Speaker 1: Is the Matt Thomas Show with Ross.
Speaker 2: Sen oh one in the am here on Sports Talk
seven hinety. Hello and welcome into a Wednesday edition of
The Matt Thomas Show with Ross without Matt Thomas. He
is out today and you're saying, well, why was he
traveling with the Rockets?
Speaker 1: No?
Speaker 2: Is he on vacation. Never is he relaxing on a beach.
I've never heard of him ever knew that in my life.
He is out because today is a wonderful and historic
and a special day in the Thomas household. His daughter
Carly Thomas is going to sign her national letter of
intent to play volleyball with the University of Rhode Island.
Yesterday's topic for Believe it or Not, Matt about fifty
two minutes ago put up a tweet that says a
national signing day Humble Independent School District. I believe they
do it for the entire school. I don't know if
they do it for football and every single sport. So
it might be a very long day for Matt at
the Humble ISD signing day. But Matt is out as
he is a proud papa today and saying he's already
a mess and he is going to watch his daughter
sign her national letter of intent. And all the years
of traveling around and taking her to volleyball and club
and practices and private coaching and getting a volleyball court
in his backyard and all that good stuff. It's paying
off as his daughter is going to be a collegiate
volleyball player at the University of Rhode Island.
Speaker 3: That is out.
Speaker 2: I am here, Chris Gordy. Maybe hanging out at some point,
maybe not, we'll find out. Adam Clinton is going to
join in the one o'clock hour. Jonathan Allen is bringing
us the news at noon, coming up at noon.
Speaker 3: All right, I'm getting ahead, nod. So that's good.
Speaker 2: There we have a Wednesday is a I is a
no no shut Joe bum ass up slash. Ain't nobody
got time for that. That's coming up at eleven thirty.
And as of right now, I am a flying solo.
If you guys want to get in, you can't. Phone
lines are open. Seven one three two one two five
seven ninety is the phone number if you'd like to
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I would really appreciate it. That is also at sports RV.
There so a lot of stuff to get to today,
even though it's kind of like the beginning of February,
there's some interesting stuff going on.
Speaker 3: We'll get some astro stuff in a second.
Speaker 2: If he had not heard, James Harden is a Cleveland Cavalier.
So he has gone from traded to the nets and
was at the beginning of twenty twenty one. I think
that was like January of twenty twenty one. He played
a few games with the Rockets and then he went
to the Nets. Then actually, now this gets muddy, as
he went to the seventy six ers, and then he
went to the Clippers, and now he's going to the
Cleveland Cavaliers. Is he going to be the most traded
Hall of Famer of all time? He's going to the
Hall of Fame. He won an MVP, he's like top
ten in scoring all time. I think he's next on
the list to try to come after Wilt Chamberlain at
seventh on the all time scoring list, which is crazy,
by the way, that that twenty twelve Oklahoma City Thunder
Finals team had Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Kevin Durant
all on it and they're all, I want to say,
top fifteen all time points leaders in NBA history. I'm
trying to pull it up right now. Definitely, Kevin Durant
is now chasing Michael Jordan and getting closer and closer.
He's sixth. James Harden is ninth. Okay, where's Russell Westbrook
is in as high as I thought? So if no,
he is fifteenth, Oh my gosh, Duran, Harden and Westbrook
are all top fifteen scores all time and all played
on the same team and they never won a championship.
All right, But I digress complicated history with James Harden.
We'll get to that later on the show. But he
is now a Cleveland Cavalier, and of course he was
a longtime legendary Houston Rocket. They don't go on with
in the Basketball Hall of Fame. They only get a
plaque with a cap or a jersey hun or anything
like that. But he would be Houston Rocket going into
the Hall of Fame. But now he is on his
fourth team in about five six seasons, so James Harden
a Cleveland Cavalier. Of course, as I said, we got
some astro stuff going on. Rocket's going to be an
action tonight against the Boston Celtics. They are on a
back to back. Celtics have been very good. They are
one of the surprises in the league. They are on
a back to back as they beat the Dallas Mavericks
one ten to one hundred yesterday. Rockets and Celtics coming
your way. That'll be a seven o'clock tip. Ooh, some
line movement check that yesterday Rockets were five and a
half point favorites, now down to four and a half
point favorites with the uh maybe that means Kevin Durant
not going to be available tonight. Does Vegas know something
we don't know? That'll be something to keep an eye on.
We got Rockets launch Pat. I'll have that for you
coming up at six o'clock here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
It'll be a seven o'clock tip Rockets taking on the
Boston Celtics, and then it'll be a back to back
as they'll take on the Charlotte Hornets tomorrow. At home
also at seven o'clock. And don't scoff, don't laugh when
you hear the Charlotte Hornets are in town. They're actually
playing some good ball. They have won seven games in
a row, including wins over the Spurs seventy sixers Magic,
who are completely terrible. Over that stretch, I lied them, Yeah,
twenty five, twenty four Magic. So seven game winning street
for the Hornets. They'll be in town tomorrow, Rockets taking
on the Boston Celtics to night. So, as I mentioned,
we got a lot of different news stories swirling around
to me, some interesting stuff from both Dana Brown and
Joe Aspata.
Speaker 3: Yesterday they had.
Speaker 2: The media luncheon and they do this and and yeah,
a lot of it's just kind of gland handing and schmoozing.
And oh, check out our new whatever disgusting fried foods
we have coming up to the ballpark. That's gonna give
you a massive coronary come the seventh inning, come and
taste that. But then, of course the meat and potatoes
of it is the general manager Dana Brown speaking and
Joe a Spota speaking. So a couple of interesting things
I think out out of that. I mean, we talked
about the storylines the off the outfield logjam or lack
thereof the infield logjam. That is what the Astros are
going to want to do their the left handed bat
and I want to play a couple of these audio
clips that we're gonna have for you guys, and we
will pepper these throughout the show. But I want to
start with to me is the first domino. When you
talk about the infield and you talk about Hell's al
tuove coming back to second base, you talk about the outfield,
and one of the things that the Astros had liked
to do when they first moved to the American League
is move guys around in the designated hitter spot. Joe
Spota says that is not in his plans go done.
Speaker 4: I will like to give him most of his up
past as at DH and I will do all everything
in my power to keep him in that DH butt.
He will get some opportunities in left field to keep
that dhpot open for all their players. But this is
going to be a competition from the get go. We'll
see where where we stand there and see what forget
most of those upbots there the win a season.
Speaker 2: See that that's the big first piece of news, because
if we're talking about an infield logjam, right, and we're
talking about well, where's he sac parade it's gonna play?
And where's Christian Walker what's gonna happen? And what's JOSEL Tuove?
Where's he gonna do? A natural spot for all those
guys that'd be like, hey, they're all in their thirties,
and we throw Carl's karra in there. They're in their thirties.
Plus give him a DHDA and it's not a day off.
Guys have described it more as like a half day
where you just kind of have to do your hitting
and you go out there and you get you get
your abs and you don't have to go out there
and run a little bit of a half day, which
would be nice for a thirty five going to be
thirty six year old jose Al Tuove, for a Christian
Walker getting longer in the tooth. Carls Krey, we know
he's had a history. I mean, he's got an injury
history of back problems, and we can maybe even call
him injury prone because he failed to physical with the
San Francisco Giants and he's always wearing a back brace
and something to keep an eye on, like, hey, give
those guys a DH day. Well not so fast, my friend.
According to Joe Spata, he wants Jordan Alvarez in that
designated hitter spot. I mean, you just heard the words
out of his mouth, and you don't hear a whole
lot of I don't say, like calling out or straight
talk or anything like that when it comes to Dana
Brown and Joe Spot and speaking to the media, but
I mean that that's pretty direct. I want to have
yord On Alvarez in my designated hitter spot as much
as possible.
Speaker 3: Now, if you.
Speaker 2: Are, I don't know the people that are in a
school of thought that it's inevitable he's gonna miss a
large chunk of games which could happen and could get hurt.
We have a stored injury history of him, but two
years ago he played one hundred and forty four games,
so maybe he is gonna be out there almost every day.
If he gets hurt, then that erases that problem. If
he's gonna miss thirty five plus games, then those are
thirty five plus games. You can toss jose L Twove
in the DH spot and whomever else, But if he's not.
If he is healthy as a what twenty eight to
twenty nine year old, Yeah, twenty eight right now, gonna
turn twenty nine June, and somebody who did two years
ago play one hundred and forty plus games and you're
hoping he does. It was one hundred and forty seven game.
Excuse me, a hundred forty four was in twenty one.
But three of the last five years he's played one
hundred and thirty plus games. So if that happens, it
becomes four of six, then you do have to figure
some things out. And I also say you want him
in the lineup every day, whether it's a DH spot,
left field or wherever, because he's the most dangerous hitter
in Astro's history in terms of ops plus right now.
His one sixty three mark is far better than Jeff
Bagwell's one forty nine career mark, although Jeff Bagwell had
to decline. Yard On Alvarez is in the heart of
his prime, So we'll see where there's numbers shake out
as the years go along, but by ops plus, best
hitter in Astro's history right now is yord On Alvarez.
You need him in that lineup every day. You want
him to get his first forty home run season, which
is insane to say out loud. You can't believe he
hadn't gotten forty home runs, but a lot of that
has been because he's been missing significant time every single year.
It seems like, so you want him in the lineup
every day he's I mean, think about how dangerous locked
in Yrdon is and you want him to be good
and great, But then what goes on with everybody else?
How how if you if you can't shuffle half days
in the designated hitter spot of the lineup? What does
that mean for Korea? Al Tuova paratus walker Pinya obviously
has shortstop lockdown, and it's kind of just I don't
know if Joe's spot is just gonna pull names out
of a hat when it comes to the rest of
those positions, or is there going to be a trade
made very soon or at least by the deadline for
your Houston Astros.
Speaker 3: That's what we have to figure out.
Speaker 2: Okay, still have to get too left handed bat stuff,
still have to get the outfield stuff. But it is
time for the first break of the show. Here on
Sports Talk seven ninety the bat Toomas Show with Ross.
You guys want to get in seven one three two
one two five seven ninety is the phone number seven
one three two one two five seven ninety. I think
I have to at some point later on You're gonna
get mad at me. I have to defend the legacy
of James Harden and this Cleveland Cavaliers trade. We'll also
talk about the astro stuff rockets.
Speaker 3: Are going on.
Speaker 2: Super Bowl Week is ramping up NFL news as well
with some hires, so we got a ton of stuff
to get to. We also have ain't nobody got time
for that slash shut Jo bumb Ass up coming up
at eleven thirty, and we have you at seven one
three two one two five seven ninety seven one three
two one two five seven ninety ten twenty am here
on the Sports Talk seven Iety. Welcome in, Welcome back
to the Matt Thomas Show with Ross.
Speaker 3: Without Matt Thomas, he is out.
Speaker 2: Chris Gordy is here hanging out wearing an SEC hoodie.
Oh yeah, it's a big day, is it signing day? Well,
it's see asn't bigger as the day. It's like the
early one, right, yeah, this one, this one is kind
of a dud.
Speaker 5: It's probably five percent of the entire class signing today.
Speaker 2: Does everybody in the portal have to sign by today?
How does that work? They get their own thing.
Speaker 3: No, you had a deadline to enter the portal.
Speaker 5: Now that you're in the portal, you can just take
your sweet ass time to pick your team.
Speaker 3: See.
Speaker 5: But here's the problem. The deadline to enroll for spring
classes has passed, so most if you're in the portal
right now and you have not picked your new school,
you're basically taking a semester off because you're not in side.
Speaker 3: Huh.
Speaker 5: There are some schools like Oregon that are on the
quarter system, so like, I think their classes start next week,
so if you wanted to transfer to Oregon, you could
do that.
Speaker 3: It's very it's.
Speaker 5: All very sketchy, but it's it's an interesting day because
this morning a judge in Tennessee ruled in favor of
Joey Aguilar, the Tennessee quarterback that is trying to get
another coming back for Believe. Yes, well so here, So
here's the thing, and this is this is kind of
an interesting debate. Real quick, he spent a year at
some like small community college. Then the next two years
at a community college, used a red shirt inside of
that in one of those years, and then went to
app State, played two years at app State and last
year at Tennessee. So he's technically played three years at
the Division one level. Yes, So the argument is, hey,
he should get a fourth year at the D one level.
And this is this goes back to what Diego Pavia
won last year. Diego Pavia played at community college and
then he got the extra year of eligibility to play
at VANDI last year. It's an interesting debate on is
community should community college count as a year of eligibilities
not D one football?
Speaker 2: I don't know. I would say, how about I got
a crazy rule, what if you're in school and actually
pursuing a degree, then you can play.
Speaker 3: If you're pursuing a bachelor's you get four years. Most
of these kids graduate. I mean, like if you.
Speaker 2: Want to get a graduate degree, because the Carson beg
he's I'm not in class.
Speaker 5: But that goes back to the old. Remember Matt Lioner
came back to USC and he took ballroom dancing.
Speaker 2: Are you taking ballroom dancing? You're out? Okay, I'm sorry,
you're not pursuing a degree.
Speaker 5: I think somebody told me Jayden Daniels his last year
at LSU he was actually working on his masters, like
he started working. So like, I mean, if you go
that route and get him the masters, and how yeah,
I mean how many? How many college quarterbacks are gonna
really pursue PhDs well, and especially a guy like Joe Aguilar.
He's not he has no NFL potential. But here's the
great argument they have in court. Tennessee has a two
million dollars nil l offer on.
Speaker 2: The table for him. He has no like, no scouts
are looking at him at all for the NFL. So
if they say you're done with college, you have to
go pro and he doesn't get drafted.
Speaker 3: His argument is, I have to.
Speaker 5: You're keeping me from making two million dollars yes, anti
anti trust lawsuits, So I don't know, it'll be it'll
be fascinating to see. But the more I started talking out,
the more I started to go, you know what everyone
should get at four years at the.
Speaker 3: D one level.
Speaker 5: I don't care how many you spent at JUCO or
community college and all this.
Speaker 3: I think you should get four year once you get
the D one. The clock starts sticking. You get four years.
Speaker 2: I have a stupid question, how many years can you
play intermural like flag football?
Speaker 3: As many as you want? What do you want?
Speaker 6: Right?
Speaker 3: So, I mean, what's the difference.
Speaker 5: Any Van Wilder out there, you want to spend six
seven years of college, you can't.
Speaker 2: As I'm saying, as long as you're actually enrolled in
pursuing a degree, like if you're in ballroom dancing or
if you're not in classes at all, no, you shouldn't
be on the team. If you're actually pursuing an actual degree,
put them on the team, put on the field.
Speaker 5: Those universities will say, as long as you're paying your money,
we'll keep taking your money.
Speaker 3: You always keep staying to me.
Speaker 2: I don't feel like you're going to really be able
to get like a PhD.
Speaker 3: I don't know it.
Speaker 2: It's all a weird house of cards with the weird
rules that don't make any sense and haven't made any
sense since like basically the eighteen eighty.
Speaker 5: I think it was kind of interesting too. Steve Sarkisian
spoke out on it a couple months ago, and he
was he was against it, and I believe leive sark
started started his career at JUCO or community college.
Speaker 3: He was against what which way?
Speaker 5: Like he was saying, no, those years count because because
I had to do it, And it's like, okay, but
that was forever go Pops, Like, I.
Speaker 2: Don't know that JUCO should count of guess I don't know. Yeah,
his uh, let's see. Yeah, he started at El Camino, Oh,
Camino Public Community College in LA in ninety three and
ninety four, and then he spent two years at BYU.
So sark played four years of college football, but two
were at community college. Oh, just because it's the way,
just because I had to do it means things should
be worse. Okay, let's go to that's different. It's a
different level, you know.
Speaker 5: I mean like remember cam Newton went to Blend Community College.
Speaker 3: He did. I don't think that should counted college national champion.
Speaker 5: Can you imagine if we go back in time and
Cam Newton goes undefeated with Auburn, wins the national championship,
win the Win's Heisman, and gets another year of eligibility,
could come back that next time.
Speaker 3: I mean he was to be the number one.
Speaker 2: Oh well, actually, coming out of that draft, he wasn't
the number one overall pick coming out, but then of
course eventually was the number.
Speaker 3: One overall pick.
Speaker 2: But people were like, oh, we don't know, and then
he got taken number one over by the Panthers, won
an MVP. I mean, even though Cam had an interesting career,
you won an MVP. People got to a Super Bowl
and won an MVP. That's worthy of a number one
overall pick. But yeah, now I'm gonna say Juco doesn't count.
It's different football. And again, if you're pursuing a degree,
I don't have an issue with it.
Speaker 3: I don't.
Speaker 2: I mean, the NCAA is just ridiculous in itself. Let
the kids play, do you know, and let him get
especially if he's gonna get two million more dollars.
Speaker 5: That Cam Newton draft. Can you name any of the
top eleven picks in that draft?
Speaker 2: Nick Fairley was in there, Nick Fairley, Watt was in there.
Speaker 3: JJ Watt won eleventh. I can't remember. Outside of that.
Speaker 5: Check out this top seven, Cam Newton won, Von Miller two.
Speaker 3: Oh, it's pretty good.
Speaker 2: Marcel Darius three had a good career Buffalo. Marcell Darius
Do you mean the guy who ripped off Colt McCoy's arm.
Speaker 3: Yes, that guy. AJ Green went four. Yeah. AJ Green
was good. Patrick Peterson went five. Wow. J Leo Jones
went six. What a draft.
Speaker 5: Alden Smith went seventh, and then Tyron Smith went ninth
to the Cowboys. In between those that picked nine and ten,
Jake Locker and Blaine Gabbert.
Speaker 2: AFC South Stillharts and then you go a few picks
later Robert Quinn I directly led to the Texan success
in the AFC South around Bill O'Brien, Era, Robert.
Speaker 5: Quinn, Mike Pouncy, Ryan Carrigan, Cam Jordan Damn, that's a
damn good draft.
Speaker 3: Pretty damn strong draft for sure. Outside of quarterbacks.
Speaker 2: Yeah, wow JJ all those guys are retired ex over Yeah,
every one of them, right just about it.
Speaker 5: I mean that's a long time ago, twenty eleven. But anyway,
the college conversation, so the aguilar thing is now going
to go back. It's him versus the NCAA. So we're
gonna see what happens on that dude. The NCAA lawyers
have been taking all these l's, all the l's because
they have no legs to standoffs.
Speaker 2: They're they're sick of paying these lawyers to lose every
single lawsuit that they have well, and.
Speaker 5: In the Trinidad Champbells case is coming up next week,
the NCAA is supposed to make a final decision on
him today. That s expected he's gonna get denied and
then this ole miss judge in Mississippi is gonna rule
you can't do.
Speaker 2: That, and they're gonna make him eligible. All these cases
are going to the local courtroom with judges that are
a lums of those schools, going we rule in favor
of the playoff. Yeah, you can play immediately, son. Yeah,
I'm okay with rooting in favor of the player.
Speaker 3: But I'm just like, if the NCAA wake the hell up.
Speaker 2: You don't want all these individual cases going to these
local judges that are all going to rule against you.
All Right, we have to take quick break on that.
We got off to a college football tangent. But that's okay,
that's what's gonna happen with Chris Gordy. Into appreciate that
good conversation honestly on the amateurism rules and stuff like that.
We'll get back to some of the stuff we were
talking about with Joe Spota saying he wants yord on
Alvarez in DH and he's gonna do everything within his
power to have yord On at DH just about every
single day. What does that mean for rest of the
infield and the outfield and a surprising name getting some
reps in the center field for the Astros as well.
Speaker 3: We'll talk about that as we go along.
Speaker 2: We also have Ain't no buddy got time for that
slash shut show bumb Ass up coming at eleven thirty.
