Speaker 1: All right, what's going on? It is drivetime on a
Speaker 1: Monday afternoon. It's about eight minutes past the hour, two o'clock.
Speaker 1: Little chilly today, a little cold today, little cloudy today,
Speaker 1: had some rain in the forecast yesterday.
Speaker 2: It's gonna be a little bit chilly tomorrow before warming
Speaker 2: up throughout the.
Speaker 1: Course of the week into the weekend where we're gonna
Speaker 1: have temperatures reaching eighty degrees. But as it is every
Speaker 1: single day, it's going to have you along for the ride.
Speaker 1: It's Bence Check. It's behind the mic.
Speaker 2: That is Porter.
Speaker 1: Larsen behind the glass today producing the program as we
Speaker 1: have a lot to do on a busy Monday afternoon.
Speaker 1: Where some unexpected news broke earlier today that the Utah
Speaker 1: Jazz have agreed to a contract extension with their head
Speaker 1: coach Will Hardy through the year of two thousand and
Speaker 1: thirty one. And honestly, this is somewhat unprecedented. We're gonna
Speaker 1: talk about.
Speaker 2: It on the show today.
Speaker 1: Will was hired prior to the twenty twenty two season
Speaker 1: after Quinn Snyder decided he did not want to work
Speaker 1: for this new ownership group. And so this means Will
Speaker 1: Hardy's gonna have a nine year runway as a coach
Speaker 1: in the NBA before he is potentially unemployed unless something
Speaker 1: wild happens prior to twenty thirty one. I think this
Speaker 1: is a no brainer for the Utah Jazz. I think
Speaker 1: this is a really interesting decision from Will himself, and
Speaker 1: I'll tell you why. We'll get into it on the
Speaker 1: show today. One week from today is the next day
Speaker 1: that is interesting for the fan base of the Utah Jazz.
Speaker 1: NBA Draft lottery coming up one week from this Monday,
Speaker 1: next Monday, and we will have it live for you
Speaker 1: during the five o'clock hour this radio show. So that's
Speaker 1: when we will learn where the Utah Jazz will select,
Speaker 1: and then we'll have a pretty good idea of who
Speaker 1: the Jazz are going to be able to pick based
Speaker 1: off of simply their positioning. It does seem like the
Speaker 1: top five in order is somewhat of a consensus. Of course,
Speaker 1: the NBA Draft comes right ound June the twenty fifth.
Speaker 1: We will have great NBA Draft coverage at night potentially
Speaker 1: out at about on location for Jazz fans to.
Speaker 3: Come hang out with us to watch round of the
Speaker 3: NBA Draft.
Speaker 1: Remember, NBA Draft is now two day events and used
Speaker 1: to be that way, so he got Round one on
Speaker 1: the twenty fifth and Round two on the twenty six.
Speaker 1: The second round will actually be during our regular scheduled
Speaker 1: programming on the twenty six, so we'll kind of stave
Speaker 1: Frost to keep an eye to find out what the
Speaker 1: Jazz is gonna do because they have.
Speaker 3: A couple of second round picks.
Speaker 1: As well, So some Jazz news coming down today. An
Speaker 1: unbelievable weekend of playoff action in both the NBA and
Speaker 1: the NHL. Couple of Game sevens in the NHL saw
Speaker 1: some unbelievable finishes hearts and mallows, to use the soccer term.
Speaker 1: Both the Stars and the Jets needed late game heroics
Speaker 1: to get past the Avalanche and the Blues, and now
Speaker 1: those two teams advance.
Speaker 2: On for Round two.
Speaker 1: The Panthers and the Maple Leaves will play tonight. It
Speaker 1: is the first game of the second round, as those
Speaker 1: two teams have advanced in the world of pro basketball.
Speaker 1: The second round begins tonight as well. Out East at
Speaker 1: five o'clock on the New York Knicks take their active
Speaker 1: on the road to the TD Garden to take on
Speaker 1: the Boston Celtics. This could not be a worst matchup
Speaker 1: for the Knicks. We'll get into it, of course, some playoffs.
Speaker 1: And then the Nuggets, after embarrassing the LA Clippers at
Speaker 1: Ball Arena Game seven over the weekend, they advance on
Speaker 1: to take on the number one seed out of the
Speaker 1: Westoma City Thunder at Paycom Center and ok C Oklahoma.
Speaker 1: So a couple of game once tonight in the world
Speaker 1: of pro basketball and unbelievable gutty win from Stephen Curry
Speaker 1: from Jimmy Butler, from Jymond Green the Golden State Warriors
Speaker 1: Game seven on the road against the Rockets, and then
Speaker 1: I think the Calves are in trouble. We'll tell you why.
Speaker 1: The Pacers just have a bunch of pit bulls on
Speaker 1: the perimeter. Much a tough, physical big guard to like
Speaker 1: to play defense. And Donovan Mitchell is a really interesting
Speaker 1: playoff case study because it's not fair to say he's
Speaker 1: a shrinking violet come playoff time. I've seen him drop
Speaker 1: half a hundred, but I've also seen him just disappear. Well,
Speaker 1: we'll get to what this could mean for Donovan moving forward.
Speaker 2: And then out West we have.
Speaker 1: A little bit of a rematch when it comes to
Speaker 1: Draymond Green and Rudy Gobert, two people, two basketball players
Speaker 1: that don't like each other at all. So the NBA
Speaker 1: Playoffs continue to be really, really cool.
Speaker 2: We have some breaking.
Speaker 1: News right out of the gates. And I was informed this,
Speaker 1: by the way, by Won Britain Covey.
Speaker 2: At the spring game.
Speaker 1: But I'm a gentleman. I do not like to break
Speaker 1: the trust of our guy. So sab Britain Covey at
Speaker 1: the Forever twenty two game, the Utah Football spring game,
Speaker 1: and of course his time.
Speaker 2: In Philadelphia has come to an end.
Speaker 1: He gets a Super Bowl ring, and he lands in
Speaker 1: a great spot. Britain Covey is now in La ram
Speaker 1: with a one year deal. Utah Football brings it a
Speaker 1: wide receiver via the transfer portal. And we do have
Speaker 1: some RSL news as well, maybe some reinforcements on the way.
Speaker 1: RSL went up to Vancouver and lost over the weekend.
Speaker 1: So ton to do on the show. If you missed
Speaker 1: the press conference bouncing Will Hardy's contract extension, We're gonna
Speaker 1: bring some of that sound to you from Will and
Speaker 1: some of the other decision makers on the program.
Speaker 2: Today.
Speaker 1: Tom Haberstrow joins the show today, as Tommy wrote a
Speaker 1: piece over the weekend, and Tommy is all about the numbers,
Speaker 1: is all about the data, and I'm going to tell
Speaker 1: tom that I think James Harden is potentially the most
Speaker 1: pathetic clutch player in the history of NBA basketball. And
Speaker 1: Tom's gonna throw a bunch of numbers at me that
Speaker 1: indicate that I might be wrong. But James Harden again
Speaker 1: over the weekend, I know he had a number of assists,
Speaker 1: but he just did not try to guard it all.
Speaker 1: He was not engaged to try to get his own offense.
Speaker 1: Another Game seven failure for James Harden. Will get Tommy's
Speaker 1: take on the news that Will Hardy has a brand
Speaker 1: new contract, and then after tom stops by, it's an
Speaker 1: hour in studio with Richard smith Smedy will stop by.
Speaker 1: He was at Black Desert last week over the weekend
Speaker 1: for the LPGA Championship events. So we'll do some NBA
Speaker 1: and we'll see how Smity's experience was down South, what
Speaker 1: the golf tournament was, and then we're not you sure
Speaker 1: who are our sl guest will be today.
Speaker 2: Which means it's probably gonna be Trey fair Enough, which
Speaker 2: that's kind of what I'm hoping for Just to be clear,
Speaker 2: you're hoping for Trey. Yeah, don't say that he's That
Speaker 2: might be like the the best guest possible scenario, like
Speaker 2: we had Deontay Wilder last Friday, right, yeah, with Gerald next.
Speaker 1: How are you and a lot similar? How are you
Speaker 1: bridging the gap between those two people. I don't I'd
Speaker 1: love to hear this. Yeah that's I think that's maybe
Speaker 1: the joke they're in. Okay, but yeah, I'm excited. You
Speaker 1: know what, I'm not gonna make a short joke either Deontay.
Speaker 2: Six to seven.
Speaker 3: I'm not gonna do that to our guy.
Speaker 1: But the problem is, since you said out loud into
Speaker 1: the microphone that you're excited for it to be Trey, that's.
Speaker 3: Just gonna go to his head.
Speaker 2: So maybe get someone else.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, let's get anybody else outside of Trey.
Speaker 1: But the days where we have an RSL guest slotted
Speaker 1: and we don't hear back and it probably means Trey
Speaker 1: is trying to make space for himself to be able
Speaker 1: to come on the show.
Speaker 2: I can say also, Nuggets, sometimes the timing a lie
Speaker 2: when we don't get an RSL guest as well.
Speaker 1: I don't want to talk to Trey about anything other
Speaker 1: than RSL because he cannot take his bias.
Speaker 2: He can't, he can't remove it.
Speaker 1: So you know it's yes, we're gonna win the championship again.
Speaker 2: Yo, Kitch, the greatest of all time.
Speaker 1: Whenever he goes into the space of any other content
Speaker 1: than RSL, I simply just cut him off.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's fair, it's fair. But hey, to be clear,
Speaker 2: while we've given him the space to do that, the
Speaker 2: year he went really hard on it, they didn't come
Speaker 2: away with the ring.
Speaker 1: Yeah they did. Yeah, that's fair, all right. So we'll
Speaker 1: see who joins us to talk a little soccer later,
Speaker 1: but a lot of basketball football, some NFL offseason, some
Speaker 1: Utah football transfer portal additions. Our first guest will be
Speaker 1: Tom habershow we are going to bring u some sound
Speaker 1: from the Will Hardy press conference. But before we get
Speaker 1: to all of that, on this cloudy and rainy Monday afternoon,
Speaker 1: it is time now for your opening tip.
Speaker 4: Welcome to the Drive with Spence check its on Utah's
Speaker 4: number one sports talk Now into the studios of ESPN
Speaker 4: seven hundred to set the scene for the show.
Speaker 5: Opening tip of.
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Speaker 1: Oftentimes in this business you wake up too unexpected news.
Speaker 1: You plan out a show, you want to do this,
Speaker 1: you want to do that, and then a news piece
Speaker 1: of news comes down and kind of cause you to
Speaker 1: throw out the rundown and reconsider what we're going to do.
Speaker 1: So Utah Jazz announced today that they have agreed to
Speaker 1: a new multi year contract extension with their head coach
Speaker 1: Will Hardy that runs through the twenty thirty one season.
Speaker 1: Will is thirty seven years old. Of course, he was
Speaker 1: hired twenty twenty two after Quinn Snyder decided he did
Speaker 1: not want to work for this new ownership group. So far,
Speaker 1: Will has compiled a record of eighty five wins one
Speaker 1: hundred and sixty one losses with no playoff appearances, thirty
Speaker 1: seven wins year one when he actually had some adults
Speaker 1: on the roster, thirty one last year, and then seventeen
Speaker 1: this season, by far, the worst record in franchise history
Speaker 1: and the worst record in the.
Speaker 2: NBA this season.
Speaker 1: So interesting timing of this and interesting dynamics for a
Speaker 1: few reasons, So let's get into it. So, of course
Speaker 1: Greg Popovich, unfortunately he has had to step down as
Speaker 1: the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, and we
Speaker 1: actually heard from Coach Pop today. He spoke for the
Speaker 1: first time since November of twenty twenty four.
Speaker 2: And I'm not gonna lie. That was hard to watch.
Speaker 1: It didn't look like the Greg Popovich that we've all
Speaker 1: come to know and come to expect. He looked like
Speaker 1: a guy that's been through a tremendous trial as far
Speaker 1: as the past two.
Speaker 2: Or three years.
Speaker 7: Now.
Speaker 1: Remember it's not just his own personal health. Coach Pop
Speaker 1: lost his wife sadly a few years back. Then he
Speaker 1: had the stroke, and he did not look like himself today.
Speaker 1: It was actually somewhat sad in my estimation. I'm thrilled
Speaker 1: that he's getting better, and I'm thrilled for him that
Speaker 1: he can continue in a role with that organization. As
Speaker 1: the president of the Spurs, he was flanked by some
Speaker 1: of the legends. We had Tim Duncan on one side,
Speaker 1: Monogenobili on the other. But one of the reasons I
Speaker 1: bring this up when it comes to the Popovich news
Speaker 1: is I'm not gonna lie. When Greg Popovich suffered his
Speaker 1: stroke and scept away from the team, I heard for
Speaker 1: more than a few people around pro basketball pontificating on
Speaker 1: the possibility of Will Hardy leaving the Utah Jazz and
Speaker 1: taking the job of head coach of the San Antonio Spurs.
Speaker 3: Now, of course, Will is under contract next year.
Speaker 1: Well, now, Will's under contract through twenty thirty one, But
Speaker 1: prior to today, Will was under contract next year and
Speaker 1: the year after. It was kind of a unique contract
Speaker 1: just as far as the format goes, where it was
Speaker 1: a five year deal, three years guaranteed, then two team options.
Speaker 1: When it became pretty clear that Will's pretty sharp guy,
Speaker 1: and the Jazz just don't really have good basketball players,
Speaker 1: and it's hard to win basketball games when you don't
Speaker 1: have players that are good at playing basketball.
Speaker 3: There's your analysis for the day.
Speaker 1: You can't really put much on the head coach, but
Speaker 1: I'll get back to that in a moment. So, when
Speaker 1: it became clear that this was going to be a
Speaker 1: long game proposition and that team forty nine year one
Speaker 1: with some veteran players actually kind of overshot expectations, and
Speaker 1: so the conversation was like, Okay, are they a player
Speaker 1: or two away from actually being much better than we
Speaker 1: all expected. And that was when Bobby Marks came on
Speaker 1: our radio show and broke the news that the Jazz
Speaker 1: thought they had a deal in place to acquire Drew
Speaker 1: Holliday from Portland, but Drew Holliday did not want to
Speaker 1: play here because he was in the mood to win championships,
Speaker 1: and so he went to Boston. And then there were
Speaker 1: conversations that prior to Kristaps porzingis landin in Boston, Ryan
Speaker 1: Smith and the front office thought they could have had
Speaker 1: a deal and bring porzingis in. Danny Ainge, you know,
Speaker 1: postseason media, big game hunting.
Speaker 3: You guys all.
Speaker 2: Remember the deal.
Speaker 1: So for a minute there was a conversation about, wait,
Speaker 1: could they really expedite this? And I have no idea
Speaker 1: who over there actually decided to say out loud, let's
Speaker 1: go ahead. And trade for Paul d or signed Paul
Speaker 1: George and trade from mckel bridges, as if that was
Speaker 1: any possibility at all. I mean delusions of grandeur. But hey,
Speaker 1: I guess speak it into existence. That's what the kids
Speaker 1: do now and maybe sometimes it happens in boom you
Speaker 1: see a reiki healer in your life changes. I don't know,
Speaker 1: I don't speak the language. But when it became clear
Speaker 1: the best laid plans aside this was going to have
Speaker 1: to be a long game, the front office and the
Speaker 1: ownership group decided that they would pick up Will's option
Speaker 1: next year, year four, and year five. Okay, so giving
Speaker 1: another two years of runway before they had to make
Speaker 1: a decision on Will, but in my opinion, more poignantly
Speaker 1: before Will had to make a decision on them. And
Speaker 1: I still believe Will has a decision to make on them. Okay,
Speaker 1: that's what makes today a little bit surprising. So again
Speaker 1: Popovich steps down. Unfortunately he's not well. A lot of
Speaker 1: people around pro basketball wondering if if the San Antonio
Speaker 1: Spurs would reach out to the Utah Jazz to try
Speaker 1: to engage in some sort of conversation to get Will
Speaker 1: out of here, to have him become the heir apparent
Speaker 1: Greg Popovich. Ironically enough, during Quinn Snyder's last year here,
Speaker 1: longtime listeners of the program, Hello, how are you?
Speaker 2: Thank you?
Speaker 1: You might remember Tim McMahon hopping on the show and
Speaker 1: alluding to the fact that he's hearing Quinn is going
Speaker 1: to leave the Jazz to take over for Greg Popovich. Now,
Speaker 1: funny thing happened on the way right to this end
Speaker 1: game and this final kind of landing of the plane,
Speaker 1: because then San Antonio won the lottery and they drafted
Speaker 1: Victor weman Yama, which seemed to kind of re energize
Speaker 1: Greg Popovich, just like drafting Tim Duncan. Did you know
Speaker 1: obviously the Spurs were able to get David Robinson with
Speaker 1: a number one overall pick. I mean, we can talk
Speaker 1: about Spurs culture all you want, all the championships, they
Speaker 1: wont all you want. None of that happens without their
Speaker 1: lot of lottery luck, which they've had plenty of with
Speaker 1: David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Victor wemen Yama, Spurs get when Manyama,
Speaker 1: Popovich realizes he now has the next big thing in
Speaker 1: basketball on his team, and he decides to stay and
Speaker 1: he even signs another contract to continue on as the
Speaker 1: head coach. So you know, Quinn alects to take a
Speaker 1: year away. I still think if he waited another four
Speaker 1: or five months, he currently would be the head coach
Speaker 1: of the Milwaukee Bucks. But he takes the Atlanta job,
Speaker 1: Popovich grabs one Minyama, and so that narrative goes out
Speaker 1: the window. And so this year, after Popovich decided to
Speaker 1: step down because of the health situation, a lot of
Speaker 1: conversation about whether or not they would try to contact
Speaker 1: the Jazz about bringing Will Hardy in as their next
Speaker 1: head coach. And now I don't know how much of
Speaker 1: that motivated the Utah Jazz to essentially do this right now,
Speaker 1: and I don't know how much of this messaging today.
Speaker 1: So the Spurs are going with Mitch Johnson as the
Speaker 1: team's new head coach. He's been an assistant coach for
Speaker 1: pop Foar I think ten years now and thirty eight
Speaker 1: years old, very well respected by people in the organization.
Speaker 2: So San Antonio has their head coach.
Speaker 1: So the timing of it today I think is interesting
Speaker 1: for a couple of different reasons.
Speaker 3: I really don't know.
Speaker 1: We'll have to get our ESPN stats and Info group
Speaker 1: on this. Will Hardy is going to get nine years,
Speaker 1: a nine year runway of guaranteed money to coach this
Speaker 1: team with no guarantees that he's going to have good players.
Speaker 1: He's gonna it nine years unless something crazy goes down. Now,
Speaker 1: of course, we see it all the time in the
Speaker 1: world of coaching, and the reason their contracts are structured
Speaker 1: like this is most of these guys are hired to
Speaker 1: be fired, and when you lose your job, the only
Speaker 1: silver lining if you're a coach now in either college
Speaker 1: or pro is you're paid millions of dollars not to work.
Speaker 1: It's actually not a bad gig. So this is a
Speaker 1: tremendous gesture from Jazz ownership and the Jazz front office
Speaker 1: indicating that they believe that Will is the guy to
Speaker 1: lead this team moving forward.
Speaker 3: I am surprised that Will.
Speaker 1: Decided to do this, because, as I've talked about throughout
Speaker 1: the course at the end of the regular season and
Speaker 1: throughout the course at the start of the postseason, whenever
Speaker 1: I hear some of these playoff droughts, whenever I hear
Speaker 1: some of these teams that are either in the postseason
Speaker 1: now or barely made it in for the first time
Speaker 1: in a long, long time. It just reminds me of
Speaker 1: how spoiled we've been with the competitive culture that the
Speaker 1: Millers built for a long long time, with a Utah
Speaker 1: Jazz team that more often than not has been very
Speaker 1: competitive consistently. Yes we've never had a championship. Yes there
Speaker 1: were some down years, Yes there were some missteps, Yes
Speaker 1: there were some playoff failures. But we have been lucky
Speaker 1: to have really good basketball in Utah for basically almost
Speaker 1: fifty years. And there is part of me that believes
Speaker 1: we're in the early stages of what could be a very,
Speaker 1: very long game in a way that we've never.
Speaker 2: Experienced it before.
Speaker 1: The Charlotte Hornets have gone twenty one seasons between playoff victories.
Speaker 1: The Sacramento Kings twenty one seasons between playoff victories. The
Speaker 1: last time the Detroit Pistons won a playoff game at
Speaker 1: home was two thousand and eight. It's been fifteen years
Speaker 1: since the Magic won an NBA playoff series. Can you
Speaker 1: believe that It's been a decade since the Chicago Bowls
Speaker 1: won a playoff series? Even the Wizards won a playoff
Speaker 1: series prior to the Bulls. But it's been eight years
Speaker 1: for them, eight years for the Spurs, and we're coming
Speaker 1: up on the fourth year of a rebuild for the
Speaker 1: Utah Jazz. And if you're watching the NBA playoffs and
Speaker 1: if you're juxtaposing these teams to what the Jazz are now,
Speaker 1: you're aware that they are not even close to competitivists.
