WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.120 --> 00:00:03.600 Next on the Drive, Tim McMahon dropping dimes for your 2 00:00:03.720 --> 00:00:05.040 NBA daily assists. 3 00:00:07.360 --> 00:00:14.800 Van McMahon, Van McMahan batted in a Land, Texas flood 4 00:00:14.919 --> 00:00:23.079 as tickets Mud, He's man, Van McMahon, Van McMahan, the 5 00:00:23.519 --> 00:00:24.320 man Man. 6 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:37.000 What a night of NBA playoff action last night? 7 00:00:37.159 --> 00:00:40.679 Hoping for the same tonight, two hours away from Indiana 8 00:00:40.719 --> 00:00:42.520 and Cleveland, and the late night game is. 9 00:00:42.520 --> 00:00:45.840 Golden State, Minnesota. Our next guest. 10 00:00:46.320 --> 00:00:47.359 You know him, you love him. 11 00:00:47.679 --> 00:00:51.359 He's very popular, he's very famous. His star has blown 12 00:00:51.479 --> 00:00:52.000 up this year. 13 00:00:52.159 --> 00:00:55.679 Celebrity reporter himself, Tim McMahon on a Tuesday, Timmy, Happy Tuesday. 14 00:00:55.679 --> 00:00:59.039 How are you, howdy, partner? I think you might be 15 00:00:59.119 --> 00:01:02.119 exaggerating a little. Then I'm walking through the streets of 16 00:01:02.159 --> 00:01:04.640 Oklahoma City right now, and I'd get to be stopped 17 00:01:04.680 --> 00:01:06.280 for selfie or auto request. 18 00:01:06.840 --> 00:01:09.680 Well, then they don't know who's walking down their streets. 19 00:01:09.799 --> 00:01:13.319 Because you know, ultimately, you were featured prominently on television 20 00:01:13.400 --> 00:01:15.920 last night. Did anybody send you a screen? Did anybody 21 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:19.200 send you a screenshot of your reaction Darren Gordon's dunk? 22 00:01:20.439 --> 00:01:22.359 Yeah? And you know what that actually reminds me of? 23 00:01:23.040 --> 00:01:26.599 You remember the Donovan Mitchell put back in a playoff 24 00:01:26.680 --> 00:01:30.040 game in Houston, YEP, where he followed his he missed 25 00:01:30.120 --> 00:01:32.359 like the little I remember it as a floater or 26 00:01:32.359 --> 00:01:34.879 a short little jumper, but he followed him up with 27 00:01:35.040 --> 00:01:38.640 like a one to two and just jumped and soared 28 00:01:38.760 --> 00:01:42.439 through the crowd and slammed that thing home. And it 29 00:01:42.519 --> 00:01:44.879 was the same type of deal where you know those 30 00:01:44.920 --> 00:01:47.359 type of plays, you're gonna get six or seven replays, 31 00:01:48.040 --> 00:01:51.680 and the last replay I just happened to be in 32 00:01:51.799 --> 00:01:55.079 the uh in the background of it, and I had 33 00:01:55.120 --> 00:01:58.799 a similar face, at least on this one. I kept 34 00:01:58.840 --> 00:02:01.799 my hands down because on the Donovan Mitchell play had 35 00:02:01.840 --> 00:02:04.920 a similar face, but I covered the top of my 36 00:02:05.040 --> 00:02:09.599 head with my two hands. So not my first rodeo. 37 00:02:09.680 --> 00:02:16.319 In terms of a visual appreciation of the acrobatic arts 38 00:02:16.479 --> 00:02:18.360 in the NBA playoffs, I remember that. 39 00:02:18.800 --> 00:02:21.719 And I had three friends last night within five minutes 40 00:02:21.800 --> 00:02:23.520 text me the picture of you with your jaw on 41 00:02:23.599 --> 00:02:25.879 the floor after Aaron Gordon dunked on chet. So I 42 00:02:25.919 --> 00:02:28.000 thought that was kind of fun. I thought that was 43 00:02:28.080 --> 00:02:30.080 kind of fun. Tim fun night last night. But before 44 00:02:30.080 --> 00:02:33.280 we get there, there actually is some news about our 45 00:02:33.560 --> 00:02:37.120 local basketball team that was surprising to say the least. 46 00:02:37.199 --> 00:02:40.240 Will Hardy had already had two options picked up, so 47 00:02:40.400 --> 00:02:42.599 he had two more years left on his contract. 48 00:02:42.680 --> 00:02:43.759 Well, now he. 49 00:02:43.960 --> 00:02:47.759 Has six excuse me seven, with an extra five as 50 00:02:47.840 --> 00:02:51.479 he has signed an extension through the twenty thirty one season. 