WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:04.320 He's depride of Norwich, Connecticut and an adopted son of 2 00:00:04.360 --> 00:00:07.599 Salt Lake City. After forty years with the Utah Jazz, 3 00:00:07.960 --> 00:00:11.560 there's no one better to talk some hoops. Richard Smitty 4 00:00:11.599 --> 00:00:15.839 Smith is back on the Drive on ESPN seven hundred. 5 00:00:16.199 --> 00:00:17.960 Live in studio for an entire hour. 6 00:00:18.039 --> 00:00:20.839 Looked like he's looks like he's ready to go sailing 7 00:00:21.160 --> 00:00:25.280 off Nantucket with a nice collared shirt and a Columbia jacket. 8 00:00:25.359 --> 00:00:28.000 Richard Smith, how are you, sir? You know, you know 9 00:00:28.039 --> 00:00:29.719 when I show up, I always got to live up 10 00:00:29.760 --> 00:00:33.359 to the East coast, check its reputation. You know that 11 00:00:33.520 --> 00:00:36.799 I'm wearing such that's a New England, you know, button down, 12 00:00:37.159 --> 00:00:37.399 you know. 13 00:00:37.479 --> 00:00:43.640 Collar blue blue collar, rolls, risen from concrete, all that stuff. Yeah, yeah, 14 00:00:43.679 --> 00:00:46.159 I'm wearing sweats. You you literally look like you summer 15 00:00:46.320 --> 00:00:47.000 off Cape Cod. 16 00:00:47.240 --> 00:00:50.119 Thank you. Well, you know you have an image you're 17 00:00:50.119 --> 00:00:53.479 trying to create. Huh. I don't have an image, so 18 00:00:53.520 --> 00:00:56.759 I'm trying to create one. Yeah. It's not going very well, 19 00:00:57.200 --> 00:00:59.359 but you know you got to make the effort. I 20 00:00:59.399 --> 00:01:00.240 think it's going well. 21 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:02.280 I think he likes but it's cold, it's April, and 22 00:01:02.320 --> 00:01:03.240 it feels like February. 23 00:01:03.240 --> 00:01:06.120 It's cold out and it's cold outside. Hey, but I'm 24 00:01:06.200 --> 00:01:08.879 switching to gears for one second. Have you talked anything 25 00:01:08.920 --> 00:01:14.200 about your guy Porter, who's doing his best nineteen eighties 26 00:01:14.319 --> 00:01:16.319 Bono imitation here with. 27 00:01:16.319 --> 00:01:18.000 The hair or with the hair? No, No, with the 28 00:01:18.319 --> 00:01:21.120 So what he does shoulder length? Yeah, we've worked together 29 00:01:21.200 --> 00:01:23.200 for a four years now. What he does is he 30 00:01:23.280 --> 00:01:25.319 lets it grow out, then he shaves it. Is that 31 00:01:25.840 --> 00:01:26.280 his deal? 32 00:01:26.439 --> 00:01:26.680 Yeah? 33 00:01:26.879 --> 00:01:29.159 Or to speak for yourself in here about his little annual, 34 00:01:29.680 --> 00:01:32.040 little annual buzz. Yeah, when he got it, when he 35 00:01:32.079 --> 00:01:35.480 when he shaves it, it's quite jarring because he'll walk 36 00:01:35.560 --> 00:01:37.680 in after the ship after he shaved his head and 37 00:01:37.719 --> 00:01:39.040 he looks like he's fourteen years old. 38 00:01:39.519 --> 00:01:43.480 Wild. Yeah, it's funny to say that because Linda and 39 00:01:43.560 --> 00:01:46.599 I went to a documentary there was just one night 40 00:01:46.680 --> 00:01:50.000 only thing last night on John and Yoko uh living 41 00:01:50.040 --> 00:01:52.799 in New York City in nineteen seventy seventy one, okay, 42 00:01:53.400 --> 00:01:57.200 eighteen month thing, all during the civil rights movement and everything. 43 00:01:57.480 --> 00:02:00.319 And one of the last pictures I showed in documentary 44 00:02:00.599 --> 00:02:02.400 as they were fading out at the end of the 45 00:02:02.439 --> 00:02:05.840 film was, you know, kind of a picture montage of 46 00:02:06.120 --> 00:02:09.199 John Lennon in the seventies living in New York City 47 00:02:09.360 --> 00:02:12.639 leading up to his death in nineteen eighty and one 48 00:02:12.680 --> 00:02:15.199 of the pictures I showed, which I had never seen before, 49 00:02:15.719 --> 00:02:19.479 was John Lennon with a shaved head, and I'd never 50 00:02:19.479 --> 00:02:21.639 seen WHOA where are that picture? And it came and 51 00:02:21.680 --> 00:02:23.840 it went, you know, and I had never seen seen 52 00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:25.680 that kind of thing before. But I've heard of people 53 00:02:25.719 --> 00:02:29.479 who grow their hair out all winter long, like Porter, 54 00:02:29.560 --> 00:02:31.159 and then at some point in the spring they have 55 00:02:31.199 --> 00:02:33.919 a right of passage and they go out into the 56 00:02:33.919 --> 00:02:36.759 flower fields and they you know, they bend down and 57 00:02:36.800 --> 00:02:38.919 they do whatever they do, and they have herbs and 58 00:02:38.919 --> 00:02:41.520 stuff and smoke and then and then they shave their head. 59 00:02:41.599 --> 00:02:44.680 And you know, Porter, does that paint an actual picture 60 00:02:44.759 --> 00:02:45.840 of how you shave your head. 61 00:02:45.840 --> 00:02:48.719 Mine's more of like a Britney Spears moment right where 62 00:02:48.759 --> 00:02:51.680 you go you're going crazy because of. 63 00:02:51.639 --> 00:02:53.919 The hair and the wind and you're just you're over it. 64 00:02:54.039 --> 00:02:56.280 So you have a you have a moment you break down, 65 00:02:57.599 --> 00:03:01.240 you you know, attack the paparazzi and police officers inigarhead. 66 00:03:01.280 --> 00:03:03.719 Have you have you in all of your years, have 67 00:03:03.800 --> 00:03:05.840 you ever had long, long ish hair. 68 00:03:05.879 --> 00:03:08.520 Well, no, no, I that was that was my deal 69 00:03:08.560 --> 00:03:11.879 in uh in college? Oh really? Oh yeah, yeah, you 70 00:03:11.960 --> 00:03:13.879 like a flower child. I'll have to show you. I'll 71 00:03:13.919 --> 00:03:16.000 have to show you. I I was doing for for 72 00:03:16.039 --> 00:03:19.240 a while in college and in the seventies, I was 73 00:03:19.280 --> 00:03:23.520 doing my best James Taylor imitation. Oh okay, yeah, okay, 74 00:03:23.560 --> 00:03:28.280 So whatever James whenever he had on the latest album cover, 75 00:03:28.400 --> 00:03:29.800 that's that's what I was going for. 76 00:03:29.919 --> 00:03:32.479 Okay, Okay, that's not that's not a bad blueprint to 77 00:03:32.520 --> 00:03:33.159 follow JT. 78 00:03:33.319 --> 00:03:34.639 I to get success with the ladies. 79 00:03:34.680 --> 00:03:37.919 But I need photo evidence of you with your long 80 00:03:37.960 --> 00:03:38.520 flowing well. 81 00:03:39.520 --> 00:03:41.199 A couple of years ago, I went to my fiftieth 82 00:03:41.280 --> 00:03:43.639 high school year and this isn't just a great radio 83 00:03:43.759 --> 00:03:48.039 for our listeners out there. I go to my my 84 00:03:48.360 --> 00:03:51.919 fiftieth high school reunion a few years ago, and I 85 00:03:52.120 --> 00:03:54.800 checked into the table for the big dinner that night, 86 00:03:55.280 --> 00:03:58.840 and and I look like this with my short hair 87 00:03:58.879 --> 00:04:01.560 and whatever, and the one behind the table looks upping. 88 00:04:01.639 --> 00:04:04.560 Oh here's this. Oh, here's your your badge. And you 89 00:04:04.560 --> 00:04:06.360 know it gives me an ID that has my name 90 00:04:06.639 --> 00:04:09.800 and my high school yearbook picture with it. Right, So 91 00:04:09.800 --> 00:04:13.240 that's for everybody to recognize everybody else at the reunion 92 00:04:13.680 --> 00:04:16.600 and people you haven't seen in years. And I immediately 93 00:04:16.600 --> 00:04:20.240 took it and glanced at it and I handed it back. 94 00:04:20.279 --> 00:04:23.319 So I said, oh, you've mistakenly given me someone else 95 00:04:23.399 --> 00:04:26.199 that that's that's not me. And she goes, oh, oh, 96 00:04:26.240 --> 00:04:28.680 I'm sorry, and then she starts fumbling to try and 97 00:04:28.680 --> 00:04:32.040 look and I go, I go, Susan, Susan, that is me. 98 00:04:32.240 --> 00:04:34.519 You were just give me that, and she kind of 99 00:04:34.519 --> 00:04:36.600 looked at the picture. She looked at me and looked 100 00:04:36.639 --> 00:04:39.160 at the picture, and she goes, oh, that is different. 101 00:04:39.319 --> 00:04:42.600 She goes, you know, what do you expect? 