Speaker 1: They're just not They're not one Cooper flag away. Quite frankly,
Speaker 1: they're not two pieces away. Quite frankly, there were probably
Speaker 1: four or five high quality pieces away combined with the
Speaker 1: good players they have on the roster, and there aren't many,
Speaker 1: but there might be two or three Lowry Walker and
Speaker 1: then after that who knows.
Speaker 3: But they need a ton of help.
Speaker 1: And if you're Will Hardy, you're a guy that around
Speaker 1: the landscape of pro basketball carries a lot of cachet,
Speaker 1: a lot of respect. You could take another job if
Speaker 1: you wanted to. So I viewed this today as a
Speaker 1: real gesture from the Jazz ownership and their front office
Speaker 1: and a real real signal of belief that you're our guy, Will.
Speaker 1: But I believe this to be a very calculated and
Speaker 1: dangerous move from Will Hardy to believe in what's going
Speaker 1: on over there with not a lot of tangible proof
Speaker 1: in front of them. All these coaches, at the end
Speaker 1: of the day are known for their win and lost record,
Speaker 1: and nobody gives a rip about the context. Okay, so
Speaker 1: Will at this point eighty five wins, one hundred and
Speaker 1: sixty one losses. They are not going to be good
Speaker 1: next year, and if I had to guess the year
Speaker 1: after that, it's probably gonna be another hole, Like we're
Speaker 1: developing young players. And at what point does Will look
Speaker 1: around and get sick of entering gunfights with a knife
Speaker 1: every night when the other coach actually has legitimate NBA
Speaker 1: talent and they're serious about winning, and Will's asked to
Speaker 1: continue to develop young players.
Speaker 3: So interesting news.
Speaker 1: We will bring you some sound from said press start
Speaker 1: coming up on the other side, we'll get the thoughts
Speaker 1: of Tom Haberstrow, Will Hardy apparently not a rambling man.
Speaker 3: Huh see what I did there right out of the gates.
Speaker 2: Maybe he is a twenty two minute presser.
Speaker 1: Well, uh doesn't there isn't the very definition of rambling man.
Speaker 1: Somebody wants to go up several places and yeah, you
Speaker 1: do you understand the joke that I was trying to make.
Speaker 2: Her a little more literal. Yeah, did go over your
Speaker 2: head a little bit. I was thinking more more from rambling.
Speaker 8: You know.
Speaker 1: No, that's fair, He went on. I think I think
Speaker 1: we're both cracked. And look, I apologize. My humor can
Speaker 1: be a little high brow. It can be a little
Speaker 1: you know. Listeners say intellectual. I'm not comfortable with that.
Speaker 1: But what I don't say that? Listeners say it's kind
Speaker 1: of awkward.
Speaker 2: Yeah, my my, my humor is very low bro, it's
Speaker 2: very like I'm a prairie boy.
Speaker 1: Now, I don't be hard on yourself. Come on, I think
Speaker 1: you alluded. No, I wasn't eluding anything. You had your
Speaker 1: Wrangler T shirt on today? Did you get that with
Speaker 1: a pack of SIGs?
Speaker 4: Though?
Speaker 6: There you go?
Speaker 8: Nice?
Speaker 2: Uh No, no SIGs. That's that's a hard stop at
Speaker 2: this point in my life. I'm proud of you.
Speaker 8: Thank you.
Speaker 2: I'm proud of you.
Speaker 6: All right.
Speaker 1: Uh Will Hardy was an you know what porter, Give
Speaker 1: me give me your thoughts on, you know, kind of
Speaker 1: the way I started the show where I view this
Speaker 1: as a tremendous gesture from jazz ownership and the front office.
Speaker 1: I mean, no coach gets a nine year runway when
Speaker 1: you haven't wanted a high level I mean, this is
Speaker 1: this to me feels like a little bit of a
Speaker 1: no brainer because I think Will's very bright. But I
Speaker 1: do view this as a little bit of a risk
Speaker 1: from Will.
Speaker 2: Tell me what you think, Yeah, No, I mean, as
Speaker 2: you said, maybe a risk from from Will in the
Speaker 2: sense that you just never know. You never know when
Speaker 2: a team is going to be able to strike when
Speaker 2: the iron's hot on a big free agent, or hit
Speaker 2: on a draft pick, or when you hit on a
Speaker 2: draft pick and he ends up having a career plagued
Speaker 2: with injuries a lah Grant Hill like, there's just so
Speaker 2: many variables in the NBA that you can't account for that, Hey,
Speaker 2: isn't taking any job a risk. I don't know that
Speaker 2: one that's getting this kind of salary is super risky
Speaker 2: in spite of you know, the record, the percentage, the
Speaker 2: number that goes next to your name, which, as you said, yeah,
Speaker 2: that's huge when you're on the job market, when you're
Speaker 2: looking back on your career. But it does appear that
Speaker 2: Will Hardy is in good faith not worried about that
Speaker 2: at the moment. He's just worried about what's going on here.
Speaker 2: With the Jazz, and and for the Jazz to have
Speaker 2: the kind of what clearly shows the kind of faith
Speaker 2: in Will to sign them to this extension. It looks
Speaker 2: like both parties are on the same page, which, as
Speaker 2: you mentioned, it's hard to be when you're in a
Speaker 2: position like this so much, losing so much, so much
Speaker 2: that you're not used to as an organization over the
Speaker 2: last two years in this regard they're handling it. I think,
Speaker 2: really well, I.
Speaker 1: Just have to wonder, what will you know if we
Speaker 1: fast forward two three years and they're not close, you
Speaker 1: know what I mean?
Speaker 3: You have to wonder what's going to go through his mind?
Speaker 2: Well, and then how much does that right, right, maybe
Speaker 2: he's on the job market, how much does that affect
Speaker 2: how he's viewed around the league. I think there's folks
Speaker 2: here that are are very very high on Will Hardy,
Speaker 2: especially in the Jazz Front office, and I think rightfully so.
Speaker 2: But yeah, at a certain point you and I'm saying
Speaker 2: this is Will start looking after yourself. He hasn't done
Speaker 2: that yet, which is pretty commendable. And the Jazz Front
Speaker 2: officer are taken oe. So the weather's a little chili today.
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Speaker 1: And in case you missed it earlier today, here's a
Speaker 1: here's a portion of the press conference announcing the contract
Speaker 1: extension for Will Hardy.
Speaker 9: How that how to go?
Speaker 2: You know, how content and how the conversations happened.
Speaker 10: Yeah, I mean I have an agent, like most or
Speaker 10: all coaches, you know, Ryan, Danny and Justin are the
Speaker 10: ones that communicate with them, Justin being the primary communicator.
Speaker 10: You know, these are conversations that happen over a period
Speaker 10: of time. It's not a one day thing. And yeah,
Speaker 10: so they speak about.
Speaker 2: You know, the.
Speaker 10: Kind of the aim of the program and what their
Speaker 10: thoughts are. I'm fortunate that I work for this group.
Speaker 10: I think Ryan Ashley Danny Justin have been incredibly good
Speaker 10: to me from the first day.
Speaker 5: We've been very aligned the entire way through this process.
Speaker 10: And so calling it a negotiation, that word sometimes draws
Speaker 10: up this thought in your mind like it's a contentious
Speaker 10: thing back and forth.
Speaker 5: And it's not.
Speaker 10: You know, I'm very proud to be the coach of
Speaker 10: the Utah Jazz. So this is something that everybody was
Speaker 10: really excited about, Brian.
Speaker 2: They will the year is a long time.
Speaker 7: It will be what like nine years when this thing's
Speaker 7: all done.
Speaker 8: How much does that help you, just as you're like
Speaker 8: looking forward to long term future, to be like, Okay,
Speaker 8: I will be here, this is my job for the
Speaker 8: foreseeable future.
Speaker 6: Yeah.
Speaker 10: I think that's ultimately a big sigh of relief for
Speaker 10: any coach. You know, we all see every day that
Speaker 10: this business is not It's not one where you see
Speaker 10: a ton of coaches getting long term commitments. I think
Speaker 10: ultimately the goal is to continue to build this program
Speaker 10: and ultimately hang a banner at Delta Center, and to
Speaker 10: get a commitment of that length shows the belief that
Speaker 10: you know, our group has in our coaching staff, and
Speaker 10: so it makes you feel the confidence from them.
Speaker 5: That's not something that I've ever doubted.
Speaker 10: I think the communication that we've had the entire first
Speaker 10: three years, I've I've felt that I have the confidence
Speaker 10: of our group. But to get that, you know, quote
Speaker 10: unquote put on paper is definitely meaningful. You know, I'm
Speaker 10: all in on the Utah Jazz. I'm incredibly humbled and
Speaker 10: grateful to have this opportunity. You know, there are there
Speaker 10: are very few moments where I'm I'm really at a
Speaker 10: loss for words, and this is one of those where
Speaker 10: the the perspective on all of it, the understanding of
Speaker 10: the commitment that they're making to me and to our
Speaker 10: staff is really humbling, and we're excited to continue to work.
Speaker 10: You know, I love representing this organization. I love representing
Speaker 10: our community and our fan base. So it's it's a
Speaker 10: really exciting.
Speaker 8: Right here.
Speaker 5: Yeah, coach, if you have a connection with the guys.
Speaker 7: You mentioned Ryan, Danny, Justin and yourself, you guys think.
Speaker 2: Together to play ball together.
Speaker 10: How board is that you need to have that connection
Speaker 10: with those guys.
Speaker 5: I don't know if that he is.
Speaker 6: In a lot of other.
Speaker 5: NBA coaching positions.
Speaker 10: Yeah, I think it's It's what sets us apart, is
Speaker 10: the alignment that we have every day. It's one constant conversation.
Speaker 10: I think I've said publicly, I'm not sure in three
Speaker 10: years we've ever scheduled a meeting because we don't need to.
Speaker 10: The conversation is ongoing. We all spend so much time
Speaker 10: together and are intentional about making sure we all spend
Speaker 10: time together that the perspective is always there.
Speaker 5: For all four of us.
Speaker 10: I understand the things that they're thinking about, the things
Speaker 10: that they're worried about, the things that they may be
Speaker 10: focused on in the current moment, and they understand the
Speaker 10: things that I'm worried about and focused on. So I
Speaker 10: think that connection allows us to navigate what is a
Speaker 10: hard landscape in professional sports. It's very much a business
Speaker 10: that is judged and reacted to in sort of an
Speaker 10: A or F manner. It's either great or it's terrible,
Speaker 10: And I think that it allows us to really block
Speaker 10: out all of.
Speaker 5: That noise and stay focused.
Speaker 10: On, you know, the intent of our group and why
Speaker 10: we're doing what we're doing. I couldn't be luckier to
Speaker 10: have three people like that that I get to work
Speaker 10: with every day, because, like you said, it's not lost.
Speaker 5: On me that this is non normal.
Speaker 8: An accounting.
Speaker 5: Hey, coach, what does it.
Speaker 7: Mean to you that you know this is you know,
Speaker 7: been able to get done?
Speaker 2: You know in this manner you know just kind of
Speaker 2: a as efficiently as as.
Speaker 7: As it it has been done.
Speaker 2: And you know, as a secondary question, what's been you know,
Speaker 2: some of your favorite moments, uh, in these first few
Speaker 2: years of your year tenure.
Speaker 10: Yeah, it means a lot to to.
Speaker 5: Get this done and sort of put this part behind us.
Speaker 5: There's so much work to be to be done.
Speaker 10: We have, you know, a a a lot that we
Speaker 10: have to do as a staff and as an organization
Speaker 10: moving forward to get where we want to get to.
Speaker 10: And so to have this element solidified in the moment
Speaker 10: is definitely relieving and allows us to focus on the
Speaker 10: things that we need to focus on. I mean, memories
Speaker 10: of the first three years is that's a hard one
Speaker 10: to pinpoint because I go back to, you know, the
Speaker 10: first press conference when I got the job and meeting
Speaker 10: all of you for the first time and sort of
Speaker 10: starting to initially feel the weight and responsibility of this job.
Speaker 10: But also feel the passion and the support of our
Speaker 10: fan base. You know, the first home game at Delta
Speaker 10: Center was a moment that I'll never forget. You know,
Speaker 10: the little things like the first time the team brought
Speaker 10: it in at the end of practice and training camp
Speaker 10: and you realize, like, wait, I'm the head coach. I'm
Speaker 10: the one that's supposed to talk right now. But also
Speaker 10: more than that, it's the time spent with everybody that's.
Speaker 5: In our travel party.
Speaker 10: There's so much time behind the scenes on the planes,
Speaker 10: on the buses. There's so many people who do incredible
Speaker 10: work for us who get no credit publicly, and forging
Speaker 10: those relationships along with the relationships with our players. You know,
Speaker 10: it's a day like today when the news comes out
Speaker 10: and you're getting techs from guys that were on the
Speaker 10: team my first year here, you know, as a thirty
Speaker 10: four year old, first time head coach, and they let
Speaker 10: me coach them, and they embraced me as the head coach,
Speaker 10: and they were ultimately the ones that fed into my
Speaker 10: confidence in this job because of the way that they
Speaker 10: approached me.
Speaker 5: Every day.
Speaker 10: The games are always fun, but ultimately I think that
Speaker 10: this job and coaching in general, it's the relationships and
Speaker 10: the time spent are the things that run through your
Speaker 10: head when you really look back on it. And so
Speaker 10: I'm very very grateful that I've been surrounded by and
Speaker 10: I'm still surrounded by so many amazing people.
Speaker 7: D Hey, well, the first extension kind of, you know,
Speaker 7: gave gave a glimpse that you would be here kind
Speaker 7: of through that first rebuilding part of the rebuild or
Speaker 7: first section of the rebuild of this team. And this
Speaker 7: extension gives you an opportunity to kind of look beyond
Speaker 7: what would be the rebuild and start of of sort
Speaker 7: of what it would look like when you guys are
Speaker 7: maybe trying for contention and I'm wondering, what are your worries,
Speaker 7: concerns thoughts about how maybe your job will change once
Speaker 7: it shifts.
Speaker 10: Yeah, it's not something that I'm concerned about. I think
Speaker 10: that's what we all want, you know, you wanna be
Speaker 10: in the big you want to be in the pressure situation.
Speaker 10: You want to be competing for the championship. That's what
Speaker 10: we're all hunting. And I do recognize that there will
Speaker 10: be a lot of changes for all of us as
Speaker 10: our team continues to grow.
Speaker 5: It's not just me.
Speaker 10: It's the assistant coaches, it's the players, it's the front office,
Speaker 10: it's Ryan and Ashley. Like the feelings and the emotions
Speaker 10: attached to it all will be a little bit different,
Speaker 10: and I'm excited for that. Like I'm excited for our
Speaker 10: fan base to pack the building for a big playoff game.
Speaker 5: I think that's what we're all anxious for and excited for.
Speaker 10: Like I watched these playoff games at night, and you're
Speaker 10: just staring at the screen, going, that's that's what I want,
Speaker 10: And that's what we're building towards. Like we are, we're
Speaker 10: a group that's very committed to the process of building
Speaker 10: a championship level team. And we said in the beginning
Speaker 10: and we will continue to say that does not mean
Speaker 10: that there aren't hard moments, But I think that those
Speaker 10: hard moments are ultimately what makes it all worth.
Speaker 5: It in the end. So I don't really have concerns
Speaker 5: about my job.
Speaker 10: Changing as we continue to move forward, because I think
Speaker 10: that's ultimately what you what you sign up for when
Speaker 10: you're a head coach in this league is things are
Speaker 10: constantly changing around you, and you have to be a
Speaker 10: steady force throughout all that change.
Speaker 1: Any the question for your first with the NBA or
Speaker 1: you put it out to Chicago for that or what you're.
Speaker 5: Playing with that, Yes, I will be in Chicago.
Speaker 10: And then one of that as we watch put out
Speaker 10: basketball and all, it's a different style of basketball, And.
Speaker 2: How do you think your current team and young players
Speaker 2: especially are put to kind of handle what we're seeing
Speaker 2: in some really tough.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 10: I think our our young players are on the right
Speaker 10: path of growing towards being ready for those.
Speaker 5: The reality is this season we weren't ready for that level, and.
Speaker 10: Some of that is outside of their control because there
Speaker 10: there is an element of some experience, but also some
Speaker 10: physical maturity and some of those things that stand out
Speaker 10: in some of these games. We're seeing a really really
Speaker 10: physical playoffs to this point. But the part that I'm
Speaker 10: most excited about is that, ultimately, in my experience in
Speaker 10: the playoffs, uh and continuing to watch it all unfold,
Speaker 10: your mental toughness and your mindset is the most important
Speaker 10: thing to get through the playoffs because there are big
Speaker 10: emotional swings, you're physically exhausted, and you're getting tested every
Speaker 10: single night. And I think that our group is building
Speaker 10: that resilience and continuing to improve and work on our
Speaker 10: mindset every single day, because that's what it's going to take.
Speaker 10: You know, if you watch the series after one game,
Speaker 10: the reactions are generally this team is playing great, this
Speaker 10: other team is playing poorly. You know, Golden State loses
Speaker 10: two games in a row and everybody's sort of writing
Speaker 10: them off, and they go win game seven on the road,
Speaker 10: And yes, it's because of the ability of their players,
Speaker 10: but more than that, it seems like it's because of
Speaker 10: the mindset of their players. And that's the thing that
Speaker 10: we have to continue to address as a group as
Speaker 10: we grow. Physical things are easier to measure, how strong
Speaker 10: you are, how high you can jump, how many shots
Speaker 10: you make out of a certain number, like those things
Speaker 10: are easy to measure. Your mindset's hard to measure, and
Speaker 10: so that's the thing we have to monitor really closely
Speaker 10: as a group as we keep going.
Speaker 9: Yeah, yeah, you.
Speaker 7: Mentioned need's are hard to come by the season, but
Speaker 7: fans and fans every time I want to gage, they're
Speaker 7: packing the area.
Speaker 5: Which surprise me every time I showed up. That that
Speaker 5: make people there to watch what you want to say,
Speaker 5: then of how they support you, maybe where you are
Speaker 5: in this process.
Speaker 10: Yeah, My message to our fan base, first and foremost
Speaker 10: is thank you. Their support means the world to me,
Speaker 10: It means the world to our team because we need
Speaker 10: them and ultimately we're trying to conduct ourselves in a
Speaker 10: way that represents.
Speaker 5: Them. And you always want your fan base to.
Speaker 10: Be proud of how you're operating as a team, and
Speaker 10: I think that ultimately that's why they showed up every night.
Speaker 10: I give our fan base a lot of credit. They
Speaker 10: have perspective, and they understand what we're ultimately hunting, and
Speaker 10: they understand what we're doing to try to get there
Speaker 10: and playing a lot of young players, trying to develop
Speaker 10: our young talent. The fan base understood that that was
Speaker 10: going to be hard from a wins and losses standpoint
Speaker 10: at certain moments. But I do think that they continued
Speaker 10: to show up because they enjoyed watching our young players compete.
Speaker 10: There was not a lack of effort on the floor.
Speaker 10: There was not a lack of passion. I want to
Speaker 10: continue to thank them and to continue to to tell
Speaker 10: them and remind them that this is all gonna be
Speaker 10: worth it, and growing these young players is He's gonna
Speaker 10: give us the best chance to hang a banner at
Speaker 10: Delta Center, and I understand frustration in certain moments. I
Speaker 10: understand that some of the losses are hard, and especially
Speaker 10: when you cared so deeply about the team, But their
Speaker 10: support does not go unnoticed. I'm very grateful for our
Speaker 10: fan base and their approach, and this is all gonna
Speaker 10: be worth it.
Speaker 4: All right.
Speaker 7: Well, as the season was ending, I I asked pretty
Speaker 7: much on everyone on the roster.
Speaker 5: Is Will a good coach? And how does he keep
Speaker 5: you guys accountable?
Speaker 7: And like, the general consensus was great coach. Everyone said
Speaker 7: calling things about you, So that's nice. But the thing
Speaker 7: that stood out was that everyone was like, well, he'll
Speaker 7: call Louray out in a film session or during practice
Speaker 7: or during game just as soon as he'll call out
Speaker 7: a two way guy or Cody or Isaiah. And so
Speaker 7: it's that even playing field. Is that a concerted effort
Speaker 7: kind of in your coaching philosophy and something that you.
Speaker 2: Want to continue.
Speaker 10: Yeah, that's gonna remain a core principle for us every
Speaker 10: single day. And that's because I believe ultimately everybody can improve,
Speaker 10: and secondly, we all want the same thing. We're all
Speaker 10: trying to win. My responsibility is to hold them accountable.
Speaker 10: It's not personal. I care very much about all these
Speaker 10: guys as human beings, but when we're doing the basketball piece,
Speaker 10: we're trying to improve as a team.
Speaker 5: They're trying to improve individually.