51 00:02:51.960 --> 00:02:54.680 Your thoughts on news that kind of caught some people 52 00:02:54.719 --> 00:02:56.199 off guard out this way. 53 00:02:57.280 --> 00:02:59.719 Yeah, I certainly was aware that this is something that 54 00:02:59.800 --> 00:03:04.319 had been discussed and that was something that was a possibility. 55 00:03:05.039 --> 00:03:07.240 I didn't realize it was as supposed to finish line 56 00:03:07.240 --> 00:03:14.520 as obviously it was a look, man, it is a strong, firm, 57 00:03:14.800 --> 00:03:20.159 concrete commitment to will Hardy that obviously, and really what 58 00:03:20.319 --> 00:03:23.400 this is is a message from not just Justin x 59 00:03:23.400 --> 00:03:26.199 Anak and Danny Age, the most importantly Ryan Smith, their 60 00:03:26.280 --> 00:03:28.960 belief and their confidence and their commitment to Will Hardy 61 00:03:29.639 --> 00:03:33.719 has not waivered one bit despite the record. And we 62 00:03:33.840 --> 00:03:37.479 all understand, anybody who knows basketball, knows the NBA understands 63 00:03:37.520 --> 00:03:40.719 the record this year is not a reflection of will 64 00:03:40.759 --> 00:03:44.639 Hardy's coaching ability, of his acumen, of his you know, 65 00:03:44.960 --> 00:03:49.439 book potential in that role, and this obviously very strongly 66 00:03:49.560 --> 00:03:52.280 backs it up. And look, Danny Age has made these 67 00:03:52.360 --> 00:03:56.680 kind of long term commitments, you know, during rebuilds before 68 00:03:56.759 --> 00:03:59.840 he maybe the Brad Stevens that obviously worked out. It's 69 00:04:00.080 --> 00:04:03.039 ordinarily well for the Boston Celtics, and this is a 70 00:04:03.120 --> 00:04:08.240 similar type of situation where they are very adamant that 71 00:04:08.479 --> 00:04:12.280 they have found their long term head coach, and I 72 00:04:12.439 --> 00:04:15.759 think reasonably so. I think that you know, Will honestly 73 00:04:16.959 --> 00:04:19.399 had been too good for the dad for what they're 74 00:04:19.439 --> 00:04:22.360 trying to accomplish early on, and it's I don't mean 75 00:04:22.439 --> 00:04:25.399 too good for the franchise, been too good for you know, 76 00:04:26.040 --> 00:04:28.000 they were winning too much early on in his tendure. 77 00:04:28.079 --> 00:04:29.959 And then that was a large part because he was 78 00:04:30.360 --> 00:04:32.759 you know, taking a collection of kind of misfit toys 79 00:04:32.839 --> 00:04:36.759 and turn it into uh, you know, a puzzle that 80 00:04:36.959 --> 00:04:40.199 that fit and was producted and so you know, they 81 00:04:40.279 --> 00:04:42.519 backed that up with the with the contract. I don't 82 00:04:42.519 --> 00:04:45.399 know what the numbers are, but obviously the numbers were 83 00:04:45.759 --> 00:04:48.399 high enough for Will to be comfortable, Will to be 84 00:04:48.439 --> 00:04:51.160 appreciative of the commitment they made and for him to 85 00:04:51.240 --> 00:04:51.959 reciprocate that. 86 00:04:52.480 --> 00:04:55.439 So, since you reference that you had some knowledge that 87 00:04:55.519 --> 00:04:58.079 these talks were going on, can you illuminate us on 88 00:04:59.560 --> 00:05:01.800 how would all well came to be, what the motivation was? 89 00:05:01.920 --> 00:05:05.720 You know, when Greg Popovich unfortunately had his stroke and 90 00:05:05.839 --> 00:05:07.639 a lot of people wondered what was the future in 91 00:05:07.720 --> 00:05:10.639 San Antonio. I heard some people bring Will's name up, 92 00:05:10.680 --> 00:05:14.000 but of course under contract here. Ironically enough, Tim, a 93 00:05:14.079 --> 00:05:18.439 few years back, you on our show talked about you know, 94 00:05:18.519 --> 00:05:19.959 when I said, do you think Quinn is going to 95 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:22.519 stick around after this whole iteration? You said, well, Pop 96 00:05:22.680 --> 00:05:26.279 goes Quinn might slide in there. Of course he lands 97 00:05:26.279 --> 00:05:29.800 in Atlanta. Can you help us understand how this process 98 00:05:29.920 --> 00:05:31.920 came to be and what the motivation was for both 99 00:05:32.000 --> 00:05:32.879 sides to get this done. 100 00:05:33.959 --> 00:05:37.600 Yeah again, Like I think I just mentioned the motivation, 101 00:05:37.800 --> 00:05:40.639 and that's Will's the heck of a coach, and you know, 102 00:05:40.759 --> 00:05:44.759 Will believe there's a mutual belief