102 00:04:41.600 --> 00:04:44.920 It's fifty years later. I think I have my thirty 103 00:04:45.000 --> 00:04:47.839 next year. Wow, that's wild to think about. Just Donovan, 104 00:04:47.839 --> 00:04:50.000 I think I have my thirty year next year. But 105 00:04:50.079 --> 00:04:52.120 let's move on to your pointsbody now gives it. Nobody 106 00:04:52.120 --> 00:04:53.360 gives a rip, all right. There are a few things 107 00:04:53.399 --> 00:04:55.519 I want to do with you today. But since the 108 00:04:55.560 --> 00:04:58.639 season is now officially over for the Utah Jazz, I 109 00:04:58.800 --> 00:05:01.199 really don't know how how much meat is on the 110 00:05:01.199 --> 00:05:03.680 bone for us to kind of talk about what we 111 00:05:03.800 --> 00:05:07.480 just saw. I just wonder how you digested you were 112 00:05:07.519 --> 00:05:09.519 at most, if not all, the home games when you're 113 00:05:09.560 --> 00:05:13.040 in town, they lose sixty five games. They go seventeen 114 00:05:13.079 --> 00:05:14.720 and sixty five. It is the worst record in the 115 00:05:14.800 --> 00:05:16.639 history of the Utah Jazz. Yes, we all know what 116 00:05:16.680 --> 00:05:19.560 they're doing and why they're doing it, but how did 117 00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:21.759 you digest this year? Somebody that was over there for 118 00:05:21.759 --> 00:05:24.120 forty years and saw a lot of winning, What was 119 00:05:24.120 --> 00:05:26.120 it like to be in that building and see see 120 00:05:26.120 --> 00:05:28.279 the losing on a level that we've never seen it before. 121 00:05:28.680 --> 00:05:32.319 Well, I mean it's difficult, you know, for the franchise itself. 122 00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:36.000 I mean they obviously they have new ownership last several years, 123 00:05:36.040 --> 00:05:38.720 they have new direction in the front office, they have 124 00:05:38.800 --> 00:05:43.040 the new coaching staff, obviously a young new team. Everything 125 00:05:43.199 --> 00:05:46.279 and wiped off the board, and so they're doing everything 126 00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:49.680 from scratch and trying to reinvent the wheel, so to speak. 127 00:05:50.879 --> 00:05:53.959 It's difficult to watch any team in my opinion, and 128 00:05:54.000 --> 00:05:58.759 we've talked about this before, Spence, where the winning doesn't matter, 129 00:05:59.279 --> 00:06:03.040 and that they're at actually trying to position themselves, you know, 130 00:06:03.319 --> 00:06:06.439 uh into a place where it gives them a better 131 00:06:06.560 --> 00:06:09.519 chance at a at a lottery odds and and and 132 00:06:09.639 --> 00:06:12.639 uh and and getting a better player through through that process. 133 00:06:13.040 --> 00:06:17.199 It's for me personally, my own perspective, I uh, and 134 00:06:17.600 --> 00:06:20.279 I don't like the approach just because I'm not a 135 00:06:20.279 --> 00:06:23.839 fan of what I interpret as trying to manipulate the 136 00:06:23.920 --> 00:06:28.120 system or game the system, you know, by by purposely 137 00:06:28.720 --> 00:06:31.639 losing games and falling behind other people and giving you 138 00:06:31.680 --> 00:06:34.920 a better chance. To me, that that just uh goes 139 00:06:34.959 --> 00:06:38.160 against with the grain of professional sports is all about 140 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:40.439 your You go out there, you have fans who are 141 00:06:40.439 --> 00:06:44.160 paying money, you have sponsors that are paying big money. 142 00:06:45.040 --> 00:06:46.879 You have the people who are the companies who are 143 00:06:46.879 --> 00:06:51.160 buying the suites, every everything that's involved from a financial standpoint, 144 00:06:51.480 --> 00:06:55.319 and yet you're you're purposely, you know, acting in a 145 00:06:55.360 --> 00:06:58.839 way that tells those people, well, we're really not trying 146 00:06:58.879 --> 00:07:01.920 to win. So we're not trying to make you feel 147 00:07:02.399 --> 00:07:05.920 good about coming to our event tonight. We're we're not 148 00:07:06.040 --> 00:07:09.839 really creating, you know, positive vibes in that regard. We're 149 00:07:10.160 --> 00:07:13.000 we're out here to try and be as bad as 150 00:07:13.000 --> 00:07:15.120 we can, but to try and make it look like 151 00:07:15.439 --> 00:07:19.079 we're trying something. So and it's all in the guys 152 00:07:18.879 --> 00:07:22.120 of player development. And we have young guys and we're 153 00:07:22.120 --> 00:07:24.759 putting them out there and which I get