Speaker 10: And it's also a credit to our veteran players like
Speaker 10: you mentioned Lowry, and he allows me to coach him
Speaker 10: hard in front of the team because he understands that
Speaker 10: allowing me to do that lets me coach the young
Speaker 10: players hard and not have them bad an eye and
Speaker 10: they don't. We don't get into this situation of, well,
Speaker 10: you don't yell at him when he did this. You
Speaker 10: know he did this on that play and you didn't
Speaker 10: say anything. It's we want everybody to be held accountable
Speaker 10: to the same standards. And that's something that you know,
Speaker 10: I was fortunate to witness, you know, up close and
Speaker 10: personal throughout my coaching career, the coaches that I've worked for,
Speaker 10: and I ultimately think it's the best way to build
Speaker 10: team cohesion is everybody understanding that the standards have to
Speaker 10: be the same for everybody, and just because you're on
Speaker 10: a different contract or you play more minutes doesn't mean
Speaker 10: that you get to just let things slide. And I
Speaker 10: want them to continue to want more for themselves. That's
Speaker 10: my responsibility. And if that means that in certain moments
Speaker 10: they're all mad at me, that's fine. That comes with
Speaker 10: the territory, and there's that can be good for a
Speaker 10: group as well. But you know, our players deserve a
Speaker 10: lot of credit for how they've handled themselves. You know,
Speaker 10: I'm very grateful that they allow me to coach them
Speaker 10: as hard as I do.
Speaker 7: Start to follow up, Yeah, you mentioned having seen the
Speaker 7: coaches that you work for and learning from.
Speaker 2: Them, and kind of as it is recently that.
Speaker 7: Pop won't be coming back like to a coaching badge,
Speaker 7: I'm wondering how much of your coaching style philosophy.
Speaker 2: Was learned through him, and.
Speaker 8: Is he someone that you think.
Speaker 7: About or talk to when, like, you know, you get
Speaker 7: a big contract extension.
Speaker 8: Yeah.
Speaker 10: I I learned an incredible amount from Pop. H I
Speaker 10: think he really set the foundation of values for me
Speaker 10: that you carry into your team. I also recognize that
Speaker 10: I'm not Pop and our personalities are not the same,
Speaker 10: and so I'm not trying to emulate Pop. I do
Speaker 10: think that the values system, though, is similar. That being said,
Speaker 10: you know, he's taught me more than I could even
Speaker 10: explain allowing me to be a part of his program
Speaker 10: and their program for eleven years. The opportunities that I
Speaker 10: was was given there, getting to learn from him, getting
Speaker 10: to learn from the players, getting to learn from you know,
Speaker 10: countless assistant coaches that I got to work with and
Speaker 10: for while I was there, has ultimately shaped a ton
Speaker 10: of my coaching identity. But I do have to remain
Speaker 10: true to myself and do it my way and with
Speaker 10: my voice. So I'm forever grateful to him, you know,
Speaker 10: that organization and all the coaches and players that I
Speaker 10: was around while I was there. There's way too many
Speaker 10: to name each of them by name right now. And yeah,
Speaker 10: of course he's somebody that you know, I speak to.
Speaker 10: He's a mentor to me in a lot of ways.
Speaker 10: He's been a very prominent figure in my adult life.
Speaker 10: You know, I was in San Antonio from age twenty
Speaker 10: two to thirty three, which is a very formative part.
Speaker 5: Of my life.
Speaker 10: And so yeah, getting to to share the news with
Speaker 10: him is a you know, that's a great moment. There's
Speaker 10: you know, other coaches as well that you get to
Speaker 10: share the news with and you get congratulatory texts. It's
Speaker 10: one of the few moments where you take a moment
Speaker 10: and take a step back and.
Speaker 5: Think about.
Speaker 10: The journey to this point and all the people that
Speaker 10: have been very impactful along the way, Pop obviously being
Speaker 10: the most prominent.
Speaker 2: All right, there you go.
Speaker 1: Will Hardy addressing the media today after the news broke
Speaker 1: that he has agreed to a contract extension with the
Speaker 1: Utah Jazz going through the twenty thirty one season. Ironically enough,
Speaker 1: the same day that we heard from Greg Pepovich for
Speaker 1: the first time since November of twenty twenty four.
Speaker 3: We've got Smitty Liven studio today.
Speaker 1: He spent forty years with the Jazz front office and
Speaker 1: a number of different capacities. We'll do a little RSL
Speaker 1: later on Landing King has a new home. He has
Speaker 1: transferred to Duke, former Utah tight End. But our next
Speaker 1: guest joins us on a very consistent basis with a
Speaker 1: lot to get to. On a Monday afternoon, we welcome
Speaker 1: in Tom Haberstrow. Tommy, Happy Monday man.
Speaker 2: How are we doing.
Speaker 8: I'm doing great man. How are you?
Speaker 2: I'm well, I'm well.
Speaker 1: So some unexpected news dropped in our market today is
Speaker 1: the Utah Jazz and Will Hardy have agreed to a
Speaker 1: multi year contract extension through twenty thirty one. Now, as
Speaker 1: you know, when they signed Will in twenty twenty two,
Speaker 1: it was a five year deal, three guaranteed years, then
Speaker 1: two team options. They had already picked up both of
Speaker 1: those options. So prior to today he was under contract
Speaker 1: through twenty twenty five. Now he's under contract through twenty
Speaker 1: thirty one. Tommy, he gets a nine year runway. This
Speaker 1: doesn't happen often. What are your thoughts.
Speaker 8: I think it's a great indication of the trust between
Speaker 8: the front office and Hardy. Despite the record seventeen and
Speaker 8: sixty five, you get a six year extension basically through
Speaker 8: twenty thirty one after having the worst record in the NBA.
Speaker 8: This is very clear that everyone's on the same page
Speaker 8: of what this is all about. Right, they all know
Speaker 8: what time it is is that Hardy given the personnel
Speaker 8: and the objective, which is very clear, you don't extend
Speaker 8: the head coach for having the worst record in the
Speaker 8: league unless that is the goal, or at least that
Speaker 8: is part of the plan. And Hardy has had to
Speaker 8: deal with a lot of in and out players, differing
Speaker 8: incentive structures where you would think that a guy with
Speaker 8: not just this year, but last year going thirty one
Speaker 8: and fifty one, the year before that thirty seven to
Speaker 8: forty five. The Utah Jazz win count has gone down
Speaker 8: in each of the three years that Will already's coached.
Speaker 8: But that's kind of all part of the plan. And
Speaker 8: they they I think, have the right process and they're
Speaker 8: sticking by him in the same way that the Portland
Speaker 8: Trailblazers did the same thing with Chauncey Billips this offseason,
Speaker 8: and these these organizations are I think looking after what
Speaker 8: Mark Deagnel and Emo Udoka did with Houston and saying,
Speaker 8: you know what, I think we should stick by our
Speaker 8: coach if he is demonstrating that he's about all the
Speaker 8: right things and getting the guys ready and all about
Speaker 8: development long term. We're not just going to let this
Speaker 8: guy go once things start getting good. We're going to
Speaker 8: stick by them and let them see through this. And
Speaker 8: I think it's a new day in the NBA where
Speaker 8: you're seeing guys get that opportunity. And on the other side,
Speaker 8: Will Hardy is in a profession in which Michael Malone
Speaker 8: and Taylor Jenkins get fired days before the postseason, so
Speaker 8: it's a very unusual coaching market right now, and I
Speaker 8: think it's an indication, it's a testament to Will Hardy
Speaker 8: and his professionalism that like he was able to see
Speaker 8: this through enough to get to the other side. And
Speaker 8: that's really exciting if you're Will Hardy.
Speaker 1: And I want to be very clear, in a profession
Speaker 1: where you are essentially hired to be fired, when an
Speaker 1: ownership group in a front office offers you this opportunity,
Speaker 1: you do not turn it down. But Tom, I've been
Speaker 1: talking about this throughout the course of the past month
Speaker 1: or so. You know, when the playoffs roll around, you're
Speaker 1: always reminded about how many cities and how many organizations
Speaker 1: have had sometimes decades of futility and very long stretches
Speaker 1: in between competitive teams.
Speaker 3: We've never had that here.
Speaker 2: We just haven't.
Speaker 1: We've had two and three years of a Scott Layden
Speaker 1: pivot or a Dennis Lindsay or a Kevin O'Connor pivot
Speaker 1: and a Dennis Lindsay pivot and pretty quickly have been
Speaker 1: able to get back to respectability competitiveness. And I do
Speaker 1: not think we are close here now to seeing that
Speaker 1: happen anytime soon. So is there a part of this
Speaker 1: where Will Hardy is taking a little bit of a
Speaker 1: risk because from my prism, Will checks all the boxes.
Speaker 2: He's a great communicator, his players seem to like him.
Speaker 1: He has maximized every piece of talent he's had here,
Speaker 1: and I badly want to see what an NBA team
Speaker 1: with good players looks like coached by him. But there
Speaker 1: is a risk here about committeing to this organization long term,
Speaker 1: where there's no guarantees on the horizon of talent landing
Speaker 1: in our market to allow the Jazz to get even
Speaker 1: close to where some of these Western Conference teams are.
Speaker 1: If we are honest and salient here Tom, they are three,
Speaker 1: four or five pieces away from the Minnesotas and the
Speaker 1: Denvers and the Oklahoma cities. Is there a bit of
Speaker 1: a risk that's taken on Will's behalf? Even though, again
Speaker 1: with a profession full of so much volatility, if you
Speaker 1: have nine years a runway, you take it no matter what.
Speaker 2: But is there a bit of a risk on Will's
Speaker 2: part here?
Speaker 8: Sure? I think this is a riskless or I guess
Speaker 8: a profession that there is no safe job. There is not.
Speaker 8: I mean, we just saw two teams that had basically
Speaker 8: been at the top or near the top of the
Speaker 8: Western Conference at one point this season, either the number
Speaker 8: two or the number three seed for much of the season,
Speaker 8: and they get fired. So nothing's guaranteed in this league,
Speaker 8: especially when we're coming off the season in which Taylor
Speaker 8: Jenkins and Michael Malone seemed like everything was fine and
Speaker 8: they were going through a little rough patch. But we're
Speaker 8: seeing Denver win fifty games with Michael Malone and they
Speaker 8: let him go. There's no I mean, outside of Eric Spolstra,
Speaker 8: there really isn't. I think now we're seeing Greg Popovich
Speaker 8: and the torch passed the torch over to mis Johnson.
Speaker 8: You know, Eric Spolster in Miami is the longest standard
Speaker 8: head coach in the NBA now and I remember covering
Speaker 8: him in twenty ten and he was just a baby.
Speaker 8: You know, this league, if you're able to get this
Speaker 8: kind of buy in from the front office, even if
Speaker 8: it's long term, with some team options, what have you,
Speaker 8: I think that's as close as stability as you're gonna get.
Speaker 8: So Will Hardy, I think the grass is always greener
Speaker 8: in the NBA. You think that it would be better
Speaker 8: to be in a winning environment with the competitive juices flowing.
Speaker 8: Everyone wants to win. The priority is to win every game,
Speaker 8: but that also is very stressful and a lot of
Speaker 8: times you butt heads with front offices. And it seems
Speaker 8: like Will Hardy's happy where he is in Utah, and
Speaker 8: I can't blame him for the security in a profession
Speaker 8: where there isn't much security. I mean, the Phoenix Suns
Speaker 8: are they just let go James Jones and hired someone
Speaker 8: who is a longtime coach under Tom Izzo to be
Speaker 8: the GM. They fire Mike Bundholzer, they fire Frank Vogel,
Speaker 8: they cycle through head coaches. So I can understand why
Speaker 8: Will Hardy is opting for security rather than necessarily chasing
Speaker 8: the next big job that comes up, because certainly there's
Speaker 8: a lot of competition for those jobs. And as someone
Speaker 8: who lives in Charlotte, sometimes it's nice to know, like
Speaker 8: where you're going to be for the next several years,
Speaker 8: even if it isn't a New York or in Miami
Speaker 8: or in LA so to speak. I don't know what
Speaker 8: the NBA equivalent, Maybe it is those teams, but I
Speaker 8: think happiness as an NBA head coach, I remember Stamping
Speaker 8: and Gundy talking recently about how on Leviatage Stow he
Speaker 8: was talking about you know, people were saying, hey, at
Speaker 8: least in when you got let go in New Orleans
Speaker 8: or let go in Detroit, you had multiple years of
Speaker 8: millions of dollar I was guaranteed to you. How mad
Speaker 8: could you be? How else could you be when you
Speaker 8: get fired? And he really was hard on this and
Speaker 8: was like, if you have any sort of pride, any
Speaker 8: organization that says we don't want you here anymore, we
Speaker 8: think we can do better than you going forward, and
Speaker 8: we are willing to pay you millions of dollars to
Speaker 8: not have to deal with you every day, that still hurts,
Speaker 8: and it still hurts a lot. And so as much
Speaker 8: as we want to say, like will Hardy might be
Speaker 8: able to get a better job elsewhere, a better winning situation,
Speaker 8: I understand the inclination to opt for security. Even though
Speaker 8: they could fire him tomorrow, there is still the security
Speaker 8: of the front office that he's the only front office
Speaker 8: that he's had as a head coach, and it seems
Speaker 8: like they're all aligned. I can see why there's a
Speaker 8: little bit of risk, But every job in the NBA,
Speaker 8: in this profession, I think there's risk involved for sure.
Speaker 1: One more thing, are you agree with my premise that
Speaker 1: the Jazz are not close to being competitive?
Speaker 2: Is that fair to say?
Speaker 8: Yeah? Okay, you know, I was just thinking about this.
Speaker 8: Who is there, Shay Gils just Alexander? They don't have
Speaker 8: one like who is there Devin Booker? Right, the guy that,
Speaker 8: yeah they're gonna lose seventy games. But who's their guy
Speaker 8: that they can they can build around and say, okay,
Speaker 8: that is that is a young piece that you can
Speaker 8: envision a rebuild around. Evan Mobley, Shay Gilds, Alexander, Devin Booker.
Speaker 8: These are types of guys that I think you can't
Speaker 8: point to Larry market In and say that's their version
Speaker 8: of that, because Larry is turning twenty eight years old
Speaker 8: this summer and those guys when they were coming up
Speaker 8: there twenty three, twenty four, And that's a huge difference.
Speaker 8: And so I think Larry markten is more likely to
Speaker 8: get moved, in my opinion, than being the franchise Cornerstone
Speaker 8: future star in the same way that Shake goes as
Speaker 8: Alexander is for okay.
Speaker 1: See, oh well, then I continue to say, like I
Speaker 1: cannot analyze the twenty twenty nine Utah Jazz. I do
Speaker 1: not know what that team will look like. I can
Speaker 1: only analyze what's in front of me. So before we
Speaker 1: move on, because we got a lot to do. Man,
Speaker 1: the playoffs have been so fun. Let's get the Tom
Speaker 1: Haberstrow most optimistic approach on how long this is going
Speaker 1: to take for the Jazz to get back to competition
Speaker 1: at a high level in the West and what are
Speaker 1: the boxes that have to be checked?
Speaker 8: Well, Cooper Flag would help. I think in this draft
Speaker 8: that guy is probably year three before you start talking
Speaker 8: to playoffs. I think in most situations about three year
Speaker 8: runway with Larry Mark and Will Hardy, I think you
Speaker 8: can look at year two as being a real playoff contender.
Speaker 8: That's how good Cooper Flag is in my opinion. He's
Speaker 8: that polished and well rounded that if he's on the
Speaker 8: floor playing thirty minutes a night for you, you're not
Speaker 8: going to have that many weaknesses. That's how good he is.
Speaker 8: And so whether they are going to be contending for
Speaker 8: a playoff in the first year, I think not. No
Speaker 8: matter how good you are as a rookie, it's very
Speaker 8: hard for you as an eighteen year old, which is
Speaker 8: going to be eighteen eighteen, nineteen year old as a rookie.
Speaker 8: No matter how good you are, it's very hard to
Speaker 8: be a playoff team right off the bat. I think
Speaker 8: year two you can start talking playing and playoff potential
Speaker 8: for the Utah Jazz with Walker Kestler, Larry Markinin and
Speaker 8: Cooper Flag. But we'll see about the backcourt. That's going
Speaker 8: to be key. But for this team without Cooper Flag,
Speaker 8: it's going to be four years, five years.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, Now, we'll see. We'll have to see how
Speaker 3: it plays out.
Speaker 1: I mean, you know, every team needs that luck for
Speaker 1: all the and look, I'm certainly on a daylight today.
Speaker 1: We'll never speak illy you know, of Greg Popovich, but
Speaker 1: he'll be the first one to tell you Without Tim
Speaker 1: Duncan or David Robinson or Jenoe Bleer Pink, you got
Speaker 1: out players. You just have to have players. There's no
Speaker 1: other way around it. The organization walking line as well
Speaker 1: as our cornerstone. He's our big block. While he doesn't play,
Speaker 1: he coaches. This is a players league. Leading us to
Speaker 1: the teams that are now in the postseason. What impressed
Speaker 1: you most about the way the Warriors went in Houston
Speaker 1: and won Game seven.
Speaker 8: Buddy held man. I did not see that from Buddy Heeld.
Speaker 8: I could not believe that he was the guy who
Speaker 8: came up huge for the Golden State Warriors. Given the
Speaker 8: pedigree on that roster and that experience on the roster.
Speaker 8: What Buddy Heel did to punish the way that the
Speaker 8: Houston Rockets were loading up on Steph Curry is one
Speaker 8: of the best Game seven performances I've seen a long time.
Speaker 8: It's not just that he scored thirty three points, it's
Speaker 8: the expectation level. Like Buddy Heel, has never been a
Speaker 8: playoff performer, and in fact, Buddy Heald coming into the
Speaker 8: last season, I'm not so sure he has won a
Speaker 8: playoff game ever. And so like Buddy Heald has never
Speaker 8: been big in this moment because he's never really been
Speaker 8: big on a good team before. And so when you
Speaker 8: see what he did on Sunday Night, where he's coming
Speaker 8: in there as a guy who's never won a playoff
Speaker 8: game in his life heading into this series and then
Speaker 8: coming up big in a two seven upset where he's
Speaker 8: making everything and making the smart play, moving the ball
Speaker 8: when he has to, taking advantage, and being aggressive when
Speaker 8: he has to Buddy Healed and the way that he
Speaker 8: continued to make him so valuable on the floor was
Speaker 8: something that I needed to see before I believed it.
Speaker 8: Like acquiring Buddy Heel to the regular seasons one thing,
Speaker 8: But to see that Buddy Heal can go thirty seven
Speaker 8: minutes in a playoff Game seven and be one of
Speaker 8: the best players on the floor and lead the game
Speaker 8: in scoring is another level and a weapon on the
Speaker 8: Golden State Warriors that they're going to need in this
Speaker 8: next years against Minnesota. I don't know about you, Spence,
Speaker 8: Like I'm a Steph Curry believer, but I didn't realize
Speaker 8: that this is going to be the first series in
Speaker 8: which the Golden State Warriors are the underdog in the
Speaker 8: last decade. Like that's astounding to me that they've never
Speaker 8: been the underdog in a series until now in the
Speaker 8: last ten years, ten years, and part of that is
Speaker 8: the size advantage that Minnesota has. But I still picked
Speaker 8: the Warriors.
Speaker 5: I have Warriors in seven.
Speaker 8: They've won the last three games against Minnesota. That was
Speaker 8: even before Jimmy Butler. Kevon Looney was not a huge
Speaker 8: performer in the entirety of this series against Houston, But
Speaker 8: I think he's gonna be big against Rudy Gobert, and
Speaker 8: I just if we saw that from Buddy Heeld, I
Speaker 8: needed to see it in a game seven. That's a
Speaker 8: new dimension for the Warriors that they're gonna have that
Speaker 8: release valve when they load up on Steph Curry with
Speaker 8: that size and they passed to Draymond Green, they can
Speaker 8: credibly passed the Buddy Heald and get an open shot
Speaker 8: and have him hit that. So that was man, that
Speaker 8: was a surprise. That was like in a a season
Speaker 8: finale where they reveal the killer and you're like that guy,
Speaker 8: like I did not know he had it in him.
Speaker 8: And I was very impressed with Buddy Healed. And they're
Speaker 8: gonna need against Minnesota.
Speaker 1: All right, let's go back to Saturday, and you know,
Speaker 1: there are there are simply stretches. And this might say
Speaker 1: as much about the Clippers as it does about Denver,
Speaker 1: but there's there was about a fourteen or fifteen minute
Speaker 1: stretch between the second and the third quarter. When Denver
Speaker 1: plays like that, you just go, they're as good as
Speaker 1: any team left, including Boston or Okay see, and maybe
Speaker 1: it was lack of effort from the Clippers, it was
Speaker 1: just a decent Kawhi game and you wrote on this
Speaker 1: so I will stand in this microphone. It was yet
Speaker 1: another Game seven failure from James Harden and you have
Speaker 1: dubted in the cave. Maybe that's not the fairest narrative
Speaker 1: in the world, but was Game seven and ballery in
Speaker 1: Was that more about who Denver can be when they
Speaker 1: do what they did the clips over the second and
Speaker 1: the third quarter or was that an indictment on the
Speaker 1: clips or maybe a bit of both.
Speaker 6: Man, I think.