the front office and 103 00:05:44.800 --> 00:05:48.000 the ownership and Will and vice versa. You know, Will's 104 00:05:48.040 --> 00:05:51.160 belief that Jay Z and Danny Ames, who the support 105 00:05:51.240 --> 00:05:53.879 of Ryan Smith are going to be able to build 106 00:05:54.759 --> 00:05:56.879 a roster there in Utah that's going to give him 107 00:05:56.879 --> 00:05:59.160 a chance to be competitive. Look, it's not going to 108 00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:02.040 be right away, regardless of the results of the Watery, 109 00:06:02.120 --> 00:06:03.839 it's not going to be right away. It's going to 110 00:06:03.879 --> 00:06:09.800 be a process, but you know it is. They've they've 111 00:06:09.879 --> 00:06:12.120 got a group that that believes in each other and 112 00:06:12.399 --> 00:06:15.040 they're all on board. They're all aligned, you know, and 113 00:06:15.160 --> 00:06:18.279 that's important and I think gives them a real chance. 114 00:06:19.000 --> 00:06:22.000 As far as exactly how the process, I I can't 115 00:06:22.079 --> 00:06:25.519 really tell you that because I I don't have that information, 116 00:06:26.399 --> 00:06:29.319 uh strong enough there. You're right though about the Spurs 117 00:06:29.360 --> 00:06:32.000 in the in the sense of, you know, Will's name 118 00:06:32.040 --> 00:06:36.160 had absolutely come up with that and that's honestly, that's 119 00:06:36.160 --> 00:06:38.759 where the timing is a little bit interesting that this 120 00:06:38.959 --> 00:06:42.759 happened after the Spurs. So it's not like, you know, uh, 121 00:06:43.839 --> 00:06:47.720 this isn't a situation where Will had the leverage of Hey, 122 00:06:47.879 --> 00:06:51.279 san Antonio jobs open because they had filter, you know, 123 00:06:51.319 --> 00:06:55.079 they had committed to Mitch Johnson. So that part of 124 00:06:55.160 --> 00:06:58.800 things are is interesting. And I don't have like a 125 00:06:58.920 --> 00:07:02.680 solid answer for you on that, you know, I just 126 00:07:02.759 --> 00:07:05.639 know that I think Will Hardy has proven that he 127 00:07:05.839 --> 00:07:08.879 is an extremely capable of his coach and I don't 128 00:07:08.879 --> 00:07:11.160 blame if it has one bit. We want to get 129 00:07:11.240 --> 00:07:12.319 him locked up long term. 130 00:07:12.680 --> 00:07:14.360 What is one more thing here? 131 00:07:14.439 --> 00:07:16.040 Then we'll get on to teams that you know, are 132 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:19.519 actually still playing basketball. But what's the reputation of Will 133 00:07:19.839 --> 00:07:22.800 around the league? You know, we had we had Jeff 134 00:07:22.839 --> 00:07:25.160 van gunny on right after they hired Will, and before 135 00:07:25.240 --> 00:07:27.959 Jeff took the Boston job. Unfortunately, you can't join us anymore. 136 00:07:27.959 --> 00:07:29.959 He's an assistant with the Clippers. But Jeff coach with 137 00:07:30.040 --> 00:07:33.040 Will for Team USA. So we offered some good kind 138 00:07:33.079 --> 00:07:36.240 of color and context. But league wide, the reputation of 139 00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:37.920 Will Hardy, tim what does that sound like? 140 00:07:38.920 --> 00:07:40.920 I mean, the reputation of Will is that one is 141 00:07:41.000 --> 00:07:44.240 that he's one of the great young coaches in the NBA. 142 00:07:44.920 --> 00:07:48.040 And you know, again, you saw the last two seasons, 143 00:07:48.120 --> 00:07:51.240 not this year, but the previous two years of Jazz Basketball, 144 00:07:51.240 --> 00:07:54.639 where they were way more competitive than looking at their 145 00:07:54.759 --> 00:07:58.279 roster they should have been, you know, competitive to the 146 00:07:58.360 --> 00:08:01.720 point that it was counterproductive. That's because Will Hardy can coach. 