Speaker 1: Wednesday afternoon, seven minutes past the hour or two o'clock,
Speaker 1: scorching hot day. Little cloud covered earlier, but the sun
Speaker 1: is shining here in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah.
Speaker 2: It's been a very summer like week.
Speaker 1: It's about eighty eight degrees here right outside of our
Speaker 1: Broadway Media studios. But as it is every single day,
Speaker 1: it's gonna have you along for the ride. Spence Check,
Speaker 1: it's behind the mic, Porter Larsen beyond the glass today
Speaker 1: producing the program.
Speaker 2: And booking the show.
Speaker 1: Got a lot of good guests today to talk about
Speaker 1: a bunch of different things. A lot going on today
Speaker 1: on the program. It is game day in Pro basketball.
Speaker 1: Is the Oklahoma City Thunder will look to continue their
Speaker 1: momentum against the Indiana Pacers. The series moves to Indianapolis
Speaker 1: at Gainesbridge Fieldhouse. Deadlocked at one game apiece. OKC is
Speaker 1: a five point five point favorite to win tonight, and
Speaker 1: we'll talk about the game. We'll get you ready for
Speaker 1: the game tonight. We'll bring on a couple of NBA
Speaker 1: guests talk about the dynamics that you could be looking for.
Speaker 1: Soll feel like Okasee is very much in control of
Speaker 1: this thing. But we'll see if the Indiana can ride
Speaker 1: the momentum of their home crowd first time. The finals
Speaker 1: have been in Indianapolis since the year twenty twenty five
Speaker 1: years since the Pacers have been in the finals. So
Speaker 1: it's a great crowd. They're annoying is all get out.
Speaker 1: They're loud, but they will bring the noise tonight, so
Speaker 1: we'll see how that goes.
Speaker 2: As it is game day in.
Speaker 1: The world of the NBA, it will be the turn
Speaker 1: of the NHL to resume their final series of the year.
Speaker 1: Tomorrow is the Battle for Lord Stanley's Cup rolls on
Speaker 1: Oilers Panthers after the Panthers made a very emphatic statement
Speaker 1: in Game three, winning that one six to one, taking
Speaker 1: a two to one lead.
Speaker 2: Of course, we.
Speaker 1: Are high speed ahead to both the NBA and the
Speaker 1: NHL draft. Of local interests, we are looking at the
Speaker 1: Jazz at five and twenty one with a couple of
Speaker 1: second rounders, and the Utah Hockey Club stack with their
Speaker 1: draft capital as well, starting in the first round with
Speaker 1: a fourth overall pick. For mind, you will have great
Speaker 1: coverage of the NBA Draft. We're gonna go late on
Speaker 1: June the twenty fifth and June the twenty sixth, after
Speaker 1: this radio show wraps up, we will have live coverage
Speaker 1: and reaction of the NBA Draft with Gordy Jason Richard
Speaker 1: Smith will be out and about on location. We'll let
Speaker 1: you know where we're at, so you guys can come
Speaker 1: hang out, stop by, say hello, grab some food, grab
Speaker 1: some drinks, see who the Jazz draft, and listen to
Speaker 1: Gordy and Smitty break it down.
Speaker 2: So of local interest.
Speaker 1: We're in that space of course, as June is upon us,
Speaker 1: RSL will be back in action on Saturday, after a
Speaker 1: little bit of a break, and it feels like a
Speaker 1: sneaky big match for RSL. It's late early for them.
Speaker 1: The season is more than halfway home, and they have
Speaker 1: been well, they've been atrocious, no other way to say that.
Speaker 1: So Saturday, seven thirty MLS season pass here in Salt Lake.
Speaker 1: RSL dot com is where you go for single game tickets.
Speaker 1: The Royals and Ali sett and early back in action
Speaker 1: on Friday. Actually, Ali's with the US women's team. Diego
Speaker 1: Luna is with the US men's national team. Speaking speaking
Speaker 1: of the US men's national team, well, we are one
Speaker 1: year away from the World Cup with school be played
Speaker 1: in our region, and the US men's national team was
Speaker 1: embarrassed last night in a way that feels a little
Speaker 1: bit alarming, and we'll talk about it on the show.
Speaker 1: They allowed four goals, four goals in about twenty five
Speaker 1: minutes to Switzerland. And Switzerland's a good soccer country.
Speaker 2: I'm not saying they're not.
Speaker 1: And this is a roster for the US men's national
Speaker 1: team right now that's without probably four of their five
Speaker 1: best players in that range. The Gold Cup is this weekend.
Speaker 1: Switzerland four US nil and again four goals in about
Speaker 1: twenty three minutes of action.
Speaker 2: The Gold Cup.
Speaker 1: Gets going this weekend and a lot of the big
Speaker 1: name players from the US men's national team have elected
Speaker 1: to not participate.
Speaker 2: Receiving a lot of criticism.
Speaker 1: It allows Lexliy Lawless to go on TV with his
Speaker 1: red tie and try to make soccer Commentarry Graat again,
Speaker 1: it's always awkward when that happens. But we'll talk about
Speaker 1: the US men's national team situation and the WORL Cup
Speaker 1: coming up, and we'll do a little RSL and some
Speaker 1: Royals on the show too. Summer Radio includes little Soccer
Speaker 1: if you guys know that, and Summer Radio includes World
Speaker 1: Championship Golf. Oakmont Country Club is where the world of
Speaker 1: golf finds themselves coming up starting tomorrow, and we'll talk
Speaker 1: about some of the interesting storylines. We do have some
Speaker 1: local reps, Preston Summer Hayes and Zach Blair. We're able
Speaker 1: to qualify the old fashion Way, which is tough to do,
Speaker 1: and Tony Fenaw of course, will be in the field.
Speaker 1: Scottie Scheffler historic favor quite frankly, and then Rory McElroy
Speaker 1: right behind him.
Speaker 2: Tiger Woods.
Speaker 1: A couple of interviews today talking about this track, Oakmont
Speaker 1: Country Club. It is one of golf's hardest courses and
Speaker 1: the conditions look just brutal. The roughest rumor to be
Speaker 1: over five and a half inches long, and the greens
Speaker 1: are rolling out on a fourteen or a fifteen. I
Speaker 1: can't even fathom how to keep a ball in the
Speaker 1: green if you're rolling out on a fourteen. So we've
Speaker 1: got a really exciting weekend ahead. Of course, it is
Speaker 1: a Wednesday edition of the program, so you're halfway through
Speaker 1: that work week and you are one day closer to
Speaker 1: the weekend. A couple of interesting pieces of NBA news,
Speaker 1: according to Sham Sharonny the Celtics are willing to listen
Speaker 1: to trade offers for Jalen Brown and Derek White. Kevin
Speaker 1: Durant's reps leaks some news that they're looking at a
Speaker 1: new home for KD and will the Jazz get involved
Speaker 1: in any of this movement that we are in for
Speaker 1: as it pertains to the off season in Pro basketball,
Speaker 1: the New York Knicks, and I got to say, even
Speaker 1: as somebody who grew up back there, spent my forum
Speaker 1: of years in the Northeast and grew to really love
Speaker 1: that team and grew to cheer for them and still
Speaker 1: do to this day, I love the fact that they've
Speaker 1: had three doors shut in their face. The hubris of
Speaker 1: the Knicks, who for the first time in thirty years,
Speaker 1: are relevant, fire a great head coach, and believe that
Speaker 1: they can just get access to whoever they want. Minnesota
Speaker 1: said no to the potential of Chris Finch, the Houston
Speaker 1: Rocket said no to the potential of Emma Udoka, and
Speaker 1: the Dallas Maverick said absolutely not. You will not interview
Speaker 1: our coach Jason Kidd. So what that also says, by
Speaker 1: the way, is that Chris Finch, Emi Udoka and Jason
Speaker 1: Kidd also had no interest. And we'll talk about this
Speaker 1: on the show how this dynamic works. But ultimately, to
Speaker 1: Cliff notes it the Knicks would contact Dallas, and Dallas
Speaker 1: would then go to their coach. And if Jason Kidd
Speaker 1: told Dallas Maverick ownership like, yes, I'm interested in the
Speaker 1: nick job.
Speaker 2: If you're the owner of.
Speaker 1: The Maps, You're like, well, then I don't want you
Speaker 1: coaching my team.
Speaker 2: We'll figure something out.
Speaker 1: The Knicks send us a protective first round pick or
Speaker 1: whatever it is. But this it's not just in my opinion,
Speaker 1: in my experience knowing how the stuff works. It's not
Speaker 1: just these three teams telling New York. No, it's those
Speaker 1: three coaches telling New York know as well. So we'll
Speaker 1: get into latest with the NBA off season and stuff.
Speaker 1: Aaron Rodgers spoke to the media after participating in Steelers Ota.
Speaker 1: It's good for the soul to play for Mike Tomlin,
Speaker 1: he said, good riddance off.
Speaker 2: He's in college football.
Speaker 1: We talked about some of the twenty twenty six Utah
Speaker 1: football commits.
Speaker 2: They were now's yesterday.
Speaker 1: Alex Jensen also finished his staff or excuse me, completed
Speaker 1: his roster, so we know what the running Utes men's
Speaker 1: basketball team will look like. We have some exciting news
Speaker 1: for Utah football fans as far as the recruits go.
Speaker 1: And we still kind of await more information now that
Speaker 1: the House Bncuba settlements across the finish line, what do
Speaker 1: those guidelines and guardrails look like with a new commission
Speaker 1: in place as the NCAA is kind of pushed out
Speaker 1: of the ecosystem of college football. So it's a jam
Speaker 1: packed Wednesday edition of the program. And we'll start with
Speaker 1: our buddy Tom Haberstroke. Good day to have Tommy on
Speaker 1: the program. Tom Thefinder dot Com rights for Yahoo. He's
Speaker 1: been with the ESPN, NBC. You guys know, Tom joins
Speaker 1: US consistently. We'll do some NBA with Tom, more NBA
Speaker 1: with Zach Harper on the program, NBA Daily Assist. I
Speaker 1: will do some draft with Zach, some jazz with Zach
Speaker 1: as well. Then we'll preview Game three of the NBA
Speaker 1: Finals tonight. Old buddy Brian don Seth Stopspot. Donny was
Speaker 1: on the pref postgame coverage for Turner Sports last night
Speaker 1: watching the US men's national team get embarrassed by Switzerland
Speaker 1: for zero So I want to bring Dunny on today
Speaker 1: to either calm our fears or stoke the flames. One
Speaker 1: year away from the World Cup which will be played
Speaker 1: in our region, and last night was a bad, bad look.
Speaker 1: Neil Smith, our old buddy, former general manager of the
Speaker 1: New York Rangers who won a Stanley Cup as a
Speaker 1: roster constructor in pro hockey, joins us for his weekly
Speaker 1: visit to talk some Stanley Cup finals and some Utah
Speaker 1: Mammoth off season plans. Then the head coach of ourself,
Speaker 1: Pablo Maschjoenni is our guest later on. So Tom Haberstrow,
Speaker 1: Zach Harper, Brian Dunseth, Neil Smith, Pablo Mastejoenni, Jam Packed Wednesday,
Speaker 1: show Me, Spence checkets, all of you, the great listeners,
Speaker 1: and that guy, that guy Porter Larson. You have to admit,
Speaker 1: even as a Nick fan, there's a little bit.
Speaker 2: Of an irony.
Speaker 1: And also this is an admission that we didn't have
Speaker 1: a plan after firing Tom Thibodeau, a great coach, that
Speaker 1: just because you're relevant for the first time in thirty years,
Speaker 1: you are not allowed to poaching coach you want.
Speaker 2: Okay, I've kind of enjoyed this.
Speaker 3: I mean, you mentioned it. It's the Hubris, it's the
Speaker 3: Knicks kind of mo maybe they got sick of being
Speaker 3: competent for a season and a half. That's what it
Speaker 3: kind of seems like, right, Like that's a little too
Speaker 3: boring for James dolanan co. You need drama, you need
Speaker 3: you know, you need some pressure. Yeah, I don't know, man.
Speaker 3: I told you when the day that Tips was fired.
Speaker 3: The only reason that I was on the fence about
Speaker 3: it was if the Knicks had their guy in mind
Speaker 3: and ready to go on a hire. If they had
Speaker 3: no plan and you know, nothing in place to replace
Speaker 3: Tom Thibodeau, a guy who just went to an Eastern
Speaker 3: Conference finals for the first time in your franchise's history
Speaker 3: in two decades or so.
Speaker 2: I mean, what are you doing?
Speaker 3: What are you doing? You're you're dolaning.
Speaker 2: I guess that's exactly what it is.
Speaker 1: I talked about. This was good during crosstalk. The most
Speaker 1: important element of any organization. This isn't just sport, it's life.
Speaker 1: Who owns the team, who owns the company, who's running
Speaker 1: the show. You can either create a culture of healthy
Speaker 1: communication or one of chaos and decisions that are made
Speaker 1: in the moment, in emotion, impulsively, and that's who this
Speaker 1: idiot is, and that's who he's always been. It's really
Speaker 1: frustrating if you can't tell in a tone of my voice.
Speaker 1: All right, our first guest right out of the gates
Speaker 1: will be Super Tom Habershrow. Before we get to Tom,
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Speaker 4: number one sports talk. Now into the studios of ESPN
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Speaker 1: Indiana Pacer. This series goes to Indianapolis, where Gainsbridge Fieldhouse
Speaker 1: will be at the venue. Oklahoma City is a very
Speaker 1: healthy five point five point favorite to win this game.
Speaker 1: I've been to Indiana for playoff basketball back in the
Speaker 1: day when the Knicks and the Pacers were playing consistently.
Speaker 1: This building will be chaotic, it will be loud, the
Speaker 1: crowd will be awesome, and Indiana is gonna need every
Speaker 1: bit of motivation and juice and energy from their home
Speaker 1: crowd that they can muster up because I continue to
Speaker 1: believe this is just an impossible task for them. And
Speaker 1: when you look at it, I mean, the bottom line
Speaker 1: is this. The series is tied to one to one,
Speaker 1: and that's the bottom line, okay, But when you actually
Speaker 1: dig a little bit deeper, if you've been watching the matchups,
Speaker 1: Oklahoma City is dominated for about ninety of the ninety
Speaker 1: six minutes that this series has gone on, essentially Game one,
Speaker 1: Indiana did not have the lead until Halliburton's game winner.
Speaker 1: Now they won the game. You come on with a split,
Speaker 1: you gotta feel good about that. But I'll tell you what, man,
Speaker 1: watching the players that torched the Knicks look completely average
Speaker 1: is giving me a couple of different takeaways. So Siakam
Speaker 1: was awesome against New York. Nie Smith turned into Dale
Speaker 1: Ellis back in the Seattle Sonic days. That's a little
Speaker 1: inside for some old school NBA fans. Andrew Nemhard was awesome,
Speaker 1: Matherin was good, Obi Toppin. They're not getting much of
Speaker 1: anything from the role players that were great against New York,
Speaker 1: and we're really good against Cleveland and really good against Milwaukee.
Speaker 1: I mean, Indiana has had a really difficult challenge prior
Speaker 1: to this finals endeavor that they're undertaking with some really
Speaker 1: good teams. The Calves were awesome during the regular season,
Speaker 1: and you know, they had some injuries. Darius Garland had
Speaker 1: to miss some time, and ultimately the Calves will probably
Speaker 1: tell you that if they were fully healthy, they felt
Speaker 1: good about those chances.
Speaker 2: But Milwaukee was without Dame Lillard.
Speaker 1: They still have Yianna Santeed to Cumbo, and that's a
Speaker 1: tough ask for a pacer team that nobody saw coming.
Speaker 1: And of course the Knicks were probably a little bit
Speaker 1: of had a schedule after beating the Boston Celtics, but
Speaker 1: everybody talked about Tyrese Halliburton throughout the course of the run,
Speaker 1: because all you saw in Sports Center were highlight of
Speaker 1: Halliburton's game winners, and.
Speaker 2: He deserves a ton of credit for that.
Speaker 1: To be able to be able to meet the moment
Speaker 1: in a way that maybe no player in the league
Speaker 1: right now has been able to do based off the
Speaker 1: data is very impressive. But now that they're back home
Speaker 1: and this is typically the deal, some of the younger players,
Speaker 1: like Annie Smith, like in nemhard, like a Matherin, like
Speaker 1: a Toppin, maybe like a Ben Shephard. I mean, even
Speaker 1: Thomas Bryant was hitting threes in the closes up came
Speaker 1: against the Knicks.
Speaker 2: These guys are the players.
Speaker 1: They really do have to step up if Indiana is
Speaker 1: going to stay in this series. Now they do start
Speaker 1: and end with their lead guard. Okay, and the narrative
Speaker 1: in conversation surrounding Tyree S. Halliburton during the course of
Speaker 1: this playoff run has been a little bit exhausting because, like,
Speaker 1: what does it mean to be a superstar.
Speaker 2: Player in pro basketball?
Speaker 1: There's so many intangibles there, There's so many ancillary things
Speaker 1: and it probably just depends on your personal point of view.
Speaker 1: I don't believe Tyree s. Halliburton is in the cul
Speaker 1: de sac with Nikola Jokic and Luka Dancic and SGA
Speaker 1: and in a healthy Lebron And you know, Stephen Curry
Speaker 1: deserves to be there.
Speaker 2: Probably Kevin Durant does too.
Speaker 1: So whatever your list looks like of obviously Giannis, whatever
Speaker 1: your list looks like of what I guess all characterize
Speaker 1: as a first taky Tier one NBA group, Tyres isn't
Speaker 1: in that group, but that's not breaking news.
Speaker 2: But he is that guy to this team.
Speaker 1: So when he has gone for more than twenty points
Speaker 1: throughout the course of the postseason, they're seven to one.
Speaker 1: Like you can really draw a straight line between Halliburton's
Speaker 1: production and the Pacers' success in a way that's really obvious.
Speaker 2: But here's the issue.
Speaker 1: When you look at what Oklahoma City has done throughout
Speaker 1: the course of their playoff run, they turned Aunt Edwards
Speaker 1: Water off completely, and prior to that, in the Denver series,
Speaker 1: Jamal Murray could find zero space. Like Jokic had a
Speaker 1: great but Jokic will have a great series against anybody.
Speaker 2: You can't stop that, dude.
Speaker 1: Okay, the reason Denver won a championship a couple of
Speaker 1: years ago is they had playoff Jamal who had played
Speaker 1: in the postseason in a way that we had never
Speaker 1: seen before. And Michael Porter Junior actually showed a poltse
Speaker 1: on defense and tried to rebound, and Aaron Gordon evolved
Speaker 1: into this perfect role player to play alongside Jokich. They
Speaker 1: also had a different roster with Bruce Brown and Jeff Green.
Speaker 1: Jokic is just like Shay in the matter of he's
Speaker 1: going to get his but the players around him, what
Speaker 1: are they going to do to kind of up the
Speaker 1: bottom line of what your team can be? And Jamal
Speaker 1: Murray could find no space against this Oklahoma City perimeter
Speaker 1: defensive group. Anthony Edwards, one of the bright up and
Speaker 1: coming superstars in pro basketball, could not find any space
Speaker 1: against this perimeter defending group.
Speaker 2: Because if you're.
Speaker 1: Gonna have success against OKAC, the best thing you can
Speaker 1: possibly do is to have a proficient big. They can
Speaker 1: actually score, rebound and cause some problems like if Mark
Speaker 1: Dagnault's going to go small with chet. Chet's an extremely
Speaker 1: skilled unicorm type player, but he's not strong.
Speaker 2: You can push him around.
Speaker 1: But the problem is they have Hartenstein coming off the bench,
Speaker 1: and you can play Hartenstein, and he's fine, he's a
Speaker 1: big that can actually guard. But if you're going to
Speaker 1: rely upon a dominant offensive either lead guard or wing
Speaker 1: against the team that has, first of all, Lou Dort,
Speaker 1: who probably should receive more credit for the type of
Speaker 1: defender he is, and I could just go down the list.
Speaker 1: I mean Lou Dort, Alex Caruso, Jalen Williams, even Shay
Speaker 1: who's all of six to six, and Cason Wallace who's
Speaker 1: not very big but an absolute Gary Payton type pitbull
Speaker 1: on the ball, Your perimeter players are going to be
Speaker 1: in trouble. And I just don't think Halliburton has the
Speaker 1: ability to find things offensively individually against this group that
Speaker 1: we couldn't see from Jamal Murray or Anthony Edwards, who
Speaker 1: individually are better offensive players than Tyree Saliburton. This has
Speaker 1: to be a scenario where Halliburton finds a way to
Speaker 1: get Siakam going a picking pops with Miles turn Maybe
Speaker 1: he can hit some threes. Can they resurrect the offensive
Speaker 1: production from Aaronie Smith and Andrew Nemhard and get something
Speaker 1: from Mather and her top And like I keep hearing
Speaker 1: all day, I've heard this like tonight's on Halliburt, Well,
Speaker 1: you haven't been watching.