It is the Matt Thomas Show with Ross with you
until two o'clock here on Sports Talk seven ninety. Welcome
back the Matt Thomas Show with Ross here on Sports
Talk seven ninety. Matt Thomas is out. It is national
signing day for the Humble Independent School District and his
daughter is signing to become a collegiate volleyball player on
an athletic scholarship at the University of Rhode Island. Congratulations
to the Thomas family. Chris Gordy is hanging out. We'll
have Adam Clinton coming up at one o'clock, and we'll
have Ain't nobody got time for that slash Shut Joe
bum Ass up coming up at eleven thirty. Phone lines
open seven one, three, two one two five seven ninety
seven to one three two one two five seven ninety
So we were talking about a little bit in the
first segment about jord On Alvarez being the DH as
much as possible. Joe Spot, Im gonna do everything within
his power to have yord.
Speaker 3: On there and Gordy.
Speaker 2: That means, I mean, you would figure Korea in his thirties,
Altuve in his thirties, Christian Walker in his thirties. You
want to give those guys half days, do some rotation,
help with that log jam in the infield, with Esak
Paratus in the fold as well. But if ord On
Alvarez is locking down that DH spot every single day
and healthy, which of course is the addendum when it
comes to ord On Alvarez, if he's healthy, then that's
just gonna make it that much more harder to fill
out the lineup and keep everybody fresh and in a rhythm.
Speaker 5: It's it's gonna be interesting. That's you this I want
to say. It was either spring training last year, spring
training the year before. Joe Spotto was talking to us
about the Jordon thing, and it was kind of funny.
Speaker 3: He said that.
Speaker 5: He showed us like he gets messages from Jordon randomly.
He'll just send him like highlights of him making catches
in left field.
Speaker 3: Oh really, and.
Speaker 5: The spot is like, Okay, I get it, Yes, you've
made some nice catches, but it's like, you know, it's
the it's the thing of like they've got to keep
him healthy. And so it's as much as Jordon wants
to play left field every day as much as and
I think he's actually done a decent job out there,
He's not gonna make the diving Jake Morisnik banging your
head into the groundcount.
Speaker 2: You don't want him running into the scoreboard again, right,
But he's he's been pretty good at playing him off
the hop.
Speaker 5: He's been pretty good of you know, he's got speed,
he can get to the ball pretty well, and he's
got a decent arm, Like you're not. It's been fine
in left field when he plays. But it's just that
injury history. Man, it's well, you can't go another season
where Jordon only plays fifty games, Like he's got to
play on one one thirty plus, I'd.
Speaker 3: Say, yeah, it was.
Speaker 2: It was the fewest games that he has played ever,
not counting the twenty twenty season where first of all,
it was a shortened season, and also he had surgery,
I believe, on both of his knees. Since then, games
played for yord On Alvarez one forty four, one thirty five,
one fourteen, one forty seven, and then last year at
forty eight was just uh, not where you wanted it
to be. And the production wasn't there even when he
was out there. I mean he had a couple of
weeks in spurts where he just looked like himself. But uh,
you need yord On If this team is gonna challenge
the Seattle Mariners at all, you're gonna need one hundred
and forty plus games of yord On Alvarez actually being
yord On Alvarez.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 5: Somebody I was talking to was saying, you know all
this talk of one at a left handed bat, and
wanted to add this, want to do this, It said,
the most important thing for the Astros is just having
yord On Alvarez in the lineup. I think even Taylor
rom wrote about this, like all this wish list and
dream in all this all that's fine. At the end
of the day, this team to go anywhere, to do
whatever they're gonna We want them to do has to
be with Ordon Alvarez.
Speaker 3: In the lineup.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, if you look at that lineup like
you're talking about with with you get Jeremy PayNet, Jordon Alvarez,
Carlos Korea, Estik Paradus, Christian Walker, jose Al Tuvey in
some capacity, maybe Cam Smith makes a leap like it
could be a very good, dangerous, lengthy lineup for the Astros.
A lot of the names, of course longer in the
tooth and their thirties and stuff like that. But there's
some potential Janner Diaz who just won his uh his arbitration,
who I didn't mention and needs to have a bounce
back season at.
Speaker 3: The plate as well.
Speaker 2: Yes, eight, there's a potential for a long for a
for a really good lengthy lineup. I thought last year
they should have, like I I even said this for
the season. I thought it should have gotten more fifty
to fifty platoon Yanar Diez with Victor Krrottini. Yeah, and
now Victor Carrottini is gone, and I know they're looking
for a veteran catcher out there.
Speaker 3: They're still looking, but the.
Speaker 5: More time goes by, the more and and Dana Brown
said all the right things yesterday He's like, oh, we
believe in Cisar Salas are and all this, but like
in nothing against him, and he has hit, you know,
when he's been at the big league level. But like I,
I need him as my third option, like I I
And now again like with no Keratini, you're leaning on
Yanarda is gonna have to belie even more find the place.
Speaker 3: I just I thought that should have been a spot.
Speaker 5: You should have went and got a good hitting catcher,
backup catcher and and.
Speaker 3: Almost platoon fifty to fifty with him and Yaner Diaz.
Speaker 5: I thought Yanar Diaz catching as much as he did,
the legs got tired and the bats suffered because of it.
Speaker 2: And Sesar Salas are out of options, right, I believe
think so.
Speaker 3: So that's it was.
Speaker 2: It was great to have him as a third guy
carry three catchers.
Speaker 3: I'm fine, but it's not good.
Speaker 5: But then salves are needs to be a good pinch
hit option, you know late in games, like he's got
to be about off the bench.
Speaker 3: I just wouldn't keeping.
Speaker 2: I wouldn't put a whole lot of money into the stock,
says our salves are stock. So that means what's gonna happen,
especially when it comes to Estoch Paratus and Christian Walker.
Speaker 3: Here's what Joe Spott I had to say about that yesterday.
Speaker 4: My message always been this is going to play out,
and let's just get to spring training and and like
go out and prepare ourselves to to win.
Speaker 6: Right.
Speaker 4: I don't want this to become a distraction. I think
this is going to play itself out. But right now
they are they understand where we're at, and they understand
that we need all of us to be together to
accomplish our goal. So I want our focuses to be
to be on.
Speaker 2: That all right, spring training and we're going to figure
it out. That means like, eh, maybe let me get
trade by then. I mean it's it's not obviously too
late in the game that you you can actually you
have the capacity to make a trade. But it continues
to get later and later and later and later. Where
we thought, okay, by now, you know, if you'd have
pulled me when the season ended, I would have figured
Jake Myers would have been moved by now. If he
was going to get moved, I would have figured Esik
Paradis or Christian Walker would have been moved by now
if they were going to get moved.
Speaker 3: We're on to February fourth, right now.
Speaker 2: It's getting kind of crazy to figure out what's going
to happen and are we just going to is something
going to happen in season because normally there's not a
whole lot of trades happening in May and June.
Speaker 5: Here's the other part too, I mean, just for this
lineup to get to where they need to go. If
Christian Walker can get back to some semblance of what
he wants was that would.
Speaker 3: It was the second half of the season, it was good.
That would take this team a long way. Yeah. If
Jeremy Pania wants to have an MVP type.
Speaker 2: Season, which you know he'll hold on now he's had
stretches where he's looked really really good, but you know
what I mean, Like if he could get back to
being like if any of these players wants to play
above their head and have an awesome season, yeah, it's
only going to help this team.
Speaker 5: Now here's the problem. Jake Myers, for his standard, had
an awesome season last Yes he did. The odds are
he's not gonna repeat that, correct, So if his production dips.
Speaker 3: You know, Korea, he's he's getting long in the tooth.
Speaker 5: He's still pretty good player, but like this Korea start
to fall into the Michael Brandtley category of single hitter.
Just everything's a base hit. I thought that's what sucked
with this line up down the stretch last year, was
that when was the pop with no Jordan in there,
Like there was no pop. It was all base hit,
base hit, strikeout, pop off, fly out, you know what
I mean.
Speaker 3: It's like you couldn't get the run production.
Speaker 2: You have to wonder how sustainable it is with Jeremy
Payne as well. I mean his his ops went from
seven hundred to eight forty. I mean that that is
a huge leap. How much of that as an outlier?
I mean his hard hit percentages went up, that's good,
but his batting average, balls and play went way up.
Speaker 3: Is that sustainable?
Speaker 2: That That's something that we have to to wonder about
if there's going to be some regression there. So if
he he can sustain and be where he is and
even make another leap like you're talking about, that would
be great. He's twenty seven years old, twenty eight now,
It's not like it's going to be crazy for somebody.
That's when people are starting to hit their stride and
hit their prime. But that's also somebody that I'm going
to be keep an eye on. It's it's almost and
we're I feel like I said this a million times
last year, to where you can kind of you can
tint the glass to see whatever color you want to see.
If you want to see Astros orange and blue, you
could say, yeah, maybe Pinia makes another leap, and Korea
is great and and shows well like he did, and
jose L Twovey continues to drink from the fountain of youth,
and youre on. Alvarez is healthy and he said Paratus
is in the lineup and mashing like this. This could
be a very very good, formidable lineup in the American
League West.
Speaker 5: I'm always intrigued by have you ever looked at the
ESPN depth charts for teams?
Speaker 2: It's sometimes they never know, like they're usually off normally
more reliable is like fantasy websites.
Speaker 3: Actually all these Rodo nerds out there.
Speaker 5: So they got Yonder Diaz, I got your Christian Walker first,
I'll two of eight, second, Kore at third pane short.
Speaker 3: That's pretty easy.
Speaker 5: Right, Noe, the obvious glaring absences hesoc Paratus. They actually
list he Sat Paradis as the third string first basement
on this death art God.
Speaker 3: Then your outfield.
Speaker 2: They have Zach Cole and left, Jake Myers and center,
and Hazeu Sanchez in right. So they have Zach Cole
and Haesu Sanchez starting. They have your on Alvarez az
the starting dage. They have Cam Smith as the backup
right fielder. They have Bryce Matthews as the third string
center fielder.
Speaker 3: So again this is just a.
Speaker 5: Guestimate on ESPN's part, but it's uh, it's just funny
to see if they go out there ross.
Speaker 3: And opening it who they open with the Angels. I
think whatever it is they open at home.
Speaker 5: If Zach Cole is in left and Hazu Sanchez isn't right,
then that means both those guys had awesome spring trainings
and they are ready to set the world on fire.
Speaker 2: Well at the very least. I mean, whoever's going to
be out there, we know that they do.
Speaker 5: They have some options, so that's an other thing too though,
Like one of those guys, like was Zach Cole Bat's
three ten in spring training to start.
Speaker 3: Okay, let's go for it, let's do it. I'm with it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Angels at home for a four game set to
start the season, and then it'll be the Red Sox
after that. Okay, mentioned the outfield and you mentioned Cam Smith.
We'll get some more on that from Joe A. Spotta,
who had some very interesting things to say about the
reps in outfield and the split out there. We'll get
to that next here on the Matt Thomas Show with
Ross here on Sports Talk seven ninety ten am.
Speaker 3: He are on Sports Talk.
Speaker 2: Seven ninety Cross Viarea with you, Chris Cordy, with you,
Matt Thomas, not with us, but that's okay. As we
continue discussing that your Houston Astros and what's gonna go
on and what's what's everything gonna look like not only
in spring training but then come opening day. In terms
of the infield, we've been talking about that, We've been
talking about Jordan Alvarez playing a lot at the d
H spot.
Speaker 3: You guys has some thoughts on that.
Speaker 2: You can get in seven one three two one two
five seven ninety seven one three two one two five
seven ninety You can also send tweets at sports RV
at Chris Gordy and give me a follow on Instagram
at sports RV. I would truly appreciate that. But anyway,
as we were talking about the outfield and uh, Joe Aspata,
what is going on with perhaps Cam Smith in the
center field?
Speaker 4: You know, we get guys I sack Cole his Su
Sanchez can also play left field.
Speaker 3: We've got guys at Cam Smith.
Speaker 2: I mentioned that I want to get Ken.
Speaker 4: Smith an opportunity to play some center field. You know
we have Jake Myers. Is how can I keep all
these guys healthy in the lineup? That is going to
be our focus there doing screen training and see how
can we shape the roster with everyone.
Speaker 6: Can get in.
Speaker 4: Uh, you know, everybody's getting playing time and we can
keep everyone healthy.
Speaker 2: Okay, obviously this is all pending change and some sort
of trade that could happen in the coming weeks for
the Astros, which feels like there's a lot of different
candidates who can be traded and change everything. But Cam
Smith in center field. When I say that out loud,
I mean, I guess it makes sense. It could be
Jake Myers getting moved on at some point or just
maybe not playing every single day. But Cam Smith centerfielder
for your Houston Astros. How does that sound?
Speaker 5: Well, it's just weird because camp Smith is an infielder
by heart. Yeah, you know it was. He's a third
He was a third baseman, one of the top prospects
out there. Came up through the you know, that's what
he played at Florida State, right came up to the
Cubs minor league system and then gets the Astros and
we're like, ah, damn, you know what, that's kind of
a log jam here, so why don't we teach you
right field? And they did that during spring training, right
They just like threw him out there, only played a
handful of games, and then opening day they're like, you
know what, you're a starting right fielder. We'll just put
you out there. Here you go, and he had to
learn a whole new position. I just like, now, it's
like you learned right field, accular center field. It's just
I get it's by necessity, because you know, there's the
infield's positions aren't open, and so it's fine. Even Bryce
Matthews told us at fan Fest like he's gonna take
some reps in center field at dirt spring training so
it's just you got to you got no open spots
here on the infield, so it's like, well, why don't
we teach these guys a position in the outfield. I'm
fine with it. I mean, he's athletic enough that he
can some of those grabs he made in right field.
Now he did misplay some early on, but he made
some really nice grabs up against the wall throughout the
diving catches, so I think he'd be fine.
Speaker 2: Sad and one of those things that he does. And
then also you'll see you see it more when you
get to the ballpark. And I will just say in
general with with Jake Myers and others, when an outfielder
gets a really good jump and read on a fly ball,
they do a great job of making a ball that
some other outfield would be outfielder would be diving to
or hustling to, and they're sitting there catching it very easy,
not on a dead run, but running it down making
it look easy. Cam Smith is an outfielder who does that.
He has a really good ability of judging a ball
off the bat and getting good jumps and as you said,
speedy and all those things and those tools that he
has and has shown in right field with a very
big arm, would play in center field. So getting him
out there a little bit, even though the Jake Myers
fan club we don't want we don't want to hold
anybody else back, but we like our guy Jake, who
can cover basically all left field fens to right field
fens out there and run everything down. We understand cam
Smith wants to get some reps out there, but I'm
worried more about about Cam Smith and what's gonna happen
with him at the plate because we mentioned this, I
think yesterday on the show, or maybe the day before
Cam Smith's ops in the second half of the season,
it was like four eighty nine or something like that.
Speaker 3: It definitely started with a four. It was under five hundred.
Speaker 2: So need to get him going at the plate, no
matter where he's going to be out there in the field.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I look, spring training is normally it's a you know,
you get excited. He get hyped about three innings into
the first game of spring training. I'm like, kind of,
you know what, let's move on. I'm ready for the
season to start. It gets it gets boring, gets dry.
This might be an exciting spring training from a standpoint
of remember last year, like with the Games when al
Tuove was in left, You're like, oh.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I check this out.
Speaker 2: It was fun.
Speaker 5: I got to either listen on seven ninety, which was
shout of the majority of the games. Yes, you can
or the games at Space City Home Network carries, but
like this could be exciting from a standpoint of Okay,
let's check out camp Smith at center.
Speaker 3: Let's check out Bryce Matthews and center.
Speaker 7: Yeah.
Speaker 3: We well, then let's see the.
Speaker 5: Zach Coles and those guys, and does anybody get a
red hot bat and really make it hard on Dana
Brown to go, Hey, I'll better be in the opening
day lineup.
Speaker 2: Sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth of February, myself and Matt Thompson.
Speaker 5: And you're going out there too, Gordy, Right, I'll be
out there next week. Yeah, with the first few days. Okay, cool,
interesting catchers reporting, So we'll get.
Speaker 3: You out there.
Speaker 2: Matt Thomas and I will be out there as well
as spring charing coverage. Of course, we are your home
for the Houston Astros. Doesn't get better anywhere else, so
that I mean, it feels like there may be in
years past where everything kind of felt set. There's there's
everything feels up in the air coming into this year.
Speaker 3: But I always hate.
Speaker 5: About those first few days when I get there though.
It's always something like it's always the injury thing, Like
first day or two they were there, we find out yeah,
you know, Shay Wacomb.
Speaker 3: Had a little bit of a procedure, and heyzy, okay
with playing for Korea now, and then.
Speaker 2: We start with the yeah, he should be fine for
the start of a season. Yeah, we're really targeting opening day,
and then it's not opening day, and then it's those
are the ones that scare me and make me nervous. Yeah,
March fifth to March seventeenth is the World Baseball Classic,
so that that'll come a little bit later.
Speaker 3: So who in the Astros organization are actually playing.
Speaker 2: I believe it's Shay Whitcomb, Zacho Zach Decenzo's Zaka Decenzo's
playing for Italy, and Jeremy Paine is playing for the
Dominican Republic. I believe.
Speaker 3: As he.
Speaker 2: I mean, he grew up in America, but he was
born his dad, of course, Caronimo was a was born
in Dominican and Jeremy Panie was born in the Dominican
and his dad was a Major League player ballplayer, So
he's playing for the Dominican I think I don't know
if who else outside of those three is playing in
the WBC.
Speaker 3: No pictures, So.
Speaker 2: Matt Thomas has got a feeling that no player would
play in the WBC. Incorrect Josh Hater. Josh Hater, not
America's closer. No, hey, let him rehab. Okay's let him
rehab eastas rehab as well. Like, we don't need any
of these guys out there. All right, let's go. We're
worried about the Houston Astros. WBC is fun. You want
to get all into it. I mean it, Look at
your choice. Jeremy Payne is young. I don't feel too
bad about him going out there and doing it. Zach Dezenzo,
I mean for the opportunity to play for Italy. I
think that's kind of cool. I think I read hundreds
might play. Oh is that true?
Speaker 3: Okay?
Speaker 6: Uh?
Speaker 3: Is he Dominican Republic two?
Speaker 2: I should know this, but I'm not a one hundred
percent sure. Yeah, the Dominican Republic is correct. He may
join Pina, but yeah, that's kind of it. Correan Altov
will not so all right, all right, we're gonna take
a quick break here on uh you know what. I
we have anybody at time for that slash shit jo
bum Mass up coming up soon, and I've been getting
all this spam. I'm gonna come after those people coming
up here. At eleven thirty, Chris Gordy is hanging out.
You guys want to get in, you can phone lines
open seven one three two one two five seven ninety
is the phone number seven one three two one two
five seven ninety. We've been talking to little astros. College
football Rockets and action tonight against Celtics. James Harden is
a Cleveland cavalier, a ton of stuff to get to.
On the phone lines with you and on the show
with you until two o'clock at seven one three two
one two five seven.
Speaker 1: He's the Matt Thomas Show with Ross.
Speaker 2: Welcome back to that Thomas Show. Our number two of
the program beginning Matt Thomas Show with Ross. I should
say hi, I'm the Ross part of this show. The
Matt Thomas part is not here today. He is out
with his daughter Carly Thomas, signing to become a University
of Rhode Island volleyball player. I guess is that going
to be the headline of the news at noon coming
up at noon with Jonathan Allen. It is a top
sports news item of the day. Here are the time.
Speaker 3: Shows the top, but you can put it in there.
Speaker 2: I mean, congratulations to the Matt said he's gonna get
an airbnb. He's sharing with other parents out there in
Rhode Island, and he's gonna come have me come out
there and stay and we're gonna.
Speaker 3: Hang out and do some shows from out there. I'm
pretty excited about that.
Speaker 2: I've never been to Rhode Island's supposed to be in
the I think it's a movie, like a Summer or
something like that.
Speaker 3: Hell do you do out there in Rhode Island?
Speaker 2: I don't know. Ski lift your pinky up as you
drink your tea, and crumpets. Pretty fancy. I would imagine
very affluent area. In school, I believe see I'd be
looking at there's casinos. Well, if I'm in Rhode Island,
I'd be like, what's nearby I could drive to. I
think it's close to Boston, it's close to Providence. I
think they're I think it's not far from I think Connecticut.