147 00:08:02.959 --> 00:08:05.759 And you know he obviously he climbed from the very 148 00:08:05.839 --> 00:08:10.040 bottom of the of the ladder in San Antonio to 149 00:08:10.199 --> 00:08:12.959 the front of the bench, you know, and he's on 150 00:08:13.120 --> 00:08:15.319 that you know, he's on that Pop three. He's a 151 00:08:15.399 --> 00:08:19.199 proud number of the pop of his coaching tree. You know, 152 00:08:19.319 --> 00:08:23.439 he mayodoca. Will tell you that Will Hardy was in 153 00:08:23.600 --> 00:08:26.360 his role as the lead assistant during the year in 154 00:08:26.439 --> 00:08:28.480 Boston when they were together, they went to the NBA 155 00:08:28.600 --> 00:08:31.240 Finals and then you know, obviously at some point, I 156 00:08:31.279 --> 00:08:35.039 hope is Well's gonna have the opportunity to prove how 157 00:08:35.120 --> 00:08:37.240 good as a coach he can be and with a 158 00:08:37.399 --> 00:08:41.080 roster that has a real chance to compete and and 159 00:08:41.279 --> 00:08:43.759 you know, be more than something or keep with their 160 00:08:44.159 --> 00:08:46.639 regulus approach from here five hundred team, that's not where 161 00:08:46.639 --> 00:08:49.399 they need to be, you know, but put together a 162 00:08:49.519 --> 00:08:52.080 ross war he has a chance to be playing, I 163 00:08:52.159 --> 00:08:54.600 mean at this time of the year, and you know, 164 00:08:54.840 --> 00:08:57.519 for me to make some nice spring business to Salt 165 00:08:57.559 --> 00:08:58.000 Lake City. 166 00:08:58.840 --> 00:09:02.120 Since, uh, since we were mentioning Popovich, I did want 167 00:09:02.159 --> 00:09:05.480 to get your take on the situation since we heard 168 00:09:05.519 --> 00:09:07.799 from coach pop for the first time since November of 169 00:09:07.879 --> 00:09:08.399 twenty four. 170 00:09:09.120 --> 00:09:11.519 And I don't mean this to sound and maybe this 171 00:09:11.639 --> 00:09:12.360 is a me problem. 172 00:09:12.600 --> 00:09:15.639 It just kind of made me sad, you know, watching him, Yeah, 173 00:09:15.840 --> 00:09:19.440 listening to him look a different way, sound a different way. 174 00:09:20.039 --> 00:09:21.879 And I kind of missed his snarkiness. 175 00:09:21.960 --> 00:09:24.519 I kind of missed his direct approach and you know, 176 00:09:24.759 --> 00:09:28.080 talk about a job Well done the Baxter Holmes piece 177 00:09:28.120 --> 00:09:30.159 for you guys at ESPN dot com today. I thought 178 00:09:30.279 --> 00:09:32.879 was really really good. And you're somebody that has covered 179 00:09:32.960 --> 00:09:34.679 him for a number of years and I'm sure been 180 00:09:34.720 --> 00:09:36.039 able to get to know him on a level that 181 00:09:36.120 --> 00:09:39.200 maybe most media members have not. As Greg Popovich walks away, Tim, 182 00:09:39.240 --> 00:09:41.519 what's your take on the legacy that he has left, 183 00:09:41.559 --> 00:09:42.919 even though he's still with the organization. 184 00:09:44.159 --> 00:09:46.759 Well, look, first, it was great to see Pop on 185 00:09:46.960 --> 00:09:49.279 his seat, you know, And I know it wasn't like 186 00:09:49.960 --> 00:09:52.600 he's obviously got a ways to go physically, and he's 187 00:09:52.600 --> 00:09:55.320 still very much recovering and that's the reason that he's 188 00:09:55.360 --> 00:09:56.919 not going to be coaching anymore. But it was great 189 00:09:56.919 --> 00:09:58.399 to see him on his seat. It was great to 190 00:09:58.519 --> 00:10:01.240 see you know, glenm this is the best sense of humor. 191 00:10:01.720 --> 00:10:03.600 I mean in the moment where they take the jacket 192 00:10:03.639 --> 00:10:05.879 off and it says, he'll have me come on, you know, 193 00:10:06.200 --> 00:10:10.559 and so like he's still popped. He's just not physically 194 00:10:10.679 --> 00:10:15.840 able to continue coaching. But his legacy. Look, yes he's 195 00:10:15.879 --> 00:10:19.279 the all time winners coach, Yes there's five championships, Yes 196 00:10:19.399 --> 00:10:23.240 he has this unbelievable coaching tree, But his legacy is 197 00:10:23.600 --> 00:10:26.799 I think evidenced by the fact that who's sitting right 198 00:10:26.840 --> 00:10:29.720 there by his side as he's doing this, Who's been 199 00:10:29.799 --> 00:10:32.840 by his side as he's been working to come back 200 00:10:33.360 --> 00:10:35.759 from a stroke ause he's been going through all these workouts. 