Speaker 2: Oklahoma City all year long.
Speaker 1: Then they turn everybody's water off as it pertains to
Speaker 1: offensive initiators on the perimeter, either a wing or a
Speaker 1: lead guard. This has to be a collective effort from
Speaker 1: the group. From the Pacers tonight. The other takeaway is
Speaker 1: how atrocious the Knicks were defensively because these bit players
Speaker 1: that found success against the Knicks have been really unable
Speaker 1: to get any traction against a historically great Oklahoma City
Speaker 1: defensive team. So big game tonight. I took okac in
Speaker 1: five to start the series. I feel like Indiana can
Speaker 1: get probably one at home. But I still think this
Speaker 1: series goes the way the Thunder and it feels more
Speaker 1: like six games than five. Brian Wilson, songwriter and lead
Speaker 1: singer the Beach Boys, died at the age of eighty two.
Speaker 1: My first concert of my life Beach Boys Paramount Theater,
Speaker 1: New York, I was I think eleven years old. Brian
Speaker 1: Wilson was not with the group. In fact, I think
Speaker 1: it was only two of the founding members and in
Speaker 1: order to keep the audience attention, and they marched out
Speaker 1: like twelve scantily clad women in bikinis. My father was
Speaker 1: covering my eyes the whole time.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's cool.
Speaker 3: It is the Beach Boys, I guess technically, But like
Speaker 3: I have friends that are my age that like, say,
Speaker 3: they've hit seen The Grateful Dead.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, does it count if Garry wasn't there?
Speaker 1: And does it count seeing the Beach Boys that Brian
Speaker 1: Wilson was not present.
Speaker 2: I'm not sure that it does.
Speaker 3: Maybe a little more of my generation, but it's like
Speaker 3: sublime with the other guy.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's not the same.
Speaker 1: I think Kevin Loves Uncle is in the band and
Speaker 1: he was there. I think it's Mike Love Anyway, nobody
Speaker 1: gives a rip. Tom Haberstrow Wednesday afternoon. All right, Tom,
Speaker 1: right off the top. First concert that you ever attended
Speaker 1: in your life?
Speaker 5: Jack Johnson, Ben Harper at Central Park?
Speaker 2: Very nice, very nice, very Northeast.
Speaker 1: Loved that and they were I mean, what year was that,
Speaker 1: because that must have been when those two were just
Speaker 1: kind of at their peak.
Speaker 5: I want to say it was like two thousand and
Speaker 5: something like that. I remember taking the train into New
Speaker 5: York with my buddies and just it was an incredible
Speaker 5: night and I don't think any of us, even if
Speaker 5: we didn't partake in anything, I don't think you'd come
Speaker 5: home from a concert.
Speaker 6: Like that sober.
Speaker 7: It's just in the air everywhere.
Speaker 5: So that was an experience I would say with a
Speaker 5: Beach Boys, I always come back to the Beach Boys
Speaker 5: as maybe the greatest American band ever rock and roll
Speaker 5: as a genre. If you were to point to what
Speaker 5: is the greatest rock and roll band in American history,
Speaker 5: I think people might throw out Pearl Jam or Aerosmith
Speaker 5: or something of that caliber or genre. But I think
Speaker 5: the Beach Boys might have a stake to that claim.
Speaker 5: And I don't know if you guys had any thoughts
Speaker 5: on that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't know that you're wrong. I mean, my
Speaker 1: bias brain goes to DMB, but that's not a popular answer.
Speaker 1: I think Grateful Dead the Doors, Tom Petty Eagles, you
Speaker 1: reference Darrow Smith. If you want to go like hipster
Speaker 1: Howard Beck, you could talk r EM, but it might
Speaker 1: be the Beach Boys. Tom, you might be right about that.
Speaker 1: I don't know that I have much a problem with that.
Speaker 5: Yeah, in terms of influence and the ingenuity of what
Speaker 5: they were doing, and I think it was kind of
Speaker 5: just I don't know innovation is the right word here,
Speaker 5: but the sound was unlike anything we'd heard, and so
Speaker 5: I think it is. It's been a tough week in music,
Speaker 5: and I would say Brian Wilson passing away, that's a
Speaker 5: tough one. But the old debate about what is the
Speaker 5: greatest American rock and roll band or band, I think
Speaker 5: Beach Boys deserves a spot in that conversation.
Speaker 1: I think you're correct, and certainly on this day today,
Speaker 1: I will not push back. I know van Halen for
Speaker 1: some probably's in the conversation. I was never a big
Speaker 1: van Halen guy. But anyway, Tom, we can make our
Speaker 1: way of to a little basketball. We'll start with the finals.
Speaker 1: I do have a couple of jazz questions. We'll save
Speaker 1: those for the end. You know, every game day in
Speaker 1: the finals, and certainly leading up to the game as well,
Speaker 1: when you listen to the debate shows or listen to
Speaker 1: NBA pods, you know, people on the pacer side of
Speaker 1: things will say, this is.
Speaker 2: All about Halliburton.
Speaker 1: You know, there's seven and one when he scores twenty
Speaker 1: or more points in the playoffs, and during those games
Speaker 1: he just scores twenty or more. He also averages around
Speaker 1: ten assists, And I want to be clear, I'm not
Speaker 1: saying it's not about Halliburton. It's just not about him
Speaker 1: entirely based off of the defensive perimeter prowess of OKAC.
Speaker 1: They shut down Jamal Murray, they shut down Anthony Edwards
Speaker 1: and Tom the players that torch the Knicks for the
Speaker 1: most part, have not been the same players over the
Speaker 1: first two games in the NBA Finals. So let's start
Speaker 1: with Indiana's side and your opinion on Okay, is this
Speaker 1: all about Halliburton If he's aggressive early on, are they
Speaker 1: going to win it? Or do these other players need
Speaker 1: to look the way they look against looked against the Knicks.
Speaker 5: Well, I think it starts with the OKC defenders. Alex
Speaker 5: Caruso caseon Wallace, lou Dort being the primary defender on
Speaker 5: Tyrese Haliburt has absolutely bitten the head off the snake.
Speaker 5: You look at what Dort has done this season, last
Speaker 5: season against Tyrese Haliburt. He is Halle Kryptonite. Hallie can't
Speaker 5: break free, he can't shake free on lou Dort on
Speaker 5: that final possession in Game one when he got down
Speaker 5: the floor and Cason Wallace is guarding him. I said,
Speaker 5: it's going up and it's going in because where's lou Dort?
Speaker 5: The guy puts him in a straight jacket. Every time
Speaker 5: they go at each other, Tyre's Haliburn passes the ball up.
Speaker 5: He does not like going at lou Dort. And in
Speaker 5: this series, in two games with Dort guarding him or
Speaker 5: Alex Carusa guarding him, seventy one possessions seventy one possessions
Speaker 5: of basketball with those two guys guarding him, Tyreese Haliburton
Speaker 5: has or two points. He's one for eight shooting. He
Speaker 5: has four assists to three turnovers. With Caruso and lou Dort,
Speaker 5: it is the biggest problem the Pacers have faced is
Speaker 5: this test against Okac's unbelievably good defenders. They can't get
Speaker 5: Tyree Taliburton going. And in this series he has a
Speaker 5: nineteen point nine usage rate that is league average. That is,
Speaker 5: like I look this up in usage right by the
Speaker 5: way for the listeners, that is what percentage of your
Speaker 5: team's possessions are you using to try to score? And
Speaker 5: in this series, Shake goldsers Alexander is that thirty six
Speaker 5: thirty six percent of Okac's possessions are going to Shay
Speaker 5: Gildris Alexander for him trying to score. Tyry Taliburton is
Speaker 5: actually below average Naji Marshall. Naji Marshall for the Dallas
Speaker 5: Mavericks was at twenty percent this season. So what Lou
Speaker 5: Dort and Alex Russ Will have done in this series
Speaker 5: is they've turned Tyree Taliburton into a role player. And
Speaker 5: that is the biggest problem here is that when you
Speaker 5: see the Indiana Pacers and that record that you talked
Speaker 5: about is seven to one, when he scores twenty or more,
Speaker 5: the assisted turnover ratio is outstanding. But in order for
Speaker 5: the Pacers to win this series, it is all about
Speaker 5: that score. It is all about getting to the free
Speaker 5: throw line. Which, by the way, how many free throw
Speaker 5: attempts has he had in this series so far in
Speaker 5: two games zero? This guy needs to be an attack
Speaker 5: mode in game three. And this isn't just like yay
Speaker 5: points yay points per game like that's a very caveman
Speaker 5: looking at the at the score of basketball. But in
Speaker 5: this case, with the way that the defense is loading
Speaker 5: up on Tyre's Halliburton, he's got a break free because
Speaker 5: it is it is way too hard for the pacers
Speaker 5: to get good offense when halibur is playing in this
Speaker 5: passive mode where he has a nineteen percent usage rate,
Speaker 5: which is below average. Forget about stars or superstars. I'm
Speaker 5: talking third or fourth options on good teams having this
Speaker 5: kind of scoring responsibility. He's got to have more and
Speaker 5: I just think that that is going to make a
Speaker 5: big difference for Indiana Game three, if Tyree Taliburn's attacking.
Speaker 1: Okay, So I have a two part question for you.
Speaker 1: How do they make that happen? And do you think
Speaker 1: they can because I'm resigned to the point where I
Speaker 1: don't think Halliburton is going to have enough space based
Speaker 1: off of how you just articulated who Okase is defensively
Speaker 1: and watching what they've done to other perimeter ball dominant players,
Speaker 1: either league guards or wings like Anthony Edwards. So I
Speaker 1: want you to let me know how Indiana can get
Speaker 1: him loose and do you think they can actually do it,
Speaker 1: because I'm kind of resigned to the fact that it
Speaker 1: has to be his teammates.
Speaker 2: I'm not sure he can get loose.
Speaker 5: Yeah, it is very apparent that this might be over
Speaker 5: in five games. Then he might not ever get loose
Speaker 5: like I'm in total agreement with you. But he has
Speaker 5: to compete. He has to make it tough on lou Dort.
Speaker 5: And when lou Dort has even a step behind Tyre's
Speaker 5: Halliburton and gets him off balanced, Hallie has to draw contact.
Speaker 5: He can't be afraid of drawing contact. And Halliburton I
Speaker 5: at his best. He is a guy who is able
Speaker 5: to get into the teeth of the defense, gets you
Speaker 5: off your feet, and then getting to the free throw line,
Speaker 5: getting lou Dort in foul trouble. That's a tall order,
Speaker 5: but he has to be more aggressive in that way
Speaker 5: rather than just getting rid of the ball as soon
Speaker 5: as he sees that dude in his sight. The numbers
Speaker 5: are also really interesting when you look at Halliburton just
Speaker 5: in general this postseason. When he's being guarded by a
Speaker 5: big say Isaiah Hartenstein, say Evan Mobley, say Jannis ended Akompo,
Speaker 5: his eyes get big. He loves going at those mismatches.
Speaker 5: In those scenarios. He's scoring fifty seven points every one
Speaker 5: hundred possessions when he's going when he's being defended by
Speaker 5: a big Okay, fifty seven points every one hundred possessions
Speaker 5: when it's a non big, a wing, a point guard
Speaker 5: that goes from fifty seven points to seventeen. Okay, so
Speaker 5: the Thunder do not want to switch Ched Holmgren or
Speaker 5: Jalen Williams or Isaiah Hartenstein onto Tyres Taliburton. And in
Speaker 5: many ways they don't have to because that's how good
Speaker 5: their wing defenders are. Lou Dorp, Cason Wallace and Alex
Speaker 5: Caruso shake Gildris. Alexander's in there too. But if they
Speaker 5: do switch and he does get that mismatch where he's
Speaker 5: able to get some sort of transaction where he gets
Speaker 5: going against a big, that might be their best option
Speaker 5: is to just figure out a way, whether it's in
Speaker 5: the pick and roll or attacking in transition or doing
Speaker 5: some some deceptive plays where they're faking in action and
Speaker 5: getting into something else that draws in Hartenstein. But Halliburton
Speaker 5: is at his best when he gets off of lou
Speaker 5: Dort or Case and Wallace, ra Alis Caruso, And so
Speaker 5: maybe it's as simple as trying to attack the bigs
Speaker 5: in ways that he can do it in transition a
Speaker 5: lot easier than in the half court, but he has
Speaker 5: to draw fouls and he has to be more aggressive.
Speaker 1: And your point about, look, it's the NBA Finals, and
Speaker 1: yes they're Oklahoma City is good defensively and this stuff
Speaker 1: is hard is well taken so like the greatest in
Speaker 1: the history of the game, And you know the narrative
Speaker 1: and conversation surrounding Halliburt and the whole like, well the
Speaker 1: players told the athletic he's overrated? Is he a superstar?
Speaker 1: Like that stuff is exhausting to me. But your point
Speaker 1: stands like, if you do want to be considered somebody
Speaker 1: who sits at that lunch table, you have to figure
Speaker 1: it out against defenses that are that are designed schematically
Speaker 1: to stop you, because that doesn't you know that that
Speaker 1: does and stop the great historically you wanted titles. So
Speaker 1: do you think Halliburton personally is up for the challenge
Speaker 1: based of how you articulated that he simply just has
Speaker 1: to step up and compete.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think he's a lot like Chris Paul in
Speaker 5: that it's in his DNA to set the table for
Speaker 5: others rather than trying to hero ball his way out
Speaker 5: of this series.
Speaker 6: One stet that I.
Speaker 5: Found astounding when I was looking into this and Tyree
Speaker 5: Taliburton and his quote unquote passivity or his lack of
Speaker 5: usage rate. It's very similar to Chris Paul. Chris Paul
Speaker 5: All Time Great, incredibly good at maintaining possession and methodically
Speaker 5: breaking down the defense. Chris Paul in all his years,
Speaker 5: he only had two seasons of twenty point scoring and
Speaker 5: only one time did he shoot twenty five times in
Speaker 5: a playoff game. It's just not how he's built Chris Paul.
Speaker 5: He's more interested in setting the table, getting improving his teammates,
Speaker 5: making sure his other teammates are getting involved, rather than
Speaker 5: going out and trying to get forty. And I think
Speaker 5: Tyree Tliburton is built the same way. They have that
Speaker 5: like them, Muggsy Bogues and John Stockton, they have like
Speaker 5: identical I assist to turnover ratios. They are very careful
Speaker 5: with the ball and they rarely make mistakes. But I
Speaker 5: also think some of that is part and parcel to
Speaker 5: why he doesn't want to go out and play hero ball.
Speaker 5: He's not built like MJ. He's not built like Anthony Edwards.
Speaker 5: He's not built like Shake Gildris Alexander, and that's okay.
Speaker 5: Like Chris Paul All Time Great, one of the fifty
Speaker 5: best players, to ever lace them up John Stockton as well.
Speaker 5: I think he's more in that category rather than someone
Speaker 5: who's going to win an MVP or someone who's gonna win.
Speaker 8: A finals MVP.
Speaker 5: At this stage where he's just ripping the hearts out
Speaker 5: of the opponent for forty eight minutes. He can do
Speaker 5: it in the last two minutes of games this season,
Speaker 5: where it's a shot to go ahead or a shot
Speaker 5: to tie, He's shooting thirteen to fifteen from the floor.
Speaker 5: But I think what's interesting about that stats. It's ridiculous,
Speaker 5: by the way, it's a ridiculous stat But I think
Speaker 5: the reason, part of the reason why he's able to
Speaker 5: be so efficient and so good in those Layton close
Speaker 5: situations this season is because he's not tiring himself out
Speaker 5: for the rest of the forty six minutes of the game.
Speaker 5: And you look at this series, he's just not as
Speaker 5: aggressive in the first two quarters. I don't think it's
Speaker 5: mutually exclusive. I don't think you can have one without
Speaker 5: the other. I think it's interesting tyre'saliburn has been so
Speaker 5: good in clutch situations this year. I think part of
Speaker 5: that is because he's got enough gas left in the
Speaker 5: tank to do those plays when everyone else is run
Speaker 5: down and tired, And.
Speaker 6: So I do think that there's a relationship there that.
Speaker 5: Tyree's taliburn is as good as he is in clutch situations.
Speaker 7: I don't think you're getting.
Speaker 5: That prime Tyree t Halliburton, rip your heart out in
Speaker 5: the end endgame stage when he's going and trying to
Speaker 5: score every time down the floor in the first three quarters.
Speaker 5: So it's a delicate balance. And I think he's more
Speaker 5: Chris Paul than he is Shaye Gildsris Alexander And to me,
Speaker 5: he's got to have at least one if they're going
Speaker 5: to win this series, they've got to have at least
Speaker 5: one epic shake Gilders. I mean Tyrees Haliburton game where
Speaker 5: he's got thirty and fifteen. It's gonna take that against
Speaker 5: this OKAC team. Like I think this is going to
Speaker 5: be over and five. I picked that in before the series.
Speaker 5: And if Haliburton wants to be a legend, legendary all
Speaker 5: time player like he has shown in the first three rounds,
Speaker 5: it's going to take another historic performance that isn't going
Speaker 5: to be just twelve or thirteen shots in the game.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a couple of good points in there.
Speaker 1: My favorite is the the parallel between Halliburton and SGA.
Speaker 1: That's that's not the correct line to draw here. It's
Speaker 1: those two against each other as far as you know
Speaker 1: who's going to go off and who's gonna lead their team.
Speaker 1: They lead their team in different ways. It's a false equivalency.
Speaker 1: They're different players. But if we move over to the Thunder,
Speaker 1: you know, it was funny because Game two I thought
Speaker 1: was just tremendously boring because it's what OKAC just does.
Speaker 1: I mean, it's like death with a thousand paper cuts.
Speaker 1: It started out back and forth, the Pacers looked okay,
Speaker 1: and if you've been watching the Thunder all year long,
Speaker 1: it's just it's what they've done all year. And I
Speaker 1: harken back to what Chris Finch said after Oklahoma City
Speaker 1: eliminated the Timberwolves, when a media member and his postgame
Speaker 1: presser said, what did you learn about your team tonight?
Speaker 2: And he said, nothing, because this is who we are.
Speaker 1: I feel like this is just a mountain that's too
Speaker 1: tall for the Pacers to climb. But if you look
Speaker 1: at the moments of success they've had in this series,
Speaker 1: which even though it's one one. It hasn't been a
Speaker 1: lot of moments like ninety six minutes of play, ninety
Speaker 1: minutes or so have been dominated by the Thunder. But
Speaker 1: as they go back home, what do the Pacers do
Speaker 1: with what feels like kryptonite? If you try to sell
Speaker 1: out to stop shade. They've got plenty of shooters that
Speaker 1: can knock down shots. How do they how do they
Speaker 1: corral this team that whin they're ticking?
Speaker 5: They just feel so impossible, Tom, Yeah, you know you
Speaker 5: said it. This This OKAC team has led for basically
Speaker 5: the entire series, and it was an incredible shot making
Speaker 5: display at the end of Game one that they fought
Speaker 5: back and rallied and won that game in epic fashion.
Speaker 5: But to me, this Thunder team is designed to crush
Speaker 5: teams like the Indiana Pacers, where so much of their
Speaker 5: offense depends on Hollie and and themhard and they are
Speaker 5: so good at stopping ball dominant.
Speaker 8: Guys guys who are.
Speaker 6: You know they move the ball quite a bit.
Speaker 8: But that's what OKAYC.
Speaker 5: Does is they're just so ferocious defensively, They're Doberman's out
Speaker 5: there that I just if you're not gonna be able
Speaker 5: to pound them in the paint. They're not gonna be vulnerable,
Speaker 5: and it's gonna come down to Pascal Siakam and Miles
Speaker 5: Turner and Obi Toppin to try to free up the
Speaker 5: other guys and have multiple defenders collapse onto them in
Speaker 5: the paint, and then you can get kind of Tyrese
Speaker 5: going downhill on a hard close out and a kickout.
Speaker 6: That might be their.
Speaker 5: Option is to play inside out rather than inside in,
Speaker 5: but that's easier said than done. I think I said
Speaker 5: this before to you Spence. When you watch some Thunder
Speaker 5: play basketball, especially on defense, it feels like it's six
Speaker 5: on five. It feels like there's six guys out there.
Speaker 5: That's how well they cover ground and how well they
Speaker 5: close out and recover, help and recover and swarm. It
Speaker 5: doesn't seem right like I'm looking around, like are there
Speaker 5: six guys out there? And that's just how they play,
Speaker 5: and so it's gonna be really challenging. But they gotta
Speaker 5: pound the paint, play inside out, and that's easier said
Speaker 5: than done.
Speaker 2: All right, let's move over to a story.
Speaker 1: And look, you know my background and upbringing, and I
Speaker 1: still very much cheer for the new York Knicks and
Speaker 1: have enjoyed the fact that they're relevant and somewhat fun again.