this part 154 00:07:25.000 --> 00:07:28.279 because you have to do at some point some type 155 00:07:28.439 --> 00:07:32.319 of mining for gold as it were, you know, like 156 00:07:32.360 --> 00:07:34.560 the prospectors in the old days who would go and 157 00:07:35.000 --> 00:07:37.199 put their pen in the water and shake it out 158 00:07:37.240 --> 00:07:40.000 and and and hopefully they get a gold nugget or two. 159 00:07:40.279 --> 00:07:42.720 And that's what they're doing, you know, with the with 160 00:07:42.800 --> 00:07:46.000 their players this season, they're they're putting different guys out there, 161 00:07:46.240 --> 00:07:50.600 different lineups, let them play, let them make mistakes, and 162 00:07:50.600 --> 00:07:55.480 and eventually make a determination from the club's perspective, who 163 00:07:55.519 --> 00:07:57.959 do we think can be a player at some point? 164 00:07:58.240 --> 00:08:00.720 Who do we think just doesn't have it? And we 165 00:08:00.800 --> 00:08:02.759 have to figure out a way to move on from them. 166 00:08:03.079 --> 00:08:05.920 And that's why you accumulate all these draft picks, because 167 00:08:05.959 --> 00:08:08.720 you're just trying to get you know, as Dennis Lindsay 168 00:08:08.800 --> 00:08:11.120 used to like to use the phrase, as many bites 169 00:08:11.120 --> 00:08:14.160 at the apple as you can. And so you're throwing 170 00:08:14.199 --> 00:08:16.680 guys out there. Well, that guy doesn't look like he's 171 00:08:16.680 --> 00:08:19.000 got it, So okay, let's put the next guy out there, 172 00:08:19.040 --> 00:08:23.199 and eventually you hope to find a guy or two 173 00:08:23.920 --> 00:08:27.120 or three if you're lucky, through that draft process, that 174 00:08:27.240 --> 00:08:30.879 trial and error, and then along the way, you try 175 00:08:30.920 --> 00:08:33.360 and get something in a trade if that comes up. 176 00:08:34.159 --> 00:08:37.320 You're trying to tice a nice free agent to come 177 00:08:38.279 --> 00:08:40.519 if you can do that. Those are all parts of 178 00:08:40.559 --> 00:08:43.919 this process that they've been engaged in. But it's very 179 00:08:43.919 --> 00:08:47.399 difficult for the fans to watch it because the fans 180 00:08:47.440 --> 00:08:50.000 are used to coming to a game, no matter what 181 00:08:50.080 --> 00:08:53.559 it is, their son's high school game or the college game, 182 00:08:53.600 --> 00:08:57.320 whoever it is, and trying to watch your team put 183 00:08:57.399 --> 00:09:01.639 best it's best foot forward to try and win the 184 00:09:01.679 --> 00:09:04.879 game you're playing. And the Jazz didn't do that this year. Obviously, 185 00:09:04.960 --> 00:09:07.720 they held out guys who were healthy. They got fined 186 00:09:07.759 --> 00:09:11.600 along the way by the NBA for doing that. It's 187 00:09:11.759 --> 00:09:14.600 just it's just not a very good look to me 188 00:09:15.120 --> 00:09:18.120 for any organization that puts themselves in that position. They're 189 00:09:18.120 --> 00:09:20.399 not the only ones who were doing it. You know, 190 00:09:20.519 --> 00:09:23.039 several other teams were in that same kind of race, 191 00:09:23.279 --> 00:09:25.559 and the Jazz happened to win it by getting the 192 00:09:25.600 --> 00:09:29.000 worst record. So we'll see what happens on May twelfth 193 00:09:29.000 --> 00:09:32.679 when the lottery lottery balls come up and and and 194 00:09:32.840 --> 00:09:34.759 see how that that plays out for them. 195 00:09:35.159 --> 00:09:38.360 So I wanted to ask you a question as it 196 00:09:38.399 --> 00:09:41.360 pertains to what we can learn from some of the 197 00:09:41.440 --> 00:09:43.720 numbers that were put up by some of the younger players. 198 00:09:43.720 --> 00:09:46.960 You know, Kyle Philipowski second half of the season when 199 00:09:47.000 --> 00:09:48.480 he got a lot of starts in a lot of minutes, 200 00:09:48.519 --> 00:09:51.519 had some really audacious nights with some big time stat lines. 201 00:09:51.559 --> 00:09:54.279 And Isaiah Collier and others. I always bring up the 202 00:09:54.279 --> 00:09:59.120 Shreef abdul Raheem example. Antoine Walker before Boston got good, 203 00:09:59.200 --> 00:10:00.879 was a guy that had twenty eight a night for 204 00:10:00.960 --> 00:10:02.519 teams that won, like twenty games. 