201 00:10:36.360 --> 00:10:39.200 It's tim duntan and monogynobly. And they don't have to be. 202 00:10:39.799 --> 00:10:42.519 They're not there for you know, for pr purposes or 203 00:10:42.519 --> 00:10:44.279 because they think it looks good. They're there because the 204 00:10:44.320 --> 00:10:49.360 way this guy builds relationships, and you know, he has 205 00:10:49.480 --> 00:10:52.039 that kind of coaching tree because of the way that 206 00:10:52.120 --> 00:10:54.919 he builds relationships, because of the way that you know, 207 00:10:55.039 --> 00:10:59.480 he provides opportunities and empowers the people that work for him. 208 00:11:00.080 --> 00:11:02.960 And you know, miss Johnson is you know he won't 209 00:11:02.960 --> 00:11:05.559 be the last, but he's the latest that'll be on 210 00:11:05.679 --> 00:11:08.320 that on that Pop coaching tree. And you know, I 211 00:11:08.440 --> 00:11:11.000 have no doubt. I don't know how much Pop's going 212 00:11:11.080 --> 00:11:13.240 to be able to physically be around the team. I 213 00:11:13.519 --> 00:11:16.039 don't know that he'll be traveling much, if at all, 214 00:11:16.080 --> 00:11:17.279 or any of those kinds of things. But I have 215 00:11:17.399 --> 00:11:20.440 no doubt that he's going to be an unbelievable resource 216 00:11:21.240 --> 00:11:23.919 for a young head coach for sure. 217 00:11:24.039 --> 00:11:27.000 All Right, since you and I last spoke, a couple 218 00:11:27.120 --> 00:11:29.279 of series have ended, and I want to get your 219 00:11:29.320 --> 00:11:32.320 take on some teams that are no longer playing, But 220 00:11:32.440 --> 00:11:35.039 I will. I'll ask the question about Golden State Houston 221 00:11:35.080 --> 00:11:35.399 this way. 222 00:11:36.519 --> 00:11:37.320 What impressed you. 223 00:11:37.399 --> 00:11:39.960 Most about the way the Warriors went down to Houston 224 00:11:40.159 --> 00:11:42.279 and got that win? And what did Houston say to 225 00:11:42.399 --> 00:11:44.600 you taking that team to seven games? 226 00:11:45.600 --> 00:11:48.440 I mean, what impressing most? Yes, Buddy Heel had an 227 00:11:48.639 --> 00:11:52.200 unbelievable performance and like the best, the best performance of 228 00:11:52.279 --> 00:11:55.559 his life at a great time. But it was a reminder, Hey, 229 00:11:56.200 --> 00:11:58.679 this team's got a couple four time champions. This team 230 00:11:58.759 --> 00:12:02.480 has another brainer, future Hall of Famer Jimmy Butler, who's 231 00:12:02.480 --> 00:12:05.960 been through a bunch of playoff battles, and you know, 232 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:08.559 their future Hall of Famer's basically showed up. I'm like, okay, 233 00:12:09.240 --> 00:12:12.440 you push just to the brink, but we're here, you know, 234 00:12:12.600 --> 00:12:15.320 and we're going to continue to hunt the Rockets fans 235 00:12:15.440 --> 00:12:18.399 nightmares for a long long time, as they've done for 236 00:12:18.559 --> 00:12:21.480 the last decade. And then you know, look, honestly, this 237 00:12:21.720 --> 00:12:24.879 series for the Rockets, this is about what I expected. 238 00:12:26.320 --> 00:12:28.200 I think I picked Warriors in six, but I thought 239 00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:30.320 that this would be a tough series. I thought that 240 00:12:30.399 --> 00:12:34.240 the Rockets would would make it hard on the Warriors, 241 00:12:34.279 --> 00:12:37.120 and I thought the Rockets just wouldn't be able to 242 00:12:37.279 --> 00:12:40.519 generate enough offense to be a good team four times 243 00:12:40.559 --> 00:12:44.120 out of seven, and that's exactly what happened. And a 244 00:12:44.240 --> 00:12:46.879 men Thompson is going to be a star. I don't 245 00:12:46.919 --> 00:12:49.159 know if he can be your number one offensive option. 246 00:12:50.360 --> 00:12:53.440 I don't think Jayden Green can be. He's a sometimes star. 247 00:12:53.559 --> 00:12:56.360 He had one good game and six duds. That's tough. 248 00:12:56.480 --> 00:12:59.759 It's tough to rely on that. Fengngoon I like as 249 00:12:59.799 --> 00:13:03.919 a you know, my comparison for him tos the bonus. 250 00:13:04.039 --> 00:13:05.919 If he's the best player, I don't think you're gonna 251 00:13:05.919 --> 00:13:08.879 be able to make deep runs. They need a star, 252 00:13:09.519 --> 00:13:11.399 and their hope is that it's going to be homegrown. 