Speaker 1: But even in my Nick fandom, I have to chuckle
Speaker 1: at the Hubris where for the first time in thirty years,
Speaker 1: you're somewhat relevant. So your response to your relevance is
Speaker 1: to fire a really good coach and then believe that
Speaker 1: you can just interview anyone you want. Minnesota, Dallas, Houston
Speaker 1: all said no, you are not allowed. So your take
Speaker 1: on this, and do you have any idea who they're
Speaker 1: going to land on to replace Tom Thibodeau.
Speaker 5: Why couldn't they just keep TIBs and then bring in
Speaker 5: like a Terry Stotts, you know, like, if you're worried
Speaker 5: about his rigidity or his inability to sink outside the box,
Speaker 5: then I think you keep that guy and try to
Speaker 5: get an offensive coordinator in there to help you think
Speaker 5: more outside the box. Maybe Tibbs is so rigid that
Speaker 5: he will not listen to that guy. But what it
Speaker 5: sounds like to me is that leon Rose and Dolan
Speaker 5: are not on the same page on this because leon
Speaker 5: Rose to me, seems like a Tibbs guy that from
Speaker 5: CIA and going back in the day, I think that
Speaker 5: they are they are aligned on this, and the fact
Speaker 5: that James Dolan, from Vinnie Goodwill's reporting at Yahoo's Sports
Speaker 5: and others, seems to be intervening here and meddling with
Speaker 5: this decision and not liking Tom Thibodeaux and being the
Speaker 5: driver of this. This feels like the old Knicks.
Speaker 6: Again.
Speaker 5: The last few years have felt like.
Speaker 6: This new regime.
Speaker 5: Leon Rose is doing this very methodically and very sophisticated
Speaker 5: long term view. This feels like the old Knicks. And
Speaker 5: I don't mean that in a good way. This feels
Speaker 5: like to me, it's it feels very knee jerk. It
Speaker 5: feels very emotional, and it also reeks of arrogance that
Speaker 5: like the exceptionalism that you're imbuing on the rest of
Speaker 5: the NBA, that you're saying, you built this Minnesota team,
Speaker 5: I'm going to steal you away and post you because
Speaker 5: we're the Knicks. Or the same thing for Ema Adoka
Speaker 5: and the same thing for Jason Kidd. Now, the Jason
Speaker 5: Kidd thing is really interesting to me because the reporting
Speaker 5: suggests that the interest is mutual, that Jason Kidd also
Speaker 5: wants to become a New York Nick. And when you
Speaker 5: don't allow Jason Kidd to get.
Speaker 6: What he wants.
Speaker 5: There's been a pattern here throughout his career, both player
Speaker 5: and coaching, that Jason Kidd will in the end get
Speaker 5: what he wants. And so that, to me, Spence, is
Speaker 5: really interesting, is if that is true that Jason Kidd
Speaker 5: wants to coach this team the New York Knicks and
Speaker 5: the Dallas Mavericks denied permission and said no you will,
Speaker 5: I'm not allowed to talk. What does Jason Kidd know?
Speaker 5: What can Jason Kidd do to make this a very
Speaker 5: uncomfortable situation for Nico Harrison and the incoming Cooper flag
Speaker 5: and Patrick Dumont. And that's where this gets really messy
Speaker 5: and also soap opera palace intrigue, where you're looking at
Speaker 5: Jason Kidd and if he truly wants to become a
Speaker 5: New York Nick this circus has only begun. And I
Speaker 5: wonder what your thoughts are on that. Because Jason Kidd,
Speaker 5: what he did with the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks,
Speaker 5: this seems like not the end of the story, but
Speaker 5: possibly just the beginning.
Speaker 1: So interesting My read was potentially Jason Kidd does not
Speaker 1: want the nick job because I would imagine, and I
Speaker 1: don't know this, you could very very well be correct.
Speaker 1: Like if you're Patrick Dumont, if you're Nico Harrison, and
Speaker 1: the Knicks call you, it's Jim Dolan or Leon Rose
Speaker 1: or whatever, and they say, we'd like to interview your
Speaker 1: head coach. I guess would be they would talk to
Speaker 1: Jason and say, are you interested in this? And if
Speaker 1: he says that he is, I don't want you coaching
Speaker 1: my team. So then I call Leon back and Dolan back,
Speaker 1: and I say, Okay, it's gonna cost your first rounder
Speaker 1: or whatever. So my read was kind of like, maybe
Speaker 1: they talked to Jason and the reporting is incorrect, he
Speaker 1: does not have interest in that job.
Speaker 2: But honestly don't know. Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 5: I think it was Brian Winnhurst who reported that it's
Speaker 5: mutual interest between the two Jason Kidd and.
Speaker 6: The New York Knicks. YEP.
Speaker 5: Now what level that is, whether it rises if the
Speaker 5: interest in Jason Kidd supersedes his interest in the Dallas
Speaker 5: Maverick's job.
Speaker 6: I don't know.
Speaker 5: He might be interested in both. But the Jason Kidd's
Speaker 5: story is fascinating to Lawrence Frank in Brooklyn. The Prokovs
Speaker 5: and the way that he tried to go about Billy
Speaker 5: King in Brooklyn to try to build his personnel in
Speaker 5: a way that he wanted, and then they just said,
Speaker 5: we're done with this. You go to Milwaukee and we'll
Speaker 5: get a couple first rounders or second rounders.
Speaker 6: Five.
Speaker 5: I think Jason Kidd is in a very tough spot
Speaker 5: here because he's close with Kyrie, He's close with Jalen Brunson,
Speaker 5: He's close with Anthony Davis, and he's also close with
Speaker 5: the Dumont's family and with Nico Harrison. The loyal The
Speaker 5: loyalty seems to be with Dallas, but he's also got
Speaker 5: this Cooper Flag expectation coming in and I think that's
Speaker 5: a tricky thing for a head coach to deal with.
Speaker 5: Is an eighteen year old Cooper Flag entering a win
Speaker 5: now situation with Anthony Davis? Can you do the David
Speaker 5: Robinson Tim Duncan in San Antonio If you don't have
Speaker 5: a full roster around, it's supporting cast. Kyrie Irving's not
Speaker 5: going to play next year or much of next year,
Speaker 5: and so I can understand why Jason Kidd might look
Speaker 5: at what Nico Harrison did with Lucan Dancic, and then
Speaker 5: what is going to happen here with Cooper Flag and
Speaker 5: just say, you know what, maybe maybe the nick job
Speaker 5: is a lot simpler, you know than what I'm going
Speaker 5: to have to navigate here. So we'll see what happens
Speaker 5: with Jason Kidd. But I think I think Cooper Flag
Speaker 5: is the real deal. I think he's going to be outstanding,
Speaker 5: And for those reasons, I think Jason Kidd would be
Speaker 5: smart to stay and build around that guy. But what
Speaker 5: Niko Harrison has done to build a win now team
Speaker 5: and trade away Luka Dancic, it doesn't look like you
Speaker 5: can kind of slow play this thing. And if I'm
Speaker 5: Jason Kidd, that's gonna be a very tricky situation.
Speaker 1: All right, Tom last thing before I said you lose
Speaker 1: over the past, I'll say four days. We have some reporting,
Speaker 1: including Sarah Todd because you're on the ground and works
Speaker 1: for the Desert Red News and covers the Jazz, Bill
Speaker 1: Simmons on his podcast, and then Zach Lowe has been
Speaker 1: the most recent to either write or say out loud.
Speaker 1: They've been told the Jazz are actively taking phone calls
Speaker 1: on both Lowry Market and and Walker Kessler. So if
Speaker 1: we take Austin Ainge at his word that there will
Speaker 1: be no tanking or manipulating minutes this season, and they
Speaker 1: are now taking phone calls on who I perceive it
Speaker 1: to be honestly the only two good players on their
Speaker 1: roster right now, what does that tell you about what
Speaker 1: next year might look like in Salt Lake?
Speaker 5: Yeah, I would say they're going to try to get
Speaker 5: younger around market in or moving market in and trying
Speaker 5: to get younger. But then Walker Kessler is one of
Speaker 5: the best young bigs in the NBA, So are you
Speaker 5: really going to move him for a younger piece when
Speaker 5: the guy just turned twenty three this year, so like
Speaker 5: he's turning twenty four in July. Maybe you try to
Speaker 5: move him for a twenty year old big or a
Speaker 5: twenty one year old big and just kind of move
Speaker 5: the timeline back a few years and you don't have
Speaker 5: to pay a big extension and see that through. But
Speaker 5: I don't I don't know what moving Walker Kessler does
Speaker 5: for you. I don't know. Now if Cooper Flagg is
Speaker 5: coming down the pike and you're trying to figure out
Speaker 5: market in and flag and Walker Kessler, I can understand
Speaker 5: why you move one but not both of those guys.
Speaker 5: I don't I mean, I don't know what the move
Speaker 5: would be on Walker Kessler moving him. I can understand marketing.
Speaker 5: There's a bunch of contenders that could see Marketing as
Speaker 5: a missing piece, as a floor space or a dynamic
Speaker 5: offensive driver.
Speaker 6: But the Walker Kessler piece.
Speaker 5: Doesn't make sense to me because he seems like a
Speaker 5: guy to help build around at twenty three years old,
Speaker 5: not someone that you're gonna move away to try to
Speaker 5: win now. It's just I don't see it, and it
Speaker 5: doesn't seem to be able to be reconciled the idea
Speaker 5: that you would want to win now but also move
Speaker 5: Lowry Markinen and Walker Kessler. So that doesn't add up
Speaker 5: to me.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I guess only time will tell.
Speaker 1: All right, my friend, thanks for stopping buying a game day,
Speaker 1: Enjoy the game tonight, have a great week.
Speaker 2: We'll chatch him.
Speaker 6: You gots fence, all.
Speaker 1: Right, the great Tom Haberstrow. We'll take a quick break.
Speaker 1: We've got one hour in the books, three hours to go.
Speaker 1: Zach Harper from the Athletic Joint just coming up next.
Speaker 1: I'm Ben bringing Brian.
Speaker 2: Dunseeth in today.
Speaker 1: Donny was on the broadcast team for turn for Turner
Speaker 1: Sports last night as the US men's national team got
Speaker 1: their heads kicked in one year away from the World Cup.
Speaker 1: Neil Smith, former general manager of the Rangers, stop out
Speaker 1: of Talk Some Hockey Pablo Master Winny to preview RSLs
Speaker 1: match Start things off today with Tom Haberstrow Rest in Peace.
Speaker 1: Brian Wilson at the age of eighty two Beach Boys
Speaker 1: on the show today, Zach Harper, I finally found a
Speaker 1: way to kill the bit.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I mean I think we could have done like
Speaker 6: some kind of remix.
Speaker 2: Uh, you know, on the day he passes. That's that's
Speaker 2: how you're leading. Look at you?
Speaker 6: Why not? Why not? Why not? Why not celebrate both?
Speaker 1: Can you let the body be cold before we're making
Speaker 1: jokes about the man wagers passed?
Speaker 6: Please didn't do it.
Speaker 1: He kind of did. Happy Wednesday, man, how are you doing.
Speaker 1: I'm good, I'm good. I'm gonna start with a little
Speaker 1: jazz here because over the path we were just talking
Speaker 1: about this with Tom over the past four days or so.
Speaker 1: We have Sarah Todd here locally, who covers the jazz
Speaker 1: for the d News. Bill Simmons on his podcast, then
Speaker 1: most recently Zach Lowe, I'll say the Jazz are actively
Speaker 1: taking phone calls on Marketing and Kessler. Uh So if
Speaker 1: you juxtaposed that with Austin Ainge and his press are
Speaker 1: saying that no more tanking, We're not manipulating minutes. What
Speaker 1: does that say to you about what it's going to
Speaker 1: look like next year for the Jazz.
Speaker 6: Well, maybe they're, you know, trying to get Giannis there
Speaker 6: you go, k or both.
Speaker 1: Yeah, probably not, but you're out of the box thinker.
Speaker 6: I like that. Yeah. I mean maybe you know, if
Speaker 6: you if you play your best players but your best
Speaker 6: players aren't any good, is that tanking?
Speaker 7: Mm hmm.
Speaker 6: You know, kind of a philosophical question here, you know, like, hey,
Speaker 6: we put our best guys out there, just not any good.
Speaker 6: So maybe that's maybe that's kind of the loophole. Everyone
Speaker 6: loves the loophole.
Speaker 1: It's essentially what Washington did last year, right, And look,
Speaker 1: I don't know if the Jazz, even if they held
Speaker 1: held on to Kessler and marketing and all of their
Speaker 1: vets and they played all of those players sixty five
Speaker 1: to seventy games, I don't think they're winning more than
Speaker 1: twenty five or thirty games, but if you do win
Speaker 1: thirty games, you are in a position where you could
Speaker 1: lose that pick. So maybe it is just like next
Speaker 1: year is all like twenty three and under players playing
Speaker 1: for the Jazz all year.
Speaker 6: Yeah, and I just don't I mean the whole thing
Speaker 6: of like we don't tank anymore, Like what are we doing?
Speaker 6: What are you doing here? Like it's it's just done
Speaker 6: lip service, and like maybe he's going to be good
Speaker 6: to the job, Like I don't know, like people really
Speaker 6: respect him around the league. He seems to have done
Speaker 6: a good job in Boston with what his role was,
Speaker 6: Like it just seems it seems like something to say
Speaker 6: at a press conference, but not something to actually do
Speaker 6: in rebuilding this team, because you look at the at
Speaker 6: the roster and like there's some nice young players here
Speaker 6: and there, but there's nothing that even like even hints
Speaker 6: at the idea that they're going to be any kind
Speaker 6: of confident in the next year or two.
Speaker 1: Yeah, And look, I mean, ultimately I understand the marketing
Speaker 1: thing because he turns twenty nine next year, which is
Speaker 1: not old by any stretch of an imagination, but it
Speaker 1: probably doesn't fit the timeline. The caster ones kind of
Speaker 1: interesting though, because he's twenty three years old. So, just
Speaker 1: generally speaking, both of those players, what sort of interest
Speaker 1: do you think they would hold around the league? And
Speaker 1: what sort of return could the Jazz get for both
Speaker 1: of them?
Speaker 6: Yeah, I wonder if Lowry's return is lower than what
Speaker 6: it would have been a year or two ago. Right,
Speaker 6: I mean, I don't know how many people are are
Speaker 6: looking to give up a lot of draft picks right now.
Speaker 6: I don't even know how many teams have a lot
Speaker 6: of draftics to give up outside of you know, Okac's
Speaker 6: got them, and you know Brooklyn's got a couple, and
Speaker 6: you know, you've got some teams here and there. You know,
Speaker 6: Houston's got a couple, Like you've got some teams here
Speaker 6: and there that can give up some draft capital. But
Speaker 6: I just I don't know that that's an easy fit
Speaker 6: to just go get marketing. And even if it is,
Speaker 6: I don't know that the market is all that hot
Speaker 6: for them. That doesn't mean teams don't want them. I
Speaker 6: just don't know that they're in a huge position of
Speaker 6: power to start a bidding war. Now, that could all
Speaker 6: change with just one team deciding, like you know what
Speaker 6: that that seven foot who could really score, we could
Speaker 6: use them on our roster, and so there there will
Speaker 6: be a market for him. I just I just don't
Speaker 6: know if it's as hot as it would have been
Speaker 6: before the extension. So for him, like that's probably more
Speaker 6: of a waiting game. My guess would be maybe that's
Speaker 6: that's more of a trade deadline deal for him. That
Speaker 6: makes sense when when teams really are desperate, because I
Speaker 6: don't I don't know. I also just don't know how
Speaker 6: active this summer is going to be as teams still
Speaker 6: adjust to the second apron and everything. Kessler is an
Speaker 6: interesting one. It makes me wonder what the vision of
Speaker 6: this team is moving forward, if they want a more
Speaker 6: traditional big man who's the rim protector, or if they're
Speaker 6: looking at something far more versatile. And I do think
Speaker 6: Kessler can do a little bit more athletically and skill
Speaker 6: wise than what he's been asked to do the last
Speaker 6: two seasons. But at the same time, there does seem
Speaker 6: to be a limit in terms of the versus Tildy
Speaker 6: that he can provide. So that may just be a
Speaker 6: style of play idea. And you know, he's a young
Speaker 6: guy on a on a good rookie contract. Where where
Speaker 6: there is a lot of a lot of skill set
Speaker 6: and there is a lot of definitive tangible role that
Speaker 6: you can put him into right away if you acquire him.
Speaker 6: So I think that's just possibly selling maybe not high,
Speaker 6: but selling like pretty well on a young asset.
Speaker 1: It was reported today your old buddy Shams reporting that
Speaker 1: Kevin Durant and his reps, namely Rich Climban, are actively
Speaker 1: looking at options for him because the sons have to
Speaker 1: do something.
Speaker 2: They're stuck with Brad Beale.
Speaker 1: I don't think they'll trade book and so they probably
Speaker 1: have to trade KD. So two part question, who is
Speaker 1: Kevin Durant in today's NBA at his stage in his
Speaker 1: career and where do you think ultimately he lands if
Speaker 1: he's dealt Do you.
Speaker 6: Think Shams just has that draft ready to just fill
Speaker 6: in the teams because we've had this so many times.
Speaker 2: One hundred percent for sure.
Speaker 6: Like man, I feel like I've read that a lot
Speaker 6: over the years. Yeah, it's an interesting question because you
Speaker 6: know he is up there in age, he's still really good.
Speaker 6: I don't know how reliable he is from an availability standpoint,
Speaker 6: And I think that's the tough part in terms of
Speaker 6: what you're giving up for him. But if you add
Speaker 6: him to the team, if you can get sixty games
Speaker 6: and playoffs out of him, you know, that's that's still
Speaker 6: one of the ten to fifteen best players in the world.
Speaker 6: Like he I mean, he's still incredible. He played really
Speaker 6: well this year. He was just in a disaster of
Speaker 6: a situation. So I think you put him, you know,
Speaker 6: on a San Antonio or a Houston or Minnesota or
Speaker 6: any of these teams that appear to be interested in him,
Speaker 6: I think it's a massive acquisition. You know, there's been
Speaker 6: some online trade ideas I don't even even want to
Speaker 6: say rumors. So I don't think that's that's an accurate
Speaker 6: way of putting it. But there's like, oh, what if
Speaker 6: they traded Cat for Durant. I'm like, I don't think
Speaker 6: that's a win for either team, you know, Like I
Speaker 6: don't think that, Like it's not that he's as you know,
Speaker 6: the same level as Cat, but I just I don't
Speaker 6: know if that would fix anything for what they need.
Speaker 6: And so I do think it's not just an easy
Speaker 6: thing across the board. I also, like, I don't know
Speaker 6: how much I would give up for him at this point.
Speaker 6: I mean, what you're maybe getting two years and you
Speaker 6: don't know two years of potentially you know, close to
Speaker 6: elite play, and you don't know how available it's he's
Speaker 6: going to be in those two years. So I just
Speaker 6: think that's a that's a weird situation too, where maybe
Speaker 6: it feels like that deal, it's probably gonna look a
Speaker 6: lot better when it gets reported wherever that ends up being,
Speaker 6: than what we might think it'll look like.
Speaker 1: So I've always pushed back on the whole, like KD
Speaker 1: had to join Steph and that crew to win championships.
Speaker 2: I mean, over the.
Speaker 1: Years, a lot of great players have chased rings with
Speaker 1: other great players, and that's not something that's unique to him.
Speaker 1: But when you look at his resume, you know, Finals
Speaker 1: MVP twice, League MVP, He's led the league in scoring
Speaker 1: six times, He's made fifteen All Star teams, Rookie of
Speaker 1: the Year All NBA six seven times. When Russo and
Speaker 1: Steven Ay are yelling at each other in spanks in
Speaker 1: fifteen years about his legacy and the fact that he's
Speaker 1: played for five teams comes up, what does that say
Speaker 1: to you about him? I mean, a player like that
Speaker 1: to play for five different teams because he is historically special, Like,
Speaker 1: what does that say about the path that he's traveled.
Speaker 6: I think that's more about the times, right, I think
Speaker 6: that's more about the era, because I don't know, like
Speaker 6: you look at that and with KD, I think that
Speaker 6: there's a certain point where maybe he made some bad
Speaker 6: decisions or some tough decisions, or things just didn't work out.
Speaker 6: Like I don't think Brooklyn was a bad decision for him.
Speaker 6: I think that they they they came really close to
Speaker 6: you know, the everyone talks about it, but like you know,
Speaker 6: he's half a shoe size away from sending Milwaukee home,
Speaker 6: and then who knows what happens with that Brooklyn team?
Speaker 6: Do they win the championship? And if they win the championship,
Speaker 6: then then how do you know? Obviously all of that
Speaker 6: looks great and all that change is the course of history.