Speaker 3: Okay, you know, you know what you should do? What
should I do? Uh? Foxborough's not a far drive from there,
you can, okay, drive up to.
Speaker 2: I can go hang out with Bill Belichick and Robert
Crap because they're not going to be at the Hall
of Fame ceremony.
Speaker 5: Because we were there last summer. You know, we spent
time in the Cape. Oh, in the Cape there? You
are fancy you weren't in chap Equittic, were you?
Speaker 1: Yeah?
Speaker 3: We may have buried a body out there.
Speaker 5: Okay, but we drove out to Foxboro and checked out
Gillette and all that. And I was talking to people
that work there because they have like the Patriots Hall
of Fame and all huh. And the guy was saying
the unique like were we live down here? And it's like,
you know, four hours up to Dallas, not a bad
drive over to Austin.
Speaker 3: What three hours? Four hours whatever?
Speaker 5: You can get over there up there, It's like, no,
it's an hour or less to go everywhere you want
to go.
Speaker 3: So basically, like.
Speaker 2: He said, they have as many season ticket holders for
Patriots games in Boston as they do in Providence, Rhode Island.
It's the same distance. Wow, so it's kind of interesting.
Speaker 5: That's why they're the New England Patriots because basically people
live in all those different states drive in to go
to Patria.
Speaker 3: You can you can ride a train everywhere too, right
a track there where people take a boat, like people
that live on the Cape take the.
Speaker 8: Honey, Oh my gosh, we're gonna be on the Cape
and we're gonna take the boat to the Patriots game
this week.
Speaker 3: And if you'd like to come by, it's gonna be
a smashing time.
Speaker 5: You like, take a boat across Cape Cod Bay and
then hop on a shuttle bus.
Speaker 8: So we'll stop. We'll stop by Tiffany and Co. And
get you a new necklace. Head over to West if
you want.
Speaker 2: Hey, Wyster, Hey, get over at a door chest. You
know Bill O'Brien grew up over there. Well, Boston College
is in that area. Yeah, Boston College. Yeah, that's why
I see Bill O'Brien out there having a few pops
and he's yelling, you sucked too, Hey, you sucked too,
bill O'Brien.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Uh.
Speaker 3: We actually we went up to Salem. We did the
whole witch thing.
Speaker 2: Oh you did? How was that they didn't Tasha off
a Cliff, did they No, Okay, that's good, but it is.
Speaker 5: Very commercialized, like they have fully capitalized off the witching
up there.
Speaker 2: I imagined they call you, uh, well, what's goodie? Is
the women? What is the what are the men called?
Speaker 3: Proctor? Yeah? Good?
Speaker 2: Well, good I thought it was goodie Proctor was the
woman in the Yeah, goodie Proctor. And well we had
to watch The Crucible in school back o the day.
Arthur Miller, Yeah, Arthur Miller, of course. I think Daniel
da Lewis is there calling everybody a whore. You're a whole,
and your mother was a whore and your sister's a whore.
Speaker 3: You said, Daniel day Lewis. I think, wasn't he in there?
I drink your milkshit?
Speaker 2: No, it wasn't that. He wasn't mean Daniel plain View
in there? The greatest actor of all time. Son, I've
abandoned my child.
Speaker 3: What a great film, by the way, all right, but
I digress.
Speaker 5: Oh, So, University Rhode Island's way down there, like you're
almost too.
Speaker 3: I mean you're basically in the Atlanta.
Speaker 2: It's in Kingston. Yeah, it's not too far off the river.
Speaker 5: Oh wow, look at that. So you're so close to
the water. I mean, you could take a boat right
over to montak in Long Island.
Speaker 2: Montalk, isn't there a beer?
Speaker 3: Isn't there? Wait?
Speaker 2: Wait a minute, we can get to New York. It's
not too bad. The Hamptons aren't far away either. Oh really, again,
they're gonna kick me right out of the Hamptons. I
don't think I'm gonna be allowed in there.
Speaker 5: Somebody told me. Somebody surface, somebody caught a picture recently
of Matt Lower. Remember how he got canceled and he's
basically blacklisted. Apparently he just lives in the Hampton.
Speaker 2: What did Matt Lower? Do you remember that? No, I
don't want google it. Okay, I stay out of the news.
I swear to you, like a decade ago. Really okay,
hold on, hold on, he and Kevin Spae Matt Matt
Lower transgressions. Let me see what this pulls up.
Speaker 5: Anyway, he was spotted out there. He just lives in
the Hamptons, and he was.
Speaker 2: Tired in twenty seventeen inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.
Come on, Matt, come on, man. He was like the
face of the Today Show for a while. Oh was this?
He was a he was a me too.
Speaker 5: Yeah, it was something he had a button under his desk.
Excuse me, lock the door or something.
Speaker 3: I don't know, Matt Lower. That ain't right. Okay, So
now he's hanging out in the Hamptons. How can you
afford that?
Speaker 5: Well, he's retired, I mean he's like just living in silence.
Speaker 2: Man, retire in the Hamptons. He must have made some
nice cash. Well, not retired, but like forcibly retired. Okay,
he did make very nice cash. I'm looking to retire
in like, uh, Lumberton. This is so hot that the
show takes so many twists that turns. I'm sorry, that's
how we do. This is your fault, by the way
you started bringing up Matt Lower and Daniel day Lewis.
Welcome back to the Matt Tommy Show with Ross here
on Sports Talk seven iey. We had the news at noon,
coming up at you guessed it noon eleven thirty. Ain't
nobody got time for that? Slash, shut, choke, bump, ass up.
Chris Gordy has been hanging out. We've been talking about
a number of different things. You know what, Let's talk
about it real quick. It was the actual big news
of the day, James Hardin traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Can you help me out why did the Clippers do
this for Darius gar I mean, Darius Garland is good
and younger than James Carden.
Speaker 3: When he's healthy. That's a really really good point.
Speaker 2: And they get a second round pick, and Darius Garland
had apparently talked about wanting to be his own man
and get away from Donovan Mitchell and all this other stuff.
So explain this to me. I guess it makes sense. Actually,
why the Clippers did it? Why did the Cleveland Cavaliers
do this is what I'm trying to figure out.
Speaker 5: I think they're looking at it as we have a
championship aspirations and if we can get another stud player
who can fill it up and create his own shot.
I mean that is with Jared Allen, Evan Mobley, hard
and Donovan Mitchell, that's a pretty damn good foursome.
Speaker 2: Yeah, if you're James Harden, I understand, because this is
what James Harden said. According to Romano Shellburn in Cleveland,
I see an opportunity to win in the East. They
got a very good team, coaching staff, all the above.
So as much as I wanted to stay in LA
and give it a go, which, by the way, they'd
won sixteen in the last twenty games. I've never won
one before. As a basketball mind, I think we have
a bit better chance added Harden. I mean, look, we
want to crush James Harden and talk about him moving
from team to team and how he's a cancer and
he's the worst.
Speaker 3: He's dead, right, does he.
Speaker 2: Have Is he gonna win the NBA Championship with the
Cleveland Cavaliers? Probably not, But does he have a better
chance than being the nine seed with the Clippers where
you have to win the play in and then you
get an opportunity to get your ass walt by The
San Antonio Spurs are most likely the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Speaker 3: You ain't coming out of the West. There's no chance.
Speaker 2: So honestly, I know everybody wants to crush Aames Harden.
I'm not going to do that. What he's saying is
makes sense.
Speaker 5: The Cavs are the five seed in the East right now,
they're tied with the Raptors. That team is better than
the Raptors. So yeah, they're two and a half games
from the two seed with the Knicks. If one eight
of their last ten. Yeah, they're they're I mean they
should be able to jump the Raptors and Celtics at
worst be the three seed behind Detroit and the Knicks. Damn,
Detroit's really haven't a great year. I didn't didn't notice that, dude.
Detroit is crushing it. They are probably going to win
the East. Remember, you could have had Cad Cunningham and
instead you got Jalen Green.
Speaker 3: That's that's okay.
Speaker 2: We could have Victor Wimenyama. Look, we love him and
Thompson here in Houston, but you got him in Thompson.
Speaker 6: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Men, Timson good, I mean, borderline All Star, first Team
All Defense. We like him in is a great pick
at polo as well. Uh.
Speaker 3: The interesting part, have you seen what James Harden's averaging
this year?
Speaker 2: I know, he's averaging twenty five points per game, he's
shooting thirty four percent from three, and he's getting in
the line like ten plus game.
Speaker 5: Twenty five points a game is his best in his career.
Sits his MVP year in Houston.
Speaker 2: Yeah, but his shooting numbers aren't good. Was he shooting
like forty But he's look at his last seven years
in the League. It's basically what he's been averaging around
forty one forty two per d, and then that's what
he made his prime. He was a forty four to
forty five percent guy. But the numbers were good because
one assists. Yeah, he's a body. He is still a
great distriper. If for everybody wants to a ballhog, ballhog,
the guy's average close to tennissist in his career. You know,
does he have one of the more complicated legacies of
the superstar players of this last twenty years because he
was such a polarizing figure even at his prime. Now
we here in Houston. No, Now, first of all, there
were people here in Houston that hated him, so he
was even polarizing in his own town.
Speaker 3: You can't win with James hard Man.
Speaker 2: He sucks a dribble, dribble, dribble, dribble and Charles Barkley
making that a big meme.
Speaker 3: Dribble, drible dribble, ribble, drible dribble.
Speaker 2: But I mean, as far as a one man weapon,
James Harden was incredible. The dude was dropping sixty point
tree doubles. And then you had national basketball punnets being like, eh,
I'm not a big deal at whatever, sixty point dribble
double Mac, wake me up when he wins a championship.
I mean he was on an insane run the Unguardable Tour,
where he was averaging thirty five points per game, and
people were acting like it wasn't a big deal. And
go back and look what he did in those years
and those numbers. They are eye popping, especially for that
era when it was kind of coming into more of
the pace and space era is fully here, But it
was also that was like the it was more grinded
out basketball than it is these days, not to the extent,
of course that it was like the nineteen nineties. I'm
not trying to say that or the nineteen eighties or whatever. Well,
eighties was more showtime. There was a lot of pace,
but it got really slow late nineteen nineties and then
early two thousands, and then they had to loosen up
some of the rules to actually get some points scored,
to where the San Antonio Spurs were winning championships and
everybody wanted to claw their eyes out because every game
was ending up seventy six seventy two.
Speaker 3: So yeah, it is a.
Speaker 2: Slightly different era of basketball than it was now, and
James Harden was putting up crazy numbers in that era.
Speaker 5: Okay, so let's pivot. Do the Rockets make a move
before tomorrow's deadline? I don't think so.
Speaker 2: In that in a perfect world, you would get maybe
a Kobe White and or a backup big. I don't
know Andre Drummond or any of those other names that
are being floated out there, but you are so you
have so little wiggle room up against the cap. There
was something I don't expect them to do that.
Speaker 5: There was some report that the Rockets were did inquire
about Kobe White with Chicago and.
Speaker 2: See, I don't know on him. He's he's see is
he a true point guard? He's averaging really but I
mean team points at four point seven assists, right, not
a true point guard. But anyway, it's a good you
need guard help, Yeah.
Speaker 5: But the room was the first thing that they were
asking for was Jabari Smith, and the Rockets are kind of, yeah,
we're good.
Speaker 3: Javar Smith Junior.
Speaker 2: I know the fans hate on him all the time
when he goes one for ten on three and I
understand where box score watchers and we're not ball watchers,
But dude, watch what he does on defense. Watch him
guarding one through five and getting block shots and contesting
shots and covering up a lot of stuff on this
Rockets defense, Jabari Smith Junior does a lot.
Speaker 3: And oh, by the way, Emy Adoka likes what he provides.
Speaker 5: The other one that came out was they were interested
in Tari Eason. Now Tari Easton, as we know, will
be whatever restricted free agent after the season. We know
the Rockets like him. Would you be willing to take
if you can get a Kobe White? Are you willing
to lose lose a half a season of Tar Eason?
Speaker 2: Tarry Easton when people are talking about him being untouchable.
See this is why I don't think the moves are
going to be made for the Rockets. They like the pieces.
If you could just wave a magic wand and have
Fred van Vliet and Steven Adams on this team, I'm
putting them comfortably number two in the West with a
shot to top of the Thunder. The Thunder would be
favorites in any seven game series. Spurs we could talk
about as well. Nuggets very interesting also. The Rockets right
in that mix, they are the number four seed, one
game and a half behind the Spurs.
Speaker 3: With what I just mentioned.
Speaker 2: Man, that sucks. Yeah, I don't know, or do you
not necessarily punt on this year, but you say, hey,
you know what, we're going to reconfigure next year and
then really go all in and push all of our
chips on with possibly Kevin Durant's last real gasps as
a player who is as close to his prime. I mean,
he's further from his prime. He's still great, he's still
a deserving All Star. But I think what you do
is drag your feet on the trade deadline. I'll wait
to see if there's any potential veteran buyouts, and you
can get a veteran center and potentially a point guard
that gets waved.
Speaker 3: Yeah, you know something like that.
Speaker 2: I think it'll be the bio out market. But even then,
you don't have a whole lot of room to play
pay vet minimum, so you've got to make some kind
of trade. It can be Jeff Green, you got to
trade away to shed some salad. You gotta shed some salary.
I think you'll see a small move Jayshon Tate, Jeff Green,
somebody like that. We've been seeing Jayshon Tait a little
bit more. Do you think that means kind of a
trade deadline showcase? He's the look, let's move off from him. Yeah,
that's what I'm saying, Salary, if you just need a
couple million dollars a wiggle room to get into the
buy out market, So you know what, I will back
off my gut feeling that there's gonna be no trade made.
Speaker 5: It's gonna be a small Dory Finney Smith's been the
one that's been popping. Oh, you need him to play
better too. I mean, he hasn't been giving you much
and he's been on a minute restriction. He's been hurt
on a minute restriction and not playing well other than
that great season for Dorian Finny Smith. If you can
make you so, you flip Dorian Finney Smith and a
draft pick for Kobe.
Speaker 3: White, you do that?
Speaker 2: I guess.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I guess.
Speaker 2: All Right, we're gonna take a break here on The
Matt Thomas Show with Ross Chris. Gory's ducking out, so
you guys can get in if you'd like. Phone lines open.
James hardin Legacy, we're talking about astros infield, outfield and
d H Spot.
Speaker 3: We're talking about rockets, trade deadline.
Speaker 2: What do you want to see as it is tomorrow
we can talk about and anything else you folks want
to get in on seven to one three two one
two five seven ninety. Is the phone number seven one
three two one two five seven ninety. Ain't nobody got
time for that? Slash shut Joe Bumass up coming up
at eleven thirty on The Matt Thomas Show with Ross,
eleven to twenty in the PM here on Wait what
in the am PM would be weird in the am?
Here on Sports Talk seven ninety Matt Thomas Show with
Ross continues without Matt Thomas, without Chris Gordy. It's just
me and why Jonathan Allen's hanging out here too. He'll
bring us the news at noon. Coming up at noon,
also coming up in about ten minutes, you will have
eight No body got time for that? Slash shut Joe
bump Ass up on the program and Adam Clanton will
be joining me coming up at one o'clock. I'm gonna
be honest with you, I'm a little under the weather
and I don't know if it's allergies with this cold
front of what the heck's going on, But you guys
want to get in help out for a couple of minutes.
I would appreciate seven one three two one two five
seven ninety is the phone number. Seven one three two
one two five seven ninety. So we're talking about the
James Harden trade in the last segment to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Speaker 3: So he was traded.
Speaker 2: To the Rockets, traded to the Nets, traded to the Sixers,
traded to the Clippers, and now traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Right,
all those were trades. Is that five trades, that's easily
got to be a record for for a Hall of Famer.
And he's going to the Basketball Hall of Fame. First
of all, the real the rules are real lax in
the Basketball Hall of Fame. Just about everybody gets in.
Speaker 3: I mean it's just.
Speaker 2: For whatever reason, especially over the last several years. I mean,
I don't think Trace McGrady played long enough to get in.
There's a number of other guys that we can talk
about that I felt like shouldn't have been into the
Basketball Hall of Fame and got in there was it
a free agent contract that he signed with the seventy
six ers. That's what I'm trying to look at. He
was traded by the Sixers, but it might have been
a free agents contract who signed with the Sixers a
right either way, It's been four or five trades for
James Harden, which certainly has to be a record for
a Hall of Fame player.
Speaker 1: I know that.
Speaker 2: I mean Kareem Abdul jag Bar got traded. That was
in the prime of his career. Shat got trade. We
can point of guys got traded, but as many as
many times as James Harden did, I don't think so.
And this is for somebody who two times led the
entire NBA in its systs, three times led the entire
NBA in scoring, won an MVP in twenty eighteen when
the Rockets won sixty five games and should have won
the should have won the NBA Championship if not for
Chris Paul's hamstring falling apart into a thousand pieces in
the in the in the Western Conference Finals, which they
went on to lose to the twenty eighteen Warriors. With
Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green thought of
his arguably the greatest team of all time, they could
have beaten the greatest team of all time.
Speaker 3: And they didn't do it, unfortunately.
Speaker 2: So James Harden was championship caliber in his prime around
twenty seven, twenty eight, twenty nine, three times scoring champion.
But I just wonder where where does he go down
and where does he fit in in terms of all
time greatness? The blights on his resume. Of course, the
defense is number one one, which wasn't as bad as
people tried to make it out to be in his
prime YouTube videos and stuff like that. Effort was not
there all the time for sure, but he was a
very good post defender and Rockets liked to play switching defense,
and the reason it worked was because James Harden was
doing a good job of locking down the post. He
was just very very strong down low and barrel chested
and strong, and maybe in another life could have been
like a six foot five a short center aline. I
don't know Chuck Hayes or what Charles Barklay was as
a power forward, but he also just had some pretty
good quicks, a pretty good first step, very good stop
and start. That's why the step back three came into
vogue in a large party. He didn't invent the move,
but he came into vogue in a large part because
of James Harden. What he did changed the game isolation basketball.
What he did, I mean, he was just an insane
threat when he went in an unguardable tour, averaging thirty
six points per game, and oh, by the also averaging
seven and a half assists per game.
Speaker 3: In those days, he was insane five turnovers a game too.
Speaker 2: But he had his time where he was he was
one of the most dominant players in basketball, but very polarizing,
traded a bunch, and never won a championship. So all
those things are are going to hold back his long
term legacy and who he is and how he's viewed
as history goes down. But just just an interesting case
because at thirty six years old, he's averaging twenty five
points in an eight assist a game.
Speaker 3: He's having a good year.
Speaker 2: He was third team All NBA last year, was an
All Star as well, but before that he hadn't made
an All Star in a couple of years, and he
hadn't finished top five in the MVP since twenty twenty
nineteen twenty twenty. Just an interesting, weird case here in
for James Harden, and part of it that he played
here in Houston, and we know this, and I don't
like be guy who's whining and complaining and crying about
Houston and we never get a fair shake from ESPN,
And no national.
Speaker 3: Media hates us.
Speaker 2: I don't think the national media hates us, but they
also are gonna back their guys when you play in
bigger markets and people are gonna be thought of in
different lights. James Harden would absolutely be thought of a
different light if he played in New York or Los
Angeles instead of Houston. But he just was a dynamic,
all time great player, going to be a Hall of Famer,
falling short of you know, the inner circle behind the
velvet rope top fifteen. He's not a Kevin Durant, He's
not a Seth Curry, He's not a Lebron James as
far as his contemporaries, one time MVP, what, ten to
twelve time All Stars something like that.
Speaker 3: So he's gonna get in the Hall of Fame.
Speaker 2: And we'll see what happens this year with the Cleveland Cavaliers,
but I don't expect him to win the championship.
Speaker 6: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Eleven time All Star James Harden, five time First Team
All NBA n an MVP Gil in Agetown real quick
here ahead of a break.
Speaker 3: What's up, Gil?
Speaker 9: What's going on?
