it. What I do think, though,
is absurd. I think it's bush league. I think it's playground.
I think it's sad lot picking your opponent and what
(12:53):
if we ridiculous? Is professional baseball? And what have we
talked about? Chris, You can criticize baseball for a lot
of things. I don't hear people complaining about the playoff
system or at all, like people the playoffs are good,
right right, and I think they wanted to know. But
I'm saying, like, really like their things to fix. But
(13:13):
I'm not sure if that's that should be top on.
Will you admit this though? The one now, it's thrilling,
it's great, but the one game playoff that's kind of rough.
It is baseball one hundred sixty two games comes down
to one. But what I like about it is you're
not Before wild card teams were winning the World Series
(13:35):
and almost like had had not an advantage, but they
shouldn't have any advantage, Like you didn't win your division,
you got in, you got a chance. I love the
way they made the two wild cards played each other, Chris.
Before it wasn't like that it was one wild card,
they were playing a division winner. I don't think that's fair.
So you got the two wild cards. Only one wild
(13:57):
card team can be in the mix on any from
each league, and I thought that that was for what
if you made that a three game series, I wouldn't
have I honestly don't have a problem with four. But
but you don't have. You you very seldom have the
single elimination game, which is fun, it is thrilling, and
you get people to watch that because one game, everybody's like,
(14:21):
I want to see wins this, but I don't. I
don't blame baseball for one. Look, the playoffs is our
best time of the year. Let's expand it because it's
still gonna Look, if they do do this, they gotta
get rid of the picking your own opponent. I mean,
I can't imagine they'll do that unless they just expand it.
(14:41):
Don't you think it'll be great? Honestly, I know you
you philosophic instant, but it's gonna be excited only because
I just don't want to because I know what's gonna happen.
If they do that, then it'll go to sixteen, you
know what I mean, Christian, because you get greedy, because
you get great, Then there is a threshold might be
too many. Yeah, the NBA with the seven game series
(15:02):
always like I don't have a problem with him. Now
seven games, everybody here is the problem? Five games. You'd
have too many upsets, is he? You know? Be sure
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 iHeartRadio app.
Well we wait on the oak. There's another outspoken player
(15:26):
in today's game who's making all sorts of noise. Kevin Durray. Oh,
is he outspoken? I would have never imagined here. He
was on the All the Smoke podcast and they had
to just slowly release the excerpts because there were so
many hot excerpts from ka Do you remember last week
we talked about a few things that he said, and
(15:49):
this week he said something about his Oklahoma City teammates
here it is, well, okay, see we played with I
played with a lot of athletes. I didn't play with
a lot of skill guys, not like shooters, trip ball handlers.
So after Wow, my game started to grow, I was like,
I need to change. This is before the season even started,
you know what I mean. It's like, I'm gonna play
out my last season as hard as I can and
I'm not telling anybody I want to leave. I'm not
(16:10):
packing in. I'm trying to win as much as we
can and trying to end this out right. That was
my thinking going in before the year. I was tired
of planning that system. I was tired of like having
to be the only guy that can made three make
jump shots and consistently make them. All Right, that's Kevin Duran.
We're gonna bringing our man. We've been talking about him
when we're All Star for the nixt Charlotte. What's up?
(16:33):
What's up? Man? I'm in the land. You know what
we do. I was gonna ask you, so you in
Cleveland right now? Yeah, man, I wouldn't you know. I'm
with the promotion we play robber Hood. So we uh
did Brooklyn. We went to you know, in the mephist Church. Okay,
we cooking event for like three hundred people. Came man
having sound. The Union Station did three hundred. So came
(16:56):
to Cleveland. We did a thousand the day Brothers Hunch
and dinner. Thousand people. That's great. Many people people need
food in this country. I don't no doubt especial people,
you know, trying to get big stuff back on track. Everybody,
everybody here. There's a lot of chuckholes in Detroit and Cleveland.
So people gotta blow out tide trying to get back
on the road. So who's truch trying to helping people out?