Speaker 8: James Harden is really really difficult to rally around in
Speaker 8: the playoffs when it gets deep into a series. For
Speaker 8: this reason, he is a three shot foul hunter the
Speaker 8: likes we have never seen in the NBA, and in
Speaker 8: the regular season that works. He is unbelievably good on
Speaker 8: the perimeter at hitting threes and being able to draw
Speaker 8: that three shot foul. He gets his legs taken out
Speaker 8: from under him, he exaggerates contact, he gets that call.
Speaker 8: But as these games get deeper into a series and
Speaker 8: the referees have seen James Harden and the way that
Speaker 8: Denver's playing him, he's not getting that call, and Denver
Speaker 8: made them pay. Look, James Harden is not the biggest
Speaker 8: choke artist in game sevens in NBA history. I ran
Speaker 8: the numbers, I've looked at the tape. This guy has
Speaker 8: had some duds, but he has shown up in Game
Speaker 8: seven before and his decline from his regular seat, his
Speaker 8: regular season performance, postseason performance to game seven, his Game
Speaker 8: seven drop off isn't nearly as seismic as some other
Speaker 8: players in the NBA. And it's crazy to say this
Speaker 8: on the surface, but Jokic just has some duds in
Speaker 8: Game seven, fallen off from his normal performances. I'm not
Speaker 8: saying James Harden is better than Jokic. Certainly we saw
Speaker 8: what happened in Game seven. But the issue with James
Speaker 8: Harden is he can't shoot in these big moments. He
Speaker 8: was one of four from Downtown, two of eight for
Speaker 8: the game, and he I think lets the referees and
Speaker 8: the whistle get in his head a little bit where
Speaker 8: he's like, if I'm not getting these foul calls, I
Speaker 8: have to turn into role player playmaker. And you saw
Speaker 8: thirteen assists that just two turnovers. Wasn't looking for his shot.
Speaker 8: Denver knew that he had another great first quarter coming out,
Speaker 8: and it just seems like he loses steam and the
Speaker 8: Clippers just aren't young enough to rely on Kawhi Leonard
Speaker 8: and be like, all right, when James doesn't have it going,
Speaker 8: we can just go to Kawhi. As the season goes
Speaker 8: on and the postseason goes on, I just think it's
Speaker 8: harder and harder to compensate for Harden in a game
Speaker 8: six or game seven, and when he shifts into playmaker
Speaker 8: mode and past first guy, he needs someone who's got
Speaker 8: that Alpha in him. And right now at James Harden's
Speaker 8: stage of his career, look, James Harden is the all
Speaker 8: time leading steals guy in a game seven. He's one
Speaker 8: of the best shot blockers, is over a block per
Speaker 8: game in game sevens. He's fourth all time in assists
Speaker 8: per game in game sevens. He's got a really good
Speaker 8: efficiency metric in game sevens. The problem is he just
Speaker 8: can't hit threes. And a lot of that I think
Speaker 8: has to do with the officiating and the fact that
Speaker 8: they were swallowing those whistles and saying we're not going
Speaker 8: to fall for it. We're not going to fall for
Speaker 8: the Oki dough. When you fall onto the ground, Denver
Speaker 8: is going to get that ball and they're going to
Speaker 8: go the other direction. There's a possession in the second
Speaker 8: quarter highlight on Tomdefinder dot Com that signified the problems
Speaker 8: when you build around James Harden. He's not getting those
Speaker 8: foul calls. He's just another guy, all right.
Speaker 1: Moving over now, if I told you that the Cavs
Speaker 1: are in trouble, would you? And I felt like this
Speaker 1: before Game one, I mean Indiana since January when Rick
Speaker 1: Carlisle made some adjustments to the rotation and they got healthy,
Speaker 1: they've just been kind of one of those teams that's
Speaker 1: a total pain in the ass. And I always try
Speaker 1: to be fairer because I hear a lot of, you know,
Speaker 1: Donovan Mitchell playoff narratives, and Donovan has had his fair
Speaker 1: share of when the lights are at their brightest and
Speaker 1: when his teams have an opportunity to take that next step,
Speaker 1: he hasn't necessarily delivered. I've also watched him drop half
Speaker 1: one hundred in playoff games a couple of times, and
Speaker 1: I think he has five forty plus playoff games and
Speaker 1: two fifty plus up playoff game, so it's not like
Speaker 1: he's never getting it done in the postseason. But there
Speaker 1: is something about this matchup and if I'm a Cavs fan, man,
Speaker 1: I'm a big concern.
Speaker 2: Tell me your thoughts.
Speaker 8: I'm not, I'm not. I think this is a makero
Speaker 8: miss league. And just like in Utah, when you have
Speaker 8: a team that predicated on three point shooting, you got
Speaker 8: to hit those shots. And you know what, that's true
Speaker 8: for every team in the league, like Indiana shut the
Speaker 8: heck out of the ball. Nineteen of thirty six made
Speaker 8: over fifty three percent of their three balls in that game.
Speaker 8: The Calves, led by Donovan Mitchell only at nine to
Speaker 8: thirty eight, one of the worst three point shooting performances
Speaker 8: in Calves history. That's not going to do it. You
Speaker 8: lost thirty points in the three point calm. The team
Speaker 8: the Caves that normally kill you from downtown, they had
Speaker 8: a bad night. And look, some of that is scheme,
Speaker 8: but I think most of it is just the shots
Speaker 8: weren't falling, and Donovan Mitchell scoring thirty three on thirty
Speaker 8: shot attempts is not going to cut it. I think
Speaker 8: this is one of those games where Kenny Atkinson just says,
Speaker 8: next game, let's try to get Darius Garland healthy and
Speaker 8: try to get those same looks because on the other side,
Speaker 8: I think Indiana hit some tough shots and they were
Speaker 8: playing harder, and sometimes that stuff gets rewarded by the
Speaker 8: three point shooting. But I'm looking at the three point
Speaker 8: calm and the fact that the Cavs out rebounded them,
Speaker 8: they took care of the ball, they shot better than
Speaker 8: them on Tues. And the only thing really that they
Speaker 8: got beat on was something that they got romped on
Speaker 8: is the three point calm. And it was a close
Speaker 8: game until the very end, and if some of those
Speaker 8: shots go the other way. I know it's not a
Speaker 8: very compelling answer, but in a make or miss league,
Speaker 8: when you lose by thirty points in the three point column,
Speaker 8: I just think you flush it down the toy and
Speaker 8: you go to Game two. They might get Terius Garland,
Speaker 8: one of the most dynamic backcourt players in the league.
Speaker 8: That will certainly help things. They need him healthy in
Speaker 8: order to beat the Indiana Pacers, That's for sure. They
Speaker 8: need to have a mobile healthy. They need DeAndre Hunter
Speaker 8: to be healthy. But thos are more concerned about the
Speaker 8: health on the Cavs side than anything. Schematically. I thought
Speaker 8: that that Game one was as bad as they played,
Speaker 8: especially on hitting shots and shot making, and I'm not
Speaker 8: too concerned. I think the kas are I think the
Speaker 8: Kaws are going to still gonna win this series. But
Speaker 8: that was not a good first game out of that group, all.
Speaker 2: Right, before I set you loose.
Speaker 1: In ninety minutes, they're tipping off the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
Speaker 1: And I love me some Jalen, and I love that
Speaker 1: the Knicks are at least relevant again and have been
Speaker 1: for a few years since, you know, basically in my opinion,
Speaker 1: not being relevant since the late nineties.
Speaker 2: So I like this next team, you know.
Speaker 1: I know that the Mikel Bridges acquisition and even og
Speaker 1: you know, acquired with the idea of matching up with
Speaker 1: Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown and maybe Drew Holliday's compromise,
Speaker 1: but they still have Derek White, and both those two
Speaker 1: guards are capable of really making it hard on Jalen
Speaker 1: and Tom. They just asked Jalen to do everything. I
Speaker 1: feel like nobody's giving the Knicks, even a Mike Tyson
Speaker 1: uppercut knockout random, you know, even kind of a chance here.
Speaker 3: Do you feel the same? What you what are your
Speaker 3: thoughts as we started the second round series?
Speaker 8: Yeah, I got Boston in five man. They got Boston
Speaker 8: in five I mean, I I look at this Boston
Speaker 8: five out system is way too good and on another
Speaker 8: level than what we saw with the Pistons that often
Speaker 8: had two guys on the floor that couldn't shoot. The
Speaker 8: optionality that the Boston Celtics offense has where they got
Speaker 8: playmakers at every position. They got guys who can shoot
Speaker 8: at every position, the guys who can play off the
Speaker 8: dribble in every position, and I just think that's so
Speaker 8: much harder to defend. And then this Knxt team, it's
Speaker 8: and mckel bridges that I worry about. It's the fact
Speaker 8: that the Boston Celtics have a guy at every position
Speaker 8: that can hunt Karl Anthony Towns or Jalen Brunson on
Speaker 8: any given possession. And I'm sorry, but that offense, the
Speaker 8: Knicks offense, they were a bottom ten offense for half
Speaker 8: the season. They were not a good offense against the
Speaker 8: Detroit Pistons. This Boston team is better in every respect,
Speaker 8: and I just think that the Knicks don't have enough
Speaker 8: on both ends of the floor with that five man
Speaker 8: unit with Kat and mckel bridges and og Josh Hart
Speaker 8: and Jalen Brunson. I just think that, yes, they were
Speaker 8: built to try to handle the Boston Celtics, but this
Speaker 8: Boston Celtics has a different engine in that car, and
Speaker 8: I just think it's going to be a different series
Speaker 8: than Detroit. And a lot of the issues that the
Speaker 8: Detroit exposed about the Knicks but weren't quite able to
Speaker 8: capitalize on. I think the Boston Celtics are going to
Speaker 8: make quick work of the New York Knicks. I just
Speaker 8: think the Knicks defense isn't that good, and I think
Speaker 8: Kat and Jalen Brunson defensively are going to be really
Speaker 8: exposed in this series.
Speaker 2: Where can people get to work?
Speaker 8: Tommy Hey, Tomafinder dot com. I really appreciate people. Go
Speaker 8: subscribe to my substack also at Yahoo Sports with Kevin
Speaker 8: O'Connor and Dan Devine, two shows a week over at
Speaker 8: Yahoo's Sports. Go check out the YouTube over there, And
Speaker 8: of course I appreciate Basketball Illuminati listeners. Always a good
Speaker 8: time on that show. We got Steve Jones joining us,
Speaker 8: the former assistant coach and video coordinator for the Brooklyn
Speaker 8: Nets and Memphis grizz is going to join us this week.
Speaker 8: You've probably already followed him on Steve Jones twenty on Twitter.
Speaker 8: He's awesome and we have another great episode coming up
Speaker 8: on Wednesday. As at Basketball Illuminati appreciated Spence as always.
Speaker 1: All right, my man Tom Haberstrow. We will catch a
Speaker 1: quick break coming up. On the other side, Richard Smith
Speaker 1: rolls through for an entire hour. We'll get his take
Speaker 1: on the news that Will Hardy has been extended through
Speaker 1: twenty thirty one. We'll do a little lottery, little draft
Speaker 1: in some playoffs. It is time now to start thinking
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Speaker 4: He's the pride of Norwich, Connecticut and an adopted son
Speaker 4: of Salt Lake City. After forty years with the Utah Jazz,
Speaker 4: there's no one better to talk some hoops. Richard Smitty
Speaker 4: Smith is back on the drive on ESPN seven hundred.
Speaker 1: All right, coming up at the end of this segment,
Speaker 1: we are giving away one round of golf to Davis Park,
Speaker 1: which is a great track up north.
Speaker 8: It is the.
Speaker 3: Festival of Teas.
Speaker 1: I have tasked Smitty with coming up with a trivia question,
Speaker 1: an NBA jazz related, maybe Draft related trivia question that
Speaker 1: he's going to drop on you coming up. We'll call
Speaker 1: that about twenty minutes from right now, and the first
Speaker 1: person to text in the answer, We're gonna send you
Speaker 1: up to play Davis Park in honor of our Festival
Speaker 1: of T's brought to you by the UGA, So stay
Speaker 1: tuned for that and live in studio, fresh off a
Speaker 1: trip down south where he was watching some of the
Speaker 1: world's greatest LPGA golfers play at the Black Desert Championship.
Speaker 3: Is Richard Smith, Smitty? How are you, man?
Speaker 6: Man?
Speaker 9: It was a fun weekend too, Spence a great golf
Speaker 9: You know, you you watch the women in the LPGA
Speaker 9: up close, and you recognize quickly how how precise they
Speaker 9: are and everything they do when they get over the
Speaker 9: ball and they get ready to hit it, everything is
Speaker 9: lined up. Everything is just textbook. I mean, and I
Speaker 9: mean everybody, every single player. I was just you know,
Speaker 9: fascinated by by how precise and distinct they are when
Speaker 9: they get over the ball, you know, whether it's on
Speaker 9: the tea, in the middle of the fairway, on the green.
Speaker 6: It's uh, it was fun to watch, fun to be
Speaker 6: a part of course.
Speaker 3: In good shape, the highlights, it's awesome.
Speaker 9: Course was in great shape. The uh, the Black Desert
Speaker 9: administrative people down there, they just they go all out
Speaker 9: to make sure that that that that tournament, the course
Speaker 9: is ready to go. And I think the players loved
Speaker 9: it and looked the winning score but by you was
Speaker 9: the it was twenty sixth under and the winning score
Speaker 9: last fall and the PG but Matt McCarty was was
Speaker 9: I believe it was twenty five under. And so the
Speaker 9: players love it. The players love the course, and it's
Speaker 9: a scorable course. You know, it's not there's a lot
Speaker 9: of places you can't get in a lot of trouble.
Speaker 9: As long as you hit the ball pretty straight, I mean,
Speaker 9: you're gonna be rewarded.
Speaker 6: Well.
Speaker 3: I almost broke eighty there.
Speaker 2: I can't.
Speaker 3: I can't relate to what the pros do.
Speaker 1: Is it hard for you to deal with your newfound
Speaker 1: celebrity status after coming on this radio program?
Speaker 6: Am?
Speaker 4: Yet?
Speaker 9: Yeah?
Speaker 6: This is tough.
Speaker 1: I mean I'm sure people were coming up to you
Speaker 1: left and right like aren't you Smitty from the drive?
Speaker 7: Well?
Speaker 9: I had that, but you know, I fortunately the radio
Speaker 9: station here is kind enough to send two bodyguards with
Speaker 9: me where right go and for that that takes care
Speaker 9: of a lot of the crowd issues.
Speaker 1: Good good, good, well good, great to have you in
Speaker 1: on a daylight today where some unexpected news drop that
Speaker 1: the Utah Jazz and their head coach Will Hardy have
Speaker 1: agreed to a contract extension through twenty thirty one and Smitty,
Speaker 1: as you know, Will was hired in twenty twenty two
Speaker 1: after Quinn left, and they gave him a five year
Speaker 1: contract with three guaranteed years and then two years of
Speaker 1: team options what they've already picked, which they've already picked up.
Speaker 1: So prior to today, he was under contract through twenty
Speaker 1: twenty six. Now he's under contract through twenty thirty one.
Speaker 2: This is pretty rare.
Speaker 1: I mean for a coach you get a nine year runway, right,
Speaker 1: And so I wonder what you make of the decision
Speaker 1: of both the Jazz to offer and Will to accept.
Speaker 9: Well, first of all, I think the Jazz are smart,
Speaker 9: smart because they have they have a guy in place
Speaker 9: that they they've worked with now, uh, every day for
Speaker 9: three years. So they've had obviously, uh, an expansive ability
Speaker 9: to look at you know, what they think about him.
Speaker 9: Not it's not so much obviously as we know Spencer,
Speaker 9: the current iteration of the Jazz on the floor, it's
Speaker 9: not about the wins and losses. It's about setting a culture,
Speaker 9: setting an an approach, a philosophy that you feel your
Speaker 9: organization can can wrap its arms around and can be
Speaker 9: part of going forward over a long term basis. They've
Speaker 9: obviously looked at that the last three years and determined
Speaker 9: that Will Hardy is a guy they want to they
Speaker 9: want to work with long term.
Speaker 7: Uh.
Speaker 9: He's a guy that they feel fit what they're trying
Speaker 9: to to get accomplished there and uh. And so it's
Speaker 9: a great, you know, great idea for them to lock
Speaker 9: somebody up like that, uh, that that they feel comfortable with,
Speaker 9: that they feel is is doing things the way they
Speaker 9: would like them to get done. On the flip side,
Speaker 9: For Will Hardy, it gives him, you know, obviously not
Speaker 9: just some coaching stability and longevity, but allows him the
Speaker 9: idea that, hey, these guys believe in me, and so
Speaker 9: I've got to do whatever I can to return that
Speaker 9: faith in that trust by working hard every day, by
Speaker 9: trying to get us better, by trying to get this
Speaker 9: program back on track the way we all want it
Speaker 9: to be. And so it gives him an inner peace.
Speaker 9: And it's not just about the length of the contract
Speaker 9: and the money and all that kind of stuff, but
Speaker 9: it's about the idea that obviously, the people I work
Speaker 9: for have this kind of trust in me, so I
Speaker 9: have to trut the best I can to return that
Speaker 9: to them in terms of how I do my job.
Speaker 1: So Smeddie as you know better than anybody, these coaches
Speaker 1: oftentimes are hired to be fired.
Speaker 5: Right.
Speaker 1: This is aion and an industry with tremendous volatility, and
Speaker 1: oftentimes a new owner comes in and it's like, if
Speaker 1: you buy the house, you're gonna put your own furniture in.
Speaker 1: If you buy the house, you want to remodel it,
Speaker 1: so it's what you want it to be because it's
Speaker 1: yours now. So I get Will Hardy jumping at the
Speaker 1: opportunity to essentially, like I said, have a nine year
Speaker 1: runway between the day he took the job and the
Speaker 1: day his contract expires.
Speaker 3: Now, does it mean that he's going to be here
Speaker 3: for nine years?
Speaker 6: No, we know the deal.
Speaker 1: I mean he could be fired tomorrow and who knows
Speaker 1: what's going to happen. So and certainly this year with
Speaker 1: a coaching cycle, Taylor Jenkins losing his job after doing
Speaker 1: a great job in Memphis, Michael Malone wins a championship
Speaker 1: two years ago, and that's not enough to allow him
Speaker 1: to keep his job and coaching a team that was
Speaker 1: and still is in the playoffs and was really good.
Speaker 1: It's a wild industry, and I get it that if
Speaker 1: you will, you jump at the opportunity to do it
Speaker 1: because you have security in a space where there really
Speaker 1: isn't security even for some of the greatest that we've seen.
Speaker 1: But is this a risk for Will because and you know,
Speaker 1: I keep talking about this, twenty one years since the
Speaker 1: Charlotte Hornets have won a playoff series, twenty one years
Speaker 1: since the Kings have won they a playoff series, The
Speaker 1: Detroit Pistons, who once upon a time were a great,
Speaker 1: great team back in the day, have not won a
Speaker 1: home playoff game since two thousand and eight. You were
Speaker 1: part of several front offices that were able to pivot
Speaker 1: quickly to get back to competitiveness.
Speaker 3: They're not close.
Speaker 1: And whenever I talk about any of these really long
Speaker 1: playoff droughts, it's a reminder to our community how lucky
Speaker 1: we've been about how quickly front offices that you were
Speaker 1: a part of were able to pivot to get us back.
Speaker 1: If we're honest and we're looking at the Jazz roster
Speaker 1: and we juxtaposed it to the teams in the Western
Speaker 1: Conference playoffs, they're simply not close. With the talent that
Speaker 1: Will has in the locker room. Is this a risk
Speaker 1: for Will to decide he wants to sign on for
Speaker 1: this long term and project with no guarantees that you've
Speaker 1: got the talent that you need to compete heading this
Speaker 1: way anytime soon?
Speaker 9: Yeah?
Speaker 6: I would. I would push back on that spence. I don't.
Speaker 9: If you're a coach and you're getting offered a multi
Speaker 9: year contract extension with any organization, uh, You're you're going
Speaker 9: to take that Primarily because as I mentioned, I'm gonna
Speaker 9: go it's two things. One, you're you're getting that that
Speaker 9: kind of support from the people you report to that
Speaker 9: we like you, we believe in how you're doing it.
Speaker 9: You keep on doing what you're doing, and we're behind
Speaker 9: you and we're giving you this kind of of support
Speaker 9: to to make that happen. And then the other part
Speaker 9: is as a coach, you want to be in a
Speaker 9: position where you can show that you can improve the
Speaker 9: situation you're in. You can get a team better, you
Speaker 9: can get players better, and the stability it brings and
Speaker 9: the confidence it brings to someone is really something that
Speaker 9: you have to take in large measure. There's a smaller
Speaker 9: part of it, Spence, that nobody ever talks about, which
Speaker 9: is simply that there's a real world issue to this,
Speaker 9: and that is that if you're a will hardy and
Speaker 9: you're in a position like that, you have a house
Speaker 9: payment to make, you have children to feed, you have
Speaker 9: a family to take care of. So you know, if
Speaker 9: you get an opportunity to sign a deal like this,
Speaker 9: to be able to be part of something that you
Speaker 9: believe in, that you think has a chance to improve
Speaker 9: with your input and your leadership and the organization is saying, hey, yeah,
Speaker 9: you're our guy. This isn't some what I call sometimes
Speaker 9: Spencer a fake extension where the guy got an extra
Speaker 9: year put on his contract because he had a good season,
Speaker 9: which we see a lot of times in professional sports.