Speaker 6: But his foot was just a little too big on
Speaker 6: that final shot in regulation. They lost in overtime, So
Speaker 6: you know, there are all these what ifs with him.
Speaker 6: It's funny because I've talked about this with a lot
Speaker 6: of people over the last year or so, where they
Speaker 6: don't really consider him like a champion, They don't consider
Speaker 6: him not a champion, but those those Warriors titles are weird.
Speaker 6: Like I consider him a champion. I'm like, hey, you
Speaker 6: won the titles. Like, I get that it was easier
Speaker 6: to do because of that team and because of your decision,
Speaker 6: but you still won the championships, right Like, we don't
Speaker 6: we don't really do that with any other player in history.
Speaker 6: But I get why people don't hold them in the
Speaker 6: same regard as other championships, right Like, it's definitely not
Speaker 6: the same level as what Dirk did for in his
Speaker 6: one with Dallas. So like, I think ultimately you get
Speaker 6: some you know, you get some distance from the era.
Speaker 6: And when you know, President Stephen a Is is arguing
Speaker 6: about it on first take before he goes back into
Speaker 6: the Oval office someday, like I you know, I think
Speaker 6: we're gonna. I think we're gonna We're just gonna look
Speaker 6: at the numbers and the awards and everything and be like, hey,
Speaker 6: the guy's one of the ten to fifteen greatest players
Speaker 6: we've ever seen.
Speaker 1: You know, there was a time I would have laughed
Speaker 1: at that potential. And then after twenty sixteen, like you know,
Speaker 1: who knows if.
Speaker 6: You were if you were laughing or crying, and I
Speaker 6: couldn't tell if I was either.
Speaker 2: It's just it's just where we're at.
Speaker 1: Nothing would surprise me anymore at this point, all right,
Speaker 1: outside of Durant. You mentioned the Yannis potential and you're
Speaker 1: plugged in?
Speaker 2: Is that real?
Speaker 1: Like do you think they're gonna, well, they would move
Speaker 1: off of him, but do you think he's gonna look
Speaker 1: for a different home? And kind of same question, what
Speaker 1: does that look like? Where do you think he lands?
Speaker 9: Man?
Speaker 6: I don't. I don't think it's real. I think that
Speaker 6: they're like this is all me just guessing, right, I
Speaker 6: don't have any reporting on this. This is just me
Speaker 6: reading tea leaves from very far away. But like to me,
Speaker 6: I think there is a real obsession with the pr
Speaker 6: of it all for Yannis. And I look at that
Speaker 6: in his like his press conferences and him trying to
Speaker 6: be the dorky guy and like, oh, I don't understand
Speaker 6: what anything is right, Like he's really held onto that
Speaker 6: and he's got like the Disney thing and all this stuff.
Speaker 6: And I do think that there is like it may
Speaker 6: it may happen eventually. I don't think it's happening now
Speaker 6: where he asks out, I think he believes that that
Speaker 6: would look bad. I don't think he probably wants to
Speaker 6: still make it work in Milwaukee. Now, One conversation with
Speaker 6: a star player elsewhere could change that. One decision where
Speaker 6: he like really just steps back and looks at what
Speaker 6: Milwaukee's going to be next season, and he and if
Speaker 6: he gets some kind of you know, bird's eye view
Speaker 6: of this and realizes, oh, I'm really on my own
Speaker 6: next season, maybe he decides he doesn't want to do that.
Speaker 6: But I do think that there is this this real
Speaker 6: like obsession with looking like the good guy, being the
Speaker 6: good guy, and trying to stick this out and pull
Speaker 6: all this together and maybe trying to find some way
Speaker 6: even though it's unrealistic, to bring people to Milwaukee rather
Speaker 6: than him going elsewhere, at least in the time being.
Speaker 1: The hubris of the Knicks has to be discussed today.
Speaker 1: It's like, and you know my background, I'm a lifelong
Speaker 1: fan of the team and love that they're relevant again,
Speaker 1: relevant again. But you're relevant for the first time in
Speaker 1: thirty years. So your approach is to fire a good
Speaker 1: coach and then believe you can talk to whoever you
Speaker 1: want to in the league. So I have to admit
Speaker 1: the humor that I'm finding in this situation where all
Speaker 1: three coaches they apparently wanted to talk to they've been
Speaker 1: denied permission, and that they kind of scracking me up today.
Speaker 6: I mean, it's like if you broke up with your
Speaker 6: girlfriend then you just started dming Eva Mendez. You're like, hey,
Speaker 6: I know you've got Ryan Goslin at home, but like
Speaker 6: what about it? Right? Like it's just it's insane. Like
Speaker 6: it's like, I guess I understand the Jason Kidd think
Speaker 6: a little bit. You do have the connection between Jalen
Speaker 6: Brunston and Jason Kidd. He does have a history of
Speaker 6: doing this before, right, That's how he got to Milwaukee.
Speaker 6: Like that's not totally unprecedented with him. And there are
Speaker 6: a lot of whispers, rumors whatever about he maybe doesn't
Speaker 6: want to be tied to this pr nightmare that is
Speaker 6: the Dallas Mavericks right now. Now. I don't know how
Speaker 6: real that is, but that's at least been going around
Speaker 6: a little bit. So there are some maybe tea leads
Speaker 6: to read there to think maybe you have a chance
Speaker 6: of getting him to talk to Dallas Mavericks into allowing this,
Speaker 6: you know, interview to happen and you know, grant permission
Speaker 6: and all this stuff. So like that's like maybe ninety
Speaker 6: percent ridiculous rather than one hundred percent the Chris since
Speaker 6: email your Doka thing. Are you kidding me? Yeah, that's
Speaker 6: that's absurd.
Speaker 7: I don't know where you.
Speaker 6: Would get that kind of that kind of just like
Speaker 6: you said, Hubris, I mean, it's it's ridiculous. Like I'm wondering,
Speaker 6: are they going to go like talk to Nick Noltie
Speaker 6: and Blue Chips next and ask Western University for permission?
Speaker 6: Are they going to go after coach Carter like you know,
Speaker 6: Sam Jackson, Like I don't like, where do they turn
Speaker 6: to next? I don't understand. And this just leads me
Speaker 6: to believe like I thought it when they fired Tibbs,
Speaker 6: and I believe that this entire time, I never thought
Speaker 6: they had a plan for replacement. I think they just decided,
Speaker 6: we don't like this guy anymore.
Speaker 2: Yep.
Speaker 1: And that's what happens when the guy who owns the
Speaker 1: team owns the team. All Right, I know you got
Speaker 1: to go, so you be as quick as you can.
Speaker 1: Where's you got? Where's your gut?
Speaker 6: Right now?
Speaker 1: With the finals? Do you think the patri excuse me.
Speaker 1: Do you think the Pacers have a puncher's chance ors
Speaker 1: it feel like it's more or less just going out
Speaker 1: Casey's way.
Speaker 6: No, I do think the Pacers have a real chance
Speaker 6: of this. I think I don't think they have just
Speaker 6: played perfect basketball. But it can't look like Game two,
Speaker 6: Like they've got to be more forceful and aggressive in
Speaker 6: getting into the paint like they were in Game one,
Speaker 6: and we didn't see that in Game two, and we
Speaker 6: saw them, you know, not generate the same looks with
Speaker 6: the three point shooting in Game two as they did
Speaker 6: in Game one. I actually think they probably win tonight
Speaker 6: and then I think the Thunder runoff three straight and
Speaker 6: close this thing out. But no, I think they like
Speaker 6: I get it, I get why people dismiss this team.
Speaker 6: I think they're really good though, and I think they
Speaker 6: have like a twenty five percent chance to win the series,
Speaker 6: which I think is pretty good and way higher than
Speaker 6: most people would give them. But you can't deny what
Speaker 6: the Thunder are, and you can't deny how good that
Speaker 6: team is. And I think just about everybody would pick
Speaker 6: the Thunder for good reason.
Speaker 2: All Right, buddy, we'll set you loose. Enjoy the game tonight.
Speaker 1: We'll chat soon, okay, Dalla Zach Harper from The Athletic
Speaker 1: also a bunch of different podcasts, en Aphobe and others.
Speaker 1: Get them on Twitter at toak Hoops is where you
Speaker 1: find Zach. So yeah, it'll be interesting to see what
Speaker 1: the Knicks do moving forward if you're just kind of
Speaker 1: getting up to the situa up to speed with the situation. Apparently,
Speaker 1: the contingency plan after New York fired Tom Thibodeau was
Speaker 1: to be able to interview whatever coach they felt like
Speaker 1: they wanted an interview, so they contacted Dallas.
Speaker 2: Dallas said, you cannot talk to our coach.
Speaker 1: They contacted Houston, Houston said no, and then they contacted
Speaker 1: Minnesota and Minnesota no because Minnesota said no. Because all
Speaker 1: three of those teams really like their head coach. It
Speaker 1: is pretty wild that that's the contingency plan in place.
Speaker 1: But of course the next at this point are falling
Speaker 1: flat concerning the Jazz and the reports over the past
Speaker 1: four or five days from reputable NBA people that they
Speaker 1: are fielding calls on marketing and Kessler. Zach brings up
Speaker 1: an interesting point where it could be a scenario that
Speaker 1: we see any of these moved one closer to the
Speaker 1: trade deadline.
Speaker 2: Now.
Speaker 1: The thing about the vets on the Jazz roster now,
Speaker 1: where they've been trying to move on from Sexton and
Speaker 1: trying to move on from Clarkson and trying to move
Speaker 1: on from Collins with no takers, I could completely see
Speaker 1: any or all of them moved pretty quickly. Now, Donovan
Speaker 1: wasn't traded, if I remember correctly, Donovan wasn't traded until
Speaker 1: August or September. I think Rudy was first, and then Bogdanovitch.
Speaker 1: I don't think it was traded into October. So some
Speaker 1: of these things are a slow play, and I understand
Speaker 1: the scenario with the timeline maybe not fitting market In's timeline.
Speaker 1: The Kessler thing is really interesting to me. He is
Speaker 1: only twenty three years old. So if they really do this,
Speaker 1: if these reports actually lead to trades that go down,
Speaker 1: and to be very clear, it's one of the reasons
Speaker 1: I rolled my eyes. And a lot of these things. Of
Speaker 1: the one thousand NBA rumors that are reported, like five
Speaker 1: of them happen. So no part of me believes that
Speaker 1: they're like trading Lowry tomorrow. I could be completely wrong,
Speaker 1: or have they done some calculations on the ability to
Speaker 1: move up in the draft, and they're going to include
Speaker 1: marketing in a package to maybe try to grab the
Speaker 1: second pick from the Spurs.
Speaker 2: I don't know.
Speaker 1: There are a lot of possibilities out there, so the
Speaker 1: marketing thing makes a little more sense based off this timeline.
Speaker 1: I think when they initially traded for Lowry and he
Speaker 1: had that all Star season year one, they may have
Speaker 1: done a little bit of a calculation where they felt
Speaker 1: like they were closer to being good than they actually were,
Speaker 1: because even year one they weren't close to being good.
Speaker 2: They were very close to being average.
Speaker 1: But nobody wants to be average in the NBA because
Speaker 1: that's treading water, and so I think there's probably been
Speaker 1: more of an acceptance of a long game play.
Speaker 2: With Jazz Brass.
Speaker 1: That's just what my gut tells me, based off of
Speaker 1: maybe over inflating expectations after moving on from Rudy and
Speaker 1: Donovan and that group and having a team that showed
Speaker 1: some proficiency year one, but they've also broken down average
Speaker 1: teams in the name of being bad, you know, two
Speaker 1: to last three years. Last year was the first time
Speaker 1: they like leaned into the whole thing. And when you
Speaker 1: look at other teams that have got about their businesses
Speaker 1: the same way, and we can use the Thunder as
Speaker 1: an example, even though it's really unfair to draw a
Speaker 1: parallel between anybody and the best roster constructor in pro basketball,
Speaker 1: that's Sam Presty. But it took Sam four or five
Speaker 1: years to get this thing where it is. But unlike
Speaker 1: the Jazz, Sam didn't slow play his rebuild. He was
Speaker 1: much more deliberate and intelligent with his approach as opposed
Speaker 1: to what the Jazz have done. So hopefully Austin can
Speaker 1: bring a little bit more sensible decision making. And you know,
Speaker 1: the unfortunate reality of what the tea leaves seemed to
Speaker 1: indicate is that last year was probably year one of
Speaker 1: a four or five year process because they blew it
Speaker 1: and they slow played what they should have done from
Speaker 1: the start. So as a Jazz fan, you know it
Speaker 1: doesn't land well because you're probably in for another four
Speaker 1: or five years of losing, hopefully not more. I mean,
Speaker 1: that's the dirty little secret of several organizations throughout the
Speaker 1: course of Pro basketball who've had ownership changes and the
Speaker 1: owner wants to come in and do his thing because
Speaker 1: He's a tech pro that's had success elsewhere or whatever,
Speaker 1: and the front office, you know, does not have the
Speaker 1: guts to stand up and say no, this is what
Speaker 1: we need to do. There are teams like that that
Speaker 1: have been in no man's land for like twenty years,
Speaker 1: and that's the underlying fear right that this thing won't
Speaker 1: get going anytime soon. Rii Wilson passing away today at
Speaker 1: the age of eighty two years old. Chief songwriter, lead
Speaker 1: singer for the Beach Boys. So some sad news earlier.
Speaker 1: We got Pablo on the show today. We'll get you
Speaker 1: ready for ourselves match. We're gonna do some hockey with Neil's.
Speaker 1: But the US men's national team got their heads kicked
Speaker 1: in last night four nil final score. A next guest
Speaker 1: was on the broadcast team for TNT. Good friend of
Speaker 1: the program. Always great to catch up with. Brian Dunseeth
Speaker 1: Wednesday afternoon. Donny, how are we doing man?
Speaker 9: You caught me at the perfect time, Spence. I got
Speaker 9: home from Nashville this afternoon. I'm off to Atlanta tomorrow
Speaker 9: for the start of the FIFA Club World Cup. Busy
Speaker 9: summer of soccer and super looking forward to that. But yeah,
Speaker 9: last night was what did the kids say? Not great?
Speaker 7: Bob?
Speaker 9: Yeah, what wasn't too great?
Speaker 1: It definitely was not great Bob on a scale from
Speaker 1: zero to Alexi Lawless crying about patriotism on TV after
Speaker 1: last night.
Speaker 2: How high is the panic meter today?
Speaker 9: You know, we did a pregame segment about the panic
Speaker 9: meter and I put you know, he was, are you panicked?
Speaker 9: Are you not panicked? That Sarah Walsh was teeing us
Speaker 9: up and we're using the USA logo as like our
Speaker 9: heavy paper weight in front of our deskt He pressed
Speaker 9: that button and I was kind of I put my
Speaker 9: hand over it, and I was joking with Kyle Martino.
Speaker 9: I had the Martino shakes because I wasn't ready to panic,
Speaker 9: but I wasn't ready to say I wasn't panicking. And
Speaker 9: that really does come down to a calendar year ago.
Speaker 9: Our coverage was out in DC and we're getting ready
Speaker 9: for Columbia a couple days later down in Orlando against Brazil,
Speaker 9: and that was the lead into Coba Medica, and oh
Speaker 9: how things have changed. Things going completely sideways against Panama,
Speaker 9: it leads to being dumped out of the group stage
Speaker 9: of Coba Medica. Greg Berhalter loses his job to transition
Speaker 9: moment over to Marisa Bochattino. A couple of months ago,
Speaker 9: we go into the Nations League Finals out in Los Angeles,
Speaker 9: the fourth consecutive of the Nations League Final. We're looking
Speaker 9: to lift our fourth consecutive Nations League trophy. We lose
Speaker 9: the Panama again, then we lose to Canada in the
Speaker 9: third fourth place match, and then we head into a
Speaker 9: Gold Cup where we always understood that at the end
Speaker 9: of the domestic European campaign there were going to be
Speaker 9: players that needed to take a break, whether that be
Speaker 9: for injury or mental fatigue. We knew there was plenty
Speaker 9: of wear and tear on the tires for a lot
Speaker 9: of these guys. We also knew it was going to
Speaker 9: be an opportunity for Marisa Puchkino to continue the evolution
Speaker 9: of players like Jack mcgleahn, like Diego Luda from Real
Speaker 9: Salt Lake, like Patrick Agimon from Charlotte. But I think
Speaker 9: the conversation and the narrative took on its own set
Speaker 9: of circumstances. When a player like Christian Polisic his exclusion
Speaker 9: from the US men's national team, it takes on a
Speaker 9: life of its own, because the story was dictated through
Speaker 9: US Soccer, not by Christian politic and his representatives. And
Speaker 9: then it gets turned into he doesn't want to be here.
Speaker 9: I'm not sure that's the case. But in the public
Speaker 9: domain of argument, if we wouldn't have had the year
Speaker 9: that we've had, nobody would care if Christian was a
Speaker 9: part of this Gold Cup roster or not the part
Speaker 9: of this Gold Cup roster. But the reality is he
Speaker 9: is Captain America. He is by far our best player.
Speaker 9: He is as of I would assume still the captain
Speaker 9: of the team. And when you have back to back
Speaker 9: losses against Turkey in Switzerland, which I thought they were
Speaker 9: actually much better than the result showed against Turkey, but
Speaker 9: yet we judged teams on wins and losses and heavy rotation.
Speaker 9: And I said, when I was doing the lineup for
Speaker 9: the game against Switzerland the other night, Bracio Pochettino told
Speaker 9: us he wanted to give players opportunities to prove that
Speaker 9: they deserve to play significant minutes in the Gold Cup.
Speaker 9: He made nine changes to his starting eleven and unfortunately,
Speaker 9: in our first forty five minutes, a majority of those
Speaker 9: nine changes I think probably proved to Mauricio Bilichatino and
Speaker 9: to the world that maybe they weren't ready for an
Speaker 9: opportunity to play at the full US men's national team
Speaker 9: level in a way that maybe we were all predictive
Speaker 9: and hopeful for. So second half was much better, but
Speaker 9: still foreign no losses for no loss against the Switzerland
Speaker 9: side that was coming off what was a eight games
Speaker 9: without a win ahead of a Luxembourg win and a
Speaker 9: win in Salt Lake City against Mexico. And now the
Speaker 9: gloves are off and this group is taking a beating
Speaker 9: ahead of what is it next Sunday's game out in
Speaker 9: San Jose, Agan's try to kick off the twenty twenty
Speaker 9: five Gold Cup.
Speaker 1: All right, your reference Polisic who was not present, Sergenio
Speaker 1: Dust wasn't either, Weston McKinney, Tyler Adams. Off the top
Speaker 1: of my head, you know, those are kind of the
Speaker 1: main guys that weren't available. So help me understand how
Speaker 1: many players that we will see play for this team
Speaker 1: in the World Cup were not present for the game
Speaker 1: last night and we will not have for the Gold Cup.
Speaker 9: Yeah, I mean, off the top of my head. Christian
Speaker 9: obviously is not there. Anthony Robinson, Jedi Robinson from Fulham
Speaker 9: had knee surgery, so he was getting cleaned up for
Speaker 9: a problem that he had had. Serginio Dusk there's still
Speaker 9: risk management with him coming back from his ACL tear.
Speaker 9: Were at PSD Iron Hooven. Obviously, Gio Reina is with
Speaker 9: Brucia Dortmund, Tim Waya and Wes McKinney or with Youve
Speaker 9: those two teams are participating in the FIFA Club World Cups,
Speaker 9: so they have priority. Uh, there's a there's a there's
Speaker 9: a narrative out there and it's it's completely wrong. Mauricio
Speaker 9: Putstino on his staff, wanted to give the group of
Speaker 9: players the opportunity to play in all of these games.
Speaker 9: And they did not want to bring in Geo or
Speaker 9: Weston and Tim to this game because they knew that
Speaker 9: they weren't going to be there for the Gold Cup,
Speaker 9: so they thought it was probably better that they stayed
Speaker 9: and focused on their opportunity. But then you kind of
Speaker 9: get in the weaves when you're thinking about Joe Scale,
Speaker 9: you're thinking about Ricardo Peppy, you're thinking about Joss Sargent,
Speaker 9: you think about Sanna Tessaman, you think about Joe mcaoboose
Speaker 9: here you think about Aiden Morris, Who else am I
Speaker 9: missing in this group? That's kind of the core group
Speaker 9: of guys, and then you kind of have guys that
Speaker 9: are fringe guys around the world that you know, Twitter
Speaker 9: takes a liking to and thinks that they should be
Speaker 9: called in. So I would say, arguably you're missing seven
Speaker 9: to eight true starters and then probably collectively somewhere around
Speaker 9: twelve realistic players that would be on a World Cup roster.
Speaker 9: But again, Spence, I think you know, a year ago,
Speaker 9: I think every average US soccer fan could probably name
Speaker 9: a majority of the players that they would think would
Speaker 9: be starting eleven players for the US going into the
Speaker 9: World Cup, And I think that number is probably open
Speaker 9: for debate based on what we've seen in these last
Speaker 9: twelve months.