Speaker 3: Guys? Yal so?
Speaker 9: Yes, sir, you hear me? Yeah?
Speaker 3: Go ahead?
Speaker 9: Uh here In Houston, he was really known for his
strip joint activity. I think the girls think he's an
All star too.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean yeah, see Gil, You know what, that's
an added part of his legacy. Think of all the
young ladies that he put through nursing school through college.
Speaker 6: Yeah, yeah, school.
Speaker 10: Yeah.
Speaker 3: He's a philanthropist and.
Speaker 9: See it's a great one. Is the story around here
is he spent a million dollars in one day. I
don't know if that's true or not.
Speaker 3: Yeah, very giving.
Speaker 6: Okay.
Speaker 2: Other than that.
Speaker 9: During the headlights when he's on his own, when Chris
Paul went out got him, why did he look terrible?
Speaker 3: Well, he didn't make Trevor what did Trevor reeves?
Speaker 1: Ago?
Speaker 2: Was he like one for thirteen from three or something
like that game when they went over twenty seven and
Darryl Mory sent that video of all the fouls. Uh,
we want NBA, we look at all these fouls you
didn't call in the game.
Speaker 3: Get all mad at everybody. It didn't help.
Speaker 9: We might have might not have won the championship that
year because the GOA State was pretty dog on good.
Speaker 2: No, they would have beat him. I think they would
have beat him. You'll never tell me that they wouldn't
have beat him. They were up, they were up three
to two in that series. They could have won Game
six and they I think they would have won Game
seven as well. With with with Chris Paul. Now, of
course Golden State is the greatest team of all time.
They could have came back and won two games. I
can't I can't. I can't really tell you for one
hundred percent guilt.
Speaker 9: But also we still lost.
Speaker 2: We're going to bring that up.
Speaker 3: Gil.
Speaker 2: Now I'm going to hang up on your No, I'm
just didn't go ahead.
Speaker 9: That's it.
Speaker 6: That's all I want to say.
Speaker 3: All right, appreciate it, thank you.
Speaker 2: Yeah, there's no one guarantee, but the odds favor the
Rockets either A getting it done because all the games
are close and you're going up against the greatest team
of all time. A. They might have lost in Game six,
but I think they they would have been favored in
Game seven and won, and they would have trounced that
Heat team then made the finals in twenty eighteen. Didn't
the Warriors sweep them? Or they won in five that year?
I can't remember, so it doesn't matter, unfortunately, but there
is an alternate universe where the Rockets are twenty eighteen
NBA champions and James Harden's legacy viewed slightly differently than
it is now, but traded as much as he is.
It's just that they're very unique in NBA history, The
story of James Harden. All right, quick break here on
the Matt Thomas Show with Ross. You guys, got something
you want to get off your chest. You have something
that has been bothering you. Someone is making you mad,
someone you'd like.
Speaker 3: Is it a co worker?
Speaker 2: Somebody cutting you off in traffic? Anything you want to
unload on you can? I uh nothing, hold on, I
just don't get it. That is tomorrow eight. No body
got time for that slash. Chuck your bum ass up
seven one three two one two five seven ninety seven
one three two one two five seven ninety You spammers
and scammers, I'm coming after you next here on ein'.
Nobody got time for that slash. Shut your bum ass
up on The Matt Thomas Show with Ross at seven
one three two one two five seven eighty again here again, time.
Speaker 3: Here again, tamp it cheat, tamp it gear, get damp
it gear again. Tamp here we get time, here.
Speaker 2: We get damp it. Alright, it's that time of the week.
Speaker 3: Well you can get something off your chest.
Speaker 2: There's somebody at work running in the hallways all the
time and you want to turn around and go the
other way because they're gonna chit chat your ear off
and you don't want to talk to them. And yeah,
you don't care about what kind of medication their cat's on.
Speaker 3: You know who's trying to hear about that? Ain't nobody
got time for that.
Speaker 2: And in the meantime, shut yo, bumm ass up shit,
obuma ass up man. Whether it be in the sports
world or in your day to day life. Seven one
three two one two five seven ninety is the phone
number seven one three two one two five seven ninety. Now,
I guess I can't ask you from perspective on this,
Jonathan Allen, I need to talk to somebody a little
bit older. But is it just me or is this
scamming stuff getting worse and worse and worse, who are
these people who are falling for these scams. I don't
want to get mad at the scammers as much because
if they're doing this, and they're texting and tweeting and
calling and stuff like that, that means people are falling
for these scams. Nobody scams for their entire life and
not get successful at one single scam. I'm always getting
these texts and calls from scam numbers, and then these
people are reaching out to me. I am not a homeowner.
My mother and my father are homeowners. I always get
messages asking if I'm my father or my mother, if
I want to sell the house, if I want a
new roof, if I need pipes fitting, if I need plumbing. No,
how did my phone number get on this list to
where I'm constantly getting called and texted about a new
roof for a house that I don't own. Ain't nobody
got time for that?
Speaker 10: And you dn't think about it. This is probably the
golden age for scamming too. I mean, I'm not going
to out nobody I know, but you gen Z. We
take advantage of people like Matt Thomas perfect Temple didn't
have He doesn't know how to do a double optientification,
so like, you know what what they're gonna do is
gonna be like I want some money, Okay, let's do this.
Let me get a fake phone voice line, get my
Twitter hack, let me get your bank account, and then
you know, I'll got you. You know, I'll lay off
this little Amazon thing that's going on, send you a
fake email.
Speaker 3: And I got dollars.
Speaker 2: Don't don't click the links, Matt, Come on, man, if
she's got his Twitter hack three different times, by the way,
you know what it's on, it's it's it's on me.
I haven't set up the two factor authentication on his
phone yet. I need to settle a settle up a
Google authenticator for him. But yeah, man, obviously it's working
and and and people are falling for it. But it's
so frustrating that I'm always getting these calls and texts
for my mother.
Speaker 3: I love my mother. She's the greatest mom in the world.
Her name is Karen.
Speaker 2: I always get these texts, Hey Karen, Hey are you
looking to sell your home? Hey Karen, you want a
new roof? Hey Caren, you want My name's not Karen.
Are you're not calling me? I don't I don't want.
Speaker 3: To talk to you.
Speaker 10: You ever get those fake random job they send you
the whole group chet actual information, and I send you
links that get everything else.
Speaker 3: Those are the worst ones. Especially.
Speaker 2: Look, if you want to try to scam an old
lady out of her cash for a I'm not calling
you old mom. You're great, you're young, you're beautiful. I'm
talking about somebody else. You know what I'm saying, old
person in general, out of their money. And you know
that's kind of you know what old people getting getting
scammed is for a long time. But you're taking advantage. Okay,
that's not okay either. I'm not saying it's okay. But
you're also taking advantage in this economy of people who
are struggling. If I'm responding to that text, Jonathan, I've
got no job, I've got no money, I've.
Speaker 3: Got no lequis stand. I'm a desperate human being.
Speaker 2: Like you're taking advantage of desperate people and taking their
money and trying to sign them up for these fake
jobs and taking thirty dollars for job applications. And you
had this, you had this story last week. There's a
guy posing as a Maryland coach and as a Michigan
State coach, and he's contacting recruits and he's charging them
like thirty dollars application fees so they can look at
their tape or whatever. Like you're some here, some seventeen
eighteen year old kid, and it's your dream to play
Division one football. First of all, it ain't nobody's dream
to play for the Maryland Terrapins.
Speaker 3: I'm sorry.
Speaker 2: Okay, So if you're extending thirty dollars to some guy
who's signing up to play for the Maryland Terrapins and
you're trying to scam him for thirty bucks, get a life.
I mean, you're an embarrassing piece of garbage human being.
Speaker 10: And then you got to think about it as well too.
And I know we got some older people listening. They
and this happens too. They'll do that or they get
information you say, you like, oh you find out to
scam too late, They'll already have your IP address. They'll
start sending you pictures of dead bodies and all this
other stuff.
Speaker 3: So I get you.
Speaker 2: This is a really good topic. This scam culture is
out of control. Ain't nobody got time for y'all? All right,
what do you got Jonathan.
Speaker 3: We gotta we gotta talk about the elephant in the room. Oh,
the Pro Bowl?
Speaker 1: Dude.
Speaker 2: Oh you know what I was gonna ask Gordy when
he was here earlier. Did you even watch the Pro
Bowl or know that the Pro Bowl happened? I think
he's coming over there, Okay, Like, dude, I didn't know
it was on. I think we were watching. I forgot
it was watching Love Island. I go, oh, the Pro
Bowl's on Love Island.
Speaker 3: Dude.
Speaker 10: I'm looking at this. I'm like, there's no one talking
about it. This wasn't even a there's no advertisement, there's
no hype about it. There's no games that there used
to be. There's no there's nothing there. I don't I
just there's ain't nobody got time for this, dude, Like
body will just give an award out and just say, oh,
all right, you got a little bad Pro Bowls.
Speaker 2: It should be like when you get to the name
to the All Pro there's no All Pro game, so
you could just be named you know what else. Actually,
now that I'm thinking about it, that would be a
good idea, because you know what pisses me off? It
didn't piss me you know, well, when when people when
it comes to the to Hall of Fame cases and
people like Eloi Muning's going to be in the whole
of fame. He's a four time Pro bowler. He was
only selected to the Pro Bowl twice, okay, and he
led the NFL in interceptions three times. Okay. If if
you let the NFL in interceptions more times than you
got named to the Pro Bowl, you're not a Hall
of Famer.
Speaker 3: I'm sorry, but.
Speaker 2: Like so like you, we got to make the distinction
between Pro Bowl selections and Pro Bowl appearances, and this
would help if there was no game, nobody has to
back out of the game, and then you had fifty
five people being named Justin Fields Jonathan, Justin Fields turned
down the Pro Bowl.
Speaker 3: I don't think at that.
Speaker 10: Point because I love shador Man, you know, you know,
big fan, but dude, he's not a Pro bowler.
Speaker 2: Where where is this he started like five games.
Speaker 10: This shouldn't be a replacement if the dude can't play
the Pro Bowl select.
Speaker 3: Okay, I'm pro bowler. Justin Fields.
Speaker 2: I turned it heat, like if Justin Fields is turning
you down?
Speaker 10: And I was just so disappointed because I remember back
in like I was ten year. Oh Pro Bowl, you
got bo was a big deal. You got all these
games going on, you got Peyton Manning, everybody you know
doing this, Like, oh, I want to see them in action, like, yeah,
compete against each other.
Speaker 2: I don't get mad about the game where people like, oh, man,
I wish they played real football.
Speaker 6: No, I don't.
Speaker 2: I don't need guys tearing their acls and getting concussions
in a game that doesn't matter after the season, after
the most physically grueling UH season. In terms of like
massive injuries that you can have, yeah, because they're on
a case something you can you can argue on a
baseball because it's six months to one hundred and sixty
two games. You could argue basketball because I got the
back to backs on that stuff.
Speaker 3: But as far as.
Speaker 2: Physically and injurious like games that you can play major
American American sports, a CNFL not even close what they did.
Speaker 3: Do Hospit like a couple of years back. That was
even fun too.
Speaker 2: Yeah, let's give us. There was no Dodgs ball this year.
Speaker 11: I don't know.
Speaker 3: I just I turned that on.
Speaker 10: I saw Dak Prescott throw a legal four pass at
the line of screamage for a test, I was like,
what's going on, man, It's just a joke, and I
just I don't know. I feelt that there it could
be something else to elevate it, just other than just
put something on and just watch it, you know, it
just it feels lame, put.
Speaker 2: It short like that. Yeah, it's just insane. It's ain't
nobody got time for the Pro Bowl, and it's just
become a joke. And I understand because as I said,
it's it's physical and all that stuff. I'll be interested
to see the NBA All Star Game with the guys.
You know that it's gonna be like at one one team.
It's gonna be KD and I think Lebron James and
Steph Curry, like all the old heads are playing together
for like one last ride. So maybe it'll be interesting.
The guys will play hard and then want to try to.
Wenby said he's gonna play hard, so we'll see. I
also don't want guys getting hurt. But it's also generally
in general, less major injury, fewer major injuries are gonna
have in an NBA game than.
Speaker 3: The NFL, So we'll see what goes on there.
Speaker 2: All right, We're gonna take quick break here on The
Matt Thomas Show with Ross without Matt Thomas. He is
out because his daughter is signing to be a collegiate
athlete in volleyball at the University of Rhode Island. Go
ahead and checking you know what. Follow Matt Thomas's instagram.
This has got to be maybe one of the proudest
days of his life outside of the fact of his
three children being born. His daughter Carly is signing to
be a volleyball player. Oh, there's Matt up on the
up on the stands.
Speaker 3: That's cute. Yeah.
Speaker 2: Go check out his instagram at sports MT You can
also follow me at sports RV. So he is out
because it's National signing day for Humble ISD. You guys
can get in seven one three two one two five
seven ninety anything you ain't got time for you want
to tell somebody shut their bum ass up phone number
seven one three two one two five seven ninety seven
to one three two one two five seven ninety Welcome back.
Speaker 3: To The Matt Thomas Show with rossb Matt.
Speaker 2: Thomas mentioned he is on. Let me go ahead and
retweet this this picture for Matt Thomas.
Speaker 3: This is so cute.
Speaker 2: Look, I make fun of Matt Thomas a lot, but
he he loves his family. He's a great father to
his children, and he is very very proud of his
young daughter, Carly, who is going to the University of
Rhode Island to play volleyball. In there you go, There
we go, retweeted the picture.
Speaker 3: So Matt is out. He'll be back tomorrow.
Speaker 2: Rockets in action tonight as he will be on the
call for that against the Boston Celtics and then tomorrow
against the Charlotte Hornets. That should be fun. We'll have
Imi Adoka coming up later on the this week. It'll
be either Thursday or Friday. Still waiting to hear back
on that. And we also have something on the works
in terms of an NFL Hall of Famer later in
the week here on Sports Talk seven ninety as well.
And Matt was kind enough to ford me an email
from Wayne from an AOL email. So I'm sure Wayne
is uh a very nice young man. Let's just put
it that way. Hey, there, Matt, since I can't call,
I need to tell Ross to shut his bumb ass
up with all this James Harden jock writing. Ain't nobody
got time for that? He was a choker here, and
there's a reason he's called the scam god. Who calls
him the scam god? And all he did was look
for ways to manipulate the refs and the season. No
hardened love here. As I said, James Harden not even
universally beloved in his own city that he represented more
than any other in his in his NBA career. But
he's an eleven time All Star in an MVP. So
if you want to bury your head in the sand
and think he's not going to the Hall of Fame
or he wasn't great while he was here, let me
shut your bumb ass up and you can call in.
Speaker 1: I'm right here.
Speaker 2: You can also email me you Ross at sports seven
ninety dot com if you want to send me an
email always available and we can chop it up at
sports RV, on Twitter or wherever else you want to
you want to talk. But tell me, I need to
shut my bum ass up for saying James Harden's going
to the Hall of Fame or an all time great.
Speaker 3: I don't know what I said. That was completely out
of pocket.
Speaker 2: They would they would have won the championship in twenty
eighteen if James Harden was healthy, they would have against
the greatest team of all time. They ran up against
the Warriors dynasty. James Harden had some really bad playoff
performances and he has an interesting legacy because of the
lack of defense big time, I mean crazy playoff performances
that were that were just I mean unconscionably bad, like
that twenty seventeen game or was it sixteen against the
San Antonio Spurs where he went like one of eleven
from the field. Just interesting legacy. If you're saying I
think he's like better than Kim olajo On or something.
I don't know what I said, but anyways, I digress.
Let's go to the phone lines with Jason and Katie
holding longest on The Matt Thomas Show with Ross.
Speaker 3: What's up, Jason, Hey.
Speaker 12: Guys, Yeah, I remember watching the Pro Bowl in the
seventies and eighties and that was actually a good game.
But the main reason for that, if you think about it,
the winning share was like fifteen thousand dollars per player,
and that was more than a lot of those guys
got from the regular game check. So they had an
incentive to go out there and win. Losing share was
ten thousand, you got a free trip to Hawaii. I'm
sure the wives like that. I mean there was reasons
for people to go out and play a real game
back then. There's just not that reason. I mean, I
don't think they could pay a winning share enough to
make it worth for any of these good guys out
there to play like that today.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't think it would be worth it. I mean,
you could offer them a million each, but then that's
going to cost you, what like forty million dollars. What
sponsor or league or whatever is going to try to
shell that money out, and even then it would be
it would be difficult. So uh, yeah, the money prizes
kind of make sense in like basketball, where it's a
little obviously smaller, But I just don't see a reason.
And you're also again you're you're having guys risk injuries.
I mean, uh, and this is the most violent collision
sport in major American sports. So why would a guy
go out there and try to rip his a cl
or tear an achilles or you know, get wreck up
more concussions just for a game that does really doesn't matter.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I agree with your home, I don't.
Speaker 2: I don't blame any of them for not going to that. Yes,
it was a real game.
Speaker 3: Even in touch you can get injured.
Speaker 12: But I really don't think most of the guys are
interested in playing touch football.
Speaker 3: You know, I got you two hand touchs. That'd be great.
Speaker 2: Well if they play two hand touch in the concrete
like we did back in the day, you know what
I don't. Yeah, you ever, you ever hide behind the
car and then spring out and try to catch a
pass from behind the car, Jonathan, you probably pulled that move.
Speaker 3: Seems like something you try. It was the mailbox. Yeah, okay,
Oh hey you were skinny back in the day.
Speaker 2: You're behind the mailbox.
Speaker 3: Okay, the big brick one.
Speaker 13: I got you.
Speaker 2: From behind the mailbox, Johnathan streaking down the field.
Speaker 3: Yeah, good times.
Speaker 2: Two hand touch And back in my day, Jonathan, at
our apartment complex, we would just go out to the
parking lot every night, and whoever was there, we'd figure
out what game we're gonna play. We're gonna play baseball,
we're gonna play football.
Speaker 3: This is what you did.
Speaker 2: That's what you know. Okay, good, so the kids are
the kids are doing that these days too, gen Z.
But everybody else after this, I thought we all needed to.
We needed y'all to touch grass. All touching grass.
Speaker 3: That's good. No no, no, no, no, no, not anymore.
Speaker 2: Okay, all right, let's get a willing memorial real quick
here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 3: What's up? Will?
Speaker 9: Hey?
Speaker 1: Ros?
Speaker 2: How you doing doing? Great?
Speaker 6: Man?
Speaker 3: What's up?
Speaker 4: So?
Speaker 7: I'm listening to all of the noise about trades and
for the Rocks and all and everybody just on the
point guard bandwagon, porn guard bandwagon, and I just got
to figure about that.
Speaker 1: Man.
Speaker 7: To me, the perfect fit for this team would be
Christmas Porzingis. I mean, this guy would fit this team
like nobody's business. Guys almost ever foot tall to shoot
the ball, and he will play defense, and he will rebound.
Speaker 2: I think he's hurt. Christop's even playing.
Speaker 7: Yeah, he's hurt. Each coming back. He should be back
next week, I believe when a last in Atlanta game
I saw and the other thing I would like to
see him get is a shooting two. I just don't
see the neat great need for a point guard.
Speaker 6: I'm sorry, but you can be a shooting to him
like Porzingas.
Speaker 7: I'm happy.
Speaker 9: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Porzingis, I guess is an interesting name Will, but he's
making thirty million dollars this year.
Speaker 3: You have to match the salaries.
Speaker 2: You have to give the Atlanta Hawks something they would want,
and the Rockets would have to give away that much salary,
if not more, because they are they're coming up against
a hard cap and the and the uh uh as
far as their salaries.
Speaker 13: Okay, do you like to you like to deal with
about drumming.
Speaker 2: Drummond could happen. I guess he's been knocking down threes
the last couple of years. I like christophs Porzingis. I
like Andre Drummond. Christophs Porzingis. He's hurt all the time.
And you know, Matt and I always argue about injury
prone and injury history, like when you're seven foot three plus,
which he is, or no, he's listened at seven to two. Yeah,
I mean you get like bone structure issues where he's
basically hurt every year. So I don't know about that.