Speaker 9: The organization went out and said, we're going to give
Speaker 9: you this extent for another six years, you know, which
Speaker 9: is a long time for someone who quite frankly hasn't
Speaker 9: had a winning record. You can say we haven't had
Speaker 9: the players, he hasn't been able to do that, Okay,
Speaker 9: But obviously they believe in his approach and his philosophy
Speaker 9: enough to say the wins and the lack of wins
Speaker 9: to this point really doesn't matter. We believe in how
Speaker 9: you do your stuff. We've been around you for three years.
Speaker 9: We know that you're the kind of guy that we
Speaker 9: want leading our group going forward. And all of that
Speaker 9: is symbiotic. You know, they help you, you help them.
Speaker 9: Everybody's in it together, and it's a big it's a
Speaker 9: big moment for the organization to all be on the
Speaker 9: same page.
Speaker 1: In that regard with Greg Popovich stepping down, and I
Speaker 1: do want to get to that in a moment Eric
Speaker 1: Sposter is the longest tenured coach in Pro basketball seventeen
Speaker 1: years in Miami, Steve Kerr eleven years in Golden State.
Speaker 1: The third longest tenured coach is Tom Thibodeaux with the
Speaker 1: New York Knicks.
Speaker 2: Five years.
Speaker 5: There we go.
Speaker 1: So if Will coaches through the end of his contract
Speaker 1: and it's nine years, it would make him the third
Speaker 1: longest tenured coach as we currently sit here.
Speaker 2: And that underscores your point, doesn't it.
Speaker 9: If you get there right, if you get to that right.
Speaker 9: I mean, so Tibbs is the third longest tenured five years.
Speaker 9: That just there's thirty teams in the league spense, So
Speaker 9: you're talking about the third longest tenured guy. There's another
Speaker 9: twenty seven teams that are after him who have had
Speaker 9: coaches less than five years. I mean, come on, how
Speaker 9: do you expect to gain any traction? How do you
Speaker 9: expect to have any stability in your organization to be
Speaker 9: able to build upon something when you just keep stopping
Speaker 9: and starting, stopping and starting hiring a guy, firing a guy,
Speaker 9: changing general managers, changing the head coach. Like that's why
Speaker 9: you see a lot of these organizations can never get
Speaker 9: anything going because they don't have the patients. They don't
Speaker 9: have the foresight to be able to see that if
Speaker 9: you get something in place that you think makes sense
Speaker 9: for you, that you want to keep that in place
Speaker 9: over an extended period of time so you have some longevity,
Speaker 9: so you have an ability to get some traction, to
Speaker 9: get some footing to see what's going on. Obviously, the
Speaker 9: Jazz front office led by Danny Ainge justin Zanik, and
Speaker 9: then their ownership of course with Ryan and Ashley Smith,
Speaker 9: have looked at it and said, we.
Speaker 6: Want will Hardy to be here long term.
Speaker 9: That's the only way we can put some stakes in
Speaker 9: the ground and and continue to drive this thing brick
Speaker 9: by brick by brick.
Speaker 6: And that's the commitment they made today.
Speaker 1: I'm not even gonna ask you to guess who the
Speaker 1: fourth longest tenured coach is if you want to go ahead, but.
Speaker 6: You would have about Tylu Dannel.
Speaker 2: It's not he's sixth.
Speaker 9: Okay, okay, I'm in the I'm in the vicinity right
Speaker 9: hold on, let me let me scan it quickly.
Speaker 2: It blew my mind when I read it quick because
Speaker 2: I feel like he was hired yesterday.
Speaker 6: Quickly.
Speaker 2: Chris Finch it's Billy Donovan.
Speaker 6: It's Billy Donovan.
Speaker 3: I feel like they hired him last week.
Speaker 6: Yeah, yeah, I see.
Speaker 9: And Billy's had you know, they've had uneven results, right,
Speaker 9: they've had uneven results. And they've had a team that
Speaker 9: they put together a few years ago that they thought,
Speaker 9: you know, you know, it could be sustainable with a
Speaker 9: Lonzo Ball and and and Uh and Zach Lavine and
Speaker 9: and uh and the Big Kid and they just you know,
Speaker 9: they couldn't get any you know, they were okay but
Speaker 9: not great. But they they've stayed in that gray area. See,
Speaker 9: And that's that's what the killer thing is in the
Speaker 9: NBA spence is if you're an organization, if you're an owner,
Speaker 9: you know, we always would would say you want to
Speaker 9: be one of the top five teams, or if you
Speaker 9: can't be that, you want to be one of the
Speaker 9: bottom five teams to have a chance to improve your
Speaker 9: your situation going forward. If you're one of the middle
Speaker 9: twenty teams, it doesn't make any sense. You're not going anywhere.
Speaker 9: That's what's happened to this point with the Chicago Bulls.
Speaker 9: They've gone with Billy so far because he's proven that
Speaker 9: he's a winner both in college and in his days
Speaker 9: at Okay See. But you have to have some stability,
Speaker 9: you have to believe in what you've got set up
Speaker 9: in order to give yourself a chance long term to
Speaker 9: have some sustained level of success. They haven't had it
Speaker 9: in Chicago, but obviously to this point they've stuck by
Speaker 9: their guns and part of it's their roster thing that
Speaker 9: they've started to remake also in this last year.
Speaker 1: So speaking of Greg Popovich, we heard from Coach pop
Speaker 1: today for the first time since November of twenty two,
Speaker 1: twenty four, and I gotta say it kind of made
Speaker 1: me a little sad. And you know, I'm old enough
Speaker 1: now to have seen people and coaches that I loved
Speaker 1: and respected in this league age. I can remember the
Speaker 1: first time I saw Jerry after I heard that he
Speaker 1: wasn't well, and Jerry and his wife Tammy were good
Speaker 1: enough to invite me to a playoff game and I
Speaker 1: sat with them, and it just it makes you sad,
Speaker 1: you know, when you see Jerry Sloan, who you used
Speaker 1: to being that demonstrative leader just kind of age and
Speaker 1: not look like the way that he did. And seeing
Speaker 1: Coach pop today kind of made me sad. You know,
Speaker 1: he spoke very softly. You could tell he's been through
Speaker 1: helen back and he lost his bride a couple of
Speaker 1: years ago, his wife of you know, I think forty
Speaker 1: fifty years passed, and obviously he's had the stroke that
Speaker 1: clearly has had a detrimental effect on him. I wonder,
Speaker 1: Smittye if you could put some color and context into
Speaker 1: a conversation that's happened over the years a number of
Speaker 1: different times, which is the synergistic approach between the San
Speaker 1: Antonio Spurs and the Utah Jazz and how Greg Popovich
Speaker 1: has spoken often about how he wanted to use coach
Speaker 1: Loan as a model. There was this great clip that
Speaker 1: was going around after Pop broke coach Sloan's record for
Speaker 1: wins with an individual team. A reporter asked, I know
Speaker 1: that wins and losses aren't everything to you, but you
Speaker 1: did break Jerry Sloan's record, and Greg paused and said,
Speaker 1: I'm not in his league and I never will be.
Speaker 1: There was always this reverent respect between coach Popovich and
Speaker 1: coach Sloan. You had a front row seat. I wonder
Speaker 1: if you could provide some context to that.
Speaker 9: Yeah, well, Pop would always say that. You know, early on,
Speaker 9: remember in the early nineties, Greg Popovich was the general
Speaker 9: manager of the San Antonio Spurs. He had Bob Hill
Speaker 9: as his coach. They decided to make a change ownership
Speaker 9: did in the mid nineties, and they put a Pop
Speaker 9: in the coaching seat for the time being, and he
Speaker 9: stayed there for, you know, for what seemed like forever.
Speaker 9: They also, let's let's let's call it the way it is.
Speaker 9: You know, you can be a good coach and and uh,
Speaker 9: and I've heard many coaches, you know, say this along
Speaker 9: the way, you know, whether they want to take credit
Speaker 9: or not. But you know, what makes a good coach
Speaker 9: is good players. And Pop had the good fortune of
Speaker 9: of coming in right at the time when he had
Speaker 9: David Robinson in his prime. Uh, they the ping pong
Speaker 9: balls that year fell their way. They got Tim Duncan,
Speaker 9: happened to be in the draft that year. It just
Speaker 9: happened to be the year that David Robinson missed seventy
Speaker 9: games during the season. And they go back, yeah, and
Speaker 9: they and and so they they they got in the
Speaker 9: lottery and they ended up put the number one pick
Speaker 9: in that year in that draft. Just happened to be
Speaker 9: Tim Duncan. So now they got Tim Duncan, and then
Speaker 9: they they they got Lucky, you know with the MONOGENOBILEI pick,
Speaker 9: which was late in the second round. You know, he
Speaker 9: was he was playing in Italy and uh, and they
Speaker 9: they took him as as kind of a lark and
Speaker 9: hopefully that they could get him over at some point,
Speaker 9: which they did. And then they took Tony Parker, who
Speaker 9: everybody thought could be a decent player, didn't know if
Speaker 9: he could be a point guard at the NBA level
Speaker 9: or not, if he was an undersized two. And he
Speaker 9: came in with that group. And again, Spence, it's not
Speaker 9: just about you as an individual, but all the players
Speaker 9: that you're you're with and and how you how you
Speaker 9: coll ce with each other, and how you work with
Speaker 9: each other. And Tony Parker was the beneficiary of playing
Speaker 9: with with three other Hall of Fame level guys as
Speaker 9: it turned out, and they had the terrific run that
Speaker 9: they did. But coach Coach Pop was always very a
Speaker 9: complimentary of of of Jerry Sloan and always talked in
Speaker 9: during the nineties while the Jazz were running the show.
Speaker 9: The Jazz didn't win a championship they played for two
Speaker 9: of them in the finals. But also during the decade
Speaker 9: of the nineties spent a lot of people either don't
Speaker 9: know or forgotten the fact that the Jazz won more
Speaker 9: games in the nineties than any team in the NBA.
Speaker 9: They won more, they won more games in the Chicago Bulls.
Speaker 9: They won more than the Lakers, they won more than
Speaker 9: they won more games than anybody. Okay, they were they
Speaker 9: were a competitive team, and the championship level team for
Speaker 9: a lot of years didn't work out. Had a couple
Speaker 9: of you know, last minute shots by a guy named
Speaker 9: Jordan that that won a couple of finals games. Okay,
Speaker 9: that's the way it goes. But Pop always said during
Speaker 9: that time, we're trying to emulate our franchise after the
Speaker 9: Utah Jazz, the way they conduct themselves, the way they're coached,
Speaker 9: the way their front office runs their business, all of
Speaker 9: those kinds of things, which was always a very nice compliment,
Speaker 9: and and he continued to say that whenever the opportunity
Speaker 9: would come up, even after they were winning multiple championships,
Speaker 9: to say, well, we're just I remember I remember talking
Speaker 9: to Sam Presty one time at a game we were
Speaker 9: both scouting down in Phoenix when when Sam was with
Speaker 9: the San Antonio front office before he went to Seattle,
Speaker 9: and that became okay, see thunder. And I remember him
Speaker 9: saying to me, well, Smiddy, we're just we're just trying
Speaker 9: to be like you guys. We're trying to figure out
Speaker 9: how to jazz do it and and and do it
Speaker 9: the same way. And you know, which is the ultimate
Speaker 9: compliment when when someone is saying they're trying to do
Speaker 9: things away, your organization does it. But the Jazz had
Speaker 9: that that kind of reputation all during the Miller ownership
Speaker 9: because of the way things were handled, especially with Jerry
Speaker 9: being at the forefront, and of course the Laden's running
Speaker 9: the office in the nineties and then and then Kevin
Speaker 9: O'Connor in the two thousands, and Dennis Lindsay and the
Speaker 9: twenty tens and you know, had such a great run.
Speaker 9: But but you have to part of it is you
Speaker 9: have to have the players. You have to have good
Speaker 9: players to be able to compete. That's the ain't thing.
Speaker 9: But behind that you have to have some level of
Speaker 9: stability and some continuity to what you're trying to do.
Speaker 6: And the the the uh.
Speaker 9: The announcement today that the Jazz have given Will Hardy
Speaker 9: this this long extension that says we want him to
Speaker 9: be the guy leading us on the floor and giving
Speaker 9: us that kind of continuity uh and stability.
Speaker 4: Uh.
Speaker 9: Says a lot about what they think of Will and
Speaker 9: also what they think about how they're trying to conduct
Speaker 9: their business long term.
Speaker 1: All right, Smitty, youre ready to drop a trivia question.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna do my read, and while I'm doing my read,
Speaker 1: I want you to come up with a good jazz
Speaker 1: draft related you got one?
Speaker 9: I got it, I got it in my head. I
Speaker 9: got you know, I got to think of uh if
Speaker 9: I get yeah, I got I got Okay.
Speaker 3: I'll do my read and then you dropped the question.
Speaker 1: It's time now for the ESPN Festival at Ease, powered
Speaker 1: by the Utah Golf Association. Each day of springd seven
Speaker 1: hundred is given away rounds of golf to the best
Speaker 1: courses in the state. Listening to The Down and Dirty
Speaker 1: with Scott Mitchell from ten to eleven, the Sean O'Connell
Speaker 1: Show from eleven to two, and of course this program
Speaker 1: which is called The Drive with Spence check Its from
Speaker 1: two to six for your chance to win. Each day
Speaker 1: from ESPN seven hundred and the Utah Golf Association detail
Speaker 1: is gonna.
Speaker 2: Be found at ESPN seven hundred sports dot com.
Speaker 1: Now, Smitty, it's got to be a good one because
Speaker 1: we are sending a lucky listener to Davis Park, which
Speaker 1: is one of the most underrated tracks that we have
Speaker 1: in the state.
Speaker 9: I love that course. Hopefully I'm going there Thursday if
Speaker 9: I can get on out of guy. That's one of
Speaker 9: my favorite places.
Speaker 2: Okay, So today's Richard Smith trivia question is what.
Speaker 9: Yes, I'm gonna I'm gonna throw this out actually for
Speaker 9: our movie lovers as well and our Hollywood people. Okay,
Speaker 9: all right, there's a famous, famous actor in Hollywood. His
Speaker 9: name is Jason Siegel. He's worked in a lot of
Speaker 9: TV shows, a lot of movies. I think a lot
Speaker 9: of our our listeners may know him as a very
Speaker 9: successful actor. Well, Jason Siegel, when he was in high school,
Speaker 9: played on the high school basketball team with a former
Speaker 9: jazz player. We want our fans to figure out who
Speaker 9: the jazz player is that Jason Siegel played with in
Speaker 9: high school.
Speaker 6: Spence go that.
Speaker 1: Well, I can't say it into the microphone, and I'll
Speaker 1: be honest with you, I don't even know the answer.
Speaker 1: Usually you drop a trivia question, like last week it
Speaker 1: was the second rounders. I knew it was millsap and mo.
Speaker 1: I honestly don't know what the answer is, so you
Speaker 1: internet's loose, get to it. Jason Siego played high school
Speaker 1: basketball with a former member of the Utah Jazz First
Speaker 1: person who texts that into eight seven seven three five
Speaker 1: three zero seven hundred, We're going to send you to
Speaker 1: Davis Park, one of the best tracks that we have
Speaker 1: in the state. All right, we'll catch a break. We
Speaker 1: got two hours down on a Monday. We got two
Speaker 1: hours to go on a Monday. Coming up next, the
Speaker 1: NBA Draft lottery is one week from today. What's the
Speaker 1: emotion like in the office when you have a lottery
Speaker 1: pick that could mean so much? We'll also do some playoffs.
Speaker 1: Round two starts tonight. Richard Smith live in studio for
Speaker 1: another big segment. Caught up on the other side right
Speaker 1: here on a ESPN seven hundred. All right, not to
Speaker 1: give you the answer to the question, but the former
Speaker 1: jazz man who Jason Siegel played high school basketball with.
Speaker 1: It's actually up on his Wikipedia page, so you can
Speaker 1: find it. A lot easier than I thought you could. Smitty,
Speaker 1: I got to say, let's get Smitty's mic on. I
Speaker 1: got to say, the most surprising part of this little
Speaker 1: rabbit hole you sent me down is to learn that
Speaker 1: Jason Siegel won a slam dunk contest a senior in
Speaker 1: high school.
Speaker 9: Wells, why why why are you giving like clues to
Speaker 9: people to go with find the answer?
Speaker 7: Like?
Speaker 9: This is, Smitty, I mean, this is like, you know,
Speaker 9: like the high school, like the high school teachers us. Yeah,
Speaker 9: I just want to get these kids out of the
Speaker 9: clown want to get out of here. So yeah, give them,
Speaker 9: give them the answers to the.
Speaker 2: Test, and respectfully, sir.
Speaker 1: Uh, my guess is that a listener who probably is
Speaker 1: our You've been able to get the answer simply googled
Speaker 1: Jason Siegel and went right to his Wikipedia page. I'm
Speaker 1: quite sure I did not wet some crazy clue out there.
Speaker 1: That would be my guest. Porter, Do we have a
Speaker 1: winner to go golf at Davis Park?
Speaker 8: We do? We do?
Speaker 2: Okay, so then we can you can you can expand so.
Speaker 1: Then we can say that the high school the teammate
Speaker 1: of Jason Seagal was one Jason Collins.
Speaker 9: Yes, yes, he played with Harvard Westlake, which is a
Speaker 9: very prestigious private high school in the southern California, LA area.
Speaker 9: And both Jason and Jarn Collins went to Harvard west
Speaker 9: Lake and from there obviously got recruited both of them
Speaker 9: to go play at Stanford collegiately and then had they
Speaker 9: both had very extensive NBA careers, and Jason Siegal decided
Speaker 9: to fake left go right and ended up going south
Speaker 9: instead of going north to Stanford, went south to Hollywood,
Speaker 9: and and that was it.
Speaker 2: Do you know Seagull was a good player at all.
Speaker 1: I mean, according to this Wikipedia page, those teams one
Speaker 1: state championships. But my guess is that's more about the
Speaker 1: Collins twins than it was about Jason.
Speaker 9: I would I would say so, but I don't know.
Speaker 9: I don't know any of I just you know, I
Speaker 9: only know that because one time, in some conversation I
Speaker 9: was having with Jaren, it was just like some random
Speaker 9: thing that came out. I think somebody had mentioned something
Speaker 9: about a movie and a dinner one night when we
Speaker 9: were on the road, and and Jared Collins said, yeah,
Speaker 9: that's funny. He goes, you know, I gotta I get
Speaker 9: to call him and tell him that or something. I
Speaker 9: can't remember what it was about. And somebody said, what
Speaker 9: do you mean, call him? He goes, you know, you
Speaker 9: know I played in high school with him. What are
Speaker 9: you talking about? You played high school with him, Jason Siegel. Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, yeah,
Speaker 9: he's I call him up right now. We said, get
Speaker 9: out of here, and he said, no, I'm serious. You
Speaker 9: played with us at Harvard Westlake. Okay, that's what I
Speaker 9: knew of it. I didn't know anything about a slam
Speaker 9: dunk contest. I'd heard that or something. Jason, Jason or
Speaker 9: Jaron one of them was supposed to be in a
Speaker 9: slam dunk contest or something, and and they deferred and said, hey,
Speaker 9: let Jason do it, you know, let him do it whatever.
Speaker 6: Give him some give him some some props, you know.
Speaker 1: Okay, I just Jason Segel has never struck me as
Speaker 1: like a great athlete, just like one of those big,
Speaker 1: you know, loopy Ben handlogged and type dudes.
Speaker 6: Ben hand logged in.
Speaker 2: Shout out, Ben hand LogD in, right, how shout out
Speaker 2: our guy?
Speaker 1: Ben handloged that Monday out there. I want to see
Speaker 1: Jason Siegel dunk. I'm very curious about this. Uh, anyway,
Speaker 1: we can move on Smitty one week from tonight, and
Speaker 1: I just found out this morning we will have the
Speaker 1: draft lottery live on our radio station coming up next
Speaker 1: week five o'clock straight up. We will say good night
Speaker 1: a little bit early for our show so we can
Speaker 1: bring the draft lottery to you guys. And I can't
Speaker 1: remember a lottery as consequential for the Jazz as this
Speaker 1: one could potentially be. Uh, As a guy who scouted
Speaker 1: and was part of four rooms for decades, what's it
Speaker 1: like over there, Prepper, you know.
Speaker 2: As far as their preparation for next Monday, Well, I.