Speaker 1: Okay, So, operating off that premise with the group of
Speaker 1: players you just listed, is it fair to say that
Speaker 1: the people that believe this guy is falling just need
Speaker 1: to pump the brakes based off the fact that maybe
Speaker 1: the US men's national team and Pochettino was without the
Speaker 1: majority of their best players. Is it fair to say
Speaker 1: that maybe there's some overreaction because based off of what
Speaker 1: you just outlined the World Cup team that we'll see
Speaker 1: summer was not properly represented last night. Is that fair
Speaker 1: to say, oh, one hundred percent?
Speaker 9: I mean everybody knew. Well, let me tell you this.
Speaker 9: The Turkey team. The Turkeys team that they played out
Speaker 9: in Connecticut. The only player they were missing two players,
Speaker 9: one of the starting center backs which is debatable, a
Speaker 9: guy named Bardaki and then Hakan Shinnanaglu who was their
Speaker 9: captain and played for Inter Milan in the Champions League final.
Speaker 9: He had picked up a knock so he did not
Speaker 9: travel to play for Turkey. A and Vincenzo Montella, so
Speaker 9: they were arguably arguably missing one absolute difference maker. And
Speaker 9: the rest of this was you know, teams that had
Speaker 9: lost to one at the Euros semi or quarterfinal against
Speaker 9: the Netherlands and were coming off a six to one
Speaker 9: aggregate win against Hungary a month and a half ago.
Speaker 9: There was some rotation in Switzerland side that up at
Speaker 9: ries that goals beat Mexico four two and absolutely took
Speaker 9: them apart. Smashed Mexico. No one saw that result coming,
Speaker 9: but then again, no one saw them beating the United
Speaker 9: States fornell as well, and that team was probably the
Speaker 9: strongest possible team that Murac could put together for Switzerland.
Speaker 9: So in terms of experience and full squad, both of
Speaker 9: these teams these past two losses were definitely Turkey and
Speaker 9: Switzerland were the much better team, much more experienced team,
Speaker 9: and much more closer to full strength than this US
Speaker 9: group could have ever been. But again, even though there's
Speaker 9: nuance in the conversation Spence, the reality is that we
Speaker 9: judge success and failure by wins and losses. And unfortunately,
Speaker 9: again when you go back to calendar year, the dry
Speaker 9: run for hosting the twenty twenty six World Cup was
Speaker 9: the Copa Medica and to see US and again, this
Speaker 9: is football, This is sports in a moment in which
Speaker 9: an individual player can make a mistake, a referee's involvement,
Speaker 9: var intervention with technology, all of these things can go
Speaker 9: sideways and horrifically upend any opportunity that you had to
Speaker 9: try to make a run to lift a trophy. If
Speaker 9: we were to say, if you were to ask me, Donny,
Speaker 9: has everything gone horrifically sideways? My answer would probably be yes.
Speaker 9: In its last twelve months, to the point where now
Speaker 9: Mauricio Pochettino in a ten games in charge. He has
Speaker 9: five wins and five losses. That wasn't projected, that wasn't expected.
Speaker 9: And I think right now Mauricio Pochettino is probably looking
Speaker 9: at this the full concept of what the US men's
Speaker 9: national team roster looks like and has way more questions
Speaker 9: than answers. And this is again, you're a Spurs guy.
Speaker 9: This is his first foray into coaching international football and
Speaker 9: this will be the first time. The benefit of having
Speaker 9: a ross together for the better part of thirty days
Speaker 9: is hugely beneficial for he and his staff, but it
Speaker 9: will come at a cost because it won't be with
Speaker 9: his first choice froster.
Speaker 1: So over the past twenty four hours or so, we've
Speaker 1: heard Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, the aforementioned Patriot, Lexi Lawless
Speaker 1: be very critical of the group that we've spoken about
Speaker 1: who've elected not to be part of the Gold Cup.
Speaker 6: Now.
Speaker 1: It's interesting because the Gold Cup, historically speaking, has been
Speaker 1: a place for players that maybe aren't part of the
Speaker 1: first choice World Cup group to get some exposure. It's
Speaker 1: how It's how Kyle and Nicky broke into the group
Speaker 1: and they of course went on to play in the
Speaker 1: World Cup. Tony Beltran was on a Gold Cup team
Speaker 1: as well. But is there an extra layer of criticism
Speaker 1: that these players deserve based off the fact that the
Speaker 1: World Cup in our region is only a year away?
Speaker 1: Do you think they should have looked to play based
Speaker 1: off the fact that the World Cup's right around the corner.
Speaker 9: Well, so again there's nuance to this. So let me
Speaker 9: take you back head of the twenty twenty two World
Speaker 9: Cup and guitar. The United States had two international friendlies.
Speaker 9: They were empty stadiums over in Europe, and I believe
Speaker 9: they played Japan in Saudi Arabia and they were horrific
Speaker 9: in both of those games, to the point where you know,
Speaker 9: something I said went viral and I made the mistake
Speaker 9: of questioning that group and their preparation, habits and ultimately
Speaker 9: what they could do at the World Cup. And I
Speaker 9: was dead wrong specific to performances and leadership by Christian Polissic,
Speaker 9: because when that tournament started, Greg Burhalter got the squad right,
Speaker 9: he got the starting eleven right, and that team was
Speaker 9: incredibly impressive. And that's where the Golden generation moniker really
Speaker 9: took hold. They were fantastic in the group stage, and
Speaker 9: if they would have and nobody would have ever predicted
Speaker 9: that Holland would sit back, defend and just hit in
Speaker 9: the transition, score goals at the back posts. Louis van Hall,
Speaker 9: we thought it was going to be style and substance,
Speaker 9: identity possession, and they were just going to bury the
Speaker 9: Mens States. Instead they played cat and mouse instead of
Speaker 9: playing them straight up. After that World Cup, then you
Speaker 9: had the obvious conversation of Giorana, Greg Burholter, Giorana's parents,
Speaker 9: and that horrific off the field issue that led to
Speaker 9: a determined amount of time that Greg Burhlter wasn't the
Speaker 9: US men's national team coach. Besides that, Ernie Stewart and
Speaker 9: Brian McBride both we leave leadership roles behind the scenes,
Speaker 9: and US Soccer goes out and hires Matt Crocker who
Speaker 9: had come over from Southampton and experience with the England
Speaker 9: national team. There's so many layers to this conversation. And
Speaker 9: then okay, so we're really talking about Christian. Here's the reality.
Speaker 9: In the last two years, I've pulled the stats on
Speaker 9: Christian Polistic. He's played one hundred games for Acnlon. It's
Speaker 9: something like thirty six goals, twenty assists. He's played somewhere
Speaker 9: around seven two hundred and fifty minutes in two seasons.
Speaker 9: When you compare and contrast that to the five years
Speaker 9: he played for Chelsea, it was one hundred and forty
Speaker 9: six games and somewhere roughly around eight thousand minutes. So
Speaker 9: in the last two years he's almost already matched the
Speaker 9: five years he was at Chelsea Football Club. It's so
Speaker 9: you know, you go back to those years he was injured,
Speaker 9: dealing with hamstrings, groins, the stop start nature, substitute coming
Speaker 9: off the bench. He's a full time starter. He's an
Speaker 9: absolute number ten and in a dark season for a
Speaker 9: Simulan points wise, table wise, he was absolutely one of
Speaker 9: the shining stars. And it felt like monthly he was
Speaker 9: up for Player of the Month in City Off Football.
Speaker 9: So I can understand the idea of resting this tournament
Speaker 9: to make sure he's one hundred percent focused for the
Speaker 9: summer and next season. I think that's what gets lost
Speaker 9: in this conversation, because if the United States doesn't fail
Speaker 9: a Copamatica, and it doesn't fail in Nations League, nobody
Speaker 9: gives a flying squirrel. If Christian Polistic takes off this
Speaker 9: summer after two hectic, busy years and gets himself right,
Speaker 9: gets himself physically right, and make sure that by the
Speaker 9: time the World Cup comes he's flying. Landon there's nuance
Speaker 9: to that conversation. I don't think he's wrong in some
Speaker 9: of the aspects, but people are also pointing out that
Speaker 9: Landon took that what it was at six to seven
Speaker 9: month mental health break where he walked away from the
Speaker 9: LA Galaxy in the national team. It was something that
Speaker 9: Clint Dempsey referenced and ultimately at the desk the other
Speaker 9: night working with DeMarcus Beasley, four time World Cup veteran,
Speaker 9: I said in postgame, after knowing him for almost thirty years,
Speaker 9: I've never seen him so dumbfounded and at a loss
Speaker 9: for words based on what happened. So there's so many
Speaker 9: different bullet points that are happening currently around this team.
Speaker 9: But unfortunately, because it's Chris simplistic, he's been the face
Speaker 9: of US soccer for the better part of the last
Speaker 9: two World Cup cycles, and we understand how important he
Speaker 9: is on the field. The fact that he's not here
Speaker 9: and the fact that he and his camp haven't taken
Speaker 9: control of the narrative. I think that's why there's such
Speaker 9: a significant uproarn frustration about the situation, all.
Speaker 2: Right, concerning Pochettino.
Speaker 1: Two part question here, is it time to maybe look
Speaker 1: at the Greg Burholter stuff a little differently as well?
Speaker 1: Because I've always believed and look, it doesn't matter the sport.
Speaker 1: I mean, the Knicks just fired Tom Thibodeaux after the
Speaker 1: Eastern Conference finals. Coaches are the ones that typically fall
Speaker 1: on the sword because players aren't a contract, and players
Speaker 1: are the ones that essentially run the thing, because there's
Speaker 1: no such thing as a great coach without great players.
Speaker 1: And so it does feel like the US Mets national
Speaker 1: team has punted on Bob Bradley, Jurgen Klinsman, Greg Burholter.
Speaker 1: So I'm wondering what's fair to say about Potchettino based
Speaker 1: off the results for straight l's five and five and ten,
Speaker 1: and whether or not we need to.
Speaker 2: Look at what Greg did a little differently.
Speaker 9: Now you know, I played, I played with Greg Burholter
Speaker 9: at the US and national team level. I had worked
Speaker 9: with Greg Burholter, and I'd seen and covered him for
Speaker 9: a long long time. And I've said this multiple times publicly.
Speaker 9: There is a moment and it's not the place blame
Speaker 9: on Tim Way in any way, shape or form, but
Speaker 9: because there's a lot of moments in that game against
Speaker 9: Panama Coba Medica. They beat Olivia to know, they go
Speaker 9: into the Panama game, they score at Weston McKinney goal, aheader,
Speaker 9: he's judged to be offside. A few minutes later, a
Speaker 9: Panamanian player absolutely demolishes Matt Turner. Not a yellow card,
Speaker 9: no foul called. Matt Turner is forced to leave the
Speaker 9: game at halftime. That's how heavy the collision was. And
Speaker 9: in that moment, Tim Weya, you know, off the ball,
Speaker 9: you know, pops a chicken wing and next thing you know,
Speaker 9: he's been shown straight red. So there was a lot
Speaker 9: of When everyone talks about what Greg Borurholter did, writer
Speaker 9: Greg Burhlter did wrong, the reality is that that moment,
Speaker 9: that red card shown to Tim Weya is the perfect
Speaker 9: example of a split second decision where the tied turns
Speaker 9: and everything goes sideways. Just a quick reminder, Greg was
Speaker 9: neither a better coach or a worse coach based on
Speaker 9: that singular moment. But US Soccer decided to go in
Speaker 9: a different direction because it was deemed a failure and
Speaker 9: going out in the groups age of a Coba Medica,
Speaker 9: with all of the momentum and the hype and the opportunity,
Speaker 9: was probably the right decision the way that Matt Crocker
Speaker 9: and company looked at it. But now with Marisa Pochettino,
Speaker 9: I don't think you put the panic button on Marisa
Speaker 9: Putchettino in his staff, because I can promise you they
Speaker 9: care more than people. I mean, from an egotistical standpoint,
Speaker 9: do you think they want to come to the United
Speaker 9: States and fail after getting fired at Chelsea Football Club
Speaker 9: a couple.
Speaker 10: Of months ago.
Speaker 9: No, that's certainly not the case. So big picture, I
Speaker 9: think that right now they've got to figure out what's
Speaker 9: the right steps going forward to make sure they can
Speaker 9: get this back on track. Because the reality is, you
Speaker 9: got a calendar year tell the start of the World Cup,
Speaker 9: and I think all of us former players, all of
Speaker 9: US pundits, all of US media members, and most importantly
Speaker 9: all of US fans don't have a lot of faith
Speaker 9: for what this group is capable of doing in a
Speaker 9: World Cup. It's not just a generational World Cup, but
Speaker 9: this is a World Cup with an opportunity to create legends,
Speaker 9: and what a wasted missed opportunity for the general public
Speaker 9: to not be able to get behind, you know, our
Speaker 9: US men's national team in a similar manner that we
Speaker 9: see every four years with the Olympics.
Speaker 1: Let me ask you about Diego, who actually thought came
Speaker 1: into the second half and showed, well, now they were
Speaker 1: getting smoked, so it was too late. But Poachattino has
Speaker 1: said in the past that he likes him. Does Diego
Speaker 1: have a shot to make the World Cup roster not
Speaker 1: just the Gold Cup roster?
Speaker 9: Diego Luna, In my humble opinion, I predicted this. I
Speaker 9: think he's going to be I think he's going to
Speaker 9: be a starter at the World Cup.
Speaker 2: Oh wow, nice?
Speaker 9: Yeah, I don't, I don't. I know, Marisa Putsatino and
Speaker 9: his staff absolutely adore him, and we all saw the
Speaker 9: images when he got his nose broken and he had
Speaker 9: to fight through and his grit and determination. I said
Speaker 9: this during the pregame show when obviously, you know, when
Speaker 9: when our group covers not only the US men's national
Speaker 9: team because of you know, my my affinity and respect
Speaker 9: for what Diego's done, but also on the women's side
Speaker 9: with Ali sitin Or which they absolutely adore Ali because
Speaker 9: she's been incredible and she's such an incredible human being.
Speaker 9: But in the pregame show, I was explaining once again
Speaker 9: just to remind people that Diego Luna has always bet
Speaker 9: on it himself. He's a guy that came from a
Speaker 9: world in northern California in which decisions were made and
Speaker 9: he wasn't. He left, He went to Texas, played for
Speaker 9: pulled the trigger to bring him to Salt Lake. He
Speaker 9: worked on his fitness, he worked on his psychology, the
Speaker 9: mental side of the game, the physical side of the game.
Speaker 9: He changed his body profile, and he, without a shadow
Speaker 9: of a doubt, dealt with despair of missing out on
Speaker 9: the Olympics and turned it into I'm an MLS All Star,
Speaker 9: I'm an MLS Young Player of the Year, and I'm
Speaker 9: going to take this opportunity with both hands. And I
Speaker 9: can promise you that if Marine Kiopo Chattino had twenty
Speaker 9: six Diego Lunas heading into the World Cup, I think
Speaker 9: we would all feel much more comfortable about our chances
Speaker 9: of not only having a decent World Cup, but potentially
Speaker 9: having a great World Cup. Because that's the type of
Speaker 9: body language, that's the type of leadership, that's the type
Speaker 9: of technical ability and skill and that raw emotion that
Speaker 9: we all wish we see from every single player, the
Speaker 9: moment that they pulled that jersey over their chest and
Speaker 9: they see the cress loud and proud.
Speaker 1: Over their heart before we say you lose. So let's
Speaker 1: get a little RSL in DC in town on Saturday.
Speaker 1: Only two matches in June, and it is getting late
Speaker 1: early for this club. Sitting on fifteen points, four ten
Speaker 1: and three madestein gold differential and without Diego for a minute,
Speaker 1: it's going to be rough. I wonder if Ali can
Speaker 1: play for RSL. She's the best striker in the state,
Speaker 1: and it's not close. We got the Somber transfer Wento
Speaker 1: coming up, and then after that, I think there are
Speaker 1: thirteen total matches combined league play in League's Cup play.
Speaker 1: So your thoughts on where we stand with RSL and
Speaker 1: does it feel like this season might be too late
Speaker 1: to salvage already?
Speaker 9: Unfortunately, it does feel like that because this group continues
Speaker 9: to figure out ways to creatively lose to some of
Speaker 9: the worst teams in Major League Soccer. And that's my
Speaker 9: concern against DC United. You know, when you lose against
Speaker 9: Toronto FC at home, when you lose against an LA
Speaker 9: Galaxy team that hasn't lost in sixteen games, it doesn't
Speaker 9: give you much hope. And I understand the complexity and
Speaker 9: the nuance to an ownership switch, you know, from Blitzer
Speaker 9: and Smith to the Millers and Blitzer, but this team
Speaker 9: was financially woefully prepped for what this season was going
Speaker 9: to be. You know, you go back. I had this
Speaker 9: to learn on my phone a week ago, and it
Speaker 9: was a year ago. It was like fourteen games without
Speaker 9: a loss, and you think about Anderson Julio, you think
Speaker 9: about Andres Gomez, you think about Cucurito, you think about
Speaker 9: Matt Crooks, all these guys, and they're all gone. And
Speaker 9: then you transition and Diego is the loan standout in
Speaker 9: this group this season, and you're waiting for somebody else
Speaker 9: to alleviate the pain and frustration of what's happening, and
Speaker 9: it just isn't there, and so it's starting to feel
Speaker 9: like lost season. You know, take off my affinity for
Speaker 9: Real Salt Lake and the success because I always kind
Speaker 9: of say they're anywhere between a third place team and
Speaker 9: a tenth place team, dependent upon the nuclear arms race
Speaker 9: of spending in Major League Soccer, but I'm hoping that
Speaker 9: very swiftly this team has the financial wherewithal to be
Speaker 9: able to go out and find some difference makers and
Speaker 9: do it in a timely manner. That's similar to what
Speaker 9: we saw when Chico Lroongo showed up and already had
Speaker 9: six weeks underneath his belt of being in market training
Speaker 9: with the team and being incredibly prepared for the opportunity
Speaker 9: to step on the field and be the immediate difference maker.
Speaker 9: This team needs help, but as I say that, Pablo
Speaker 9: and Pablo needs help. But as I say that, there's
Speaker 9: a very capable group of players inside of that locker
Speaker 9: room and they got to figure this out, because if
Speaker 9: they don't, I hope there's someone inside of that locker
Speaker 9: room that has the stones or kahonas to say, hey,
Speaker 9: by the way, if we don't turn this around, there's
Speaker 9: gonna be guys without jobs. You can you have to
Speaker 9: sell your homes. You're gonna have to know, bust tail
Speaker 9: and get out of town because this hasn't been good enough,
Speaker 9: and once again RSL can't. There was so much hype
Speaker 9: and so much momentum spence everywhere I went last year.
Speaker 9: Everybody was asking me about RSL, Dude, what's going on?
Speaker 9: How are they so strong? How are they so consistent?
Speaker 9: Pablo has been incredible, and this year it's the opposite.
Speaker 9: It's what in the world is happening out there? And
Speaker 9: I don't think there's there's one hundred percent correct avenue
Speaker 9: to try to explain what's happened this year without placing
Speaker 9: blame on the players first and foremost, because these are
Speaker 9: professional players making a boatload of money, and quite frankly,
Speaker 9: outside of Diegaluna, they're just not showing up.
Speaker 1: Donnie and my friend, I appreciate the time, excellent work
Speaker 1: on the broadcast. I know you got a busy summer,
Speaker 1: so hopefully you can chat with you soon. But until then,
Speaker 1: safe travels my friend.
Speaker 9: Okay, anytime you Me and my man have a good.
Speaker 6: One, all right.
Speaker 1: Brian Dunzeth RSL original MLS VET ten years played for
Speaker 1: the US men's national team. As they got stomped last night.
Speaker 1: It was embarrassing. Gold Cup coming up on Sunday. Hopefully
Speaker 1: they can figure something out between now and then. Donny
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Speaker 2: Appreciate them being on board.
Speaker 1: Wait did you tell me that the Knicks just asked
Speaker 1: the Hawks for permission to speak with Quinn Snyder and
Speaker 1: Atlanta said.
Speaker 3: No, Yeah, that's one you can add to the list.
Speaker 2: Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1: So the New York Knicks, who fired a great coach
Speaker 1: after going to the Eastern Conference finals, decided their reaction
Speaker 1: to being relevant again was to act with the hubris
Speaker 1: of believing teams who like their coach would give you
Speaker 1: permission to talk to their coach. And at this point,
Speaker 1: with new news coming down the Knicks have been denied
Speaker 1: by Minnesota, Chris Finch, Houston, Emy Udoka, Dallas, Jason Kidd
Speaker 1: and now Atlanta and Quinn Snyder.
Speaker 2: I wonder if they're going to contact the Jazz about
Speaker 2: Will Hardy.