I don't know what kind of injury he has. Let's see,
he is still out. He's been out with an illness,
but he was hurt earlier in the year. He's only
played seven ten games all year long. The Hawks are
trying to tank, so that would make kind of sense.
And then I don't know if Andre Drummond is gonna
get me super excited either, But I mean, look at
something they need, back up big and and a kind
of a ball handler. Wh it's a shooting two guard,
like you're talking about, anybody who can handle a ball,
somebody who can help them as far as initiating offense,
which they can do some with Aman Thompson, with Kevin
Durant without prinching Goon, but none of those guys are
two point guards. So ball handling and backup big would
be on the wish list. But I just don't know
if it's gonna happen with the Rockets the way their
cap situation is.
Speaker 7: All right, man, appreciate it.
Speaker 2: All right, thank you, appreciate you will, all right. Seven
one three two one two five seven ninety is the
phone number. Seven one three two one two five seven ninety.
Jones tweeting and Harden Hall of Fame and Poort playoffs
see Bagwell and Bigio playoffs.
Speaker 3: That guy is delusional. Yeah, look, if you still hate
James Harden, I mean that's I mean, good for you.
Speaker 2: But three time scoring champ, two time assists, Champ, eleven
time All Star, five time first Team All NBA, and
an MVP all time great.
Speaker 3: Sorry, argue with your mama, all right?
Speaker 2: Seven one three two one two five seven ninety is
the phone number seven one three two one two five
seven ninety. Our number two is in the books. At
the bat Tooma Show with Ross, our number three is
coming up. We'll have Adam Clinton coming up in the
next hour. But when we come back, all the top
sports news items of the day. We call it The
News at Noon that is coming your way.
Speaker 3: Next is the Matt Thomas Show with Ross.
Speaker 2: Twelve o three pm here on Sports Talk seven. Night
of the Matt Thomas Show with Ross without Man Thomas.
Adam Clinton joining coming up at one o'clock. We've been
having some fun. Gordy hung out for a little bit
thanks to him talking some college football, talking, some astros,
lineup construction, talking, some NBA trade deadline?
Speaker 3: Can do I see you on Hole. We'll get to
you in just.
Speaker 2: Moments, but right now we have to get all the
top sports news items of the day. It's a segment
we call The News at Noon with Jonathan Allen.
Speaker 3: What's going on?
Speaker 7: Guys?
Speaker 10: All right, let's get started. You've heard all day Clippers
trade James Harden to Cleveland Colliers for Daris Garland and
a future second round pick. It's not really surprising because
James Harden the topic, but I just I guess no
one would be expecting that.
Speaker 3: But I mean, what do you think about that? Russell?
Speaker 2: Yes, it was a little surprising, but then the Darius
Garland James Harden stuff kind of came together. Darius Caleron
Garland two time All Star, so I get why the
Clippers are doing it.
Speaker 3: They get a second round pick. It all as well.
Speaker 2: He's under contract for big money, not only this year
but for two more years. Is Darius Garland James Harden?
Is he going to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to the
Promised Land?
Speaker 3: I don't know about that.
Speaker 2: But he also made some public comments with Ramona Shelburne
saying that he wants to win a championship that ain't
happening in the West. He knows that, because that's that's
one thing. People were crushing James Harden. And I know,
I'm defending James Harden and people are gonna get mad
at me. Were James Harden the worst? James Horton showed
me on the doll where James Harden touched you, like, relax, Okay,
you're gonna be fine. James Harden, I understand hated by
many in this town, but he's right. He's right. He's
not winning in the West. Yeah, they won sixteen out
of twenty games, and the Clippers are like, oh, could
you abandon the Clippers because they're ninth in the West
and they have no shot of getting out the West.
You joined Donovan, Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Jared Allen who just
went off for forty and like fifteen, and that you
have a better shot in the East. He does. He
wants to win a championship. So if you're one of
those guys like man, he doesn't have any rings, he's
not a winner, he's not a champion. He's got no rings,
no rings, rings, rings, drings, rings, rings, rings, rings. So
when he chases a ring, when we create this ring
culture and then people go out and chase rings, we
cannot be surprised.
Speaker 3: Jonathan, I hear you. I hear you.
Speaker 2: When we base everything in sports discourse on rings and
somebody goes and tries to win that ring, you can't
crush them. I'm sorry, you can't have it both ways.
Speaker 10: Go ahead, I agree, it's okay, but let's go to
the local nine here because we've got some got some
good Astros news coming here. As if you haven't heard, yesterday,
astok Paradis avoided obtration, sorry for going so fast, for
nine point thirty five million dollars, and today Yannardez as
well got signed for four point five million dollars. Keeping
these guys in tech, I don't know if they're gonna
be trade value or whatnot, but it's very important to
keep these guys in here.
Speaker 2: And escac Paradas will be interesting as far as the
trade candidate. And it is interesting that the Astros lost
their arbitration hearing Todas. I mean, four and a half
million and three million is a pretty big difference, right,
So that's that's pretty crazy. And the Astros lose the
hearing famously winning the hearing recently a couple of years
ago against Kyle Tucker. I wonder what that'll mean for
yanardas in long term, if they they want to move
him off of the catcher's position at some point. Obviously
he took a big step back to plate, but a
candidate hopefully took to have a bounce back year to
where his numbers at the plate have gotten progressively worse
every year. First season where he finished fifth in the
Rookie of the Year voting eight forty six ops. I'll
just do ops plus for those who don't know. One
hundred is average, So he's twenty eight percent more than average.
That's great, one sixteen and then down to ninety two.
So eight percent worse than average one eight one sixteen
to ninety two. That's not trending in the right direction.
He's going CJ shroud on his UH on his progression
at the plate, okay, and maybe that's with more games
the plate, more wear and tear on the legs.
Speaker 3: I don't know.
Speaker 2: He's also a guy who would you love, you would
love to have as a DH candidate. Get him off
his legs. But jord On Alvarez is supposed to be
locking down to the H spot, So what's that going
to be meaning for herd is I don't know. What
does that mean for a log jam in the infield
with estek paraders, as you mentioned, I don't know. On
your figures, some trades are going to be made at
some point. Well, on your point, I mean I have
this audio as well.
Speaker 10: Dana Brown came out saying that he still wants to
look for a left handed batter too, and I'm going
to see and he doesn't know what he's wants to do,
and I just feel like there's a lot of things
that could still be going on with this roster.
Speaker 14: I mean, I won't confer more than I but I
would say that we are definitely in the market for
left hand bats and we're still continuing to be in
that market. We're working hard every day to see what
we can add. And so if there was a left
hand bat that was available, I would say that we
were in on it.
Speaker 10: And on top of all of that being said, he
was asked about Farmer Valdez yesterday and he said there
was no conversations going on. And then thirty minutes ago,
Rosenthal comes out saying the Pirates are trying to go
for him, trying to get that trade going.
Speaker 3: He's a free agent. Yeah, hmmm, a lot of things
going on with that. It's for pirates. What can what
could astros get from that? Nothing?
Speaker 2: They would They'll they'll get a they'll get a draft
pick if he signed away.
Speaker 3: So he is a free agent.
Speaker 2: He's give him a qualifying offer, which he denied, I
mean declined, which is like, I don't know, one year,
twenty one or two million, whatever it was, and he
declines that. So now that if he gets signed away
by another team, they will get a compensatory draft pick
for that. But I don't think he's gonna fight. He's
not gonna factor back into here. But it'll be interesting
to see where he lines up, where he ends up,
and that is interesting. I guess the Pittsburgh Pirates are
gonna actually spend a little bit of money for a
thirty two year old starting pitcher. Very interesting. All right,
there's another thing we have to get to in the
news at noon here, Jonathan, Oh, what's that? That would
be the National Signing Day news out of Humble Independent
School District. Let's go congratulations to Carly Thomas. She has
signed to play with the University of Rhode Island as
a volleyball player. She will be in the Atlantic ten
and Matt has promised me nights at the air Andbnb.
So we're gonna go hang out, catch out, some catch
some volleyball games and be hanging out in the Great Northeast.
Speaker 3: I need to get a loan of some money from you. Jonathan.
Speaker 15: Yeah, come on, man, you got me right at the game.
Those lobster rolls aren't cheap up there, my friend. Come on, now,
you know hot take. I don't like that's off topic.
Speaker 3: But all right, So.
Speaker 2: Carly Thomas the all time Kingwood High School Kingwood Mustangs
dog leaders in assist. Dude, if you got school records,
I got friend, Jonathan Allen, he got school records. Baby,
all right, put some respect on his name. Put some
respect on Carly Thomas's name. All time Kingwood Assists leader.
She was all district, all region as a setter. Matt
wanted to make sure that I said that she's really
sassy and that their daddy daughter dance at her at
her wedding will be Vienna by Billy Joel Fort.
Speaker 3: He said that, Yes, I didn't laugh.
Speaker 2: See this is these are falsehoods, big perpetrated. This is
why I'm not a good liar. I'm very expressive, and
you can catch my initial reaction. No, you know what,
I'm not even gonna say anything. You're gonna not diggity holes.
Vienna is a good song and if obviously if it
means something to both of them. That's what's most important.
So wishing the best whenever that will be. Hopefully I
will be drunk at that wedding. Whenever it does happen.
I will stand up in a plod and cheer when
that song comes on, whenever that may be. So congratulations
to Carly Thomas signing with the Rhode Island Rams. And
I believe Matt Thomas will be trying out for Roady
the Ram coming up in the next season or all
of the volleyball season. Matt Thomas, Yeah, he's gonna try
out for the mascot Roady the Ram. He was the
main Creek Ram whatever his name is. Maybe he was
a mascot really Yeah, yes, that's kind of that's kind
of interesting.
Speaker 3: I'm not to lie.
Speaker 2: Who's a mascot for a couple of years. He said
it got us some action in the high school, I think. Anyways,
I got.
Speaker 10: Two last headlines for the Rockets. Kevin Durant is listed
probable for to the night so against the Celtics, and
just came out national news. The Washington Post limits is
sports department and reduces all overseas journalists and a large
scale cuts Wow, seems like journalism is getting.
Speaker 2: Take get by by Jeff Bezos losing money. I don't
know about the proper the profitability and viability of newspapers
these day.
Speaker 3: So support your local papers, folks.
Speaker 2: I do subscribe to the Houston Chronicle and the Athletic
because I like to read their sports coverage, so that's
why I do it. I understand we can try to
get free aggregator coverage everywhere else, so I understand the
cutting of the corners. If you can afford it, I
would appreciate your supporting, especially here locally Washington posts. Look,
I don't have an opinion. I don't read the Washington Post.
I don't have I don't read the Washington Post sports
coverage or anything like that. So it's just in general
us here of course on radio or thriving, especially with
iHeartRadio app, which you can catch us for free streaming
twenty four seven Sports Talk seven ninety. But I do
feel for our fellow media brethren who are brethren who
are losing their job. It's hard out there for writers
and beat repirate reporters. Journalism vitally important, beat reporting vitally
important as well, and any kind of sports reporting and
investigating in journalism, it's important for the greater good of
all of us, so to see that going away certainly
not ideal, but yeah, we will end the news at
noon on that sour note. Thank you, Jonathan for all
those news items. Here on a Sports Talk seven ninety
of the Matt Times show with Ross coming up at
one o'clock. Adam Clanton will be joining in the meantime.
I am flying solo well with got Jonathan Allen is
the co pilot, so he's here too. But you guys
want to get in, you can get your sports takes.
We've been talking about basically everything you heard about. People
are getting mad at me for saying I understand why
James Harden did what he did and he's going to
the Hall of Fame. People are Nobody's gotten mad at
me about the the astro stuff, but we're been talking
about that. As far as your Don Alvarez every day
designated hit hit her essak paratus, how does he fit
in the infield outfield? Cam Smith getting some center field
looks that is interesting. Pro Bowl doesn't need to go away.
I mean anything you guys want to get two phone
lines are wide open seven one three two one two
five seven ninety is the phone number seven one three
two one two five seven ninety's following me everywhere, Johnlemen.
I just saw that om cheeseburger from Applebee's advertisement.
Speaker 3: We were talking about it.
Speaker 2: Things like two thousand calories, one hundred and ten grams
of fat or whatever it was.
Speaker 3: I bet you at least five people that were listening
wouldn't and go try and try it.
Speaker 2: I know that sounds good. Yeah, you know what, No
more free plugs for rappleries and their nasty cheese dipper
cheese whiz uh cheese burger. That's just that's just I mean,
golutt me. Is that an all time high? We'll just
leave it there, all right? Welcome back, Hi to the
bad top of his show with Ross here at Sports
Talk seveninety. Adam Planning'll be joining coming up at one o'clock.
You guys want to get in you can seven one
three two one two five seven ninety is the phone
number seven one three two one two five seven ninety
can do in South Houston has been waiting up patiently,
So let's go there.
Speaker 13: What's up, Hey, what's going on?
Speaker 6: Fellas love this show jealous, bro say.
Speaker 3: Man, yes, sir, starve.
Speaker 6: All problems with the rockets. Man, go ahead and get
the float. General, Hey, gon, go get Chris.
Speaker 2: Paul is he.
Speaker 4: Is.
Speaker 2: He gonna bring a time machine with him. Can do?
Speaker 6: Man, You can't forget what you know. Man, The man
is a ball handling genius. Man. You know how to
create space. You know he gonna get your He not
going to get your fifteen to twenty points, but he
can go out there and put up and be productive,
but and create space and be able to move the
ball around.
Speaker 2: Oscar Robertson's available too, with John stucked enough to no Look, look,
I mean, look, that just makes my broader point. I mean,
I love Chris Paul. I know well, first of all,
I hated him more before he was a rocket. But
when he was a rocket, he was great and coming
towards the end of his prime, the point god, all
that type of stuff. One of the greatest, arguably the
greatest point guard of all time. But he is just
far past his prime.
Speaker 3: He can do. He's he's forty plus years old.
Speaker 2: He was averaging two point nine points per game, and
nobody The fact that nobody else has sought him out
to let you know what's going on. He's just done.
Speaker 3: He's just done.
Speaker 2: Unfortunately, so you've giving up on Paul?
Speaker 6: Are you saying he washed? I don't believe it.
Speaker 3: The Clippers gave up on him, The Spurs game up
on him.
Speaker 6: I mean, was he getting minutes with the Spurs.
Speaker 2: Last year he was playing, He played all eighty two
games and he was playing twenty eight minutes a game.
Speaker 9: Oh wow?
Speaker 6: Yeah, I mean for what we what we need, we
need to like you said, we need a point guard
who can handle the route.
Speaker 3: Yeah, you he would be.
Speaker 2: No, he'd be a perfect fit of what you're saying,
because I mean, he's a better Fred van Vliet right.
He's a ball distributor, shooter, can knock down the three
underrated defender throughout history. I mean, Chris Paul was a
great two way player in his prime. You would love
the prototypical. Like I said, if you get a time machine,
you take us back to twenty eighteen Chris Paul. That
would be an absolute dream fit for the Rockets. But
just as a stage's career, it's not gonna happen.
Speaker 6: Right, quick question, No, so you wouldn't get rid of
the van Fleet for what in that contract, just the
contract itself.
Speaker 3: I mean somebody I think he had.
Speaker 2: Oh, you would unload it. I mean if if you
found the right fit, I would, I would. But you
have to find somebody that wants to take him on.
I think it's a I think Fred van Vliet has
a I think it's a player option for him next
year that he can opt in. Wohilch He I don't know.
I guess I could see it going either way. I'm
trying to pull up his contract. I think it's twenty
five million player option.
Speaker 6: Oh, I mean well, I mean they two many after that.
I feel like that you know what we need right now?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean just everything got everything got messed up
when he tore his ACL. I mean, if you had
him and Steven Adams healthy on this team, I would
feel really good about them finishing number two in the West.
Speaker 6: Yeah. Yeah, you're right about that. I just don't want
them to bust up the team.
Speaker 3: I got you, all right? Can you appreciate the all right?
Thank you appreciate it.
Speaker 8: Uh?
Speaker 2: Yeah, it seems like we just can't have nice things
when it comes to the Houston Rockets. You have this
great team following the well the nineties dynasty, well not dynasty,
but they won back to back championships. You think, maybe
it's gonna work out with Charles Barkley and your big three,
but everyone was too old and it didn't work out there.
Then you get Finally, you get the number one overall pick.
You get Yao mean, seven foot five, he can drop
twenty five and ten. First game against Shaq, he's blocking
his shots, he's making hook shots, he's looking like the
next big thing.
Speaker 3: Then his legs break down.
Speaker 2: Every single year you trade for Tracy McGrady, it's gonna
be Yow and Tracy's gonna be the new Shaq and
Kobe and they're gonna be great. And Tracy McGrady back
goes all haywire and then he has micro fracture surgery
and his career is over. Even that nine team you
were gonna have, hopefully a healthy Yow meaning and McGrady
and raun Our test Slash Meta World peace like as
a big three. None of those guys are healthy and
you still push the eventual champions to seven games. Then
the hard and era need to go through all those underperformances.
You get hardened. Then you get Dwight Howard and it
doesn't work out. Then you get Chris Paul and it
doesn't work out, and then now you get Kevin Durant
and Fred Vanvliet's hurt out for the season before you
even he even sets foot on the floor of the
Toyota Center this year, as like, what's the like looking
at the standings and everything.
Speaker 10: Rockets are still in the thick of But I feel
like in Houston there's so much worried that and maybe
it's trauma from the other season eighteen six, Like it
just doesn't make sense why there's so much anxiety around
it right.
Speaker 2: Now because you're seven and a half games behind the Thunder.
They set the all time NBA record last year with
the point differential twelve point nine. This year they're at
twelve point eight, So I mean they're close to where
they were last year in terms of in the discussion
for the greatest team of all time. Now, they got
pushed to seven games in the Western Simmis Or Finals.
Was it was with Simmis Or Finals against the Nuggets.
I think it was the Simmis and then they got
pushed to seven in the NBA Finals. But it's it's
feeling like a thundered West. Is the Thunders to lose?
That's the way it's feeling. Now, Can they get better?
Will they make some improvement in the coming days? Will
they make a small I think they're gonna make a
small trade which will lead to a buyout move.
Speaker 3: But I ask you this.
Speaker 10: Okay, so Saturday comes around when they reverse Okay, see yes,
and just hypothetical, say they do win. Yeah, they can
win that game, right, but like, does that change the
perspective of Houston?
Speaker 6: Liked?
Speaker 10: Okay, Like we even we don't have all the pieces,
we still can compete or is it something like, oh,
we're never gonna get it.
Speaker 3: It's a day to day, week to week thing.
Speaker 2: Like I was feeling great when they beat the Spurs
on January twentieth. Then January twenty eighth they lost to them,
and it's like an, what's what's going on here? They
can't figure out the Spurs defense? So yeah, things can change.
They've still won five of the last six games. They
got big games coming up against the Celtics and Hornets.
Then they have the Oklahoma City Thunder. It'll be a
two thirty game in Oklahoma City coming up this weekend.
So things can change. It's always fluid, and I'm gonna
feel like though the Rockets have a punch of chance.
Could they topple the Oklahoma City Thunder, could they have
an injury, and could they make it out?
Speaker 3: Absolutely?
Speaker 2: Just right now where I am I feeling like the
team could be better with fran van Vliet, with Steven Adams,
and we'll see what happens via the trade market and
the buy out market coming up in the next couple
of weeks.
Speaker 3: That's where I am with it right now, so we'll
see how that goes.
Speaker 2: But right now in the West, they are the four seed,
only a game and a half ahead of the San
Antonio Spurs. If you change, yeah, they would have been
behind me. I'm sorry, what did I say? Gave it
half behind?
Speaker 3: Sorry?
Speaker 2: Only a half game behind the Nuggets for the three spot.
I've been saying all season they're gonna finish top three.