Speaker 9: Mean, you know, they're preparing just for the draft in general. Sure,
Speaker 9: obviously they have no control. This is one of those
Speaker 9: things we've talked about before, Spence, where the Jazz have
Speaker 9: certain things under their control that they can work at
Speaker 9: to try and get their team better, which is, you know,
Speaker 9: you know, how you draft who you draft. Obviously they've
Speaker 9: had several picks in the last couple of drafts and
Speaker 9: this the jury is still out. I think I think,
Speaker 9: at least my own opinion on all of those guys,
Speaker 9: whether they're going to be you know, substantial NBA guys
Speaker 9: of any of any sort. But you could control those
Speaker 9: things and how you do your your scouting and how
Speaker 9: you do your evaluation. But then there are things that
Speaker 9: you don't control that just happened to you, that could
Speaker 9: potentially fall in your lap that can help or hurt
Speaker 9: you know what you're trying to get done. And of
Speaker 9: course the draft lottery in a week is going to
Speaker 9: be one of those things that can help or delay
Speaker 9: what they're trying to do. If they get the first pick,
Speaker 9: which is they're going to go into it with a
Speaker 9: fourteen chance of getting that first pick, then they would,
Speaker 9: most likely, as everybody would think, be looking hard at
Speaker 9: drafting the freshman out of Duke Cooper Flag, who I
Speaker 9: think is gonna be a very good pro. I think
Speaker 9: he's gonna be a very good player. He's gonna remind
Speaker 9: people when he comes in the league whoever he plays
Speaker 9: for of a to me some kind of a combination
Speaker 9: of Gordon Hayward slash Larry Bird type skills, because he
Speaker 9: passes the ball, he's a team player, he's a smart
Speaker 9: he gets he plays both ends of the floor. He's
Speaker 9: not the shooter that Larry Bird is, you know. I
Speaker 9: think he might be a little bit better defender maybe
Speaker 9: than both Larry Bird and Gordon Hayward early in their careers,
Speaker 9: because he's a very competitive guy. He's a tough guy.
Speaker 9: He also has some ability to actually uh be a
Speaker 9: rim protector at his size at six', nine he has
Speaker 9: a very good instincts as a help. Defender and so
Speaker 9: he's he's a guy they're gonna be looking hard at
Speaker 9: whoever whoever gets the number one, Pick AND i, THINK
Speaker 9: i really think there's there's a there's an argument to
Speaker 9: be made between him and uh and The Dylan harper
Speaker 9: kid out Of, rutgers who WHO i think is gonna
Speaker 9: be a terrific uh N b a point guard because
Speaker 9: he has the size at six five sixty. Six, uh
Speaker 9: he has the, mentality he has the. Toughness uh he's
Speaker 9: a great pick and roll. Guy he's a very good
Speaker 9: free throw. Shooter he doesn't mind getting in the, lane taking,
Speaker 9: hits getting back to the, floor get, up go to
Speaker 9: the free throw, line knock him. Down he's got some
Speaker 9: toughness to his. Game SO i like both of those.
Speaker 9: Guys if The jazz end up with the first or second,
Speaker 9: pick it's gonna be.
Speaker 1: Interesting nine times in the draft lottery for The, jazz
Speaker 1: which is stunning if you think about. It fifty years
Speaker 1: of jazz, basketball nine lottery. Appearances of, course the lottery
Speaker 1: as we know it started in eighty four with my Guy.
Speaker 3: Patrick Ewing lady In New.
Speaker 1: York Sagra meno has been in it twenty seven, Times
Speaker 1: Golden state twenty three, Times charlotte twenty three, Times philly nineteen,
Speaker 1: times The lakers fourteen, times nine.
Speaker 3: Times is pretty.
Speaker 1: STUNNING i mean that goes to what we were talking about,
Speaker 1: earlier how quickly you guys were always able to pivot
Speaker 1: and get back to being good well.
Speaker 9: The jazz over the years during The miller, ownership obviously
Speaker 9: they had great teams With Stockton, malone who a lot
Speaker 9: of people know about Their hall Of fame, careers but
Speaker 9: a lot of people aren't aware of the fact that
Speaker 9: the reason they were good for so long is that
Speaker 9: for thirteen of the eighteen years That stocked in To
Speaker 9: malone played, together neither guy missed the.
Speaker 2: Game so they say that into that.
Speaker 9: Microphone, well the, Thing, spence at that, time we used
Speaker 9: to play eight preseason. Games they would always play in
Speaker 9: all of the games because they wanted to play and
Speaker 9: get ready for the. Season jerry wanted them to play
Speaker 9: to make sure, everybody everybody around, them you, know knew
Speaker 9: how to play with them and all that kind of.
Speaker 9: Stuff so they would play eight preseason. Games they would
Speaker 9: then play eighty two regular season. Games they get them
Speaker 9: up to ninety and then they were always in the.
Speaker 9: Playoffs so every, Year, spence for thirteen of the eighteen
Speaker 9: years they played, together Both John stockton And Carl malone
Speaker 9: played in the neighborhood of one hundred games every, year
Speaker 9: and then next year they played in one hundred games,
Speaker 9: again and then the next year they played in the one,
Speaker 9: hundred and then the next, year and then the next.
Speaker 9: Year and So jazz fans became spoiled by, that, obviously
Speaker 9: because those guys never got.
Speaker 6: Hurt you.
Speaker 9: Know john's one injury had during his entire nineteen year
Speaker 9: career was his was his knee in ninety eight in
Speaker 9: the early season ninety eight where he missed sixteen. Games
Speaker 9: and uh and And carl alone during his eighteen years
Speaker 9: with The, jazz missed a total of twelve. Games and
Speaker 9: and the thing that a lot of fans don't, know
Speaker 9: spensers of those twelve games he. Missed eight of them
Speaker 9: were because of league. Suspension they weren't because of. Injury
Speaker 9: they were because he knocked Down Isaiah thomas, elbow this
Speaker 9: guy and, whatever and got got got whacked a game
Speaker 9: or two here and, there you. Know but but carl
Speaker 9: missed four games because of injury or illness in eighteen.
Speaker 9: Years and it was funny because during that time it
Speaker 9: was almost like they were competing against each other to
Speaker 9: see who could be the most, Durable, like, well he's
Speaker 9: he's he's got the, flu right is?
Speaker 6: He is he playing?
Speaker 9: Tonight? Yeah well Then i'm. Playing i'm. Not i'm, Yeah
Speaker 9: i'm not gonna let. Him i'm not gonna let him
Speaker 9: get ahead of, me you know this kind yeah yeah.
Speaker 9: Yeah and so then you had the changeover when they
Speaker 9: left in three to, Four and then you had the
Speaker 9: quick turnaround in the summer where Where kevin O'Connor was
Speaker 9: able to convince Both Carlos boozer And met o'cor to
Speaker 9: come To utah and and and a quick. Turnaround then
Speaker 9: the following year Draft Darren williams moving up from the
Speaker 9: sixth pick to the to the third, pick and then
Speaker 9: have a quick turnaround With Andre kerlenko And Ronnie brewer
Speaker 9: and had a very competitive team. Then and then of
Speaker 9: course the re the turnaround when those guys were gone
Speaker 9: With Dennis lindsay and Drafting Donovan mitchell at thirteen and
Speaker 9: making the trade With denver h and Drafting Rudy gobert
Speaker 9: of course at twenty seven and buying that pick also From.
Speaker 9: Denver you, know that's always a thing that's interested. Me
Speaker 9: spence's all the with all the Success denver had With
Speaker 9: Tim connolly at The helm In denver in the twenty,
Speaker 9: tens they would have the exact same team that they have.
Speaker 9: Now the guys they, Drafted they Drafted, jokic they Drafted,
Speaker 9: maury they Drafted. Porter they could also Have gobaer And
Speaker 9: mitchell on those. Teams all they had to do was
Speaker 9: draft them or or evaluate it the same way as
Speaker 9: The jazz. Did they, didn't you, know but those are
Speaker 9: guys that they could have had just by picking them
Speaker 9: when they had their picks come. Up and that just
Speaker 9: illustrates how how fluid the draft can be and how
Speaker 9: different teams evaluate and look at. Players when you get
Speaker 9: into that situation where you have to make a decision
Speaker 9: BETWEEN a AND b it becomes it becomes very.
Speaker 1: Interesting jazz have moved down three, Times they've never moved
Speaker 1: up and they've Stood PAT i misspoke. Earlier this will
Speaker 1: actually be the Tenth lottery appearance for The, Jazz so
Speaker 1: they've moved down three. Times they moved down last year
Speaker 1: where they had the eighth best odds and they picked.
Speaker 1: Tenth they Took Cody. Williams year before that they stayed,
Speaker 1: nine they Took Taylor. Hendricks going all the way back
Speaker 1: to two thousand and, Four Chris humphreys was the pick at.
Speaker 1: Fourteen Martel webster technically the pick in two thousand and,
Speaker 1: five but that was the deal you guys made For.
Speaker 2: Darren yeah, right, yeah, yeah so you moved up to
Speaker 2: three to take.
Speaker 1: D will let me ask you while we're in that,
Speaker 1: space how early in that process were you guys On
Speaker 1: Darren because for our listeners that may not, remember that
Speaker 1: was The Chris Paul Darren williams, debate, right and, like
Speaker 1: how early in the process did you guys identify we
Speaker 1: WANT d Will.
Speaker 6: Well it was you, know it was a debate because
Speaker 6: also in That mixpense Was Raymond. Felton that's.
Speaker 9: Right so we had so the top point guards in
Speaker 9: college at the time were Considered Darren williams From, Illinois
Speaker 9: Chris paul From Wake, forest And Raymond felton From North.
Speaker 9: Carolina and so it was it was a race to
Speaker 9: the finish, line if you, will between those three guys
Speaker 9: as to who teams thought might be the best or
Speaker 9: pro who teams liked and you, know and you, know
Speaker 9: in different, regard you, know D will he wasn't the
Speaker 9: so called slam dunk.
Speaker 6: Pick it wasn't. Him all the.
Speaker 9: Time there was a lot of internal, debate a lot
Speaker 9: of discussion about the different you, know pros and cons
Speaker 9: of those. GUYS i would say That Raymond felton was
Speaker 9: a little bit Behind Chris paul and D will in
Speaker 9: terms of the heart horse race to the finish, line
Speaker 9: so to. Speak and at the end of the, day
Speaker 9: The jazz made the decision they liked D will's size
Speaker 9: a little bit. Better, uh they liked his you, know
Speaker 9: maybe his toughness a little bit, better you, know and and,
Speaker 9: uh you, know, hey you can argue it either. Way,
Speaker 9: now you, Know Chris paul is still playing and has
Speaker 9: had A hall Of fame. Career, Obviously Darren, williams you,
Speaker 9: know the first four years or five years where he
Speaker 9: was with The jazz or, something our teams Played Chris paul's.
Speaker 6: TEAMS i think d will was like seven and two
Speaker 6: Against Chris paul or something or.
Speaker 9: Whatever but a lot of that has to do with
Speaker 9: the team you're on as. Well but and and and
Speaker 9: Deren willis is also part of Two olympic teams that
Speaker 9: won gold and and so you, know people forget how
Speaker 9: good of a player he was early in his career
Speaker 9: with with The, jazz you, know but you could Argue Chris, paul,
Speaker 9: yep he's had that, career and and he, was you,
Speaker 9: know would be a jazz type of.
Speaker 5: Guy and.
Speaker 9: Uh at the end of the, DAY i think it
Speaker 9: was just decided, that you, know we liked the idea
Speaker 9: of a little bit of a bigger, guy a little
Speaker 9: bit more, size, uh that that we could put on the.
Speaker 6: Floor and that's that's how that that decision went.
Speaker 2: Down who did you?
Speaker 9: Want i'll be, HONEST i was really mixed with those.
Speaker 9: GUYS i you, KNOW i could see the argument for
Speaker 9: both of. THEM I i like the d will size
Speaker 9: thing a little. Bit you, Know Chris Chris paul is
Speaker 9: six feet you, know and and but he showed some
Speaker 9: toughness WHEN i saw him playing college at Wake. Forth
Speaker 9: he had a couple of games where where they got
Speaker 9: into a little skirmish on the floor and he was
Speaker 9: right in the middle of it and wasn't backing down from.
Speaker 9: Anybody so you could see that he had some internal
Speaker 9: toughness that, that you, know would would serve him. Well,
Speaker 9: uh but you, know looking back on, IT i would
Speaker 9: have never, said, well one guy's going to finish his
Speaker 9: career and then the other guy is gonna play, five,
Speaker 9: six seven years after that. GUY i would have never
Speaker 9: said that either, way because you can never know how
Speaker 9: those things are going to play.
Speaker 6: Out but, yeah but it was it was A i
Speaker 6: would say it.
Speaker 9: Was the room was very, mixed and it was very,
Speaker 9: uh you, know it wasn't like, lopsided like we got
Speaker 9: to have this guy and whatever and table pounding and
Speaker 9: all that kind of.
Speaker 6: Stuff and you, know AND i.
Speaker 9: Think, JERRY i Think jerry liked the idea of the
Speaker 9: of the size a little bit too in the, lineup you.
Speaker 1: Know so that's actually WHAT i wanted to ask you
Speaker 1: BECAUSE i had always heard and, LOOK i Just Chris
Speaker 1: paul has always been my, guy you, know so LIKE
Speaker 1: i think two thousand and five may have been my
Speaker 1: first year on air full, time and SO i can
Speaker 1: remember draft night without any knowledge of what you guys
Speaker 1: were going to. Do WHEN i saw that you had traded,
Speaker 1: UP i stood up off my couch AND i, Said
Speaker 1: Chris paul is going to be a jazz, man AND
Speaker 1: i was so pumped for that. Possibility but you had
Speaker 1: heard over the years that it Was, Jerry and, LOOK
Speaker 1: i know you guys all collaborated.
Speaker 2: And kevin was that type of.
Speaker 1: Leader So i'm not saying it was a, monolith but
Speaker 1: how much truth was is the old adage That jerry
Speaker 1: is the One it, SAID i like the bigger, GUARD
Speaker 1: i want to go With.
Speaker 6: Darren, well, WELL i think that's what he felt, like you,
Speaker 6: know But.
Speaker 9: Jerry this was one of the great things about working
Speaker 9: With Jerry sloan all the years THAT i was fortunate
Speaker 9: enough to do. This he was great during the draft
Speaker 9: in that he would watch film of. Guys he would
Speaker 9: come into our group, meetings he would be prepared to offer,
Speaker 9: his you, know his take on what he saw and
Speaker 9: what he thought on.
Speaker 6: Film but he was always.
Speaker 9: Spent the first guy to stand up and, say, LOOK
Speaker 9: i have an OPINION i think this about you, know
Speaker 9: play or so and. So but you, guys meaning the
Speaker 9: scouts and the guys who go out and research it
Speaker 9: all year and see them in person and do all.
Speaker 9: That you guys work at it much harder THAN i,
Speaker 9: do and you guys have studied it much longer THAN.
Speaker 6: I, have and you have a better feel for.
Speaker 9: It SO i will give you my opinion about, this
Speaker 9: BUT i am not going, to you, know try and
Speaker 9: override anybody's. Opinion you guys have do, it you, know
Speaker 9: for your day to day. Business you, Know i'm gonna
Speaker 9: end up going with what you guys think because and
Speaker 9: that was one Of jerry's great attributes was that whatever
Speaker 9: job you, Had, spence whether you were you, know the
Speaker 9: front office scouting personnel, guys whether you were one of
Speaker 9: the guys who worked for the public relations, group whether
Speaker 9: you worked for the marketing, group whether you worked in
Speaker 9: the in the ticketing, office whatever your job, was that
Speaker 9: happened to intersect with What. Jerry's jerry's responsibilities were as
Speaker 9: a head. Coach he was always the Best i've ever been.
Speaker 9: Around it's, saying, HEY i could override this decision to you,
Speaker 9: know make some public appearance for the team on A
Speaker 9: tuesday afternoon or whatever and, say, no we're not. Going
Speaker 9: But jerry would, say, Well Patty patty bally R, pr,
Speaker 9: yeah community relations person for a long. Time patty, says
Speaker 9: we have this thing tomorrow at. Three so we have
Speaker 9: the thing tomorrow at. Three and you, know some players might, go,
Speaker 9: oh you, KNOW i don't want to, go OR i got,
Speaker 9: something and he would, say, HEY i don't know what
Speaker 9: to tell. You patty, said we got to be there at,
Speaker 9: three so we'd be there at. Three and that's why
Speaker 9: everybody loved working with him because, everybody no matter what
Speaker 9: your responsibility, was everybody knew That jerry had your back
Speaker 9: because he understood the time and the effort that you
Speaker 9: put into doing your job to the best of your.
Speaker 9: Ability so you, know and, likewise when it came to the,
Speaker 9: draft you, know he would have an, opinion but he
Speaker 9: would always finish it by, saying but you guys know
Speaker 9: it better than, me so whatever you guys.
Speaker 1: Think so, ultimately final call back then made By. KEVIN
Speaker 1: i would Imagine kevin was the. Guy, yeah, yeah it Was.
Speaker 9: Kevin you, know it would Be, kevin and you, know
Speaker 9: if there was any kind of you, know pulling tug
Speaker 9: or you, know you, know nose line at the, finish you,
Speaker 9: Know jerry and And kevin would would hash it out
Speaker 9: and then just you, know and and But i'm telling,
Speaker 9: YOU i can't remember a time When jerry ever, said you, know,
Speaker 9: hey this is the, guy come, on what are we talking.
Speaker 9: About he always would say at the, end, Well, kevin you,
Speaker 9: guys you guys, know so you guys just, whatever Because jerry,
Speaker 9: felt you, know very comfortable saying, that because he also
Speaker 9: felt like at the same, time SO i hope you will.
Speaker 9: Reciprocate When i'm the, coach don't tell me Now i'm
Speaker 9: making a decision in the fourth quarter of the, game right.
Speaker 9: YEAH i don't want to hear after the game that
Speaker 9: you're second guessing me or you, know saying well you
Speaker 9: should have done this or. THAT i, mean that was never,
Speaker 9: said but it was always understood that That jerry's giving
Speaker 9: you your, space and he's allowing you to do your,
Speaker 9: job and he's with you in that, regard and he
Speaker 9: hopes that you, reciprocate you, know with the same kind
Speaker 9: of the same kind of, support you, know for him.
Speaker 6: And the job he was trying to.
Speaker 2: Do.
Speaker 1: SEE i find this to be really fascinating AND i
Speaker 1: don't know how it works currently over. There Will hardy
Speaker 1: was asked during his post season media, availability how involved
Speaker 1: are you during the draft, process And will, Said i'm very.
Speaker 1: Involved he will be In chicago for the draft. Lottery
Speaker 1: BUT i Believe i'm a firm. Believer i've Already i've
Speaker 1: always been a firm believer in just front offices That
Speaker 1: i've had a chance to be, around that it is
Speaker 1: important to have one final.
Speaker 3: Voice who does make the.
Speaker 1: CALL i do think the best roster constructors have a
Speaker 1: team of people around them who they talk to and
Speaker 1: they take input. From but at the end of the,
Speaker 1: day you've got to have one guy who's brave enough
Speaker 1: to say, no this is my, call even if he
Speaker 1: doesn't necessarily, agree and that can bring mixed. Results and
Speaker 1: you know the way That Ernie grunfeld And Pat riley worked,
Speaker 1: together you, Know pat was very much a part of,
Speaker 1: it but he Allowed ernie to make the. Call and
Speaker 1: then it was the same thing With grunfeld And Van
Speaker 1: gundy until it wasn't and those two got loose and
Speaker 1: this decision had to be Made i've told you.
Speaker 2: BEFORE i can remember being in the war room When Ed.
Speaker 1: Tapscott went rogue and just Drafted Frederick, weiss when most
Speaker 1: of the Knick scouts wanted run our.
Speaker 3: Test what is the best way for that to?
Speaker 1: Work BECAUSE i think it's probably fair to say if
Speaker 1: there's one voice that makes the call over, there my
Speaker 1: guess is that It's. Danny's it's never a good idea
Speaker 1: for the own ownership group to have the. VOICE i
Speaker 1: don't know If ryan wants to be the guy that
Speaker 1: actually makes the. Call if it, IS i think that's horrible.
Speaker 1: News my guess is that the voice Is. Danny's that's my.
Speaker 1: Guess but there's Justin, zanik There's Will. Hardy any thoughts
Speaker 1: on the synergies over there?
Speaker 2: Now, NO i.
Speaker 6: Don't i'm not, There. SPENCER i have no.
Speaker 9: IDEA i would assume that that's Why Ryan smith brought
Speaker 9: In Danny ainge and and who's been in THE nba
Speaker 9: at all levels and has made his life's. Work and
Speaker 9: and you bring a guy like that in who had,
Speaker 9: retired who was living his retirement life and In Utah
Speaker 9: county and and, uh just trying to have a quiet.
Speaker 9: Life And Ryan smith went and got him and convinced
Speaker 9: him to uh to take up this this project with The,
Speaker 9: Jazz and SO i would make it just a guess
Speaker 9: that you know that he's relying On Danny ainge's you,
Speaker 9: know ability and instincts and and uh knowledge and all
Speaker 9: that stuff of the league to to be the final
Speaker 9: decision maker on BETWEEN a AND. B you, know with
Speaker 9: our groups THAT i was part of all the, time
Speaker 9: it was always the the the the person who sat
Speaker 9: in that decision making, seat whether it Was Scott laden
Speaker 9: or whether it Was kevin, O'Connor or whether it Was Dennis.