205 00:10:02.960 --> 00:10:04.200 DeMarcus Cousins. 206 00:10:04.600 --> 00:10:06.720 There are a lot of players over the years that 207 00:10:06.799 --> 00:10:09.000 simply have been able to take advantage of the fact 208 00:10:09.039 --> 00:10:11.559 that they got minutes in usage to put up numbers 209 00:10:11.600 --> 00:10:14.879 for teams that didn't win. How do we have any 210 00:10:14.919 --> 00:10:18.679 idea whether or not Philipowski or Collier or hell I mean, 211 00:10:19.039 --> 00:10:22.639 any of them, quite frankly, when the Jazz are good again, 212 00:10:22.759 --> 00:10:24.879 hopefully at some point that does happen and they have 213 00:10:25.039 --> 00:10:26.519 veteran players. 214 00:10:26.519 --> 00:10:29.480 That are you know, well, or they just have really 215 00:10:29.480 --> 00:10:30.399 good players. 216 00:10:30.039 --> 00:10:32.120 And they're actually winning games and they're trying to make 217 00:10:32.120 --> 00:10:35.919 the playoffs. Did you see things from these young players 218 00:10:35.960 --> 00:10:38.679 that indicate to you that maybe they can be the 219 00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:41.159 same players they are for this team for teams that. 220 00:10:41.159 --> 00:10:44.279 Are actually good, if that makes sense. Yeah, it is 221 00:10:44.360 --> 00:10:47.200 difficult to judge Spence because when you're put in a 222 00:10:47.240 --> 00:10:50.919 position like the Jazz, the team on the floor was 223 00:10:50.960 --> 00:10:55.279 put in this this past season, they they actually they 224 00:10:55.279 --> 00:10:57.440 did not care about winning. In fact that you know, 225 00:10:57.519 --> 00:10:59.279 you can make the argument and you'd never hear them 226 00:10:59.440 --> 00:11:02.440 say this, and and rightfully so that they were trying 227 00:11:02.480 --> 00:11:05.759 to lose games. They're couching it all under the veil 228 00:11:05.919 --> 00:11:09.159 of of we're in player development. So we're trying to 229 00:11:09.480 --> 00:11:12.360 sift through to see who can play and who can't, 230 00:11:12.480 --> 00:11:15.000 because as we try and build this team, we got 231 00:11:15.039 --> 00:11:18.320 to find out who's a building block, who's a pretender, 232 00:11:19.080 --> 00:11:21.399 and who we just don't we just need to move 233 00:11:21.440 --> 00:11:24.159 on from because it's not gonna work that kind of thing. 234 00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:27.960 So you put him in several different categories, right, Walker 235 00:11:28.039 --> 00:11:31.159 Kessler looks like he's a guy, right so that they 236 00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:34.440 think that he's he's one of those guys. Obviously, guys 237 00:11:34.480 --> 00:11:38.039 like marking In and and to some lesser extent, Sexton 238 00:11:38.480 --> 00:11:40.879 or are proven players who can who can help you 239 00:11:40.919 --> 00:11:43.000 on the floor. And so now you're trying to find 240 00:11:43.000 --> 00:11:45.799 other guys. Is it? Is it the Collier kid who 241 00:11:45.919 --> 00:11:48.519 had some moments, you know, during the year, they made 242 00:11:48.519 --> 00:11:51.440 a big deal about him, you know, setting the rookie 243 00:11:51.440 --> 00:11:56.000 assist record, you know his uhh this this season, they 244 00:11:56.000 --> 00:11:59.200 didn't talk about anything about his turnover rate, uh you know, 245 00:11:59.320 --> 00:12:03.039 and and and to affect games. But that's okay. You're 246 00:12:03.080 --> 00:12:05.080 trying to find out, you know, what can he do? 247 00:12:05.200 --> 00:12:08.240 Can he be something at some point? Obviously he's got 248 00:12:08.240 --> 00:12:11.039 to fix his shot, and he's gotta he's got to 249 00:12:11.080 --> 00:12:14.159 figure out a way how to make smart decisions when 250 00:12:14.159 --> 00:12:16.279 they're in front of him. But he does have a 251 00:12:16.360 --> 00:12:18.600 knack for moving the ball. He has a knack for 252 00:12:18.840 --> 00:12:21.039 pushing the ball up the floor, and he has a 253 00:12:21.080 --> 00:12:23.639 strong enough body that that he can get, you know, 254 00:12:23.720 --> 