I'm gonna stick with that, even with all the injuries
they've been suffering and the tough matchups coming up. But
they need the trade deadline. Not the trade deadline, they
need the All Star break to come up, get some rest,
get everybody refreshed. I'm happy Operation goon to make the
All Star Game. Really, Blessing in disguise doesn't have to
go out there and play on his bum ankle. And
he went out there and had a great game against
the Indiana Pacers with thirty nine points, So hopefully he
can keep that going. Rockets have five more games ahead
of the All Star Break, Boston and Charlotte at home
coming up tonight and tomorrow on the road for Oklahoma City,
and then a couple of games at home against the
LA Clippers, who are in the ninth spot in the West.
All right, quick break here on the Matt Thomas Show
with Ross without Matt Thomas. Yes, we are guaranteed humans
here on Sports Talk seven ninety. None of that AI
clap trap. By the way, stop stop sending the AI
videos on Instagram, folks, you can follow me there. I
do appreciate it. But uh at sports r V on
the IG but uh AI stuff, it's only getting worse.
But you want some guaranteed human you want you want
the best of sports Talk in Houston, you come right
here Sports Talk seven ninety Phone lines open at seven
one three two one two five seven ninety seven one
three two one two five seven ninety. You can also
send a tweet to at sports r v.
Speaker 6: Uh.
Speaker 2: Let's see you got a couple of them earlier. Oh,
we were talking about going to Rhode Island and staying
out there with Matt Thomas. And as he's out with
his daughter the road, shout out to the Rhode Island rams.
Shout out to Carly Thomas. It's signing day. She's gonna
be on scholarship with Rhode Island. Uh, y'awn easy saying
they're gonna get their upside down pineapple on sharing that Airbnb.
Speaker 3: Okay, well, I don't want to be any part of that.
Speaker 1: Oh how do you?
Speaker 4: Uh?
Speaker 2: Can I google? Real quick? Do you disinfect a hot tub?
Can we put extra chlorine in the hot tub? But
you know I have sensitive skin, Jonathan. If it's too
much chlorine, I'm gonna get itchy, I'm gonna get a rash.
So I don't want to do that. I'm not getting
I'm not getting in the naughty tub of love. Okay, No,
that's not happening in Rhode Island. That's not I'm not
gonna be a part of any of that.
Speaker 3: Okay.
Speaker 2: My name is Paul. That's between y'all Okay, I will
go out to go check out some New Haven, Connecticut pizza.
We'll go to Boston and get a lobster roll while
you guys do your thing. I'll come home and I'll
just go, uh sneak out the back door. Wait a minute,
what that sounds bad? And then I'm just gonna go
to sleep. Okay, don't involve me in your your lude
love parties with upside down pineapples hashtag MPT showing off
his girlish figure.
Speaker 3: All right, thank you for that.
Speaker 2: Another tweet coming in Bob from sugar Land. You know what, Bob,
this this is gonna like and I'm gonna do uh yeah, okay, weekdays, weekdays,
ten am two pm on Sports Talk seven ninety. This
is a great tweet right here from Bob and sugar Line.
Local Houston radio is thriving because Ross fixes all of
Matt's mess ups and all his jokes are hilarious.
Speaker 3: Let's go.
Speaker 2: That's what I'm talking about, Bob, appreciate you, all right.
Seven one three two one two five seven ninety is
the phone number if you want to get in. Seven
one three two one two five seven ninety. We've been
talking about a lot of different stuff as the day
has gone along with James Harden, now a Cleveland Cavalier,
traded at least four different times.
Speaker 3: Now as an all timer, some people.
Speaker 2: In Houston still hate him, as evidenced by the hate
emails that I got from one of our listeners. That's okay,
I understand whatever bottom line is, dude is going to
the Hall of Fame. We've been also talking about some
college football, some eligibility stuff. Tennessee or I think it
was nc DOUBLEA losing another lawsuit. How many more lawsuits
have the they change lawyers? Who are they using for
their lawsuits? Like, when are they gonna We're gonna figure
that out that things.
Speaker 3: Aren't going their way. I love that this house of cards.
Speaker 2: Now we'll see what happens as far as the fallout,
but I love that this ridiculous house of cards that
the NCAA has been for years exploiting players and making
billions off of them and not even allowing them to
make money off their namage and likeness. Those chickens are
coming home to roost and now Tennessee is one of victory.
As I can't remember the name of the quarterback they're
trying to have come back for another year of eligibility.
Speaker 3: Well, no, I think he lost.
Speaker 2: Actually they lost, but they're gonna appeal or something like that,
so it doesn't matter Tennessee n Cuba. I should say,
losing all these lawsuits, that makes me happy. And then,
of course we're reacting to some of the things said
by Joe Spoda and Dana Brown yesterday played some of
the audio earlier, so we can bring it to you
right now. Let's go ahead and start with what to
me the first domino of all this. We've been talking
about what's gonna happen in the outfield, Well, maybe you're
on play some field. What's gonna happen in the infield? Well,
if Hoseel too, but he's not playing left, he's gonna
play second in esak pratis and you want to shuffle
these guys around a DH the first things first, The
first domino to fall in terms of how the astros
and how we want to think about them constructing their
lineup on a day to day basis, is with Joe A.
Spada wanting your On Alvarez to be a designated hitter Jr.
Speaker 4: Done, I will like to give him most of his
up past as a DH and I will do all
all everything in my power to keep him in that dhpot.
He will get some opportunities in left field to keep
that DH spot open for all the players.
Speaker 3: But this is going to be a competition from.
Speaker 6: The get go.
Speaker 4: We'll see where what we stand there and see who
get most of those upbots there.
Speaker 3: During the season.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so in theory, look, Carlos Korea older, jose Al
Tuove older, Christian Walker older, you'd like them get off
their feet for a half day here and there. Janer
Diaz not the greatest catcher, the backstop of all time.
You'd like to get him off his life here and
there and get him at the DH spot. It was
a nice luxury to have with Victor Carrattini here last year.
And you don't want Jordan to be hurt, but he
only played forty eight games last year, and that's opening
up the DH spot for the rest of those games
on the schedule. And even then it felt like there
there was sometimes a bit of a log jam. And
especially now with Easok paratus back into the fold healthy,
what's gonna happen in the infield? Jose Ba says, no, no, no,
we're not gonna shuffle around a bunch of infielders and
move a bunch of guys into DH spot, which is
a nice luxury to have. They want yord On at
the DH spot to keep him healthy and fresh leged
all season long and not have him going out there
and having him make a bunch of the plays in
the field. And I understand the counter argument of that is, Hey,
last couple of times he got hurt, he was on
the base paths sliding in the second he got hurt
sliding on can we get can we wipe down the
home plate at dyke In Park to start the games
this year? How do you slide on first base? And
he's gliding on it like he's on a slipping slide,
like he's at the ice Capades and hurting his ankle, Like,
can we not? Can we wipe down first base? That's
that's playing number one every game, no matter where you are.
I know, the water's fresh, and they just like to
they keep the wet dirt in the infield. Let's wipe
down home plate so Jordan doesn't get these freak accidents.
And you have to wonder yourself how much of these
are free act freak accidents? Or how much is it
he's just fragile. I don't think he is. I mean,
he's a big, freaking strong dude. But you've had him
hurt in the field, also legging out fly balls and
running into the scoreboard out there and left field at
dyke In Park, and it's a concern, and he is
one of the most dangerous hitters on the planet. You
want him out there as much as possible. He has
a storied history of getting injured, so you want to
limit his exposure to that. So I understand why the
Astros want to keep him, and Joe Spotta says he's
gonna do everything in his power to keep Joe's to
keep Jordan Alvarez at the DH spot as much as possible.
So with that, okay, now we're trying to move jose
L two Va back to second base. What does that
mean for Esach Paratus and Christian Walker and everyone else
in the infield.
Speaker 4: My message always been this is going to play out,
and let's us get to spring training and like go
out and prepare ourselves.
Speaker 2: To to win.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 4: I don't want this to become a distraction. I think
this is going to play itself out. But right now
they are. They understand where we're at, and they understand
that we need all of us to be together to.
Speaker 2: Accomplish our goal.
Speaker 4: So I want our focuses to be to be on that.
Speaker 3: That's interesting. Everything.
Speaker 2: Everything's gonna play itself out. Everything's going to be okay.
Obviously Joe knows things that we don't know. Is Joe
saying that because it's going to be a situation where
there's a trade and he's aware of potential trades that
are in the works. He's like, you, guys, keep asking
me about this. I can't tell you we're gonna trade somebody,
but we're gonna trade somebody. Is he trying to tell
us let us read the tea leaves there, Jonathan, Or
is he or is he just saying it's gonna work
itself out. Do I have a tenfoil hat on when
he says, let's listen to this one more time.
Speaker 3: He it's gonna work itself out.
Speaker 2: Guys, stop asking me about this.
Speaker 4: My message always been this is going to play out,
and let's just get to spring training and and like
go out and prepare ourselves to to win, right. I
don't want this to become a distraction. I think this
is going to play his self out. But right now
they are they understand where we're at, and they understand
that we need all of us to be together to
accomplish our goal.
Speaker 2: So I want our focuses to be to be on
that hmm. Or is he saying no, there isna be fine.
There could be injuries, something else is gonna work. It's
gonna work itself out. I like, work itself out can
go so many That's what I'm saying. He's saying, like
as fout as the.
Speaker 10: Best out of I interview. Anything that that can just
make it so vague you have to like keep guessing
what he's.
Speaker 3: Got to read the TV.
Speaker 2: Is he saying that he's like, guys, there's gonna be
a trade. Stop asking me about this. Or is he saying, ah,
you know what, We're gonna figure it out. Injuries crop up,
you know we we we at one point last year
all of l two ve Paradus and uh, Jeremy Paine,
you got hurt for a little while.
Speaker 3: Carl's care is longer than the two.
Speaker 2: Those guys aren't all gonna play one hundred and fifty games,
So it's gonna work itself out.
Speaker 3: Is that what he's he's saying? Where is there possible
some trades coming up? Who is to say?
Speaker 2: Hmm hmmm? Yeah, all right, send a tweet to add
Sports RV. If you guys want to talk about that,
you can also give me a phone call. Seven one
three two one two five seven ninety is the phone number.
We're gonna take a quick break here. Coming up an
hour number four of the show, we will have Adam
Clinton joining the PO program and you guys can into
we're talking, as I said, Astros Rockets in action tonight.
We've got other college football stuff. We've been getting to
James Harden trade as well. Will Jannie be traded by
the deadline tomorrow? Anything you guys want to get to
Seven to one three two one two five seven ninety
seven one three two one two five seven nighty Long
on the Matt Tomas Show with Ross.
Speaker 3: Matt is out. He will be back tomorrow.
Speaker 2: He will be on the call tonight as your Houston
Rockets take on the Boston Celtics six o'clock. It'll be
the Rockets launch pad. I forget he was doing it,
but a very handsome, talented, wonderful and very humble human
being I believe on six o'clock to do the Rockets
launch pad was that I can't remember. I can't remember,
I remember all those other things though. Yeah, he sounds amazing,
doesn't he?
Speaker 8: Uh?
Speaker 2: Coming up at six o'clock, and then tomorrow I will
be on the pre and post game as well at
six o'clock Rockets taking on the Charlotte Hornets. Don't laugh,
won six No Seven games now have the Charlotte Hornets,
including victories over the Sixers, Spurs and Magic over that span.
So watch out for them fighting Charlotte Hornets coming into
town tomorrow and then tonight against the Boston Celtics, and
then Saturday the big one. It'll be two thirty pm
start Rockets on the road on ABC taking on the
Oklahoma City Thunder. So some big games coming up for
the Houston Rockets. The phone lines open at seven one
three two one two five seven ninety seven one three
two one two five seven ninety So we've been talking
about what's gonna happen, and it feels like, you know,
some some years past, as I said, it feels like
the roster's pretty set, not a lot of stuff like
one year I think we were talking about like, hey,
what's the what's the bullpen pecking order going to be?
Speaker 3: For the Astros?
Speaker 2: As other things fall into place as you set your
hierarchy of needs, you get to talk about like the
minutia of building the roster. It's not minutia for the
Astros this year. Who is going to get the most
starts at second base and first base and third base
for that matter. Ideally Joe spot Us is the most
starts at the designated hitter is gonna be your on
Alvarez if I had to had you venture a guest
right now, who's getting the most left field starts towards
them by now in the end of the year. Jose
L two of a Probably not Zach Cole some lightning
in a bottle at the end of last year. But
how sustainable is that? We like camp Smith and right field.
Hay Sus Sanchez has played some left field. How much
longer is he gonna be on the squad?
Speaker 3: I don't know.
Speaker 2: Bryce Matthews, how does he fit? As far as a
puzzle piece for the lineup coming up? There are a
lot of question marks in terms of the infield and
the outfield rotation. I think is gonna be okay. Bullpen
I think is gonna be okay, but certainly some question marks.
And apparently according to Joe Spotta, there is gonna be
some outfielders moving all around the place, including a little
bit of camp Smith Smith and center field. And on
my computer's frozen.
Speaker 3: This is great.
Speaker 4: You know, we get guys I stacked Cole his Shu
Sanchez can also play left field. We've got guys at
Ken Smith. I mentioned that I want to get Ken
Smith an opportunity.
Speaker 2: To play some center field.
Speaker 4: You know, we we have Jake Myers, He's how can
I keep all these guys healthy in the lineup? That
is going to be our focus there doing screen training
and see how can we shape the roster with everyone
can get and you know, everybody's getting playing time.
Speaker 2: And we can keep everyone healthy. Yeah, there you go,
So certainly something to figure out something. He didn't go
with you. Oh, we got some breaking news.
Speaker 3: Okay, that's one.
Speaker 2: Another one, okay, two. I literally just saw this. I
was about to mention it, but I think go ahead, no, no, no,
go ahead, Do you say no no no?
Speaker 10: Jonathan Dallas, ten time NBA All Star, Anthony Davis, Jaden
Hardy D'Angelo, Russell, Dante ExHAM, Washington Wizards for Chris Milliton,
A J. Johnson, Malachi, Brandon, oh my, Marvin Bagley, the third,
two first round picks and three s wows espn, I'm
shams running.
Speaker 2: Wow, Okay, hold on, I got to pick up the
pieces from all this again. So going to the Wizards.
Wizard's making moves. They traded for Trey Young. Now they're
going for Anthony Davis, Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo, Russell,
Dante ExHAM for Chris Middleton, A J. Johnson, Malachi, Brandon,
Marvin Bagley, the third couple of first round picks and
three third second round picks. Whoo okay, so I'm go ahead.
Speaker 3: I'm just I'm just asking, is Dallas just going for
the restructure out?
Speaker 2: Yeah, they're going for the rebuild. I mean they're they
They're gonna try to rebuild around Cooper Flag. They got
a couple of first round picks. Cooper Flag's looking like
the real deal. I mean Chris Middleton, he's older. What
kind of deal A Chris Middleton I don't think is
much of a piece. Let me pull up. Yeah, he's
averaging ten points a game. He's thirty four years old,
so I think that that is much coming back. I
guess I gotta pull up this whole damn Washington Wizard's roster.
Forgive me for not being knowing the too deep of
the Washington Wizards. Uh wow, Okay, yeah, Marvin Bagley's just
been a bench piece. Chris Middleton's been okay, Malachi Brandham
same thing. AJ Johnson, same thing. So that's just kind
of roster Phil, I think trying to get some money matched.
It's more for the first for the couple of first
round picks. Interesting. Anthony Davis to me, doesn't have great
value anyways. I mean the dudes's Uh again. I always
rail against like the the injury prone label, but especially
when it's somebody who's like seven foot and gets hurt
every year. Anthony Davis, nicknamed street clothes by inside the NBA.
It's been hurt a lot. He's on the court, he's
a great player. He's had some good games against the Rockets,
but far often too often hurt. So interesting. Interesting, that's
that that's kind of a big trade trade deadline tomorrow,
at which point will Jana Setenta Kumpo the next big
Domino to fall. Minnesota has been the the rumored top
landing spot. Golden State Miami also in the mix. But
Anthony Davis, speaking of complicated histories, NBA champion always hurt
historic all time run with Kentucky as an NBA as
a the NCAA champion, a dominant, dominant team that Kentucky
squad back in the day, and now he is a
Dallas maverick.
Speaker 3: How many times pull this up?
Speaker 2: How many times is Anthony Davis been an Ulcar ten
time All Star, three time block champion, NBA champion in
the bubble with the Lakers, begged his way out of
New Orleans, got to Los Angeles, won a championship there,
and now, at thirty two years old, about to be
thirty five in March, I thought, excuse me, thirty three
in March.
Speaker 9: Wow?
Speaker 3: Crazy?
Speaker 2: All right, We're gonna take quick break on that note.
So I mean our shattering news here in Houston necessarily,
but Anthony Davis moving from Dallas to Washington certainly big
national news. Sham Sharani a first to trade that one.
He calls it an NBA trade, Dade trade deadline week stunner.
Clearly the Wizards have completed their deconstruction phase that are
now moving toward Young and Davis leading a rising young corps.
Washington turned its previous Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma trades
into Young Davis and five pickswaps. Oh man, look at
Sham Sharani. He's laying it on thick. The Wizards are
acquiring a future Hall of Fame big man in Davis,
one of the top seventy five greatest players. Anthony Davis
was named to the seventy five and seventy five Okay,
I mean, look, Sham is saying it probably to the
young core of Trey. Add to the core of Trey Young,
Alex R. Kaishan, George Tray Johnson, and Balachuli interesting in
trade all right the way Oh they rated them? Oh
ESPN ranked them, but he was I don't think the
NBA ranked them, but anyways, okay, so yeah he was
in there. Okay, all right, my mad no, my, you
know what Anthony Davis family saying, shut your b mess up.
Put some respect on Anthony Davis's name, and I'll do that,
all right. Quick break here on the Matt Thomas Show
with Ross. You guys want to tweet in you can
at sports RV. Shout out to Damien for sending that
tweet along. Appreciate you got some tweets to read from
a couple of other you guys. As we mentioned, we
got NBA trade deadline stuff happening. We can talk about that.
We have astros topics, anything you want to get to.
Adam Klan Coming up next at one o'clock seven one
three two one two five seven ninety is the phone
number seven one three two one two five seven.
Speaker 1: Ninety's The Matt Thomas Show with Ross.
Speaker 2: Our number four of The Matt Thomas Show with Ross
here on Sports Talk seven Hollo and welcome in. Ross
aviarial with you until two o'clock here on a Sports
Talk seven ninety, which point we'll hand it off to
Adam Wesler and Adam Clinton. They are the A team.
Adam Clinton will be joining me shortly and Matt Thomas
will be joining the show back tomorrow. If you have
not heard, he is out as it is national signing
day for his little baby girl. She's grown up and
well she is signing with the in the humble ISD
signing Day ceremony to be uh or I guess she
already did sign to play for the University of Rhode
Island and their volleyball ball squad. Congratulations well to everybody
the Humble id and to the Thomas family as there
is a proud papa who will be back on the
show tomorrow and he will be on the call tonight
for the Houston Rockets taking on the Boston Celtics. That'll
be a seven o'clock start here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
And we also have another trade in the NBA. Now
this is I don't even know if we go one
breaking news. Did you see this, Jonathan, No, no, no, hey,
just go one breaking news sounder.
Speaker 3: It's fine.
Speaker 2: Philadelphia seventy six Ers are trading guard Jared McCain to
the Oklahoma City Thunder. It does involve the Rockets. It's
a twenty twenty six Rockets first round pick and three
second round picks, so a first rounder in three seconds
for Jared McCain, who had a few splash games for
the seventy six ers last year but hasn't been doing
nearly as much this year.
Speaker 3: I don't know.
Speaker 2: We'll go to our resident Jared McCain and NBA and
Philadelphia seventy six Ers expert Adam Clinton momentarily here on
the fourth hour of the show, But there you go.