Speaker 9: Lindsay you, know they were the guys who had the
Speaker 9: control of. That and they were all very collaborative. Guys
Speaker 9: they listened to everybody in the. Room they gave everybody
Speaker 9: a chance to have their voice. Heard you, know they
Speaker 9: would you, know and you, know we even had a couple.
Speaker 9: Instances you, KNOW i can remember where We're kevin O'Connor
Speaker 9: made decisions on some stuff that he didn't tell anybody,
Speaker 9: about and then after the, fact you, know we would, say,
Speaker 9: hey you know a week.
Speaker 6: Later a month later or, Whatever, hey what was that
Speaker 6: thing about?
Speaker 7: That what was that?
Speaker 6: Deal and he would, Say, HEY i had, TO i
Speaker 6: had to make a.
Speaker 9: Decision BUT i didn't want to implicate any of you,
Speaker 9: guys because if it didn't work, OUT i felt, like
Speaker 9: that's not fair to. You i'm the guy in the hot,
Speaker 9: seat SO i deserve to get all the, blame you,
Speaker 9: know or all have all the slings and arrows you,
Speaker 9: know aimed at me if if it didn't work. Out
Speaker 9: SO i didn't want to tell you guys that we
Speaker 9: were going to do that BECAUSE i didn't want you
Speaker 9: to be part of that, process because that's that's my
Speaker 9: job to have to deal with. That and so you,
Speaker 9: know and, again those are the kind of guys you
Speaker 9: want to work, with because those are the guys who
Speaker 9: who have your back and and respect what you bring
Speaker 9: to the process and how hard it is to make
Speaker 9: those kinds of.
Speaker 1: Decisions all, right BEFORE i set you, loose nobody is
Speaker 1: giving the next a. Chance nobody believes the next have
Speaker 1: a chance to be The celtics four times and seven.
Speaker 1: Tries neither DO, I neither DO. I All, Right So
Speaker 1: New york goes out and they make the move for
Speaker 1: og and An. Obi they sacrificed their draft capital for Mckill,
Speaker 1: bridges two big wing defenders, that in theory can at
Speaker 1: least provide some pushback For tatum And. Brown WHERE i
Speaker 1: think this is just untenable For New york Is Drew
Speaker 1: Holliday Derek white on On jalen because look At Tom
Speaker 1: thibodeau has.
Speaker 2: Forgotten more about basketball THAN i ever.
Speaker 1: Know but WHEN i watch The knicks, offensively there are
Speaker 1: so many possessions where it's one four flatter isolation And
Speaker 1: jalen has to do it, all and he's so good
Speaker 1: at times he's able to pull it. Off but four
Speaker 1: times and seven tries against WHO i think the best
Speaker 1: team in basketball is round two starts. Tonight do The
Speaker 1: knicks have A Mike tyson uppercut chance four times and seven?
Speaker 9: Tries, Yeah well you always have a, chance be so you,
Speaker 9: know look that, everybody everybody's starting with a clean. Slate
Speaker 9: you don't know somebody's gonna have a buddy healed night
Speaker 9: and go off for you, know thirty three points off the,
Speaker 9: bench or somebody's Gonna Jason tatum is gonna twist his
Speaker 9: ankle In game two and he's gonna miss several.
Speaker 6: Games, YEAH i, mean you have to play it.
Speaker 9: OUT i think the, knicks you, know made the right
Speaker 9: moves and getting guys like you just, mentioned and and
Speaker 9: then it will be in bridges because if you have
Speaker 9: a chance to get those kind of guys and you
Speaker 9: have a chance to be competitive with whoever the other teams,
Speaker 9: are then then you have to take that. Opportunity that's
Speaker 9: what you're in the business. For you're in the business to.
Speaker 9: Compete you're in there to try and give it your best.
Speaker 9: Shot maybe it's not good, enough but you take it
Speaker 9: and you go you go to to the jump ball
Speaker 9: and you see what we got. Tonight and then if
Speaker 9: it doesn't work, tonight then we make some adjustments and
Speaker 9: we go to the next game and so. Forth but
Speaker 9: that's what it's all. About and so you, KNOW i
Speaker 9: think they have a. CHANCE i don't know what that
Speaker 9: will look, like you, know but again you're gonna have
Speaker 9: to have the best version of the guys you, have you,
Speaker 9: know for a vast majority of each game in order
Speaker 9: to have a. Chance but that's you, know as they, Say,
Speaker 9: spence that's why they play the.
Speaker 2: Games, yes, sir great to see. You are you in
Speaker 2: town for the foreseeable future or you're on some?
Speaker 9: Anxiety Look i'm Gonna i'm gonna be on pins and
Speaker 9: needles a week from today to see what happens with
Speaker 9: the with the draft. Lottery i'm gonna Be i'm gonna
Speaker 9: be sitting in my lucky seat and have all my
Speaker 9: fingers and toes crossed and do whatever and and uh
Speaker 9: and we'll see how that all plays.
Speaker 1: Out all, right my, Friend, well great to see you as.
Speaker 1: Always we'll see you next, week came. Man all, right
Speaker 1: the Great Richard. Smith you know it just works on
Speaker 1: so many levels when you start listening to the, lyrics you,
Speaker 1: know it JUST i don't, know, man it's one of
Speaker 1: the BITS i can't.
Speaker 6: Quit and you know the.
Speaker 1: Deal when we Play Limp biscuit on this radio, show
Speaker 1: it's time to welcome in club legends Future hall Of. Famer,
Speaker 1: Uh Trey. Fitzgerald who's The hall Of? Fame by the
Speaker 1: time you got the, intro, right who's the hall.
Speaker 2: Of fame named?
Speaker 6: After?
Speaker 1: Again that you're gonna be inducted to SOME nwsl like
Speaker 1: you told us this. WEEKEND i better beat when you're
Speaker 1: inducted into the whatever hall of.
Speaker 2: Fame, oh there is A Colin Jose Media. Award okay
Speaker 2: at The National Soccer hall Of fame And Colin jose
Speaker 2: was A.
Speaker 3: Nws now the archive.
Speaker 2: Is for the NASL, oh the league that form the
Speaker 2: foundation for the sport in this country over the last fifty.
Speaker 1: Years how do we get you on the list for
Speaker 1: that award or do you actually have to work for?
Speaker 1: It good, question just out of. Curiosity, Hello, trey how are?
Speaker 6: You i'm?
Speaker 2: Great how are you? Great to see you live in.
Speaker 1: Studio if you've ever wondered What trey looks like and
Speaker 1: why The olympus get music works so, well don't do.
Speaker 2: That don't produces up log on our YouTube. Channel trey
Speaker 2: is in. STUDIO i always appreciate your time coming.
Speaker 1: Down all, right let's just start with some big picture
Speaker 1: stuff with the, club because it's been it's been a
Speaker 1: rough start and it's been a little chaotic behind the
Speaker 1: scenes with the ownership. Transition the primary transfer window comes
Speaker 1: and goes with a couple of, additions but no additions
Speaker 1: THAT i think a lot of people were either hoping or.
Speaker 2: Expecting when it came to A.
Speaker 1: Dp The bosanik deal with The portuguese club falls apart
Speaker 1: at last.
Speaker 6: Minute so what's the?
Speaker 3: Past you, know a month month and app been like
Speaker 3: for you.
Speaker 2: Guys, yeah it's BEEN i think, energetic it's been. DYNAMIC
Speaker 2: i think in all ways it's been. Positive even The
Speaker 2: bosenig deal falling, apart it was you, know that happened
Speaker 2: as a result OF i Think kurt and company drawing
Speaker 2: a line in the sand and saying you're not going
Speaker 2: to change from euros or dollars to euros at the
Speaker 2: last minute and ask for a bunch more money that
Speaker 2: was the, deal and move the goalposts and change the,
Speaker 2: terms and you, KNOW i Think kurt got to a
Speaker 2: point where he felt like if we met their, demands
Speaker 2: it would set a bad precedent and it would also
Speaker 2: kind of hamstring us a little bit in the. Summer
Speaker 2: so The agata trade was made With Sporting Kansas. City
Speaker 2: we haven't really seen him much. Yet he did play
Speaker 2: forty five At, vancouver played what twenty, two twenty three
Speaker 2: At San. Diego clearly he's a talented. Player he scored
Speaker 2: two goals AGAINST us last. Year you, KNOW i guess
Speaker 2: in my mind maybe he ends up being over the longer,
Speaker 2: term more of The Anderson julio. Replacement and you, Know
Speaker 2: chicho was really good For San. Jose the other, night and,
Speaker 2: UH i think that'll Be kurt's focus in the. Summer
Speaker 2: is is a killer nine and you reference the ownership.
Speaker 2: Change every Experience i've had with anybody on The miller
Speaker 2: side in the months leading up to the official public
Speaker 2: announcement has been nothing but amazingly. Positive and you, know, Look,
Speaker 2: SPENCE i never once thought THAT rsl would Leave utah
Speaker 2: or move From, utah but you, Know Commissioner garber and
Speaker 2: others they, said with The miller family being the majority
Speaker 2: locally engaged, owner there's never a. Doubt and you, know
Speaker 2: The blitzer group is still very much, involved especially on
Speaker 2: the sporting. Side we've got some young academy products that
Speaker 2: are over In denmark With bronby right now and they're
Speaker 2: going to get some cups of coffee around some of
Speaker 2: the different teams in the continent. There that's exciting stuff
Speaker 2: for the development of a. Kid it's not probably super
Speaker 2: exciting for our fans that are worried about first team
Speaker 2: performance over the first third of the. Season BUT i
Speaker 2: guess the saving grace right now AS i try to
Speaker 2: look at things glass half, full as we've got twenty
Speaker 2: five games left across all, competitions so there's plenty of
Speaker 2: time to kind of turn the ship. Around four, wins
Speaker 2: seven losses IN, mls we're ONLY i think six points
Speaker 2: out of second, place which is. Amazing seven. Points maybe
Speaker 2: go To dallas this weekend at the end of a
Speaker 2: three game road. Trip dallas just got, Smashed so if
Speaker 2: we can get the three points, there take six out of.
Speaker 2: Nine The vancouver loss is, disappointing but they're the best
Speaker 2: team in the, league so for us to have kind
Speaker 2: of maybe not embarrassed ourselves against them is a moral,
Speaker 2: victory which obviously don't count for.
Speaker 1: Anything seven points out a second in, fairness two points out.
Speaker 2: Of Fourteenth, okay, yeah tightly.
Speaker 1: Packed but, LOOK i bring it up for context because
Speaker 1: over the course of the twenty years, now which is
Speaker 1: still wild for me to think about of the existence
Speaker 1: of the, club some of our best teams had horrible
Speaker 1: starts and some of our worst teams had awesome. Steves this,
Speaker 1: season almost unlike any, other is an absolute.
Speaker 2: Marathon this is not a.
Speaker 1: Sprint So i'm not ready to anoint or, dismiss BUT
Speaker 1: i do think there is a faction of this fan
Speaker 1: base that looks at AND i want you to walk
Speaker 1: us through this because you've been around the league forever
Speaker 1: and it is a single entity policy, Continuously so you
Speaker 1: cannot draw a straight line by doing all of the
Speaker 1: math of every player you let go and, saying why
Speaker 1: don't we spend every one of those dollars on a player.
Speaker 1: Transfer that's not how the business model. Works however it
Speaker 1: it IS i think understandable for a fan. Base it
Speaker 1: saw potentially fifteen to eighteen of the most exciting games
Speaker 1: that we've ever seen here last year with that group
Speaker 1: of attacking players be broken down brick by brick without adequate.
Speaker 2: REPLACEMENTS i think that's, fair, True, yeah, YEAH i think
Speaker 2: it is. Fair the whiplash from a year ago to
Speaker 2: now is CERTAINLY i think exacerbating the. Situation because you
Speaker 2: do go fifteen games in the league unbeaten for the
Speaker 2: better part Of March april And, may you're in first,
Speaker 2: Place you're in the supporter shield. Race chicho's got seventeen
Speaker 2: goals in seventeen. GAMES i think at that point you
Speaker 2: sell Andres chicho scores one goal in his final what twenty,
Speaker 2: games let's say maybe a little. Less over the second
Speaker 2: half of the, season.
Speaker 7: It.
Speaker 2: Was it was a stumble to the finish after you
Speaker 2: sell Andres now it's NOT i think people forget. That,
Speaker 2: okay you Sell andre's for eleven, million it goes to
Speaker 2: thirteen with some. Bonuses all that money isn't paid up.
Speaker 2: Front you take five million of what you get from
Speaker 2: him and you Buy, diogo you Buy DOMINIC, marchuk you
Speaker 2: Buy Lachlan, brook you Sign Javane brown off of waivers From.
Speaker 2: Vancouver so it's not like no resources were used and
Speaker 2: everything was. Pocketed that's just not how it. Works because
Speaker 2: some of these dollars are real cash. Dollars as you've
Speaker 2: Heard kurt, explain some of the gam is not real.
Speaker 2: Cash it's fictional kind of, capology if you. WILL i
Speaker 2: think you, know the Chi cho move was. Calculated The
Speaker 2: Matt crooks move was maybe a little, late and it
Speaker 2: was right by. Him he's doing very well in the
Speaker 2: in the championship over In. England BUT i think now
Speaker 2: through the first ten eleven, games we've realized how much
Speaker 2: work he did for everybody, else and you're missing.
Speaker 8: That.
Speaker 2: Now what it's done is you're Allowing Diego luna to
Speaker 2: become the. Man As pablo said a couple of weeks,
Speaker 2: ago he's not on the ascent. Anymore this is his.
Speaker 2: Team he's the. Man maybe that's a lot to put
Speaker 2: on a twenty one year old. Shoulders you, know Maybe
Speaker 2: dominic has Not he's BEEN i think, positive but he
Speaker 2: hasn't been as consistent as he was in the final
Speaker 2: seven games last. Year aripol clearly learning on the. Job
Speaker 2: agata And russell we've hardly seen box to. BOX i
Speaker 2: think everybody feels really good about the core of the,
Speaker 2: team And annelli And ojeda And glad And vera And
Speaker 2: junka And catronas and you, know maybe right back we've
Speaker 2: had a rotating cast of. Characters Rafael cabral has been,
Speaker 2: phenomenal but we don't have those difference, makers The chico
Speaker 2: And andres that we had a year. Ago nobody other
Speaker 2: Than diego has really stepped up in that category.
Speaker 1: Well and WE i think it might be time and
Speaker 1: maybe pastime to have a, salient honest conversation About, diogo
Speaker 1: who has the same amount of goals As Sam junko right,
Speaker 1: now right he has a goal and he has two
Speaker 1: assists in eleven. Games and you, know last year he
Speaker 1: rolled into town with a lot of fanfare and was
Speaker 1: not productive and the walking line was we need a
Speaker 1: preseason with. Him, yeah he's your ONLY, dp and from
Speaker 1: my vantage, point he hasn't been good. Enough so maybe
Speaker 1: you guys are seeing things in training or moments where
Speaker 1: you know he is providing the quality that you want
Speaker 1: from that. Position but at what point do we look
Speaker 1: at that and, SAY i don't, know, man it's not
Speaker 1: A it hasn't worked straight so.
Speaker 2: Far, yeah AND i think there's a couple of ways
Speaker 2: to look at. It and you, know talking To pablo
Speaker 2: And Kurt daily AS i, DO i Think pablo looks
Speaker 2: At diogo and, Says, okay this is a guy who
Speaker 2: played thirty One Champions league. Games clearly there's quality and,
Speaker 2: pedigree different, league different style of. Play he was not
Speaker 2: the man in any of those situations At copenhagen Or.
Speaker 2: Benfica he was the man behind the man or the
Speaker 2: man behind the man behind the. Man and the other
Speaker 2: thing That pablo has said consistently in His apple production
Speaker 2: calls Is diego is a very smart technical. Player he's
Speaker 2: an incredible. Finisher when he's on the, Field he's seeing
Speaker 2: the game In pablo's estimation two, three four steps, ahead
Speaker 2: but nobody around him is seeing the game at the
Speaker 2: same cadence as he, Is so there's a disconnect. There,
Speaker 2: Right he's surrounded by an awful lot of. Youth and,
Speaker 2: again these are all just making excuses for, him because
Speaker 2: if he didn't have those TWO dp initials next to his,
Speaker 2: NAME i think the perception of his contribution as performers
Speaker 2: would probably be very. Different SO i would expect in
Speaker 2: the summer you add A, dp maybe THAT, dp that
Speaker 2: presence of that OTHER dp would hold him accountable in
Speaker 2: such a. Way maybe he. LEAVES i don't, know it
Speaker 2: could be one situation or. Another his wife just announced
Speaker 2: On instagram a week ago that they are expecting their
Speaker 2: first child, Graduation so you never know how some of
Speaker 2: these off field things are. Happening like you, know you've
Speaker 2: heard the guys talk. About you, Know dominic's kind of
Speaker 2: choppy start to the beginning of the season can be
Speaker 2: attributed to as fact his dad has been very unhealthy
Speaker 2: and he's been five thousand miles away from that, situation
Speaker 2: and you, Know dunny's been talking about this for. Years
Speaker 2: you just never know, how. Guys some guys are very
Speaker 2: good at compartmentalizing the ninety minutes on the field and
Speaker 2: everything else off and and the other, guys it bleeds
Speaker 2: through and it affects. Them so the good news is
Speaker 2: things haven't frayed, Right, like guys haven't turned on each,
Speaker 2: other and all you can hope for is improvement day by,
Speaker 2: day hour by, hour and game by.
Speaker 3: Game so the explanation For diego is that he's too,
Speaker 3: good he's too.
Speaker 2: Smart and that's too of. All it's just not on
Speaker 2: the same.
Speaker 1: Page, Okay, well he's got a kid next to him
Speaker 1: who clearly is seen the game the way he supposedly.
Speaker 1: Is but the Least diego is producing six, goals two
Speaker 1: assists another goal over the. WEEKEND A. Pk Finichigainst. Vancouver
Speaker 1: you've had a front row seat to watch this kid.
Speaker 1: Develop AND i know that SOME rsl fans don't love
Speaker 1: THAT i wax poetic and talk about some of our
Speaker 1: great superstars back in the. Day but for, Me trey
Speaker 1: he has the ability to be better in all of. Them,
Speaker 1: yeah AND i hope most of those years are. HERE
Speaker 1: i get the deal that that probably isn't the. Case
Speaker 1: but what's it been like for you to watch this
Speaker 1: kid blow up and evolve into really a rising star
Speaker 1: in the ranks of soccer across the entire.
Speaker 2: Country, yeah it's. AMAZING i Mean diego clearly came here
Speaker 2: as as an older team and he's a man, now
Speaker 2: he's got a. Kid he's very serious about his. Craft he.
Speaker 2: IS i think the biggest area of growth for him
Speaker 2: is maybe holding teammates, accountable whether it's in training, sessions
Speaker 2: it's in film, sessions it's in the middle of the,
Speaker 2: game and they respect his. Voice oh, yeah though he
Speaker 2: will grab a guy by the collar Like Jason christ
Speaker 2: used to do and say wake, up let's go what
Speaker 2: is wrong with?
Speaker 6: You Matt.
Speaker 2: Bank it Was Luke Krammel, meyers the vivid one in
Speaker 2: my Maybe Tino nuniez as, well shout OUT i can keep,
Speaker 2: going you, KNOW i can play this game All diego
Speaker 2: Like apple is asking him to be an. AMBASSADOR mls
Speaker 2: wants to use him in. Everything Landon donovan And Tim
Speaker 2: howard want them on their on their. Podcast he's.
Speaker 6: Done you.
Speaker 2: Know he did the And or thing with the Actor Diego.
Speaker 2: Luna Travis scott had him out To. Coachella these are
Speaker 2: things that don't typically happen to A Raal Salt, lakey
Speaker 2: no matter how many goals you. Have and and the
Speaker 2: thing is is Like diego's, matured but he hasn't really.
Speaker 2: Changed like he's still a good guy that you can
Speaker 2: walk up to and and dap up and just have
Speaker 2: a good conversation with His IF i was twenty one
Speaker 2: and suddenly the world was acting LIKE i was, IMPORTANT
Speaker 2: i would expect my ego to probably uh outgrow its,
Speaker 2: efficiency you. Know and and, look part of what's great
Speaker 2: About diego is his belief in himself and you know
Speaker 2: that quiet. Confidence but he really has put this team
Speaker 2: on his. Shoulders he's got what two two goal, Games
Speaker 2: he's Made team of The week three. Times SO i
Speaker 2: think he's. AGAIN i don't know what's gonna. HAPPEN i
Speaker 2: expect him to be here for a. YEAR i think
Speaker 2: that gives him the best chance to go to The
Speaker 2: Gold cup here in a couple months Under pochattino and
Speaker 2: then and then really give himself a chance to make
Speaker 2: That World cup team a year from. Now and THE
Speaker 2: us soccer assistants that have been around Clearly pochattino loves.
Speaker 2: Him they love his, grit his, grind his attitude on
Speaker 2: both sides of the, ball and he's not afraid to try,
Speaker 2: stuff and we saw it in The Nations league whatever
Speaker 2: semi final and final or third place GAME i should,
Speaker 2: say where THE us lost To panama In. Canada he
Speaker 2: was the lone bright. Spot he was the only guy trying.