253 00:13:12.399 --> 00:13:14.559 I think the reality is they're going to need to 254 00:13:14.679 --> 00:13:18.000 put some of those assets to use and take a 255 00:13:18.080 --> 00:13:20.120 swing in the trade market to really be able to 256 00:13:20.159 --> 00:13:25.799 elevate to real deal contender status. I mean they're good. Yeah, 257 00:13:28.799 --> 00:13:31.639 they were an underdog is a two seed, but they 258 00:13:31.679 --> 00:13:33.519 were a two seed. They want fifty plus games. They 259 00:13:33.600 --> 00:13:36.960 pushed the Warriors to seven games. They're really good. They're 260 00:13:37.080 --> 00:13:41.360 not good enough to be a real title threat unless 261 00:13:41.399 --> 00:13:44.879 they get that offensive engine and they've got money of 262 00:13:45.000 --> 00:13:48.039 assets to be able to do it. It's a matter 263 00:13:48.159 --> 00:13:52.000 of them finding one who they feel like makes sense. 264 00:13:52.159 --> 00:13:55.399 And what they don't want to do is scrunch their 265 00:13:55.440 --> 00:13:58.399 window because they feel like they can have a you know, 266 00:13:58.559 --> 00:14:02.759 really long runaway by out an NBA standards. But it's 267 00:14:02.759 --> 00:14:04.320 gonna be an interest in summer in Houston. 268 00:14:04.960 --> 00:14:06.960 They're good in there a pain in he asked him, 269 00:14:07.279 --> 00:14:09.960 like nobody wants to play them. Do you think there's 270 00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:12.480 any truth to the Durant stuff that's floating out there? 271 00:14:13.600 --> 00:14:17.399 Oh, there's one hundred percent truth to it, you know. Honestly, 272 00:14:17.799 --> 00:14:19.960 it comes down to what I just talked about about, 273 00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:23.960 do you want to scrunch your window? And so I 274 00:14:24.159 --> 00:14:27.399 know for certain, like I might speculate, and I'm not guessing, 275 00:14:27.440 --> 00:14:31.159 I know for certain the Wakeets will have internal discussions 276 00:14:31.159 --> 00:14:35.720 about Kevin Durant, and those discussions are two things, what 277 00:14:35.840 --> 00:14:38.279 are you willing to give up to get them? And 278 00:14:38.440 --> 00:14:42.240 then what are you willing to pay him on an extension? 279 00:14:42.759 --> 00:14:46.799 And then you know, my buddy Wendy, you know, he 280 00:14:46.879 --> 00:14:49.240 comes up with these things he's a little cashphraise. He 281 00:14:49.320 --> 00:14:52.000 goes with the KD triangle. You got to have those 282 00:14:52.039 --> 00:14:53.720 two things, and then you've got to make a deal 283 00:14:54.799 --> 00:14:57.320 that the other team's willing to take. And then the 284 00:14:57.480 --> 00:15:00.559 the part is KD has to want to go your team. 285 00:15:00.840 --> 00:15:03.759 I'm certain that Kad would be happy to go to Houston. 286 00:15:04.200 --> 00:15:05.639 You know, he's got a lot of respect for the 287 00:15:05.720 --> 00:15:09.559 Mayadoka and you know Katie knows basketball. He sees that team, 288 00:15:10.039 --> 00:15:14.919 he sees himself as the missing piece. I don't know 289 00:15:15.039 --> 00:15:17.159 that the Rockets are going to be willing to give up. 290 00:15:19.519 --> 00:15:22.120 I don't think they're giving them Bonanza package. I'll say 291 00:15:22.159 --> 00:15:24.960 that the Sun's stirring getting all three of their picks back. 292 00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:28.480 I can promise you that which young players don't ask 293 00:15:28.519 --> 00:15:32.240 about him and Thompson, I don't you know. So I 294 00:15:32.279 --> 00:15:37.679 don't know I would I wouldn't bet on that deal happening. 295 00:15:38.480 --> 00:15:41.399 But it is definitely within the realm of possibility, and 296 00:15:41.519 --> 00:15:44.279 it is definitely going to be a real discussion, at 297 00:15:44.399 --> 00:15:48.720 least internally for Houston. Then we'll see how aggressively they 298 00:15:48.759 --> 00:15:50.360 actually engage his sons, if at all. 299 00:15:51.320 --> 00:15:54.879 I can't entirely describe why, but for some reason, when 300 00:15:54.919 --> 00:15:56.919 I watch Rudy, I feel like I'm watching my little 301 00:15:56.960 --> 00:15:59.519 brother and I'm just cheering for him. And since you 302 00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:02.120 and