(17:18):
That's great man. Speaking of Brooklyn Oakley, we just heard,
uh Kevin Durant. We played a little excerpt. Have you
been following like him on social media? Going back and
forth with fans and just recently was on all the
smoke podcasts and killing his OKC teammates, Like, what's your
take on k Then how he handles social media and
all that burner counts all that stuff. I mean they
(17:41):
said a lot of people got burner. I mean he
just then himself. That's what he'd like to do. I mean,
never talk about the hustles he can if he can
deal with it in the real world. You know, I
guess some people do a lot of stuff and don't
shy face, and I mean I don't get called in
these guys different. I mean, it's a new cycle NBA basketball,
and guys run the league, they run the team, they
(18:02):
run the company, running age, and they running whatever. So
I ain't got nothing the man about it. After he
won two championship with Golder state that the two biggest
side of NBA history, back to back. I have no
complaints about him. Let him do him. No, I've said,
as long as he can produce somebody court. It's just
it's just seems like, if you're that talented, just let
(18:25):
you know, let your play speak for itself. What do
you care if somebody uh and then mother's grandmother's basement
oak is tweeting something about you? You know, why, why
would you care? It's a sensitive league. Get you don't
get its dissensitive? Yes, I mean, you know the tragic
you know Kobe and they had a rootprint of him
(18:48):
coming in to see what you had to do to
be a Tiger and the jungle or whatever. The play
basketball and he sports came in the era. I mean,
I don't know it just man, I'm telling you, y'all
see this sickness basketball going on ninety and night out.
I mean, look at Okase doing. They don't have nothing.
Look what Memphis doing, they don't have nothing, right well,
(19:09):
they hold they own and you know all they got
was Memphis got a number two pick in the draft.
Just playing within itself. I love how he playing. I mean,
so I don't know, people just dropping the wrong people
just had to find somebody with some soul. They got
to go to these small schools against somebody who understand
how tough of the teleconi. The big school they give
(19:30):
them everything. Oh, what do you think about the new
style of play? I mean when you played, you know,
you were a power forward. You rebound and you hit
me rain shots. That's kind of disappeared the type of
player you were disappeared from the NBA. It's all three
pointers now, right, Like, how do you feel about the
new style of playing the NBA? Well, it's about a dollar, right,
(19:53):
and the money's global, right yep. And now when I
played the league, my head for the five ercent go
over play a ninety five, a gap thirty to thirty five.
So they followed the money. It's a money trail. Anybody
somebody to get the bag in the back. Global. So
what what we used to see in good basketball, we
don't see it. For my guys, am, you gotta leave
(20:16):
a thirty team. You might have seven, like maybe four,
maybe five to seven guys that like, wow, I want
to see it. It's twenty three other teams. If you
don't want to seek it's it's just it's just it's
just not basketball them on Analytic or whatever, these googles.
You know, three shoot threes, don't shoot two. That's they
don't care about free throws them and you can turn
(20:37):
the ball over twelve thirteen times in the quarter. It's okay,
it is amazing. But the one team that I love
and the way that they play and the dog and
now hard they play and they play defense. I love
the Clippers. I love that group. I love what they
added to you know what they had last year? Old
do you like the Clippers to maybe win the championships
(20:59):
as a scared team. You know, you got a great
coach and doctor and his staff to Toron, Lou and
all them Sam Coase, Sail, you other guys over there,
but they just they like last year, you get them,
you know, they came on strong. They made the playoff
with just about nothing. So you ad two monkey players
to that team, a guy who won the championship just
and then you get Paul George and you got some
(21:21):
guys trapping off the bench, Peril and the Lou and
uh with Lou Willam. Lou Willam is you know he's
a straight pro herald, he's a pro. And you put
them too with the mother too, and you can throw
anybody and send him. And I think what Doctor has
been doing is trying to just get to do the
chemistry at it for late this season. Right now, it's
gonna be up and down. You're gonna win the five
loose too. I mean, I think the Clippers is the
(21:44):
only team gonna give Ellie a problem if they play.
Who you get? Who would you go with? Right now?