Speaker 6: Why not?
Speaker 1: Goodness gracious, all right, Bruce phil Jackson. Indeed seriously. Brian
Speaker 1: Wilson passes away today at the age of eighty two.
Speaker 1: My first concert was the Beach Boys at the Paradount
Speaker 1: Theater at Madison Square Garden. Our next guest, Neil Smith. Neil, question,
Speaker 1: right out the top, first concert you.
Speaker 2: Ever went to?
Speaker 7: And where, Oh my gosh, you're not going to believe this,
Speaker 7: and this is really going to make me sound old
Speaker 7: when I'm really not that old. I went in nineteen
Speaker 7: sixty four to see the Beatles maple Leaff Curdins.
Speaker 1: Wow, well that's an excellent first concert to attend, I'll
Speaker 1: tell you that much.
Speaker 7: Yeah, when you're just a little kid, you really don't
Speaker 7: understand what's going on. I said, you see all these
Speaker 7: girls fainting and being carried out on stretchers and all
Speaker 7: that you heard about those days with the Beatles. It
Speaker 7: was insane. And of course these sound systems weren't that
Speaker 7: great back then, And all you can hear was just screaming,
Speaker 7: like they just screamed from the start of the concert
Speaker 7: of whatever they called it performance, you know, the whole
Speaker 7: way through. That's what I remember. It's I don't know
Speaker 7: how old I was. I was. I wasn't even born yet.
Speaker 7: I was an embryo and I went to it.
Speaker 6: That's it.
Speaker 2: Did you did you ever go through a Beach Boys
Speaker 2: phase at all?
Speaker 8: No?
Speaker 6: I didn't know.
Speaker 7: I did not. You know. The only one to me
Speaker 7: that I when I was young that really knocked me
Speaker 7: all over was the Beatles because they were something that
Speaker 7: I've still never seen to this day, a phenomena like
Speaker 7: that where everybody was talking about this band because of
Speaker 7: the you know, when they hit the Ed Sullivan Show
Speaker 7: and all that stuff. It just went crazy.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's that's amazing. You had that experience. I'm kind
Speaker 1: of jealous. I'm not gonna lie, all right, Neil. Since
Speaker 1: you and I last spoke on Monday evening, the Panthers
Speaker 1: made quite a statement stomping the Oilers six to one.
Speaker 1: So my question is, I know you've been on Florida
Speaker 1: quite a bit, but if you're Edmonton where you at
Speaker 1: right now after really getting you're a head handed to
Speaker 1: you in Game three.
Speaker 7: You know, at first I want to say that it's
Speaker 7: not it's not odd that a there's blowouts in the
Speaker 7: In the final last year, Edmonton d Florida eight to
Speaker 7: one in the game and it ended up to Florida
Speaker 7: won the Cup as we know, two to one in
Speaker 7: Game seven. So I don't expect Edmonton to that shellacking
Speaker 7: the other night is going to be something that we're
Speaker 7: going to see going forward. I do think Edmonton's going
Speaker 7: to have to make a lot of adjustments, and the
Speaker 7: first one that that's obvious to anybody is they've got
Speaker 7: to steep disciplined because Florida loves to play a game
Speaker 7: where they can pull you into taking penalties and pull
Speaker 7: you into the nonsense, and they've got a lot of
Speaker 7: those guys. Sam Bennett, Matt Kachuck and Brad Marshawn. Those
Speaker 7: guys are I'd love to just irritate you and get
Speaker 7: you to get outside your game. So certainly Evander Kaine
Speaker 7: for the Oilers, who took three penalties I think in
Speaker 7: the first period, is going to have to be a
Speaker 7: lot more disciplined as is Corey Perry and Jake Woalman,
Speaker 7: who got a ten thousand dollars fine from the league
Speaker 7: for a five thousand dollars incident and another five thousand
Speaker 7: dollars incident both in that game the other night.
Speaker 1: Do you think Edmonton is falling victim? You know, it's
Speaker 1: interesting because Edmonton is just more of this like skill speed,
Speaker 1: kind of like elegant hockey team, and Florida feels like
Speaker 1: they're full of the high school bullies you always hated
Speaker 1: when you were a kid. Do you feel like Edmonton
Speaker 1: is falling victim to maybe Florida's gamesmanship a little bit
Speaker 1: as part of that what happened in Game three.
Speaker 7: I think that's what happened in Game three for sure.
Speaker 7: I think the other thing is is that they didn't
Speaker 7: they you know, they took penalties early and then got behind.
Speaker 7: And I don't think Skinner is as good as Bobrowski,
Speaker 7: but I don't think it was Skinner's fault. They lifted
Speaker 7: him when I got to five to one, and then
Speaker 7: Kelvin Pickard came in and they got one goal on
Speaker 7: him and that was it at the game ended six' to.
Speaker 7: ONE i think That Chris, knoblock the head coach Of
Speaker 7: edmonton's going to have a big decision on his hands
Speaker 7: or has already probably already made, it but you, know
Speaker 7: or to make whether to go With pickard now that
Speaker 7: they put five Past Stuart, skinner or to stay with
Speaker 7: your number one, guy which Is Stuart skinner and think
Speaker 7: that he can you, know lead them out of. This
Speaker 7: and that's going to be very interesting to see. That
Speaker 7: But edmonton doesn't doesn't want to play the kind of
Speaker 7: game they played the other night that they need to
Speaker 7: play five on. Five they need to keep Those newton
Speaker 7: hopkins'es and Dry sidles and. McDavid of, course they need
Speaker 7: to have them going out all the time and not
Speaker 7: killing penalties and only being out on power. Play so
Speaker 7: they felt prey to for his.
Speaker 1: Game Sam bennett is now The vegas favorite to win
Speaker 1: the Con Smile. Award you, know we talked about the
Speaker 1: potential as The Utah mammoth into the offseason with a
Speaker 1: lot of money to spend in cap space of maybe
Speaker 1: them taking a look At Sam Bennett's is he playing
Speaker 1: his way into a different economic stratosphere at this? POINT
Speaker 1: i think he.
Speaker 7: Is he scored thirteen, GOALS i believe it is in
Speaker 7: the playoffs twelve on the, road which sets a new
Speaker 7: record for goals being scored in the. Playoffs he's not
Speaker 7: a great point getter goal scorer during the regular, season
Speaker 7: but when playoffs, come he's always right. There SO i
Speaker 7: would think that the teams that will pay the most
Speaker 7: money For Sam bennett other than The Florida, panthers are
Speaker 7: the teams that feel that this could really put them
Speaker 7: over the. Edge for, Example Colorado avalanche or you, know
Speaker 7: a team like, that maybe The La, kings maybe that
Speaker 7: gives them an edge to be able to Beat edmonton
Speaker 7: for the first time in a. Decade BUT i you know,
Speaker 7: WHAT i think he's going to end up back with
Speaker 7: The panthers. AGAIN i think that's where he'll sign and
Speaker 7: he'll take a hometown discount to fit into their salary.
Speaker 1: Cap it feels, like and your point is well taken
Speaker 1: based off of the blowout that occurred last, year and
Speaker 1: oftentimes blowouts do, happen and last year was a wild
Speaker 1: ride where you, Know florida wins, Three edmonton wins, Three
Speaker 1: florida Wins game. Seven it does feel like there's a
Speaker 1: gap though that has emerged Between edmonton And. Florida is
Speaker 1: that fair and if, so how big do you think
Speaker 1: that gap?
Speaker 7: Is, WELL i think that That florida could be up
Speaker 7: three games to. None right, now they are up two to.
Speaker 7: One they lost the first game in overtime when they
Speaker 7: had a, lead and for the first time in thirty
Speaker 7: two times they went into an intermission with a lead
Speaker 7: and then didn't win the. Game that's their playoff record
Speaker 7: With Paul, maurice as they had gone thirty two straight
Speaker 7: games winning win leading after either. Period SO i think
Speaker 7: That florida has found a gap between them And. EDMONTON
Speaker 7: i think That florida Adding Seth jones And brad marshat
Speaker 7: at the deadline or close to the deadline has really
Speaker 7: bolstered that. TEAM i didn't see that. COMING i, MEAN
Speaker 7: i Think Seth jones is a number one, defenseman but
Speaker 7: when you put him an latt both out, there they've
Speaker 7: got excellent puck moving. Guys and then you've and then
Speaker 7: the rest of them are good too on. Defense but
Speaker 7: then you've got Marsha on who goes in and sits
Speaker 7: right in with the Way florida wants to. Play and
Speaker 7: you know On boston he was always the one guy
Speaker 7: out there that was irritating. Everybody and he's sort of
Speaker 7: like a little you, know, firefly going around bugging everybody
Speaker 7: all the. Time well on this, team he's not the only. One,
Speaker 7: like there's three or four of them that are coming
Speaker 7: after you're biting at your heels all the. Time SO
Speaker 7: i do think that they found a little bit of
Speaker 7: a chink in the oiler's.
Speaker 1: Armor are they getting enough from Dry sidle and. McDavid i,
Speaker 1: mean most people believe to start the, season you, know
Speaker 1: to start the, series it was really those two that
Speaker 1: would drive the. Engine AND i THINK i heard a
Speaker 1: lot of people say those two might be the best
Speaker 1: two players when you combine both. ROSTERS i don't know
Speaker 1: if that's. True but Is edmonton getting enough from their two?
Speaker 7: Superstars well they certainly did In game, one when you,
Speaker 7: know Dry cidle had two goals in that game and
Speaker 7: and McDavid had to, assist and he made that outrageous
Speaker 7: play where he deaked Bark, off one of the best
Speaker 7: defensive forward in the, league and then deeked out Eck
Speaker 7: lad and then fed it over to Dry citle for
Speaker 7: a magnificent. Goal so, YEAH i do think they're getting
Speaker 7: enough out of. THEM i think that the problem is
Speaker 7: is that they're not playing The oilers. Game they're falling
Speaker 7: into The panthers, game and then they can't do that
Speaker 7: because you can't use those gifts that Dry cycle and McDavid.
Speaker 7: Have if you're constantly trying to kill penalties and worried about,
Speaker 7: physicality you've got to you've got to stay composed and
Speaker 7: play the oiler type, game which is a speed game
Speaker 7: and not a jump it in and bang around.
Speaker 1: Game as far as the coaching matchup, GOES i was
Speaker 1: listening to A Mark messier interview and he was really
Speaker 1: a plotting in the job That Paul maurice has. Done
Speaker 1: and does this feel like this has been a coaching
Speaker 1: mismatch so? Far your thoughts on the battle between these
Speaker 1: two head.
Speaker 7: Coaches, NO i don't think it's been a mismatch at.
Speaker 7: ALL i think THAT i think That Chris noblock's a
Speaker 7: real good. COACH i think he said something on the
Speaker 7: bench to THE tnt, interviewer WHICH i think Was Jackie,
Speaker 7: redman and he said she talked to him in the
Speaker 7: first period and he, said you, know we've already taken four,
Speaker 7: penalties which is a recipe for disaster, here and that's
Speaker 7: really what it. Was it was a disaster for. Them so,
Speaker 7: LOOK i Think Paul maurice right, now at this stage
Speaker 7: In june of twenty twenty, five is probably in the
Speaker 7: top three coaches in the league for. SURE i Think
Speaker 7: rod Brenda more is up there. Too but and by the,
Speaker 7: way the best coach in the league doesn't always win
Speaker 7: The Jack Adams award because that goes to the coach
Speaker 7: that does the best that particular. Year and you know
Speaker 7: whose team does the, best and so this year it
Speaker 7: Was Spencer arbery of The Washington capital is well. Deserved
Speaker 7: BUT i Think Paul maurice is an excellent. COACH i
Speaker 7: think he's got this group. Nailed, like he knows This
Speaker 7: Florida panthers. Group he loves, them he knows what makes them.
Speaker 7: Tick AND i think it's really a magnificent job that
Speaker 7: he's doing with his. TEAM i Think Chris knoblock has
Speaker 7: a bit harder job to do because he's got you,
Speaker 7: know he goes From conor McDavid And leon Dry, sidle
Speaker 7: two of the top three players in the league for,
Speaker 7: sure and then he's also Got Casperry kappanan playing on
Speaker 7: the same team on the third or fourth line that
Speaker 7: they picked up on waivers during the, season and they've
Speaker 7: got others going in and. Out so you've, got you,
Speaker 7: know a diversity of talent to limited talent on that.
Speaker 7: Team it's not Like florida has a bunch of junkyard
Speaker 7: dogs almost you, know they're they're just they're all playing
Speaker 7: the same. Way and you, know you've got The oilers
Speaker 7: who are great, team great. Talent BUT i think That,
Speaker 7: florida's as you said, earlier has found a little bit
Speaker 7: of a niche. There and we'll see tomorrow. Night if
Speaker 7: The Edmonton oilers tie the series tomorrow, night it's a
Speaker 7: two out of three with two of the games And
Speaker 7: edmondson and it could go either, WAY i. Believe but
Speaker 7: if The panthers win a course tomorrow, night then you
Speaker 7: know what the Fat lady is warming? UP i, think
Speaker 7: yeah for.
Speaker 1: Sure and you referenced your thoughts on what you you
Speaker 1: know are what you think they need to do as
Speaker 1: far as being more, disciplined and you, know it's always
Speaker 1: interesting this time of, Year, Neo, like we have both
Speaker 1: THE nba and THE Nhl finals on our, station and
Speaker 1: it's that time of year where trophies are, won and
Speaker 1: when the regular season is behind you and you've already
Speaker 1: won three rounds in a playoff tournament, scenario it's always
Speaker 1: weird to talk about potential adjustments because it feels, like all,
Speaker 1: right It's. June we are who we are and that's
Speaker 1: why we're a. Finalist, like what can The pacers do
Speaker 1: to adjust To oklahomas, SAY i don't. KNOW i Think
Speaker 1: rick just has to do what he's done because they're
Speaker 1: in THE Nba. Finals but when it comes to potential
Speaker 1: adjustments That edmonton can, make is it line, changes is
Speaker 1: it rotational, changes is it moving players? Around or is
Speaker 1: it just, like, look we're in The Stanley cup final,
Speaker 1: again we are who we are and we're just going
Speaker 1: to go be who we.
Speaker 7: ARE i think it's the ladder what you. SAID i
Speaker 7: think That Chris knoblock is probably said to his, group
Speaker 7: we have to go and play our. Game we can't
Speaker 7: go into game four and let them make us play their.
Speaker 7: Game we know how we want to, play we know
Speaker 7: how we, play we know what wins for, us and
Speaker 7: we got to go get back to that and play
Speaker 7: that and to help with whatever they're. Doing and so
Speaker 7: that's the kind of that's the kind of adjustment at
Speaker 7: this time of YEAR i think you have to. Make
Speaker 7: which is it's more, general, like come, on, guys, member
Speaker 7: why we're here because we're that good and play our.
Speaker 7: Game don't get sucked into their. Game AND i don't
Speaker 7: think it's it's the things like in the first round
Speaker 7: you'll see like you've got to adjust to somebody's third
Speaker 7: line or the second line is doing so, on or
Speaker 7: that they're playing the power play a certain. WAY i,
Speaker 7: mean by, now each team knows each, other but they
Speaker 7: The Edmonton oilers have to play the game that they
Speaker 7: that they've played all, season which has been successful for,
Speaker 7: them the game that they started playing in game three
Speaker 7: of the first. Round they lost the first two games
Speaker 7: IN la and then found their footing in game three
Speaker 7: and went on to sweep THE La. Kings after that
Speaker 7: they'd won in. Six so that's what they have to do.
Speaker 7: Here they have to go back to playing oiler.
Speaker 1: Hockey, yeah and it's interesting because you reference THE la.
Speaker 2: COMEBACK i, mean they've been coming back.
Speaker 1: All season and all, postseason so it's hard to put
Speaker 1: a nail in. Them but what's your what's your gut tell?
Speaker 1: You let's move over to tomorrow. NIGHT i, MEAN i
Speaker 1: know you reference that If florida, wins it feels like
Speaker 1: it's on the precipice of being over And. Edmonton if they,
Speaker 1: win then we have a different. Conversation but based off
Speaker 1: of what we've seen so far and based off of
Speaker 1: what you just articulated With thatminton's ability to come back from,
Speaker 1: adversity what's your gut tell you tomorrow, night?
Speaker 7: Boy oh, boy it isn't going to be a six
Speaker 7: to one. GAME i can tell you that it's going
Speaker 7: to be very, close AND i it may come down
Speaker 7: To bobrowski versus Whoever Chris knoblock puts, in Either Calvin
Speaker 7: pickard Or Stuart, skinner BUT i think IT'S i think
Speaker 7: it's going to be a very, close very close to
Speaker 7: the vest type play in that game. Tomorrow that's that's
Speaker 7: my sense of, it because these two teams are so
Speaker 7: close in their ability in totally different, ways but they're
Speaker 7: so close THAT i think that it's going to, be you,
Speaker 7: know it's going to be in a close one goal,
Speaker 7: game maybe an overtime game when this Happens tomorrow.
Speaker 1: Night as far as the decision that No block has
Speaker 1: with the, goalies Either Stuart skinner who's been the, starter Or,
Speaker 1: picker the. Backup talk to me about that, balance because,
Speaker 1: ultimately you, know if he does Pull skinner and Puts
Speaker 1: pickered in and he stands on his head and they,
Speaker 1: win then you probably roll with, him but you also
Speaker 1: run the risk of alienating the guy that's got you.
Speaker 1: THERE i, mean it's got to be a tough. Decision
Speaker 1: that's not an easy call for na.
Speaker 7: Block, no it's a very tough. Call but let me
Speaker 7: tell you what. Happened and so in the first, Round
Speaker 7: Stuart skinner started and they lost two. Straight they Put
Speaker 7: pickered in and he won six straight. Games so then
Speaker 7: he got. Hurt they had to Put Stuart skinner back
Speaker 7: in and he started winning and he's been winning ever
Speaker 7: since up Until game. Three so now he's got to
Speaker 7: make the decision at this late point in the. Playoffs
Speaker 7: DO i go with the guy who hasn't played for
Speaker 7: two weeks but did win sixth, straight or DO i
Speaker 7: go with the guy who's been winning for us but
Speaker 7: had one game where he let in five. Goals my
Speaker 7: gut tells, me my guess Is i'll go on the
Speaker 7: line on this. ONE i think he's going to Play Stuart.
Speaker 7: SKINNER i think that's what his decision will, be is
Speaker 7: to stay with him and then if things don't go well,
Speaker 7: early he's got picker that he can that he can put.
Speaker 7: In BUT i think that's the direction he's going to.
Speaker 1: Go All, right BEFORE i, set you lose a couple
Speaker 1: of things about where we find ourselves out this. Way of,
Speaker 1: course The Utah mammoth are preparing for THE Nhl draft
Speaker 1: and the combine just took place and is now behind.
Speaker 1: Us i've been a plenty OF nba. Combines i've never
Speaker 1: been to AN nhl. Combine, so as a guy that
Speaker 1: was a roster constructor at the highest of levels for so,
Speaker 1: long tell us about this. Process The Utah mammoth with
Speaker 1: the number four pick in the first. Round they also
Speaker 1: maintain the majority of their other picks second round and.
Speaker 1: Beyond so what's it like For Bill armstrong and his
Speaker 1: staff to go to this combine took place In buffalo
Speaker 1: this past? Weekend and what are you guys looking for
Speaker 1: as you're building a.
Speaker 2: Roster, WELL i think.
Speaker 7: They're they're just looking at The they'll be there talking
Speaker 7: to the players and seeing the players meeting the real
Speaker 7: person and not just watching the kid down on the
Speaker 7: ice in the junior league or college or wherever he,
Speaker 7: place and they'll be able to see how mature he.
Speaker 7: Is they'll be able to see his physical maturity as
Speaker 7: well as talk to him about his mental. Maturity it's
Speaker 7: another tool in your. Toolbox BUT i don't think that
Speaker 7: the combine in any way changes what you saw all
Speaker 7: season long on the, ice and SO i would fully
Speaker 7: expect that The utah scouting staff will have the four
Speaker 7: or five players lined up that they think are the
Speaker 7: top guys in the, draft and they'll be ready to
Speaker 7: pull the trigger on their pick. COMES i think the
Speaker 7: combine is, great and it's something that's been integral out
Speaker 7: of THE nhl for a long. Time but, AGAIN i
Speaker 7: don't think it can change drastically what you've seen all
Speaker 7: season interview.
Speaker 1: Process as a general manager or a head of scouting
Speaker 1: or an ASSISTANT gm or anybody in this, process what
Speaker 1: what are you looking for with your lot of questioning
Speaker 1: when you're interviewing these young hockey players who are all still.
Speaker 1: BABIES i, mean it's hard to get a feel on
Speaker 1: the maturity of somebody that is that. Young, oftentimes what
Speaker 1: are some of the things you look for during the interview.
Speaker 1: PROCESS i think the.