00:12:26.200 into the lane and make some things happen in transition, 255 00:12:26.960 --> 00:12:28.960 you know, which is a good thing. So they're looking 256 00:12:29.000 --> 00:12:31.960 for something like that. You got the George kid, who's 257 00:12:31.960 --> 00:12:34.919 played two years now. Probably the jury is still out 258 00:12:34.960 --> 00:12:39.000 on his ability to affect winning because he's a natural scorer, 259 00:12:39.240 --> 00:12:41.360 but he doesn't do much else. He doesn't make other 260 00:12:41.399 --> 00:12:44.679 people better when he's on the floor. In my opinion, 261 00:12:45.639 --> 00:12:48.360 his defense is atrocious, So that's a thing that you 262 00:12:48.440 --> 00:12:51.080 have to look at. But again, the way they were 263 00:12:51.120 --> 00:12:55.840 playing this year and and not playing necessarily to to 264 00:12:55.840 --> 00:12:59.200 be competitive and win, it's hard to know how these 265 00:12:59.240 --> 00:13:04.919 players or what their talent level and ability is relative 266 00:13:04.960 --> 00:13:08.399 to being in games that matter night in and night 267 00:13:08.440 --> 00:13:11.679 out to try and affect winning. But you know, that's 268 00:13:11.759 --> 00:13:14.159 the only way you find out is if they're out 269 00:13:14.159 --> 00:13:16.679 there doing it. And sometimes you wish you could throw 270 00:13:16.720 --> 00:13:20.200 a guy or two out there with a veteran corps 271 00:13:20.200 --> 00:13:23.039 that's competitive, that can win, you know, putting out a 272 00:13:23.080 --> 00:13:26.519 guy like, for example, a Shandon Anderson back in the 273 00:13:26.600 --> 00:13:29.519 day who was a rookie playing with a Karl Malone 274 00:13:29.519 --> 00:13:32.559 and a John Stockton and the Jeff Warners and giving 275 00:13:32.639 --> 00:13:37.039 him time with a mature a competitive group to do 276 00:13:37.120 --> 00:13:41.159 something and ease into it an NBA career that way. 277 00:13:41.879 --> 00:13:45.279 Here they have a few players, but they weren't playing 278 00:13:45.320 --> 00:13:47.600 them on the floor. Marketing In was out for so 279 00:13:47.720 --> 00:13:49.960 many games the second half of the year, just holding 280 00:13:50.039 --> 00:13:54.039 him out. Kessler didn't play a lot, you know, who 281 00:13:54.120 --> 00:13:56.440 can be an effective player, and the guys who are 282 00:13:56.440 --> 00:13:59.320 out there, you know, really can't affect winning that much. 283 00:13:59.360 --> 00:14:01.720 So that's a that's a tough deal to be able 284 00:14:01.759 --> 00:14:02.440 to judge that. 285 00:14:02.919 --> 00:14:07.440 Will Hardy and Justin Zanik addressed the media on that 286 00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:08.879 was was a Tuesday of Monday. 287 00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:12.039 I can't remember that for Breakfast Mark this week, Yeah, 288 00:14:12.080 --> 00:14:12.600 Monday morning. 289 00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:15.799 They addressed the media, and Will said the same thing 290 00:14:16.279 --> 00:14:19.799 about I mean, there was some variants, but Keyante Isaiah 291 00:14:19.840 --> 00:14:23.879 and Bryce, Bryce Senseaba Keante George Isaiah Collier. He alluded 292 00:14:23.879 --> 00:14:26.399 to all three of them needing to be in much 293 00:14:26.440 --> 00:14:28.080 better shape than they were this year. 294 00:14:29.919 --> 00:14:31.120 That that kind of caught me off guard. 295 00:14:31.200 --> 00:14:34.399 I I because I you know, Bryce entered the league 296 00:14:34.480 --> 00:14:38.200 with a little bit of Jabari Parker, baby fat little 297 00:14:38.639 --> 00:14:41.000 yeah yeah yeah. And I always kind of compared him 298 00:14:41.000 --> 00:14:43.200 to Dennis Scott a little bit because Dennis Scott was 299 00:14:43.200 --> 00:14:44.639 a guy that could really shoot it from three and 300 00:14:44.639 --> 00:14:47.840 never really fully got himself in a great shape. But 301 00:14:47.879 --> 00:14:49.279 what do you make of that all three of those 302 00:14:49.279 --> 00:14:51.480 young guys, their head coach basically saying like, you guys 303 00:14:51.519 --> 00:14:53.320 better come back here in better shape come fall. 304 00:14:53.399 --> 00:14:57.799 Yeah. Well again, Uh, he's got a hammer speaking of 305 00:14:57.840 --> 00:15:03.120 a coach, Hardy because nobody's untouchable and and nobody's like 306 00:15:03.159 --> 00:15:05.840 a savior, right, and so you don't have to tiptoe 307 00:15:06.120 --> 00:15:09.480 around anybody in this group, starting right at the top, 308 00:15:09.519 --> 00:15:12.080 whether it's marketing and whether he might be a trade 309 00:15:12.120 --> 00:15:14.759 asset or something going forward. Now that you have him 310 00:15:14.799 --> 00:15:18.720 under under contract. Kessler, who's the young guy who's gonna 311 00:15:18.720 --> 00:15:21.039 be up for a rookie extension. We'll see how they 312 00:15:21.080 --> 00:15:25.440 handle that. But almost all of the roster, they're guys 313 00:15:25.559 --> 00:15:27.519 that if they don't do it the way you want 314 00:15:27.559 --> 00:15:30.200 them to do it, you just decide you're gonna move on. 315 00:15:30.360 --> 00:15:33.840 And that has always been Danny Angel's mantra. Also, Danny 316 00:15:33.879 --> 00:15:37.000 doesn't care about anybody. He kind of has a Jerry 317 00:15:37.039 --> 00:15:40.600 Sloan type attitude or approach to it, where he say, 318 00:15:40.919 --> 00:15:43.639 I don't care who's out there doing the job. I 319 00:15:43.840 --> 00:15:46.720 just want you to do the job. And if you 320 00:15:46.799 --> 00:15:48.960 don't do it, I'll put in the next guy. It 321 00:15:49.000 --> 00:15:51.480 doesn't matter to me because that's what the job is. 322 00:15:51.759 --> 00:15:54.720 And so they have this open, this clean palette. If 323 00:15:54.720 --> 00:15:57.639 you will to try and and and tell guys, hey, 324 00:15:57.639 --> 00:15:59.320 you got to do this, you got to get better 325 00:15:59.360 --> 00:16:01.480 at this. I mean, the center ball kid to me 326 00:16:01.559 --> 00:16:03.960 at the moment is a one trick pony. He makes 327 00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:08.559 three point shots sometimes, okay, and he has stretchers where 328 00:16:08.600 --> 00:16:11.480 where he has trouble, you know, finding the basket. Okay. 329 00:16:11.799 --> 00:16:13.679 You know, he's got to get more consistent. But he's 330 00:16:13.720 --> 00:16:16.039 also got to show these in better shape that he 331 00:16:16.080 --> 00:16:18.919 can use his body to get up on guys to 332 00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:22.720 play defensively. The George kid, you know, I don't know 333 00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:24.639 if he'll ever be any kind of a defender. That 334 00:16:24.720 --> 00:16:27.799 may be his mantra, you know, but he's young also, 335 00:16:27.919 --> 00:16:30.480 but he's got to be able to figure out some 336 00:16:30.600 --> 00:16:34.440 other parts of the game other than just creating shots 337 00:16:34.440 --> 00:16:37.080 for himself when he gets out there. But you know, 338 00:16:37.159 --> 00:16:40.080 look the way the Jazz are right now, Spence, and 339 00:16:40.279 --> 00:16:43.360 the way that they're they're set up. It's just like 340 00:16:43.440 --> 00:16:46.000 these other teams that are three of the top teams 341 00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:49.039 in the league right now, the teams that did this 342 00:16:49.159 --> 00:16:52.759 kind of thing just two and three years ago, the 343 00:16:52.799 --> 00:16:57.559 Cleveland Cavaliers, the Houston Rockets, and the Oklahoma City Thunder. 344 00:16:57.919 --> 00:17:00.399 We're three of the worst teams in the league league 345 00:17:00.799 --> 00:17:04.519 three four years ago there now this year they had 346 00:17:04.519 --> 00:17:07.200 three of the four best records in the NBA. So 347 00:17:07.279 --> 00:17:10.200 they flipped the script and how they do it they 348 00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:14.039 did it with a mix of draft picks of making 349 00:17:14.799 --> 00:17:19.039 the time time uh uh trades that were timely for them. 350 00:17:19.039 --> 00:17:21.720 And in the case of Cleveland, obviously getting Donovan Mitchell 351 00:17:22.720 --> 00:17:25.640 from the Jazz as a big key in that they 352 00:17:25.680 --> 00:17:29.079 signed key free agents who maybe weren't