Jared McCain averaged finished seventh in the Rookie of the
Year voting last year. He only played twenty three games,
average fifteen points per game this year down to six
point six points per game, not getting a whole lot
of opportunities. So I don't know exactly how much he's
gonna fit into the pieces with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
But the Rockets pick that was going to the Thunder
now is going to the Philadelphia seventy six ers along
with three first round pick. So there's your trade deadline news.
Speaker 3: There.
Speaker 2: Fall lines open at seven one three, two one two
five seven ninety if you would like to get in
seven one three, two one two five seven ninety. Shams's
phone is working overtime at this point. The big news
was Adam Clinton's favorite son and favorite Rocket of all time,
James Harden, being traded away to the Cleveland Cavaliers and
now Anthony Davis moving to the Washington Wizards, and we'll
see what happens as far as some big names, the
biggest name of them all still looms and we'll see
if he's traded by tomorrow, that would be jannisint the Kompo.
All the whisperers are the latest. Can we not have
him come to the Western Conference? Please? Jiannis becomes a
Minnesota timber Wolf is what we're gonna go with that.
That would just be horrible Wolves a game and a
half behind the Rockets. They are in the seventh spot
right now. Rockets in the four seed. Keep Jannis in
the East. At least Anthony Davis got shipped out, but
that doesn't seem like a big deal. James Harden got
shipped out, But that is I mean, at least some
of the power if Anthony Davis and James hard at
least some of the power balances going back to the East.
But if Jannis comes back, I mean, that's that's ridiculous.
But when's Gianni's gonna play this year?
Speaker 9: I don't know.
Speaker 2: He's got a calf injury. How severe is it? What's
the grating on it? Is it a Grade two?
Speaker 3: Is it pre soon?
Speaker 2: It could be worse?
Speaker 3: You know what I mean?
Speaker 11: Yeah, No, like calf injuries and the NBA turned into
Achilles tear. Yes, so it's happened with Halliburton it happened
with Kevin Durant. But those are the really the big examples.
There are some doctors who say they're not sure how
much of a of a tie there.
Speaker 2: By the way, you're burying the lead on all these deals.
Speaker 11: What's that that first rounder that uh went from the
rockets to the thunder, that's back in Darryl Moorey's possession.
Speaker 2: He's the one that traded that pick.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I did say that.
Speaker 2: Oh I didn't hear that part. I was busy unpacking
and being late.
Speaker 6: You know.
Speaker 11: That's how I actually early from oh I almost texted
you and said it was a good run, but I'm
not going to be on time today.
Speaker 3: That's okay. You get like three in a row strung together.
Speaker 2: As a person who myself is lacking in punctuality, I
don't know.
Speaker 3: I don't, I can't. I have zero room to ever
get mad at anybody.
Speaker 11: From late Ross and I have more in common than
people would think in certain areas of our lives.
Speaker 12: Uh.
Speaker 3: That's for DEA's for the podcast.
Speaker 11: By the way, first rounders of any kind given up
for Anthony Davis is hysterical, and just two of them
proves that the Wizards are the Wizards. I mean again,
if you're Dallas and you've got two first round picks,
now whose first round picks are they?
Speaker 3: Are they the Wizard's first round picks?
Speaker 1: I think? So?
Speaker 3: Is it just?
Speaker 2: Is it just the two teams? I can't keep track
of it.
Speaker 11: I saw a player, so I thought for sure it
would be more than one team involved. But I guess
that's not the case. The fact that Alice was able
to turn Anthony Davis into first round picks from anywhere,
let alone multiple.
Speaker 2: Yeah, but it's like two for if if well if
covors he always if is with Anthony Davis, if he's
healthy and Trey Young's healthy, and they have some young players,
I mean, they'll probably be like in the twenties. Well,
we're not gonna cost them much of anything.
Speaker 11: Anyways, Hey, Anthony Davis wasn't healthy for the team that
just traded him, and they're got a terrible record despite
having Cooper Flag.
Speaker 3: Yeah, what makes you.
Speaker 11: Think that this street, Well, it makes you think that
this season's gonna be the or the you know, next
season is gonna be the season where the Wizards are
finally gonna matter in the NBA for the first time.
Speaker 2: Since John Wall's prime. John Wall and Bradley Beal and
the boys, like the first where you gonna go back
to like Elvin Hayes and the Washington Bullets in like
seventy eight.
Speaker 11: That was the last time they won a championship. Yeah,
so Chris Weber didn't do anything for him. No, Rod
Strickland didn't do anything for him. Who's the greatest Wizard
of the last thirty years?
Speaker 2: John Wall?
Speaker 3: Last thirty years?
Speaker 11: Probably? I mean it's a long list of a bunch
of brown padding losers.
Speaker 2: Bradley Beal, john Wall won two? Does that sound very inspiring?
Was three?
Speaker 3: I'm being I couldn't even tell you.
Speaker 2: The Wizards are. They're the NBA Siberia. They're a wasteland.
Who is the most It's got to be the Wizards, right,
like as far as Utah Jazz have been up there
the last twenty years, like nondescript, zero pop or fun.
Speaker 11: Wizards are They're in a major city. Yeah, but you
don't look at DC is its own kings.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 11: But the last thirty years, that includes the early when
they were robbed of a championship by Sat Donahy and
ironically they they actually employed Chris Webber too.
Speaker 2: That's the weird thing.
Speaker 11: Chris Weber went to the Wizards, had Juwan Howard with him,
and they just nothing ever clicked for that squad.
Speaker 2: That was the nineties, though it was like the mid nineties.
It was a different time. It was well, now they've
got Trey Young and Anthony Davis, so everything's gonna be okay.
Speaker 11: And by the way, I saw a report just walking
into the building that kind of jives with what did
I tell you? At the galeon Friday night, I go
up to rafel Stone and I said, all right, you're
ready for next week?
Speaker 3: Y'all?
Speaker 11: Rest it up as joking with him. It was totally
not a serious formal conversation. In fact, I never like.
I was walking by him and basically saying this as
I kept walking, and He's like, I hope everybody's ready
because I'm not doing anything.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 11: Now he was like laughing as he said it. Yeah,
but that's what I read on the way in. They're
looking more and more like they're going to stand pat.
Speaker 2: I feel like there could be a small move to
make some salary wiggle room, like Jeff Green or Jay Shantape.
Speaker 11: This person specifically said nothing, including Kobe White, which we've
heard his name tied to him.
Speaker 2: Nothing is gonna happen. I think a salary dump so
that you can add somebody in the market in the Uh, that's.
Speaker 11: What you're gonna say. What did you think about the
Andre Drummond rumors? I know he wouldn't be playing a
ton of minutes, but he's been knocking down threes right.
Uh yeah, I guess.
Speaker 2: Three point sniper Andre Drummond. Yeah, when did you think
you would ever say that? I just know that that
would be the thirty seven percent from three?
Speaker 3: Why is he taking them? It's only one point three.
Speaker 2: He needs to be down underneath the basket getting those
offensive rebounds.
Speaker 3: Like Steven. It couldn't be worse than him.
Speaker 2: Men Thompson at three soty seven percent is not that bad.
Speaker 11: Like if men Thompson like even had a twenty five
percent better jump shot.
Speaker 2: Second, Andre Drummonds only thirty two. See, I would have
thought he was like forty that's what see. Okay, are
you with me that when the Lakes in twenty thirteen,
when the Rockets got Steven Adams, did you not think
he was way older than he was? I thought he
was a little bit older, like I thought he's been
thirty young?
Speaker 3: Yeah? Was he thirty two?
Speaker 2: Thirty three as well?
Speaker 11: He's gonna turn thirty two. Yeah, he's not even thirty
two yet. I don't believe he's He was from the
the James Harden pick right next time he plays with
the Rockets, he'll be thirty two. James Harden to the
Rockets pick with Steven Adams.
Speaker 6: HM.
Speaker 11: Wasn't serge ibaka because that was James Harden's money, Yes
it was.
Speaker 3: But yeah, did you know I was.
Speaker 2: Talking about this earlier in the show. Three of the
top fifteen scores all time right now, Kevin Durant, James Harden,
and Russell Westbrook.
Speaker 11: Russell Westbrook's a top fifteen seven all time and fifteen
hours he can't shoot on the same team.
Speaker 2: Are you serious?
Speaker 1: Right now?
Speaker 11: Russell Westbrook is top fifteen all time? Ever, h how
many is he ahead of a Keem? That's gonna make
me sad? He's two points behind him. I think, oh
my gosh, Dad looking, I think he's literally he needs
like two points to pass a Keen and no pedro.
There is no reference to Boogie Knights yet. Just wait,
I just got here.
Speaker 2: Uh yeah, twenty and forty four needs two points to
pass a Keen. He's gonna kind of sellaves. We got
to injure him, hit him with a crowbar and the knee,
whatever it takes. Where's Jeff Galuley and that guy Sean Eckhart. Well,
I don't take out him like they did Nanswyer carry prison. Well,
probably out of prison, but maybe back in for I'm
sort of I think Pard's dead. He was very unhealthy.
Kevin Durant's sixth all time scoring, James Harden ninth, Russell
westbrook fifteenth. They were all three on the same team
and didn't win a championship. He went to one finals.
Speaker 11: I have way more of a problem with him about
to pass Hakeem. That's just blasphemous. He can't even shoot.
It's a different league. It sucks space and pace. Yeah right, well,
I'm not happy you want to go points per possession.
I'm sure Keem's got it.
Speaker 3: Let's go with that.
Speaker 2: I mean, Hakeem's MVP was legit at least that's what
was Russell Westbrooks and when he was voting and when
he was is the sixth seed with his team, he
won a championship, didn't get beaten by the guy that
should have won the MVP that year, James Harden. The
nay sayers would say, oh, Hakeem only won it because
Jordan didn't play.
Speaker 11: Yeah, I move those goalposts. You're the same people that
call Lebron the goat. You morons, You morons. Well, he
is the goat scorer nobody's ever catched. Okay, I want
to say nobody's ever catching him, but nobody's ever catching him.
I can't wait until he bows out of the All
Star Game at the last second, going to yeah, so
what we did last year. He's a terrible person.
Speaker 3: Okay, he is a.
Speaker 2: Terrible Hervey has been in let's see, remember that time
that he was in jail for embezzling money and then
domestic violence and the other What a terrible person. You'll
wait on. James has been careful what he's made, some
political statements, and he likes to drink wine.
Speaker 3: Not a horrible guy.
Speaker 11: I think it's gonna get He's the worst I think
you'll see. I think you're a whiner.
Speaker 2: All right, we're gonna take quick break here Thomas Show
with Ross with Adam Clinton. I'm already getting tweets about
OJ and Boogie Knights, so we you go read that
wait till we come back. We know Adam Clinton is
already in the building when those are happening, So we'll
take quick break here on the Matt Thomas Show with Ross. Adam,
thank you for hanging out here with us until two o'clock,
especially now because I'm losing my voice because I have
a cold and I got to do a pre and post.
But that's fine. No rest for the weary, easiest job
in the world. Take quick break here on the Matt
Tooma Show with Ross. With you until two o'clock one
of the PM.
Speaker 3: Here on Sports Talk seven.
Speaker 2: Hinety Rosber, Yeah with you, Adam Clinton, with you, Matt
Thomas's nut with us? Well, Okay, he didn't die, that's
sounded dark. Geez, He's just not here. You'll be back tomorrow. Okay,
come ten am, All the Bad Tub Show with Ross
here on Sports Talk seven at who's calling the game tonight, Matt?
So the signing day doesn't last all night. So he's
flying back as we speak.
Speaker 3: No, he's not flying anywhere. He was at an humble
as d signing day.
Speaker 11: Oh, I see for some reason I thought he went
to Rhode Island. I don't know why I had that
in my head. Oh, that'd be interesting. I don't know
why I thought that he's calling the game via zoom
like I thought it was some sort of campus visit
slash commit.
Speaker 2: No, no, no, it's umble as D National Signing Day
letter of INTEND. Everybody's signing. I don't know how many
people are signing. You should get out of there after
your daughter signs, right and go home. Yeah, National sign
I forgot that it was the beginning of February.
Speaker 11: So back when I worked at Channel two five lifetimes ago, yes,
this was a big deal. Like we would it would
be the most exhausting day on the calendar for like
months because we would be going so like the HID
signing Day was always held at that place over on
the northwest side, not far from where we're sitting, del
Marfield House, and they renovated it. All the kids would
in HISD would meet there to commit in one place.
So it was good for media because you could interview
all the kids right there. But you were driving, like
if there was a five star recruit in I don't know, Paarland.
We were going from Pariland. It was just you were
on the road all day long interviewing a bunch of
high school kids that her dreams were coming true. It
was cool, but it was exhausting for us. That sounds exhausting.
That's fine, it's fine. I'm not looking for saying. And
now now you just come in here and talk sports.
Speaker 6: Now.
Speaker 2: I don't work at all, not even a little.
Speaker 3: That's good.
Speaker 11: We're probably it's not a job. I'm doing a great job.
I said, it's not a real job. Either's we know
we haven't want to Rockets Radio Nework tonight. I am okay,
that's nice. I'm not going to the arena because I'm sick.
I'm not feeling well.
Speaker 2: So because Matt's already out, what else am I gonna do?
Speaker 4: What?
Speaker 2: Okay, let's let's say I call Chris Gordy at eight
am and I say, I can't boys handle the show. Yeah,
I love it. I love listen to that capitalist in there.
You pay me what I'm worth if you want the
work done.
Speaker 11: What would happen? Oh, I don't call it coward For
three hours you'd have Chris Gordy hosting. Wow, that was
kind of mean. No, I wouldn't want to wish that
on anybody. I don't want to do four hours solo.
It's not easy unless you're like Jim Roman. You just
repeat yourself. That's true, one hour over, over and over. Well,
and to fill time, you just give the one eight
hundred number. Yes, So that's what you would do, all right,
So we got Jim rom Holme. We need to make
a bingo card for when you come in here. Well,
I think he's already tweeting about Ojy. Now, Jonathan, you
said you watched the YouTube and you were you thought O. J.
Simpson's son did it, right, I'll just tell you the
theory that it's been in my head since I watched that.
It was like a two hour theory.
Speaker 3: Okay.
Speaker 2: Do you know that one of the pre eminent experts
on the case literally in America is Adam Clinton.
Speaker 3: He is obsessed with the O. J. Simpson case.
Speaker 6: I know.
Speaker 2: That's why I brought it up.
Speaker 3: I was Adam Clinton.
Speaker 2: Adam Clinton who killed Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson
orienthal James Simpson.
Speaker 3: Okay, may he rest wherever it is.
Speaker 2: And then he well, he was like Jonathan was also
buying into the YouTube that you will didn't score one hundred,
but then we found the radio call and now he's back.
You're back on the side of truth, right, Well, he
scored over one hundred, it just wasn't on the court. Well,
we're talking about on the court too, Okay, he was
quite the you're still skeptical.
Speaker 3: I'm just I'm on the fence now.
Speaker 2: The radio call was made up. The thousands of eyewitnesses
made out.
Speaker 3: You never know, Hey, I you know, it's like in
the National Archives.
Speaker 10: I if I could see Jackie Robinson hitting the home
run and I just okay, well, he didn't do it.
Speaker 3: I'm just saying.
Speaker 2: I'm just saying, well, there's not video of him playing
with I don't know, the Kansas City Monarchs or whatever.
I was the conspiracy guy to quit. Did you read
the tweet about oj ed.
Speaker 3: Ross?
Speaker 2: You should tell Clanton about Jonathan's oj conspiracy theory from
last week that he doesn't think o Ja committed the
murders based on a YouTube video he saw.
Speaker 3: So basically, don't let you guys talk about that.
Speaker 11: Well, I mean, is this an old YouTube video or
relatively new I've heard the theory before that the sun
got Okay.
Speaker 3: That's the theory I was.
Speaker 10: I went a whole week just listening to his videos
and it was saying like how he was there and
helped his son do it because uh.
Speaker 2: I was like a father son bonding experience.
Speaker 11: How do you explain It's just say, for the sake
of argument, you wanted to go with that theory. And
I'm curious if the YouTube video explained this. How do
you explain three strands of DNA for three different type
of people, Ron, Nicole and Oj. And that's the only
blood they found on the scene. I just don't know
how any like it would be Jason.
Speaker 10: That's That's the only thing that's in the main hole
in it is because there's so much corrupted evidence, we
don't know what was actually there and Oja it was.
If OJ was there, he could have cleaned it up
or whatever the case we eat that's the only speculation
the whole We don't tell you what happened.
Speaker 11: The reason that case went the way it did is
like ninety five percent because of the incompetence of the
LAPD in a million different ways.
Speaker 2: They say that, even like in in classes today when
they teach forensic science, here's what not to do. Here's
what not to do, because this is what happened in
the OJ, the guy.
Speaker 11: The Dennis fun guy collecting the DNA, the Mark Furment tape's.
Speaker 2: Covering up with a sheet.
Speaker 3: Yeah, all of that him.
Speaker 11: Well, you know, we didn't want anybody to Yeah, but
that's what like, come on, man, but DNA was super
super new during that time. But still having said all that,
the amount of evidence even if you want to but
all it takes is reasonable doubt.
Speaker 2: And that's what that that team did.
Speaker 3: I guess you could have some reasonable doubt.
Speaker 10: Gonna ask my grandpa because he was a firefighter over
the LAX for thirty years, So I got to ask
him what he thinks about him, like why what went down?
Speaker 3: Because he I know he you knows a lot of
police officers.
Speaker 11: I do think that OJ dropped the murder weapon at
any trash bin at LAX when he flew out to
Chicago that night.
Speaker 2: I do think that happened.
Speaker 11: I think that's why they've never recovered the murder weapon
and the Louis Vuitton bag that that Kim Kardashian's dad had.
You know what happened with that bag?
Speaker 3: Well? He so Robert Kardashian shook it and then you
never saw it again? How did you let this happen?
Speaker 1: Right?
Speaker 3: I didn't do it, your listeners, did I know?
Speaker 2: Well?
Speaker 10: Like the thing is, if he left, what was the
point of him leaving? Knowing his DNX all over? The
same Jonathan? If your heart, in your heart of hearts,
you gotta bet your You have a mortgage you gotta pay.
You got to bet your mortgage on.
Speaker 3: Who did it?
Speaker 2: Who do you think killed those two people? It ain't Jason.
Come on, you know you know.
Speaker 11: Your life depends on it. There's a gun to your head.
And the only way you keep that bull it from
going off is is if you give the right answer.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's good plan, that's I mean, when you put
it in those.
Speaker 11: Terms, it's pretty easy, Like I get it, reasonable doubt
and all that, and that's that's why he was acquitted.
Speaker 2: But come on, all right, time for a break here already,
we're gonna talk some astros in the next segment. No
Boogie Knights.
Speaker 11: You're gonna get Kato Kaelin on next segment, oj my
good personal friend, Kata.
Speaker 2: Park murder, none of that. In the next segment, What
about Boogie Knights. I just said, no boogie nights. I
literally five seconds. I just wanted to see if you okay,
get tripped? All right, We're gonna take a quick break here.
I'm sick, but I'm not that sick. We're gonna take
a break here on the bat Tooma Show with Ross
Adam Cleann's hanging out till two o'clock here on Sports
Talk seven ninety one thirty three in the PM. Here
on Sports Talk seven ninety Frosby Wiria with you for
a couple of more segments alongside Adam Klinn before handing
it off to he and this other guy named Adam.
They call themselves the eight. And then at six o'clock,
I'll be with you on the Rockets launch Pad, getting
you ready for the Rockets and the Boston Celtics coming
up here on seven ninety. Matt Thomas will be on
the call at seven o'clock. Even though he is not
on this show, that's fine. He'll also be on the
call tomorrow. Rockets on a back to back, ticking on
the Charlotte Hornets, who are on a seven game win streak.
They are catching the Celtics on a back to back.
They just played the Dallas Mavericks and beat them one
ten to one hundred yesterday. And then now the Dallas
Mavericks have traded Anthony also known as Shriek Clothes Davis
to the Washington Wizards, and that Luka doncich Hall is
looking pretty sad at this point.
Speaker 3: What an utter disaster that trade was for Dallas.