Speaker 7: MATURITY i, think you, know how close is this young
Speaker 7: man to being able to play with? Men you, know
Speaker 7: is he how mature is? He how how well does he,
Speaker 7: understand you, know what happens at this, level at THE nhl,
Speaker 7: Level and how long do you does? It do you
Speaker 7: picture until he's going to be able to play in THE.
Speaker 7: Nhl you, know you may see a great hockey player
Speaker 7: at eighteen years, old but when you talk to, him you,
Speaker 7: know you find out that, boy he can't go into
Speaker 7: a locker room with the guys we've. GOT i, mean
Speaker 7: he's got to grow up a little. Bit he's got
Speaker 7: to get a little bit more. Mature and as you Know,
Speaker 7: spence eighteen years old compared to nineteen years old is
Speaker 7: much more than a, year and nineteen compared to twenty
Speaker 7: is much more than a. Year say him thirty five
Speaker 7: to thirty six to thirty, SEVEN i, mean those those
Speaker 7: are like six months each of. Those when you're a,
Speaker 7: kid there's a lot of maturation that goes on both
Speaker 7: mentally and physically when you're in your upper, teens and
Speaker 7: SO i think they'll be trying to, judge where are
Speaker 7: these young guys on the spectrum of.
Speaker 1: Maturity neologics turned forty, Seven i'm still trying to figure it.
Speaker 1: Out so you DEFINITELY i hear you, there all, Right
Speaker 1: but BEFORE i set you, Loose i'll just pose one
Speaker 1: More utah mammoth question to. You and we've kind of
Speaker 1: discussed this in the past, before but we have a
Speaker 1: lot of new hockey fans.
Speaker 2: Here what sort of?
Speaker 1: Type and you can go, position you can go, vet
Speaker 1: you can go, mentality you can go. Whatever what sort
Speaker 1: Of if we, say you, know they're going to add
Speaker 1: the number four pick and he's maybe ready to, play
Speaker 1: maybe he's. Not other than, that whether it's trades or free.
Speaker 1: Agency if we say they add two or three, pieces
Speaker 1: what sort of pieces do you Think bill's looking for
Speaker 1: for this hockey club to take the next step next
Speaker 1: year and maybe make the. Postseason you, KNOW i.
Speaker 7: THINK i would think that he wants to add a
Speaker 7: piece that is a mature type of. Piece and we
Speaker 7: talked last week About Ian cole being on the. Team
Speaker 7: was one The Stanley. CUP i think you need to
Speaker 7: get another couple of Olderly and WHEN i say, OLDER
Speaker 7: i don't Mean Corey Perry ole forty years. OLD i
Speaker 7: mean just guys that have been around for a while
Speaker 7: that can come in and help the young guys go
Speaker 7: through this process of learning about winning and learning about
Speaker 7: how to. Win and then, also of, COURSE i don't
Speaker 7: want to leave out that whatever build thinks he can,
Speaker 7: upgrade he's going to try to do. That but that
Speaker 7: goes on all year, long all year. Round BUT i
Speaker 7: would think that any of these building, teams and they're not,
Speaker 7: rebuilding they're, building want to add solid veteran presence to
Speaker 7: their locker. Room doesn't have to be a, superstar doesn't
Speaker 7: have to Be besser From, vancouver it doesn't have to
Speaker 7: Be bennett From, florida doesn't have to Be marner from The.
Speaker 7: Leafs but you do want to add good character people
Speaker 7: into your locker room that can help your team on
Speaker 7: the ice end in the locker.
Speaker 1: Room, Okay, neil where can people go get that Great
Speaker 1: podcas asked of.
Speaker 2: Yours you can get it.
Speaker 7: ANYWHERE Nhl Wrap. Around we Had Jack michaels on On.
Speaker 7: Monday Jack michaels is the voice of The Edmonton oilers
Speaker 7: AND i used to DO Ehl All star games with
Speaker 7: him back in the. Day and he's a great, guy
Speaker 7: funny and really fantastic take on The oilers and on
Speaker 7: The Florida panthers and really renowned as a play by
Speaker 7: play guy In. Edmonton and so he was on our.
Speaker 7: Show you can catch. That that's already. Dropped that's out,
Speaker 7: there but you get it On apple, platform podcast, platform On, Spotify,
Speaker 7: iHeartRadio amazon and YouTube and give us a give us a,
Speaker 7: try give us a.
Speaker 6: Listen love.
Speaker 1: It, Neil thank you so much for the, time. Sir
Speaker 1: enjoy the rest of the, week have a great, weekend
Speaker 1: and we will chat.
Speaker 7: Soon, yeah and we may know The Stanley cup winner
Speaker 7: WHEN i talk to you.
Speaker 1: Next that's, True that's. True we'll have to, see all,
Speaker 1: Right Neil. Smith The Stanley Cup final rolls on tomorrow
Speaker 1: night and we will have the game on our station
Speaker 1: right after we say good. Night tonight we have THE Nba,
Speaker 1: Finals so whether you're looking for THE Nba finals or
Speaker 1: The Stanley Cup final not, finals we have them on our.
Speaker 1: Station Ian begley is Reporting Mike woodson is in the
Speaker 1: mix to become the next coach. Again that is so.
Speaker 1: Good it's just it's too. Good all, Right we'll catch a.
Speaker 1: Break PABLO masceooni head coach of, ourselves stops by. Too,
Speaker 1: potentially well not, potentially he will stop out of preview
Speaker 1: this weekend's. Game but before we catch that, Break ryan
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Speaker 2: Money, simple what's going?
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Speaker 1: Dish, well you can add former Or Utah jazz head
Speaker 1: Coach Quinn snyder to the list of coaches that The
Speaker 1: knicks thought.
Speaker 2: They'd be able to. Interview the hubris of this.
Speaker 1: Organization so now as a result of, uh, well as
Speaker 1: about five minutes, ago The New York knicks have tried
Speaker 1: to Interview Jason. Kidd they were not allowed, To Chris, finch,
Speaker 1: Nope Emy udoka, nope and Now Quinn snyder and every
Speaker 1: teams said, no this is an organization without a.
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Speaker 1: Coaches Bob BLO Maashoenni wednesday, Afternoon pob's happy, Ones, sys,
Speaker 1: sir how are you happy?
Speaker 10: Ones they spent doing?
Speaker 2: Well bud appreciate the.
Speaker 1: Time Brian Wilson Beach boys passes away today at the
Speaker 1: age eighty. Two first CONCERT i ever Saw Pobs Beach
Speaker 1: boys WHEN i was eleven years. Old first concert a
Speaker 1: Young PABLO mastrotdi.
Speaker 10: Attended oh, man you're not gonna believe.
Speaker 1: THIS i can't. Wait run dmc, okay you know, what that's.
Speaker 1: Cool that's a good. Answer that's a cool. Answer you
Speaker 1: know you can you can impress a lot of people
Speaker 1: with that. One how old were.
Speaker 10: YOU i was in the sixth, grade, okay all?
Speaker 2: Right and where was?
Speaker 10: This and that was In, Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix.
Speaker 2: Arizona. Okay did you ever go through a beach boy's?
Speaker 6: FACE i.
Speaker 10: DIDN'T i always liked the, music just never never followed,
Speaker 10: them know wing they were going to come into town
Speaker 10: or if they were still touring at that.
Speaker 2: Time, okay all, right fair, enough all.
Speaker 1: Right before we get to your, CLUB i want to
Speaker 1: ask you about THE us men's national, team who got
Speaker 1: their heads kicked in last night and have now lost
Speaker 1: four straight. Batches they're five and five Under. Chatina we
Speaker 1: have The World cup one year, away BUT i Thought
Speaker 1: diego showed well when he was able to hinterer at.
Speaker 1: Halftime so just curious as your thoughts as to where
Speaker 1: we're at with a Gold. Cup of, COURSE i want
Speaker 1: to know your thoughts on How diego played and where
Speaker 1: we're at with THE us men's national team one year
Speaker 1: away from The World.
Speaker 10: Cup, yeah you, KNOW i THINK i think it's been
Speaker 10: a tough start Under, pochattino AND i think a lot
Speaker 10: of it has to do with him still trying to
Speaker 10: figure out who are the guys that he can rely. On,
Speaker 10: Right AND i think when you're adding such a big
Speaker 10: number OF mls players into the, pool there's there's going
Speaker 10: to be moments where it's it's not going to go.
Speaker 10: Well there's no, continuity there's you, KNOW i think he's
Speaker 10: still trying, to you, know fine tune the way they
Speaker 10: want to. Play and at the international, level you just
Speaker 10: don't get the luxury of having practices every week and every,
Speaker 10: day so you got to come together. Quickly and, again
Speaker 10: because it's a relatively young, team there's a lot of
Speaker 10: guys that you know that just in self preservation, mode
Speaker 10: they're not really experienced players that are going to guide
Speaker 10: the younger. Players and SO i think that's a big
Speaker 10: part of why it's been it's been a bit of rough.
Speaker 10: Going there's a lot of figuring out to, do both
Speaker 10: from the players and the. Staff but as far as,
Speaker 10: diego you, KNOW i, think you, know one of the
Speaker 10: things again that that make me the most proud of
Speaker 10: his growth has been his. Mindset and you, KNOW i
Speaker 10: think with attacking, players we typically say they're good when
Speaker 10: they're scoring. Goals they're good when they're making, plays creating
Speaker 10: chances given given. Assists but but again there's soccer is
Speaker 10: a very low scoring, game, Right and so what else
Speaker 10: do you bring into the table when when when when
Speaker 10: you're not doing those? Things and And diego just brings
Speaker 10: a ton of, energy a ton of, passion a ton of,
Speaker 10: focus and a real commitment to defending. Right AND i
Speaker 10: think and and those are the conversations That i've been
Speaker 10: having with them over the last couple of. Years is
Speaker 10: just like every coach in the world can find the
Speaker 10: players that can do those. Things it's, like how are
Speaker 10: you going to separate yourself from the rest of these
Speaker 10: guys all over the, world you, know to put yourself
Speaker 10: in the. Spotlight and, again even though he didn't score
Speaker 10: a goal the other, night just did a great job
Speaker 10: of getting around the, ball you, know clean with his decision,
Speaker 10: making you, know just as, aggressiveness and he brings this
Speaker 10: like energy to the, team you. Know AND i think
Speaker 10: that's something that every coach in the world can hang
Speaker 10: their hat on because they, know regardless that they're scoring and,
Speaker 10: insisting which is what they're on the field to, do
Speaker 10: if nothing, else they're bringing great, energy great, pressing great great.
Speaker 10: Attitude and SO i think he's in a fantastic. Way
Speaker 10: and you, know this gold couple will be really important
Speaker 10: for Both diggo and the. Team you, KNOW i think
Speaker 10: this is historically a tournament that THE us has done
Speaker 10: really well. IN i think they'll they will do. WELL
Speaker 10: i think these games needs to warm up, games you,
Speaker 10: know showed the coaching staff and the players of what
Speaker 10: playing at a really high level looks. Like and you,
Speaker 10: KNOW i don't think they'll confront too many teams that
Speaker 10: are like these two teams that they, played SO i
Speaker 10: think they should be able to learn from those games
Speaker 10: and put together a good run in the tournament THAT
Speaker 10: i think they should have a good chance of.
Speaker 1: Winning At donny on, earlier he was on the broadcast
Speaker 1: For turner last night AND i Asked dunny if he
Speaker 1: Believes diego is legitimately in the mix for a roster
Speaker 1: spot for The World, cup And dunney, said he thinks
Speaker 1: he can. Start he thinks, he you, know has the
Speaker 1: eye approach A tino and his. Staff what's your what
Speaker 1: are your thoughts on that whether or Not diego has
Speaker 1: a legitimate chance of not just making A World cup,
Speaker 1: roster but maybe actually sneaking into that eleven and upping
Speaker 1: his personal.
Speaker 10: Pedigree, yeah you know, AGAIN i think from from a coaching,
Speaker 10: PERSPECTIVE i think you want, predictability, right, predictability and he
Speaker 10: like behaviors as a person and also behaviors as a,
Speaker 10: Player AND i Think diego comes to every game he,
Speaker 10: Plays you're you're going to get a ten out of ten,
Speaker 10: effort at ten out of, ten, commitment at ten out of, ten.
Speaker 10: Attitude AND i think when when you're kind of looking
Speaker 10: at the roster at the pool of, players you, know
Speaker 10: you have some attackers that have a lot of goals
Speaker 10: but currently, don't but they don't necessarily bring the energy
Speaker 10: to the. Team SO i agree With, gunny you, KNOW
Speaker 10: i Think diego has a legitimate, chance BUT i think
Speaker 10: starting for that team has a lot to do with
Speaker 10: form going into the tournament as. Well so there's a
Speaker 10: lot of other players that can, potentially you, know take
Speaker 10: a spot or. Two but one THING i think you
Speaker 10: can't do is leave a player Like Diego luna off
Speaker 10: that national team because he's a spark when he comes
Speaker 10: in and he's a great player when he. Starts SO
Speaker 10: i think he's putting himself in a really good position
Speaker 10: to be a part of the twenty twenty.
Speaker 1: Sixteen over the past twenty four hours or. So and
Speaker 1: for our listeners, Perspective pablo played In World cup for
Speaker 1: THE us men's national.
Speaker 2: Team did you plan in two? Yep, okay very, nice
Speaker 2: two thousand and.
Speaker 1: Six that's, right that's. Right so we've heard from some
Speaker 1: former teammates of. Yours we've heard From Landon, Donovan we've
Speaker 1: heard From Clint, dempsey and then After Alexi lalas was
Speaker 1: done giving his take on tariffs in The Southern, order
Speaker 1: we also heard him criticize some some players who decided
Speaker 1: not to show up for This Gold cup. Run and you,
Speaker 1: know it's interesting because The Gold, cup of, course is
Speaker 1: much much different than The World, cup and in years
Speaker 1: past it is known as kind of this platform for
Speaker 1: players that aren't necessarily among the first choice players for
Speaker 1: The World cup to show what they can. Do and
Speaker 1: it was A World cup appearance From Kyle beckerman And
Speaker 1: Nikki romando back in the day that kind of was
Speaker 1: a conduit for Their World cup. Experiences do you share
Speaker 1: the sentiment that players Like weston McKinney And Christen polisic
Speaker 1: AND i Think tyler was, hurt but a lot you,
Speaker 1: know maybe six or seven of the potential starters for
Speaker 1: The World cup, team and maybe eleven or twelve of
Speaker 1: the potential eight team for The World cup team are
Speaker 1: not playing in The Gold. Cup do you believe they
Speaker 1: should be as we are literally one year away from
Speaker 1: The World cup in our.
Speaker 6: Region, YEAH i, mean you, KNOW i could.
Speaker 10: SEE i could see both. Sides spence and one these
Speaker 10: players In europe have ruling. Schedules and, again if if
Speaker 10: they if they compete in this and they don't have
Speaker 10: a break right because right now is there is their
Speaker 10: break between, seasons then they're then they're probably putting themselves
Speaker 10: at risk from an injury. PERSPECTIVE i also understand the
Speaker 10: fans perspective and ex player's perspective that, listen we're a year,
Speaker 10: away we still don't know what we. Have how are
Speaker 10: you not a part of this, group forming the, identity
Speaker 10: the core base of this team that's going to compete
Speaker 10: on our home soil in a year's, Time, Right SO
Speaker 10: i understand, both AND i think the truth is somewhere
Speaker 10: in between those two. Things AND i don't know where
Speaker 10: they're at. PHYSICALLY i don't know if they're. Shot you,
Speaker 10: know there's a lot of things that we don't. Know
Speaker 10: so it's easy. There you, know it's easy to kind
Speaker 10: of sit at the thirty thousand feet level and say they,
Speaker 10: should but obviously we don't know the details as to
Speaker 10: the wise and so from a you, know from a player,
Speaker 10: PERSPECTIVE i can only imagine that they're just spent right
Speaker 10: and they don't feel like one it's going to be
Speaker 10: conducive to the next run in because their season next
Speaker 10: year is going to just as important to them making
Speaker 10: the national team and actually playing at a really high
Speaker 10: level because the expectation is that what the, McKinney you,
Speaker 10: know Polisice H, moussa these guys are aren't playing at
Speaker 10: an extremely high level if we're going to have a
Speaker 10: chance to make a great run of the. Tournament so,
Speaker 10: uh you, know, uh It's i'd be cautious to say
Speaker 10: one way or the, other AND i BUT i agree
Speaker 10: with both. CAMPS i agree with both camps That i've
Speaker 10: been in kind of both, camps and so it's it's
Speaker 10: not an easy. One but but what it does do
Speaker 10: AND i always look at the silver lining and, say,
Speaker 10: well it gives an opportunity for guys Like, diego guys
Speaker 10: LIKE ms Players Brian white that are doing well to
Speaker 10: show their, goods you, know in the absence of these other,
Speaker 10: Guys and so the onus is on now these players
Speaker 10: that are in camp to show real well and win
Speaker 10: and win the. Tournament so now you, start you, know
Speaker 10: putting you, know seeds of you, know putting seeds in
Speaker 10: the coach's minds as That i'm capable of, playing and
Speaker 10: all of a, sudden the pool becomes more competitive versus
Speaker 10: just having six or seven players that are.
Speaker 1: Locks is it a commentary on our overall depth and
Speaker 1: talent pool that without our best five or six players
Speaker 1: we look so?
Speaker 2: Bad is?
Speaker 1: That is that a commentary that maybe The diego was?
Speaker 1: GREAT i want to be, clear AND i think he's
Speaker 1: got a bright. Future BUT i don't know if it's
Speaker 1: an indictment ON. MLS i don't want to go. There
Speaker 1: but what does it say to you about our talent
Speaker 1: pool that when our top shelf guys aren't in, there
Speaker 1: we seem to look so.
Speaker 6: Lost that's a great.
Speaker 10: QUESTION i think it's multi faceting the one Thing i'll
Speaker 10: point to AND i think it's a real, thing and
Speaker 10: and pro and pro soccer really and that's team's a
Speaker 10: part of that as. Well is the the with the
Speaker 10: modern game because it's become so so much more physically.
Speaker 10: Demanding the thought, is we want younger, players, Right we
Speaker 10: want younger, players which is great because they'll do a
Speaker 10: lot of things that older players. Won't but what they
Speaker 10: don't have is the experience to kind of lead and
Speaker 10: the experience to help these players that are coming into this.
Speaker 10: Camp and SO i think that that has been an
Speaker 10: issue with the national. Team and you can do it
Speaker 10: with young. Players it's not that you, can't but they
Speaker 10: have to be special players that are willing, to you.
Speaker 10: Know AND i Think Tyler adams is a good. EXAMPLE
Speaker 10: i think he's the, leader you, KNOW i think he
Speaker 10: leads by, example but he's also very you, know he
Speaker 10: communicates really well and he. Organizes but but you, KNOW
Speaker 10: i look back at our teams WHEN i was, playing
Speaker 10: AND i always had guys that were seven eight years
Speaker 10: older THAN i was on the field and, oftentimes especially
Speaker 10: when when bullets started flying and we were under it
Speaker 10: a little, bit they were the ones that helped organize the.
Speaker 10: Team it wasn't the. Coach the coach has no connection
Speaker 10: to the game when it's going, on, right he sets
Speaker 10: the plan in, motion AND i just deal with our national.
Speaker 10: Team we lack a little bit of that experience that
Speaker 10: can guide these, guys and so IT'S i don't think
Speaker 10: it's so much of you, know the talent That i'm
Speaker 10: talking about is more about. Experience and so the younger
Speaker 10: players can look up in times of duress and see
Speaker 10: the guy is, calm and hear him, communicating and hear
Speaker 10: him don't worry about.
Speaker 6: It we're going to handle.
Speaker 10: This whereas if you have a lot of inexperience on the,
Speaker 10: field oftentimes you, know they're they're they're they're under a
Speaker 10: lot of, pressure and they're in more self preservation mode
Speaker 10: as opposed, to you, know solving the problem, right and
Speaker 10: they're acting more as individuals as opposed to a.
Speaker 6: Collective and, so.
Speaker 10: You, KNOW i think that we do have a group
Speaker 10: that has A World cup, experience and now the onus
Speaker 10: is on on those. Guys, polisage. Mckinne you, Know, moosa
Speaker 10: these guys that did well in twenty twenty two to
Speaker 10: really show up in twenty twenty six and and and
Speaker 10: be not only great players but also leaders and mentors
Speaker 10: for the rest of the.
Speaker 1: Group, okay to your one more thing, here because to
Speaker 1: your point about the coaching.
Speaker 2: Stuff it's a really good.
Speaker 1: ONE i don't feel like soccer coaches more so than
Speaker 1: any other, sport any any any other sport you call
Speaker 1: it time, out any other sport that plays over get over.