I last spoke to him, our guy goes for 303 00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:06.320 twenty seven and twenty four and the Minnesota Timberwolves eliminate 304 00:16:06.399 --> 00:16:08.679 the LA Lakers. And yes, I know JJ decided to 305 00:16:08.720 --> 00:16:11.240 go small and he was catching lobs over Gabe Vincent, 306 00:16:11.879 --> 00:16:13.679 but I was just so happy for him, man, and 307 00:16:14.320 --> 00:16:16.240 I just get such a kick out of the lack 308 00:16:16.320 --> 00:16:19.279 of social media reaction whenever Rudy has a good game 309 00:16:19.320 --> 00:16:21.480 because of how many people crack on him. What do 310 00:16:21.519 --> 00:16:23.440 you make of the day that the Tea Wolves disposed 311 00:16:23.440 --> 00:16:25.240 of the Lakers and your thoughts on Rudy's game? 312 00:16:26.320 --> 00:16:32.159 Well, yeah, one, I definitely was one of many who 313 00:16:32.240 --> 00:16:35.679 were fooled by kind of smoking mirrors Lakers defense that 314 00:16:35.799 --> 00:16:38.240 they put together for a couple months in the regular season. 315 00:16:38.759 --> 00:16:40.519 That was not a team that was ready for playoff 316 00:16:40.600 --> 00:16:44.759 prime time. And the Wolves certainly expose that. And then look, 317 00:16:46.360 --> 00:16:50.480 oh man, what a Game five for Gobert. And the 318 00:16:50.559 --> 00:16:54.600 funny thing is, like you and I both we've watched 319 00:16:54.720 --> 00:16:58.679 Rudy's entire career. We know how stupid sometimes the narrative 320 00:16:58.720 --> 00:17:01.360 can be around him. Rudy gets played off the floor 321 00:17:01.399 --> 00:17:04.839 in the playoffs. It has literally never happened. The funny 322 00:17:04.880 --> 00:17:08.440 thing is this series was the closest to that actually 323 00:17:08.519 --> 00:17:12.880 being true. Through four games, it was his worst offensive 324 00:17:13.599 --> 00:17:17.480 It was his worst offensive series through four games. And 325 00:17:17.680 --> 00:17:21.599 Game five started and boyle boy, Rudy Chamberlain showed up. 326 00:17:21.680 --> 00:17:25.839 Maybe you know Will Gobert who was in the house 327 00:17:27.039 --> 00:17:31.519 twenty seven and twenty four. And the thing is, Rudy's 328 00:17:31.759 --> 00:17:35.079 problem in terms of playing at small ball teams has 329 00:17:35.160 --> 00:17:39.640 not been the defensive end. It's been his dominance was 330 00:17:39.839 --> 00:17:43.119 mitigated on the defensive end. But he's he's never been 331 00:17:43.200 --> 00:17:45.839 the reason the defense fell apart, right, He just wasn't 332 00:17:45.880 --> 00:17:49.039 able to cover up all his teammates' flaws, or you know, 333 00:17:49.119 --> 00:17:52.000 he wasn't able to plug all the holes. The problem 334 00:17:52.039 --> 00:17:54.519 with Rudy against small ball teams was he wasn't able 335 00:17:54.559 --> 00:17:57.039 to punish them on the other end. And he damn 336 00:17:57.079 --> 00:17:58.839 sure punished him on the other end of this game. 337 00:17:59.319 --> 00:18:01.400 And he didn't do it by posting up. He didn't 338 00:18:01.440 --> 00:18:03.799 do it, you know, he wasn't Shaquille O'Neal. He did 339 00:18:03.880 --> 00:18:09.000 it by domining the glass, grabbing every opportunity bound by 340 00:18:09.559 --> 00:18:11.839 you know, dunking it by being available, you know, for 341 00:18:12.039 --> 00:18:15.759 for dump off passes and throwing it down and uh, 342 00:18:16.440 --> 00:18:20.079 you know, I know, you know, Rudy didn't want to 343 00:18:20.119 --> 00:18:22.240 take the victory lap. It's just the first round, all 344 00:18:22.279 --> 00:18:24.880 those kind of things. I know how sweet it was 345 00:18:24.960 --> 00:18:28.240 for him to dominate Luca's team like that. I know 346 00:18:28.359 --> 00:18:30.839 how sweet it was for him to dunk on Luca's head. 347 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:32.960 I told him you should have talked that Slovenia to him. 348 00:18:33.480 --> 00:18:37.480 You can't bleep and guard me bleep a bleeper. And 349 00:18:37.920 --> 00:18:40.319 you know what, if this is a Rudy revenge tour, 350 00:18:40.480 --> 00:18:43.519 no better foe for the second round than Draymond Green's 351 00:18:43.559 --> 00:18:46.079 Golden State Warriors. It's