top tier guys 353 00:17:29.160 --> 00:17:32.799 at the time. And I'm speaking specifically of Houston, who 354 00:17:32.799 --> 00:17:35.680 brought in a Fred van Vliet from Toronto, and they 355 00:17:35.720 --> 00:17:41.279 brought in uh, the kid from Memphis, the guard from 356 00:17:41.480 --> 00:17:44.279 from Canada. He's just gave me my name right now, 357 00:17:44.359 --> 00:17:47.200 Dylan Brooks. But they brought in him as a tough, 358 00:17:47.279 --> 00:17:51.319 enforcer guy. And they weren't really high profile, top tier 359 00:17:51.400 --> 00:17:53.880 free agents, but they were guys they wanted to bring 360 00:17:53.960 --> 00:17:57.200 in to fill a certain spot on their ross in 361 00:17:57.279 --> 00:18:00.319 terms of leadership uh in Fred van Vleet, and in 362 00:18:00.440 --> 00:18:03.759 terms of toughness with Dylan, And then they combined them 363 00:18:03.759 --> 00:18:07.359 with draft picks like Shangoon and the Thompson kid and 364 00:18:07.400 --> 00:18:09.599 the Jabari Smith kid, and all of a sudden, they've 365 00:18:09.640 --> 00:18:11.480 got one of the best records in the league and 366 00:18:11.559 --> 00:18:14.599 a nice mix. Right, So that's what that's what those 367 00:18:14.640 --> 00:18:17.480 guys are doing. Obviously. Okay, see did the same thing 368 00:18:17.599 --> 00:18:20.240 you know in the draft where they got Chet Holmgren 369 00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:23.599 and and they got the the Williams Jalen Williams kid 370 00:18:23.599 --> 00:18:25.920 from Santa Clara, And then they mixed that up by 371 00:18:25.920 --> 00:18:29.000 making the trade of a big name guy, Paul George 372 00:18:29.039 --> 00:18:31.079 at the time, who said, I don't want to be here, 373 00:18:31.319 --> 00:18:34.039 so they said, fine, moved them to La turned that 374 00:18:34.079 --> 00:18:37.200 into Shay Gilgis and so now they got an MVP 375 00:18:37.519 --> 00:18:40.960 level player who nobody knew that was who he was 376 00:18:41.000 --> 00:18:44.440 at the time. He was like a marketing type trade 377 00:18:44.559 --> 00:18:47.200 asset that that the Clippers were willing to give up. 378 00:18:47.200 --> 00:18:50.400 The Clippers would have never made that move if they 379 00:18:50.440 --> 00:18:52.839 could have looked in the crystal ball and seen three 380 00:18:52.920 --> 00:18:55.759 years down the road what Shay Gilders Alexander was going 381 00:18:55.839 --> 00:18:58.839 to be. Right. But that's the kind of stuff that 382 00:18:58.920 --> 00:19:01.799 the Jazz are trying to put themselves in position to 383 00:19:01.880 --> 00:19:06.440 be able to do if and when those opportunities present themselves. 384 00:19:06.440 --> 00:19:09.640 So that's that this is just part of that process 385 00:19:10.039 --> 00:19:12.720 that they're trying to get through to see if they 386 00:19:12.759 --> 00:19:17.759 can make improvements like Cleveland did, like Houston did, like 387 00:19:17.880 --> 00:19:21.799 OKC did, in terms of mixing and matching those different 388 00:19:22.039 --> 00:19:24.480 components to try and build your team up. 389 00:19:24.559 --> 00:19:28.279 So let me ask you about Lowry and where we 390 00:19:28.359 --> 00:19:31.680 find ourselves right now. So the first year Lowry was 391 00:19:31.680 --> 00:19:35.559 here twenty twenty two. In twenty twenty three was his 392 00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:37.400 All Star year. It's when the All Star Game was 393 00:19:37.440 --> 00:19:40.279 here in Salt Lake. And on the roster that year, 394 00:19:41.400 --> 00:19:45.079 you know, Mike Conley was his starting point guard, Jordan Clarkson, 395 00:19:45.200 --> 00:19:49.039 Chris Dunn, Semoni Fontecio, Dalen Horton, Tucker. I was never 396 00:19:49.039 --> 00:19:52.559 a big fan, but a veteran player, Kelly Olynnock, you know, 397 00:19:53.200 --> 00:19:57.599 Colin Sexton, Jared Vanderbilt. He had grown ups around him, 398 00:19:57.880 --> 00:20:01.599 namely Mike, who's awesome right before or they traded before 399 00:20:01.640 --> 00:20:05.359 they traded Mike away. So I'll never agree with the 400 00:20:05.400 --> 00:20:07.880 direction that they went in. I just never will. You know, 401 00:20:07.920 --> 00:20:11.039