Speaker 11: But you know what, because the the NBA gifted them
the number one pick maybe under the table, we don't know,
I don't know.
Speaker 3: I will say probably not. They're in good shape all
the time.
Speaker 11: Sudden, I again, anybody's stupid enough to give you multiple first.
Speaker 2: Round picks for Anthony Davis. That's just there's nothing you
can do about that.
Speaker 11: If teams want to run their teams poorly, their organizations poorly,
and it benefits the team that did that very thing
by trading Luca to the Lakers, I don't know to
tell you, but you know what, at least see the
Lakers with Luca aren't gonna really be able to kind
of move forward with that era until they get out
from under that albatross.
Speaker 2: This year, Lebron's gotta go in this trade deadline, No no, no.
Speaker 11: I just mean after this season, Like it's pretty I
think it's you're hearing the rumblings, you're seeing it.
Speaker 3: They're gonna part ways. They did enough.
Speaker 2: I mean, yeah, they they wanted to do right by
him and all that, like they did with Kobe at
the end of his career. Give him pay over pay
them and all that stuff.
Speaker 11: But I believe some of the stuff that was out
there talking about Genie Buss, like the Lebron's not I'm
not saying Kobe was easy to deal with, but nobody's
gonna ever confuse Kobe with Lebron as far as mentality,
approaching the game on both ends all that. I mean,
the guy shot a free throw on a torn achilles.
Lebron's never doing that. They'll have a wheelchair out there
for him. Fanning han leaves hand feeding him grapes and saying,
are you okay, Like they're just not the same guy.
Speaker 2: Well, he's gotta have some kind of competitive drive. He's
playing in his twenty second year or whatever or something else.
What I'm just I don't think Lebron hater number one. Okay,
go ahead, absolutely, I've got plenty of ammunition to do so,
and so do a lot of other ten year old
call the chosen one as a high schooler, has never
been involved in any major scandal as arrested, has been
under a pressure cooker for twenty five years at this point.
And your biggest complaint is he said some off the
off base stuff about China.
Speaker 11: No, I didn't even say anything about the stuff about China.
The whole NBA is a hypocrite about China. I want
to get down, but they're not great. They're not our friends.
Speaker 2: Believe me.
Speaker 11: I uh yeah, that's is hardly by himself when it
comes to China. Okay, I just don't. I think the
guy's one of the biggest fakes ever in the history
of professional sports fakes. Ever, Everything about that guy's insincere
and non genuine and.
Speaker 3: Fine.
Speaker 2: Look, I'm not saying he's doing pretty good for me.
He has been in a fish bowl for twenty five years.
Speaker 11: So what wait, that's is that supposed to impress me
that he's a published figure.
Speaker 3: I'm just saying, no, no, that he's in a public
figure that since a teenager.
Speaker 2: No, like people sweat under pressure and the bright lights
and all that, I get, I did. I honestly the
ever rap the woman in Colorado.
Speaker 11: That's true. That's true. Hey, listen, this is why when
I see all these memes about Kobe and.
Speaker 2: He never got in a big gambling scandal and possibly
got his father murdered. He never quit at the height
of his powers. He never at the height of his
powers where I made three straight finals. I'm so tired.
I'm going to retire at the peak of my career. Way,
it's time to play baseball. I'm gonna be a Birmingham
baron because I can't handle being a pressure cooker and
being in a world star. He never did that. No
one ever might say.
Speaker 11: You never said he couldn't handle being a pressure cooker.
Look at look at the last dance.
Speaker 3: I was exhausted.
Speaker 11: Yeah, he had nothing so hard I had then wanted
to come back twice, three times for the Challenge, all
for the Challenge.
Speaker 2: He had nothing else to prove. He retired three times,
and then he won three more championships. Lebron James didn't
retire three times. So and he never paid off a
woman for rape. I mean, I'm just saying I think
he's doing pretty good. Well, Michael didn't do that. You
have to keep track of what you're talking about it.
He's saying, like, we're Doe again.
Speaker 3: Samples.
Speaker 2: Listen.
Speaker 11: This is why when all these old memes come out
about Kobe Bryant and oh it's January twenty sixth, we
remember him what a great father.
Speaker 2: I'm like, yeah, but he kind of raped that girl
in Colorado. You know, you just want to kind of
like sweep that under the rug. That's why I don't
share that stuff on social media.
Speaker 11: I do happen to think he probably you know, we
never know these people, right, We never know any of
these guys, and a lot of times you don't want to.
Speaker 2: You just think you do.
Speaker 11: I think at the end of Kobe's life as a
man and you know, learning from mistakes and all that
kind of stuff and doing good like doing good things
for the people around him in the game of basketball
and particularly girls basketball. And I don't know if his
motivations were having to do with that.
Speaker 2: I don't know.
Speaker 11: I don't know either, but I do think that he
was in a better place mentally in his standing in
society than he definitely was in two thousand and three
when all that was going down. He was throwing shack
under the bus on top of it. Remember that the
cops are interviewing him, and he's like ritting out Shack
for cheating on his wife.
Speaker 3: And it was like, you're in enough trouble and he
already hated you.
Speaker 2: This is probably not going to help the Simmer heard
about Lebron James snitching on his teammates. Just because you
haven't heard about Lebron doing anything doesn't mean he's like
a Sam. But we also, I'm not saying he's the same.
You are putting a halo on I did not put
a halo on him. You're comparing drop him up, who's
been in a fish bowl?
Speaker 11: Like I said final time, Michael Jordan's biggest a hole
ever in professional sports by all accounts.
Speaker 3: I never said he was the nicest guy. I didn't either.
Speaker 11: But I'm telling you right now, if you're gonna give
me a choice between those two, who I want to
go to war with in an NBA game, Okay, it's
not Lebron's cool. Nobody's afraid of Lebron like they were.
He's afraid of Lebron or Lebron. No, nobody's afraid of Lebron.
Nobody's like, ah, man, I gotta go up against Lebron
and nobody does not us.
Speaker 2: Are you serious right now?
Speaker 11: Absolutely not the way they do about Michael where he
has some like sort of aura where it's like he
hadn't even hit the floor yet and they're afraid.
Speaker 2: The seventy three and nine Golden State Warriors thought Lebron
wasn't very good or intimidating or had a free one
lead on him.
Speaker 3: I mean, yeah, and then what happened?
Speaker 2: Nobody's I you're gonna tell me there's not an NBA
Kyrie Irving happened. There's not an NBA coach or player
that thinks that is that.
Speaker 3: Let me ask you this.
Speaker 11: He's a little scared of going on personally. You're you're
an NBA observer, You're not casual. Okay, anytime the Rocket No,
I'm not. Anytime the Rockets have played Lebron on any
of his teams over the years, You've never once been like, oh,
this is gonna be like you didn't they always like
when they were talented. I'm not talking about the years
where they were just crap. I mean James Harden handled
him that year. It was a foregone conclusion that twenty
eighteen was the de facto NBA championship in the Western
Conference finals.
Speaker 2: But Lebron was at the peak of his powers.
Speaker 11: Why is that because the Rockets and the Warriors were
gonna kick his ass up and down the floor in
the final.
Speaker 2: Yes they were, because they were they were better teams.
Speaker 11: You would have never said that about Michael ever, Michael,
what do you mean, Well, you're trying to talk about
like the Wizards or early in his bulls career when
he didn't war his.
Speaker 3: Bull's career the Wizards.
Speaker 2: That doesn't count. That's like Rocky five, It never happened.
Let's see, That's what I'm saying. Like you, you you
make these these mental gymnastics, these hoops that everybody's gonna
jump over, because what may analyze for for making for
making the finals more.
Speaker 11: Rather than any in the awesome Eastern Conference where so
hard to come out. Hey, Derreck Rose was an MVP
in the Chicago Barrose is the best you're gonna do?
Speaker 2: Had sixty win Pacers teams in those times. Yeah, they
were getting fat off the crappy conference.
Speaker 9: Dude.
Speaker 2: The West was stacked, Yes, the West was stacked.
Speaker 11: You have sixty wins in the West. That needs more
than sixty wins in the East every time during that time.
Go back and look at this standings.
Speaker 2: I'm not gonna hear that from you trash about and
that's okay, I know exactly what I'm talking about. Go
look at the standings. You just said that the did
he time for the film on bro all right, and
well Michael Jordan needed up.
Speaker 11: Making thos out in the Eastern Conference nine times was
so impressive.
Speaker 2: That it was impressive. Absolutely, No, it was not impressive
at all. Not making the finals, not as as it
would have been if he was on a West team. No,
just say this, That's all I'm saying. No, I just
want to hear you say this. Making the finals nine
times in a row is not impressive, not out of
that Eastern Conference compared to the West, which is what
I just said. We'll take a break here on the
Matt Thomas Show with Ross here on West Talk seven ninety. Okay,
look it up. I will seven three two two five
seven ninety. I guess is the phone number a seven
one three two. Lebron parties with Diddy often just saying yeah,
look something might come out. I'm trying to say that, dude.
I'm not saying it.
Speaker 11: I'm just saying I wouldn't be sitting here saying, oh,
I mean he's never been caught up in this and
this and this.
Speaker 2: I haven't heard anything. Okay, if it comes out trial
with discovery?
Speaker 6: What what?
Speaker 2: When do we have a trial?
Speaker 3: Didn't?
Speaker 2: Didn't?
Speaker 6: Did he?
Speaker 2: Did he have a trial?
Speaker 3: He did?
Speaker 11: Yeah, that's why he's in prison right now. Did he
had a whole trial with Discovery? I figure maybe we
would hurt something by then. There's lots of names that
were attached to it. Did you watch the documentary?
Speaker 6: No?
Speaker 3: It did not want watch watching.
Speaker 2: It's nasty. Well, of course it's nasty, but like you
should really watch it. Okay, history and now GJ is
upset because I took up for Harden and I'm not
crapping on MJ. Look, J, are you actually are? We're
just making arguments. We're two friends talking, right. You're either
crapping on your lebron both.
Speaker 3: I don't care.
Speaker 11: You can say whatever I'm doing. I'm just making an
argument in that well, technically good one. Technically they're saying
it not making the finals nine times not impressive. We'll
talk about that more here on The Matt Thomas Show
with Ross On Sportstock seven ninety.
Speaker 3: It's very rude.
Speaker 2: Matt Thomas has the meanest liners about him ever.
Speaker 3: I think they're softening up over the years. There's that's
an old one.
Speaker 9: You know.
Speaker 2: We need to get rid of any anyone that says
Matt Thomas show and it doesn't say with Ross on it. Yeah,
but if you can be mean to Matt, don't you.
Don't you like that? That's like your side hobby. No,
I'm not mean to Matt.
Speaker 3: Okay, are you serious? I'm nice to Matt every day?
Are you? Every day?
Speaker 2: Every day?
Speaker 3: I bite my tongue. What what do you want to say, Jonathan?
Go ahead? No, No, I just like all these New
Year revolutions. Well, it's February four is over.
Speaker 2: I swear to you on the Bible and the Koran
and the whatever the Buddhists are using, and the Torah
and every the the whatever noodle, appendage, spaghetti monster, whatever
you want me to swear on, I will swear on
it every day every day.
Speaker 3: I hold back.
Speaker 11: Oh, I believe that. But two things can be true. Okay,
you can be mean to Matt and be holding back. No,
we're not being mean, We're teasing. He teases me.
Speaker 2: I tease him the tenor of the show, do.
Speaker 11: You guys still play the thing at the beginning of
Friday shows where it's like in the window sound bites and.
Speaker 2: Yeah, thanks for listening. Well especially, that's okay.
Speaker 11: It's fine. Well listen, I'll be honest with you. Once
you guys started at ten am, it really screwed up
my schedule.
Speaker 3: That's okay, it's screwed you guys started us.
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, when you guys started it noon, I'm a
natural night ol man. No, Now I got to get
up two hours earlier every day. It's not easy for
me as I don't know why it is my whole family.
Speaker 11: Still, No, I'm nocturnal. To do you still play video games?
Primarily I had to quit. I had to quit because
I was playing at like four am. I had to
quit the chests, you know when that stopped for me.
Speaker 2: I have addictive traits, Okay, I got problems, all right?
Speaker 3: Then to fix it.
Speaker 11: The minute Carson started kindergarten, which meant we had to
walk out the door at seven twenty to get that
in there on time. No more GTA, that's about the
time that my It's not that I stopped. But the
two am Yeah, stuff did not happen.
Speaker 2: That's okay, because I don't think I'm gonna be on
my deathbed saying man, I wish I'd played more video games. No,
but it really is like a I think I've been
try transitioning to like reading and try to read more
books and do other stuff to kind of call my
brain so I can go to sleep. Yeah, what do
you get gonna go to the old folks on next week? No,
I don't, dude, I highly reckoned this. I highly look
I got old bro, we both did. I'm in my
forties now, I will highly recommend John.
Speaker 3: Then you're young. I'm gonna tell you this.
Speaker 2: You don't have to listen to me, but eventually, hopefully
you do reading every night, just twenty to thirty minutes.
It will change your brain chemistry. It's so much better.
You're sleep easier.
Speaker 3: Okay. Good.
Speaker 2: Are you reading from a book? Yeah? Or from a
screen from a book?
Speaker 3: Okay? The physical books. I like physical books.
Speaker 11: The blue light thing is real. Yes, they say it's
not good for you to keeping it right before you
go to sleep, like it interrupts your rim sleep and
all that.
Speaker 3: I don't know. Yeah. Absolutely, I'm sleeping better, I'm more relaxed.
Speaker 11: It's yes, are you taking brisk walks? I'm trying to
shoveling metal, usele down your throat now, I'm doing.
Speaker 3: All that stuff. Man, I'm trying to get I'm trying
to get better.
Speaker 2: Can I give this way?
Speaker 3: I'm trying to be better than I was yesterday. I
walk in.
Speaker 2: Yesterday and he's eating oatmeal? Who MEI yeah, yeah? And
I'm like, we really are old now it's high fiber two.
Speaker 3: What's up?
Speaker 11: But I walk in and I say, from Kroger for
like a dollar fifty, why does this smell like bubble
gum in here? And you go, well, it's got a
fruit to it. It's fruit in there. I smell great
in here. In the last twelve months, I'm down thirty
three pounds.
Speaker 2: You've lost thirty three pounds in the last year.
Speaker 3: Good for you?
Speaker 2: Yeah, great for me. This time, I'm gonna keep it.
I've always been a fluctuator or yo yo r.
Speaker 3: But no, we're sitting.
Speaker 11: Your joints feel better, absolutely, my knee make them feel
even more better.
Speaker 2: My knees in my back there it's carrying thirty three
pounds left. Imagine putting a thirty pounds backpack on your
back all day long then and then imagine you get
to take that off. Some people put those on to
go exercise.
Speaker 3: No, I do that. I do that to go to weight.
I have a weighted vest and I have a back
because I like to go hiking.
Speaker 2: As you know, you should also call QC. So it's
like practicing for practicing for hiking. I have a backpack
and I put all my gear in there, and then
I go walk on a Memorial park or whatever.
Speaker 3: There's nowhere i'd like somewhere with elevation in Houston.
Speaker 2: Oh there's none of that.
Speaker 3: Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2: It's all flat like Kansas here, So I can't really
replicate that. But there's the hills with the overpasses. Now
you can go back and forth on those in Memorial
Memorial Law Park.
Speaker 11: Now, I will say this, of all the people I
work with, Ross takes the most environmentally friendly, healthy for
you vacations.
Speaker 2: Well, I'm hiking under the stars and oh.
Speaker 11: You know so peaceful, and the rest of us are like, oh,
we're going to this commercial you know setting.
Speaker 3: Look. I like Vegas too, but I gotta get a nature.
Speaker 2: I got any, but I grew up like a camping
with my family, and I was a boys s out
like I love camping, the peaceful and the serenity of
being out in nature.
Speaker 9: You got it.
Speaker 2: That air is good to breathe too. Oh you know
how we live in the You get.
Speaker 11: That high mountain air all are here. You can feel
it energizing you as you hits your lungs. Well, it's
not carbon monoxide, That's what I'm saying. Normally, get some
fresh air. Go get some fresh air, and not on
the west Loop. And this has been Ross's life of
de dice on the I mean, I'm just trying. I
don't think i'm any authority. I'm not really somebody to
give advice. I'm just telling you what's been helping me.
Do you remember some of the fun. This guy wants
to yell you real quick, so I want to get
him in. Let's get l J l J New Zealand.
He's back, baby, what's the country?
Speaker 13: What's going on? I'm back home, yep, but I still listen.
I'm on my way to work.
Speaker 16: And first I want to give you Ross a pat
on the back for having to deal with those verbal
gymnastics and hoops you got to deal with so uh
a pat on the back.
Speaker 13: The next thing is you know, dealing with skip planton?
Speaker 3: Is you know, hey, shut your bone mass up, LJ.
Speaker 13: I'm coming there. I'm coming there.
Speaker 16: To not be impressed with Lebron James is one thing,
like to not be impressed by the nine in a
row and all the stuff he done. To not be
impressed by that is one thing. Okay, who wouldn't be
I don't know, but to not be is one thing.
But to this day that you have for Lebron James
to be honest, I question something about you because you
really won't come out.
Speaker 6: And say it.
Speaker 13: But I know, so the thing about it is you
really ain't Lebron James.
Speaker 6: I don't know.
Speaker 2: But what am I not coming out and saying what?
Am I not coming out and say?
Speaker 4: No?
Speaker 2: You called and said that, you tell me what you're insinuating? LJ.
Speaker 3: What the question is?
Speaker 7: I don't know why would have no?
Speaker 6: No?
Speaker 2: You said you said I'm not gonna come out, So
what am I not coming out and saying what?
Speaker 6: That's what the question is.
Speaker 16: You're not saying it because you don't Because I think
Michael that he wins.
Speaker 13: No, no, no, he wins, like, there's nothing about to
do that.
Speaker 3: What do you win?
Speaker 2: You get a losing record in the final championships?
Speaker 13: Huh championships? What do you mean? You don't count the
times you go?
Speaker 7: You count on many you win?
Speaker 3: Right, Michael went six times? He was six for six.
Speaker 2: No, no, no, no, no, he was. That's actually the
fact he was six for six. You should look it up.
Speaker 13: Yeah, okay, okay, that's fine.
Speaker 11: But I want to go back to what you're insinuating that.
I wouldn't say you just you called in to say it,
but you won't say it. You're the one not saying it.
Why don't you say what you see?
Speaker 4: What I.
Speaker 9: Think I think you're skip playing is.
Speaker 7: What I think?
Speaker 2: What does that mean?
Speaker 16: And what I think is what what that means is
you're just trying to just say this stuff.
Speaker 2: Then you might not even dot stuff like I don't
even know use your words. Come on, I'm using my words,
not really.
Speaker 13: You just say the stuff you say is BS. I
can't say the.
Speaker 3: Word you say is BS. So there, yeah, it's like,
there you go.
Speaker 2: Why don't you call the A team unless finished? Oh yeah,
call back baby, let's go.
Speaker 3: We got to end the show. Take your ass twice,
I really uh just Cole wants to know what he said.
Beat on wingos beakers right now, right now? Yeah, go
small oh. I like the Seahawks minus four and a half.
I also like the under forty five and a half. Nice.
Speaker 2: That's all I got right now, all right, Kyle, appreciate
from LJ. By the way, I know why LJ. Clinton
Clayton shots you to call back, so we have to
end the show.
Speaker 3: We have to end the show.
Speaker 2: Thanks, Adam. Play people, we played the whole big card.
Caller yelled at Clinton, We talked about OJ, we talked
about Michael Jordan.
Speaker 3: We didn't get Tupac.
Speaker 2: Unfortunately, shut up callers yelling at WEX when he fills in.
That'll be the next time here on the Mad Thomas
Show with Ross. I'll talk to you guys at six
o'clock on the Wait not ashows on Deck, Rocket Slungs
Bad coming up here. Sports Talk seven ninety Stay tuned
for the eighteen.
Speaker 3: Don't Go Anywhere