gonna be a fun one for sure. 352 00:18:46.160 --> 00:18:48.559 Do you give I mean, look to ask if you 353 00:18:48.599 --> 00:18:51.079 give Golden State a puncher's chances silly because you know 354 00:18:51.200 --> 00:18:53.279 who they have on the team. This just feels like 355 00:18:53.920 --> 00:18:57.119 it feels similar tim to the problems Houston poses, but 356 00:18:57.319 --> 00:19:00.519 Minnesota has more offensive juice. And I want to watch 357 00:19:00.559 --> 00:19:02.480 the stuff thing as much as I possibly can, as 358 00:19:02.519 --> 00:19:03.559 long as I possibly can. 359 00:19:03.680 --> 00:19:06.039 But your early thoughts on t Wolves Warriors. 360 00:19:07.279 --> 00:19:09.680 I think mack of a series man, And you know, 361 00:19:10.480 --> 00:19:14.039 I say what you want about Draymond, but uh, and 362 00:19:14.160 --> 00:19:16.519 I love doing Finnish Smith. But Draymond is a small 363 00:19:16.559 --> 00:19:18.960 ball center is a different type of animal, you know. 364 00:19:19.400 --> 00:19:23.039 Three Like Draymond's it's going to be physical. Raymond, like 365 00:19:23.240 --> 00:19:25.000 Rudy's not going to be able to grab twenty four 366 00:19:25.039 --> 00:19:27.400 rebounds in the game. I don't think. Maybe he'll prove 367 00:19:27.440 --> 00:19:30.000 me wrong and it'll be fun to watch, you know. 368 00:19:30.240 --> 00:19:33.839 The other thing is, you know Draymond has four texts 369 00:19:34.359 --> 00:19:38.440 and two flagrant fouls already going into the second round. Yep, 370 00:19:38.599 --> 00:19:41.799 you're suspended the seven texts and full flagrant foul points 371 00:19:43.000 --> 00:19:47.119 and you've got to deal with Monsieur Gobert. Uh. Let's see, 372 00:19:47.440 --> 00:19:49.799 let's see a me gotten Rudy can get Draymond suspended 373 00:19:49.839 --> 00:19:51.200 in the series for sure. 374 00:19:51.319 --> 00:19:53.599 All right, last thing I'll set you loose, just your 375 00:19:53.680 --> 00:19:56.200 thoughts you were court side. I mean, that was a 376 00:19:56.480 --> 00:20:00.480 sole stealing win from Denver, Oklahoma City. He had that 377 00:20:00.680 --> 00:20:03.319 thing wrapped up and wondered what it was like to 378 00:20:03.400 --> 00:20:06.680 witness that, you know, courtside the brilliance of Jokich, the 379 00:20:07.119 --> 00:20:09.160 game winner from Aaron Gordon, and your thoughts on the 380 00:20:09.240 --> 00:20:11.319 rest of the series after Game one is in the books. 381 00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:15.279 You know, I thought it was pretty fascinating to hear 382 00:20:15.400 --> 00:20:18.880 Shay gild With Alexander's response after that game, and he 383 00:20:18.960 --> 00:20:21.519 said it should be fun. You know, basically, Hey, we 384 00:20:21.640 --> 00:20:24.599 get to see what we're really made of now, how 385 00:20:24.720 --> 00:20:29.160 we respond to some real adversity, because that was a 386 00:20:29.319 --> 00:20:34.519 complete and utter meltdown of epic proportions. And pay give 387 00:20:34.599 --> 00:20:37.720 Joe like Joeer dominated, and you know, the Nuggets came 388 00:20:37.759 --> 00:20:40.839 back and they took the game. Dude, the fun gave 389 00:20:40.880 --> 00:20:43.799 it away, and they gave it away by the offense 390 00:20:43.920 --> 00:20:47.000 drying up in the last four minutes, and they gave 391 00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:50.640 it away by just like terrible execute Like okay, you 392 00:20:50.759 --> 00:20:55.759 executed the analytics game plan, but man, the length. There's 393 00:20:55.799 --> 00:20:58.240 got to be some nuance in there. I mean to 394 00:20:58.440 --> 00:21:01.200 get your your I get found on up three, but 395 00:21:01.440 --> 00:21:06.200 fouling up three when you are you know, when you're 396 00:21:06.240 --> 00:21:08.799 eighty feet away from the basket and two thousand the 397 00:21:08.839 --> 00:21:11.680 final thirteen seconds that burn a total of one point 398 00:21:11.759 --> 00:21:14.680 nine seconds. And then I love Chit holker Man, but 399 00:21:16.160 --> 00:21:18.680 whof his breathing was restricted up there on the free 400 00:21:18.759 --> 00:21:21.359 throw line. So you know, I think one of the 401 00:21:21.400 --> 00:21:24.839