Speaker 1: Here AND i know that you and your assistants are
Speaker 1: in communication with players as are running by you or,
Speaker 1: whatever but it just feels like once the game, starts
Speaker 1: soccer coaches soccer managers are just kind of. Spectators AND
Speaker 1: i know that that's not entirely, true BUT i know
Speaker 1: you get my. Point and, ultimately when it comes to
Speaker 1: what we've done with THE us men's national, team you,
Speaker 1: know even moving on from a guy Like Bob bradley
Speaker 1: and then it Was jurgen and then it Was greg
Speaker 1: and now it's.
Speaker 2: Poach.
Speaker 1: Uh and you, know there's a lot of noise About
Speaker 1: pochettino and whether or not he's the. Guy i'm, like,
Speaker 1: dude you moved on from the guy that could have
Speaker 1: been the. Guy it can't always be the, coach but
Speaker 1: it's hard to cut players and move on from.
Speaker 2: Players what's what's.
Speaker 1: Fair to say about the early returns From pochettino after
Speaker 1: ten and does it change the way people should look
Speaker 1: at the job That greg did before he was let.
Speaker 6: Go.
Speaker 10: Yeah, AGAIN i mean we've talked about this. Oftentimes you,
Speaker 10: know the coaches is is always going to be the
Speaker 10: guy that flicked at as when when there's issues that
Speaker 10: that's that's the. Problem and and, again as AS i
Speaker 10: continue my coaching, journey the most important thing for me
Speaker 10: is is a group of players that have a requisite
Speaker 10: amount of experience to lead. Themselves so if you go
Speaker 10: all young guys in a game where like you, said
Speaker 10: coaches cannot call time, out then you're left to the
Speaker 10: whims of their, experience. Right but when teams have six
Speaker 10: experienced players that hold themselves accountable and then bring a
Speaker 10: lot into young, guys now you've created an environment where
Speaker 10: you have coaches on the. Field right, NOW i think
Speaker 10: that's different from other sports where you can have just,
Speaker 10: talent and talent will see you through because now the
Speaker 10: coach can call a, player call a time, out and
Speaker 10: do these different. Things we don't have that, luxury and
Speaker 10: so what we rely on is, one we have a leadership, group,
Speaker 10: right and a lot of these a lot of the
Speaker 10: guys in our leadership group AT rsl have two three
Speaker 10: years of, experience. Right and then there's a couple others
Speaker 10: that have a lot. More BUT i just think that
Speaker 10: the dynamic of the team that must have a requisite
Speaker 10: number of players with tremendous experience to be able to
Speaker 10: calm the game down when a, technic speed it, up
Speaker 10: when it's, law when there's roles in the, game you,
Speaker 10: know like get the guys dialed in on set pieces
Speaker 10: where we're at times you feel like it's a time to,
Speaker 10: rest but it's really a time to be, focused you.
Speaker 10: Know so we go through all that in, training but
Speaker 10: you can imagine when bullets start, flying it's not we
Speaker 10: can't stop the, session we can't stop the, game call
Speaker 10: a time out and be, like, guys this is a
Speaker 10: really epulleant. Moment SO i think the makeup of the
Speaker 10: team has to be so that you have coaches on the.
Speaker 10: Field if, not then then just you're oftentimes flipping the
Speaker 10: coin as to how they're going to. Respond and again
Speaker 10: that's how players gain. Experience and we talk about, it
Speaker 10: this is a. Moment what do you think about this
Speaker 10: moment from a management, Perspective, oh we could have done this, differently,
Speaker 10: Right so now it might take six or seven more
Speaker 10: of those moments for them to finally, understand and then
Speaker 10: it might take six or seven of those moments for
Speaker 10: them to be able to communicate with the teammate without
Speaker 10: feeling Like i'm being hard on my. Teammates SO i
Speaker 10: think that's been the toughest. Thing and so With, poach,
Speaker 10: again for, me it's early. Days he's trying to figure
Speaker 10: out exactly the best way to go about it with
Speaker 10: the team, tactically from from a mentality standpoint as, well
Speaker 10: and then on top of, that he's trying to figure
Speaker 10: out the players that are going to be able to help,
Speaker 10: him you, know you, know see out his ideas and
Speaker 10: his style of. Play So i'd Be i'd be real
Speaker 10: cautious because AGAIN i Think greg did a really good.
Speaker 10: Job it did a really good. Job and everyone and
Speaker 10: everyone always thinks that The grats is always green over someone,
Speaker 10: else and it's the truth, is it's the same players
Speaker 10: and depending on where there, are where they're at in
Speaker 10: their soccer, journey will dictate whether or not you have
Speaker 10: leaders on the field that can that can carry out the.
Speaker 1: Plan wouldn't it just be more prudent to find the,
Speaker 1: guy believe in the, guy and ride with the guy
Speaker 1: and give them.
Speaker 10: Time that that that would be the that would be
Speaker 10: the sensible way of looking at. It BUT i think
Speaker 10: in pro sports, again like and and And i'll say
Speaker 10: pro sports in a in a social media, world there's
Speaker 10: just no. Time there's just there's just no. What you,
Speaker 10: know everyone wants to plan an orange, tree a seed
Speaker 10: of an orange, tree and then recruit the next. Day
Speaker 10: and it's, like that's just not how nature. Works but
Speaker 10: we're bucking the nature trend and just demanding that things.
Speaker 10: Go they go great from the, start but but there's
Speaker 10: gonna be a big learning. Curve and, again this Is
Speaker 10: potatino's first gig as a as an international, manager and
Speaker 10: that's very unique because you don't have the building blocks
Speaker 10: to be, Like, okay this is how we, play and
Speaker 10: we can train this for the next.
Speaker 6: Month you got.
Speaker 10: Camp, set you have two training, sessions and then you
Speaker 10: have a, game and then you have a training, session
Speaker 10: then you have another, game and it's like there's there's no.
Speaker 10: Time and that's WHY i go back to this experience,
Speaker 10: thing because those guys know how to conduct themselves in
Speaker 10: a way where like they can grasp tactical concepts really
Speaker 10: easily because they've seen a million different coaches in their
Speaker 10: careers and they can apply in real.
Speaker 1: Time do you Know Alexi lallas at?
Speaker 10: ALL i?
Speaker 2: Do is he as unpleasant of a person as he?
Speaker 2: Seems you?
Speaker 10: KNOW i think when he wants TO, tv he really you,
Speaker 10: know like he has this bad guy image these you,
Speaker 10: know and any portrays THAT i think on THE. TV
Speaker 10: i don't think that's genuinely who he. IS i think
Speaker 10: he does speak his, mind but but my experiences with
Speaker 10: him as a player are different from WHAT i think
Speaker 10: you see on THE.
Speaker 1: Tv, okay all, right fair, enough we Don't we don't
Speaker 1: have to stay in the. Space it's getting uncomfortable. Already
Speaker 1: so let's move over to your, Team. Pablo since, uh
Speaker 1: since you AND i last, spoke you hit the road
Speaker 1: for a couple of, matches And Jason christ hopped on
Speaker 1: the show prior to you guys leaving and informed us
Speaker 1: That diogo was being left off the trip due to disciplinary.
Speaker 1: Reasons SO i have a two part. Question can you
Speaker 1: shed any light on that? Decision and have you been
Speaker 1: pleased with his response since you guys decided to leave him?
Speaker 10: Home, yeah you, KNOW i think AND i talked about
Speaker 10: this a couple of days, ago and AND i think
Speaker 10: just given where we were at as a, team there's
Speaker 10: a there's a huge sense of, urgency, right And dugo
Speaker 10: had been out for eight or nine days with a
Speaker 10: with a heal, injury and so it was his first
Speaker 10: day back and and we had to the next, day
Speaker 10: we were traveling To, austin and and so he was
Speaker 10: in a different mode than than the rest of the, group,
Speaker 10: Right AND i think that wasn't taken into account that
Speaker 10: he'd been out for eight days and had to get
Speaker 10: up to. Speed you, know the expectation was that he'd
Speaker 10: be pick up right where he left, off and that's
Speaker 10: not real. Either SO i think a lot got misconstrued
Speaker 10: with the urgency of the group and what we needed
Speaker 10: to do and where he was coming off of his.
Speaker 10: Injury SO i think that was, that you, know that
Speaker 10: was a. Situation and and so since, then his response
Speaker 10: has been. Fantastic he's been he's been great in, training
Speaker 10: really focused doing just doing a lot of great things and.
Speaker 10: Training SO i feel very. Optimistic and then obviously With
Speaker 10: diggle out this, weekend uh he'll probably play on the
Speaker 10: left side coming in where's he's the most. Comfortable and you,
Speaker 10: KNOW i look forward to a very good performance this.
Speaker 6: Weekend good to.
Speaker 2: Hear good to, hear because you need, him, man you
Speaker 2: need him now more than.
Speaker 1: Ever maybe who else will you rely on in the
Speaker 1: attack With diego? Away So diego will be on the.
Speaker 1: Left who else are we going to see in the?
Speaker 10: Attack, yeah we'll more likely See Johnny russell playing on the.
Speaker 10: Right and again another player that hadn't had a, preseason
Speaker 10: been six months out and every training session he just
Speaker 10: gets brought to sharper and. Sharper his his fitness levels
Speaker 10: have gone up incredibly in the last you, know three,
Speaker 10: weeks and he's putting in a lot of work and
Speaker 10: his qualities kind of speaks for. Itself you, know he's
Speaker 10: been scoring a lot of goals in, training which is
Speaker 10: which is something that we've been sorely. Missing so really
Speaker 10: excited to See johnny and then you, Know William. Gozo
Speaker 10: more likely we'll shore up the rest of the front.
Speaker 1: Line as far as the rest of the, GROUP i
Speaker 1: know you have been banged, up but it's been a
Speaker 1: minute since your last. Match have you been able to
Speaker 1: utilize the space to get everybody ready to get ready
Speaker 1: to go in?
Speaker 10: Healthy, Yeah, no it's it's been. Great you, KNOW i
Speaker 10: think it's it was a tough slog the first part
Speaker 10: of the. Season but, again where WHERE i really leaned
Speaker 10: into is the belief and and the way the WAY
Speaker 10: I i see belief is in the in the effort
Speaker 10: and the commitment and. Training, Right so we had we
Speaker 10: had a week where we didn't have a, game and
Speaker 10: we had three training sessions and those are really hard
Speaker 10: as a player to get up for because there's nothing
Speaker 10: at the end of, it, right and and just like the,
Speaker 10: LEVEL i, mean there's a couple you, know scuffs in,
Speaker 10: there there's a couple of bus stops and guys that
Speaker 10: are really compete and really want to want to turn things.
Speaker 10: Around and so for, me, LIKE i feel so proud
Speaker 10: of this. Group whilst we haven't been able to score,
Speaker 10: goals it's not from a lack of, trying and it's
Speaker 10: not not from a lack of creating really good. Opportunities
Speaker 10: it's just that final piece which at times takes you,
Speaker 10: know a bit of, instinct a bit of, luck a
Speaker 10: bit of. Fortune but the way they've applied themselves and you,
Speaker 10: know in the last two weeks has been, fantastic and
Speaker 10: So i'm really looking forward to a spirited performance this
Speaker 10: weekend against these.
Speaker 1: See only two matches this month based off of these
Speaker 1: tough sledding and you, know lack of health and. Such
Speaker 1: do you view that as a good thing or do
Speaker 1: you view that as something you wish was a little
Speaker 1: bit different so you can maybe go get some more.
Speaker 10: Points, yeah, no you, KNOW i really don't spend too
Speaker 10: much time on things that are beyond my. Control you,
Speaker 10: KNOW i think you, Know dom won't be, Available loota
Speaker 10: won't be, available and those are two guys that have
Speaker 10: been playing playing really well the last few. Games so
Speaker 10: it could be is a good thing and bad, thing who.
Speaker 10: Knows but what it is is an opportunity for other
Speaker 10: guys to chip, in you, know stake acclaim in a,
Speaker 10: position make it competitive so that when everyone gets, back
Speaker 10: we have a team that's that's even stronger than they
Speaker 10: than we were when when those guys left the.
Speaker 6: Group so.
Speaker 10: If we have two, matches we got to take them
Speaker 10: on the right way and make sure that you, know
Speaker 10: we have fifteen points typically forty five, points we'll see
Speaker 10: you into the. Playoffs that means we need to win
Speaker 10: ten games in the second part of the. Season so
Speaker 10: ten of our steps seen games are at, home, right
Speaker 10: and this is this is my pitch to the. Group
Speaker 10: this is so it's black and white. Here we need ten.
Speaker 10: Games we need to win ten, games right and we
Speaker 10: have we Have we've let ourselves down at home and you,
Speaker 10: know there's been some crazy things that have. Happened, however
Speaker 10: that we can control our own destiny, here and so
Speaker 10: our focus is on winning ten. Games we have ten at.
Speaker 10: Home those are ten great games to shoot at and
Speaker 10: uh and then if obviously if we drop any, points
Speaker 10: we got to make them up away from. Home and
Speaker 10: so we have seven games to do. That even though
Speaker 10: it hasn't worked out and the task might be a bit,
Speaker 10: DAUNTING i believe that we have the. Spirit and then
Speaker 10: obviously we have another window where we can, hopefully you,
Speaker 10: know add some add some different players into the roster
Speaker 10: to hopefully bolster a team that's in really good.
Speaker 2: Form all, right last thing That i'll set you.
Speaker 1: LOSE i appreciate the thirty thousand foot, view AND i
Speaker 1: like it through that prism of understanding what the math looks.
Speaker 1: Like but it does feel Like saturday is bigger than
Speaker 1: most regular season matches as it is getting late. Early
Speaker 1: is there any extra added, emphasis extra added.
Speaker 2: Weight to go get three On.
Speaker 1: Saturday juxtaposed to what you said about the macro, Approach, yeah.
Speaker 10: No, AGAIN i think the other the other important thing
Speaker 10: is is, like you, Know I'M i was an older,
Speaker 10: player AND i can handle pressure really really. Well it's
Speaker 10: it's not it's that was never an. Issue my thing
Speaker 10: with this group is like completely staying focused on everyone
Speaker 10: doing their. Jobs you, KNOW i think when you're in these,
Speaker 10: moments you have certain players that want to do more
Speaker 10: than and and and forget to do their own job.
Speaker 10: Right SO i believe that if we have eleven guys
Speaker 10: that are all committed to doing their job to the
Speaker 10: best of their, abilities it'll put us in a great
Speaker 10: position to win this game at the, weekend as opposed to, saying, hey,
Speaker 10: guys we really really need this. Game we you, know
Speaker 10: and and AND i Got i'm always careful of the
Speaker 10: WAY i speak to them because, again IF i say
Speaker 10: we really really need to do, this it means they
Speaker 10: might interpret that as, OH i need to do someone
Speaker 10: else's job. Right so just to be really clear with,
Speaker 10: them saying, listen if you're a center, back just then
Speaker 10: the right. Way if you're an a talking player make,
Speaker 10: plays and if ever in the pivot's doing a little
Speaker 10: bit of, everything and if we have everyone doing a,
Speaker 10: JOB i feel like we'll be in a good position
Speaker 10: to break the, snide start a good run of, games
Speaker 10: and hopefully find ourselves in the playoff.
Speaker 1: Positions all, right, buddy we'll good to catch up with,
Speaker 1: you pulling for as, always good luck On.
Speaker 2: Saturday we'll chat.
Speaker 10: Too, thanks bench appreciate.
Speaker 1: It Bud, Okay Pablo Mastjoni ursa with a big. One
Speaker 1: they need points, badly.
Speaker 6: All.
Speaker 1: RIGHT Nba Finals game three Tonight Gainsbridge Field, House, Indianapolis.
Speaker 1: Indiana it's the FIRST Nba finals game that market has
Speaker 1: seen since the year two, thousand when it Was Reggie
Speaker 1: miller and Those Indiana. Pacers Oklahoma city is a five
Speaker 1: point five point, favorite even though they're on the, road
Speaker 1: which Indicates vegas thinks there should be kind of a heavy.
Speaker 1: Favorite winner tonight will be in a definitely in an excellent.
Speaker 1: Spot eighty six percent of the time the winners Of
Speaker 1: game three have gone on to win THE Nba. Finals,
Speaker 1: porter what's you got to tell you about where we're?
Speaker 1: AT i you, know when you look at the ninety
Speaker 1: six minutes of combined. Play okay see more or less
Speaker 1: has been the better team for ninety minutes of that.
Speaker 1: Situation you never want to say never and things like.
Speaker 1: This it still feels insurmountable to me For. Indiana but
Speaker 1: what you got to tell you about the finals, now, yeah.
Speaker 3: Not not necessarily insurmountable in my, eyes but definitely en.
Speaker 3: Up he'll climb For for The, pacers they need a
Speaker 3: little bit of you, know balls bouncing in their. Direction
Speaker 3: they need, frankly they need phild goals shooting to be
Speaker 3: good And. SPENCE i think the big, key As i've,
Speaker 3: said you, know early in the, series and AS i
Speaker 3: thought was the deciding factor In game, two it Is
Speaker 3: indiana's you, know backcourt. Ability Andrew, Nemhart Pascal. Siakam you
Speaker 3: go down the list with the guys you throw AT,
Speaker 3: sga you, know With Nate smith and Even haliburton at.
Speaker 3: Times if if you can knock him off his, pace
Speaker 3: if you can get him to you, know not be
Speaker 3: playing the pick and roll offense that okay see wants
Speaker 3: him getting into the, paint getting to the rim and
Speaker 3: to the free throw, line THEN i think you have a.
Speaker 3: Chance but if Shake Gilges alexander is just kind of
Speaker 3: allowed to play his, offense his. Tempo there's just no
Speaker 3: answer For, indiana AND i don't think they really have
Speaker 3: enough in the tank the star power for o. Case
Speaker 3: he's just too. Good but ULTIMATELY i do think that's
Speaker 3: kind of the main thing you look at is their
Speaker 3: ability to kind of knock him off his, spot because
Speaker 3: he felt and looked really comfortable In game. Two kind
Speaker 3: of OPPOSITE i think of what they did to him
Speaker 3: late In game.
Speaker 1: One New York knicks have been denied permission to speak
Speaker 1: To Jason, Kidd Chris, Finch Emi, udoka and Now Quinn,
Speaker 1: snyder oh for four their quest to find their new.
Speaker 1: COACH i can't imagine what sports talk radio is like
Speaker 1: In New york. Today smitty And, gordy you're. Free seriously wait, wait,
Speaker 1: wait hold.
Speaker 2: On you want some?
Speaker 1: Guys, no, no, NO i deny them permission to speak
Speaker 1: to Either smitty Or.
Speaker 2: Gordy oh really they worked for? Us, okay, okay just
Speaker 2: add to the.
Speaker 1: List Iike, WOODSON i really don't know how this thing's gonna.
Speaker 1: END i, MEAN i figured it at this point we
Speaker 1: would hear more about former, You Johnny bryant after he
Speaker 1: did not get The Phoenix sun's.
Speaker 2: Job maybe they'll look in that.
Speaker 1: Direction but just a pathetic display from an owner who
Speaker 1: has never been able to figure this thing. Out AND
Speaker 1: i think he's on the team for twenty seven years
Speaker 1: now twenty. Sixty he inherited a great situation and blew.
Speaker 1: IT i might be a little biased, there all, Right,
Speaker 1: porter time To Saga night to turn over our coverage
Speaker 1: to our friends AT Espn radio for THE Nba Finals game?
Speaker 1: Three what comes our way on A thursday edition of
Speaker 1: the radio.
Speaker 3: Show on A thursday edition Of The, Drive Andy larson stops.
Speaker 3: By of, course we will talk some jazz, OFFSEASON Nba,
Speaker 3: finals maybe SOME rsl With andy as, WELL Nba Daily
Speaker 3: assists with our Guy Howard. Beck on A, Thursday Cam
Speaker 3: rodgers stops, by of, course On day one of THE Us,
Speaker 3: open and then we'll finish off the Show house versin
Speaker 3: c DOUBLE. A what's the latest in the college sports?
Speaker 3: Landscape Matt? Brown basically, monthly we're checking in with, him
Speaker 3: at least during the off, season but it really just
Speaker 3: depends on court cases and what plays out on the judge.
Speaker 3: Bench that's that's when we check in With Matt.
Speaker 2: Brown Professor Matt.
Speaker 1: Brown if you want to learn about the business of college,
Speaker 1: athletics there's probably nobody. Better he writes a newsletter Called Extra.
Speaker 1: POINTS i utilize it almost every. Day we will say
Speaker 1: good AND i special thank you To Tom, Haberstrow Zach,
Speaker 1: Harper Brian, Dunseth Neil, smith And Pablo mash joining you
Speaker 1: for in this.
Speaker 2: Sound you may have missed from.
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Speaker 1: us all the stars you. Can it actually helps Reporter
Speaker 1: i'm spend saying, tonight enjoy a LITTLE Nba finals. Action
Speaker 1: it comes your way next right. HERE audespn seven hundred
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