Speaker 2: Things he was the only guy making things happen for
Speaker 2: himself and for. Others so sky's a limit still for
Speaker 2: a twenty one year Old Diego.
Speaker 1: Luna bit of a non, Sequitur but you're REFERENCED arsa
Speaker 1: players At, coachella and So i've got to ask you
Speaker 1: About Nick rimando being inducted in The hall Of. Fame
Speaker 1: nick is a known music festival, guy, absolutely but you
Speaker 1: know little history. LESSON i can remember one of my
Speaker 1: wake up calls To, okay professional soccer In america is
Speaker 1: much different than professional professional, basketball professional, football the SPORTS
Speaker 1: i was raised, around WHEN i found out that our
Speaker 1: starting keeper in two thousand and, Seven Scott garlic had
Speaker 1: elected to retire because he had an opportunity in real.
Speaker 1: Estate good For, scott apparently it's worked out for him just,
Speaker 1: fine it seems like. It but ULTIMATELY i can remember, thinking, like,
Speaker 1: wait a athlete in his maybe later prime is retiring
Speaker 1: when he has a contract to keep playing to work
Speaker 1: in real. Estate so we were scrambling to get a
Speaker 1: keeper and ultimately went and Reacquired Nick romando from D
Speaker 1: C New york Where Bruce arena. Correct, okay so we
Speaker 1: were able to Acquire romando in the deal that also
Speaker 1: brought Us Freddy Freddy You, do which did not work
Speaker 1: out as well as we were. Expecting we did not
Speaker 1: know that the better piece of that deal was actually
Speaker 1: the keeper that we were, receiving who turned out to
Speaker 1: be one of the main, conduits two lifting trophies and
Speaker 1: by most, accounts the greatest keeper this league has ever.
Speaker 1: Seen so your thoughts ON nicki getting inducted into The
Speaker 1: National hall Of, fame the ONLY rsl player to have
Speaker 1: this OCCER i would Imagine kyle gets there at some.
Speaker 2: POINT i would Hope kyle can get in in the
Speaker 2: next year or.
Speaker 6: Two.
Speaker 2: Yeah Nick romando inducted in The National Soccer hall Of
Speaker 2: fame In, Frisco texas this. Weekend we will Celebrate nick
Speaker 2: On june fourteenth AGAINST Dc united At America First field
Speaker 2: In sandy And nick will get his name put up
Speaker 2: in The ring Of honor next To jason christ And
Speaker 2: Javier morales and. Clearly the three of them were teammates
Speaker 2: together on THAT Mls cup two thousand and nine championship.
Speaker 2: Team Nick rmando was named The MasterCard Most Valuable.
Speaker 5: Player.
Speaker 2: Uh they were then up In seattle Against, galaxy And
Speaker 2: nicky's just been for a guy that never won The
Speaker 2: goalkeeper of the, award which is. Insane he should have
Speaker 2: wanted the following year in twenty, ten WHEN rsl only
Speaker 2: ALLOWED i want to, say twenty goals in thirty four.
Speaker 2: Games and the Reason nick didn't win that, YEAR i was,
Speaker 2: told was Because forcher's And lave were ahead of him
Speaker 2: and they both made best, eleven But nick. Didn't, whatever
Speaker 2: it was very. Silly but, anyway you Know Nick nick's
Speaker 2: second act of his career was, here. Right he won
Speaker 2: A cup IN, dc but he had suffered a knee
Speaker 2: injury and he was considered damage. Goods and to your,
Speaker 2: point we traded For Freddy adu FROM dc in Like.
Speaker 2: November Nick romondo was a throw in in that. DEAL
Speaker 2: i think we sent J nalli and a draft pick
Speaker 2: the other, way and Then nick ended up moving To
Speaker 2: we traded him To New york because he wanted to
Speaker 2: play For arena again and we Wanted, garlic and, they,
Speaker 2: well we Had garlic from the first couple of. Years
Speaker 2: and Then garlic retires two weeks before the, season And
Speaker 2: Bruce arena Told John ellinger AND i don't, Know march of,
Speaker 2: seven who do you. Want you can Have nick, back
Speaker 2: or you can Have John, conway who was a decent
Speaker 2: keeper at the. Time And ellinger, GOES i guess we'll Take.
Speaker 2: Nick and Then nick plays for us for another fourteen,
Speaker 2: seasons LEADS mls all time in minutes, played games, played games, started, saves,
Speaker 2: wins all the important goalkeeping. Categories and some of these
Speaker 2: record spans are most likely untouchable Because Kyle nick others
Speaker 2: were kind of a rare breed pablo that played their
Speaker 2: entire fourteen fifteen years professionally IN, mls.
Speaker 6: And some of them.
Speaker 2: Have played the majority of those years for one. Team
Speaker 2: we're seeing it. Now Diego charra up In portland has
Speaker 2: played his entire career with The. Timbers so there's a
Speaker 2: few examples here and, there but we're so glad That
Speaker 2: nick made a home. Here he operates businesses, here he's
Speaker 2: the goalkeeper coach for The, monarch spends a lot of
Speaker 2: time with Our academy kids as. Well and you, KNOW
Speaker 2: i Think Gavin beavers and every other young keeper that's
Speaker 2: come through our club would would Credit nick with some
Speaker 2: of their.
Speaker 1: Development so moving back over to here and, now because
Speaker 1: there are some bright spots other Than. Diego AND i
Speaker 1: talked To pablo about this last week, because as you,
Speaker 1: KNOW i was on the road with the club In San.
Speaker 1: Diego you're good, luck. Charm, LOOK i, mean folks are
Speaker 1: saying That i'm not saying, that but folks are saying
Speaker 1: that you elected to ditch me on the, trip which is.
Speaker 2: Fine the trip worked out just fine for your. Boy
Speaker 2: we'll leave that off.
Speaker 1: There but watching the win Against San diego and A
Speaker 1: mecha has been good for a.
Speaker 2: While. Dude he controlled the entire flow of the. Game
Speaker 2: AND i talked To pablo about.
Speaker 1: This and you remember this funny anecdote THAT i always
Speaker 1: share About, kyle About Kyle beckerman BECAUSE i can remember
Speaker 1: this was two thousand and. Seven jay took the head
Speaker 1: coaching job In, okay so four, games so he Had
Speaker 1: kyle at holding, mid which Is, kyle's you, know the
Speaker 1: position that he became a legend of the. Club and
Speaker 1: of course me still learning the game of, Soccer kyle
Speaker 1: scores one of His becker. Bombs we used to call
Speaker 1: him this thirty yard, blast and we were having trouble.
Speaker 1: Scoring so on the postgame, SHOW i say To, Jason, hey,
Speaker 1: Dude i've got a great idea for, you, Buddy kyle
Speaker 1: needs to be playing up. Top he needs to be
Speaker 1: playing strike or central attacking. Mid And jason gave me
Speaker 1: this look LIKE i will strangle you right, now But
Speaker 1: i'll never forget what he said to me because it
Speaker 1: turned out to be. Prophetic he, said If kyle embraces
Speaker 1: this position and What i'm asking him to do in
Speaker 1: this diamond, formation he will play in A World, cup
Speaker 1: which he. Did and so after that conversation With, JASON
Speaker 1: i Watched kyle in a different way THAN i had
Speaker 1: prior to because you, know like people focus on the,
Speaker 1: ball they focus on the, touchdown, pass the, dunk unless
Speaker 1: It's jokic it's a layup because you can't, dunk or
Speaker 1: in soccer it's the. Goals you focus on the, moments, Right,
Speaker 1: so after Watching kyle just dominate the way that he
Speaker 1: did at that, position it gives me a different set
Speaker 1: of eyes to watch A mecca evolve the way he's
Speaker 1: and there's a Little kyle in A. MECCA i, thought
Speaker 1: so as far as bright spots that we're going to go.
Speaker 1: THERE i Think amecha continues to.
Speaker 2: Evolve, Yeah and What pablo consistently praises A mecca for
Speaker 2: is his, brain his, intelligence his ability to process. Information
Speaker 2: and you, know A mecca has the fortune of playing
Speaker 2: the same position That pablo And kyle played for fifteen
Speaker 2: years at a very very high level in this league
Speaker 2: and in this. Country and A mecca is constantly taking
Speaker 2: What pablo is teaching, him whether it's in film, sessions training,
Speaker 2: sessions are just grabbing him during the game and, say,
Speaker 2: hey when you're in this, situation check over your left
Speaker 2: shoulder because that's where they're going to try and. Whatever
Speaker 2: and you, know A mecca twenty five years old in
Speaker 2: the national team, MIX i think he's played the second
Speaker 2: most minutes for the field players FOR us this. Year,
Speaker 2: clearly our Leader Johnny russell's presence now is going TO
Speaker 2: i think help A mecca accelerate his leadership side of
Speaker 2: his game and his. Captaincy but you, know we wouldn't
Speaker 2: we wouldn't even be in the middle of the pack
Speaker 2: in The west without A mecca And, ojeda WHICH i
Speaker 2: think are one of the better midfield tandems in the.
Speaker 1: League and, finally another bright SPOT i do think has Been.
Speaker 1: CABRAL i do you know the keeper That kurt decided
Speaker 1: to bring. In it was it was just difficult last
Speaker 1: year Watching, zach who at TIMES i think stepped in
Speaker 1: here as a veteran and played some really really good,
Speaker 1: soccer looked like it was orange slices and juice boxes.
Speaker 1: Like these mistakes that he was making were just, wild
Speaker 1: AND i think most people Believe gav is going to
Speaker 1: be great once it's fully cooked and he's fully. DEVELOPED
Speaker 1: i was glad you guys addressed it because you needed.
Speaker 1: Too so tell us a little bit about this new
Speaker 1: keeper and we'll finish.
Speaker 2: It. YEAH i, Mean Raphael cabral is a little older
Speaker 2: before we Got Johnny. RUSSELL i think he's our only
Speaker 2: player over the age of. Thirty With zach on the
Speaker 2: shelf rehabbing his. Shoulder cabral won a Copa bertelories when
Speaker 2: he was, young very Prestigious South american, competition won titles
Speaker 2: With napoli In, italy played In england at a high,
Speaker 2: level and then played in his home country Of brazil
Speaker 2: the last couple of year at a very high. Level
Speaker 2: he is a consummate. Leader he is not a, perfectionist
Speaker 2: because when he is trying to teach people how to
Speaker 2: learn from their, mistakes he's very cognizant about acknowledging his
Speaker 2: own or that he will make them that he's not.
Speaker 2: Perfect he loves his, family he loves his, faith and
Speaker 2: he's really been extremely. Solid we saw this weekend he's
Speaker 2: now saved two of the four penalty kicks he's faced this,
Speaker 2: year which is big when it seems like there's a
Speaker 2: game changing penalty or vaar call almost every week. Now
Speaker 2: AND i think we're lucky to have. Him so if
Speaker 2: we Get Brian vera, back you Have justin glad. Healthy
Speaker 2: you know that's a very good. Spine when you can
Speaker 2: go Cabral, vera Glad Oheeda annelli and Then Diego luna
Speaker 2: at the central ten up, top you've got to build around.
Speaker 2: It we need guys to step up around. It, xaviergozo
Speaker 2: eighteen year old homegrown From Eagle, mountain is clearly rising
Speaker 2: to the. Occasion hopefully that lights a fire under. Dom
Speaker 2: he can get back out. There there's a lot of soccer.
Speaker 2: LEFT i think everybody's, together everybody's, optimistic but we will
Speaker 2: see what what Moves kurt and company make this summer.
Speaker 1: Port are you gonna be tuning in to the playoffs,
Speaker 1: tonight because here's Where i'm. AT i have so much
Speaker 1: respect For jokic That i'll, say, gentlemen. Sweep but do
Speaker 1: you Think okay Sweeps? Denver do you think it's in?
Speaker 2: FIVE i think. THIS i actually think the series or
Speaker 2: it goes five? Games it's five? Games, okay five.
Speaker 5: Games he.
Speaker 2: Doesn't dunk because he shares the ball with a g
Speaker 2: because it's as you, know assists makes two people. Happy
Speaker 2: it's great to see, You nuggets and six stop. It,
Speaker 2: see this is why we Keep you're going to get
Speaker 2: a split In Oklahoma. City they're going to win the
Speaker 2: two at, home they lose one and then they win.
Speaker 2: Game this is why we. Think this is why we can't.
Speaker 2: Talk let's put a Black desert round on.
Speaker 7: This.
Speaker 1: Seriously, Yeah i'm let's Bet let's bet seventy. Seventy let's
Speaker 1: bet one. Hundred you're going to pay for all my
Speaker 1: golf for the rest of my.
Speaker 2: Life let's bet.
Speaker 1: Five million dollars right now On, okay don't have access
Speaker 1: to that kind of fund we on. Either but that's
Speaker 1: Why i'm happy to go ahead and and lay it. Down,
Speaker 1: Look i'm pulling for your guys BECAUSE i know it
Speaker 1: makes you happy to See denver.
Speaker 2: Win have you Watched okay so you get all this? Show,
Speaker 2: yeah they are, impossible impossible to watch with a shameless
Speaker 2: Grifter alexander shooting twenty five free throws a? Game are
Speaker 2: you hitting?
Speaker 1: Me? See that's all going to dry up in the.
Speaker 1: Playoffs this is why we can't TALK nba when treys.
Speaker 8: Here He.
Speaker 2: He has a small point about the the fact that
Speaker 2: the translation is harder in the playoffs to get to
Speaker 2: the free throw line that much to rely on its.
Speaker 2: Crouch but is that going to play into an account
Speaker 2: against This denver? Team who do?
Speaker 1: You?
Speaker 3: Who do you anxiety watch more than any other?
Speaker 2: Team anxiety? Watch?
Speaker 3: Yeah like when you're what is IT?
Speaker 2: Rsl is It? Denver Like i'm ACTUALLY i don't have
Speaker 2: a ton of anxiety BECAUSE i know That murray Or
Speaker 2: gordon are gonna you know WHY i get it? Done never,
Speaker 2: mind it's PROBABLY rsl okay still to this, day and
Speaker 2: maybe the you, know there were a lot of Rough
Speaker 2: bronco watches over the last eight.
Speaker 1: Years yeah, YEAH i mean they finally got a. Quarterback
Speaker 1: at least you have some, hope all. Right so It's
Speaker 1: dallas coming up this. WEEKEND rsl has been on the,
Speaker 1: road but they will be back home for A.
Speaker 2: Wednesday, Yeah wednesday the fourteenth at home Against, portland and
Speaker 2: then we head off To, colorado WHERE i will be
Speaker 2: At Ball arena For game six As denver clinches the.
Speaker 2: Series two nights BEFORE. Rsl you.
Speaker 1: Turn i'm trying to give you guys a little love. Here,
Speaker 1: okay you get back for four or five at home In. June,
Speaker 1: okay just feel like the club has been on the.
Speaker 2: Road we'll get back For, ACTUALLY i think it's nine
Speaker 2: out of eleven at home after this long road. Stretch,
Speaker 2: gotcha good to see, It thanks for the, Time thanks
Speaker 2: for having. Me Kenny atkinson has.
Speaker 1: Been named The coach of The year In Pro BASKETBALL
Speaker 1: Nba Playoffs Tonight nix and The, celtics and then it
Speaker 1: is The nuggets And Oklahoma. City so round two getting.
Speaker 1: Going The Utah Hockey club did not win the draft.
Speaker 1: Lottery they will draft fourteen at a one point five
Speaker 1: percent chance of winning the Lottery Porter trivia time THE
Speaker 1: nba Flat, yeah here we. Go THE nba flattened their
Speaker 1: lottery odds in twenty. Nineteen so we've had five drafts
Speaker 1: where the worst team in pro basketball has a fourteen
Speaker 1: percent chance along with the other two teams in that.
Speaker 1: Category how many times in the five years has the
Speaker 1: worst team in THE nba received the number one overall
Speaker 1: pick zero?
Speaker 2: Zero not one? Time so we are one week, away
Speaker 2: will The jazz become the first? Team, well you're telling
Speaker 2: me there's a, CHANCE i sure, am, YEAH i mean
Speaker 2: that's that's the funny. Part we can. Prognosticate but it
Speaker 2: literally is based on a couple of ping pong balls
Speaker 2: flying in the right. Direction and you know, what what
Speaker 2: do they have as good a chance as two other?
Speaker 5: Teams?
Speaker 2: Right fourteen point three percent between three different. Teams utah
Speaker 2: has that. Opportunity AND i don't, KNOW i got good
Speaker 2: vibes about. IT i don't think they're gonna drop a,
Speaker 2: Bunch like there's there's SOME ptsd From jazz fans THAT
Speaker 2: i don't know they should have because they always. Are
Speaker 2: they look at these numbers where The jazz have never
Speaker 2: moved up in the draft, lottery they've always moved down. Right, yeah,
Speaker 2: well they've also not really been in that situation very.
Speaker 2: Often so you're looking at a very very small sample
Speaker 2: size that doesn't really have much historical historical. Significance, because,
Speaker 2: hey The jazz have been in the playoffs like every
Speaker 2: year of their, existence and the lottery wasn't even a
Speaker 2: conversation for two.
Speaker 5: Decades SO.
Speaker 2: I have good feelings about. It but you know that
Speaker 2: doesn't go, Anywhere, no it does. Not we'll be hoping
Speaker 2: for good.
Speaker 1: Things Having Cooper flag in our market might make our
Speaker 1: NATIONAL nba guests pay attention to The. Jazz, yeah, yeah they, would,
Speaker 1: well because the past couple of years when we have them,
Speaker 1: On i'm, like, hey let's do a jazz. QUESTION i
Speaker 1: got tim what do you want to talk? About johnny
Speaker 1: Jews in getting minutes, LIKE i don't. Know all, right
Speaker 1: before we catch a, BREAK i want to tell you
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Speaker 1: More all, Right, porter before we catch a? Break what
Speaker 1: comes our way on A tuesday edition of the radio.
Speaker 2: Show on A, Tuesday, Spence, well we'll talk you a
Speaker 2: LITTLE nba, hey maybe some jazz With tim, McMahon THE
Speaker 2: Nba daily assist talk SOME nba. Playoffs Tony park stops
Speaker 2: by the. Program we'll talk some, hoops talk some, baseball
Speaker 2: go all over the map WITH tp plenty to get
Speaker 2: to with our Friend Spencer. Linton no, football no, basketball nothing,
Speaker 2: ongoing but still a lot of rivalry talk that we
Speaker 2: can we can dive into. There and we heard today
Speaker 2: From Will. Hardy in the meantime between today's show and,
Speaker 2: tomorrow we're gonna hear From Bill armstrong Of Utah Hockey.
Speaker 2: Clubs we'll go.
Speaker 1: There wait a, Second wait a, second let's not catch
Speaker 1: a break just, yet BECAUSE i may have. Misspoke i'm
Speaker 1: watching THE Nhl draft lottery live, here AND i think
Speaker 1: The Utah Hockey club just got the ball they needed
Speaker 1: to move.
Speaker 2: Up The Utah Hockey club has moved up to number
Speaker 2: four in the draft.
Speaker 1: Lottery, okay so WHAT i saw was they were eliminated
Speaker 1: from the first or the second. Pick The Utah Hockey
Speaker 1: club just moved up to number. Four there's a Smiling
Speaker 1: Bill armstrong on. Television holy. Smokes, well there you, go
Speaker 1: little draft lottery luck on This.
Speaker 2: Monday and we'll get the reaction From bill on the show.
Speaker 2: Tomorrow yes we.
Speaker 1: Will So Bill armstrong will join us, tomorrow the day
Speaker 1: after The Utah Hockey club moved up from fourteen to number.
Speaker 2: Four in the.
Speaker 1: Lottery some good vibes, here we need it one week.
Speaker 1: Away maybe OUR nba team will get some good luck as.
Speaker 1: Well All, right we'll say good. Night special thank you
Speaker 1: today To Tom, Haberstrow Richard smith And Trey Fitzgerald forrady the.
Speaker 1: Sound you may have missed from the show, today log
Speaker 1: onto the, website which is HE espn seven hundred sports dot.
Speaker 1: Com make sure to download our mobile app and take
Speaker 1: us on the. Go THE espn seven hundred app is
Speaker 1: available in The App store in The Google Play. Store, then,
Speaker 1: finally for what we do every day in our space
Speaker 1: four hours every, afternoon check out our podcast.
Speaker 2: Page give us your.
Speaker 1: Support The Utah Hockey club moves up ten spots in
Speaker 1: THE Nhl draft and we'll get the fourth overall pick.
Speaker 2: In the first.
Speaker 1: Round, man that's some cool. Stuff, Reporter i'm spent saga
Speaker 1: night and enjoy Your monday. Evening we'll talk to you
Speaker 1: on a jam Pack tuesday edition of the program Featuring
Speaker 1: Bill armstrong and The Utah Hockey, club who will have
Speaker 1: the fourth overall, pick have a great, night talk to
Speaker 1: you tomorrow right here ON espn seven hundred