Is the favorite between those two? Uh, I want to
see him play because I know it's gonna be a
good game, get some of the best with Lebron and
Anthony Davis against Paul on to quite Lana. I think
it will come down to coach and if if it happened,
(22:06):
Doctor had to enter for the coach experience and uh,
but I don't know, man, he just it's hard to tell.
I wanted to go seven because I will. You know,
I would hate to see you know, I like both teams,
but I'm a Lebron guy, so you know what I'm
going with the Lakers. Charles Oakley, former NBA All Star
joined I hope you like you said you Lebron gout.
(22:28):
You know Lebron, well, you've been on this show the shop,
you know, you know mav and all those guys. He
one thing I like about his approach this year. You
know there hasn't been any drama. You know he has
to complain. We need this, we need that. He's just
playing well and playing every night. Why do you think
there's been a change in him in that regard? And
(22:48):
you know he's not saying you know all that. I mean,
you got the best second, third, best record, the second
number one West, second in the league. But I think that, uh,
I mean the Lakers play cup. I think they played court.
They played the courting who they played for us that
night of the game, and you got to see him
lose two in a row maybe once a year. But
(23:11):
the locals, Lebron is the captain and the leader, the
guy who keep everybody together and do things with the teammates,
and you don't see that so long here on the team.
The Leakers got a chance. But I think that Anthony Davis,
you know what he says is out on him. What
can he do when Lebron on the floor, what can
he do? So Anthon Davis, you know he's a he's
(23:34):
a game changing players. Is he stayed healthy and uh,
I don't know. I don't know he's saying the Leakers
more players. I don't think nobody need players. The league
is real balance for everybody got two guys that it's
just you got to play basketball. That's what the nineties boys,
you played basketball. Everybody basically had the same type of team.
Just you know, your best players, just for the ride
to the case. Oh a lot. One thing a lot
(23:55):
of people might not know about you is that you're
a great cook. Some people know, um, but you're a
great cook. A two part question. One what's your best
dish that you could and too? How'd you get so
much into cooking my best dish? Well, lately they've been
going crazy Turcolasien that's one. And they love my oxtails.
(24:17):
I send some of that up to the eye. When
you coming to La, I mean you know always I'm coming.
I'm coming for uh Kobe uh service point four. Yeah,
I got to come. I mean I was around Kobe.
I mean I just think this guy just like hey,
it just attracted is just you know, go out, you
(24:38):
know Banessa and the mother three girls and g I mean,
you know that's gonna be on these guys for a
long time. I mean, I don't think that gonna die
down no time in the least five or six years,
because it's just he's so much global and people didn't
know about until this happened. Like when I was watching
the tennis and I see, joke, I've been done. I've
been doing with Kobe for ten years. He's like a
(24:59):
mentors to me, and it's like, wow, I was just open. Yeah,
no doubt, but go ahead. Yeah, that that was it.
I was gonna just say, OK, you know, I've been
in this business thirty four years, and I say this
with all sincerity. You were one of my favorite players
that I ever covered covering sports and covering the Knicks
(25:19):
and the Nats and the Cincinnati Reds really because you
were just the pros pro and I think a lot
of guys don't get like, like what our job is
and dealing with the press and we're not the enemy,
do you know what I mean? And I really appreciated
how you handled dealing with the thin. Well. My thing
I always tell guys you ain't always right, But my
(25:39):
thing is people thing's gonna happen and sometimes you can't
control things, but just be hey, I tell guy, you
tell your harder, you play your best. The players ain't over.
Katie was so much right bad about you, but they
got the story to write. I mean, I never got
into with no writers or whatever like this, Nekel. I
talked to everybody, and I was honest with guys, and
(26:00):
you know how to get call with press. But people
are like you know, like to this day, people referees
or pressed or whoever come to me. I mean, I
wasn't the greatest of what I did, but people respect
me and that's all I get back in respect, no doubt,
no doubt. Thank you, all right, we appreciate you, guys.
All Right. The problem
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kelvin washington
Rob Parker
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